Edelweiss
Chapter Four: Halloween
Harry stifled a yawn as he made his way groggily towards the Gryffindor table with Ron, who wasn't faring much better. He admired the decorations for Halloween that managed to make him smile every time, and took a seat near Aludra and proceeded to pile food on to his plate.
"How did you sleep?" she asked pleasantly, "Wait, never mind, don't answer that. Terribly, right?"
"How'd you guess?" Ron groaned sarcastically, and even though he was dead on his feet he still managed to pile the food on his plate with enthusiasm. Aludra raised her eyebrows.
"You're a very sarcastic person," she said blandly, "That'll get you into trouble one day."
"And you know everything about getting into trouble," Harry said, causing Ron to snicker. Aludra raised her eyebrows.
"You two aren't exactly saints yourselves," she bit out before stomping off, leaving her food untouched. Ron and Harry both exchanged looks.
"What's got her knickers all in a twist?" he asked.
"You hurt her feelings," Hermione said from his right, causing the two to start in surprise; they hadn't noticed she was there, "She's been trying to do good for the past month, and you rub everything in her face."
"Well, she deserves it!" Ron said while Harry thought it best to keep his mouth firmly shut, "She's never been very kind to either of us, right Harry?" Harry didn't get the chance to respond, even if he were planning on it, because the Twins plopped down on either side of him with matching grins.
"Doth our ears deceive us?" Fred asked, cupping his hand around his ear theatrically.
"Art thou insulting our good mate Ally?" George asked innocently, though he looked like he was promising them pain if they were.
"Don't look at me," Harry said quickly. Ron shook his head.
"W-We were just thinkin' that she's been rather mean to Harry over the years, right?" Ron said quickly. He was spared the interrogation as the owls swooped down over head and Harry was greeted by the ever affectionate Hedwig who had a letter from home tied to her leg. Harry thanked her and was rewarded with an affectionate nip and quickly read through the letter. When Aludra's owl swooped down he grabbed the letter for her and stuck it in his bag. Hermione sighed as she glanced at the front page of her Daily Prophet.
"I don't believe it," she murmured.
"Wha?" Ron asked through his mouthful of food. Hermione flattened the page and pointed to the page.
'EX-DEATH EATER RELEASED FROM AZKABAN'
"Who was it?" Harry asked curiously.
"Austin Mulciber," Hermione said, pointing to the accompanying picture of him exiting Azkaban. He looked like he had seen better days, and his face was hidden by a mass of greasy, unclean hair and a scruffy beard.
"On account of good behavior?" George asked.
"That's strange," Fred added.
"Someone probably did some major bribing to get him out," Ron added, "He was one of the last Death Eaters to be imprisoned."
"I have a feeling that Aunt Addy isn't going to be too pleased," Harry said dryly, "She's probably thrown something across the room. Most likely her shoes." Ron and the Twins chuckled at the image while Hermione grabbed her paper back up and began reading quietly to herself.
"I've got a feeling that today is going to be a good day," Harry said, "It's Halloween. How can it not be a good day?"
Aludra hummed softly to herself as she walked down the halls through masses of people all trying to make it to their classes in time. She walked at a surprisingly leisurely pace and idly adjusted her bag, and while all the others were preoccupied she darted into a passage hidden by a large tapestry. She moved through the twists and turns before coming to what appeared to be the back of a picture frame. She glanced down at a slip of paper in her hands before sliding out and into the hallway. No one was there, and she quickly stepped into her next class.
"Ah, Miss Aludra, early again I see!" Flitwick said cheerfully, "Aren't you coming from Potions? That's a far walk, isn't it?"
"Oh, I'm a very fast walker," she said politely before sliding in to her seat. As she waited for people to fill in she dug out a letter from her bag with a small smile. She unfolded it with care and quickly read over it.
'Don't tell anyone I let you borrow it. I'll meet you in the kitchens during dinner to get it back so no one notices its disappearance. Hope you manage to do what you needed to do.'
There was no signature, but that didn't bother her. She slipped the paper back into her bag as the seat next to her was pulled out and she smiled at her partner briefly before she began pulling her books from her bag.
-
"How did a bloody TROLL find its way into a bloody CASTLE?!" Lily screeched angrily, causing James and Sirius to wince.
"How come they don't have protection against that happening!?" Adelaide added, her temple throbbing, "This isn't muggle London! They're wizards, they should have known better!"
