Hate Is A Really Strong Word

Chapter 4: Sunday Mornings

I'd woken up fairly early the next morning and left my dormitory quietly, trying not to disturb the three other girls in the room still sleeping soundly. I pulled my dressing gown over my pajamas as I padded barefoot down the spiraling stairs and into the Gryffindor common room. As I had guessed there was no one else around and I had free reign of the common room until people started waking up. This was just one of the things I loved about Hogwarts, the peaceful mornings. At home there was no such thing as the quiet of early morning, my parents were always up really early. 


I walked slowly over to one of the more comfortable chairs, soaking up the scenery as I walked. I flopped down into the chair and put my feet up on the coffee table in front of it. It felt good to be back at school once again and seeing as school had commenced on a Saturday this year we had all of Sunday to do what we wanted before classes started. Speaking of classes, Professor McGonagall had mentioned to the Gryffindors last night during the feast that she would be handing out timetables today at breakfast and I wondered if it was to early to head down to the Great Hall.


"Jo? Is that you?"


I sat up from my slouched position in the chair and glanced over the dormitory stairs where I saw Eric dressed and wide-awake.


"Morning Eric," I said beckoning him to sit down in the chair across from mine. "How does it feel to finally be at Hogwarts?" I asked having to stifle a yawn half way through my question as he sat in the chair.


"Bloody fantastic!" he exclaimed, practically bouncing off the chair he had just sat down in with excitement only second to that of Colin Creevy whenever he sees Harry. "There's so much I want to see, my mum told me so many stories about when she was in school. Do you think you could show me around? I want to see everything!"


"Everything huh?" I chuckled, "Sure, I'll show you around as long as we go get breakfast first. Oh, and you're also going to have to give me a minute to get dressed, I rather not wander around the school in my PJ's."


He nodded as I stood up and began walking up the girls' dormitory stairs.


"Don't leave without me," I called down the stairs as I jogged up to my dormitory and stepped in to quickly change into some casual clothes. 


After making sure I looked somewhat acceptable for a Sunday morning, my hair was still orange and purple but I couldn't be bothered trying to fix it, I hurried back down to the common room which was now slowly filling with a few other early risers. Two of these people just happened to be the Weasley twins and they had taken up posts on either side of Eric, whispering quietly to him.


"Eric," I called walking over to the portrait hole, "Let's go." As I waited for him to make his way over to the portrait hole I caught sight of the twins staring at me, each with a devious smirk on his face. I rolled my eyes and pushed open the portrait, climbing out with Eric close behind me. Once the portrait was closed he started speaking.


"I have a message for you," he said as we began walking down to the Great Hall.


"Oh really," I replied not really enthusiastic about what I was probably about to hear. "Go on."


"The twins, Fred and George, said that they can change your hair back but they have conditions"


"That would be right," I grumbled and I swore I saw Eric grin slightly. Those Weasley twins better not try and corrupt my new friend.


"You need to apologize for hitting Fred with your trunk and George wouldn't mind finishing your book. They said that only then would they change your hair back."


"I don't suppose they would do it just out of the goodness of their hearts?" I asked somewhat sarcastically. Mental note, find a way to change hair back to normal because I don't want to have to grovel at the feet of the twins. I wonder if Hermione would know a spell to get rid of the color, I'd have to ask her.


"No, sorry. Oh, and George said you look hot when you're angry and Fred says you can stop playing hard to get because it's obvious you like them." 


I gave a very un-lady like snort as we walked into the Great hall and sat down at the almost empty Gryffindor table and began pilling various breakfast foods onto my plate. If there was one thing Eric and I had in common it was out love of food.


"What's that got to do with anything, did they tell you to say that too?"


"Yup, said to make sure you got the message. Mind you they were laughing pretty hard over it," Eric explained. Our conversation was interrupted when Professor McGonagall approached us with a large number of timetables in her hands. 


"Zanders and Winters" She said handing each of us our timetables but stopped short when she caught sight of me. "Miss Winters what on earth have you done to your hair?" she asked.


"Technically professor I didn't do anything," I replied, taking the timetable she handed to me.


"Oh, well make sure you get rid of it as soon as possible," she said before bustling off to some people further up the table to hand out more timetables. I took a quick glance at my classes and slipped the piece of parchment into my pocket. Eric on the other hand was studding his classes intently. I forgot how interesting everything was when you were a first year.

I was about to take a bite out of my toast when someone else interrupted me. This time it was a fellow student.


"Jo! There you are," Oliver Wood said as he sat down across from Eric and I. "I've been looking all over for you, the Weasley twins mentioned you might have come down here."


I gave a noncommittal "Hmmm," and waited for him to continue.


"Anyway, I'm not sure if you heard but Katie managed to give herself a pretty hard knock on the head right before school started and her parents, being muggles, sent a letter to McGonagall stating that she's not to play Quidditch for at least the first two weeks of school meaning-

"Meaning that she'll miss the first game of the season," I finished his ramblings for him, "I know, she told me all about it on the train."


"Always know what's going on don't you," he grinned.

I smiled back, "I take it you want me to fill in while she can't play then?"


"If you wouldn't mind of course. Thing is you're one of the best flyers in Gryffindor and I prefer having you over someone else, hell, you'd make the team easily if you ever bothered to try out," he said.


I laughed lightly. Sure I was a fairly good flyer but there were still a few Gryffindors who were much better than me, most of them already a part of the Quidditch team. I liked my role as permanent stand in anyway, I'd seen the way Wood worked that team sometimes and definitely didn't envy them when they were training in the middle of a thunderstorm.


"Sure, I'm in," I said noticing that Eric had tuned into the conversation.


"Fantastic," Wood said getting up from the table. "We have practice four o'clock Tuesday afternoon, don't be late."


I mock saluted him. "I'll be there."


"Good. Oh, and what happened to your hair?"


"Don't get me started"