C H A P T E R E I G H T
T H E
E N C O U N T E R
The next day came quicker than it was supposed to. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Rachel quickly ate breakfast and stuffed their bags with food and drink for Sirius.
"What's the rush?" Seamus asked, his mouth full.
"We were just getting ready to go to Hogsmeade." Rachel answered.
"But we leave in half an hour!"
"Well…"
"Why are you bringing food? Can't you eat in the Three Broomsticks?"
"Yeah, but… They don't serve this food, and we really love it."
"Oh, yeah?" Seamus asked suspiciously.
"Yeah. Don't worry about us. We'll take care of ourselves. Okay?" Rachel said. "Yeah, okay." Seamus agreed, confused.
"Right, now let's go." Rachel said sternly.
"Okay." Ron replied just as sternly. He closed his bag and started toward the entrance hall. The others followed.
Suddenly, Jill appeared. "Hi, guys! What are you doing?"
"Nothing." Ron answered. He took Jill in his arms and held her close.
"We're waiting for the carriages." Harry said.
"They don't come for another half hour." Jill replied.
"So we've heard." Hermione muttered.
"Then come on! We'll wait outside!" Jill suggested.
"Okay." Ron agreed. He pulled on his cloak and stepped out into the cold December air. The others weren't close behind.
Harry, Ron, Rachel, Jill, and Hermione trudged out onto the grounds. There was a blanket of snow on the grass.
"It's funny. We would have been to Hogsmeade twice already." Hermione said. "Wonder why we've been delayed."
Harry just shrugged his shoulders and leaned against a tree.
"Hey, look at them." Hermione said, pointing across the grounds at a group of Slytherins that included Draco, Parvati, and Pansy. "What are they doing out here?"
"Same reason we are, I guess." Ron suggested.
"No," Hermione replied. "They're doing something. It looks like they're making a list, or something."
"I'll go check it out." Harry stated. He walked out of sight. Soon, a large white stag appeared.
"What does he think he's doing?" Rachel asked.
"Checking them out, like he said." Jill answered. "Look."
"Where?"
"There." Jill pointed to an area of snow that was moving. Moving?
Ron rubbed his eyes and stared harder at the shifting piece of snow.
"It's Harry." Jill blurted out impatiently. "Can't you guys comprehend anything?"
It was Harry. He was lying as close to the ground as a stag could go. He blended in perfectly with the new-fallen snow. He was inching closer and closer to the Slytherins.
Hermione's right. They're making some sort of list. Harry's voice said in Hermione, Ron, Rachel, and Jill's heads. He was using Thought-Speak.
"See?" Hermione gloated smugly. "I new it."
I can't see what it says, but I can hear them. Malfoy's talking about something being activated again, and he's mentioning you, Hermione.
A mix of terror, confusion, and excitement splashed across Hermione's face. "What are they saying about me?" she asked Rachel, who shrugged her shoulders.
Malfoy's saying something about you being the first to go. Harry answered Hermione's question. And Patil's like, 'Great, I can't wait! When are we going to do it?' and Malfoy said, 'Soon, soon.' It's weird. I'm worried. He started inching back to the group.
"Hurry up!" Rachel yelled to him. "We're going to be late! I want to meet…" She looked sideways at Jill. "Snuffles!"
I'm coming, I'm coming. He reached a safe distance from the Slytherins and transformed back human. The carriages to bring the students to Hogsmeade pulled up to the gates. "Come on." Harry said as he got up, grabbed his bag, and started walking over to a carriage. The others followed.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Jill climbed into one of the beautiful horse-less carriages. Since the carriages could only fit four students, Rachel had to go in another one with Tobias, Jake, and Cassie.
"So, who's Snuffles?" Jill asked once they got settled.
The others looked around at each other. "Should we tell her?" Hermione whispered to Harry, who was sitting beside her.
"Yeah, I guess so. I mean he's not dangerous. He's my godfather. I suppose any friend of mine is a friend of his."
"Unless that friend is a paranoid blabbermouth and tells the whole village about him." Hermione added.
"I think she'll be okay." Ron said, giving a very confused Jill a hug.
"You think?" Harry asked. "We'll she's your girlfriend and your responsibility."
"Okay, okay, okay. I'm my own responsibility and I can take care of myself." Jill blurted out. "Just tell me, who is Snuffles?"
"Alright, you asked for it." Harry warned. He then launched into the story of Sirius and Wormtail. By the time he finished, with Ron and Hermione interrupting him at some points, they were at Hogsmeade.
"So your godfather is a criminal?" Jill reviewed as the four stepped out of the carriage at the beginning of High Street, the main street that runs through Hogsmeade.
"For the last time, he is not a criminal!" Harry complained.
"Oh. He's not? Then why'd he kill all those Muggles and poor Peter Pettigrew?"
Harry let out a sigh of frustration. "He did not kill Pettigrew; and he did not kill all those Muggles."
"Then who did?"
"Peter."
"So Peter's not dead?"
"No."
"But we would be better off if he was." Ron added, nodding his head.
Jill gave him an infuriated look. "What do you mean 'we would be better of if he was'?"
"It's a long story."
"But anyway, if Peter isn't dead, then why did they find only his finger and nothing more?"
Harry let out another sigh. "Because he cut it off."
"Sirius?"
"No, Wormtail!"
"Who?"
"Pettigrew!"
"Why?"
"To frame Sirius because Pettigrew was working for You-Know-Who. And You- Know-Who killed Harry's parents. Sirius was their Secret-Keeper; you know what that is, right? It's someone who keeps someone else's deepest, darkest secret and swears never to reveal it. But Sirius persuaded Harry's parents to change their Secret-Keeper to Wormtail at the last minute. But then Wormtail told You-Know-Who the Potters' secret and then You-Know-Who killed them." Rachel rambled on. She had joined the little group. "So, let's go."
"This is confusing." Jill whined.
"Hey, that's my line!" Ron exclaimed.
"Don't worry, Jill. You'll get the whole story told to you again when we get to the mountain." Hermione said, pointing to a mountain at the end of High Street.
The five friends started walking down the quaint road, occasionally stopping to look in some of the shops' windows, but never going in, because Harry wouldn't allow it.
"I want to see my godfather!" He complained when the others whined about not being able to buy items.
Soon, they were at the stile at the end of the road.
"Where are we going?" Jill asked. "This is the end of Hogsmeade. Dervish and Banges is right there, and that's the last store!"
"You'll see." Harry said quite impatiently.
They began to climb the mountain, stumbling a little bit because of their heavy bags packed with food.
"Man, where does this guy live?" Rachel asked.
"My feet hurt!" Jill whined. "Roooon!"
"Aw, quit bellyaching, we're almost there." Ron snapped, annoyed.
"But Ron!"
"Shush!" Ron quickened his pace and caught up to Harry, who was leading the way. "You're lucky. Look what I got stuck with for a girlfriend."
"I heard that." came Jill's voice from the end of the line.
Harry chuckled. "Yeah. I am lucky." He glanced backward at Hermione, who was talking to Rachel intently. "Aren't I?" He said with a warm smile on his face. Ron rolled his eyes and dropped back to put up with Jill.
After a few minutes, but what seemed like an eternity to Ron, they reached Sirius's cave.
"Are we here yet?" Jill cried as they entered the damp cave.
"Hi, Sirius!" Harry exclaimed. He ran over to where Sirius was sitting. He plopped his bag at Sirius's feet and gave Sirius a big hug. "I missed you!"
"I missed you too." Sirius responded in his gruff, yet warm, voice.
Sirius looked like he had had a haircut. His once shaggy, long black hair was now cut shorter, like the picture Harry had of him at his parents' wedding. He still had those dark eyes with dread in them from being in Azkaban for thirteen years. But they looked a little livelier, like Sirius was happier. His face was still quite gaunt, but fuller.
"Hello, Sirius." Hermione greeted. "We brought food."
"And lots of it!" Ron tacked on as he shook Sirius's hand.
"Ah, you must be Rachel! Harry's told me about you!" Sirius said as he stood up to greet Rachel. His eyes scanned all of the students. "Who's this?" He asked, looking at Jill.
"Um, she's Jill. My, uh, girlfriend." Ron explained.
"Oh, okay. Any friend of Ron's is a friend of mine!"
"Told ya." Harry said to Hermione.
"And, speaking of girlfriends," Sirius started.
"We're going out." Hermione butted in. She took Harry's arm. "You know, a couple."
