By mid-November, the chilly days had turned downright cold – certainly cold enough to snow, but the ground remained dry, at least for the time being. On Saturday the 16th – less than two weeks before Thanksgiving – the first quidditch match of the term took place between the Horned Serpents and Wampus.

Harry and Othniel woke up that morning shivering – it was the coldest day of the term so far – and wasted little time getting bundled up. They donned heavy woolen sweaters and thick socks and bolted toward the mess hall for a warm breakfast. The delicious smells of hot oatmeal, crispy bacon and warm spiced apple cider tugged at their nostrils. Othniel was about to dive face-first into his breakfast – almost literally – but was interrupted before he could plunge his spoon into his berry-laden oatmeal.

"Ahem."

Othniel looked up from his bowl. Tallulah was staring at him, her eyes glued on to his. "I hope you remembered our little arrangement, Othniel… y'know, about learning proper table manners?"

"Uhhh…" Othniel tilted his head a few degrees. "I vaguely remember you bringing that up… but I didn't think you were serious…"

Tallulah arched an eyebrow. "I was dead serious… and we're going to start today." She narrowed her eyes as Othniel opened his mouth to utter a complaint. "Don't give me any lip, Othniel Gideon Beckett… it's for your own good. Harry says that you'll be joining his family for Thanksgiving, so please take it seriously. You're still representing your house and school after all."

Harry couldn't help but chortle. "She called you by your full name, dude. That's not a good sign." Othniel gave Harry a small shove, followed by a spiteful glare.

Tallulah wagged a finger at Harry. "Don't you laugh, Harry James Potter. You've got respectable manners, but it wouldn't hurt if you followed along… you could very well learn something too."

"How… how do you know our middle names?" asked Harry with a confused expression on his face.

Tallulah rolled her eyes. "Oh for land's sake, it's not like I had to locate your birth certificates or anything. Our teachers call out our full names during attendance."

"Yours has to be persnickety," groaned Othniel, "'cause that fits you to a tee!"

"It's actually Jo," replied Tallulah with an even bigger eyeroll than before. "Now will y'all be quiet so I can demonstrate proper etiquette?" She straightened herself, then cleared her throat. "First thing we're going to work on is posture." She hunched herself over a smidge. "This is how I see you at the table, Othniel. You need to sit up some. Roll those shoulders back a touch." She sat more upright again, then gestured toward Othniel. "Now, you try it."

Othniel wiggled his torso as he tried sitting up the way Tallulah demonstrated. He scowled as his friends laughed at his attempts. "Oh come on," he growled.

"I'm sorry, Othniel," giggled Tallulah. "It's just so funny watching you… you look so uncomfortable. Just keep practicing, alright? You'll get the hang of it soon enough."

Othniel straightened himself again and rolled his shoulders back. "How's this?"

Tallulah nodded. "That's better, but you still look a little stiff. Now, be sure to keep those elbows off the table as well. You tend to do that a lot."

"I don't mean to," Othniel said with a small shrug. "But I'll try to be more mindful."

"Thank you," Tallulah murmured, a small smile tugging at her lips. "I don't want to overwhelm you so we'll stick with working on your posture for now."

Othniel nodded. "I appreciate that." His mouth then rounded into an 'o' shape. "By the way, the match against Wampus is at eleven o'clock today. Don't forget that we're supposed to wear our formal robes… that's what the bulletin said, at least."

Tallulah beamed at Othniel. "Well look at you… you've actually paid attention to the bulletin for once." She giggled. "There may be hope for you yet."

"It's just as well," added Harry. "It's not going to be much above freezing today, so our formal robes with our overcoats and scarves would probably keep us a fair bit warmer than our regular uniforms."

It was after eight by the time the children finished their breakfasts, so they hurried back to the Horned Serpent tower to get cleaned up and changed for the upcoming quidditch match. Othniel even took a few extra minutes to make sure his starched white shirt was stain and lint-free, and that his sweater vest was buttoned up correctly.

This didn't go unnoticed by Harry. "You actually look sharp instead of slovenly for once," he remarked. He then pointed at Othniel's left elbow. "Y'know, you do have a piece of lint hanging off your sleeve."

Othniel flipped his elbow up. "Do not." He then glared at Harry, who was cracking up. "That wasn't very funny, dude."

Harry waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, lighten up Francis." He then cracked a rather silly grin. "Normally you don't put this much effort into well, anything. If I didn't know any better, I think you have a little bit of a crush on Tallulah…"

"Do not," Othniel shot back defiantly. "She's all right, but I don't like her… not like that, anyway. Besides, you're one to talk… you're practically smitten with Anastasia…"

"I'm nowhere near ready to date her," admitted Harry, "but it doesn't mean that I don't find her cute… she's a very pretty girl. Tallulah's rather cute too, now that I think about it…"

"I s'pose so," admitted Othniel. "D'you think… she's wanting me to learn these table manners because she likes me a little bit?"

