Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
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Chapter Two
"Come into Hogsmeade with us, Catrin," Ginny begged, dragging on Catrin's arm as she slept. It was about nine in the morning, and Ginny had been up for an hour, mainly reading her latest book and getting in a little extra Transfiguration homework. Catrin rolled over and pulled the covers over her head, mumbling. Ginny laughed and pulled the covers all the way off Catrin. Ginny's lilac-hooded rat was sitting on her shoulder, its tail thrashing. The rat—Hoodwink—had been an early Christmas present for Ginny from Fred and George. At first, Catrin had been afraid that the poor thing would blow up when
"Do I have to get up?" Catrin moaned. She was tired, and she just wanted to sleep. Ginny laughed again.
"Come on, up! Up!" she said the last part warningly and Catrin pulled herself out of bed and into her clothes. She wore her navy blue winter robes, and warm Muggle clothing underneath. She sniffed, and found that her nose was blocked.
"Catrin?" Ginny said, suddenly noticing Catrin's pale face and hearing her blocked nose, "Maybe you should stay in. You look sick, we don't want you sick for our game tomorrow," Ginny said. Catrin shook her head.
"I'll be fine." The words came out slightly slurred, but Catrin plowed on, "It'll all clear up by this evening."
Ginny shook her head, and they walked down to the Great Hall together. They ate breakfast with Harry, Hermione and Ron. It was becoming a habit of theirs to eat with the dynamic trio, as Ginny called them.
When they were finished they trooped out of the Great Hall. The snow was thick and soon the bottoms of their robes were soaked, until Hermione put a nice water-repelling charm on them. Ron scowled, looking at his robes.
"How will they ever get washed, like this?" he asked. Catrin laughed, and lobbed a snowball at him. Harry threw one back. It started an all out snowball war. Ginny and Catrin built up a wall of defense while Hermione charmed snowballs to throw themselves at the guys. They stopped when they were finally out of breath, rosy-cheeked and laughing.
"Well, that wasn't a total waste of time," Ginny said happily. She looked radiant in the morning sun, and Catrin noticed Harry staring at her. Hermione and Ron snorted knowingly. After all, those two had had their share of romances; it was time for Harry to have one.
"Come on, let's get into Hogsmeade, Fred and George said they'd see us at Weasly's Wizardly Wheezes. God, I have no idea how that place stays in business," Ron said.
"They're funny!" Catrin protested, Ron rolled his eyes.
"Not when you've been living with them all summer, and you've been turned into a canary, twice, and three different types of spider," Ron shuddered and everyone except Catrin laughed. The humour of this topic eluded her, she knew nothing about Ron's fear of spiders. Nobody had the intention of telling her.
They wandered through the village, the few centimeters of snow on the ground brushing away from their feet.
"I was thinking of getting a pet," Catrin said suddenly. Ginny nodded.
"It's about time."
"We could go to the Emporium and get an owl, or a toad," Harry suggested.
Catrin shuddered. "Hate owls. Big, creepy, silent birds. Ugh, feathers. And toads. Don't even get me started on toads," she shuddered again and Ginny laughed at her.
"You don't seem to have any problem with post owls," Ron commented.
Catrin shrugged. "I don't have to touch them. Generally, owning a pet means touching it once in a while." She shuddered at the thought of petting an owl.
"A rat then?" Ron asked, as they opened the door to the emporium.
"Nope. Ginny's got a rat."
"How about a cat?" asked Harry.
"Nope. Hermione's got a cat. Anyway, if we had a cat in my dorm it might eat Hoodwink." Ron rolled his eyes and smiled, Hermione looked sheepish.
"Remember? We thought Crookshanks had eaten Scabbers, gee we were stupid," Harry said, voicing their silent truce.
Catrin noticed Professor Sprout in the shop as they were browsing and nudged Ginny. They looked in the Professor's direction.
"…and I need something to repel those horrible little beasts that keep eating my mandrakes!" They giggled, knowing exactly what the culprit was. They had accidentally let out a group of Dugbogs into the Hogwarts grounds to try to kill off the Mandrakes. Sprout had been far to possessive of them, she's even named the little squealers.
