"Worried?" asked Fred. Andi shook her head, but rubbed her fingers over the edge of her Manchester United jersey nervously.
She had written back and forth with her parents about try-outs, but no magical advice had come. Her mother and father wished her luck. Her little sister had nearly turned inside out at the mention of her trying out for the quidditch team. However, her heart was heavy. Oliver had taken her out onto the pitch at night twice more- and he was right. She was a keeper, and the team needed a chaser and an alternate seeker for little Harry Potter who was always getting into trouble.
Absently, Andi followed Fred and George out onto the pitch. She watched Oliver organizing everyone by year. Andi stepped in line with the one other sixth year and stared at the grass when Oliver walked past her. She so wanted to play on the team, and he knew it. She couldn't stand the pitying look that she knew would be on his face.
"Alright! As you know, we need a mainline chaser. However, we may take on alternates for other positions. The possibility of injury or illness cannot hold us back this year. We are going to win!" said Oliver.
"I want keepers up by the hoops on the far end, chasers here with me at center, and beaters and seekers warming up at the far end," he continued. Andi was overjoyed. She couldn't believe her luck. She mounted the broom she'd borrowed from Madam Hooch and made her way to the goal posts. There was another girl there, a seventh year with a brand new broom. Andi ignored her as Oliver made his way over to them.
"Alright so Minnie you can go first, I'll get some of the chasers to come at you with shots. Keeva you're up next," he said. Andi smiled and went over to the stands to watch.
Minnie wasn't bad. She blocked six of the ten shots, but she wasn't original about it. The shots that went in were the ones that were thrown by the good chasers. Andi wasn't sure if she could block more shots, but she knew that she had better form.
"You're up Andi!" Fred called from Oliver's side.
Andi gripped her broom handle nervously as she rose towards the goal posts. Angelina came speeding at her and as the quaffle left her hand, Andi swerved towards the left hoop and caught the ball. She hurled it out towards Oliver, who tucked it under his arm.
One down, nine to go, thought Andi.
She swerved and blocked over and over. The quaffle bounced off her head, her leg, her elbow. She caught it when she could. A fifth year boy got the quaffle past her with a feint to the side and a roll. Katie scored using her broom tail to hit it in.
Oliver came level with her, staring her down. He sped straight at Andi at top speed. She didn't suck out of his way, but as he neared her he pulled up over her head and dropped the ball into the hoop, smiling all the time. Andi was smiling too. Tendrils of her black hair had come loose from her ponytail and were plastered to her face with sweat, but she had saved seven of the shots.
Oliver called the group back down onto the ground. She was so happy that she nearly didn't hear him calling out names.
"Jack Bowles is our new chaser. Jay Prusty is our reserve seeker. Aenegael Caiomhe Haggerty is our reserve keeper. Practices are Tuesdays and Thursdays and games will be posted. Thank you to all who came out," Wood shouted. Fred and George ran over to Andi and pulled her between them, nearly squishing her.
"You did it Abigail!" cried George. Andi sighed, but she couldn't contain her smile.
The rest of the team came over and they all patted each other on the back. Andi was excited to be a part of something. Standing on the pitch with her worn out borrowed broom and dishevelled hair, she felt more like herself than she had in weeks.
She was the last one in the girls' shower. She was dressed and just about done her braid when another girl came in. Andi had seen her before, but didn't know her. She was wearing Ravenclaw robes and had her brown and lavender hair pulled back in a tight French braid.
"I like your hair," Andi said. "My little sister used to do braids for me. They remind me of home." The girl turned towards her and rolled her eyes as she dropped her bag onto the floor. She started pulling out the plait, unsmiling.
"What year are you in?" Andi asked, still towelling off her hair.
"I'm not here to make small talk Haggerty," said the girl. Andi's thoughts burned at the girl's rudeness, but she kept her tone as friendly as ever.
"You have me at a disadvantage. What's your name?" she asked.
"Susan Cartwright. And I'm a half-blood sixth year Ravenclaw. Do you want my social security number too? Merlin knows I have better things to do than sit here making chitchat with a nothing like you," Cartwright said nonchalantly. She began to change into her workout clothes and took her personal broom out of one of the lockers on the other side of the room.
"What do you mean by calling me nothing? What the bloody hell? You think that just because I got here late that you're better than me? I may not be the best at quidditch, or potions, or any of your stupid wizarding classes, but at least I'm not a pompous bitch who can't even keep a civil tongue in her head when someone gives her a compliment!" said Andi. She hadn't yelled. She only spoke poignantly. When Andi was really angry, the anger was quiet, easy, and cold, like a sword she could call upon at any moment.
"Well I might be a bitch, yes. But I am a successful bitch, and that's the difference between us. You have no special talent, nothing that sets you apart from the rest except for the fact that your letter came late. The novelty will wear off," said Cartwright. She smiled as though Andi's outburst had just proven her point. The Ravenclaw didn't say anything else. Andi stormed out of the shower, seething. There was only one thing that could appease her now- asking Dumbledore once and for all why she was coming to school six years late.
