A.N.: Hi again! So like last chapter, I really don't want any reviews on this until I say so on the forums, or unless I update this author's note, because (and especially with this chapter) there might be some heavy revisions. I'm not entirely sure if I'm entirely happy with the way this chapter is structured, but since it was written, I really wanted to poast it for the writing extravaganza! So if you like it, feel free to tell me why on the forums, just not here in a review just in case it gets a major overhaul! Love Lo :)


It was my last class of the day and already I wanted to go to bed. Three hour practices every morning for four mornings in a row were not fun, no matter how positive Heather was and how upbeat she tried to keep us. But I still wasn't getting enough caffeine in the morning, no matter how many coffees I stole from Vicki. The great part about Oakshaft was that everyone who was going down a certain study path had all of their classes together, apart from the Quidditch centric courses. So most of my days were spent with my every growing group of General Studies friends, while Quidditch: Rules of the Game, Strategy on the Fly, and History of Quidditch was spent with my Minxes – which was where I was right now.

Professor Rawlings was droning on about the initial inspirations of Quidditch while I was staring out the window from the back of the room at the pitch. I loved Quidditch, but practices just didn't cut it. All I wanted was to just aimlessly fly around without Heather, Bridgett, or Dan yelling at me to bank sooner or pass harder or dive steeper.

"Hey," someone whispered from behind me, their breath tickling my neck.

I jumped and turned to see Reid, his eyes twinkling with mischief. I was glad that I had chosen the back of the class as he gestured towards the door with one hand and left the other outstretched towards me. I laced my fingers through his and once Professor Rawlings turned her back to the class, we snuck out the door, Juliette's watchful eyes locking with mine as the door closed, a smirk on her face.

"Is your Professor as dull as ours?" Reid asked as we swiftly walked down the hall and away from History of Quidditch. "Because ours is named Donald Donaldson. Did his parents hate him?"

I laughed and leaned into him as we kept up our escape. "Professor Rawlings isn't dull!" Reid raised an eyebrow skeptically and I grinned. "Oh come on. She's nice enough, the subject matter is just boring."

"Can't argue with you there," he chuckled. "So what do you want to do now that we've escaped? Go snag some bacon? Fly around the grounds? Plan a musical dedicated to the escapades of two rebellious teenagers who just don't care about the History of Quidditch?"

I laughed and jumped a bit in joy. "Let's go flying. I haven't felt free on a broom in so long!"

"Okay, let's go then!" he grinned, and pulled me along as we sped up.

We passed several classes, giggling as we went, but as we rounded the final corner before we could make it outside to the pitch, Reid knocked into someone.

"Oh, sorry mate," he stammered, his hand tightening on mine.

"It's no problem," Cedric laughed, and I felt my cheeks warm as I realized that I was still holding Reid's hand and we were standing very close together. "You two about to go for a quick fly?"

I snatched my hand away from Reid and felt my cheeks explode with heat as Cedric turned his eyes on me. "Yeah, do you want to join?"

He grinned and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I'd love to. I'm just waiting for Joseph. He said he was springing someone else from History of Quidditch as well. Weasley, is your Professor as boring as ours?"

"As boring as Donald Donaldson?" I smirked and saw Reid smile out of the corner of my eye. "Definitely not. So if we're all going to be flying, why don't we make it a bit more interesting once we're out there?"

Cedric narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips. "Are you suggesting a competition of sorts, Weasley?"

I raised an eyebrow and pursed my lips as well. "Well, I guess you could call it that if I wasn't already going to win everything."

"Oh is that how it's going to be, Weasley?" He smirked and stepped closer, rolling his shoulders back and towering over me.

"That's how it's going to be, Wood." I stepped closer too so our chests were almost pressed against each other. "I could take you with both hands tied behind my back."

"Oh, you're on!"


"So you escaped History of Quidditch with Reid," Juliette mused, tapping her finger against her chin, "walked down the halls with him, then bumped into Cedric and just left Reid hanging?"

