Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. The series belong to J.K. Rowling respectively.
Chapter 5
Eve and Harry followed Professor McGonagall quietly, too scared to make a sound. As they walked down corridor after corridor, the tension grew so high, the Potter twins were starting to fear for the worse.
'It's not our fault we were provoked into flying, despite Madam Hooch's instruction…' Eve thought. 'Ohhh…I hope we don't get expelled!'
Seeing her distress, Harry reached for her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Eve looked to her brother who gave her a smile, despite it wavering a bit. They came to the end of a hallway where they heard someone talking. It sounded like a class was going one. When McGonagall went ahead, the two motioned to follow only to be stopped.
"You two stay here."
The two nodded and waited anxiously as Professor McGonagall proceeded to walk to the classroom and stood at the door.
"Professor Quarrel! Professor Quarrel! Excuse me, but may I borrow Wood for a moment?" McGonagall interrupted her colleague.
"Wh-why y-yes. Of course…" Quarrel stuttered as he stood in front of the class holding an iguana.
A tall boy with short brown hair stood up from the back row and followed McGonagall out of the class.
"Mr. and Miss Potter, this is Oliver Wood." McGonagall introduced to Harry and Eve.
"How do you do." The two mumbled and Wood did the same.
McGonagall turned to Wood, excitement evident in her twinkling eyes. "Wood, I have found you a seeker and alternate chaser!"
Harry and Eve stared at each other, not knowing whether this is good or bad news.
Later that day, the school was buzzing with the new development. Apparently, there have never been first years to ever make the Quidditch team in over a century.
"Blimey, Harry! Seeker? First years never make the house teams!" Ron beamed.
"Eve, will you be all right? I mean, flying so high up and playing Quidditch…" Hermione voiced out her concerns, for she herself was not too fond of flying.
Eve laughed. "Don't worry, Hermione. I'm only an alternate. I might not even get to play, which I don't mind. I prefer working in the background than getting all the attention."
"Well done, Harry! Wood's just told us!"
Harry turned to find the two Weasely twins walking up to him.
"And congrats are in order for you as well, Eve!" Fred smiled, patting her head.
"Fred and George are on the team too. Beaters." Ron explained.
"Our job is to make sure you don't get bloodied up too bad." George smiled.
"See. That is exactly why I am fine with being the alternate. I do not think I would handle the pain too well if I were to get injured." Eve smiled as she whispered to Hermione who giggled in return.
"Can't make any promises of course. Rough game, Quidditch." Fred smiled.
Harry's smile began to fall bit by bit as he listened to the twins.
"Brutal! But no one's died in years." George said.
"Someone does vanish occasionally." Fred laughed.
"But they'll turn up in a month or two!" George shouted after the four as they made their way to class.
By then Harry was already starting to doubt joining the Quidditch team. Hermione and Eve giggled at the poor boy's distress.
"Oh, go on Harry! Quidditch is great! Best game there is! And you'll be great too!" Ron tried to console his friend.
"But I've never even played Quidditch before. What if I make a fool of myself?" Harry said dejectedly.
At this, Hermione perked up.
"You won't make a fool of yourself. It's in your blood. Both of you." Hermione smiled as she grabbed Eve and ran.
Harry and Ron looked at each other skeptically before following the two girls.
Hermione dragged them down a long corridor to stop at what looked like a trophy case. Golden trophies and plaques littered the entire case. Smiling, Hermione pointed at one particular plaque. There, engraved on a small, golden shield was the word Seeker at the top and underneath it 'James Potter'.
"Woah! You guys didn't tell me your father was a Seeker too!" Ron exclaimed.
"We…didn't know…" Harry and Eve stared in awe.
Eve tucked this information away, intending to find more about their parents. Harry put an arm around Eve as the two beamed at their father's Quidditch badge.
The four proceeded then to head to the Gryffindor tower to retire for the night. As they were walking up the stairs, Harry and Ron ahead of Hermione and Eve, the four were oblivious to their surroundings.
"Blimey, Harry. She knows more about you two than you two!" Ron laughed.
"It seems like everyone does!" Eve laughed behind Ron.
All of a sudden, the staircase shifted from its place against the wall and shifted left. The four first years squeaked as they held onto the rails.
"What's happening?" Harry exclaimed.
"The staircases change! Remember?" Eve said nervously.
When the staircase stopped moving, there was a door in front of them.
"Let's go this way." Harry suggested.
"Before the staircase moves again…" Ron said nervously.
As the four entered through the door, they found themselves in an empty corridor. There was cobwebs littering the place and dust piled up to at least an inch. The place was dark and dank, as if no one has walked these walls in centuries. There to their right was the statue of what seemed to be a hunch-backed figure.
"Does anybody feel like…we shouldn't be here…?" Ron whispered.
"That's because we're not suppose to be here. It's the third floor. It's forbidden!" Hermione frowned.
