The Welshman
by Hyena Cub
Rating: PG-13 for violence, language, and death, especially later on.
Genre: Harry Potter

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CHAPTER 7: Brawl at the Shack

Things went downhill from there. Cuthbert Moor turned his wand on Faolan, but I knocked him aside with a furious Impediment Jinx. Gideon threw a punch at Peter, who scowled and hit back; he didn't look powerful, but beneath his bulk, Peter had some strength.

Things could have gotten extremely ugly had it not been for an unexpected intervention. There was a childish, but somehow fierce cry, and something came swooping out of the sky, diving right at Gideon, who was just about to hex Peter from beneath his cloak. Gideon gave a startled cry and ducked, but there was a sharp crack, and he was suddenly laid out flat on the ground, knocked completely senseless. I looked up, shocked, and caught a red blur from the corner of my eye.

Cuthbert, always completely aware of his brother, turned around, his blue eyes wide with fury. 'Who did that?' he demanded, enraged, as he turned away from Faolan and Cadogan to run at us. Before anyone could answer, the red blur came at him from behind, and dove at him, something leaping through the air to drive him to the ground. Cuthbert let a cry of pain and staggered to his feet; so did the red blur, and everyone seemed rather shocked to see a smallish girl. I knew who she was, but I didn't think anyone else did.

Arcturus recovered first, using an Impediment Jinx to get Cadogan off of Faolan (neither of them seemed to have noticed the rest of us had stopped fighting), and Faolan scrambled to his feet, his face red, his fists clenched. Cadogan blinked and stared, finally noticing the newcomer.

'You'll regret this,' Cuthbert vowed, glaring hatefully at the girl, running to his groggy brother and helping him to his feet. 'No one attacks my brother!'

'Looks like I just did,' said the girl, utterly unafraid.

'Come on,' Cuthbert hissed at his friends. 'Before someone from the village comes…bloody nancy boys, saved by a girl!'

Ke'koa laughed in astonishment as the Slytherins hurried away, Adair Cadogan nursing a bloody nose, and Gideon staggering badly as his brother helped him away. 'That's rich!' he called after them. 'Seeing as you're the ones who got chased away by her!'

None of them answered, but I could tell they were utterly furious, more furious than I'd ever seen them. Not that I was all that worried; we'd proved we could handle ourselves just fine in a fight. But still…it was trouble.

I finally turned to the girl, who was dressed in Quidditch robes, and holding a Beater's bat in her hand. There was a reddish spot on it where she'd hit Gideon at full speed. Her broomstick floated serenely in the air where it had been when she leaped off it. 'You're completely insane, Sekhmet,' I said with a shaky laugh.

'Takes one to know one,' said Sekhmet with a grin. She was breathing hard with exertion and shaking a bit from the confrontation, but she looked exhilarated from the encounter all the same. Seemed she'd fit in just fine with our group.

'Er, you wanna introduce us to your friend?' asked Faolan.

'She was at the Quidditch trials,' said Ke'koa. 'Starkey, was it?'

'Stark,' she corrected. 'Sekhmet Stark.' She took a deep breath, swiping her dark hair back from her face. 'Those stupid gits…anyway, Calen, Aldora says not to forget practice. We start in an hour.'

I smacked my forehead in frustration with myself; I had forgotten. I had forgotten it completely in the face of visiting Hogsmeade. 'I did forget…thanks,' I said. 'And thanks for the intervention…may I just reiterate…you're barking.'

Sekhmet finally laughed, getting back on her broomstick. 'Maybe,' she said. 'But normal is overrated. See you!' And just like that, she'd gone.

'Come on,' said Peter a little shakily. 'We'd better get back…those Slytherins might already be telling lies about what we've done. We're just lucky this didn't happen in the town, where people could see us. Blake's a decent sort, but even he wouldn't much like this.'

Peter was right. 'Yeah, let's get outta here,' I said. 'We can stop at Honeydukes really quick then go back to Hogwarts.'

None of us said anything as we trudged back towards the village, but I for one felt lousy. I knew we shouldn't have let the miserable brutes get to us, but it was so difficult. When I saw the hurt in Faolan's eyes or the humiliation on Peter's face, I wanted to pound the Moor twins into the ground until all that was let was a dark stain. And poor Arcturus had to live with the stupid gits. I hoped they weren't going to do anything serious to Arcturus in retaliation. They were right; he did have to sleep sometime.

It wasn't until we were almost at Honeydukes when Ke'koa broke the silence. 'Hold on,' he said. 'That girl…isn't she a second-year?'