"Well I didn't leave him hanging," I whined. "We all went out flying together. Even Joseph was there."

Juliette gave me a disapproving look from her cozy spot in her sheets. "Yes, but who left early and who stayed late on the pitch?"

"Joseph and Reid left early," I sighed. "And Cedric and I stayed late on the pitch."

She sighed and sat up, her hair mused up yet still gorgeous. "Exactly! If you like Cedric, you shouldn't be stringing Reid along like that!"

"But I'm not stringing Reid along!" I protested. "He probably doesn't even like me that way. And I don't like Cedric!"

"So you haven't thought about kissing him? Ever? Or holding his hands as you ride off into the sunset on a horse?"

"Oi, you're the one with the horse not me," I grinned. "We ride off into the sunset on a broom."

Juliette gasped and I rolled my eyes. "You do like him!"

I groaned and jumped off my bed to go and sit on hers. "Well, what if I do? We've got so many mutual friends already. Wouldn't it be weird?"

"It might be at first," she said, wrapping an arm around me shoulder, "but if you don't at least try, you'll regret it."

"But I might not like him. What if he's just a really good friend and I'm misinterpreting my own feelings?" I sighed, leaning into her.

"Well then I guess that's something you'll have to figure out for yourself." She gave me a friendly pat on the back then placed her chin on my shoulder. It was a bit strange how close we had gotten in such a short amount of time, but ever since that night I hadn't let her out of my sight and ended up in Joseph and Reid's room, an unspoken bond had been created and we'd begun to tell each other everything. "Now, I have to ask you something." I nodded so she continued. "What exactly is that thing that's moving on your back?"

I laughed and stood up, walking over to the mirror she had attached to her closet door and looking at myself in it. As she had pointed out, there was a slight shadow moving just underneath my right shoulder blade, its distinct shape a comfort to me.

"Oh, I have a tattoo," I explained, lifting my arm and my shirt to display the colourful phoenix that had managed to wind it's way around to the right side of my rib cage. "It's my patronus. He likes to hide though. I never could tell my parents about him so he's gotten used to not being shown around."

Almost as soon as I uttered those words, the beautiful bird raised its wings and began to glide across my skin, hiding itself somewhere on the left side of my body. The motion made the hair on my skin stand on end, a strange tingling sensation that I was usually able to ignore spreading over me. I remembered the first time the small phoenix was placed on my skin, the magic ink causing shivers to run up and down my spine as his wings first spread in new life.

The bright patches of colour swirled along my ribcage as he spun about and although the tattoo artist had cast a numbing spell on the area, I could still feel the strange whispers of his movements. Since then, I'd kept him hidden at home as my parents would have most likely disowned me, but I still remembered the day that I'd visited Dominique this past summer in France and we'd gone to the beach, her matching panther prowling around her ankles as we let them breathe for the first time.

"Wow," Juliette breathed. "I've always wanted a tattoo, but I never knew what I should get. Can I touch it?"

I turned back and smiled. "Yeah, of course." I sat back down next to her and lifted my shirt until I saw his bright wingtips on the edges of my ribs. "Come on, baby," I coaxed, smiling as the phoenix glided over to the middle of my stomach.

Juliette seemed to hesitate, then reached out and let her fingertips feather the edges of his wings. She gasped, withdrew her hand, and I giggled. The first time touching a magical tattoo always surprised people – they didn't expect the slight shock they'd receive. She reached out again and this time only flinched slightly when her fingers met the artificial colour on my skin.

"It feels different," she whispered, her gaze unmoving from the phoenix tattoo. "Almost as if there are feathers in your skin."

I chuckled slightly and nodded. "Yeah, my cousin Dom's got a panther that feels like cat's fur. It takes a bit to get used to."

Juliette shook her head and leaned back, taking her hand off my ribs. "That's amazing. And you said it's your patronus? You've actually cast a corporeal patronus?"

