On her first morning at Hogwarts, Andi got up early. Katie and Angelina were still asleep, and Andi was careful not to wake them up. She was sad, pulling out the now-messy braids that her sister Laurel had put in the day before. Andi tied her hair up in a bun and straightened her brand new Gryffindor tie in the mirror.
"Are you almost ready?" called Katie. Andi answered by opening the door.
"All good," she said. "I'll meet you guys down in the common room." As Andi closed the door behind her, Angelina was just getting out of bed and rubbing her eyes.
As she came down the stairs, she realized it was much earlier than she'd thought it had been. There were only a few people milling around the common room. There wasn't anybody she knew other than Oliver Wood, who was pouring over a messy pile of quidditch schematics. He didn't notice her as she walked over and stood beside his chair.
"If you have your chasers play closer to the ground than usual, then you'll surprise the other team. Nobody's had chasers play near the ground since the Puddlemere-Arrows game of 1876," she said quietly. Oliver looked up from his schematics and blinked in a confused manner.
"I thought you'd never played quidditch before," he said slowly.
"I haven't. But I have studied it in depth. That plan you have right there," she said, tapping a paper on the far side of the table. "Would be amazing if you had it set next to the ground. The other team would have to re-adjust all their plays. And you can do reverse Hatch Dives to get back up to the goal posts for at least half the game. Their keeper would have to block you from below," she said.
"That sounds… like a really good idea. Thanks," Oliver replied, writing down what she'd said.
"Oi! Wood! Have you gone down to the Great Hall yet?" called a boy Andi didn't recognize. Wood shook his head absently. The boy shook his head and went through the portrait-hole.
"You basically force-feed us Wood. I don't think that the team captain gets any special treatment went it comes to having to eat, do you Katie?" said Angelina, coming up beside Andi. Katie shook her head.
"No, in fact I think you have to come with us right now and eat your food like a good little quidditch player," she said. Oliver groaned and gathered up his papers. He stuffed them by the unfolded handful into his school bag and followed the three girls down to breakfast.
Just as Andi sat down, owls appeared. She picked Derval out easily in the crowd. He glided softly down next to her plate of bacon and dropped a letter into her hand. It was from home. She was about halfway through her family's letter when–
"STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY'D EXPELLED YOU, YOU WAIT TILL I GET HOLD OF YOU, I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT HAD GONE! WE HAD A LETTER FROM DUMBLEDORE LAST NIGHT, I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME, WE DIDN'T BRING YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS, YOU AND HARRY COULD BOTH HAVE DIED!"
Yells that Andi could only assume belonged to Mrs. Weasley filled the Great Hall. Poor little Ron and Harry were turning inside out with shame and embarrassment. When the Howler finally stopped screeching it tore itself up and burst into flames. Laughs came from the Slytherin table. With her wand tucker under the edge of her plate, Andi muttered, "Silencio," under her breath. The laughing quickly stopped.
Talking quickly resumed in the Great Hall as Professor McGonagall handed out timetables. Andi was taking Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, Herbology, History of Magic, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Ancient Runes, and Care of Magical Creatures. Her parents had thought to include her distaste for math in their letter to McGonagall, and thus she hadn't been forced to take Arithmacy.
"Oh, and Haggerty, you'll be having make-up O.W.L. exams. Your professors will fast track you through your classes, don't worry," she said. Andi nodded.
A week later, Andi had finished all of her O.W.L. exams. Her favourite by far was Charms, and she got on swimmingly with Professor Flitwick. Her wand had become an extension of her body. There was no spell that she couldn't master, and she passed with flying colours. After finishing up her potions examination, she wandered down to her first real Herbology class with the other sixth years.
Everyone was lined up outside the greenhouses with their hands clamped over their ears. As Andi got closer, she realized why. There was a high-pitched screaming coming from inside greenhouse number four. Andi rushed forward to open the door, but the boy she'd seen talking to Oliver before breakfast the week before pulled her back.
"It sounds like some needs help!" Andi yelled above the screams. The boy smiled down at her.
"It's alright Haggerty! It's just mandrakes!" he replied. Andi nodded and drew back from the door, her hands still over her ears. Eventually, the bell sounded and second years, dog tired and ear-sore, filed from the greenhouse. Andi was glad that there were bells like back at her muggle school.
