Chapter 10

A/N Well, aren't you being spoiled, dear readers? Two updates in one week! All I can say is, don't get used to it; when I get back to university, chances are it will be 'Hello, Law degree, goodbye spare time,' again

Disclaimer: All canon characters and situations belong to JK Rowling and I don't make any money from the writing or publishing of this story.

Anyway, enjoy!

"Sam!" Lily tore through the Burrow, searching for her friend. "Sam! Where are you?"

On entering the kitchen, she found her cousin Louis eating a bowl of cereal. He looked up in surprise, then frowned. "Lily, do you want to wake the whole house up? It's only eight in the morning, and it's the day after Christmas."

Lily flung herself onto a spare dining chair. "Have you seen Sam?"

Louis shook his head. "Nope. Why? Are you playing hide-and-seek?"

Lily huffed in exasperation. "Don't be stupid. At eight in the morning? No, I just woke up and she's not in bed."

"And…she's not allowed to get out of bed without you to accompany her?" Louis said with a frown, struggling to understand why Lily was so stressed out.

"Well, no, but…"

"But what, Lils? I'm so confused. Maybe she got up for a walk, maybe she wants some fresh air, maybe she wants you to stop smothering her for a little while…maybe lots of things, maybe all of the above?" Louis reeled off quickly.

"Smothering her?" Lily's delicate features twisted into a frown.

"Yeah…y'know, you've been permanently stuck to her pretty much since September," Louis tried to explain. "I've seen you around school, and maybe she just needs some alone time?"

"But…Sam's my best friend," Lily said quietly, and Louis reached over to pat his youngest cousin on the arm.

"I know, and that's great, but even best friends like to spend a bit of time on their own. Look, I'm not even saying that's why she's not in bed, maybe she's with someone else, but still, it's something to think about." He ruffled her hair. "Just 'cos you're best friends doesn't mean you have to be stuck together all the time, yeah?"

Lily looked thoughtful. "Yeah," she said finally with a small smile. She got up and kissed Louis on the cheek. "Thanks, Lou," she said and left the kitchen.

Less than a minute later, Louis Weasley heard his cousin shouting again.

"Sam! Where are you?"

He chuckled gently and returned to his newspaper. Sometimes, kids just didn't listen.

Sam sat in the chilly summerhouse, wrapped in her thick Hogwarts robe and her striped Gryffindor scarf. With Mystery in her lap, she unfolded the piece of paper she had found on her pillow when she woke up. Not parchment; this was normal, Muggle lined paper.

Sam read the wobbly handwriting, with the letters sometimes facing the wrong way, and the spelling sometimes a bit iffy.

Sam

Mummy is helping me wryte this. Thank yoo for your letter. Happy Chistmas! I hope you like shcool. I go to shcool now! We play lots of gamse. My new mummy and dady are really nice. They love me lots. I love you Sam lots and lots when will I see you? My hand is hurting now.

Annie x x x x x

Underneath, Annie had drawn a small picture of a Christmas tree and two people. One had long brown hair and the other had spiky yellow hair and bright purple eyes. Sam smiled, and was surprised to feel her lips wobble slightly.

Annie's new mother had also written a short note:

Dear Sam,

We have never met, but it was my husband and I who agreed to take Annie and adopt her. She is a lovely little girl, and misses you terribly. I wanted to let you know (because I have a feeling you were not told) that I am aware of your magical abilities; I myself come from a magical family, but have no magic myself. That's why Professor Rondinio approached me to adopt Annie; he knew it would be easier for you to visit her if I understood your circumstances. You are welcome to write to and visit us at any time; I'm sure Annie would love it. Please do not hesitate to use owl post to correspond; my husband and I have become accustomed to it, and Annie never tires of seeing the birds arrive.

I do hope you will visit one day.

Regards,

Verity Boon

Sam read the note with an eyebrow raised in surprise. She hadn't known that Professor Rondinio had arranged for Annie to be looked after by someone who knew about magic. She also hadn't known that it was possible for someone to be of magical descent and yet not have any magic of their own. Still, Verity Boon and her husband seemed like a friendly enough pair, and Annie seemed happy with them.

