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Chapter 14

October 31, 2030

The days quickly turned into weeks, and before we knew it, the Halloween Feast had arrived.

When we entered the Great Hall, we saw pumpkins and candles decorating every spare space of the Hall, with skeletons and ghosts and cobwebs all around. We had to sit at our House tables, so Anica and I bid goodbye to the group before sitting down with the boys.

McGonagall said a small speech before the tables filled with enough food to feed the entire school at just one table. After dinner, we gathered in the Community Hall where our group shared scary stories and mostly just laughed the whole time.

"So how's Quidditch training going?" Owen asks us once the stories are finished. "You guys ready for the game next week?"

The first game of the year was between Gryffindor and Slytherin and would take place the following weekend.

"Pretty good," Anica answers. "You guys ready to get smashed?"

"You wish," George scoffs. "Our team is so much better than yours."

"Ah, trust a Gryffindor to boast about the betterness of one's team to another," I say dryly. "Little do they know they are going down."

"10 galleons we win," George bets.

I look at Anica, who nods. I reach over and hold my hand out.

"You're on."

We shake on it.

Beside me, Xinia scoffs.

"Betterness isn't even a word."

"I'm aware. Doesn't mean I can't say it."

She rolls her eyes.

"You roll your eyes, but when it comes down to us versus you, I guarantee you will be much more competitive than any of us," Anica says.

"I second that," I agree.

Xinia shrugs, glancing at Kimmy.

"We play to win."

I scoff.

"We'll see about that."

Saturday, November 9, 2030

The day of the Quidditch match had arrived, and I felt like crap. I woke up with a headache and a scowl on my face. I groaned as Anica yelled at me to get out of bed, and I tried to tune her out. I stumbled over to the shower where I blasted cold water over my body.

I turned my wrist over, unsurprised to see the mark there shining brightly. I was used to feeling this bad every time it glowed, but Lupin had taught me to lessen the pain, so I focused on tuning out everything I could.

When I stepped out to get dressed, I stopped in front of the mirror for a minute. I forced my headache away and morphed my red mane into two tight braids wound into a bun to keep my hair out of my face during the game. I put on light clothes that I could pull Quidditch robes over later and emerged from the bathroom feeling considerably better.

Everyone in the castle was showing their support for one or both of the teams. When Anica and I arrived in the Great Hall, we were greeted by Xinia, Kimmy, Ciena and Hailey wrapped in Gryffindor scarves with Slytherin beanies and a mix of Gryffindor and Slytherin banners.

I walk up to Xinia, a hand over my chest.

"And here I thought you were loyal to one team only," I mock hurt.

She pokes her tongue out at me.

"I got a brother and six friends in Gryffindor. Sorry for being a little unbiased."

I smirk as I meet Bailey's eyes from across the Hall.

"One sec," I excuse myself.

I meet him halfway, giving him a quick hug. We're joined by Wyrene a few seconds later.

"You two smash it out there, alright?" Bailey says.

We nod, identical grins on our faces.

"Not giving the enemy pointers are we?" Xander asks, coming up beside my brother. "Hey, little sisters."

"Ready to get demolished on the field today?" Wyrene asks, bumping fists with Xander.

He shakes his hand with a small smile.

"Not a chance."

"Yeah, you guys are going down," Xandler adds, coming up beside the two.

Before I can retort, a massive cheer breaks out around us. I look around for the cause of the uproar. I spot it quickly.

Priya and Tatum had entered the Hall side by side, both of them grinning and waving.

"Come on," Xandler taps me on the shoulder.

Without an explanation, he walks off, Xander by his side. Wyrene gestures for me to follow, and I look around for Anica and signal for her to come with me. I still don't know what's happening, but I soon find out.

I see Julia had rounded up George, and the others from both teams were standing around their captains. The fourteen of us stood together as the whole school cheered for us.

Anica found me, and we stood side by side.

"What's going on?" she shouts above the noise.

"No idea," I shrug. "Guess they're cheering for us?"

We looked at each other before grins form on both our faces, and we revel in the glory along with everyone else.

Eventually, the teachers have to disband the crowd, and everyone returns to their breakfast.

Our group finds a seat at the Ravenclaw table, and we chat amongst ourselves until the time comes for George, Anica and I to join the rest of the teams to get ready for the game.

The three of us walk down to the Quidditch pitch, where we are met with our respective teams.

Anica and I break off from George, wishing him good luck, before joining Wyrene and Liam. We chat for a bit before Tatum leads us into the changing rooms.

