Sorry it's a day late, this one is longer though! I have a really good idea of where this is going so keep reading and I hope you like it!
Disclaimer: I do not own HP
A week later I was beginning to feel the affects that lack of Quidditch playing brought me. The tournament was starting in a few weeks and today was Gryffindor's first practice with James as captain. Before he was recruited, Matt Finnegan had been captain for three years; he was a great leader, although he tended to get caught up in the competition and became pretty arrogant and obnoxious at times. The team was forced to be on the receiving end of this. I was just hoping James would go easier on us as I have never known a more conscientious team. I suppose you could blame that on our second-nature competitiveness.
Being forced awake at six o'clock in the morning was not my idea of a good Saturday, especially when I knew James would not go easy on us, despite anything I hoped. He would want to make a good first impression, which meant endless amounts of drills and exercises before we were even allowed to touch a broomstick. James was so bloody enthusiastic; he even went through some of his new methods with me that summer.
Golden brown leaves crunched under my boots as Alex and I strolled down to the Quidditch pitch, while the rest of the castle slept. The air had a slight chill to it that was brought along with the autumn season, my favourite time of year. This month, on the eleventh to be precise, also happened to be my birthday.
"Remind me why I joined the Quidditch team, again?" Alex yawned.
"Because you love beating the shit out of Slytherin every year?" I smiled.
"True." She considered. "But I still don't see the benefit of getting up at six on a Saturday morning." Moaning was one of her favourite things to do.
"Apparently, James does." I couldn't help sighing at James' typical behaviour.
We entered the changing rooms and dumped our spare clothes in the lockers, carrying our broomsticks and sporting Quidditch uniforms, we waited on the pitch for the rest of the team. Of course, James was there already.
The team started with stretching then proceeded onto simple running and throwing exercises. It was half way through the practice and we had only just got onto our broomsticks. I loved the familiar feeling of my Firebolt in my hands. I could feel its fervent buzz between my fingertips as it longed to be back in the air, just like I did. Although, I adored my Firebolt, I had been saving up money since fourth year to eventually buy a Thunderbolt VII- they say it sacrificed safety for speed.
While I had been marvelling at my broom, Alex was already whizzing up and down the pitch, almost taking my head off as she flew passed me. Out of all the players on our team, I'd say she was the most reckless. Frequently was an understatement for the amount of times she'd dived towards the Quaffle, with only the ground to break her fall, and twenty feet of air between her and a fatal injury. Although, I swear she is perpetually trying to give me a heart attack, I couldn't help laughing.
"Alex! Rose! Get over here!" James shouted. To my surprise, he sounded annoyed.
"Yes, captain." Alex mocked, just as surprised as I was.
"Thank you." He didn't sound thankful. "As you all know, I am Quidditch captain for this year and Gryffindor has not won the cup for two consecutive years, losing to Slytherin of all houses. This is our last chance- my last chance- to win the Quidditch cup once more. I'll be leaving at the end of this year. I'll never get another shot at it." I'd almost feel sorry for James if I didn't know how pathetic he was being. "I'm going to be working you even harder than before. Don't expect any sympathy. Expect regular practices every week and continuous exercise. We need to win this year or die trying." His speech was beyond extreme, especially for our first practice of the year.
"James, you've got to be joking!" I said, half smiling in incredulity, hoping he was joking.
"Rose, you're the last person I'd expect to protest." He said patronisingly as if I had disappointed him in some way.
"James-"
"Do you want to win the House cup or not?" He raised his eyebrows expectantly.
I barely had a chance to utter one word before he cut me off again. "Well then, I suggest we start practice."
We all watched him, wide-eyed, stroll back onto the pitch and mount his broom.
"He'll get over it." Alex said from behind me, walking towards James.
I wasn't so enthusiastic in my approach so I trailed after her. "Hopefully. Maybe it's a tactic he's trying out." I said, wishing no one else had heard my self-assuring tone.
"Exactly. He'll be as friendly as ever in a few weeks." The fact that Alex wasn't the least bit scared like everyone else astonished me. It was either that or she had been taking acting classes over the summer, which seemed very unlikely. As much as I hated to say it, she could never hold down one thing for that long.
Practice resulted in my having several cuts, bruises and a pair of aching shoulders. The team was groaning audibly from all over the changing rooms. The boys' especially might I add. I usually wouldn't take a shower after playing but this time was different- I was sweating like a pig. I had no idea that James could be this intense.
Stuffing my Quidditch robes into my bag, an unexpected wave of dizziness hit me. I set my hand on the wall to steady myself, as more and more breathlessness came. I stayed in that position telling myself to breathe and relax. My head bent down, I fixed my gaze on my feet in order to focus on something plausible and unmoving.
