Finished Great idea, Right? pt.1 PV Colin

Reducio

The courtyard was always a beautiful and often a peaceful place. Its fountain plashed and burbled merrily. Kids came here to study or chat or play games. Today, Clair, surely the Best Ravenclaw Girl Ever came to the courtyard. She had some kind of mad plan in mind no doubt! And as was more often the case, that plan involved Colin!

At first the tranquil afternoon remained undisturbed. Clair set out some books she'd gotten from the library. Perhaps some light transfiguration reading? Or maybe just something fantastic to while away the hours with? The breeze brought some news to the courtyard, for those who could interpret its delicate signal, read its hidden messages.

A small bird took fright and leapt from the stony path the led away through the gate and down towards the lake. Almost instantly its flock followed suit! Some thing had disturbed the tranquility of the afternoon. A sound could be heard! A high sound. Moving closer, now broken, now focused by the breeze. It resolved. Out of the chaos of noise a voice could be heard --- no, or was it two voices? If it were two, they sounded alike, as one. The voice was singing, and it was exuberance itself!

Two ravens took flight as the peace of the courtyard wall was destroyed! A black cat shot through the gateway, and as if it knew exactly where to scamper, turned and headed for Clair! Greebo. He leapt up onto the bench next to Clair and sat down on the books.

"Mrrrrr," he said, giving Clair a slow blink.

The voices were clearly singing! If it were a song, it might seem to some kids entirely nonsensical; yet the boys singing it did not mind a bit! And then the song burst through the gateway! All the words tumbling into each other as two tall blond hair boys with green eyes rolled into the courtyard!

HOHROTHERATLINBOG!
BOGDOWNINTHEVALLEYOH!!
INTHATBIRDTHEREWASANEGG
ARAREAULDEGGARATTLINEGG
TH'EGGONTHEBIRD
ANDTHEBIRDINTHENEST
ANDTHENESTONTHELIMB
ANDTHELIMBONTHEBRANCH
ANDTHEBRANCHONTHETREE
ANDTHETREEINTHEHOLE
ANDTHEHOLEINTHEBOG
ANDTHEBOGDOWNINTHEVALLEYO!
HOROTHERATTLINBOG!!
BOGDOWNINTHEVALLEYO!!
A RARE OULDBOGTHERATTLINBOG!!
THEBOGDOWNINTHEVALLEYO!!!

The two boys skipped along arm in arm, singing at the top of their voices! They each had a curious looking stick or bat in hand. Neither wore a shirt. The boy in the dingy blue kilt and Doc Martens had his shirt tied to his bat and was waving it around like a banner in time to the fast tempo of their song. The other, shoeless and wearing a dingy green kilt, had his shirt tied around his head of messy white hair. Both of their heads were bopping in perfect synchrony.

Colin and Liam stopped just before a couple of second year girls, reprising their gay song for sheer joy of being! Several of them stared at the weird mid day entertainment. Two girls, blonde twins maybe, understood immediately and joined the boys for the chorus. One, a Gryffindor, sat in the midst of them, Colin noticed, like a queen, above all frivolity. Her second year charms book was held before her face, hiding it completely. Colin briefly wondered. All he could see was straight black hair above the book and black and crimson school robes below. He rolled his eyes. Ying?

Parting slightly, the boys sang for the girls. Even if one of them thought charms was more important! Colin noted a twinkle in Liam's eyes. He looked over. His heart thumped! Clair was already here! They took up their hurling sticks and clacked them together and knocked them on the flagstones in time to the music. This song would be for Clair too! He smiled and sang!

CLACK! CLACK! The Ratlin Bog! CLOCK! CLOCK! CLACK! The bog down in the valley oh! And the whole courtyard resounded with joy as Colin sang and danced for Clair and Liam sang and danced for Colin's happiness! And with a final whoop and cheer, they ended their song and Liam prodded Colin's belly gently with his hurling stick.

"YEEEEEK!! Liam McCoire! Will you quit it!"