We get ready for the game; pulling Quidditch robes on, strapping on protective gear and finding bats for Anica and me.

A few minutes before the game is ready to start, Tatum pulls us into a huddle.

"Alright, this is the first game of the year. People are going to be a little rusty, but that does not mean you underestimate them. The crowd is probably going to be going more for Gryffindor, because why not, so ignore any jabs or jives they make. Keep your focus on the game. Make sure you remember all the tactics and plans we've gone through. Everyone ready?"

Everyone nods, and we break from the circle. Just as I reach for my broom, Tatum comes up to Anica and me.

"You guys ready?" she asks.

We glance at each other before nodding.

"You guys will be fine," Tatum assures us. "You go out there and play like you always do, and we've got this match in the bag."

I smile at her before she walks away. I then turn to Anica.

"You good?" we ask at the same time.

I laugh, and she smiles.

"We've got this," I give her a quick, one-armed hug as I hear the teams being called.

When we walk out, I notice the Gryffindor team coming out of their room beside us. I wave to George, and he grins back.

You're going down, he mouths.

I flip him the finger just before we reach the pitch.

When we emerge, the stands erupt into cheers. I initially try to look for our friends, but then give up. I'm sure I'll hear them cheering at some point; knowing them.

Both teams gather together in a circle, grasping our brooms.

Priya and Tatum shake hands.

"Mount your brooms," Wood calls.

I grip my broom and my bat, then wait for the whistle. When I hear it, I push off into the air with thirteen others.

"And they're off!" I hear. "Muply is in possession of the ball; he passes to Ren - Yes! Slytherin Captain Tatum Lillian intercepts and races off!"

I search for the commentator stand, finally spotting Viper Harriet, one of Wyrene's friends, holding a microphone. I remember her mentioning she loves Quidditch but doesn't play, so I'm not surprised she's the commentator.

I return my focus to the game, noting where all the players are and who has the ball.

Gerry and Priya had soared up and above the game in search for the Snitch. Wyrene and George were flying around the goals, and the rest of the players are flying around.

I keep an ear out for the commentating as well to follow the game.

"And Gryffindor Chaser Julia Neil takes the ball back for Gryffindor. Slytherin Chaser Liam Patson makes a swipe for the Quaffle but misses - oh, that would've hurt."

I spot Liam holding his arm with an expression of pain, glaring at Henry across the field. The Beater wears a satisfied grin.

Liam shakes it off, flying back after the Quaffle. Anica and I fly around the Chasers, trying to get a few shots in with the Bludgers. We hit a few successfully, but the player's dodge out of the way just in time.

Just then, Michael gains possession of the Quaffle and speeds off towards the goals, where George readies himself.

"Slytherin Chaser Michael Frank races off, Gryffindor Chasers Xandler Muply and Xander Ren on his tail."

Before Julia can follow them, I send a Bludger her way, successfully getting her off course.

"First-year Slytherin Beaters Gena Dinnick and Anica Wore speed after them. Wore lines up a shot - she hits - damnit, it just misses Muply. The two Gryffindor Chasers follow Patson, unsuccessfully trying to get the Quaffle back. Patson reaches the goal - will he get it past Gryffindor's first-year Keeper, George Jones?"

"Like hell he won't," I mutter, swinging around to chase after a Bludger.

I ready my bat, aiming for George. I hit, and it flies towards him. He notices it just in time and quickly moves out of its way. Liam's Quaffle flies right past him, scoring us a goal.

"Slytherin scores! However, Gryffindor still leads thirty to twenty."

Cheers go up for both sides. With my enhanced hearing, I can hear Xinia's cheers from here.

George glares at me. I smirk at him before flying off.

"Nice one," Anica laughs as I pass her.

I grin as the game continues.

Soon, the points are up to fifty-fifty, and neither Gerry nor Priya shows any signs of finding the Snitch.

The game continues in full swing however, neither team wanting the other to win. I can't help a little happiness for George when he stops one of our goals, but it also frustrates me to no end.

As I fly past him for a moment, I call out.

"Sure you don't want to just take a break? Let us win?"

He smirks at me.

"Not a chance -"

Just then, Viper starts talking loudly and quickly.

"Gryffindor Seeker Priya Kent shoots away. Looks like she has spotted the Snitch."

I fly away immediately, eyes darting for the Bludgers. I faintly hear George complaining about missing the action, but it fades away as I get closer.

