Chapter Sixteen
"Showdown"
Lizzie was grateful that exams were over, but that wasn't the end of it. Hayden insisted that they spend the following weekend going over her dressage test, and running the cross-country and showjumping courses.
Lizzie was relieved to find out the day before the show, that the cross-country course wouldn't actually be in the Forest; she was still traumatized by her near-death experience there, she was continuing to have flashbacks, and the nightmares persisted even more still.
She barely at anything during dinner Thursday night. She felt like her heart was made of concrete, weighing her down. "Umbridge tried to get you omitted from the show," said Hayden. "Of course she did," said Lizzie. "When?" "During O.W.L.s," said Hayden. "Who stopped her?" asked Lizzie. "McGonagall," said Hayden. "Wait – was this before she was Stunned?" asked Lizzie. "Yeah," said Hayden. "Professor Flitwick and Sprout joined her. Umbridge was powerless to say 'no'," said Hayden. Lizzie felt relieved. She was going to compete after all! And to think two months ago she almost died and was told she wasn't going to recover in time to compete at all.
I sure proved them wrong – again! thought Lizzie, a satisfied smile on her face.
She went to be early as she got dressed, turned down the blankets, got into bed and opened her bedside cabinet, taking from it her photo album, and stared at the pictures of Raven within its pages.
Lizzie by this time, had come to terms with his death, and she was doing the show partly in his memory. "I'll make you proud, boy," said Lizzie as she kissed the picture of Raven on the right page, closed the album, settled down and fell asleep almost before her head hit the pillow.
Her alarm buzzed loudly in her ears, waking her instantly as she groaned sleepily, slamming her palm onto the snooze button, and pulling the covers over her head. "Wake up, Lizzie!" said Hermione brightly. "No!" Lizzie groaned from beneath the covers. "Yes! It's show day! Come on! Get up! Flicka and Hayden are waiting for you!" said Hermione. "What time is it?" asked Lizzie, still buried beneath the blankets. "Almost seven-thirty," said Hermione. Lizzie swore as she threw back the covers and scrambled out of bed. Hermione had hung her burgundy show coat with gold piping on the collar and the Gryffindor crest on the right breast, on the end of her four-poster, along with her high-necked shirt, with stock tie and pin in the shape of a horseshoe studded with diamonds, her white full-seat breeches, and her tall boots that she had polished the night before to a perfect shine. She also had a pair of white gloves and her One K helmet.
Lizzie got dressed at top speed, and momentarily put her boots on the wrong feet until Hermione reminded her. After she was dressed, Hermione helped Lizzie with her hair and makeup.
She applied Sleekeazy's Hair Potion to Lizzie's hair, twisted it up into a low bun at the base of her head, and secured it with pins and a hairnet.
After she was dressed, she made her way down to breakfast with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Hayden. As Lizzie entered the Great Hall, everyone at the Gryffindor table stood up and applauded as Lizzie passed, shouting words of encouragement and good luck wishes.
Hayden was dressed in his show attire as well; his curly hair was slicked back and parted to one side like it had been on their first date, and he was wearing a white collared shirt and white tie, white full-seat breeches, and a navy blue show jacket with brass buttons and the Canadian flag with the two gold wands crossing one another emitting gold stars on the right.
As Lizzie sat down and looked around, she realized that she and Hayden must not be the only ones competing. There were at least fifty people per House table wearing show jackets in Hufflepuff yellow, Ravenclaw blue, Gryffindor red, or Slytherin green.
Lizzie caught sight of Malfoy at the Slytherin table in his green show coat, his white blond hair slicked back as he pored over his dressage test.
"Speaking of," said Hayden as he pulled out a sheet of parchment and unfolded it before handing it to Lizzie. "We should go over it, just to make sure you know it," he said as Lizzie poured herself some coffee.
She nodded as she looked over the parchment.
Her test was amazingly complex, beginning with entrance into the arena, down the centerline in a collected canter before halting square on the centerline to salute the judges.
"And I know eye contact is hard for you, but try; it makes you look confident," said Hayden. Lizzie nodded as she looked back at her test; After saluting the judges she would do a series of collected and extended trots, half passes, passages and piaffes, and transitioning between the two, and she had to piaffe a certain number of steps before transitioning to passage, collected medium and extended canters, canter pirouettes, flying changes, tempi changes every second stride (change canter leads every two strides), then again every stride eleven times. She would exit the test down the centerline, and salute the judges before leaving the arena in a loose rein walk.
Lizzie sighed nervously. She didn't realize it was going to be this hard. "Seven flying changes every second stride?" she asked. "We've worked on that! You're amazing at it!" said Hayden. "Who's judging the show?" asked Lizzie. "Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick, Professor Tofty, Professor Marchbanks, and someone named Ewan McKinnon. Apparently he's a member of the Order of the Phoenix," said Hayden.
The name sounded oddly familiar to Lizzie. Then after a moment, she remembered; He had been one of the Aurors that was in Dumbledore's office the day that the D.A. was discovered.
"He's the one who looks like Obi-Wan Kenobi, right?" asked Lizzie. "Yep," said Hayden.
After breakfast, Lizzie immediately went down to the stables to get Flicka ready. She took a spray bottle out of her tack trunk, filled it with a diluted solution of leave-in conditioner and water as she sprayed Flicka's mane and tail with it before running a brush through it, then dividing her mane into small sections and braiding it. She did the same with her tail.
When she was done, she groomed her coat, making sure there wasn't a single bit of mud or dirt on it, and wiping her coat down with a damp cloth before brushing it. She painted Flicka's hooves with hoof black, before going to the tack room to fetch her tack.
She gathered Flicka's saddle from the rack on the far wall as well as her double bridle and brought it back to Flicka's stall and began to tack her up. She was just starting on her polo wraps and bell boots when Hayden walked in, carrying number cards on strings for them to tie around their waists. Lizzie's number was A105 as he handed it to her.
"Got us all checked in," he said. "Oh, good," said Lizzie. "Hi, Flicka, how're you doin'?" asked Hayden, petting Flicka. "How's Jedi?" asked Lizzie. "Here's hoping he saves some energy for the actual test this time," said Hayden. "He can piaffe and passage the house down in the warmup, but as soon as we get in to do the test…."
