Hello! Sorry I haven't been updating. I didn't realize I'd been getting
reviews! So thanks to a1s2d3f4, Splunge, Jane Riddle, and
Phredtheflyingmonkey! Here you are:
The Girl Who Lived Chapter Nine: Snitchnip
Word of the Haunted Halloween Closet as it came to be known, spread rapidly. Daisy experienced some stardom that was welcome for a change, and she and Lavender both were glad to tell anyone who asked all the details.
But as November pulled in its claws even deeper, they were overshadowed by the ever heroic Quidditch teams. Daisy found Quidditch to be an interesting part of magical culture. She couldn't fly for dung, as she learned on her first flying lesson, but she thought she would always be an avid fan because she was a brutal soccer fan.
Quidditch was a sport played on broomstick with a ball to be thrown through a hoop while two other balls flew around trying to knock riders off their brooms. Meanwhile a small golden ball, the Snitch, would fly around with one player trying to catch it. That would end the game and also earn the capturer's team 150 points.
Daisy also learned that Harry was such a capturer, or Seeker, for the Gryffindor team. Ron was also on the team. He was the Keeper, like a goalie, and it was his job to defend the hoops. Daisy was anxious to see both of them fly in the upcoming Ravenclaw vs. Gryffindor game.
That day Daisy was up in the Owlery to visit Hibou and send a letter to Sirius. They tried to write to each other regularly, Hibou wasn't always around to send post. Maggie had been sending quite a few letters with Hibou lately.
When they could write, Daisy kept Sirius updated on what was happening at Hogwarts, and Sirius gave her an idea of the outside world. It wasn't happy. London was a mess. Muggles were being killed again, but the Ministry couldn't protect them at night. Some once half trusted wizards were disappearing. Sirius knew they were in league with Voldemort because of what he had heard in Azkaban. He was also stayed in touch with Harry. Sirius told her that Harry had helped him stay on the run in his third year. Harry trusted him too, but Daisy wasn't going to tell him that because that might lead to some interesting questions. It was the same with Dumbledore.
As Hibou flew through the window, the letter securely tied on his talon, Daisy saw the back of a fiery red haired head.
"Hi Ron," she greeted cheerily. She walked around to meet him, but when he turned around it was not Ron, but someone who looked a lot like him, just taller and older.
"No, you're confused. Ron's much shorter than me," said the boy. He grinned at her. "You're Daisy aren't you?"
"Yeah," she said, confused. "Do you.?"
"Ron talks about you all the time. My name's Fred Weasley. I'm his brother."
How did I miss that? Daisy thought. I'm some friend. I didn't even know Ron had a brother at Hogwarts. They did look alike, but Fred was different. Daisy's stomach didn't feel all funny when she looked at Ron.
"Sending a letter?" Daisy asked.
"No, I just come up here to talk to the owls," he said.
So Hibou isn't the only one, Daisy thought. But then she saw Fred's sly smile.
"Actually, I'm writing to Mum. Got to keep her updated on Ginny," he said. Fortunately Daisy knew Ginny Weasley, Ron's little sister in fourth year. She wasn't that disconnected. Fred was tying a letter to the leg of barn owl.
"Well, I have to be off," he said.
"I guess I'll see you at the Quidditch match" Daisy said.
"Probably," Fred said cunningly, "I'm on the team. Ron hasn't told you anything, has he?"
"I guess not," Daisy said. "See you later then."
"Bye," he said and tromped down the stairs. Daisy watched him all the way down.
"And they're off!" roared Lee Jordan, the Hogwarts Quidditch commentator. Daisy and Hermione were sitting in the stands with Hagrid, who was also the Care of Magical Creatures professor and a close friend of Harry's in addition to groundskeeper. The sky was clear, but the wind was blowing cold and fierce. Daisy and Hermione both clutched Ominoculars, Hermione had her own and Daisy had borrowed Harry's, and peered into the sky.
