The next morning saw Cat, Ivy, and Lily in the Great Hall. Cat was just pouring herself some pancake syrup, when she went all glassy eyed, and started muttering, "MmmmSirius-smothered-in-syrup"
"Cat! We're at the breakfast table!" Just then, Oliver walked past the table.
"MmmOliver-smothered-in-syrup" Ivy stared up at him, with a swoony blank look on her face. Oliver turned and blushed a little bit. Lily leaned over to Ivy, and whispered to her, "I think you said that a little too loud."
Oliver grinned at Ivy, and reached over, picking up the jug of syrup that was sitting in front of her. He winked, and walked out. Ivy paled, and then blushed bright red. Grinning evilly, she jumped out of her seat, and without a goodbye, ran out after him.
"Uh huuuh…" Lily shook her head.
Now it was her turn to go day dreamy. George and Fred sat down across from them. "What's wrong with them?" Fred asked his brother, waving a hand in front of Lily's face, while George tried to take the syrup out of Cat's hand, which she was still pouring, and was overflowing her plate and spilling onto the floor.
"Hmm?" Lily mumbled, smiling shyly at George. Just then Fred stopped and raised an eyebrow at Lily. "Uhh, Lily? You're playing footsies with the wrong twin,"
Lily peeked under the table, blushed and grinned, "Sorry."
* * *
After classes that day George found Lily in the common room, pretending to study. In actual fact, she was daydreaming and doodling 'LW 4 GW' all over the piece of parchment in front of her.
"What subject is that for, then?" he remarked as he looked over her shoulder. She hastily covered it up, "Um, hello George," she said, tilting her head back to look at him upside down.
"How can you tell its not Fred?" he asked, hands on hips.
"Because, your eyes have more brown than green in them, and you have three freckles on your temple, that Fred doesn't," she reached up and tapped him on the side of the head, "Just there."
"Uh huh. Our own mother can barely tell us apart and you can? You've only known us a month!"
"Funny that. Anyway, what's up? Why'd you come over? You'd better not be planning in dropping something down the back of my robes like your dearest brother did to Angelina."
"No it's not that, though I'll have to remember that one…"
Lily glared at him.
"I mean I'm here because…"
"Cos', we're just so darn cute?" Ivy said from across the table, as she purposely, thumped her books down, with an echoing bang. The other Gryffindors jumped and glared in her direction, and she earned herself a shush, from the direction of Hermione, who was, once again, trying to get Ron and Harry to pay attention to their homework. Harry's eyes had wandered over to the fourth year, Ginny Weasley, while Ron was glancing at Hermione out of the corner of his eye. It was obvious to anyone that homework was the last thing on either of the two boys' minds…
"And where have you been all day?" Lily asked sternly, though she was sure she already knew the answer. Ivy's blonde hair was damp, her blue robes had been changed for green ones, and over the shampoo there was the sweet scent of…
"Syrup?! Pancake Syrup!?! What did you do, Ivy?"
Ivy grinned evilly, "You don't want to know,"
Lily gasped, and giggled as Oliver, in much the same condition as Ivy, walked past with a stupid grin on his face.
"You didn't?!?" Lily gasped again in shock. Ivy's only reply was a grin, and an eyebrow twitch.
"We've been here *Three days* and already you're…
Lily was cut off by Professor McGonnagall's icy voice coming from the direction of the portrait hole, "I would like to see Ivy McDougal, Lily Wilkes, Oliver Wood and George Weasley in my office immediately. Thank you," and she walked back out as quickly as she had entered.
"Busted…" said George and Lily.
* * *
McGonagall looked at the four of them over the top of her glasses. "Mr Wood, Mr Weasley, you two should know better. And Miss McDougal and Miss Wilkes, you may have only been here a short time, but that is no excuse for fighting or skipping classes."
Turning to Ivy and Oliver, she asked, "Where did you go all day?" Ivy flushed a bright red, the kind that you can feel from three feet away, which, indeed, Lily could. They both stuttered for a while, before Professor McGonagall continued. "Never mind then. Suffice to say, I'm sure it was extracurricular,"
She frowned, "I have been strongly encouraged to suspend you all, or at least restrict your Quidditch privileges," she said, looking pointedly at Oliver, who gasped. "However I believe this to be ill-advised. Instead, Miss McDougal, and Mr Wood, you will be put to work, before breakfast, lunch and dinner, in the kitchens. Miss Wilkes? You and Mr Weasley here will be assisting Hagrid, in the upkeep of the grounds. You will go down before dawn, and straight after dinner, until he directs you otherwise.
