Chapter 5: Meet and Greet

While the rest of the team showered and changed, Benito and Brodie were downstairs with the Holyhead Harpies' coach and Gwenog Jones at the post-match press conference. There'd been a request for Yana and Ginny to make appearances as the new players for either side, but Yana had instantly declined. The less she had to say in public, the better. Besides, the interest surrounding Ginny as a beautiful young Chaser dating The Boy Who Lived was far better gossip fodder. For that, Yana didn't envy her at all.

She had since changed from her team robes to a red tube top, denim jacket and black leather pants. The extra inches of her boots put her at equal height with Leo and Andrei, who walked side by side with her to the player's lounge, where they could greet family, friends and other VIPs in relative privacy. It didn't take long for her to spot her large group of relatives gathered by the window, who all shouted with excitement and mobbed her with hugs and kisses.

'Great job, Yan! Knew you'd win today!'

'Thanks, Uncle Nico.'

A young man with blue eyes identical to Yana's, kissed her on the cheek. 'Well done, sis. Proud of you.'

'Thanks, Tolly.'

'Jessie sends her apologies. Atticus has a fever.'

'Teething again? Poor thing. I'll come over and babysit soon.' she said.

A tall curvaceous woman with greying hair and a worried expression suddenly grabbed Yana and patted down her arms. 'Darling, are you okay? How's your nose? Let me see.'

Yana managed to pry the woman's hands away. 'I'm fine, Ma. Besides, Xandie inherited all the good looks, so you don't have to worry about my face.' she said, winking at her sister.

Another young man, who also looked similar to Yana, gave her waist a hard squeeze from behind her. 'You calling me ugly?'

'Hell yes.' Yana said, wriggling out of her brother's grip. Nearby, a young girl gasped in horror. 'Yiayia! Aunty Yana said a bad word!'

Yana's mother shook her head at her children in disapproval. 'She won't be saying much in future if she keeps taking bludgers to the face. Can I at least check…'

Yana dodged her mother's grasp again. 'Ma, it's not broken this time. Chill.'

A boy of about ten tugged on Yana's sleeve. 'Hey Yan, is that Madboy Madigan?' he whispered, nodding to Leo, who was chatting with Benjy and his brother.

Yana nodded. 'That's him. Would you like to say hi?'

The boy's eyes went wide as saucers. 'Can I?!' he gasped.

Yana got Leo's attention and waved him over.

'Leo, this is my cousin, Theo.'

'Rhymes with Leo. Good name.' said Leo, shaking the boy's hand. Theo lit up as if Christmas had come early. 'Do you like to play Quidditch too?'

Theo nodded eagerly. 'Yeah! And I'm going to try out for Seeker as soon as I get to Hogwarts this year!'

Leo chuckled and ran a hand through his shaggy hair. 'Setting goals already! I like it! Hogwarts doesn't usually take first-years, but you never know, kid. If Harry Potter could, maybe you can too. As long as you don't play as rough as your cousin.' he said with a sly wink to Yana.

'Nah, I want to be like her. Yana's tough.' Theo declared proudly.

Before Yana could add to the conversation, she was interrupted by another voice behind her.

.

'Hey, hey, velociraptor!'

Yana turned around, and her jaw dropped.

'What are you doing here?!' she squealed, 'Shouldn't you be seeing your sister?'

George Weasley laughed and pulled her into a hug. He was closely followed by Angelina Johnson, another one of her best friends from school, who pushed her boyfriend aside to steal Yana in her own hug.

'I'll see Ginny soon enough, we're doing dinner at Mum and Dad's.' said George. 'That was wicked playing today. Shame you had to win.'

'That's what they pay me for.' said Yana.

'You were brilliant.' Angelina added. 'I was cheering for you and Ginny the whole game. The people around us thought I was barmy.'

'You're dating George- that already makes you barmy.' Yana replied. 'It's so good to see you both. Thanks for stopping by.'