Harry was flying high above the rest, his eyes peeled for the Snitch. Hermione was keeping her eyes on the main game, but Daisy was watching Fred keep the Bludgers in check. He was very quick, and often almost seemed like he was in two places at once. Daisy was puzzling over how this was going on, so she slowed down the picture on the Ominoculars. There were definitely two Fred Weasleys.
"Hermione!" Daisy exclaimed. "Fred's there twice!"
"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked, not taking her eyes off Harry.
"Fred Weasley," Daisy said, "he's there and there." She pointed to the two spots in the air.
"That's George," Hermione explained. "They're twins." Of course, Daisy thought. Who isn't?
She watched the chasers fly around with the Quaffle for a little while and noticed that Miss Johnson, the girl from Flourish and Blotts was on the Gryffindor team.
The wind blew harder and harder. Daisy, Hermione and most everyone else in the stands wrapped their cloaks around their shoulders tighter. About a half an hour had passed since the match began.
"Harry be'er urry and catch that Snitch. That new Ravenclaw Chaser looks like 'es goin' ter fall right off 'is broom," remarked Hagrid. It was true. The second year boy was a good flier, but he didn't have a lot of weight. The seeker of the Ravenclaw team was a girl named Cho Chang. Daisy had met her in the hall one day. And she was very nice. Daisy had heard something about her getting a new broom, but no one's broom compared to Harry's Firebolt. It was the best broom in the Quidditch industry. He had gotten it in his third year under mysterious circumstances that Daisy wasn't sure about. But it was definitely good. He wasn't even affected by the wind.
"And Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor has the Quaffle- she's off to the goalpost- Ravenclaw chaser Hafferty's coming for her- Oh! She passes to Katie Bell and dodges Hafferty. Bell goes for it. GRYFFINDOR SCORES! Gryffindor 40-Ravenclaw-20."
Harry was diving out of nowhere, Cho was trailing behind him.
"Is that the Snitch?!" belted Lee, "Gryffindor Seeker is going for it!" Everyone watched the Seekers flying broomtail to broom tip. Daisy zoomed her Ominoculars below them. She couldn't see the Snitch anywhere. Across the screen flashed "Wronski Defensive Feint - Dangerous Seeker Diversion"
"What the." Daisy said, knocking on them. Still they flashed.
"He's faking!" Hermione cried, but no one on the pitch could hear her through the wind. Alicia Spinnet, a Gryffindor Chaser, had the Quaffle clasped in her arms but the game had stopped, the other players' eyes glued to Harry and Cho.
Daisy zoomed in on Harry. He was ten feet.five feet.two feet from the ground! He was going to crash! But suddenly he pulled out from the dive and shot up into the sky. Cho wasn't so lucky; she crashed right into the ground.
"Ouch! Ravenclaw seeker smashes the pitch. Amazing play by Potter! Wronski Feint!" The crowd cheered, mostly Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, but some Slytherins who were never glad to see Gryffindors succeed and Ravenclaws looked very sour.
The whistle blew, and Harry turned right around. He saw Cho and flew to her, a look of horror on his face. He tried to help her up, but she wouldn't have any of it. Madam Pince came to look her over, but she was fine so the game quickly resumed.
Cho flew off for one side of the field and Harry quickly followed suit, taking off in the opposite direction.
"Spinnet has the Quaffle- passes to Johnson who passes to Bell- Back to Johnson. Whoa, rapid fire. Pass back to Bell- Oh no! Quaffle is intercepted by Haferty. He flies back to other end of the pitch- thrown to Boot. Aaaaand- Ravenclaw scores. The game is tied, 70 to 70."
Harry was flying purposefully again. He soared higher and higher in the air. Cho was going up, too. They went upwards until they were just specks in the air.
"The Snitch s'never up that far," reasoned Hagrid. "Wha's Harry playin' at?"
Even on the Ominoculars it was hard to make them out. They were chasing back and forth. And, even though Daisy knew they were both experienced fliers, they looked ridiculous. Perhaps the wind was throwing them off, she thought.
