"He hardly spoke to us!" Fred whispered to Eliza. "We kept trying to talk to him but he ignored us!"
"I don't know what his problem is." George said.
Eliza nodded her head, "Let's just ignore him too. Make him realise what he's missing."
"Forget the golden trio."
"The pranking trio are the best."
Eliza laughed. "We've always been the best!" Maisie sat down beside them. "Morning Mais."
With a groan the girl replied. "Morning."
"Sleep well?"The twins asked her.
She glared at the two. "What do you think?" The two boys immediately looked away. "Sorry, Angelina snored all night, so I couldn't sleep that well."
"You could just - " The boys went to give her advice but she cut them off.
"It was really warm." Maisie replied. "I could kill her and then this morning I bumped into Katie who was gushing over Oliver. Do you think I should just say he doesn't like her?"
"I don't think she'd appreciate it." Eliza told her. "Have you spoken to Percy?"
Maisie let out a loud groan. "No." She turned to see if he was anywhere near them. "Has he said anything to you?"
The twins snickered. "Yeah, he tells us all about his love life."
Eliza shook her head at them. "Just ignore them, he wouldn't tell them anything especially about who he likes!"
Maisie went to reply but a loud screech was heard from down the table. "RONALD WEASLEY! HOW DARE YOU STEAL THAT CAR! I AM ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED! YOUR FATHER'S NOW FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK AND IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT! IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT HOME!" Mrs Weasley's voice boomed from the howler and all the plates and glasses shook in the great hall, she then softened, "Oh, and Ginny dear, congratulations on making Gryffindor. Your father and I are so proud!" Ginny looked up and went bright red, obviously embarrassed as the whole hall were now looking at her.
The twins burst into laughter as Professor Mcgonagall passed everybody's timetables out. Eliza looked to see what they had first - Defense Against the Dark Arts. "Great! We're going to have to listen to Mr 'I am so amazing' Lockhart."
The three all groaned in unison. "I think Quivering Quirrell was better." Maisie said.
The twins stared at her. "You do remember he had he-who-must-not-be-named on the back of his head, right?" Maisie went to argue but they spoke before her. "We should probably go to lesson now."
Eliza stood up and began to walk with the twins. "Are you coming Mais?"
"I'll be there in a bit." Maisie told them.
As they walked into the classroom they were surprised to see that they didn't have to rush to the back, instead the majority of girls in the class were sat in the front. Eliza sat down in front of the twins and Alicia came and sat beside her. "Katie's asking Oliver on a date."
The twins started to laugh. "You are joking, right?"
Alicia stared at them seriously. "She also wants to join the Quidditch team, said she would take your place!" She told Eliza.
Eliza scoffed. "Of course she would say that." She then looked around the classroom. "Umm, haven't we always had Defense against the dark arts with Slytherins?"
The twins nodded their heads. "Yeah, why are you asking?"
"Because all I see are Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, no Slytherins!"
Alicia looked around. "That means you'll have this lesson with Cedric!" Before Eliza could say anything Cedric and one of his friends sat in front of them. "Talk of the devil." Alicia muttered to the boys who chuckled.
"Hi." Cedric smiled warmly at her. "How are you?"
Eliza grinned at him. "I'm great thank you. How are you?"
"I'm good thanks." He looked around the classroom. "First time having DADA together."
"Yeah, I must warn you though, us Gryffindors are very good at it."
Cedric laughed. "Us Hufflepuffs are not too bad either!"
Suddenly, a flamboyant man walked down the steps and into the classroom. "Let me introduce you to your new Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher. Me. Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member if the Dark Force Defense League and five times winner of Witch Weekly's Most-Charming-Smile Award - but I don't talk about that. I didn't get rid of the Bandon Banshee by smiling at her!" He laughed and waited for everyone to laugh however, only a couple of students awkwardly smiled at him. "I see you've all bought a complete set of my books. Well done. I thought we'd start today with a little quiz. Nothing to worry about. Just to check how well you've read them, how much you've taken in." He passed the papers out and Eliza stared at the piece of paper, every single question was about him.