"He dies on you," said Lizzie, smiling. "Yep," said Hayden. Lizzie laughed. "Yeah, Raven used to do that," she said reminiscently. "I saw him this morning." "Raven?" asked Hayden. "You saw Raven?"
Lizzie nodded. "As I was coming down here, here was in the paddock, grazing," she said. "How was his leg?" asked Hayden. "It was fine," said Lizzie. "It was like it had never been broken. He looked…happy."
She sniffled as she felt her eyes sting with tears, though they weren't tears of grief. Even though Raven was gone, he had shown Lizzie that he hadn't left and he wasn't in pain anymore. That made her happy.
Hayden hugged her as a loud voice echoed across the grounds: "This is a reminder: All competitors must sign in before heading to the warmup ring. All riders must sign in before entering the practice ring. Thank you."
Lizzie finished tacking up Flicka but as she was getting ready to mount up to head to the warmup ring, another voice rang out over the grounds: "The warmup ring is now closed. All riders please exit the ring. All riders please exit the warmup ring at this time."
"Dang," said Lizzie. "I wish I hadn't overslept!" "Don't worry about it, you'll do fine," said Hayden as he gave her a leg up on Flicka before walking up to the stall to fetch Jedi. Jedi's jet black mane and tail had been braided and he wore a white saddle pad with the Toronto Institute of Witchcraft and Wizardry emblem embroidered on the bottom right side with a black dressage saddle, double bridle, white polo wraps and bell boots.
His shoes clattered against the tile floor as Hayden climbed aboard and led him out of the stables, down to the arena where people had started to fill the seats surrounding the arena. Jedi was snorting as he reached over to Flicka, trying to affectionately groom her, but Hayden pulled back on the reins firmly.
"Hey, I know you think Flicka's hot, but there's a time and a place, Jedi!" he said. "You can be a stallion when you get back to the paddock!" Lizzie giggled.
As they walked down to the arena, Lizzie could see the judge's table and was relieved to see that Umbridge, despite being headmistress wasn't among the group. She had already tried to get Lizzie disqualified from competing. She wasn't about to let that old toad ruin this for her.
Hayden held Lizzie's hand. "You're facing some stiff competition out there – not just me," he said. "There are some that think you don't have a chance, that you don't belong here," "Three guesses who," said Lizzie. Hayden shrugged. "And maybe their right," he said. "I mean, who jumps a mustang, eh, Flicka?" Flicka nickered and nodded her head. Lizzie giggled. "Look how far you've come, Liz!" said Hayden. "I mean, when I first met you, you were all torn up about losing Raven and you swore up and down you'd never get on a horse again! Now look at you! You're here, and you're actually riding!"
Lizzie smiled modestly. "I couldn't have done it without you. Thanks for not giving up on me." She looked out at the crowd of people assembling and could see Rita Skeeter with her Quick-Quotes Quill, and Rena Crabapple – the journalist that had written the review of her and Hayden's skating program last term, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were in the crowd, and so was, to Lizzie's surprise, her mother and Tara who were chatting animatedly with Mrs. Weasley who appeared to be in middle of telling a very amusing story.
She looked beyond them and saw Lucius Malfoy with someone who Lizzie surmised was his wife, and Lizzie's heart sank as she saw who was sitting in the front row: Professor Umbridge was sitting on the bottom most bleacher, her feet dangling a good few inches above the groud, her stubby hands folded in her lap with a smug looking smile playing on her wide slack mouth. With a horrible sinking feeling, it occurred to Lizzie that Umbridge could have shot Flicka up with something, because if Flicka had been drugged, Lizzie would be out of the competition, which was what Umbridge had wanted all along.
Thankfully, Lizzie saw Professor Grubbly-Plank nearby, checking out one of the horses. "Are all the horses tested for drugs or other substances that could influence their performance?" she asked Hayden. "I think so, why?" asked Hayden as Lizzie quickly dismounted Flicka. "Hold her for me, would you?' she asked, handing over Flicka's reins to Hayden and running toward Professor Grubbly Plank.
"Professor! Professor Grubbly-Plank!" Lizzie called, running over to her. "Yes, my dear," she said as she stopped what she was doing, and turned to Lizzie. "Was Flicka tested for drugs or any performance enhancing substances this morning?" asked Lizzie. "I'm sorry, dear, who?" asked Professor Grubbly-Plank. "Flicka, the – the black mustang?" asked Lizzie. "Ah, yes! Hagrid's favorite lesson horse!" said Professor Grubbly-Plank. Lizzie nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Did you test her to make sure no one gave her anything?"
"Are you suggesting that somebody shot up your horse?" asked Professor Grubbly-Plank seriously. "I can't rule it out," said Lizzie with a sideways glance at Professor Umbridge. "No, I don't believe I did. I could take a look at her before the show starts." "Thank you!" said Lizzie as she led Professor Grubbly-Plank back to where Flicka stood with Hayden and Jedi. Professor Grubbly Plank took a minute blood sample from Flicka and after casting a series of spells found no foreign substances in her blood – not even ones that wouldn't normally be found. "No, I'd say she's all right to compete, Miss Brooks. Mr. Chamberlain, would you like me to check your horse as well?"
"Sure, why not," said Hayden, who couldn't help but wonder if Umbridge would dare try and sabotage his ride too. But Jedi came up clean as well, just as the voice of Professor Marchbanks rang out through the arena. "Good morning, ladies, and gentlemen! Welcome to this year's National Cross Country Championship! We would like to thank all our sponsors and VIP guests for their contribution to this exceptional event as well as the schools participating. The schools in participation are: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
There was an outbreak of applause and cheering. "And the Toronto Institute of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
There was more cheering and applause. "Would all riders make their way to the dressage ring at this time!"
Lizzie sighed, relieved that Umbridge hadn't tried to ruin her or Hayden's chances of competing, but she was still nervous as she looked out across the arena at Umbridge. "Hey," said Hayden softly in her ear as she turned to him.
