5.Quiddich Rookies
Harry and the Cross family accompanied the Weasley's back to the Borrow and it was there that they stayed until the first day of classes. The twins, at first found it a bit strange abandoning their muggle routines, but soon were feeling very relaxed with the Weasley family. Hermione visited often at the Borrow and became close friends quite quickly with Amelia. They spent hours comparing notes on magical practices the differed from school to school. Shortly before school started they met up with Hermione in Diagon Alley and fitted the twins up with brand new Hogwarts Robes.
"These are so different from the school robes we had back in Canada!" Amelia said to Hermione as she looked at herself in the mirror.
"I've seen the robes you've had in a book called, The Start of a Legacy: Magical Educational Institutions. We have a wonderful resource center at Hogwarts. I am pretty sure the uniforms were catered to the extremely cold climate of the region in which Starysnow Academe is located," Hermione said with a smile.
"You are absolutely right, it was so cold most of the year. We even spent months in total darkness. But then again the far north is really wild and was a great place to keep us hidden and it wasn't without its own magic, if you could have seen the Aurora Borealis you would agree with me." Amelia smiled as they packed up there things and headed out to meet the boys at the Weasley brother joke shop.
Harry and Dominic had left the joke shop before the girls had returned and were admiring the new Nimbus 6000 and other Quiddich related apparel in a shop window. The newly designed Hogwarts Quiddich robes were on display and Harry continued to debate weather or not to purchase them first or wait till he had obtained the remainder of his school supplies.
"What would you do with a broom like that Harry?" Dominic asked admiring the broom once more.
"Well, my Firebolt is a great broom, I have gotten attached to it, but to fly that... the golden snitch would have to catch me," Harry laughed.
"You play?" Dominic asked in astonishment.
"I'm the seeker for the Gryffindor team, if we play this year..."Harry said sadly as he remember on so many occasions he had been unable to play while he was at Hogwarts.
"Wow!" Dominic said in amazement, "we didn't get to play in Canada, it was always to cold. You only really heard about Quiddich."
"Have you ever even seen a game?" Harry asked
"No, not a real one. Only what I have read in books about it. I mean in the deep north it is even hard for us to take flying lessons." Dominic frowned, "there wasn't even a point in owning a broom"
"Well you have to get one Dominic!" Harry said as he dragged Dominic into the shop.
"Harry I can't afford a broom," Dominic sighed, "I mean there are so many other things that I have to get because Hogwarts is so different from Starysnow."
"Ah come on you don't need a Nimbus 6000, get something a little lower I mean the Firebolts are really good brooms still used in competition and they are less expensive!"Harry said as he picked up a Firebolt from a rack, "Besides I need my new Quiddich robes for this season, even if we don't get to play I have to have them!"
"They are very nice brooms Harry but I can hardly fly one. It would be a total waist," Dominic sighed.
"Ron and I could teach you!" Harry smiled as he brought the boom to the counter, along with the rest of this Quiddich equipment, "if you wont buy it I will and force you to use it!" Harry smiled.
"I can't Harry."
"Fine I will!" Harry said as he pulled a stack of coins out of his pocket.
"Ah, Mr. Potter, good luck this year with the Quiddich season!" the shop keeper said with a smile and handed the broom back to Harry. Harry passed the broom to Dominic and headed out of the shop.
Back down the street at Flourish and Blotts Harry and Dominic spotted Hermione and Amelia. Hermione had her arms full of new books.
"Well I have gotten everything I need," Hermione smiled, "plus a little extra for the train ride."
"So have I. I picked up all your books as well Dominic just to kill time," Amelia said as she spotted the broom in his hands, "no way you bough a broom! We can hardly fly. What good will it do you?" She asked with excitement in her voice.
"Its Harry's" Dominic said.
"You have one already!" Hermione scolded, "what a way to waist your money!"
"I bought it to have something to teach Dominic how to play Quiddich on," Harry smiled.
"And it just had to be one of the fastest brooms around didn't it!" Hermione huffed.
"No! Its actually running pretty cheep now, the Nimbus 6000 is the fastest broom!" Harry smiled as he spotted Ron, "Hey Ron when we get back to your place we have a rookie to train in the arts of Quiddich!" He called.
"What fun that will be!" Ron smiled as he and Ginny came up the street, "we nearly have our own team now."
"Yeah we could get your girls all up as chasers, Fred and George could play their normal post and well so could we don't you think Ron!" Harry smiled.
