Chapter 29
Harry and I were walking back to the Great Hall in shock. He and I were both reeling from turn of events.
'The Quidditch team? Me?' I thought to myself.
"We're being stared at." Harry muttered to me as we both walked the Gryffindor table.
I looked up and there was Malfoy and his gang, staring at us in shock. I grinned and waved at him, flashing my hair a bright gold before turning it to Gryffindor red.
"Harry! Cassie!" Ron waved to us.
"Hey Ron." Harry said as we sat down.
"What happened?" Hermione asked us.
"Harry?" I looked at him, scooping some food for the both of us as he explained to Ron what had happened to us after the flying class.
"Seeker? Reserve player? You have to be joking!" Ron exclaimed, his mouth full of food as he gaped at us.
"Yup." I popped the 'p'.
"But first years never - you must be the-" Ron started.
"Youngest house players in about a century." Harry and I finished together.
"Wood wouldn't stop mentioning it." I added, putting a forkful of steak and mashed potatoes into my mouth.
"We start training next week," Harry said. "Only don't tell anyone, Wood wants to keep it a secret."
I spotted George and Fred as they came in, they spotted us and hurried over to us.
"Incoming." I murmured to Harry.
"Well done you two!" George said to us, putting his hand on my head and ruffling it around.
"Wood told us, We're on the team too - Beaters." Fred murmured to us.
"You're supposed to be training me." I grinned up to them.
"We're excited. We're going to win that Quidditch cup for sure this year. We haven't won since Charlie left, but this year's team is going to be brilliant. You must be good, you guys, Wood was skipping when he told us." George said to us, taking the bite of my steak off my fork, winking at me as he did so.
"Anyway, we've got to go, Lee Jordan reckons he's found a new secret passageway out of the school." Fred stood up.
"Bet it's that one behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy that we found in our first week. See you." George ruffled my hair one last time before they left.
"Having a last meal, Potter? When are you getting the train back to the Muggles?" Malfoy sneered at us as soon the Twins had left.
"You're a lot braver now that you're back on the ground and you've got your little friends with you." Harry said coolly next to me.
Looking at Crabbe and Goyle, they were not little. Not one bit. But I looked up at the table and I saw Professor Sprout looking at me. Clearly keeping an eye on us.
"I'd take you on anytime on my own," Malfoy tried defending himself. "Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel. Wands only - no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?" Malfoy followed my eyes to the teachers table.
"Of course he has," Ron exclaimed, wheeling around. "I'm his second, who's yours?"
Malfoy turned around and sized up his goonies. I rolled my eyes at the three of them, sipping my water from goblet.
"Crabbe," Malfoy decided. "Midnight all right? We'll meet you in the trophy room; that's always unlocked." Malfoy and his entourage turned back to their table and left.
Harry and Ron had looked at each other and then at me as I took another bite to eat.
"What is a wizard's duel?" Harry asked. "What do you mean, you're my second?"
"Well, a second's there to take over if you die," Ron said casually, also taking a bite of his cold pie.
Harry and I both looked at each other in horror.
"But people only die in proper duels, you know, with real wizards. The most you and Malfoy will be able to do is send sparks at each other. Neither of you knows enough magic to do any real damage. I bet he expected you to refuse, anyway." Ron quickly explained through a mouth full of pie.
"And what if I wave my wand and nothing happens?" Harry asked, looking at his food and putting his fork down.
"Throw it away and punch him in nose." I suggested, leaning my shoulder against Harry's in hopes of comforting him.
"Excuse me." Hermione's voice sounded above us.
"Can't a person eat in peace in this place?" Ron sighed.
"I couldn't help overhearing what you and Malfoy were saying -" Hermione started.
"Bet you could have." I looked at her with a pointed expression.
"-and you mustn't go wandering around the school at night, think of the points you'll lose Gryffindor if you're caught, and you're bound to be. It's really selfish of you." Hermione was obviously trying to plead with Harry.
"And it's really none of your business." Harry said to her.
"Good-bye," Ron waved his fork at her.
Hermione sniffed at us and then walked away in a huff.
"How can you be friends with her?" Ron asked me, reaching for the desserts that had popped up.
"If you actually gave her a chance, you'd see why." I rolled my eyes.
"Honestly woman. Have you actually had a conversation with her?" Ron pointed his fork full of pudding at me.
"We sleep in the same dormitory." I deadpanned as I took a brownie and started to eat it.
I was laying the dormitory, waiting for Hermione to fall asleep so that I can sneak after the boys.
I had my curtains closed so I pulled out my parchment, light up my wand with a spell, and whispered, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."
Harry and Ron were still in bed, but Neville's dot was moving to the dormitory.
'Oh good, Neville's better.' I thought to myself when suddenly on the corner of the parchment, the ink moved to reveal a box and in the box was a script.
"So it was the Gregory the Smarmy tunnel we found."
"Yeah, that's okay. Lee's proud to have found it so we have to give it to him. Since he doesn't know about this."
"Yeah that's true. Well well well, I haven't seen the map do this before?"
"What do you think George?"
"I think the map is trying to tell us something Fred."
"Fred, George?!" The box filled up with my text.
"It knows who we are.."
"That's because we just said each other's names clot."
"Oh, right. Who are you?"
I flipped the map, looking for George and Fred's dots. I didn't find them in their dormitory.
"Why should I tell you? Clearly you have a map, you're not in bed. Which can lose you points, but I doubt you usually get caught. Now, since you clearly do not know who I am. Can I trust you with some information?"
"Why should we trust you if you won't tell us who you are?"
"It involves Ron."
