"Bitch"
"Bitch". The hissed word that seems almost a part of Carolina's life. It was like her name. There seemed to be not one girl that was not jealous of her as she wandered down the crowded corridor at school. So what if her shoes were Marc Jacobs, or she had only the most expensive makeup covering her delicate skin. With her brown hair pulled up into a chignon and her blue eyes circled with the lightest kohl, she was easily the prettiest girl at school. But something stopped her from being the most popular at Hogwarts, jealousy. Even her best friends tried hard to conceal it. It seemed stupid really, because the simple fact was, Carolina Bell was better than everyone else.
"I think someone spat at me when I left potions. I wouldn't be surprised if they did though."
"Why do you put up with it? Go to McGonagall, or if worse comes to worse, Dumbledore." Carolina fixed her kohl stare on Oliver Wood, the only boy that seemed oblivious to the fact she was gorgeous, the only boy she wanted to notice she was gorgeous.
"I don't think either of them would bother if some unlucky fourth year was being bullied by the rest of the female population. I think my little sister's friend Leanne started on me the other day."
Carolina turned her head to where a small blonde girl sat with her best friend. Katie looked up at her elder sister, her gaze fixed steadily like her sisters.
"She's going to turn into you, you do realise that." Oliver pointed to the row of boys sat opposite the younger Bell.
"Whatever Oli. We have practise to get to, Charlie will kill us if we miss it, we are the oldest there." She threw a glance at a group of second years. "I mean, Angelina could be trusted, but the Weasleys?"
"Scarily true, but when you're captain next year, you'll be able to keep them under control, won't you Lina?"
"Bull and you know it Oli, you're soo gonna be the next Captain, I'll probably quit under the pressure, or choose Katie to be the next seeker. We'd be crushed, not that we aren't already."
The two laughed and followed the same well tread path from the packed hall, through the empty entrance hall and onto the path outside. In the distance they could see the quidditch pitch rising up below the mountains. The sun streamed through the gaps in the castle, lighting up the ground below. Students lazed by the lake, basking in the late September sun.
"I bet that by the time we get to June it will be cold and wet, that's what happens round here." Oliver gestured to the sun and the bodies on the grass.
"That's what Charlotte said, but then again, when is Charlotte ever right? Last week she tried to tell me that neon's were on the come back. Charles was very excited, which is quite scary actually."
Charlotte and Charles were Carolina's older brother and sister, twins in seventh year, and the fourth eldest children in the Bell family.
The Bell family, who easily surpassed the Weasleys in children, had four boys and four girls.
The eldest, a boy, was Jack, who had left Hogwarts the same year Charlotte had started.
Then in the same year as Bill Weasley came Peter, a sporty, yet short-fused lad.
After Peter came Thomas, the pride of the family, the ministry boy.
After Thomas came the two 'innocent' twins Charlotte and Charles, who had the misfortune of being in the same year as Charlie Weasley. Charlotte was the first of four girls born to the Bells. Of course followed by Carolina. Not long after she was born came Susannah, the bitch of the Bells.
Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond her control (and an extremely short-tempered seventh year) Susannah had become the first student at Hogwarts to be transferred from one house to another, after the Sorting Hat remarked to Professor Dumbledore one evening that the best punishment would be to move the then first year into Slytherin just in time for her second year.
The youngest, Katie, had the most potential. Only first year and at the beginning of a long journey through education, she had already received top marks in her introductory exam in Transfiguration. It was no secret that she was the only Gryffindor that Snape liked. She was the reason Carolina was quitting quidditch in fifth year.
It was a Bell tradition to play quidditch at school. All the males, with the exception of Andrew, had been captains, and everyone had played. When Katie started Hogwarts, Carolina had realised she would have to quit. Not only so Katie could get on the team, because that would be achievable with Charlotte leaving, but so she could concentrate on other things.
Already on the team there was one girl being kept back as a reserve. Alicia Bell could out-fly Charlotte and Carolina, and complimented little Angelina Johnson perfectly. If she were to finally be allowed to play, both Alicia and her friend Angelina would benefit Katie, should she ever get on to the team.
"Charlie still thinks Charlotte and I are feeding Susannah with Gryffindor's strategic plays." Carolina informed Oliver, who looked shocked to see she was sill there.
"Seriously? She's only been on that team for five minutes, why would she be already working for Harrow? That guy still doesn't allow his favourite chaser to offer helpful tips about game-play."
Carolina smirked as the pair passed two Hufflepuffs getting… intimate, believing they were hidden by a rose bush to their left. She still couldn't get it out of her head, the whole Oliver situation of course, not the two Hufflepuffs.
It escaped her, why didn't he see what every other bloke at this school saw? She feared that their constant companionship from being babies had placed a restriction on how far they could venture to that great place beyond 'friendship'.
She came back from her slightly depressing musings as they entered the Gryffindor changing room and witnessed a bizarre sight.
On the bench in front of them sat Charlie, holding in his hands a piece of parchment. His face was downcast, his hands white from gripping the paper, and sat to his right was Charlotte, looking almost apologetic.
She looked up as Carolina and Oliver entered the room, shaking her head and smiling as Carolina raised an eyebrow at Charlie.
"I'm glad you two have managed to make it, that brings our grand total to six. Any news on Susannah's try outs by the way? I haven't seen her since the morning of her trials."