Sirius stared at Harry and Hermione for an awkward moment, and then started again. "Yes, good choice, Harry. She's not half bad."
Harry and Hermione blushed. "Thanks." Harry muttered sheepishly.
"Anyway, like I was saying. I want you to meet… Joanne Rawling. She's my sweetheart."
At that, a middle-aged woman stepped out of the shadows. She had green eyes that could rival Harry's, and short, light, strawberry-blonde hair. She had a happy expression on her face.
Rachel stared at her. "Aunt Joanne?"
"Rachel?" Joanne whispered back. "Hi! I haven't seen you in ages. Look how much you've grown! Quite the woman, too. I hear you've picked yourself up a boyfriend already, huh?"
"Yeah." Rachel sighed. "How'd you know?"
"Well, Jake can write to his own mother, can't he?"
"Yeah, I guess. Well, these are my friends. Harry Potter…"
"Oh, Sirius has told me all about you!"
"Yeah. I guess." Harry smiled.
"And this is his chick, Hermione Granger…"
"Your generation picks up partners quick, don't you?"
"Yeah. Quick." Hermione was beaming. Harry wasn't sure if it was because of meeting Joanne, or because Rachel called her his chick.
"This is Ron Weasley…"
"Oh, hello, Ron. I've met your father and your big brother, you know. I work at the Ministry, too."
"Yeah." Ron muttered.
"And Jill Broomscuttle, Ron's girlfriend."
"Hello, Jill. My, you have some nice friends, Rachel!"
"Yeah."
Jill looked at the floor. She was obviously discouraged about not being called a 'chick' by Rachel. "What does Hermione have that I don't?" She thought.
"Jill, cut it out. Don't get worked up over a name." Ron had read her expression. "If Rachel won't call you a chick, than I will, Chick." He gave Jill a kiss.
That definitely lightened Jill up, for she began to talk again. "Oh, it's so beautiful! What's his name?" Everyone looked around to see what Jill was talking about.
Over in the corner Buckbeak, the magnificent hippogriff, was pawing the ground impatiently with his claw.
"Oh! Sorry, Beaky. We totally forgot about you." Harry apologized. He bowed low to the ground and waited for Buckbeak's response. Finally, he bent his scaly knees in a bow to Harry, who proceeded to stroke Buckbeak's feathery neck.
Buckbeak was a giant hippogriff. He had the front of a huge eagle. His head was gray and ended in a menacing hooked beak; his eyes were penetrating and unblinking. His front legs were huge claws with strong talons. His back half was that of a horse. The tough but silky hide was dappled gray. His long tail swished around as the others bowed to him. The hooves that were his hind legs pawed the ground, leaving marks in the dirt.
"I love him." Jill whispered as she patted Buckbeak's head. Ron looked sulky. "Not that kind of love!" Everyone laughed.
"So, what have we got here?" Sirius wondered as he opened Harry's bag. "Chicken!"
"We didn't have chicken at breakfast." Rachel said.
"Hermione and I made a quick visit to the kitchens before we left." Harry answered.
"Oh, I've never been to the kitchens!" Rachel shouted out.
"We'll take you once we get back." Hermione said.
"Speaking of kitchens," Ron started. He looked over at Sirius, who was diving into his fourth chicken leg. "How's Winky?"
"She's fine. Totally forgot about Crouch. She's just as happy as Dobby." Harry answered.
"Actually," Hermione added. "She was the first to meet us when we got down there."
"That's great." Ron said. "There's pumpkin juice in my bag, Sirius." Sirius had been scraping around in Harry's bag for something to drink.
"And there's bread and bacon in mine." Hermione added.
"Great! Want some, honey?" Sirius asked Joanne.
"Sure." She began to eat along with Sirius, who was tossing scraps to Buckbeak.
"Do you guys go down to the village?" Jill asked.
"Sure." Sirius answered. "I go as a dog, and Joanne pretends to be my owner."
"I live right near here. I come here almost every day." Joanne added.
"Yeah, so Sirius, you said you had some news for me in your letter." Harry said.
"Oh, yeah. I've heard that there are some weird things happening around here. People are disappearing. Out of thin air."
"Like Bertha Jorkins?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah, kind of. But these people are disappearing right out of their homes, out of work. I've even heard tell of this guy who disappeared right in the middle of a bath. And I don't like it. Last time something like this happened, Voldemort wasn't to far behind it."
At the mention of Voldemort's name, everyone but Harry flinched.
"Where'd all this happen?" Rachel asked.
"In Little Hangleton."
"You mean where You-Know-Who's father lived?" Ron asked.
"Yeah. And the nearby city, Great Hangleton."
"Oh, that's not too far from here." Hermione stated.
"Yeah, and It worries me. You remember what happened last time something mysterious happened in Little Hangleton, right?"
"Yeah, Voldemort came to Hogwarts." Harry answered. Again everyone flinched, but Sirius kept still.
"Exactly." Sirius said gravely. "And that's why I want you all to keep your eyes peeled and watch your backs. Don't go out at night, stay with each other, and don't stray out of bounds."
"Alright. We won't." Harry agreed.
"Good, now let's talk about happier things. So, Harry tells me your big brother's getting married."
"Yeah." Ron answered quietly. "Tuesday."
"Really?" Joanne asked. "Great! I'll have to come! What time?"
"Seven."
"Great, I'll make arrangements."
"Yes. Now tell me about Quidditch." Sirius instructed. Jill looked down at the floor.
"Well, I'm Captain." Harry said.
"Really?" Joanne asked. "What House?"
"Gryffindor."
"Great! I was in Hufflepuff when I was a kid."
"Yeah, well I'm Chaser!" Hermione said importantly.
"I still don't get how you, Hermione Helen Granger, could hop on a broom and get up there." Sirius confessed with a chuckle.
"Well, it's not really that hard." Hermione answered sheepishly. "All you have to do…"
"I know. I was Gryffindor Keeper back in my day."
"Cool! Maybe you can give us some pointers." Harry said.
"Sure."
"I'm a Beater." Ron said matter-of-factly.
"And I'm another Chaser." Rachel said.
"We start practice tomorrow morning at seven. Why don't you come?" Harry asked.
"Sure!" Joanne agreed.
"Wonderful! Wonderful!" Sirius exclaimed. "And what about you, Jill?"
Jill looked down. "I'm not on the team."
"Oh, that's too bad." Joanne comforted Jill.
"Yeah. Hey, how about you can be on our team?" Sirius suggested.
"Huh?" Jill asked.
"Our sideline team! We can cheer on the others!"
"Yeah, that's a great idea!"
"Great!" Joanne said. "That makes our team a threesome!"
"I'm sure Jake will want to be on it too!" Harry said.
"Yeah. Team Sideliner is building up. Two more people and we can be our own Quidditch team!" Jill exclaimed. She was much happier.
"Yeah. What do you say we all take a walk down to the village." Sirius suggested.
"Good idea." Ron said. "Let's go!"
The seven of them started down the mountain, heading for Hogsmeade. Sirius was in his dog form, of course. Joanne held a leash that was attached to a collar around Sirius's neck.
Finally, they reached the foot of the mountain. They walked out onto High Street.
"Hey! Rachel! I was looking all over for you!" Tobias yelled as he ran up to Rachel from outside Dervish and Banges. "Where were you?" He asked softly as he rocked Rachel back and forth in his arms.
"I was just, um, meeting up with my Aunt Joanne."
"Mom?" Jake asked. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, ever since your dad and I got divorced, I've been coming here to be with my friends. I gets lonely all my myself, you know."
"Yeah. Who's that?" Jake asked, pointing at Sirius.
"I haven't told you? This is Vega, my new companion. I bought him here at the Magical Menagerie."
The manager of the Magical Menagerie poked his head out of the door. "Oh, hello, Mrs. Rawling. Nice dog. Where did you get him?"
"Funny." Jake said. "He doesn't seem to remember you buying Vega from him."
Joanne smiled nervously. "Yeah, must have forgot."
"Yeah."
Ask them about the Sideliners. Sirius said in Jill's mind.
"Oh yeah. Since you we're not on the Quidditch team, Joanne and I thought we could make up our own team, the Sideliners. You know, a cheering squad for Gryffindor. You want to join?"
"Okay." Jake said.
"Great." Jill said in a businesslike tone. "Meet Joanne and I at the Quidditch pitch tomorrow morning at seven o'clock."
"In the morning?" Jake whined.
"Yes."
"Man, I can't do that."
