December 14, 1989-Hogwarts-3rd year
Oh, today was simply the best day ever! Today, Ollie admitted that he liked me! Can you believe this?! After all of these years of me secretly liking him, he now likes me back! Isn't that great? Would you like to know how I found out? Well, all right! I'll tell you in full detail! I was sitting at the Slytherin table eating my lunch and reading a book (Quidditch Through the Ages) at the same time, when Angelina Johnson, a Gryffindor tapped me on the should and whispered into my ear.
"Oliver fancies you," She whispered, cupping her hand over her mouth. I turned my head towards her.
"Really?" Angelina just nodded her head. "Did he tell you?"
"Well, not really. He didn't come out and say it directly, but I got the hint."
"Out with it!"
"Before last week's Quidditch Game against you guys, Oliver was giving his usual pre-game pep talk, when he suddenly mentioned your name. He was telling the Beaters to try and keep the bludgers away from you!" Angelina giggled. Hm...So that's why I didn't have any encounters with the bludgers last week. I figured it was just dumb luck. Shows how much I know. Still, that was awfully sweet of Ollie to do that for me! And when he hates the Slytherin team with all of his heart! At this time, I was blushing a bit as I thought these things. Wait a minute...could this be an awful trick that the Gryffindors were playing to get back at me for beating them at last Saturday's Quidditch game? I gave Angelina a suspicious look.
"How do I know you're not joshing me?" I asked, raising my eyebrow.
"Trust me, I wouldn't lie. And his room mates say that he does keep talking some girl with the last name of Bell, so I just thought for a moment put two and two together!" (Wow, Angelina can THINK?!) I blushed again as she said this. "Oh my gosh, you're blushing! You like him too!"
"Maybe a little..."
"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!"
"Just please don't tell anyone else, alright?"
"Oh, my lips are sealed!" And with this she left. I really didn't trust Angelina with such a secret, but I decided to give her a chance. She failed to keep her promise. By dinner, the whole school knew. Nothing stays a secret at Hogwarts...Anyway, I got another message from a girl from the Gryffindor Quidditch Team at dinner. This time it was Alicia Spinnet. I was still reading that Quidditch book when Alicia tapped me on the shoulder. This time, it wasn't a whispered message. She simply blurted it out, loudly enough for everyone within ten feet to hear her.
"Oliver wants you to meet him in the old Charms classroom after dinner tonight." Alicia said, smiling.
"Why?"
"I don't know. I'm just the messenger!" She nudged me in the shoulder and walked off.
"That was weird..." I muttered to myself. Weird as it may be, I still enjoyed the whole thing. So after dinner, I made my way to the second floor and to the former Charms classroom. It wasn't being used anymore after a naive first year accidentally charmed the walls to scream shrilly for days whenever someone said the word the. As you can tell, it was a big problem, seeing that the word is used a lot. So Flitwick decided to switch rooms. They've fixed it now, but no one's used it ever since. Anyway, I entered the room to find Oliver sitting at a desk, writing something. I cleared my throat as I entered to signify that I was there. He looked up and set his quill pen down. Smiling, he stood up.
"Ah, so I see you got my message."
"Yes, I did. Alicia said that it was very urgent."
"Yes, in a sense."
"Alright then, what's so urgent?" I asked, crossing my arms. I knew what he was going to say, but I decided to play as if I didn't know what was going on for amusement's sake. Ollie sighed.
"Where should I begin?"
"Well, if there is one, start at the beginning."
"Top idea. You see, when we were little, and my mum visited with yours, we used to play together didn't we?"
"Yes."
"Hm...And we were just friends, weren't we?"
"Why yes, of course."
"And when we came to Hogwarts, we were still friends, were we not?"
"Yes, we were still friends."
"But once you were sorted into the Slytherin house, a wall was built between us. As I had been put in Gryffindor, I was supposed to hate you. Especially since we are on opposite Quidditch teams, playing opposing positions."
"Yes, this is all true, but what are you trying to say?" I asked. Ollie held up one finger to silence me. I could tell he had a lot to say.
"I had figured that you had forgotten about me, but I hadn't forgotten you. And when we conversed on the Quidditch field last year, I was sure that you still thought of me as a friend. And on that same day, I realized that I had feelings for you, which were deeper than I'd ever imagined. Have you ever wondered why I left so quickly that day when you pointed out Flint?"
"Yes, that did strike me somewhat odd..."
"I knew that Flint liked you, and everyone knows that. I didn't want to be around when he flirted with you. I didn't think I could stand the sight. So I left."
"Oh, I see."
"Yes, and to sum it all up, I like you Lindsay. I like you a lot." Ollie finished, looking up at me with his adorable brown eyes.
"To tell the truth, I like you a lot, too Oliver." I said, smiling. He smiled back, and he stepped closer to me.
"Look, I know that we're in different houses and everything, but frankly, I'm willing to try and make it work. And I want to know what you think." I didn't need to think about it at all. I knew my reply.
"Of course, Ollie!" I blurted loudly. In one quick motion, I flung my arms around his neck and hugged him. This was somewhat difficult, seeing that he was taller than me, but I still liked it.
"Just let's try and keep this relationship a secret, alright? If anyone knew that we were going out, I don't want to think of what they might say. Or what they might do. And if Flint finds out, he'll kill me and more than likely kick you off of the Quidditch team." Ollie said as I let go of him. I nodded, understanding. After that, he left and I was left in the room alone. Sighing happily, I realized that he had left his quill pen and parchment that he had been writing on. I picked up the piece of parchment and studied the writing. It was hard to make out, but I gasped slightly, realizing that it was directions to the Gryffindor Common Room, and the current password to get into it. And underneath it, there was a scribbled note from him.
Use this when necessary.
Oliver Wood
I smiled as I folded the paper and slipped it into the pocket of my black robe. I now had the power, which every Slytherin dreamed about. I could now get into the Gryffindor Common Room! Would I use it for evil? Of course not! Oliver trusted me with this information, and I'm not going to let him down! Do you think I'm some cruel, heartless monster? Of course not...
December 25, 1989-Hogwarts-3rd year
This was absolutely the best Christmas ever! Most everyone was going home this year, and there was only about four of us left. I didn't go home, seeing that my parents were taking a vacation to the States to see my aunties and uncles overseas. And of course, I didn't want to see them. American wizards are so strange! I didn't want to deal with them, so I stayed behind. Oliver stayed behind as well, seeing that I was staying behind and he wanted to keep me company. Isn't that so sweet? I know! Anyway, today I woke up and found a pile of presents at the foot of my bed. I quickly tore the wrapping off of them all. From my mum I received a new cloak, the one I had been admiring at Diagon Alley the last time I was there. It was a deep green and had gold trimming on the hem. From my friends, I received Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans, Chocolate Frogs, a pair of striped toe socks (from Katie), a Quidditch encyclopedia (from Traci), new Quidditch gloves (from Flint), and my very own brand-new copy of Quidditch Through the Ages from Oliver. You can guess which one was my favorite! I was the only one who stayed behind from my house, so I had the entire common room to myself. I got dressed quickly, threw my cloak on and rushed out of the common room, heading towards Ollie's common room. Like me, he was the only Gryffindor left, so I could visit him as I wished, as long as the professors didn't catch me. When I reached the portrait of the fat lady, I muttered the password.
"Flubberworm," I said quietly as the lady in the portrait gave me a funny look and swung open, allowing me to pass. I nodded in gratitude and stepping into the maroon furnishing of the Gryffindor Common Room. It was warm, so I removed my cloak and draped it over a chair. Ollie obviously hadn't woken yet, so I decided to wake him up. Grinning mischievously, I quietly tiptoed up the stairs leading toward the boy's dormitories. Once I reached Ollie's, I carefully opened the heavy wooden door and stepped over to his bed, where he lay, sleeping. I pulled out my wand from my pocket and aimed it at his face.
"Humblodium," I said quietly, but distinctly. The charm worked and a large bubble of water appeared over his face and began hovering silently. All I had to do was pop it with the end of my wand, and he'd get a rude awakening. Trying not to giggle as I did it, I popped the water bubble. Cold water splashed all over his face, and his eyes shot open. Oliver sat up quickly, his face dripping. I couldn't help but laugh, and he noticed me.
"Well good morning to you, too!" He exclaimed, getting out of bed and standing up. I laughed again.
"Yes, good morning. And Merry Christmas!" I pointed to a pile of presents that were for him.
