A.N:- Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, added to alerts and favourites. I hope you continue to enjoy the story.

I've reached the point where I have read over this chapter and edited it so many times I keep telling myself it's still not ready in fear of posting. I have bitten the bullet and posted before I overthink any further. Any mistakes are mine.

XXX

Chapter 6

Holly woke early Saturday morning. Wanting to utilise the day to its fullest rather than lie in, she dressed quickly, grabbed her school bag before creeping out of the dorm as quietly as she could. She had no desire to disturb the other girls, wanting some time to herself. It would take some getting used to, being constantly surrounded by others. The Dursleys had wanted nothing to do with her outside of giving her daily chores.

Holly passed through the Entrance Hall and continued up the Grand Staircase to the first floor in search of the Library entrance. Every class had given them homework, and while she had already completed her Transfiguration and Astronomy homework, it still left her with quite a few assignments. Not to mention she wanted to make a start on her own personal quest, and begin her search for a way to heal her parents, and solve the puzzle her mother had left for her.

It was easier than she thought it would be to find. The Library's double doors were open wide, signalling that the Library was open to the students. Holly stepped inside. Pausing as she soaked up the sight before her. Hogwarts was impressive. Holly couldn't argue against that, but the Library was on a different level. Holly got the impression she had stepped into a cathedral the moment she passed its doors, with two long arms stretching to the left and right of the entrance, each lined with bookshelves. Light shone through thin stained glass windows that stretched high above her. To the left, a staircase twisted upwards, leading to the second floor.

It was a treasure trove.

A wonderful, delightful treasure trove, and she couldn't wait to get started.

Holly smiled to herself as she stepped further inside. She knew that the Library would become her favourite place in the school.

Holly itched to wander through the stacks. Lose herself to the books, the magic secrets that the Library offered, should she be brave enough to learn them. She restrained herself. Now wasn't the time for her to lose focus. She still had Potions and Defence Against the Dark Arts Homework left that were due on Monday. Each of them required an 8 inch essay, one in the safety precautions one should take when brewing potions and the other was an essay about the Gytrash, the defensive spells used against it and why it was in the Spirit Classification.

Charms, Magical Theory, and History of Magic were due on Tuesday, with Herbology on Wednesday. Holly was hoping to finish her Potions essay, Defence Against the Dark Arts, before starting her Charms assignment today. Considering the assignment brought up an important question why the Mending Charm wasn't suitable to use to heal a person. Which led to questions about what spells she could use?

Having planned out which assignments she wished to complete first, Holly had somewhere to start amongst the sea of shelves. Defence Against the Dark Arts required a little more information than the school textbook provided in order to make her essay more original. Holly made her way through the stacks to the sections she needed in the hope she could find what she was looking for.

She picked out a few books she thought were suitable for the assignments before moving to a nearby table tucked away in an alcove and settled down. Pulling out her parchment, ink, quill, and her own school textbooks. She was deep in the library and less likely to be disturbed by others coming and going, giving her peace to focus on her homework.

Holly started writing about the safety precautions one should take when brewing potions. She started with the more obvious safety measures, covering fire precautions and the use of sharp objects. Before moving to the precautions needed when handling ingredients and giving examples of such cases. The Cure for Boils was the only potion she had brewed, and Holly ensured she referenced the potion in her essay. Making note of the overexcited nature of Sharke Spines should they be stirred to vigorous, resulting in them congealing and ruining the potion. Holly also added an example of potions she hadn't yet made - such as the wrong measurement of mistletoe berries for the Antidote to Common Poisons potion would actually render the potion useless. In Potions, it was apparent that everything had to be precise, otherwise the results would be disastrous. Holly found it fascinating and a subject she really wanted to sink her teeth into.

Once she had the exact amount needed for the essay, she put the parchment to one side. Carefully putting a book on each corner in order to allow the ink to dry and before getting out a fresh sheet of parchment and started on her Defence Against the Dark Arts homework. It surprised her why Gytrash came under the classification of Spirits. The creature was an off-spring of a Will-O-Wisps and Cu Sith, and didn't actually have a corporeal body. Despite one of their ancestors - the Cu Sith being a beast rather than a spirit. It explained why it was resistant to fire despite being sensitive to light. Holly couldn't exactly wrap her head around how that had worked, but her understanding of how the creature came to exist wasn't important.

