Practice ended an hour later, with good results for a first practice. Kirke and Sloper had somehow managed to hit the hoop rim so hard that it fell over. Kelly quickly repaired it and they went on like nothing had happened, though everyone was seen giving nervous glances toward the castle. They had made twenty-seven in the hoops, though, as they recounted. Kelly had scored eleven times, Ginny seventeen, and Parvati six. All three admitted to it being a real challenge, however. Harry had somehow managed to catch the Snitch seven times before he called it quits.
"Not bad at all," Harry complimented. "See you on tomorrow at seven, if not sooner."
Ron was delighted at how the first practice had gone. He droned on and on about how he wanted practices to be done, forcing Harry to take notes and to do as he was told. Harry tried to do practices the way Ron had envisioned them, but after the first time he ignored them. They were much too vague and Ron seemed to have every detail planned out in his head, some very important fine points remaining there.
Time passed quickly, as it usually did while at Hogwarts. Ron still remained in the Hospital Wing, Kelly and Hermione's stubbornness willing them on not to tell what they had done. He was most displeased when Harry admitted to not going about Ron's schedule, not even giving him a chance to explain. Hermione was very taken in her studies, as she usually was, yet seemed in deep thought more than Harry was accustomed to. Kelly remained the same for the month that passed, only revealing new qualities about her. She had a bad row with Diane every Defense Against the Dark Arts and somehow managed to gain insurmountable detentions. Somehow, however, she made it to every practice without tardiness, and refused to say how she finished her detentions so early. Harry's suspicious were that she skipped.
The Gryffindor Quidditch team was definitely improving. While they had no Keeper, Neville was glad to try his turn out and attempt to defend the hoops. Harry, Kelly, Ginny, and Parvati instructed him as much as they knew on how to be a good Keeper, and he seemed to be doing a decent job. Kirke and Sloper's aims were improving little by little, and now missed their target no more than ten times a practice, a definite improvement for them. The three Chasers were going a little easy on Neville, Harry thought, but were still doing an excellent job, even with Neville's lack of experience. They had most plays that Chasers could do in their heads, though at times they forgot to move where they were supposed to be. Harry was now not keeping track of the number of times he caught the Snitch himself, almost too involved in getting the team ready to even look. Many nights he stayed behind to find the Snitch, when he'd had no time to during practice.
This particular night he was free of finding the Snitch, and was walking the halls with Kelly and Hermione before they had to go to the common room.
"Wanna go see Ron, by chance?" Harry asked suddenly as they entered the sixth floor. He had a sudden urge to see his friend.
Hermione and Kelly looked at each other.
"Wanna go see how good our spells are?" Hermione asked. "Again?"
"I already know I'm excellent," Kelly said, grinning mischievously, "but sure, more proof wouldn't hurt."
They therefore started walking down, talking about all the different spells they'd cast, mostly at Malfoy, and how that had helped them. They walked around on the sixth floor for a while before remembering they had to go down the stairs. Laughing a bit at their mistake, they walked down the stairs to the fifth floor, but stopped before Harry could make a comeback at a joke Kelly had just made about him.
"Yes…. Yes, I know…. Of course…. Yes, I feel it was enough…. I realize it was deserved…. Next time…? As you wish, as you wish…. Who shall it be…? A wise choice, very wise…. I shall not…. Until next time…."
The voice speaking with Diane was too quiet to hear. Diane came striding out of her office, looking rather pale. She turned to look their way and stopped, becoming very stiff. "What do you want?" she snapped.
"We were on our way to see Ron," Kelly said boldly.
Diane shifted and glared at her. "Well, go on then!"
"We were until you stopped us!" Kelly snapped back.
"GO THEN!" Diane shouted.
"FINE!" Kelly screamed, stomping past Diane, hitting her shoulder, Harry thought purposely.
"DETENTION!" Umbridge yelled.
Kelly turned purposefully to look at her. She bowed and said, "As you wish…." in a voice that was exactly like the tone Umbridge had just been using to the person in her office.
"FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK!" Umbridge cried, but Harry noted the fear in her voice.
"Whatever," Kelly said, turning and walking. "Come on Harry, Hermione."
Harry and Hermione quickly followed her. Kelly said nothing until they turned the corner and were out of earshot from Diane, who was glaring at Kelly as she walked away.
"That woman…" she steamed. "No… she's not even a woman… she's half toad! Her sister hates half-bloods, she should go for her twin!"
Kelly continued to mutter things all the way to the Hospital Wing, where Ron looked at her in concern.
"What's up with her?"
Harry and Hermione quietly explained what had happened, careful not to make it loud enough for Madam Pomfrey to hear. Ron looked at Kelly with amazement. Very few people had stood up to teachers like that, though all three of them had. Harry had done it to Dolores Umbridge, something they would never forget. Ron had done it to Professor Snape, along with Harry, when he'd made fun of Hermione and her teeth. Hermione had done it with Trelawney, who they thankfully no longer had.
"You stood up to her like that?" Ron asked, amazed.
"What?" Kelly snapped, annoyed that someone had interrupted her thoughts and stream of cursing at Diane.
"Nothing…" Ron said, grinning as Kelly continued her eternal threats to Diane. "So, Harry, you're still going to take care of practices?"
"Yeah," Harry said as something clicked. "You'd better be out of here soon."
"I know," Ron agreed with an angry look at Hermione and Kelly.
Harry had completely forgotten. They had their first game against Hufflepuff in a week. Harry looked at Kelly, who was still cursing Diane, Ron, who was in a hospital bed, and thought of the other members of their team. This did not look promising.
A/N:
-yawn- Bear with me until Christmas. It's coming… I promise…. It's less than ten chapters away…. o.o What kind of buff did I put in this thing? Well, I guess when I go back through and read it, I'll find out.
YAY!!!!!!!!!!! -has a bloody party- STARFIRE DIDN'T MARRY THE GREEN BLOB!!!!!! CELEBRATE WITH ME!!!!!!! -celebrates- YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, now that that's out of the way, I feel much better. I'd been hyperventilating. I'd been reading a R/S Fic up until 8 o'clock, and then there's this! And in the R/S Fic, Star got kidnapped! I was all up and tense, and then THAT episode! But I loved it, nonetheless. Of course I loved it. It was a R/S episode. DUH, I loved it. One improvement: ROBIN, TELL THE GIRL YOU LIKE HER!!! It happened in the Fic….
So blah-de-blah, the chapter is here, and now it's gone. Next chapter, hey, it's the Secret Students! OOOH!!!!! PARTY TIME!!!!!!!!!!! The Secret Students throw a party, and the trio plus Kelly are invited by everyone (it doesn't feel right say the quadruple or anything…. -shivers-). We also have an even greater than Kelly and Diane tossed around…. From the moment Kelly and Riles (note where I got my name ) see each other, there's a lovely Harry/Snape relationship going (and I didn't mean that in any sickening slashy way). As you can imagine, they hate each other from the start, but they ain't telling why. More suspensefulness. WHY, when they've never met before, do they have such an immediate dislike?
And now I'm done. The bath's running, I'm home alone, and I'm having a party tomorrow night. Parents are away on a retreat, and EVERYONE is invited! xD Well, the party's really play-by-ear, but we're having fun all the same.
Review! Make me smile! CELEBRATE FOR STARFIRE AND HER UNMARRIED, UNBETROTHED-EXCEPT-TO-ROBIN SELF!!!
Thankx,
Riles