"Well, you'll have to."
"Great."
"It's all part of being a Sideliner."
"Uh-huh. Sure."
I'm hungry.
"You're always hungry." Harry whispered to Sirius. "Joanne, I think Vega is hungry."
"Already? He just ate!"
"I know."
"Let's stop in at the Three Broomsticks." Hermione suggested.
"Yeah. I'm kind of hungry myself." Ron said.
"Sorry, guys. I can't. I have to buy myself a broom. You don't think I could play Quidditch on a Cleansweep, do you?" Rachel said.
"Yeah, I have to get one, too." Ron said sadly.
"Me too." Hermione added. "We'll be back soon." The three headed off to Quality Quidditch Supplies.
"I guess it's just us then." Joanne said. Her, Harry, Jill, Sirius, Tobias, Cassie, and Jake walked into the Three Broomsticks.
"Okay, tell me the truth." Cassie said sternly once Madam Rosmerta seated them at a huge table near the back of the pub with everybody else staring at them.
"Why, whatever do you mean?" Joanne asked.
"I know that's not a real dog." Cassie said, pointing to Sirius.
Joanne, Harry, and Jill smiled nervously. "No, he's quite real." Harry said, poking Sirius. Sirius yelped.
Hey, watch it!
"Sorry."
"No, he's an animagus, or something. I just know it." Cassie pressed.
"No, he's-"
Might as well tell them, we're attracting a crowd.
"All right." Harry launched yet again into Sirius's story.
After five minutes and three glasses of butterbeer, Harry finished his tale.
"So let me get this straight, Sirius-" Cassie started.
"Yes." Harry cut him off. He was getting tired of talking about Sirius.
Just then, Ron, Hermione, and Rachel entered and sat down at the table. "Hi guys." Ron greeted happily.
"What are you so happy about?" Jake asked.
"My new broom."
"What, you've finally gotten the Cleansweep Six you've always wanted?" Came a vicious voice behind Harry. He whipped around to see who said it.
"Malfoy." He whispered. "What are you doing here?"
"Seeing what you losers are up to."
"Go away." Jill said.
"Ha! You expect that to work?"
Jill blushed. "Well…"
"So what broom did you get, Weasley?" Parvati asked. She wasn't too far behind Draco.
Ron just stared at the pair.
"Too embarrassed to tell us, are you?"
"Than what did you two get?" Draco asked Hermione and Rachel.
"Well, we got--" Rachel muttered.
"Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones!" Hermione shouted.
Draco looked taken aback. He and Parvati were speechless.
"Yes, the same broom you have." Rachel said snobbishly.
"Yeah, but… I bet Weasley here doesn't have one!" Draco snapped.
"You're right. I don't." Ron said slowly.
"Ha! See? I told you!"
"Show us, Weasel!" Parvati squealed evilly.
"You know, Parvi-Baby, you need to work on your insults." Draco said to Parvati.
"Oh, shush." Parvati whispered lovingly.
"That was not a compliment."
"Oh."
"Anyway, show us Weasley!"
"Yeah, I've never seen a Cleansweep Six before!"
"You haven't?"
"Of course I have! That was an insult!"
"Oh. Good one!"
"Thank you!" Parvati gave Draco a kiss.
"Okay. That was totally uncalled for, but oh well." Harry stated.
"You want Cleansweep? I'll show you Cleansweep." Ron shot at Draco and Parvati. He was eager to unwrap his parcel.
It seemed as if a brilliant light shone from the box. As Ron slowly stripped the tissue paper away from the broom, everyone crowded in for a closer look.
First, Ron took the paper away from the tail of the broom. There were about a thousand birch twigs placed daintily in the tail. They were perfect.
Then, he showed the handle. The firm beech wood glistened in the light. Ron stroked the wood. It seemed smooth as silk.
Finally, he took the entire broom from the box to show the tip. Emblazoned in bright gold was the word: FIRESTORM.
Draco and Parvati, as well as all the others, were utterly speechless.
"Y-You… H-Have… A F-F-Firestorm?" Draco inquired with great disbelief. "A-A real… F-Firestorm?"
"Yup. And you don't." Ron said, beaming smugly.
"B-But… You're p-p…"
"Go on say it. I'm poor."
"You're p-poor."
"Really?"
"L-Last time I c-checked."
"Well, he's not anymore!" Harry exclaimed, standing up. "Now go." He shooed them away.
Draco and Parvati turned and slinked back to their table.
"So, Ron, how did you manage to get a Firestorm?" Joanne asked; she was just as excited as any of the kids. "Aren't those supposed to be better – and more expensive – than Firebolts?"
"Well, I had some help from one of my friends." Ron smiled, looking at Harry.
They all turned to Harry.
Harry sighed and began. "You all know I won the Triwizard Tournament last year, right? Well, after all of the… excitement, while I was up in the hospital wing, Fudge, the Minister of Magic, came up to me and gave me my prize money – a thousand Galleons."
"But you gave all of it to Fred and George, for their joke shop." Hermione interrupted.
"No, not all of it. I don't think they realized it, but Fred and George were two hundred Galleons short. I gave it to Ron, because I knew he's always wanted a broom of his own, and I said, 'what the heck? He could use something new,' so I gave him enough money for a Firebolt and some other things. I didn't know the Firestorm was out already, but I guess it cost the same amount."
"Oh." Everyone said as Harry finished.
"So that's where that two hundred Galleons went." George said behind them.
Harry whipped around to face them. "Oh, hi." He said nervously.
"Nah, he's only joking." Fred said. "That was bold, Harry. A real noble thing to do."
"What he means is, we didn't need it anyway." George cleared up quickly. "The shop only cost eight hundred."
"Oh, good." Harry sighed.
"Well, see you at practice, I guess."
"Yeah, bye."
"I can't wait to see that baby in action." Fred said, motioning to Ron's broom. "Practice is at seven, right?"
"Yeah."
Jake groaned at the mention of seven o'clock.
"Great. See you then!"
Fred and George walked back to their table and joined Alicia Spinnet and some other seventh years.
Let's go back.
"Um, Joanne? Vega wants to go back home, I think." Ron said.
"They know." Joanne answered.
"Yeah, Harry told us." Jake said.
"Oh, then Sirius wants to go back."
"Okay, then. Let's go." Joanne stood up, left a tip for Madam Rosmerta, and led the students outside.
"Great, we have to go." Ron said gloomily, glancing at the carriages lined up at the end of the street.
"I didn't even get to Zonko's!" Harry whined.
"I guess you'll have to make up for it next time you come." Joanne said. "Well, it was nice meeting you all, and we'll see you tomorrow morning, bright and early!"
Jake moaned. "Do I have to?"
"Yes."
"Oh, man."
"Don't worry, I'll make sure you're up." Harry smiled.
They all said their good-byes and headed back to the carriages.
"Well, that was fun." Harry said as he, Hermione, Ron, and Jill climbed into their carriage.
"Yeah, well all least we got to see Sirius." Ron said.
"Yeah, and the Sideliners were born!" Jill exclaimed. "I'll have to get Lavender, Seamus, Neville, and Dean into it." Ron, Hermione, and Harry smiled at each other at Jill's excitement.
Before long, they arrived at the huge gates flanked by statues of winged boars. The carriages rumbled up the road to Hogwarts.
Harry, Hermione, and Ron disembarked and headed to the castle to fix up their Quidditch stuff for the next day. Rachel joined them.
Jill and Jake stayed behind and talked about the Sideliners.
As Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Rachel walked to the castle, they passed Draco and his gang. Luckily, Draco didn't see them.
"I can't wait until the twelfth." They heard Draco say.
"Yeah! Bye-bye Miss Mudblood!" Parvati squealed.
"Shhh! Don't give us away." Draco whispered. "Potter and his gang might be nearby." They jogged up to Hogwarts.
"What was that all about?" Hermione asked nervously.
"Don't worry." Harry comforted her. "They could be talking about some other Muggle-born."
"Yeah, well I don't think so." Hermione said. "They used the words 'Mudblood' and 'Potter' within five words of each other. I think they mean me. Harry, I'm scared."
"Well, you shouldn't be. With guys like me and Ron around, you'll be safe." Harry answered.
Hermione gave a you-wish look to Ron, who was smiling smugly.
"Well then, let's go!" Rachel said, quickening her pace. The others followed her up to the castle.
` $ % ^
The next day, while there was still dew on the grass, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Rachel, and the rest of the team trudged out onto the Quidditch field.
