Chapter 7
Competition...Not Really
Marcus put down Jusea's bags outside the Great Hall. "You sure you'll be okay?"
Jusea smiled. "You're so sweet, but yeah, I'll be fine."
"Okay." Marcus shifted from one foot to the other.
"Well, I'll still see you, won't I? Hufflepuff and Slytherin have some classes together. Right?" Jusea asked.
Marcus smiled. "Right."
A black-haired girl walked up to Jusea. "Jusea Robertson? I'm Larissa from Hufflepuff."
"Hi." Jusea and Larissa shook hands. "Oh, this is Marcus."
Larissa's smile looked a bit strained. "Charmed. Ready?" she asked Jusea.
"Yeah." Jusea turned to Marcus and hugged him. "Thanks," she whispered. She and Larissa grabbed her bags, and then she was gone.
-----
Beth tiptoed across the infirmary to the cot. She sat on the side of the bed and looked at Oliver. She sighed. "You are a real idiot, you know that?" She pushed the hair off his forehead. "Another Quidditch accident? Why do Ah always have to be here for you?" She picked up his hand and held it. "Just for once, can't you not get hurt?" She sighed again.
"Blockhead."
-----
Fred and George came into the Common Room and sat by Lee. "So, how's Project Mrs. Wood going?" he asked.
The twins glared at him. "Well, you're not helping much," George said.
"What did I do?" Lee said.
"Nothing," George said.
"Which is our point," Fred added.
"We already tried Angelina, and Alicia, and Katie, and Hermione."
"You know, I think Alicia might actually be interested if we ask her again...."
"If she didn't like the idea the first time, she won't like it the second. I mean, really, do you think any girl's that desperate?" Lee said quickly.
"Maybe if the interested guy doesn't know he's interested," Fred whispered to George.
"What?" Lee snapped.
"Nothing," the twins said together.
"Come on, guys. We're in these plots together, aren't we?"
"Yeah, I suppose."
Lee glared at Fred. "Thanks. So, what will we do next?" Lee asked.
"How about Hufflepuff?" George said.
"Yeah. We've tried everyone else in Gryffindor."
"Hufflepuff includes Tiffany, Heather, Laura, Melody, Larissa, Nicole, Cassie, Kelley, and Jennifer."
"Okay, I'll ask Kelley. I have Muggle Studies with her."
"All right, we'll ask Larissa and Heather."
"Right, then. See you later."
-----
Jusea ran down the stairs to the Transfiguration room. She skidded to a stop inside the door, then walked to her seat next to Larissa. Professor McGonagall looked down her nose at Jusea before speaking to the class. "Now, today we are learning to transform people into badgers."
"Where were you?" Larissa hissed at they got out their notebooks.
"Oh, I was...doing something."
"Such as?"
Professor McGonagall turned towards them, and Larissa quailed under the teacher's glare. Jusea sighed in relief. 'Note to self – leave more time to get from the Infirmary to class.'
-----
Fred and George trundled into the Common Room. Lee looked up at them. "How did it go?" George asked cheerily.
Lee pointed to his dreadlocks. "She cracked a flowerpot over my head. A flowerpot with dirt in it!"
The twins exchanged glances. "That's nothing," Fred said.
Lee glared at them. "Really? What happened to you two?"
"Well, things were going along quite well."
"We asked Larissa and Heather whether either of them would be interested, but they both seemed hesitant."
"So we tried to reassure them that their having boyfriends wasn't an issue."
"Well, they hexed us with green warts. Then these two bulked-up wizards came in."
"I swear, they're grandfathers were trolls."
"I think they're on the Hufflepuff Quidditch team," George muttered.
"Oh, Jason and Henry? They're nice." Lee wilted under the twins' glares. "So I've heard."
"Anyway," George said.
"So much for friendship," Fred added.
"Then they got the idea somewhere to transfigure us."
"Actually, their girlfriends decided to tell them about our proposition."
"And apparently they'd just gotten out of Transfiguration class."
Lee nodded slowly. "That explains the white stripes in your hair."
"Yes," George said sadly.
"As hard as she tried, Madam Pomfrey just couldn't get them to fade."
"So they'll just have to stay."
"And overshadow our handsome visages."
Lee looked between the two crestfallen Weasleys. "Really?"
"Yes, really!" they shouted.
"Okay. Touchy."
-----
Jusea glanced around the empty corridor. 'All right, breath. This is why you come late at night. Not that you need to. It's not like this is wrong or anything.' Jusea opened the door and snuck in. She closed the door and turned towards Oliver; she froze.