"Oh that's right! It's Christmas!" He said, grabbing the gift nearest him and unwrapping it quickly. "Socks?" He asked, examing the gift of striped socks.
"Those must be from Katie. I got some like that. Don't you like it?"
"No, it's just I noticed that they're a bit eccentric," He reached for another present. The present, which I had so carefully selected and wrapped.
"That one's from me," I pointed out, smiling.
"Then it must be the best one I'll get all year."
"But you haven't opened it yet!"
"Ah, but I can assumptions, can't I?"
Laughing, I replied, "Of course." He then ripped off the shiny, gold wrapping paper and examined the gift underneath. With some diffuculty, I got my hands on a pair of tickets for a Chudly Cannons game for next summer.
"Oh my God, are these--"
"Yes, they're Chudly Cannon tickets."
"Oh my God, thank you!" Ollie hugged me with one arm, while the other clutched his new tickets.
"Well, I'm glad you like them."
"Like them? I love them!"
"If you noticed, there are two tickets. Who are you going to take with you?"
"Why you, of course!" I just smiled and watched as he opened his other gifts. While Ollie got dressed, I waited downstairs in the common room, eating a box of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans. When he came back down from his dormitory, I randomly selected a jellybean from the box.
"Take a chance," I said suddenly, throwing it at him. He caught it in his mouth and ate it. "What's the flavor?"
"Mmm...Either toast or burnt bread," He answered, sitting on the arm of the chair which I was sitting in. He grabbed the box from my grasp and picked out a bean. "Your turn," He threw the bean into my mouth. When I realized the flavor, I cringed.
"Oh, gross!" I exclaimed, spitting the half-chewed bean into the palm of my hand. I had gotten a fish flavor! Laughing, Ollie popped another bean into his mouth. "What did you get this time?" I asked.
"Grass," He replied, grinning, "It's actually quite good. Would you like to try it?" He began fishing in the box of jellybeans for another grass bean. I shook my head.
"No, thanks. I'll take your word for it." I took the box from him and set it down on the floor next to the chair that I was sitting in.
"Come on, let's go down to lunch," I suggest, standing up.
"Good idea. I was getting hungry anyway." As we both walked to the Great Hall, we discussed Quidditch strategies. "So what's your secret to being a successful Chaser?" He asked me suddenly. I wasn't sure if I should answer him, but I did anyway.
"Well, Katie taught me to aim the Quaffle at the hoop opposite of the Keeper's wand hand. Why did you want to know?"
"I don't know, I was just curious that's all." And then everything was quiet. I just shrugged it off. When we reached the Great Hall, most everyone was already there. There were two round tables. One for the teachers, and one for the remaining students. Ollie and I sat down at the student table on the left and waited patiently for the meal to begin. There were only four of us at our table. One Gryffindor, one Slytherin, and two Ravenclaw, both whom I did not know. It was a few minutes before I saw the plate of wizard crackers in the center of the table. I nudged Ollie with my elbow and pointed to the plate.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" I asked, grinning mischievously. He thought for a moment and smirked. "Alright, first one to find mice loses!" I said, fishing in my pocket for money. I looked at the two Ravenclaws. "Would you like to join us in a little game?" I asked them. They both shook their heads. "Alright, suit yourselves." I placed three knuts on the table, and Ollie put down four. Then we both picked up a wizard, and in one quick motion, cracked it open. I lost immediately. Four, small white mice appeared from my cracker and scurried off of the table and out of sight. He got a hat.
"Ha, mice! You lose!" Ollie exclaimed, grabbing the money off the table and pocketing it. I stuck my tongue out at him and pretend to sulk. He patted my shoulder and said sarcastically," Don't feel bad, Bell. It's not your fault you're bad luck!" I shoved him playfully and laughed. Suddenly, the plates in front of us filled with food. We all talked as we ate. Even Dumbledore himself joined in the conversation! After the feast was over, Ollie and I walked back to the Gryffindor Common Room. We swapped some extremely shtupid stories, as well as embarrassing ones. And before we knew it, it was well past bedtime for students. I yawned and stretched slightly.
"I better go back to the Slytherin tower before someone catches me up here and we both die," I said jokingly. Standing up, I reached for the cloak I had brought with me. But Ollie took my hand before I could get it and stood up as well.
"There's one more thing I'd like to give you for Christmas." He said.
"Oh, Ollie, you don't have to get me anything else. Really, the book was enough!"
"Please? Just this one more thing."
"All right, if you insist," I gave in, smiling. Ollie suddenly wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed me. It felt so weird...but anyway, I didn't say anything for a second.
"Did you like it?" He asked, pushing a strand of my red hair away from my face.
"Of course." I replied. An uncomfortable silence followed.
"Well, you'd better get back to your common room, now."
"Yes, I suppose," I said, turning away to leave. That was extremely awkward, I thought as I stepped through the portrait hole. A few minutes later, I heard someone calling my name.
"Lindsay, wait!" Yelled Ollie as he ran down the corridor to catch up with me. I turned around to look at him. I smiled as he stopped in front of me. "You forgot this," He said, handing me my box of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans.
"Oh, thank you," I replied, taking the box. Looking down into the box, I fished out a pink bean and ate it. Ollie gave me a funny look. "Cotton candy," I said, smiling. He nodded. Once again this is awkward, I thought as I looked down at my shoes.
"Well, see you tomorrow then," Said Ollie suddenly, turning around to walk away
"Bye," I waved slightly and walked back to my common room. And that's where I am now, writing this all down. This really has been the best Christmas ever.
February 19, 1989-Hogwarts-3rd year
In the Quidditch match today, we lost to Gryffindor. And I got into a huge fight with Flint. I ended up punching him! But he deserved it...Now I'm in the hospital wing after what he did to me for revenge. I'll tell you how it all started. We were all in the locker room when Flint was giving us the usual pre-game pep talk.
"We're going to maul those Gryffindors!" Yelled Flint as he paced up and down the length of the room.
Next came a chorus of "yeah"'s.
"We're going to retain our title!"
Another chorus of "yeah"'s.
"We're going to win!"
Once again, a chorus of "yeah"'s. Next, Flint walked over to the Beaters and lowered his voice.
"Do whatever it takes to keep Gryffindor from scoring. I don't care how, just do it. And er--try to aim the bludgers at Wood every once in a while, alright?" The Beaters just nodded. What was that he said? Purposely injure my Ollie? I couldn't let him do that! I spoke up.
"Wouldn't it be a better idea to divert the Bludgers to the opposing Chasers, rather than waste time with the Keeper?" The whole team, including Flint, turned and looked at me. "I just don't know why you'd want to do such a shtupid thing." Flint stepped towards me. He seemed mad.
"Why?!" He raised his voice, "Because that filth is the only thing jeopardizing our title as school champions!!" By now I was getting really mad. I raised my voice as well.
"Don't call Ollie filth! He's a lot better at Quidditch than you'll ever be!"
"You seriously thing that that sad excuse for a human being is superior to me?"
I stood up so I was level with him.
"With all my heart," I replied hatefully through clenched teeth.
"Since when do you stand up for preppy little Gryffindors?"
"They may be preppy, but they're a lot more intelligent and kind than you are!"
"If you fancy Gryffindor so much, then why don't you just become one?"
"Top idea! Then I won't have to put up with your parp!"
"I feel the same way!"
"Oh, you should not have said that!"
"Well, what are you going to do about it? You're but a girl!"
"Yes, a girl who could knock your teeth out any day of the week!" I jumped on top of him and began punching at his face repeatedly. "YOU TAKE BACK WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT OLLIE, YOU SLIMY GIT!" I screamed. I then felt someone pull me away from Flint. It was Derrick, one of our Beaters. "Let me go!" I squirmed under the boy's strong grip. As Flint stood up and backed away from me, I could see the damage I had done. His lip was cut, and a small stream of blood was dribbling from his nose. He wiped some of the blood off with the sleeve of his Quidditch robes and glared at me. I glared back. Once he left, Derrick let me go. I collapsed onto the floor with my fists clenched. The team was still looking at me. I looked up slightly, with my teeth still clenched. Everyone who was looking at me now looked away. Slowly, I stood up and grabbed my broom. Someone coughed. I heard Flint yell something from another part of the locker room, and the team stood up and congregated towards the exit, which led to the pitch. Obviously, it was time for the game to start. Without saying a word, I walked with them. I took my place in the back of the line as we waited for the gate to open, to let us onto the pitch. My body was trembling in fear of what Marcus was going to do to me after I attacked him like that. Would I lose my position on the team? Would he tell a professor? I didn't want to think of all of the possibilities. I closed my eyes and began to breathe deeply. Would they kick me off the team? Would I get detention? After all, he didn't punch me back. I didn't have much more time to think, as the gates opened and we all flew out onto the pitch. It was bitterly cold outside, as I shivered. Hopefully, the game wouldn't last long, so none of us would get frostbite. I eyed Ollie at the other end of the field, at our goalposts. I smiled at him, hoping he'd notice, but he didn't. I shrugged it off, and clutched the tail of my broomstick, waiting for the start of the game. Madam Hooch's whistle went off and the Quaffle was thrown into the air. I caught it, as I always seem to do at the start of the game, and sped toward the goalposts. I was almost there, when a bludger flung itself into me, and I dropped the ball.
