Chapter 9 – Lessons Uncovered
Liz's virtual banishment continued. She spent a lot of her solitude in the library reading books Rachel and Michael would have thought useless. One had a section of Hogwarts legends and firsts. To Liz's surprise, it contained an account of Fred and George Weasley's escape from Hogwarts and her father's experience with Voldemort. Liz couldn't help thinking, with a sinking feeling in her stomach, that one day she would be added: Elizabeth Potter, daughter of the famous Harry Potter, ruined two consecutive Valentine's Days.
By late February, Liz was sick of the library. The upcoming Quidditch match gave her a reason to emerge from her hibernation. Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff. As much as it pained her to give up her homework to watch a sport, it could get her back on Michael's good side, which in turn might get her back on Rachel's good side.
Liz was determined to let Michael know she was there, so she made a sign. It screamed in red and gold letters: GO GRYFFINDOR! The red and gold flashed alternately. Quidditch really was cutting into her homework time. She headed to the match alone, all eyes narrowed at her.
In the stands, people shared seats to avoid sitting next to her. They obviously thought she had lost it. They had never seen Liz scream and bounce on her toes, waving an expertly made sign. Even Rachel was slightly worried.
"Go Gryffindor! Catch the Snitch, Michael! Woo!" she yelled, alarming the row of first-years before her. Michael stopped to stare, but he didn't smile and he didn't wave. She yelled more loudly still.
Josh Lepress, in the commentator's box, consistently ignored her. Word had it that he had finally gotten a date with Celeste Weaver for the dance before it had been cancelled. He had been livid. Now he pretended that there wasn't a maniac jumping around next to him, across one of the transparent barriers.
"Welcome to today's match, Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff. Promises to be an excellent match, folks." But he sounded unconvinced.
"Woo! Go Michael!" Liz shouted.
Josh shot her a sideways glance. "Shannon Dogginsen has the Quaffle..."
Liz took up a chant of, "Gryffindor! GO! GO! Gryffindor! GO! GO!" People began to stare again, but Liz noticed someone sit in the unoccupied seat beside her. It was Rachel. She gave Liz a small, hopeful smile and joined the chant. John joined too. With him were Desiree, Alberta, and Robert. Pretty soon all of Gryffindor had forgiven Liz and joined the chant. The only one who hadn't was Bettie. She stayed firmly in her seat with her arms crossed, glaring up at everyone around her.
Then everyone covered his or her ears. The noise from the microphone was deafening. It took a minute for Josh to realize that he was still on the microphone and chanting as loud as he could. He stopped once he realized that he was making half the stadium go deaf. "Erm, sorry folks," he muttered. "Being unbiased is tough. Anyway, Shelia Evangelista of Hufflepuff has the Quaffle—no, Mitchell Mikey of Gryffindor steals it, and he's going up the field...ooh, smacked by a Bludger from Christina Apodaca, Beater, Captain, and seventh-year Hufflepuff. Manuel Southard has the Quaffle...what is she doing?"
Christina Apodaca had swung her Beater's club ferociously at the Bludger that had hit Mitchell. At the moment, it was speeding toward Manuel. It hit him squarely in the back, and he nearly fell off his broom. He dropped the Quaffle.
"A Bludger from his own teammate...and Celeste Weaver has the Quaffle. It's her and Keeper Hugh Kua, she shoots—GOAL!"
As Celeste rose into the air, waving her arms victoriously, something shot by her, grazing the side of her head and sending her spinning in the air. It was Michael, closely followed by Kathryn Hertel.
"Is Michael a match for her?" Rachel whispered worriedly. "He's always said she was he best since your dad..."
Liz felt they had to win. "Catch the Snitch!" she screamed.
It soon turned into another chant. "Catch the SNITCH! Catch the SNITCH!" both the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs yelled. The two Seekers turned upward after Snitch. Kathryn reached out for it. Just as it seemed she would snatch it from the air, Michael's hand shot out and grabbed it. The Snitch tried vainly to escape his fingers.
"GRYFFINDOR WINS!" Josh yelled. "They steamrolled those Hufflepuffs, one hundred sixty to nothing!" Professor Weasley muttered something about "unbiased." "Oh, erm, better luck next time, Hufflepuff," Josh added quickly.
"We won!" Rachel yelled, hugging Liz. Then she looked up at her. "I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For being an idiot. I shouldn't have gotten mad. Besides, he's a year older than me. And I'm twelve."
"I'm sorry, too."
"For what?"
"For all that happened last year, that whole Valentine's Day thing."
"That was in the past, and it wasn't your fault," Rachel said. The two hugged again and raced out onto the field to meet Michael.
"Awesome!" Liz yelled hoarsely. All that yelling had worn out her throat. "Good job, Michael!"