Priya darts away in some direction, Gerry on her tail. I manage to catch Anica's eye, and she nods, chasing after the Bludger I point out. I race after the other one, but Henry seems to have the same plan as me. We race for the Bludger, but I manage to beat him to it because I'm smaller.

I swing my bat, aiming for Priya.

The stands go quiet as everyone watches; waiting to see if Priya will dodge my Bludger.

It speeds towards her, following her path as she flies. She doesn't move at first, and I wonder if she notices it. Then, at the last minute, she does a tricky roll to get out of its way.

A collection of groans escapes from the Slytherins in the stands as she pulls out of the roll. But I wait in anticipation as I spot Anica swinging her bat.

Priya doesn't see it coming, and the Bludger flies across the Gryffindor's path, just hitting the front of her broom. Priya pulls up short, allowing Gerry to take the lead.

Slytherins start cheering again while the Gryffindors shout curses and yell at Anica. She takes it in stride, grinning as she flies off.

Gerry has a good enough lead that we don't need to sabotage Priya anymore. But that leaves Henry and Elijah to target Gerry, which I can't allow.

I fly over to Henry, leaving Elijah to Anica. I weave and dart around him, blocking a clear shot.

"Get out of the way!" the sixth year shouts.

I grin, cupping my ear.

"What was that?" I pretend not to hear.

Henry growls, swinging his bat at me. I fly out of the way, continuing to circle him.

The whole time I keep an eye on Gerry, who is still chasing after the Snitch.

"Hurry up and catch it!" I hear someone yell.

I glance around for the source and grin when I spot Malfoy and Potter in the teacher's stands, yelling at Gerry to catch the Snitch. They didn't seem like the type to care about Quidditch, but I guess I was wrong.

Just then, I feel a whoosh of air past me, and I whip around, spotting Henry racing off.

I curse before shooting after him, trying to stop him from hitting the Bludger. He's too far ahead though, and I can't catch up.

Just then, I get an idea.

I morph myself so that I am as light as possible, making my limbs smaller and getting rid of any fat and muscle. The feeling is weird, but it's only for a few seconds as I catch up to Henry. When I do, I morph back to normal, trying to stay out of his sight.

As he pulls his bat back, I call out.

"Oi, Henry!"

He startles, and his bat swings wildly. It hits the Bludger and sends it in the opposite direction, leaving Gerry to get the Snitch.

"Gryffindor Beater Henry Knight takes a shot, but what was that? The Bludger flies off in the opposite direction! Across the field, Gryffindor Beater Elijah Frite is in a similar situation! Can Slytherin win this match?"

Henry curses me, but I ignore him, watching Gerry.

He reaches his hand out, less than a metre away from the Snitch. My heart races as he tips forward a little, but he manages to keep his balance.

The stands are silent, everyone holding their breaths.

His hand closes around the Snitch, catching it in his fist.

"Slytherin Seeker Gerry Carl has caught the Snitch!" Viper cries.

The stands erupt into chaos as I pump my fist in the air, smiling widely. I fly down to the ground where the rest of the team joins together. We race up to Gerry, clapping him on the back and cheering.

"YES!" Tatum shouts, her eyes shining with happiness and hugs Gerry.

Anica hugs me, and I laugh, filled with joy. Everyone crowds around Gerry, alternating between hugging him and congratulating him.

The stands roar as Wood declares Slytherin the winners. Amongst them, I hear Xinia cheering and Kimmy reluctantly joining in. Owen, Nick and Dylan sound less happy but clap for us anyway.

It's only when Wood and Tatum come up to me that I notice some of the shouts are curses and accusations.

"What's wrong?" I ask when I spot Tatum's furious face and Wood's reluctant one.

"Apparently you cheated!" Tatum cries, looking at Wood in indignation.

I breathe a small sigh of relief when I notice she's not mad at me. Wood sighs, glancing at the Gryffindor team before explaining.

"Miss Neil said she was watching you as you chased Mr Knight. She said you used your abilities as an advantage," Wood says.

I glare at Julia and Henry from across the field. They watch our interaction with interest, although they can't hear. I spot Wyrene watching me as well, and I send her a small smile of reassurance.

"So what if she did?" Tatum cries in my defence. "She had a chance to beat Henry, and she took it!"

"There are rules against using magic to enhance your gameplay, and I think that should include metamorphmagus powers as well," Wood points out.

"That's not fair! Even if Gena did, she probably didn't even realise that she did it!" Tatum continues to argue.

"Miss Dinnick?" Wood looks at me for confirmation.

