𝗗𝗜𝗘 𝗔 𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗟𝗘 ☼ 𝗚𝗲𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘆

↘︎ chapter fifty-five

Marley was convinced there were Slytherins and she felt their catcalls and mocking when they came on the pitch. The girl realised her best friend had mostly said it about Ron, whose face was paler than usual.

Everyone sat on their brooms and Lina was holding a Quaffle in her right hand. Everyone started to pass the Quaffle. First Lina to Fred, who passed on to George, and he to Marley, she to Harry, who passed to Ron, and he missed. The Slytherins started laughing. Lina pretended not to have seen him, and Ron went down to catch it. He did it two more times, and after he finally caught the Quaffle, he handed it to Katie Bell with such force that she blew her nose.

"Okay, enough." Lina announced. "George, Harry, go to bring the Bludger and the Snitch."

They nodded and a few minutes later they were all in positions. Ron stood by the Goal hoops, but Angelina scored twice and then blasted Ron for not moving enough. Katie Bell's nose kept on bleeding, and Fred dug into his pockets, trying to help her. Finally, Lina told the twins to take her to the hospital wing, and with that, she stopped today's training.

"It wasn't a waste of time, I assure you." she said to Harry, Ron and Marley after they left the locker room. Harry and Ron met Hermione and Marley was left with Lina.

"Lina, I'm sorry I couldn't come yesterday. Are you still mad?" Marley asked directly, because she couldn't stand to be in fight with someone. It was Lina's last year at Hogwarts and Marley wanted the relations between her and her best friend to be more than good.

"I'm not. I just wished Harry and you were a little more responsible and trying to take control over your emotions." she exhaled deeply. "I know it's not your fault and that Umbridge is such an old hag with imaginary fifteen cats, but you better stop with spilling out anger."

"It wasn't exactly an anger, but fine. I will try not to do it again." said Marley in a little bit of rush. Her heart skipped a beat and she hoped Lina wouldn't ask her why Professor Umbridge punished her. Because if she understood the real reason, she'd me even angrier with her.

The girls returned to the castle in silence.

***

September flew by quickly and the first weekend of October came when it was Hogsmeade's first visit of the year. By the end of the month, Marley had refrained from offending Umbridge in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classes that had become her least favorite subject this year. But Marley was more excited about this visit to Hogsmeade because Hermione had told her and her friends that there would be some gathering of the Hog's Head Inn by twelve and a half.

When they arrived in the village on a cold morning, Fred, George, and Lee led the girls directly to Zonko's joke shop, but Marley and Angelina preferred to buy something sweet from the Honeydukes. George just told them to be at the store in ten minutes, and after kissing Marley on the forehead, the two girls headed for Honeydukes.

"How long have you two been dating?" Lina asked curiously.

"Ten months." replied Marley and sniffled. Her nose was flushed with the coldness, and the girl wrapped her Gryffindor scarf tightly around her neck, protecting herself from the cold. On Christmas Eve this year it would be a year to celebrate as the two kissed for the first time. And Marley was sincerely hoping nothing would stop them from reaching that date. "It's crazy, I know."

Lina laughed friendly, fixing the cute violet woollen hat on her head. "Yes. I've always known one day if I was still at school, you'd tell me you that you met your Prince Charming who stole your heart. But I didn't expect the Prince would be George. He's not Charming."

Angelina was a half-blood witch and Marley wasn't surprised when her friend has made a reference to a muggle fairytale. Marley herself, who attended muggle school before Hogwarts, knew the story of Prince Charming but she found him as attractive as Gilderoy Lockhart.

"Me too. Until last year, I imagined George just as an older brother." she shrugged at the same time Lina opened the door of Honeydukes. A little bell rang, announcing their entry into the half-crowded shop. "But things change."

The girls bought some chocoballs, chocolate wands, Honeydukes best chocolate, Marley's favourite Sugar quills and some Nougat Chunks. It was really crowded at the checkout and that slowed them but it was worth it. After the girls left the sweet shop, the three boys had just left Zonko's joke shop and waited for them.

"Hey, Marley!" shouted Fred, after seeing her. "Zonko says hi to you. He was really sad when you didn't come to see him."

"Fred told him about you and George." added Lee Jordan with a smirk. Marley didn't have the time to answer, because at this time Harry, Ron and Hermione passed by them. They waved at them and the Trio waved back. Marley guessed they were going to Hog's Head Inn.

"I think we should go." Lina said. "I don't know who else is coming to this meeting but we better hurry up. I don't want to be late."

The rest muttered answers of agreement and slowly walked to this pub, and the girls gave the boys some chocolate wands, which they gladly accepted. The more they moved toward the pub, the more Marley students could see.

She saw Cho Chang from her year in Ravenclaw, along with one of her bubbling friends, Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas and Lavender Brown from Harry's year, the twins Parvati and Padma Patil, Luna Lovegood from Ravenclaw, Marley's teammates Katie Bell and Alicia Spinnet, who was a reserve Chaser, Ernie Macmillan, her cousin, Justin Flinch-Fletchley and Hannah Abbot from Hufflepuff. Also Colin and Dennis Creevey, another Hufflepuff girl - Susan Bones, who had a long braid, four Ravenclaw boys - Noen Black, Anthony Goldstein, Michael Corner and Terry Boot, Brooklyn Ray from Ravenclaw, Ginny Weasley followed by a blond skinny boy with a worn nose.

"I thought Hermione said a small gathering." frowned Marley, taking a bite from her chocolate wand. She exchanged looks with her friends who looked as confused as her, but in the next time the fifth of them grinned widely.

"More people, more fun." said George. "But it's not a miracle so much students decided to do what Hermione told them. She looks influential."

Marley and Lina nodded with their heads, totally agreed with George. The group stepped up and entered the crowded pub.