"Don't worry about Umbridge. Don't worry about anyone else. Just forget about winning, forget about who's watching you, forget everything. Except why it is you love to ride." Lizzie smiled and nodded. "You ready?" asked Hayden. "Yeah," said Lizzie. "If you do get nervous, look for me," said Hayden. "Okay," said Lizzie. "Would Miss Elizabeth Brooks report to the dressage ring? Miss Elizabeth Brooks, please report to the dressage ring at this time!" came Professor Marchbanks's voice.
Lizzie sighed. "No turning back now," she said as Hayden helped her back onto Flicka as she walked her over to the entrance to the dressage arena.
"Our first rider in the dressage ring, Miss Elizabeth Brooks of Gryffindor House for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry riding Flicka!" said Professor Marchbanks as the song Lizzie chose, My Time Is Now began to play as Lizzie entered the arena in a collected canter, halting at X as she saluted the judges.
No one said it would be easy to hold your head up through the ups and downs.
But if you want it, and you believe it, you will find a way to turn it around.
Got a feelin' in my bones
That a change is coming on
I'm not gonna sit around here, waitin'
My Time Is Now
I got the fire
My dreams are right here in front of me
I'm breaking out
I'm burning brighter
And I'm gonna show you what my life was meant to be….
As the chorus to the song played, everyone in Gryffindor stood on their feet and began clapping to the beat of the song.
Lizzie trotted left at C in an extended trot from H, across X to F, before collecting it again.
Hayden watched with pride and love as Lizzie piaffed, passaged, cantered at various speeds, performed a half pass down the centerline at X, then a canter pirouette to the left at I, tracking left at C, as she prepared to the extended canter.
Okay, Flicka, Lizzie thought. Time to fly!
She rounded the corner, inside leg to outside rein, half-halting as she went and drove her seat bones into Flicka's back as she felt Flicka engage her back end they flew across the diagonal. The crowd burst into applause and cheering – especially from the Gryffindor section. Ewan was grinning from the judge's panel as he watched Lizzie and Flicka soar across the diagonal. "Very nice," he said as he marked Lizzie's score on a piece of parchment on a clipboard in front of him.
Everyone was on their feet, clapping hard whooping and hollering as Lizzie grinned from ear to ear, maneuvering her seat to scoop less as Flicka collected her canter, then she switched her inside leg, which was on the girth to behind the girth, and the outside leg that was behind the girth to on the girth as Flicka changed leads continuing on with her collected canter.
Lizzie performed the rest of her test really well. The seven flying changes every two strids actually turned out to be easier that what she had anticipated., part in which because Hayden had not only taught her how to count strides – something she needed to know for the showjumping; figuring out how many strides it will take to get to all the jumps – but he had also taught her how to feel for them too, so feeling each stride and knowing when to change leads was actually quite easy.
The rest of her test was smooth sailing and when she was done, she rode down the centerline at A before stopping in the center and saluting the judge's one final time. It was all over. She was done.
The crowd erupted and everyone except Umbridge and perhaps the Slytherins were standing on their feet, applauding, cheering, and whistling.
Lizzie was grinning broadly as she looked over at Umbridge, who was looking at her with a mixture of stunned disbelief, disgust, and extreme loathing.
She walked out of the arena at A at a loose rein walk, and waited until she was out of the arena before giving Flicka a pat for a job well done.
Hayden had tears in his eyes as Lizzie walked up to him and dismounted Flicka.
He walked over to her and immediately kissed her. "Well done, the hard part's over," he said. "Not for you, it isn't," said Lizzie. "Ah, Jedi and I have got this! We'll be okay," said Hayden.
"Would Mr. Hayden Chamberlain, please report to the dressage ring immediately," came Professor Marchbanks's magically magnified voice.
Hayden held Jedi's reins in his hand as he put his foot in the stirrup and hoisted himself on. "Good luck!" said Lizzie happily. "Thanks Liz," said Hayden, holding her hand in his for a moment before letting go and making a clucking noise with his tongue and Jedi walked on.
"Our second rider, from the Toronto Institute of Witchcraft and Wizardry, performing Grand Prix, Hayden Chamberlain riding Rebel Alliance, aka 'Jedi',"
Hayden sat up tall with his eyes forward as he entered the arena in a collected canter down the centerline, halting at X, and dropping one arm to his side and nodding once in salute
Professor Marchbanks nodded at him to proceed.
Lizzie had never seen Hayden perform a full dressage test before – let alone a Grand Prix test. The book he gave her on the first date detailed those tests and they were extremely complex as Lizzie soon realized as she watched him extend his trot then collect it back up. He performed a half pass to the right then again at the left, then into a collected trot.
I would love to be able to ride like that someday! Lizzie thought dreamily. Jedi looked really good too, looking like he was levitating on the surface of the arena sand before stopping and backing up five steps before springing into a collected trot. Hayden had taught her that in a rein back you don't use your hands to make the horse back up, and it's considered a forward movement – the horse moves backwards, but needs to go directly forward upon being released from the rein back.
Lizzie knew how to do a rein back too, but it wasn't a requirement in her test. Hayden taught it to her, explaining that if she wanted to reach her goal of making it to the Grand Prix, she needed to learn and there was no time like the present.
She watched in awe as Hayden and Jedi piaffed and passaged from V to K to D, and back to piaffe for twelve to fifteen steps then several more transitions from D to F to P. Now Lizzie understood what Hayden meant when he said Jedi's piaffe and passage was a showstopper. Flicka's was decent, but not as good as Jedi. It was absolutely beautiful to watch, and Lizzie could hear Lavender and Parvati swooning and giggling as they watched.
She rolled her eyes. Hayden was already spoken for, so why were they keeping this act up?
Hayden did several more transitions from piaffe to passage before proceeding into a collected canter to the left, then from F across X to H on the diagonal, then nine flying changes every second stride. "Wow!" Lizzie breathed. "I know, he makes it look so easy doesn't he?" asked Molly who was standing nearby with Felix. "He's the most talented rider at our school – no one else is at the level that he's at. Jedi's the most expensive horse that we have there too – not like that matters to Hayden."
"It doesn't?" asked Lizzie. Molly shook her head. "In his words: 'Jedi doesn't know his price tag. He just knows he was born to jump'."
