Chapter Twelve

I was sitting in the Common Room doing Homework with the rest of the Quidditch team, minus Fred and George. It was very silent; even though it seemed like every single Gryffindor was in there.

Eventually the Common Room slowly started to empty announcing the time to go down to the Great Hall. We were descending the stairway, when I saw Fred and George standing near the bottom; they seemed to be debating something but I could not tell what. As we neared them, Ollie brushed past without so much as a sign of recognition, let alone a barrage of questions regarding their espionage.

"Katie?" George asked curiously as the blonde Chaser neared. "What's up with Oliver?"

"What isn't up with Oliver these days?" Katie sighed, shaking her head. "He's going right barmy, all the worrying he's doing."

"Maybe we shouldn't tell him just yet then, eh Fred?" George frowned.

"Oh no," Katie tore her eyes from Oliver's departing figure and studied the twins as though seeing them for the first time.

"You watched their practice? Is it that bad?" I asked noticing Katie staring at the water dripping from their hair.

"No," Fred replied. "Worse. They're like green blurs out there. I've never seen anything as fast as those brooms."

"Harry's going to have a time keeping up to Malfoy, even if he is more skilled," George agreed.

"Never mind the rest of us," said Katie gloomily. I nodded; Fred placed his arm around my shoulder as we traipsed down the staircase to the Great Hall and joined the rest of our housemates at the Gryffindor table for supper; feeling very glum. Katie sat next to Ollie, who was absently stabbing at his baked potato. Fred and George plopped down on either side of Percy, who greeted them by wrinkling his nose at their sopping robes, with me sitting down next to Fred, but making sure as not to get to close to his robes.

"Has he been like this all day?" George asked, jerking his thumb in Ollie's direction.

"Unfortunately, yes," Percy frowned as Fred poured himself a glass of pumpkin juice. "Barely a word out of him. Absolutely useless in group work-"

"Bloody hell," Fred sniffled and wiped his nose with his sleeve. "You'd swear he was dying. Hope I never have to see him during a real tragedy. Don't think I could handle the contagious depression."

George sneezed. "Too right, mate."

"You two look awful," somebody said right behind us and we turned to see Hermione Granger looking at the twins sympathetically.

"Thanks very much, Hermione," George smirked.

"Yeah, the sentiment is much appreciated," Fred agreed.

"Oh really, I was only commenting on the fact that you're going to catch your death of cold if you keep in those wet clothes," Hermione rolled her eyes. "But seeing as that I'll never convince either of you to go and change now you've begun eating-" she paused and turned so that her back was to the Head table, hiding what she was doing behind her cloak. With a quick flick of her wand and a muttered enchantment, Hermione conjured up a pair of Bluebell flames - her specialty.

"Pass me your glasses," she whispered, and Fred downed the last of his pumpkin juice before he and George handed their cups to Hermione, who gently eased a flame into each and slid them back to them. "Keep them under the table," she instructed. "At least you can warm up and dry off a bit until you get back to the common room."

"Brilliant," George grinned. "Thanks, Hermione."

"Just don't let the teachers see, all right?" she replied, trying to keep a straight face but obviously thrilled at the compliment. She turned on her heel and continued down the table to where Harry, Phe and Ron were sitting and joined them.

"You know," Fred mused as he watched Hermione leave. "I just had the strangest sensation of hearing mum's voice coming out of Hermione's mouth. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear mum had found a way to transfer herself into Hermione."

George and I laughed and even Percy had to smile, but it quickly disappeared as Adrian Pucey and Violet Parkinson entered the Great Hall, followed soon after by the rest of their Slytherin gang and brought up by Abby Lestrange and Marcus Flint. Ollie's gaze shifted from his potato to Flint and his eyes narrowed as he tracked the Slytherin Captain's progress through the Great Hall. Almost as though he could feel Ollie's stare burning a hole in the back of his head, Flint threw an arm around Abby's shoulders and his stride become that of an arrogant swagger.

"Git," Wood muttered.

"Come off it, Oliver," Fred rolled his eyes and Ollie turned to him with a look of surprise on his face as though he had only just noticed Fred sitting across from him. Encouraged by his capture of Ollie's attention, Fred explained himself. "You have heard their roster changes, haven't you?"

"That's right," George followed Fred's lead. "Flint's benched a relatively skilled bruiser of a Chaser in Warrington in favour of his mate Terry, who's never been tested at Chaser."

"Not very bright of old Flint, and when it comes to Quidditch that's uncharacteristic of him, I'll give him that," Fred continued. "Plus the only reason Higgs is playing Chaser is because Malfoy's bought himself onto the team, which puts an inexperienced Seeker against Potter - the best Seeker since our Charlie."

Ollie seemed to be carefully considering every word the twins were saying, and slowly turned to look at Katie, who had immediately picked up on what the twins were doing. "That's right," she beamed. "And not to mention Derrick and Bole are slow as molasses, so Ange, Lie and I won't have any trouble dodging their bludgers."

"So that leaves their only real weapons to be Flint and Pucey," Wood said, nodding. "And…and I've stopped them before and I'll do it again!"

"That's the spirit mate!" Fred grinned.

"Don't know what you were so worried about in the first place," George agreed.

Wood looked across the Great Hall again at Flint, who met his stare with a conceited smirk. A smile crept onto Ollie's face and he snorted in laughter as Flint's expression changed to mild confusion at his rival's sudden change in attitude. Then he turned his attention to his supper and began to eat with renewed spirit.

George leaned across Percy and spoke in a hushed whisper to Fred, who was rubbing his hands over the flames in the glass he held on his lap. "Nice one, bro. I think he's convinced."

"Yeah. Now all we've got to do is convince ourselves."

"Hey. It will not be not be that bad. We have beaten them before and we will do it again. Like you said; experience counts in a game of quidditch not the speed of the broom." I said.

"You know what babe. You are right." Leaning over to give me a kiss.