"That would be wonderful but we can hardly fly!" Amelia said more excited now.
"We can teach you!" Ron and Harry said together.
"I'll need a broom then!" Amelia smiled, "I'll just run and pick something up!" she said as she waved and ran down the street.
"You better keep this one!" Harry said to Dominic as they watched her leave, "she seems quite excited about the whole idea."
"She has a thing with flying," Dominic laughed, "her animagus is an owl."
"Her animagus!" they all smiled.
"Yeah she's not really good at it yet, only did it once but is really trying to master it!" Dominic smiled proudly, "she is right into transfigurations. But she just can't figure this one out... well enough to keep it"
"Wicket!" Ron exclaimed.
"I'm sure Professor McGonagall can get her though it," Hermione smiled. "She's one of the only professors that I know of that is a licenced animagus."
"That's what Amelia is hoping for," Dominic smiled
"Maybe once she masters it she can show us all how to do it!" Ginny said with a smile, "it would be very convenient!"
"Yeah, best not to tell Fred and George though," Ron smiled, "they'd want to do it themselves and market it as a prank in there joke shop."
"Maybe we'll end up like your dad Harry," Ginny smiled
"Maybe!" Harry said with a hopefulness that he always got when his fathers achievements were brought up.
Back at the Burrow, that afternoon most of their spare time was spent getting the twins used to flying. It took a little time but once they were up on their booms they picked it up very quickly and soon had started to learn all there was to know about Quiddich. Hermione had pulled out all of the books Harry had on Quiddich and was reading out instruction as Harry and Ron tried to rush the twin through the process. Harry and the Weasley brothers were getting a bit annoyed but Hermione's patience was really proving to be an asset in teaching the twins. Soon enough they were all in the air tossing about the regulation style balls and Hermione even put down her books and got in on the action, she had been practicing herself. Dividing themselves into two teams of four they managed to toss the quarfels as the stitch flew around them. Amelia and Harry cased after the snitch as seekers for their newly appointed teams.
"Hey she got it!" Dominic yelled as he watched his sister stop in mid air with Harry right beside her.
"You're getting really, really good Amelia!" Harry smiled.
"I can't believe I caught it!" Amelia said excitedly, "Check it out Dom!"
"That's my sister!" he said as he flew up beside her and hugged her.
"You better not try and steal my position on the Gryffindor team!" Harry joked.
"Oh I wouldn't dream about it!" Amelia laughed as she tossed the snitch back into the air and grabbed the quarfel from her brother. "I'd much rather be a chaser!" she smiled as she sped of toward the goal posts they had set up.
"Watch out Ron here she comes!" Harry yelled and the game was on again.
They worked on passing and goal keeping. Amelia really excelled at flying and Dominic at goal tending. They played long into the night until it was so dark that Harry could no longer distinguish the snitch from the stars. Tired and shivering the lot of them made there way back to the house. Mrs. Weasley met them at the door and spread out around the long table were hot cups of coco and cookies.
"Come on children warm up. We have a very busy day ahead of us tomorrow!" She said in a sing song voice as everyone piled into the house.
"Yes your mother is leaving for Hogwarts in the morning," Mr. Weasley said to Amelia and Dominic as he came into the room, "she has been asked to settle in before the students arrive and so you two will be staying with us here."
"That is so nice of you to let us stay!" Amelia said as she hugged Mr. Weasley.
"It's our pleasure," Mrs. Weasley laughed, "it seems our children have become quite fond of you two any way. We wouldn't dream of chasing you off."
"Yeah finally Hermione and I aren't totally out numbered." Ginny smiled.
"We'll get some more Quiddich in," Harry said as he smiled Amelia.
"It will be wonderful," Amelia smiled, "thank you so much."
"That is enough talk about Quiddich for one evening, off to bed with you all!" Mrs. Weasley smiled and shooed them all up the stairs.
"Hey Amelia do you think its dark enough for the illustration of the northern lights to work tonight?" Ginny asked quietly as they headed up the stairs.
"I hope so," Hermione added "I can't wait to see what that book of yours can do!"
"Yeah I think its dark enough!" Amelia smiled and the girls waved to the boys and retired to Ginny's bed room.
"Thank you so much Molly, Arthur, for watching my children," Belinda smiled as she came up to the kitchen table.
