Rain fell down around her, her hair hair becoming more and more wet with each droplet. A cold shiver ran down her back as she flew in closer to catch the quaffle. Oliver had been working the team even harder since he came back from Christmas. After the snow left, rain replaced it but even that couldn't make Oliver less determined. He had turned into even more of a fanatic. Eliza agreed with him to some extent, if they were to beat Hufflepuff then Gryffindor would overtake Slytherin in the House Championship for the first time in seven years.
Today, it was extremely wet and muddy and of course the twins were messing around. They kept dive-bombing each other and pretending to fall off their brooms.
"Will you stop messing around!" Oliver yelled causing everyone to stare at him. "That's exactly the sort of thing that will lose us the match! Snape's refereeing this time, and he'll be looking for any excuse to knock points off Gryffindor!"
At this, George actually did fall to the ground. "Snape's refereeing?" He said through a mouthful of mud. "When's he ever refereed a Quidditch match? He's not going to be fair if we might overtake Slytherin!"
Eliza flew down and jumped off and was joined by the rest of the team, all ready to complain. "It's not my fault." Oliver said to them. "We've just got to make sure we play a clean game, so Snape hasn't got an excuse to pick on us!"
"Like that'll stop him." Eliza muttered before jumping back onto her broom and grabbing the quaffle. "Come on then, Oliver!" She yelled at him.
He laughed before flying up in front of the goalposts. "Come on then, Eliza."
Her eyes narrowed as she started to fly around the pitch, everyone watching them. And then at a quick speed she flew towards him before going up just before she was about to hit Oliver and she threw the quaffle through the hoop. "Whooo, am I brilliant or what?" She screamed loudly.
"How did you do that?" Oliver yelled back, looking impressed.
"I always train at home." Eliza shrugged her shoulders as she joined the rest of the team as they made their way back into the changing room.
Eliza sat down beside Angelina. "Why are you so good?" She whined.
"You're just as good as I am, if not better!" Eliza pointed out.
"Haha, yeah, whatever." Angelina replied while jokingly pushing her.
"Hey! Stop being so mean!"
"I am not mean."
Alicia defended Eliza. "You so are, Ang."
"My two friends hate me." Angelina pretended to cry. "I thought we best friends."
Eliza mocked her. "I thought we were friends too but then you went and pushed me."
Before she could reply, the twins joined them. "You were amazing Za."
"How did you even learn to score like that?" George asked her.
"I just practice a lot at home, that's all."
"Well, we're going to need you to play like that during the match!" A scottish voice said from behind them.
"I'll do my best." Eliza replied.
"That's all you can do!" Oliver said as he sat down.
Fred and George stared at him. "That's not even fair! If anyone else said that you would say that wasn't good enough."
"That we would have to do it! But nooo! Because it's Eliza, you just stare at her lovingly."
"All you can do is your best!" Oliver tried to defend himself.
Fred snorted. "Eliza, love me."
"Please, Eliza, I love you." George continued.
Eliza hit the two boys on the head. "Do you two ever shut up?"
They stared at her and pretended to be hurt. "Did you just -"
"Did you just hit us?"
"Yes, yes I did." Eliza said as she got up and walked out and to the Gryffindor Common Room.
It was the next afternoon, the game, and as Eliza made her way to the changing room she saw Harry stood with Hermione and Ron. She smiled at them and entered the room. "ELIZA! CAN YOU TELL HIM TO SHUT UP?" Fred and George both shouted at her.
Oliver was stood in the middle talking about how they would all have to do their best. "Oliver, wait until the speech, no one's listening." She said to him softly.
Eliza put on her Quidditch Robes as Oliver told everyone his pep talk. She wasn't really listening, too busy trying to get ready for the game, they had to win to overtake Slytherin. It wasn't going to be easy, not with Snape refereeing the game.
She grabbed her broom and waited to go out. "The whole school is out there!" Fred shouted. "Even -blimey - Dumbledore's come to watch!"
"Dumbledore?" Harry asked as he rushed to look.
