The Oncoming Storm - CLOSED

"Feathered, winged and snake-like, the Occamy moves on two legs and can be as long as fourteen feet."

"He nourrishes mainly out of rats and birds, although..."

"What is it?"

"I'm sorry Cocoon but I can't wait to know anymore. Have you flown on your broom yet?"

"What?!!"

"Well, the whole school knows... It's..."

"Why of course, they know. Everyone has seen me receiving my broom."

"Apparently what they can't get in their head is that I'm BLIND! How do they expect me to..."

"No,no,no."

"It's all in the Daily Prophet. You know every month they get an interview with one student. Well yesterday it was Rory!"

"It's a the very end... There! "One last word to concluded? Coke, you will fly on that broom..."

"WHAT!!!"

"So what happened?"

"I think Rory's gonna die..."

"Again?"

"A girl!!!"

"Oï!!!"

"I'm not dressed!!!"

"Get out!!!"

"Close your eyes!!!"

"LANSWOOD!!!

"You're not allowed here!!!"

"Close your eyes!!!"

"Get out NOW!!!"

"Was that Coke I heard?"

"OWWW!!! Rory, you're alright?"

"OWWW!!! You're mad!!! Not with the broom!!!"

"Oh don't worry."

"It was the brushy end. It could have been, much more..."

"It doesn't change ANYTHING!!! If you damage EITHER ends of the broom, the WHOLE balance is broken!"

"Um... I was talking about Rory, but... anyway...

"Do you still wanna make me fly, Lanswood?!... Why don't you make me seeker of the team, while you're at it...

"Ohoh yeah! I'll bet he'll make you fly on THAT broom."

"I'm king of enjoying this actually!

Quidditch training had been particularly strange that day, his teammates had been too busy teasing him about his interview on the Daily Prophet to actually try and bully him. It was a nice change, though unexpected and a bit weird. He hadn’t really thought about the consequences during the interview, just said anything that came to his mind. He sure hadn’t foreseen the reactions he was getting. People kept reminding him of his last comment, how his words would be his “famous last words” and that they would be engraved on his tombstone. He really, seriously hadn’t seen any double-entendre when he said it… Now of course, it seemed blaringly obvious, what with all his teammates teasing him relentlessly. And the more time passed, the more he dreaded Coke finding out about this. But for now at least, he was safe in the guys’ locker room, under a scathingly hot shower. He was humming softly, for a while lost in his own little bubble. The sound of the showers, the soap and water in his ears muffled everything around him, and with his eyes closed against the stream he could almost believe he was alone. Guys started to shout around him, not really loud enough so he could distinguish the words. They were always shouting for a reason or another anyway. Rory didn’t pay it any mind, until he picked up his name… being yelled… He pushed his head out of the shower curtains, it couldn’t be, all this teasing must have made him paranoid. But still, that sounded like...

“Was that Coke I heard?” A violent hit to the shoulder took him by surprise and he fell to the floor. Well, that answered him. “OWWW! Rory, you’re alright?” He checked quickly: his shoulders smarted, from the hit and from the fall, but otherwise he was fi… “OWWW! You’re mad!! Not with the broom!!!” THE BROOM ? She had used The Broom?!! That thing of marvel and beauty?!! He picked himself up from the floor, opened his mouth to protest “Oh, don’t worry” she answered before he could say anything, her voice soft, and he suddenly remembered he was in big, big trouble. “It was the brushy end. It could have been, much more…” “It doesn’t change ANYTHING! If you damage EITHER end of the broom, the WHOLE balance is broken!” Yeah, exactly! Well, except his shoulder didn’t exactly agree. Getting hit by the stick would have hurt a lot more. BUT A BROOM WASN’T A QUIDDITCH BAT DAMMIT ! “Um, I was talking about Rory, anyway…” She had been careful not to hurt him to much! Wait a minute: why did that make him feel happy?! She turned to him, and she was holding her broom like a sword. Rory gaped at her, appalled. A broom was NOT a weapon! “Do you still wanna make me fly, Lanswood?!... Why don’t you make me seeker of the team, while you’re at it…” He held his hand up in a pacifying gesture, not that she could see it, but her tone was threatening and he was started to get really, really scared for her broom. It was a delicate thing that should be handled with tenderness and care. He heard the boys laugh around him in a way that was really, really not good. He sent them a pleading look, silently begging. Come on guys, the broom and I are in enough trouble already… “Ohoh yeah, I’ll bet he’ll make you fly on THAT broom.”…thanks, guys. The gesture Finn made was totally lost on her, but Rory suddenly felt very, very naked… He threw his best Oh you’re so dead glance at that stupid Finn, when the broom suddenly flew around and hit him between the legs. Rory couldn’t help but crack up, laughing so hard he had trouble breathing.”I’m kind of enjoying this, actually” said Coke, a wicked smile on her face. And Rory remembered that he was still in trouble, still naked, and that the broom was still being used as a deadly weapon in the middle of the showers. And that Cocoon was surrounded by naked, grinning men.