George grinned. 'No worries. Say, where's our old Gryffindor Captain? We were hoping to say hi.'

Yana looked around. 'Oliver? Don't know. I think he's around here somewhere.'

Angelina held Yana's hands in hers. 'It's been way too long since we caught up properly. Next night you've got free, let's do dinner at ours. We have a lot of catching up to do.'

'Sounds good. How about Thursday?' said Yana.

Angelina beamed. 'Brilliant! Only condition of entry is you bring dessert. Enough for four.' she added.

'Too easy.' said Yana.

George soon reappeared with Oliver, and a large party of former Gryffindor players who had come to see him and Ginny. They all shook Oliver's hand and clapped him on the shoulder, cheerfully oblivious to how he winced each time at the pain in his ribs.

By the time Yana's family had departed, and the stands had emptied, it was well past lunchtime. Her stomach growled furiously, having had nothing since her sugar-hit before the match. She remembered that Brodie had mentioned a team meal later on, but had no other details apart from that.

She found Wilda and Gareth back in the change-rooms.

'Hey, I was hoping you hadn't left yet.' said Wilda. 'Hungry?'

'Starving.' Yana replied.

…

The three of them soon arrived at The Gnarly Elm, a wizarding establishment hidden away in the centre of Dorchester. Wilda informed her that the pub was a regular haunt of both Puddlemere players and fans, and that the owner, Les, was a die-hard Puddlemere supporter. Many patrons had already gathered that morning to listen to the radio broadcast of the match, and a few still lingered, cheering when the trio appeared from the fireplace. They found the rest of their team and a few of the players partners in a private room around a large rectangular table. All the pent-up tension and energy from the morning's match had dissolved into easy talk and laughs as they tucked into their meals.

On one side of the table, Brodie was deep in conversation with Andrei and his fiancée, Mia. 'Daisy keeps asking Monique when she can see a game.' He was saying to them. 'She's only five. I don't know if her attention span will last that long.'

'It's also pretty violent at times.' Mia added.

'That's what Monique keeps saying.' Brodie sighed, rubbing a hand over his bald head. 'I don't know, this is stuff you guys won't have to worry about for a while. How's wedding planning going?'

'Getting there. The main problem's been how to get everyone over to the Czech Republic for the week of the wedding. And work out where they'll stay.' said Mia.

'So you decided on Prague?' said Brodie. 'Very swish.'

'There's too many of my family and friends to transport to England. And some of the older relatives are still wary of Britain since the War. They're so stubborn, I can't convince them otherwise.'

'Then we'll honeymoon in Malta, and be back home in time for pre-season training next year.'

Brodie clapped Andrei on the back. 'Let me tell you, mate, you'll be a much happier man when all the planning's over and you can just enjoy being married.'

On the other side of the table, Benjy was pressing Yana for details about her family. 'So Yana, that tribe in the players' lounge, were they all yours?' he asked.

'Mhm. That was maybe half of them.' she said through a mouthful of grilled duck.

Benjy whistled in surprise. 'Merlin's beard. Are you part rabbit or something?'

'If you want a crash course in Greek stereotypes, we tick most of the boxes.' she replied.

'I like them already.' said Leo, who sat next to her, drinking a Butterbeer.

'Have your family ever seen you play, Leo?' said Yana.

The Chaser shook his head. 'Nah, too many anti-Muggle protection spells for them to get into the stadium. They're not that interested, anyway.'

Something in his tone sent a pang through Yana's chest. For her, the support of her family was everything. The news of her transfer had hit them hard, as many of her Geordie relatives were life-long Arrows fans. But despite that, they'd supported her decision to move. Yana realised that behind Leo's playful demeanour, he probably didn't have much of a support network when it came to his Quidditch career. She made a mental note to introduce him to her brothers at the next match.

.

In the middle of the table, Oliver was animatedly discussing the World Cup with Wilda and Gareth.

