Only Half-Weasley
Chapter 15
A/N: Thank you to all of you who reviewed, even those of you who are very skeptical and have voiced your opinion about what you think will happen next. Leaves me room to surprise you ;) I put a lot of time and care of details into this chapter, so I hope you enjoy it!
Through the darkness of the small, circular dormitory, Holly tossed and turned in her four poster bed. After leaving the Trophy Room, she couldn't keep her mind off of the girl in the picture, dressed in Quidditch Robes and waving up at her with a large grin on her face. It was at this point that Holly realized that she knew less about her mother than she had originally thought and this really bothered her. What else did she not know?
When her alarm did go off at seven, she pulled her aching body out of bed and headed for the showers. It took her nearly an hour to get through the line for her shower and by eight, she was dressed and heading down to the Great Hall with her Defense Against the Dark Arts book under her arm. Although she didn't have the class until that afternoon, she needed all the time she could get to study for her exam, especially since she had procrastinated once again.
"Morning, Holly," Cynthia said with a yawn, sitting herself down next to the red-head and pulling out her own text book. "This is going to be a horrible day; I can feel it."
"Really?" said Michael sitting down with Daniel across the two. "I didn't know you were a seer!"
"Ah, Cynthia: The New Seer of the Age!" Daniel pronounced, holding his fork in the air.
Holly scrunched her nose. "Divination?" she said. "I don't think any of that is real."
"Sure it is," Cynthia said, taking a sip of her milk. "It just isn't common."
"Really?" Holly said in amazement. "Mum always said that stuff was a load of hogwash-"
Daniel and Michael gave her a look of mock astonishment. "How dare you insult the new Seer!" Daniel exclaimed.
"I can already see your life dwindling away before my eyes!" Michael said dramatically, holding his hands over her food as if he were gazing into an invisible crystal ball.
"Oh, shut up," Holly said carelessly, eating her cornflakes while reading her notes. "If you believe in Divination, then please tell me whether I'll pass this exam."
Cynthia rolled her eyes. "Like you would fail," she answered sarcastically.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Holly asked, stabbing a piece of sausage with her fork.
"Oh come on, Holly," Daniel said. "You've been getting the top marks on all of the written exams! How could you fail this one?"
Holly diverted her eyes to the boy across from her. "I'll have you know that half of this exam is practical. I can easily fail that part of the exam," she corrected him.
"Right, and I'm a hippogriff in disguise," Daniel muttered to his brother.
Holly grimaced at the pair, but carried on with her studying. Their first class of the morning was flying and for the first time, Holly was looking forward to it. At ten minutes to the hour, the Gryffindors trailed down to the Quidditch Pitch where they met their instructor, Madam Hunt. As usual, the woman was looking at the class crossly as if she just got hit with a bludger and was looking for the perpetrator. A row of brooms was laid out in front of her.
"All here?" she called. "Alright, take a broom and mount!"
The class divided themselves between the brooms and Holly found herself next to a rather knobby one. Although she had been to three flying lessons since her fall, she still felt a pang of nervousness in the pit of her stomach. There is something about a fifty-or-so foot drop that one could not forget. Perhaps this was why there was a note of uncertainty in her voice as she said, "Up!" and the broom jumped into her hand.
Holly braced herself, ready for the broom to shoot into the air, but it did not. Her feet were still on solid ground and now the broom was floating at her side. She looked in amazement at Cynthia who had already mounted her broom. Cynthia gave her a thumbs up before turning her broom and following Madam Hunt for a lap around the stadium. However, this was as far as Holly dared to go that day, seeing as she was still uneasy, but she had a spring in her step as she walked back up to the castle for lunch.
"Did you see it?" she said excitedly to Cynthia.
Cynthia beamed back at her. "Of course I did! I was standing right next to you."
"First time, too!"
"What are you gloating about?" Michael said, coming up behind them. The two arrived a little after the rest of their class, both receiving stern warnings and expulsion threats from Madam Hunt for trying to race their brooms around the Quidditch Pitch.
"My broom! It actually obeyed me!" she proclaimed, plopping down on the bench in the Great Hall and rummaging through her bag for another book. "You know, maybe you were right, Cynthia. Maybe my mum was a Quidditch Player! If she could ride a broomstick, then I should be able to, also!"