"A pet, a pet…" Ginny murmured as they walked along the isles of animals. There were shiny, flashy black rats. One dancing, another showing off its talent to disappear and reappear. They heard screeching and howling, and Catrin thought she saw a chicken, but what would a chicken be doing in a magical animals shop?
Passing the guinea-pig page Catrin had a coughing fit. Ginny held onto her and looked at her.
"You, are going back to Hogwarts," Ginny told Catrin. Catrin shook her head while trying to clear her throat. Ginny stood firm. "You are sick. To school or the Three Broomsticks. I wanted to see Fred and George but I'll go back to school with you if you want," Ginny said. Catrin sighed. She was sick. She knew it.
"Fine. I'll go to the Three Broomstick. Meet me there? I'll just wait. Keep looking for a pet for me, as well," Catrin nodded to Harry, Ron and Hermione as she left the shop.
Catrin walked into the Three Broomsticks while Ginny and the others kept browsing Hogsmeade. The warmth of the pub welcomed her, and she was happy to be out of the snow and cold. Of course, she wouldn't have objected to a bed right now, but Hogsmeade was in short supply of them on the streets. Aside from being cold she had been literally sent here by Ginny; although she would have no objection to a nice hot butterbeer right now. She sat down in a booth near the roaring fire and brushed snow off her robes and cloak. She buried her head in her arms after thanking Madam Rosmerta for the butterbeer.
She heard someone sliding into the seat opposite from her. Catrin tilted her head to the side and saw a glint of silvery hair, burying her head again.
"Bugger off Malfoy," she growled. She heard the rustle of his robes as he started slightly, then the burning of his gaze on her head.
"How did you know it was me?" he asked, slightly surprised.
Catrin snorted. "You give off evil vibes. Where are the other two stooges?" she sat up properly and looked him in the eye.
Draco looked confused at her comparison to Crabbe and Goyle as 'stooges' but said nothing. They glared at each other.
"What do you want?" Catrin asked as she took an angry sip (almost a swig) of butterbeer. Draco cocked his head and looked at her.
"I don't know. What do you think I want? What do you want?" he asked. He drummed his fingers on the table and Catrin threw her head back into her arms. "I get Potter. I get those two poor Weaslys, I even get that mudblood, Grang —"
"Call Hermione a mudblood again and you'll have my wand down your throat," Catrin spat, interrupting.
"What I don't get, is you." Malfoy continued, as if he didn't hear her. "You, are like a cat. You don't know what you want, do you? You could do much better that that crowd you hang around with, what, The Boy Who Sulks and his sidekick, the Weasel?" he said nastily.
Catrin scowled. "Do you have to say something horrible every time you open your trap? That's horrible enough in itself, thank you very much!" To her amazement, he laughed.
"You are a funny one, aren't you?" he asked, a handsome smile creasing his features. Catrin took a good long look at him. Despite the fact that he was a horrible git, he was, what some people would call, good looking. She tried not to exercise her own opinion on this. There were girls practically lining up to go out with them, and he could flick them off with a single remark. Seventh years, wanted to go out with him, and they were a year older than he was. Of course, this happened to Harry sometimes too, but that was a lot less noticeable. With Draco, his features stood out, and he was tall, so he stood out anyway. Harry, who was destined to be small, didn't have Draco's height advantage.
Catrin scowled, and turned her head towards the door when she heard the bell above the door tinkling. Ginny had finally come. Catrin put her head back in her arms, and she heard Draco standing up as the rest of her company approached.
"What do you want, Malfoy?" asked Ron acidly.
"I was just finishing up, Weasly," Draco answered coldly. His cloak swished as he left.
"What did he want?" Ginny asked, sliding into the booth next to Catrin. Catrin lifted her head long enough to answer.
"You know what? I don't know."
They left the Three Broomsticks after several butterbeers, and in Ron's case, a shot of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey. Harry's shirt started squirming after the got out, and Ginny looked at him strangely.
