The figure that had burst through the door suddenly exploded with torrent of explanations.
"...I'm so sorry, Professor, I've just come from Quidditch practice...I hope it's okay...I haven't had time to change out of my robes..."
The girl had black hair that contrasted drastically with her tannish skin. She had purple eyes.
The unusually colored eyes were not what Morgana was staring at, though.
It was the robes.
They weren't Ravenclaw blue. They weren't Hufflepuff canary yellow. They weren't even Gryffindor scarlet.
They were emerald green.
Slytherin green.
It wasn't as if Morgana had anything against Slytherins. Oh no. Only that nearly every single witch or wizard that ever went bad was a Slytherin.
Of course Morgana had nothing against Slytherins. Whatever gave anyone that idea?
Professor Vector halted the still-explaining Slytherin girl with her hand and introduced the two girls.
"Morgana, this is Stormy Riddle. Stormy, this is Morgana Smith."
Vector glanced at the clock, then asked the girls what classes they had next.
Morgana brightened. "I have Transfiguration next, Professor," she told Vector, her murderous attitude toward the Slytherin momentarily forgotten.
She was snapped back to the present, however, when the Stormy beamed and said, more to herself then anyone, "I've got Potions."
Figures, thought Morgana. Of course the Slytherin likes Potions. Anyway, even if Snape, the Potions teacher, wasn't the head of Slytherin House, the vilest student would like the vilest teacher.
Because Morgana knew Stormy. Oh, yes.
It was the first Quidditch game of the season. Ravenclaw versus Slytherin. Ravenclaw was in the lead, eighty to ten.
It was Morgana's first game on the House team, and she was trying really hard to prove herself to her new teammates. She was just getting into her best game when it happened.
The Slytherin Seeker had smashed right into Cho Chang, then blew past. With the state-of-the-art broom the Slytherin was riding, Morgana just caught a fleeting glimpse of the Seeker's face. She saw a floating mane of black hair streaming out behind the offender as they sped away.
It happened within seconds. Outraged at the violation of her teammate, Morgana sped toward the nearest Bludger, urging her father's old Silver Arrow broom on. Her bat connected with the Bludger as if in slow motion.
The next thing she knew, the Slytherin Seeker, whom Morgana now recognized as Stormy, was nearly knocked off her broom as Morgana's Bludger glanced off her shoulder, millimeters from a direct hit.
A Slytherin Beater that Morgana suddenly and inexplicably knew as Cassiopeia cried, "Oh, well done!!" It wasn't unusual for Morgana to suddenly know things. Cassiopeia turned several flips and clapped so hard she dropped her Beater's bat.
"Da-" the Slytherin Seeker started to yell.
"RIDDLE!!" Professor McGonagall shrieked over the loud speaker.
3/4 of the crowd burst out laughing and the Slytherin Seeker, obviously having the last name Riddle, turned bright red.
Morgana wasn't sure if it was out of embarrassment or fury.
Stormy tried again.
"DEAD RATS ON YOU!!!!" she screamed at Cassiopeia. "How dare you clap when I got hit?!"
Cassiopeia cringed, mumbled, "Oops," then yelled. A Bludger was headed straight toward her!
She squared up to hit it, then yelled some more when she realized her bat was seventy-five feet below on the grass.
Displaying split-second ingenuity that made Morgana applaud in spite of herself, Cassiopeia used her head. Literally.
"Oh..." she half-spluttered, half-scowled.
Then Cassiopeia sent the Bludger toward a nearby Ravenclaw Chaser with her forehead. After which she flew away in a crazy spiral, muttering, "I'm never, ever doing that again," and holding her head.
She wobbled past Draco Malfoy, the captain, and told him angrily, "The things I do for you!!", her broom swerving.
Suddenly realizing she had let her mind wander, Morgana stuck her head out of Vector's classroom door in time to watch the same black hair of the Slytherin Seeker bounce out of sight.
Morgana pointedly went the opposite way down the corridor. It was worth going the long way and losing more time in her favorite class to avoid her.
"WHAT?" screamed Stormy.
"I told you," said Cassiopeia quietly. "The teachers want you and Morgana and some other kids to meet for a special study hall. Introduce friends. Share academic secrets. Things like that."
"With her?! How can I even talk to her?!"
"Stormy: Calm. Down."
"How can I calm down?"
"Just relax. Geez, what's the worst that could happen?"
"WHAT?" screamed Morgana.
"I told you," said Circe quietly. "The teachers want you and Stormy and some other kids to meet for a special study hall. Introduce friends. Share academic secrets. Things like that."
"With her?! How can I even talk to her?!"
"Morgana: Calm. Down."
"How can I calm down?"
"Just relax. Geez, what's the worst that could happen?"