"Whoa, Holly!" Daniel cautioned her. "That's a bit extreme."
"Why don't you try mounting the broom first?" Michael added. He ducked just in time to miss a well-aimed dinner roll which instead hit a Hufflepuff third year on the back of the head. Holly dived under the table just as the third year turned around, looking for the person responsible for hitting them.
"Nice," Daniel hissed at Holly.
The red-headed girl peeked over the table in time to see the third year turn back around and continue eating lunch. "Not my fault," she said, pulling herself back onto the bench. "What do you think, Cynthia?"
"Think about what?" the other girl asked, peeling her eyes away from her notes.
"Riding a broom!" Holly cried.
Cynthia sat thoughtfully for a moment. "Why not ask Professor Potter to take you out again? You have your tutoring session with him tonight."
"And what? Have her come back in a plastic bag?" Michael inserted.
"They're right," Holly pointed out. "Madam Hunt was quite furious last time he took me out."
"Yes, but what she doesn't know can't hurt her," Cynthia answered with mysterious grin on her face. She stood up and grabbed her notes from the table, apparently giving up on studying over lunch. "I am going to the library. I'll see you three in class."
After much dawdling throughout lunch, Holly and the twins decided to head for their common room to pick up some extra parchment and ink before their exam that afternoon. For the first time in weeks, the young redhead felt quite relaxed and calm. It was as though she took some potion to calm her nerves which lasted all the way through her Defense Against the Dark Arts exam. The uneasy feeling, in fact, did not return until after class when Holly approached her teacher's desk.
"Professor?" she said hesitantly.
"Yes, Miss Miller?" Professor Potter responded without looking up a paper that he was grading.
"I was…er…wondering," she stammered for a moment before regaining her courage, "if you could...um…try teaching me ride a broom."
Professor Potter's head jerked up, his bright green eyes looking at her quizzically from behind his glasses. "You want to try riding a broom again?" he repeated as if he did not quite hear her correctly.
"Yes, sir."
"Miss Miller, the last time I tried teaching you how to ride a broom, you nearly died," he explained gravely. "Considering I promised Professor McGonagall that I would not attempt this again, I do not think it is a good idea to go against her wishes."
"But Professor-"
"How about I set you up with a student who can teach you how to fly?" Professor Potter interrupted.
Holly appeared skeptical. "Who?"
Five till eight, Holly arrived at Professor Potter's office. The latter was once again sitting behind his desk grading papers and did not notice Holly's entrance until she was standing in front of him. "Good evening, Miss Miller," he greeted shuffling his papers and cramming them into a cabinet already full of papers. "No need to sit down," he added, standing up. "We'll be going down to the Quidditch Pitch."
Holly couldn't help grinning as she followed her teacher out of his office even though her stomach did a somersault. It took nearly ten minutes before the two finally made it to the Entrance Hall where Filch was standing by the door, eyeing the pair oddly. "Professor," he grunted, though his eyes rested on Holly.
"It's perfectly alright, Argus," Professor Potter said while opening the doors with his wand. "Detention."
Filch grunted again, though this time he seemed more pleased. The two passed through the doors and did not speak again until the doors clanked shut behind them.
"Detention?" Holly repeated, raising an eyebrow.
Professor Potter did not look at her as they strolled across the grounds. "I would rather no one know the real reason we are out here," he answered simply.
Holly nodded and so the two walked in silence until they reached the shadows of the stadium. However, before the two could enter the stadium, Professor Potter stopped her just outside the entrance.
"What-?"
"Silencio!" Professor Potter murmured, pointing his wand at Holly.
Holly tried to speak, but nothing came out. She gestured frantically, but Professor Potter made no effort to explain. Instead, he dug into his cloak and pulled out a silvery, fluid-like fabric. In one motion, he threw the fabric over Holly's small frame, the length cloth gathering at her feet. Holly looked down at her ankles and would have gasped if she was not under the Silencing Charm. Her ankles were gone! She held up her hands—they were gone, too! She was invisible!
"Follow me," he whispered and took a step into the stadium which was brightly lit by four ginormous lights. Above them, seven players in red robes were zooming across the field. Holly recognized them as the Gryffindor Quidditch Team whom were practicing when she fell several weeks before. One of the chasers flew down to meet Professor Potter.