"Well, uh…"

"Excuse me, Coach, you don't mind if I intrude, do you?"

I turn to see Xinia marching towards us. For once, I am thankful to see her.

"You see, there are no rules against metamorphmagi using their powers during a Quidditch match. In fact, I believe there are no rules against enhancing your gameplay without magic. Gena morphing has nothing to do with using spells, however, which of course, is prohibited. Furthermore, she did not use her wand at all; therefore, using her abilities to enhance her gameplay is very much allowed."

I watch as Tatum's mouth drops.

"Pretty cool right?!" Anica smirks as she walks over.

Ciena joins us as well. I can tell she doesn't care who wins, but she looks ready to step in if necessary. She could probably bluff her way through anything anyway.

"So sir, I think the Slytherins won fairly, even if Gena hadn't used her metamorphmagus powers. The chances Henry would have hit Gerry with the Bludger are very low anyway as his aim was off even before Gena distracted him. Also, if anyone else was watching the game, they would have noticed that Anica could have hit the other Bludger at any moment. So even if Henry had managed to hit Gerry, she could have hit Priya which would give Gerry time to recover and catch the Snitch," Xinia concludes.

Wood stares at her, dumbfounded. She stares up at him, her 'I'm right and you know it' look very clear.

"...Ok then Miss Ren," Wood announces, clearly still surprised at Xinia.

Wood walks away without another word. Tatum stares at Xinia for a moment before engulfing her in a grateful hug.

"Thank you so much!" she cries when she pulls away. "Ravenclaws are much better than they're given credit for."

Xinia grins before turning to Anica and me. She hugs us, congratulating us.

"You guys owe me!"

"We won't forget," Anica promises.

We then walk up to George and the rest of the Gryffindor team. I spot Hailey and the others with them already.

"We would have had that if it wasn't for your morphing!" George complains.

"Well actually…" Xinia begins

"Xinia. You don't have to start, please," George begs, backing down immediately, clearly having gone through this before.

I chuckle before holding my hand out to him.

"Good game."

He glares at me for a moment before cracking a small smile, shaking my hand.

"Guess we underestimated you. Won't happen again."

I grin as Anica shakes his hand. Just then, Xander, Xandler, and Bailey come over to us.

"Congrats Gena," Bailey hugs me. "You two did amazing," he smiles at Anica.

On either side of him, Xandler and Xander glare at him.

"Well, we know where your loyalties lie, dear friend," Xandler comments.

"Yes, while they may have played to a satisfactory level," Xander continues. "Their win is less than welcome."

"We could say the same if things were reversed," I retort.

The boys stare at us before grinning.

"All things aside, you two were awesome," Xandler says, hugging me.

"Thanks," I hug Xander.

As I pull away, I spot some students exchanging coins as they look at each other with glee and annoyance.

"That reminds me!" I say suddenly.

I turn to George and hold my hand out.

"Cough up."

He looks at me; confused for a moment, then remembers. He glares at me before pulling out a few galleons. He turns to the other three Gryffindors.

"Come on, one each."

"No way. I didn't agree to the bet," Owen protests.

"We both know better than to do that," Dylan speaks for him and Nick.

"I'm not paying ten galleons!" George cries.

"If you don't pay up within the next three days I'll double the bet," I warn, pocketing the four galleons he already gave me.

He glares at me but doesn't bother arguing.

"Smart move," I nod my approval.

Now that the game is over, everyone returns to the castle to celebrate and whatnot. I glance at my watch and realise it's four in the afternoon.

"What are we going to do before dinner?" I ask.

I assumed there would be some sort of celebrations in the Quidditch Room later on, but for now, we left to do whatever we wanted.

"Why don't we got to the Community Hall?" Nick suggests.

Everyone agrees, so we set off. The ten of us walk in a big group through the halls until we reach the door to the Hall. Just before we go in, however, Hailey speaks up.

"I have an idea! Do you guys want some food?"

At that particular moment, I hear George's stomach growl. It's not loud enough for the others to notice, however.

"Yeah, I could go for something," he says casually, and I hide a small smirk.

"You guys stay here, I'll be right back," Hailey walks off.

I watch her in curiosity before deciding to call out to her.

"You guys go ahead," I say quickly. "Hailey!"

She stops, turns to face me.

"Mind if I tag along?"

"Sure," she smiles.

I join her, and we set off.

"So where are we going?" I ask when I notice her taking a familiar path.

"Kitchens," Hailey answers, turning a corner. "Some of the older students told me how to get some free food if I ever wanted."

