Author's Notes- Hi again! This is chapter 22 of Erika! Thanks to everyone's
who has reviewed thus far. You guys are the best. Now, in this chap, Meg
talks to Trelawney and Erika has her first Quidditch game. Lots of fun.
Enjoy! Read and review!
Disclaimer- I own nothing at all. Everything belongs to JK Rowling and the wonderful, super, Harry Potter people. I'm not getting paid.
Erika - The Legacy of Lily and James
The day after Halloween Meg decided she would talk to Trelawney. We went to all our classes, and then to dinner.
"Come on, Erika, will you please come with me?" Meg asked.
"Why do I have to come? Harry told me Trelawney's crazy," I answered, "Besides, Harry said she always thinks he's going to die. Not exactly the bearer-of-good-news."
Meg smiled, and replied, "Please, Erika. I don't want to go alone. Please?"
I sighed, but agreed, "Fine. I'll go. But if she says one thing about death, I'm going to go and wait somewhere else for you."
Meg grinned.
"Deal," she said.
We left dinner early to go see Trelawney. She didn't eat with the rest of the professors, but supposedly ate up in her office, gazing at her orb, hoping to see something.
She was waiting for us.
"Miss Riddle, Miss Potter, I have been expecting you," she said, greeting us as we climbed the ladder to her classroom, "Come, and sit."
She started to walk across the classroom, which smelt of incense and was so hot it was uncomfortable.
"Dumbledore told her, she didn't 'see' us coming, more likely," I whispered to Meg.
Trelawney turned around but didn't act like she had heard us.
"Sit," she instructed, "Would you like some tea?"
Meg and I shook our heads.
"Actually, I came to talk to you. I dunno if Dumbledore told you, but, I'm a . . . I . . ." Meg started.
"You're a Seer," Trelawney said, "And a talented one, according to Dumbledore."
Meg nodded, "Yes, well, lately, I've been having these dreams, and I'm not sure what they mean. I think that it's a mixture of the past, present, and the future, but I'm not sure. I know parts of it are the past, but I'm not sure about the past."
"You're a troubled person," Trelawney told Meg.
Meg and I started. Where did she get that from? I mean, obviously Meg's troubled. Who wouldn't be, were they in her position?
"Why do you think that?" Meg asked.
"You mind dwells on the past a lot. You dream of it. You are troubled by your past, and by letting your mind dwell on it, you, too, are troubled," Trelawney explained.
We stared.
"As for your dreams, the information about the past is for you to change yourself, the information about the present and the future is for you to change what is happening, to help people. You must not let the past trouble you. It is the past. Look for the future, help the future. You can not change nor help the past," Trelawney said, a distant look on her face.
Okay, I thought, this woman is weird, but she hasn't said anything about death, so maybe she wasn't everything Harry had said she was.
"Thanks," Meg said, "We have to go now. A lot of homework."
Trelawney nodded, "Yes, yes, I know. And Miss Potter, good luck on your Quidditch game. It will not be what you expect."
Okay, I spoke too soon. She was everything Harry said. At least she didn't say 'death'. That would've drove me nuts. But she didn't. She just said my Quidditch game wasn't going to be something I expected.
What was that supposed to mean?
The day of my first Quidditch game was cold. Meg and I walked to breakfast as usual. I looked around for my brother. Harry had promised to come to my first Quidditch game, since he was going to be at Hogwarts anyway. He had to talk to Dumbledore about some Order business. He would be there sometime after breakfast.
"Nervous?" Meg asked.
I nodded, "A bit."
Ginny, who played reserve seeker (she had opted to give up her position as seeker so she would have more time and the stress was giving her headaches), came up to me.
"Hey, Erika. Are you nervous?" Ginny asked.
I grinned, and countered, "Why does everyone ask me that today. But, yes, I am slightly nervous. Aren't you?"
"Only for if we're going to win. There's not much of a chance I'll get hurt if I'm not playing. Carly's as healthy as can be," Ginny said, "I get to cheer you guys on. It'll be fun."
