Elisabeth mounted the broom shaking. "Okay, now on the count of three
I want you to dig your heels into the ground and launch off the ground,
okay?"
Elisabeth nodded. "One, two, three." She dug her heels into the ground and launched off. The feeling of exhilaration was unexplainable. She glided through the air, turning on a dime. She glanced down at the pitch; the glow on her father's face was unmistakable. She turned the broom back downward and returned to the ground, her face flushed.
"Excellent Libby! Excellent! You reckon you could catch the snitch if we let it go?" Elisabeth looked at her father, if anything he seemed more excited then her.
"I suppose I could try." She desperately didn't want to disappoint him.
"Okay, we're going to let it out, just follow it on the broom, if you don't think you can get it just come back down and I'll go up."
Elisabeth nodded and re-mounted the broom. Her dad let go of the snitch and she followed it with her eyes for a moment before lifting off from the ground and jetting after it. She caught the tiny ball in no time and sailed back down to the pitch.
Oliver gaped at her; "I haven't seen an eleven year old play that well since your father's first year."
"Ten."
"What?"
"She's ten, until December."
Will stared at her with open admiration. "That was brilliant."
"Oh Elisabeth! That was amazing!"
"Is there an opening on the house team, do you think Kris?"
"Well our Seeker and all of our Chasers graduated last year-"
"No way! I can't play on the house team! I barely even know the rules."
"Your dad hadn't even seen the snitch before when we picked him to be Seeker."
"First years can't play anyway." Elisabeth said, secretly hoping that there was a loophole in the rules so that she could be on the team.
"That's more of a precaution. We can probably worm it out of McGonagall and Granger."
"Seriously?" Elisabeth asked, eyes wide with hope.
"Seriously, McGonagall is a softy when it comes to Quidditch and Granger can usually be made to see reason."
"So I could be on the house team?"
"Sure. Of course there would be the usual opposition."
"From who?"
'Snape. Among others."
"Nah, since he got the DADA job he can't be bothered with such imbecilic things as Quidditch."
"Hey Ron! Didn't see you there."
"Hey. So what's going on? We have another Potter prodigy?"
"It's looking like it."
"Well that's great, nothing more rewarding than standing in the shadow of a POTTER PRODIGY!"
"Ah shut up. If it weren't for me you would have married Hermione. Oh wait. Never mind."
"Don't let her hear you say that."
"I'm a little bit smarter than you. I don't think I've ever caused someone to camp out in the girls washroom with a box of tissues."
"That was only once!"
"Try seven times."
"What do you mean seven times?"
"Once a year. Actually I don't know how many times in third year when you claimed her cat ate Peter."
"That is so-"
"Can we get back on topic here? You guys have plenty of time to discuss all the times you made Hermione cry."
"Right, well I don't think you'll have much of a problem with McGonagall and she's the one that counts."
"And Malfoy won't give you a hard time."
"Malfoy teaches at Hogwarts?"
"Narcissca Malfoy, his mother. Dumbledore gave her the potions job after the war, apparently Lucius had her under a number of spells. Dumbledore wanted to keep his eye on her. Unless McGonagall opposes something she won't say a word about it. She's head of Slytherin so the only people you really have to worry about are the Slytherin students and they're an ugly bunch anyway."
"We're making assumptions that I'm going to be in Gryffindor here."
Everybody looked at her. "Well of course you'll be in Gryffindor! Where else would you be? Hufflepuff?"
Everyone laughed and Elisabeth joined in. They stayed at the pitch for a while before Ron took Anna and Will home and Harry decided he better get Elisabeth home too.
They got back home and Harry went to have shower while Elisabeth told Hermione about her glory on the pitch. Suddenly she stopped and tears filled her eyes.
"What is it hon? Elisabeth? What's the matter?"
"Oh Hermione! Everybody expects me to be in Gryffindor! But what if I'm not? Dad will be so disappointed and I don't want to disappoint him! I really don't!"
"Oh Lis! Don't worry about it." For one sickening moment Elisabeth thought Hermione was going to tell her that of course she would be in Gryffindor. "You can't disappoint your dad, he's already so proud of you for getting in, he might not show it but he really is. And, do you want to know something?"
"What?"
"I for one would be a bit prouder of you if you got into Ravenclaw."
"Really?" She asked, wiping away her tears.
"You bet. You're a smart girl, you might not be really, really brave. But you're smart, and you're witty, and you're funny. I think that you'll probably do better in Ravenclaw. And do you know something else?"
"What?" Elisabeth asked, her heart feeling lighter with every word Hermione spoke.
"Your mum was a Hufflepuff and your dad loved her all the same."
