It was late, and Rose Weasley was walking through the Transfiguration Courtyard on her way back from the library, thinking about how time flew when you were busy. She couldn't believe that it was already mid-October! All of a sudden she heard someone calling her.
"Rosie! Rosie, wait up!"
Rose turned around and saw Lysander Scamander sprinting toward her. She paused in the middle of the courtyard, waiting for him.
"Hello, Lysander," said Rose. "What's up?"
He doubled over, panting and clutching a stitch in his side, and held up a finger. She waited.
Finally he straightened up. "I've been looking all over for you!" he said. "You'll never guess what's just happened!"
"Of course I won't, that's why I need you to tell me," she joked.
He drew himself up to his full height (about six inches taller than Rose, but then again, she was short) and threw back his shoulders. "I've just made Keeper," he announced proudly.
"Oh Lysander, that's wonderful!" exclaimed Rose. "When do you start training?"
"Tomorrow morning," said Lysander. He and Rose started walking toward the common room together. "Our first match is in four weeks, so we really have to train hard. We'll be up against Ravenclaw, so I'm against Lorcan. He's just made Seeker," he added when Rose looked puzzled.
"That's great! But I hope that doesn't mean you'll go easy on him just because you two are twins?" she asked.
"Are you kidding?" asked Lysander. "We both want to beat each other so badly, our teams will probably be terrified by our newfound ferocity."
"Cool. Just don't kill the other teams' Chasers," joked Rose. "So, can I come and watch you train tomorrow?"
"Sure, why not? At the Quidditch Pitch right after breakfast."
"Cool! So, still on about the Magpies even though the Falcons whooped their arses?"
-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-
Rose, Ellen, and Drew were sitting in the stands, watching Lysander and his teammates, when Julia Finnegan and Haley Macmillan walked up and sat a row away from them, giggling. Trusting Drew and Ellen not to miss her (they were absorbed in Curses and Counter-Curses), Rose walked over and joined them.
"Oh, hello, Rosie," said Julia between giggles. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm watching Lysander, he's one of my best mates," said Rose. "How about you? And where's Kendra?" Rose was of the impression that Julia, Haley, and Kendra were an inseparable trio.
Julia was overcome by giggles, and Haley said, "She and Matt O'Connor went to the library to study. We came to watch Trevor." She pointed at a black boy just as he sent a Bludger flying with his Beaters' bat. It hit the center of one of the targets that Amy Thompson, the Captain, had bewitched to fly around the field. The two girls started giggling madly and shushing each other. Shaking her head, Rose went back over to sit with her mates.
As she watched Lysander make a terrific save, she wondered about what it was with some girls and boys.
-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-
On Friday, the First years received some great news. Professor Flitwick had decided that they were finally ready to make things fly.
"Now remember," he said to the Hufflepuffs and the Gryffindors (whom they shared Charms with), "Wingardium Leviosa, make the 'gar' nice and long. Don't for get the wand movement we've been practicing. Everybody just once more, come on, just swish and flick. Off you go then."
Rose was partnered with Al, for which she was eternally grateful. Between the two of them, there was a feather that they were supposed to be levitating. Ellen was partnered up with Victor Thomas, Amelia's twin brother. At a table across the room, Drew was partnered up with Al's mate, Ross Anderson.
"So Al," said Rose as he tried to levitate the feather (and failed), "How do you like Gryffindor?"
"Too much Weasley blood, you know what I mean?" he replied.
"Oh, I don't know," said Rose. "It might be nice to have some family in my House. Wingardium Leviosa." The feather rose off the desk and hovered around five feet above everyone's heads.
"Oh, well done, Miss Weasley!" squeaked Professor Flitwick. "Ten points to Hufflepuff!"
"So," continued Al, trying (and failing) again to make the feather fly. "Are you coming to the game tomorrow? Slytherin versus Gryffindor, you know, it's bound to be good."
"With half the team being family? Do you think I'd miss it? Hey, do you think I can borrow a scarf?"
Their conversation was cut short when Ren Lewis and Sophia Harris accidentally blew up their feather.
-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-`-
There was quite a crowd gathered around Rose. She was in the Gryffindor section, holding up a sign that said "Weasley Power!" in flashing red and gold ink. Why not? After all, four members of the team were Weasleys (and one was a Potter). She was sitting with Ellen, Drew, Lysander, Lorcan, Molly (Rose's only family member besides Al not on the team), Al, and Al's two best mates Ross and Alicia Finch-Fletchley (another daughter of one of their parents' school friends). Rose was wearing a red and gold Gryffindor scarf that she had borrowed from Victoire (who wouldn't need it, seeing as she was playing), and Ellen was wearing her gloves. Using a pair of binoculars her dad had given her, she scanned the crowd and saw Nott, Burke, and Goyle sitting with the Slytherins. She did not, however, see Malfoy. She supposed he would be supporting Gryffindor.
"Here come the Gryffindors!" came Makayla Jordan's voice, magically amplified. She was a Gryffindor in Third year with James and Fred, and was the steady commentator. "Harris! Potter! Weasley! Jetson! Weasley! Weasley! Aaand… Weasley!"
The red and gold crowd cheered.
"And here are the Slytherins! Layman! Pulson! Warrington! Murkle! Slydell! Nielson! Aaand… Quimby!"
The substantially smaller green and silver crowd yelled their approval.
Rose surveyed the Gryffindor team. Brad Harris, a Seventh year, was the Captain and one of the Chasers. The other two Chasers were Victoire (also in her Seventh year) and James. The two Beaters were Travis Jetson (A Second year. His younger brother, Malcolm, was in Gryffindor with Albus.) and Fred. Dominique (Fifth year) was the Keeper, and this would be Louis' first year as Seeker (Second year). She noticed that the Slytherin team didn't have any girls.
The Captains, Harris and Murkle, shook hands, and then Madam Hooch blew her whistle. Dominique and Nielson raced to their goalposts. Fred quickly redirected a Bludger from Victoire to Warrington. It hit him squarely in the elbow, and he dropped the Quaffle. James caught it, and raced down the field. He flew upward, Pulson tailing him, and then suddenly threw the Quaffle downward to Harris, who shot toward the unsuspecting Keeper and scored. Cheers went up and down the Gryffindor supporters.
It went on like that for almost an hour, Dominique never letting the Quaffle by her, and James, Victoire, and Harris scoring over and over again. Then, in the 58th minute, Louis went into a steep dive and came up beaming, the Snitch in his hand.
Madam Hooch's whistle was drowned out by the crowd, and Jordan yelled, "Gryffindor wins, 390 to 0!" A rousing chorus of "Weasley Is Our King" was struck up, and Rose was rather sad that she and her friends wouldn't be able to join the celebrations in the Gryffindor Common Room.