As they ventured forward, a fire lit all of sudden to their left, lighting the way. The sudden flame scared the youngsters and they jumped.
"Let's get out of here." Harry said, feeling a sense of dread fill him to the core.
All of a sudden, behind them a cat's call was heard. The four turned and found a cat sitting right behind them next to the open door.
"Oh no! It's Filch's cat!" Eve exclaimed.
"Run!" Harry shouted as he darted the other way, further down the corridor. The rest followed, running as fast as their little legs could carry them, fear of getting caught by the caretaker.
As they ran, Harry saw a door up ahead at the end of the corridor.
"Quick! Let's hide through that door!"
Harry reached the door first and tried to open it. But the door knob only wiggled and the door would not budge open.
"Great! It's locked!" Harry hissed.
"What do we do now?" Ron squeaked. "That's it! We're done for!"
Eve rolled her eyes at the dramatics.
"Oh, move over!" Hermione pushed Harry to the side, rolling her eyes. She quickly whipped out her wand and pointed it at the lock. "Alohamora!"
The lock clicked and the door knob moved, allowing the door to be opened.
"Get in!" Hermione hiss to the others.
They all piled in and Ron closed the doors.
"Alohamora?" Ron looked to Hermione.
"Standard book of spells, chapter seven." Hermione stated.
Ron looked at Hermione incredulously.
"What chapter are we on in class…?" Harry whispered to Eve.
"Chapter four." Eve whispered back.
On the other hand, Filch had finally entered the corridor to find it empty with only his cat sitting there.
"Anyone here, my sweet?" Filch looked around the corridor and was only greeted with silence.
Sighing, Filch turned to walk out the corridor. "Come on." He beckoned his cat.
Eve pressed her ear against the door.
"Filch is gone."
"He probably thinks this door's locked." Ron shrugged.
"It was locked. Why else do you think I had to perform that unlocking spell…" Hermione stared at Ron.
"And for good reason…" Harry said, terror evident in his voice. The three turned to see what Harry was talking about and froze.
There in front of them was a giant, three-headed dog with black fur. It seemed to be asleep, what with the snoring, but the head on the far left was starting to wake up probably from the noise the four Gryffindors had made. And as one head woke up, the other two started to wake up one by one. The three heads yawned and stretched, unaware of their guests for now. When their eyes finally landed on the four students, a deep and loud growling echoed off the walls of the small room as they bared their fangs.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!" The four screamed before quickly turning around and heading out the door.
They tried to slam the door shut, but with the three-headed dog right after their tails, it was hard to do so as the door was banged upon.
"Push!" Eve shouted and the four gave it their all before the door finally closed shit and Hermione locked the door once again.
Fear still running through their veins, the four made a run for the Gryffindor tower, not stopping to look back. Once they were past the Fat Lady and in the common room, the four friends collapsed in front of the fireplace, huffing and puffing, out of breath.
"What do they think they're doing! Keeping a thing like that locked up in a school!" Ron wheezed.
"You don't use your eyes, do you?" Hermione stated.
Ron looked at her questioningly.
"Didn't you see what it was standing on?" Eve added.
"I wasn't looking at its feet! I was a bit preoccupied with its heads!" Ron said, affronted. "Or maybe you didn't notice! There were THREE!"
"What was it standing on?" Harry asked, trying to get to the point.
"It was standing on a trap door." Hermione pointed out.
"Which means it wasn't there by accident." Eve deduced.
"It's guarding something!" Hermione concluded.
The two boys stared at the brains of their group.
"Guarding something…?" Harry asked.
"Yes." Hermione and Eve said.
"But what could it be guarding…?" Ron asked.
Tired from the little adventure, the four decided to talk more about this tomorrow after classes, and headed to bed.
The next morning, Harry and Eve woke up early and told Ron and Hermione they would meet them in class. They had to meet Wood that morning for a little introduction to Quidditch. Harry more so than Eve.
"Quidditch is easy enough to understand. Each team has seven players. Three Chasers, two Beaters, a Keeper, and a Seeker." Wood said as he placed a large chest on the floor.
Harry and Eve came closer, curious to what the box contained. Wood kneeled and opened up the case to reveal some balls. Grabbing the largest one in the very middle, Wood stood up.
"There are three kinds of balls. This," Wood threw it at Eve, who caught it easily in her hands, "is the Quaffle."
Eve tested the weight out in her hands. It was not too heavy but not particular light either. The ball had three indents in it and was painted a deep maroon red.
"Your job, Eve, is a Chaser, or alternate Chaser in your case. Now, the Chasers handle the Quaffle and try to put it into those three hoops there." Wood pointed to the three hoops in the pitch.
The three hoops were supported by long poles at different heights.
"The highest hoop is worth the most points and it goes down from there depending on height."
