Chapter 7

The first letter from Sirius came later that week. I was at breakfast when it arrived and I opened it at the table. I read through it, smiled before putting the parchment to the candles near me. It burned beautifully as I finished breakfast without a pause.

There wasn't much in it. He mostly asked how I was finding Hogwarts and my classes. I'd write a response when I get the time.

Nothing remarkable happened in the first week but a notice on the Slytherin common room noticeboard said there'd be Quidditch trials on Sunday. Since I had never seen Quidditch in person and never rode a broom besides from with Lupin, I went on that hot Sunday morning to check it out.

I sat on the bottom benches as people were piled onto the field. Draco and Theo stood with Graham Montague and the rest of the team, all looking at the people who wanted to try out.

Blaise was over there at the moment but when he saw me, he got the other Aces' attention before they all nodded and he walked over.

"Morning," He greeted, sitting down next to me. "Why are you watching the trials? I thought you had better things to do."

"Well, for your information, I've never seen Quidditch in person," I shrugged. "I was interested in coming. Harry wouldn't let me watch him and the Gryffindors yesterday, saying some shit about how I'd cheat and help Slytherin in."

"Would you?"

"Probably not. I don't know anything about Quidditch, besides from what Harry's told me,"

Blaise frowned, "He didn't take you to the World Cup?"

I laughed, "No. He said it wasn't my place. He still thinks it isn't."

"I assume he wasn't happy about you attending Hogwarts,"

"And less so that I got sorted into Slytherin,"

"Typical,"

He sat with his legs spread, leaning on them with his elbows as he went from watching the try outs to watching me and back again. "Have you ever been on a broom?"

"Once, but I was with someone else," I said. "It was… I liked it. It was something new."

He stared at me a moment before sitting up straight, "Do you want to try it again? On your own? Flying by yourself is a completely different experience than riding with someone."

"I don't have a broom,"

"Draco has spares for the team," He said. "We'll borrow a couple. What do you say? Want to try it?"

I took a deep breath, trying to look like I didn't want to but I did. I really did want to try flying again. I watched as some one the Slytherin try outs were flying high on their brooms, looking free and having fun.

"Fine," I rolled my eyes before letting the smallest smile come onto my lips.

We retrieved the brooms, two sleek Nimbus 2001s. Blaise made me take off my sweatshirt, leaving me in the crop top I had under it. He even took off his jacket, showing off the t-shirt he wore.

We walked back to the field, going several dozen feet away from the try out area. We didn't want to disturb them while I tried out flying.

Blaise showed me how to mount the broom, showing me how he did it on his as the broom hovered next to my hand. When he saw I had trouble staying on for a second, twisting the broom a little and making it shove to the side, he came over to twist it into the right position.

"You have to keep it straight," He said. "It's like a bike. What way you twist is the way you're going to go."

I put my feet on the foot grips, sitting back and letting go of the broom with my hands. It stayed there, letting me be hands free as Blaise mentioned for me to do a small lap.

I didn't go very fast, taking it slow like I did when I first nicked Dudley's bike and taught myself. I went a little faster on the next lap, feeling the wind in my hair as I laughed. Gaining some distance from the ground, Blaise joined me on his broom.

"You're doing good, better than most for your first time," He smiled.

"My dad was on the Quidditch team," I said, relaxing in the seat again as he hovered next to me. I looked down, seeing the several feet of air below me. A tinge of primal fear went through me but I pushed it down, knowing I had control at the moment. "Would you believe that I hate heights? Uncontrollable ones, at least. Always that little bit of fear of falling."

He laughed, "Keep sitting and you'll be fine. Want to try racing? It's one of the best ways to learn to fly."

"You're on," I took a look around the stadium. "A race around the field? It looks like Malfoy's starting with the Chasers so I think we'd have space."

"From one goalpost and around?"

I nodded and we went to the posts on the other side of the field.

We levelled out near the top of the highest post, making sure we wouldn't interfere with the tryouts when we'd go past.

To the count of three, we were off.

I loved the cold air of a hot day, feeling it flick my hair back and forward as I twisted the broom as I neared a curve in the stadium. Blaise was right next to me before he shot forward, pushing his body down to stop wind resistance. I did the same, lowering my centre of gravity to gain speed.

It was fun and absolutely exhilarating.

I loved it.

I went as fast as I could before I saw a small dark blur zoom towards me. A Bludger was coming for me. I twisted my broom and went upside down, hanging on tightly as it went over where I previously was.

Blaise stopped his broom, making me stop mine too.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm good,"

He almost looked relieved, "You're quick on your feet, well, broom."

"You get used to dodging hits in my house," I shrugged.

"What do you mean?"

"My cousin used to throw stuff at Harry and me when he was annoyed. He stopped when I threw something and hit him right in the snout,"

"Impressive," He tried not to laugh at that. "I think that's enough flying. I'm going to grab the Bludger and bring it back to the team. They probably lost it."

"I think it lost them and found us,"

It zoomed back to us again, making us dodge it once and twice again as it came back. When it was within grasp, I grabbed it with my hands. It settled down but buzzed with energy.

"Good catch," He nodded towards the team.

I dismounted gracefully as we neared them, setting myself back on the ground before holding up the Bludger.

"Lost something?" I walked over, putting the ball back into the Quidditch box.

"Why were you flying?" Draco asked as he paused the tryouts for the Seeker reserve.

"I've never flown before so Zabini was showing me how," I said.