"How self-conceited is this man?" Eliza asked Alicia. "I already hate him. How are you meant to know what his favourite colour is or anything on this bloody test"!" She began the test and put the first answer she could think of.
Later on in the lesson, Lockhart had marked the exams and he didn't seem too impressed with the marks. "I think it would be best for you all to read my books again, hardly anyone answered the questions correctly except from Maisie, well done you got it all right."
Alicia and Eliza both turned to stare at the girl who was blushing madly. "Who knew, Maisie's in love with Lockhart." Fred whispered to George.
"She does always go for the weird type that we don't like." George said back to him.
Lockhart then shouted. "And now it is time to face your fears!" He lifted a blanket off an object to reveal a closest.
The twins both burst into laughter. "It's a cupboard! Why would we be scared of that!"
"Inside this box is your biggest fear!" Lockhart told the class. "Now, I want you all to practice saying 'Riddikulus'." The entire class began to say it out loud. "Now, everyone line up, single file."
The first couple of people's fears were snakes, spiders, relatives but then it was Maisie's turn. She stood before the closest and out came a boy shaking his head at her, he had ginger hair and luckily nobody could see his face. Eliza knew it was meant to be Percy and his was shaking his head as to say he didn't like her. Maisie's fear was rejection. The girl seemed frozen with fear.
"Come on Mais, you can do it!" Eliza whispered to her friend.
This seemed to wake the girl up. "Riddikulus." The boy started to blow up and float across the room causing the entire class to laugh.
"Alright, next person." Eliza stepped forward and waited as the blown up boy transformed. And then there in front of her was a women, her face covered by a black veil, dying on the floor. The entire class went quiet as they watched to see what Eliza would do next. She lifted her hand up and was shocked to see it shaking. She couldn't think about anything to make the scene in front of her happy.
Quickly, Cedric pushed her aside and the boggart turned into his. There was Eliza walking away. He shouted loudly "Riddikulus." She turned around and had face paint on her and started to do a funny dance.
The next person went up and Cedric walked to the back of the line to stand with Eliza, he held her hand and muttered comforting words to her. "Alright, end of lesson."
It was time for lunch, Cedric walked her to the Gryffindor table but she tightened her grip on his hand, worried about her he sat down beside her. The twins joined them immediately and sat opposite them. Maisie, Angelina and Alicia sat down too. "What was that?" Fred asked her softly.
Cedric squeezed her hand. "Ellie, you're okay now! It was just a Boggart. Nothing more."
She nodded her head lightly. "I think it was my aunt."
They all turned to look at her. "I thought she was dead!" George said.
"She is. I think that was her dying. Dumbledore said last year that I knew how she died but I don't remember and I think my fear is remembering how she died." Eliza said while trying to hold back her tears.
Cedric squeezed her hand again. "El, it's not your fault, her death. You have nothing to be scared about!"
"I think it is the fear of not knowing what happened to her!" She said to him and he nodded while staring at her worriedly.
They all began to eat their food but Cedric refused to let go of her hand, unsure about what she would do next. After lunch, they had Herbology which was with the Hufflepuffs so Cedric and Eliza walked hand in hand to the classroom. Luckily, they were only taking notes down instead of doing an experiment. Cedric and Eliza sat down beside each other and waited for Professor Sprout to begin. Eliza quietly wrote notes down, Cedric kept a hand on her knee, and they sat in silence.
It gave time for Eliza to recover from the earlier lesson "I'm sorry for acting out earlier." She told Cedric.
He looked at her in wonder. "You shouldn't be sorry! Eliza, I'm your boyfriend, okay so I'm going to be honest with you, what happened this morning that Boggart was not normal so you shouldn't be sorry about getting freaked out about it. And anyway you're stuck with me, El."
"I don't deserve you!" Eliza told him.
"You deserve someone much better than me." Cedric replied.
