Chapter 10 – Quidditch and Owls
"That was a complete fiasco," Liz sighed miserably.
"You didn't get punished," Michael said.
"Yeah, McGonagall just told you off in front of the entire school," Rachel added.
"And it wasn't embarrassing or humiliating at all," Liz said sarcastically. "That was the worst night of my life!"
"But John did get the idea that you just want to be friends," said Rachel. "For now, at least."
"So!" Michael said brightly. "The next Quidditch match is coming up."
"When?" Rachel asked.
"Next week. Ravenclaw versus Hufflepuff."
"So Gryffindor isn't playing?" asked Rachel disappointedly.
"No. But it'll be fun to watch, won't it?"
Liz walked along in silence. For the past two days she had been miserable. People scowled at her in the halls, during classes, everywhere. She was now the first-year who had permanently ruined Valentine's Day. Only Rachel, Michael, Chris, and John would still speak to her, and John only said, "Hello," stiffly, once in a while in the common room.
They had gone to visit Chris the day before, and he didn't hold any grudge at all. In fact, he had made it plain that he thought the whole thing was an accident and Bettie should have been watching where she was going. He and Michael then became engaged in a heated discussion of Quidditch, at both the Hogwarts and the world level.
The next Saturday found Michael, Chris, Rachel, and Liz high up in the stands of the Quidditch field, watching Oliver Wood release the balls and seeing the Ravenclaw and the Hufflepuff players take off.
"And they're off!" yelled Josh. "Joe Morrison of Ravenclaw has the Quaffle, passes to Jeffery Schaub, who passes to Krista Whitley, back to Morrison, he's up against Hufflepuff Keeper and Captain Justin Velez, he shoots, he scores! Nice job, Joe. All right, it's Ravenclaw ten, Hufflepuff nothing, plenty of time to catch up, thought, it's only one goal...er, make that two goals. Ravenclaw Chaser Krista Whitley scores, making it twenty-zero."
The match continued in the same manner: Ravenclaws got the Quaffle, Ravenclaws scored. The only exception was when Bludgers knocked the Quaffle off course, and then the Ravenclaws got it and scored. It was one hundred sixty-nothing when the Seekers came tumbling through the air, seemingly out of nowhere, after the Snitch.
"The Ravenclaw Seeker is Jack Guevara. He's the Captain and a sixth-year. The Hufflepuff Seeker is Kathryn Hertel, a fourth year. Celeste says Kathryn is almost as good as your dad, Liz," said Michael very fast. Many of the players stopped to watch the two go after the little winged gold ball.
"There they go! Look at them fly!" Josh yelled. "They're neck-in-neck!"
Both Seekers stretched out their hands at the exact same moment, but only one caught the Snitch. The yells of the Hufflepuff crowd soon died down and were replaced by the screams from the Ravenclaws.
"Kathryn Hertel gets the Snitch, but Ravenclaw wins! Can't say it's an unprecedented move, though. The same thing happened at the World Cup, summer '94. Doesn't look like Velez is too happy with her, though."
The Hufflepuff Captain had soared to his Seeker and started to yell. Meanwhile, the Ravenclaws yelled and cheered all together.
"Y'know, my dad was at the '94 Quidditch World Cup," Michael said. "Still says he doesn't believe it."
"Neither do I," Liz said. "That was the stupidest move ever!"
"Not if you think about it," said Michael.
Liz sighed. "The only thing I want to think about right now if finishing my homework."
"Oh, darn, I have an essay for History of Magic to finish," Rachel said. "Let's go inside." Together, the three of them followed the hordes of excited Quidditch fans back up to the castle.
March followed February, and with it came spring. The soft fragrance of flowers found its way through every open window, and the lure of the outdoors was still too strong to be overcome. The harder workers, like Liz, brought their schoolwork outside with them.
"I love spring," Rachel said one day. "It smells so nice!"
"I like spring because my birthday is in two and a half weeks," Liz said, grinning.
"Really? You'll be twelve? What day exactly?" Michael asked her.
"March twenty-fourth," Liz answered him.
Most people had gotten over their distaste for Valentine's Dance ruiners and were speaking to Liz again. All except for Bettie. Liz figured that Bettie would never forgive her. However, the rest of the student body seemed willing to forgive and forget. Alberta and Desiree waved from across the grounds, and Liz, Rachel, and Michael waved back.
"It's time for lunch," announced Michael.
They were almost the first ones in the Great Hall. A couple of people had already filtered in, and McGonagall was talking with the Head Boy up at the High Table. Slowly, people made their way in, and soon many people were impatient for food.
McGonagall stood, supposedly to make their lunch appear, but first said, "Could I have the Head Girl, Lauren Thomas, up here for a quick word?"
There was silence. Lauren Thomas did not appear.
"Lauren Thomas? Is she here? Has anyone seen her today?"
Murmurs broke out across the Hall. People up and down the Gryffindor table were shaking their heads. McGonagall came down to count heads.
