'Murigan!'
Morgana stopped, turned slowly and gave her mother a death stare a Malfoy would have been proud of.
'Ah told ye nae tae ca' me that in the corridors, mother,' she snapped. 'You're ruinin' ma reputation!'
Minerva McGonagall gave her daughter a reprimanding look when coming to a halt right in front of her and handing over a small piece of parchment, blankly ignoring the girl's complaint.
'I merely noticed that ye've bin neglecting your duties again, Miss McGonagall,' she said sourly, trying to keep her own level of sarcasm as low as possible. 'I seem tae think it was your turn tae supervise the first-years' homework preparation this afternoon?'
Morgana felt her insides sink to the bottom of her legs.
'Ah...'
'T'isnae the first time ye've let me doon this year either,' said her mother sternly, her eyebrows moving towards each other, forming one big, black line. 'Ah'm still gettin' the timetable for the Quidditch trials. An' ah seem tae remember it wis you who suggested we should heiv them before the summer break this year?'
'Aye, but it wasnae my duty tae come up with timetables,' retorted Morgana. 'That wis Potter's task.'
'Well, he better hurry,' said her mother angrily. 'Ah hope ye're aware that next year's going tae be quite rough?'
''Course ah dae,' snapped Morgana. 'Ah'm nae a bairn, mother.'
'Well, dinnae behave like one,' was the offhand answer. 'Heiv ye bin tae watch the first years' flying lessons yet? Any matches?'
'Nae yet,' muttered Morgana. 'Next one's only tomorrow afternoon.' She scratched her head. 'And anyway, I'm no haevin' a first former replace Potter. We'll heiv tae look for someone wi' experience.'
At that moment, a sudden slap met Morgana's shoulder and the very person they had been talking about appeared in front of her, half pulling her to the ground, apparently rather euphoric and utterly surprised to bump into a fellow student in this part of the castle.
'Morgana!'
'Aye - ya bam!' emerged her lips before she could keep herself, earning an extremely reproachful look from her mother.
'In any case,' the elder witch said, suddenly sounding much more like a teacher again than like a mother, 'you will be supervising both weekend preps to make up for today's disaster, y chree. Don't fail me again.'
And she stalked off.
'Great,' muttered Morgana, ignoring Alex's presence for the moment. 'Just what ah needed. A weekend spent wi' supervising bairns.' She made her way through the corridor and towards the common room. 'Haven't ye any work to do?' She suddenly said, taking Alex by surprise. 'Or d'ye want tae join me in the commons?'
'Why did you have to supervise the preps?' requested Alex, not taking notice of her question.
'Because ma mum's a bloody teacher and every time she needs someone to fill the gaps in her timetable she asks me.'
'That seems rather unfair,' stated Alex.
'Twaddle,' snapped Morgana, causing the fat lady to swing aside and grant them entrance to their common room. 'Ah wis in detention, ye bampot. Where's Fraiser?'
'She's got her Potions workgroup tonight.' said Alex, indignant by now about her irritability.
'Bloody Southeners,' commented Morgana, slamming herself into one of the big armchairs in front of the fire. 'She's aye doin' extra work tae make others look lazy. Ye seen mother's new hat, by the way? Got it from Topaz this year.'
'I wonder,' said Alex calmly, being completely used to her abruptly changing the subject whenever she liked, 'why you keep calling him Topaz.'
'He's not ma bloody father,' snapped Morgana. 'Hasnae bin aroon' for the last - what... ten years? Ever since mother scared him away in any case. Disnae seem like he really cares aboot me. Disnae seem tae think ah might still be interested in keepin' in touch. So ah don't.'
She scowled and took out a book in an attempt to not look as if she was fighting against the upcoming memories of her father. Alex smiled in sympathy but remained standing.
'I think I'll go up to the dormitory,' he said. 'There's just one thing I'd like to draw your attention to...'
Morgana snorted, but listened.
'When you are having a peek at the first years' flying lessons tomorrow afternoon,' Alex explained, 'I'd like you to pay a closer look to a black-haired boy called James...'
'Fa's a'?' grunted Morgana indignantly, still not looking up from her lecture.
'My cousin,' explained Alex. 'I think he might have what it takes to become a Seeker. I don't know for sure, but that's what I want you to find out. Alright?'
'Feasible,' replied Morgana coldly, not showing that her heart had just jumped violently against her throat. Alex usually had a good sense of discovering talent in a person, and if he thought this... James might be capable of replacing his elder cousin... Morgana grinned. The hint might be worth something. She would definitely have a closer look at the boy.
