In the dormitory, the girls found Su
sitting on her four-posters, knees folded up under her chin staring at a square
box in front of her with her pigeon hopping around, keeping her company.
Lisa moved towards Su’s four-posters ahead
of Janet and asked softly, “Su, are you ok?”
Apparently, Su did not hear her and didn’t
answer.
Lisa moved closer and patted Su on her
shoulder which made her jump with shock. Su’s pigeon was startled by the sudden
movement, fluttered its wings, flew off and perched on the window instead. Su
looks up at Lisa and Janet, her eyes red and tear stains on her cheeks.
“Is something wrong?” Lisa asked in a
concerned voice sitting down on Su’s four-posters while Janet sat on her own
that was beside Su’s. Su shook her head and remain silent.
Janet then move from her four-posters and
sat next to Lisa on Su’s four-posters, “It is Mandy, right?”
Su looked and Janet and tears filled her
eyes immediately.
“Did I say something wrong? Don’t cry,”
Janet panicked when she saw tears trickling down Su’s cheeks. “I’m sorry. Don’t
cry.”
Su shook her head and stopped crying but
she still kept quiet.
“If there’s something bothering you, you
can tell us, we can help you,” Janet comforted.
“Yeah,” Lisa added, “We’re friends.”
Su turned to Lisa after hearing the word
“friends” and asked, “We’re friends?”
“Of course we are! We were sorted into the
same house and sleeping in the same dormitory,” Lisa assured while nudging
Janet, hinting her to continue.
“Yeah,” Janet struggles to find something
to add on, “We… We will be each other’s company for our coming years in
Hogwarts.” She continued, stammering slightly.
“I thought you don’t like me,” Su said to
Janet.
Lisa gave Janet a rebukeful look.
Feeling shocked that Su thought this way,
Janet quickly respond in her defense, “What? No, I did not! I never said that I
didn’t like you.”
Su looked unconvinced and did not respond.
“Ok, maybe I sounded a bit unfriendly
yesterday morning but it was purely because I didn’t approve Mandy’s methods of
taking credit for something she didn’t do. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt
your feelings I would be happy to be your friend,” Janet continued defensively.
Su still did not say anything but she
smiles as a response of accepting Janet’s apology.
Feeling relieved, Janet was going to invite
Su to join Lisa and her for breaks when Mandy walks haughtily into the girls’
dormitory with Morag behind her. “Ha, what’s the matter, Su Li? You are getting
English lessons from Hayden and Turpin? Hayden looks a bit like your kind
there; I doubt her English is any better.” Mandy sneered at Su, Janet and Lisa.
“What did I do?” screamed a voice within
Janet. As far as she remember, she had never stepped on Mandy's toe, not even once, she tolerated with her boasting and tried to let her be that she took credit for things that she didnt do, "What gives her to right to fire at my appearance?" She thought angrily and stood up, “What do you mean our kind? You have a
problem with our kind?” Janet shot back, feeling insulted that Mandy derided
her appearance.
“I believe you heard me. The two of you are
clearly not entirely from an English descent. You DO know that, do you?”
Mandy said as-a-matter-of-factly.
“What makes you think you can insult us because
we look different?” Janet moved towards Mandy daring Mandy for a fight but was
pulled back by Lisa who whispered, “Don’t drop to her level.” Janet stopped
moving forward as a sign of agreement to Lisa’s advice. Janet’s dark eyes
glared at Mandy, so hard that it might bore through Mandy’s skull.
“Well, in case you have not noticed, it is
a fact that she could not even speak properly…” Mandy argued.
This time, it was Lisa who stormed towards
Mandy, “So? What gives you the right to laugh when you can’t even turn a match
into a needle?” Lisa cuts Mandy off from her sneering.
Mandy stared at Lisa blankly, surprised at
what Lisa have just said, “What are you talking about?” Mandy demanded, “I did turn that
match into a needle and got 10 points for Ravenclaw, in case you have
forgotten, Turpin.” Mandy sneered back to her defense.