"Yeah, my family's big on those. I first did right after my sixteenth birthday, but my cousin James managed to when he was only fourteen, or so he claims." I rolled my eyes but couldn't keep the smile off my face at the thought of trouble-making James.

"Could you teach me sometime?" she asked, reaching over to grab a hair tie from her desk. "I've always wanted to learn but I've never really made the effort to find someone who could teach me."

I grinned. "Yeah of course! It'll be fun! So, who do you think will win tomorrow – the Powerhouses or the Dais?"

"I don't really know, I've been more concerned with their First String teams to bother with the Second Stringers," Juliette admitted, her cheeks darkening. "Wow, that makes me sound awful, doesn't it?"

"Nah," I said, getting up and going back over to my own bed. "You've only been here for a week – how are you supposed to keep an eye on the seven other teams here when Heather has us working like dogs?"

She laughed and snuggled into her blankets. "Well you've managed to get not one but two boys wrapped around your little finger, so I don't think that's a proper excuse."

"Oh shut it," I growled, then grabbed my wand from desk, a quick wave plunging the room into darkness.


"I can't believe we're watching this in the freaking rain," Vicki moaned, her hair still damp from before we'd been able to cast our protective charms. A small line of muted grey trailed down her face, an unfortunate by-product of her non-waterproof mascara. "What are we still doing here anyways? The Dais are up by a hundred points – it's obviously going to be a bloodbath."

"Well that's just rude," Cedric grinned, "considering that almost the entire Dais team is in General Studies with us. And they did watch your match last week."

Vicki rolled her eyes and threw her arm around my shoulder. "Back at Ilvermorny I could've gotten away with it. Damn you foreigners and your 'properness.'"

"Oi, you're on our land now, Yank," Travis protested. "Watch who you're calling foreigners."

We all laughed, our odd little group of misfits crammed together under the umbrella of charms we'd cast to protect ourselves from the downpour. Since the start of the week, the General Studies class had gotten very close. We'd all branched off into little cliques, with Vicki, Cedric, and I being joined by Scott and Travis, the Bears' First String Beaters, Quentin and Andrew, two other First String Bears, and Phillippe Chapelle, the second string Keeper for the Dais. Somehow, we'd quickly become quite close with one another even in the span of one week, especially Vicki and I.

She'd already told me that her mother had actually gone to Hogwarts and had been in Ravenclaw like I had, and that she'd attended a few years after my father had started. Then after the war, she'd moved to the United States and met Vicki's dad, a muggle doctor, and settled down. It was her mother who had gotten her interested in Quidditch – she'd been a seeker but Vicki had been persuaded by her father's love of American football to try Chasing and had loved it since the first day. She'd played at Ilvermorny with a few close friends and her ex-boyfriend.

During a very boring introductory Potions class on Tuesday, she told me that he'd never been very supportive of her going into Quidditch as a profession, which was why she had initially auditioned for Oakshaft, but it was her mother who had convinced her to actually attend once she got the acceptance. Her ex-boyfriend had thrown a fit when he found out she was leaving which was why she'd broken up with him, she'd admitted, but had been thinking about it for weeks prior.

I'd told her all about my own family, and although she gushed over Aunt Ginny, she was extremely excited to meet my cousins – especially Dom. I promised that I'd try to get her to come visit over the family weekend, as well as James whom she proclaimed was 'delish' after I pointed him out in a Christmas photograph of all the cousins. When I told her about my practically non-existent love life, and then accidentally mentioned that I thought someone in General Studies was cute, she'd gotten Cedric's name out of me and had vowed to be my wing woman, which she was proving by subtly pushing us towards each other in the stands the entire match.

"Can we go get some fries from the caf?" she suddenly whined, jumping up to lean on Cedric.

He took one step back from her – towards me in fact, although I suspect she'd done that on purpose – and laughed shakily. "Chips? From the Canteen?"

Vicki rolled her eyed. "Yeah, that's what I said."