A dark-haired girl was sitting in her chair, and it looked like the girl was holding Oliver's hand. Jusea swallowed. The girl spoke.
"Over a week, Oliver. That's a record even for ye." The girl shook her head and leaned forward. She kissed Oliver's forehead.
Jusea slowly turned towards the door.
"Are ye looking for someone?"
She whirled around. The girl was standing and looking at her. "Oh, not...uh..."
"Madam Pomfrey isn't here right now. Are ye looking for a patient?" the girl asked. She looked around the almost empty infirmary. "Are ye looking for Oliver?"
"Um, it's just I was, and, and you know."
"Ah'm sure he'd love to hear ye talk to him. Come on." The girl stepped back.
Jusea sat down in the chair. "Um, hi." She could feel the girl's eyes on her. "You've...got a nice view." Jusea nodded her head. "Nice room." She heard a sound behind her. "Well, since you still seem to be alive and well, I'll be going now." She started towards the door.
"Where are ye from? Ye have an accent," the girl said.
"Australia."
The girl's eyebrows knitted. "Are ye Jusea?"
Jusea froze. "Uh, yeah. How do you know?"
"Oh, ye don't know about me. Ah'm Beth." She held out her hand.
Jusea shook hands. "How do you know Oliver?"
"Ah'm his sister."
Jusea exhaled. "Oh. Pleasure to meet you." She shook Beth's hand hard.
Beth laughed. "Yes, Oliver has told us all about ye."
Jusea's heart skipped. "Has he?"
"Yes. Would ye please let go of mah hand now?"
Jusea was still shaking Beth's hand. "Oh, yeah. Sorry." Jusea put her hands behind her back. She could feel herself going pale. "What house are you in?"
"Ah just thought Ah'd come see Oliver since he's been out for so long. He needs to be more careful."
"Well, Quidditch can be dangerous. So what house do you root for?"
"His."
"Oh. You're in Gryffindor."
"No. Ah just root for my brother's team, and our parents were in Gryffindor. It's kind of a family team." Beth glanced out the windows. "Ah have to go now. See ya." She left.
Jusea sat back down by Oliver. "That was weird. You've never mentioned a sister before."
Competition...Not Really
Marcus put down Jusea's bags outside the Great Hall. "You sure you'll be okay?"
Jusea smiled. "You're so sweet, but yeah, I'll be fine."
"Okay." Marcus shifted from one foot to the other.
"Well, I'll still see you, won't I? Hufflepuff and Slytherin have some classes together. Right?" Jusea asked.
Marcus smiled. "Right."
A black-haired girl walked up to Jusea. "Jusea Robertson? I'm Larissa from Hufflepuff."
"Hi." Jusea and Larissa shook hands. "Oh, this is Marcus."
Larissa's smile looked a bit strained. "Charmed. Ready?" she asked Jusea.
"Yeah." Jusea turned to Marcus and hugged him. "Thanks," she whispered. She and Larissa grabbed her bags, and then she was gone.
-----
Beth tiptoed across the infirmary to the cot. She sat on the side of the bed and looked at Oliver. She sighed. "You are a real idiot, you know that?" She pushed the hair off his forehead. "Another Quidditch accident? Why do Ah always have to be here for you?" She picked up his hand and held it. "Just for once, can't you not get hurt?" She sighed again.
"Blockhead."
-----
Fred and George came into the Common Room and sat by Lee. "So, how's Project Mrs. Wood going?" he asked.
The twins glared at him. "Well, you're not helping much," George said.
"What did I do?" Lee said.
"Nothing," George said.
"Which is our point," Fred added.
"We already tried Angelina, and Alicia, and Katie, and Hermione."
"You know, I think Alicia might actually be interested if we ask her again...."
"If she didn't like the idea the first time, she won't like it the second. I mean, really, do you think any girl's that desperate?" Lee said quickly.
"Maybe if the interested guy doesn't know he's interested," Fred whispered to George.
"What?" Lee snapped.
"Nothing," the twins said together.
"Come on, guys. We're in these plots together, aren't we?"
"Yeah, I suppose."
Lee glared at Fred. "Thanks. So, what will we do next?" Lee asked.
"How about Hufflepuff?" George said.
"Yeah. We've tried everyone else in Gryffindor."
"Hufflepuff includes Tiffany, Heather, Laura, Melody, Larissa, Nicole, Cassie, Kelley, and Jennifer."