”Erm, alright guys, time to put some clothes on…” “Come on Rory, she doesn’t care. It’s not like she’s seeing anything she shouldn’t see!” Rory’s tone took a dangerous edge: “Are you volunteering to be my bludgers’ target?” His words were enough to shut him up, and the guys went back to their lockers to get dressed. Rory stopped the shower that was still running behind him, and hoped the guys stealing glances at him would think the redness on his cheeks came from the steam. He was still very much naked as well as wet, and even though he knew it wasn’t the case it didn’t change the fact that it felt like Coke was watching him. Not ready to get closer to her to get to his own locker, he took a towel behind him to cover himself. “Coke… I just… could you… could you just use your wand to harm me? Please? That poor broom hasn’t done anything to you!” “…yet” Finn added, laughter filling the crowded lockers room. “Oh, guys, I’m so gonna kill you all…” he said, before taking a bottle of shampoo and throwing it to Finn’s face, hitting him right on the nose. Rory grinned, avenged and proud of his aim. "Oww!" cried Finn, rubbing his nose, his crotch probably still hurting him as well "Who the hell are you two, freakin' Bonnie and Clyde?!"

“I’m kind of enjoying this, actually!” she had said with a singing voice. Getting confident with her broom, she was now passing it from one hand to the other, just like a juggler. The steam of the changing room had now make her long shaggy dark hair wet. Her already short clothes were beginning to stick to her body, and her skin was getting shiny with water. She was now almost as attractive as scary, and that was saying something. “Erm, alright guys, time to put some clothes on… “Come on, Rory! She doesn’t care! It’s not like she’s seeing anything she shouldn’t see!” That was a good one, actually. She could go far with this… “Are you volunteering to be my bludgers’ target?” ”Thanks, Rory. Seriously, I’ve never seen anything worst!” For instance… Even without a broom, that was dolorous. Making people feel ill at ease, this was a new kind of torture that was truly thrilling. She could not stop herself anymore. It was too much fun. Genuinely enjoying herself now, she leant against a wall close to where Rory was standing, her arms crossed. “I like it when you become threatening. She whispered in a teasing tone so that only him could hear. She had never hear him speak with such a tone before and it was a nice surprise to see that he could also trun a whole room silent just like she sometimes did. “Do you have anything else new for me today?” A slight brush on her hand made her shiver, and she tried to calm herself by thinking it was only something that Rory had covered himself with that had unintentionally touched her skin on the way. “Coke… I just… Could you… Coke was starting to feel a bit aroused now. “Could you just use your wand to harm me?... Please?...” “What?...” She whispered in an excited tone, forgetting to breathe. “That poor broom hasn’t done anything to you…” “…yet!” On the boy’s joke, the boys laughed heartily. Then Coke, who had stayed a moment transfixed by Rory’s words, made a violent sound somewhere between coughing and sneezing. She had bent in two, her long wet hair hiding her face, and very soon, strong and slow bursts of laughing escaped from her. It was a nice sound, low, sweet, and yet powerful. She had never laughed that hard. What had she been thinking? “Oh guys, I’m so gonna kill you all…” Coke wasn’t listening what was happening around her anymore. She was struggling to try and breathe, holding her chest that was starting to hurt. After a few seconds, she managed to stand against the wall again, just as the boy was saying “Owww, who the hell are you two? Freaking Bonnie and Clyde? “No!” she answered, her sweet laugh still audible in her voice, putting her arm around Rory’s strong shoulders. “We’re Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde!... I’m Mr Hyde!” She then turned to Rory. “Well Doctor! I’m on my way! And don’t you worry for that brooooOOOOOHHHH!!!” She had made a circling move with the stick to indicate the said broom, but something must had gone wrong in her way to do it, for the broom had started to fly, Coke still clinging to it. “A shooting star!” “A shooting Coke!” “A Coke shot!!!” Coke crashed at the other side of the room, crashing into a half-dressed boy who had been changing his back turned. The boys were now hilarious. “The vengeance of the broom!” “Coke falls from the sky! ”