As the teams walked out and Eliza noticed how angry Snape looked and couldn't help but think if it was to do with the fact Dumbledore was watching. She got into her place and then suddenly the game started. Angelina had the quaffle and she, Eliza and Alicia passed it among themselves as they made their way towards the goalposts, Eliza threw it and scored. Their small lead ended soon enough as Snape awarded a penalty to Hufflepuff as George had hit a bludger at him. Eliza sighed, it was going to be a long game.
Minutes later, Snape awarded another penalty to Hufflepuff for no particular reason. Eliza grabbed the quaffle from a Hufflepuff player and flew quickly towards the goalposts. After she scored she looked down to see Harry flying towards Snape who luckily moved out in time.Harry then lifted his arm up to reveal the Snitch. Eliza flew down, smiling, it must have been a world record, no one could remember if anyone had ever caught the Snitch that quickly. It was only five minutes!
Alicia, Angelina and Eliza hugged each other before weaving their way through all the Gryffindors and going to the changing room. "WE DID IT!" The twins shouted. "WHOOOOOOOO! WE WON, WE WON!"
Oliver came in beaming. "Well done team, we all did good."
"YEAHHHHHHHHH. WE WON, WE WON. TIME TO PARTY!" The twins started to run round the room. "WE ARE THE BEST! GRYFFINDOR ARE THE BEST!"
Eliza rolled her eyes and laughed at their antics, before anyone could notice she slipped out of the room and made her way to the common room. Slow clapping behind her caused her to turn around to see the source. His tall condescending figure loomed over her "Dear, dear sister."
"Brother." Eliza said venomously. "What do you want?"
"I just wanted to say you played well."
Eliza smiled. "Of course you did. Tell me the truth."
"How was your Christmas?" He asked her, with a smug grin.
"It was probably the best I've ever had." Eliza smirked as the smile left his face. "How was yours?"
He glared down at her. "It was great. We were at the Malfoy's."
"I'm sure that was fun."
He laughed menacingly. "Of course it was!"
"Okay." Eliza went to turn but was stopped.
"Why are you not with your friends?"He drawled.
Eliza sighed. "I was just going to go and get dressed. I didn't know I have to be with them all the time."
"You've just won a match! Are they not celebrating?"
"They are and so am I."She turned away and started to walk. "Goodbye brother. I'm sure I'll have to speak to you soon."
"Goodbye Sister." He shouted at her.
Quickly changing, Eliza sat down on her bed. "Why are you up here alone?" Maisie asked her as she walked in.
"I don't know, I think I'm just tired."
"Tired tired? Or tired of something?" Maisie sat beside her.
"Do you think Oliver likes me?" Eliza asked her.
Maisie rested her head against the beam. "I think he does."
"Do you think I like him?"
"I don't know. I think you're the only one who truly knows the answer to that." Maisie stared at her friend. "Do you think you do?"
"I don't know, I've never thought about him that way and even now I don't know how I feel."
"Do you want to be with him?" Maisie asked her.
Eliza hesitated as she thought about her answer. "No."
Maisie stood up. "Then there's your answer."
Before Eliza could reply, Angelina and Alicia burst in. "Where did you go?"
"Oliver's worrying, thinking something's wrong with you."
Eliza sighed. "Nothing's wrong with me, I just came up to get changed."
"Oh okay, that makes sense."
"We're going to get changed now."
"We'll meet you in the Great Hall." Eliza said as she left the room with Maisie.
"Nothing has to changed El." Maisie told her. "Just forget about it."
"I'm just fed up with everyone talking about him and I as though we're a couple."
Maisie rubbed her arm. "Don't let them get to you El."
"I know, I know. I'm just so fed up with it all. Every time either of us is mentioned someone thinks they have to say something about the other one. I'm so tired of it all. And then if a boy happens to like me or even just talk to me, they come over and say I'm taken by Oliver. I can't keep doing this anymore!"
Maisie looked around the hall as they sat down. "Has anyone caught your eye?" She successfully changed the conversation.
Eliza blushed. "Well, there's this one boy, but I don't think anything with happen with him."