"Hello, Professor!" he greeted. Holly knew him to be one of the sixth years who usually occupied the common room late at night. "What do you think?"
"Brilliant," Professor Potter marveled. "Though you leave the left side complete open. It will only take one bludger to break the line."
The sixth year nodded, staring at the left side of the field as if he was imagining the bludger tearing right through his players. "You're right," he agreed, though more worrisome. "Better fix that tomorrow. We won't have time tonight. COME IN TEAM!"
The other six players flew down and landed next to their captain. The last one and the youngest to land was the third year that had saved Holly's life, Ryan Mason. Holly was suddenly glad that she was invisible as she felt her cheeks flush with heat.
"Good practice!" the captain called out. "Let's break until tomorrow. We have a few things we need to fix before the match on Saturday, so let's come focused! Be on time!" He stared at two fourth-year girls, both rolling their eyes at him in response.
While the rest of the team headed for the locker room, Professor Potter took aside one of the players. "I am going to need to borrow your seeker for a moment, Arnold," he said to the captain with a hand resting on Ryan's shoulder. He steered the confused boy to the center of the field and the two were silent until the last player disappeared.
"I need you for a favor," he said quietly to Ryan. His hands fumbled through the air until they landed on Holly's head and pulled the invisibility cloak off of her.
"You!" Ryan blurted.
For a moment, Holly wished that Professor Potter hadn't taken the cloak off of her. Her cheeks burned so badly that all she wanted to do was disappear again. She was even tempting running out of the stadium if her feet hadn't been glued to the ground.
"I would like you to help her ride a broom," Professor Potter requested.
Ryan looked between his Head of House and the embarrassed first year. "Are you sure, Professor?" he said tentatively, gripping his broom. "After what happened last time?"
"You won't have to worry about that," Professor Potter assured him. "She won't be by herself. Just let her fly with you for a few laps until she gets the hang of it."
Holly tried to protest, but found that she was still under the Silencing Charm so she tapped her teacher instead. "Don't worry, Holly," he said to her. "Ryan is an excellent Flyer." Professor Potter then covered himself in his cloak, his physical body disappearing behind the fluid material. "Holly, I need you to keep quiet so bear with me a little longer. I will be sitting in the stands over there." His exposed arm pointed towards the Gryffindor stands and disappeared once more.
Ryan looked curiously at Holly. "Are you ready?"
Holly nodded, unable to give a verbal response. Ryan mounted his broom and motioned for Holly to mount behind him. She hesitated a moment, stopped right next to him, but his hand shot up and grabbed hers, pulling her onto the broom.
"It's alright," he said. "Just hold onto me and you'll be fine."
Ryan kicked off and Holly realized why Professor Potter wanted her silent. She was trying to scream as they flew higher and higher into the air. However, this wasn't like what had happened before. Ryan maneuvered the broom so decisively that some of Holly's fears had left her and her mind felt suddenly clear. They flew around the two sets of goal posts several times before Ryan turned back to look back her.
"Are you doing all right?" he asked.
Holly nodded, though wishing he would not ask her to move her head again. She never really understood the meaning of lack of balance and coordination until now.
"Keep holding on!" he advised and they began to fly faster. Holly gripped his robes tighter as they began to swerve, weaving through the goal posts and doing mini-dives in the air. She buried her face in the back Ryan's robes which he took as a signal for him to take her down to the ground.
She stumbled off the broom as the two dismounted, now feeling quite dizzy. Twenty feet away, Professor Potter pulled off his cloak and ran towards them. "Excellent!" he whispered breathlessly. "How was it, Holly? Finite."
Holly felt her voice return to her. "That was…fun," she breathed, trying not to look at Ryan who had just rested his broom on his shoulder.
"Would you like to try it again?" Ryan asked, a little amused.
"Maybe," she said, a bit surprised at her own response.
Professor Potter stuffed his cloak in his pocket and led the two students out of the Quidditch Pitch. "How about in two weeks?" he suggested to Holly. "Ryan, do you mind?"
"Sure thing, Professor," Ryan responded.
"Holly?"
"Yeah," Holly answered. "That's fine."