Fred was flying higher to keep the Bludgers from reaching Harry. But Harry was diving again, Cho following behind. Daisy could suddenly see the Snitch. It was diving as fast as the Firebolt, but in a straight line. It was 50 feet ahead of Harry when Fred saw it. And it hit him right in the head. He bent forward, putting his hands over his head in surprise, right as a Bludger whizzed by where his head had just been. Harry and Cho pulled out of their dives and dodged the Bludger.
Madam Hooch blew her whistle. The Snitch had disappeared and everyone was drifting toward the ground. Fred was rubbing his head, but otherwise he looked okay. The team was crowding around.
Daisy replayed the scene on the Ominoculars. "Snitchnip - Non-Seeker foul"
"A lucky Bludger miss by Gryffindor beater Fred Weasley, after being attacked by the Golden Snitch. And a time out is called." The Gryffindor team was discussing with Madam Pince. They all looked mad.
"A penalty shot to Ravenclaw for Snitchnip!" Madam Hooch snapped. Loud booing echoed through the stand. It was heard even through the wind as Terry Boot lined up for a shot.
"A completely unfair penalty is called on Gryffindor for having their Beater get bludgeoned by the Snitch," said Lee in a huff.
"Jordan!" warned McGonagall who monitored his commentary to make sure he didn't get out of control.
"Sorry Professor. Ravenclaw gets a free shot."
"JORDAN!" McGonagall said again.
"Fine. Ravenclaw shot for alleged Snitchnip. Boot carries the Quaffle and throws. And it's saved by Gryffindor Keeper Weasley with an excellent move!" Just then a huge gust of wind blew nearly everyone off course. Even Harry's Firebolt swayed a little, but then he started flying as fast as he could, though he was against the wind.
It wasn't letting up, and most players were fighting to keep on their brooms. Cho, who was on the other side of the pitch, began zooming towards the spot Harry was going, the wind to her back. She had a mad glint in her eyes.
Harry flattened himself against his broom handle, trying to keep going. The wind was barely allowing him to keep up and they were both gaining on the Snitch at dangerously equal rates. George shot a Bludger at Cho in effort to throw her off, but the wind blew it away. Harry reached out his arm, but it was no use. Cho was closer. Her arm snaked forward. She was three feet from the snitch.
Suddenly, the wind changed. Cho was blown backward, and Harry had an extra boost of speed. He closed his fingers around the golden ball.
"He did it!" cried Hermione. "He caught the Snitch. We've won!"
"And Gryffindor wins 220 points to 70!" Lee Jordan said.
Daisy and Hermione hurried to rush the pitch and see Harry and Ron. Harry had a broad smile on his face. It was the happiest Daisy had ever seen her brother.
"You were brilliant!" she told him. "That Wronski Feint."
"That was great. I've wanted to try that since the World Cup!" he was out of breath and exhilarated. He grinned; his cheeks were pink from the rush.
"And when you caught the snitch!" Hermione said excitedly. "I thought for sure the wind." Daisy glanced at the Weasleys. She saw Fred, somehow she could tell him apart from his twin. He was also keyed up. Daisy's stomach jumped up and down. She could see Fred's biceps through his scarlet Quidditch robes. He was well-conditioned from training with the Beater club, but even more so than George.
Daisy also saw Ron. He was looking at Hermione in a lost sort of way. She was still noting Harry's superior Seeker performance.
Daisy walked over to them. "That was great Keeping, Ron," she told him.
He blushed a little. "Thanks," he replied, grinning at the attention.
"How's you're head, Fred?" she inquired.
"Does it look dented?" he asked playfully.
"Lucky you ducked," Daisy said.
"I know it. Those Bludgers give no mercy," said Fred.
"Some penalty though," George muttered angrily. "Snitchnip! The Snitch went right for him."
"Maybe the Bludgers are giving it ideas," Fred suggested.
"Well, Ron took care of that shot, anyway," George said. He beamed proudly at his brother. "He's a brick wall." Ron was blushing redder than his hair now.
The first matches of the Dueling tournament started that afternoon. Ron and Hermione had signed up as well as Davey, Alana Malfoy, Jasmine Ali, and Lavender.