Thursday turned out to be the windiest day of the week. James had a rather curious conversation before their flying lesson with Madame Hooch, involving Black, Wood, Evans, and a fifth year girl named Morgana McGonagall. She seemed interested in seeing them all fly, the problem being that, because of the upcoming storm, Madame Hooch was reluctant to let them fly above the sixteen feet safety level at all.
James, of course, did not stick to her instructions for the most part, which, at the end of the lesson, provided him with a two hours detention in the Deputy Headmistress's office. Lines again. He could not believe it.
'It's your own fault,' Remus informed him as calmly as ever as Madame Hooch was collecting the school brooms. 'You should have come down when she was calling you for the third time.'
'Remus!' said James indignantly, feeling that this statement was almost betrayal of their friendship. 'You know what flying is like. You know one cannot think clearly when one's up there. That... that... the feeling is -'
'- one of pure bliss an' freedom,' said a voice behind them and James whirled around. 'It feels as if no one could or... should be giving ye instructions. Like no one can beat ye. Or... ever catch, for that matter.'
James grinned. 'Yes,' he said. 'Exactly. Have you seen enough, or will you be back next week, Morgana?'
'Ah've seen enough,' replied the fifth-year, letting her gaze wander over the bunch of Gryffindors surrounding her. 'But ah want tae see the four of ye,' she pointed at James, Black and two of the girls, 'on the Quidditch pitch again. Tomorrow before dinner. For a bit of fine-tuning. What d'ye think?'
'What for?' said Rebecca Wood curiously. 'Another flying lesson?'
'She's building up a new team, stupid,' said Katie Shacklebolt with a superior side-glance at her friend. 'What positions do you need, Morgana?'
'One Seeker, one Chaser and one Beater,' replied the older girl. 'We'll heiv tae see how many of ye youngsters we'll take in, though. Gotta defend our title next year. Against the bloody Slytherins.'
'Well, you can rule me out,' came a voice from behind James's back and he had no problems guessing to whom it belonged. 'I don't play Quidditch.'
'Fine with me,' shrugged Morgana. 'But ye could.'
'Not for Gryffindor, he won't,' sniggered Katie Shacklebolt. 'He's in the wrong house, you see. Been misplaced, that one...'
'Shut up,' said another voice and James was surprised to find that it was Remus Lupin's. Katie looked offended. Morgana grinned.
'Anyway,' she said, 'I'll see the three of you tomorrow then?'
'Perhaps,' said Rebecca Wood.
'Definitely,' said James and Katie.
At that moment Madame Hooch came from behind and shooed Morgana away.
'I forgot to take the register again,' she said in an exhausted sounding voice. 'Could you give me a hand there? That's... Potter, Black, Lupin, Pettigrew... Shacklebolt, Wood, Meadowes... has anyone seen Miss Evans?'
'She was here only a minute ago,' said James matter-of-factly. 'And so was Marlene McKinnon. All Gryffindors were here today.'
'Well, there's only the few of you, of course,' said Madame Hooch absently, staring at her register trying to remember all the names. 'It is much more complicated with the Slytherins.' She looked up and squinted her eyes. 'Nott! Swanbeck! Come here for a moment!'
Two of the Slytherins strolled over and positioned themselves in front of their flying teacher, one wolfing down the remains of his sandwich, the other one slouching alongside her friend, both hands crossed over her back, looking rather like an animated figure than a real person. Madame Hooch sunk back behind her register, muttering names and, occasionally, cursing her own stupidity.
'Malfoy, Avery, triple Black... what about Mike Jugson?'
'Standing right behind you, miss,' said Evan Rosier, who was collecting the remaining school brooms. 'Pex and Stebbins are excused, by the way. Professor Sprout needed some help in the greenhouses.'
'I see,' said Madame Hooch, ticking off the names on her list. 'Same goes for Snape,' I suppose?'
Rosier lowered the brooms he was holding and took a quick look around.
'No,' he said. 'He was not missing in history. Professor Binns actually managed to get his name right for a change, so I know for sure.'
Madame Hooch nodded slowly and made another brief note. 'I see. Who else...?'
James lost his interest and looked around swiftly as to find out where Remus and Peter had vanished.
He found out, that both of them had gone to the common room without him, in order to have a few minutes on their own before prep time. James remembered with a jolt of panic that he had not even started the essay on magical weeds Professor Sprout had set them this week. To be handed in tomorrow. He was in for a sleepless night. There was no way he'd finish it during preparation time.