Slowly, my breaths came to settle and resided into a normal pattern once more. I brought my head up and looked around. Everyone was getting on with their own doings and focussed on their own aching bodies. No one had noticed. I wasn't sure whether to be pleased about this or slightly worried that my body was having some weird breakdown and no one would believe me if they hadn't seen it.
I tried carrying on ordinarily- picking up my bag, I stumbled outside and made my way back to the castle, hoping that Alex wouldn't notice if I didn't wait for her. Now that the team had gone through first practice, we left our brooms down in the changing rooms to make the journeys to and from the castle a little easier. In this case, not having extra weight made it significantly easier since practice was so hard-core.
What made me light-headed was likely to be because of this. I wasn't accustomed to so much exercise in this short amount of time. However, if I wanted to carry on with Quidditch after Hogwarts, it was crucial that I got fitter. Maybe James' enthusiasm would help me out in the long run after all.
The next day, I hopped down the stairs, grimacing from the aches and pains caused by yesterday's Quidditch practice, from the dorms and was met at the bottom by a small huddle of people. Alex was disjointed from the group and coughed meaningfully when she saw me. This disrupted Al, Hugo and James from the huddle, of which the latter was holding some kind of black ball of fur with two orbs of green light glinting from one end. A tail extended from the opposite side. It tickled and poked at James' face making him splutter. At this point I realised it was indeed a black cat with bright green eyes. I rushed over to pet it.
"James," It started to purr and nuzzle my hand. "I had no idea you had a cat." For a second I felt much too informal to be talking to my team's captain in this way but he soon smiled and I realised he was back to normal for now.
"I don't." He smiled. I was confused by his implicative manner. They must have noticed how baffled I looked.
"Happy Birthday, Rose." Al said. James sort of thrust the cat into my arms as if he couldn't wait to get rid of it. I stumbled for a second, forgetting that I was now handling a cat.
"He's so cute." I said meanwhile covering the fur ball with kisses and cuddles. I was overcome with cute aggression. "It is a 'he', right?"
Hugo chuckled. "Yes. His name's Jinx."
"How convenient." I laughed. "Thank you so much! This is the best birthday present ever." Somehow I managed to hug them all without squashing Jinx.
I went back to the dorms to get my books for the day of lessons to come. School on my birthday, I know. It wasn't that bad though, at least I was free of potions for the next week.
Grabbing my Herbology book from my trunk, the ring that I thought had been buried safely at the bottom flicked out into the middle of the room. Luckily, there was no one here to question why I still had it. It chinked to the floor and was spun in circles from the momentum. Jinx shrank back form it and arched his back, his black fur visibly standing up on end, and hissed as loud as the Hogwarts Express' train horn. I gasped and dived at the ring then submerged it back in my trunk. His hisses died down and relief flowed through me.
A second later, Alex emerged at the door looking concerned. "You coming?"
I hesitated. "Y-yes. Yes!" I was still mystified by the incident with Jinx. What could it mean?
As the day went by, I couldn't stop pondering about that bloody ring. Although, I got away with being zoned out today, as it was my birthday, I received a few concerned glances. I tried continuing as normal and when people asked I shook it off and said it was nothing.
But what if the ring was dangerous? Should I get rid of it? The only reason I had kept it was because I felt connected to it. But how does that make any sense?
Buildings crashed down and fires roared as I tried to escape the chaos that surrounded me. It seemed like there was no way out. No gap in the battlefield that I could dive through to find safety. The black figures, now I realised to be deatheaters, burnt down houses and tortured the living beings that emerged from the debris. I was a bystander. I was nobody, just observing and helpless in the background. No matter how loud I cried or how hard I hit, no one could hear or feel me.
I woke up with a muted scream. My throat was dry and hoarse, causing me to cough and splutter. I saw the soft red curtains surrounding me and realised it was a nightmare. I relaxed into my pillow. My harsh breathing soon subsided along with the panic and fear. I gazed around the black dorm room hoping no one heard me in this time of weakness. There was no shuffling or movement in the darkness so I decided I was safe.
I needed water. The only way to the kitchens was through the castle, all the way past the Great Hall on the Ground floor. It was worth the trek, plus now I couldn't possibly sleep another wink. I carefully pushed back the covers and padded across the room, dodging objects that I hadn't realised could be so disruptive in my path when it was light. I thought it a good idea to light up my way once I had exited the dorms. I whispered "Lumos" and, seeing my wand glisten, set off about the castle in search of the kitchens.
My footsteps echoed eerily behind me as I wandered through the dark castle. The moonlight scattered across the corridor and reflected off the motionless armoury. As I walked, a hum of voices made me alert and curious all of a sudden.
I quickly dimmed my wand light as I edged past the last of the armoured statues and pushed my back against the stonewall at the end of the hall. Pressing around the sharp corner, I realised there were two cloaked figures in the hallway. Their voices were heated and intense as if they were discussing something dreadfully meaningful and significant to them. Facing each other, they were talking in hushed whispers; their heads were dipped between them.