Finally, Holly was ready to move onto the essay she was looking forward to the most, though she didn't know where to start. The Mending Charm was used to repair most materials. They could use it on a living person or an animal, though the textbook stated they were proscribed to do so and the result of using it was serious scarring. Though The Standard Book of Spells didn't delve any further. She knew the assignment was requiring a more in-depth look in to the reason and the limits of the spell. She went in search of more information. Holly knew she could end up spending hours looking through the stacks for the answer and still not come across the right book. Not wanting to waste any time, Holly went to ask the Librarian for help.

Madam Pince's desk was near the Library entrance. The desk was circular and positioned in the centre. Giving the librarian an unobstructed view of her domain. At least until the stacks splintered off and turned and twisted out of sight. Madam Pince sat behind her desk sorting through books from the Returns pile. Stamping them and releasing them into what appeared to be a chain of floating books, moving in all different directions down the twists and turns of the labyrinth that was the Library. She had sunken cheeks and her skin was like parchment. With a hooked-nose and hawk-like eyes that narrowed thinly as Holly approached.

"Excuse me," Holly whispered. The last thing she wanted was to disturb the quiet. And from the bold lettered sign on the desk, it wouldn't win her any points if she did.

"What?" Madam Pince asked sharply. Though Holly noted, her voice didn't go any higher than a whisper.

"I need information on why the Mending Charm isn't suitable to use on living people or animals, and I am not entirely sure where to look?" Holly met the woman's gaze briefly as she spoke, before glancing away quickly.

"Magic and the Body by Hesita Rowthorn, can be found on the West Side, the eleventh stack, on the ninth shelf from the bottom, in the Healing Section. You will also find The Essential Guide to Healing by Brighid Westwood, same stack, three shelves down. They should have the answer you are looking for. Now be quiet."

Holly blinked in surprise. She muttered a soft thank you before turning on her heel and obediently made her way towards the Healing Section. Holly counted the stacks and then the shelves until she found both books Madam Pince had recommended. Both of them looked exactly what she needed to read, even outside of Charms homework. She plucked them off the shelves. It didn't take her long to return to her table where she started compiling notes to help towards her Charms homework and also future points she wished to look up further about Healing.

Holly lost track of how much time had passed as she compiled her notes, which ended up being over three sheets of parchment. Each book was fascinating and expanded on an idea or theory that Blaise had mentioned after Transfiguration. Each living thing held an essence of magic to them. A core which emanated magic into the greater whole. Life and creation. Living beings, their life-force was magic as was the human heart, soul and emotions and each of them affected the way spells and magic worked and interacted with them. Like cogs in a clock, they were only parts. The reason why the Mending Charm was unable to heal properly, or at least from her understanding, was that even though the spell was living magic, it didn't sync with the magic of the living person in order to allow them to heal. Holly didn't want to leave the library without checking out either book so she could read them later. Though she had enough notes to help her finish her Charms homework. Holly closed the books and pushed them to one side. There would be plenty of time to read them this evening. Right now, she had a moment, and she wanted to look at her mother's puzzle and try to work out what it was they meant. Holly pulled out the journal and letter. She had lost track of how many times she had read the letter, treasuring every word, even if the puzzle in the book had little meaning to her.

You will solve it and work out what exactly it is your mother left you.

It consisted of a combination of eight equations and eight symbols. It was only from the last few weeks of studying them she realised they didn't quite appear to be in order. She couldn't determine what order they actually needed to be.

Was the key to solving the puzzle the numbers or the symbols or a combination of both?

Was it code?

Holly scribbled a couple of working outs on a spare piece of parchment, trying in vain to look at some way she could work out what they meant. Thirty minutes later, her head was hurting, and it felt as though she was going cross-eyed as she gazed at the journal.

"You know we don't actually study Arithmancy and Ancient Runes until the third year. As long as we score high enough in the League, they will be available. I asked Professor McGonagall what other branches of magic there were when she came to invite me to the school. They sounded so fascinating that I had to look them up."

Granger.