Carly was the third year who made Seeker.
"Thanks," I whispered, and Meg and I slipped into her seats.
I spent the entire breakfast shooting glances towards the doors to see if Harry was here yet.
"Haven't you ever heard that if you watch something closely, waiting for something you want to happen, it won't if you're watching it?" Meg asked.
I turned to her, "Sorta like the pot of water won't boil while you're watching, right?"
Meg was confused.
"Muggle saying," I added.
"Oh," Meg said, and nodded, "I suppose so. So stop watching for Harry. He'll get here when he gets here."
I sighed, and looked back down at my plate.
Carly Harvester, the third year Seeker, walked over to me.
"Hey, Erika," she said, standing behind me.
"Hi, Carly," I said while Meg said hello, too.
"Are you nervous? I'm just about to die from nervousness. I couldn't eat a thing. Looks like you can't, either. I just had to get up, I couldn't take sitting there," Carly told me.
I nodded, and answered, "Yeah, I'm nervous."
"And Megan, this might not be the right time to say this, but I think Dumbledore's right to let you in here. You seem nice enough, and you don't act like you want to kill us. I believe in second chances. That might be just because I know you, sorta," Carly said.
I'd already figured that out. She wouldn't be over here, talking to us, if she did think Meg was a Death Eater. But Meg seemed to like her admitting it.
"Thanks, Carly," Meg whispered.
Carly grinned, and then turned back to me, "Erika, don't forget, we have to be at the locker rooms fifteen minutes after breakfast. Pre-game breifing, I bet."
I nodded, and watched as Carly walked away.
"She's nice enough," Meg said, "And I think she meant what she said, too."
"Carly comes from a nice family. Ginny told me that both her parents are muggle, but her aunt by marriage, I think it was, was a witch. Her aunt's cousin was killed by Voldemort or Death Eaters, I can't remember which," I told her.
Meg nodded, "What was her name?"
"The aunt's or the aunt's cousin's?" I asked.
"Both," Meg decided.
I thought for a moment, "The aunt's was Penny, I think, maybe it was Kelly now that I think about. The aunt's cousin's name was Jenna. Jenna something or another."
Meg nodded, "Jenna Longs, was it?"
"Yeah, I think so. How did you know? Wait, never mind. I don't need to ask," I said.
Then, something hit me.
"Wait a second. Jenna Longs? I've heard that name somewhere before. I can't place where," I said.
Meg nodded, "I know where. In the photo album Anya gave to you last summer. There's some pictures of her in there."
"She was a friend of my mum's, of Anya's, too, I'm guessing. Like Andrea and Netta," I said, "But probably not as much so. LANA is Lily, Anya, Netta, and Andrea, so maybe Jenna was just a friend, not as close."
"She died young," Meg said, "I remember hearing about that murder. She was a seventh year. The same age as your parents."
I shivered.
"Strange. Small world, too. For Carly to be partly related to her," I said.
Meg nodded, and then looked past me. Then she looked back at me, and grinned. Knowing what that meant, I turned to see Harry walking into the Great Hall with a few others (members of the Order, I figured). Ron was with him, too.
"Harry!" I shouted, and got up, Meg following me.
"Hey, Erika, Meg," Harry said, after we'd said hi to both him and Ron.
"Have you come to see me play?" I asked.
Harry nodded, "That, and we're here on Order business."
I nodded to the people behind him, and asked, "Other members of the Order? Must be."
"We're not supposed to say stuff like that here," Harry told me.
I rolled my eyes, "No one can hear. Everyone's too involved in their conversations to hear a thing."
"Are you excited?" Ron asked, grinning.
I nodded, "Yeah, and sort of nervous too. But I guess the whole team is. First game of the season."
"Yeah, we understand," Harry said, "Listen, I have to go see Dumbledore, so I won't see you until after the game. Good luck."
"Thanks," I told him, "See you then."
Ron nodded, "Good luck. Have a good game. Beat some Hufflepuffs."
Our first game was against the Hufflepuffs.
