A/N: Hey, guys! Hope you like it! And go vote on the poll on my profile! DFTBA!
A month after Megan and Rose had become friends, Megan was trudging across the common room and up the stairs to her dormitory. She was very tired. It takes a lot out of you when you are running around making friends with your enemy's sister, getting a detention, and trying to hide from a boy who seems as if he will never get over you. Throw classes and homework into that lovely mix, and you get how Megan was feeling right then. Exhausted. Megan plopped down her bed with a heavy sigh. She pulled out a quill and an inkwell from her bag and wearily began her Potions homework. It was Sunday evening already and she still had homework to do. Snape had assigned even more homework then usual, and, like an idiot, she had left it till the last minute.
9 pm rolled around. It was around 9:45pm when Megan finally finished the last question. She packed up her things and shoved them in her bag, hoping that they wouldn't get to wrinkled or broken. If her inkwell broke, she would fail the assignment for having illegible handwriting due to the spilled ink. It would be a very bad thing to turn in inkstained paper in all of her classes. She slid under her covers fully clothed and went straight to sleep.
-o-O-o-
In the morning, Megan stumbled tiredly down the stairs and found most of the Gryffindors crowding around a bulletin board at the far end of the room.
"What's everyone looking at?" she asked Annie, who was standing right next to her.
"Well, you know Angelina Johnson?" Annie began, taking a deep breath. Megan nodded. "She broke her arm so now Gryffindor is one Chaser short. They would need a Seeker, but Harry got that position because of how he chased after Malfoy and stuff in Flying the other day. Everyone's signing up for the trials on Saturday morning. Oh, and they're allowing First Years to try out. I suppose McGonagall heard about Slytherin allowing those two First Years on their team, and she got all competitive. You know how she gets." Megan had lost her at "I suppose." She was too busy mulling over this new turn of events. They were allowing First Years on the team! She could try out!
"Are you going to try out?" She asked Annie curiously.
"No," Annie said, smiling. "I enjoy watching Quidditch. Not playing it. You should try out, though. I bet you'd be great!" Megan grinned.
"I'll definitely give it a shot." She pushed through the crowd and signed her name at the bottom of the list. Right under Dean Thomas's.
"Let's go eat," Annie suggested when Megan fought her way back over to her.
"Before everyone here gets the same idea," Megan agreed, grinning.
-o-O-o-
Breakfast was uneventful. Although Draco kept staring at Megan, for reasons unknown to her. She grabbed a pice of toast and stood up, avoiding his gaze.
"Annie, I'll meet you in Potions, okay?" she called, taking a bite of toast.
"Yeah, sure," Annie called back from where she was watching Ron devour his sausages in fascinated horror.
Megan set off to find Annarose. She made it to the doors of the Entrance Hall, then stopped. Where would she find her friend? Would she have to ask Malfoy? Megan shuddered at the thought of actually asking the Malferret for favors. She pondered the question for a while before a small red headed girl left the Great Hall and passed her. Megan recognized her as one of Rose's friends.
"Hey!" she called to the girl. The girl turned around, an irritated expression on her face.
"What?" she snapped. Then she noticed Megan, and her features turned mischeivous.
"Hi," Megan began nervously. "I was wondering if you knew where Annarose Malfoy is?" The Slytherin girl got a thoughtful expression on her face before it lit up with excitement.
"The Quidditch Pitch!" she exclaimed. "Rosie told me that she wanted to get some practice in. Trials are today. I met Flint the other night, though, and he told me that Rosie has a guaranteed spot on the team, along with my friend Jesse. He's seen them fly before, and knows they'll do great. Trials are just a formality at this point. Anyway, you should find her out there. My name's Lily Kennedy, by the way. Are you Megan Abbott?" She said all of this very fast. The Quidditch Pitch! Of course! Rose was trying out for the Slytherin Quidditch team, so it made perfect sense!
"Thanks, Lily," Megan said quickly, then hurried out of the front doors into the autumn sunshine.
Rose was flying around the pitch when Megan reached it. When she spotted her, she flew over and landed next to her.
"Hey," she said, smiling warmly. Megan smiled back weakly. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to find you," Megan answered. "I wanted to ask you if you think I would make a good Chaser. Would I?" Rose appeared to think it over for a moment before she replied.
"I think so," she answered at last. "Why do you ask?"
"I signed up to try out on Saturday, to be Chaser. Angelina Johnson broke her arm," Megan told her friend, temporarily forgetting that Rose was a Slytherin. Rose took a deep breath, seeming to calm herself. Why, Megan didn't know. Why would Rose have cause to be nervous? Then she remembered that Rose had Quidditch trials later.
"I know you'll do great," Rose assured her. "We have five minuted to get to class. Professor Snape may not mind me being ;ate, but he won't be so forgiving to you." Megan smiled at her and hurried off to class, not noticing that Rose didn't accompany her at all.
