Sunday dawned quickly for Amy. A paw to the face roused her, prodding her out of her dreams.
"All right, Arcane, I'm up." Amy moaned as she opened her eyes, groping for the curtain. When she felt the fabric, she pulled it aside and sat up. "I'm awake." She yawned, rubbing her eyes.
Opening her eyes, Amy noticed she was the last to wake, which didn't surprise her. She had returned to her bed the previous night, but she had laid awake for hours, listening to the other girls come in and fall asleep. Eventually she had fallen asleep too, but her dreams were different. Darker. Dreams that featured a certain brunette with hazel eyes.
"So much for a better life, huh, Arcane? With Emmaline here, things just got a lot more miserable." She took a deep breath. "Well, I guess it's time to stop moping and get on with it."
Amy stood slowly and pulled out one of the outfits she had purchased at Diagon Alley specifically for the School Games, a simple tank top and gym shorts with her best pair of sneakers. She brushed her hair and put it into a braid, then rolled it into a rough bun and secured it with a hair tie. Standing in front of her mirror, Amy took a deep breath as she absorbed her reflection. On the surface, Amy saw nothing wrong with her appearance except perhaps that the smile she attempted didn't reach her baggy eyes.
"How could it be that one girl was able to change me like this?" Amy complained to Arcane, who looked up from her bath to meow at her witch. "She's completely wiped away the person I was finally growing into, in just twenty-four hours. How am I going to survive?"
Arcane meowed quietly, a somber note in her voice.
"You're right, Arcane. I can't let her affect me like this. 'Sticks and stones may break my bones', but words have only the power I give them. If I choose to believe I'm worthless again, I'll lose the confidence I've gained, and the happiness I finally feel. If I choose to ignore Emmaline, to not let her words change me, then I'll grow as a person and become who I was meant to be." She had started to smile, her voice gaining the confidence she so needed, but then her smile faltered. "It sounds awfully hard. I've listened to her my whole life and it seems she knows me better than I know myself. Can I really change myself so completely?"
Arcane meowed again, seemingly affirmative this time.
"'Nothing worth doing is easy, but that doesn't make it unnecessary.' You're right! I have to do this, for myself. It will be hard, but it will be worth it. I just have to break it down into manageable steps - take life one day at a time."
Arcane meowed once more, loud and celebratory. Amy nodded in the mirror, a slight smile on her face, then she turned away and gathered her purring kitten into a hug. "Thank you, Arcane. What would I do without you?" Amy asked as she made her way outside.
During breakfast, the first owl post arrived. Within seconds of the first owl's screech, the Hall was suddenly alive with flying owls, packages falling, and feathers floating to the floor as the post owls released their packages to their recipients. Rose and Scorpius had packages from their parents with items they had forgotten to pack in addition to their robes from Madam Malkin. Their robes, socks, and tie - and other things if they had ordered them, which Amy had - were finally here, and just in time for the start of classes! Now too excited to eat, the group abandoned their food and opened their parcels and gushed for a few moments. Amy in particular was excited to see her name embroidered into the Hufflepuff robe she would own for the next seven years and its matching tie. Seeing her name next to her House crest was ridiculously exciting and Amy couldn't help but run back to the dormitory to examine each item as she carefully put it away into her trunk.
An hour later, Amy sat on the Quidditch Pitch finishing her stretches, listening to the Ravenclaw HeadGirl wearing a yellow jersey and tags explaining the rules of their game. The other HeadStudents were divided as well. The Ravenclaw and Gryffindor HeadStudents wore purple jerseys matching their purple plastic tags. The Slytherin and Hufflepuff HeadStudents wore yellow tags and yellow jerseys. They stood at the center of the Pitch, lined to face the students but standing inside their team's territories, which held a flag of the opposing color.
The game was Capture the Flag, except - in this version - removing a player's tags meant a one-point gain per tag for the team of the student who claimed the tag, while the flag was worth fifty points. When a student lost all four tags, they were out for the rest of the round and had to sit on the sidelines. The round ended after ten minutes of play, or when a flag was successfully retrieved. There would then be a five-minute break, during which time the retrieved flags were sorted back to the proper team and points would be given. Next, the second round would begin, and the teams would have five minutes for strategizing. Additionally, instead of having both teams prepare offensive and defensive squads, both units would be dedicated to one role. During this first round, the yellow team would defend while the purple team would invade. At the end of three rounds, the points would be totaled, and a winning team would be chosen. Every student on the winning team would get a ticket, which they could use to get their House five free points at any time.
