IX

HOSTILITY ABOUND

Things were going good for our little crew. Gryffindor was in the lead for the House Cup, for the Quidditch Cup, and even for Professor Sprout's Most Beautiful Singing Buttercup™ — long story, but go for the glory, Neville!

There were some strange rumours going around: some she found were true, like Cho Chang having to drop out as Seeker as she had an accident while she flew. Some were so absurd, that they made even The Cod frown. There was something about a talking egg with a golden crown that was running up and down the Eagle Tower, some strange kind of power that was making the gargoyles sing in French, and someone had taught a Ravenclaw bench to make fart sounds when you sat down, which was only funny until like the 200th-time. Oh, there was also some people telling that they had seen a small dragon climb up a tree in the forest while being chased by a Quintaped. Frankly, that was one was absurd, even for the Cod.

"… of course, that must've been a Yeti that took a rock to the head!"

To which Katie agreed with ferociousness. Leanne just stared at the pair of them and went on ahead shaking her had at all that atrociousness, missing the shared grin between her two friends. They took their time in the Entrance Hall for there was a crowd of tens of students complaining and whining around. When they finally got close, they understood it all …

"Merlin's saggy left—"

"I can't believe it is so small!"

The pile of rubies that marked the house-points for Gryffindor was no more save for a few, and you could even see the bottom of the hourglass. The points which they had given it all to amass were simply … gone!

Oh, Katie had scored so many goals for nothing it seemed! Had Snape began taking points out for breathing too loud? Or had those two idiot redheads finally gone too far?

"It wasn't us!" Fred and George had cried from afar, far too conscious of the accusing eyes all around them.

"Who could've been so idiot to lose us so many!" someone exclaimed.

"Oh, c'mon Benny, you did not even earn a point this year!"

"Says the one who transfigured himself a whole four days into a deer!"

And then the agents of chaos, our boys in silver and green, finally arrived at the scene.

"Didn't Parks lose fifteen points the other day?"

"Wasn't it Thomas who had detentions until May?"

And chaos there was, stoked by that bunch of fay-spirited brats. Spats happened and people began trading accusations, and wands soon began to appear. Leanne grasped her friends as she waved a shield around them in fear. Just in time, too, because suddenly McLaggen went barrelling towards them with a cheer from the snakes. Katie glanced at Rosier's sneer as he hid his wand. McLaggen turned to an unfortunate third year blonde, and began a spell against whom he thought was the offender—but then, with precision and splendour, appeared a red beam hitting his hand and nothing more, as the wand went on to soar.

"Expelliarmus!" sounded a high, but strong voice.

Prof. Flitwick came and really no one had the choice but to gaze at him, tiny in appearance, but defiant; a giant in presence and power. He closed the doors all around them and scolded them for the better part of a quarter-hour. None dared interrupt him to ask what everyone had in mind.

Who had lost one-hundred-and-fifty points and completely destroyed their grind?

It didn't took anyone too long to discover who they were, and it caused quite a stir. Katie could not believe it, and felt a great deal of betrayal. People (and Katie) just couldn't match-up how they were acting with what they knew of their portrayal.

It was Potter, Longbottom and Granger! And because Weasley was always with them, not letting they make him a stranger (despite Harry trying from what Katie had seen), he was bombarded by it all, too.

Wherever they passed, people looked askew; whenever they were close, people began to hiss and to whisper about their little band. At first, Longbottom tried to tank it, but soon people were mocking him telling they had left him to strand.

It didn't help that Harry, Ron and Hermione refused to talk to anyone about the reasons why. Even Neville—by nature, shy—questioned them what happened, and yet they did not reveal why they had done so.

Katie felt anger on the poor boy's behalf, as did a number of people in the house. It was one thing to have a laugh at Longbottom; it was perverse to lead him into doing something he was so averse—for a prank!

But in the end, their points sank and the trio seemed quite alright not to do anything anymore. Katie felt her heart sore when he'd ignored even her. Even Leanne! Katie saw the crush vanish from the girl's eyes as Harry ignored their questions, not even confirming or denying the Cod and Katie's suggestions.

"Have you killed the Giant Squid?"

"Have you entered the girl's rooms?"

"Have you burned those talking trees?"

"Did you gave Mrs Norris fleas?"

"Have you been growing forbidden mushrooms? Cuz' if so—"

But then they just got up and went away. Katie felt her anger bubbling.

"Oi, Potter. What about those points we earned in Quidditch. Those were very tough to win by the way, and we now have Ravenclaw to play, even if their Seeker is out of question."

Harry looked at her with a strange expression.