'Yeah,' I said, cocking my head curiously at Ke'koa, glad of the distraction. 'So?'

'So, how'd she get here? She's too young!'

I blinked, realizing that Ke'koa was right! How had Sekhmet gotten here, past Hummel and all the security around the castle? 'I have got to ask her how she did that,' I murmured, resuming my walking.

We didn't stay long at Honeydukes, as brilliant as the shop was. It was unlike any sweetshop I'd been to, Muggle or wizard, and was filled wall to wall with all of my favourite sweets. But even Peter and Faolan, who liked sweets better than any of us, weren't much in the mood to stay. So I just grabbed myself a box of Cockroach Clusters (earning the familiar disgusted look from my friends) and a package of Jelly Slugs and paid for them. Then we headed back.

Our silence continued as we trudged back towards Hogwarts with the few other students who were on their way back. It was a little early, but I for one had lost my desire to stick around and just wanted to get back and complain about the stupid Slytherins.

Except I had practice. Well, hitting bludgers all over the pitch would help my mood, and the prospect cheered me a little bit. I intended to ask Sekhmet how the heck she'd gotten into Hogsmeade while I was at it, and wondered if Aldora had known about it, also.

When we finally hit the Hogwarts gates, I looked over at the pitch; most the team was there, it seemed. 'Guess I gotta go up and change,' I said. 'What're you guys gonna do?'

'Plot revenge against the Moor twins,' said Ke'koa without hesitation.

I laughed. 'Well whatever you come up with…let me know! I'll meet you guys in the great Hall for the feast; I'm sure Aldora'll keep us out there 'til then.' I gave my friends a half salute, half wave, and trotted towards the castle to get my robes and my Beater's bat, both of which I had in my trunk.

After running up seven flights of stairs, not including the front steps, I was completely winded. I threw my bags from Hogsmeade down on my bed, flung open my trunk, and got out my red and gold Quidditch robes and my Beater's bat. I changed quickly, then grabbed my broom from where it leaned against the corner, and hurried out of the boys' dorms and through the common room, where several of the younger students were hanging out.

Once I got out through the portrait hole, I looked at my broom, then looked over at the nearest staircase…there were an awful lot of stairs. Shrugging, I mounted my broom and rode it along the hallway towards the landing, getting some very odd looks from portraits and people alike. It was a whole lot easier (and faster) than trying to run down all of those stairs, and I could save my energy for practice! It was kinda fun, too.

'Weasley!'

I was nearly down the last set – the marble staircase leading from the Entrance Hall – when the furious voice nearly made me fall off my broom. Bringing the broom to a stop, I turned around, groaning as I saw who it was: Professor Melville, Head of Slytherin House. She looked rather annoyed, to say the least, her short hair framing an almost feral snarl as she glared at me.

I sent a winning grin her way, but did not seem much moved by it. 'Er, yes, ma'am?'

'What is the meaning of this?' she demanded angrily. 'How dare you tear through here on a broomstick?'

'I wasn't tearing!' I protested indignantly…and I wasn't! I was even trying not to go very fast because I didn't exactly wanna mow anyone down…just a little bit faster than running, really! 'I was just--there's loads of stairs, and I just thought--'

'This is NOT a Quidditch pitch, Weasley,' said Melville. 'Twenty points from Gryffindor – and if I see you on a broomstick in this castle again, I shall tell the Headmaster. Understood?'

I sighed resentfully, getting off the broom and glaring around at the few students who were watching the confrontation. The Moor twins weren't there, I was glad to see, but it was small consolation. 'Yes, ma'am,' I muttered, and scowled at her back as she turned around to head back down into the dungeons.

I was not in a fantastic mood when I finally made it onto the Quidditch field. My first Honeydukes weekend hadn't been quite the adventure I'd hoped for. First falling in the street, then a fight with the Moor twins and their little friends, now being embarrassed by that grouchy old bat. Not to mention losing twenty points for Gryffindor!

Aldora looked very impatient by the time I got to the pitch. I knew I wasn't very late, but Aldora really liked being on time for practice, and could get fanatic about it. Still, she was a decent sort, and she didn't give me a hard time about it. She opened her mouth to say something, got a good look at me, and decided not to tell me off. Instead, all she said, was, 'Let's get to it!'

I was very grateful as I remounted my broom and took to the air. That cold wind whipped my hair all over the place, and I wished I'd remembered to tie it back. I brought my wand out of my pocket and did a quick binding charm, and hoped it would last for practice.