“Thanks, Rory. Seriously, I’ve never seen anything worse!” Rory shook his head, a little smile on his lips. He could see that she was having as much fun with those puns as the guys. She leant on the wall close to him – maybe a little too close, he shivered when he felt her body heat brushing his skin - and whispered so only he could hear “I like it when you become threatening” He had a sudden vision of them ravaging lands and seas dressed like ancient warrior gods (only a lot sexier) and decided that he was turning crazy. Clearly, Coke had gotten to his head. Was she actually flirting with him? “Do you have anything else new for me today?”. Okay. Coke flirting with him. Coke, her clothes sticking to her body, glistening with water, standing in front of his naked self, near the showers, flirting with him. His head filled with bad, bad thoughts and he decided not to say anything and cover himself instead. He was still very, very naked and it didn’t help him lead his thoughts towards less dangerous seas. Besides, there was something he had wanted to ask her… something… important… oh yes, that was it: “Coke… I just… Could you…” think, Rory ! Urgent flow of blood required, destination: brain! “Could you just use your wand to harm me? That broom hasn’t done anything to you…”

It wasn’t until he saw the look on her face and heard her gasp that Rory realised that begging Coke to use her wand to hurt him might not have been such a bright idea. He was getting worried that she had misunderstood, and taken it as an invitation to hurt him – which it was not. What was worse was that Coke had seemed very excited by the idea, and Rory wasn’t so sure he liked pain... He might be willing to try it for her, though: she had looked almost turned on, and that kind of turned him on too. Rory pulled his mind out of the gutter... or at least tried. Coke suddenly bent over, her hair hiding her face and almost, but not quite, covering the gap left by her too large shirt, letting Rory see what was underneath. He tried to look away, but, well, he might have wished himself a gentleman he was still just a man, and she was almost half-naked and wet from the steam right in front of him. He breathed, trying to stifle a reaction that would have been less than appropriate in front of so many people.

What she did next provided him with a welcome distraction: she started to laugh, a full-throated laugh full of mirth that kind of took his breath away. It was a strong, beautiful sound, and it felt him with a different kind of desire that the arousal he had been feeling: the desire to be the one to make her laugh like that, in a different setting, in a different kind of way. He wanted her to laugh from joy until her belly ached, and he wanted to be the one to fill her with that happiness. The strength of that wish scared him.

Throwing his bottle of shampoo at Finn’s nose helped him think about something else – and the sadistic satisfaction he felt at his cry of pain made him think that maybe he could kind of understand what Coke felt when she hurt someone. “Owww, who the hell are you two? Freaking Bonnie and Clyde?” Rory didn’t answer, wondering how Coke would feel about them being compared to a legendary couple. “No !” she put her arm on his shoulders, cool against his burning skin “We’re Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde!... I’m Mr Hyde!” that… absolutely did not answer his question, but at least it confirmed his suspicion that Coke was a sadist. It figured that in her mind he would be the sweet and nice-tempered Doctor, and she would be the dangerous sadistic killer. She turned to him and continued: “Well, Doctor! I’m on my way!” he grinned at being called “Doctor” and might have commented only... ”And don’t you worry for that brooooOOOOOHHHH!!!”...the two things he held dearest to him in this room suddenly flew away from him. He shook his head with despair and resignation, listening to the guys playing with puns: “A shooting star!” “A shooting Coke!” “A Coke shot!!!” “The vengeance of the broom!” “Coke falls from the sky! ”