Andi stormed into the common room and was met by raucous cheering. Fred grabbed her by the arm and led her over to the couch by the fire. Andi tried to protest, but Fred pulled her down between him and Oliver, and began singing "Never Quit Quidditch," by The Cauldrons before she could get out a word.
"Why so sullen Keeva?" asked Oliver, yelling in her ear to be heard over the twins' horrible singing.
"Got into an argument with Susan Cartwright and lost my temper. It wasn't really my fault. I was trying to be friendly and she was a total bitch. The thing that bothers me is she's right– I haven't had any true explanation as to why I'm here so late. After hearing about everything that Dumbledore went through for little Harry, I can't believe that he'd let some discontented owls ruin my chances at going to Hogwarts. I'm not as important as The Boy Who Lived, but I want to know what really happened and why he never checked in with me before this year," she said. Oliver nodded.
"Cartwright's the seeker for the Ravenclaw team, but I've heard that she barely beat a second year girl this year. I think you probably caught her in a bad mood," Oliver replied. Andi frowned.
"Oh I doubt that it was just a bad mood. That girl seems to think the world of herself for no good reason!" Oliver raised an eyebrow.
"Look, I'm just saying she's not that bad usually," he countered.
"You don't know what she said," Andi whispered, turning away from him. The music and singing was still loud, but she knew he could hear her.
"I don't mean to play devil's advocate. I just don't like to think ill of my own cousin," said Oliver. Andi immediately felt badly for what she'd said. She didn't regret her words, because she meant them, but she regretted saying them to Oliver.
"I don't expect you to think ill of her even though she was really rude to me for no reason. You asked me why I was upset and I answered you," Andi said, getting up. She grabbed her book bag off of the table by Angelina's side and left through the portrait-hole. Oliver followed.
"What did she say to you?" asked Oliver. He could speak at a normal volume now that the Fat Lady held the music at bay.
"Nothing. I'm not going to get into it Oliver," said Andi, starting down the stairs.
"Listen, as your captain I have a responsibility about this. You wouldn't have been down there if it weren't for try-outs and she is a member of another team," Oliver said, taking her by the arm. Andi turned and looked up at him and back at the floor.
"It's stupid. We had a row. She pointed out something that I've been feeling myself and that's why I got so angry and stormed off," Andi said quietly. Oliver stopped her halfway down the stairs, his hand still wrapped around her arm.
"What was it that she said that actually upset you?" he asked, his impatience beginning to show.
"She said that the only thing that makes me different form everybody else is that I'm new. That the novelty will wear off and I've no special skills. Look, Oliver I don't want to talk about this with you any more. She's your cousin and even if I don't like her, I'm putting you in an awkward position. I want to go see the Headmaster, so I'll see you later," Andi finished, gently pulling her arm away from Oliver's grasp, her voice wavering just a little. She went the rest of the way down the flight of stairs without looking back. He didn't follow.
Andi stopped in front of the statue that guarded the Headmaster's office. She had no idea how to get in until–
"Password?"
The statue spoke. Andi balked, but moved towards the beast on the pedestal.
"I'm sorry, I don't know it. But I really want to see professor Dumbledore," she tried. The statue gave her a disapproving look.
A strange feeling came over her. It seemed to seep into her mind from a well deep inside of her body. The vision in her left eye blurred and she rubbed it absently. Andi felt as though the statue before her was lonely. As she sensed this, she too suddenly became lonely. She reached out and stroked the metal beak of the creature. She was afraid that it might snap at her, and at the same time the creature, the metal that seemed alive and breathing pulled her forward. She stepped under the wing of the animal and it pulled her close to its side, hugging her with its metal feathers. They began the journey upwards. Neither she nor the statue said anything else.
When she got to the top, the beast let go of her and used its wing to gently guide her towards the entrance to Dumbledore's office. Andi knocked apprehensively, the strange feeling she'd sensed from the statue dissipating like a thick fog.
"I have been wondering when you'd come to see me Miss Haggerty," said Professor Dumbledore, ushering her into his office. He smiled at her and nodded to himself as though he'd proven a point. Immediately Andi was drawn to the phoenix sitting on a perch next to a bookshelf.
"I–," Andi pulled her eyes away from the bird. It was loosing feathers rather quickly. Andi wondered if she'd be able to see him burn. "I'm sorry to bother you sir, and I'm not really sure why the statue let me come up because I didn't know the password, but I wanted to ask you about my letter." Dumbledore smiled kindly and gestured to the seat across the desk form his. They sat a moment with only the rustling of the phoenix's feathers to disturb the silence until the Headmaster spoke.
"I knew you would see through my thin lie. I'm sorry to admit this Miss Haggerty, but I was the one who delayed your letter."
Thanks so much for reading the latest chapter! Special thanks to my guest reviewer and MyNameisMordecai for the words of praise! Hopefully I can update faster in the future. I feel badly for leaving a cliffhanger here, but maybe that will make you want to come back for a read later? Thanks to all followers, favourites, and reviewers! It really means a lot. And even if it's not something you liked about the story, please let me know. I am really interested in making this story unique. There are some twists coming up that even I didn't know about until now, so have a guess in the reviews…
Yours in writing,
~Kit~