Yikes, when I paste the Q&A text, the format gets all messed up. The story format is consistent, but the bold parts will have wildly changing fonts! Please bear with me for that lol.

MyBeewing says, "YES ! THAT WAS SO GREAT ! Quidditch is always fun to read, so I imagine it is to write as well :) On another note, I can't wait for the big reveal of whatever Derek is doing. Unfortunately, I don't think it's going to come soon :( Oh well. I loved this chapter ! I can't wait for the next update ! Though I might have a solution to that- Let me just find my vortex manipulator, it must be here somewhere- Ouch !"

I hate to inform you, my friend, that it'll be quite a bit until Derek's...shenanigans are revealed. But yes, Quidditch is awesome :)

Firaenial says, "James is going to be green with envy, especially if Sabrina is chosen in the team having to face Ivellmorny."

I will neither confirm nor deny how THAT plot will turn out. I guess you'll just have to wait and see :)

Easiling says, "You know with the title being the 'Wizarding World' I hope we see Sabrina making the rounds in other parts of the world. Like with the Americans making the rounds in Hogworts maybe there is a Transfer program or something for a year. or perhaps there are summer programs she can take to India or France. I love when authors expand on and build their own mythos in the larger world of HP. Part of why I love youve set this work in a largely unkown time period. Great work author!"

Oooo, I like your interpretation of that! Well, this year, at least, there's going to be some culture comparisons with the Americans coming over to Hogwarts. I have a plan already written on how that'll be tackled. I have a few other ideas for foreigners to come to Hogwarts, or our characters to venture out into other countries. But I guess you'll just have to wait and see how that pans out! Thank you for your compliments!

7th November, 1972

Snow began falling over the grounds of Hogwarts like a whisper. Students were out on the lawns having snowball fights - we Gryffindor second years among them. Sirius had applauded rather loudly when James aimed a large snowball perfectly between the shoulders of Severus Snape as the Slytherins and Ravenclaws had crossed the grounds, headed to their Herbology lesson. The snowball had knocked Severus over into the bank and gave him a snow burn on his hands as he fell. He stood up, soaked, and dusted off the white powder, anger radiating off him.

Severus scowled at us, then continued on his way, following after Rosier toward the greenhouses.

"What's the matter, Snivelly?" called James, "Did the snow wash some of that grease from your head?"

"Good one, James," I laughed so hard there were tears in my eyes, and Sirius and I high-fived.

Peter had mimicked James and tried throwing a snowball at one of the other Slytherins but the ball didn't make it anywhere near far enough to actually hit anybody. We also were already bored with the Slytherins' progression across the lawns, and turned to work on building a snow fort instead.

8th November, 1972

Each year, the students in third year and higher were allowed to visit the wizarding village of Hogsmeade, not far from the grounds of Hogwarts. This evening was a particularly chilly one, and the common room was a mess of shivering first and second years jostling to get closer to the fire. Since the older students had gone to Hogsmeade for the day, the common room was delightfully accessible for us. James and Sirius managed to squish together onto the chair closest to the fire. Peter lay on the floor at their feet, biting his tongue as he worked at writing an essay from notes that Remus had lent him from Defense.

I was across the room, bundled up in several jumpers and working on Charms homework with Lily and Remus at the table. Ali Fortescue sat between Lily and I, elbowing us now and again for some help out with her homework, too.

"Sorry I keep bothering you," Ali said after she'd interrupted us several times.

"No worries," Lily replied with a smile, "I'm happy to help."

"Us, too," I answered, referring to Remus and I.

Ali smiled and turned back to her work.

Suddenly the portrait hole burst open and in traipsed some of the older students, laughing uproariously. "That git is going to be in big trouble if McGonagall sees him like that," giggled one of the fifth year girls. "Can't imagine how he managed to get a hold of a bottle of Firewhiskey anyway. He's underage, isn't he?"

"Think so," said one of the girl's friends, her eyes twinkling. "I imagine he wooed it out of the bar mistresses with those eyes…" she sighed dreamily.

"Probably!" laughed the first girl, "That sounds like him. But he won't be able to woo the anger out of McGonagall when she finds out he's been drinking! Not that she will...friends with the Head Boy and all…"

I was about to ask who was getting in trouble for drinking Firewhiskey when I got my answer...a very noisy answer at that. Derek Bell, hanging over the arms of Bilius Weasley and Andy Tinnamin, stumbled on through the doorway, barely held on his feet by his friends. He was singing in a booming voice. I looked 'round at Remus, who had lowered the textbook he'd been reading to look at the three of them coming in the doorway. Derek was quite obviously intoxicated.

I raised an eyebrow. "Well then."

"HULLO GRYFFINDORS!" shouted Derek boisterously, "What are you lot up to up here? Being all quiet in our absence! You need ta learn and have a lit'l fun!"

"Isn't that the Head Boy with him?" muttered one of the first years in surprise, looking 'round that the three boys struggling through the portrait hole.

My eyes darted to the girl who had said it, and then back to Derek, Andy and Bilius. Lily looked shocked. "What have you lot been up to?" she asked solemnly, "Certainly looks as though it's been no good, whatever it is."

"Oh it's beenplentygood," slurred Derek.

