Bruises & Bells

Hungry for the rush ( aching to be thrown in the ring ). 

 bio. || insp. || closet. || face. 

Katie shuffled through the crowd promptly clutching a drink in each hand. Both of them were not intended for her, but after narrowly escaping the attack brought on by nosy colleagues she felt she deserved them as a reward. It was easy to be cordial, but once the conversation began infringing on the topic of who the enchanting man was accompanying her this evening then decorum took a sudden leave of absence. All but running from the conversation, she stopped at the nearest available bar-top and acquired two of the strongest libations available. Now all that was left was finding Fred again so they could take in the rest of the ridiculous sights of the evening together. Everything else just seemed black and white in comparison.

She was hardly paying attention to anything else besides the potential sighting of red hair—no wonder she collided straight on with someone, dropping both drinks to the ground in unexpected horror. Katie gasped loudly, watching in slow motion as both drinks hit the floor’s hard surface—glass moving across it like waves rolling on the sea. “ I am so sorry! ” Katie exclaimed, her feet barely steering clear of the mess now spewed between her and the unfortunate soul she had the pleasure of smacking into. The witch hadn’t even looked up yet, stunned when she eventually locked eyes with those of another familiar individual.

Katie was not sure whether to be relived or distraught at the sight of Pansy Parkinson. The hit witch didn’t have any negative thoughts toward the other woman, but she didn’t think the same could be said for her. It made no sense, but the fiery Gryffindor chalked it up to simple Slytherin schematics. Their common room was in the dungeon after all—no wonder she always associated them with being so cold. Perhaps that’s why they needed a friend like Katie, or so she thought any time she forced herself down their throats ( however resistant they were to her attempts ). Katie’s burning rays sometimes weakened in their presence but could never be diminished entirely. She was too stubborn for such a thing.

“ Pansy! ” She finally correlated after a few passing seconds as she staggered across the wet puddle now pooling between them. “ What a nice surprise! Is Theo somewhere close-by too? ” She asked excitedly as she moved on the balls of her feet, eagerly glancing around their nearby surroundings for him.

“Are you sure you haven’t been thinking about this before?” He asked, squeezing her hand but turning his body to face hers. She wasn’t asking any hard questions, just ones that he imagined a Hit Witch to be trained to ask. Knowing her background at Hogwarts however, he wouldn’t put it past Katie to see the fountain she passed every day at work in the same light he did. “Seems awfully convenient you know the logistics of how to pull this off. You weren’t planning this with George or Lee first were you because that would just hurt.”

With his usual dramatic Fred placed his free hand over his heart feigning injury. There was probably very little that Katie could do it actually hurt him after their years of built up trust and friendship. Any jabs made his way Fred knew were in good fun and with the same humor the rest of their friends shared. Being with Katie was easy like that to the point he sometimes wondered how lucky he was to have her in his life. She was probably the person who understood him best besides George and she always knew how to support him without damaging his own pride and ego.

He squeezed her hand again, not letting her know how having her so close affected him. She’d only use it to get what she wanted, which in her words, wouldn’t be such a bad thing.  “Oh and are you inviting me Miss Bell?” He let go of her hand to grab her by the waist, pulling her closer to him. So much for casual as he’d been echoing to Lee and Harry the past few days. “Can’t say I mind.”

Katie laughed, shaking her head almost offensively at his accusation. “ You are the only one I would ever willingly risk my job for, ” she confessed, her cheeks burning red at the truth of her statement. “ Not Lee or George. Not even Angie or Alicia, just you. ” She offered a small smile, her heart exploding like fireworks inside her chest. By now he was the only thing she could focus on. The steady movements of his body. The grasp of his hand tightening around hers every so often. The way he turned into her like a compass steadily steering in the right direction.

She looked at him indecisively, her gaze darting between the space between the center of his eyes then lips. Her stomach churned with excitement—a feeling that was only becoming more distinctive within the last few weeks. Even now with every passing moment she felt like she was gaining more clarity on whatever this thing was going on between them. Maybe she would have the answer to her questions sooner than she expected. “ Consider that your personal invitation—so long as we pull this maneuver off successfully, that is. ” She pursed her lips into some semblance of a smirk, shifting the weight of her hips into him.