Harry smiled at his friend. "I'd wager that's a distinct possibility. No, she's not ready to date yet either, but if I had to guess… you'd be toward the top of her list when the time is right. I know you find her… annoying at times, but if she didn't care about you, she wouldn't bother teaching you how to sit up straight at the table!"

Othniel tilted his head, his eyes crossing slightly. "Wow… I guess I never really thought of it that way."

Harry, still grinning, patted Othniel on the shoulder. "I have a hunch you'll thank her for it one day."

At about ten o'clock, once the boys were fully changed into their formal robes and overcoats, they headed for the common room and waited for Ana and Tallulah. Even with a roaring fire, the room still felt rather drafty in the far corners. Fortunately for them, there was an empty sofa not far from the fireplace, so they plopped themselves down and basked in the warmth.

Less than five minutes later, the boys heard the gentle clicking of black patent Mary Jane flats on hardwood approach them, followed by a familiar squeak. "Hiya, boys! You excited about the match?" She daintily took a seat on Harry's right. Her hair was once again done up in a flawless French braid, and the light makeup on her face made her hazel eyes pop.

"Ana!" Harry and Othniel called out in unison.

"You look terrific," added Harry.

Ana's cheeks turned pink. "Thank you, Harry. I thought about just wearing my hair down and wearing my watch cap, but I didn't want to look frumpy, so earmuffs it is today!" She shook a pair of teal-and-gold earmuffs in one of her hands. She leaned over and tapped Othniel on the shoulder. "That's the sharpest I've ever seen you look, Othniel. I'm sure Tallulah would approve." Even Harry nodded in agreement.

Othniel groaned. "Well… thanks. Tallulah's taking it upon herself to teach me table manners… after all, I've decided to take Harry up on his offer of spending Thanksgiving with his relatives. I guess I don't want to act like a complete slob…"

Ana covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. "She's got her work cut out for her then! She won't be able to wave her wand and turn you into a gentleman overnight, but with time and practice I'm sure you'll get the hang of it."

"So, how's Nova doing?" asked Harry. "I haven't seen her at all this morning; I'm guessing she's with her teammates?"

"She got up at the crack of dawn and got in her quidditch robes. They've been outside for a few hours already getting warmed up; I'd imagine Mitch Huber's probably giving them a pep talk in the locker room as we speak," replied Ana. "Wampus had a pretty good team last year – they finished second in the standings, but from what Nova says they also have a lot of new faces this year so who knows how things'll go this term," replied Ana.

"Nova says it's been years since the Horned Serpents have been any good at quidditch," Harry said with a sigh. "They haven't finished as high as second place in at least five years…"

Ana nodded. "Historically, we've been the doormat in the Quidditch Cup standings. Nobody takes us seriously like they do for the Quiz Bowl, because even in the years we don't do well, we're seen as the house to beat."

"I guess it just takes one or two players to change things," surmised Harry. "Nova seems to have a pretty high opinion of Mitch Huber."

Just then, a high-pitched squeak came from the hallway leading toward the girls' dormitory area. "Not again, Gallifrey…" Then came a high-pitched feline growl, followed by the slamming of a heavy wooden door. Tallulah had a rather frustrated-looking expression on her face as she entered the common room.

"Sorry," sighed Tallulah as she sat on Othniel's left side. "Gallifrey was being a stinker again." She quickly slipped on her teal-and-gold watch cap. "At least it's not my shoes this time," she murmured. "He's now fascinated by my cap's tassel." She tilted her head toward Othniel; her jaw nearly dropped when she saw how neatly he had groomed and dressed himself. "Y'know something Othniel? You look plumb handsome today." She blinked a few times, and addressed Harry this time as she pointed toward Othniel. "Did you have anything to do with that?" Harry merely shook his head 'no'.

Tallulah looked Othniel up-and-down, unable to find any obvious discrepancies with his uniform. "Well look at you, Othniel Beckett, being on-point," she cooed. She gave him a friendly chuck just below his shoulder. "If you keep this up, I might not be too embarrassed to introduce you to my parents one day."

"You look rather nice yourself," commented Othniel. He gestured toward Ana. "Erm, is there any chance you can style your hair like Ana's? That'd be a good look for you."

"I've never really, erm, styled my hair before," admitted Tallulah. "Not like that at least. I just try to make it look presentable… but maybe someday… I'll try to make my hair look fancy."

"A few simple charms can make all the difference," added Ana. "Ask me again sometime. I'll help you out."

"Oh, could you?" pleaded Tallulah. "While you don't go all-out like Missy, you obviously know more about hair styling than I do…"

Ana giggled. "You should see me at reveille. My hair magically transforms from sleek ringlets to a wild jungle in a matter of hours!" She shook her head. "Before Ilvermorny, my mom or my older sister would sometimes help me with me hair… it took forever to tame it!"

