Kiara's Story

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none;text-underline:none'>Hello all!
Here is chapter 13 for your reading pleasure.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> I own none of JKR’s
characters, more’s the pity.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Kiara, her parents, and anyone not
recognizable from the books are my own creations.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> I’m making no money off this, so style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>please don’t sue me.

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lang=EN-GB>Chapter 13: Levitation Charms

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The first Friday after returning to school, Kiara
went down to Professor Snape’s office right after her last class of the day was
finished. She knocked, heard Snape’s
voice say “Enter”, and walked in. She
was surprised at how comfortable the office looked.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Although the walls and floor were stone,
there was a rug on the floor and several nice, landscape paintings on the
walls. Snape’s desk and bookshelves were
cherry wood and there was also a small couch in between two of the
bookcases.

style='mso-tab-count:1'> “Well, Miss Connon,”
Snape began. “Are you ready to show me
the results of your practice over the Christmas break?”

style='mso-tab-count:1'> “Yes, sir,” Kiara
replied. “I haven’t tried to levitate
anything heavy yet, but I did ok with the cushions…most of the time.”

style='mso-tab-count:1'> “Very well, there are a couple of
cushions on the couch,” Snape said. “You
may begin with them.” class=SpellE>Kiara spent the next hour in Snape’s office, levitating
various objects as he observed her wand movements, correcting her when
needed. After the cushions, she
levitated scrolls of various sizes and finally, a small book.

style='mso-tab-count:1'> “That will do for tonight,” Snape
said at the end of the session. “With
any luck, by the time you need to take your trunk anywhere, you will be able to
levitate it for yourself.”

style='mso-tab-count:1'> “Thank you, Professor,” class=SpellE>Kiara replied. “May
I ask why you are taking such trouble to teach me?”

style='mso-tab-count:1'> “I merely do not wish to have to
carry your trunk again,” Snape retorted, but his voice was less biting than
usual. “And enamoured of you some the
boys at school might be, but it seems common courtesy is not so common among
them.” Kiara
couldn’t help but giggle at the way he phrased that.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Snape tried to look irritable at that, but he
wasn’t entirely successful and Kiara saw the hint of
a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“On your way now or you will miss dinner,” he added.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Kiara went to
dinner feeling hopeful that she would finally master what was essentially a
basic, beginner’s charm. Her stomach was
a bit fluttery, so she hurried to go eat, attributing the feeling to hunger.

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January passed fairly uneventfully.
Kiara continued to go to Snape’s office for
levitation lessons every Friday. Snape
was a bit more pleasant to her when there was no one else around.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> It seemed to Kiara
that they had something which, if they hadn’t been teacher and student, could
almost be called friendship. She avoided
mentioning that to her friends, though, knowing that such a statement would be
all Rosie would need to tease her mercilessly for the rest of the year.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> As nervous boys began asking increasingly
giggly girls to the dance, Rosie, Melanie, Cordelia, Wendy, and Eugenie kept a
close eye on Kiara.
However, while they quickly got themselves dates for the dance, class=SpellE>Kiara kept turning down those who asked her.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Each time the girls asked her why, all class=SpellE>Kiara could say was that it didn’t feel right.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Kiara finally
decided to go to the dance alone. She
would dance if someone asked her, otherwise she would be content to sit and
chat with her friends. Before they knew
it, the first week of February had passed.
The next day was a Saturday and a Hogsmeade weekend.

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Short, I know, but I wanted the Hogsmeade trip in its own chapter.

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