Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter! DON'T HURT ME!
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Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Chapter Two
"Students, welcome to your first Herbology class as sixth years." beamed Professor Sprout. "Now, can anyone tell me what is in the pots in front of you? Ah, Miss Granger- oh, you in the back? I don't believe I know you."
"Hillary, Ma'am." Hillary put her hand down. "And the plants in the pots are either Flitterbloom, or Devil's Snare."
"Very good, ten points to…um, which House, dear?"
"Gryffindor, Ma'am."
"Gryffindor!" Sprout smiled. "And who knows how to tell- yes?"
Hillary had gotten her hand into the air just before Hermione yet again. Hermione glared daggers at her. "The way to tell the difference between Flitterbloom and Devil's Snare is simple; you need only look at the tendrils- if they are sharp at the ends, it's Devil's Snare. If they are more of a rounded stump, such as these, it's Flitterbloom." Hermione's hand shot into the air for the third time, but Hillary had already opened her mouth and was saying precisely what Hermione was going to add. "Also, Flitterbloom has light green spots on the tendrils. By studying these spots, you can determine the age of the plant. The darker the spots, the older the plant."
"Excellent! Ten more points to Gryffindor." Hermione glowered. "Now, as all of you can see, these Flitterbloom sprigs are quite young. They need to be trimmed and fed- there are some worms and such on the far table. Just set the food in the pot, and the tendrils will pick them up. Go on, go go go."
As always, Harry, Ron, and Hermione shared a plant, and Harry and Ron goofed off while Hermione secured there grade.
"What a little show off!" Hermione growled as she trimmed some shriveled vines from their plant. "I mean, she's-"
"Just like you." Harry and Ron said together.
"I'm feeling like FAILING today." Hermione threatened.
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"Harry!"
"Oh, hey, Angelina." Harry smiled. Angelina had already told him about being the new captain.
"The tryouts are on Friday. I want you to be there to help me."
"With what, tryouts?" Harry raised an eyebrow.
"Um. With decisions."
"What?"
"……I don't know what I'm DOING!" Angelina burst into tears. Everyone in the common room stared as a bewildered Harry staggered under the weight of the sobbing Angelina on his shoulder. For a minute or so, he didn't know what to do, until he finally decided on patting her on the head.
"Um, uh- anything I can, er, do to help, Angelina."
"-sniffle- Really?" Her face lit up like a light bulb. "Harry, you can be my second-in-command, or something like that! Yes! You are, after all, the greatest seeker in the history of Hogwarts," Harry beamed. "so you definitely know what you're doing! Yes yes yes! This is going to work out after all! Oh, dammit- I better go stop that owl right now!" And with that, she dashed out the portrait as suddenly as she'd come in.
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Friday came along without too many difficulties- the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Umbridge, was a lunatic, and "completely fanatical and bizarre", as Hermione put it. "Yeah, and crazy too." Ron had added. Hermione saved Harry from detention and almost certain death by placing a Silencing Charm on him when no one was looking. Harry, unable to speak, was forced to sit down and by the time the spell wore off, class was over.
"You could've let me say what I thought of her decorations, at least." Harry had grumbled in the Common Room later that night.
"Be logical, Harry. If you had said that, she would have certainly given you detention. And then Quidditch Tryouts would be out of the question."
So as I said before, Friday was not too difficult in coming, and though it dawned late and foggy, it had cleared up considerably by lunch time, and was perfect Quidditch weather.
At five o'clock Harry, Ron, and Hermione marched down to the fields, and Hermione saw Lavender Brown, the Patil twins, and some other girls and went to sit with them while Harry and Ron lined up with the people who would be flying.
"Okay, we already have both Beaters, two Chasers, and a Seeker, so-"
"Wait a second!" Everybody turned, and saw Hillary running up to them. "I'd like to try out, miss." She panted. A broom was in her hand, and it looked like-
"A Firebolt?" Katie Bell, the other chaser, gasped. "Brilliant! Two on one team, Angelina, we'll be unstoppable!"
"I'm Hillary." She said quickly.
"What position are you trying out for?" Angelina had a clipboard and quill ready. "Chaser? Keeper? We have both our Beaters. And-"
"Seeker." She said. "I'm a Seeker." The look on Angelina's face must have been easy to read, because Hillary quickly said "I'm good flyer- though, to be perfectly honest, this is only my second time on a broom- please, just let me show you."
Angelina studied the girl closely and finally said, with an exasperated sigh "Fine. Harry, let the Snitch out for me." Harry reached into the big box containing the four Quidditch balls- the Quaffle, the Bludgers, and the Snitch. He held the walnut-sized Snitch in his hand like a small bird, and, on Angelina's whistle, released it into the air.
Hillary kicked off the ground, and shot off, fast as lightening. Within ten seconds, she had caught the Snitch. As she landed and started over towards Angelina, Harry turned and asked "What's her time?" Angelina showed him the stopwatch. "Eight seconds!" 'My best time is twelve…' He thought to himself. 'This doesn't look too good…'
"That was some of the best flying I've ever seen!" Angelina squealed excitedly. "How long have you been flying?"
"Since this morning." Hillary smiled widely.
"…You mean this was your-"
"Second time on a broom, yes- didn't you read the paragraph up there when I first showed up?"
"Well! For a beginner that was amazing! Scratch that, that was just plain amazing!"
Harry looked desperately from Hillary to Angelina. "Angelina!" He said as a reminder that she had already promised the position to him.
"Oh." Angelina looked Harry, who tapped his foot angrily, then at Hillary, who was looking at a butterfly flittering past. "…-angry sigh- Hillary, we already have a Seeker- Harry here." Hillary smiled at Harry. "But perhaps you would like to try out as a Chaser or Keeper?"
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AN: i'm going to update as soon as is humanly possible! but right now, my bitchy sister amanda is bugging me about the computer, so i have to go. -grrrr….- bye!