The days were growing longer and nights shorter. It was the time of year flowers danced in nearby fields and laughter escaped through the dainty daytime breeze. Katie loved the early summer days. The ones spent completing exams and tying up other loose ends in anticipation of the looming holiday months ahead. This year however the laughter was stilled. Gone like Fred and George. And soon Angelina, Alicia, and Lee would be too. Then what would be the point of anything?

A soft blubber escaped her lips at the thought, shakily adjusting her sleeve to wipe the wet streaks from her face. Hours had gone by since the spectacle that lit up the castle and in turn had the entire student body talking. Katie escaped to her dorm for what felt like days, occasionally crying or pretending to sleep whenever there was an intrusion. Godric, she hoped and prayed it was in fact days, but when she finally emerged into the common room to her dismay she discovered it had only been a handful of hours. She didn’t know what to do if she had to experience this agony for another whole year. There hadn’t been a day where her friends’ laughter didn’t echo throughout this castle’s walls, lighting up her life and heart with so much radiance and color. Now the portraits once painterly so vividly appeared bleak—torn black and white fragments of a life that once was. 

The castle was blanketed in uncomfortable silence as she exited the common room. If this was her future then she didn’t want it. Hogwarts would be hell without them—the unwanted skeletal remains of friendships that once flourished here instead. She figured she better somehow get used to it though. To being the only one in the room to laugh at one of their inside jokes—or just simply being the only one in the room at all. She swallowed hard at the reality, that truth lumping uncomfortably in the back of her throat. The sensation settled there like an unwelcome pest. 

Her footsteps reverberated softly throughout the stone corridors as she descended toward the kitchens. The emptiness ricocheted through her entire being ( or perhaps it was the fact she couldn’t remember when she ate anything last ). Static black and white noise filled her head—even the shallowness of her breath felt heavy as she forced herself down the changing staircase. All was relatively calm until she had the startling realization she wasn’t alone anymore, causing her to trip on two feet and slide down a chunk of stairs.

Katie stumbled into the Three Broomsticks, glancing around wearily until she spotted the close friend she was running insanely late to meet. Katie wasn’t always late, but life was hectic lately and spiraled out of control one day without any such warning. Work hadn’t been an ideal environment since she had to come clean and confess she lost her wand and hit witch badge the very unfortunate night of Beltane ( though being haunted by the truth was exceedingly worse in every way—a truth she hadn’t spoken aloud because the one person she wanted to tell couldn’t be found anywhere ).

Apparently this kind of reckless behavior was frowned upon by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, but it was a walk in the park compared to the alternative.

Then there was the issue of Fred and George, neither of whom she’d spoken to since the same wretched night she refused to talk about. Katie’s heart shattered inside her chest when she realized neither of them were coming home. It was easy to assign blame, especially after her last encounter with each of them. Katie briskly arrived at the conclusion it was all her fault. If she’d just told Fred the truth everything could have been different. The heartbroken wix was beginning to wonder how many more meals she could survive on consisting solely of raw cookie dough as she moped in heaps of self-pity. She had four days under her belt so far ( Angelina was probably a hair away from an intervention ). Luckily a reunion with a dear friend was in order and her beloved best friend wouldn’t have to resort to any outlandish measures soon ( or so Katie hoped ).

In fact, Katie knew Angie would be thrilled to hear her and Oliver spontaneously rendezvoused at the Three Broomsticks for lunch. Strolling through the quaint streets of Hogsmeade provided the witch with a much needed breath of fresh air. The wind frolicked through her hair, a stir of nostalgia present in the air around her—though it was impossible not to be pained by the burst of memories during a time she felt so on the edge.

Did she have a point? It was her name. A way for Theo to create some social distance between them and discourage this friendship she insisting on cultivating. He had enough friends and enough problems with those friends, one from childhood even he couldn’t distance himself from no matter how hard he tried to, to be seeking new more complicated and loud ones.  Theo supposed it was the idea of him that was appealing, the allure of the forbidden or the enjoyment she must get from constantly being told no because there was no other factor that made this make sense. Katherine brought all his measures of protection to the surface, walls building up higher to shield himself from being known by the personification of sunshine. “No thank you.” He didn’t know what karaoke was but this was the pattern of Katherine’s invasions. She twirled in, loud and brash and overwhelmingly cheery and spoke Muggle words at him until he was too bewildered to ask her to leave. Paying customer or not.