Eve stared at the hoops. They were so high up that Eve had to bend her neck all the way back in order to see.
"The Keeper, that's me, defends the hoops on our side. With me so far?" Wood as the two.
"I think so…" Eve said as she tossed the Quaffle from hand to hand.
"What are those?" Harry asked.
The two balls that were on either side of the Quaffle was strapped down by a metal clasp. The balls were jerking and rattling the clasp, as if it were trying to get out. They were smaller than the Quaffle and were a dark black color.
Wood looked down. "Ah."
He reached down and picked up a small bat-like object that had two rings of metal around it. Looking at the bat then at Harry, he handed to him.
"You better take this."
Harry looked at him in alarm as he reached for the bat and Eve stepped away, having a feeling things are about to get rough. She walked over to the far side of the Quidditch field and preoccupied herself with playing with the Quaffle a bit, trying to get familiar with it.
Wood, on the other hand, bent down and carefully undid the clasp to one of the moving balls. Once released, the ball instantly flew upwards before coming back at an alarming pace.
"Careful now, it's coming back."
Getting the idea of what the bat was for Harry readied himself as the small black ball raced towards him. When the ball got closer, Harry swung the bat and hit the ball out of the field. Wood looked on in slight praise.
"Huh. Not bad, Potter. You'd make a fair Beater." Wood smiled.
Harry smiled back. "You can just call me Harry."
"That's if you can keep up with it throughout the whole game with other players flying around you, Harry!" Eve laughed from where she stood.
It seemed like she has already got the hang of handling the Quaffle as she tossed it here and there with ease.
"You don't seem to be too bad yourself, Eve, if you can handle the Quaffle so well already!" Wood laughed before he looked back up.
It seemed the small little black ball was coming back and Wood widened his stance and got ready to catch the ball. When it hit home, it knocked Wood of his feet. He in turn struggled to keep it in his arms as he tried to put it back in the chest. When he put the clasp back on, Wood, huffed, tired out from struggling with the little ball.
"What was that?" Harry smiled.
"Bludger. Nasty little buggers. But you are a Seeker." Wood smiled.
He reached to the top of the chest towards a shield of Hogwarts. Clicking it open, it revealed a small golden ball. Wood grabbed it and took it out before standing back up. Placing it in the palm of his hand, he presented it to Harry.
"The only thing I want you to worry about is this. The Golden Snitch." Wood said.
Harry picked up the shiny object.
"I like this ball." Harry laughed.
"Ahhh, you like it now. Just wait. It's wicked fast and damn near impossible to see." Wood smiled.
Harry examined it as he turned it around in his hold. "Well, what do I do with it?"
"You catch it." Wood said. "Before the other team's Seeker, of course. You catch this, the game is over. You catch this, Potter, and we win."
Harry let the ball rest in his palm. All of a sudden, small little wings erupted from the side of the ball. It sipped up and flew in fast, jerky movements. Surprisingly, Harry was able to follow its every movement.
"You brought your broom like I asked?" Wood said.
"Yeah." Harry pointed to his broom he borrowed from Madam Hooch that lay to the side next to Eve's.
"Eve, what about you?" Wood shouted over at the girl.
"It's right here!" she answered.
Turning to Harry, Wood instructed, "All right, for the rest of the morning, I want you to practice catching the Snitch. Don't worry, the Snitch is charmed to stay in the area of the Quidditch field."
Harry nodded before mounting his broom and shooting off, having already seen where the Snitch was after releasing it. Watching Harry for a bit more, Wood then turned and walked to Eve.
"Now, Eve. I know you are just an alternate Chaser, but that does not mean you won't be partaking in practice either. Since you and Harry have never played Quidditch before I want you to be practicing with me, the Keeper. The Keeper and Chasers work together in order to garner points for their respective teams." Wood explained.
"What would you have me do?" Eve asked.
"We will be doing some warm-up drills first on the broom." Wood smiled.
The two mounted their brooms and shot up into the air. Once the warm-ups were done, Wood had Eve try and score a few points with him guarding. Wood was considered an excellent Keeper and being the Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team meant it would be hard to get past his defenses. But Eve, having played many games of tag and other strategic-like games with Harry, was able to get by Woods defenses on some occasions and score a few points. When their morning was almost over, the two were dismissed from their practice to head back and change for their classes.
Harry and Eve met up with Ron and Hermione just outside their first class – Charms.
"One of a wizard's most rudimentary skills is levitation…or the ability to make objects fly!" their Charms professor, Flitwick, smiled.
"Now, do you have your feathers? Yes? Good. Now don't forget the nice wrist movement we have been practicing. The swish and flick. Everyone!"
At his prompting, the whole class took their wands up and practiced the movement one more time for their professor.
"Good. Oh! And enunciate! Wingardium Leviosa. Now off you go!"