"But no Trolls live anywhere near the region," Sirius said in attempt to sooth her, "They don't expect a Troll to be smart enough to find its way into the castle."
"Well it did!" Lily countered angrily, "and if Harry and Ron hadn't been as lucky as they were, they could have gotten killed! Troll food! I did not protect my son against Voldemort just to have him get squished by a god forsaken TROLL!!!"
"Something doesn't fit," Remus said slowly, cutting off her rant, "There was no damage to the castle doors, it's as if they had been opened for it. The only damage done was in the girls bathroom. A Troll is not smart enough to open a door without causing at least some damage."
"Are you saying someone let the Troll in?" James asked as he came downstairs from putting Aster down for her nap.
"It's possible," Adelaide murmured, "I mean, with Dumbledore hiding the stone, it's not surprising someone is after it."
"But it would have to be opened from the inside," Lily said, her voice quivering, "That means that there is someone in the castle trying to steal the Stone."
"It can't be a teacher, they've all set up the traps!" James said. Sirius blinked and shared a look with Adelaide, who looked like she had also had an epiphany.
"Then…that just makes it easier to find," he said. They all shared looks of worry.
"Well, what about the upcoming Quidditch match!" James said quickly, noticing the tears building in Lily's eyes, "Gryffindor versus Slytherin. My bets on Gryffindor."
"Of course," Adelaide murmured with a roll of her eyes, "The moneys always on Gryffindor. Go, go, Gryffindor! Whoo hoo!" She said it with such a lack of enthusiasm that it caused the others to laugh, all tension leaving the room for the time being.
"What could go wrong during a Quidditch match?" Sirius asked with a grin. Lily shot him a glare.
"Oh, Quidditch is perfectly safe! Other then the possibility of you falling off your broom, getting hit with a bludger, and breaking every bone in your bloody body, Quidditch is the safest game in the world!" Lily grabbed Adelaide's arm, causing the burnet to start in surprise, "You're helping me in the kitchen."
"Okay?" she responded in confusion, shrugging back at Sirius and mouthing a brief sorry. Sirius just smiled slightly before returning his attention to his fellow Marauders.
-
When Aludra awoke the morning of the Quidditch match, sun was beating down on her face through the windows and her skin uncomfortably warm and laced with a thin sheen of sweat. She groggily opened her eyes and wiped away the sleep as she kept her mind focused on anything but her dream. It was a mixture of a nightmare and the best dream ever. She didn't want it to stop, but at the same time she prayed it would end.
Now that she was awake and functioning properly she pushed out of her bed and got dressed snuggly, wrapping her Gryffindor scarf around her neck and slipping her mittens into her jacket pocket. She hurried down to the Great Hall and slipped in alongside Hermione, Ron, and Harry. Part of her took pleasure in Harry's nervous state, while another part thought it might be best to comfort him.
"You've got to eat some breakfast," Hermione instructed him patiently. Aludra had to admit she was amazed at how the threes relationship had improved, all because of a troll. Harry grunted slightly in response.
"I don't want anything," he murmured.
"Just a bit of toast," Hermione pushed, biting down on her lip slightly.
"I'm not hungry," Harry repeated with a bit more bite, and his plate remained unfilled.
"Harry, You need your strength," said Seamus Finnigan in what he thought to be a helpful manner, "Seekers are always the ones who get clobbered by the other team."
"Thanks Seamus," Harry responded dryly.
"You'll do fine," Aludra said immediately, not bothering to elaborate. Harry looked at her in slight surprised, before nodding slightly.
"Thanks," he responded. She smiled brightly at him before she began eating her food, scanning the hall until she spotted Fred getting up from his seat and following after George. She stood and murmured goodbye before hurrying after them, leaving behind her half-eaten food.
At eleven o'clock Aludra found herself setting in the front of the stands and surrounded by yammering teenagers, each getting more excited as time pressed on and they grew closer and closer to the match. She prepared to cheer on her favorite Twins and her baby cousin when she spotted her parents, Aunt Lily and Uncle James. She was slightly disappointed to see that Remus was missing, but she had a feeling that he was watching after the kids for his friends.
She fiddled with her binoculars and turned to see Hermione, Ron, Dean Thomas, Seamus, and Neville Longbottom setting behind her. She raised her eyebrows and admired their large banner, reading 'Potter for President' in flashing letters and a well-drawn lion.
