Fic Challenge #31: THOSE MAGICAL CONVERSE (can you spot the reference XD)
It looked like it was about to rain. Severus could see that clearly from the top of the astronomy tower. The sun had hide behind the gray clouds which were ready to burst any second now. It was going to be a big one. Perfect. He hated Quidditch, and the rain wasn’t going to help that fact.
Severus took a look at the two tickets in his hand and scowled at himself. The Quidditch match was starting in an hour and he still hadn’t managed to give the extra one to her. Time was running out, yet he was unable to pry himself from where he sat, and he had been sitting there for a very long time. He knew full well that when you lack both time and courage, you can only watch opportunity pass and flutter away.
Twice, he had approached her, certain that he would bring up the subject of the Quidditch match, but each time things did not go as planned. The first time he approached her she was running late for class. In reality, that’s not the reason. He had said that it was important, and so she nodded her head and said she was willing to listen. He sputtered whatever came from his lips. He managed to talk about the next potions exam and how his shoes seemed to have a hole in them, but his nerves had stopped him from saying what he really wanted. In the end, she was late to class, but he still hadn’t managed to ask her.
The second time he saw her, she was furious. She asked him why he hung around with the people that he did, and what they did to Mary Macdonald. He had been no idea how to respond, but he managed. He had managed all right-to say all the wrong things. In the end, she had left, furious at his indifference to her opinions. It wasn’t until she left that he realized he blew his chance, yet again.
He replayed those two encounters over and over in his head, cursing himself for what he didn’t do and what he should have done. He was so lost in thought that he didn’t hear the pair of footsteps and distance voices approach him.
“Blimey, that was one hell of a climb!”
“My legs feel like they’re about to give way, and I thought I was alright. Tell me again why I’m doing this to myself right before a match?”
“I told you, you can get a better view of th-“
“Hey, there’s someone up there.”
“Yeah? I bet it’s one of them ‘Puffs with the same idea.”
There was a long pause after that. They had reached the top and instantly recognized the skinny figure and bat-like cape.
“Well, well, if it isn’t Snivellus.”
Startled by the fact that he wasn’t alone, he turned around, before realizing that he knew who the voice belonged to. He was face to face with a boy with black hair in Gryffindor robes and a boy with brown hair in Quidditch robes. He also hadn’t thought to hide what he was holding.
“Would you look at that, he’s a fan of yours!” The one with black hair remarked.
“Of course he is, Sirius. Who wouldn’t be?” The second replied with a snicker, feigning concern as he continued. “It’s hard not to discriminate amongst fans, so I’ll autograph your tickets for you.” With a flick of his wand, the words “James Potter” in cursive imprinted themselves onto the ticket.
“NO!” Severus who had been at a loss for words was now flushed with anger. “I was going to give them-” He stopped himself before any more words could slip out; he knew he was going to regret that he had said anything at all.
“Snivellus has a date-”
“-with his mom?”
“-by himself!”
“Snivellus, you don’t need two tickets if you’re taking yourself!”
“SHUT UP!”
With that, laughter erupted. And in the small cramped space at the top of the astronomy tower, the echoes only made the laughter even more emphasized.
He could no longer think straight. He ran down the stairs as fast as he could without tripping down stairs. It didn’t matter who was saying what, the two always knew exactly what to say to set Severus off. The anger was making his head pound, and all the problems seemed to have magnified ten folds. Not only did he not have the ability to ask the girl to the match, now the name of the person he despises more than anyone in the world is on the tickets. The possibility of taking her out seemed to have dropped below zero.
Once he was on level ground, he ran and ran with the two tickets clenched in his hand. He might not have felt so pathetic if he wasn’t trying to fight back tears.
He had no idea how long he was running, but it must have been a long time, because when he finally stopped to fill his oxygen-deprived lungs with air, he found he had arrived at the entrance to the Quidditch stadium. His body was warm from the run, but the strong wind that had suddenly picked up felt cool and refreshing against his skin.
He looked up and realized the gray clouds had now formed in masses, hovering right above the Quidditch field. He only now noticed the roaring and cheering of the crowd. He snickered and turned his attention to the long line that had formed behind the doors. He let out a groan. The line was long enough that even if he asked her now, they would never get inside in time or if they did, it would be nearly impossible to find two adjacent seats.
“Sev!” A familiar voice called out to him. It came from the direction of the line, but he could not distinguish her face from the billions of others in line.
“Sev!” The voice called, again. This time, he spotted the person for whom the voice belonged to. The person had waved at him furiously in order to get his attention.