"…Not going to believe it, she's too clever." A female voice hissed, slicing the night air.
"What makes you so sure? The girl knows how trustworthy she is, her parents will have said so." This voice sounded bitter and snake-like with a low buzz that rattled my insides. His voice was older and somehow more threatening.
"Then she will think for herself. Independent witches are not so rare these days. Remember that." She spoke with dominance, but her whispers made it hard to decipher her tone.
"You don't know the girl." He tried earning his authority back by whispering harshly.
"That is why we will send-" She was cut off. My wand dropped. The hollow sound echoed through the castle. I had become too comfortable with the idea of blending into the wall, my hand slipped and my balance was compromised. She whirled in my direction. Scanning the corridor, she slowly glided towards the corner I was standing just past. I decided it was time to go. I couldn't run, she would hear me and, by the looks of things, catch me too. My best option was to hide. Collecting my wand, I found myself in one of the alcoves, shielded by a body of amour.
Her footsteps crept down the hallway. The metal torso fogged up as my breathing came out in shaky torrents. Her cat-like eyes came to rest upon the armour. I tensed all over. Her spindly hand crawled up to her waist, where her wand was attached to her cloak. Gleaming in the moonlight, her eyes were menacing and cunning in ways I recognised to be of Slytherin characteristics. My palms sweated and heart raced like a high-speed train. I didn't know who these people were but I also wasn't sure if I wanted them to find me eavesdropping on them either. The woman's hand grasped her wand as she set her gaze on the shadows behind the armour.
"Astoria!" Whispered the older man from behind her. She was broken from her revelry and reeled to face him.
"What?!" She roughly whispered back, sounding extremely annoyed and disrupted. The man made a commanding gesture and strode away in the opposite direction. She chased him down the hall into the shadows. Only when they were completely out of sight and earshot did I exhale in absolute relief. I shrunk to the floor and stayed there for a few minutes, trying to make sense of what had just occurred.
For one thing, how did these people get into the castle? Since they definitely weren't teachers or students, how would they have been granted access? What if there were more of them lingering amongst the shadows of Hogwarts?
What if what Hugo said was true?
On my hesitant and rugged journey back to my dorm room, every sound and every glint of light set me off on a hysterical mentality again. The innocent glass of water forgotten, I had to get back to the refuge of my dormitory once more.
I set my wand back alight but even as I walked, it was like the shadows were following me and closing in, ready to engulf me in an instant. I couldn't stop glancing over my shoulder and poking my head around each corner first, checking to see if it was clear before I staggered down an empty corridor.
Journeying through the castle, I found that this particular hallway was not as empty as the others; a figure roamed the way just ahead of me, lonely and wavering in the splashes of moonlight. And then it vanished. I spun around and lit up the spaces around me with my wand. Seeing nothing, I kept moving and decided I'd rather not wait around to see who, or what, it was.
"Merlin!" I exclaimed as I crashed into a body. My breathing hitched up for the hundredth time that night.
"Are you scared of the dark, Weasley?" Scorpius Malfoy sounded incredibly amused. His hair flashed in a patch of light.
"No. No, I am not scared of the dark." I said a little bit too bitterly; I was finding it hard to calm myself down. However, he only looked surprised, not so much offended.
"Anyway," I started less harshly this time. "What are you doing up?" I longed to avert the subject away from myself; I wanted to focus on something other than the fact that I had just been scared lifeless.
"Since when are you a prefect?" He retorted. Although, I noticed how he avoided the question.
"Since when did you ask so many questions?" I fired back but soon realised how contradicting that was. My excuse was that I was tired and deflated, in dire need of some rest after the unsettling night I'd had. Suddenly, I felt light headed and disoriented.
Stepping forward in dizziness, I bumped into Malfoy and felt him grasp my shoulders uncertainly. I thought he asked if I was okay but I couldn't hear a thing over the sound of my heavily beating heart.
After a few seconds of weakness, my breathing eventually slowed and the faintness disappeared from my head. I stepped back and composed myself. How embarrassing to have a trivial phase of light-headedness in front Malfoy. He'd hold it against me for weeks.
"I'm fine." I said, shaking my head as if to get rid of the dizziness once and for all.
"Maybe you should go back to your dorm." His patronising quality and superior composure returned.
"You didn't answer my question." I said stubbornly.
"If I were you, I wouldn't try to understand things that I couldn't handle." I identified his implicative tone and immediately realised that he was referring to those few moments before. He probably thought I was too fragile to get a grip on whatever gory information he was hiding.
Before I could reply, he had already walked right past me while I had been in my state of incredulity. His figure faded away in the darkness, every so often showing up in my vision again as he passed a window lit up by the moon. I knew my anger was wasted on him and I shouldn't get so tense about our trivial arguments but somehow he really knew how to push my buttons.
Personally, I blame Albus.
Thanks a bunch! x