Eliza looked into his eyes. "No, no I don't."
He looked back at her. "Eliza, I have something to tell you!"
"Then tell me!" She urged him.
"I think I'm in love with you."
It was Saturday morning and Eliza was sat in the Gryffindor changing room with a very grumpy Angelina and sleepy Alicia. "It's too early!"
"It's our new training regime!" Oliver told them. "If we want to win this year then we must train harder!"
Harry walked in and it must have seemed terrible for him, the twins were sat looking puffy-eyed and their hair was all over the place, Alicia had begun to fall asleep again and both Angelina and Eliza were yawning. Oliver was the only one wide awake. "There you are, Harry, what kept you?" Oliver told the young boy as he sat down. "Now, I wanted a quick talk with you all before we actually get onto the field, because I spent the summer devising a whole new training program, which I really think will make all the difference." He held up a large diagram of a Quidditch field, which he drew many lines and arrows and crosses in lots of different coloured inks. He took out his wand and tapped the board, causing the arrows to move around the diagram like caterpillars. Oliver then launched into a speech about his new tactics and during this time Fred's head drooped right and onto Alicia's shoulder and began to snore.
The first board took twenty minutes to explain and Eliza thought that he had finished until she saw not a second board but a third board under that. She leant back and tried to think about happy things. "So." Oliver said finally, Eliza looked up and stopped thinking about how warm she would be in the Great Hall while eating the delicious food. "Is that clear? Any questions?"
"I've got a question, Oliver." George said as he woke up. "Why couldn't you have told us all this yesterday when we were awake?"
"Now, listen here, you lot." Oliver said, not at all pleased. "We should have won the Quidditch cup last year. We're easily the best team. But unfortunately -owing to circumstances beyond our control-" It took a while for Oliver to regain control of himself, he was still beating himself up over their last defeat. "So this year, we train harder than ever before. Okay, let's go and put our new theories into practice!" Wood shouted, seizing his broomstick and leading the way out of the locker rooms. All still really tired, the team followed him out.
Eliza mounted her broomstick and flew up into the air. The cool breeze woke her up after the long boring morning she had had. She had missed being on the Quidditch field, a laugh slipped out of mouth as Fred, George, Harry and herself raced around. "What's that funny clicking noise?" Fred shouted as they went around a corner. They all looked into the stands where a first year was sat taking pictures.
He was shouting to harry. "Look this way, Harry! This way!"
"Who's that?" asked Fred.
"No idea." Harry said as he flew quicker.
"What's going on?" said Wood as flew towards them. "Why's that first year taking pictures? I don't like it. He could be a Slytherin spy, trying to find out about our new training program."
"He's in Gryffindor." said Harry quickly.
"And the Slytherins don't need a spy, Oliver." George said.
"What makes you say that?" said Wood, he looked ready to murder someone.
"Because they're here in person." said George, pointing down.
Several people in green robes were walking onto the field, broomsticks in their hands. "I don't believe it!" Wood hissed in outrage. "I booked the field for today! We'll see about this!" Wood shot toward the ground, landing rather harder than he meant to in his anger, staggering slightly as he dismounted. Eliza with the three boys landed too. "Flint!" Wood bellowed at the Slytherin Captain. "This is our practice time! We got up specially! You can clear off now!"
Marcus Flint, who looked like a troll, had a cunning look on his face as he replied. "Plenty of room for all of us, Wood."
Angelina and Alicia came over too. "But I booked the field!" said Wood, his rage becoming worse. "I booked it!"
"Ah." said Flint. "But I've got a specially signed note here from Professor Snape. 'I, Professor S. Snape, give the Slytherin team permission to practice today on the Quidditch field owing to the need to train their new Seeker.'"
"You've got a new Seeker?" said Wood, suddenly becoming distracted. "Where?"
And from behind the six large figures before them came a seventh, smaller boy, with a large smirk painted on his face. It was Draco Malfoy. They might have known each other since childhood but right now Eliza was ready to kill him.