"Thanks," he grinned. "I was worried there, at the end with Hertel...good game, Kathryn."
The Hufflepuff Seeker paused. "You too, Weasley."
"Where have you been for a month?" Chris practically yelled at Rachel and Michael. "And you for two weeks?" he added to Liz. "This lesson plot is really tough, even when we have a lesson once a week. And the last one really couldn't count as a lesson. All you did was teach me how to brew that Snap potion. At least I've kept my word. I've been practicing."
Liz knew he was mad because he was frustrated, and he had a right to be. Rachel and Michael had been so mad at Liz that they hadn't visited Chris at all, and Liz was so busy moping that only visited once. She had actually been planning to stay for less time than she had, but Hagrid had caught them stealing ingredients from his garden.
"We're really sorry, Chris," Liz said. "And we'll do better. What should we teach you today?"
But before anything could be decided, Hagrid emerged from his cabin. "Over here, the four o' yeh," he called to them. They obliged.
"Now I know yeh think yer doin' good, an' I know yeh think I don' know, bu' I do. Yer teachin' Chris magic. Is tha' right?"
Liz looked around at the others and nodded.
"See there, I knew. An' it wasn' like yeh weren' leavin' a trail o' clues a mile wide. I firs' got suspicious-like when my garden was set on fire. Then yeh tried ter turn down 'ot chocolate on the coldes' day we've seen in these parts for a long time, Liz. An' last time yeh were over here, yeh plucked my garden ter shreds! I jus' wanna let yeh know, trainin' Squibs without a license is against Ministry laws, an' I'll have no part of it, an' neither should you. Tha's all." And with a savage nod, he went right back into his cabin.
The four of them were silent. Liz looked up at the others. "So, as I was saying, what will we teach today?"
The other three stared in disbelief. "Liz," Chris said finally, "it's against the law. You heard Hagrid."
"Hagrid's one to talk. Do you remember his breeding experiments, Chris?" Chris cringed and nodded. "Besides, we've put too much time into this to give up. And I know you can do it, Chris, I really do. Right, you two?"
Rachel and Michael mumbled halfhearted agreements.
"Fine," Chris said. "I'll do it. But if Hagrid notices anymore, we stop."
"Absolutely. Do you want to skip today? I think we've been through enough, don't you?"
Chris said, "Sure," so they left. Liz noticed Rachel biting her lip and Michael rubbing his temple like he did when he was anxious. They were feeling just as she was: decidedly uneasy about the whole thing.
Liz's virtual banishment continued. She spent a lot of her solitude in the library reading books Rachel and Michael would have thought useless. One had a section of Hogwarts legends and firsts. To Liz's surprise, it contained an account of Fred and George Weasley's escape from Hogwarts and her father's experience with Voldemort. Liz couldn't help thinking, with a sinking feeling in her stomach, that one day she would be added: Elizabeth Potter, daughter of the famous Harry Potter, ruined two consecutive Valentine's Days.
By late February, Liz was sick of the library. The upcoming Quidditch match gave her a reason to emerge from her hibernation. Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff. As much as it pained her to give up her homework to watch a sport, it could get her back on Michael's good side, which in turn might get her back on Rachel's good side.
Liz was determined to let Michael know she was there, so she made a sign. It screamed in red and gold letters: GO GRYFFINDOR! The red and gold flashed alternately. Quidditch really was cutting into her homework time. She headed to the match alone, all eyes narrowed at her.
In the stands, people shared seats to avoid sitting next to her. They obviously thought she had lost it. They had never seen Liz scream and bounce on her toes, waving an expertly made sign. Even Rachel was slightly worried.
"Go Gryffindor! Catch the Snitch, Michael! Woo!" she yelled, alarming the row of first-years before her. Michael stopped to stare, but he didn't smile and he didn't wave. She yelled more loudly still.
Josh Lepress, in the commentator's box, consistently ignored her. Word had it that he had finally gotten a date with Celeste Weaver for the dance before it had been cancelled. He had been livid. Now he pretended that there wasn't a maniac jumping around next to him, across one of the transparent barriers.
"Welcome to today's match, Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff. Promises to be an excellent match, folks." But he sounded unconvinced.
"Woo! Go Michael!" Liz shouted.
Josh shot her a sideways glance. "Shannon Dogginsen has the Quaffle..."
Liz took up a chant of, "Gryffindor! GO! GO! Gryffindor! GO! GO!" People began to stare again, but Liz noticed someone sit in the unoccupied seat beside her. It was Rachel. She gave Liz a small, hopeful smile and joined the chant. John joined too. With him were Desiree, Alberta, and Robert. Pretty soon all of Gryffindor had forgiven Liz and joined the chant. The only one who hadn't was Bettie. She stayed firmly in her seat with her arms crossed, glaring up at everyone around her.
