"Just what I've always wanted, to make a fool out of myself on a broomstick in front of Malfoy," Harry says darkly. He had told us all about his time meeting Draco in Diagon Alley and how the Slytherin boasted about how amazing of a flier he was and how his father apparently told him it would be a crime if he wasn't on the Quidditch team. I shook my head at him, "You don't know if you'll make a fool out of yourself." I started. "Anyway, I know Malfoy's always going on about how good he is at Quidditch, but I bet it's all talk." Ron finished for me and I nodded at him. And Ron wasn't exaggerating when he said this. Draco would brag to anyone and everyone about his "extraordinary" flying skills. Hell, most kids that came from wizarding families would, even Ron has told the story about the time he almost hit a hang glider while on Charlie's old broom. When Harry asked, I just told him how I filled in as a chaser when the boys played, but he didn't know what that position was, so I just told him I'd had lots of practice and left it at that. "He's right, you know. You could be amazing." I told Harry, ignoring Ron as he stopped and said, "Wait, did you just admit that I was right?"
We all gathered on the Quidditch field where two rows of brooms lay. Slytherin gathered in a circle on one side while Gryffindor did the same on the other. Ron and Dean Thomas got into an argument about whether Quidditch or soccer was superior but neither of them knew what the other sport was, Ron's defense being how could a game where no one flew on brooms and only had one ball be better than Quidditch. Neville was probably the only one from a wizarding family that had never been on a broom, stating how his nan never allowed him on one, and with one look exchanged, Harry and I both agreed she most likely had a good reason. Poor Neville was completely accident-prone. Hermione was just as nervous as Neville, telling him all the tips she could remember from Quidditch Through the Ages, and Neville took every word to heart.
At 3:30 exactly, we saw Madam Hooch approaching so most of the students stood by their own broom. Madam Hooch was a woman of average height and build with short grey hair but what stood out the most were her glowing yellow eyes that reminded me of a hawk. "Welcome to your first flying lesson. Well, what are you all waiting for?" She yelled out. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Hurry up! Okay, I want you to stick your hand out over your broom and give a loud and powerful, "up"!". Only a few brooms did what they were supposed to, including mine and Harry's. Hermione's merely rolled a little and Nevilles didn't move an inch. "With feeling!" Ron's broom, instead of coming to his hand, flew and smacked him in the face, causing everyone to laugh. "Shut up you two!" He said, glaring at me.
Madam Hooch then showed us how to correctly mount our brooms, delighting the Gryffindors to have been stuck listening to Malfoy's nonstop bragging, when she told him that he had been doing it wrong for years. "Now, when I blow my whistle, I want you to kick off from the ground, hard." She instructed. "Keep your broom steady, hover a few feet in the air, then come straight down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle... One... Two..." But Neville's nerves must have gotten to him because before Hooch could say "three" he had pushed off the ground, hard.
"Come back, boy!" She demanded, but he only flew higher and higher. I was getting really worried because you could tell he was only becoming more scared. "Be careful, Neville!" I tried to yell over the others. "Help!" He pleaded. I grabbed Hermione's hand out of fright and luckily she didn't seem to mind.
He managed to hit the castle wall a few times and then get his robe caught on a statue. We all let out a gasp when his robes started to rip and Neville came falling to the ground, a very loud crack echoed over the field as Madam Hooch ran over to him. His broom, on the other hand, continued to soar and disappeared somewhere in the Forbidden Forest. I cringed, knowing how painful a broken bone could be, thinking back to when I was wrestling with Bill once and he accidentally landed on my arm as it was in a bad position.
"Broken wrist..." We could hear her say, "Come on, boy. It's alright, up you get." She helped him stand up and he stood there, clutching his wrist with tears falling down his face. I walked up and gave him a light hug while Hooch turned to everyone. "None of you move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can even say 'Quidditch'! Come, dear." Once they were finally out of earshot, Malfoy turned to the other Slytherins and started laughing.
"Did you see his face? Maybe if that lump had given this a squeeze he'd remember not to fall on his fat arse?" The other students started laughing as well, though one or two seemed to be forcing it. "Shut up Malfoy!" Parvati shouted at him. "Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom? Never thought you'd like fat little crybabies, Patil." Pansy Parkinson, a Slytherin whose face resembled a pug I had once seen when I was younger, taunted the Gryffindor. I started walking up to the girl, but stopped when I saw Malfoy point to the area where Neville had landed and shouted, "Look!" He ran forwards and grabbed the rememball that must've slipped from Neville's robes. "It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him!" Yeah, so stupid that you had tried to steal it within minutes of him opening it, I thought rolling my eyes, turning my direction to face the blonde git.