He might have even found it funny... except Coke had fallen on a half-naked Kyle. Rory saw red for a second: Kyle was a nice guy, respectful, and Rory wouldn’t have normally cared but Coke had been especially sexy with her clothes sticking to her body and her skin wet from the steam, and right now he didn’t want anyone else touching her. He took a deep breath to calm himself, walked – well, okay, almost run – to her and starting talking as soon as he reached her and helped her up, waiting only to let her know it was him. “You know” he whispered so she was the only one to hear him “If you wanted me to play Doctor with you you only had to ask, you didn’t have to actually injure yourself” he said with a wicked grin clearly audible in his voice... and since he was having so much fun playing with words, he tried out another pun “I’ll be the Doctor to your Hide whenever you want...” he let his voice turn hoarse and full of promise, teasing her.

Then he gently took the broom from her hands “I’ll just let it there for now, okay?” he said, tapping the broom lightly against the locker to let her know where “here” was. He opened his locker that was luckily close to Kyle’s – he didn’t want to leave her side – and started getting dressed as quickly as he ever did. “Let’s just get out before you throw yourself at another half-naked guy. Unless you want to throw yourself at me, of course” he said, not able to resist the temptation to flirt with her a little more. He knew he was probably going to get shot down by Coke, but the temptation was just too strong.

The wood between her fingers had started vibrating, and by the time she'd realized it, everything had swept out of touch. The floor under her feet, her sense of balance, the voice of the boys everywhere around her, but mostly underneath, everything had turned upside down. And suddenly everything crashed. Her sense of balance came dolorously back on her hip and arm, and the floor felt once more, not under her feet, but under her side, with unknown naked flesh in-between… “Aaaaaaargh!!!!” Impossible to know if that scream was supposed to express her own fear or to inspire it to the boy to whom she’d shouted. “Back! Back! Get BACK!” Shouting her last word, she raised her broom above her head to strike, causing every man in the room to gasp, but the broom vibrated again and Coke felt she was pulled backwards. She almost fell, but someone caught her just in time. She was so much unsettled by now, not knowing where exactly in the room she was and who was around her, that she might have turned on the spot with her wand drawn and already circling, had she not recognized Rory’s soothing voice. “ I’ll just let it there for now, okay? “ She heard him say while she felt the broom being gently taken from her hand. “Right, the wand, not the broom…” she said drawing out her wand from her rocker’s pocket. Kyle, who had already staggered back at Coke’s shout, was now pushing against the wall as if he wanted to go through it, his feet vainly sliding on the wet floor. Coke felt pleasure at the sound of his panic. “You know” she heard Rory start as she was thinking of which spell she was going to use, “If you wanted me to play Doctor with you you only had to ask, you didn’t have to actually injure yourself” “Don’t worry, someone else is going to get injured too… What?!” A surprised tone had suddenly replaced the threatening one, as she turned from Kyle to Rory, only realizing what he had just said, or rather implied… “I’ll be the Doctor to your Hide whenever you want...” He went on, answering her surprised tone. She didn’t move and didn’t speak, but her muscles seemed to relax under her wet clothes. In her back, she heard Kyle’s sliding feet find their way with precipitation as a locker was violently shut. Coke’s feet also slided, her wand circling above her head, her hair faintly rising as if electricity had gained the room. Her jinx hit the wall, then a locker, then the showers wall, pursuing Kyle only millimeters behind him as he disappeared at the other end of the room. “Yeah, you better run!” Coke shouted. Every boy had turned silent, fearing the faintest noise might attract on them the same fate. They were astounded that a blind person might aim so close to her target. “Let’s just get out before you throw yourself at another half-naked guy.” At his tone, Rory was the only guy in the room not to be frightened. She was sure that, knowing her so well by now, he had guessed she had intentionally missed Kyle just to scare him even more in his flight and had never actually tried to hit him. She could heat Rory getting dressed behind her, and their closeness suddenly felt even more to her. “Unless you want to throw yourself at me, of course.” She couldn’t miss his flirting tone, neither could she resist. She reacted in less than a second “Are you actually volunteering?” said she in a wicked tone. She had briskly turned to him and thrown her hand closed in a fist to his chest. The hit had fallen with her last word, not violent, but breath-taking. “Whenever you want Lanswood!” she said in half laugh before kissing the air. It light have seem as she had tried to kiss Rory, but a cat’s sound was heard from the changing room’s door. Since her short flight, or rather crash, she had still no idea where in the room she was standing and needed her Kneazle to indicate her where the exit was. Following her Kneazle’s meow, she took her broom were Rory had put it, brushing his ski on the way, and went out on the room, boys bending backwards in mistrust on her way.