"Wait until the match is over at least," Quentin mused, his eyes riveted on the players flying back and forth along the pitch. He shook his head, but the small smirk on his face betrayed him. "You have absolutely no patience."

"Oh, but you love me Quentin," Vicki said, reaching over to hug his arm as the rest of us laughed. "Fine," she sighed, "but only because the Snitch is lounging about half pitch and at least one of these Seekers has to see it in the next minute."

We all whipped around and sure enough, a small golden flash was zipping about half pitch. A low rumble came over the crowd as more and more of us noticed the Snitch. Finally, Eduardo Bowers, the Dais' Seeker, and Mia Eaton from the Powerhouses, took off. One second they were at opposite ends of the pitch and the next they were careening towards each other at top speed. Craig Rellner, the Bears' strategist, was going absolutely mental into the microphone.

"AND THE SEEKERS ARE RACING FOR THE SNITCH, EACH FROM THE OPPOSITE END OF THE PITCH. WHO WILL MAKE THE FINAL CATCH?" he screamed, his face turning so red that I could tell the difference from the stands to the announcer podium.

Everything seemed to stop as the entire stadium was watching the two figures flying towards each other at breakneck speeds. And then almost as soon as the madness had started, it was over.

Eduardo rocketed towards the sky, his fist gripped tightly on what we could only assume was the snitch as Mia slowed her broom until she finally got to the ground, her shoulders hunched over in defeat. The stands erupted from the Dais side, Cedric and Phillipe yelling their encouragement much to the dismay of our eardrums. Scott rolled his eyes and handed what seemed to be a Galleon over to Travis who grinned with delight.

"Now can we get out of this God awful rain?" Vicki asked, her wand poised to take down the charms that were keeping us dry.

"Vicki, don't you dare–" Andrew was interrupted as she flicked her wrist and the torrential downpour came down upon us.

We screamed in unison as the cold water soaked through our clothes, Vicki having had the good sense and preparation to run off as soon as the charms were lifted. "Vicki!" we shouted after her as we all followed.

We raced down the stairs and back towards the building, our disgruntled groans and shouts muffled by all the rain. It pounded against my back and made me shiver, my shoes already squishing from the water that had managed to soak through. I glanced up from the ground to see that Travis was holding the door open for everyone behind him. I raced through and almost immediately afterwards the door slammed shut, Travis's hands pushing me further inside.

"Vicki, you absolute wanker," Cedric moaned. "I'm all wet now."

Scott laughed and shook his head. "Cedric, you're a wizard – surely there's something you could do to remedy that."

Cedric stuck his tongue out at him. "It's the fact that I need to do anything that upsets me the most."

"Oh, poor little Cedric," I quipped, bumping my shoulder against his, "has to wave his itty bitty wand to get his clothes all warm and dry like his mumsy does for him."

Cedric raised an eyebrow, his lips twitching up at the edges. "Oh, my wand isn't all that itty bitty."

"Care to prove it?" I challenged, smirking as the apples of his cheeks became slightly darker.

He opened his mouth to retort, but before he could, Vicki jumped in. "Oh please, I'll do it since I made you all run in the rain." With that she waved her wand in a complicated little pattern and hot air immediately streamed out the tip. "Who's first?"

I immediately stepped forward and felt her turn her wand on me, the blast of air not unlike my mother's hair dryer, albeit a lot stronger than the muggle contraption. She went over me quickly, but spent more time on my hair, something I was happy about, especially when the red curls bounced down, warm against my neck and face. I stepped aside and let Vicki dry off everyone else before she turned her wand on herself. Once we were all dried off, we made our way to the Canteen where there were small groups of others scattered among the tables, all with steaming cups. At the buffet, I grabbed a cup of hot chocolate and watched as Vicki loaded her plate with chips and ketchup.

"Are you really that hungry?" I asked incredulously, as she popped one into her mouth.

She shrugged and we made our way back to the tables. "The boys will steal some if you don't, I almost guarantee it."