-o-O-o-
"So, Megan, where did you disappear to during breakfast?" Annie asked when Megan slid into her seat in Potions, red-faced and out of breath from running.
"The Quidditch Pitch," Megan replied shortly, not wanting to explain that she had met up with a Slytherin there.
"Why?" Annie pressed.
"Avoiding Malfoy," Megan told her, skillfully avoiding the truth.
"Why?" Annie asked again.
"I'll tell you later," Megan told her. Procrastinating wasn't going to make the truth any easier for her best friend to swallow, but it would help Megan put off the inevitable.
"Okay," Annie answered, sounding satisfied for the time being. Megan shuddered when she thought of the questioning Annie would submit her to later.
The rest of the day passed as a blur to Megan until later that night. She and Annie were alone in the dormitory. Becca and Abigail were still at dinner and Hermione was helping Harry and Ron with their homework. Annie was pacing impatiently, waiting for Megan to leave the bathroom. Megan returned about ten minutes later, rubbing her wet hair dry with a towel.
"So, tell me what you were doing on the Quidditch Pitch," Annie demanded. "You said you would." Megan was caught off guard by the rapid-fire questions her best friend was throwing at her. She gulped, hoping to delay the inevitable for as long as possible.
"Um," she said intelligently. Annie's eyes narrowed.
"What were you doing?"
"Talking to Rose?" Megan said quietly, her voice going up at the end of the sentence and making the statement sound like a question.
"Who?" Annie asked.
"Annarose Malfoy," Megan told her, so quietly that Annie had to strain her ears to hear her.
"A Slytherin? But that's Malfoy's sister!" Annie exclaimed.
"I'm aware."
"Malfoy's your enemy!"
"Why?" Megan demanded, then caught herself. Of course Malfoy was her enemy! Why was she questioning it?
"Because he hates you! If he hates you, why wouldn't she? Siblings usually agree on this sort of thing!"
"That's not true!" Megan retorted hotly, her temper rising. "Hannah and I never agree on anything! And look at you and Zacharias! You hate each other! Is illegal now for Rose to hate her brother just because he's a Malfoy?"
"Oh, does she now!" Annie shot back.
"Yes, she does! Rose is really nice! A good friend! You don't have to approve of all my friends!"
"Good, because I don't," Annie replied angrily.
"Well, I'm going to bed," Megan informed her. She climbed into bed and drew her curtains around her, trembling. Across the room, Annie could be heard doing the same. Annie and Megan had never had that big of a fight before. Would their friendship survive it?
Megan knew that telling Annie would not go well. She had to, though. It was the right thing to do. Wasn't it? Megan knew that she couldn't expect Rose to hide it from her friends, and she didn't want to hide it from her own. She wished that Annie could've understood. Then she wouldn't be lying there, questioning their eleven year friendship. On that thought, she fell asleep.
-o-O-o-
The next few mornings, it was made glaringly obvious that Megan's wish wasn't coming true any time soon. At breakfast, Annie made no move to even acknowledge Megan's presence, instead electing to sit down the table with Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan. In Transfiguration on Friday, Annie made a point of loudly asking, no, telling Hermione to switch seats with her. Hermione looked puzzled, but willingly complied. She now shared a desk with Megan and Harry and Annie were seatmates. Annie and Megan had always been seatmates. Their friendship seemed to be falling apart at the seams.
Megan had a free period after Transfiguration. She used it to go hide out in the library with her well worn copy of Hogwarts A History. She walked back to the far corner of the library and sat down at her favorite table. It was her favorite table because it stood apart from all the others and was surrounded by bookshelves, making it a nice place to read.
"Hey, so this is where you've been hiding," she soon heard a voice say. Megan looked up to see Rose smiling down at her. She'd never realized quite how tall the Malfoy siblings were until they were both in front of her. Draco appeared from behind his sister, a petulant look on his pointed features. "I've been looking for you all day," Rose informed her.
"Why?" Megan asked confusedly, acutely aware of Draco's presence.
"To wish you luck at the trials tomorrow morning," Rose told her with a blinding smile. "Duh," she added on as an afterthought.
"Oh, yeah," Megan said stupidly. Draco snorted quietly. She glared at him. "Thanks."
"You're welcome," Rose replied, then spun around to face her brother, saying something that Megan couldn't make out.
"Rose," she interrupted quietly. Her friend faced her once again.
"Yeah?"
"I have to get to class. See you later?"
"Sure," Rose said warmly. "Draco and I have a free period right now. See you later, Meggie!"
"Bye." Megan gathered her things and left the library. As she headed for Herbology, she wondered what all those sympathetic glances Draco was sending her were all about. Had he heard about her fight with Annie? If he had, why did he care?