"You're our best Chaser, Katie. I'm sure we'll get many more—without that Seeker girl, their team now is a bit weaker …"

He said it with so much apathy in his tone and gaze that it only made her angrier.

"Whatever you say, Seeker!"

And she got up and went to bed, leaving a great number of people looking at Harry with disdain as he turned back did not even deign and look at them—to Cod, to Katie, to Leanne.

Katie didn't know why, but there was something in his eye that made her want to cry, and to hit that little sh—

Things did not improve over the course of the next week, and Katie began to feel guilty as things turned more and more bleak. Even The Cod agreed it was all a bit much, but that cat was out of the bag, and as such, people insisted on to drag it for long.

At first, she had just went along. The more it went though, the less content she became. It got to a point that she felt a little bit of shame that she had started it.

Fred, George and Wood did not follow it, but the others doing it seemed to make Harry's expression a tad bit more hollow. Angelina and Alicia and really the whole of Gryffindor House refused to call him by anything but "Seeker", following Katie after that little outburst.

That was the worst!

She had not intended to make him so sad. She was just mad that he seemed not to care they were going to lose their much-merited benefits that they had won fair and square.

And as the days passed, she saw the boy growing more and more downcast. Truthfully, people soon began to kind of ignore the other three, but it seemed they had found much glee in mocking Harry. The boy could only take so much, and his stoic demeanour was frankly making Katie a little wary.

It was but a few days more that Katie realised she could not ignore what was happening anymore. Harry tried to resign, but Wood was quick to put him on the line and that he was mighty fine being their Seeker.

It was at that point that Katie grew a spine and finally resolved to amend this whole thing. She tried to talk to him, but he just ignored her, making her heart sting.

"Ignore him, Katie. He will come around in time for the next match", said Angelina. "If we manage to score at least thirty goals, we might just make it, before he manages to catch the Snitch. And with Chang out, we'll right this thing about."

But Katie didn't care for the House Cup. Rather, she missed talking to Harry and couldn't bear him to ignore her anymore.

And, truthfully, she did not like at all how they were underestimating Ravenclaw. But she would keep her head low and just go with the flow.

The days seemed to drag on, even as the exams got close. She eyed Harry from afar, and even as it seemed to dawn on people that the way they had been treating Harry had gone too far, Katie did not dare approach him. She—and the whole team, really—dropped the "Seeker" thing. It seemed enough to a teammate, but Katie thought her friendship with him had just a tad bit more weight. He did not shun her, but Katie didn't consider it done until she could talk to him like she used to.

True, he was kind enough to everyone, and even said sorry he couldn't truly tell the reasons why. Some had just believed in Longbottom's rumours about the dragon, after one or two folks thought they had seen the beast fly once or twice in the night.

Perhaps a pointed reminder from Prof. McGonagall herself that it was Granger and Potter himself that had won a great part of those points was sufficient for a change of heart over Gryffindor. But Katie thought that she should've know best. Her chest felt uncomfortable as she realised that if she was the one losing points that much, Harry wouldn't be treating her as such.

She had to make things right.

"Why don't you write to him, then?" suggested Leanne.

"I don't know why you are in such a fright," said The Cod. "You'll know what, I'll just solve your plight. Hey Pot—" he tried to say, before Katie shut his trap.

Harry and his friends looked in their direction at her slap and cracked a little smile at the scene.

But Katie felt alarmed at it, for their faces were a little green—especially Harry's. She eyed him discreetly, noting how unfocused was his attention and how his body was locked in with tension.

Something was happening. She wanted to go to him and ask if there was anything she could do, but she just had not that kind of friendship anymore—she knew.

She resolved to do her best in the exams and the match, before she tried to patch things out. She did well in her exams, with only a minor hiccup in Potions, because she had flat-out no idea what the Draught of Emotions was supposed to do. I mean, with a name like that, there wasn't the slightest clue.

And then, a strange rumour reached her left (yes, that specific) ear, and she was filled with fear when she finally managed to figure it out. It got only worse when she had seen Prof. Dumbledore going to the Hospital Wing in the company of Madam Pomfrey and Professor Sprout.

Harry Potter was badly hurt, after some kind of conflict with Professor Quirrell. They only knew it because of Neville and Ron's blurt, but the fact was:

"We don't have a Seeker for the match tomorrow!" said Wood in sorrow.

Katie blinked at that as she saw him frown and suddenly felt the "I-told-you-so" bearing down on the team. They thought that the Quidditch Cup was already a win, and that they would have flattened them, and then that just had to happen, eh.