Ron was anxious. "I can't wait to show this baby off." He held his Firestorm close.
"Yeah, well you'll have to wait another week." Hermione said glancing at her Quidditch schedule. "Our first match – against Slytherin – is two Wednesdays from now."
Ron didn't look the least bit discouraged.
"Come on, let's warm up before the Sideliners come." Fred suggested.
They mounted and took off, soaring around in the pre-dawn sky.
Soon, Katie noticed the Sideliners emerging from the castle. "Here they come!" She shouted.
They all landed to greet their supporters. Jill had managed to draw in quite a large "team." Her, Joanne, Sirius, and a very grumpy Jake were there. Along with Dean, Seamus, Neville, Lee Jordan, Colin and Dennis Creevey, Lavender, and a little second-year, Natalie MacDonald.
"Quite a large crowd." Ron stated in an impressed voice
"Yeah, well we did a little scouting." Jill replied.
"A little?"
Can we get to Quidditch, please? Sirius asked in Harry's mind.
"Yeah. Right. Now let's get down to Quidditch." Harry said. "You guys can sit over there." He motioned to a row of benches off on the sidelines.
"Um, Harry?" Ginny said, tugging on his scarlet robes.
"Yes?"
"I have some game plans that I've been thinking of."
"Can I see them?"
Ginny handed Harry a packet of parchment. He rifled through them quickly. "Looks good. We can try them out."
"Thanks." Ginny said beaming.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Rachel, Fred, Katie, and Ginny sat down on the wet grass. Harry laid out Ginny's plays.
"Some of them I got from Quidditch Through the Ages, but I made up most of them." Ginny said.
"Okay. Let's see." Harry said. "This one looks good. Let's try it." He picked up a piece of parchment and held it out in front of him. In tiny writing down at the bottom, Ginny had written: Reverse-Over Pass. It was a pass that involved two Chasers.
"Alright." Harry announced. "We're doin' this one." He showed everyone the parchment. "It's called the Reverse-Over Pass and it only needs two Chasers. We'll start with Rachel and Katie. Hermione, you come too, so I won't have to explain the play again to you." The three girls stood up and took off. "Who brought the balls?"
"I did." Katie shouted from up in the air. "They're over there." She pointed to a corner of the field.
Harry gave Katie the "Okay" sign and turned to the box. "Accio." He called, pointing his wand at the box that held the four balls for Quidditch. The chest zoomed out of its resting place and into Harry's arms. He opened the thick wooden trunk and took out the red soccer-shaped ball, the Quaffle. He mounted and rose into the air, joining Rachel, Hermione, and Katie.
"So what do we do?" Rachel asked, taking the Quaffle from Harry's arms.
"This might be a little tricky to pull off; the key is timing." Harry began. "This is mostly for distraction. One of you is up front, and the other is behind. The one in front – in this case, Rachel – draws the opposing team to her. The she quickly throws the Quaffle behind her – for this, to Katie. Now the receiver draws attention to herself, and then swiftly tosses the Quaffle to the first Chaser, who immediately scores while the other team is distracted. Okay?" The girls nodded in agreement. "Let's try it. Ginny! Get up here!" Shortly after, Ginny was in the air with them. "You're the defending Keeper."
"What's the play again?" Katie asked.
` $ % ^
Down on the ground, the Sideliners were watching Harry, Rachel, Hermione, Katie, and Ginny discuss the play again.
"What's he doing up there, flirting?" Dean asked.
"Do you ever think about anything but girls?" Jill asked.
Dean turned to Jill seriously. "No."
Jill waved him away exasperatingly. Dean turned to high-five Jake, but Jake was fast asleep. So he twisted around to give Seamus a pound, but Seamus, too, was snoozing on Lavender's shoulder. Lavender was stroking his hair. Dean rolled his eyes and turned his attention back on the players in the sky.
Ron and Fred were sitting on the grass playing Exploding Snap, but the explosions weren't as grand as they usually were; the dew somewhat put them out.
The only people really paying attention were Joanne, Sirius, and Neville, who was trying to get flying tips out of the practices.
` $ % ^
Back up in the wild blue yonder, Harry was reviewing the pass for the third time.
"Got it now?" Harry boringly asked Katie.
"Yeah. I think so."
"You'd better," he mumbled.
"Can we get this thing rolling?" Ginny asked eagerly. She wanted to see her play in action.
"Sure. Ron! Fred!" Harry swung his arm upwards, motioning for them to come up there. "You're the opposing Chasers." He said to the bewildered brothers. "Go!"
Ginny moved into position in front of the three goal posts while Rachel and Katie flew into formation. Harry and Hermione soared off to the side to watch, arms around each other.
Rachel zoomed forward, Fred and Ron close behind her. Suddenly, she lobbed the Quaffle over her shoulder and swung around to face Katie and began to glide slowly backwards toward the goals.
Ron and Fred rocketed off toward Katie, who immediately chucked the Quaffle over the boys' heads toward Rachel. Fred zipped up and caught it.
"That's all right. That's all right." Harry said. "That's why we need to practice. Better that happened here than in a game, right?"
"Yeah." Katie said softly. "It's my fault."
"Forget about it." Harry said. "Alright, now Hermione's forward and Rachel's back. Ron, come here, and Katie, you're with Fred."
They flew into position as Ron took his place at Harry's side. Again the play began. Hermione chucked the Quaffle back to Rachel. Rachel threw it over Katie's head, missing it by an inch. Hermione caught the ball and in one fluid motion, scored on Ginny.
"She is good. Hermione." Ron said to Harry. "Don't you agree?"
"Yeah." Harry answered mistily.
"Knock it off." Ron said, giving Harry a push to bring him back to his senses.
Harry fell off his broom, but hung on with a hand and a foot.
"Oh my God! I'm so sorry." Ron apologized, pulling Harry back up.
"It's all right." Harry laughed. "Actually, that was quite fun."
"Hey! That's one of the plays I got from Quidditch Through the Ages." Ginny yelled over to Harry, chuckling. "The 'Starfish on a Stick'. But it's for the Keeper, not Seeker!"
"Yeah." Harry said shaking himself off. "Let's get this over with."
They switched around in four more positions so all the Chasers got a chance to play front and back.
"Hey! Fred!" Came a feminine voice from below. Fred looked down.
"Angie!" He said, landing next to the tall black woman that was Angelina Johnson. "Sorry guys!" He called up to the others. "I have to go." At that, he walked away with Angelina.
"Yeah. Practice is almost over, anyway. Let's go." Harry said as they all landed.
"Good job! That's an excellent play, Ginny!" Joanne praised.
"Thank you."
"Okay, let's go. Almost time for classes." Hermione said.
"Already?" Jake whined. He had just woken up.
"Yeah. You guys better get going. Bye! See you… When's your first game?" Joanne asked.
"Two Wednesdays from now. The twelfth." Hermione stated. She had memorized the whole schedule.
"Great! See you then!" Joanne walked off in the direction of Hogsmeade, toting Sirius along behind her.
Bye. Sirius managed to say before he was out of Thought-Speak range.
"Come on!" Hermione said. "Before we're late!"
Everyone rolled their eyes and started walking up to the castle.
"Today's practice was great." Harry said on their way to class. "Let's hope we're that good at the game. I've heard Slytherin has beefed up it's offense."
"Great. Tough game for new players." Ron said.
"But don't worry." Harry assured him. "With me as Captain, we'll win the House Championship!"
"Yeah, well don't let it get to your head. Remember Wood?"
"Oh yeah. Don't want to be like him." Harry imitated Oliver Wood, the team's previous Captain. "'This is my last year and my last shot at the Championship'. 'The Cup will have our names on it this year'. Man, he was obsessed."
"It's just great I wasn't there last year. I think hearing it from you kinda waters it down." Ron said as they walked into the Charms classroom.
"Oh, man! I totally forgot! The wedding is in two days! Great, just what I need, more dress robes." Ron exclaimed.
"But hey, it's like two dances in one year." Harry answered.
"Well, yeah. That's a plus."
"Mr. Weasley, Mr. Potter. Please be quiet and sit down." Came Professor Flitwick's squeaky voice from behind a huge pile of cushions.
Ron and Harry quickly sat down in their adjacent desks, enduring the stares they received from the other students.
"Just another day in the life of Ronald Weasley." Ron said.
"You can say that again." Harry replied.
"Just another day in the life of Ronald Weasley."