'I've got high hopes for Wales this year.' said Gareth. 'Merlin knows, we've been waiting long enough to qualify.'

'True. I'm already betting Bulgaria will get to the finals again. They've been dominant for the last two world cups, and they flattened Japan last week in the international friendly.' Wilda added.

'I heard that Wales will be looking for a new Chaser next year. Reckon you'll try out, Wilda?' said Oliver curiously.

'Oh, I wish.' she groaned. Gareth kissed her on the head encouragingly.

'You could do it, darling. Means you wouldn't have to play with Benjy anymore. And if that's what you want, I'll support you all the way.' he teased, grabbing the Seeker's attention.

'Hey! It's not all about skill, y'know.' Benjy interjected. 'Apparently you've got to know the right people just to get a look in. But you're right, I reckon Wilda's in with a fair chance. Just don't go having kids anytime soon.' he said with a smirk, prompting glares from both Wilda and Gareth.

'I'm just holding out for the day Anita Fielding retires as England Seeker.' he continued.

'You'll be waiting a while, then.' Yana interrupted. 'Her contract finishes next year, but she's said privately she'll even negotiate a pay-cut just so she can stay on till the World Cup in two-thousand and six.'

Benjy looked at her, gobsmacked. 'How do you know that?' he asked.

'My housemate's her hairdresser. She gets more gossip than you do.' Yana replied.

Benjy hummed in thought as he swigged his drink. 'Sounds like my kind of person. Maybe you can set us up sometime, and then I can get the real scoop on you.'

'Trust me, there's not much to tell.' Yana insisted.

'Oh yeah? Well, what were those sour monstrosities you were downing in the change-room?' he said.

The corners of Yana's mouth turned up slightly. 'You mean the sweets you stole? Citrus bursts. They give me a hit before game time. Cheaper and safer than steroids.' she said, causing the others to choke on their drinks.

'You're not serious?' Benjy coughed.

'You'll never know.' Yana replied, standing up from her seat. 'Speaking of hard stuff, I'm getting another drink. Anyone want a refill?'

'Nah, we're good, thanks.' said Wilda.

.

Yana made her way to the bar in the main section of the pub, where several people were gathered around small tables and stools.

'One lime vodka, please.' she said to the barkeeper.

'Make that three.' said a gravelly voice behind her.

Yana's heart dropped into her stomach. Two men moved in on either side of her, standing uncomfortably close. The smell of cigarette smoke washed over her, making Yana want to gag. The wiry man on her right took off his black bowler hat, revealing pale grey eyes and a sleazy smile.

'Hello, Ms Vaso.'

Yana clucked her tongue. 'Anders. What an unpleasant surprise.' she said flatly. 'But if you'll excuse me, I've already-'

A strong hand closed around her arm and she felt the tip of a wand poke into her side. Both belonged to a large beefy wizard with beady eyes and no hair, save for a dark goatee. He too reeked of tobacco.

'Stay.' Anders breathed in her ear.

'Do I have a choice?' Yana muttered, trying to keep her tone even.

The man holding her arm squeezed her arm tighter.

'Gentle, Yuri.' Anders cautioned in a friendly tone. 'The young lady's just had a big Quidditch match. She needs to relax.'

Yuri released his grip on Yana's arm, but kept his wand pressed against her waist. While he and Anders took their drinks, Yana tried to steal a glance behind her to see if any of her teammates could see her.

Anders clucked his tongue mockingly. 'Now, now, Ms Vaso, so eager to leave? We have important matters to discuss.'

'We have nothing to discuss.' Yana replied hotly, avoiding his eyes.

'You did well today, considering all the drama you've had in the last few months, changing clubs and whatnot. How's your father?' Anders said casually.

The knot in Yana's stomach tightened. 'None of your business.'

Anders frowned, as if her words had physically hurt him. 'On the contrary, Ms Vaso, as one of our clients, we care greatly for his welfare.'