Thinking of Annie reminded Sam how much she had been through with that little girl. They had grown so close in their few years in the children's home, and Annie had looked up to Sam in so many ways. The little girl had kept Sam grounded too; she was the main reason Sam had never truly lost her temper, for fear of scaring Annie, or putting her in danger. She was also the reason Sam hadn't lasted long in any of her foster homes; Sam didn't believe Annie would be safe in the home without Sam, and so the blonde had done her best to be kicked out of foster care as quickly as possible to get back to Annie.

And now they were separated again; yet it did not feel as bad as before. Annie was in a safe place, away from the bullies – she had even started school – and she was with a family who seemed to dote on her. Sam, too was in a good place, so maybe their being separated would not lead to either of them getting hurt this time. Sam would definitely have to find some time to visit Annie soon. Maybe she would talk to the Headmaster in the New Year.

There was a knock on the summerhouse door, and MJ Weasley pushed it open quietly. Sam frowned. What was she doing here?

Coming all the way in, and closing the door softly, she said, "I thought you should know, Lily is tearing the place apart looking for you. She thinks you may have been kidnapped."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Why would she think that?"

"Well, when she woke up this morning, she saw you were gone, and went a bit crazy…" Molly shook her head. "I guess you don't make a habit of getting up before her, or she would be used to it."

Sam shook her head. "Not really, she normally wakes me up."

"That would explain it," Molly said, taking a seat on a cushion by the door.

"How did you know where I was, then?" Sam asked.

Molly shrugged. "I heard you get up, saw you put your winter gear on, and figured you were going outside. It didn't bother me until Lily got up and started stomping round the house looking for you, then I thought I'd better let you know."

"Why would I want to know?"

The older girl rubbed her hands together. "I dunno, in case you didn't want her to find you yet, or in case you decided to cure all of our headaches and come inside so Lily stops shouting…"

Sam smirked. "That sounds like Lily. She goes over the top about things."

Molly gasped. "That is the understatement of the year! She gets obsessive! She reminds me a little of a Labrador, you know those really excitable dogs?" She grinned. "But, she's family, so we have to put up with her."

Sam chuckled. "Well, you don't see her often."

"Often enough," Molly smiled. She looked Sam in the eye. "Listen, we didn't get off to a great start, but you're all right, you know, Sam. I feared you would be another Labrador, but somehow, you and my cousin get on really well. And I respect you for taking Lily out of our hair." She laughed, and Sam grinned. "I don't get on with a lot of people, but you seem decent enough…for a Gryffindor." The older girl winked.

"Most of your family is in Gryffindor," Sam pointed out. Molly rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, and I'm not. I'm special enough to break the mould." She said with a grin. "I was the second Weasley not to be in Gryffindor. Dominique was first, she was a Hufflepuff too. Rose was the next and Lucy was last. And somehow we end up cast out of the family, 'cos we don't get the Gryffindor in-jokes." She sighed. "It's hard sometimes." She looked up suddenly. "Merlin, I'm sorry, landing this all on your shoulders! I only came in here to give you a heads-up…" she got to her feet, embarrassed suddenly. "Anyway, if you decide to come inside so we can have breakfast in peace…that would be appreciated." She winked.

"Cheers, Molly," Sam said, getting to her feet as well and picking up her cat.

"MJ. Everyone calls me MJ," she said. "Toodles!"

She let the door close behind her, and Sam was left in the empty summerhouse. She would have to come back later to get some peace.

"There you are!"

The minute Sam walked through the door, she was ambushed by Lily. She barely had enough time to put Mystery down before Lily was hugging her fiercely.

"Where did you go?" she asked.

Sam shrugged. "Outside," she said shortly.

"I thought you were kidnapped!" Lily exclaimed, and Sam chuckled, catching MJ's eye over Lily's shoulder. MJ rolled her eyes and pulled a dramatic pose.

"Nope, not kidnapped, just outside. Have you had breakfast?"

"No, I haven't had time to eat!" Lily gasped.

"Well, that was silly. Eat some food, Lils." Sam said firmly, guiding her to the table.