Suddenly, his world changed around him and all he saw was her: the girl who had just called out to him. She was wearing a pink button up with blue plaid shorts. He thought to himself that she looked amazing in whatever she wore. Everything about her gave off an air of beauty. Even her name was pretty: Lily.
He had no recollections of what had happened during the next couple of minutes, but he found himself standing next to her. He felt his face had flustered a slight red, and decided to fake a rather severe cough in order to draw attention away from his cheeks.
“Hello?” The girl asked with a worried expression on her face. From her point of view, he had been standing in a daze without having said anything, but suddenly he was coughing.
“No-No! I’m fine! Don’t worry about me.”
“All right…”
“You… You’re going to see the game?”
“Yeah. Mary MacDonald asked me to go, but she suddenly caught the vanishing sickness and backed out. I figured since I already had the ticket I might as well go.”
“Oh, I see.” He said dryly. James Potter was going to be playing in this match and they both knew it. The thought of her watching him at all made him angry.
She noticed the change in his tone of voice, but decided to ignore it. She was used to it. “So I’m not too thrilled about watching a game by myself. I know it’s not your thing, and heaven knows you don’t want your bunch knowing you’ve attended a non-Slytherin game, but I’m asking if you’d like to join me. I have Mary MacDonald’s ticket with me…”
“Y-Yes, I’d love to.” His mood instantly changed once, again. He smiled at himself, at how things worked out perfectly.
“So, what were you doing over there?” The girl asked.
“I, uh, the wind took away my potions homework. Carried me all the way out here, you see.” He sputtered without thinking, and then cursed at himself. Of course, he wasn’t carrying any parchment with him. Whether Lily believed him or not, he wasn’t sure, because they had reached the front of the line. The custodian asked for their tickets, to which Lily handed them over and the two of them stepped inside.
It was still early, so finding a seat wasn’t too hard. They found one in the middle, near the Hufflepuff’s goals, and took their seat.
A sudden clap of lightning was seen overhead. Groans and shrieks alike were heard as everyone had something to say about the ‘darned weather’.
“Perfect day for a Quidditch match,” Lily muttered sarcastically. Severus only smiled. To him, it was a perfect day, but not because of the weather, of course.
To make matters worse for everyone in the crowd, tiny raindrops began to fall from the sky. At first they came sporadically, but it wasn’t long before anyone without an umbrella would be drenched in rain.
Lily looked up and saw Severus had taken off his cape and had held it above her head.
“Sorry, it’s the best I can do,” He said honestly.
She gave him a soft smile and thanked him. “No, it’s just fine, Sev.”
Just as quickly as the rain came, it went away. It was halfway into the match and Severus had focused all his attention on the girl sitting beside him, who was cheering every time Gryffindor scored. Even so, there was nothing that could ruin his good mood now.
A huge roar erupted from the crowds. One of the Hufflepuff members had been hit by the bludger and was knocked unconscious. Severus expected Lily to comment out of compassion for the poor Hufflepuff boy, but instead, she was busy searching for something in her bag.
“Here,” She said as she held a box in front of her. There was a big black star on the front of the box. “Open it.”
He grabbed the box from her hand, not knowing what to expect. As he opened then, he saw a pair of shoes with an unfamiliar looking shape and design.
“They’re called Converse. I had my parents send a pair over from the Muggle world. You told me your shoes were breaking in, so I thought…” Her voice trailed off as she looked down. Her face had become a bright pink and she didn’t want him to see.
At first he was confused, but then he remembered. The first time he had tried to ask her out, he had instead complained about how old his shoes were.
“…I want you to give them a try. They’re really comfortable and they last a long time. They’re perfect. They don’t change color or anything, but that’s something a simple spell can fix.”
Still, even after remembering why she was giving him the shoe, he was speechless. He knew a ‘thank you’ was in order, but nothing was coming from his lips. He saw her frown as his face was still expressionless, and only then did he think to say something positive.
“I will use them.” And he meant what he said. “Thank you, Lily.” Those words came out warm and genuine, because that’s how he truly felt at that moment. He felt like he must have been the happiest man alive in that Quidditch stadium.
“I’m glad you like them!” She had a big, reassuring smile on her face. And that was all he needed.
He can hardly remember what happened during the rest of the match, but this was going to be one unforgettable evening for him. What happened earlier that day and the fact that he was attending a non-Slytherin match was all irrelevant for he had never felt so happy in his life.
