Millie laughed.
She laughed and laughed, quite certain that something about all of this was funny. The young witch laughed until her side split and her stomach ached with the effort. Her laughter coughed up from her lungs, falling down on weakened knees. She was tickled silly, confoundedly amused, ringing peals of echoing laughter down the hallway. Definitely not the way the young witch had expected to comport herself this afternoon, but at least it was funny!
Nevertheless, being so funny was starting to get seriously painful. Millie gripped her wand at one point, staring at it with a bundle of absurd joy. It looked so odd in her hands, a little stick of wood. Swish, swish, swish, went the stick of wood, waving about so splendidly in the air about her. She laughed even more, delight sparing her only mildly from the soreness and hurt the laughter brought upon her.
If she could only recall the way to end it. Millie paused for the barest of moments, glancing at her wand, before she burst into a renewed round of laughter. What a ridiculous idea, to stop laughing! She would sooner stop breathing, there was nothing better in the world than to laugh. Laugh all her problems away, laugh along the hours, laugh at the sorry state of her grades. Laughter was the cure to all the young witch's ills, what a funny thing to consider stopping at all.
"Fini-haha-te!" The word came to mind, as silly as her thoughts were coming now. It seemed so amusing to try it out. "Finni-hehe-tehe!" Millie couldn't even stop laughing long enough to say the full word, and that was enough to send her laughing once more. A final effort, her lungs gasping for air between bouts of her giggles, the young witch gave her wand a flick and spoke the clearest she could through her snickering mirth, "Finite!"
A gasp filled her lungs with more air than she had drawn in a thousand moments before it, leaving Millie to gasp again at the shock of it. Real, painless air filled her up, clearing her mind of the giddy thoughts that had clouded it before. With her desperate counter-charm finally succeeded, the annoyed young witch knew exactly who to blame for waylaying her for these unending seconds.
Callum Finnigan!
It wasn't even funny anymore, not that it ever had been! Millie rose to her feet, dusting what she could off her robes as a bristling glower set upon her face. Wand in hand, the third year stalked out of the hallway, on the march for her curly-haired thief and assailant. He had no right to place that charm on her, especially out here in the corridors where no magic was allowed! Well, if that's the game young Finnegan wanted to play, then Millie would just have to beat it.
Then she would drag young Finnigan to a professor or the closest prefect.
"Petrifi—oh, Professor!" Millie stopped in the middle of her charm, lowering her half-raised wand as quickly as she could. She had only seen the young Finnegan as she rounded the corner, already conveniently on the floor in front of her approach. At least she wouldn't have been accused of hurting him, after all! She might have mentioned that to the professor himself, if he hadn't filled her vision so completely as she stared at him with wide, hazel eyes.
A hot rush blazed from her cheeks, turning the chilly corridor unbearably hot now. The young witch shuffled in place, sparing a glance down to the sprawled-out boy, only to find her eyes looking elsewhere. "I was..." She was suddenly lost for words now, her appetite for vengeance vanishing with the sudden presence of Professor Lissington himself before her. "I'm glad you're..."
This wasn't how it was supposed to go at all!
"He was taking candy from your desk!" Millie pointed, wand away now, at the boy laying between the both of them. The professor needed to know that, she decided, it was the boy's fault. If not for him, the Ravenclaw would have patiently waited without causing a ruckus in the corridors. Surely a Hogwarts professor would see that she was blameless here, too. "I was just about to bring him to you, you see? I was simply..."
Her tangled words had the young witch backed into a corner now, face pale but for her flushing cheeks.
"...having a laugh?" She pressed a hand against her forehead, flustered and grasping for words. "Oh! That's not what I mean at all!"
She laughed and laughed, quite certain that something about all of this was funny. The young witch laughed until her side split and her stomach ached with the effort. Her laughter coughed up from her lungs, falling down on weakened knees. She was tickled silly, confoundedly amused, ringing peals of echoing laughter down the hallway. Definitely not the way the young witch had expected to comport herself this afternoon, but at least it was funny!
Nevertheless, being so funny was starting to get seriously painful. Millie gripped her wand at one point, staring at it with a bundle of absurd joy. It looked so odd in her hands, a little stick of wood. Swish, swish, swish, went the stick of wood, waving about so splendidly in the air about her. She laughed even more, delight sparing her only mildly from the soreness and hurt the laughter brought upon her.
If she could only recall the way to end it. Millie paused for the barest of moments, glancing at her wand, before she burst into a renewed round of laughter. What a ridiculous idea, to stop laughing! She would sooner stop breathing, there was nothing better in the world than to laugh. Laugh all her problems away, laugh along the hours, laugh at the sorry state of her grades. Laughter was the cure to all the young witch's ills, what a funny thing to consider stopping at all.
"Fini-haha-te!" The word came to mind, as silly as her thoughts were coming now. It seemed so amusing to try it out. "Finni-hehe-tehe!" Millie couldn't even stop laughing long enough to say the full word, and that was enough to send her laughing once more. A final effort, her lungs gasping for air between bouts of her giggles, the young witch gave her wand a flick and spoke the clearest she could through her snickering mirth, "Finite!"
A gasp filled her lungs with more air than she had drawn in a thousand moments before it, leaving Millie to gasp again at the shock of it. Real, painless air filled her up, clearing her mind of the giddy thoughts that had clouded it before. With her desperate counter-charm finally succeeded, the annoyed young witch knew exactly who to blame for waylaying her for these unending seconds.
Callum Finnigan!
It wasn't even funny anymore, not that it ever had been! Millie rose to her feet, dusting what she could off her robes as a bristling glower set upon her face. Wand in hand, the third year stalked out of the hallway, on the march for her curly-haired thief and assailant. He had no right to place that charm on her, especially out here in the corridors where no magic was allowed! Well, if that's the game young Finnegan wanted to play, then Millie would just have to beat it.
Then she would drag young Finnigan to a professor or the closest prefect.
"Petrifi—oh, Professor!" Millie stopped in the middle of her charm, lowering her half-raised wand as quickly as she could. She had only seen the young Finnegan as she rounded the corner, already conveniently on the floor in front of her approach. At least she wouldn't have been accused of hurting him, after all! She might have mentioned that to the professor himself, if he hadn't filled her vision so completely as she stared at him with wide, hazel eyes.
A hot rush blazed from her cheeks, turning the chilly corridor unbearably hot now. The young witch shuffled in place, sparing a glance down to the sprawled-out boy, only to find her eyes looking elsewhere. "I was..." She was suddenly lost for words now, her appetite for vengeance vanishing with the sudden presence of Professor Lissington himself before her. "I'm glad you're..."
This wasn't how it was supposed to go at all!
"He was taking candy from your desk!" Millie pointed, wand away now, at the boy laying between the both of them. The professor needed to know that, she decided, it was the boy's fault. If not for him, the Ravenclaw would have patiently waited without causing a ruckus in the corridors. Surely a Hogwarts professor would see that she was blameless here, too. "I was just about to bring him to you, you see? I was simply..."
Her tangled words had the young witch backed into a corner now, face pale but for her flushing cheeks.
"...having a laugh?" She pressed a hand against her forehead, flustered and grasping for words. "Oh! That's not what I mean at all!"
![[Image: uHwnE8q.png]](https://i.imgur.com/uHwnE8q.png)