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The Catch of The Day

Chapter One- A Glorious Catch

I confess (grudgingly, I might add) but still...I'll admit it freely.

I am not the smartest person in the world.

"You'll never catch it," sneered Ramona Hills. I kept quiet, and tried my best not to be distracted from her. On my right, my fickle freckled best friend, Becky Worthington, kept shooting me nervous glances. I rolled my eyes at her. A little more faith in me would surely be nice.

My eyes focused back to the Black Lake.

"Right, this looks like a good place," I muttered to myself. In front of me stood a couple of jagged rocks, peeping up from the lake, not too far from the shore, where you could have at least two people stand without falling in the water.

"And this," I signaled over to my equipment: a fishing pole and a bucket of worms that I had so unsuccessfully dug up, "is where I prove you wrong,"

Ramona sniggered and behind her stood a gawking stringy girl, Melissa Birdon, looking at me in bewilderment.

"You're going to catch the GIANT squid with muggle equipment?"

I sniffled. The mind of these people - its been done before. Haven't Muggles caught sharks, octopuses, and squids with these instruments? Why shan't I do it too?

"It's been done before," I shrugged, and idly jumped over lapping waves with my equipment in tow.

"Fifteen galleons," chimed in Ramona sweetly as if she had to remind me of the bet we had made. I said nothing, but gripped the fishing pole tighter in my hands and stared at the lake that sparkled a million emeralds under the sun. The water was calm and showed no sign of a monstrous, raving, giant squid. I started to feel queasy yet held my ground. I would conquer. I gritted my teeth and pulled a squirming worm from a small bucket I had summoned and stuck it quickly to the hook of the instrument. Then I just stared at it.

It was visible that I had no experience with this. Even with Muggle blood pulsing through my veins, it did not mean that I knew how to wield every little inventions that Muggles created. I stared at it wondrously. The only memory of fishing that I ever had was with Uncle Joe - and that wasn't even a pleasant one. We had gone fishing for salmon when I was a small age of eight and I had run away screaming at the sight of the gasping fish that seemed to jump everywhere, twisting its scaly body in search of its natural habitat.

I grimaced at the memory and stared down at the wringing worm. Merlin, imagine if I do capture the bloody squid. Hell, does it even like worms?

And so I followed my instinct. I threw back the rod and casted the line, waiting for the hook to land in the water.

And the hook did land - just not in the water.

"James,"

"Mate,"

"What do you reckon is this?"

Silence. "We studied those in Muggle Studies. Didn't Ramona Hills do a presentation on them? Fish hooks, I think are what they're called,"

My eyes grew wide and turned around to see what I had really caught. Although I caught no giant squid I caught something just as glorious as that; I had caught Sirius Black.

"Merlin's Beard," I gasped. The hook was latched onto the collar of Black, just missing his face (most likely his ear) by a couple centimeters. Immediately, stormy grey eyes met mine. Under his intimidating gaze, I just stupidly stood there, shocked and speechless from the event.

"Merlin, Sirius, are you alright?" Ramona was the first to rush towards Black, a look of horror and care sweeping her face. "You're not hurt are you?"

Black laughed in his peculiar bark-like style and was quickly joined in by James Potter, who also stood at his side.

"Should I be?" He unstuck the hook from his collar, and threw it back at me (which I caught nimbly, to my credit). Ramona blushed, tucking a strand of chestnut hair behind her ear.

"No - no, it was just a stupid bet with Charlotte and I, and I guess she missed her target..."

I rolled my eyes, feeling slightly pissed. I would like to see her try and fish for the second time of her life. It's not all that cracked up as it seems to be.

"It's wasn't that stupid. At least, I caught you something better than you hoped for didn't I? Shouldn't you be thanking me by now?"

I felt Becky freeze behind me, and suddenly, Ramona became deathly quiet. Slowly, she turned around, facing me, blood drained from her face.

"You owe me thirty galleons, Hummings," she hissed before stumping off the grass with a very surprised Melissa following her. I huffed and jumped back to dry land to where Becky just stared at me accusingly.

"That was very rude of you Charlotte," she noted. I huffed as I threw the bucket of worms into the lake. No need to use them anymore.

"Rude? Come on Becky, we all know that more than half the girls here are obsessed with Black," my eyes shifted over to the two famous trouble-makers of Hogwarts who where now whispering to each other in hushed tones. Black looked up, his eyes landing on me and he grinned diabolically. I gulped - that look on his face wasn't very reassuring.

"Anyway," I continued, trying to distract myself, "I don't think pointing out who likes him is gonna hurt. Hell, he might even appreciate it! Now he won't need to go chasing skirts like a blind man. He can just..go," I finished lamely.

Becky sighed and looked at me disapprovingly. I avoided the stare of my primp and proper best friend, whose hazel eyes searched my face for any trace of emotion, other than frustration of paying twice the price that I originally set out to pay.

"Aren't you forgetting to apologize to someone...?" I gave her a questioning looks and it was her turn to roll her eyes. "Black," she said and imitated a fishing hook with her finger.

I cursed, "Bloody Hell Becky it isn't really my fault! If he wasn't standing there...," but the cold glare I received was good enough to shut me up. I grumbled distastefully and turned to face the bloody rascal, but only to find him and Potter to have disappeared.

"They're gone," Way to name the obvious, captain.

I shrugged it off, happy to save myself from some apologizing and started to make way for the Gryffindor common room.

"Charlotte where are you going?"

I waved her off, "Potions essay,"

"But you're not going to do it!"

I grumbled. This girl...

I kicked a rock out of frustration, ignoring the pain that suddenly emitted from my fragile toes. Damn my easily bruised skin! Damn my non-existent fishing skills! Damn Ramona most of all! Where was I going to find thirty galleons?

I took a deep breath trying to calm myself down. But even that didn't work.

Damn it all.

I don't fish...