"She got chaser, Harrow was greatly impressed by her skills. Didn't Charlie tell you? He's worried that she may spill all our great Gryffindor plays to the Slytherins. By the way, what's up Charlie?"
Charlotte removed the parchment from Charlie's hands and passed it over to her sister. A quick scan of the letter, as that was it was, told Carolina that poor Charlie had been unsuccessful in his trials for The Chudley Cannons. It had been the only team he had tried for, and now it appeared Charlie Weasley's dream of playing for his favourite team had just flown out the window.
"Right laps everyone, without brooms. Oh and could someone go get Angelina Johnson, all team members should be at practise." Charlotte stood up, turned, and helped her boyfriend to his feet.
"Out there, now!"
The quidditch team, minus George who had gone to get Angelina, trudged out to the pitch. As soon as her feet touched the grass an unknown energy took over Carolina and she found herself able to jog around the pitch at a steady, but speedy, pace. As she overtook Oliver for the second time she grinned at him, sticking her tongue out at him. What she didn't count on was running into the goalpost.
"Caro watch out…" Charlotte ran at top speed to the teenager that had just collided with the post.
"Oh good you are alive. Sit up then" she poked her younger sister into a sitting position and ran her wand over her. Planning to follow her mother's footsteps, Charlotte started a Magic Medic course with the school nurse for her NEWTs. It helped with quidditch injuries, a point that had helped her choose it. Carolina always thought it was slowly turning her into her mother. A thought that played over again in her head now.
"Ow, watch where you're poking that wand, I'd hate to have to tell mum I'm unable to have children after a spell went aride." Carolina pushed the wand away and stood up.
"I'll be a lot better when I get up on my broom, can we start practise now, Charlie" she asked as her sister began to protest.
Charlie nodded and moved back towards the broom shed just as Angelina arrived.
"Erm sorry Charlie, I realise its my first official full team practise but I had a detention with Snape that sort of overrun. Won't happen again."
"Don't worry, if it were any teacher but Snape I would probably be a bit pissed, but no Gryffindor can help but incure his wrath."
"Except maybe Katie" Carolina came up behind them and grabbed her broom off the rack, grinning at Angelina.
"Wow is that what I think it is?" Angelina pointed to the broom in Carolina's hands.
"A diamond glory? Yeah, not the best I've had…"
"But it's got loads of good reviews in 'Which Broomstick' and it's pink, with a diamond tipped end and diamond-hard polish."
"There's a lot more to brooms than looks." Oliver grabbed his broom, a slightly scruffy two sixty.
"Yeah but it helps. People choose this broom because of its looks, girls that aren't particularly into flying, and they love it. Half the female teams in the UK and the US have put in an order for these. The Salem witches academy uses them in flying lessons." Carolina could see that Oliver was trying to come up with a reply to Angie's well informed answer, however the boy was saved by Charlie finally taking control of the practise.
"Right on you're brooms and into positions." Charlie shouted across the pitch from the stands. Carolina mounted her broom and got into position between Charlotte and a slightly nervous Angelina.
"You'll be fine; I've seen you practise with Alicia." Carolina shouted to the girl next to her, who smiled and focused on the red ball in Charles Bell's hands. Charles, the ex-beater, acted as referee in practises.
Today the Gryffindor team were practising with Hufflepuff. The three Hufflepuff chasers grinned at the Gryffindors and blew kisses towards the two Bells, who, in Bell style, flipped their fingers at them. The whistle blew and Carolina sped forwards to catch the ball, the Hufflepuff chaser missing it by inches. She pressed forward, swerving to avoid a bludger sent at her, as she reached the goals she threw to Charlotte to avoid the opposing chaser who was speeding towards the quaffle. Charlotte threw the quaffle to Angelina who slammed it into the centre hoop. The practise carried on like this, with Gryffindor winning 340-20 by the end of it.
The Hufflepuff captain held his hand out to Charlie who shook it.
"Er mate? It would be helpful if you didn't play that well in our coming match, give the Hufflepuff fans something to be proud of?" the other captain asked.
"Well you see Tom, my team weren't playing their absolute best today, so it could be hard." Charlie grinned and signalled to his team.
The Gryffindors smiled politely at the Hufflepuffs and left the stadium for the changing rooms. At the entrance Carolina, Charlotte and Angelina split, heading for the female showers, whilst the lads pushed their way into the door.
"Hey Angelina, I love the route you took in the Parkins pincer, really inspirational, I don't think the great Gwenog Jones could have come up with that in her first practise."
"Er thanks, I just thought it would be the best way to go"
"How right you were, you'll be a valuable asset to the team this year, and coming years." Carolina stepped out of the shower, pink towel wrapped around her, and moved over to the lockers.
Charlotte watched as she put on a pair of pink velour 'chav' pants and pulled on a pink Quiberon Quafflepunchers t-shirt.
"You are such a chav"
"As if…I've never stolen anything." Carolina slipped on her flip-flops as Angelina shuffled out of the shower.
"So? You're main label at the moment seems to be Juicy Couture."
"My dear you are thinking in terms of muggle clothing again, this is pure Morgana designs. I only wear the best in magical designers." Carolina led stood in the doorway and turned back to her sister, "now come on, I need to get to the common room before Oliver to steal his transfiguration homework."
The two sisters said goodbye to Angelina and began up the slope up to the school.