I waved as Harry and Ron walked out of the Great Hall with the rest of the people from the Order, probably up to wait in Dumbledore's office.
"Now will you eat?" Meg asked as we sat back down.
I managed to swallow a bit, and sip my pumpkin juice, but that was all. A complete waste of the time Meg and I had spent checking our food for poison.
Meg went to wait in the stands while I went into the locker room. I changed into my Quidditch robes, and pulled my hair into a ponytail. Most of the team was there by then, and Carly sat by me while our Captain, a seventh year named Thomas Mettly, "briefed" us on our plays.
"We're a good team, we can do this," he said.
"Or so we hope," Carly whispered to me.
I grinned, and nodded.
"Be optimistic, people! We can win! This is Hufflepuff, their Keeper is their weakness, but their Seeker is pretty fast. Careful if one of the Beaters, a girl, throws a Bludger your way, she has good aim. But otherwise, I think we have this game pretty wrapped up," Thomas told us.
Everyone nodded, and Thomas threw in a few last tidbits before we all grabbed our brooms and headed out towards the field.
I looked up in the stands and picked out a few people right away. Meg was sitting with Lucy, on the other side of Avery and Jewel, who were giving her glares every few seconds. Harry and Ron were sitting with a few other members from the Order, including Hagrid. Anya was sitting with the professors, as usual.
"Ready?" Carly whispered to me.
I nodded, "You bet."
We reached the center of the field. Everyone in the stands was cheering and clapping. But I felt strange, and nervous. Madam Hooch was waiting for us. The Hufflepuffs stood facing us, and I looked at the faces of each of the players.
I was happy we were playing Hufflepuff. I had been relieved when I learned that we weren't playing Slytherin first. They didn't follow the rules, much, and weren't very sportsmanlike, supposedly.
"Mount your brooms," Madam Hooch called out.
I got onto my broom as everyone else did the same, and then there was a whistle, and we shot up into the air.
There were three Chasers, Kevin Holly, Zoe Moon, and I. Kevin caught the Quaffle at once, and we moved into one of the formations we'd learned at practice. It was a defensive formation, so that if anyone did manage to get through the defense made up of Zoe and I, Kevin could easily just toss it to one of us.
And the Hufflepuff Chasers didn't look like they were going to give in. We all immediately flew as fast as we could towards the hoops, while the Hufflepuff Chasers weren't far behind.
"Zoe!" Kevin shouted.
Our Capitain had it in his head that if you yelled the opposite person's name that you were going to throw it to just before you threw it, the other team would be confused. If it did work, it only worked for a split second because then he would throw it. And that was if it did work. The person it was being thrown to could think he was actually throwing it to the other person, and completely not catch it.
This, I did not do, and caught the Quaffle quickly.
I had the fastest broom out of all the Chasers, so I sped ahead, the Quaffle tucked tightly under my arm, one hand guiding the broom. I dodged a Bludger, and the hoops were just ahead.
Out of the corner of my eye I could see Zoe, setting up. I made to throw the Quaffle in the right hoop, and watched as the Keeper started to lean that way, and then threw it to the side again. Zoe caught the Quaffle, and threw it in the left hoop. The Keeper struggled to block it, but it didn't work. Ten points to Gryffindor.
The stands went up in cheers. My nervousness left me.
A few minutes later we were up by twenty (the score was 30-50). Zoe had the Quaffle, but she was being harassed by the Hufflepuff Chasers, and the girl Beater was sending everything her way. She was really getting beaten up.
Kevin and I flew into position right away. And then, Zoe dropped the Quaffle, a second too early. We weren't in position yet. The other Chasers sped down to get it, but Kevin and I were already lower than them. I caught it, and Kevin, Zoe (now freed from her prison of Hufflepuff Chasers), and I tried to speed away.
Impact.
Something hit my arm right arm hard. The impact pushed me over, and I was soon trying to pull myself up. I had been using my right arm to steer, so I was knocked off course.
"Zoe!" I shouted, and then threw the Quaffle to Kevin.
