Last chapter till May.

Hufflepuff

November 10th
Sixth Year

""Ufflepuff? 'Ow can 'Ufflepuff be allowed to compete? Zey are ze brainless 'ouze!" A Beuxbatons boy said after the Champion selection. "And zat leettle Greefeendor, 'e cannot compete! 'e is too young! 'Ogwarts is cheating! Eef 'Ogwarts eez allowed two champeeons, we should 'ave two champeeons!" murmurs of agreement went through the boy's blue silk-clad classmates.

"Agreed!" a compatriot cheered.

Jo heard it all and demanded, "Brainless House? What makes Hufflepuff brainless?"

"I waz told zat 'Ufflepuff is for the… 'ow do you say? Broken…Damaged. Studentz 'oo do not fit into ze ozer 'ouzez." The look he gave her was a mix of pity and disdain as he identified the colors on her tie and the badge on her robes.

"Hufflepuffs are not brain damaged!" Jo snapped, her fist flying out and stopping a half-inch from the boy's nose. "Gryffindors are brave to the point of reckless stupidity, Ravenclaws are brainy and value learning above all else, Slytherins are sly and cunning like the snake they display on their crest; Hufflepuffs value loyalty and hardworkers who aren't afraid of toil, we've produced the fewest Dark Wizards because we are just and true! And if I ever hear you dissing my house again, I will hurt you, don't you for a second think I won't."

The French boy took a step back and then bolted. Jo dropped her fist to her hip and stood there, watching his retreating back. When she couldn't see him anymore she turned back to Leili and Marcus who'd been walking with her when she'd heard the insult.

"…Did you just quote the Sorting Hat?" Marcus asked.

Leilani grinned as she spilt off from the group, Oliver was leading Quidditch practice and she'd told him she'd watch.

When practice was over, he flew over to her, "How'd we do?"

"Looked great from here! How do you think you did?"

Oliver weighed all the things he thought they could have done better, from Harry seeing the snitch faster to Angelina getting the Quaffle through the hoops more reliably.

Leilani listened to him deliberate for a while until he stopped, "I'm boring you."

"No, I don't really know what you're talking about, but no, you're not boring me. It's kinda fun to watch you talk about this. You get aallll puffed up."

"You couldn't see where we should have been better?" he asked, surprised. It was so obvious to him. He spent whole summers drawing up new plans.

"I have a hard time seeing that when it's only one team playing. When you're playing against somebody, I can see where a chaser's aim was a little off or a beater should have hit a little harder or where a keeper was just a few seconds not quick enough. I can see it then, because the other team gets the point," she admitted. "So, despite the flaws, how do you think you did?"

"I don't think we'd beat Slytherin. Hufflepuff, but not Slytherin." He was teasing now; she knew it.

"Oh, really?" she teased back. "I don't know, Hufflepuff is pretty good, you might be surprised when they kick your butt," she laughed.

He grinned and his eyes sparkled at her, "What are ye doing for Winter Holiday?"

"Well, I usually go home for Christmas. Why?"

"Will you go to the Ball with me?"

Leilani made a show of thinking about it, "Oh gee, I don't know…" He made a face at her and she laughed, "Yes! Absolutely, yes! It sounds like fun!"

He flew off to change clothes and she left to meet Jo in the library to do homework.

"Jo!" She called. "JoJoJoeyJoJo! Mojo Jojo!" She giggled to herself.

Her exuberance earned a glare and a "Shhhh!" From Madame Pince.

"What?" Jo grinned, it was nice seeing Leili so happy, though where 'Mojo Jojo' came from, she couldn't guess.

"He asked me to go to the ball with him!"

"Who?" Maybe it was…!

"Oliver! Who else?"

Or not. "That's great!"