Our training session was fast-paced, strenuous, and very satisfying. At first, Aldora let out only one of the bludgers, to warm up, and Sekhmet and I took it in turns to whack it towards the Gryffindors, while the other practiced protecting them. When the second bludger was let loose, things got a bit more hectic, and I let my mind immerse itself into playing.

It was a good practice. I caught a graze on the side of my head, but it only bruised a little bit. My cut hand opened again, using the bat, but I didn't even notice until after practice. Sekhmet was knocked off her broom, but luckily she was only ten feet up or so and managed to sort of land on her feet, landing hard and sprawling in the grass. A few of us descended to see if she was okay, but she stood up, waving that she was fine. She looked a little shaky, but she got back up onto her broom and rejoined the session—the kid was tough!

It was getting dark when we finally quit, and Aldora praised us for a good practice. 'That Quidditch Cup's got our name on it this year,' she vowed.

'Not if I keep falling off my broom it won't,' grouched Sekhmet, and Aldora laughed.

'Don't worry about it, kid. You're not the first.'

I didn't blame Sekhmet; I would have been annoyed myself! I watched her stalk towards the dressing room, then turned to Aldora. 'Sorry I was late. I was riding my broom down all those stairs, and Melville caught me. She took a bunch of points, told me off, and was just the perfect end to my day.'

'It's all right,' said Aldora. 'I could tell you weren't exactly in a chipper mood. What else happened? You were in Honeydukes, weren't you?'

'Yeah…and got into a fight with a bunch of stupid Slytherins…the Moors and their friends. Sekhmet barged in and joined the fight on our behalf…it was pretty funny, actually. They got chased off by a girl.'

Aldora laughed aloud, shaking her head in amazement. 'Well I knew she knew a way into the village,' said she. 'Leave it to her to get in a fight while she does it. She likes to fight almost as much as that Slytherin bloke you're friends with…Arcturus? She prefers fists to wands, though. Muggleborn, I think.'

I finally laughed a little, too. 'She's pretty cool. Anyway. They weren't really polite to Faolan, and you know how easily he's upset. I just hope we're not gonna lose points over it.'

'I doubt it,' said Aldora as she opened the door to the dressing rooms and held it for me. 'I doubt they told. Then they'd have to admit they were also fighting.'

It was a good point I supposed…but it didn't make me feel much better about the conflict. I wondered if the guys had thought of any good revenges against the gits.

I didn't join in the team's normal banter in the locker room…I didn't stay long, either. I just put my bat in the trunk where we kept our collective gear and vowed to keep my robes in here, too. It would be easier and leave me with more room in my trunk.

After I was dressed as I had been that day (minus the robe), I made my way down towards the Great Hall. Delicious, succulent aromas were wafting from the kitchens, making my mouth water and my stomach growl. I hadn't gotten a chance to eat much of the stuff I'd gotten at Honeydukes, and I was famished. The only thought on my mind as I hurried across the crowded Entrance Hall was getting to a nice, big plate of whatever they were serving for supper.

When someone grabbed my arm, at first I thought it was one of my friends, so it was a rather unpleasant surprise when one of the Moor twins got in my face. Gideon, I thought. 'You'll pay for today, Weasley,' he growled as I blinked in surprise. 'You and that girl you got protecting you.'

Normally I would have laughed—it was pretty funny after all, what he was saying—but I wasn't in the mood. I tried to jerk my arm out of his grasp, but the miserable git was strong. 'Let go.'

Gideon smiled, but he did let go, even straightening the sleeve of my shirt, which he'd rumpled. 'Sure. For now. Just remember what I said.' That said, he marched on ahead of me towards the Great Hall, leaving me feeling utterly irritated. I looked around for his brother, but didn't see him, and assumed he was already inside.

I gave a sigh and walked the rest of the way across the Entrance Hall, into the Great Hall.

'Ah, there he is!' exclaimed Ke'koa as I approached. 'The very man!' He was sitting near the end, with Arcturus, Peter, and Faolan nearby. I managed a small smile and sat down, and Ke'koa's grin faded. 'What's wrong, mate?'

'It's been a lousy day,' I said, and described by day since I had separated them to go to Quidditch practice. 'And to top it all off, I just got threatened by Gideon Moor…he's probably planning on smashing in my face if he can catch me alone.'

Faolan snorted. 'That's the only way he could do it,' he said. 'Else you'd just hex him.'