Lizzie smiled. "Hayden told me how Jedi saved his life," she said. Molly nodded gravely. "I remember when that happened," she said. "He said he was going out riding on Jedi, I didn't think anything of it. Then as I was walking back from the library just a couple hours later, I saw a couple of teachers bring him into the infirmary on a stretcher, and he was in so much pain he was actually crying – I have never seen him cry before. he was the one student everyone looked up to…...I remember our headmistress asking the nurse how bad it was, and she….."
"What?" asked Lizzie. Molly sighed. "The nurse told her, to write to his family and let them know what's happened. She said it was really bad…..Hayden…..normally doesn't like to talk about it, but with you….. " "We shared something," said Lizzie. "He had to attend regular sessions with our counselor just to deal with the flashbacks and the nightmares. To this day, whenever we walk to the area of the grounds where he – where it happened – he would always get this weird look on his face, like….like he hasn't forgotten."
Lizzie nodded. Hayden had only told her minor details about his own experience, but she had never pushed him to talk about what really happened. But he didn't have to. Everything that he had experienced was identical to what happened to her.
Lizzie and Molly looked back at Hayden just as he and Jedi performed their extended canter along the long diagonal and there was an instant roar of applause and cheering, this time more from the Canadian students. Lavender and Parvati were fangirling worse than ever now as they squealed and cheered. Lizzie was applauding harder than anyone, a huge grin spread across her face. He's really doing well! Lizzie thought. He has a real good chance of winning this….
Hayden transitioned from passage to piaffe and back to passage again from X to G and finally halting at G and saluting, ending the test.
The entire crowd erupted in applause as Hayden, with a big grin on his face exited the arena with Jedi on a loose rein walk, and just like Lizzie, waited until he was outside the arena before praising Jedi with a pat on the neck.
"That – was – brilliant!" said. Lizzie as Hayden dismounted. "Ah, my extended trot was all over the place and I know I messed up those nine tempi changes, but…That doesn't matter, does it?" "No," said Lizzie. "Come and sit down! I'll go get you a drink!" said Lizzie as they sat down at one of the many tables that surrounded the seating area along the bleachers.
Minutes later, Lizzie came back with two bottles of butterbeer. "Well," said Hayden, raising his. "Here's to…" "Surviving dressage, tomorrow, cross-country!" said Lizzie brightly. "Bring it!" said Hayden as they clinked their bottles together and drank.
Lizzie had the rest of the day to herself, so after she and Hayden untacked and put their horses away for the day, they went up to the common room that was packed with students, everyone coming over to praise both of them for doing so well on their dressage.
"Did you hear?" asked Hermione. "Malfoy got eliminated from the class when he used verbal commands and used his reins during the rein back!" "Figures," said Lizzie. "Does that mean he can still compete in the cross country?" "I think so, he just got eliminated from one class," said Hermione. Lizzie sighed as she rested her head on Hayden's shoulder as he ran his fingers through her hair.
The next morning, Lizzie made absolutely sure that she was up early and seemed rather hungry at breakfast. "It was the dressage that kinda rattled me," said Lizzie. "Never liked it much."
"Neither did I, at first," said Hayden who was now dressed in a navy blue polo shirt with the Toronto Institute of Witchcraft and Wizardry emblem embroidered on it, with tan riding breeches, tall boots, and spurs.
"Well, good news is after this comes the showjumping," said Lizzie. "It's been nice getting the opportunity to show here," said Hayden. "It's been nice having you," said Lizzie. Hayden smiled as Lizzie spread marmalade on her toast.
The first person in the cross-country course was Malfoy and his horse. Major, a dapple grey Hanoverian appeared to be a bit stiff as he galloped through the course, but he seemed to do relatively well, until Lizzie was getting Flicka ready, she noticed Malfoy looking furious as he walked Major who was limping severely up to Professor Grubbly-Plank. "What's going on?" asked Hayden, while adjusting the figure-eight bridle on Jedi.
"Dunno," said Lizzie. "Here, hold him for me," said Hayden, handing Jedi's reins to Lizzie as he went over to see what was going on. "What's going on here?" asked Hayden. "Oh, his horse pulled up lame during the course," said Professor Grubbly-Plank. "May I?" asked Hayden. "Oh, please," said Professor Grubbly-Plank. Hayden walked over to Major and trailed his hand down his right front leg and clucked at him, encouraging him to lift it.
He felt all along Majors leg down to his ankle, bending and flexing it. Major snorted and pulled his hoof out of Hayden's grasp, gazing reproachfully at him. "Strained tendon," said Hayden releasing his grip on Major's hoof. "It'll heal, but you're not going to make the showjumping tomorrow." Malfoy gasped. "My father wants…" he protested. "Well, then your father needs to understand that winning isn't worth injuring an innocent animal!" snapped Hayden. "Did you warm him up before you ran him?"
Malfoy said nothing, but Hayden could tell by the look on his face that he hadn't. "See, this is exactly what happens when you don't warm up your horse before a run! You're lucky it's only a strained tendon! He could have gotten seriously hurt because of your carelessness!" Malfoy smirked. "And I'm not the only one at Hogwarts to do that am I?" he sneered. "Leave Lizzie out of this!" Hayden snapped. "You're the one who rode your horse without warming him up, no one else did it for you! Now maybe next time you'll think twice before running him cold!"
Malfoy glared at him as he stalked off in a huff.
"You said it so I didn't have to," said Lizzie. "If you want me to feel sorry for him….." said Hayden angrily. "I don't," said Lizzie. "Good! 'cause he should've known better!" said Hayden. "I should have known better too," said Lizzie. Hayden stared at her. At first he wasn't sure what she was talking about. "Lizzie, him being careless with his horse had nothing to do with you!" he said. "He did have a point though," said Lizzie. "I'm still having a hard time letting go of the guilt."
Hayden nodded. "Come on," said Lizzie. "You'd better get Jedi, you're up soon." Hayden nodded as Lizzie finished tacking up Flicka and heading out onto the grounds near the forest. The course began with a long stretch of turf, down a hill over a box jump, down another hill, over a rolltop jump, over a bench, then a log house jump, over a cobblestone wall, over a hedge with logs into water, then down another stretch of turf, down a hill and over the final jump; a brush box.