I made a face and she giggled. I followed suit and we sat down at a table near a window, the boys joining us moments later with a variety of tea, hot chocolate, and coffee. Vicki pushed the chips to the middle of the table, and as she predicted, the boys dug in. We still had an hour and a half until full dinner would be served, instead of the chips and salad that were always available for snacks, but it was obvious that no one was going to be waiting. Even I snuck a few, Vicki's amused stare making my cheeks flush.

"So what are the rest of you about to do this weekend?" Scott asked, snagging a chip before Travis could take it.

"Probably try and work ahead before class starts wrecking us," Phillippe sighed. "Around half-term it'll be murder trying to keep up with everything."

Andrew sighed. "Oh come on, Phil. Live a little."

"What do you want me to do?" Phillippe grinned. "You planning something?"

Cedric leaned in and winked at him. "Well, if we weren't planning something, why do you think we're asking?"


"Top o' the morning to yah!" Quentin chirped, his chipper demeanor getting on my nerves. He slipped into the seat in front of me, his smile just a bit too mischievous for it to be simply a question. "How was last night?"

A cup of coffee slammed down in front of me, the distinct smell making my stomach turn while also making the pounding in my head lessen. Cedric sat down next to me, what I assumed was tea in his cup.

"Two creamers, six sugars, just the way you like it," he muttered, sunglasses obscuring his eyes from view. "We're doing absolutely roses and daisies, Quentin. Yourself?"

Quentin grinned. "Oh I'm always doing great."

"How'd you know what I take in my coffee?" I asked, grabbing my cup and pulling the warmth close. The steam kissed my cheeks and I sighed as the smell drifted around me. I felt my head spin and leaned over to lean against Cedric's shoulder.

He shrugged, the movement causing my head to move up and down. "Saw you make yourself a cup last year and had no idea why you would ever consider coffee over tea, and also how you manage to take so much sugar in a cup and not immediately spit it out."

I chuckled slightly and took a drink, the sweetness making me smile. "It has to be as sweet as I am."

"Well in that case I shouldn't have put any sugar in it," he quipped.

I sat up and smacked him in the arm. He laughed and I rolled my eyes as Vicki and Phillippe both rushed in. They both sat down behind Cedric and I and the four of us just sighed. Scott and Travis took that as their cue and rushed in as well, finding a desk closer to the front, but they looked back at the group of us and we all just shook our heads in acknowledgement. We all waited in hushed silence until Professor Harvard hurried in, just as scattered as last week.

"All right class," he buzzed about, "as those who have glanced over the syllabus may know, we will not be doing assignments this term. Instead we will have technical quizzes every Friday." A sigh of relief spread through the class as it seemed that no one had actually glanced over the syllabus. "Now, shall we start where we left off last week?"

I brought the cup back up to my lips as Cedric leaned over. "Do you think Vicki's more likely to fall asleep this class or ogle Prof. H over there?"

I forced myself to swallow the coffee before coughing out a barking laugh that caused Professor Harvard to stop in his tracks.

"Miss Weasley, is it?" he called out. I nodded slowly and he reciprocated. "Are you alright back there?"

"Yes sir," I said meekly. He turned back and continued on with the lecture as Cedric giggled beside me. "Oh bugger off."

We spent the rest of the day in various stages of hangovers. Scott and Travis felt the best out of all of us and were even smiling and joking by the time lunch rolled around, but it was nearing the end of the last class of the day, and Vicki still looked like someone had run her over with a truck. While I felt a lot better, even I had to admit I'd need lots of sleep tonight. While most of the class had taken quick naps during this last block, I'd stayed awake, riveted on the subject matter, and when the bell rang signaling the end of class, I felt slightly disappointed.

"And remember," Professor Valois called after us as we raced out the door, "your assignments must be handed to me by the end of class on Thursday!"

Ancient Runes was quickly becoming my favourite class, and not just because Professor Valois was the most upbeat and happy professor I'd ever had. Everything had begun clicking ever since her first lecture and I'd been excited to get to her class even though my head was still pounding slightly. The assignment, although daunting, was something I was excited to start working on.

