When Hazel woke up, she was confused on why she was surrounded by blue and light chatter, and violin softly playing somewhere rather than Imelda and Nerida's chatter and the loud slamming of doors, along with the familiar tune of the piano that Ominis played. She turned her head and looked around at the Ravenclaw common room.
Although the Ravenclaws were friendly, she didn't feel the same buzz or warm feeling in her chest like she did walking into the common room and seeing the 7th years attack the glass so the 1st years could see the giant squid or the way 10 people seemed to fit on one couch, piling over each other with laughs, a sea of green.
She never realized how much she took for granted that she had a place and people so familiar she called them home.
"Hazel?" Samantha's voice called, "I heard you- oh, you didn't have to sleep out here."
She turned her head to look at Samantha, "Amit let me in. I didn't want to wake you either. It was pretty late when I came in." She swung her legs down and sat on the couch normally, "Thanks for telling the Ravenclaws I can sleep here though."
Samantha fidgeted with her blazer, "Of course."
They were both quiet.
"We should hang out." Hazel said, smoothing her hair and getting up. Samantha nodded.
"Definitely."
Hazel glanced out the window and was unnerved to see how high she was above the ground. "I guess I should go. Snakes don't do well in the air."
"Eagles eat snakes, don't they?" Samantha said lightly. Hazel laughed.
"If they can catch them."
Samantha smiled as Hazel left. Hazel felt a little pang of loneliness again. What had happened between them? In her haste for the map, had she forgotten her friends?
She shook her head and tried to think. She sort of had a busy day. Imelda had demanded that the Quidditch team practice and Hazel wanted to go to Hogsmeade before Christmas day to get gifts for her friends.
Maybe she could try and talk with Imelda after practice. If she would even talk with her.
She went back to her room and quickly changed into her Quidditch uniform after glancing at a clock. It was later than she had expected.
When she arrived at the field, it was bustling with activity. Blue uniforms accompanied green. She went up to one of the other Slytherin girls.
"Are we playing Ravenclaw?" She asked, looking as Ravenclaws flew around, passing the quaffle effortlessly.
"Yup. Imelda's idea of practice. Just how I wanted to spend my morning." The girl muttered, adjusting her boot and getting on her broom.
Hazel hopped on her broom and got ready to play. It had been a while since she was on it.
"LISTEN UP!" Imelda shouted, cupping her hands. The entire field shut up immediately and lowered to the ground so they could hear. "Ravenclaw's captain-" She gestured to a 6th year Ravenclaw boy - "Hector Fawley - and I have decided that we're going to play until one of us wins today. So I suggest that we Slytherins wrap this up quickly!" She said, ending her 'pep talk.' And it worked, because the entire Slytherin team cheered. Hector rolled his eyes.
"And as Ravenclaws, let's outwit these snakes. Shouldn't be too hard." He grinned, ducking to avoid a bludger as Imelda released the four balls. The Ravenclaws cheered and that was that. The game began.
Hazel dodged bludgers and the arms of chasers as she zipped through the air, getting lost in the game. That is, until she was nearly knocked off her broom by the sudden appearance of Constance. A girl she had defeated in Crossed Wands over a year ago.
"Didn't know you were a seeker," Hazel said, glancing at her quickly.
Constance grinned, "Let's hope I can actually beat you this time, rather than what happened in Crossed Wands."
Hazel laughed, dipping low to avoid the quaffle being shot toward a hoop. "I wouldn't get your hopes up."She gained speed, getting closer to the Snitch. Constance fell behind. She quickly looked back to see what had slowed Constance.
She was flying erratically, a bludger relentlessly going after her. She managed to kick it away long enough for her to escape- and then it returned. Hazel's eyes drifted to its origin and saw him. She didn't have time to ponder this though, as she then dodged a bludger from Ravenclaw and reached her hand out. She was so close- it was almost at her fingertips.
Then she saw Oliver, sitting on one of the benches, watching the whole thing.
He had never shown up to practice before. Why now?
Hazel gritted her teeth. She couldn't afford to get distracted now. She felt bad for the whole thing with Imelda, but she knew it wasn't her fault.
"Missed me?" Constance came up beside Hazel. She gestured to someone on the other side of the field. Hazel tried to keep her eye on the Snitch- an advantage that Constance had lost when she gestured.
Where was Sebastian? What had happened to his targeting Constance?
She glanced back quickly, looking for him. He swung his bat, hitting the Ravenclaw Keeper while Imelda threw the Quaffle through one of the hoops.
She turned her head back and saw the Snitch. She was closer than Constance still, so she leaned forward on her broom and stretched her hand out to catch it- until she was hit in the stomach by a bludger. Her hand fell. Constance leaned forward on her own broom, and caught the Snitch.
"I caught it!" She shouted, pumping her fist. Everyone's heads snapped over to look at her. Hazel saw Imelda glance at her after, disappointment in her eyes.
Hector and Imelda dismissed the teams. Hazel lowered her broom, wanting to speak with her.
"Imelda?"
Imelda quickly closed the box on the resisting balls and stood up. "Not your best performance." She said, avoiding Hazel's eyes.
She felt like pointing out Sebastian's lack of help, but shook her head instead. "I'm sorry."
"For what, exactly?" Imelda snapped, gracing Hazel with a glare. "How does it feel to come in second now?"
"What?" Hazel's jaw dropped open. Imelda ignored her, picked up the box and her broom, leaving Hazel alone in the field.
