By the time I had returned to the common room only the older years were there. Abby and Jane had gone to bed surrounded by piles of homework. I was beyond tired. I didn't have the energy to wake them and about the best discover I will probably ever make. I fell flat on my face into bed and went into a deep sleep.
When I woke up I discovered (to my disgust) I was covered in my own drool and Pumpkin was sleeping on my back which made me really stiff and uncomfortable. Jane's alarm clock had woken us up. We got ready for our classes and headed down to the Great Hall.
I had forgotten all about my detention with the Malfoy. All that was on my mind was the delicious breakfast I was about to eat.
I stuffed my face while Jane read out from the Daily Prophet as usual. The post came with another letter from mom and dad. They promised Hugo they would write every day and didn't want to leave me. The letters were now starting getting pretty dry and repetitive.
"I'm going to try out for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team!" announced Abby.
I peered at her over my letter that I was reading. She had been listening in on a couple of boys next to us who were on the team last year. For the last couple of days she tried to overhear conversations like those no doubt waiting for the try-out information.
She was brimming with confidence. Abby had gotten her own broom over the summer after begging her parents non-stop. It wasn't particular fancy or expensive just a Nimbus 2001. Everyone else I knew had Thunderbolt 7's. Not that I would know anything much about brooms.
Jane smiled and nodded. Abby had been talking to us about going out from the quidditch team non-stop so this was really, really more or less expected.
"That's brilliant, Abby!" I said. "When?"
"Today," Said Abby grinning ear to ear. "After classes."
"We'll come with you. Won't we, Rose?" Jane asked.
I avoided the quidditch pitch at all cost most of the time but this is an exception.
"Yeah, sure." I said. "We'll make a banner in History of Magic."
And that we did. Professor Binns didn't even blink a ghostly eye at the array of light shows, colours and glitter going on in the back of his class. By the end of class we a magnificent banner. It was so big that we had to shrink it to get it out the door.
When class ended Abby headed back to Ravenclaw tower to change into her "Glamourous Outfit" (her words) and her broom. She had spent lunch time polishing her broom in the corner like a manic.
Jane and I went to The Library for reading material, just in case.
Then we went to the Quidditch Pitch getting second row seat just in time to see Abby looking fabulous. She was decked out head to toe in Ravenclaw colours, with twenty whirling ribbons in her hair matching the ones on her broomstick. She was wearing shorts, a t-shirt and high striped socks almost like tights. She also looked like she had been dripped in a can of glitter.
The outfit would've looked ridiculous on me but on Abby it said confidence and fun. She stood on the pitch in the middle of cluster of other hopeful Ravenclaw's brightly standing out in the crowd. Jane and me picked up the banner and began to wave and cheer for Abby. The people around us gave us strange looks and Abby waved up at us.
First the Captain- I don't know his name- made them stand together or something and then the flying happened. Abby was trying out for all the positions, first up was chaser.
Jane and I cheered and chanted as Abby flew in and out of players with the quaffle firmly under her arm. I felt kind of dizzy as I watch this. She zigged and zagged for ages looking like a drunken flyer eventually hitting home and scoring.
She fist pumped when something caught my eye, a familiar slivery-blond shine. It was Malfoy's hair. He himself was in the stand right across the pitch from us watching the try-outs with a large group of Slytherin's of all ages. He was looking at me (I think?). I was looking back to see what in merlin was he smirking at.
Jane gave me a hard nudge.
"Ow! What?" I asked turning my eyes away from Malfoy and rubbing my side.
"Stop staring at Malfoy, Rose." Jane said with a strange look on her face. "It's weird and I don't want to be involved with another one of your fights."
I blushed and huffed. "I was not staring at Malfoy! He was doing it to me!"
Jane said something I didn't catch over the sudden swishing of Abby's broom as she flew in front of us almost knocking us over. She was trying beater now. She was waving the bat around as she flew 'accidently' knocking Eric Longford on the head.
Jane and I cheer loudly. Next she tried Keeper but failed as her kept flying out of the bounds of the hoops. Next was seeker which was her best position. She was fighting for the snitch with a boy who was riding a Thunderbolt 7. Jane bit her fingernails as we watch them impossibly neck and neck for the snitch.
Abby kept cutting corners and swerving to keep up the chase. Her Nimbus 2001's broom handle was jerking and shaking under the pressure. Suddenly Abby as if she had predicted it dived at an impeccable speed at the exact same moment as the snitch. She left her competition dazed and too slow to react. In one quick grab the snitch was trapped in her hand earning her a victory.
Jane and I jumped up and down hysterically. We knew Abby was going be the next Ravenclaw seeker.
Abby was a hot sweaty mess as we left the quidditch stadium she was still doing the jerky dance moves to her victory dance. Abby and Jane chatted madly about the brilliant catch. I was carrying the big banner almost disappearing from sight behind it.
I notice a set of three boys huddled behind one the quidditch stands their backs to me. I could see the green of the hoods of their robes peeking out. It was a set of Slytherins.
Their voices were low in secrecy, but not low enough. I could hear their voices carried by the slight breeze to my ear.
"No, No, No!" the first boy said. "Malfoy, you can't do that!"
Malfoy?!
I stop in my tracks wanting to hear more.
"It too dangerous." the second boy said. "You need to stick the original plan of using the Weasel."
"You mean Weasley?" the voice of Malfoy said. "I don't need her! There has to be another way."