Hayden was the first one on the course and Jedi was already excited to go, almost piaffing as he waited for Hayden to give him the command to gallop. "Okay, boy, let's do this!" Hayden sighed. "Come on, then, let's go! Hyah!" Jedi immediately galloped forward across the grassy manicured lawns of the grounds, down the first hill and over the box jump as Hayden rose immediately into a half-seat as they galloped down the second hill and over the rolltop, then the bench, the log house jump, over the cobblestone wall, over a hedge with logs as they splashed into and through the water, down the second stretch of grass, down the third hill, and over the final brush box.
Lizzie had a stopwatch in her hand as she clicked it and stared at the time.. "Whoa! I had no idea Jedi was that fast!" she breathed.
Cho Chang was next and did well until it came to the jump into water as she fell off her horse. Couldn't have happened to a nicer girl, Lizzie thought bitterly, still angry at her for defending Marietta after she ratted out the D.A.
"Next up for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Miss Elizabeth Brooks of Gryffindor riding Flicka!" said Professor Marchbanks as Lizzie trotted up to the starting line. Flicka snorting excitedly, eager to go.
"All right, Flicka, Let's show 'em what we've got!" said Lizzie, lightening up her seat. "Hyah!"
Flicka immediately began to gallop across the lawn, down the first hill and over the first jump. Ewan was watching in stunned fascination as he gazed at the stopwatch in his hand and his eyes widened in surprise, almost as if he couldn't believe that Flicka was going that fast.
The crowd seemed just as equally stunned. "Whoa! That horse is fast!" breathed Hermione. "Flicka may be small, but she's mighty!" said Hayden happily, who had seen how fast Flicka could run during their practice times, as he watched Lizzie and Flicka gallop down the second hill and over the roll top. "Come on, girl, we've got this!" said Lizzie as they soared over the bench jump, the log house jump and over the cobblestone wall. Hayden was smiling broadly as they went over the hedge with logs into water, then down another long stretch of grass as they rounded a corner down the third hill. They were almost done.
"Almost there," said Hayden, watching Flicka ease down the hill. "Easy, girl, we're almost done," whispered Lizzie as Flicka galloped the rest of the way down the hill, and over the brush box, completing the course.
Ewan gazed down at the stopwatch in his hand and his jaw fell open. Lizzie's time was a full half minute faster than Hayden's.
He showed the time on the stopwatch to Professor Marchbanks. "Is this right?" he asked in disbelief. Professor Marchbanks compared it with the time on her stopwatch and they were identical. "Thirty seconds faster than Mr. Chamberlain," confirmed Professor Marchbanks.
"Incredible!" breathed Ewan.
"This could be the best time so far!" said Professor Marchbanks as Professor Tofty showed her a clipboard with an identical recorded time as hers and Ewan's. "Yes, indeed, Miss Elizabeth Brooks of Gryffindor House at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has set the fastest time!"
The crowd erupted in applause. Umbridge, Lizzie saw, looked positively livid at the idea that she had a shot at winning this.
Lizzie sighed happily as she walked up to Hayden, dismounted Flicka, and hugged him. "I'm so proud of you, Liz," he said. "How do your legs feel?" "Like they're made of rubber," said Lizzie. "Come and sit down for a minute," said Hayden as he led Lizzie to where a series of folding chairs stood, and helped her sit down and got her some water.
"And I thought Jedi was fast! Wow!" said Hayden. "I didn't see that coming either to be honest," said Lizzie, taking a drink. "You were right about dropping my stirrups down a hole – that definitely helped." Hayden smiled. "Glad I could help," he said, kissing her on the cheek.
Sunday dawned bright and early as Lizzie was up at the break of dawn as she had been for the previous two days, to ensure she got dressed in time and that she ate a good breakfast before heading to the stables to get Flicka ready.
Once again, she was dressed in her crisp white high-necked show shirt, stock tie and pin, with her Gryffindor show jacket. Only this time, her riding breeches were tan this time instead of white.
Lizzie was feeling exceptionally nervous this morning. This final class could mean the difference between redemption and closure over the loss of Raven, or forever being remembered as the person who caused his death and remaining a social outcast until she left Hogwarts.
But that was only a small part of why she was doing it. Despite the dramatic improvement in her mental health, and that by all outward appearances, looked to be back to the person she had been before Raven's death, she still bore a tremendous amount of guilt over it.
One of Lizzie's weaknesses was that she was a chronic overthinker, and would ruminate over the simplest of things that really didn't matter, but she would make them matter. And her guilt surrounding what she did to cause Raven to be put down was one of those things.
That wasn't to say that it lived rent-free inside her head, but she thought about it a lot. The cuts on her arms had long since turned to scars, and she was being more open with her emotions and what was bothering her, as well as writing in her journal every day. She was doing great! It seemed hard to believe that at the beginning of the school year, Professor McGonagall had become so concerned with Lizzie's mental health that she had actually suggested to Madame Pomfrey that Lizzie be sent to a psychiatric hospital for treatment. Lizzie had only recently found out about this.
The show wasn't just about redeeming herself for what she did to cause Raven's death. She was ready to let it go, and move on from the guilt and the grief that had plagued her for nearly the entire year.
"If Flicka wants to refuse for whatever reason, I'm gonna let her," said Lizzie at breakfast, piling bacon and eggs on her plate. Hayden stared at her. "I'm not gonna push her the way I did with Raven," said Lizzie. "I've learned my lesson. It was hard to learn, but I learned it."
"You don't care about winning?" asked Harry. "Oh, winning's good, don't get me wrong," said Lizzie quickly, pouring herself some coffee. "But I think having fun is a lot better," she said, smiling. Hayden was smiling too as he kissed her. "That's my girl," he said.
Emma Brooks and Tara met Lizzie in the entrance hall to give her a hug and wish her good luck before she went down to the stables to tack up Flicka.