-o-O-o-
Wood's magically magnified voice rang throughout the Quidditch PItch.
"Alright, you each get five tries to get the Quaffle past me. First we'll have Dean Thomas." Dean was mediocre. He only made three goals. A few more people tried but only made one or two goals. "Seamus Finnigan." Seamus mounted his broom and kicked off from the ground, giving Megan a big smile. She did her best to return it. Then she watched as he scored one goal... two goals... three... four... five! He made all five goals easily.
Megan was sure that he'd won the Chaser position until he started showing off midair. He ended up falling one hundred feet to the hard ground. Luckily, Oliver Wood thought to whip out his wand and perform a Cushioning Charm so that Seamus's fall wouldn't hurt so badly. It still was not a pretty sight.
Wood flew down to where Seamus lay in a crumpled heap on the ground and ordered two fifth year bystanders to get him down to the Hospital Wing. His best friend, Dean Thomas, went with him.
"Well, I hope he will be okay," Wood said, sighing. "Last up is Megan Abbott." Megan nearly didn't want to try out after witnessing Seamus's traumatic accident. But then she reasoned that he had his accident because he was showing off, and she wouldn't be dumb enough to do that. I can do this. I can do this, she thought over and over to herself. Megan kicked off of the ground on the Cleensweep Five she had borrowed from George Weasley. She scored the first three goals, missed the fourth, but made the fifth. Four goals total, second only to Seamus. Not bad. Wood blew his whistle and everyone flew to the ground.
"Gather round," he said loudly. "Everyone did really well today. Seamus Finnigan would've been our new Chaser, however, he cannot play due to his injuries. Therefore, our new Chaser is Megan Abbott and Dean Thomas will be the reserve. Megan, welcome to the team, and inform Dean later about Reserve Chaser." Everyone gathered around her and congratulated her on the position. Even Hermione and Ron came down from the stands and gave her their congratulations. Then Megan left to go find Rose.
Rose was sitting with her back up against a tree, reading a fat book. Megan couldn't make out the title.
"Hey, I made the team," she said by way of greeting. Rose jumped up.
"Cool!" She exclaimed. Megan had a feeling that her friend's heart wasn't in it.
"Yeah," she said anyway. "I have to go find Annie. See you later?"
"Sure," Rose replied with a weary smile. Megan turned and raced away.
-o-O-o-
"Annie?" Megan called, running up the stairs to the girl's dormitory. There was no answer. She reached her room and flung the door open. Annie was sitting on her bed doing homework. Aside from her, the room was once again deserted. "Hi," Megan greeted her warily. "I made the team. I'm the new Chaser."
"Congratulations," Annie said stiffly. Megan turned to leave. "Wait," Annie said quietly from behind her. She whirled back around. "Megan, I wanted to say I'm sorry. I truly am. I was wrong to yell at you like that."
"Annie, I should've told you sooner," Megan told her.
"It was your choice to tell me," Annie said quietly. "I'm glad you finally did. I guess I just felt a little jealous of how you seem to get along with everybody."
"Not everybody," Megan reminded her. "Malfoy still hates me." The two girls lapsed into a giggle fit for a few minutes before quieting. In a silent agreement, they were friends again.
"Hey, Megan?" Annie said after a heartbeat.
"Yeah?"
"Let's go eat lunch."
"You and your stomach," Megan teased her best friend lightheartedly, racing her down the stairs.
-o-O-o-
After lunch, Megan was once again on her way to the library. She passed her twin sister in the hallway.
"Hey, Hannah," She greeted her stiffly. The two girls were more like distant relatives then sisters.
"Hi, Megan," Hannah greeted her slightly more warmly. "I heard you're the new Gryffindor Chaser. Is that correct?"
"You heard right."
"Cool. See you around," Hannah said, then waved and walked away. Megan continued on her route to the library, slightly confused about the whole point of the exchange.
-o-O-o-
Megan dropped off a book she had needed for History of Magic at the library and walked back to the common room. She and Annie played Exploding Snap until dinnertime.
At dinner, most of Gryffindor came over to congratulate the small Chaser.
"How's Seamus?" She asked Dean.
"Madam Pomfrey said he'll be as right as rain in the next week or so," Dean answered. Megan nodded, then remembered Wood's message.
"Oh, Wood told me to tell you that you're Reserve Chaser," she told the boy in front of her.
"Wicked!" Dean exclaimed, his eyes lighting up. "I can't wait to tell Seamus!"
-o-O-o-
That night, Megan went to bed feeling more tired then she'd ever felt in her entire life. In one week she'd singlehandedly made the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, lost her best friend, gained her best friend back, and Annie had accepted her friendship with Rose. Today was amazing, she thought as she fell asleep with a smile on her face,