"Do not fear, children!" Professor Garb said, standing and spreading his arms wide. "If she is gone, I will find her! I am this close to cracking the case—"
"Sit down, Theseus," Professor Weasley snapped. Professor Garb sank slowly back into his chair.
By then end of the day, it was made clear: Lauren Thomas of Gryffindor was missing. Liz barely slept that night.
* * *
The first thought that came to Liz's mind on her birthday was, "Let's see, Cynthia, Becky, Adam, Allison, Lauren. That's five people missing." Then it dawned on her that it was March twenty-fourth. She hopped out of bed, got dressed, and headed down to the common room.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" cried Rachel and Michael. They had been waiting at the foot of the stairs leading up to the girls' dormitory. Liz grinned as they both thrust presents at her.
"Thanks," she said. "Which one should I open first?"
"Mine! Mine!" squeaked Rachel. "Here!" Liz tore into it. It was a quill with ink that never ran out. Next, she opened Michael's gift. It was a bag of Sugar Quills.
"Thanks," Liz repeated. "Let's go to breakfast."
The first owl that entered the Great Hall at mail time that morning was Chris's. It landed before her, carrying an alarm clock. She had just finished admiring it when another owl landed, nearly in her plate. It was the owl from her mother.
"Whose is that?" asked Rachel.
"My mum's," Liz muttered.
"Your Muggle mother has an owl? Wow!" Rachel exclaimed. Liz didn't bother to correct her; she wouldn't believe the truth anyway. She ignored the package just then and ripped the letter open.
It read:
Dear Elizabeth, Happy Birthday! It's your twelfth birthday. I remember, on my birthday (I was turning fifteen or sixteen) we learned the Disappearing Charm in class. It made things and even people disappear to somewhere you wanted them to go. You say, "Disapparatus!" and concentrate on where you want to send it (or him or her). Maybe you should try it, hmm? Enjoy your present!
Your mother,
Luna
Liz sat in silence for a moment. Her thoughts were punctuated with Rachel saying, "How did your Muggle mother get a Wizarding Wireless?"
"I gave her a catalogue from Diagon Alley." Liz lied. She instantly felt horrible for lying to her best friend. But, she reminded herself, she would never believe the truth. Liz picked up the Wizarding Wireless and turned it on.
"Welcome to the WWN, Wizarding Wireless Network. Up next is the hit song, 'Under My Spell,' by singing sensation Cassandra Spellman."
"I wish my parents would get me a Wizarding Wireless," Michael said enviously. "For my last birthday, they gave me a toy broomstick."
Liz sighed. She wished she could see her mother. She wished, with all her heart, that she could be there so she could thank her.
"That was a complete fiasco," Liz sighed miserably.
"You didn't get punished," Michael said.
"Yeah, McGonagall just told you off in front of the entire school," Rachel added.
"And it wasn't embarrassing or humiliating at all," Liz said sarcastically. "That was the worst night of my life!"
"But John did get the idea that you just want to be friends," said Rachel. "For now, at least."
"So!" Michael said brightly. "The next Quidditch match is coming up."
"When?" Rachel asked.
"Next week. Ravenclaw versus Hufflepuff."
"So Gryffindor isn't playing?" asked Rachel disappointedly.
"No. But it'll be fun to watch, won't it?"
Liz walked along in silence. For the past two days she had been miserable. People scowled at her in the halls, during classes, everywhere. She was now the first-year who had permanently ruined Valentine's Day. Only Rachel, Michael, Chris, and John would still speak to her, and John only said, "Hello," stiffly, once in a while in the common room.
They had gone to visit Chris the day before, and he didn't hold any grudge at all. In fact, he had made it plain that he thought the whole thing was an accident and Bettie should have been watching where she was going. He and Michael then became engaged in a heated discussion of Quidditch, at both the Hogwarts and the world level.
The next Saturday found Michael, Chris, Rachel, and Liz high up in the stands of the Quidditch field, watching Oliver Wood release the balls and seeing the Ravenclaw and the Hufflepuff players take off.
"And they're off!" yelled Josh. "Joe Morrison of Ravenclaw has the Quaffle, passes to Jeffery Schaub, who passes to Krista Whitley, back to Morrison, he's up against Hufflepuff Keeper and Captain Justin Velez, he shoots, he scores! Nice job, Joe. All right, it's Ravenclaw ten, Hufflepuff nothing, plenty of time to catch up, thought, it's only one goal...er, make that two goals. Ravenclaw Chaser Krista Whitley scores, making it twenty-zero."
The match continued in the same manner: Ravenclaws got the Quaffle, Ravenclaws scored. The only exception was when Bludgers knocked the Quaffle off course, and then the Ravenclaws got it and scored. It was one hundred sixty-nothing when the Seekers came tumbling through the air, seemingly out of nowhere, after the Snitch.
"The Ravenclaw Seeker is Jack Guevara. He's the Captain and a sixth-year. The Hufflepuff Seeker is Kathryn Hertel, a fourth year. Celeste says Kathryn is almost as good as your dad, Liz," said Michael very fast. Many of the players stopped to watch the two go after the little winged gold ball.