"I thought it was a good performance." Oliver shouted, leaning over the railing. Hazel glanced at him.
"Eavesdropping isn't polite." She said, pulling off her gloves and stuffing them in her pocket.
"Sorry."
"Why'd you come?"
He shrugged. "I was intrigued." He didn't elaborate and Hazel really wasn't in the mood for idle chatter so she let it drop.
"Thanks for coming. I have to leave though." She said, craning her neck to look at him. He nodded.
As she walked away, she felt all her frustration and pent-up anger return. Getting into the game had helped her forget it for a while, but both Sebastian's and Imelda's lack of response made her furious. And sad. She was also hungry.
Instead of a Christmas dinner, Professor Black declared that they would be having a Christmas lunch. Everyone actually seemed on board with this idea, since they could eat, take a long nap, and then eat desserts again when they woke up.
After changing into her normal clothes, she went to the dining hall. Everyone was laughing and talking, the sky above charmed to look like it was night. Candles flicker above and on the tables.
Out of habit, she went to her usual spot before stopping in her tracks. She couldn't sit there. Sebastian and Ominis sat next to each other, talking quietly. She surveyed the room for any spare seat, but there were none. Her steps seemed to only get heavier as she approached the boys.
She sat down across from them. Sebastian refused to make eye contact. Ominis seemed to sense that something was wrong.
"Hi, Ominis. Sebastian." She said.
"I'm not hungry." Sebastian said, getting up hastily and leaving.
Hazel watched him leave, hoping he would turn around and they could be friends again.
"I guess he's still mad." She said, hoping at least Ominis would speak to her. He frowned.
"What were you thinking?" He snapped, "You're a lot of things, but not stupid. So why'd you kick us out?"
She ran her eyes over him. He had dropped his fork and waited for an answer with his hands in his lap, one gripping his wand.
"I don't know." She lied.
He rolled his eyes. "Then find out. Because even though Sebastian doesn't seem to want to know, I do."
"It's just easier if I do it alone."
He laughed dryly. Then he laughed again, getting more angry by the second. "It's easier if you do it alone?"
Hazel didn't say anything. Ominis waited for a minute, and stood up, adjusted his cloak, and left as well.
Hazel was left at the table, feeling more empty than she had coming into the hall.
She wanted to take a peek at the map to get an idea of where she should go first and then she wanted to go to Hogsmeade to get gifts for her friends. And Ex-Friends, who would hopefully become Friends again.
The DADA tower was empty when she entered; all the students at the feast. It made getting to the Undercroft quick and easy. She adjusted the clock, and as usual, the door flew open.
The first thing she heard was voices. After quietly shutting the door, she crept down slowly. Sebastian and Ominis.
She emerged from behind the bars. They both stood next to the map. Sebastian grabbed it, rolled it up, and turned around. He nearly jumped. "I didn't expect to see you here so soon."
"What are you doing?" She was furious, "Don't you dare touch it."
His face dropped, returning to the same look he had yesterday when she basically told him to fuck off. "We've decided that you're either doing this with us or not at all."
"This is your sister we're talking about!" Hazel marched toward him and grabbed at the map. He didn't let go. "Give it!"
Sebastian didn't 'give it.' "This is a suicide mission."
"You're damn right!" She stomped on his foot, "So you can't do it!"
He grunted and dropped the map. Hazel lunged for it.
"Accio map!" Ominis summoned it into his hands.
"Ominis?"
He usually agreed with her. And he almost never agreed with Sebastian. He calmly rolled it up again and held it in his fist. "Let us know when you've decided to come to your senses and we'll look at it together."
"GIVE IT!" She screamed, pulling out her wand. "Acci-"
Sebastian wrenched her wand out of her hand, holding it high. "What's gotten into you?"
"Nothing. Nothing at all." She said, trying to gain her composure. They didn't realize how dangerous ancient magic was. Sebastian had nearly died when confronted with it. She was doing the right thing. She stomped on his foot again and he dropped her wand.
"Would you stop that?!" His face scrunched up.
"Ominis, give me the map." Hazel held out her hand and approached him, "I need to do this alone."
He didn't respond for a minute. Hazel held her breath.
"We can work together," she lied.
Sebastian laughed. "You're a terrible liar."
Ominis frowned. "What did we do?"
Hazel's hand dropped. Some part of her ached, realizing that everyone was blaming themselves right now. And the only person who was responsible for any of this was Hazel.
"Nothing."
"Then tell us why!" He snapped, losing his composure, "Why do we need to be left in the dark if we're not working together anyway?!"
"I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you that could have been prevented." She said quietly, tucking her wand into her pocket. "This is dangerous."
"And we're 'weighing her down.'" Sebastian quoted, glaring.
"Just give me the map." She was tired. All she wanted was to get the map, go to Hogsmeade, get what she needed, and then have a long cry in her bed- preferably when Imelda wasn't there. "Please."
Ominis still didn't say anything. Sebastian and Hazel watched him intently. The room was dead silent. Hazel couldn't bring herself to do anything more than blink, hoping that the silence would be what Ominis needed.
"And I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you that could have been prevented." He echoed her words, face turning up so she could see his unwavering look. He tossed the map to Sebastian, then took a step toward her. "The map is ours." He stood right in front of her, gripping his wand tightly.
Her eyes flicked between them as she backed up, and ran out of the room.