A/N: I love having no homework.  It means I can get REAL work done.  Like this stuff.  And decorating my bedroom for Christmas.  And studying druidism. 

…Wow.  All of a sudden my room smells like dirty feet, and it's really nasty!  EW!

Thank you to Cy and Daish.  No thanks to Van, who decided to fill up an entire page with the word 'update'.  Get a hobby!

DISCLAIMER:  All is Rowling's.  Nothing is mine.  Except the Potter Poachers.  That's mine.  And this rather long hair hanging off the back of my chair.  That's mine, too.  And the chain my ring is on.  That's my sister's.

Chapter 4

            Madam Hooch had given Jess and Andrea permission to fly freely around the Quidditch pitch while she taught classes that morning.  By this time, they were shakily getting the hang of it, and could fly in low circles around the pitch without crashing into anything big, hard, or heavy. 

            "Whee!" Jess shouted as she reached the goalposts once more.  "This is the greatest!"

            "I know!  We're flying!  Without airplanes!  Or wings!"

            "We can go really really fast!"

            "We can go in circles!"

            "We can play Quidditch!"

            There was a pause.  "Erm…Jess?"

            "Yessum?"

            "I don't think Quidditch is a good idea yet."

            "No, probably not.  But if we get better we can!"

            "That is true."

            So the girls decided to fly a little higher, in order to practice their Quidditch skills.  They were doing just fine, zooming up near the stands, until Drea's hand slipped and her broom did a nosedive towards the ground.  Andrea screamed, and pulled the handle of her broom up at the last minute.

            "Uh, Jess?"

            "Yeah?"

            "I'm going to stay down here for a while."

            Jess nodded vigorously.  "Good idea.  Me too."

            Meg bent down to pet the small crup who was wagging his tail at her feet.  "He's so cute!"  Suddenly, the crup lurched forward, and attempted to bite her hand off.  "Argh!"  She stepped away.  "He tried to eat me!"

            "Tha's the thing 'bout Crups.  They don' like Muggles much."

            Sarah glared at him.  "We're Muggles.  And you just tried to show us something that doesn't LIKE Muggles?!"

            "Er…I…What 'bout these 'ere Clabberts?  They on'y eat lizards an' birds, an' they're shy."  Hagrid led them over to the closest pen to his house, where what looked like an orangutan with a large red jewel in its forehead was happily shoving feathers left over from his meal into his mouth.

            "You have enough animals to start a zoo!"

            "I keep a lot 'ere at once, so 's easier to teach, but I on'y keep one or two of 'em.  Jus' as an example, y'know."

            Meg thought for a second.  "Do you have fairies?"

            "Sure," Hagrid replied.  "Fairies're easy ter catch.  They're no' quite bright, y'know, so they come righ' to ye."

            "Fairies!" yelled Sarah.  "Fairies are cool!"

            And she skipped off with Meg to goggle at the fairies until lunch time.

            Harry walked into Transfiguration with his robes hanging off his shoulder, both his cheeks red with what appeared to be pinch marks, and his glasses nearly falling off the edge of his nose.  Professor McGonagall looked around, half expecting either Voldemort or Ginny Weasley to appear behind him.

            "Mr. Potter, explain your appeareance."

            "Potter Poachers," Harry grumbled.

            "Excuse me?  Potter Poachers?"  The class, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, sniggered.  "What, pray tell, are Potter Poachers?"

            "Group of girls.  Stalk me.  Attack me.  Pinch my cheeks and call me 'Ickle Harrykins'."  He shuddered.

            Even McGonagall had troubles keeping a straight face at the last part.  "Mr. Potter," she snorted, "please take your," snort, "seat.  I'll see you after class."

            Harry sighed an sat down.  Outside the door, Vanessa, Maria, and Amy executed a perfect three-way high-five.

            "Ha!" cackled Vanessa.  "Did you see the look on his face?"

            "That was so much fun."

            "When does the next period end?"

            "Uh…there's one more class before lunch, so I would say at about eleven, Potter Poacher Three."

            "Potter Poacher THREE?  Why can't I be Potter Poacher ONE?"

            Vanessa sighed.  "Because I started this group."

            "So?" Amy replied.

            "Therefore, I'M Potter Poacher One."