Out in the fresh air, Coke realized she was quite wet and shook with cold. Putting a knee on the floor to touch her Kneazle in appreciation of his help and apology for a late attitude towards him, the animal made a reproachful sound. “Yeah, you right…” She got up and took out her wand. After several light circles, her wand blew a thread of warm air with which she started to dry her clothes and hair…

“Aaaaaaargh!!!!” Rory heard her scream, a scream which seemed twenty percent scared and eighty percent mad as hell. Of course, he could be completely wrong, but that’s how she sounded to her. And because he didn’t like that little portion of fear he hurried a little more, while she yelled: “Back! Back! Get BACK!” She used The Broom as a weapon, again, making the whole room gasp. He saw her being pulled back by it and caught her before she could fly away from him. He wouldn’t let her do that again. He took The Broom away from her, he’d rather she used it with him. He informed her of what he was doing, and she answered: “Right, the wand, not the broom…”, okay, not exactly what he had meant by it, but good enough. She was concentrating on a spell, wondering which one to use, and he couldn’t help trying to distract her… and really he just wanted to flirt with her like she had with him. She was sexy when she wanted to hurt guys for touching her… “You know, if you wanted me to play Doctor with you, you only had to ask, you didn’t need to actually injure yourself” “Don’t worry, someone else is going to get injured too…What?!” . A wicked grin spread on Rory’s lips. What, he hadn’t been clear enough? He decided to push it a little further. “I’ll be the Doctor to your Hide whenever you want...” Her body relaxed, maybe because that answered her question, or because she finally found which curse she wanted to use. Kyle scrambled on the floor, making enough noise to wake the dead and she turned towards him, her wand moving beautifully and her hair rising from her face as if hit by the electricity that was now running through him. She was sexy, alright. She sent a hex after Kyle, who avoided it – only because she hadn’t wanted it to connect, of course. He knew she was incredibly good with a wand (at least when it came to hurting people). It was one of the many things he loved about her. She yelled after him “Yeah, you better run!” Rory chuckled under his breath, probably a lot happier than he should have been. Okay, he might have to admit he liked that she was attacking Kyle. He had felt like attacking him as well, lying half-naked under her. The room turned silent, and he smiled. Coke was a force to be reckoned with. He decided to get dress and get out while they were still subdued, and said “Let’s just get out before you throw yourself at another half-naked guy.” He feared a little jealousy had filtered in, and he continued to cover it, and also because he loved flirting with her – as much as he feared being shot down. “Unless you want to throw yourself at me, of course.” “Are you actually volunteering?” she answered, her wicked tone making his heart speed up, and her fist against his chest taking his breath away. Might as well, he could’ve said something stupid. “Whenever you want Lanswood!” he quenched the feeling of disappointment he felt when she kissed the air instead of him. She was such a tease! He shook his head with a small smile. He frowned a bit when he saw her take The Broom, which was Her Broom, really. He wasn’t sure he trusted her with it, he was scared they might hurt each other. Those thoughts as well as any other quickly flew from his mind though, as she lightly touched his naked skin on her way. He trembled, then shook his head and got dressed as quickly as possible. He almost forgot to take Joan on the way out.

The air was cold, frigid even. Joan burrowed under his clothes to snuggle against the skin of his neck. He shivered and got closer to Coke, feeling a rush of hot air coming from her wand. “Good idea” he said and dried his own hair. He then put his warm Quidditch coat on her shoulders, keeping his hands there as he whispered in her ear: “Here, it gets cold in the sky." he squeezed her shoulders lightly, then took his hands away. "I was thinking I could sit behind you, holding the broom in front. That way I'll frame your body, and you could hold onto my forearms. I swear I'll keep it smooth and steady. I'm pretty good with a broom you know. Especially with one of that quality" he said, a trace of longing in his voice, caressing the broom with the tip of his fingers. He got closer to her and whispered "Are you ready to fly?”