"No!" I screamed as I hung off of my broom with one hand. Disgusted with myself, I swung back on and got back into the game. The bludger had hit my shoulder and it now throbbed with pain. But I couldn't let that distract me. I flew over to where the Quaffle was, which by the way Angelina possessed the ball, and tried distracting the girl. It didn't work. She was so focused on what she was doing! I suppose Ollie's pre-game pep talk was motivating today. I tried cobbing to get her to look at me, but she ignored me. Rolling my eyes, I thought about blagging (Editor's note: Lindsay tended to use a lot of Quidditch terms. Cobbing is a foul of excessive use of elbows towards opponents. Blagging is another foul, which involved seizing an opponent's broom tail to slow or hinder.) but I decided not to, seeing that Madam Hooch wasn't missing a single foul, and I couldn't take a chance. But possibly if I blatched, she wouldn't notice. (Editor's Note: Blatching is yet another foul, involving flying at an opponent with an intention of colliding.) Smirking, I sped in front of Angelina and down to the other end of the pitch and flew at top sped towards her. She finally noticed me, as she gave me a puzzled look. If she flew upwards sharply to miss me, she might drop the Quaffle. She did. A split-second, she swerved very sharply upwards, and accidentally dropped the Quaffle. I caught it and snickered. I eyed the field for Warrington and found him. He was behind me a few meters, fighting off a bludger, which tended to fly around him. I yelled at him to get his attention, and he looked up. I then turned away from him and acted like I was looking for Flint to throw the Quaffle at him. My fake-out worked. The Gryffindor Chasers headed towards Flint, to block the ball. Suddenly, I threw the Quaffle behind my shoulder, hoping Warrington would catch it. He did. He ended up scoring for us! Before I could do anything else, another bludger flung itself into my side. This time, it knocked me completely off of my broom. I remember now how it felt to be falling like that. I just had this feeling of helplessness, and another feeling, which I can't describe. I hit the ground really hard. Or at least that is what it felt like. My head hit the ground, and I was knocked unconscious from the fall. A few hours later, Ollie, who was standing by my bedside talking to Katie, awakened me. I slowly opened my eyes. When I realized that Ollie was talking about me, I was quiet so that I could hear what he was saying.
"But why the hell would Flint injure his own teammate?!" Ollie asked loudly. Obviously, he was mad.
"Warrington told me that Marcus and Lindsay had a quarrel before the match started. A quarrel that involved fists and loud, angry outbursts of insults." Katie replied calmly.
"He had to have broken a rule in Quidditch when he did that," Ollie said, clenching his teeth, "Chasers aren't supposed to have anything to do with the bludgers! Their focus is simply on the Quaffle!"
"Yes, Oliver, I realize that. But Madam Hooch looked it up, and nowhere does it say that players cannot injure their own teammates, or that Chasers can't touch the bludger, so Flint is fine. And, a lot of Slytherins are backing Flint up, saying that he was aiming at you."
"I don't care! That doesn't justify what he did!"
"I know, I know. Just calm down, Oliver. Look, we beat Slytherin, so in a way, Flint lost."
"Still.it doesn't feel right to win. It was only because Slytherin lost a Chaser once Lindsay was gone."
"Oliver, please promise me that you won't do anything to Flint because of this. I know you're angry and upset, but just stay away from Marcus. Alright?"
"Alright.I promise." Ollie sounded a bit disappointed. I suppose he wanted an excuse to knock the parp out of Marcus, and he just lost one.
"Just go back to the common room and celebrate with the rest of us, okay?" Katie sounded so calm and soothing. Ollie nodded and turned to leave. I didn't want him to leave, so I coughed, signifying that I was indeed awake. He rushed over to the side of my bed.
"Are you alright?" He asked, his eyes filled with concern. Oh, my head hurt so badly that my vision was starting to blur. I groaned.
"Alright? I fell fifty feet from my broom! How would you be?" I replied a bit grouchy.
"Pretty bad. You hit the ground pretty hard. Flint should not have done that to you." He said angrily.
"What did he do? It was a bludger that hit me! Right?" I asked frantically, not understanding.
"Move, Oliver! She's my sister!" Katie demanded as she shoved Ollie to the side so she could talk to me.
"Lindsay, Flint was the one who sent that bludger at you." She explained, still keeping her calm soothing tone.
"Marcus did that to me?!" I screamed, sitting up in my bed quickly. But as soon as I did that, pain exploded in my head. I clutched my head, and my eyes watered with tears from the pain. "Ow.my head hurts so bad," I said as a tear rolled down my cheek.
"That's all thanks to Flint," Ollie said hatefully, clenching his fists. "But I promise you, he will pay for what he did to you."
"Oliver! You promised that you'd stay away from him!" Katie exclaimed, glaring at him.
"I don't care. He needs to be taught a lesson!"
"Then let someone else teach it! Gryffindor cannot afford to lose anymore points this year!"
I looked from Ollie to Katie, then from Katie to Ollie.
"Why do we even try? Slytherin is just going to win anyway! They always do! Just like last year, and the year before that. It's an endless cycle that we can't change!" I've never seen Ollie this angry before. I just watched the conversation intently.
"Damnit, Oliver! Stop being so stubborn! I told you to stay away from Flint, and I meant it! I'm not going to watch as Gryffindor crashes and burns because of your shtupid mistake! Don't you see? Slytherin takes pleasure in defeating us miserably every year! If we show them that we could easily beat them by actually trying, then we might actually have a chance!" Katie now lost her soothing tone. Angrily, she glared at him. Ollie didn't say anything. He just looked down at his shoes. I sighed loudly and he looked at me.
"I suppose I better get back to the common room. The whole house is waiting for me to get back." And with that, he left. Katie just sighed and looked back at me.
"Never mind him. He's just being a Flubberworm right now. But seriously, how do you feel?" She asked me, regained her gentle tone.
"My head hurts, but other than that, I'm alright." I replied. I don't remember much after that. Probably because it wasn't really important. I'm still in the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey says that I can go back to my own bed tomorrow, after I've rested some. You're probably wondering if I'm mad at Flint. And the answer is yes. I'm furious at him! How could he do such a thing to me?! Once I can actually stand up without my skull imploding on itself, I'll go beat the parp out of him. That'll cheer me up! But I was a bit surprised at Ollie's actions earlier today. Is he really that angry about all of this? He says he's doing it for me, but I have my suspicions that he has a grudge against Flint. Perhaps I'll ask him about it tomorrow. Madam Pomfrey is asking me very politely to please turn my lamp off and refrain from writing in my "book" so that I can sleep. Best if I obey her. But wait, before I go, I have one more thought on my mind. Now I'm starting to regret that I ever hit Marcus. Perhaps what I did wasn't so right after all. I haven't received any word yet that Flint has kicked me off of the team. I suppose he thinks of the bludger as punishment enough. Oh, I won't know until tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll sort this whole mess out. Yes, tomorrow.
February 20, 1989-Hogwarts-3rd year
Flint and I are officially from this day on, mortal enemies. When I was released from the Hospital Wing, and I was back at the common room, it seemed as if everyone was purposely ignoring me. Everyone that is, except the people in my dormitory. Cortney Spinnet saw me and immediately ran over to me.
"Are you okay? We saw you fall off your broom yesterday, and saw you carried off of the field.we were so worried!" Cortney said quickly, her eyes filled with worry.
"I'm fine, I'm fine!" I replied, smiling. I lowered my voice to a whisper. "Why is everyone ignoring me?"
"Ah.I cannot tell you here. Come on now; let's go to our dormitory. I'll tell you there." She whispered back, leading me back to our dormitory. Once the door was shut, Cortney told me everything.
