Sisters Separated by House
Chapter 2: The State of Affairs
Diary Entry 2: Saturday (Brenna)
Alright. She's not a Deatheater. But she is still a Slytherin. Today wasn't as bad as it could have been, and her explanation of the correct way to dump dry ingredients into a cold potion will surely save my eyebrows next class. Her hexes and charms, however… we're going to have to practice a lot more if she wants to just pass the OWLs when they happen.
Rather, she'll have to practice her tail off. After this weekend, she's on her own, I'll have you know. Great, now I'm addressing this damn thing.
Good night.
Diary Entry 2: Saturday (Andrea)
Ugh. I think I've got muggle stink in my hair and clothes. And now I really want a peanut butter cup. Damn that girl for bringing up the muggles. I am from one of the top wizarding families. If my parents found out that I was consorting with a muggle, even with it not being by choice, they could disown me! And rightfully so… It is kind of our fault for continuing to the point where the staff got involved.
But she could've stopped this thing, too. It certainly is not all my fault at this point. I just hope my parents don't catch wind of this, or I'll be stuck here over Christmas holiday.
Sunday morning was a much better morning for the girls: there would be a Quidditch match later, Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw. Since neither of the girls' Houses was involved, they could go to the game without fear of creating a scene. The girls had already decided to cheer for Hufflepuff and hiss at Ravenclaw.
Both girls woke of their own volition, stomachs grumbling. Brenna looked at Andrea and grimaced.
"So the assignment isn't a nightmare, after all. Get up, let's get our food and head down to the field so we can get some good seats. If we don't hurry, we'll end up sitting with McGonagall and the staff, and I'd rather they not hear how we heckle the Ravenclaw team."
"So stop yakking and get moving. While you were squawking, I got dressed and I'm ready to go to breakfast," Andrea said snidely.
"Okay, MacGarry. Let's get moving. I'm starving," Brenna threw her clothes on and grabbed her bag, rubbing her stomach.
"Ladies," Professor McGonagall stuck her head into the room where the girls were getting ready to head out, "Don't forget, I'll save a seat for you at the game.
The girls looked at each other, then stuck their tongues out at a bemused Professor McGonagall. They raced out the door and down to the Great Hall just in time for breakfast.
"Those two will come along just fine, I do believe."
After breakfast, Andrea and Brenna raced down to the quidditch fields to get seats far from Professor McGonagall… however, the best laid plans of mice and men…and therefore…
"There you are, girls. I've got seats for you, as promised, right below the commentators' booth, where I'll be riding herd on Lee Jordan. That boy better watch himself. The innuendo is wearing a bit thin," Professor McGonagall said the last under her breath.
Brenna looked at Andrea and grimaced. Andrea spoke first, "Oh, Professor, you shouldn't have gone to such trouble. I'm sure we can find seats somewhere where we won't be disturbing you. That way, you can focus all of your attention on Lee, where it really is needed."
"Oh, yes, Miss MacGarry, I know exactly why you want to sit elsewhere: so that you won't have to sit with each other, and that won't be happening today. You can keep both Lee and myself company today," Professor McGonagall looked suspiciously at Andrea.
"Ah, Professor, you think that we would want to sit with anyone other than each other?" Brenna asked winsomely, eyes large and round with fake innocence.
"No girls. You will sit where and tell you, and no where else, do you understand? Now head up to the commentator's box, right now," McGonagall turned an icy stare to Brenna, who grabbed Andrea's hand and ran for their seats.
"You know, you really need to learn to not hold my hand all the time. This assignment will be over tomorrow morning, and once that happens, you won't be touching me at all. My lord, that sounded awful," Andrea winced at what she had just said.
"Yeah, yeah, I know… I -- just put up wif it, okay?" Brenna grimaced at Andrea, dragging her over to the seats and plopping down in one.
The quidditch game went off without a hitch, with both girls cheering uncontrollably for the Hufflepuff team, Andrea especially for the relatively new player, the young Cedric Diggory, a third year with an exceptional talent for quidditch. The Hufflepuff team won a close game against Ravenclaw, putting them in contention for the House Cup with Gryffindor early in the year.
After the game, Andrea dragged Brenna over to the group of Hufflepuffs surrounding Diggory, straining to see him over the crowd. Seeing she couldn't get around the exuberant girls crowding around him, she and Brenna started heading over to the Great Hall for the post-game food.
"It's okay, Andrea. I'm sure next game you'll be able to get to see 'im," Brenna tried to put her hand on Andrea's shoulder when Andrea turned on her.
"Don't get comfy, Ianevski. If I weren't stuck with you, I could've managed to get over here before the mob," Andrea said cruelly.
"Hey, I was just trying to be nice, MacGarry. No need to get pissy wif me, ya brat!"
"Hey, do you guys mind if I walk with you? I'm sick of getting mobbed, and maybe walking with some friends'll help ward 'em off," a boy's voice came from behind the girls. Andrea and Brenna turned to see who had addressed them.
"S…s –"
"Oi. I'm Cedric Diggory. And you two ladies, attached at the hip would be?"
"The two girls who set a record for House points lost and as such have been sentenced to a weekend together," Brenna started to say.
"Andrea MacGarry and Brenna Ianevski," Andrea supplied.
"Nice to meet you," Cedric replied, shaking each girls' hand and falling in step with them.
Andrea blushed and Brenna sensed what her problem was, so she tried to break the ice for the girl. However, Brenna was no better at that than she was at potions, and all she managed to do was make herself look foolish, which did help make Andrea look better by comparison.