Yana snorted. 'Really? I don't remember seeing you at his trial.'

Anders swirled his drink around, twirling the straw in his fingers. 'My apologies. Business kept me away. I am deeply sorry about the whole situation. It must be so hard on your family.'

The bile in Yana's throat rose as Anders placed a leathery hand over hers. Every fibre of her being screamed to run away, but she was still trapped by Yuri. 'What do you want, Anders?'

Anders sighed, taking another sip of his drink. 'The fact of the matter is that debts still need to be paid, Ms Vaso, and we cannot wait forever. I was thinking that in your father's unfortunate absence, we could enter into an arrangement.'

'We being…?'

'You in particular. With your connections to the elite in the Quidditch world, and so much at stake with your reputation, I thought you'd be easier to approach than… certain other members of you family.'

'Easier to blackmail, you mean?' Yana spat back. 'I don't think so.'

On the contrary, Ms Vaso. I'm not just in the business of collecting debts. Secrets are incredibly valuable. And I know how fiercely you guard your private life. What a shame it would be if The Daily Prophet suddenly let slip about the rest of your father's misdeeds... the reason for your grandparents' sudden retirement... your previous relationship?'

Yana froze. Slowly, she reached for her lime vodka and took a long sip, grimacing at the burning sensation in her throat. It gave her the right amount of confidence, paired with the surging adrenaline in her system to finally make a move.

'Go to hell.' she hissed, throwing her drink into Yuri's face, and smashing the empty glass over Anders' head. It was a petty move, considering she'd been on the receiving end of the same tactic at the ball a few weeks earlier, but it gave her enough time to reach for her wand and make a run for the back room.

She heard the men behind her growl in anger, and dodged a spell casting a net that missed her by inches. The other bar patrons all turned towards the commotion. Anders wiped the bleeding cut from his forehead and clucked his tongue again.

'That was foolish, Ms Vaso. Any more of this childish behaviour and I'll dob you in to your mother. Maybe she'll be more receptive to my company, especially now that she's all alone and-'

BANG! Anders and Yuri were thrown backwards to the other side of the room, landing hard against the wall and breaking a window in the process. The room fell silent.

Yuri got up unsteadily and pulled out his wand to attack, but Yana was too quick, disarming him and catching his wand with ease. She raised her own wand again.

'Petrificus totallis!' she cried, putting them in a frozen body-bind.

'ENOUGH!' a man roared. All eyes turned to Les the barkeeper, puffed up and red-faced in anger. 'I will not tolerate fighting in my establishment! Take it outside- now.'

Yana quickly lowered her wand. 'We're done. It won't happen again.' she said meekly.

'It better not.' the barkeeper growled. 'Don't matter how good your team is in the air, I won't hesitate to kick you out.'

'She said it won't happen again, Les.' said Brodie, who had appeared behind her with the rest of the team by the door. 'It's over.' He grabbed Yana's shoulder and steered her back to their booth. Their company were all standing by the door, looking concerned.

'Are you alright?' Wilda asked.

'Who were those men?' said Leo.

Brodie folded his arms sternly. 'Explain yourself.' He looked every bit the disapproving father right now.

Yana shrugged. 'It's nothing, just an ongoing disagreement. I didn't know they'd show up here.'

Brodie frowned. 'You just attacked two people in public, Yana. Benito's not going to be happy when he finds out.' he said.

Yana swallowed hard at the thought of being in trouble with her new coach. 'Then I'll explain myself to him when he does. I'm sorry guys, I should go.'

She left before the others could argue with her, feeling everyone's eyes on her as she entered the bar again. She approached Les the barkeeper and pulled a handful of Galleons from her jacket, sliding them across the bar-top.

'That's for the window.' she said quietly. She walked right past Anders and Yuri, who were still frozen on the floor, and slammed the door behind her.

.