"Flint's got the entire House to hate you. He's telling them that it was your entire fault that we lost the game yesterday. People believe him too. I mean, he's the captain, right? I never believed him. Trust me, I'm on your side here."
"I know, but it wasn't my fault we lost the game! If Flint hadn't tried to murder me like that, we might've won!"
"Yes, I realize that, and the whole school saw him do that. But the Slytherins are still on his side." Cortney said, her eyes narrowing. "There's been talk that he's going to kick you off the team."
"WHAT?! It's him who should be kicked off! He purposely injured me!"
"Yes, I also realize that. The only thing is, how are we going to get everyone to be on our side?"
I bit my bottom lip. I usually do this when I'm nervous, or thinking. This time, it was a bit of both.
"I don't know." I said finally as my chewed lip began to bleed. Suddenly, I straightened up. "Wait a minute, did anyone have any Omnioculars at the match?"
"I think so. Traci might have had a pair. Want me to check?"
"Yes. Now." I replied quickly. I didn't mean to sound so bossy, but this was important. Cortney ran over to Traci's dresser and began rummaging through it, searching for the Omninoculars she had at the match. Once she found them, Cortney ran back over to me, and thrust the object into my hands. My plan was this. If the last place Traci used these was yesterday at the game, then the entire game should be recorded in the Omninoculars. I took off my glasses and held the item up to my eyes. I found the 'play' button at the top, and pressed it. Automatically, the end of the game flashed in front of my eyes. Blinking, I pressed the 'rewind' button. The image rewound quickly. When I found the part right before I was hit, I hit 'play' again. I watched as the image followed Marcus as he grabbed one of the Beater's clubs and hit a passing Bludger straight at me. Then the image followed the Bludger as it whammed into me.
"Yes! This is perfect!" I exclaimed, smiling.
"What's perfect?" Cortney asked, waiting impatiently for me to answer.
"Because if we show the Slytherins this footage, then they might go on our side!" Even though I couldn't see her, I could almost hear her rolling her eyes. "What?"
"It's never going to work."
"Stop being so cynical. Of course it'll work!"
"I say that they shouldn't have let you out of the Hospital Wing."
"Why?" I asked, still looking through the Omninoculars.
"Because you obviously have a head injury." I lowered the Omninoculars to glare at her sarcastically. "Besides," Cortney began, snatching the item from my face, "Traci will kill you if she sees you with these. You know how protective she is over her stuff."
"Still."
"Look, Lindsay, let's get out of here. Let's go to the Library or something, anywhere but here! They all know that I'm on your side, so they're ignoring me, too."
"You don't have to do this. I can probably fix this by myself!"
"So? I'm bored, and besides, you're my friend. I'd never betray a friend."
"Thanks, Cortney."
"Your welcome. But can we please leave?" I laughed and Cortney and I left our dormitory. Once we trudged down the stairs to the Common Room, I noticed Marcus Flint.
"Cort, look, it's Flint," I said, pointing him out.
"Want me to hide you?" She asked sarcastically.
"Nah, I think I'll take him." Clearing my throat, I started to walk through the Common Room, to the other side, where the exit was. Marcus looked up and snickered.
"Ah, I see Sleeping Beauty has awakened!" Flint sneered, loudly enough for everyone to hear. All of the conversations around us stopped, and everyone listened. "No, wait a minute, you're not exactly a beauty are you?" He snickered as he stood up to face me.
"I'm so sorry," I said to him, my eyes full of false-pity.
"For what?"
"This." I replied quickly, punching him hard in the face again. He staggered back, clutching the place on his face where I hit him. "Aw." I asked sarcastically, "Did I hurt you?" Marcus looked up at me and glared. He punched back at me, this time hitting me in the jaw. I looked up at him, shocked. I never really thought he'd hit back, seeing that I was a girl. I suppose I was wrong.
"What's wrong, Bell?" Marcus asked mockingly, noticing my silence. "Never thought I could hit back?" I just glared at him. He began talking again. "What are you going to do? Go crying back to your precious Oliver?" He snickered again. "He's the only one left who has sympathy for you."
Oh, that made me really mad. Glaring at him, I charged at him, trying to knock him over, but he was too quick. Before I could do anything, he grabbed my arm, and twisted me around. I squealed in pain. With him still grasping my twisted arm, he spoke a few words of warning before letting me go.
"You better watch it, Bell. Before you end up in the Hospital Wing again. I've hurt you before and I'll do it again." I could feel his hot, disgusting breath on my neck as he spoke. He let go of my arm, and I collapsed on the floor. Acting as if he was disgusted with me, he walked away. Cortney immediately kneeled down to me.
"Are you okay, Lindsay? Talk!" She said frantically.
"We need to leave," I whispered, getting up quickly, trying not to act as if I were hurt. Though the pain in my arm was unbearable. Cortney just nodded, and we both ran out of the Common Room, and into the corridor, now out of the Slytherin Tower. I took a deep breath.
"Lindsay, are you okay?" Cortney asked once more.
"I'm okay, but my arm hurts really bad." I replied, my eyes watering with pain. "Let's go find Katie, or Oliver."
"No, we need to find Madam Pomfrey!"
"No! That's what Flint wants me to do! He wants something else to mock me for. Trust me on this one."
"You're crazy, but oh well!" She said, giving up. We tried the Great Hall first, to see if he was there, and we were right. Oliver was sitting at the Gryffindor table, reading something. I couldn't tell, but then again I really didn't care. I walked quickly over to him, with Cortney close behind me.
"Ollie!" I called, trying to catch his attention. He looked up from his book at me. He could see that something was wrong. He stood up.
"What's wrong?" Oliver asked, concerned. I suddenly let all of the tears accumulating in my eyes fall. Sobbing, I buried my head into Ollie's sweater. My arm still hurt, a lot. He asked me once more, "What's wrong?" Cortney answered him for me.
"Marcus Flint beat her up, and threatened her." She said quietly, crossing her arms across her chest. I could tell Ollie wasn't really surprised.
"But why?" He asked again, wrapping his arms around me, trying to comfort me.
"She kind of, punched him first." Once again, Cortney answered for me. This time, Oliver gently pushed me away from him to look at me.
"Why did you punch him?" He asked, looking me straight in the eyes.
"Well, Cortney and I were just trying to leave the Common Room, when Marcus made some shtupid rude comment about me. I was already mad that he did what he did to me yesterday, so I lost my temper and punched him." I replied truthfully. There was no use in lying, so I just told the truth. Sounds easy enough, eh?
"And he threatened you?"
I nodded.
"What'd he say?"
"He said that he hurt me once, and he could do it again."
"Don't worry, we'll get him back for this. He will pay." Oliver narrowed his eyes, seeming like he was plotting something. Something evil. "Are you hurt?" He asked, suddenly coming back to reality.
"He twisted my arm behind my back.so my arm hurts." I told him.
"Then we'll give him two broken arms, and let him see how that feels, alright?" Ollie said jokingly. I laughed slightly. I was glad to have Ollie here with me when I needed him. He always seems to make me feel better, no matter what happened. After that, we just talked for a while, and then finally, Cortney and I left Oliver and decided it was time to go back to our Common Room. We also decided it would be best to avoid confrontation with Flint all together. As soon as we walked through the secret entrance, we saw the Common Room buzzing with excitement. Someone saw us, and proclaimed our entrance. The room quieted.
"Go," I whispered to Cortney, and we began quickly walking towards our dormitories. Before we could get onto the staircase, Flint stepped in front of us, blocking our way. Trying to control my temper, I said to him calmly. "Excuse me," It didn't work. He grinned at us stupidly.
"You think you're so clever, don't you?"
I looked up at him, not saying anything.
"You better not mess with me, or I'll kick you off the team. That's not a threat, it's a promise." Then he moved, so we could go up the stairs. We quickly walked up them, breathing a sigh of relief once we closed the door to our dormitory. Luckily, it was empty. I just sat on my bed and cried. How could this happen to me? I didn't ask for this! Me and my stupid temper.before we went to bed, Cortney asked me something.
"What about the Omninoculars?" She asked, eyeing Traci's dresser. I'd forgotten all about those! Oh, it was a stupid idea anyway. Cortney had been right, it never would have worked.
"Oh, forget about those shtupid Omninoculars. It was a shtupid idea."
"So you admit that you were wrong?"
"Be quiet, Cort before I rip your head off." And then she shut up.