I grabbed the broom with my left arm, and tried to shake off the feeling in my right arm. It wouldn't move, and it hurt like crazy.
But I had to keep going. It'd be hard to play with one arm lame, but I could do it, for a while. Come on, Carly, catch the Snitch, I thought.
I sped after Kevin and Zoe, who weren't far from the hoops. I watched as Kevin scored, and the Gryffindors cheered. And then the entire crowd's cheers faltered. I turned my head to see Carly and the Hufflepuff Seeker speeding towards a bit of gold.
"C'mon, Carly," I said under my breath.
I had to keep moving. I raced over to Kevin and Zoe, and fell into formation. Hufflepuff had the Quaffle.
And then, a cheer erupted in the stands. The Snitch was caught. I turned to see who won while the announcer screamed it.
"GRYFFINDOR WINS!"
Carly held the tiny Snitch in her hand, and was grinning from ear to ear. I looked into the stands, grinning too, despite my hurting arm. I looked over to see Harry.
His spot was empty. The area around him was empty. Ron was gone, too.
We lowered ourselves to the ground.
"Ouch, Erika, are you okay?" Carly asked, seeing my arm.
I nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. It just hurts a little."
"That Bludger hit her good," Zoe said, "And that Beater does have pretty good aim. To get Erika's arm from that far away."
I rolled my eyes.
"She wasn't that far away, guys," I told them.
Where was Harry?
Meg was rushing down from the stands.
"Erika, are you alright?" Meg asked.
"Yes, I'm fine. I'll be fine, Meg, really," I said, and then answered the same question when Anya appeared a second later.
"Anya," I asked, "Where's Harry?"
Anya bit her lip, and then answered, "He had to leave, Erika. On business. It was urgent."
Disappointment. Harry hadn't seen me play.
"Oh," I whispered.
Anya nodded, "Come on, we should get you to the Hospital Wing."
My arm was broken, but Madam Pomfrey had it better in a second. Meg and I head up to the Common Room, where the Gryffindors were celebrating their first win of the season.
"First in a long line!" Thomas promised everyone, which provoked cheers.
I got away as soon as I could, and Meg and I went up to our room.
"Are you sad that Harry left?" Meg asked.
I nodded, and Meg sighed.
"Erika, he had to. It was Order business. It's not like he had the choice. He had to leave a bit early, that's all. They need him, Erika. It's selfish to want him to be at your game when he's needed somewhere else," Meg told me.
"I know, I know," I replied, "I just wish he could've been there. It was a great game."
A few days later I got a letter from Harry.
"Erika," I read to myself, "I'm sorry I had to leave your game early. Someone was attacked, and they needed our help. No one was hurt. But how was your game? Did you win? I didn't ask anyone because I want you to be the one to tell me. How did you do? Did you score? I saw your first goal, but I had to leave right after that, so I didn't see anymore. Write me back as soon as you can. Harry."
I smiled, and got out my quill to write a reply.
"Harry, it's okay you had to leave. I was sort of disappointed, but I know you had to. I scored once more, and yes, we won. Carly caught the Snitch. I broke my arm, but Madam Pomfrey fixed me up. Maybe you can come to another one of my games, this time when you aren't on business. How's training going? How's Sarah, Ron, and Hermione? We're fine here. The game was great, I wish you could've seen the whole thing. Oh, yeah, guess what, Meg and I went to see Trelawney (Meg had to talk to her about things I can not put in this letter), and she didn't say anything about you or I dying, so that must be an improvement. Now that I think about it, she did mention the Quidditch game, but maybe it was just a coincidence that I got my arm broken. Oh, well. I have to go. Erika."
A/N- Ladies and gents, that was chapter 22! Stay tuned for chapter 23. School's coming, so I might not have as much time to write, but I'll try hard. Actually, I haven't had basically any time to write this summer, either. That's why my chapters are slow on getting out. Sorry about that. Well, that's it. REVIEW!!!!!!!!