As soon as Lily sat down, the kitchen door opened and James, Albus and Lucy came in. Albus saw Sam and grinned. "Ah, the banshee has ceased her screeching, this can only mean the fair maiden Sam has been rescued!"

Lily scowled. "Shut up. I wasn't screeching."

James snorted. "Was too."

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Was not!"

"Was –"

"James, stop it. The girl might explode!" MJ said with a giggle. James rolled his eyes, but he did as MJ said.

Lily huffed into her cereal bowl. "Why is everyone picking on me?" she whined.

Albus smirked. "I don't think you really want that question answered, sis…"

Lily flicked a piece of cereal at him, but she stayed quiet for the rest of her breakfast.

A large tawny owl flew in through the window and landed on the back of James' chair. It carried a small parcel and a rolled-up piece of parchment. Untying the package, James handed the owl a piece of bread and it flew off.

"Who could be writing to my dearest brother?" Albus asked teasingly. James picked up the parchment and glanced over it. He made an almost feral growl, and Sam looked up in surprise to see James almost shaking with anger. All round the table, the kids watched in alarm and the eldest Potter child stood up, swiped the package off the table and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Everyone sat in stunned silence, looking at each other. None of them could fathom why a letter could have caused that sort of reaction.

Albus broke the tension. "If I didn't know better, I'd say he was a werewolf."

There were some nervous titters and smiles, and everyone returned to their breakfast.

Everyone except MJ, who had noticed the parchment that had started it all fall to the floor. Surreptitiously she pulled it towards her with her toe, and then picked it up. Reading it under the table, she frowned. Then she finished her glass of juice and left the table. She had to find James.

"Sam, will you play?"

Sam looked up at Albus from where she was brushing Mystery. "Play what?"

Albus sighed. "Weren't you listening? We're gonna play a game of Quidditch outside."

She shook her head. "I don't play Quidditch, Albus."

He sat down on the floor beside her. "Sure you do! You can fly a broom, can't you?"

Sam shrugged. She could fly, thanks to her Flying lessons at Hogwarts, but that didn't mean she could play Quidditch. She didn't even fully understand the rules, and she told Albus so. He grinned.

"Come on, you've watched enough Quidditch matches to get the gist of it! I don't play for the team but I've watched enough to understand it…" He gave her a little shove. "Come on, Sam…" he whined. "I'm not going away until you say yes!"

Sam rolled her eyes. "Well, fine, yeah, I'll play, as long as you leave me alone."

Albus laughed. "I can't guarantee that, but you've said you would play now, so come on!" He got to his feet and pulled her up with him. Sighing, Sam followed him outside, wondering what she had got herself into.

MJ tapped softly on the door which led to the room James was currently sharing with Albus, Louis and Hugo. When she didn't hear an answer she creaked the door open softly. James was lying on his bunk in the dimly lit room, not moving, just staring at Albus' bunk above.

"James?" MJ said hesitantly. Out of all her cousins, James was the one she got on the best with; they weren't exactly tell-each-other-everything close, but they had a quiet understanding of each other.

"Jamie?" she tried again.

"Go away, MJ," he said dully, without even turning to look at her. MJ sat down on the bunk opposite, and stayed there, not saying anything for a few minutes. Then she unfolded the piece of parchment she'd brought with her. It didn't have many words on it, but it was enough to send James into this foul mood. She was determined to get to the bottom of it all.

"'James. This doesn't change anything. Sorry. Daisy,'" she read from the parchment formally. She looked over at her cousin, who had closed his eyes. "What does that mean, James?"

James said nothing, just threw his arm over his face. MJ sighed. She was never going to get anything out of him at this rate.

"What doesn't change anything? What did you do to Daisy?" she asked with a frown. "This is Daisy Finnigan we're talking about, right?"

Whatever MJ had said acted as the trigger. James brought his arm away from his face and punched his mattress vehemently. "What did I do to Daisy? What did I do?" he growled. "'Cos it has to be my fault, doesn't it? 'Cos it's always my fault! She couldn't have done anything wrong, could she?"