Indeed, he was now wearing his pair of Converse. Those magical Converse, or so he calls them.
2,011/50 = 40.22 + 5 = 45 points for Gryffindor
Bess//Gryffindor
Severus took a look at the two tickets in his hand and scowled at himself. The Quidditch match was starting in an hour and he still hadn’t managed to give the extra one to her. Time was running out, yet he was unable to pry himself from where he sat, and he had been sitting there for a very long time. He knew full well that when you lack both time and courage, you can only watch opportunity pass and flutter away.
Twice, he had approached her, certain that he would bring up the subject of the Quidditch match, but each time things did not go as planned. The first time he approached her she was running late for class. In reality, that’s not the reason. He had said that it was important, and so she nodded her head and said she was willing to listen. He sputtered whatever came from his lips. He managed to talk about the next potions exam and how his shoes seemed to have a hole in them, but his nerves had stopped him from saying what he really wanted. In the end, she was late to class, but he still hadn’t managed to ask her.
The second time he saw her, she was furious. She asked him why he hung around with the people that he did, and what they did to Mary Macdonald. He had been no idea how to respond, but he managed. He had managed all right-to say all the wrong things. In the end, she had left, furious at his indifference to her opinions. It wasn’t until she left that he realized he blew his chance, yet again.
He replayed those two encounters over and over in his head, cursing himself for what he didn’t do and what he should have done. He was so lost in thought that he didn’t hear the pair of footsteps and distance voices approach him.
“Blimey, that was one hell of a climb!”
“My legs feel like they’re about to give way, and I thought I was alright. Tell me again why I’m doing this to myself right before a match?”
“I told you, you can get a better view of th-“
“Hey, there’s someone up there.”
“Yeah? I bet it’s one of them ‘Puffs with the same idea.”
There was a long pause after that. They had reached the top and instantly recognized the skinny figure and bat-like cape.
“Well, well, if it isn’t Snivellus.”
Startled by the fact that he wasn’t alone, he turned around, before realizing that he knew who the voice belonged to. He was face to face with a boy with black hair in Gryffindor robes and a boy with brown hair in Quidditch robes. He also hadn’t thought to hide what he was holding.
“Would you look at that, he’s a fan of yours!” The one with black hair remarked.
“Of course he is, Sirius. Who wouldn’t be?” The second replied with a snicker, feigning concern as he continued. “It’s hard not to discriminate amongst fans, so I’ll autograph your tickets for you.” With a flick of his wand, the words “James Potter” in cursive imprinted themselves onto the ticket.
“NO!” Severus who had been at a loss for words was now flushed with anger. “I was going to give them-” He stopped himself before any more words could slip out; he knew he was going to regret that he had said anything at all.
“Snivellus has a date-”
“-with his mom?”
“-by himself!”
“Snivellus, you don’t need two tickets if you’re taking yourself!”
“SHUT UP!”
With that, laughter erupted. And in the small cramped space at the top of the astronomy tower, the echoes only made the laughter even more emphasized.
He could no longer think straight. He ran down the stairs as fast as he could without tripping down stairs. It didn’t matter who was saying what, the two always knew exactly what to say to set Severus off. The anger was making his head pound, and all the problems seemed to have magnified ten folds. Not only did he not have the ability to ask the girl to the match, now the name of the person he despises more than anyone in the world is on the tickets. The possibility of taking her out seemed to have dropped below zero.
Once he was on level ground, he ran and ran with the two tickets clenched in his hand. He might not have felt so pathetic if he wasn’t trying to fight back tears.
He had no idea how long he was running, but it must have been a long time, because when he finally stopped to fill his oxygen-deprived lungs with air, he found he had arrived at the entrance to the Quidditch stadium. His body was warm from the run, but the strong wind that had suddenly picked up felt cool and refreshing against his skin.
He looked up and realized the gray clouds had now formed in masses, hovering right above the Quidditch field. He only now noticed the roaring and cheering of the crowd. He snickered and turned his attention to the long line that had formed behind the doors. He let out a groan. The line was long enough that even if he asked her now, they would never get inside in time or if they did, it would be nearly impossible to find two adjacent seats.
“Sev!” A familiar voice called out to him. It came from the direction of the line, but he could not distinguish her face from the billions of others in line.
“Sev!” The voice called, again. This time, he spotted the person for whom the voice belonged to. The person had waved at him furiously in order to get his attention.