The Gryffindor four were sitting off to the side in the order of Harry, then Eve, Ron, and Hermione. While Harry had no success with making his feather float, Eve had a more successful try. Her's hovered slightly above the desk, though it did no fly upwards. Ron, on the other hand…
"Wingardium…Leviosa!" Ron kept flicking his wand back and forth at his poor feather.
Hermione looked at him, wincing before stopping him.
"No, stop, stop, stop! You're going to take someone's eye out…" Hermione held his arm still. "Besides, you're saying it wrong. It's Leviosa, not Leviosar…"
Ron frowned. "You do it then, if you're so clever. Go on!"
Hermione huffed before she straightened her back and lifted her wand. "Wingardium Leviosa."
Instantly, her feather lifted up and flew higher and higher.
"Oh ho! Well done! See here, everyone! Miss Granger's done it! Splendid!" Professor Flitwick praised. "Fifty points to Gryffindor!"
Ron frowned even more before crossing his arms and laying on the desk, dejected.
Eve smiled at Hermione, while Harry looked on in awe as the feather stayed suspended in he air.
Seamus, a fellow Gryffindor, seeing Hermione accomplish the task, tried it as well.
"Wingar Leviosa. Wingar Leviosa. Wingar - !" Seamus flung his wand left and right before a loud explosion erupted.
BOOM!
Professor Flitwick jumped and fell from his position on the chair. There, sat Seamus, the feather black and crisp and his face full of soot. Harry looked at Seamus, who was on his left.
"Um, Professor…I think we need a new feather here…" Harry muttered, somewhat glad he wasn't caught in the explosion as well.
Class ended and the students filed out to get to their next class.
"It's Leviosa, not Leviosar!" Ron mocked Hermione and Harry and Seamus chuckled. "She's a nightmare, honestly! No wonder she hasn't got any friends!" He teased, still slightly bitter that Hermione was better than him.
Hermione, who was walking from behind with Eve, whimpered before walking past Ron, shoving him in the shoulder.
"Hermione!" Eve shouted, as she made to run after her friend.
But before she did, she turned to Ron and settled him with a glare. "And here I thought you were her friend. And if you are not, then all the better. She doesn't need a friend like you and neither do I."
Eve then turned her glare to Harry. "And you! You should know better than to laugh along with such mean comments!"
Eve then turned on her heel and went after Hermione, comforting her as best she could.
Night fell and Harry and Ron could be seen at the Great Hall, sitting down for dinner. The Great Hall was decorated in black and orange with jack-o-lanterns enchanted to float for today was also Halloween. Harry and Ron were smiling and laughing as they ate, talking about nothing in particular. That was, until Harry noticed the two girls were missing.
"Where's Hermione? And Eve?" Harry asked.
Neville turned towards him. "Parvati said she wouldn't come out of the girl's bathroom. She said that she'd been in there all afternoon. Crying. And Eve couldn't convince her to come out."
Harry turned to look at Ron, who shrugged with a mouth full of food.
All of a sudden, the doors to the Great Hall opened. Harry stood up, hoping it was Eve with Hermione in toll, but was disappointed. Professor Quarrel ran in, in a panic shouting something he didn't catch above all the chatter in the hall.
"Troll! In the dungeon! Troll in the dungeon!"
Professor Dumbledore stood up from his seat at the Professors' table.
"Thought you ought to know…" He weakly said before fainting.
There was a moment of silence before the whole hall broke into chaos. Students screamed and got up and disaster was everywhere. Harry and Ron panicked.
"SIIIIIILENCE!" Professor Dumbledore's voice boomed out and the chaos settled down.
"Everyone will please, not panic! Now…prefects will lead their house back to the dormitories. Teachers, will follow me to the dungeons."
With that, the house prefects each gathered their houses and led them out the Great Hall. Professor Dumbledore then led the teachers to the dungeons through a different passage. As Harry moved to follow Percy Weasely, the Gryffindor prefect, to the dormitories, he stopped as he saw Snape look around before disappearing through a side door. Harry's eyes narrowed at the suspicious movement.
"Gryffindors, keep up, and stay alert, please!" Percy said as he led the Gryffindors back to the tower.
"How could a troll get in?" Harry asked, incredulously.
"Not on its own, that's for sure! Trolls are really stupid. Probably people playing jokes." Ron tried to reason.
But before they could go on, Harry stopped in his tracks and pulled Ron back.
"What?" Ron asked.
"The girls! Hermione and Eve! They don't know!" Harry exclaimed, suddenly very worried and scared for his younger sister.
Realization dawned on Ron before the two boys ran with all their might to the girls bathroom.
'Eve! Please be okay! I can't lose you! Not you!' Harry pleaded to whatever deity that was listening to his prayers.
To be continued…
Finally updated. I was focusing too much on my other story and for that I apologize. But here was the new chapter and I hoped you enjoyed it! Please review!
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