"Don't speak like that! So who is it?" Maisie asked her friend.
Just as Eliza was going to say his name, the twins sat down. "Oliver is looking for you."
"He's going to declare his love for you!"
Maisie glared at them. "Fred! George! Shut up!"
"What's wrong with you?"
"I think it's time we lay the Oliver and Eliza thing to bed."
"Don't you think they're a bit young for that?" Fred replied grinning.
Eliza and Maisie shared a look. "I don't think there is anyone as annoying as you two."
"And you would be right!"
Oliver sat down next to Eliza. "Hey, where did you go after the match?"
"I went to go and get dressed."
Oliver asked her a question but Eliza had zoned out as she watched the boy walk in. He walked down the middle to the table next to them, his brown hair was perfectly naturally quiffed and his grey eyes seemed to pop out more as a happy laugh escaped his lips, he was tall and extremely handsome but at the same time very modest.
Under the table Maisie kicked her causing Eliza to jump. "What?" She turned to see Oliver looking at her expectedly. "I'm sorry, I'm quite tired."
"It's alright Ellie, I just asked how you were." Oliver smiled at her.
"I'm okay, glad we won the match. How are you?"
"I'm great! We're in the lead now!"
Eliza smiled at him before looking at Maisie who was staring at her with a raised eyebrow, it seemed she was the only one who had seen what Eliza had really been doing.
"Oh look, pretty boy Diggory is walking over." Fred whispered to them.
And he was right, Cedric was smiling at them. "Hi, I just wanted to say that you guys did great, you deserve to be in the lead."
No one said anything so Eliza realised she would have to. "Thank you Cedric. You did good too."
He beamed at her and Eliza hoped no one could tell that she was about to blush. "You're a great chaser Eliza, how did you learn all those different tricks?"
Oliver answered for her. "She practises a lot."
Cedric nodded. "Well I'll see you around."
"What was the point of him coming over?" Oliver muttered.
Eliza sent a glare his way. "He just congratulated us, there's no harm in it."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." He started to eat his food. "I just don't trust him, that's all."
Eliza put her hand on his shoulder. "He seems nice enough."
As the big group of Gryffindors made their way out of the Great Hall, the twins turned to them excitedly. "We have a plan, we're going to the Kitchens, we'll meet you all in the Common Room." They rushed off before anyone could reply. Oliver walked off with Percy at the front with everyone else following. Maisie pulled Eliza aside "Since when?"
"Since when what?"
"How long have you liked him for?"
"Like who for?" Eliza asked.
Maisie glared at her friend. "Tell me you moron!"
A group of laughing teenagers walked out. "I'll see you in a bit."
"Where are you going, Ced?" One of his friends shouted.
"I'll see you in a bit." He replied. "Eliza!"
She turned to him. "Hi!"
"You played well!"
"So did you!"
"Not well enough, obviously." He looked down.
"Don't say that." She told him.
"I'll see you later." Maisie said to them before walking off.
"Yeah, well, I'm not as good as everyone thinks."
"Come on Ced. You're great!" He blushed at her compliment. "Oh, I wanted to thank you for the necklace and ring."
He smiled at her. "You're welcome. I saw it and it reminded me of you immediately. Thank you for the sweets and books, they were just what I wanted."
"You're welcome. When you told me about them, I knew that I had to get them for you!"
Cedric grinned happily at her. "Are we still on for Hogsmeade?"
"Definitely!" Eliza laughed. "I'll speak to you tomorrow, the twins are planning a small party for us winning the game. I'd invite you but it's just a small thing for the Gryffindors."
"It's fine. Another time, right?" Cedric said to which Eliza nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow." They hugged each other and both smiled.
Eliza walked happily back when she bumped into the twins who were busily carrying food. "Let me carry some!"
"Here you go El." They passed her a couple of cakes.
The three of them walked into the common room and placed the food down. "Time to celebrate."
Maisie walked over to Eliza. "You and Cedric then." She wiggled her eyebrows.
"We're not together."
"Yet!"