Suddenly, his world changed around him and all he saw was her: the girl who had just called out to him. She was wearing a pink button up with blue plaid shorts. He thought to himself that she looked amazing in whatever she wore. Everything about her gave off an air of beauty. Even her name was pretty: Lily.
He had no recollections of what had happened during the next couple of minutes, but he found himself standing next to her. He felt his face had flustered a slight red, and decided to fake a rather severe cough in order to draw attention away from his cheeks.
“Hello?” The girl asked with a worried expression on her face. From her point of view, he had been standing in a daze without having said anything, but suddenly he was coughing.
“No-No! I’m fine! Don’t worry about me.”
“All right…”
“You… You’re going to see the game?”
“Yeah. Mary MacDonald asked me to go, but she suddenly caught the vanishing sickness and backed out. I figured since I already had the ticket I might as well go.”
“Oh, I see.” He said dryly. James Potter was going to be playing in this match and they both knew it. The thought of her watching him at all made him angry.
She noticed the change in his tone of voice, but decided to ignore it. She was used to it. “So I’m not too thrilled about watching a game by myself. I know it’s not your thing, and heaven knows you don’t want your bunch knowing you’ve attended a non-Slytherin game, but I’m asking if you’d like to join me. I have Mary MacDonald’s ticket with me…”
“Y-Yes, I’d love to.” His mood instantly changed once, again. He smiled at himself, at how things worked out perfectly.
“So, what were you doing over there?” The girl asked.
“I, uh, the wind took away my potions homework. Carried me all the way out here, you see.” He sputtered without thinking, and then cursed at himself. Of course, he wasn’t carrying any parchment with him. Whether Lily believed him or not, he wasn’t sure, because they had reached the front of the line. The custodian asked for their tickets, to which Lily handed them over and the two of them stepped inside.
It was still early, so finding a seat wasn’t too hard. They found one in the middle, near the Hufflepuff’s goals, and took their seat.
A sudden clap of lightning was seen overhead. Groans and shrieks alike were heard as everyone had something to say about the ‘darned weather’.
“Perfect day for a Quidditch match,” Lily muttered sarcastically. Severus only smiled. To him, it was a perfect day, but not because of the weather, of course.
To make matters worse for everyone in the crowd, tiny raindrops began to fall from the sky. At first they came sporadically, but it wasn’t long before anyone without an umbrella would be drenched in rain.
Lily looked up and saw Severus had taken off his cape and had held it above her head.
“Sorry, it’s the best I can do,” He said honestly.
She gave him a soft smile and thanked him. “No, it’s just fine, Sev.”
Just as quickly as the rain came, it went away. It was halfway into the match and Severus had focused all his attention on the girl sitting beside him, who was cheering every time Gryffindor scored. Even so, there was nothing that could ruin his good mood now.
A huge roar erupted from the crowds. One of the Hufflepuff members had been hit by the bludger and was knocked unconscious. Severus expected Lily to comment out of compassion for the poor Hufflepuff boy, but instead, she was busy searching for something in her bag.
“Here,” She said as she held a box in front of her. There was a big black star on the front of the box. “Open it.”
He grabbed the box from her hand, not knowing what to expect. As he opened then, he saw a pair of shoes with an unfamiliar looking shape and design.
“They’re called Converse. I had my parents send a pair over from the Muggle world. You told me your shoes were breaking in, so I thought…” Her voice trailed off as she looked down. Her face had become a bright pink and she didn’t want him to see.
At first he was confused, but then he remembered. The first time he had tried to ask her out, he had instead complained about how old his shoes were.
“…I want you to give them a try. They’re really comfortable and they last a long time. They’re perfect. They don’t change color or anything, but that’s something a simple spell can fix.”
Still, even after remembering why she was giving him the shoe, he was speechless. He knew a ‘thank you’ was in order, but nothing was coming from his lips. He saw her frown as his face was still expressionless, and only then did he think to say something positive.
“I will use them.” And he meant what he said. “Thank you, Lily.” Those words came out warm and genuine, because that’s how he truly felt at that moment. He felt like he must have been the happiest man alive in that Quidditch stadium.
“I’m glad you like them!” She had a big, reassuring smile on her face. And that was all he needed.
He can hardly remember what happened during the rest of the match, but this was going to be one unforgettable evening for him. What happened earlier that day and the fact that he was attending a non-Slytherin match was all irrelevant for he had never felt so happy in his life.
Indeed, he was now wearing his pair of Converse. Those magical Converse, or so he calls them.
2,011/50 = 40.22 + 5 = 45 points for Gryffindor
Bess//Gryffindor