If you like the books "Violet Eyes" and "Silver Eyes" by Nicole Luiken, read my fic "Crusade of the Violet Eyed"!
Any additional comments can be given to me at StarlightEve111@aol.com
Disclaimer- I own nothing at all. Everything belongs to JK Rowling and the wonderful, super, Harry Potter people. I'm not getting paid.
Erika - The Legacy of Lily and James
The day after Halloween Meg decided she would talk to Trelawney. We went to all our classes, and then to dinner.
"Come on, Erika, will you please come with me?" Meg asked.
"Why do I have to come? Harry told me Trelawney's crazy," I answered, "Besides, Harry said she always thinks he's going to die. Not exactly the bearer-of-good-news."
Meg smiled, and replied, "Please, Erika. I don't want to go alone. Please?"
I sighed, but agreed, "Fine. I'll go. But if she says one thing about death, I'm going to go and wait somewhere else for you."
Meg grinned.
"Deal," she said.
We left dinner early to go see Trelawney. She didn't eat with the rest of the professors, but supposedly ate up in her office, gazing at her orb, hoping to see something.
She was waiting for us.
"Miss Riddle, Miss Potter, I have been expecting you," she said, greeting us as we climbed the ladder to her classroom, "Come, and sit."
She started to walk across the classroom, which smelt of incense and was so hot it was uncomfortable.
"Dumbledore told her, she didn't 'see' us coming, more likely," I whispered to Meg.
Trelawney turned around but didn't act like she had heard us.
"Sit," she instructed, "Would you like some tea?"
Meg and I shook our heads.
"Actually, I came to talk to you. I dunno if Dumbledore told you, but, I'm a . . . I . . ." Meg started.
"You're a Seer," Trelawney said, "And a talented one, according to Dumbledore."
Meg nodded, "Yes, well, lately, I've been having these dreams, and I'm not sure what they mean. I think that it's a mixture of the past, present, and the future, but I'm not sure. I know parts of it are the past, but I'm not sure about the past."
"You're a troubled person," Trelawney told Meg.
Meg and I started. Where did she get that from? I mean, obviously Meg's troubled. Who wouldn't be, were they in her position?
"Why do you think that?" Meg asked.
"You mind dwells on the past a lot. You dream of it. You are troubled by your past, and by letting your mind dwell on it, you, too, are troubled," Trelawney explained.
We stared.
"As for your dreams, the information about the past is for you to change yourself, the information about the present and the future is for you to change what is happening, to help people. You must not let the past trouble you. It is the past. Look for the future, help the future. You can not change nor help the past," Trelawney said, a distant look on her face.
Okay, I thought, this woman is weird, but she hasn't said anything about death, so maybe she wasn't everything Harry had said she was.
"Thanks," Meg said, "We have to go now. A lot of homework."
Trelawney nodded, "Yes, yes, I know. And Miss Potter, good luck on your Quidditch game. It will not be what you expect."
Okay, I spoke too soon. She was everything Harry said. At least she didn't say 'death'. That would've drove me nuts. But she didn't. She just said my Quidditch game wasn't going to be something I expected.
What was that supposed to mean?
The day of my first Quidditch game was cold. Meg and I walked to breakfast as usual. I looked around for my brother. Harry had promised to come to my first Quidditch game, since he was going to be at Hogwarts anyway. He had to talk to Dumbledore about some Order business. He would be there sometime after breakfast.
"Nervous?" Meg asked.
I nodded, "A bit."
Ginny, who played reserve seeker (she had opted to give up her position as seeker so she would have more time and the stress was giving her headaches), came up to me.
"Hey, Erika. Are you nervous?" Ginny asked.
I grinned, and countered, "Why does everyone ask me that today. But, yes, I am slightly nervous. Aren't you?"
"Only for if we're going to win. There's not much of a chance I'll get hurt if I'm not playing. Carly's as healthy as can be," Ginny said, "I get to cheer you guys on. It'll be fun."
Carly was the third year who made Seeker.
"Thanks," I whispered, and Meg and I slipped into her seats.
