Chapter 7

Quidditch

Kerri was walking down a dark street in the city she had never been before. It was early in the morning and it was cold and chilly. How had she gotten out of Hogwarts? She felt certain she was nowhere near the school. She turned right on the sidewalk down a street called Bywater. She was drawn to a red brick house with green trimmed roof. There were two men on the front porch men in cloaks. One of them knocked on the door. Well they might have both been men she wasn't sure it was hard to tell. One thing that was for sure they weren't friendly.

The door opened. "Brannon! How many times have I told you not to answer the door while daddy's gone?" A well built looking woman came to the door. She picked the six year old up. "May I help you?" "Is Mr. O Connor in?" The man asked in a deep voice. "No he's not due back from the office for six hours." Mrs. O Connor replied. "Office?" A woman's voice laughed sharp and audible. "You don't know your husbands a wizard?" "There's no such thing." "Blasphemy! Oh our wrath of our Lord will be very great." "I really have no idea what you're talking about I must go." Mrs. O Connor turned away. "Not before you give him a message from us."

Kerri had hid in the bushes just in time. "Run." Kerri mouthed silently to the woman. The silly woman had not obeyed. "Morsemorde." They all looked to the sky where the Dark Mark was. "Avada Kedevra!" The woman said. The woman fell to the floor. Her son was playing over her. The man pointed his wand and murmured, "Avada Kedevra!"

Kerri looked down at the ground and realized she was puking.

"Kerri!" Hermione said shaking her awake. "What?" Kerri looked down at her feet where a pile of vomit was. "Ew gross!" "Oh god Ginny go get Professor McGonagall." Hermione said. "No! I am fine!" Kerri proceeded to do a spell to clean up the vomit and in the process threw up again. "Clearly your not fine. What did you dream about Kerri? I saw the Dark Mark." Harry said coming in. "Nothing." "The same night you dreamed about Lavender?" Lavender looked at her trembling. "The wrong person." "Professor Trelawney – "Is a fraud there is no such thing!" "Then how do you explain your dreams." Harry barked. "Harry you are delusional!" Kerri looked away from him. Hermione walked over to Kerri and cleaned things up. "Here." Hermione said summoning a little blue pill that Madam Pomfrey had shown her how to. Pomfrey had been teaching Hermione things while she worked with her in the hospital sometimes. "What's this?" Kerri asked her warily. "It should stop the vomiting. Do you want to talk about it?" "I had a nightmare only worst a little boy named Brannon was killed with his mother. Mr. O Connor – "Works for the Ministry." Hermione supplied. "Yeah him well it was his wife and child." "There's only one way to proof this." Hermione said. "Read this mornings newspaper." Ron said. "How'd you get up here?" "Flew up and over took a leaf out of my dad's old book." Harry said coming over.

Professor McGonagall, Oliver Wood, and Professor Dumbledore came running in with them. Professor Snape and his daughter Stacy not to far behind. "Ginny has told me that you've had a dream." Dumbledore said. "It was nightmare nothing more." Hermione nudged Kerri. She glared at her and told them a story. "Have you had others like this." "One other. About Parvati." Kerri refused to look at Lavander. "What does this mean?" Professor McGonagall asked. "It means I'll be taking over for Trelawney." "Kerri if you have any more of these dreams please let me know. In the meantime I'll have Professor Snape make a calming potion and hopefully your dreams will not be disturbed. Good night."

Professor Dumbledore left the room. Oliver looked like he wanted to say something and stay behind but Kerri shook her head no. "Slumber party?" Ginny asked bringing in some candy and cards. Kerri burst out laughing and agreed. Lavender stood in a corner looking lonely. "Just a second."

Kerri walked over to her. "I'm really sorry I didn't tell you." Kerri said. "Don't feel guilty you can't stop death eaters anyways they were trying to frighten families random families it could have been any of the students." Lavender said gloomily. "I am sorry. Come join us." "Thanks but no."

"So what happened on your date with Oliver?" Ginny asked. "Ginny!" Kerri said swatting her arm. "What?" Kerri showed them the ring. "Oh my god it's beautiful." Ginny and Hermione shrieked. "Have you said yes?" Ginny asked. "Yeah but we'll have to wait awhile besides he can't marry a student." "He can after they graduate. Oh Fred'll be poor heart broken he will." Kerri glared at her. Harry and Ron looked uncomfortable at each other. "Uh we're just going to go now." Hermione giggled at them. Melissa rolled her eyes she had opened her copy of a Muggle Romance novel that included vampires on the cover.

Hermione shook Kerri awake later that morning. "Harry says its time for Quidditch practice and if you don't get your butt up and off into the field he's going to kick you off the team." "Hermione we went to bed at four it's six in the morning how can you be so up?" Kerri demanded her. Hermione laughed. "Don't shoot the messenger just hurry."

Kerri grudgingly got up. Melissa had gotten up to was bringing her book called the Two Worlds Apart by some author or other was coming down as well. Ginny followed them to the field. Well, Ginny was Chaser on the team along with Kerri and another sixth year girl they only knew from the team named Lolia.

Dean and Seamus were the beaters and the team got along on the field as well as off the field. Harry was captain and a damned good one of course and Ron had improved immensely on his goal keeping abilities. Neville and Melissa joked that they were the team groupies. Practices lasted anywhere from one hour to three. Oliver Wood would be overseeing their practices now and he and Kerri tried not to flirt. Sometimes that was easy because he tended to be hardest on her at improving passes or skills. He made her redo a certain pass twenty times before she had down on the twenty second pass she threw the Quaffle at his head. "And it is good for player's to know other positions as well as their own otherwise I'd have a bloody nose right now thanks darling." Kerri rolled her eyes at him.

Harry had them out at the pitch the next two weeks rain or shine. The first game of the month was Slytherin vs. Gryffindor. Draco was Captain of the Slytherin team who now played Chaser. His soul purpose was to taunt and tease Kerri during the game sometimes the distraction worked other times like today it pissed Kerri off and gave Gryffindor an edge. Gryffindor one Two hundred to one hundred and fifty and that was only because Stacy Snape the only decent player on there had beaten Harry to catch it.

There was a rousing party in Gryffindor tower that night. McGonagall even came and celebrated for an hour before she made everyone go to bed. After they had all been sent Hermione even allowed them to stay up later once she left as long as they kept the noise down nobody had been happier than the Gryffindors that night.