Worry and apprehension, in a hurry, turned to anger and tension, as the Gryffindor team had to face our boys in blue without their whole crew. Wood tried to change the date, but it was already too late. The school-year was ending, and there wasn't a way to leave the match pending because of the end of the term. Davies enjoyed seeing Wood squirm after the boy had thought he had already won. They tried everyone who trialled for the team as backup and basically everyone who could make broom go up, and yet it wouldn't be enough to win the Quidditch Cup.

Katie and the girls gave the Ravenclaw's Keeper the exercise of his life, but without a good Seeker, soon there was strife.

"Alicia, we cannot lose a goal like that!"

"Well, it wasn't me that stayed on the left post like a doormat!"

"Well, what you did was nothing to boast, too! And you, Fred, you are like a ghost in the field. Where were you when they hit Bell?"

"I was trying to prevent Angelina's head from breaking like an eggshell. What about—"

It was a tough game to play. Davies had focused the Claws to play in a very defensive and tight way. Katie understood what was going on. They were just playing to delay, while their Seeker, that had some three weeks more of training than theirs, would get the Snitch!

And it was working, much to their dismay!

Worst of all, it depended on them to break that wall.

Their quick playstyle was for nothing as they closed their ranks in a file in front of the posts, making every shot an immense trial.

Katie did her best to break their defence, and in the end, they did manage to wiggle a four-goal advantage—which was not close to enough and only put their title on the fence. But that did not matter, for their offence was for nothing as their Seeker had learned his ropes and finally found the Snitch. And after a stressful game with low hopes and high-stakes, the Cup went to the snakes, who quickly swarmed the pitch.

One day, our precious protagonist would learn about the happy remembrance requirements of a Patronus Spell.

The memory of that day would be its complete opposite for our dear Katie Bell.

Neville winning Prof. Sprout's prize was a poor consolation. Nevertheless, it was something, and some people even showed appreciation at the boy, who was filled with joy after he almost managed to recover his point losses.

But in the end, the Great Hall was being filled with silver and green. Rosier was strutting around telling everyone how the banners were studded with aquamarine and enchanted steel. Leanne, of everyone, gathered The Cod and some others to put a fire on the whole veil, but they were discovered in time, before they had committed their crime.

And Katie—

Katie had been, at first, absolutely furious with Harry, and wanted to strangle that little mitcher. But after rushed and whispered conversations with Ron and Hermione that had switched her mind, it was scary that he had even made it out alive. She could not believe that the boy managed to survive You-Know-Who once again. And soon gossip spread like wildfire, and the whole school was in the know. Where prior people were ready to skin him out, now they were saying that Harry had always been a cool bro.

People sent him chocolate and sweets, or enchanted pictures and drawing sheets—or even toilet seats!—for his speedy recovery.

Katie was finding hard to pick something for him. She just wanted to give him a hug, and give a punch to that ugly mug.

"That was so tight of me, to treat him like that! And to think that he fought You-Know-Who again …"

"Yeah, he could've turned into a really bloody messy splat," commented The Cod.

Katie had a nauseous expression, and Leanne looked at The Cod with a surprising amount of aggression.

"Go and buy some sweets for us to send, you small fish!" And the tone of her voice surprised The Cod, who went away in a whish.

Leanne held Katie's hands a bit tighter.

"Nothing happened Katie, that's all. If you want, why don't you get him a simple gift? Something to make him remember you before things turned into a rift."

That she did, and sent him. But pride held her back, and she did not write her name. She still thought she had the right to know why he'd lost so many points—that he held it from her was so lame! She thought they were more than just simple friends, after all they shared before training, before their teammates got to the pitch. So her attempt to make amends would have to part from him, too! Even if he had encountered You-Know-Who!

Oh, what a stubborn witch. And not wholly wrong at all. Or was she?

That is for the reader to decide and for me not to drawl—for the story is making a call: it's already the end of the term, and I can already see the more anxious squirm.

'Where is the fluff and the cute stuff?!'

Calm, my dear fellow, things soon will be a bit more mellow. They are still young after all, and while dear Katie did not pull on Harry's hair, we can confidently say that she gave him more a curious stare than a glare, and more a soft smile than a frown, but things will still take a while.

But what is life without a forever up-and-down, or what is better than happiness after a flimsy escape from tragedy?

Like Gryffindor winning over the House Cup that year.

And amidst great cheer, Katie finally had a moment of relief, with a brief hug sneaked in while the Lions shook Harry around and all-round. And our dear golden girl's cheeks were as red as the banners that now showed the prowling lion, flying over a sea of crimson red, roaring in the end of her second year and many promises ahead.

Notes:

"That was so tight of me": "What I did was so bad/cruel"

"Mitcher": person who misses something important with lies behind the cause; truant

Thank you for reading. I appreciate any and all feedback.