I grin, shaking my head in disbelief.

"Here I thought Hufflepuffs could never break the rules."

Hailey smiles as she leads me down the stairs I often saw Hufflepuffs taking.

"Are they near your Common Room?" I ask.

She shrugs.

"Sort of."

Soon enough, we emerge into a corridor adorned with many hanging pictures of food.

"Suiting," I comment.

Hailey smiles as she walks over to a portrait of a large silver bowl of fruit. She reaches up and tickles the pear, which seemed to move at her touch. I hear a high pitch giggle then suddenly, it turns into a green door handle, which Hailey turns and enters a room through. She beckons for me to follow, so I do.

The room I emerge into was undoubtedly a kitchen. The ceiling towered above us, and the room was easily as big as the Great Hall. Indeed, there were five large tables identical to the ones in the Hall, with the horizontal staff table at the front and the other four lengthways across the room.

Everywhere I looked, there was a house-elf working at a stove or washing vegetables in the sink. Some were holding knives and chopping up food while others were pushing heaps of meat into ovens.

Hailey walked up to a group of house-elves and started talking with them. Immediately, they started bustling around in search of various foods. I watched as they heaped treacle tarts, cauldron cakes, pumpkin pasties and an assortment of other treats onto a platter.

Once they had finished, they handed the platter to Hailey, who took it with a smile of thanks.

She walked back over to me, and we exited the kitchens, heading back to the Community Hall.

"Is all you have to do, ask them?" I ask in amazement.

"Well I mean, you've got to be polite, but yes, essentially. We often ask them for food whenever we're playing games in the Common Room or up late doing homework."

I nod, still reeling from the information.

"How do you all know about that?" I ask.

Anica, Xinia, me and sometimes Ciena had spent hours searching the castle for hidden rooms and passageways yet somehow we had never found this.

"I'm not sure really," Hailey answers. "Everyone gets told at some point early in the term. I imagine someone found them ages ago and we decided to tell the rest of the House."

I nod. Just then, we pass a bunch of fourth-year girls giggling and squealing loudly. One of them passes right by me, screeching something about Xander flying today.

I wince as her voice reaches my ears, reminding me of the headache I had been forcing back. My head starts pounding again, and I stumble a little, leaning on the wall for support.

"Gena! Are you alright?" Hailey asks in concern.

I nod, forcing a smile.

"Yeah, I've just got a bit of a headache. I'm fine," I wave her off.

She still looks worried but continues walking. I can't seem to get rid of the headache, though. On top of that, my joints start to ache. When we reach the Hall, I collapse next to Anica. She looks at me in surprise.

"You alright?"

"I'm fine," I massage my head. "Headache."

She nods in understanding.

"Where'd you get the food?" Nick demands, reaching for a pastie.

"The kitchen," Hailey answers simply.

"Fine don't tell me!"

I look at him in confusion.

"Yeah Hailey, don't share your secret with us!" Dylan adds.

I shake my head, unsurprised the boys are being airheads.

"She just said where she got them," Xinia says in exasperation.

"Wow, thanks Xinia, I can't believe you would join this little prank," Nick frowns.

I roll my eyes at the boys as they still don't believe us.

"Where else would we have gotten the food? Fairies?" I joke.

"Exactly!" Dylan agrees.

I watch as Xinia's mouth drops and Ciena's head falls into her hands. Even Anica looks a little shocked.

"You don't actually think that's true right?" she looks like she wants them to be joking.

"What?" Nick asks in confusion.

"You two are even stupider than I thought," George laughs.

George jumps, and I presume someone kicked him under the table. He turns to Kimmy, looking annoyed, but laughs it off anyway.

"Anyway, let's eat shall we?" I interrupt, reaching forward to grab a treacle tart from the platter.

Everyone proceeds to take a treat or two before reclining back on the couches.

"So what'd you think of the game?" I ask.

The conversation moves into talk of the match, then changes to small insignificant chatter between ourselves.

Xinia, Anica and me, on one couch, talk with Dylan and Nick next to us while George and Kimmy chat, leaving Hailey, Owen and Ciena talking quietly.

Eventually, dinner rolls around and everyone clears out of the Hall. Owen separates from us once inside the Great Hall, going to sit with the other Gryffindors; Zena, Brittany and Gabriel, and Timothy and Kyle. Hailey also separates, sitting with Ursula and Nicole and the two Hufflepuffs, Katherine and Thomas.