Harry chuckled and started working on his Shrinking Charm
T H E
E N C O U N T E R
The next day came quicker than it was supposed to. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Rachel quickly ate breakfast and stuffed their bags with food and drink for Sirius.
"What's the rush?" Seamus asked, his mouth full.
"We were just getting ready to go to Hogsmeade." Rachel answered.
"But we leave in half an hour!"
"Well…"
"Why are you bringing food? Can't you eat in the Three Broomsticks?"
"Yeah, but… They don't serve this food, and we really love it."
"Oh, yeah?" Seamus asked suspiciously.
"Yeah. Don't worry about us. We'll take care of ourselves. Okay?" Rachel said. "Yeah, okay." Seamus agreed, confused.
"Right, now let's go." Rachel said sternly.
"Okay." Ron replied just as sternly. He closed his bag and started toward the entrance hall. The others followed.
Suddenly, Jill appeared. "Hi, guys! What are you doing?"
"Nothing." Ron answered. He took Jill in his arms and held her close.
"We're waiting for the carriages." Harry said.
"They don't come for another half hour." Jill replied.
"So we've heard." Hermione muttered.
"Then come on! We'll wait outside!" Jill suggested.
"Okay." Ron agreed. He pulled on his cloak and stepped out into the cold December air. The others weren't close behind.
Harry, Ron, Rachel, Jill, and Hermione trudged out onto the grounds. There was a blanket of snow on the grass.
"It's funny. We would have been to Hogsmeade twice already." Hermione said. "Wonder why we've been delayed."
Harry just shrugged his shoulders and leaned against a tree.
"Hey, look at them." Hermione said, pointing across the grounds at a group of Slytherins that included Draco, Parvati, and Pansy. "What are they doing out here?"
"Same reason we are, I guess." Ron suggested.
"No," Hermione replied. "They're doing something. It looks like they're making a list, or something."
"I'll go check it out." Harry stated. He walked out of sight. Soon, a large white stag appeared.
"What does he think he's doing?" Rachel asked.
"Checking them out, like he said." Jill answered. "Look."
"Where?"
"There." Jill pointed to an area of snow that was moving. Moving?
Ron rubbed his eyes and stared harder at the shifting piece of snow.
"It's Harry." Jill blurted out impatiently. "Can't you guys comprehend anything?"
It was Harry. He was lying as close to the ground as a stag could go. He blended in perfectly with the new-fallen snow. He was inching closer and closer to the Slytherins.
Hermione's right. They're making some sort of list. Harry's voice said in Hermione, Ron, Rachel, and Jill's heads. He was using Thought-Speak.
"See?" Hermione gloated smugly. "I new it."
I can't see what it says, but I can hear them. Malfoy's talking about something being activated again, and he's mentioning you, Hermione.
A mix of terror, confusion, and excitement splashed across Hermione's face. "What are they saying about me?" she asked Rachel, who shrugged her shoulders.
Malfoy's saying something about you being the first to go. Harry answered Hermione's question. And Patil's like, 'Great, I can't wait! When are we going to do it?' and Malfoy said, 'Soon, soon.' It's weird. I'm worried. He started inching back to the group.
"Hurry up!" Rachel yelled to him. "We're going to be late! I want to meet…" She looked sideways at Jill. "Snuffles!"
I'm coming, I'm coming. He reached a safe distance from the Slytherins and transformed back human. The carriages to bring the students to Hogsmeade pulled up to the gates. "Come on." Harry said as he got up, grabbed his bag, and started walking over to a carriage. The others followed.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Jill climbed into one of the beautiful horse-less carriages. Since the carriages could only fit four students, Rachel had to go in another one with Tobias, Jake, and Cassie.
"So, who's Snuffles?" Jill asked once they got settled.
The others looked around at each other. "Should we tell her?" Hermione whispered to Harry, who was sitting beside her.
"Yeah, I guess so. I mean he's not dangerous. He's my godfather. I suppose any friend of mine is a friend of his."
"Unless that friend is a paranoid blabbermouth and tells the whole village about him." Hermione added.
"I think she'll be okay." Ron said, giving a very confused Jill a hug.
"You think?" Harry asked. "We'll she's your girlfriend and your responsibility."
"Okay, okay, okay. I'm my own responsibility and I can take care of myself." Jill blurted out. "Just tell me, who is Snuffles?"
"Alright, you asked for it." Harry warned. He then launched into the story of Sirius and Wormtail. By the time he finished, with Ron and Hermione interrupting him at some points, they were at Hogsmeade.
"So your godfather is a criminal?" Jill reviewed as the four stepped out of the carriage at the beginning of High Street, the main street that runs through Hogsmeade.
"For the last time, he is not a criminal!" Harry complained.
"Oh. He's not? Then why'd he kill all those Muggles and poor Peter Pettigrew?"
Harry let out a sigh of frustration. "He did not kill Pettigrew; and he did not kill all those Muggles."
"Then who did?"
"Peter."
"So Peter's not dead?"
"No."
"But we would be better off if he was." Ron added, nodding his head.
Jill gave him an infuriated look. "What do you mean 'we would be better of if he was'?"
"It's a long story."
"But anyway, if Peter isn't dead, then why did they find only his finger and nothing more?"
Harry let out another sigh. "Because he cut it off."
"Sirius?"
"No, Wormtail!"
"Who?"
"Pettigrew!"
"Why?"
"To frame Sirius because Pettigrew was working for You-Know-Who. And You- Know-Who killed Harry's parents. Sirius was their Secret-Keeper; you know what that is, right? It's someone who keeps someone else's deepest, darkest secret and swears never to reveal it. But Sirius persuaded Harry's parents to change their Secret-Keeper to Wormtail at the last minute. But then Wormtail told You-Know-Who the Potters' secret and then You-Know-Who killed them." Rachel rambled on. She had joined the little group. "So, let's go."
"This is confusing." Jill whined.
"Hey, that's my line!" Ron exclaimed.
"Don't worry, Jill. You'll get the whole story told to you again when we get to the mountain." Hermione said, pointing to a mountain at the end of High Street.
The five friends started walking down the quaint road, occasionally stopping to look in some of the shops' windows, but never going in, because Harry wouldn't allow it.
"I want to see my godfather!" He complained when the others whined about not being able to buy items.
Soon, they were at the stile at the end of the road.
"Where are we going?" Jill asked. "This is the end of Hogsmeade. Dervish and Banges is right there, and that's the last store!"
"You'll see." Harry said quite impatiently.
They began to climb the mountain, stumbling a little bit because of their heavy bags packed with food.
"Man, where does this guy live?" Rachel asked.
"My feet hurt!" Jill whined. "Roooon!"
"Aw, quit bellyaching, we're almost there." Ron snapped, annoyed.
"But Ron!"
"Shush!" Ron quickened his pace and caught up to Harry, who was leading the way. "You're lucky. Look what I got stuck with for a girlfriend."
"I heard that." came Jill's voice from the end of the line.
Harry chuckled. "Yeah. I am lucky." He glanced backward at Hermione, who was talking to Rachel intently. "Aren't I?" He said with a warm smile on his face. Ron rolled his eyes and dropped back to put up with Jill.
After a few minutes, but what seemed like an eternity to Ron, they reached Sirius's cave.
"Are we here yet?" Jill cried as they entered the damp cave.
"Hi, Sirius!" Harry exclaimed. He ran over to where Sirius was sitting. He plopped his bag at Sirius's feet and gave Sirius a big hug. "I missed you!"
"I missed you too." Sirius responded in his gruff, yet warm, voice.
Sirius looked like he had had a haircut. His once shaggy, long black hair was now cut shorter, like the picture Harry had of him at his parents' wedding. He still had those dark eyes with dread in them from being in Azkaban for thirteen years. But they looked a little livelier, like Sirius was happier. His face was still quite gaunt, but fuller.
"Hello, Sirius." Hermione greeted. "We brought food."
"And lots of it!" Ron tacked on as he shook Sirius's hand.
"Ah, you must be Rachel! Harry's told me about you!" Sirius said as he stood up to greet Rachel. His eyes scanned all of the students. "Who's this?" He asked, looking at Jill.
"Um, she's Jill. My, uh, girlfriend." Ron explained.
"Oh, okay. Any friend of Ron's is a friend of mine!"
"Told ya." Harry said to Hermione.
"And, speaking of girlfriends," Sirius started.
"We're going out." Hermione butted in. She took Harry's arm. "You know, a couple."