Hermione's match was the earliest that the gang went to. Her opponent was Lavender. The match was held outside on the grounds with the castle shielding them from the wind. It had died down a bit, but it was still there. Daisy sat with Ron and Harry on the grassy sidelines as the match began.
Professor Flitwick, the referee of the match signaled the duelers to start. They bowed and raised their wands. Their goal was to disarm their opponent after successfully cursing them twice. "One.Two.Three!"
"Rictusempra!" cried Lavender just as Hermione yelled, "Petrificus Totalus!" Lavender became rigid on her feet, locked in the full Body- Bind. Hermione doubled up laughing. She had been hit by a tickling charm. She sank to her knees and pointed her wand for a shrieking spell. Still stiff, Lavender's mouth popped open wide and let out a high pitched scream.
"Expelliarmus!" Hermione gasped. Lavender's wand shot out of her tight grip and landed on the grass.
"Finite Incantatem!" Flitwick said. Hermione stopped laughing and Lavender became limber and silent again. They got to their feet.
"Miss Granger wins the match."
The Gryffindor common room that night was a party. Everyone was discussing or debating dueling and the Quidditch match, especially Harry's amazing Snitch capture. Everybody bragged about their duels. Davey had won his, but Ron hadn't been so lucky. That meant that Seamus Finnigan, his opponent, would have to face Hermione next.
Fred and George had lifted a keg of butterbeer from the kitchens and were passing it around. Fred headed towards Daisy with a mug. Her stomach flip-flopped. She accepted the drink and took a sip.
"That'll be ten galleons," Fred said. Daisy almost spat it out. Then she got it. A joke. She was a very literal person.
"Very funny," she said, forcing the butterbeer down her throat. Normally sarcasm annoyed her, but with Fred she didn't mind. He got her every time, though.
"So, do you like Quidditch now?" asked Fred, smiling.
"Of course," Daisy replied, "How could I not with such good-looking, er, skill." She felt a tight knot of apprehension at her slip. She'd almost said "good-looking players." Fred raised his eyebrows then shrugged.
"Well, I must spread the joy," he said, gesturing to the keg. "See you later."
"Bye!"
A/N: Ahhh! Fred. He's my favorite. ; )
The Girl Who Lived Chapter Nine: Snitchnip
Word of the Haunted Halloween Closet as it came to be known, spread rapidly. Daisy experienced some stardom that was welcome for a change, and she and Lavender both were glad to tell anyone who asked all the details.
But as November pulled in its claws even deeper, they were overshadowed by the ever heroic Quidditch teams. Daisy found Quidditch to be an interesting part of magical culture. She couldn't fly for dung, as she learned on her first flying lesson, but she thought she would always be an avid fan because she was a brutal soccer fan.
Quidditch was a sport played on broomstick with a ball to be thrown through a hoop while two other balls flew around trying to knock riders off their brooms. Meanwhile a small golden ball, the Snitch, would fly around with one player trying to catch it. That would end the game and also earn the capturer's team 150 points.
Daisy also learned that Harry was such a capturer, or Seeker, for the Gryffindor team. Ron was also on the team. He was the Keeper, like a goalie, and it was his job to defend the hoops. Daisy was anxious to see both of them fly in the upcoming Ravenclaw vs. Gryffindor game.
That day Daisy was up in the Owlery to visit Hibou and send a letter to Sirius. They tried to write to each other regularly, Hibou wasn't always around to send post. Maggie had been sending quite a few letters with Hibou lately.
When they could write, Daisy kept Sirius updated on what was happening at Hogwarts, and Sirius gave her an idea of the outside world. It wasn't happy. London was a mess. Muggles were being killed again, but the Ministry couldn't protect them at night. Some once half trusted wizards were disappearing. Sirius knew they were in league with Voldemort because of what he had heard in Azkaban. He was also stayed in touch with Harry. Sirius told her that Harry had helped him stay on the run in his third year. Harry trusted him too, but Daisy wasn't going to tell him that because that might lead to some interesting questions. It was the same with Dumbledore.
As Hibou flew through the window, the letter securely tied on his talon, Daisy saw the back of a fiery red haired head.