I spent the entire breakfast shooting glances towards the doors to see if Harry was here yet.
"Haven't you ever heard that if you watch something closely, waiting for something you want to happen, it won't if you're watching it?" Meg asked.
I turned to her, "Sorta like the pot of water won't boil while you're watching, right?"
Meg was confused.
"Muggle saying," I added.
"Oh," Meg said, and nodded, "I suppose so. So stop watching for Harry. He'll get here when he gets here."
I sighed, and looked back down at my plate.
Carly Harvester, the third year Seeker, walked over to me.
"Hey, Erika," she said, standing behind me.
"Hi, Carly," I said while Meg said hello, too.
"Are you nervous? I'm just about to die from nervousness. I couldn't eat a thing. Looks like you can't, either. I just had to get up, I couldn't take sitting there," Carly told me.
I nodded, and answered, "Yeah, I'm nervous."
"And Megan, this might not be the right time to say this, but I think Dumbledore's right to let you in here. You seem nice enough, and you don't act like you want to kill us. I believe in second chances. That might be just because I know you, sorta," Carly said.
I'd already figured that out. She wouldn't be over here, talking to us, if she did think Meg was a Death Eater. But Meg seemed to like her admitting it.
"Thanks, Carly," Meg whispered.
Carly grinned, and then turned back to me, "Erika, don't forget, we have to be at the locker rooms fifteen minutes after breakfast. Pre-game breifing, I bet."
I nodded, and watched as Carly walked away.
"She's nice enough," Meg said, "And I think she meant what she said, too."
"Carly comes from a nice family. Ginny told me that both her parents are muggle, but her aunt by marriage, I think it was, was a witch. Her aunt's cousin was killed by Voldemort or Death Eaters, I can't remember which," I told her.
Meg nodded, "What was her name?"
"The aunt's or the aunt's cousin's?" I asked.
"Both," Meg decided.
I thought for a moment, "The aunt's was Penny, I think, maybe it was Kelly now that I think about. The aunt's cousin's name was Jenna. Jenna something or another."
Meg nodded, "Jenna Longs, was it?"
"Yeah, I think so. How did you know? Wait, never mind. I don't need to ask," I said.
Then, something hit me.
"Wait a second. Jenna Longs? I've heard that name somewhere before. I can't place where," I said.
Meg nodded, "I know where. In the photo album Anya gave to you last summer. There's some pictures of her in there."
"She was a friend of my mum's, of Anya's, too, I'm guessing. Like Andrea and Netta," I said, "But probably not as much so. LANA is Lily, Anya, Netta, and Andrea, so maybe Jenna was just a friend, not as close."
"She died young," Meg said, "I remember hearing about that murder. She was a seventh year. The same age as your parents."
I shivered.
"Strange. Small world, too. For Carly to be partly related to her," I said.
Meg nodded, and then looked past me. Then she looked back at me, and grinned. Knowing what that meant, I turned to see Harry walking into the Great Hall with a few others (members of the Order, I figured). Ron was with him, too.
"Harry!" I shouted, and got up, Meg following me.
"Hey, Erika, Meg," Harry said, after we'd said hi to both him and Ron.
"Have you come to see me play?" I asked.
Harry nodded, "That, and we're here on Order business."
I nodded to the people behind him, and asked, "Other members of the Order? Must be."
"We're not supposed to say stuff like that here," Harry told me.
I rolled my eyes, "No one can hear. Everyone's too involved in their conversations to hear a thing."
"Are you excited?" Ron asked, grinning.
I nodded, "Yeah, and sort of nervous too. But I guess the whole team is. First game of the season."
"Yeah, we understand," Harry said, "Listen, I have to go see Dumbledore, so I won't see you until after the game. Good luck."
"Thanks," I told him, "See you then."
Ron nodded, "Good luck. Have a good game. Beat some Hufflepuffs."
Our first game was against the Hufflepuffs.
I waved as Harry and Ron walked out of the Great Hall with the rest of the people from the Order, probably up to wait in Dumbledore's office.