"PFFT!" Liam shouted, clearly so Clair could hear him: "NO ONE CARES IF YOU'RE TICKLISH COLIN MCCOIRE! WOOOOOOO!!" Liam took Colin by his shoulders, turned around and gave him a shove. "Gang wi yer bonny lass, lad! I'll see ye later!" The girls sitting by the fountain giggled as Colin shot forth, and Liam headed inside the castle, fixing up the buttons of his shirt.

Colin was flushed from all the singing and dancing, and was still damp from his dunk in the lake, but he knew exactly where he was going! And that right over to Clair Fernandez! "Clair!! I'm so happy to see you at last! We hardly got a chance to say more than ayo at the start of term feast. And I got yer owl lass!" He gave her a quick bow, touselled her hair lovingly and sat down on her bench in the corner of the courtyard, his shirt still tied up around his head. Greebo gave him a look of feline indifference and curled up in Clair's lap.

He purred contentedly.

Colin really hoped she liked his and Liam's singing!

"It said ye wanted to meet me here! Whoa." Colin's head was spinning and his heart was hammering. He was with Clair! Nothing else mattered. The entire world now was Colin and Clair. C&C. The memory of the music still had his head bopping slightly as he looked into Clair's eyes. Blue like the sky above the courtyard! Clear and sparkly like a gem! He shook his like a dog. It calmed him down. "So, I reckon ye must have some kind of mad plan in mind, Clair? I mean! Ye've got books and all to explain it. I know ye're a smart lass, but these aren't school books."

Colin nodded towards the books on the bench between them. They looked serious. His girl was clearly up to some kind of deep magic. He was excited to find out what it would be! He wondered if she were looking up animagery! It would be soooo cool if they run together as some creature! Or maybe some curious potion work? Colin hoped it wasn't potions. His usually ended up exploding in his face. POOOM!

The boy looked up from the books. He could just be here all day looking at Clair! What was she going to tell him?

@Clair Fernandez

Colin looked suspiciously at the books as Clair observed him. They looked dense, like there was a lot of knowledge in them. But what could it be, Colin wondered. Clair gave him a smile! Colin loved it when Clair smiled! Even if the words "talked properly" came from her mouth. That could indicate a Clair lecture --- but Colin knew he hadn't done anything terribly stupid recently, so there was no need for an actual lecture.

On the other hand, school had just started up again, and Colin and Clair had not had a moment to catch up on all the summer news! He was sure she had all kinds of interesting adventures to talk about, and he couldn't wait to hear about them! But this seemed to be a third kind of proper talk. Books could only mean something interesting the girl had learned about. Something she wanted to share.

Colin scratched his bare chest absently.

Greebo purred contentedly as Clair began to talk. Colin's gaze drifted up to Clair's deep blue eyes. He stared. There was nothing in the world quite like staring into Clair's eyes! He smiled and let out a deep breath. Clair spoke. Colin's eyes flew open. What had she said? Colin took a deep breath! Almost a gasp! Did he miss what she had to say already!? He held his breath!

"Okay, so you know what a binding mark is?" Whoa. Colin let out the breath. He hadn't missed anything! Clair was just getting started! She opened the book and Colin tore his gaze away from his beloved's face to look at the page. "There sure are a lot of words... Oh!" Colin followed Clair's finger to the picture. "Wh---?" he started to ask. She beat him to it.

Colin scratched his head. His shirt fell to the ground. Colin tried to read the book as Clair explained. It took a while to read. Not because he was slow, but because there was a lot to read! Colin didn't understand half of it! He looked up at Clair every now and then. "Clair. You actually read all of this? You understood it!? This looks like ---"

Something Clair said just struck him!

"Tel---Telepathy?"

Colin's eyes widened and his breath got shallow. The first thing that came to mind was the dream he had last night about Clair and him down by the lake! And then all the little bits of poetry and sketches in his notebooks! And all the times he thought about Clair or went up to the stone outcropping and shouted her name to the wind and the storm!

"Y---Ye'll know what I'm thinking? Like. Er. What I'm thinking thinking?"