'Yeah,' agreed Ke'koa. 'And he'd have his brother hiding somewhere with his wand out, waiting to jinx you if it looked like you were winning.'

That was probably true, too.

'Forget them, mate,' said Ke'koa bracingly. 'They're trolls, anyway. Come on, let's eat – they've got most your favourites here.'

As my ire began to fade, I could finally begin to really appreciate the delicious feast before me. I nodded my agreement and got myself a plate of food. Slowly, my bad mood began to lift…it was tough to do otherwise, when Ke'koa was deliberately being an idiot, or Faolan kept comparing our meals to various strange and disgusting things.

We were joined about halfway through our meals by Sekhmet, who greeted us amiably and sat down next to me, at the end of the table.

'Hello,' I said to her, slightly taken aback by her abrupt arrival. 'You just getting here?'

'Oh, no, I was eating with my friends at the other end,' she said with a grin. 'But I wanted to hear what happened with those Slytherin morons—have they said anything about the fight?' Her eyes were bright with curiosity, and I finally laughed.

'No, they haven't said a word,' I said. 'Unless you count Gideon Moor – I think it was Gideon anyway – threatening me. And you.'

Sekhmet's eyebrows rose and she looked gleefully amused. 'He did, did he? Well he can bring it on, the gormless oaf.'

Arcturus was looking at Sekhmet with an odd expression on his face. 'You're strange,' he said. 'And I'd know about strange. We had it sorted, you know – it was five of us against four of them.' I had the idea that Arcturus maybe didn't quite like this brassy girl…she definitely wasn't normal for a girl.

Sekhmet shrugged, seemingly unconcerned. 'I didn't do it because I thought you needed the help. I just flew in, saw it, and that's what happened. You don't really think about it.' She looked up at Arcturus. 'Do you?'

'Do I what?' asked Arcturus, and there was no mistake, he was irritated, now.

'Plan to get into a fight? You like to duel, don't you? Do you plan it when you fight someone, or does it just happen?' She speared a roast potato on her fork and took a bite of it; I had to laugh. It looked utterly uncivilized, her taking a big bite out of an entire potato. 'It's sorta…instinct.'

'If you say so,' said Arcturus doubtfully.

'So…how did you get into the village?' I asked Sekhmet in a quiet voice. 'You're not a third-year yet.'

At this, Sekhmet's grin became very sly, and she glanced around her before speaking in a near whisper. 'I've got my ways. There're…ways out of the castle that the teachers don't know about. I'll show you tomorrow, if you want.'

Even Arcturus was interested in this, and he eyed Sekhmet beadily. 'How'd you find them out?' he demanded. 'We've been over this castle with a fine-toothed comb. We've found about a million passageways, but only five out of the castle, and the only one that leads to Hogwarts is underneath the Whomping Willow—was it that one?.'

Sekhmet looked surprised. 'Oh really? The Whomping Willow, I didn't know about that one. No, it's…well I'll show you,' she said, glancing around again. 'There're too many people in there. I'll tell you how I came across it, too!'

'Sekhmet!'

Sekhmet looked up to see one of the second-year boys calling her name, and waved at him. 'Be there in a minute!'

'Well hurry up, we're playing Exploding Snap!'

'Okay!' The boy ran off towards a couple other second-years waiting for him at the door to the Entrance Hall, and Sekhmet stood. 'See you tomorrow!' she said, and ran off after the boy. I watched in amusement as she disappeared from sight.

'Kid's barking,' Arcturus muttered.

'Aw, she's all right,' said Ke'koa. 'Gotta admire her nerve.'

Arcturus snorted. 'That's just the Gryffindor in her. You lot never were known for discretion.'

Ke'koa laughed and punched Arcturus in the arm, and the two of them had a silent but fierce scuffle that ended with Arcturus knocking an entire plate of food to the floor. They decided to behave after that.

Once dessert had been served and we'd eaten our fill, I was started by a rather displeased voice right behind us. 'Evening, boys.' I turned around to see Professor Blake standing there, looking less than thrilled, and my chest got a little tight. Blake didn't get angry too easily, but when he did, it wasn't too pretty. 'The four of you, in my office after supper.' He looked at Arcturus and added, 'And Professor Melville wants you in her office as well.'

'Yes, sir,' he murmured, looking unhappily down at his empty plate. Blake looked at us, and I nodded glumly, repeating the same. Once he'd gotten an answer from all of us, he left the table, walking out of the Great Hall. Great. The perfect end to a perfect bloody day.