"Harry. Your shirt is… squirming," Catrin said, eyebrows raised. Ron whacked Harry in the arm, and then—in an appallingly gay way—reached down the front of Harry's shirt to fish out a squirming ferret.
"Ron. Don't do that. Bad look. Very slashy," Ginny said between peals of giggles. Ron held out the ferret to Catrin.
"Early Christmas pressie from Fred and George, and us, of course," Catrin picked up the little thing and looked into its eyes.
"Isn't he adorable?" she crooned. Ron looked skeptical.
"Not if it's bitten you. How do you know it's a he?" Harry asked. He was still recovering from the humiliation of having Ron shove a hand down his robes.
"I just know." Catrin replied, cradling the ferret.
Ginny snorted. "Females don't have musk glands."
"And how would you know? I bet he's been de-musked!" Catrin replied contrarily.
"Oh, sure. De-musking is so…oh yeah. We were taught to do that…"Ginny trailed off, mocking an abashed expression. Catrin swiped at her and Ginny danced playfully out of the way.
Hermione was walking along, elbow resting on Ron's shoulder. "Playful as young lambs in spring, those two," she mused.
Ron turned his head towards her and looked startled, "And since when have you been a fan of 'young lambs in spring?'"
Harry snorted when Hermione answered. She looked flustered ad took her elbow off Ron's shoulder, "I don't know. I've always wanted to say that," she crinkled up her nose, and Harry sighed.
The five of them walked abreast through Hogsmeade. It really was a beautiful afternoon, and they stood for a while admiring the snow on the Christmas trees.
"And so it begins. The coldest season of the year," Ginny started poetically.
"They'll be putting the trees up in the Great Hall soon, and the Yule is next weekend," Harry said softly.
"And hanging mistletoe everywhere…" Ron said, sighing and fluttering his eyelashes like a girl. Hermione snorted and Catrin watched as Ginny and Harry continued to walk, dazy-eyed alongside them.
"Never going to realise anything that way," Ron snorted quietly.
"Shut up Ronald Weasly, romance is a work of art," Hermione elbowed him, and they walked on in silence. All of them watched the coming darkness as they walked up to the castle, none of them realising how significant that statement really was.
"…And they're off!" Lee Jordan's little brother—Jared—yelled. It was the Quidditch that had been anticipated for half the year. Gryffindor against Slytherin. There was very little room for error, even less for loss. The Gryffindors were ahead, because of their victory against Hufflepuff, but they Slytherins were known to play a hard game. They played dirty, and didn't care about the penalties, because, more often than not, they were under their opponents skin so much that the fouls did little to alter the score.
Catrin shot into the air on her Firebolt, it was a good day for playing. Not too cold, and not wet or snowing. There was little much on the field, but a layer of snow would cushion falls…to some extent. Her head had been fuzzy when she woke up, and she had promised Ginny and Harry that she wouldn't get into any trouble—on purpose.
She followed the Quaffle as Oliver and Henry gained the Quaffle, covering each other as they shot down the pitch to shoot…and SCORE! Catrin let out a triumphant whoop and did a small loop-de-loop before following the Quaffle again.
This time a Slytherin chaser managed to get it. She raced him down the pitch and hung below Gryffindor's keeper, Julie and caught the Quaffle that was thrown down to her.
She raced down the pitch, aware of the Gryffindor's and Jared's cheers and commentating. Suddenly, she was thrown off the front of her broom. She watched the Quaffle sail down towards the ground to be snatched up by the waiting Slytherin. She hung on underneath the broom and turned around to see a smirking Slytherin holding onto the twigs of her broom. He raced off as the Slytherins scored a goal, and she swung herself back into the broom.
Ginny sent a Bludger straight her way, and Catrin had murderous thoughts before slipping below the broom again. The Bludger hit the Slytherin chaser full on in the face. Ginny grinned at her and Catrin stuck her thumbs up, hanging upside down on the broom.
Catrin maneuvered the broom this way, racing just millimeters beneath one of the Slytherin Beaters, causing them to miss the opportunity to throw a Bludger at a Gryffindor.