With the game's roots as combat training with focus on teamwork and strategy, students would clash in a pre-determined fashion to ensure no one got hurt. Amy's primary school had taught the students to dance instead of fight, but any simple command was fair game in the grand scheme. Today, they'd be engaging in a mock hand-to-hand battle. There would be no contact permitted, so it didn't matter if they used open hands or closed fists, but they couldn't use their feet. To help it feel like an actual battle, the one 'receiving' the blow had to act as if they had taken it. Additionally, because of the nature of the mock fights, they had to take turns delivering 'blows' - meaning the one 'receiving' had to straighten up and brace before they could deliver their own move. In a real hand-to-hand battle, the blows would connect, and the force would affect how the receiver moved and where they fell. Without the contact, multiple blows on one turn could not be allowed.
At the end of her speech, the Ravenclaw HeadGirl lifted her wand and bubbles holding colored tags appeared, floating down so the students could grab them. Amy grabbed hers and hastily put it on while the speaker dismissed the teams to confer with their team captains. The HeadStudents split and moved into the farthest corners of their territory, where each had a chalkboard set up. Amy and Rose hastened to the purple side.
The captains had a basic strategy given the large number of students who were playing, but they were smart. They decided to have ten of the heaviest seventh year students - acting as guards - on the team surround the three fastest students. The guards would block the yellow team's players from getting to the runners, who would run through the field, grab the flag, race back to the purple's side, and plant the flag in its stand. Everyone else would run in first to engage the opposing team's players, arranged by year from oldest to youngest. Their goal was to occupy as many of the yellow team as possible so there would be fewer opposing players to attack the guards, thus ensuring the guard's and runner's safety. Additionally, the guards would be surrounded by thirty students, who would engage the opposing team's players so the guards wouldn't have to. These forty-three players would make their move halfway through the round, to give the other students time to penetrate the other team and occupy them.
The flag was small enough to be carried by one person, but the captains wanted three runners so the flag could be passed from one runner to another in case of attack. In this way, the flag would always have a runner to be passed to and would surely make it to its home territory.
The captains also discussed how to fight an opponent. Essentially, the best time to grab a tag was when the opponent was pretending to receive the blow. This meant the purple team's tags would be vulnerable when the purple student pretended to be hit, so the captains advised them to anticipate which tag the opponent would go for and then twist their hips away to keep that tag safe but do it in a way that made the move look natural.
Amy's head buzzed with all the rules and intricacies she had learned, but she did her best to remember the most important ones. No contact hand-to-hand battles, no kicking, aim for the tag after delivering a blow, anticipate and twist away in a natural way.
After five minutes of strategizing, the teams met at the center of the Pitch where their territories bordered. Being a first year, Amy had found a spot near the back-center of the throng, close to one of the thirty protecting the guards. The guards, runners and their thirty protectors had been situated in the very center of the purple team. Amy breathed deeply and worked the ball of her foot into the grass, settling into a crouching stance. She focused her eyes ahead on the sea of yellow, waiting for the whistle. When it sounded, she tensed her legs and waited for the line ahead of her to begin moving. When they did, she took off running.
It didn't take long before she had crossed into yellow territory, but no one came forward to challenge her yet. Seeing the area around the thirty dropping, she moved to a patch where the thirty had weakened. Thirty paces from the flag, an older student in yellow came up and touched her shoulder, thus challenging her. She stopped and faced him, keeping in her crouch. They stared each other down for a moment, then she lunged forward with a punch. He reacted, turning his head and arching his back theatrically. Amy took that moment to swipe with her other hand and fasten on a tag. With the ease of ripping aged Velcro, the tag came off and Amy tucked it into the waistband of her shorts as he straightened up and saw his tag hanging from her hips. Now it was the other student's turn, and he moved for a punch with his left-hand crossing to his right side, so Amy turned her head and - seeing his left hand begin to move to the hip closest to him - she took a half-step back on her left foot then her right, acting dazed. She straightened and was relieved to see he hadn't gotten her tag.
Her turn again, she targeted a tag and punched straight at his face. He leaned backward, exposing his chin as if he had taken the blow. Amy used that moment to swipe out with her left hand and grab the tag. The older student straightened and saw he had lost another tag and Amy watched as anger flooded him, his face turning red, as he gritted his teeth. He pulled back his left hand - he must be left-handed - as far back as it would go then let his shoulder snap forward, bringing his arm around. If Amy had been any slower, she would have been hit, but she had decent reaction time for her age. Seeing the open palm, she waited until the right moment and then turned her head to the left as far as she dared and, since the blow held a lot of momentum, she went onto her tiptoes and let her knees crumble as if she had actually been slapped. When she straightened up and checked her belt, she found her ploy had worked - once again, he had not secured one of her tags.
Amy was preparing her next blow when the whistle sounded, bringing a halt to everyone.
"The purple team has successfully retrieved their flag!" The Ravenclaw HeadGirl's voice boomed across the field. "Please bring your tags to your team's flag area for the tag counting. Get some water and take a breather, we'll begin a new round in five minutes."
Amy sighed in relief, then faced the other student and shook his hand, both smiling, before they parted ways.