MJ was taken aback; she knew James had a temper, and had seen him lose it a few times, but this was different. This was anger, but not just anger. His voice seemed thick, almost as if…as if he was trying not to cry. MJ wanted to get to the bottom of it all, but knew she would have to tread carefully; she didn't want James to turn his temper on her.

"Okay…" she began, wondering how to go about this. "Well, what did Daisy do then?"

"Don't say that name!" James roared, sitting up quickly, narrowly missing banging his head on the bunk above. He took a deep breath and lay back down slowly. "Don't…don't say that name. I don't want to hear that name." His voice was a hoarse whisper now.

MJ nodded, although she knew James couldn't see. "What did she do to you, Jamie?" she asked softly.

James laughed without any real humour. "What didn't she do?" he asked rhetorically. "She blew me off for Edward effing Nott, then she had the cheek to turn around and tell me she never felt anything for me. Never. I never asked her to profess her undying love for me, but to not feel anything? Ever?" He broke off.

MJ frowned. She was more confused than ever now. "James," she said carefully. "I think you need to tell me the whole story."

Sam picked up one of the spare broomsticks and wondered how she had managed to be convinced into taking part. What Albus had failed to tell her was that they would be playing a friendly match against the adults, nearky all of whom had played the sport competitively at some point. The only comfort was that they would be playing one Chaser short; their usual Chaser, Charlie Weasley had disappeared off somewhere and would not be back until later.

Sam had been chosen to play Keeper; since James was absent, and according to Albus it was "the easiest position to play".

"You don't even have to fly that much," he had told her reassuringly. "Just hover round the hoops and don't let the ball get past you."

"If it's that simple," Sam had grumbled, "then why do I need a helmet?"

Albus had simply chuckled and walked away. "Just in case," he said over his shoulder.

Sam scowled, and Lily, who had entered the broom shed to hear the final exchange, tutted and rolled her eyes. "He's an idiot," she said. "Don't let him annoy you."

The teams assembled on the field and stood around chatting until Hermione Weasley blew a whistle.

"Remember this is a friendly game," she began. She looked at the adults. "You guys, remember this is not a Hogwarts game, nor is it a national level game," she looked pointedly at Ginny Weasley, who grinned. "Remember you are playing against kids as young as eleven, I will not tolerate any foul play. From either side. Anyone I see playing too roughly will be removed from the game."

"Blimey, Hermione, way to suck the fun out of it!" Ron Weasley mumbled, earning himself a slap over the head from his wife.

"Behave," she said firmly. "I know how you all get about Quidditch."

Ron grinned and winked at Rose, who was playing Seeker. "Remember Harry here was the youngest Seeker in a century?" he said.

Rose smirked. "He's not so young now, though is he?" she replied. "Bet he hasn't ridden a broom in a while."

Harry chuckled, and Rose smiled back at him to let him know it was all friendly talk.

The game began and it wasn't long before the adults were iin the lead, thirty points to ten. Sam wasn't a terrible Keeper; she had had enough practice on a broom to be able to keep her balance, and knock the Quaffle away when it flew towards her, but lack of experience stopped her from being able to cover all three hoops effectively like Ron was doing at the other end. She suspected Ginny and Bill were going easy on her; Ginny had played professionally for a long time, so it was unlikely she would aim as badly as she had done on a few occasions this time.

Sam's team were not holding up too badly; Lily, Albus and George were pretty good Chasers. She had expected George and Lily to play well, but had been surprised at Albus' skill on a broom, he normally kept out of Quidditch at school, so Sam had assumed it was because he wasn't very good. He worked well with the team though, and had been the first to score for their team.

Hugo, on the other hand, was a hopeless Beater. The club hung heavy in his hand, and it was all he could do to stop overbalancing every time he took a swing at a Bludger. Fred did his best to keep an eye on both Bludgers, but that didn't stop one almost knocking Rose from her broom.

It wasn't long before the teams were level-pegging, and had forty points each. Sam saved two goals in a row, and had even managed to stop one with the tail end of her broom, much to her own surprise. Maybe Quidditch wasn't so bad after all, she mused as she watched Ron dive for the Quaffle at the other end.

Hermione called for a time-out after an hour and the fourteen brooms descended rapidly, to grab a share of the refreshments Molly Weasley had brought out for them.