"Hi Ron," she greeted cheerily. She walked around to meet him, but when he turned around it was not Ron, but someone who looked a lot like him, just taller and older.
"No, you're confused. Ron's much shorter than me," said the boy. He grinned at her. "You're Daisy aren't you?"
"Yeah," she said, confused. "Do you.?"
"Ron talks about you all the time. My name's Fred Weasley. I'm his brother."
How did I miss that? Daisy thought. I'm some friend. I didn't even know Ron had a brother at Hogwarts. They did look alike, but Fred was different. Daisy's stomach didn't feel all funny when she looked at Ron.
"Sending a letter?" Daisy asked.
"No, I just come up here to talk to the owls," he said.
So Hibou isn't the only one, Daisy thought. But then she saw Fred's sly smile.
"Actually, I'm writing to Mum. Got to keep her updated on Ginny," he said. Fortunately Daisy knew Ginny Weasley, Ron's little sister in fourth year. She wasn't that disconnected. Fred was tying a letter to the leg of barn owl.
"Well, I have to be off," he said.
"I guess I'll see you at the Quidditch match" Daisy said.
"Probably," Fred said cunningly, "I'm on the team. Ron hasn't told you anything, has he?"
"I guess not," Daisy said. "See you later then."
"Bye," he said and tromped down the stairs. Daisy watched him all the way down.
"And they're off!" roared Lee Jordan, the Hogwarts Quidditch commentator. Daisy and Hermione were sitting in the stands with Hagrid, who was also the Care of Magical Creatures professor and a close friend of Harry's in addition to groundskeeper. The sky was clear, but the wind was blowing cold and fierce. Daisy and Hermione both clutched Ominoculars, Hermione had her own and Daisy had borrowed Harry's, and peered into the sky.
Harry was flying high above the rest, his eyes peeled for the Snitch. Hermione was keeping her eyes on the main game, but Daisy was watching Fred keep the Bludgers in check. He was very quick, and often almost seemed like he was in two places at once. Daisy was puzzling over how this was going on, so she slowed down the picture on the Ominoculars. There were definitely two Fred Weasleys.
"Hermione!" Daisy exclaimed. "Fred's there twice!"
"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked, not taking her eyes off Harry.
"Fred Weasley," Daisy said, "he's there and there." She pointed to the two spots in the air.
"That's George," Hermione explained. "They're twins." Of course, Daisy thought. Who isn't?
She watched the chasers fly around with the Quaffle for a little while and noticed that Miss Johnson, the girl from Flourish and Blotts was on the Gryffindor team.
The wind blew harder and harder. Daisy, Hermione and most everyone else in the stands wrapped their cloaks around their shoulders tighter. About a half an hour had passed since the match began.
"Harry be'er urry and catch that Snitch. That new Ravenclaw Chaser looks like 'es goin' ter fall right off 'is broom," remarked Hagrid. It was true. The second year boy was a good flier, but he didn't have a lot of weight. The seeker of the Ravenclaw team was a girl named Cho Chang. Daisy had met her in the hall one day. And she was very nice. Daisy had heard something about her getting a new broom, but no one's broom compared to Harry's Firebolt. It was the best broom in the Quidditch industry. He had gotten it in his third year under mysterious circumstances that Daisy wasn't sure about. But it was definitely good. He wasn't even affected by the wind.
"And Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor has the Quaffle- she's off to the goalpost- Ravenclaw chaser Hafferty's coming for her- Oh! She passes to Katie Bell and dodges Hafferty. Bell goes for it. GRYFFINDOR SCORES! Gryffindor 40-Ravenclaw-20."
Harry was diving out of nowhere, Cho was trailing behind him.
"Is that the Snitch?!" belted Lee, "Gryffindor Seeker is going for it!" Everyone watched the Seekers flying broomtail to broom tip. Daisy zoomed her Ominoculars below them. She couldn't see the Snitch anywhere. Across the screen flashed "Wronski Defensive Feint - Dangerous Seeker Diversion"
"What the." Daisy said, knocking on them. Still they flashed.