"Have fun, that's what matters," said Emma, smiling at her. "Mum, please don't be mad," said Lizzie nervously. Emma frowned at her, confused. Lizzie reached out as Hayden took her hand. "Hayden and I….well, we're sorta….going out now. He's…..my boyfriend,"
Emma stared at Lizzie for a moment, then pulled her into a tight hug. "So you're okay with that?" asked Lizzie, laughing slightly. "Of course!" said Emma. "He's only a year older than you! If he were three or four years older, I would have disapproved, but this…This is wonderful!"
Hayden was grinning, relieved that Lizzie's mum had approved of their relationship, if not encouraged it.
"Well, run along, then, and finish getting ready," said Emma, releasing her grip on Lizzie. "I love you," she said kissing Lizzie on the cheek. "I love you too, Mum," said Lizzie as she and Hayden turned to walk out of the entrance hall, but Emma called him back.
"Hayden, dear, could I have a quick word?" she asked. Hayden held Lizzie's hand before waking back up to Emma. Lizzie was far enough away not to hear their conversation, but she did see Emma put a firm hand on his shoulder and she looked him dead in the face, looking stern.
After a moment, Hayden walked back over to Lizzie, wide eyed and looking slightly shaken. "What did she say?" asked Lizzie. "She said she is forever grateful for me saving your life, but she did give me a warning," said Hayden.
"What's that?" asked Lizzie. "She said that if I break your heart or hurt you in any way, she'd come after me," said Hayden. Lizzie laughed. "Yep, that's Mum – always protective," said Lizzie. "Come on," she said as she and Hayden walked out of the entrance hall and down to the stables.
They got their tack from the tack room and entered their designated stalls to tack up their horses.
"Don't be nervous, Flicka," said Lizzie, petting Flicka's neck as she nickered. "You're right, I'm the one who's nervous." She sighed as she ran a brush through Flicka's coat. The braids in her mane and tail had been taken out after her dressage test the day before last. Lizzie wasn't in the mood to re-braid them.
After grooming Flicka, she began to tack her up with her burgundy Gryffindor saddle pad, Ogilvy, black all-purpose saddle, breastplate, and girth, then put her burgundy brushing and bell boots on before finishing off with her bridle.
She was leading Flicka out of her stall and Molly Cobb was bathing Felix in the wash bays as she rattled the bucket against the wall. Flicka heard it and suddenly whinnied and reared up on her hind legs, and was pawing at the sky. "Whoa! Flicka! Easy! Whoa!" said Lizzie, trying to get her to come back down.
Hayden looked up from tack up Jedi and saw how excited Flicka was, and his first concern was that she could knock Lizzie over and she would get hurt. Hastily, he unlatched the drop latch on the stall door and ran over to Lizzie and Flicka who was still walking on her hind legs. "Easy, hold her," said Hayden as he helped Lizzie to coax Flicka back onto the ground. When she did finally come down, her eyes were as wide as saucers, her nostrils were flared, she was snorting, and she was prancing like she had done during her dressage test.
Lizzie was breathing heavily, not sure what to make of what had just happened. Flicka normally was very docile and hardly ever got riled up like that for nothing.
"It's okay," said Hayden soothingly, and Lizzie couldn't tell whether he was speaking to Flicka or her. "Walk her around, let her work off her nerves," said Hayden as Lizzie nodded and walked Flicka out of the barn as Hayden watched. My God, he thought What are we gonna see today?
He finished tacking up Jedi before making his way out of the barn and down the outdoor arena where the showjumping would be taking place.
He helped Lizzie to mount up on Flicka before he mounted up on Jedi. Flicka was still acting excited. "Easy, girl, it's okay," said Lizzie, petting Flicka's neck.
The bleacher seats and tables were already filling up as riders from both the Toronto Institute of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Hogwarts lined up outside the ring, waiting for the show to begin and their names to be called. It was a neck-and-neck tie between the two schools with Hayden taking the lead for his school, and Lizzie following close behind.
There were a total of twelve jumps set to various heights, depending on the skill level of the rider competing. Both Hayden and Lizzie had walked the course earlier, figuring out how many strides it would take to get to each jump.
The show started off with Molly Cobb. The jumps had all been set to three-foot nine, a series of oxers, verticals, two bars, and a tight triple-bar combo with a liverpool as the final jump.
Lizzie felt slightly sick looking at the triple combo with the liverpool. Even when Raven was alive, she had struggled with that jump and had never managed to clear it.
She sighed as she closed her eyes and said a small prayer: Lord, if you hear me, you listen to me, and you love me, give me wings and help me clear that jump. Amen, she thought as she nodded once and opened her eyes.
Molly and Felix did really well and even managed to clear the final jump.
Next up was Cho Chang on her dark bay horse, Bentley. Just like Molly, they did really well, until the final jump, the triple combo. Just when it looked like they were about to ride a clear round, there was a clunk! as Bentley's hooves clipped the top rail of the jump as it fell, and as his front feet hit the ground, his back feet skimmed the water of the liverpool.
The crowd groaned as Cho cantered a circle on Bentley. Her round was over.
"Gotta give her credit though for leaving out that stride," said Lizzie, shrugging. "At least she went for it." Hayden nodded as the jumps were raised to five-foot three and his name was called.
He entered the arena on Jedi and squeezed his sides with his legs and Jedi picked up his trot, then after four strides, Hayden sat deep in the saddle and put weight in his inside seatbone, as Jedi picked up his canter as Hayden rose up into a half-seat, and the two of them cantered through the arena, clearing each jump with ease as they went.
"You've got this," said Lizzie as she sat atop Flicka outside the gate, watching Hayden. Then he came upon the final triple combo, soaring effortlessly over the first….then the second….and the third, delivering a perfectly clear round.
The crowd cheered and applauded. "Mr. Hayden Chamberlain has delivered a solid performance, maintain the Toronto Institute of Witchcraft and Wizardry's lead, with Hogwarts trailing just a few points behind," said Professor Marchbanks. "Nice ride, Hayden," said Lizzie as Hayden passed her. "Thanks," he said, smiling back.
Lizzie sighed deeply. She was next.
"And our final rider, in second place, going into the jumper round, Miss Elizabeth Brooks of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Now she's going to have to put up a record time to overtake Hayden Chamberlain and the Toronto Institute of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Hayden walked up to Lizzie and Flicka, grinning as Jedi nuzzled Flicka, nickering affectionately.