"So, what did you think?" came a voice from behind her. It was, of course, albus.

Sam shrugged. "It's alright. Keeper's not as easy as you said it would be though," she said.

He laughed. "Nope, I guess not…but it's less tiring than Chaser, less dangerous than Beater, and less difficult than Seeker…it's the easiest. That's why James does it."

Sam felt her lips twitching into a grin, and fought to stop it. If she laughed, it would only encourage Albus to talk to her more, and all he did was irritste her. She decided to change the subject. "What's wrong with James anyway?" she asked.

He shrugged in response. "Who ever knows what's wrong with James?" he replied. "Something silly, no doubt."

MJ sat quietly on the bed, absorbing everything that James had told her. It had been an interesting story, quite emotionally charged for someone who had only recently turned sixteen. And yet, the most interesting thing of all was that somehow, not one person in her family knew about it.

"So…" she began hesitantly, breaking the silence for the first time since James had finished speaking. "How is it that not one person, no one at all, knew what happened between you and D- …you and her?" she asked, honestly curious. It wasn't like the Potters or the Weasleys to keep secrets from each other, and even if they tried, you could barely move around the school without bumping into someone you were related to, especially if you were in Gryffindor, since the majority of them would be in the Common Room. MJ found it easier; if she wanted escape from her relatives, she could find relative comfort in the Sett, or the Hufflepuff Wing of the castle. There, she would only possibly find her sister, or until recently, Dominique. The Gryffindor Tower, on the other hand, was heaving with her relatives, so how James had managed to keep his relationship with Daisy Finnigan, another Gryffindor, was a mystery.

James let out a small, mirthless laugh. "Invisibility Cloak. Dad said I could have it this year."

MJ's eyes widened. She had heard about Uncle Harry's Invisibility Cloak, but she had assumed that he kept it locked away now, not given it to his children, least of all to James.

"I would use it to follow her out of the Common Room…no one would know she was with someone. If we were out late, I would use it to cover her too on the way back."

"So…you went out with her for a year?" MJ clarified. "And you didn't tell anyone? Why not?"

James ignored the question, seemingly wrapped up in his own thoughts now, and he continued talking. MJ stayed quiet and listened.

"She wasn't very nice to me, you know," he mumbled. "She used to tease me a lot. About being young and not understanding. She isn't even a whole year older than me, just a few months…five months…but she acts like she's so much older."

MJ nodded sympathetically. Daisy may only have been five months older than James, but it was enough for her to be in the school year above him. The same school year as Edward Nott, one of the notorious Slytherin Chasers.

"She used to talk about him a lot," James had explained. "I should have realised…but I thought she liked me. But she was seeing him behind my back. What does he have that I don't, MJ?" he asked abrubtly, sitting up and locking his eyes on hers. "what does he have? Money? I have that. Status? I have that…Quidditch? I have that…" he trailed off and lay back down again.

MJ frowned. "James…you don't…you don't want to get back with her, do you? After what she did?"

James snorted. "Course not. But…no, it's silly."

"No, it's not, Jamie…tell me."

"I just…" James took a deep breath. "I said some nasty things. I got angry. It made Quidditch practice so hard…for everyone. I thought…I thought if we won the game against Slytherin she wouldn't hate me so much. It didn't really work. I just…I don't want her to hate me anymore."

MJ bit her lip, feeling more than a little sorry for her favourite cousin. "Why should she hate you? Surely you should hate her for what she did?"

James shook his head fiercely. "I couldn't hate her even if I tried. I'm stupid." He sighed. "I even sent her a Christmas present, and an apology that we didn't end on a good note on the platform before the holidays. She…she sent it back."

"What was it?" MJ asked. She had seen the parcel, and wondered if James had sent her something personal, like jewellery. She held back her sigh of relief when he told her it was just candy. He picked up the parcel in question and threw it to her.

"Here, you have it, I don't want it. Happy Christmas," he said.

"Maybe you should just talk to her again, when we get back to school," MJ suggested. "Just let her know that you want to be able to talk to her again, just about general stuff, like you used to. Not talk about your relationships…with each other, with other people…just talk. Like you must have done before you got…well, involved."