Othniel cleared his throat. "According to the clock on the wall, it's almost ten thirty. What say we start making our way to the stadium so we can get some good seats?"

Harry looked around and noticed that the crowd in the common room was noticeably smaller than what it was twenty minutes earlier. "At this rate, I'll settle for any seats," he remarked.

The four children began making their way out of the castle and toward the quidditch pitch. About ten minutes later, they found some seats in the middle of the Horned Serpent student section. Harry lamented that they couldn't find a spot a little closer to the action, but Ana brought some binoculars and promised that she'd share them.

At eleven o'clock sharp, Coach Croom marched on the field, broomstick in hand. He had quite the serious expression on his face, or at least what Harry could make of it, as his Stetson hat obscured his dark eyes. He stopped precisely at the center of the field, awaiting the Wampus and Horned Serpent captains, Theresa Singh and Mitch Huber. The rest of each team stood a few paces off to each side. He nodded at each team captain in turn, before addressing them. "Alright, Miss Singh. Mister Huber. I want y'all to listen, and listen close. I want a nice, clean game, y'hear? Keep the physical contact to a minimum, and for Merlin's sake, above the belt if you have to push someone out of the way. If I catch anyone intentionally injuring an opposing player, that'll be an immediate disqualification. Any questions?"

"No sir," replied Theresa and Mitch.

"Very good," replied Croom with a curt nod. "Y'all shake hands now." Once Theresa and Mitch shook hands, Croom continued. "Y'all mount your brooms. NOW LET'S GIT IT ON!" The stadium erupted in raucous cheers as the two teams took to the air on their brooms, and play commenced. The dizzying pace of the game was almost too much for the first-years to follow – just five minutes into the game, and the Horned Serpents had taken an early forty to ten lead.

Mitch had caught a particularly-hard thrown quaffle in front of the center-most goal hoop; the impact was so jarring it knocked him backward and he nearly fell off his broom as he hit the goal hoop. Thankfully, he was more shaken than anything, losing his focus for only a few seconds.

"Oh! I see Nova," yelped Ana as she held her binoculars up to her face.

"Is she in?" asked Othniel.

"No, she's sitting on the end of the bench," replied Ana. She pointed at a ten o'clock position as she handed him the binoculars. "Those that are closer to the end of the bench are usually the first replacements."

As the game went on, the Horned Serpents kept their edge, but Wampus was constantly nipping at their heels. As the clock struck noon, the Horned Serpents were leading 120 to 100, but a particularly brutal hit by one of the bludgers struck starting chaser Kayla Gilmore in the shoulder, knocking her off her broom. "Aaaagh!" she yelped as she tumbled nearly twenty feet to the ground. The entire stadium winced as they heard the audible thud of her body hitting the turf.

"Omigod," gasped Tallulah as she saw the mishap unfold. She breathed a sigh of relief as Kayla tried to prop herself up, but it was almost certain that she had broken several bones; not to mention, her left shoulder had swollen to the size of a small watermelon due to the impact of the bludger. As Kayla was being carried off to the infirmary, Harry heard an excited yelp.

"Nova's in!" declared Ana.

"Y'mean, she's actually playing?" asked Harry in disbelief.

Ana handed Harry her binoculars. "Here, see for yourself."

Harry donned the binoculars, and sure enough, saw the familiar dark blonde ponytailed girl swirling around on her broomstick, quaffle in hand. She deftly dodged a bludger as she approached the opposing goal hoops, and…

"That's another Horned Serpent goal, courtesy of reserve chaser Nova Woodward!"

The announcer, who always seemed to talk a mile of a minute, sounded even more excited than usual. Although Harry had done well following along so far, he made sure that he paid extra close attention now that Nova was in. As the game pushed closer to one o'clock, the Horned Serpents were still clinging tot their lead, but could never separate themselves from Wampus.

Harry was certainly impressed with Nova's effort; she played like she had something to prove. She had scored three goals in twenty minutes' worth of play, and appeared to savor every second she was on the pitch. After two hours of play, fatigue was starting to become a factor – hopefully one of the seekers would catch the snitch and end the game before anyone else gets hurt, he thought.

As if his prayers were answered, the diminutive seventh-year Horned Serpent seeker Galina Tretyakova jerked her broomstick at an odd angle, and made a nose dive toward the turf at unnatural speeds in an attempt to catch the little golden orb. With one hand on her broomstick to keep her from digging a fifty-foot hole in the turf, and the other outstretched to catch the snitch, she suddenly tumbled off her broom, but sat up just as quickly. The tired and muddy Galina had a huge grin on her face as she opened her left hand, revealing the golden snitch.

"And there you have it," cried the announcer. "The Horned Serpents have defeated Wampus, with a final score of three hundred seventy to two hundred!" The entire Horned Serpent student section erupted with jubilant chants of "How 'bout them Horned Serpents? How 'bout them Horned Serpents?", then burst into the house fight song.