Oh, today was simply the best day ever! Today, Ollie admitted that he liked me! Can you believe this?! After all of these years of me secretly liking him, he now likes me back! Isn't that great? Would you like to know how I found out? Well, all right! I'll tell you in full detail! I was sitting at the Slytherin table eating my lunch and reading a book (Quidditch Through the Ages) at the same time, when Angelina Johnson, a Gryffindor tapped me on the should and whispered into my ear.
"Oliver fancies you," She whispered, cupping her hand over her mouth. I turned my head towards her.
"Really?" Angelina just nodded her head. "Did he tell you?"
"Well, not really. He didn't come out and say it directly, but I got the hint."
"Out with it!"
"Before last week's Quidditch Game against you guys, Oliver was giving his usual pre-game pep talk, when he suddenly mentioned your name. He was telling the Beaters to try and keep the bludgers away from you!" Angelina giggled. Hm...So that's why I didn't have any encounters with the bludgers last week. I figured it was just dumb luck. Shows how much I know. Still, that was awfully sweet of Ollie to do that for me! And when he hates the Slytherin team with all of his heart! At this time, I was blushing a bit as I thought these things. Wait a minute...could this be an awful trick that the Gryffindors were playing to get back at me for beating them at last Saturday's Quidditch game? I gave Angelina a suspicious look.
"How do I know you're not joshing me?" I asked, raising my eyebrow.
"Trust me, I wouldn't lie. And his room mates say that he does keep talking some girl with the last name of Bell, so I just thought for a moment put two and two together!" (Wow, Angelina can THINK?!) I blushed again as she said this. "Oh my gosh, you're blushing! You like him too!"
"Maybe a little..."
"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!"
"Just please don't tell anyone else, alright?"
"Oh, my lips are sealed!" And with this she left. I really didn't trust Angelina with such a secret, but I decided to give her a chance. She failed to keep her promise. By dinner, the whole school knew. Nothing stays a secret at Hogwarts...Anyway, I got another message from a girl from the Gryffindor Quidditch Team at dinner. This time it was Alicia Spinnet. I was still reading that Quidditch book when Alicia tapped me on the shoulder. This time, it wasn't a whispered message. She simply blurted it out, loudly enough for everyone within ten feet to hear her.
"Oliver wants you to meet him in the old Charms classroom after dinner tonight." Alicia said, smiling.
"Why?"
"I don't know. I'm just the messenger!" She nudged me in the shoulder and walked off.
"That was weird..." I muttered to myself. Weird as it may be, I still enjoyed the whole thing. So after dinner, I made my way to the second floor and to the former Charms classroom. It wasn't being used anymore after a naive first year accidentally charmed the walls to scream shrilly for days whenever someone said the word the. As you can tell, it was a big problem, seeing that the word is used a lot. So Flitwick decided to switch rooms. They've fixed it now, but no one's used it ever since. Anyway, I entered the room to find Oliver sitting at a desk, writing something. I cleared my throat as I entered to signify that I was there. He looked up and set his quill pen down. Smiling, he stood up.
"Ah, so I see you got my message."
"Yes, I did. Alicia said that it was very urgent."
"Yes, in a sense."
"Alright then, what's so urgent?" I asked, crossing my arms. I knew what he was going to say, but I decided to play as if I didn't know what was going on for amusement's sake. Ollie sighed.
"Where should I begin?"
"Well, if there is one, start at the beginning."
"Top idea. You see, when we were little, and my mum visited with yours, we used to play together didn't we?"
"Yes."
"Hm...And we were just friends, weren't we?"
"Why yes, of course."
"And when we came to Hogwarts, we were still friends, were we not?"
"Yes, we were still friends."
"But once you were sorted into the Slytherin house, a wall was built between us. As I had been put in Gryffindor, I was supposed to hate you. Especially since we are on opposite Quidditch teams, playing opposing positions."
"Yes, this is all true, but what are you trying to say?" I asked. Ollie held up one finger to silence me. I could tell he had a lot to say.
"I had figured that you had forgotten about me, but I hadn't forgotten you. And when we conversed on the Quidditch field last year, I was sure that you still thought of me as a friend. And on that same day, I realized that I had feelings for you, which were deeper than I'd ever imagined. Have you ever wondered why I left so quickly that day when you pointed out Flint?"
"Yes, that did strike me somewhat odd..."
"I knew that Flint liked you, and everyone knows that. I didn't want to be around when he flirted with you. I didn't think I could stand the sight. So I left."
"Oh, I see."
"Yes, and to sum it all up, I like you Lindsay. I like you a lot." Ollie finished, looking up at me with his adorable brown eyes.
"To tell the truth, I like you a lot, too Oliver." I said, smiling. He smiled back, and he stepped closer to me.
"Look, I know that we're in different houses and everything, but frankly, I'm willing to try and make it work. And I want to know what you think." I didn't need to think about it at all. I knew my reply.
"Of course, Ollie!" I blurted loudly. In one quick motion, I flung my arms around his neck and hugged him. This was somewhat difficult, seeing that he was taller than me, but I still liked it.
"Just let's try and keep this relationship a secret, alright? If anyone knew that we were going out, I don't want to think of what they might say. Or what they might do. And if Flint finds out, he'll kill me and more than likely kick you off of the Quidditch team." Ollie said as I let go of him. I nodded, understanding. After that, he left and I was left in the room alone. Sighing happily, I realized that he had left his quill pen and parchment that he had been writing on. I picked up the piece of parchment and studied the writing. It was hard to make out, but I gasped slightly, realizing that it was directions to the Gryffindor Common Room, and the current password to get into it. And underneath it, there was a scribbled note from him.
Use this when necessary.
Oliver Wood
I smiled as I folded the paper and slipped it into the pocket of my black robe. I now had the power, which every Slytherin dreamed about. I could now get into the Gryffindor Common Room! Would I use it for evil? Of course not! Oliver trusted me with this information, and I'm not going to let him down! Do you think I'm some cruel, heartless monster? Of course not...
December 25, 1989-Hogwarts-3rd year
This was absolutely the best Christmas ever! Most everyone was going home this year, and there was only about four of us left. I didn't go home, seeing that my parents were taking a vacation to the States to see my aunties and uncles overseas. And of course, I didn't want to see them. American wizards are so strange! I didn't want to deal with them, so I stayed behind. Oliver stayed behind as well, seeing that I was staying behind and he wanted to keep me company. Isn't that so sweet? I know! Anyway, today I woke up and found a pile of presents at the foot of my bed. I quickly tore the wrapping off of them all. From my mum I received a new cloak, the one I had been admiring at Diagon Alley the last time I was there. It was a deep green and had gold trimming on the hem. From my friends, I received Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans, Chocolate Frogs, a pair of striped toe socks (from Katie), a Quidditch encyclopedia (from Traci), new Quidditch gloves (from Flint), and my very own brand-new copy of Quidditch Through the Ages from Oliver. You can guess which one was my favorite! I was the only one who stayed behind from my house, so I had the entire common room to myself. I got dressed quickly, threw my cloak on and rushed out of the common room, heading towards Ollie's common room. Like me, he was the only Gryffindor left, so I could visit him as I wished, as long as the professors didn't catch me. When I reached the portrait of the fat lady, I muttered the password.
"Flubberworm," I said quietly as the lady in the portrait gave me a funny look and swung open, allowing me to pass. I nodded in gratitude and stepping into the maroon furnishing of the Gryffindor Common Room. It was warm, so I removed my cloak and draped it over a chair. Ollie obviously hadn't woken yet, so I decided to wake him up. Grinning mischievously, I quietly tiptoed up the stairs leading toward the boy's dormitories. Once I reached Ollie's, I carefully opened the heavy wooden door and stepped over to his bed, where he lay, sleeping. I pulled out my wand from my pocket and aimed it at his face.
"Humblodium," I said quietly, but distinctly. The charm worked and a large bubble of water appeared over his face and began hovering silently. All I had to do was pop it with the end of my wand, and he'd get a rude awakening. Trying not to giggle as I did it, I popped the water bubble. Cold water splashed all over his face, and his eyes shot open. Oliver sat up quickly, his face dripping. I couldn't help but laugh, and he noticed me.
"Well good morning to you, too!" He exclaimed, getting out of bed and standing up. I laughed again.
"Yes, good morning. And Merry Christmas!" I pointed to a pile of presents that were for him.