"He's faking!" Hermione cried, but no one on the pitch could hear her through the wind. Alicia Spinnet, a Gryffindor Chaser, had the Quaffle clasped in her arms but the game had stopped, the other players' eyes glued to Harry and Cho.
Daisy zoomed in on Harry. He was ten feet.five feet.two feet from the ground! He was going to crash! But suddenly he pulled out from the dive and shot up into the sky. Cho wasn't so lucky; she crashed right into the ground.
"Ouch! Ravenclaw seeker smashes the pitch. Amazing play by Potter! Wronski Feint!" The crowd cheered, mostly Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, but some Slytherins who were never glad to see Gryffindors succeed and Ravenclaws looked very sour.
The whistle blew, and Harry turned right around. He saw Cho and flew to her, a look of horror on his face. He tried to help her up, but she wouldn't have any of it. Madam Pince came to look her over, but she was fine so the game quickly resumed.
Cho flew off for one side of the field and Harry quickly followed suit, taking off in the opposite direction.
"Spinnet has the Quaffle- passes to Johnson who passes to Bell- Back to Johnson. Whoa, rapid fire. Pass back to Bell- Oh no! Quaffle is intercepted by Haferty. He flies back to other end of the pitch- thrown to Boot. Aaaaand- Ravenclaw scores. The game is tied, 70 to 70."
Harry was flying purposefully again. He soared higher and higher in the air. Cho was going up, too. They went upwards until they were just specks in the air.
"The Snitch s'never up that far," reasoned Hagrid. "Wha's Harry playin' at?"
Even on the Ominoculars it was hard to make them out. They were chasing back and forth. And, even though Daisy knew they were both experienced fliers, they looked ridiculous. Perhaps the wind was throwing them off, she thought.
Fred was flying higher to keep the Bludgers from reaching Harry. But Harry was diving again, Cho following behind. Daisy could suddenly see the Snitch. It was diving as fast as the Firebolt, but in a straight line. It was 50 feet ahead of Harry when Fred saw it. And it hit him right in the head. He bent forward, putting his hands over his head in surprise, right as a Bludger whizzed by where his head had just been. Harry and Cho pulled out of their dives and dodged the Bludger.
Madam Hooch blew her whistle. The Snitch had disappeared and everyone was drifting toward the ground. Fred was rubbing his head, but otherwise he looked okay. The team was crowding around.
Daisy replayed the scene on the Ominoculars. "Snitchnip - Non-Seeker foul"
"A lucky Bludger miss by Gryffindor beater Fred Weasley, after being attacked by the Golden Snitch. And a time out is called." The Gryffindor team was discussing with Madam Pince. They all looked mad.
"A penalty shot to Ravenclaw for Snitchnip!" Madam Hooch snapped. Loud booing echoed through the stand. It was heard even through the wind as Terry Boot lined up for a shot.
"A completely unfair penalty is called on Gryffindor for having their Beater get bludgeoned by the Snitch," said Lee in a huff.
"Jordan!" warned McGonagall who monitored his commentary to make sure he didn't get out of control.
"Sorry Professor. Ravenclaw gets a free shot."
"JORDAN!" McGonagall said again.
"Fine. Ravenclaw shot for alleged Snitchnip. Boot carries the Quaffle and throws. And it's saved by Gryffindor Keeper Weasley with an excellent move!" Just then a huge gust of wind blew nearly everyone off course. Even Harry's Firebolt swayed a little, but then he started flying as fast as he could, though he was against the wind.
It wasn't letting up, and most players were fighting to keep on their brooms. Cho, who was on the other side of the pitch, began zooming towards the spot Harry was going, the wind to her back. She had a mad glint in her eyes.
Harry flattened himself against his broom handle, trying to keep going. The wind was barely allowing him to keep up and they were both gaining on the Snitch at dangerously equal rates. George shot a Bludger at Cho in effort to throw her off, but the wind blew it away. Harry reached out his arm, but it was no use. Cho was closer. Her arm snaked forward. She was three feet from the snitch.