"Okay, I'll ask Kelley. I have Muggle Studies with her."
"All right, we'll ask Larissa and Heather."
"Right, then. See you later."
-----
Jusea ran down the stairs to the Transfiguration room. She skidded to a stop inside the door, then walked to her seat next to Larissa. Professor McGonagall looked down her nose at Jusea before speaking to the class. "Now, today we are learning to transform people into badgers."
"Where were you?" Larissa hissed at they got out their notebooks.
"Oh, I was...doing something."
"Such as?"
Professor McGonagall turned towards them, and Larissa quailed under the teacher's glare. Jusea sighed in relief. 'Note to self – leave more time to get from the Infirmary to class.'
-----
Fred and George trundled into the Common Room. Lee looked up at them. "How did it go?" George asked cheerily.
Lee pointed to his dreadlocks. "She cracked a flowerpot over my head. A flowerpot with dirt in it!"
The twins exchanged glances. "That's nothing," Fred said.
Lee glared at them. "Really? What happened to you two?"
"Well, things were going along quite well."
"We asked Larissa and Heather whether either of them would be interested, but they both seemed hesitant."
"So we tried to reassure them that their having boyfriends wasn't an issue."
"Well, they hexed us with green warts. Then these two bulked-up wizards came in."
"I swear, they're grandfathers were trolls."
"I think they're on the Hufflepuff Quidditch team," George muttered.
"Oh, Jason and Henry? They're nice." Lee wilted under the twins' glares. "So I've heard."
"Anyway," George said.
"So much for friendship," Fred added.
"Then they got the idea somewhere to transfigure us."
"Actually, their girlfriends decided to tell them about our proposition."
"And apparently they'd just gotten out of Transfiguration class."
Lee nodded slowly. "That explains the white stripes in your hair."
"Yes," George said sadly.
"As hard as she tried, Madam Pomfrey just couldn't get them to fade."
"So they'll just have to stay."
"And overshadow our handsome visages."
Lee looked between the two crestfallen Weasleys. "Really?"
"Yes, really!" they shouted.
"Okay. Touchy."
-----
Jusea glanced around the empty corridor. 'All right, breath. This is why you come late at night. Not that you need to. It's not like this is wrong or anything.' Jusea opened the door and snuck in. She closed the door and turned towards Oliver; she froze.
A dark-haired girl was sitting in her chair, and it looked like the girl was holding Oliver's hand. Jusea swallowed. The girl spoke.
"Over a week, Oliver. That's a record even for ye." The girl shook her head and leaned forward. She kissed Oliver's forehead.
Jusea slowly turned towards the door.
"Are ye looking for someone?"
She whirled around. The girl was standing and looking at her. "Oh, not...uh..."
"Madam Pomfrey isn't here right now. Are ye looking for a patient?" the girl asked. She looked around the almost empty infirmary. "Are ye looking for Oliver?"
"Um, it's just I was, and, and you know."
"Ah'm sure he'd love to hear ye talk to him. Come on." The girl stepped back.
Jusea sat down in the chair. "Um, hi." She could feel the girl's eyes on her. "You've...got a nice view." Jusea nodded her head. "Nice room." She heard a sound behind her. "Well, since you still seem to be alive and well, I'll be going now." She started towards the door.
"Where are ye from? Ye have an accent," the girl said.
"Australia."
The girl's eyebrows knitted. "Are ye Jusea?"
Jusea froze. "Uh, yeah. How do you know?"
"Oh, ye don't know about me. Ah'm Beth." She held out her hand.
Jusea shook hands. "How do you know Oliver?"
"Ah'm his sister."
Jusea exhaled. "Oh. Pleasure to meet you." She shook Beth's hand hard.
Beth laughed. "Yes, Oliver has told us all about ye."
Jusea's heart skipped. "Has he?"
"Yes. Would ye please let go of mah hand now?"
Jusea was still shaking Beth's hand. "Oh, yeah. Sorry." Jusea put her hands behind her back. She could feel herself going pale. "What house are you in?"
"Ah just thought Ah'd come see Oliver since he's been out for so long. He needs to be more careful."
"Well, Quidditch can be dangerous. So what house do you root for?"
"His."
"Oh. You're in Gryffindor."
"No. Ah just root for my brother's team, and our parents were in Gryffindor. It's kind of a family team." Beth glanced out the windows. "Ah have to go now. See ya." She left.
Jusea sat back down by Oliver. "That was weird. You've never mentioned a sister before."