"Oh that's right! It's Christmas!" He said, grabbing the gift nearest him and unwrapping it quickly. "Socks?" He asked, examing the gift of striped socks.
"Those must be from Katie. I got some like that. Don't you like it?"
"No, it's just I noticed that they're a bit eccentric," He reached for another present. The present, which I had so carefully selected and wrapped.
"That one's from me," I pointed out, smiling.
"Then it must be the best one I'll get all year."
"But you haven't opened it yet!"
"Ah, but I can assumptions, can't I?"
Laughing, I replied, "Of course." He then ripped off the shiny, gold wrapping paper and examined the gift underneath. With some diffuculty, I got my hands on a pair of tickets for a Chudly Cannons game for next summer.
"Oh my God, are these--"
"Yes, they're Chudly Cannon tickets."
"Oh my God, thank you!" Ollie hugged me with one arm, while the other clutched his new tickets.
"Well, I'm glad you like them."
"Like them? I love them!"
"If you noticed, there are two tickets. Who are you going to take with you?"
"Why you, of course!" I just smiled and watched as he opened his other gifts. While Ollie got dressed, I waited downstairs in the common room, eating a box of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans. When he came back down from his dormitory, I randomly selected a jellybean from the box.
"Take a chance," I said suddenly, throwing it at him. He caught it in his mouth and ate it. "What's the flavor?"
"Mmm...Either toast or burnt bread," He answered, sitting on the arm of the chair which I was sitting in. He grabbed the box from my grasp and picked out a bean. "Your turn," He threw the bean into my mouth. When I realized the flavor, I cringed.
"Oh, gross!" I exclaimed, spitting the half-chewed bean into the palm of my hand. I had gotten a fish flavor! Laughing, Ollie popped another bean into his mouth. "What did you get this time?" I asked.
"Grass," He replied, grinning, "It's actually quite good. Would you like to try it?" He began fishing in the box of jellybeans for another grass bean. I shook my head.
"No, thanks. I'll take your word for it." I took the box from him and set it down on the floor next to the chair that I was sitting in.
"Come on, let's go down to lunch," I suggest, standing up.
"Good idea. I was getting hungry anyway." As we both walked to the Great Hall, we discussed Quidditch strategies. "So what's your secret to being a successful Chaser?" He asked me suddenly. I wasn't sure if I should answer him, but I did anyway.
"Well, Katie taught me to aim the Quaffle at the hoop opposite of the Keeper's wand hand. Why did you want to know?"
"I don't know, I was just curious that's all." And then everything was quiet. I just shrugged it off. When we reached the Great Hall, most everyone was already there. There were two round tables. One for the teachers, and one for the remaining students. Ollie and I sat down at the student table on the left and waited patiently for the meal to begin. There were only four of us at our table. One Gryffindor, one Slytherin, and two Ravenclaw, both whom I did not know. It was a few minutes before I saw the plate of wizard crackers in the center of the table. I nudged Ollie with my elbow and pointed to the plate.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" I asked, grinning mischievously. He thought for a moment and smirked. "Alright, first one to find mice loses!" I said, fishing in my pocket for money. I looked at the two Ravenclaws. "Would you like to join us in a little game?" I asked them. They both shook their heads. "Alright, suit yourselves." I placed three knuts on the table, and Ollie put down four. Then we both picked up a wizard, and in one quick motion, cracked it open. I lost immediately. Four, small white mice appeared from my cracker and scurried off of the table and out of sight. He got a hat.
"Ha, mice! You lose!" Ollie exclaimed, grabbing the money off the table and pocketing it. I stuck my tongue out at him and pretend to sulk. He patted my shoulder and said sarcastically," Don't feel bad, Bell. It's not your fault you're bad luck!" I shoved him playfully and laughed. Suddenly, the plates in front of us filled with food. We all talked as we ate. Even Dumbledore himself joined in the conversation! After the feast was over, Ollie and I walked back to the Gryffindor Common Room. We swapped some extremely shtupid stories, as well as embarrassing ones. And before we knew it, it was well past bedtime for students. I yawned and stretched slightly.
"I better go back to the Slytherin tower before someone catches me up here and we both die," I said jokingly. Standing up, I reached for the cloak I had brought with me. But Ollie took my hand before I could get it and stood up as well.
"There's one more thing I'd like to give you for Christmas." He said.
"Oh, Ollie, you don't have to get me anything else. Really, the book was enough!"
"Please? Just this one more thing."
"All right, if you insist," I gave in, smiling. Ollie suddenly wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed me. It felt so weird...but anyway, I didn't say anything for a second.
"Did you like it?" He asked, pushing a strand of my red hair away from my face.
"Of course." I replied. An uncomfortable silence followed.
"Well, you'd better get back to your common room, now."
"Yes, I suppose," I said, turning away to leave. That was extremely awkward, I thought as I stepped through the portrait hole. A few minutes later, I heard someone calling my name.
"Lindsay, wait!" Yelled Ollie as he ran down the corridor to catch up with me. I turned around to look at him. I smiled as he stopped in front of me. "You forgot this," He said, handing me my box of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans.
"Oh, thank you," I replied, taking the box. Looking down into the box, I fished out a pink bean and ate it. Ollie gave me a funny look. "Cotton candy," I said, smiling. He nodded. Once again this is awkward, I thought as I looked down at my shoes.
"Well, see you tomorrow then," Said Ollie suddenly, turning around to walk away
"Bye," I waved slightly and walked back to my common room. And that's where I am now, writing this all down. This really has been the best Christmas ever.
February 19, 1989-Hogwarts-3rd year
In the Quidditch match today, we lost to Gryffindor. And I got into a huge fight with Flint. I ended up punching him! But he deserved it...Now I'm in the hospital wing after what he did to me for revenge. I'll tell you how it all started. We were all in the locker room when Flint was giving us the usual pre-game pep talk.
"We're going to maul those Gryffindors!" Yelled Flint as he paced up and down the length of the room.
Next came a chorus of "yeah"'s.
"We're going to retain our title!"
Another chorus of "yeah"'s.
"We're going to win!"
Once again, a chorus of "yeah"'s. Next, Flint walked over to the Beaters and lowered his voice.
"Do whatever it takes to keep Gryffindor from scoring. I don't care how, just do it. And er--try to aim the bludgers at Wood every once in a while, alright?" The Beaters just nodded. What was that he said? Purposely injure my Ollie? I couldn't let him do that! I spoke up.
"Wouldn't it be a better idea to divert the Bludgers to the opposing Chasers, rather than waste time with the Keeper?" The whole team, including Flint, turned and looked at me. "I just don't know why you'd want to do such a shtupid thing." Flint stepped towards me. He seemed mad.
"Why?!" He raised his voice, "Because that filth is the only thing jeopardizing our title as school champions!!" By now I was getting really mad. I raised my voice as well.
"Don't call Ollie filth! He's a lot better at Quidditch than you'll ever be!"
"You seriously thing that that sad excuse for a human being is superior to me?"
I stood up so I was level with him.
"With all my heart," I replied hatefully through clenched teeth.
"Since when do you stand up for preppy little Gryffindors?"
"They may be preppy, but they're a lot more intelligent and kind than you are!"
"If you fancy Gryffindor so much, then why don't you just become one?"
"Top idea! Then I won't have to put up with your parp!"
"I feel the same way!"
"Oh, you should not have said that!"
"Well, what are you going to do about it? You're but a girl!"
"Yes, a girl who could knock your teeth out any day of the week!" I jumped on top of him and began punching at his face repeatedly. "YOU TAKE BACK WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT OLLIE, YOU SLIMY GIT!" I screamed. I then felt someone pull me away from Flint. It was Derrick, one of our Beaters. "Let me go!" I squirmed under the boy's strong grip. As Flint stood up and backed away from me, I could see the damage I had done. His lip was cut, and a small stream of blood was dribbling from his nose. He wiped some of the blood off with the sleeve of his Quidditch robes and glared at me. I glared back. Once he left, Derrick let me go. I collapsed onto the floor with my fists clenched. The team was still looking at me. I looked up slightly, with my teeth still clenched. Everyone who was looking at me now looked away. Slowly, I stood up and grabbed my broom. Someone coughed. I heard Flint yell something from another part of the locker room, and the team stood up and congregated towards the exit, which led to the pitch. Obviously, it was time for the game to start. Without saying a word, I walked with them. I took my place in the back of the line as we waited for the gate to open, to let us onto the pitch. My body was trembling in fear of what Marcus was going to do to me after I attacked him like that. Would I lose my position on the team? Would he tell a professor? I didn't want to think of all of the possibilities. I closed my eyes and began to breathe deeply. Would they kick me off the team? Would I get detention? After all, he didn't punch me back. I didn't have much more time to think, as the gates opened and we all flew out onto the pitch. It was bitterly cold outside, as I shivered. Hopefully, the game wouldn't last long, so none of us would get frostbite. I eyed Ollie at the other end of the field, at our goalposts. I smiled at him, hoping he'd notice, but he didn't. I shrugged it off, and clutched the tail of my broomstick, waiting for the start of the game. Madam Hooch's whistle went off and the Quaffle was thrown into the air. I caught it, as I always seem to do at the start of the game, and sped toward the goalposts. I was almost there, when a bludger flung itself into me, and I dropped the ball.