“Did I actually flirt with Rory?”

“We were supposed to beat the hell out of him! That’s why we came here!”

“What’s wrong with me?”

“I think it’s all that fuss about the “I’ll make you fly on that broom” pick up line. It got into me without me even noticing…”

“Mew.”

“I totally agree. You are so totally right, that got to be it. Thank you for this pertinent comment!”

“Mew.”

“What? Are you insinuating something?”

“Mew!”

“Alright, I’m blind, not deaf! I talk too much, that’s it? I should shut up?”

“Good idea.”

“Ugh!!!”

“It’s funny how hastily you follow me when I’ve got that broom…”

“Should I get jealous?... God, am I doing it again?!”

“Sorry, by the way…”

“UGH!!!”

“Here, it gets cold in the sky."

“What the… WHAT the… Don’t make me go rude, Lanswood!... ”

“Mew?”

"I was thinking I could sit behind you, holding the broom in front. That way I'll frame your body, and you could hold onto my forearms. I swear I'll keep it smooth and steady. I'm pretty good with a broom you know. Especially with one of that quality."

"Are you ready to fly?”

“Oh boy !”

“No! No, I’m not ready, no. For heaven’s sake, no! I’ll never be ready! I…”

“Oh men, don’t tell me she’s a virgin!”

“What?!... Shut UP! I mean,”

“where did you even get that idea?!!! I’ll never fly with you!!!... I mean no, of course I’ll fly with YOU, but… I mean, NO, I WON’T fly with you, but the point is not with YOU, it’s just that I WILL NOT FLY, WITH OR WITHOUT YOU! Get it? The whole sitting behind me and framing me, and holding to forearms stuff is really nice but NO, thanks. THAT won’t do.”

“I don’t care about you SHUT UP!... I don’t care about you being all smooth and steady, and I don’t care how good you are at it, I just…”

“No offense Rory, she’s just scared!”

“I said SHUT UP YOU PERV!!!...”

“I what?...”

“I AIN’T SCARED OF NOTHING, YOU… DON’T MAKE ME GET RUDE!!! COME ON, YOU!”

“Scared! I’ll show them!”

“It’s funny how hastily you follow me when I’ve got that broom… Should I get jealous?”

“God, am I doing it again?”

“Here, it gets cold in the sky”

“What the… WHAT the… Don’t make me go rude, Lanswood! ...”

this

“Mew?”

"I was thinking I could sit behind you, holding the broom in front. That way I'll frame your body, and you could hold onto my forearms. I swear I'll keep it smooth and steady. I'm pretty good with a broom you know. Especially with one of that quality."

“Are you ready to fly?”

“Oh boy! No! No, I’m not ready, no. For heaven’s sake, no! I’ll never be ready! I...”

“Oh man, don’t tell me she’s a virgin!”

“What?!... Shut UP! I mean... Where did you even get that idea?!!! I’ll never fly with you!!!"

"... I mean no, of course I’ll fly with YOU, but… I mean, NO, I WON’T fly with you, but the point is not with YOU, it’s just that I WILL NOT FLY, WITH OR WITHOUT YOU! Get it?"

"Oooh, she would fly with you"

"The whole sitting behind me and framing me, and holding to forearms stuff is really nice but NO, thanks. THAT won’t do.”

"You'll have to think of another position, Rory!"

“I don’t care about you SHUT UP!... I don’t care about you being all smooth and steady, and I don’t care how good you are at it, I just…”

“No offense Rory, she’s just scared!”

“I said SHUT UP YOU PERV!!!...”

“I what?...”

“I AIN’T SCARED OF NOTHING, YOU… DON’T MAKE ME GET RUDE!!! COME ON, YOU! Scared! I’ll show them!”

"Okay"

"Okay, hold onto my forearms and lean on me. 3...2...1!"

"Just lean on me a little more. Relax against me, love"

"What? Love is blind, right?"