"Give it here, Malfoy." Harry quietly demanded, stepping forward as well. Draco just smirked at him. "I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find... How about... On the roof?" Harry tried to jump for it, giving him another option to hand over the ball but Draco just jumped on his broom and flew off. "Come and get it, Potter!" He taunted. Harry grabbed his broom the same time I did.
"No!" Hermione called to us. "Madam Hooch told us not to move- you'll get us all in trouble! Plus you don't even know how to fly!" Harry simply ignored her and jumped on his broom. I shook my head at her, "She won't punish everyone. Plus she won't even know." I gave her a small smile before flying after Harry and Draco. A lot of cheers came from the group of students with Rons being the loudest, making me smile. For a second I forgot what I was doing. I always loved how free I felt when I flew and looking at Harry, I knew he felt similar. Harry took a sharp turn and cut off Malfoy, leaving him stunned for a moment.
"Give it here! Or I'll knock you off your broom!" Harry threatened, despite how harmless he was, and Draco knew that. Or that's what he hoped. "Is that so?" He challenged, trying to give him a dirty look but still looking somewhat worried. Harry, as if he had been flying for years, moved forward quickly, shooting at Draco, who only just barely managed to get out of his way. Harry turned back around to face Draco while I covered him from the other side.
"No Crabbe or Goyle up here to save your neck, Draco!" I called out to him and he swiftly turned a little so that he could see me better. "We got you surrounded, Malfoy. You can't just fly away." Harry reminded him and he must've realized the same thing because, in an effort to escape unharmed, he threw the ball up as high as he could. "Catch it if you can, then!" The moment he threw the ball, I went after it. Leaning my broom forward to go as fast as I could, catching it. At the moment, all I could hear was the wind blowing past my ears and my heartbeat. "Harry!" I call out, throwing the ball toward him, which he was able to catch a few feet before it hit the ground. I landed, laughing, and went up to give Harry a hug. As we both complimented the other we were getting congratulated from everyone (minus Hermione, who although admitted to being impressed was still upset with us). The Slytherins were off sulking away from us, with Draco having a look as if he just drank a gallon of sour milk, in the middle of them. He glared at me when we made eye contact but I just smirked and turned back towards my friends.
"HARRY POTTER! SAMANTHA MONTGOMERY- WEASLEY!" Professor McGonagall yelled at us. We both looked at each other with dread-filled expressions, and our hearts felt as if they were in our stomachs. I avoided looking at anyone as I walked toward the angry professor. My feet felt as heavy as lead and only got heavier the closer we got. I had never seen her this angry before and it was truly terrifying. "Never, in all my years at Hogwarts-" She sputtered, as if she was so angry she couldn't think straight. "-how dare you! Might have broken your necks!" She scolded us.
"It wasn't their fault, Professor-" Parvati started but McGonagall cut her off.
"Be quiet Miss Patil!" The poor girl took a few steps back in fear.
"But Malfoy-" Ron attempted to explain but was once again cut off by the older woman.
"That's enough, Mr. Weasley! Potter, Montgomery, follow me, now." She demanded, turning and walking toward the castle, wordlessly stating that the conversation was over. Harry and I walked behind her with our heads hung low. I almost wish she'd swear or yell, instead of leading us somewhere unknown in the castle. I was a ball of nerves knowing how angry my parents would be once they found out I was going to be expelled. Would they even allow me to come back? I asked myself, eyes going wide and hands starting to shake. I jumped when I felt something grab my hand but calmed down a bit when I realized it was Harry. He sent me a very small smile and I knew he was trying to make the situation seem any less scary. I gave him a small one in return before I frowned, noticing that we weren't going to her office. Were we going to speak with Dumbledore? I gulped and let go of Harry's hand so that I could hold mine together behind my back. I didn't want him to know how bad I was shaking, how sweaty my palms were, nor did I want to end up making him more nervous than he was.
Finally, after going down countless corridors, we stopped in front of a classroom. I was confused because the class wasn't empty. She opened the door and poked her head in. "Excuse me, Professor Flitwick, could I borrow Wood for a moment?" Harry and I exchanged confused glances before looking back at the professor. Is she talking about Oliver Wood? Captain of the Quidditch team? As if it was even more possible, my heart felt like it went even deeper toward my feet. For a single summer, I had gotten a small crush on the quidditch player. He had come over to the Burrow a few times to see and play with Charlie and the twins, I was even able to join once. Oliver Wood was a tall, burly, fifth-year student who had fair skin and short brown hair. Even he was confused when he came to the door and saw Harry and I, but still sent me a small smile that I returned.