"No!" I screamed as I hung off of my broom with one hand. Disgusted with myself, I swung back on and got back into the game. The bludger had hit my shoulder and it now throbbed with pain. But I couldn't let that distract me. I flew over to where the Quaffle was, which by the way Angelina possessed the ball, and tried distracting the girl. It didn't work. She was so focused on what she was doing! I suppose Ollie's pre-game pep talk was motivating today. I tried cobbing to get her to look at me, but she ignored me. Rolling my eyes, I thought about blagging (Editor's note: Lindsay tended to use a lot of Quidditch terms. Cobbing is a foul of excessive use of elbows towards opponents. Blagging is another foul, which involved seizing an opponent's broom tail to slow or hinder.) but I decided not to, seeing that Madam Hooch wasn't missing a single foul, and I couldn't take a chance. But possibly if I blatched, she wouldn't notice. (Editor's Note: Blatching is yet another foul, involving flying at an opponent with an intention of colliding.) Smirking, I sped in front of Angelina and down to the other end of the pitch and flew at top sped towards her. She finally noticed me, as she gave me a puzzled look. If she flew upwards sharply to miss me, she might drop the Quaffle. She did. A split-second, she swerved very sharply upwards, and accidentally dropped the Quaffle. I caught it and snickered. I eyed the field for Warrington and found him. He was behind me a few meters, fighting off a bludger, which tended to fly around him. I yelled at him to get his attention, and he looked up. I then turned away from him and acted like I was looking for Flint to throw the Quaffle at him. My fake-out worked. The Gryffindor Chasers headed towards Flint, to block the ball. Suddenly, I threw the Quaffle behind my shoulder, hoping Warrington would catch it. He did. He ended up scoring for us! Before I could do anything else, another bludger flung itself into my side. This time, it knocked me completely off of my broom. I remember now how it felt to be falling like that. I just had this feeling of helplessness, and another feeling, which I can't describe. I hit the ground really hard. Or at least that is what it felt like. My head hit the ground, and I was knocked unconscious from the fall. A few hours later, Ollie, who was standing by my bedside talking to Katie, awakened me. I slowly opened my eyes. When I realized that Ollie was talking about me, I was quiet so that I could hear what he was saying.
"But why the hell would Flint injure his own teammate?!" Ollie asked loudly. Obviously, he was mad.
"Warrington told me that Marcus and Lindsay had a quarrel before the match started. A quarrel that involved fists and loud, angry outbursts of insults." Katie replied calmly.
"He had to have broken a rule in Quidditch when he did that," Ollie said, clenching his teeth, "Chasers aren't supposed to have anything to do with the bludgers! Their focus is simply on the Quaffle!"
"Yes, Oliver, I realize that. But Madam Hooch looked it up, and nowhere does it say that players cannot injure their own teammates, or that Chasers can't touch the bludger, so Flint is fine. And, a lot of Slytherins are backing Flint up, saying that he was aiming at you."
"I don't care! That doesn't justify what he did!"
"I know, I know. Just calm down, Oliver. Look, we beat Slytherin, so in a way, Flint lost."
"Still.it doesn't feel right to win. It was only because Slytherin lost a Chaser once Lindsay was gone."
"Oliver, please promise me that you won't do anything to Flint because of this. I know you're angry and upset, but just stay away from Marcus. Alright?"
"Alright.I promise." Ollie sounded a bit disappointed. I suppose he wanted an excuse to knock the parp out of Marcus, and he just lost one.
"Just go back to the common room and celebrate with the rest of us, okay?" Katie sounded so calm and soothing. Ollie nodded and turned to leave. I didn't want him to leave, so I coughed, signifying that I was indeed awake. He rushed over to the side of my bed.
"Are you alright?" He asked, his eyes filled with concern. Oh, my head hurt so badly that my vision was starting to blur. I groaned.
"Alright? I fell fifty feet from my broom! How would you be?" I replied a bit grouchy.
"Pretty bad. You hit the ground pretty hard. Flint should not have done that to you." He said angrily.
"What did he do? It was a bludger that hit me! Right?" I asked frantically, not understanding.
"Move, Oliver! She's my sister!" Katie demanded as she shoved Ollie to the side so she could talk to me.
"Lindsay, Flint was the one who sent that bludger at you." She explained, still keeping her calm soothing tone.
"Marcus did that to me?!" I screamed, sitting up in my bed quickly. But as soon as I did that, pain exploded in my head. I clutched my head, and my eyes watered with tears from the pain. "Ow.my head hurts so bad," I said as a tear rolled down my cheek.
"That's all thanks to Flint," Ollie said hatefully, clenching his fists. "But I promise you, he will pay for what he did to you."
"Oliver! You promised that you'd stay away from him!" Katie exclaimed, glaring at him.
"I don't care. He needs to be taught a lesson!"
"Then let someone else teach it! Gryffindor cannot afford to lose anymore points this year!"
I looked from Ollie to Katie, then from Katie to Ollie.
"Why do we even try? Slytherin is just going to win anyway! They always do! Just like last year, and the year before that. It's an endless cycle that we can't change!" I've never seen Ollie this angry before. I just watched the conversation intently.
"Damnit, Oliver! Stop being so stubborn! I told you to stay away from Flint, and I meant it! I'm not going to watch as Gryffindor crashes and burns because of your shtupid mistake! Don't you see? Slytherin takes pleasure in defeating us miserably every year! If we show them that we could easily beat them by actually trying, then we might actually have a chance!" Katie now lost her soothing tone. Angrily, she glared at him. Ollie didn't say anything. He just looked down at his shoes. I sighed loudly and he looked at me.
"I suppose I better get back to the common room. The whole house is waiting for me to get back." And with that, he left. Katie just sighed and looked back at me.
"Never mind him. He's just being a Flubberworm right now. But seriously, how do you feel?" She asked me, regained her gentle tone.
"My head hurts, but other than that, I'm alright." I replied. I don't remember much after that. Probably because it wasn't really important. I'm still in the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey says that I can go back to my own bed tomorrow, after I've rested some. You're probably wondering if I'm mad at Flint. And the answer is yes. I'm furious at him! How could he do such a thing to me?! Once I can actually stand up without my skull imploding on itself, I'll go beat the parp out of him. That'll cheer me up! But I was a bit surprised at Ollie's actions earlier today. Is he really that angry about all of this? He says he's doing it for me, but I have my suspicions that he has a grudge against Flint. Perhaps I'll ask him about it tomorrow. Madam Pomfrey is asking me very politely to please turn my lamp off and refrain from writing in my "book" so that I can sleep. Best if I obey her. But wait, before I go, I have one more thought on my mind. Now I'm starting to regret that I ever hit Marcus. Perhaps what I did wasn't so right after all. I haven't received any word yet that Flint has kicked me off of the team. I suppose he thinks of the bludger as punishment enough. Oh, I won't know until tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll sort this whole mess out. Yes, tomorrow.
February 20, 1989-Hogwarts-3rd year
Flint and I are officially from this day on, mortal enemies. When I was released from the Hospital Wing, and I was back at the common room, it seemed as if everyone was purposely ignoring me. Everyone that is, except the people in my dormitory. Cortney Spinnet saw me and immediately ran over to me.
"Are you okay? We saw you fall off your broom yesterday, and saw you carried off of the field.we were so worried!" Cortney said quickly, her eyes filled with worry.
"I'm fine, I'm fine!" I replied, smiling. I lowered my voice to a whisper. "Why is everyone ignoring me?"
"Ah.I cannot tell you here. Come on now; let's go to our dormitory. I'll tell you there." She whispered back, leading me back to our dormitory. Once the door was shut, Cortney told me everything.