"Now will you eat?" Meg asked as we sat back down.
I managed to swallow a bit, and sip my pumpkin juice, but that was all. A complete waste of the time Meg and I had spent checking our food for poison.
Meg went to wait in the stands while I went into the locker room. I changed into my Quidditch robes, and pulled my hair into a ponytail. Most of the team was there by then, and Carly sat by me while our Captain, a seventh year named Thomas Mettly, "briefed" us on our plays.
"We're a good team, we can do this," he said.
"Or so we hope," Carly whispered to me.
I grinned, and nodded.
"Be optimistic, people! We can win! This is Hufflepuff, their Keeper is their weakness, but their Seeker is pretty fast. Careful if one of the Beaters, a girl, throws a Bludger your way, she has good aim. But otherwise, I think we have this game pretty wrapped up," Thomas told us.
Everyone nodded, and Thomas threw in a few last tidbits before we all grabbed our brooms and headed out towards the field.
I looked up in the stands and picked out a few people right away. Meg was sitting with Lucy, on the other side of Avery and Jewel, who were giving her glares every few seconds. Harry and Ron were sitting with a few other members from the Order, including Hagrid. Anya was sitting with the professors, as usual.
"Ready?" Carly whispered to me.
I nodded, "You bet."
We reached the center of the field. Everyone in the stands was cheering and clapping. But I felt strange, and nervous. Madam Hooch was waiting for us. The Hufflepuffs stood facing us, and I looked at the faces of each of the players.
I was happy we were playing Hufflepuff. I had been relieved when I learned that we weren't playing Slytherin first. They didn't follow the rules, much, and weren't very sportsmanlike, supposedly.
"Mount your brooms," Madam Hooch called out.
I got onto my broom as everyone else did the same, and then there was a whistle, and we shot up into the air.
There were three Chasers, Kevin Holly, Zoe Moon, and I. Kevin caught the Quaffle at once, and we moved into one of the formations we'd learned at practice. It was a defensive formation, so that if anyone did manage to get through the defense made up of Zoe and I, Kevin could easily just toss it to one of us.
And the Hufflepuff Chasers didn't look like they were going to give in. We all immediately flew as fast as we could towards the hoops, while the Hufflepuff Chasers weren't far behind.
"Zoe!" Kevin shouted.
Our Capitain had it in his head that if you yelled the opposite person's name that you were going to throw it to just before you threw it, the other team would be confused. If it did work, it only worked for a split second because then he would throw it. And that was if it did work. The person it was being thrown to could think he was actually throwing it to the other person, and completely not catch it.
This, I did not do, and caught the Quaffle quickly.
I had the fastest broom out of all the Chasers, so I sped ahead, the Quaffle tucked tightly under my arm, one hand guiding the broom. I dodged a Bludger, and the hoops were just ahead.
Out of the corner of my eye I could see Zoe, setting up. I made to throw the Quaffle in the right hoop, and watched as the Keeper started to lean that way, and then threw it to the side again. Zoe caught the Quaffle, and threw it in the left hoop. The Keeper struggled to block it, but it didn't work. Ten points to Gryffindor.
The stands went up in cheers. My nervousness left me.
A few minutes later we were up by twenty (the score was 30-50). Zoe had the Quaffle, but she was being harassed by the Hufflepuff Chasers, and the girl Beater was sending everything her way. She was really getting beaten up.
Kevin and I flew into position right away. And then, Zoe dropped the Quaffle, a second too early. We weren't in position yet. The other Chasers sped down to get it, but Kevin and I were already lower than them. I caught it, and Kevin, Zoe (now freed from her prison of Hufflepuff Chasers), and I tried to speed away.
Impact.
Something hit my arm right arm hard. The impact pushed me over, and I was soon trying to pull myself up. I had been using my right arm to steer, so I was knocked off course.
"Zoe!" I shouted, and then threw the Quaffle to Kevin.
I grabbed the broom with my left arm, and tried to shake off the feeling in my right arm. It wouldn't move, and it hurt like crazy.
