Chapter 9: Threats and Cups
Gryffindor won the match, and Kyle was pissed off, to say the least.
"I hope you're happy that we lost," he snarled at her on the Monday after the match walking up to her outside of her Transfiguration lesson with his sister behind him. Oh great, double trouble, cauldron bubble but she digresses.
Adelaine groaned. "I'm not in the mood to deal with you, Harries's."
"Just deal with it," Tiffany snapped at her.
"It wasn't my fault, Gryffindor was just better," Adelaine shrugged.
"Just because you didn't flirt with Wood and distract him from catching the Quaffle."
Adelaine rolled her eyes and started to walk away.
"Don't you dare roll your eyes at us," he growled, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her back towards him.
She winced slightly but glared at him. "Don't make me jinx you or get my best friends to prank you to oblivion."
"Like I'm scared of you and your prankster friends. You're just third years," he chuckled, humorlessly.
"You shouldn't judge a book by its cover, Harries."
"Like you have the guts to jinx me anyway."
Adelaine got a dangerous look on her face. "You wouldn't like me when I'm angry, so don't push it."
"Oh yeah?" he challenged.
"I suggest you let go of me, Harries," she said, deadly calm.
"I'm still not scared of you."
Without another word, Adelaine cast a dancing feet jinx at him; it was one of her favorite spells.
"Are you at least going to help me to the hospital wing?" he whined pitifully his feet moving rapidly as his attempts to stop were futile.
She shook her head. "You won't need the hospital wing but you'll need someone to do the counter curse which I don't think your sister here knows because she wasn't paying attention in that lesson."
"Are you going to do that?"
"Now you know not to judge a book by its cover, Harries."
He didn't respond and she walked away whistling innocently. She felt a little guilty at leaving him in such a state, but she had been wanting to do that since last year.
She reached the Great Hall, casually walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat calmly next to Lee.
"Hey Lainey," he greeted, happily.
She smiled at her best friend. "Hey Lee."
"What happened to your wrist, Adelaine?" George asked, noticing the deep red bruise and nail marks on her wrist.
"Oh, nothing I just bumped it," she lied, her eyes darting around nervously.
George shrugged, automatically believing his friend.
"You can't play that innocent act with me, Lainey," Lee smirked at her.
Before she could respond Percy, Gabriel Truman-the Hufflepuff prefect, Professor Sprout and Tiffany stormed up to the Gryffindor table. That was quite quick.
"I demand you three take as many points away from her as possible," Tiffany seethed, glaring at Adelaine.
Percy nodded in agreement. "I agree with you but Gabriel and Professor Sprout insist we hear Adelaine's side of the story," Percy finished with a groan as the twins glared at him.
"Well, I was walking out of Transfiguration when you and your brother practically cornered me." she said pointing to Tiffany and continuing. "Even after I told him that I wasn't in the mood to deal with him, he didn't give up and blamed me for the Hufflepuff team losing the match on Saturday just because I didn't want to flirt with Oliver so we would win."
Professor Sprout interrupted and said. "That's not fair, even if you do happen to fancy him."
Adelaine blushed- even a Professor could tell that she fancied Oliver. "I rolled my eyes at him and started to walk away but he grabbed my wrist," she uncovered the red bruise and nail marks and then continued. "He told me not to roll my eyes at him and I just glared at him and threatened to jinx him or have them prank him to oblivion," Adelaine said, gesturing towards the twins and Lee who looked like they were about to explode before continuing. "He said we're just third years."
"Well, that's your side of the story I presume?" Professor Sprout asked her.
She nodded."Yes, it is Professor and I'm sticking to it."
"I say twenty-five points," Percy said.
"Twenty-five, Weasley? That's a bit extreme don't you think?" Gabriel questioned.
"She attacked another student."
"But he provoked me- I wasn't planning on jinxing him," Adelaine said, defensively.
Percy groaned, "She's in your house so she's your problem, not mine, Truman!"
"Then why are you here, Percy?" Fred asked glaring at his elder brother.
Percy snapped at his brother. Tiffany asked me to be here, if you must know."
"Lainey wouldn't hurt anyone unless they provoked her," Lee said.
Lee knew that Kyle had experienced the wrath of an angry Hufflepuff before, even though he was a Hufflepuff himself. He assumed it was probably because the git acted more like a Slytherin.
"I would say twenty points then, does that sound fair Adelaine?" Professor Sprout asked her.
Adelaine thought for a moment and agreed. "Yes, that's fair."
"I think we're done here," Truman said, walking away.
Percy and Tiffany followed him.
"So, that git did that to you?" Lee asked angrily holding Adelaine's wrist tenderly.
She nodded and slightly winced again.
"You want me to take you to the hospital wing?"
Adalaine shook her head and changed the subject. "Well, I don't think we're going to win the House Cup now," she chuckled as she glanced at the hourglass just as the diamonds disappeared signaling that twenty points had been lost.
"If it makes you feel better we aren't going to win either," Lee said.
Gryffindor hadn't won the Cup since they'd started school- unfortunately, Slytherin had always won.
"That's until they start giving out points for being devilishly handsome," Fred joked.
Adelaine giggled. "Only Angie would give you those points Fred so Gryffindor would be out of luck."
Fred feigned hurt, glanced around, seeing that Oliver was coming their way and said. "Just like Oliver here would only get points from you."
The Quidditch captain's ears perked up at his name and he asked. "What were you saying about me?"
"Oh, nothing," Adelaine said, quickly.
Fred didn't stop. "Oh, we were just talking about how Adelaine would give you points for being-" before Fred could continue, Adelaine had kicked him hard under the table, causing him to wince.
The Quidditch captain just shrugged at his younger friends and fellow Quidditch team members.
It was now time for the House Cup presentation. The Great Hall was decorated in Slytherin colors for the third year in a row much to the Gryffindor's chagrin.
"In the wake of recent events there are some last minute points to award. Firstly, to Ronald Weasley, for the best game of Wizard's chess we've ever seen I would like to award 60 points. Secondly, to Hermione Granger, for the use of intellect in peril I would like to award 60 points and to Harry Potter another 60 points-"
"We're tied with Slytherin," Adelaine overheard Hermione say.
"-It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your enemies, but even more to stand up to your friends. For this reason, I award 10 points to Neville Longbottom."
Neville looked shocked. Dumbledore waved his hand and the banners around the hall changed to Gryffindor colors. Adelaine was proud of her best friend's house.
After the feast, she congratulated her friends on their winning.
"Congratulations, guys!" Adelaine exclaimed happily, practically throwing herself into Lee's arms.
"Thanks," Lee grinned, catching her before they both fell to the ground again.
"Now we just need to win the Quidditch cup," Oliver remarked.
Adelaine laughed and shook her head at her crush's sentiment still in her best friend's arms.