"You seem entirely too happy," Phil remarked as we made our way to the Canteen for dinner. "What's going on tonight that we don't know about?"

I shrugged. "Nothing. I'm just excited to finish the assignment."

"You're excited?" Cedric chimed in. "Really?"

"Yeah, Ancient Runes is fun for me. It just makes sense," I answered.

Phil shook his head. "You're crazy, Molly. Who's ever excited about assignments?"

"Come now," Cedric mused, squinting at me. "If we're nice to her, she might help us with it."

"Oh no," I said, speeding up towards the Canteen. "There is no way I'm helping you boys with your assignment – we're meant to do it on our own." I got to the large room and made my way around all the tables until I reached the buffet. "How are you supposed to learn the content if I'm the one finishing your assignments for you?"

Cedric had gotten to the buffet line before me – damn his long legs! – and passed me two trays and two plates that I split with Phil. "We're not asking you to finish our assignments for us, we just want some help." He grinned and hip checked me softly. "Come on Weasley, I'll give you a kiss."

I mimed vomiting and jumped ahead of him in line. "Don't make me be sick, Wood. How about this – I help you two with Ancient Runes and you help me with Defense Against the Dark Arts and Arithmancy." I grabbed a dressed salad, a plateful of mashed potatoes, and a chicken fajita from the buffet and kept going along the line.

"Sounds good to me," Phil nodded. "Cedric?"

Cedric scooped a mountain of pasta onto his plate and nodded. "Sure. Now last week they had fried chicken on Monday. Does anyone see it?"

"Oh, it's over there," Cheri piped up from in front of me. She pointed towards the end of the buffet line where everyone was standing.

"Meet you guys at the table then," Cedric said, walking over to wait for his drumstick.

I poured myself a glass of chocolate milk and then Phil and I walked out and found Vicki and Iva Owens, a Second String Chaser for the Powerhouses and another General Studies student, who had both skipped Ancient Runes. I dug in to my plate as soon as I set it down, my stomach growling. Having not eaten much at lunch in order to be able to keep it down, I was absolutely starving and couldn't eat fast enough.

"You might want to slow down," Iva suggested, her soft voice firm yet sweet. "You'll give yourself indigestion."

"Have you ever seen her eat Iva?" Andrew asked as he sat down next to Phil. "That's how she always is. Bit of a pig."

I stuck my tongue out at him. "Oh shut it, Andrew. You're not much better."

The rest of the table started laughing just as Cedric sat down, quickly followed by Scott and Travis, who were already arguing about who would win the match this week. It was a First String game, the Dangerous Dais against the Plumpton Powerhouses, and it seemed that the two of them had already started a wager system.

"Tyson's a weak Keeper compared to Adrian, no question," Travis explained, setting his tray down and quickly taking a bite of his roast beef sandwich before continuing. "But Roger might just be quicker than Krista if he can actually catch the snitch."

"Personally I think the Powerhouses' Chasers are a force to be reckoned with," Scott turned to Cedric as he said this. "I'm sorry, but have you seen them? Look, they're coming in now." He jerked his head towards the front of the Canteen and we all turned to look. "Real smooth guys," Scott grumbled, but we all ignored him.

Myles McCarthy, Dennis Morton, and Keri McCall were all amazingly tall, lean, and obviously well trained. The boys moved quickly and deliberately, all of their movements seemingly calculated, while Keri seemed more delicate and fluid, although something about her made me wary. They were all smiling and laughing, but something about them just screamed professional. Intimidating was the only word to describe it.

"I've put three Galleons on the Powerhouses," Scott murmured as we all turned back to the table.

"Oi, what am I chopped liver?" Cedric teased, his eyes showing the same apprehension the rest of us had.

I fumbled around in my pocket and drew out two coins myself. "Put me down for two Galleons." Cedric gave me a look and I just shrugged. "What Wood? Give 'em hell."