"Follow me, you three," McGonagall told us as she started to walk away to once again, a new unknown location. I could tell Oliver was inspecting Harry until we were directed into an empty room. Well, it was empty except for an annoying poltergeist that was writing inappropriate words on the blackboard. "Out, Peeves!" She yelled at him, causing me to jump closer to the boys. He left, muttering curse words and insults at the woman, who in return slammed the door shut. Even Peeves could tell she was not in a good mood. She turned and faced us.
"Potter, this is Oliver Wood. I expect you already know him, Miss Montgomery. Wood- I have found your new catcher and seeker." Oliver's face went from being confused and slightly scared to excitement. My mouth dropped. Holy shit. I was honestly afraid she was just playing a cruel prank on Harry and me before she kicked us out.
"Are you serious, Professor?" He asked, to which she gave a crisp nod and said, "Absolutely. They are both naturals. Was that your first time on a broom?" She asked Harry, who slowly nodded. "He caught a rememball after a fifty-foot dive. Montgomery was the one to get ahold of it and throw it to him in the first place." She explained. "Didn't even scratch themselves. Charlie Weasley couldn't have done it." Oliver was now looking off with a faraway daze, looking as if all of his dreams were coming true, and they probably were. The twins often spoke about how serious the fifth year took Quidditch.
"Ever seen a game of Quidditch, Potter?" He asked once he was finally brought back to reality. Harry shook his head no, still confused as to what was going on.
"Wood's captain of the Gryffindor team." McGonagall finally explained, helping Harry to understand the situation just a little better. "They have just the builds for a catcher and seeker, too," Oliver told her, inspecting us, which was a little uncomfortable.
"Light... Speedy... And I've seen Sammy play catcher. We'll need to get them decent brooms, Professor. A nimbus 2000 or a Cleansweeper Seven, I'd say." My jaw dropped and I wanted to laugh in disbelief. As if the school would buy us brand new brooms. She nodded. "I shall speak with Dumbledore and see if we can't bend the first-year rule. Heaven knows we need a better team than last year. Flattened in the last match by Slytherin. I couldn't look Severus Snape in the face for weeks..." She admitted to us. I remember the twins writing (and eventually telling me in person) about how the season ended. They also told me about how they haven't been able to mention Charlie's name without Wood getting upset due to the fact he graduated and the team never recovered.
"I want you both training hard or I may change my mind about punishing you." She warned, giving us a stern look over her glasses. We nodded and suddenly she smiled. "Your parents would have been proud. Both of you."
"Your joking!" Ron yelled, pausing mid-bite when we told him what had happened with McGonagall. "Seeker? Catcher? But first years never- no you must be the youngest players in about-"
"A century." Harry and I both finished for him. "Wood told us." Ron just gapped at us while we walked. "We start training next week. Only you can't tell anyone. Wood wants it to be a secret." I added for Harry. Two arms crossed over my shoulders as the twins squeezed between Harry and I. Fred put his other arm over Harry's shoulders for added effect.
"Well done," George said in a low voice. "Wood just told us. We're on the team, too. Beaters."
"Our job is to make sure that you don't get bloodied up too bad. Can't make any promises, of course. Rough game, Quidditch." Fred said, trying to scare Harry. I just smiled and rolled my eyes. "Brutal. But no one's died in years. Someone will vanish occasionally..." George took his turn to speak.
"But they'll turn up in a month or two!" Fred finished. It always amused me when the twins would finish each other's sentences, but I just shook my head and looked at Harry. "Don't worry, they're only messing around. Well, for the most part. Seekers do get injured the most often." I grinned at him.
"I tell you, we're going to win that Quidditch cup for sure this year." Fred beamed. "We haven't won since Charlie left but this year's going to be brilliant! You must be good, Wood was practically skipping when we told us." He told us. Geroge shook me a little in excitement. "Our sister! One of two first years in the last century!"
"Anyways, we've got to go. Lee Jordan reckons he found a new secret passage out of the school." Fred started, "Bet it's the one behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy that we found in our first week. See you." Geroge told him. They both gave me a quick kiss on the top of my head and headed out.
"Oh go on, Harry! Quidditch is great!" Ron tried to convince Harry while we were walking through the courtyard to get to the Great Hall for lunch. But Harry still seemed quite unsure about his decision. "Best game there is! And you'll be great, too!"
"But I've never even played quidditch! What if I make a fool of myself?" He asked us, practically summoning Hermione to pop out from the other side of me, causing me to jump. "You won't make a fool of yourself." She said assuredly. "It's in your blood." And with that, she grabbed my hand and led us to the trophy room and up to a trophy dedicated to Gryffindor Quidditch players. On the bottom, for the year 1970, read Seeker - James Potter. Harry started at the plaque with a proud smile on his face.