The rest of us choose to sit at the Slytherin table where Anica and I receive some praise from our housemates on the game today. George looks a little unhappy at not being recognised but otherwise doesn't comment.

I try to block out the rest of the chatter I can hear throughout the Hall, trying to focus on the one conversation.

Finally, I spot Tatum and Harry rising from their spots and signalling for the others across the Hall to follow. I reach out randomly, hitting someone on the arm, and beckon for them to follow.

Before long, we find ourselves in the Quidditch Room, surrounded by familiar people. I sigh in relief as the noise of the Great Hall turns into a little chatter in the room.

Tatum calls for silence before stepping forward, somehow already holding a drink of something.

"I would like to thank Priya for letting us win today," she started; smirking. "We couldn't have done it without you Pri."

Priya glares at Tatum, letting out a few choice words. Tatum grins as she returns to her speech.

"Congratulations to everyone on the team who contributed to our win," she continues, glancing over the Slytherin team. "And I hope everyone remembers that we smashed the first game of the year!"

She's met with a bunch of cheers, and she holds her drink out. Everyone who's holding something raises their hands as well. They toast, and everyone starts mingling until Harry tells us it's time for a game.

"Alright, everyone who's got one get with your sibling," Harry announces, finding Xandler.

Everyone looks confused for a minute then shrugs. I quickly find Wyrene and Bailey.

Looking around the room, I notice Xinia and Xander, Owen and Priya, Kimmy and George, Wendy and Hailey and Anica and Ciena and their older brother Finn, who's friends with Elijah, paired up.

Liam was standing with another boy who looked his age, but they weren't alike. Michael and Matthew were standing next to each other, making it impossible for me to tell them apart. William was standing next to the girl, Welma I think, who I had learnt was his twin sister. Peter was standing with Penny - my dormmate. Julia was standing next to her male look-a-like. Yvonne was with one of Wyrene's friends, and Vivian stood next to a slightly younger boy.

All the siblings must have friends or something of the sort who played Quidditch, as they weren't part of the teams.

The rest of the people who didn't have siblings had paired up according to houses. Henry and Elijah, Tatum and Gerry, Tyrene, Cohen and Dean and Sasha and Flynn.

Everyone waited for the next instructions.

"We're playing a get to know your sibling game," Harry announced. "One person from each pair or trio gets asked a question, and your siblings have to answer. If they get it right, you get a point. Get it wrong - bad luck. Bonus points if siblings fail and someone else can get it right."

"How do we know if someone's cheating or not?" Tatum asks.

Harry shrugs.

"Someone's bound to know the answer; I'm sure they'll point it out."

She nods, and everyone agrees to the game.

"Okay, oldest sibling, you're up. Younger ones answer the question in relation to that person."

It ends up being Harry, Xander, Priya, George, Finn, Bailey, Wendy, Julia, Peter, William, Liam, Michael (I think), Vivian, Yvonne, Elijah, Tyrene, Tatum and Sasha being the oldest with everyone else answering.

"The first question," Harry starts. "Xandler, you don't get this I disown you. Middle name," he announces to the rest of the room.

"Liam," Xandler answers immediately.

Everyone goes down the line, saying their sibling's middle name. When it comes to the non-siblings, Harry changes the question to favourite Quidditch player.

The game continues as siblings rotate, testing how well they know each other. Bailey, Wyrene and I get every question right, but unfortunately, so do most of the others.

When it's my turn again, Harry announces the questions are going to get harder.

"What is your siblings favourite season? Bonus points for why."

I glance at my brother sister, hoping they can figure it out. Before we reach me, however, Xander stumps on Xinia.

"Oh, I know!" Anica, Ciena and I say at the same time. "Winter," we say together.

"Because she gets to wear jumpers and it snows," I add.

"Bonus point to Gena!" Harry calls.

I smirk at Anica and Ciena while Xander glares at me. Finally, it moves on to me.

"Fall," Bailey says. "Because it rains the most then."

"Correct," I grin.

"Why is that your favourite season?" George asks. "Rain sucks."

I shrug.

"I like it."

The game continues for at least fifteen more minutes before Harry declares me, Bailey and Wyrene the winners because we had also answered the questions for others.

"Congrats Dinnick's!" Harry grinned. "You win a plastic trophy!"

Everyone laughs as Harry hands me a small little trophy that had been painted gold. I hold it up like a true winner, Wyrene and Bailey either side of me. Everyone cheers and laughs at our win.

The rest of the night goes by pretty quickly and finally Anica, Xinia and I decide to leave when only a few people we don't know are left.