Holly hadn't had a conversation with Granger since Summer School had finished. Despite the fact that they had been in Hogwarts for almost a week. It was almost as though the other girl was avoiding her. Ever since their Sorting.

Holly snapped her attention to the girl. She was standing directly in front of her table, clutching two thick volumes to her chest.

"I thought Gryffindors didn't talk to Slytherins?"

"Our prefects warn us to avoid you. Considering the Slytherins I have crossed with have been nothing but mean to me, I can see why. I'm surprised you were Sorted there, considering you were in Summer School."

Holly resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "I don't see why being in Summer School is going to prevent me from being Sorted into Slytherin."

"Well, because you're a muggle-born."

"I'm a half-blood. Not a muggle-born. Both of my parents were magical." Holly bit out. While her blood status or the blood status of anyone wasn't something she thought was significant, she hated the assumptions others made about her and then acted as though she was in the wrong when the reality didn't match.

Granger blinked at her in surprise.

"I wasn't aware that you were like your fellow Slytherins."

Holly sighed.

"The last time I checked every single one of you I went to Summer School with has ignored me since our Sorting. I have done nothing wrong."

Granger pulled out a chair and sat down opposite her, putting her two books on the table.

"Everyone says Slytherin is a dark house."

Holly rolled her eyes.

Granger stretched as far as she could across the table to peer at the notebook with the equations Holly had in front of her.

"They don't look like any equations I have seen yet. Can I have a look?"

A hand reached across to pick up the notebook. Holly quickly snapped it out of reach with a growl. "No."

Granger blinked several times in surprise. "Well, there is no need to be rude, I was only trying to help."

"Help. You have done nothing but insult my school house since you approached me. I didn't ask for help. It's none of your business." Holly ground out, anger simpering through her blood. Dudley took, took, took all the time. Had never allowed her to have anything that was hers. And this was hers, the only thing she had from her mother, the only thing that was theirs, and she wouldn't let anyone take that away from her. Her heart pounded in her chest and all she could see was red. The table rattled uncontrollably as her magic bubbled to the surface.

No.

Granger's eyes widened.

"You're just like the others. Thinking you're better than everyone else, because you have magical parents."

Holly pushed herself to her feet, grabbing her things from the table and stuffed them into her bag. She was hot and she couldn't breathe. She needed to get out. Holly snatched up the two books she wanted to check out and promptly turned away, without giving Granger another look. Her face must have looked like thunder by the time she reached Madam Pince to check out the books, because the witch gave her a funny look, as if she was about to find a mess in her library somewhere.

Holly didn't pay attention to which way she turned after leaving the Library. All she could hear was the pounding beat of her heart roaring in her ears and her magic was swirling around inside her as though she were in the middle of a tornado. It didn't take her long to realise she was lost. She must have taken a wrong turn along the way. Not wanting to see anyone else, Holly ducked down a corridor that was considerably darker than the rest, and slumped down the wall to the floor. She just needed a moment to clear her head before she could concentrate enough to find her way down from wherever she was. Tears broke free as much as she hated that they did. It took everything she had to swallow the sob that wanted to escape. That someone had tried to take the journal her mother had left her, left a bitter taste in her mouth. The fear of knowing that it was possible that someone could take it away from her so easily coursed through her with every beat of her heart.

It wasn't something she could, or would allow to, happen again.

The tears fell and silently Holly cried until she couldn't cry anymore.

Now that she was away from the library, Holly knew she had perhaps overreacted. She was so used to other people taking everything from her, or denying her the most basic things, that the moment Granger had reached for the notebook she had snapped.

A sliver of guilt wiggled inside of her. Whether or not she liked to admit it, Granger had supplied her with a place to look towards solving the puzzle her mother had left her. At the same time, Granger needed to learn boundaries and that not everything was available for her instant consumption.

Holly dried her eyes on the sleeve of her robe and pushed herself to her feet and looked around. The corridor she had taken refuge in was deserted. Holly couldn't shake the feeling that she found her way to the forbidden third corridor, if the lack of light, thick cobwebs and the lack of use was anything to go by. The problem was she didn't know exactly how she ended up on this corridor. Holly shivered, painfully aware that the temperature had dropped around her.