Amy quickly dropped her tags by the growing pile and headed to one of the shady spots to look for her friends, all of whom found her and gathered together to swap stories.
Apparently, Amy had been unusually lucky with protecting her tags, and only average at securing the opposing team's. Rose and Albus had been tagged out and Amy, Mary and Scorpius had remained 'in' for the entirety of the round. Additionally, Mary had been able to secure a staggering eight tags from the opposing team, while Scorpius had only collected three.
The second round began less than ten minutes later and Amy, as part of the defending team, quickly found out how tricky it was to protect the yellow flag. Being a first year, for this round she had been placed in the outer ring. Naturally, she was one of the first ones challenged. She put up a brave fight, successfully claiming three of her opponent's tags, but she eventually lost and was tagged out less than a minute after gameplay began. She made her way to the sidelines and contented herself to watch.
Now on offense for the third round, Amy's leaders had devised a new strategy - yes, the spear attack had been effective, and it had gotten the job done, but it was not a good idea to use it multiple times as then the opposing team could devise a plan to defend more effectively against it. So, the new strategy was for everyone to flood the field in as many directions as possible and try to get the flag back. Amy was sure it wouldn't work but she would certainly try. If she got close to the flag, she'd try to get it back to the purple team's side.
She never made it that far.
Amy had been able to get her first opponent tagged out, leaving her to weave her way through a crowd of pairs, when she saw a familiar brunette. She changed course and saw, when she got closer, that Emmaline had likewise defeated her opponent, thus leaving her open. Amy narrowed her eyes as her heartbeat picked up so violently that she could hear the beating of drums in her ears. If she had looked, she would have seen her hands shaking in her rage. Red tinged the outer ring of her vision, and she made a beeline for the bully, who saw her almost immediately. Emmaline smirked and faced Amy head-on as she slid into a defensive stance. But Amy had already forgotten the rules. She had already forgotten the true goal of the game. To her, this was her chance to show Emmaline she would not lay down and take her abuse; she'd stand and fight and defend herself.
Amy full-body-tackled Emmaline, knocking her to the ground.
They hit the grass and Amy lost track of their movements. Someone lost their breath, someone pulled hair, someone scratched at the other's face, someone punched the other's face awkwardly, someone tried to bite the other as they rolled around, each struggling for dominance. Yowls and growls erupted from their mouths, drawing the attention of those nearby. Of course, they were separated. Large hands grabbed Amy by her forearms and yanked her off Emmaline while someone else corralled Emmaline away from Amy, though that didn't stop them from trying to reach each other.
They were led off the field and up to the castle, then up three flights to the Hospital Wing. Amy didn't care to find out who accompanied them. No words were spoken, but the hands gripping her didn't let up. She wasn't able to break free and reach Emmaline again. Amy began to calm down and regain control. Shame flooded her gut, and she lowered her eyes to the floor. Reasoning had returned and she had realized her errors - fighting was never allowed unless in self-defense, and she had instigated it. She had flouted the rules of the game and attacked someone. The reasons she had for doing it didn't matter; she had broken several rules on her second day of school. Amy was certain she'd be getting expelled and Emmaline - as the one who was attacked - would not, despite her many years of methodical torture.
At the Hospital Wing, Amy and Emmaline were guided to beds in opposite corners from each other. Emmaline was led to a bed very near the door, while Amy was taken to a bed in the front row and against the wall. Madam Longbottom - Amy guessed she was Professor Longbottom's wife - was not happy. She lectured the two girls on fighting and the serious damage they could have done to each other and the trouble they'd be in. Amy did not let herself look at Emmaline, she knew it'd only rile her up again and that was the last thing she needed right now. But the Hospital visit was short - Amy only needed to take a potion and her scratches and bruises healed while she waited for Professor Mansley, the Head of Hufflepuff, to decide her fate. Emmaline also waited for Professor Newman, the Head of Slytherin.
Professor Newman was the first to arrive, since Mansley's office was in the dungeons. She led Emmaline away, talking quietly so Amy couldn't make out the words, leaving her alone in the silent room. She fiddled with her clothes, twirling the fabric around her finger so it twisted and then pulling it away from her body only to let it fall and repeating the process.
Finally, Professor Mansley arrived and made a beeline for Madam Longbottom to hear the report. After speaking to her for a moment, she turned to Amy and sighed.
"Come along, dear, and you can explain yourself while you serve your detention."
She didn't raise her voice and there was no hint of any negative feelings. Amy only picked up on disappointment.
Amy took her place at Professor Mansley's side and launched into her story of Emmaline's repeated abuse through seven years, the work she had put in to rebuild her confidence in the previous year, and how devastated and conflicted she was to find Emmaline here at Hogwarts at a time when Amy had been so looking forward to reinventing herself with a new start in life. She admitted in retrospect attacking Emmaline had not been a good idea and she did wish she hadn't done it; she had simply lost control and promised it wouldn't happen again.