"Aren't you Lucius Malfoy's son?" Asked Fred who was staring at Draco in hatred.
"Funny you should mention Draco's father." said Flint as the whole Slytherin team smiled. "Let me show you the generous gift he's made to the Slytherin team." All seven Slytherins held out their broomsticks. Seven highly polished, brand-new handles and seven sets of fine gold lettering spelling the words Nimbus Two Thousand and One gleamed under the Gryffindors' noses in the early morning sun. "Very latest model. Only came out last month," said Flint. "I believe it outstrips the old Two Thousand series by a considerable amount. As for the old Cleansweeps" He glanced at the Fred and George who were both clutching Cleansweep Fives - "sweeps the board with them." None of the Gryffindor team could think of anything to say for a moment. Malfoy was smirking so broadly his cold eyes were reduced to slits, it reminded Eliza of a snake. "Oh, look," said Flint. "A field invasion."
Eliza looked over to see Ron and Hermione walking over to them. "What's happening?" Ron asked Harry. "Why aren't you playing? And what's he doing here?" Ron was staring at Draco and saw his Slytherin Quidditch robes.
"I'm the new Slytherin Seeker, Weasley." said Malfoy, with a smug expression. "Everyone's just been admiring the brooms my father's bought our team." Ron stared, open-mouthed, at the seven superb broomsticks in front of him. "Good, aren't they?" said Malfoy smoothly. "But perhaps the Gryffindor team will be able to raise some gold and get new brooms, too. You could raffle off those Cleansweep Fives; I expect a museum would bid for them." The entire Slytherin howled loudly with laughter.
"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in." said Hermione sharply. "They got in on pure talent." The smug look on Malfoy's face faltered.
"No one asked your opinion, you fiIthy little Mudblood." he spat out.
Eliza grabbed onto Fred and George as Flint quickly dived in front of Malfoy to stop Fred and George jumping on him and Alicia loudly shrieked, "How dare you!" and Ron put his hand into his robes and pulled out his wand and yelled "You'll pay for that one, Malfoy!" He pointed it furiously under Flint's arm at Malfoys face. A loud bang echoed around the stadium and a jet of green light shot out of the wrong end of Ron's wand, hitting him in the stomach and sending him reeling backwards onto the grass.
"Ron! Ron! Are you all right?" squealed Hermione.
Ron opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead he gave an almighty belch and several slugs dribbled out of his mouth onto his lap.
The Slytherin team burst into loud laughter. Flint was doubled over, hanging onto his new broomstick for support. Malfoy was on all fours, banging the ground with his fist. All the Gryffindors were gathered around Ron, who kept belching large, glistening slugs. Nobody in the team wanted to be anywhere near the slugs let alone touch him.
"We'd better get him to Hagrid's, it's nearest." said Harry to Hermione, who nodded bravely, and the pair of them pulled Ron up by the arms.
Eliza watched as Harry shouted at the first year with the camera as he dragged Ron off the pitch. Oliver stormed off as well with the rest of the team following. They all stopped in the changing room and tried to control the captain down. The twins kept jumping in front of him and trying to calm him down but he would just turn away from them. Finally, bored of their attempts Eliza stopped in front of Oliver and placed her hands on his shoulder. "Oliver, look at me while I say this." The boy stared at her. "Calm down, this isn't doing you any good!" He let out a loud sigh and appeared to have calmed down. "Anyway, we now know that Slytherin mustn't have a good team anymore considering the seeker had to buy his way in, Harry will be way better than Malfoy!"
The twins agreed with her. "Yeah! We all got in for talent while he didn't! We'll beat them easily."
Angelina and Alicia joined in too and after a while Oliver seemed to be back to normal. "Okay, we'll reschedule practice for another day!" The team nodded. "Maybe tomorrow morning."
"Maybe another day. Tomorrow is Sunday, it's probably best not to practice tomorrow." Eliza told him.
"Another day then." Oliver said as he stalked out of the room.