James rolled over to face her, and he raised a dubious eyebrow. "D'you think that would work?"

MJ shrugged. "I have no idea. But if you really want to talk to her again, for whatever crazy reason, I would give it a go. You've tried everything then, and if it doesn't work…well, that's more her fault than yours."

James nodded, stopped for a little while to think it over, and then nodded again. "Okay," he said, sitting up. "Okay. Thanks MJ. And if you—"

"Tell anyone about anything you said, you'll kill me, I know," MJ said, and James flashed her a grin. "Now go on, they're playing Quidditch outside."

"Who's our Keeper?"

"No idea, but whoever it is probably nowhere near your standard," MJ said with a wink. "Go sort it out."

Sam was the first to notice that James had come outside. She watched him walk over to where everyone was standing around chatting. He strode over and grinned, as if his anger this morning had not even happened.

"So," he said breezily. "Who's Keeper?"

Hugo pointed at Sam. "She's not done a bad job. It's forty all, at the moment."

Sam handed her helmet to James. "Here," she said, thrusting it into his grasp. "I can tell you want to play."

"You don't want to play?" James clarified, although Sam could see his heart wasn't really in it; he wanted to take over as Keeper. She nodded.

"It's fine," she said.

She had almost turned back to the table for another sandwich when something else got pressed into her hand. It was Hugo's Beater club. She looked at him with an eyebrow raised.

"You have to be better than I am," was all Hugo said, and he disappeared into the house before Sam could catch him. Fred saw her holding the club and broke into a grin.

"Howdy, partner," he drawled in a terrible attempt at a cowboy's accent. Sam couldn't help but grin.

"That was lame," she said with a smile, lifting the bat from one hand to the other. "So, how do I use this thing?"

Much to her surprise, Sam had taken quickly to the role of Beater. Like Keeper, it was a predominantly defensive position on the team, but with the added element of the ability to decide where the Bludgers went. She flew well with one hand, thanks to her practice as Keeper, and she worked well with Fred in protecting the players from the destructive boulder-like balls.

Being a Beater was a bit like de-gnoming in a way; you had to act quickly and firmly, and yet aim at the same time. If you did it well, the Bludger would crack satisfyingly against the club before flying off in the direction you sent it.

The game ended with Sam's team leading with two hundred points to one hundred and twenty. All of the kids touched down grinning.

"We let you win," Ron said with a grin.

"Sure you did, Dad," Rose threw back, waving the Snitch in her hand. "Personally I just think Uncle Harry needs new glasses!"

Everyone laughed and Harry winked at his niece. "Maybe you're right, Rosie," he said with a broad smile.

"Of course I'm right, I'm a Ravenclaw," Rose responded wittily, and was met by a large chorus of mock booing, and calls of "Gryffindor rules!"

"You're all just jealous!" Rose called back, and she followed her family back into the house, laughing.

Sam placed her broom and bat back in the shed. She grinned to herself. Maybe playing Quidditch wasn't that bad, especially as a Beater.

There was a rustle from behind her, and she spun around. There was nothing there. She was still alone in the broom shed. Shrugging, she removed her gloves and placed them in the box in the shed too.

There was a more noticeable sound this time, a scraping.

"Hello?" Sam called out, feeling a little stupid. This is what old horror movies were like, not real life.

Still, she couldn't help getting the feeling that something wasn't quite right.

A small smattering of dust fell from the ceiling, landing at Sam's feet. She looked up, not having any idea as to what she might see.

And yet, despite not knowing what to expect, she did not expect to see a small sparrow sitting on the beams above her head, looking down at her with a tilted head.

Sam let out a breath she hadn't realised she was holding. "Scared of a stupid bird," she muttered to herself. "I hope Mystery gets you," she said back to the sparrow as she left the shed. She didn't look back.

So she didn't see the sparrow turn into something altogether more…human.

A/N: Please don't leave without reviewing! What did you think? This was possibly my favourite chapter to write so far, and it manifested itself in only a few days, I enjoyed it so much. So PLEASE tell me what you think! x