"I can show you the world, shining, shimmering, splendid! Tell me, princess, now when did you last let your heart decide? I can open your mind, take you wonder by wonder, over sideways and under on a magic broomstick ride. A whole new world...."

"Okay, I have to admit, I'm realising one of my dreams right now. Since I saw Aladdin taking Jasmine on a ride, I've always wanted to take to the sky with a beautiful girl one day. And now I have"

"So, how does it feel?"

“Mew?”

"Okay, hold onto my forearms and lean on me. Three...two…"

“Oh please! Won’t you just…”

"One!"

“Mew!”

"Just lean on me a little more. "

" Relax against me, love"

“Sorry!!!”

"What? Love is blind, right?"

"I can show you the world, shining, shimmering, splendid! Tell me, princess, now when did you last let your heart decide? I can open your mind, take you wonder by wonder, over sideways and under on a magic broomstick ride. A whole new world...."

“Is she serious!!!”

"Okay, I have to admit, I'm realising one of my dreams right now. "

"Since I saw Aladdin taking Jasmine on a ride, I've always wanted to take to the sky with a beautiful girl one day. And now I have. So, how does it feel?"

“Good…”

“It feels good…”

"Since I saw Aladdin taking Jasmine on a ride, I've always wanted to take to the sky with a beautiful girl one day. And now I have. So, how does it feel?" He asked, a little nervous. He had taken advantage of her wish to prove them wrong, and he was now worried that she regretted acting on a whim. She stayed silent for a long while, unmoving and stiff as a board. She had relaxed a little when Joan had started singing, and he had been grateful for the distraction. But she hadn't relaxed more than that, and she was still very tense against him At first he had fought about explaining to her why Joan knew that particular song, and why she had changed the lyrics to suit the situation almost perfectly. Namely, the fact that he had been singing that song while taking his broom for a ride since she had won her prize. And that he had changed the lyrics with her in mind. He was on the verge of confessing (thus completely humiliating himself) when, to his great relief, she finally answered. "Good…” she said “It feels good…” He raised a skeptical eyebrow: her voice was still laden with fear. But she didn’t have any reason to lie, she wasn’t the kind of girl to tell a little white lie to make people happy. So maybe it really did feel good for her, if clearly a little terrifying as well. He could guess that it wasn’t easy for her to lose all her marks, and she couldn’t rely on a beautiful view to distract her. That's when he suddenly had an idea, and he told her softly: "Okay, now I'm going to turn gently... I'll have to lean a little on the right, just follow my movements love" The term of endearment had left his lips again but he couldn't bring himself to care. He was focused on turning as softly as possible so as not to scare her more than she already was. He suddenly realised that she really did have faith in him, she had to rely on him to bring them back to earth safely. Coke was not someone who gave her trust easily, if at all, and he was overjoyed that they had grown so close. He could feel her hand holding his neck and the other holding his arm, keeping him firmly pressed against her and he smiled. He took some time to just appreciate the warmth and softness of her body against his, and he nuzzled her neck. He felt the urge to nibble her skin but he refrained, not wanting to take too much advantage of the situation. She couldn't move away from him if she wanted to, after all. It would feel like he was forcing her. He sighed a little and then murmured: "Okay, now take a deep breath through your nose" he said, doing so himself. He had taken them on a wide circle, bringing them on top of the topical greenhouse. He had kept them low enough that he could smell the scent of the tropical plants, hear the buzzing of the insects flying in and out of it. He had hoped that being able to identify, thanks to clear landmarks, exactly where they were would reassure her. Plus, the tropical greenhouse smelt wonderful from above, the scent that was usually too strong and a little heady inside was spicy and fresh when mixed with the wind. The wide circle he was drawing brought them above the botanic greenhouse, near the lake and finally back to the Quidditch field. "Prepare for landing"he said in his best pilot voice, then brought them back to earth at a very soft angle. He let her touch down leisurely, observing her reaction. She seemed as reluctant to step away from him as he was to let her go, but she might have just needed time to adjust. When she stepped away, he stretched absent-mindedly and was surprised at the pain he felt in his neck and arm. Looking down, he realised he had red marks and little cat-like scratches on the arm Coke had held on to, and he guessed they were probably mirrored on his neck. A small smile stretched his lips: Coke had left him souvenirs.