The first year walked silently back up to the castle while Professor Potter and Ryan talked about the latest Quidditch stats. The three entered the Great Hall and thankfully, Filch was not present. Yet, the teacher urged his two students to return to their dorm quickly before they ran into Filch along the way. Holly followed Ryan as they turned off at the third floor while Professor Potter went another direction. She wished that they would continue to walk in silence, but Ryan turned around to talk to her.
"Are you a Muggle-born?"
Holly stopped in her tracks, shocked by the question. Seeing the look on her face, Ryan tried to double back. "I only meant that you…er…don't know much about Quidditch and riding brooms. I only wondered…"
"No," Holly answered simply, finding her voice once more. "I'm a half-blood."
"Oh," he said and looked away in embarrassment. "Well, I have nothing against Muggle-borns. I'm a Muggle-born myself, so I was just going to say…er…never mind."
Holly was about to ask what he was going to say when they arrived at the portrait to their common room. After giving the password, the two climbed through and Holly watched Ryan head towards the boys' dormitory.
"Miller!" Daniel yelled from across the room.
Holly spotted Daniel, Michael, and Cynthia sitting a table near the window. Although the three were supposed to be finishing their homework for History of Magic for the next morning, it was apparent as Holly approached that the twins had barely started. Instead, Michael was pointing out the window at the Quidditch Stadium in the distance where Holly had only been fifteen minutes before. "Was that you?" Michael asked.
"Yeah," Holly sighed, collapsing in one of the chairs.
"Who were you with?" Daniel interjected.
"The Gryffindor Seeker."
"Nice!" Michael said. "I bet he's a great flyer!"
Cynthia looked up from her essay for the first time since Holly sat down. "We'll find out on Saturday when Gryffindor plays Slytherin," she announced. "And I refuse to help you with your homework if you are going to play around."
The expression on the twins' faces fell as they returned their attention to their homework. Holly, who had already finished her essay, bid good night and climbed the spiraling staircase to her own dormitory. However, her mind wasn't on her homework or her even the next day. It was still sitting on the broomstick, floating in midair, and holding on to Ryan Mason…
The air was filled with excitement on the morning of the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin. The Great Hall was filled with the loud chatter from all of houses as each tried to speculate what would happen. Even Cynthia couldn't help putting down her books and notes and joining with the Daniel and Michael about the odds of their team winning.
"Gryffindor is going to win for sure," Michael claimed, hitting his fist on the table.
Cynthia looked more skeptical. "Slytherin is supposed to have a great keeper. How can they win if they don't score?"
"Our seeker is one of the best! Trained by Professor Potter himself!" Daniel claimed.
And so they went on. Holly sat listening while she finished her corn flakes, amused by their arguing, though not saying a word. It wasn't that she didn't want add in her thoughts, but that she did not want her thoughts to reveal what she was really thinking. Ever since she collapsed on her bed after her flying lesson, she couldn't keep him out of her mind. When did it start? When he rescued her? When she woke up in the hospital wing to see him next to her bed? And then that night as she turned scarlet beneath the cloak…
"Someone's quiet," Michael commented at Holly's glassy look. "Aren't you excited for the match?"
"Of course," Holly said quickly pushing away her corn flakes. "What time is it?"
"Nearly time," Cynthia remarked. "We have about fifteen minutes before the game starts."
Just as Cynthia was speaking, the sixth year, Arnold, stood up and called for his team to head towards the field. Holly's heart stopped for a moment as she saw Ryan stand up at the other end. He was wearing his scarlet robes and holding his broom over his shoulder, just as she had seen him the other night. As he passed, he spotted her and smiled.
"Good luck!" she called to him suddenly, her face turning red again.
Ryan waved to her. "Thanks!"
Holly's eyes followed him out of the Great Hall which did not go unnoticed by her three friends. The twins exchanged mysterious grins as their red-headed friend turned around.
"What?" she asked innocently, her face still glowing.
Cynthia turned away, hiding a smirk in her glass of orange juice as it spilled down her robes. Michael began to laugh and received a sharp jab in the stomach from Daniel, though the latter couldn't help grinning, either. Holly, unaware that she was grinning from ear to ear, tried to act confused.
"What are you guys smiling about?" she asked.
"Nothing," Daniel said which made Michael snort.