"What are you doing here, Speaker?"

Holly jumped, startled by the voice behind her. She spun and came face to face with a ghost. Not just any ghost, either, but Bloody Baron, the Slytherin ghost. Wide staring black eyes observed her. He was pearly-white and had a gaunt face, dressed in robes that had glistening silver bloodstains on them.

"I'm sorry, speaker?" Holly asked.

Bloody Baron ignored her question. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm lost. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going because I was upset."

For a moment, it almost looked as though the ghost's face softened ever so slightly, not that it made him look any less severe, but there was a subtle change to his face that she noticed. Almost as if he was empathising with her.

"Follow me."

Holly could hardly believe her ears. From what the other Slytherins had said in warning, Bloody Baron liked to be left alone, preferring not to be bothered by the students of the school. Yes, he would help, if a student absolutely required that help, but he didn't go out of the way to offer aid. Holly half expected him to lead her back the way she had travelled from. He didn't. He floated towards a wall before turning to face her once again.

"If you press on the fourth brick right from the sconce. A passageway will take you down to the first floor. You will find your way from there Speaker."

"Thank you," Holly said. "Are you going to tell me why you're calling me Speaker?"

Bloody Baron looked at her before turning away, once again ignoring her question. Holly pressed on the fourth brick from the sconce, and the wall slid open. A warm gush of air wrapped itself around her. Holly reached for her wand.

"Lumos!"

The tip of her wand flared to life with a warm, soft glow that allowed her to see the steps in front of her. She was grateful that the spell had worked, considering Quirrell had taught them. Holly glanced over her shoulder and wondered why Bloody Baron had opted to help her and what exactly did it mean when he called her Speaker.

The wall slid shut behind her as she stepped off the first step. The darkness would have swallowed her whole had she not already cast the wand-lighting charm. Even though it wasn't the brightest, she could see enough of the steps to not trip and fall into the waiting darkness and break her neck. Bloody Baron had said the passage would take her to the first floor, though he hadn't specified where on the first floor or how she was to exit the passage. The only sound she could hear was the thumping of her heart, that seemed loud in the cloistered space that appeared to muffle everything else. Mixed with the darkness, it cast an eerie feeling of losing oneself and time.

What step number was she on now?

50, 55?

By the time she reached what she presumed was the sixtieth step, it seemed she had reached what appeared to be a landing. An archway on the left led to a second set of stairs that spiralled down.

Had she reached the first floor?

Holly felt along the wall. There were the natural grooves in the stones, though she couldn't see any visible cracks that showed an exit, or that the wall possibly moved. She pushed and prodded until she felt it. Tiny vibrations running through the wall to her hands and up her arms. The wall groaned, and Holly stepped back, watching as the wall slid open. A blinding, bright light filled the passageway. Holly blinked, trying to force her eyes to adjust to the light before something crashed into her and she flew off her feet.

"Whoa!"

A boy's voice cried as they tumbled to the floor.

"Oi, Forge, Filch has set a booby trap on the other side."

Holly pushed the boy, who had fallen on top of her off, wheezing as she gasped for air. Well, that had certainly knocked the wind right out of her. Glancing up, she saw a head peering through the wall.

"That's no booby trap Gred, that's a girl." The red-haired floating head said cheerfully, "You alright down there?"

"Course she is, nothing more than a tumble," Gred answered. He pushed himself to his feet before offering her a hand. Cautiously, Holly took his hand, and he hauled her up with a grin, making a show of checking her over. As though he was a concerned parent.

"Course, it's always safe to double check. No broken bones, no cuts, right? I deem you fit and as healthy as you were before your fall."

"That's good to know," Holly said. She doubted either heard her as they continued to bounce back and forth like lightning.

"Terribly sorry, Gred here has always been a clumsy one. Almost as if he was born with two left feet."

"Ah, what dear Forge has failed to mention is he's the forgetful one. It is two right feet, not left, and while clumsy I may be, I am still the pretty one."

"Scandalise, I'm the pretty one!" Forge cried in mock rage.

Holly was certain her face was an open book of confusion and bewilderment, but nodded once to show acceptance if not understanding of the conversation going on before her.