"Woah! Harry, you've never told us your father was a Seeker, too!" Ron said amazed, with his face practically smashed against the glass. "I- I didn't know..." Harry said, voice full of surprise and a hint of sadness. I couldn't help but give him a sympathetic smile, knowing how it felt to not know much about your parents. At least you got six years with them, Samantha... I chastised myself. After Harry felt like he had spent enough time staring at the trophy, we left and headed for the Great Hall to finally eat lunch, with all of our stomachs growling.
It felt like we didn't even get a chance to breathe once we sat down before Draco and his goons appeared. He had a nasty grin on his face. "Having a last meal, Potter? Montgomery? When are you getting on the train back to the Muggles? I suppose your family won't even want you back." He dedicated the last part toward me.
"You're a lot braver now that you're back on the ground and you've gotten your little friends with you," Harry responded cooly. I smirked. Crabbe and Goyle knew they couldn't harm them since the teachers were nearby, so instead, they cracked their knuckles and glared in an attempt to be intimidating.
"I'd take you on anytime on my own!" Draco defended. "Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel. Wands only- no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?" He continued taunting.
"Of course he has!" Ron said, coming to Harry's defense. I smiled a little at that, proud of my brother for sticking up for one of his friends. "I'm his second. Sams his third, whos yours?" I was slightly surprised I was being brought into this. Malfoy turned to the incredibly large boys beside them, analyzing them.
"Crabbe," He decided. "Midnight all right? We'll meet you in the trophy room that's always unlocked." Ron just nodded, accepting the duel. Once the three boys left, we all looked at each other.
"What is a Wizard's duel?" Harry asked. I groaned. We're fucked. "And what do you mean you're my second and Sams my third?" Ron squirmed a little in his seat.
"Well, a second is in case you die. And a third is in case I die." He said overly casual but backtracked when he saw the worry on Harry's face. "But people only die in proper duels, you know, with real wizards." I decided to step in and help Ron out a little. "The most you and Malfoy'll be able to do is send sparks at each other. Neither of you knows enough magic to do any actual damage. I bet he expected you to refuse, anyway." I added before I took a bite of my mince pie.
"What if I wave my wand and nothing happens?"
"Throw it away and punch him in the face." I grinned, imagining Harry hitting Draco.
"Excuse me," We looked up to see that we were being interrupted by Hermione. Ron wasn't to thrilled and asked her, "Cant a person eat in peace in this place?" I lightly kicked his shin but also agreed. Since we sat down we haven't had a chance to actually eat because people just kept coming up to us. Hermione just ignored him and looked at Harry.
"I couldn't help but overhear what you and Malfoy were saying-" She started. "Bet you could..." Ron muttered quietly. "and you mustn't go wandering around the school at night, think of the points you'll lose Gryffindor if you get caught, which you're bound to be. It's really selfish of you." She added. while liked Hermione and enjoyed her company, sometimes she adds comments that weren't necessary. It oddly feels like being scolded by a mother and only pissed Ron off more. And it must've struck a nerve for Harry as well.
"it's really none of your business." He told her. "Goodbye." Ron finished for him while Harry grabbed my hand, dragging Ron and me out of the Great Hall. I sent her a small smile as if to say, "sorry but I'm also not really sorry."
That night was a Wednesday and every Wednesday night, we had Astrology at 10 pm for an hour. I laid next to Harry, filling out the star chart we were told to. We decided to share a telescope and work together. Ron was supposed to help but instead, he was fast asleep on the cold cement and drooling all over his parchment.
"Hmmm... You know, my middle name is after a star." I absentmindedly told him, looking in the telescope. he looked up from his chart. "Oh really? What is it?" After I noted down what I had just seen, I smiled at him. "Helios. It means 'brightest star in the sky." I shook my head, thinking it was kind of a silly meaning but Harry seemed to disagree.
"I like that. It fits you really well." His cheeks turned a little pink and I went to ask him what he meant by that but was interrupted when the professor dismissed us to go back to our common room.
Later on that evening, at half-past eleven, I snuck out of bed, slipped on my robe, got my wand, and went to meet the boys in the common room. All three of us met at the top of the stairs and were quietly going past the barely lit fire when a light turned on a voice spoke, coming from a chair near us.
Hey guys! Here's another chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed it! I hope I'm portraying Sam and Hermione's friendship well. Sam looks at Hermione as a good friend that could be overbearing at times BUT that doesn't mean I'm hating on Hermione or that they don't like each other. I hope y'all understand. 3 Thanks again for reading! Please like, comment, or even share. It would mean a lot to me!
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