The air was cooler outside now that dusk was falling. The street outside was bustling as Muggles around her emerged for their Saturday night fun, but all she could hear was the click of her boots on the pavement, and the sound of her heart pounding in her ears.

'Hey Vaso! Vaso, wait up!' someone called behind her. Yana quickened her pace, but the second time she heard the voice, she recognized the Scottish brogue, and stopped at the street corner. Oliver Wood jogged up to her, wheezing slightly.

Yana turned around and put her hands in her pockets. 'If you're here to lecture me, Wood, I'm really not in the mood.'

'I wasn't- I mean, I'm not.' he puffed. 'I'm here to walk you home.'

'What?'

'Let me walk you home.' he repeated.

She crossed her arms. 'Did Sol put you up to this?'

'No.' Oliver said a little too quickly. Yana narrowed her eyes and held his gaze. Oliver's jaw twitched. 'Maybe.' he mumbled sheepishly.

Yana sighed and ran a hand through her messy hair. 'Look, its fine, I'm apparating. Besides, you should be resting.' she said.

'And you should know better than to take off alone after getting into a bar fight.' he shot back.

Yana frowned. 'I'm a big girl, Oliver. I don't need someone to hold my hand.' She turned away from him and stepped out onto the road, only to be violently pulled back onto the footpath by Oliver. It was only then that she saw the oncoming car, which braked violently just in time. The driver honked angrily and yelled some obscenity, before taking off around the corner. It all happened so quickly, that Yana didn't realise she was shaking, and that Oliver was still clutching her tightly.

'You okay?' he said.

It took a moment for the words to register in Yana's brain. It was like she'd forgotten how to think. 'Yeah. Thanks.' she gulped.

Oliver stared at her with a glint in his eyes. 'What was that about not needing someone to hold your hand?' he said.

Immediately, she let go of his hand, which was softer than she'd expected for someone who played a ball sport for a living. It may have been shock or embarrassment, but she felt her face get hot.

'Look, I really should get going.' she said nervously, looking both ways this time before crossing the road. And like a magnet, Oliver caught up and fell into step right beside her.

'Let me come with you.' he insisted. 'I'm not sure I trust you on your own right now.'

'I thought you didn't trust me at all.' she muttered under her breath.

Now it was Oliver's turn to huff. He stopped in his tracks. 'You're unbelievable, you know that? It's like you want people to hate you.' he said hotly.

Yana stopped and turned to face him. 'It's not hard when people like you are in my face with questions all the time.'

'Because no one knows anything about you.' he exclaimed.

'So what? I'm your colleague, not your pen-pal.' she snapped back.

'Is that all Quidditch is to you?' Oliver exclaimed. 'A game with no comradery? What happened to the whole making friends' thing?'

Their voices were both raised now, causing a few passers-by to stare at them as they argued. Yana realised she was in danger of causing another scene, and she had no idea who else was watching. No doubt word had already spread of the incident at the bar.

She sighed and wrapped her arms around her waist as a gust of wind swept down the street. 'Look, Oliver, I did my job today, I've celebrated our victory. And right now, I'm tired and want to go home. Can we argue another time, please?'

Her sudden surrender caught Oliver by surprise. Looking at her closely under the glow of the streetlights, he saw a hint of pleading in her eyes. He sighed and put his hands up in a mutual gesture of surrender.

'Alright. But at least give me the peace of mind to walk you home, so I know you won't get into any more trouble.'

With a reluctant nod, Yana allowed him to walk alongside her. Turning into the dark laneway at the next corner, Oliver held out his arm for Yana to put around his. Closing her eyes, she tried to ignore the fresh scent of his aftershave, and focused on where she wanted to go.

.

.

They landed in the middle of an empty sporting field under the glow of a floodlight.

Oliver blinked, gaining his bearings. 'Where are we?'

'Barrowman's Bay. Near Sunderland. This way.' said Yana, walking straight past him. Oliver power-walked to keep pace with her.

'Bit far from work.' he observed.