"That was a pretty good night," Xinia comments.

"Yeah, shame for it to end," Anica sighs.

"It doesn't have to," I smirk.

Anica's face lights up, and Xinia shakes away her disappointment at the thought of an adventure.

"Where are we gonna go?" Xinia asks in anticipation.

"Wherever the school leads us!" Anica mysteriously says as she trots off in front of us.

Xinia and I share a look before chasing after her.

Standing next to her, we rearrange ourselves into our regular walking positions; Anica, Xinia then me on the right.

Suddenly, my ears pick up someone walking towards us.

"Oi! Shh," I hiss. "Someone's coming."

I grab the two of them and pull them behind a statue of armour. We stay silent as one of the Prefects walks past us, unaware of us being very badly hidden.

Once he passes, we pull away from the statue. As I turn around, however, something on the armour catches my eye. I glance back at it, noticing something had been carved into the sword of the statue. I take a closer look, managing to make out the word 'squib'. I frown, inspecting the statue for any other marks.

"What've you found?" Anica asks.

I signal for her to look at the carving.

"Squib," she reads aloud. "Why would that be carved there?"

Xinia moves over to inspect it as well.

"I don't know," she answers. "But it's been carved over more than once."

"How can you tell?" I ask.

She points.

"There are small dents around it, and the word is much deeper than them. That suggests the letters have been gone over a few times."

"Only you would notice that," Anica shakes her head.

"Any ideas as to why it's there?" I ask.

"Well, let's see," Xinia says as she pulls out a small pocket knife.

A strangled sound leaves me.

"Okay," I choke. "Just casually pull out a knife. That's not terrifying at all."

Anica shakes a little, stepping away from Xinia.

"Why do you just have a knife?" she asks.

"No reason," Xinia shrugs. "Anyway, let's see what this does."

She brings her knife up against the armour and re-engraves 'Squib'. When Xinia takes the blade away, we watch in anticipation.

"Nothing's happening," Anica says impatiently.

"Really?" Xinia says sarcastically. "Just give it a minute."

We stand there quietly, waiting, but nothing happens.

"See, it didn't work!" Anica states.

"Shh, Mortan's coming back!" I whisper, having heard him muttering just then.

"What?" Anica asks.

"Mortan!" I repeat a little louder.

"I can't hear you," she says in annoyance.

"Mortan!" Xinia yells in frustration, and I wince a little as her voice makes my head pound.

At that moment, the armour turns to face us, and it's shield moves aside to reveal a hole in the wall behind it.

Unfortunately, the caretaker had heard Xinia's exclamation.

"Who's there?" Mortan calls out as he walks towards us.

"Quick!" Anica orders as she pushes us through the hole.

The passageway we crowd into is only just big enough to fit the three of us. Luckily the statue of armour jumps back into place, so Mortan walks right past us. We hold our breaths as we make sure he's gone, before looking around.

"Where do you reckon this goes?" Anica asks.

"Well seeing as it clearly has something to do with Mortan, I'm guessing his office," Xinia assumes.

"How do you know it has to do with Mortan?" Anica asks.

"He's the only Squib in the whole castle," Xinia answers.

"Do you reckon he knows about it?" I ask, starting down the passage.

"I doubt it," Xinia jogs a bit to catch up. "Considering the whole Squib thing."

Anica joins us as we turn a corner. The light that was just visible through the hole to the passageway fades as we do. I can still see fine, but I know Xinia will want some light, so I pull my wand out and cast Lumos.

"How did we get in here anyway?" Anica asks. "I mean, what prompted the statue to move."

"Probably that carving," I shrug.

"There was something else," Xinia points out. "It didn't open immediately. Took a bit before it moved."

"Yeah, speaking of, have you gone deaf Anica?" I ask.

"What?" she asks.

"We had to repeat Mortan three times before you heard us."

"That's it!" Xinia cries. "You carve Squib than say Mortan three times."

She smiles happily at figuring it out. I roll my eyes a little, turning to Anica. She holds her hands up in defence.

"You were whispering," she protests. "I couldn't hear you."

"Yeah, the point of whispering is to stay quiet," I glare at Xinia.

"Hey, without me we wouldn't have found out about the passage."

"Whatever," I roll my eyes just as we reach a stone door.

"Mortan's office, you say?" Anica wonders. "Let's find out, shall we?"

She reaches her hand out to open the door, but I slap it away.

"It's probably not a good idea to just burst in the door when he's in there," I explain.

"How do you know he's in there?"

