Kim Shimmers and the Veil of Death
A Harry Potter fanfic by me (and the 4th instalment in the Kim Shimmers series)
How could we ever hope to flicker on against a
darkness so complete, against an evil so prevailing?
This Harry Potter fan fiction (as long as all goes according to plan) will be posted at the beginning of every week. The pictures above are not mine, though I edited some.
Chapter 4
Borrowed Gloves and Butter-Drunk Confessions
The next two weeks passed uneventfully. Kim waited for Fred to write back to her impatiently. What’s taking him so bloody long anyway? Doesn’t he know that this is the only way for us to keep in contact? Or maybe he doesn’t care about that anymore… Don’t be immature, Kim. Of course he cares… He’s probably just really busy, like he said…
One Saturday afternoon Kim was walking through the corridors headed to the Great Hall for dinner when she heard someone calling out for her from behind, followed by footsteps speeding up laboriously toward her.
“Oh! Ms. Shimmers!”
Kim turned to see Professor Slughorn chugging along toward her. He slowed when he reached her and smiled warmly.
“I was hoping I’d run into you eventually,” he said, as if it was the chiefest of happy happenstances. Hogwarts isn’t that big, Professor. We were bound to see one another eventually… she thought, but she kept her smart mouth shut. “I’ve been wanting to mention to you- well, you’ve probably already heard. I have a little sort of club forming up.”
“The Slug Club?” Kim said flatly. She had heard of it, since both Harry and Hermione were invited to join. Hermione had reported that the club meetings weren’t too bad, with good food and interesting conversation. Kim wondered, however, about the quality of so called interesting conversations. Hermione found Arithmancy interesting, so her judgment was questionable.
“Yes! So you have heard of it,” Professor Slughorn crooned.
Kim just nodded, waiting for the relevance of this conversation to reveal itself.
“I wanted to invite you to join the ranks, if you’re interested.”
“Oh, uh… thanks,” Kim said, surprised. She genuinely hadn’t expected such, since she didn’t exactly count herself among the famously talented. She was only alright at potions, and she wasn’t all that great at most other respectable magic. “Really?”
“Why yes,” he said, delighted at her surprise. “I’ve heard word recently of your skills in divination. I don’t yet have a pupil with the sight, and don’t you just find that diversity keeps life interesting?”
“Uh, yeah…”
“So, what do you say? Will you join?”
Kim didn’t know what to say. The idea of her with a group of goody-goodys partaking in pomp and circumstance was not exactly an appealing one. Then again, Hermione would be there to at least make it bearable, and how exactly was she to say no? Sorry Professor, but I think your head is almost as big as your ass. I have absolutely no interest in joining your collection of real life dolls.
“Uh, yeah,” she said unevenly. “Thank you.”
“Splendid! I look forward to it. See you in potions class.” And with that he trotted off down the hall. Well, maybe this Slug Club will turn out to be a boost for the career search after school, she tried to think hopefully, but were she being honest she didn’t look forward to her first club meeting in the slightest.