Yana shrugged. 'My housemates and I wanted somewhere between Newcastle and London. This is a good fit.'

'You don't normally apparate to your house?' he asked.

'This is a Muggle neighbourhood, so I try to come and go through our front gate as much as possible, for appearance sake.' she explained. They turned a corner and walked down a quiet street of terraces, until they came to a stop outside a pale yellow house with the number twenty-seven written on the letterbox. 'This is me.' Yana said.

Oliver glanced up and nodded approvingly. 'Nice. Looks a bit like my place. But with better-looking gnomes.' he said, indicating the ceramic figurines in front garden.

Yana looked to him with curiosity. 'Real gnomes or garden statues?'

'My landlady's an older witch, so they're the real thing. Bloody nuisances.' he said.

They were interrupted by the sound of a door opening and closing nearby. A young man with a brown ponytail, wearing hospital scrubs walked out of the house next door, whistling a tune. He stopped when he saw Yana and Oliver, and gave a friendly wave.

'Hey, Yana. Hi there.' he said, nodding to Oliver, who nodded back.

Yana gave a little wave. 'Hey, Andrew. Night shift?'

'Yeah, all nights this week. I've got a new book for you.'

Yana gave him a hint of a smile. 'Thanks. I'll come by tomorrow afternoon?'

He smiled back at her. 'Sounds good. See you round.'

The two Quidditch players watched him get in an old blue car and drive off down the street. She put her hands in her pockets as she turned back to Oliver. 'The guys next door are in a share-house too. All Muggles. They're nice neighbours.'

Every little piece of information she shared left him even more befuddled than before. He hadn't been expecting a pureblood like Yana to live somewhere so normal, let alone integrated with Muggles. 'Right.' he said, unable to think of anything else. They stood in silence for a while, before Yana cleared her throat.

'Well… I think I can find the front door from here. Thanks for earlier. Um, take care of those ribs.'

Oliver cleared his throat too. 'Yeah. Ta. Um, goodnight.' he mumbled, watching Yana walk down the garden path, and let herself in. With a pop, he disapparated home, head spinning over the enigma he'd just accompanied home.

...

...

Sunday was intended to be a lazy morning. Because they'd played on a Saturday, Yana had the following day off to recuperate, before reviewing the match and resuming training on Monday. Her body ached and her mind felt cloudy as she dragged herself down the stairs and into the kitchen, dressed in an overlarge t-shirt and yoga pants. Her housemate Mei was reading a book on the couch, a steaming cup of tea beside her.

'Morning.' Yana mumbled, reaching for a box of cereal.

'Good morning to you too.' Mei said. 'Sounds like your night was more eventful than your game.'

Yana spilled the box on the counter.

'What did you hear?' she said.

'Nothing in particular. But your mother called earlier. She didn't sound happy.' Mei said.

Yana groaned and ran her hands through her tangled hair, causing Mei to turn from the couch.

'What did you do?' she asked.

'You'll find out soon enough.' Yana muttered. She stumbled to the fireplace, threw in a handful of floo powder and called out the name of her family's house.

'Ma? Mama, are you there?'

'YANA XANTHE VASOKOPOULOUS!'

She winced at the sudden shriek. 'Hi.' she said meekly.

'What were you thinking?!' Sophia Vaso exclaimed, still in her dressing gown and holding up the weekend edition of The Daily Prophet. 'Getting into bar-fights?! So much for your low profile. I know you won yesterday, darling, but drunken brawling is not the way to celebrate!'

'I wasn't drunk, Ma. Besides, it was two-on-one and was over in ten seconds.' Yana said casually.

'I don't care how many there were! What has gotten into you?' Sophia said with exasperation.

'He had me cornered. He threatened our family- what was I supposed to do?' Yana exclaimed.

Her mother's face scrunched up, in a manner not too different from Yana's. 'Wait, what are you talking about? Darling, who threatened you?'

'Vincent Anders and one of his cronies.'