@Clair Fernandez

Of course Clair had read and understood everything! Colin slumped a bit. This stack of books on the bench between them was probably only only a half --- no, a quarter --- of all the books she'd looked this magic up in! This was advanced stuff! Colin brightened up! Clair was so smart! He read the part of the book about the tattoo again. That bit interested Colin!

Colin now had lots of questions, but still Clair had more to say! Wait. We can talk without actually talking? Colin had to parse that one. Did that mean she didn't want to be with him when they were talking? Or wait! Maybe she wants to talk more with me? That was one point needing clarification! Colin took a breath to ask.

But she had the answer already!

Colin stood up on the bench suddenly! Greebo opened his eyes to see what the commotion was with his human. The was always commotion with Colin. Greebo shut his eyes again, enjoying Clair's back rub!

"Wait!" Colin twisted this way and that, trying to see all parts of his body. "Clair! Have you already got a mark on me!? I was just thinking that question, lass! Like, what if we were far apart or something? But! How ---?"

Clair only smiled and opened yet another book! Colin plopped back down onto the bench. How many books did she read about this binding mark thing? Once she explained how it worked, it still seemed complicated. Colin sat up straight. It was a lot to think about!He wondered if this was how it felt being asked to get married. Colin smiled.

Obviously the answer was going to be yes, right?

But there were still questions! Doubts maybe? Clair seemed quite certain and even rather excited about this binding mark! Why was it that Colin was the one hesitating? Doubts!? Colin felt suddenly cold, heard the shadow of laughter deep inside. Not joyful laughter either. She wants to keep her Eye on you! She's smart. She's a Prefect. She must know. Girls crushing on you! Girls you've been crushing on? Heheh. Of course she knows! Just think their names! Mahl? Bea? Vale? You crush on every girl you meet! She'll know them all in an instant! And what about Ast---

"NO!!!" Colin's fist smacked the stone of the bench as he shouted! Aw crud! Everyone in the courtyard will all think I'm mental! "I mean!" At least Clair had seen him like this before. If she thought he was mental --- wait. If she thought he was mental, he'd know too, right? Hah! "I mean YES!!"

Colin let out a quick breath and shook his head like a dog. It was amazing how that could calm a lad down! "Er! I mean, yeah! I'll do it with you Clair! But! I want to read first. I want to know as much about this as you. Maybe there's something about this you missed?" Nah. There probably wasn't! His Ravenclaw girl was too smart for that! But still, he did need to know all about this!

Suddenly Colin smiled, showing Clair all his fangs. His pond scum green eyes looked straight into her eyes of sky blue. A thought struck him. Some night during astronomy up on the tower, he would say the word and then ask her if he could kiss her right there on the Astronomy Tower!

@Clair Fernandez

"You don't need to give me an answer now..."

But! Colin knew what his answer was going to be! Clair extended her finger towards his lips, touching them lightly. His eyes crossed as he tried to see her finger tip. He reckoned that she knew somehow that he'd need a little time to think about it, even though he said yes right away. Her finger smelled of books, crisp air, ink. And fearlessness. That was the way of Colin: jump off the bridge and read up on arresto momentum on the way down. Or maybe learn how to do that Snape thing with the cape?

Colin kissed her finger gently.

Clair smiled, put Greebo down and shoved the books closer to Colin. Then she left. Colin stared after her. His girl. He watched her hair bounce and her shoulders sway as she headed back into the castle. His heart beat faster. For a long while he just stared at the now empty doorway where Clair had disappeared. Some kids stared at him as well, but he didn't pay them any mind.

Colin decided to gather the books and head to the library. He broke his gaze from the arched doorway. Looking down, he saw Greebo curled up and napping on his crumpled shirt. Colin blushed slightly. He'd forgotten to put his shirt back on, and had talked with Clair the whole time that way! Part of Colin slumped inside. He rather hoped she might some comment! He wasn't a gormless twelve year old anymore! Even Colin could tell he was getting some muscle!

Colin let out a puff of air. He slid off the bench and lay down in the grass. Greebo purred at his head and Colin began to read.

Thread complete.

@Clair Fernandez