Andy said, "Glad somebody thinks so." he tugged on Derek's arm, trying to keep him balanced as Derek tripped over his own two feet. Luckily, Andy was strong or else Derek's weight would've crushed him.

Lily stood up and put her hands on her hips in a sassy manner, "You lot have been drinking, haven't you?"

"We lot have not," Bilius replied, "Him, yes. We, no." he pulled Derek his way to relieve some of the weight he was putting onto Andy.

"A little drink never killed nobody," Derek slurred.

Lily scowled, "Never helped anybody at being a better person, either, though, has it?"

"Helped them having a better time of being a person!" Derek said, laughing. "Haven't you heard the news, Evans?"

"What news?" I spoke up, a flurry of worry moving through me.

"The news! The news!" Derek crowed, "Been all over the radio, innit?" He shook his head and broke away from Bilius and Andy, who nearly tripped into each other with Derek's sudden departure from between them. "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is getting more powerful by the minute. Muggles dying everywhere...he's killin' 'em, and anybody stands in his way, he kills them too. Oh, it's awful. If you ain't heard, you should stay out of it. Keep yourself innocent and unknowin'...it's the only way to deal with it without drink, you know. And worse than all that, he's threatenin' goin' after the Ministry next. Anybody that goes against him, he says, he's goin' ter take out."

"Well bloody hell, what's Voldemort got to do with you lot drinking Firewhiskey?" Lily demanded, "How does you getting piss drunk and falling all over the castle help in stopping what's going on out there? Has You-Know-Who decided to surrender to the sound of drinking songs?"

BIlius slapped Derek on the back, "Maybe if he heard how off-key this one is, he might."

"Says the greatest chanteuse I ever heard," Derek crowed. Andy laughed so hard that a hiccup escaped him and he stumbled a bit, catching Derek 'round the elbow to steady himself.

"Even drunk he uses a five-galleon word like chanteuse," Bilius shook his head in marvel at his best mate.

Lily's eyes narrowed, "I expect you feel real damn good about yourself, sloshing about like a bunch of idiots, then?"

"Again," Bilius said, "We are not sloshing about like a bunch of anything. He got a bit of Firewhiskey at the Hog's Head and…"

Derek laughed, "Sure we do!" he answered, interrupting Bilius, and he pounded a fist to his chest, "Might not do a whole lot to help anybody else, but the drink sure does a helluva job making it hurt less in here!"

Lily's voice was cold, "Firewhiskey is not the answer to your problems, Derek Bell, and you know it. You could drink all the Firewhiskey on the planet and it wouldn't bring Alice or your parents back."

"Oi, aren't you a smart one, figuring out what's s'matter with me?" Derek laughed and he rolled his eyes, "Think you know everything about me, just because you were mates with my sister? Well, Lily, you don't and I'd appreciate it if you'd sod off and let me drink Firewhiskey if that's what I say helps my problems!"

Lily scowled, "Fine. Drink it all you want, then. I don't care. But I'm telling McGonagall."

"So tell her then," he snapped, "Go on and tell her like a little rat. I don't give a damn if you do. Maybe she'll realise I'm not a child and she can pass the message on to her little friends in the bloody Resistance." Derek rolled his eyes and shoved past Andy and up the stairs to the dorms. "I'll kill Voldemort myself if they'd let me fight!" he was shouting, his voice echoing back into the common room, "He hasn't got a soul!" he slammed the dorm room door.

"Oh, bloody hell," muttered Bilius, "See what you've done then, Evans? He was perfectly happy 'til you got into it. What'd you go and do that for?:

Lily folded her arms over her chest. "Well somebody had to, didn't they? Seeing as the Head Boy is currently too much of a coward to tell on his mate and all. You should be ashamed of yourself. Head Boy and you're not even doing the right thing." She shook her head, "I thought you were better than that, Bilius Weasley, but I suppose I was wrong."

"You certainly were," Bilius replied. "I'm not going to turn in a mate who's already going through a bloody helluva time without being expelled by McGonagall! Think about it, Lily, he'd be taken off the Gryffindor Quidditch team."

"Is that all you lot think about is Quidditch? So what if the team loses a couple games! It doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things!" Lily crowed.

"Quidditch is all Derek has going for him this semester," Bilius snapped. "I don't think that any action he partakes in to numb the pain he's in should be punished by taking away the one good thing he has left, alright? Call me a nutter, but that's how it is. Do with it as you please, but don't go calling me a coward for trying to protect my best friend." With that, he turned and nodded for Andy to follow him on up to the seventh year dorms after Derek.

"Wonder how he did get Firewhiskey?" I wondered, settling back beside Ali and Remus.

"They said at the Hog's Head," answered Remus.

James snickered, "I wouldn't mind trying a bit of Firewhiskey myself."

Lily's eyes turned on him even hotter than the Firewhiskey might've been. Sirius nudged James and he swallowed nervously. "I didn't mean now," he added, looking at Lily with a bit of fear behind his eyes, "I meant when I'm older, you know, when it's more appropriate. When you wouldn't bloody look at me like that for it. Blimey."

"Yeah, Lily, c'mon," Sirius said, grinning in a charming manner, "We wouldn't go off drinking Firewhiskey, we're underage! When have we ever done anything that's against the rules?"

"Every bloody day, I expect, whether you're caught at it or not," Lily replied, and she rolled her eyes and turned away.