"Okay, listen," said Hayden seriously. "Don't rush her, but don't hold her back either. Remember, you've got a timer going.. Just take your time, set her up properly, and she'll take care of the rest for you, okay?"
Lizzie smiled. "Okay," she said. "Okay, I love you," said Hayden as he kissed her. "I love you too," said Lizzie, smiling nervously. "You'll do great," said Hayden, holding her hand. "All right, go get 'em." Lizzie nodded as she trotted Flicka up to the judge's table and Professor Marchbanks gave her the nod to proceed.
Ewan smiled at her. So far, Lizzie had ranked ninety-two percent in her dressage, and Hayden eighty five. Her cross-country time was a full half-minute longer than his.
Secretly, Ewan was hoping for Lizzie to win. Remus had told him all about her and what a talented rider she was.
Lizzie smiled back as she leaned forward and whispered in Flicka's ear. "No matter what happens, Flicka, thanks for getting me back in the show ring. Let's go have some fun, eh?" she asked, clucking at Flicka as she transitioned from a walk to a canter.
The jumps in the arena had all been set to five-foot one.
Lizzie cantered up to the first jump – an oxer, and soared over it. She cleared every other jump after it like she had been jumping this height for years, or otherwise, like they weren't even there.
"Oh, my goodness! I'm so nervous! I can't watch!" said Emma from the bleachers as she watched her daughter jump. "You're gonna miss it!" said Tara. "Okay," sighed Emma as she continued to watch.
Then Lizzie rounded the corner, coming to the final jump – the dreaded triple combo with the liverpool. Instantly, Lizzie's mind flashed back in vivid detail to the day Raven died. The third jump in the triple combo had been the one he had wanted to refuse. Lizzie closed her eyes as she felt herself beginning to question if she could make it or if she should just quit while she was ahead….
Then, as soon as the thought of pulling Flicka out of the jump entered her brain, she heard a voice in her ear, clear as day, tell her I know you're scared, but you need to let go….
Instantly Lizzie looked out into the crowd to see if she could find the source of the voice, but no on was near enough to have spoken that directly to her.
Okay, this is it…..It's now or never… Lizzie thought as she took a deep breath, and rose into her two-point for the first jump….then the second…..
Lizzie felt like the world had all of a sudden slowed down as she rose into her two-point for the third time as she soared over the jump, not daring to look down at the pool of water beneath her, keeping her eyes fixed ahead. Her heart was pounding as she finally felt all four of Flicka's hooves hit the ground. She had cleared it.
The sound that rang through the grounds was positively deafening. Every single person in their seats was on their feet applauding and cheering vigorously. Ewan was on his feet and applauding with everyone else as he turned to Professor Marchbanks and said. "Did you see that? Absolutely amazing!"
Hayden was applauding the hardest as tears built in his eyes. He could hear Hermione screaming, "Yes! YES!" as she clapped with everyone else. Emma and Tara were both crying as were Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.
"Well, well, well! What an impressive ride from Miss Elizabeth Brooks and Flicka!" said Professor Marchbanks as she analyzed Lizzie's score on the clipboard in her hand.
Lizzie sighed as she trotted up to Hayden, dismounted Flicka, and ran over to him as he lifted her off her feet and spun her around, hugging her tightly. "That was a fantastic ride!" he said. "I learned from the best," said Lizzie beaming.
They barely had time to celebrate when Professor Marchbanks began calling out the awards: Fifth place went to Zacharias Smith….Fourth place went to Cho Chang…..Third Place went to Molly Cobb. There were only two places left and Lizzie and Hayden's names had yet to be called.
That could only mean one thing….
"The Reserve Champion for this year's competition is…." said Professor Marchbanks, as Lizzie and Hayden held each other's hands tightly. "Good luck," said Lizzie. "Yeah, you too," said Hayden.
"…Hayden Chamberlain from the Toronto Institute of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" said Professor Marchbanks. Lizzie and Hayden hugged each other. "Well done!" said Lizzie happily, hugging him. "Ladies and gentlemen," said Professor Marchbanks. "I have seen many great riders these past three days, but I don't believe I have seen such natural and amazing talent as I have seen today. I am of course, referring to our first place winner, whom I have no doubt will continue to take her equestrian career to new and exciting heights that will far surpass the jumps in the arena today. I likewise believe it is appropriate to mention that this rider rode the fastest recorded time in the history of Hogwarts. In first place….The winner of this year's competition is…Miss Elizabeth Brooks as Champion!"
Lizzie instantly felt her legs buck beneath her and she would have fallen if Hayden hadn't caught her. "No! NO!" Lizzie screamed as she felt tears stream down her face. Everyone in the stands were on their feet, cheering, clapping, whooping, and hollering.
Lizzie hugged Hayden as she looked over his shoulder at the paddock beyond.
Raven was rearing and whinnying happily, and running celebratory circles around the paddock. Lizzie smiled. We did it, boy, she thought.
She was brought back to reality by the voice of Professor Marchbanks again. "Let's get a victory lap for our two champions!" she said as Lizzie looked back at Raven as he stopped galloping, turned around, and galloped towards the forest. As he ran, golden wings spread from his withers, twelve feet long as they flapped in the wind as he vanished into the trees.
"Raven?" asked Hayden. "Mm-hmm," said Lizzie, smiling. Hayden smiled back as Lizzie sighed and they mounted their horses and cantered a lap around the arena.
At the end, they were presented by Professor Marchbanks and Ewan with Champion and Reserve Champion rosettes and sashes for their horses.
Lizzie and Hayden looked out at the crowd, who were still on their feet, and still applauding. Lizzie saw Umbridge, whose pallid face had gone beet red as she stood up furiously, kicked a chair over and stormed out of the arena in a towering rage.
But that didn't matter to Lizzie. She was still in shock and denial over what had just happened. She couldn't believe it, she had won!
Hayden wasn't complaining that he had come in second to her. After everything she had gone though this year, she deserved this, as far as he was concerned.