And she had done it again. Piqued his curiosity. Used the brain he had to imagine existed somewhere below all the manufactured joy to deliver a new theory Theo couldn’t easily dismiss. “You’re going to bake the potion into food? Have you done research into the solution under the stress of higher temperatures? The baking would have to match the degree of the cauldron unless you plan on completing your brewing before you bake. If it’s unstable….You should find a potioneer to help. It sounds idiotic to attempt on your own.” Two steps back, a hand reaching for some ware on his shelves to place between them. When he came up empty, Theo spun and quickly rushed to hide behind the now-free counter. “No.” “I’m not concerned for you.” He wasn’t. His worry was more of being the person responsible for selling regulated ingredients to someone clearly unstable. He didn’t want to risk the potential of angering her, not when she so easily reminder him that she held power in their government. Power that could be used to force pressure upon families with less than ideal pasts. “Is that all? I was busy before you interrupted.”

Katie theorized one could never have too many friends, though she wouldn’t call it much of a theory. She would insist it was proven. That is why she was so friendly to everyone she met, though her friendliness teetered on questionable boundaries at times. At least that is how Theo had the tendency of making her feel. She was nothing if not kind, but he repelled her away as if she were a swarm of nasty summer bugs—some type of irksome little pest he wanted to swat away from his personal space. Katie was resilient though, she didn’t let negative connotations or outright rejection sully her spirit. At least not on her first, second, or fiftieth attempt at advancing their relationship. Everyone’s breaking point was different though, Katie slowly growing weary hers was lurking somewhere on the road ahead.

A laugh arose from her chest at his piqued interest in her experiments—was it genuine concern, or simply him doing his job well? She preferred it not to be the latter, as bad as that may sound. Maybe if she played her cards right there was still time to turn the odds in her favor. “ I’ve dabbled, ” she responded with an earnest shrug. In fact she’d recently had relative success tweaking her very specific love potion recipe into one of her all-time favorite pastries, but she didn’t want to reveal that particular secret to Theodore. “ Why? Are you familiar with the concept? ” Katie examined the bed of her nails, a casual nuance present in her tone.

No.

His tone was more dismissive than she hoped, and the actions accompanying his words delivering a harsh sting. Katie resisted the urge to roll her eyes purely on account it was rude, especially when you were trying to do business with someone.

“ Do you have a problem with me? ” Her voice fluctuated, a thread away from cracking at the sudden realization she’d been striving so hard to ignore for so long. That wasn’t what she was expecting to say, but sometimes her mind ( and mouth ) ran off on its own ( and truthfully, the witch couldn’t stand the idea of someone disliking her—especially when she-herself was so drawn to them like a candle stricken for warmth on a frozen winter night ).

“Birthday magic,” Rabastan replied dryly, distractedly surveying the stepping stones designed to shepherd people across the lava field with an amused eye. It was perhaps a shame that Cavi’s night was to be derailed in this way after he’d invested so much effort into his creation — especially when his playground had been providing endless entertainment for Bash tonight. Still. Cavi had also thought he could get away with setting his so-called babysitters on watch to keep an eye on him and expected it to actually work.

It was only fair that Bash provide him with babysitters of his own.

Still, it seemed that the May Queen, at least, was not so terribly drunk as to have lost her co-ordination (yet). Even in heels she managed to stick the landing on the stones without so much as dislodging her newly acquired crown and had the wherewithall to question whether or not he was coming as well. A foxes smile curled at the corners of his lips, and he took the steps across the stones towards the other side of the lava field, the curl of steam and heat that followed each step settling around him as he stepped up onto the volcanic rock on it’s other side, eyeing the dark rock face of the ‘volcano’ with curious eyes.

The levels and details of the charms were quite remarkable, however shallow of anything approaching meaning they might be. Pretty diversions to entertain the masses and keep them trapped inside of Cavi’s playground for just that little bit longer. His head tilted curiously, surveying the path to the left and the right before settling on the left where he thought he might have caught a glimpse of light that wasn’t just the glow from the lava field. “Are you coming?” he prompted lightly, dark eyes reflecting the glow of the lava,  “I think I see an entrance this way.”