"See, forgetful and rude, though in all the confusion I believe I forgot to apologise for running into you. It was a rather delicate situation, you see, though I won't bore you with the details."

The other one snorted. "You are a bore. I'm Fred," he greeted, offering a hand for her to shake. "Maybe." He winked.

"George, likewise."

"And we are the infamous, dashingly handsome Weasley Twins."

"Who?" Holly asked, genuinely confused by the whole affair. Weasley was a name she recognised. There was a Weasley in her year, but she hadn't been aware of siblings.

Rather than taking offense, both grinned like Cheshire cats.

"A kindred spirit!" Fred laughed.

"Indeed, we have brother, mine. Indeed, we have." George agreed.

Holly blinked at them both. She couldn't keep up with their lightning flash responses with each other, let alone who was actually who.

"Be a dear and tell us your name?" one of them asked.

"Holly."

"Holly, Holly Potter."

She nodded once, feeling slightly uncomfortable by the intensity of their gazes, but she refused to look away from them. Instead met their gazes with her own.

"The mysterious Potter. I believe, dear Fred, we have a prodigy on our hands. Perhaps even an apprentice."

"She shows promise; we will have to see how strong it is, though."

"How strong, what is?" she asked, feeling a slight twinge of a headache. Gods, they were exhausting.

"That's for us to know and you to find out." They chorused with identical grins and a mischievous glint in their eyes that would have made her uncle nervous.

"So where does the passage come from?" she asked, not expecting an answer, but at the very least trying to take control of the conversation.

"Ah, noticed that, did you? We rarely share trade secrets and all, but since you cushioned the blow of a hard floor, and you have clearly seen it would be rude not to tell you."

George, or at least she thought it was George, said with a sheepish look crossing his face.

"It leads to the second floor, or if you want to be more precise, the East side of the second floor in the Library, come along." Fred took over as he looped an arm through hers.

George copied his brother on her opposite side. "We couldn't think of more exciting company to be in on this beautiful day. The Mysterious Potter."

Holly frowned in confusion. "I'm not mysterious."

They ignored her as they pushed the wall open a little further, in order for her to see the lined shelves along the walls. She had known the Library had extended over two floors but she hadn't realised there were secret passageways hidden within.

"Sure you are."

Fred countered with a sly smile. "That's what makes everything interesting. I mean, you aren't the Boy-Who-Lived, but you were there that night, makes people curious about you. Not to mention the fact your family are Gryffindor's and then you're sorted into Slytherin."

"I don't see any horns, or fangs yet, but only time will tell."

George added with a dramatic sigh.

"Seriously?"

"Fraid so Kitten."

Holly stared at them, unable to determine whether they were being serious or if they were playing a joke on her. Deciding it was for the best she didn't know which it was they were doing, she opted to ask about the secret passage.

"Which section are we in?"

"Enchantment section. It is only the older years that frequent this section, but even then it's not well used. Thankfully, it doesn't exit on the west side," Fred answered.

"Why? What is the west side?" Holly asked.

"We call them the love shelves. There is a passage there too, which leads up to the fifth floor, but it's the area that older students use for more personal reasons than studying," George answered. "There was that one time we rushed out without checking..."

"A mistake we will never make again." Fred shuddered.

"And a couple of prefects were in a delicate situation, scared me for life I swear."

Holly couldn't stop the laugh that escaped her. Both boys turned to look at her in disbelief.

"George, she is laughing at our plight."

"She is indeed Fred. She is indeed. Show us some mercy Kitten, we were only twelve."

"I'm not sure who would have been more traumatised, you, or the prefects."

"Oh, us." They answered.

"Right. Now pay attention Kitten, a useful spell to ensure no one is there when you exit is a Human-presence-revealing spell. Incantation is Homenum Revelio. Got that."

Holly nodded once and repeated the incantation back to them three times. By the third time she could see a red outline in the shape of a human body glow in front of her, it pulsed like it had its very own heartbeat.

"Nothing should happen if nobody is there."

Turning around to see where the passageway entrance was, it amazed her as it blended into the background. She had just exited it, and she did not know where it was. Picking a book off the shelf, she could see the solid back of the bookcase giving no indicator either.