I tap my ear, having heard him moving around as we approached the door.

"That's stone!" Xinia states. "How can you hear through that?"

I shrug.

"Some days my hearing's better than others. Today is one of my better days."

We wait by the door for sometime before I signal to the others that he's gone. I push the door open quietly, looking around just in case. Thankfully, neither Mortan nor his cat Miss Filch is present. I push the door completely open and beckon the others into the room.

Filing cabinets rest against the sides of the small room, and a small desk is placed against the back wall.

"Told you," Xinia declares. "Mortan's office."

"Thought that was obvious, considering I heard him moving," I comment.

Anica groans and pushes past us.

"Stop being a smart ass, Xin! Gean, stop being annoying," she complains.

"Fine, grumpy pants," Xinia mocks.

I roll my eyes before moving over to Anica. She's rifling through some of the drawers in the desk.

"Oi, what's that?" I spot something.

Anica stops rummaging through the papers and pulls out an old battered piece of parchment.

"I don't know," she examines it.

"What is an old piece of parchment doing in a drawer of old detention slips?" I wonder.

"No way," Xinia whispers as she snatches it off Anica.

"HEY!" Anica complains. "Finder's keepers!"

"First, what do you want with an old piece of parchment? Second, I found it, not you," I grab it off Xinia.

"Well, neither of you know what it is, so it should be mine," Xinia argues, snatching it back.

"Do you know what it is?" I retort.

"As a matter of fact, yes, I do," Xinia replies.

"Of course you do," Anica mutters.

Xinia ignores her, turning to the parchment. She mutters under her breath for a bit before pulling her wand out. She presses the tip of her wand to the parchment.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," she says confidently.

Anica and I watch in confusion as a faded black title appears on the parchment.

"Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs are proud to present the Marauders Map," I read.

I knit my eyebrows. They sound familiar.

"Who are the Marauders? And what are they doing with a map?" Anica asks.

"Wow, your stupidity is sinking to Nick and Dylan's level!" Xinia laughs. "Ok well first, Moony is Remus Lupin, Wormtail is Peter Pettigrew, Padfoot is Sirius Black and Prongs is James Potter," she begins to explain. "And this map is supposed to be an exact replica of Hogwarts. It shows where all the students and teachers are at any point, but it's a little out-dated."

"Wait, the Marauder's Map as in, the Marauders?" I ask.

Xinia nods and my mouth drops open as I look at the parchment in amazement. Xinia opens it out on the desk, and I notice lots of corridors and classrooms missing.

"Can we update it?" I ask.

"Maybe, but it might take a while," Xinia responds.

"How do you even know about this?" I ask. "I feel like this information wouldn't really be made public."

She shrugs.

"I read. Anyway, we can figure this out later in the Community Hall. For now, let's go before Mortan comes back."

We close the draw of papers before making our way back out through the passage. As we walk, Xinia taps the map with her wand.

"Mischief managed," she says.

I watch as the writing disappears and it returns to the blank, worn parchment.

"Sweet," I whistle.

As we approach the exit I listen to hear if the coast is clear.

"Let's go," I nod.

Anica touches the statue, and it moves out of the way. We creep out the gap then rush down the hallway and eventually end up at the statues of the founders.

"Should we go to the Hall or just call it a night?" Anica asks.

"Call it a night," I sigh. "It's pretty late. Plus, I feel like crap. I want to sleep it off."

They agree, so Xinia moves to pet Ravenclaw's eagle while Anica touches Slytherin's snake.

"You know I feel like this isn't much of a short cut," I comment as the statue moves aside.

"It's so you don't get caught," Xinia says. "Goodnight," she adds as she steps inside her passage.

"Night," we chorus, stepping into ours.

We follow the passage to the Common Room then make our way into our dormitory. I quickly change into my nightclothes before slipping into bed, sighing at the comfort of the mattress.

"Night," I whisper to Anica.

"Night."

Okay, so I know there's a lot of speculation about what happened to the Marauder's Map. Personally, I think James II would have stolen it from Harry at some point then gotten it taken off him during his years at Hogwarts. Seeing as this story is set way after James II would have graduated Hogwarts, I figure it's feasible these guys could find it.

I know this is pretty similar to the whole Marauder idea, but there is a lot of originality from my side, I believe, so I hope you don't think I'm trying to copy that or whatever. As I said at the beginning of this story, however, this idea is very loosely based off the concept of the Marauders, so I can't help a little similarity.

Anyway, I hope you're enjoying the story, and don't forget to leave a review.