"I certainly hope it doesn't." Professor Mansley spoke in a firm voice when Amy had finished, opening the door to her Potions classroom. "You broke several rules today, hurt a classmate, set yourself a bad reputation to your peers and you have to serve detention on your second day. You're lucky I don't bring this to Headmistress McGonagall." Professor Mansley motioned Amy to follow her up the stairs to her office.
"I understand."
"But this matter isn't important enough to bring to her, nor is it so cut and dry that a detention will be rid of the problem entirely." Her tone changed to one of quiet empathy. "You will serve one detention as punishment for the attack, but the cause of the attack is an issue I cannot fix. Only you can do that." Professor Mansley motioned for Amy to take a seat, and she did.
"The issue is Emmaline is a bully."
"I know it seems that way - and I noticed her behavior last year, she certainly struck me as...challenging. But it seems to me like your issue is you."
"Pardon?"
"Think about it. You didn't get in trouble last year, when Emmaline was gone, did you?"
"No. I had no reason to."
"And before?"
"I never got in trouble for anything except bad grades...but neither did I want to defend myself."
"Exactly. You decided you were going to fight for your dignity and confidence, to show Emmaline you won't be pushed around. That's a good thing, but the way you went about it was all wrong."
"So, what should I do? Standing up isn't working, but I also don't want to revert back to the scared little girl I was. I'll never get past that!"
"Only you have the power to make that decision and to act upon it. Will you go back to letting Emmaline bully you?"
Amy thought silently for a few minutes, thinking hard. She longed for a future where she could defend herself against any foe, and the thought of becoming a cowering scaredy-cat was enough to make her sick to her stomach. "No."
"I thought not. Then I would suggest taking a closer look at the rulebook."
"The rulebook? I don't understand."
"I can't say any further. Whatever happens, it is up to you. Now, for your detention," Professor Mansley's tone shifted back to a teacher's, closing the subject and leaving Amy with more questions than resolutions. She waved her wand and a bucket full of cleaning supplies flew into Amy's hands. "You'll be scrubbing every bit of the classroom. Here's the full list to help you keep track, and I want these completed in the order they're listed in." She showed Amy a scroll which she placed in the bucket. "I was going to do this myself because we have class tomorrow, but since you're here and I find writing lines are useless..."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good. I'll collect you for lunch, but your detention won't be complete until that list is done. Make sure you pay close attention to detail with every task, every nook and cranny, and don't slack off. Use the large metal brush on the surface of the stones and the smaller ones between them. When you get to the shelves, carefully move each item, clean the shelf, and then place everything back. I want that classroom sparkling by dinner. If you need hot water, I can show you a spell. I'm here if you have questions. I'll also be writing to Mr. and Mrs. Potter about this, as is policy. "
"Yes, ma'am." Amy gulped and fresh shame twisted her gut. She had truly hoped to not disappoint Mr. Harry and Mrs. Ginny throughout her education, but it was a special sort of shame to have disappointed them on her second day at Hogwarts. She couldn't even wait until the start of class to cause trouble! What kind of gratitude had she shown them for their kindness?
"Go on, then."
Amy turned and left the office, determined to work.
She had to admit, it didn't take as long to complete Professor Mansley's list as Amy had thought. Oh, it did take several hours because it was a large classroom and there were several things to do, but she had expected to finish near dinner. Instead, she left the classroom at a quarter to four. Amy sighed and stretched, allowing her aching back and arms to release a bit of the tension, but feeling loads better. She had atoned for the attack as far as the school was concerned, and she even had received a tiny nudge in the direction she wanted to take.
She needed to find her friends and look through the rulebook. But, first, she needed a hot bath to help relax her aching back and arms.
An hour later, Amy sat down at her desk with the rulebook open to the table of contents. Arcane, who had spent the day exploring the grounds, had returned, and currently slept on Amy's lap.
Amy was only slightly surprised to find the rulebook was so organized, broken down into chapters like rules about the uniform, potential punishments, what not to do in the hallways, what not to do in classrooms, what not to do in the Great Hall, what not to do in the bathrooms. The list went on, but it didn't include how to convince your bully to leave you alone without breaking any rules. There wasn't even a section on fighting! So, Amy settled for reading the whole thing through.
She skimmed chapter after chapter, hoping to find something that stood out and would solve her problems. But nothing did. No line magically grabbed her attention, flipping the book to a random page and reading a random line didn't seem to provide any answers, and reading every line soon had her brain turned to mush. What was she going to do?!
Sighing in exasperation, Amy closed the book and checked the time. Dinner would be served soon, but she wasn't in the mood for sitting around her classmates and friends after what she had done, so she laid in the bed and tried to think of a solution to her problems.