The Harlequin Few

Harcou whistled softly as the carriage clattered down the wet path. “Harcou…” murmured Dan. Harcou looked up, she had been staring at her sparkly-blue ballet flats to pass the time. “Yes?” she replied softly. Daniel stared into her eyes with his delicious amber ones; Harc attempted to hold his intense stare for a moment but failed, returning to look at her feet. “Do you, umm think that maybe… I…” he blushed and didn’t finish; looking down at his own feet and scuffing his toe slowly in the dust. “What?” asked Harcou. “Umm… it’s just that… doyouthinkI’dhaveachancewithPansy?” he mumbled. “What?” said Harc in a confused voice, her Liverpool accent lying on thickly. “Of course Dan-O! She’d be lucky to have you.” She laughed nervously, and gave him a fake sugary smile. “Really?” he broke into a huge grin, revealing a perfect set of white teeth, which made a right dimple appear on his cheek.
Harcou’s green and violet eyes clouded with her anguish, but she managed to chat merrily about their upcoming fifth year with Dan till they arrived at Hogwarts. They stepped out onto the lush lawn, gathered their belongings and headed towards the castle entrance for the feast. The school looked elegant tonight, dark and stormy with violet fairy-lit lamps tethered to ballasts floating around the castles turrets; which cast a soft purple glow on the ancient stone. Harcou slipped on her knit blue and black striped cap, these were her house colors, and personal favorites also. Dan-O smoothed down his dark red hair and wrapped a scarf of similar colors around his neck. They had to prepare before entering the school, because it was a custom to support your house on the first night back.
They entered with the wide stream of students, the excited first years mobbing the huge doors. “I love this part.” Whispered Harc to Dan-O, as they brought out the sorting hat. “Hah-hah, me too!” Dan replied in a thick voice. He pulled his scarf down so he could speak clearer, and whispered ‘look’, as a girl named ‘Thina Barstro’ was sorted into Ravenclaw, their own house. Thina was a tiny girl with black hair and light hazel eyes. She sighed, and ran to greet the cheering Ravenclaws of her new house.
After everyone settled in The Great Hall, Dumbledore began a rambling speech about things upcoming this year. “Oh dear!” he gasped. “I almost forgot! Stromf, Stromf, I must introduce you!” a man with layered black hair tied carefully into a tiny ponytail seemingly rose up from the shadows behind Dumbledore. He was wearing a crimson robe that was carefully decorated with ancient designs etched in a delicate shade of silver.
“Students, may I introduce to you, the great, Stromf Artoni-Maxalii… Barstro!” Dumbledore presented in a regal tone. Cheers went up across the hall, and the man gave a small bow. His brown eyes twinkled, and everything about him screamed mystical, spontaneous, fun! “Thank you so much, my dear Dumbleedora.” He spoke with a thick accent of soviet origin, rolling the words on his tongue like velvety grains of sand. “Stromf is here to bring his one of a kind ‘Carnival de Magic’ to our own Hogsmeade.” Dumbledore grinned. Whispers and chatter broke out throughout the hall, causing ‘Dumbleedora’ to shout ‘silence’ until the raucous din stopped.
“You will be able to visit the carnival,” (applause and cheering) “we are taking a special trip to Hogsmeade this weekend,” (more cheers) “but this shall be the only visit,” (groans) “until Halloween, thanksgiving, and Christmas” (thunderous applause, and cheering) Dumbledore attempted to shout, ‘the feast may now begin’, but was drowned out by the students. Everyone began eating, and chatting about the carnival.
At Harcou and Dan’s table the Ravenclaws where bickering about the creatures that would be on display at Hogsmeade. Ann, a blonde second year, was giggling, rapidly talking about unicorns, and stuffing her face with Pumpkin pastry all at the same time. “Of corfs they’ll hab uneicorns, it’s always at ebrey carcifal!” She tittered. “You don’t know that, they might have been muggle ponies all glittered up or something.” Replied Roger Davies, the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain, after a swig of butter beer. Harcou nibbled quietly on a star shaped cookie, while some ignorant first years shouted loads about ‘Huge Fireball Dragons’ and other such things.
Lensay had convinced Dan to get rid of her goatee, by threatening to tell Pansy about when he wet his bed after watching the muggle film ‘Practical Magic’ this summer. She was now sitting at the Ravenclaw table, attempting to flirt with Roger, but he was too distracted by Ann to care. So instead she turned to Harcou and Dan. “ You guys are sooo boring, Pansy was jut telling me about her grandmother’s new Crupp, it bit her on the shin! Can you believe I-”? “Lensay, jut shut the fuck up.” Groaned Dan. Lens gasped in indignation and turned away.
Everyone filtered out of the great hall and up to their common rooms, and prepared to sleep. Harcou put on an old muggle camp t-shirt, and some plaid boxers. Her owl, Toulouse, flew out of her window to the owlery after leaving a letter on her bedspread. She tried to call the black bird back, but he ignored her completely. She sighed and sat back on the bed, ripping open the sealed parchment.

Dear Harc,

Meet me at the lake for tutoring again? I’ve missed seeing you every day, Bella.

Ciao,
Blaise

Harc wrote a hurried response in purple ink, and gave it to Lensay’s owl, Bianca. The sleepy silver owl fluttered out the window with ought a second thought. I thought He left at Christmas… she thought. Blaise went back to Italy to see his mother, and she hadn’t heard from the boy since then. She went to sleep, but thought about him all night, and the friendship they had had… would it still be the same Blaise she used to know?