"Nice banner," she said kindly, before twisting back around as loud cheers filled the stands. She grinned widely and whooped as the Gryffindor team made their grand appearance, "GO HARRY! KICK SLYTHERIN ARSE!!!"
Aludra was fairly certain her mother heard what she had said, but she made sure not to glance in their direction, just in case. She glared as Madame Hooch eyed Marcus Flint suspiciously, wanting nothing more then to punch the sixth year in the nose. Last year he had teased her non-stop, constantly calling her blood-traitor and all sorts of nasty names before she finally hexed him, making his teeth even nastier then normal. It was worth the weeks worth of detention from a furious Snape.
Aludra crossed her fingers as the team mounted their brooms and began praying feverishly under her breath. Madame Hooch gave a short, sharp blow of her whistle and fifteen brooms soared up into the air.
"GO GRYFFINDOR!!!" She screamed loudly, grinning as the games began. She was most eager, though, to hear Lee's commentary.
"And the quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor – what an excellent chaser that girl is, and rather attractive too –"
"JORDAN!" Aludra burst into laughter and cheered even louder, pumping her fists in the air enthusiastically as Lee half-heartedly apologized to an irritated McGonagall before continuing on with his always humorous commentary.
"And she's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Alicia Spinnit, a good find of Oliver Wood's, last year she was only a reserve-,"
Aludra was fond of Alicia, she was a likeable girl. She continued screaming, knowing her voice would no doubt give out, before booing loudly as Slytherin intercepted Alicia's toss back to Angelina only to cheer again as Flint's shot was blocked by the ever efficient Oliver Wood (she admitted to having a crush on him under the effects of Veritaserum slipped to her by Fred and George last year. He never looked at her the same after that.)
"- and the Gryffindor's take the Quaffle – that's chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint, off up the field and – OUCH – that must have hurt, hit on the back of the head by a Bludger – Quaffle taken by the Slytherins – that's Adrian Pucey speeding off towards the goal posts, but he's blocked by a second Bludger – sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can't tell which – nice play by the Gryffindor beater, anyway,"
Angelina had the Quaffle again, and Aludra screamed in excitement. Even if no one had succeeded in scoring yet, she was pumped and ready to bash some heads in. Angelina skillfully dodged a speeding Bludger and continued towards the goal. Aludra bit down on her lip and crossed her fingers as she threw the Quaffle, watched as Keeper Bletchly dove to block it…
"GRYFFINDOR SCORES!"
"GO ANGELINA!" Aludra screamed excitedly, "GO GRYFFINDOR!! WHOO HOO!!!!"
"Budge up there, move along," she heard Hagrid instruct from behind her and she turned to see him squeezing in by Ron and Hermione. Aludra sent him a friendly smile but quickly turned her attention to the field, scanning the air until she spotted her cousin scanning the field slowly and hovering above the main events. It didn't take too much to spot him, since she had caught him doing loop-de-loops after Angelina had scored that last goal.
"Slytherin in possession," Lee was saying, "Chaser Pucey dodges two Bludgers, two Weasleys, and Chaser Bell, and speeds toward the – wait a moment – was that the snitch?"
"Oh my god," Aludra murmured anxiously, crossing her fingers and gnawing furiously on her lip till it was raw.
Harry and his fellow Seeker, one Terence Higgs (rather cute bloke, if Aludra said so herself) dove after the snitch. All motion had stopped as the Chasers watched to see what had happened. Aludra screamed encouragement as Harry gained speed and reached out – the snitch was right there – he!
"GOD DAMMIT!" Aludra screamed as Marcus Flint blocked Harry, causing him to spin wildly, "HANG ON, HARRY!!"
She could have sworn she heard her mother and Lily scream out curses like sailors at Flint, but she knew she had to have imagined it.
She was screaming with the rest of the Gryffindor's as Madame Hooch called a foul and ordered a free shot for Gryffindor. But the snitch had gone out of sight in all the commotion. Aludra cursed vividly, and barely even heard Dean's small rant on red cards and football.
"So – after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating -,"
"Jordan!"
"I mean, after that open and revolting foul -,"
"Jordan, I'm warning you-!"
"All right, all right, Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure, so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinnet, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession."
Aludra's eyes were glued to Harry the whole time, not willing to admit that she was worried for him. Her breath caught as he dodged a Bludger that barely missed his head. She was about to let out a sigh of relief when his broom gave a sudden lurch, causing her stomach to mimic the move.