Suddenly, the wind changed. Cho was blown backward, and Harry had an extra boost of speed. He closed his fingers around the golden ball.
"He did it!" cried Hermione. "He caught the Snitch. We've won!"
"And Gryffindor wins 220 points to 70!" Lee Jordan said.
Daisy and Hermione hurried to rush the pitch and see Harry and Ron. Harry had a broad smile on his face. It was the happiest Daisy had ever seen her brother.
"You were brilliant!" she told him. "That Wronski Feint."
"That was great. I've wanted to try that since the World Cup!" he was out of breath and exhilarated. He grinned; his cheeks were pink from the rush.
"And when you caught the snitch!" Hermione said excitedly. "I thought for sure the wind." Daisy glanced at the Weasleys. She saw Fred, somehow she could tell him apart from his twin. He was also keyed up. Daisy's stomach jumped up and down. She could see Fred's biceps through his scarlet Quidditch robes. He was well-conditioned from training with the Beater club, but even more so than George.
Daisy also saw Ron. He was looking at Hermione in a lost sort of way. She was still noting Harry's superior Seeker performance.
Daisy walked over to them. "That was great Keeping, Ron," she told him.
He blushed a little. "Thanks," he replied, grinning at the attention.
"How's you're head, Fred?" she inquired.
"Does it look dented?" he asked playfully.
"Lucky you ducked," Daisy said.
"I know it. Those Bludgers give no mercy," said Fred.
"Some penalty though," George muttered angrily. "Snitchnip! The Snitch went right for him."
"Maybe the Bludgers are giving it ideas," Fred suggested.
"Well, Ron took care of that shot, anyway," George said. He beamed proudly at his brother. "He's a brick wall." Ron was blushing redder than his hair now.
The first matches of the Dueling tournament started that afternoon. Ron and Hermione had signed up as well as Davey, Alana Malfoy, Jasmine Ali, and Lavender.
Hermione's match was the earliest that the gang went to. Her opponent was Lavender. The match was held outside on the grounds with the castle shielding them from the wind. It had died down a bit, but it was still there. Daisy sat with Ron and Harry on the grassy sidelines as the match began.
Professor Flitwick, the referee of the match signaled the duelers to start. They bowed and raised their wands. Their goal was to disarm their opponent after successfully cursing them twice. "One.Two.Three!"
"Rictusempra!" cried Lavender just as Hermione yelled, "Petrificus Totalus!" Lavender became rigid on her feet, locked in the full Body- Bind. Hermione doubled up laughing. She had been hit by a tickling charm. She sank to her knees and pointed her wand for a shrieking spell. Still stiff, Lavender's mouth popped open wide and let out a high pitched scream.
"Expelliarmus!" Hermione gasped. Lavender's wand shot out of her tight grip and landed on the grass.
"Finite Incantatem!" Flitwick said. Hermione stopped laughing and Lavender became limber and silent again. They got to their feet.
"Miss Granger wins the match."
The Gryffindor common room that night was a party. Everyone was discussing or debating dueling and the Quidditch match, especially Harry's amazing Snitch capture. Everybody bragged about their duels. Davey had won his, but Ron hadn't been so lucky. That meant that Seamus Finnigan, his opponent, would have to face Hermione next.
Fred and George had lifted a keg of butterbeer from the kitchens and were passing it around. Fred headed towards Daisy with a mug. Her stomach flip-flopped. She accepted the drink and took a sip.
"That'll be ten galleons," Fred said. Daisy almost spat it out. Then she got it. A joke. She was a very literal person.
"Very funny," she said, forcing the butterbeer down her throat. Normally sarcasm annoyed her, but with Fred she didn't mind. He got her every time, though.
"So, do you like Quidditch now?" asked Fred, smiling.
"Of course," Daisy replied, "How could I not with such good-looking, er, skill." She felt a tight knot of apprehension at her slip. She'd almost said "good-looking players." Fred raised his eyebrows then shrugged.
"Well, I must spread the joy," he said, gesturing to the keg. "See you later."
"Bye!"
A/N: Ahhh! Fred. He's my favorite. ; )