But I had to keep going. It'd be hard to play with one arm lame, but I could do it, for a while. Come on, Carly, catch the Snitch, I thought.
I sped after Kevin and Zoe, who weren't far from the hoops. I watched as Kevin scored, and the Gryffindors cheered. And then the entire crowd's cheers faltered. I turned my head to see Carly and the Hufflepuff Seeker speeding towards a bit of gold.
"C'mon, Carly," I said under my breath.
I had to keep moving. I raced over to Kevin and Zoe, and fell into formation. Hufflepuff had the Quaffle.
And then, a cheer erupted in the stands. The Snitch was caught. I turned to see who won while the announcer screamed it.
"GRYFFINDOR WINS!"
Carly held the tiny Snitch in her hand, and was grinning from ear to ear. I looked into the stands, grinning too, despite my hurting arm. I looked over to see Harry.
His spot was empty. The area around him was empty. Ron was gone, too.
We lowered ourselves to the ground.
"Ouch, Erika, are you okay?" Carly asked, seeing my arm.
I nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. It just hurts a little."
"That Bludger hit her good," Zoe said, "And that Beater does have pretty good aim. To get Erika's arm from that far away."
I rolled my eyes.
"She wasn't that far away, guys," I told them.
Where was Harry?
Meg was rushing down from the stands.
"Erika, are you alright?" Meg asked.
"Yes, I'm fine. I'll be fine, Meg, really," I said, and then answered the same question when Anya appeared a second later.
"Anya," I asked, "Where's Harry?"
Anya bit her lip, and then answered, "He had to leave, Erika. On business. It was urgent."
Disappointment. Harry hadn't seen me play.
"Oh," I whispered.
Anya nodded, "Come on, we should get you to the Hospital Wing."
My arm was broken, but Madam Pomfrey had it better in a second. Meg and I head up to the Common Room, where the Gryffindors were celebrating their first win of the season.
"First in a long line!" Thomas promised everyone, which provoked cheers.
I got away as soon as I could, and Meg and I went up to our room.
"Are you sad that Harry left?" Meg asked.
I nodded, and Meg sighed.
"Erika, he had to. It was Order business. It's not like he had the choice. He had to leave a bit early, that's all. They need him, Erika. It's selfish to want him to be at your game when he's needed somewhere else," Meg told me.
"I know, I know," I replied, "I just wish he could've been there. It was a great game."
A few days later I got a letter from Harry.
"Erika," I read to myself, "I'm sorry I had to leave your game early. Someone was attacked, and they needed our help. No one was hurt. But how was your game? Did you win? I didn't ask anyone because I want you to be the one to tell me. How did you do? Did you score? I saw your first goal, but I had to leave right after that, so I didn't see anymore. Write me back as soon as you can. Harry."
I smiled, and got out my quill to write a reply.
"Harry, it's okay you had to leave. I was sort of disappointed, but I know you had to. I scored once more, and yes, we won. Carly caught the Snitch. I broke my arm, but Madam Pomfrey fixed me up. Maybe you can come to another one of my games, this time when you aren't on business. How's training going? How's Sarah, Ron, and Hermione? We're fine here. The game was great, I wish you could've seen the whole thing. Oh, yeah, guess what, Meg and I went to see Trelawney (Meg had to talk to her about things I can not put in this letter), and she didn't say anything about you or I dying, so that must be an improvement. Now that I think about it, she did mention the Quidditch game, but maybe it was just a coincidence that I got my arm broken. Oh, well. I have to go. Erika."
A/N- Ladies and gents, that was chapter 22! Stay tuned for chapter 23. School's coming, so I might not have as much time to write, but I'll try hard. Actually, I haven't had basically any time to write this summer, either. That's why my chapters are slow on getting out. Sorry about that. Well, that's it. REVIEW!!!!!!!!
If you like the books "Violet Eyes" and "Silver Eyes" by Nicole Luiken, read my fic "Crusade of the Violet Eyed"!
Any additional comments can be given to me at StarlightEve111@aol.com