Holly looked suspiciously at Cynthia, who was still attempting to drink her orange juice. "Is there something wrong, Cynthia? Do I have jelly on my face?" Holly asked, looking to her female friend for support.
"No, no," Cynthia coughed. "Nothing. We have ten minutes. Should we go early and get good seats?" she asked suddenly, standing up from her seat.
"Yes!" the twins said in unison, standing up and following Cynthia out of the Great Hall.
Holly trailed after them, almost running to catch up. The four first years were one of the first to arrive and got seats in the front row. A few minutes after they sat down, a distant rumble told them that the rest of the school was coming. Butterflies fluttered around in Holly stomach, part because this was the first Quidditch game she had ever been to and part because in a few minutes, she would be seeing Ryan again.
At eleven, the Gryffindor team came marching out of the locker room on one side of the stadium while the Slytherin team wearing green robes appeared at the other end. The entire stadium roared (and hissed) in support of their team. Holly immediately spotted Ryan walking onto the field last, the smallest of the team.
"…for Gryffindor the line-up is Carson, (Cassandra) Arnold, Wilcox, O'Neil, Park, Mason, and their captain, Louis Arnold! On the other end is the Slytherin team with their players Lee, Ainsworth, Berkeley, Pennant, Osborn, Morgan, and their captain, Bradley Ackerman!"
The two captains on the field shook hands and Madam Hunt, who was refereeing this match, blew the whistle. Four balls were released and fourteen blurry shapes shot through the air making it hard for Holly to determine who was who.
"It's Gryffindor with the Quaffle! Louis Arnold darts past Lee and Berkeley. Going for the goal! GRYFFINDOR SCORES!"
Everyone around Holly began to scream like mad, a tidal wave of sound vibrating in her ears. But the sounds courageous and as the game progressed, Holly found herself screaming like mad with all of the other fans as Gryffindor scored three more times to make the score 30-0.
"So this is like football?" Holly remarked to Cynthia as they watched Slytherin gain possession of the Quaffle. One of the Gryffindor Beaters hit a bludger which hit Vincent Lee in the shoulder causing him to drop the Quaffle.
Cynthia cheered as a Gryffindor Chaser, Cassandra Arnold, caught the Quaffle and headed for the Slytherin goals. "What?" she said in confusion. "What's football?"
"Never mind!" Holly shouted as Gryffindor scored again.
The game went on, Slytherin finally scoring twice to make the game 40-20. Gryffindor gained the Quaffle once more but was slammed into by the Slytherin Seeker causing Madam Hunt to blow her whistle. "FOUL! Penalty shot for Gryffindor!"
Arnold took the shot, but the Slytherin keeper managed to make a spectacular swerve and saved it. Slytherin was in possession of the Quaffle and scored three more times, bringing up the score to 50-40 for Slytherin.
"Gryffindor now in possession. Wilcox with the Quaffle! Arnold! Arnold! Arnold! Wilcox! Come on, Megan! GRYFFINDOR SCORES!"
A large, scarlet and green object flew past Holly, missing her by inches. She fell back onto the bench along with the rest of the first row as the object passed. Holly jumped back on her feet to see what had passed and saw the Gryffindor and Slytherin seekers bolting past. A tiny flitter of gold could be seen just beyond the Gryffindor goal.
"…Mason and Pennant are neck and neck for the snitch! Ouch! A bludger hit by Slytherin Beater, Ainsworth, knocks Mason off course. It's all Pennant now! Oh no! Pennant has flown into the Gryffindor Keeper, Kieran Park! That must be painful."
The crowd laughed as Pennant slammed into the Keeper in an attempt to catch the snitch. Park and Pennant did a double-take as both tried to regain their balance. However, both seekers had lost sight of the snitch, though Slytherin took advantage of the injured seeker and made three more excellent goals.
"Come on, Park! Get back in the game!" Louis Arnold shouted to his keeper as he took the Quaffle. With more determination, Arnold headed for the other end but was hit by a bludger and the Quaffle dropped.
"Slytherin in possession! Ackerman heading for the Gryffindor goal! Oh, nicely aimed bludger by O'Neil knocks the Quaffle out of Ackerman's hands. Gryffindor in possession! Wilcox takes the Quaffle! Wilcox dodges a bludger! Nice, Megan! Just the keeper ahead! GO, MEGAN, GO! GRYFFINDOR SCORES!"