No matter how long they had been flying now, Coke couldn’t possibly get used to it. The overwhelming sensation of emptiness, surrounding her from everywhere, as in eternal fall, without ever hurting the ground. The air was passing through her hair, brushing her face, making her dizzy with the cold. But most of her body was protected by Rory’s quidditch coat, and by Rory himself, so that the sensation of cold was not painful, but rather exciting, a new sensation of boundless freedom. She was not relaxing one bit though, for however few the fear was leaving her, it was immediately replaced by pure excitement, which tightened her muscles just as much… "Okay, now I'm going to turn gently... I'll have to lean a little on the right, just follow my movements love" Coke felt her insides twitched, although she could not tell if it was for dread when she felt their whole bodies bending to the right, or for pleasure to hear the new name he had given her. Everything was inextricably entangled. The sound of the wind and their voices, the feeling of terror with excitement. She was holding, and falling in the same time, feeling his body against her and yet having a feeling of surrounding emptiness .

She felt his breathing in her neck and heard him in her ear : "Okay, now take a deep breath through your nose" Actually he was quite right. She had forgotten to breathe since they had left the ground. With the powerful wind against her face and the fear paralyzing her chest, she was only bringing air to her lungs with powerful gasps of fear or surprise when Rory was gently shifting their direction. She took a huge breath of icy air, which strangely had something of wet and warm. She then recognized the scent of the tropical flowers of one of Pr. Hayes’ green houses, which she usually smelled in the dampness and warmth of the room. Now it felt totally different. She was not in a crowded classroom but free and lonely in the sky. She took another breath of the smell, fruity, rich with variety and yet light in strength. They could have flown overseas to another continent, she was sure it wouldn’t have felt any different. "I didn’t notice we were that far in the south… Is that Africa?” she asked, something like humour or teasing in her tensed voice.

Not long later, she heard Rory take a professional tone and say : "Prepare for landing" She would have answered “Please put out your cigarette and tighten your seat belt”, but the idea of returning to the ground frightened her more than anything. There was only two ways to do it, and she had no idea what she should do to help Rory avoid the hard way. Her whole body tensed back just as when they had taken off, and could do nothing but to wait with powerful anxiety the moment her feet would touch the ground, praying her ankles and knees would hold her. She then began to feel that the broom and Rory were moving away from her, causing her to gasp and stick her nails into Rory’s flesh to bring him back against her. ”Meeeeewwwww…” She felt her Kneazle fondling against her ankles, causing her legs to relax suddenly, and powerfully trembling with the rush of adrenaline tha was still flowing in her veins…. Wait a second. Her Kneazle?

Coke realized suddenly they had already landed. The air touching her skin was no more than the gentle breeze going through the field, and after having made some steps on the grass, she recognized the familiar sensation of gravity keeping her to the ground. Familiar and a bit oppressive now she was thinking of it. Familiar, overpressing, predictable, one step after another… Boring… "Oh I’m sorry my pet.” she apologized to her Kneazle, taking him off the ground in her arms. "I missed you, but I’m sure you wouldn’t have liked it.” she had stressed on the “you”, insinuating that she had liked it very much. She then gently threw her Kneazle in the air before catching him back, feeling its limbs dazzled and its claws drawn out. "See?” She kissed it and put it back on the ground. "So, Lanswood! Wanna keep that broom?” Then she turned to Rory, all of her self-confidence back again. "I couldn’t fly it on my own anyway, now could I? Keep it, so that next time I have my broom and my pilot all at once!” Coke was totally enjoying it. Giving Rory at the same time her broom and the fact that she was already thinking about flying again, it must’ve been like an early Christmas for him…

"Oh, I'm sorry pet"

"I missed you, but I'm sure you wouldn't have liked it"

"See?"

"So, Lanswood! Wanna keep that broom?”

"I couldn’t fly it on my own anyway, now could I? Keep it, so that next time I have my broom and my pilot all at once!”

"Cocoon..."

"Okay, but you have to promise to be gentle with me next time. You marked me"

"My neck and arm will take some time to heal"

"Thank you, Cocoon"