Sirius stared at Harry and Hermione for an awkward moment, and then started again. "Yes, good choice, Harry. She's not half bad."
Harry and Hermione blushed. "Thanks." Harry muttered sheepishly.
"Anyway, like I was saying. I want you to meet… Joanne Rawling. She's my sweetheart."
At that, a middle-aged woman stepped out of the shadows. She had green eyes that could rival Harry's, and short, light, strawberry-blonde hair. She had a happy expression on her face.
Rachel stared at her. "Aunt Joanne?"
"Rachel?" Joanne whispered back. "Hi! I haven't seen you in ages. Look how much you've grown! Quite the woman, too. I hear you've picked yourself up a boyfriend already, huh?"
"Yeah." Rachel sighed. "How'd you know?"
"Well, Jake can write to his own mother, can't he?"
"Yeah, I guess. Well, these are my friends. Harry Potter…"
"Oh, Sirius has told me all about you!"
"Yeah. I guess." Harry smiled.
"And this is his chick, Hermione Granger…"
"Your generation picks up partners quick, don't you?"
"Yeah. Quick." Hermione was beaming. Harry wasn't sure if it was because of meeting Joanne, or because Rachel called her his chick.
"This is Ron Weasley…"
"Oh, hello, Ron. I've met your father and your big brother, you know. I work at the Ministry, too."
"Yeah." Ron muttered.
"And Jill Broomscuttle, Ron's girlfriend."
"Hello, Jill. My, you have some nice friends, Rachel!"
"Yeah."
Jill looked at the floor. She was obviously discouraged about not being called a 'chick' by Rachel. "What does Hermione have that I don't?" She thought.
"Jill, cut it out. Don't get worked up over a name." Ron had read her expression. "If Rachel won't call you a chick, than I will, Chick." He gave Jill a kiss.
That definitely lightened Jill up, for she began to talk again. "Oh, it's so beautiful! What's his name?" Everyone looked around to see what Jill was talking about.
Over in the corner Buckbeak, the magnificent hippogriff, was pawing the ground impatiently with his claw.
"Oh! Sorry, Beaky. We totally forgot about you." Harry apologized. He bowed low to the ground and waited for Buckbeak's response. Finally, he bent his scaly knees in a bow to Harry, who proceeded to stroke Buckbeak's feathery neck.
Buckbeak was a giant hippogriff. He had the front of a huge eagle. His head was gray and ended in a menacing hooked beak; his eyes were penetrating and unblinking. His front legs were huge claws with strong talons. His back half was that of a horse. The tough but silky hide was dappled gray. His long tail swished around as the others bowed to him. The hooves that were his hind legs pawed the ground, leaving marks in the dirt.
"I love him." Jill whispered as she patted Buckbeak's head. Ron looked sulky. "Not that kind of love!" Everyone laughed.
"So, what have we got here?" Sirius wondered as he opened Harry's bag. "Chicken!"
"We didn't have chicken at breakfast." Rachel said.
"Hermione and I made a quick visit to the kitchens before we left." Harry answered.
"Oh, I've never been to the kitchens!" Rachel shouted out.
"We'll take you once we get back." Hermione said.
"Speaking of kitchens," Ron started. He looked over at Sirius, who was diving into his fourth chicken leg. "How's Winky?"
"She's fine. Totally forgot about Crouch. She's just as happy as Dobby." Harry answered.
"Actually," Hermione added. "She was the first to meet us when we got down there."
"That's great." Ron said. "There's pumpkin juice in my bag, Sirius." Sirius had been scraping around in Harry's bag for something to drink.
"And there's bread and bacon in mine." Hermione added.
"Great! Want some, honey?" Sirius asked Joanne.
"Sure." She began to eat along with Sirius, who was tossing scraps to Buckbeak.
"Do you guys go down to the village?" Jill asked.
"Sure." Sirius answered. "I go as a dog, and Joanne pretends to be my owner."
"I live right near here. I come here almost every day." Joanne added.
"Yeah, so Sirius, you said you had some news for me in your letter." Harry said.
"Oh, yeah. I've heard that there are some weird things happening around here. People are disappearing. Out of thin air."
"Like Bertha Jorkins?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah, kind of. But these people are disappearing right out of their homes, out of work. I've even heard tell of this guy who disappeared right in the middle of a bath. And I don't like it. Last time something like this happened, Voldemort wasn't to far behind it."
At the mention of Voldemort's name, everyone but Harry flinched.
"Where'd all this happen?" Rachel asked.
"In Little Hangleton."
"You mean where You-Know-Who's father lived?" Ron asked.
"Yeah. And the nearby city, Great Hangleton."
"Oh, that's not too far from here." Hermione stated.
"Yeah, and It worries me. You remember what happened last time something mysterious happened in Little Hangleton, right?"
"Yeah, Voldemort came to Hogwarts." Harry answered. Again everyone flinched, but Sirius kept still.
"Exactly." Sirius said gravely. "And that's why I want you all to keep your eyes peeled and watch your backs. Don't go out at night, stay with each other, and don't stray out of bounds."
"Alright. We won't." Harry agreed.
"Good, now let's talk about happier things. So, Harry tells me your big brother's getting married."
"Yeah." Ron answered quietly. "Tuesday."
"Really?" Joanne asked. "Great! I'll have to come! What time?"
"Seven."
"Great, I'll make arrangements."
"Yes. Now tell me about Quidditch." Sirius instructed. Jill looked down at the floor.
"Well, I'm Captain." Harry said.
"Really?" Joanne asked. "What House?"
"Gryffindor."
"Great! I was in Hufflepuff when I was a kid."
"Yeah, well I'm Chaser!" Hermione said importantly.
"I still don't get how you, Hermione Helen Granger, could hop on a broom and get up there." Sirius confessed with a chuckle.
"Well, it's not really that hard." Hermione answered sheepishly. "All you have to do…"
"I know. I was Gryffindor Keeper back in my day."
"Cool! Maybe you can give us some pointers." Harry said.
"Sure."
"I'm a Beater." Ron said matter-of-factly.
"And I'm another Chaser." Rachel said.
"We start practice tomorrow morning at seven. Why don't you come?" Harry asked.
"Sure!" Joanne agreed.
"Wonderful! Wonderful!" Sirius exclaimed. "And what about you, Jill?"
Jill looked down. "I'm not on the team."
"Oh, that's too bad." Joanne comforted Jill.
"Yeah. Hey, how about you can be on our team?" Sirius suggested.
"Huh?" Jill asked.
"Our sideline team! We can cheer on the others!"
"Yeah, that's a great idea!"
"Great!" Joanne said. "That makes our team a threesome!"
"I'm sure Jake will want to be on it too!" Harry said.
"Yeah. Team Sideliner is building up. Two more people and we can be our own Quidditch team!" Jill exclaimed. She was much happier.
"Yeah. What do you say we all take a walk down to the village." Sirius suggested.
"Good idea." Ron said. "Let's go!"
The seven of them started down the mountain, heading for Hogsmeade. Sirius was in his dog form, of course. Joanne held a leash that was attached to a collar around Sirius's neck.
Finally, they reached the foot of the mountain. They walked out onto High Street.
"Hey! Rachel! I was looking all over for you!" Tobias yelled as he ran up to Rachel from outside Dervish and Banges. "Where were you?" He asked softly as he rocked Rachel back and forth in his arms.
"I was just, um, meeting up with my Aunt Joanne."
"Mom?" Jake asked. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, ever since your dad and I got divorced, I've been coming here to be with my friends. I gets lonely all my myself, you know."
"Yeah. Who's that?" Jake asked, pointing at Sirius.
"I haven't told you? This is Vega, my new companion. I bought him here at the Magical Menagerie."
The manager of the Magical Menagerie poked his head out of the door. "Oh, hello, Mrs. Rawling. Nice dog. Where did you get him?"
"Funny." Jake said. "He doesn't seem to remember you buying Vega from him."
Joanne smiled nervously. "Yeah, must have forgot."
"Yeah."
Ask them about the Sideliners. Sirius said in Jill's mind.
"Oh yeah. Since you we're not on the Quidditch team, Joanne and I thought we could make up our own team, the Sideliners. You know, a cheering squad for Gryffindor. You want to join?"
"Okay." Jake said.
"Great." Jill said in a businesslike tone. "Meet Joanne and I at the Quidditch pitch tomorrow morning at seven o'clock."
"In the morning?" Jake whined.
"Yes."
"Man, I can't do that."