"You two aren't bad, you know? All the other girls are all about the quidditch star, but you two are really nice. Next game is a Gryffindor versus Slytherin, but I'd love to sit with you two instead of my House… You don't mind, do you? That's really wild, but I've gotta go now – see you next week, and don't forget to save me a seat!" Cedric ran off to rejoin his team to enter the Great Hall, leaving the two girls in the dust.
Andrea turned to Brenna, and Brenna just smirked. "You're stuck with me again."
Diary Entry 3: Sunday (Andrea)
I met Cedric Diggory. Thanks to that strange little Gryffindork, I met Cedric Diggory. Next week, I get to watch an entire quidditch game with Cedric Diggory. And Ianevski.
She's not all that bad, after all. No candidate for a friend, but as an acquaintance, she's okay.
Tomorrow, I get to go back to my table and my friends, and I don't have to worry about getting any more muggle stink out of my clothes. Maybe she'll get 'food poisoning' next Saturday night… it'd be a shame if she couldn't go to next week's quidditch game.
Good night.
Diary Entry 3: Sunday (Brenna)
She should be damn grateful that I was there to help her with that Diggory. Without me, she'd have looked a damn fool. Without our 'special chemistry', he'd never have looked at her, and she'd have just goofed everything up, if you ask me.
Oh, well… and now, for my good deed, I'm stuck rooting for my team with the enemy.
Good night.
The next week went off without a hitch. Both Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore agreed that the girls, by no means best friends, would not kill each other on the school grounds. However, the girls were warned that any repeat performance would result in longer periods of the same assignment. Brenna and Andrea agreed that they would behave, and parted on civil terms, if not friendly ones.
Classes were uneventful, much to the teachers' relief and the students' chagrin. Previously, a spat between the two girls would have resulted in at least half of each class they shared being completely disrupted, usually to the benefit of the other students' conversations or forgotten homework. Now, Brenna and Andrea would greet each other if they happened to enter their classes at the same time, but other than that, they did not speak. Classes were, to put it bluntly, absolutely boring without the fights that used to liven them up.
In fact, Andrea and Brenna did not have anything resembling a conversation until Saturday morning in the Great Hall, right after breakfast and before the big game. Brenna was finishing up her "Daily Prophet" when Andrea appeared over her.
"You ready to go yet? It's taken you ages to finish eating and reading that damn rag. I don't want Cedric to get there before we do, now do we?" Andrea grabbed Brenna's arm and tried to pull her out of her seat.
"Come on now, what's your get? Let me arm go, I can move on me own, now. Let me pull my outer robes and I'll be right there," Brenna said, putting her paper down and standing up to face Andrea, "All right, let's go. Wouldn't want old man Dig to get there before we do, now do we?"
"Don't take my words, Ianevski. Now let's go – and don't call Cedric 'old man Dig'. It's undignified," Andrea sniffed as she led Brenna out of the Great Hall.
As it turned out, Cedric was not there before the girls—he arrived at the same time and tapped Andrea on the shoulder.
"Looking for me, ladies? Thought so. Shall we find our seats – how about the same area you two sat last week, when I led Hufflepuff to victory?" Cedric crowed.
"Don't get above ya'self, mate. It only lasts so long, then Gryffindor beats all of you," Brenna replied.
"Let's – just – sit—" Andrea ground out.
As expected, Gryffindor won. It was a close game, however, and the final play almost resulted in a Slytherin riot. Andrea scowled all the way back the main grounds. Cedric laughed while he tried to get Brenna to tell him secrets for the next game: Hufflepuff versus Gryffindor.
"Well, ladies, I will see you around… can't sit with you next week, but after that… I'll find you and let you know. Can't wait. You better cheer for me!" Cedric laughed as he ran off to join his House for the meal.
Everything was fine until potions Monday morning. Brenna had woken up uncharacteristically early that morning and had gone to the classroom early in order to set up her cauldron for class. She had just set everything up when she heard footsteps behind her. Thinking it was Andrea, Brenna put her wand aside and turned to greet her non-enemy. As she turned, Brenna realized her mistake too late. Three Slytherin students, two girls and one boy, surrounded her, cutting her off from her wand and small supply of ready-made potions.
"What's that, Ianevski? Trying to make more potions to use against our team? Can't you Gryffindors win on your own? Or are you making something for your beloved Wood?" the first girl said, raising her wand to Brenna's throat.
The second girl stepped forward, picking up some of the potions from the desk. "Come on, now, Bella, why use your wand? There are plenty of potions at our disposal, thanks to the little minx's foresight."
"Now, now, Donna, Bella, wands have their uses," the boy said, and as he finished, all three raised their wands, opened their mouths and—
"Expelliarmus!"
All four turned to see Andrea striding in, wand raised, with a pissed off look on her face.
"Stop, now. You've no quarrel with her. She doesn't even play quidditch, and even if she did, this is not the way to retaliate. Drop you case, or I'll be there to stop you myself," Andrea shouted the last, eyes ablaze with righteous indignation.
"Fifteen points from Gryffindor, thirty from Slytherin. Miss Ianevski, don't get caught wandless again. You three," Professor Snape had entered his classroom was losing no time, "Don't attack other students. MacGarry – don't raise your wand against another Slytherin."
The five students looked at each other and went to their seats. The others entered and took their seats, unsure of what had quite happened. The class was mostly uneventful after that, and Brenna did not speak to Andrea, even to thank her, until after the class had ended. They were in the hallway, heading to their next classes when Brenna stopped and turned to Andrea who had started down the opposite hallway.
"Andrea, I just wanted to –"
"Thank me. I know. Don't mention it, Bren. See you tomorrow in Charms."
