Chapter 4

Two mornings later...

"...So just get out there, do your best, and let's play Quidditch like true Hufflepuffs!"

The end of Cedric Diggory's pre-game speech caused an uproar in the Hufflepuff locker rooms. Though he was the Captain, Cedric wasn't like Wood. Wood had strategies and game plans and secret moves and such. Not Ced. Cedric knew the Hufflepuffs worked as a unit anyways. The Chasers (Zach, Kieran, and Josh) had their own moves. The Keeper (Rupert) had his own blocks. The Beaters (Harley and Rhia) had their own style. Also, Cedric had his own method of Snitch-catching. So, he didn't put much pressure on anyone and his speeches were motivational, not stressed and desperate like Wood's could sometimes be.

However, as optimistic as Cedric was, no one could refute the fact that the weather that Saturday was hellish. Blinding wind, driving rain, and muddy turf made for wicked hard practice that week, and the game looked like it wouldn't be any easier. The sky was dark and streaked with lightning, which only made Rhia and Harley more apprehensive. Sure, they had Nimbus 2001's and didn't much risk falling off, but it was the metal on their bludger bats that had them spooked. Electrocution was not Rhia's idea of the way to bow out.

Against the strong wind, the Hufflepuffs staggered out onto the field in their canary-yellow robes. The girls watched as Wood and Cedric shook hands, Ced being bubbly and Wood looking austere. Madam Hooch gave the word to mount their brooms, and Rhia and Harley took position between the Chasers and the Keeper. The quaffle went high and everyone else flew up and away, concentrating more on staying with their broom than staying with the game. Gryffindor scored a few points, but the Hufflepuffs weren't as vicious and hadn't scored any yet before Wood called for a time-out. While Wood and the Gryffindor's had a little talk on the ground, the Hufflepuffs had a conference mid-air. Cedric had to shout over the rolling thunder and howling wind to give instruction: be mean.

Sounded like a good plan to Harley, but Rhia gave her a scolding look, "Hit whomever you like, but try not to kill George."

"All is fair in love and Quidditch."

"Don't doddle, Beaters, the timeout's over. Here come the Lions. Back in formation!"

Before anyone had a real chance to get ready, the game was back on. If Ced had said 'be mean', Harley heard 'be vicious'. She went 'round knocking a bludger back and forth between Harry Potter and Angelina Johnson, for no real reason other than they were the closest Gryffindors to her. Obviously, Diggory had seen the snitch, for he went streaking off determinedly in one direction and Harry Potter started following behind.

However, Harley and Rhia had lost interest in the Seekers, and the bludgers for that matter. For the lightning bolt that had illuminated the Snitch for Cedric had illuminated the field below as well. There, in the middle of the field, standing in odd patterns, were at least a hundred Dementors, hidden faces upturned to the players above. Harley and Rhia were holding each other up on their brooms from wailing, due to the sudden drain of warmth and feeling from their bodies. This reaction was happening to everyone it seemed, but especially Harry. However, Cedric seemed the least effected by the presence of the dark beings and was still idly chasing after the snitch. Suddenly, someone shrieked in terror as Harry Potter slipped off his broom and fell fifty feet right into the middle of the Dementors. Just then, Cedric caught the snitch, and the game-ending whistle sounded.

Cedric looked victorious, but only for a moment. He landed with the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors as Dumbledore drove the Dementors off the field. McGonagall and Sprout came over to Harry, who was surrounded by the Gryffindor team, and Hooch broke through the teams to Wood and Cedric, who were fussing over who had won, technically speaking. Cedric was apologizing and Wood was about to belt him for being polite at such a bad time. Harry was taken off to the Hospital Wing by the teachers and Wood was dragged to the locker room by Fred and George, who were trying to keep him from jumping poor, apologetic Cedric.

Finally, Diggory gave up and herded the Hufflepuffs back into the locker room. "Bloody bad game... Dementors and weather and all that. Why didn't anyone tell me Potter was ill?"

"We did." "A lot of good it did us." "Suppose we won't ever win a match."

"Actually, we did win. Wood wouldn't let me take a rematch. Said we won fair and square...at least, that's what I could make out between his sobs. Very emotional, that one."

The Hufflepuffs, not very satisfied with winning so unfairly, all showered and then dressed in their school robes again, paying a visit to a still unconscious Harry. They decided to leave, because it didn't look like Harry was going to wake anytime soon, and also because just looking at Harry made Cedric feel horrid all over again.

- - -

Speaking of feeling horrid, a few days after the game, Remus Lupin was back to teaching DADA instead of his evilly appointed substitute, Professor Snape. The Seventh Years had to endure learning about werewolves, during which Harley had a hard time not answer each question.

"Not concerned about being suspicious, are you, Harl'?"

"Not really. Not like I transform or anything..."

"Well, not that I've seen. I have been your roommate for only seven years."

"Cheeky."

The Girls idly wondered why Snape was so vehement about werewolves and chalked it up to him having a thing for yellow-eyed Hufflepuffs, much to Harley's disgust. However, they thanked the Saints that Lupin was feeling better that Wednesday after the game. He came in, all pale and sickly-looking, not at all the handsome rogue they'd witnessed prior. His voice was all hoarse, but he seemed cheery, none the less. Today, he said, they'd be learning about Patronus', their best defense against Dementors. He said he'd heard of the happenings at the game, and thought it appropriate that they learn this, in case the fiends cared to return. He spoke a bit on Patronus' and what they were and what they did and how they worked.