Then everyone covered his or her ears. The noise from the microphone was deafening. It took a minute for Josh to realize that he was still on the microphone and chanting as loud as he could. He stopped once he realized that he was making half the stadium go deaf. "Erm, sorry folks," he muttered. "Being unbiased is tough. Anyway, Shelia Evangelista of Hufflepuff has the Quaffle—no, Mitchell Mikey of Gryffindor steals it, and he's going up the field...ooh, smacked by a Bludger from Christina Apodaca, Beater, Captain, and seventh-year Hufflepuff. Manuel Southard has the Quaffle...what is she doing?"
Christina Apodaca had swung her Beater's club ferociously at the Bludger that had hit Mitchell. At the moment, it was speeding toward Manuel. It hit him squarely in the back, and he nearly fell off his broom. He dropped the Quaffle.
"A Bludger from his own teammate...and Celeste Weaver has the Quaffle. It's her and Keeper Hugh Kua, she shoots—GOAL!"
As Celeste rose into the air, waving her arms victoriously, something shot by her, grazing the side of her head and sending her spinning in the air. It was Michael, closely followed by Kathryn Hertel.
"Is Michael a match for her?" Rachel whispered worriedly. "He's always said she was he best since your dad..."
Liz felt they had to win. "Catch the Snitch!" she screamed.
It soon turned into another chant. "Catch the SNITCH! Catch the SNITCH!" both the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs yelled. The two Seekers turned upward after Snitch. Kathryn reached out for it. Just as it seemed she would snatch it from the air, Michael's hand shot out and grabbed it. The Snitch tried vainly to escape his fingers.
"GRYFFINDOR WINS!" Josh yelled. "They steamrolled those Hufflepuffs, one hundred sixty to nothing!" Professor Weasley muttered something about "unbiased." "Oh, erm, better luck next time, Hufflepuff," Josh added quickly.
"We won!" Rachel yelled, hugging Liz. Then she looked up at her. "I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For being an idiot. I shouldn't have gotten mad. Besides, he's a year older than me. And I'm twelve."
"I'm sorry, too."
"For what?"
"For all that happened last year, that whole Valentine's Day thing."
"That was in the past, and it wasn't your fault," Rachel said. The two hugged again and raced out onto the field to meet Michael.
"Awesome!" Liz yelled hoarsely. All that yelling had worn out her throat. "Good job, Michael!"
"Thanks," he grinned. "I was worried there, at the end with Hertel...good game, Kathryn."
The Hufflepuff Seeker paused. "You too, Weasley."
"Where have you been for a month?" Chris practically yelled at Rachel and Michael. "And you for two weeks?" he added to Liz. "This lesson plot is really tough, even when we have a lesson once a week. And the last one really couldn't count as a lesson. All you did was teach me how to brew that Snap potion. At least I've kept my word. I've been practicing."
Liz knew he was mad because he was frustrated, and he had a right to be. Rachel and Michael had been so mad at Liz that they hadn't visited Chris at all, and Liz was so busy moping that only visited once. She had actually been planning to stay for less time than she had, but Hagrid had caught them stealing ingredients from his garden.
"We're really sorry, Chris," Liz said. "And we'll do better. What should we teach you today?"
But before anything could be decided, Hagrid emerged from his cabin. "Over here, the four o' yeh," he called to them. They obliged.
"Now I know yeh think yer doin' good, an' I know yeh think I don' know, bu' I do. Yer teachin' Chris magic. Is tha' right?"
Liz looked around at the others and nodded.
"See there, I knew. An' it wasn' like yeh weren' leavin' a trail o' clues a mile wide. I firs' got suspicious-like when my garden was set on fire. Then yeh tried ter turn down 'ot chocolate on the coldes' day we've seen in these parts for a long time, Liz. An' last time yeh were over here, yeh plucked my garden ter shreds! I jus' wanna let yeh know, trainin' Squibs without a license is against Ministry laws, an' I'll have no part of it, an' neither should you. Tha's all." And with a savage nod, he went right back into his cabin.
The four of them were silent. Liz looked up at the others. "So, as I was saying, what will we teach today?"
The other three stared in disbelief. "Liz," Chris said finally, "it's against the law. You heard Hagrid."
"Hagrid's one to talk. Do you remember his breeding experiments, Chris?" Chris cringed and nodded. "Besides, we've put too much time into this to give up. And I know you can do it, Chris, I really do. Right, you two?"
Rachel and Michael mumbled halfhearted agreements.
"Fine," Chris said. "I'll do it. But if Hagrid notices anymore, we stop."
"Absolutely. Do you want to skip today? I think we've been through enough, don't you?"
Chris said, "Sure," so they left. Liz noticed Rachel biting her lip and Michael rubbing his temple like he did when he was anxious. They were feeling just as she was: decidedly uneasy about the whole thing.