            "So why can't I be Potter Poacher Two?"

            "Maria's taller."

            "No she isn't."

            "Uh…Just go with three."

            "All right, Potter Poacher One.  What's our next move?"

            "Get students from other houses to join in our torture methods.  That way, we have people on the INSIDE."

            "Good.  Slytherins first?"

            "Nah.  Slytherins already torture Potter.  We'll leave them be.  Let's contact the Hufflepuffs."

            Maria looked doubtful.  "But aren't the Hufflepuffs stupid and loyal?"

            "Yeah, but we can use that to our advantage."

            "How?"

            "We threaten to stop the House Elves from making cakes at dinner."

            The three smiled wickedly.  "Perfect."

            It turned out that Mel was very fortunate, and every bottle was clearly labeled and stacked in an orderly fashion on the shelves in the student store cupboard.  She found all of the necessary ingredients, memorized their place so she wouldn't make Snape angry, and carried the jars over to her workplace.  Sharon was busy staring in the other direction when she got back.

            "How do you think he gets his hair that way?  I mean, it's so PERFECT."

            Mel looked at Sharon.  "You have so many problems."

            "Well, yeah.  But seriously.  And his hands are so white and perfect!"

            "I'm going to ignore you, and start making this potion so we don't get kicked out."

            Being the science geek that she was, Mel had no problem with the measurements and preparations.  If she wasn't sure about something, all she had to do was look over at one of the Ravenclaws. 

            "I can't just sit here any more.  I have to do something!"

            Mel looked over at Sharon, who had just risen hastily from her seat.  "Then help me with this potion or something!  Just stay over here."

            However, it was too late for Sharon to stay anywhere near Mel.  She was already headed toward the other side fo the room, where Snape was currently berating a small Ravenclaw for adding her beetle's eyes mere seconds too early.

            "You cannot possibly.." Snape yelled, but was interrupted by a tap on the shoulder.  He turned around to face Sharon.  "I realize that Muggles are incompetent when it comes to anything to do with magic, but I should at least believe they have a sufficient amount of manners."

            "I'm sorry, but I just have to tell you that you are the sexiest man alive."

            Before he could react, Sharon had grabbed him, pulled him downward, and was snogging him senseless.  It was hard to tell in the flurry of action whether or not Snape had snogged her back (purely on impulse, of course).  Mel groaned and quickly headed for the storeroom, hoping that if it had seemed she hadn't been a part of anything, she wouldn't be thrown out of the dungeons.  The Ravenclaws gasped and began to work twice as hard, certain he would take his wrath out on them.  The Slytherins were in shock that anyone could even think about doing that to their Head of House.  Whispers spread amongst them, most of them mentioning the name 'Draco Malfoy'.

            The nine girls met at the doors to the Great Hall (only after the Potter Poachers had attacked Harry on his way to lunch).  They piled their plates with food, and then carried them to the back of the hall, where they sat in a circle on the floor so they could eat together.

            "So Mel," Vanessa started, "how was your morning in the dungeon?"

            "Don't.  Ask.  About.  It."

            Sharon scoffed.  "YOU'RE not the one who got kicked out!  Honestly!  All I did was tell him the truth!"

            "And snog him!"

            She laughed.  "Well, yeah, that too."

            Mel shook her head and kept quiet.

            "Jess and I learned to fly!"

            "How many times did you crash?"

            "Only four, Sarah!"

            "Ha!"

            "It's true!"

            "We attacked Harry.  Three times.  And now we've got the Hufflepuffs started."

            There was silence as everyone took a bite of food at the same time.  Then the noise started again.

            "So," Meg said, "what are we doing this afternoon?"

            Mel spoke up.  "Before anyone says anything else, we are going to, without argument, spend a nice, quiet afternoon in the library."

            "Oh, come on, Mel!  The library?!"

            "Yes, the library."

            "Are the Potter Poachers exempted from the trip?  We have a schedule to keep to," Amy asked.

            "Fine.  But the rest of you are coming with me."  They agreed.  "And you will obey all the rules and be quiet."

            "Damn!"

A/N: In the next chapter:  The girls find a book.

No, seriously, that's my plotline.

Anyway, this brings my total chapters owing to Sharon down to five. FINALLY!

Until the next chapter,

Aindel