Just as Lupin was explaining the incantation, Rhia leaned over to Harley and asked, "Heard? Wasn't he there?"

"I'd have to be bloody sick not to go to a game."

"Miss Edwards... So glad you volunteered."

Harley groaned under her breath to Rhia and then plastered a smile on her face, "Only too happy to help, Professor Lupin." She left her desk in the back to the sniggers of Slytherins and the hisses of Gryffindors. Lovely when everyone in the school thought your team had won unfairly and decided to blame it on your bludger skills.

"Settle down there, then. Settle down. Now, Miss Edwards, you know the incantation. Have at it." Lupin took a step back, to give Harley room, and she only looked down helplessly at her wand. She hadn't any idea what the incantation was (because she'd been talking) and so, she winged it.

"Pratronus Producen!"

This did nothing but make pink fizzles come out of the end of her wand which fell onto her shoes and turned them a horrid shade of fuchsia.

"Erm...not quite, Miss Edwards. Try 'Expecto Patronum'."

Harley rolled her eyes, turned pink from the Slytherins' sniggering, and tried once more. This had a better effect, a little puff of silver smoke, but Lupin still didn't look impressed. "Thinking happy thoughts, Miss Edwards?"

"Not exactly, Tink; care to explain?"

Lupin, who should have gotten mad at a student back-talking him, only sniggered and produced his wand, a 12 inch long Mahogany, which was the best Defense wood known to all Wizardom. How was Harley's Dark-Arts-casting 10 inch Ebony/Holly wand suppose to produce anything as good as Lupin's? Bugger to that, she thought, for, without hardly any effort at all, Lupin caste his Patronus, a large, howling wolf with intense eyes, just like his.

Harley huffed, knowing hers wouldn't be anything nearly as good. He probably had something quite powerful in his wand as well, Phoenix tears, or Unicorn hair, like Rhia's. Not Lunar Ice...Lunar Ice and Ebony/Holly, yeah, that was gonna save her from a Dementor. However, Harley tried again, thinking of a happy memory. What was her happy memory anyways? Her life had been pretty off up to this point. She had no father, and a shoddy excuse of a mother, and that was it. She'd been so-so in her Primary Schooling, hadn't really been involved in sports, and didn't have any friends. Life hadn't really started for Harley till Hogwarts. ...wait...that was it! Hogwarts. Her acceptance letter to Hogwarts. She'd been so thrilled when she received it, the shock of her mother alone making the day worthwhile. Therefore, Harley concentrated on the emotions she'd felt that day and then caste her Patronus. She was thrilled when it began to take form, but her hopes dropped when she saw that it was a wolf, just like Lupin's...only a bit misshapen.

"I only copied! It's...it's the same as yours, Professor."

"Erm, not quite, Miss Edwards. You see, Patronus' can't be copied. Each one is unique to each person. It's sort of a secret about yourself, like a clue into your true self." Lupin idly wondered why Harley's Patronus was a wolf. He knew why his was...but hers? Highly irregular.

"Oh, I see." Harley said, stealing a side-long glance at Marcus Flint, who was pretending to pant like a dog... Wanking bugger. Harley bared her teeth at him a moment, just as Lupin asked her to be seated and called for another volunteer. No one moved nor breathed it seemed, but as Harley sat down she poked Rhia in the ribs, which made the girl cry out. This, of course, called Lupin's attention to her.

"Miss Perth! Care to give it a go?"

She stood, shooting a look at Harley, "If I must."

She walked to the front of the room and without instruction tried to think of a happy thought. She tracked back through the years. So much had happened. Making house team, meeting Harley, getting into Hogwarts, but were any of them happy enough. Then it came to her, the day she'd gotten her broom. Not that the broom in its self was anything special, it was just an old Shooting Star, it was the person giving it to her.

Rhia's father loved Quidditch, he was a beater when he was in school and followed the Ireland team religiously. His only hope for Rhia was that she would someday love the sport as much as he did. On her tenth birthday, he gave her a broom, and in the card he said, Now you can fly like the butterfly I know you are. His butterfly. Rhia remembered it now, his name for her. She hadn't heard it in so long. Eight years to be exact, because he died shortly after her tenth birthday. No, she couldn't think about that, think about the card. I'm his butterfly, she thought over and over again to herself as she drew her ten-and-a-quarter length Birch wand and caste her spell. A tiny silver butterfly appeared and flitted around the room, but as it approached the Slytherins, it grew into a giant butterfly beating its enormous wings and blew the Slytherins' papers everywhere. A tear flowed down Rhia's cheek as the butterfly landed on her shoulder, then disappeared. The rest of the class got up and did all of their Patronus' before the bell rang, and as the Girls were walking out, Harley asked Rhia what her happy thought had been.

"The day I got my broom."

Harley stopped walking and just looked at Rhia a moment, face blank.

"What," Rhia asked.

"A broom? You're happy thought was...a broom? A broom won out over me."

"I was gonna think about you."

"Well, piss and bollocks, aren't I special?!"

"Harley, stop being self-centered! What's your problem? What did you think about, by the way? Eh?"

"A letter! Take that! A broom I can understand, but you, my dear, got upstaged by a letter."