Your punishments start tomorrow morning and will last 7 days. I hope you will refrain from any rule-breaking in the future," she added, looking sternly at George. "You are dismissed."
* * *
As soon as they had left the office and shut the door, all four of them let out a sigh of relief. "Well, that went better than expected," George said, with a cheeky smile. It was easy to see that he was already planning his next bout of mischief, when Lily grabbed the front of his robes and dragged him off down the corridor, towards Gryffindor Tower. "Not tonight. I refuse to let you get yourself in trouble again before this round of detention is over," She continued ranting down the hall, with a grinning George in tow.
"She's not a subtle girl, is she?" Oliver asked as he watched them go.
"Oh, no. Lily has all the subtlety of a sledgehammer," Ivy said with a laugh, "She's always been like that. For as long as I can remember anyway."
"How long have you two known each other?" Oliver asked, as they started off in the same general direction as Lily had dragged George.
"We met when we were both 7 or so. At school. I was new, and we hit it off straight away. She was the tough one who defended me," Ivy grinned, and added, "and I was the quiet, boy crazy one who stopped her from going too far. I guess we've rubbed off on each other, a bit now.
"Yeah, you seem really close. Where does Cat fit into all of this?"
"She was an American exchange student. From Missouri. She added the bit of insanity to the group."
"Just a bit?" he said, with a twinkle in his eye.
Ivy laughed, "Yes, well, after that syrup incident, I'm not too sure now." She said, and nudged him with her elbow, making them both laugh.
After a few minutes silence, Oliver looked at his watch and smacked himself in the head, "Quidditch practice starts in ten minutes! I have to go!" and with that took off down the hallway, with Ivy jogging behind and smiling at the…view.
"Fiddlesticks" Oliver muttered breathlessly to the Fat lady, as he reached the entrance to the Gryffindor Tower. When Ivy joined him, he climbed through the now-open portrait hole and called out to the Common Room, "To All Who Are Interested: Tryouts For The Quidditch Reserves Are Tonight After Practice. Come Down If You're Serious About It." Cat giggled from across the room at this, earning herself, many strange looks. Papers rustled as several Gryffindors packed up their homework.
Standing in the middle of the room, Ivy, with no hint of bashfulness, or humility, yelled at the top of her voice, "LILY!!!!"
Equally as loud, though coming from the other side of the portrait hole, came, "WHAT!?!"
"Huh?" Ivy spun around in confusion, just in time to see Lily climbing into the room, straightening her robes and looking very pleased with herself.
Close behind her, was a messy haired George, grinning in the same stupid way that Oliver had, just a few hours earlier. Ivy caught his eye and raised an eyebrow. George blushed to the roots of his hair, and mumbled some excuse about getting his Quidditch stuff, hurrying up the wrong stairs.
"George!" He popped his head around the corner, as Fred called out to him.
"Yeah?"
"Wrong stairs, mate." George looked up the way he was going and saw Angelina, Alicia and Katie coming down, with their broomsticks on their shoulders, and laughing at his confusion.
"Oh…uh, oops," he blushed again, and went up the right ones, closely followed by Fred and Oliver.
Lily grinned after him, and turned to see Ivy, staring at her with a stunned expression on her face.
"Lily, you didn't?"
"Oh I did"
Ivy gasped. "I'm a bad influence on you," she said, giggling.
Lily laughed, "Anyway, you bellowed?" The two girls talked as they walked down the corridors.
"Oh yeah. There are Quidditch reserve tryouts on tonight. Want to go watch?"
"Watch? I'm trying out. Beater"
"Oh, and that has nothing to do with one George Weasley, does it?"
"Umm, no? Anyway, other than that it's the only one I'd be any good at. Hey, you should try out too,"
"For what?"
"Oh I don't know. You could go for Chaser. You could practice scoring on the Keeper," said Lily, with a wicked gleam in her eye.
"Yeah, yeah. And how do you suppose we play Quidditch without broomsticks? Ever think of that?"
"Yes actually. George said he'd show me how to handle his broomstick but…"
"Lily!" Ivy shrieked, "That's…"
"I know! I'm not going to do that. What do you take me for? A…a person that does stuff like that?"
"My aren't we articulate?"
"Oh, shut up,"
By then, the two girls had reached the Quidditch Pitch, well behind everyone else. The team was already up in the air. Lily and Ivy took their places next to Cat, in the stands, and waited for practice to end and the reserve tryouts to start.