Chapter 33: Want to Win

Dibon and Credence

Dibon Karab and Liviana Carga raced each other to the front staircase in Ilvermorny castle. Their carriage had just deposited them in the field outside for their first night of Second Year. Now this is a competition I can win, Dibon gloated to himself as he smacked the stair railing. It felt good to make up for the countless rounds of Exploding Snap Liviana had triumphed in on the carriage ride.

Turning around, he saw another figure amidst the ever-thickening throng of students entering from the cold outside. His twin.

"Go find your friends. Stop following us," Dibon said, when it was obvious that Kir was going through their path. He and Kir didn't look so much alike since Kir had gotten glasses over the summer. Kir had even taken off his yarmulke (the doily-like Jewish hat that they were supposed to wear as a sign of humility) as soon as their parents were out of sight. A sign of humility was probably the last thing Kir wanted to wear, after having done the most selfish thing that Dibon had ever seen done at this school.

Kir played oblivious, as if his agenda wasn't as plain as the nose on his face. "Jeez, everyone's going up the stairs, Dibon. They're not your property." He brushed passed them and jogged up before his brother could respond.

Dibon turned back around to find Liviana staring down at him with her arms folded. Over the summer, she had grown to be a good six inches taller than him, and it was getting infuriating. "What?" Dibon asked.

"Can't you two manage to work something out after being stuck together all summer? No one wants to listen to nine months of the two of you bickering, especially me."

"Hey, you were the one who told us to stay away from Finn's gang, and look what he's gone and done."

Liviana opened her mouth to respond, but Dibon started moving before she could get a word out. He wasn't about to start his time at Ilvermorny talking about family trouble. "Come on. Let's just go."

The pair found Credence sitting alone at the back of the giant balcony on the second floor. Soon, every student from the second year up would be gathered there to watch the sorting. He had probably been the first one to get there, given that the class list in his hands looked like he had been folding and refolding it for hours. Dibon often wondered how stir crazy he must get, living full-time at the castle.

"Hey," he greeted, "How was the summer here?"

Credence took a few seconds to answer with, "Ok."

He got like this sometimes: quiet and gloomy.

Liviana wasn't the type to accept quiet and gloomy. "C'mon, get up!" she said, grabbing his elbows and hoisting him to his feet. Credence wasn't nearly as small and scrawny as he used to be, but Liviana still towered a head taller than him. Right now, he looked so surprised that he didn't even protest at being grabbed.

"Wanna get a group to play Exploding Snap?" Liviana suggested.

Dibon cut in, "If you want to win, don't ever play that game with her. She is a dragon."

Liviana beamed at him in that infuriating way, "Fine then, if you're scared. Wanna explore the upstairs while no one's paying attention?"

"Hey, y'all!" A familiar figure swept into their midst like a streak of playful wind. Credence instantly noticed that his black hair had gotten cut so that it clung closely to his head. Probably Mrs. Boyd's doing. His skin was also distinctly more tanned than when they'd parted in June.

"What did you say?" Liviana asked.

"I said, 'Hey, y'all'."

"That sounds so weird coming out of a New Yorker," Dibon said.

Percy just grinned. "My family was just in Texas for a month on vacation and I got to see a real cowboy! It was amazing. But, boy, we don't even know what hot is up here."

The chatting continued as more students meandered into the balcony area, coming in from their respective carriages, until the Second Years looked like little puckwudgies in comparison with the many older students. Everyone was so loud, so boisterous, but no one seemed to mind. Credence thought he should be grateful for the lack of loneliness. This was what he had wanted, right?

Percy had turned his attention to the billboard that Credence had been sitting under. It was similar to the one downstairs that held sign-up sheets - like the one for dueling club – tacked one on top of the other like a crowded desk. There were also fliers, pictures, last year's final edition of The Ilvermorny Imager, and sometimes warnings handwritten in large letters from the faculty; things like: REMEMBER CURFEW AT 10:00 PM, WHICH DOES NOT MEAN THAT ANYONE WILL BE WANDERING AROUND LOOKING FOR A BATHROOM AT 10:02. or FOOD FIGHTS IN THE DINING HALL WILL RESULT IN COOKING A WEEK'S WORTH OF MEALS. Percy tended to ignore that sort of thing. What he was looking at was a fresh sign-up sheet – the only thing that looked like it hadn't been molding up there for the past three months.

"Hey, look," he said to the others, "They's lookin' for new Wampus Quidditch players. Anyone above First Years."

"Hold on! Wait, get out of the way!" Dibon was at the bulletin board less than a second after Percy said 'Quidditch'. "Oh, I am so doing that."

"When is it?" Liviana came behind them to look over their heads.

"Are you thinking of signing up or something, Liv?"

"What if I was? Is that a problem?"

Percy snorted, "Girls don't play Quidditch."

Credence shrunk away and Dibon put a palm to his forehead as Liviana spun Percy around. "Says who?"

"Don't get mad at me. It's science.Skirts and brooms don't exactly, you know..." Percy turned a little red.

"What if I was the best flyer out of all the boys and they wanted me? Then what would you say? And girls can wear pants you know. Lots of women do. I'm sure I could outfly you, Mister No-Maj-born," she said, rearing on Dibon, who was started to follow Credence in edging away.

"Hey, I hate to break up this argument," a familiar yet unexpected voice said behind them. The gang had characteristically found their way over to the sight of the drama. Finn was speaking, as usual. "But why don't we just all sign up and find out who the best flier is the old-fashioned way?"

Percy snorted, "You think you could outfly me, Erumpent-man?"

"Try to get a quaffle past me and you'll find out, Boyd," Finn shot back. Even though Finn and Credence had called a truce over the course of First Year, Finn and Percy had never fully gotten over their rivalry.

The large boy dug in his book bag for a second, then pulled out a portable quill and ink pad. In large letters, he wrote his name down on the list. "Who's going next?"

A/N: I don't get into Dibon's head very often, so this was a fun challenge. I hope you readers can imagine Percy with very short hair for the next few scenes. Even I forget sometimes. Dibon was so excited about the Quidditch sign-ups because, as I said in the chapter titled 'Whatever We Want', he has gotten very into Quidditch since joining the wizarding world (in true Harry Potter style). Please review!