"Well, you'll have to."
"Great."
"It's all part of being a Sideliner."
"Uh-huh. Sure."
I'm hungry.
"You're always hungry." Harry whispered to Sirius. "Joanne, I think Vega is hungry."
"Already? He just ate!"
"I know."
"Let's stop in at the Three Broomsticks." Hermione suggested.
"Yeah. I'm kind of hungry myself." Ron said.
"Sorry, guys. I can't. I have to buy myself a broom. You don't think I could play Quidditch on a Cleansweep, do you?" Rachel said.
"Yeah, I have to get one, too." Ron said sadly.
"Me too." Hermione added. "We'll be back soon." The three headed off to Quality Quidditch Supplies.
"I guess it's just us then." Joanne said. Her, Harry, Jill, Sirius, Tobias, Cassie, and Jake walked into the Three Broomsticks.
"Okay, tell me the truth." Cassie said sternly once Madam Rosmerta seated them at a huge table near the back of the pub with everybody else staring at them.
"Why, whatever do you mean?" Joanne asked.
"I know that's not a real dog." Cassie said, pointing to Sirius.
Joanne, Harry, and Jill smiled nervously. "No, he's quite real." Harry said, poking Sirius. Sirius yelped.
Hey, watch it!
"Sorry."
"No, he's an animagus, or something. I just know it." Cassie pressed.
"No, he's-"
Might as well tell them, we're attracting a crowd.
"All right." Harry launched yet again into Sirius's story.
After five minutes and three glasses of butterbeer, Harry finished his tale.
"So let me get this straight, Sirius-" Cassie started.
"Yes." Harry cut him off. He was getting tired of talking about Sirius.
Just then, Ron, Hermione, and Rachel entered and sat down at the table. "Hi guys." Ron greeted happily.
"What are you so happy about?" Jake asked.
"My new broom."
"What, you've finally gotten the Cleansweep Six you've always wanted?" Came a vicious voice behind Harry. He whipped around to see who said it.
"Malfoy." He whispered. "What are you doing here?"
"Seeing what you losers are up to."
"Go away." Jill said.
"Ha! You expect that to work?"
Jill blushed. "Well…"
"So what broom did you get, Weasley?" Parvati asked. She wasn't too far behind Draco.
Ron just stared at the pair.
"Too embarrassed to tell us, are you?"
"Than what did you two get?" Draco asked Hermione and Rachel.
"Well, we got--" Rachel muttered.
"Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones!" Hermione shouted.
Draco looked taken aback. He and Parvati were speechless.
"Yes, the same broom you have." Rachel said snobbishly.
"Yeah, but… I bet Weasley here doesn't have one!" Draco snapped.
"You're right. I don't." Ron said slowly.
"Ha! See? I told you!"
"Show us, Weasel!" Parvati squealed evilly.
"You know, Parvi-Baby, you need to work on your insults." Draco said to Parvati.
"Oh, shush." Parvati whispered lovingly.
"That was not a compliment."
"Oh."
"Anyway, show us Weasley!"
"Yeah, I've never seen a Cleansweep Six before!"
"You haven't?"
"Of course I have! That was an insult!"
"Oh. Good one!"
"Thank you!" Parvati gave Draco a kiss.
"Okay. That was totally uncalled for, but oh well." Harry stated.
"You want Cleansweep? I'll show you Cleansweep." Ron shot at Draco and Parvati. He was eager to unwrap his parcel.
It seemed as if a brilliant light shone from the box. As Ron slowly stripped the tissue paper away from the broom, everyone crowded in for a closer look.
First, Ron took the paper away from the tail of the broom. There were about a thousand birch twigs placed daintily in the tail. They were perfect.
Then, he showed the handle. The firm beech wood glistened in the light. Ron stroked the wood. It seemed smooth as silk.
Finally, he took the entire broom from the box to show the tip. Emblazoned in bright gold was the word: FIRESTORM.
Draco and Parvati, as well as all the others, were utterly speechless.
"Y-You… H-Have… A F-F-Firestorm?" Draco inquired with great disbelief. "A-A real… F-Firestorm?"
"Yup. And you don't." Ron said, beaming smugly.
"B-But… You're p-p…"
"Go on say it. I'm poor."
"You're p-poor."
"Really?"
"L-Last time I c-checked."
"Well, he's not anymore!" Harry exclaimed, standing up. "Now go." He shooed them away.
Draco and Parvati turned and slinked back to their table.
"So, Ron, how did you manage to get a Firestorm?" Joanne asked; she was just as excited as any of the kids. "Aren't those supposed to be better – and more expensive – than Firebolts?"
"Well, I had some help from one of my friends." Ron smiled, looking at Harry.
They all turned to Harry.
Harry sighed and began. "You all know I won the Triwizard Tournament last year, right? Well, after all of the… excitement, while I was up in the hospital wing, Fudge, the Minister of Magic, came up to me and gave me my prize money – a thousand Galleons."
"But you gave all of it to Fred and George, for their joke shop." Hermione interrupted.
"No, not all of it. I don't think they realized it, but Fred and George were two hundred Galleons short. I gave it to Ron, because I knew he's always wanted a broom of his own, and I said, 'what the heck? He could use something new,' so I gave him enough money for a Firebolt and some other things. I didn't know the Firestorm was out already, but I guess it cost the same amount."
"Oh." Everyone said as Harry finished.
"So that's where that two hundred Galleons went." George said behind them.
Harry whipped around to face them. "Oh, hi." He said nervously.
"Nah, he's only joking." Fred said. "That was bold, Harry. A real noble thing to do."
"What he means is, we didn't need it anyway." George cleared up quickly. "The shop only cost eight hundred."
"Oh, good." Harry sighed.
"Well, see you at practice, I guess."
"Yeah, bye."
"I can't wait to see that baby in action." Fred said, motioning to Ron's broom. "Practice is at seven, right?"
"Yeah."
Jake groaned at the mention of seven o'clock.
"Great. See you then!"
Fred and George walked back to their table and joined Alicia Spinnet and some other seventh years.
Let's go back.
"Um, Joanne? Vega wants to go back home, I think." Ron said.
"They know." Joanne answered.
"Yeah, Harry told us." Jake said.
"Oh, then Sirius wants to go back."
"Okay, then. Let's go." Joanne stood up, left a tip for Madam Rosmerta, and led the students outside.
"Great, we have to go." Ron said gloomily, glancing at the carriages lined up at the end of the street.
"I didn't even get to Zonko's!" Harry whined.
"I guess you'll have to make up for it next time you come." Joanne said. "Well, it was nice meeting you all, and we'll see you tomorrow morning, bright and early!"
Jake moaned. "Do I have to?"
"Yes."
"Oh, man."
"Don't worry, I'll make sure you're up." Harry smiled.
They all said their good-byes and headed back to the carriages.
"Well, that was fun." Harry said as he, Hermione, Ron, and Jill climbed into their carriage.
"Yeah, well all least we got to see Sirius." Ron said.
"Yeah, and the Sideliners were born!" Jill exclaimed. "I'll have to get Lavender, Seamus, Neville, and Dean into it." Ron, Hermione, and Harry smiled at each other at Jill's excitement.
Before long, they arrived at the huge gates flanked by statues of winged boars. The carriages rumbled up the road to Hogwarts.
Harry, Hermione, and Ron disembarked and headed to the castle to fix up their Quidditch stuff for the next day. Rachel joined them.
Jill and Jake stayed behind and talked about the Sideliners.
As Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Rachel walked to the castle, they passed Draco and his gang. Luckily, Draco didn't see them.
"I can't wait until the twelfth." They heard Draco say.
"Yeah! Bye-bye Miss Mudblood!" Parvati squealed.
"Shhh! Don't give us away." Draco whispered. "Potter and his gang might be nearby." They jogged up to Hogwarts.
"What was that all about?" Hermione asked nervously.
"Don't worry." Harry comforted her. "They could be talking about some other Muggle-born."
"Yeah, well I don't think so." Hermione said. "They used the words 'Mudblood' and 'Potter' within five words of each other. I think they mean me. Harry, I'm scared."
"Well, you shouldn't be. With guys like me and Ron around, you'll be safe." Harry answered.
Hermione gave a you-wish look to Ron, who was smiling smugly.
"Well then, let's go!" Rachel said, quickening her pace. The others followed her up to the castle.
` $ % ^
The next day, while there was still dew on the grass, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Rachel, and the rest of the team trudged out onto the Quidditch field.