He held hands with Lizzie, raising them above their heads as the applause and cheering increased. They smiled at one another as Hayden leaned in sideways toward Lizzie and kissed her. Jedi turned his head toward Flicka as they began to affectionately groom one another.
As the show ended, and people began to make their way back to the castle – no doubt there was going to be a post-show celebration – Lizzie was beginning to take Flicka back when she spotted someone through the thinning crowd and her heart stopped for a moment.
Remus Lupin was standing there, grinning at her, looking very pleased and somewhat emotional.
For a moment, Lizzie debated whether to acknowledge him or give him the cold shoulder, just as he had done with her, but ultimately decided to be the better person. "Lizzie?" asked Hayden, looking in the direction Lizzie was staring. "What is it?"
"C-could you hold Flicka for a moment?" asked Lizzie, handing Flicka's reins to Hayden as she walked over to Remus.
At first, neither of them spoke, but Remus still never stopped smiling. "I can't believe you came all the way down here!" said Lizzie finally. "You thought I'd miss this?" asked Remus. "How could I pass up the chance to see the daughter I never had doing what she loves?"
Lizzie's heart swelled. She had no idea that Remus thought of her like that.
"Remus…..I'm so, so sorry!" said Lizzie. "What I did – it wasn't right – I never should have…" "I know why you did," said Remus. "And….maybe I was too hard on you."
"Oh, no! You were tough but fair," said Lizzie reasonably. Remus chuckled. "It's remarkable how much you've grown in the past two years," he said affectionately. "At time I find myself wishing we could turn back the clock to when I used to teach you."
"Aww, Remus," said Lizzie. "I'm still the same person, I've just…learned a lot since then."
Remus smiled. "I'm so proud of you, Lizzie," he said as Lizzie hugged him. "Who's that?" asked Remus, nodding in the direction of Hayden who was still standing nearby with Flicka and Jedi. "That's Hayden Chamberlain," said Lizzie. "He's my boyfriend."
"Boyfriend, eh?" asked Remus. "Introduce me," "No!" said Lizzie. "How long has he been out of Azkaban?" Remus teased. "Stop it!" said Lizzie, blushing furiously. "I'm just kidding," said Remus, laughing slightly. "But seriously, I'm happy you found someone."
"So does this mean you're not still mad at me?" asked Lizzie. "I forgave you a long time ago," said Remus. "Now you need to forgive yourself." Lizzie nodded. "Okay," she said. "And I think you have proven these past three days that you've learned your lesson," said Remus. "It was a hard one to learn," Lizzie admitted. "But I learned it."
"That's all that matters," said Remus. "By the way, I loved that figure skating show you did last term. I had no idea you could do that." "You saw it?" asked Lizzie excitedly. Remus nodded. "I cried, to be honest," he said.
"Lizzie!" said Harry as he, Ron, Hermione, and the rest of the Gryffindors began stampeding toward her. "Gotta go," said Lizzie as she gave Remus one more hug as he watched her walk back to her friends, feeling so proud of the young woman she had become – and she was walking short distances by herself without assistance now too.
"You did so well, Lizzie!" said Hermione excitedly as she hugged her. "Hey, Liz! Party in the Gryffindor common room!" said Neville happily. "Be right there," said Lizzie. "Lizzie, you did brilliantly!" said Emma, walking up to Lizzie and giving her a bone-crushing hug. Lizzie briefly hugged her back before glancing back at Hayden who was still patiently waiting for her.
"I gotta go," said Lizzie as she quickly hugged her mum one more time before walking up to Hayden as the two of them walked up to the stables.
The after party in the Gryffindor common room lasted several hours. Because Fred and George had left, Lee Jordan had taken the liberty of going down to the kitchens to get food, and reappeared with armfuls of sweets, bottles of butterbeer, pumpkin juice, pies, cookies, and an enormous vanilla sheet cake that was decorated with the words: "CONGRATULATIONS LIZZIE AND HAYDEN!" on the front.
"Was that Remus I saw you with?" asked Hermione. "Yeah," said Lizzie, uncorking a bottle of butterbeer and taking a long drink. "What did he want?" asked Hermione. "You weren't talking to him about the Order…."
" 'Course I wasn't!" said Lizzie. "I was just – mending fences. He was really angry with me after Raven died, you know." "But not anymore?" asked Hermione. "No," said Lizzie. "He said to me, 'I forgave you a long time ago, now you need to forgive yourself'," said Lizzie.
Hermione smiled as the cake was cut and Lizzie and Hayden sat down in front of the fire with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, plates of cake in their hands.
"Did you see Umbridge's face when I was proclaimed champion?" asked Lizzie gleefully, cutting a bit of cake with the side of her fork and putting it in her mouth. The frosting was buttercream – Lizzie's favorite. "Yeah, she looked like my Uncle Vernon," said Harry as Hayden laughed. "I don't think I've ever seen her that angry before," said Lizzie.
"Well, given the fact that she's been spending all her energy trying to kick you out of Hogwarts or do you in…" said Ron. "Then I guess I shouldn't be surprised," said Lizzie, scraping the frosting from her plate onto her fork. "I wouldn't be," said Hayden darkly.
"It was nice of Flicka to defend Hagrid that night, wasn't it?" asked Hermione. Lizzie frowned. "Flicka was in her stall the whole time," she said. "Molly told me." Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Hayden frowned in confusion. "How many black horses are boarded at Hogwarts?" asked Hayden. "Just one – Flicka," said Lizzie. "So, if it wasn't Flicka, who was it?" asked Harry.
To Lizzie, there was only one answer. Before being sold to the Malfoys, Raven had been found by Hagrid as a foal and he had trained him, got him used to being handled by humans and trained him under saddle. Hagrid was the only person that Raven had a bond with and really trusted until Lizzie came along.
Lizzie stared at Hayden for a long moment and he understood what she was trying to tell him without words. The black horse that had tried to protect Hagrid that night wasn't Flicka. It was Raven.
Harry appeared to have zoned out too, and it took Lizzie a rather long moment to notice.
"Harry?" she asked uncertainly as she knelt down in front of him. "What is it?"
Harry snapped out of his trance-like state and stared at Lizzie with fear burning in his emerald green eyes.
"Sirius!" he gasped.