Megan did a flip in the air before returning to the game and chasing one of the Slytherin Chasers. Slytherin was still in the lead, but Gryffindor was slowly gaining on them. As both teams' Chasers fought for the Quaffle, Holly's eyes left the game and followed the Seekers in their search from the snitch. The Slytherin Seeker, Owen Pennant, had been trailing Ryan for quite some time and the two were making impressive dives and swerves as Ryan attempted to get the Slytherin Seeker off his trail.
Half way through a dive, Ryan jerked his broom towards the Gryffindor side of the stadium. A few feet to her left, she saw the snitch fluttering around the stands. A few fifth years happened to be sitting right in front of the snitch and pointed at it wildly. However, Ryan didn't need their gestures to know where the snitch was. He darted through the chaos, diving and spinning, desperately trying to avoid two bludgers that were aimed at him. He was within twenty feet and gaining speed.
"…Mason now ten feet away…five feet…MASON HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WINS THE MATCH!"
Holly jumped in the air, screaming with the rest of her House, until a loud crash made her duck. While attempting to catch the Snitch, Ryan Mason could not keep himself from colliding head-first with the Gryffindor stands. Debris flew everywhere and two of the fifth years who were sitting in front of the snitch had been knocked to the ground.
Mason got up and helped the other two girls to their feet. Holly desperately wanted to go over and hug him, but Cynthia had already flung her arms around her and was dancing around in circles. Next thing Holly knew, Mason had jumped back on his broom and flew across the stadium towards his teammates leaving the Gryffindors and Holly to celebrate behind him.
"I want to play Quidditch," Holly said with determination as she, Cynthia, and the twins headed back up to their common room.
Daniel and Michael snorted, the latter patting Holly on the back. "You can't even fly!" Michael exclaimed.
"I am learning," Holly answered defensively.
"But not fast enough," Daniel added. "Or is it because a certain someone is on the team?"
Holly turned beat red and tried to hide as she straightened like cloak. "No," she tried to answer seriously. "I think it looks like fun."
"Well, then learn how to fly and then maybe you can try out for the time in a year or two," Cynthia advised.
If the excitement of the match wasn't enough, the party in the common room that night was fabulous! Fireworks were lit and zoomed across the room. There was butterbeer, sweets, and trick candy enough to make you not want to try anything anyone offered. Cynthia was sucking on a lollipop that turned her eyes different colors every few seconds. The twins both tried what looked like little cakes that made them breath fire for several minutes.
"Isn't this wonderful!" Cynthia said, resting her head against the back of her chair. It was nearing midnight, but that did not stop the party.
"Yes!" Holly answered, chewing on a gummy candy that tasted like honey. However, after chewing for a few minutes, the candy stuck her gums together and it was a couple of minutes before they were released. "What are these things?"
"Gummy Gums!" Daniel responded, taking a bite out of an éclair. "Our uncles invented them."
Holly was about to take another candy when Michael and Daniel dove to stop her. "Don't take that!" Michael warned her.
"That's the classic U-Know-Poo!" Daniel exclaimed. "You take one of those and you'll be in the bathroom for the rest of the night!"
The red-haired girl backed away and decided to take a lemon drop instead. "So what do we have next on the agenda?" she said good-naturedly, savoring the lemon taste.
"Next on the agenda?" Cynthia repeated.
"Halloween is tomorrow," Holly informed her. "What are we going to do?"
"Well, there is the Halloween feast, but if you want to be more festive than that…" Daniel said, his voice trailing off.
"We have some ideas," Michael finished for him.
At that point, the door to the common room opened and Professor Potter climbed through the portrait hole. "Alright, enough partying! Everyone to bed!"
The Gryffindor crowd grumbled and growled as students headed towards their dormitory. Food was cleared as one by one, students disappeared and the room became much emptier. Out of the corner of her eyes, Holly watched Ryan enter the staircase to the boys' dormitory followed by Daniel and Michael. However, Holly's eyes did not linger long. Her eyes were drooping, her stomach was full, and Cynthia was laughing merrily behind her. Maybe this was what her mother had been talking about when she had mentioned all of the fun times at Hogwarts…