"Push on the bookshelf, which will slide the wall open behind, allowing you to slip inside." George chuckled.

Holly did so, just to reassure herself she could find it without their aid. The bookshelf slid to the side, allowing enough of a gap for someone to slip through and into the secret passage behind it.

"No passwords needed?"

George shook his head. "No, just push on the bookshelf. We wondered why, but most people aren't looking for it, so there isn't much need for a safeguard."

"And the second staircase down? Where does that lead?"

"It carries on to the first floor of the Library, that ends up in the Potions section of all places," he answered. "And you will find a second set of stairs on that next landing, which leads to the basement, near where the kitchens are. You will find your way to the dungeons easily enough from there."

And wasn't that a useful thing to know that she could enter the Library without Madam Pince ever being aware.

"Well, this is where we leave you Kitten, have fun and try not to get into too much trouble," Fred said, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"I will leave that to you, shall I?"

They grinned in response. Holly didn't know what to make of them. They were interesting. Together, the three of them returned to the secret passage before Holly took the stairs leading down, while the twins moved up, doing whatever it was they had originally planned to do before their paths had crossed.

Holly entered the Great Hall halfway through lunch. Not that she was the only one she noted. Other students trickled in and out of the Hall. Though as she made her way towards the Slytherin table, she should have known that her appearance wouldn't go unnoticed.

"Where have you been all morning?" Daphne asked, as Holly sat down next to her.

"The Library. I woke earlier than everyone else and wanted to make a start on our Charms, Potions and Defence homework."

"And you completed all three?"

"Not quite. I compiled enough notes for our Charms homework, so I should be able to finish that tonight, but the other two I have finished."

"Would I be able to read over your Charms notes?" Daphne asked, "I am struggling to find a reason the Mending Charm isn't suitable for use on living things, aside from leaving horrendous scarring."

Holly nodded. "Sure. Though if I am being honest, I think it's linked to what Blaise said the other day about living things, having their own magic, their own essence. I can't say I fully understood the concept, but it was interesting to read, as it led me to some Healing books."

Daphne raised an eyebrow. "You're interested in Healing?"

Holly shrugged. "I am interested in all magic, but yes, I find the possibilities that Healing magic offers fascinating."

Holly reasoned it was better to admit she had an interest in Healing rather than trying to hide it. She didn't have to expand on why she was interested or even what she was trying to achieve but it would at the very least provide a buffer on why she was reading books on the subject, rather than trying to hide studying the subject. Daphne gave her a puzzled look, as though Holly had just presented another angle to herself she hadn't been expecting and she wasn't sure what to think about it. Holly couldn't say she understood why people were interested in her in the first place, or why they even wanted to make friends.

"Are you coming down to the Quidditch Pitch after lunch?" Malfoy asked them both as the others rose from the table.

"I thought the Quidditch try-outs weren't for another couple of weeks?"

"Flint booked the first weekend, wanted to get a head start on the other houses," Nott answered.

"So tell me again exactly how it works?" Holly asked, as she stood from the table.

"You don't know what Quidditch is?" Malfoy spluttered, eyes bulging and looking most put out by her comment.

"No, I don't," she confirmed.

Holly wasn't sure if that was the right thing to say, but Malfoy straightened his shoulders before lunging into an explanation, as they left the Great Hall and made their way towards the Quidditch Pitch.

"The object of the game is to score more points than your opposing team. Each goal is worth ten points, and it is the three Chasers' job to score those points with the Quaffle in the opposing team's goals. The Keeper's job is to defend the goals. Each team has two Beaters whose job it is to protect their own teammates from the opposing team's Beaters and the Bludgers. They do this by beating the bludgers away, or towards the opposing team. Then there is the last player, the Seeker."

Malfoy caught his breath before continuing on with his explanation. "The Seeker's job is to catch the golden snitch. The Snitch is worth 150 points and once the Seeker catches it, the game ends. Though you need to time it right, even if your team catches the Snitch, it doesn't mean they have automatically won if the opposing team has scored more points prior."

"Okay." Holly wasn't a hundred percent confident that she had understood all of it and from the look Daphne was sending her way, it was clear her plight amused the other girl.