"Flint's got the entire House to hate you. He's telling them that it was your entire fault that we lost the game yesterday. People believe him too. I mean, he's the captain, right? I never believed him. Trust me, I'm on your side here."
"I know, but it wasn't my fault we lost the game! If Flint hadn't tried to murder me like that, we might've won!"
"Yes, I realize that, and the whole school saw him do that. But the Slytherins are still on his side." Cortney said, her eyes narrowing. "There's been talk that he's going to kick you off the team."
"WHAT?! It's him who should be kicked off! He purposely injured me!"
"Yes, I also realize that. The only thing is, how are we going to get everyone to be on our side?"
I bit my bottom lip. I usually do this when I'm nervous, or thinking. This time, it was a bit of both.
"I don't know." I said finally as my chewed lip began to bleed. Suddenly, I straightened up. "Wait a minute, did anyone have any Omnioculars at the match?"
"I think so. Traci might have had a pair. Want me to check?"
"Yes. Now." I replied quickly. I didn't mean to sound so bossy, but this was important. Cortney ran over to Traci's dresser and began rummaging through it, searching for the Omninoculars she had at the match. Once she found them, Cortney ran back over to me, and thrust the object into my hands. My plan was this. If the last place Traci used these was yesterday at the game, then the entire game should be recorded in the Omninoculars. I took off my glasses and held the item up to my eyes. I found the 'play' button at the top, and pressed it. Automatically, the end of the game flashed in front of my eyes. Blinking, I pressed the 'rewind' button. The image rewound quickly. When I found the part right before I was hit, I hit 'play' again. I watched as the image followed Marcus as he grabbed one of the Beater's clubs and hit a passing Bludger straight at me. Then the image followed the Bludger as it whammed into me.
"Yes! This is perfect!" I exclaimed, smiling.
"What's perfect?" Cortney asked, waiting impatiently for me to answer.
"Because if we show the Slytherins this footage, then they might go on our side!" Even though I couldn't see her, I could almost hear her rolling her eyes. "What?"
"It's never going to work."
"Stop being so cynical. Of course it'll work!"
"I say that they shouldn't have let you out of the Hospital Wing."
"Why?" I asked, still looking through the Omninoculars.
"Because you obviously have a head injury." I lowered the Omninoculars to glare at her sarcastically. "Besides," Cortney began, snatching the item from my face, "Traci will kill you if she sees you with these. You know how protective she is over her stuff."
"Still."
"Look, Lindsay, let's get out of here. Let's go to the Library or something, anywhere but here! They all know that I'm on your side, so they're ignoring me, too."
"You don't have to do this. I can probably fix this by myself!"
"So? I'm bored, and besides, you're my friend. I'd never betray a friend."
"Thanks, Cortney."
"Your welcome. But can we please leave?" I laughed and Cortney and I left our dormitory. Once we trudged down the stairs to the Common Room, I noticed Marcus Flint.
"Cort, look, it's Flint," I said, pointing him out.
"Want me to hide you?" She asked sarcastically.
"Nah, I think I'll take him." Clearing my throat, I started to walk through the Common Room, to the other side, where the exit was. Marcus looked up and snickered.
"Ah, I see Sleeping Beauty has awakened!" Flint sneered, loudly enough for everyone to hear. All of the conversations around us stopped, and everyone listened. "No, wait a minute, you're not exactly a beauty are you?" He snickered as he stood up to face me.
"I'm so sorry," I said to him, my eyes full of false-pity.
"For what?"
"This." I replied quickly, punching him hard in the face again. He staggered back, clutching the place on his face where I hit him. "Aw." I asked sarcastically, "Did I hurt you?" Marcus looked up at me and glared. He punched back at me, this time hitting me in the jaw. I looked up at him, shocked. I never really thought he'd hit back, seeing that I was a girl. I suppose I was wrong.
"What's wrong, Bell?" Marcus asked mockingly, noticing my silence. "Never thought I could hit back?" I just glared at him. He began talking again. "What are you going to do? Go crying back to your precious Oliver?" He snickered again. "He's the only one left who has sympathy for you."
Oh, that made me really mad. Glaring at him, I charged at him, trying to knock him over, but he was too quick. Before I could do anything, he grabbed my arm, and twisted me around. I squealed in pain. With him still grasping my twisted arm, he spoke a few words of warning before letting me go.
"You better watch it, Bell. Before you end up in the Hospital Wing again. I've hurt you before and I'll do it again." I could feel his hot, disgusting breath on my neck as he spoke. He let go of my arm, and I collapsed on the floor. Acting as if he was disgusted with me, he walked away. Cortney immediately kneeled down to me.
"Are you okay, Lindsay? Talk!" She said frantically.
"We need to leave," I whispered, getting up quickly, trying not to act as if I were hurt. Though the pain in my arm was unbearable. Cortney just nodded, and we both ran out of the Common Room, and into the corridor, now out of the Slytherin Tower. I took a deep breath.
"Lindsay, are you okay?" Cortney asked once more.
"I'm okay, but my arm hurts really bad." I replied, my eyes watering with pain. "Let's go find Katie, or Oliver."
"No, we need to find Madam Pomfrey!"
"No! That's what Flint wants me to do! He wants something else to mock me for. Trust me on this one."
"You're crazy, but oh well!" She said, giving up. We tried the Great Hall first, to see if he was there, and we were right. Oliver was sitting at the Gryffindor table, reading something. I couldn't tell, but then again I really didn't care. I walked quickly over to him, with Cortney close behind me.
"Ollie!" I called, trying to catch his attention. He looked up from his book at me. He could see that something was wrong. He stood up.
"What's wrong?" Oliver asked, concerned. I suddenly let all of the tears accumulating in my eyes fall. Sobbing, I buried my head into Ollie's sweater. My arm still hurt, a lot. He asked me once more, "What's wrong?" Cortney answered him for me.
"Marcus Flint beat her up, and threatened her." She said quietly, crossing her arms across her chest. I could tell Ollie wasn't really surprised.
"But why?" He asked again, wrapping his arms around me, trying to comfort me.
"She kind of, punched him first." Once again, Cortney answered for me. This time, Oliver gently pushed me away from him to look at me.
"Why did you punch him?" He asked, looking me straight in the eyes.
"Well, Cortney and I were just trying to leave the Common Room, when Marcus made some shtupid rude comment about me. I was already mad that he did what he did to me yesterday, so I lost my temper and punched him." I replied truthfully. There was no use in lying, so I just told the truth. Sounds easy enough, eh?
"And he threatened you?"
I nodded.
"What'd he say?"
"He said that he hurt me once, and he could do it again."
"Don't worry, we'll get him back for this. He will pay." Oliver narrowed his eyes, seeming like he was plotting something. Something evil. "Are you hurt?" He asked, suddenly coming back to reality.
"He twisted my arm behind my back.so my arm hurts." I told him.
"Then we'll give him two broken arms, and let him see how that feels, alright?" Ollie said jokingly. I laughed slightly. I was glad to have Ollie here with me when I needed him. He always seems to make me feel better, no matter what happened. After that, we just talked for a while, and then finally, Cortney and I left Oliver and decided it was time to go back to our Common Room. We also decided it would be best to avoid confrontation with Flint all together. As soon as we walked through the secret entrance, we saw the Common Room buzzing with excitement. Someone saw us, and proclaimed our entrance. The room quieted.
"Go," I whispered to Cortney, and we began quickly walking towards our dormitories. Before we could get onto the staircase, Flint stepped in front of us, blocking our way. Trying to control my temper, I said to him calmly. "Excuse me," It didn't work. He grinned at us stupidly.
"You think you're so clever, don't you?"
I looked up at him, not saying anything.
"You better not mess with me, or I'll kick you off the team. That's not a threat, it's a promise." Then he moved, so we could go up the stairs. We quickly walked up them, breathing a sigh of relief once we closed the door to our dormitory. Luckily, it was empty. I just sat on my bed and cried. How could this happen to me? I didn't ask for this! Me and my stupid temper.before we went to bed, Cortney asked me something.
"What about the Omninoculars?" She asked, eyeing Traci's dresser. I'd forgotten all about those! Oh, it was a stupid idea anyway. Cortney had been right, it never would have worked.
"Oh, forget about those shtupid Omninoculars. It was a shtupid idea."
"So you admit that you were wrong?"
"Be quiet, Cort before I rip your head off." And then she shut up.