Blaise smiled, "I taught her but I think she taught me a think or two about dodging Bludgers. It came for us a couple times."

"That was your first time on a broom?" Draco nodded to himself. "I wouldn't have assumed by the way you were flying."

"Once you get the hang, it's easy,"

"She's apparently a good thrower," Blaise said, a tone in his voice suggesting something to Draco.

The blond took the Quaffle from someone and passed off to me. I caught it with a confused face.

"Let's see if you're as good as Zabini says," He gestured to the goals. "Top goal, ten throws against our current Keeper. We'll see if the Quidditch trait skipped you."

I rolled my eyes as Bletchley and I mounted our brooms.

We went up, settling down in our positions.

Bletchley nodded his confirmation that he was ready.

I launched the ball through the post, scoring a goal easily.

"That was a lucky one," He scoffed. "You've got another nine."

When he retrieved the ball, he tossed it back.

"Lucky my ass," I said under my breath, observing him as he hovered there.

Within the next couple of minutes, I got three more consecutive goals, and one almost made him fall off of his broom when he went for it.

When I got all ten shots into the goal, I dismounted my broom without waiting for Bletchley.

Draco smirked, "You've got the potential to be a Chaser. What do you say, Potter? Want to try out with the rest of the team?"

"Since I'm here, I might as well,"

)()()(

I became the newest Chaser.

Every Sunday Morning, the Slytherin Quidditch team would have practices and now I was to attend too.

But that was a week away before the first one would happen.

For now, I continued with classes and my extra ones in the evening, quickly achieving what I would need for now.

Umbridge's classes were as ever, uneventful until Harry had a say in it.

"Wands away," She instructed us all as the class started. "As we finished chapter one last lesson, I would like you all to turn to page nineteen today and commence chapter two, 'Common Defensive Theories and Their Derivation.' There will be no need to talk."

What an interesting lesson. I had already read the book through twice but Hermione was the one to put her hand up and complain about it.

"I've read that too. I've read the whole book," Hermione said.

Umbridge blinked but smiled, "Well, then, you should be able to tell me what Slinkhard says about counterjinxes in chapter fifteen."

"He says that counter jinxes are improperly named," She said promptly. "He says 'counter jinx' is just a name people give their jinxes when they want to make them sound more acceptable. But I disagree."

Umbridge's eyebrows rose into her hairline.

"You disagree?"

"Yes, I do," Hermione's voice was clear. "Mr Slinkhard doesn't like jinxes, does he? But I think they can be very useful when they're used defensively."

"Oh, you do, do you?" The Witch hummed. "Well, I'm afraid it is Mr. Slinkhard's opinion, and not yours, that matters within this classroom, Miss Granger."

I stifled my laugh under my breath. Harry sent me a sour look for it. I just shrugged at him and continued to reread.

"But —" Hermione began.

"That is enough." Umbridge took a breath. "Miss Granger, I am going to take five points from Gryffindor House."

Everyone muttered at this but Harry was the one to speak up.

"What for?"

"Don't you get involved!" Hermione whispered at him.

"For disrupting my class with pointless interruptions," Umbridge said smoothly. "I'm here to teach you using a Ministry-approved method that does not include inviting students to give their opinions on matters about which they understand very little. Your previous teachers in this subject may have allowed you more license, but as none of them — with the possible exception of Professor Quirrell, who did at least appear to have restricted himself to age-appropriate subjects — would have passed a Ministry inspection —"

"Yeah, Quirrell was a great teacher," Harry rolled his eyes. "The only drawback was that he had Lord Voldemort sticking out of the back of his head."

Everyone went silent.

Umbridge cleared her throat, "I think another week's detentions would do you some good, Mr Potter."

I turned my head to the side, trying to bite down a snigger at Harry's enraged expression.

"And a detention for you too, Miss Potter," Umbridge said next.

"What?" I almost shouted, lifting my head. "What the fuck did I do?"

"Mouth, young lady," she snapped. "You were laughing at inappropriate times in my lesson, disrupting the learning."

"Oh, so laughing is disruptive but Granger asking stupid questions isn't? Oh, that's really fair," If I was going to have detention, I was going to deserve it. "This is discriminatory bullshit and you know it. You're angry at my brother and so give both of us detention."

She whipped out a piece of parchment and wrote on it, handing it to me. "Go to your Head of House."

"Gladly," I slammed a hand on the table, letting the note burn before it even came into my hands.

I stormed out of the class, leaving a sour Harry.

)()()(

I went to Snape's office and he came out with a cold look on his face.

"You should be in class," He said sternly.

I crossed my arms, "Umbridge kicked me out."

"What happened?"

"Harry got detention for bringing up Voldemort again," I noticed the way his lip tugged at that. "And Umbridge gave me a detention for no reason!"

He opened his door and let me in, "I suspect she does not want you back for the hour?"

"Nope," I said, going to sit on the free table. "And I refuse to have a detention with her. I've seen the scars on Harry's hand. I'm not going to let her abuse her power like that over me."

"She is still your professor, Miss Potter," He said. "She has a right to dictate whether you have a detention with her and what she does during them. However, due to the fact that your extra lessons are during the evening, you cannot attend her detentions. You will serve them with me during any breaks you have."

I scowled, "Better than with that bitch."

"Pardon me?"

"Nothing!"

I attended every extra lesson I had in the evenings and then took my free lessons with Snape, cleaning out cauldrons or the disgusting like. I couldn't complain. I didn't have to take my detentions with Umbridge.