Elisabeth threw her arms around Hermione then, feeling more than ever, that she had finally found a mother.
Elisabeth nodded. "One, two, three." She dug her heels into the ground and launched off. The feeling of exhilaration was unexplainable. She glided through the air, turning on a dime. She glanced down at the pitch; the glow on her father's face was unmistakable. She turned the broom back downward and returned to the ground, her face flushed.
"Excellent Libby! Excellent! You reckon you could catch the snitch if we let it go?" Elisabeth looked at her father, if anything he seemed more excited then her.
"I suppose I could try." She desperately didn't want to disappoint him.
"Okay, we're going to let it out, just follow it on the broom, if you don't think you can get it just come back down and I'll go up."
Elisabeth nodded and re-mounted the broom. Her dad let go of the snitch and she followed it with her eyes for a moment before lifting off from the ground and jetting after it. She caught the tiny ball in no time and sailed back down to the pitch.
Oliver gaped at her; "I haven't seen an eleven year old play that well since your father's first year."
"Ten."
"What?"
"She's ten, until December."
Will stared at her with open admiration. "That was brilliant."
"Oh Elisabeth! That was amazing!"
"Is there an opening on the house team, do you think Kris?"
"Well our Seeker and all of our Chasers graduated last year-"
"No way! I can't play on the house team! I barely even know the rules."
"Your dad hadn't even seen the snitch before when we picked him to be Seeker."
"First years can't play anyway." Elisabeth said, secretly hoping that there was a loophole in the rules so that she could be on the team.
"That's more of a precaution. We can probably worm it out of McGonagall and Granger."
"Seriously?" Elisabeth asked, eyes wide with hope.
"Seriously, McGonagall is a softy when it comes to Quidditch and Granger can usually be made to see reason."
"So I could be on the house team?"
"Sure. Of course there would be the usual opposition."
"From who?"
'Snape. Among others."
"Nah, since he got the DADA job he can't be bothered with such imbecilic things as Quidditch."
"Hey Ron! Didn't see you there."
"Hey. So what's going on? We have another Potter prodigy?"
"It's looking like it."
"Well that's great, nothing more rewarding than standing in the shadow of a POTTER PRODIGY!"
"Ah shut up. If it weren't for me you would have married Hermione. Oh wait. Never mind."
"Don't let her hear you say that."
"I'm a little bit smarter than you. I don't think I've ever caused someone to camp out in the girls washroom with a box of tissues."
"That was only once!"
"Try seven times."
"What do you mean seven times?"
"Once a year. Actually I don't know how many times in third year when you claimed her cat ate Peter."
"That is so-"
"Can we get back on topic here? You guys have plenty of time to discuss all the times you made Hermione cry."
"Right, well I don't think you'll have much of a problem with McGonagall and she's the one that counts."
"And Malfoy won't give you a hard time."
"Malfoy teaches at Hogwarts?"
"Narcissca Malfoy, his mother. Dumbledore gave her the potions job after the war, apparently Lucius had her under a number of spells. Dumbledore wanted to keep his eye on her. Unless McGonagall opposes something she won't say a word about it. She's head of Slytherin so the only people you really have to worry about are the Slytherin students and they're an ugly bunch anyway."
"We're making assumptions that I'm going to be in Gryffindor here."
Everybody looked at her. "Well of course you'll be in Gryffindor! Where else would you be? Hufflepuff?"
Everyone laughed and Elisabeth joined in. They stayed at the pitch for a while before Ron took Anna and Will home and Harry decided he better get Elisabeth home too.
They got back home and Harry went to have shower while Elisabeth told Hermione about her glory on the pitch. Suddenly she stopped and tears filled her eyes.
"What is it hon? Elisabeth? What's the matter?"
"Oh Hermione! Everybody expects me to be in Gryffindor! But what if I'm not? Dad will be so disappointed and I don't want to disappoint him! I really don't!"
"Oh Lis! Don't worry about it." For one sickening moment Elisabeth thought Hermione was going to tell her that of course she would be in Gryffindor. "You can't disappoint your dad, he's already so proud of you for getting in, he might not show it but he really is. And, do you want to know something?"
"What?"
"I for one would be a bit prouder of you if you got into Ravenclaw."
"Really?" She asked, wiping away her tears.
"You bet. You're a smart girl, you might not be really, really brave. But you're smart, and you're witty, and you're funny. I think that you'll probably do better in Ravenclaw. And do you know something else?"
"What?" Elisabeth asked, her heart feeling lighter with every word Hermione spoke.
"Your mum was a Hufflepuff and your dad loved her all the same."
Elisabeth threw her arms around Hermione then, feeling more than ever, that she had finally found a mother.