"Oh its no trouble at all, call it making up for lost time!" Molly laughed, "you remember how we used to talk about having kids and rasing them as best friends!" she said with a smile.
"How could I forget!" Belinda laughed, "you wouldn't have wanted to see my kids when they were little oh they were a hand full! They didn't even know about there magical back ground and they had things mastered between them!"
"Thank goodness Fred and George were never like that!" Arthur smiled, "they're enough to deal with as it is!"
"They get along fabulously," Molly smiled, "sometimes to well..."
"They are wonderful kids!" Belinda said, "I'm really happy that my children don't have to worry about the things we do."
"Oh but they do," Arthur said sadly, "as long as they are friends with Harry they will always be dealing with the trouble."
"The poor boy," Belinda sighed, "its as though he doesn't get to live his life."
"He really doesn't but we try to help things along," Molly smiled, "it's a pleasure to have him around and Albus Dumbledore will not let anything happen to Harry he is safe here and so are your children!"
"And judging by what you have told us, the safest placed for them would be here," Arthur added as he examined the cellular phone that Amelia had brought with her, "these muggle phones are so very interesting," he smiled.
"Arthur," Molly scolded and took the phone away from him, "you'll probably break it, I'll give it back to Amelia in the morning."
The sun seemed to rise to early for Belinda the next morning. Of all the things she was dreading, it was heading back to Hogwarts and being alone with only the teachers in the school, which meant being in the castle with Snape. She knew she couldn't avoid it and that nothing would happen in the school but still she felt an awkwardness that she could not shake. She would only be in the school for a few days without the students and she would have a lot to do to get her classes ready, however, there was still meal times and would he come looking for her? The teachers at Hogwarts are a tightly nit group and their soul concern is the well being and the education of the students. As such they worked very closely with one another to keep the school safe. She would have to work with Snape regardless of what was in her past or his. She paced nervously around the room in the Weasley house she was occupying, having packed her bags the night before. Nervousness had overcome her entire being when a soft knock came from her door she jump before answering it. She walked quickly to it and opened it just a crack to peer out.
"Good morning mum," Amelia smiled.
"What are you doing out of bed already?" Belinda smiled trying to not look so worried.
"I came to make sure you were alright," Amelia said as she came into the room.
"I'm fine, go back to bed and get some more sleep. You only have so long left to sleep in before you have classes again."
"Don't lie, I know you are worried," Amelia frowned, "who knows you better than Dominic and I and we can tell you're on edge. Why?"
"Its hard to explain," Belinda sighed as she sat down on the bed.
"Its Professor Snape isn't it?" Amelia asked.
"How did you know?" shock filled Belinda's eyed.
"Occlumency," Amelia smiled, then pulled a small piece of parchment out of her pocket and handed it to her mother. It was her letter from Hogwarts that stated the new term requirements and the teachers of the classes, "I knew he would be your main distraction as soon as I read my letter,"
"He's not a distraction!" Belinda scolded.
"Fine, your biggest fear," Amelia said angrily, "if he is working at Hogwarts he can't be bad. Albus Dumbledore wouldn't let that happen not with Harry in that school. And if he didn't think that you would be safe and that Professor Snape has changed from what you once knew he would have never put you in that situation."
"Amelia, you wouldn't understand," Belinda sighed again.
"I think your biggest problem will be facing the fact that you never believed that he could change. You're biggest problem is going to be to face him," Amelia said, "and I don't think its going to be much easier for him. I mean come on mum you can't tell me he didn't love you at all. I've seen your pictures."
"That's besides the point Amelia," Belinda sighed, "he lied to me and with all the danger of my families history I couldn't even trust him again. Not to risk you and your brother."
"We'll be fine mum," Amelia said, "Dumbledore would let nothing happen not matter what."
"You are probably right, but how do I face him? I ran away from him in the first place." Belinda sighed, "and now I have to work with him. I have to see him every day. I have to sit at the same table and be in the same room."
"Well its been eighteen years. Its time for you to stand up for yourself. You have changed and obviously so has he and all you need to have with him is a professional relationship," Amelia stated, "nothing to worry about really. And I wouldn't be surprised if he is feeling the same way really. He hasn't seen you in eighteen years. You just disappeared he's probably as scared as you are."
"You're right!" Belinda smiled as she took a deep breath, "all I needed was some advice from my teenage daughter."
"I'm supposed to be the one getting boy advice mum, not you!" Amelia laughed, "now come on downstairs before Harry does!"