"Oh no!" She whimpered, gnawing viciously on the side of her thumb before she scanned the field and returning her attention immediately back to her danger magnet of a cousin. There was another lurch, and she began to murmur various swears under her breath.
He'd lost control of his broom. But how? Then she realized that she was the only one that had noticed, and the game was continuing on. She snapped her head over to her parents, but they hadn't noticed either.
Oh god, what should she do? His broom was slowly twitching upwards and causing him to go further and further away from the field. She scanned the scans again with her binoculars and she faintly recognized Hagrid wondering what Harry was doing. She stopped when she reached the teachers stand and saw two people staring intently at Harry's broom: Snape, and Quirrel.
Then her sight was blocked as people began pointing up at Harry and crying out in surprise. She adjusted her position and looked at the stands again, so worried that not even the sight of Lily freaking out amused her. A loud gasp and James and Sirius lurching up out of their seats caused her to look back up at Harry.
She screamed.
He was hanging on to his broom by a single hand. Aludra felt tears burn her vision as she realized that Harry could very well die. And she'd been so horrible to him all his life! God, how could she ever live with herself. She was struck with an idea and turned back to the teachers stand, taking in the two suspects expressions. Quirrel looked to be concentrating intently, almost maliciously, while Snape seemed more panicked and worried.
She had an idea, and she very well might get expelled for it.
She hurried out of the stands and had no idea that Hermione had discovered the same thing and taken off in the same direction, just heading for a different teacher. As Aludra positioned herself behind Quirrel she spotted Hermione heading towards Snape, bumping into Quirrel along the way to position herself behind Snape. Aludra let out a breath of relief, and saw pointing her wand at the hem of Snape's robe. She opened her mouth to tell her she had the wrong guy, that the real caster had been stopped, but quickly realized that she would in turn give herself away.
Instead she hurried along the stands to her mother and latched onto her sleeve to catch her attention.
"This isn't the time!" Adelaide panicked, digging her nails into her cheeks as she watched with horror. Lily was worse off and sobbing into James' shoulder, who was staring intently at his son. There was a sudden commotion as Snape stood in a flourish and attempted to stomp out the blue flames on his robes. As this happened the broom quieted and Harry began working on regaining his grip. Aludra turned her attention back to the field and for a brief moment, her heart stopped.
And then he was back on his broom. The family let out simultaneous sighs of relief and slumped into their seats, their energy completely spent. Aludra sat down between her parents and latched onto her fathers arm.
"I caught sight of it in my binoculars," she whispered, "I saw Quirrell and Snape-,"
"Not now, Aludra," Sirius said softly, eyes glued to the field. Aludra frowned and felt a small stab of pain before turning and watching Harry intently. He was diving after a golden blur that Aludra knew to be the snitch. She screamed in anger as he suddenly clasped his hands over his mouth.
"NOW ISN'T THE TIME TO BE SICK!" She screamed as he flipped off of his broom and onto all fours. Then, something gold slipped out of this mouth and in to his awaiting hands.
He'd caught the snitch. The game was over, and Lily was laughing and sobbing at the same time.
"Gods, and you said Quidditch was safe!" She told James, before smacking his arm and rubbing her tears from her eyes. Aludra bit down on her lip and tried to keep back her anger as she realized that everyone had ignored her yet again.
She stood and hurried off towards the castle, not wanting to be caught in the middle of their celebrations. She had more important things too do, like keeping a close eye on Quirrel from now on.
-
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all things concerning belong to J.K. Rowling. I own Adelaide Black, Annalisa Bertucci, Aludra Hope Black, Ryan Sirius Black, and Noah Antares Black.
A/N: I'm paying so much attention to school I can't really spare too much time on these multi-chapter stories. It'll get finish, and for sure the summer will be full of updates. Otherwise I can make no promises. Then, there's all the shit that's gone on recently that's distracted me, and my moms pregnant. I was reading a twilight hp crossover when I had inspiration to write, and here it is! Originally it was going to be longer, but then I realized how long it had been since I posted, so…sorry. :D
Song of the Chapter: "I Can't Decide" by Scissor Sisters. Because it goes along with my Doctor Who/David Tennant craze. God I love that sexy, sexy man. :)
Yours truly,
B.E.N.