“ Think? ” Katie laughed quietly. “ Thinking doesn’t usually cut it in my line of work, but I hope you’re right on account I’m putting all my bets on you. ” She said lightheartedly, the levity evident in quirky smile. This diversion was more fun than she could have hoped—a nice distraction from the unsettling fact each of her friends dropped like flies on a night she demanded the spotlight ( she was still trying to figure out how that was any different from other nights aside from being able to play the birthday card unrelentlessly ). The hit witch proceeded to gather the bottom hem of her neon dress into her hands, allowing her the freedom to travel across the remaining stones much easier. The clicking! of her heels reverberating on the smooth surface of the stones was therapeutic. It turns out her outfit was the only component in the evening she had any actual control over. There was some satisfaction knowing at least one thing was going to her liking, however minimal that was.

Bash and his enchanting flower crown seemed to be a different kind of gift entirely. At least someone was interested in amusing her for a short period of time. It wasn’t the person she hoped it would be, a certain redhead with a kindred spirit she was actively seeking out in the crowd prior to this run-in, but in true Taurus fashion she was always open to spontaneity. If she was closed off to opportunities like this then she would potentially never find the volcano bar, nor be able to return to her friends with epic stories about her journey there with a charming stranger they’d probably refuse to believe existed at all.

Katie brushed passed her new friend before quickly arriving at the very last stone along the path of faux volcanic rock. Bash’s decision to fork left led them away from the masses and toward a semblance of privacy rocking the shallow bed of lava against the rock she stood on like waves battering the shoreline. She stared at the unusual scene around her, riddling her foot in perplexity against the impermeable surface. The action unexpectedly caused a portion of the volcano to shift forward revealing a hidden door blended into its volcanic spine, otherwise invisible to the naked eye. A stream of music flitted out the opening, no doubt a different soundtrack than the one occupying the main surround sound.

Katie took half a glance at Rabastan through her peripherals. She occupied the last stepping stone, which wrongfully allured there was no where to go except back from where one came. The door a few meters away however proved otherwise. A quick overlook of the terrain informed Katie they were going to have to travel along the carefully curated base of the now interactive art-installation in order to arrive at their destination, which would fulfill a fantasy she didn’t even know she had—scaling the volcano’s edge. At the sudden revelation her lips contorted into some sort of devilish smirk, only allowing a second of time to pass in-between before propelling herself onto the artificial decor. Who thought of such an outlandish theme for a traditional celebration and why was it so thrilling?

“ Have you ever scaled a volcano before? ” Katie inquired as she made her way toward the opening. She wasted no time disappearing into its lava molten enclad entrance as if it were the rabbit hole leading to wonderland.

@nottheoretical ❥

The night was expected to be one unlike any other. The entire clique rallied with very important plans to takeover a local karaoke bar nestled on the picturesque streets of muggle London. Angelina and Katie stumbled upon the cute little venue one day and the pair vowed to bring everyone back. Now here they were. Even Oliver agreed to attend, which was big news in itself. That meant he put whatever quidditch scheming he had on hold for the night to partake in their endeavor. Katie knew this detail would not go unnoticed by the rest of the group. They would find a way to make it a night worth remembering. They always did, as if a silent vow had been exchanged amongst each of them. It was difficult for others to compete with their lively energy and jovial demeanor, especially when they were always so adamant about sticking together like cream and sugar.

“ Who is going first? ” Katie demanded, which really resembled more of a work interrogation than a question intended for her closest confidants. She held up a spiral-bound book, flipping through its flimsily arranged pages. Suddenly she dropped the booklet on the table, jumping from her seat with a daring look swirling in both eyes.

“ Oh! They have my favorite song! ” The witch nearly screamed out with excitement, prodding her elbow into Angelina’s rib-cage not once, but twice before returning to her seat. “ Freddie! George! ” She violently kicked her foot beneath the table as if she was having some type of spasm, unsure whose leg she was relentlessly banging into repeatedly. She was aiming for Fred’s, though based on the logistics of their booth it could have very well been Oliver’s. However if that was the case she presumed he’d make it known. “ They have my favorite song! ” She cheekily informed them as if they weren’t present for her initial announcement.