Ron was anxious. "I can't wait to show this baby off." He held his Firestorm close.
"Yeah, well you'll have to wait another week." Hermione said glancing at her Quidditch schedule. "Our first match – against Slytherin – is two Wednesdays from now."
Ron didn't look the least bit discouraged.
"Come on, let's warm up before the Sideliners come." Fred suggested.
They mounted and took off, soaring around in the pre-dawn sky.
Soon, Katie noticed the Sideliners emerging from the castle. "Here they come!" She shouted.
They all landed to greet their supporters. Jill had managed to draw in quite a large "team." Her, Joanne, Sirius, and a very grumpy Jake were there. Along with Dean, Seamus, Neville, Lee Jordan, Colin and Dennis Creevey, Lavender, and a little second-year, Natalie MacDonald.
"Quite a large crowd." Ron stated in an impressed voice
"Yeah, well we did a little scouting." Jill replied.
"A little?"
Can we get to Quidditch, please? Sirius asked in Harry's mind.
"Yeah. Right. Now let's get down to Quidditch." Harry said. "You guys can sit over there." He motioned to a row of benches off on the sidelines.
"Um, Harry?" Ginny said, tugging on his scarlet robes.
"Yes?"
"I have some game plans that I've been thinking of."
"Can I see them?"
Ginny handed Harry a packet of parchment. He rifled through them quickly. "Looks good. We can try them out."
"Thanks." Ginny said beaming.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Rachel, Fred, Katie, and Ginny sat down on the wet grass. Harry laid out Ginny's plays.
"Some of them I got from Quidditch Through the Ages, but I made up most of them." Ginny said.
"Okay. Let's see." Harry said. "This one looks good. Let's try it." He picked up a piece of parchment and held it out in front of him. In tiny writing down at the bottom, Ginny had written: Reverse-Over Pass. It was a pass that involved two Chasers.
"Alright." Harry announced. "We're doin' this one." He showed everyone the parchment. "It's called the Reverse-Over Pass and it only needs two Chasers. We'll start with Rachel and Katie. Hermione, you come too, so I won't have to explain the play again to you." The three girls stood up and took off. "Who brought the balls?"
"I did." Katie shouted from up in the air. "They're over there." She pointed to a corner of the field.
Harry gave Katie the "Okay" sign and turned to the box. "Accio." He called, pointing his wand at the box that held the four balls for Quidditch. The chest zoomed out of its resting place and into Harry's arms. He opened the thick wooden trunk and took out the red soccer-shaped ball, the Quaffle. He mounted and rose into the air, joining Rachel, Hermione, and Katie.
"So what do we do?" Rachel asked, taking the Quaffle from Harry's arms.
"This might be a little tricky to pull off; the key is timing." Harry began. "This is mostly for distraction. One of you is up front, and the other is behind. The one in front – in this case, Rachel – draws the opposing team to her. The she quickly throws the Quaffle behind her – for this, to Katie. Now the receiver draws attention to herself, and then swiftly tosses the Quaffle to the first Chaser, who immediately scores while the other team is distracted. Okay?" The girls nodded in agreement. "Let's try it. Ginny! Get up here!" Shortly after, Ginny was in the air with them. "You're the defending Keeper."
"What's the play again?" Katie asked.
` $ % ^
Down on the ground, the Sideliners were watching Harry, Rachel, Hermione, Katie, and Ginny discuss the play again.
"What's he doing up there, flirting?" Dean asked.
"Do you ever think about anything but girls?" Jill asked.
Dean turned to Jill seriously. "No."
Jill waved him away exasperatingly. Dean turned to high-five Jake, but Jake was fast asleep. So he twisted around to give Seamus a pound, but Seamus, too, was snoozing on Lavender's shoulder. Lavender was stroking his hair. Dean rolled his eyes and turned his attention back on the players in the sky.
Ron and Fred were sitting on the grass playing Exploding Snap, but the explosions weren't as grand as they usually were; the dew somewhat put them out.
The only people really paying attention were Joanne, Sirius, and Neville, who was trying to get flying tips out of the practices.
` $ % ^
Back up in the wild blue yonder, Harry was reviewing the pass for the third time.
"Got it now?" Harry boringly asked Katie.
"Yeah. I think so."
"You'd better," he mumbled.
"Can we get this thing rolling?" Ginny asked eagerly. She wanted to see her play in action.
"Sure. Ron! Fred!" Harry swung his arm upwards, motioning for them to come up there. "You're the opposing Chasers." He said to the bewildered brothers. "Go!"
Ginny moved into position in front of the three goal posts while Rachel and Katie flew into formation. Harry and Hermione soared off to the side to watch, arms around each other.
Rachel zoomed forward, Fred and Ron close behind her. Suddenly, she lobbed the Quaffle over her shoulder and swung around to face Katie and began to glide slowly backwards toward the goals.
Ron and Fred rocketed off toward Katie, who immediately chucked the Quaffle over the boys' heads toward Rachel. Fred zipped up and caught it.
"That's all right. That's all right." Harry said. "That's why we need to practice. Better that happened here than in a game, right?"
"Yeah." Katie said softly. "It's my fault."
"Forget about it." Harry said. "Alright, now Hermione's forward and Rachel's back. Ron, come here, and Katie, you're with Fred."
They flew into position as Ron took his place at Harry's side. Again the play began. Hermione chucked the Quaffle back to Rachel. Rachel threw it over Katie's head, missing it by an inch. Hermione caught the ball and in one fluid motion, scored on Ginny.
"She is good. Hermione." Ron said to Harry. "Don't you agree?"
"Yeah." Harry answered mistily.
"Knock it off." Ron said, giving Harry a push to bring him back to his senses.
Harry fell off his broom, but hung on with a hand and a foot.
"Oh my God! I'm so sorry." Ron apologized, pulling Harry back up.
"It's all right." Harry laughed. "Actually, that was quite fun."
"Hey! That's one of the plays I got from Quidditch Through the Ages." Ginny yelled over to Harry, chuckling. "The 'Starfish on a Stick'. But it's for the Keeper, not Seeker!"
"Yeah." Harry said shaking himself off. "Let's get this over with."
They switched around in four more positions so all the Chasers got a chance to play front and back.
"Hey! Fred!" Came a feminine voice from below. Fred looked down.
"Angie!" He said, landing next to the tall black woman that was Angelina Johnson. "Sorry guys!" He called up to the others. "I have to go." At that, he walked away with Angelina.
"Yeah. Practice is almost over, anyway. Let's go." Harry said as they all landed.
"Good job! That's an excellent play, Ginny!" Joanne praised.
"Thank you."
"Okay, let's go. Almost time for classes." Hermione said.
"Already?" Jake whined. He had just woken up.
"Yeah. You guys better get going. Bye! See you… When's your first game?" Joanne asked.
"Two Wednesdays from now. The twelfth." Hermione stated. She had memorized the whole schedule.
"Great! See you then!" Joanne walked off in the direction of Hogsmeade, toting Sirius along behind her.
Bye. Sirius managed to say before he was out of Thought-Speak range.
"Come on!" Hermione said. "Before we're late!"
Everyone rolled their eyes and started walking up to the castle.
"Today's practice was great." Harry said on their way to class. "Let's hope we're that good at the game. I've heard Slytherin has beefed up it's offense."
"Great. Tough game for new players." Ron said.
"But don't worry." Harry assured him. "With me as Captain, we'll win the House Championship!"
"Yeah, well don't let it get to your head. Remember Wood?"
"Oh yeah. Don't want to be like him." Harry imitated Oliver Wood, the team's previous Captain. "'This is my last year and my last shot at the Championship'. 'The Cup will have our names on it this year'. Man, he was obsessed."
"It's just great I wasn't there last year. I think hearing it from you kinda waters it down." Ron said as they walked into the Charms classroom.
"Oh, man! I totally forgot! The wedding is in two days! Great, just what I need, more dress robes." Ron exclaimed.
"But hey, it's like two dances in one year." Harry answered.
"Well, yeah. That's a plus."
"Mr. Weasley, Mr. Potter. Please be quiet and sit down." Came Professor Flitwick's squeaky voice from behind a huge pile of cushions.
Ron and Harry quickly sat down in their adjacent desks, enduring the stares they received from the other students.
"Just another day in the life of Ronald Weasley." Ron said.
"You can say that again." Harry replied.
"Just another day in the life of Ronald Weasley."
Harry chuckled and started working on his Shrinking Charm