Yana's mother went quiet for a while. 'What did they want?'

'To ask about Papa. They want him to pay back the rest of the debts.'

Sophia huffed, another trait Yana had inherited from her. She lowered her newspaper, suddenly looking weary. 'They've already taken enough from us. What more do they want?'

'Ma, they don't care about the house or the business, they just want their money back. But Anders threatened to visit you. I don't know if he said it just to get a rise out of me, but it worked. I think you should lay low for a while, just in case. Don't staff the shop alone, and keep Ptolemy or Auntie Tina in the loop when you go out. The house should be safe.'

Sophia narrowed her eyes. 'You've charmed the house already, haven't you?'

'No.' Yana said as she chewed her cereal.

'Don't lie to me. My gnomes have been bouncing off the garden fence all morning.' Sophia said.

Yana looked down at the floor sheepishly. 'I'm just trying to keep you safe.' she whispered.

Her mother crossed her arms. 'Well you can start by not getting into duels whenever someone rubs you the wrong way. I raised you better than that.'

'And Papa raised me to stand up for our family.'

'And look what a fine job he did of that.' her mother spat.

Yana recoiled. She felt like she'd been punched in the gut. 'Mama…'

'Darling, we're not discussing this anymore. Just promise me no more fist-fights.'

'It wasn't a fist-fight, Ma. I need my hands for work, remember?'

'Yana Xanthe…' Sophia growled.

'Alright, alright. I promise.' Yana sighed, raising her hands in surrender. 'I'll see you at dinner tonight.'

.

She got up from the hearth, and slumped onto a chair at the kitchen table. Mei joined her and put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder.

'Are you alright?'

'Why do I do anything? Just why?'

Her housemate frowned. 'Don't be like that. I'm sure you'll work things out.'

In the distance, there was the rustling of feathers, and an owl dropped two letters onto the kitchen counter. Mei got up to take them, and walked back to the table.

'They're for you.' she announced, suddenly dropping one of the envelopes like a hot coal. 'Oh no.'

'What?' Yana looked at the letters on the table, and her heart sank. One of the envelopes was bright red. It was a Howler. Mei retreated into the kitchen and opened the pantry door to shield herself. The envelope shuddered and levitated, unfolding to open its mouth and projecting the angry voice of one Dante Luis Benito.

'Yana Vaso, what do you have to say for yourself?! I just talked to Brodie after reading The Prophet and am extremely disappointed in you! Don't make me regret signing you on, young lady! Trust me when I say you won't be getting off scot-free for this!'

The letter hissed and tore itself up before bursting into flames over the table. Mei poked her head out from the pantry.

'Is it over?' she whispered.

'Yep. I think that's the worst of it.' Yana said, opening the other envelope gingerly. 'Ah, never mind.' she groaned, reading the contents of the letter.

Dear Ms Vaso,

Following reports of your unruly behaviour yesterday evening, we request that you present yourself to management headquarters at 1pm this afternoon to discuss your actions and corresponding punishment. Please reply by owl confirming your arrival before this time.

Regards,

Philbert Deverill,

Puddlemere United Manager.

'Because that's exactly how I want to spend my day off.' said Yana, dropping her head on her arms over the table.

There was a loud yawn, which signalled Gwen's emergence from her bedroom.

'What's going on? I heard shouting.'

'Yana got a Howler. She got in trouble from last night.' Mei explained.

'Ooh, what kind of trouble?' said Gwen.

'Not that kind. The Prophet will tell you everything you need to know.' said Yana. She grabbed her stack of letters and stomped to the stairs. 'I'm going to write back and prepare for my fate.'

'But you haven't eaten!' Mei called behind her.

No sooner had she said this, the fridge opened by itself, and a bottle of orange juice flew towards Yana, who caught it with her other hand.

'I'm six-point-two. It's fine!' she called back, and marched into her room, leaving behind two perplexed housemates.