"…Quinn blocks the Quaffle and it's taken by Fitzreinald and tossed over to Pascal. Kismet's doing an interesting move there, hanging under her broom. And she's got it! She has the Quaffle, and she's racing towards the goalposts…and she shoots…she SCORES! Another goal for Gryffindor, and the Quaffle is off again and … oh no! Another foul for Slytherin? Such a pity, Weasly shoots a Bludger towards Malfoy, but he dodges is…and Potter has gone into a dive…" Jared's words rung in Catrin's ears as she finally swung herself onto her broom, properly this time.
Ron was in the crowd, holding Catrin's ferret, properly dubbed Fidget, and he jumped up and cheered as Harry went into his dive. Catrin's world spun, and she yelled something, a warning to Harry. He pulled out of the dive quickly to see his Chaser falling off her broom.
"…and Malfoy is still racing towards the ground—hold on, is that the snitch?…" Harry heard Jared's cry and looked towards the goalposts, where, sure enough, the snitch was hovering. Catrin was falling and falling, but Harry took the chance and raced towards the Snitch. Ginny was racing towards Catrin, wand out, holding her aloft with a Wingardium Leviosa spell. Madam Hooch was racing towards her as well, but Draco Malfoy was closest.
Malfoy shot straight up, and caught the falling Catrin in his waiting arms—just as Harry caught the snitch.
"She should be fine, she'll wake up soon. I'm sure. Don't worry," Madam Pomfrey assured the Gryffindor Quidditch team. They were still all geared up and were standing beside Catrin's bed.
Catrin slept peacefully, and Ginny stood beside her, worried. "I told her not to play, we have reserves, but she just had to play. Stubborn mule," Ginny said, patting Catrin's head affectionately. Fidget—who was strangely devoted to his owner, seeing as she had owned him for a while 24 hours—was curled up next to her. Madam Pomfrey had almost thrown him out until he started whimpering like a baby. She was now ushering people out.
"See you in the morning, kiddo," Harry said, referring to her by their practice name, and kissing her on the cheek "get well."
"You better be in potions tomorrow or I'll ask Snape to flunk you," Ginny warned, leaning down to give Catrin a half-hug.
Ron followed Harry's suit and kissed Catrin as well, "See-ya." Was all he said, it was enough, he had been the second person to reach her on the pitch, after Malfoy of course.
"I'll bring all your homework," Hermione said, then she leaned down and whispered in Catrin's ear, "completed."
The rest of the Quidditch team filed out, saying their farewells. They were hot and sweaty despite the cold weather, and needed to get their gear off. Stragglers and cling-ons also filed out, and Catrin was left in peace; Fidget squirming under her chin.
"Don't wait up, I'll be there in a second," Ginny told Ron and Harry, when she spotted Malfoy skulking near the hospital ward.
"Are you sure?" Ron asked, watchful of his little sister.
"Positive. I'll meet you back there soon," she ushered them off and when they were well down the hall, turned to Malfoy. "Why'd you do it?"
"Do what, Weasly?" Malfoy asked, looking at her lazily.
"Why did you catch her?" Ginny asked, crossing her arms and scowling at him. "You could have just dodged out of the way, no one would have blamed you. It would have been purely a Quidditch mistake. So why did you catch her?"
Malfoy rolled his eyes. "I could have dodged out of the way. I just happened to be there, and it was get knocked over the head by a corpse or catch it. Personally, I like to stay in one piece, Weasly. What does it matter to you?"
"She's my best friend, that's what it matters to me."
A/N: The second chapter of my re-vamp. Nope, no reviews, I'm hoping for some after I put this up. I am working on my story, yes I am, maggots, but, due to my Chemistry and Biology summer assignments, I'm not moving as fast as I would like. I make about forty pages of star-notes for one chapter. It's a total pain in the arse. I have also taken up swimming. Okay, so I've been swimming more lately. So blame the chapter-less-ness on me, not anybody else. Yada yada yada… while you're waiting go read my Favourite Author's fics, they're all good.