"There they go! Look at them fly!" Josh yelled. "They're neck-in-neck!"
Both Seekers stretched out their hands at the exact same moment, but only one caught the Snitch. The yells of the Hufflepuff crowd soon died down and were replaced by the screams from the Ravenclaws.
"Kathryn Hertel gets the Snitch, but Ravenclaw wins! Can't say it's an unprecedented move, though. The same thing happened at the World Cup, summer '94. Doesn't look like Velez is too happy with her, though."
The Hufflepuff Captain had soared to his Seeker and started to yell. Meanwhile, the Ravenclaws yelled and cheered all together.
"Y'know, my dad was at the '94 Quidditch World Cup," Michael said. "Still says he doesn't believe it."
"Neither do I," Liz said. "That was the stupidest move ever!"
"Not if you think about it," said Michael.
Liz sighed. "The only thing I want to think about right now if finishing my homework."
"Oh, darn, I have an essay for History of Magic to finish," Rachel said. "Let's go inside." Together, the three of them followed the hordes of excited Quidditch fans back up to the castle.
March followed February, and with it came spring. The soft fragrance of flowers found its way through every open window, and the lure of the outdoors was still too strong to be overcome. The harder workers, like Liz, brought their schoolwork outside with them.
"I love spring," Rachel said one day. "It smells so nice!"
"I like spring because my birthday is in two and a half weeks," Liz said, grinning.
"Really? You'll be twelve? What day exactly?" Michael asked her.
"March twenty-fourth," Liz answered him.
Most people had gotten over their distaste for Valentine's Dance ruiners and were speaking to Liz again. All except for Bettie. Liz figured that Bettie would never forgive her. However, the rest of the student body seemed willing to forgive and forget. Alberta and Desiree waved from across the grounds, and Liz, Rachel, and Michael waved back.
"It's time for lunch," announced Michael.
They were almost the first ones in the Great Hall. A couple of people had already filtered in, and McGonagall was talking with the Head Boy up at the High Table. Slowly, people made their way in, and soon many people were impatient for food.
McGonagall stood, supposedly to make their lunch appear, but first said, "Could I have the Head Girl, Lauren Thomas, up here for a quick word?"
There was silence. Lauren Thomas did not appear.
"Lauren Thomas? Is she here? Has anyone seen her today?"
Murmurs broke out across the Hall. People up and down the Gryffindor table were shaking their heads. McGonagall came down to count heads.
"Do not fear, children!" Professor Garb said, standing and spreading his arms wide. "If she is gone, I will find her! I am this close to cracking the case—"
"Sit down, Theseus," Professor Weasley snapped. Professor Garb sank slowly back into his chair.
By then end of the day, it was made clear: Lauren Thomas of Gryffindor was missing. Liz barely slept that night.
* * *
The first thought that came to Liz's mind on her birthday was, "Let's see, Cynthia, Becky, Adam, Allison, Lauren. That's five people missing." Then it dawned on her that it was March twenty-fourth. She hopped out of bed, got dressed, and headed down to the common room.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" cried Rachel and Michael. They had been waiting at the foot of the stairs leading up to the girls' dormitory. Liz grinned as they both thrust presents at her.
"Thanks," she said. "Which one should I open first?"
"Mine! Mine!" squeaked Rachel. "Here!" Liz tore into it. It was a quill with ink that never ran out. Next, she opened Michael's gift. It was a bag of Sugar Quills.
"Thanks," Liz repeated. "Let's go to breakfast."
The first owl that entered the Great Hall at mail time that morning was Chris's. It landed before her, carrying an alarm clock. She had just finished admiring it when another owl landed, nearly in her plate. It was the owl from her mother.
"Whose is that?" asked Rachel.
"My mum's," Liz muttered.
"Your Muggle mother has an owl? Wow!" Rachel exclaimed. Liz didn't bother to correct her; she wouldn't believe the truth anyway. She ignored the package just then and ripped the letter open.
It read:
Dear Elizabeth, Happy Birthday! It's your twelfth birthday. I remember, on my birthday (I was turning fifteen or sixteen) we learned the Disappearing Charm in class. It made things and even people disappear to somewhere you wanted them to go. You say, "Disapparatus!" and concentrate on where you want to send it (or him or her). Maybe you should try it, hmm? Enjoy your present!
Your mother,
Luna
Liz sat in silence for a moment. Her thoughts were punctuated with Rachel saying, "How did your Muggle mother get a Wizarding Wireless?"
"I gave her a catalogue from Diagon Alley." Liz lied. She instantly felt horrible for lying to her best friend. But, she reminded herself, she would never believe the truth. Liz picked up the Wizarding Wireless and turned it on.
"Welcome to the WWN, Wizarding Wireless Network. Up next is the hit song, 'Under My Spell,' by singing sensation Cassandra Spellman."
"I wish my parents would get me a Wizarding Wireless," Michael said enviously. "For my last birthday, they gave me a toy broomstick."
Liz sighed. She wished she could see her mother. She wished, with all her heart, that she could be there so she could thank her.