“Oh, really?” Janet spoke again, “That was
not what I saw. I remember my small eyes, which were not English in your point
of view, catching you exchanging your incomplete form of a needle with Su’s
perfect one.”
Mandy glared at Su, “well, you saw it wrong
then. It was MY needle. I did the Transfiguration. Right, Su?”
Su stared back blankly at Mandy; she didn’t
know what to say.
“You tell them, Su. Who turned the match
into a perfect needle?” Mandy glared at Janet who was smirking. “Or we shall
put it this way, who thought she turned a match into a perfect needle?” Janet
added sarcastically.
“You!” Mandy fired at Janet angrily.
“Yes, I am talking. Su couldn’t answer
because she is too nice for her own good. So, I thought I should help her,”
Janet jeered at Mandy.
“Whatever. You know what, I don’t have to
prove anything to you,” Mandy rolled her eyes, “and you,” she faced Su, “You
and your friends can stick together and mind your own business.” And she stalks
out of the dormitory. Morag, who was watching the whole bickering, quickly
followed behind her.
“There goes the Queen and her minion,”
Janet shouted at Mandy as she slams the door.
“Don’t! She is not that bad,” Su tried to
defend Mandy.
“She doesn’t sound good when she pick on us
because we looked different,” Janet argued. “You still think that she treats
you as a friend, do you?”
“She does not deserve a friend like you,
Su. The way she talks to you, that is not a way to talk to a friend,” Lisa
second Janet.
Su smiled weakly and drooped her head with
disappointment, slightly regretting her actions that made her lose someone she
considered a friend.
Lisa guessed Su’s feelings and said, “You
can always join us if you like.”
“Thank you for accepting me as friend,”
The word “friend” reminded Janet of Anna
who was still not talking to her since she revealed that she was a witch and
will not be able to go to Queen Anne’s with her. Not that she had the chance anyway;
they have lost contact ever since Janet came to Hogwarts. She has been through
so much in Hogwarts that she would really want to share with Anna.
Janet’s thoughts were interrupted by a
nudge from Lisa. Janet snapped back into reality and saw Su opening the square
box on her bed, there were four brown blocks carved with interesting patterns
on top of them.
“Moon cakes,” Su pointed at the four
blocks.
“Moon cakes?” Lisa looked into the box
curiously, “These are cakes?”
Su smiled at their curious faces and took
one moon cake out from the box. She took her wand and drew a few strokes on top
of it, “We Chinese eat moon cakes during the Mid-Autumn celebration, which is around this time of the year” the moon
cake split into four slices and Su gave Lisa and Janet each a slice.
“Mid-Autumn, I think my grandmother
celebrates something similar too. It’s a day when the whole family gather and
eat food that resembles the moon,” Janet said excitedly.
“Yes!” Su replied, surprised that Janet
actually knows about her culture. “How do you know? Your grandmother is Chinese
too?”
“I’m part Japanese. My maternal grandmother
is from Japan. Didn’t Mandy say I don’t look like I am from an English descent?”
Janet answered while eating the moon cake.
“I thought she is just saying it, I don’t
expect it to be real,” Su replied.
“I would not have been so angry if it was
not true.” Janet said.
“Oh, what do Japanese do during Mid-Autumn?”
Su asked curiously.
“We will just get together at my
grandmother’s place and eat rice dumplings, called Tsukimi Dango.”
“So, you never eat moon cakes before? How
is it?” Su asked as she faced Lisa, “How is it, Lisa?”
“Uh?” Lisa was too engrossed listening to
Su and Janet talking about Mid-Autumn that she forgot that she was holding a
piece of moon cake and was supposed to try it. She took a bite, “Mmm, not bad.
What is this made of?”
“Lotus paste, made by lotus seeds,” Su
explained.
“What else do you do during Mid-Autumn?”
Lisa asked. She was never exposed to Asian cultures, everything sounded interesting to her.
“Everybody from the family will gather at
my grandfather’s house. We eat moon cakes and just spend time together.” Su
explained and the three of them talked about Mid-Autumn and moon cakes until
bedtime.
From that day onwards, Su joins Lisa and
Janet for classes and most of their free time.
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