"The Slytherin Quidditch team has won for the last several years. Flint, only accepts the very best from his team."

"So why are they holding tryouts?" she asked.

"Because we only accept the best," Malfoy answered with a roll of his eyes, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "If someone else in the years below is superb, then Flint may swap them around. It's just a shame that first years can't have their own brooms, or try out."

Malfoy then reeled off different facts about Quidditch and the moves that were performed by various players while both Daphne and Blaise shot her amused looks with raised eyebrows that clearly said 'you asked for it', before carrying on with their discussion about something that sounded more interesting. Holly didn't know what a Finbourgh Flick was.

By the time they had arrived at the pitch, the Slytherin team's tryouts were well underway.

Despite Malfoy's explanation, watching the Slytherin players themselves was entertaining, and she could see why people loved the sport so much. Though if she was honest, the concept of flying held her attention more than anything else. It offered freedom that tempted her, especially when all she had known was a dark cage.

Who hadn't dreamed at one point they could fly, she certainly had, more than once. It certainly would have been useful in the past.

Flint picked the same two Chasers that had been on the team last year alongside him, after all potential Chasers had taken their shot, making it look more and more like Flint intended to keep the same team entirely and that he was merely observing formality with holding the tryouts. Especially after Miles Bletchley became the successful Keeper.

The tryouts for the Seeker and the Beaters were chaotic compared to the Keeper and Chaser tryouts. From what Holly could see there were six potential Beaters, two that had already been on the team and were used to working together enough to read the slightest shift in the positioning of each other and four new potential candidates that weren't used to working together. In the chaos of them flying and beating the bludgers away were nine potential Seekers all flying aimlessly around searching for the all important Golden Snitch.

Holly wasn't sure how Flint was keeping track of them because she certainly wasn't having much success in the chaos.

"Higgs is definitely the better Seeker," Malfoy stated.

"I'm not sure how you can tell who is who amongst all that, but considering he has been on the team for the last five years, it's not really that much of a surprise, is it?" Nott answered.

"Well, I'm bored, watching a game of Quidditch is entertaining, but tryouts are just taking it too far, especially when they are all so…" Blaise began, though Holly wasn't sure what exactly they all were as it seemed to evade him.

"Here, read this if you are bored," Parkinson said, passing him the paper she had been flicking through. "I'm done with it."

"How can you be bored? We've seen about three near-deadly accidents so far, not to mention broken limbs," Holly said.

"Can they be called accidents if someone is purposely aiming something at you?" Blaise asked her.

"Probably not. Though I suppose it fits with the Slytherin image, you know, enjoying senseless violence."

"It's clever, really. Anyone else seeing this is going to presume the worst about the team," Nott said.

"And cowered when playing with us. It's a well-played tactic, on Flint's part."

Holly heard the note of admiration in Malfoy's voice as he watched the performance play out in front of them.

"Does some of the work for the team before they even play the other Houses. Though I'm not sure the Gryffindros have enough common sense to cower."

"They lack common sense for everything."

There were muttered agreements at Malfoy's statement.

"Are you going to try out for the team next year, Draco?"

"Of course." He nodded. "This is Higgs last year. So there will definitely be a position available. It will just depend on whether any of those who tried out for the Seeker position this year improve enough to be a threat."

"Of course, you have to be good enough." Blaise said, amusement lacing his words.

Malfoy puffed himself up a little. "I'm a Malfoy. We're good at everything we put our minds to."

"Well, there is an entire year to wait until we are in second year, so there is plenty of time." Parkinson soothed.

"Provided we pass our first year." Nott pointed out.

"Well, on that pleasant note, I have homework that needs to be finished. To ensure, I pass my first year," Blaise said, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

Although they had only just started their first year at Hogwarts, it was clear to Holly the Slytherin first years were already aware of the pressure they had facing them to pass their Final Exams.

"The team looks like they're done now anyway," Malfoy agreed.

It didn't take them long to return to the castle and the Slytherin Common Room, as they chatted amongst themselves. They had a few hours before it was dinner time, which should give them time to complete some of their homework. Holly was hoping she would finish her Charms' homework, freeing her evening to read the books she had checked out.