"What's your name?" Andi asked, as she took a place between the boy and Oliver. She noticed the earmuffs that were strewn around the greenhouse. She could still hear the mandrakes crying from underneath their new soil.
"Jack Bowles," he replied, extending a hand. Andi shook.
"Aenegael Haggerty," she said. He nodded and Professor Sprout began to talk.
"I would like all of you to partner up, put on your leather gloves, and go grab a Venomous Tentacula. I also want you to put on some earmuffs, because even though it's muffled, listening to the mandrakes for too long will knock you unconscious. Be wary with the Tentaculas! They're teething and they need to be pruned!" she said. Students around the room began to grab earmuffs.
Andi picked up a pair of grey, fluffy earmuffs and put them on. She felt something in her pocket as her hip bumped against the edge of the work table. Andi reached into her pocket and found a peppermint bug, crawling around in the dark. She had just popped it into her mouth when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. She turned and noticed Oliver was speaking to her. She pulled one earmuff away from her ear.
"-wanna be my partner?" Andi smiled.
"That sounds great! I'll grab the plant," she said. Andi turned on her heel and made her way over to the back of the greenhouse. She was halfway to the Tentaculas when she tripped over a loose cobblestone on the ground. She choked on her mint and began to cough violently. She lay there for a second, trying to breath, before she was lifted into a sitting position.
"You alright Haggerty?" asked Oliver. As she coughed, she felt him rubbing her back in circles, trying to coax her coughs out. Andi's coughs turned to splutters and eventually she could breathe again. He helped her back over to their place at the table. She smiled feebly as Jack grabbed them a Tentacula.
"Thanks Jack. Haggerty, your eyes are watering. Are you okay?" Oliver asked.
"Yes. Sorry, I tripped," she wheezed. Oliver still had his arm around her.
"It's alright. Why don't we start cutting this biting thing back?" he said. She nodded. Her throat was raw as she put her earmuffs back on.
After a few snips in silence, Oliver spoke again, pulling Andi's earmuffs onto her neck.
"You're not breathing right. I think you should go to Madam Pomfrey."
"No, no. I choked on a candy, that's all," Andi whispered, still spluttering.
"Well let me do something at least. Respiro Spiritus!" said Oliver, pointing his wand at her under the workbench. Immediately Andi's chest relaxed and her throat stopped burning. She took a deep breath and leaned against the table. Oliver put a hand on her shoulder.
"Where did you learn that?" she asked. Oliver smiled, putting his wand back in his pocket.
"I am the quidditch captain. A bludger to the stomach usually knocks the wind out of some player at least once a practice, so I learned a little charm to set breathing right. Better?" he explained.
"Better," said Andi.
They resumed their pruning. They had just finished when Professor Sprout came over. She scratched the biting bulb under its chin and turned over a couple of leaves.
"Excellent work!" she called, loud enough to be heard through the earmuffs. Oliver and Andi exchanged smiles as the bell rang.
"I'll leave you here. I've got a free and I'm going to get started setting up my Captain's office for the year. I'll see you around Haggerty," he said.
"Thanks Oliver," she replied. Oliver smiled.
"No one calls me that," he muttered, turning to go. Andi made her way back into the castle.
Later that day, Andi was working in the common room when she saw a notice posted on the board in the common room. It was penned in a hand she didn't recognize, but she saw that it had to do with quidditch and left her Ancient Runes homework unfinished next to Katie.
"What's this?" she asked. Katie glanced up at the message from across the room.
TRYOUTS FOR QUIDDITCH TEAM
Tryouts will be held two Fridays from now at 5:30am. Some experience preferred, but new players welcome.
"Oh it's the message that Wood posted for the new chaser position. You should try out!" said Katie. Andi nodded enthusiastically, but a new thought dawned on her.
"I've never played quidditch before. Maybe I should ask my mam for some tips. She played chaser for Hufflepuff in her seventh year. They won the House Cup too! The only problem that I have is… well, I've never even sat on a broom before," Andi explained. She cringed as the words left her mouth.
"Well I certainly can't help you with that. There's a reason I'm only a commentator," said Lee. Katie looked up from her work.
"I could give you a hand learning the rules and stuff, but I'm a rubbish flying teacher. Madam Hooch asked if I'd tutor this first year a few years back– Finch-Fletchley I believe. He demanded another tutor after two days…" she said, staring off into space.
"Have you seen Fred or George? I should ask one of them," said Andi. Lee replied quickly,
"It's Saturday. You won't be able to find them. I'd send an owl." Andi took that as proof that they were out somewhere with Peeves, pulling pranks.
"Alright," said Andi. Katie laughed. Andi had just pulled out a fresh sheet of parchment, when the twins appeared.
"Looking for us, Abigail?" said George. Andi rolled her eyes.
"I was wondering if one of you could teach me to fly. I want to try out for chaser, but I've never actually played before," she said. Fred and George laughed.
"What're you doing right now?" asked Fred. Andi shrugged.
"Nothing," she replied.
"Go change into something that's easy to move in and I'll take you out on the pitch with George's broom. I can teach you how to sit on a broom, but I'm afraid that's the extent of my teaching prowess," he said. Andi threw her arms around him.
"Sitting on a broom it is!" she said, pulling away and running up the stairs to the girls' dormitory.
An hour later, Andi was out on the quidditch pitch in a Gryffindor jumper and jeans. Her blue raincoat wasn't zipped up, and the mid-September rain was dripping down her front. Her hair was soaked. Fred wasn't wearing a jacket at all.
"So you just sit on the broom and then let it lift off the ground like so," Fred explained, demonstrating. The Cleansweep 7 lifted about a foot off of the ground.
"Okay," Andi said, shakily. She swung her foot over the broom. She willed it to rise, and she shot up seven feet. She clutched the handle of the broom.
"It's alright! That's right nice, just hold that position!" said Fred, rising to meet her.
"This thing goes really fast. I thought brooms were smooth movers," Andi said, relaxing her death-grip on the broom handle. Fred smiled sheepishly.
"Most brooms are. George and I… well our brooms are a little elderly," he said. Andi's broom dropped sharply a couple inches and she called out.
"They can be a little emotional as well," he said, reaching out and steadying her with one arm.
"We've got a couple weeks until the try-outs. You can't expect to be whizzing around the field in a day. Why don't we leave it there," Fred suggested. Andi shook her head.
"I want to be able to control it, at least a little bit," he countered. Fred rolled his eyes.
"Alright, alright. One lap, and that's it," he sighed. Andi's face lit up.
Four laps and a sprained ankle later, Andi was in the girls' shower, towelling off excess water. She let her wet hair fall around her shoulders and picked up her clothes.
"Siccesco!" muttered Andi. Her clothes were dry in an instant. She slipped them back on, and stole out of the locker rooms to meet Fred. He was going to walk back with her to the castle.
As she strode from the girls' locker, Andi noticed Oliver was stapling a poster to the Quidditch Newsboard. He turned to see her emerging from the locker rooms, limping, her hair wet, and smile shy.
"Feeling better Haggerty? I saw that Weasley was teaching you to fly. You going to try out for chaser?" he asked. Andi nodded.
"Much better, thank you Oliver. I am going to be trying out. Is that the sign-up?" Andi pointed at the paper Oliver was sticking to the board.
"Yes," he said, stepping back from it. Andi moved towards the board and drew her wand.
"Signum nota," she whispered.
"Aenegael C. Haggerty," appeared to flow from her wand-tip and onto the sheet. Oliver was impressed.
"Never seen that charm before. What's the C for?" he asked. Andi smiled.
"Caoimhe," she said. He raised an eyebrow.
"Keeva? Nice name," he said.
"Irish names aren't spelled how they sound. It's like this," she continued, spelling her middle name with her wand. Caoimhe appeared in silvery letters.
"Pretty," said Oliver.
"What's your middle name?" she asked. Oliver laughed.
"Malcolm," he replied. "I hate it."
"Oh I like that name," Andi replied. Oliver rolled his eyes.
"Can't stand it. Hey, I know that Weasley said he'd do it, but how about I help you with your flying. You might as well learn from a professional," he said. Andi smiled, grateful for the help.
"I'll ask Fred if he minds. Thanks Oliver," she said.
"You know, everybody calls me Wood," he said, leaning against the notice board.
"I won't call you Oliver if you don't like it. I could always call you Malcolm," Andi laughed. Oliver smiled, and looked her square in the eyes.
"Alright Keeva, whatever you say."
There you go! I thank all of you who made it to Chapter 4, it seems that a lot of people are stopping before it gets good... Next chapter will be some flying lessons, maybe try-outs... Let me know what you're thinking and if I can make it better at all! There are some people who live off of feedback, and I may or may not be one of them.
Thanks!
~Kit~