More so than her voice, it was Elin's footsteps that woke Marigold.
"Goldie!" she called as she walked back into the room in her towel, "I told you to be up before I got back from the showers!"
Marigold sat upright, another dream about Cedric flashing behind her eyes. She glanced at the clock, if she didn't get up and shower just then, she would miss the handing out of timetables.
Rushed by Elin, Marigold managed to shower and get into her uniform in under thirty minutes. When they stepped into the Great Hall, they stopped by the Hufflepuff table to collect their timetables from Professor Sprout.
"Oh girls," Sprout stopped them before they could head to the Gryffindor table, "If you see Ms. Harris, please tell her to come see me."
They nodded and made their way across the Hall, taking their seats.
"Bernie," Elin said, "Sprout is looking for you."
Bernie sighed, exasperated. "Merlin's beard, I knew that would come back to bite me."
"What is it?" Angelina asked, looking up from arranging her books in her bag.
"I didn't hand in this assignment at the end of last year, I suppose she wants it now. It's not done, I haven't even started it."
"Guys!" Marigold exclaimed, looking up from her timetable, "Gryffindor and Hufflepuff share Defense Against the Dark Arts first lesson."
"And potions this afternoon." Angelina added.
Marigold managed to get down some breakfast in-between discussing their shared classes and before she knew it, it was ten to nine.
"We should get going, that new Defense teacher looks like she's strict." Elin said.
Marigold folded a croissant into a napkin and placed it into her bag, dropping an apple alongside it. "Ready to go."
They'd barely cleared the exit of the Great Hall when a voice called out for them from behind.
"Oy!"
Marigold spun around to find the Weasley twins and Lee Jordan hot on their heels, "We're all heading to Defense right?" Fred asked.
Angelina nodded, "Yeah," and the group began to walk together.
"Goldie," Lee stepped in beside Marigold, "How's it feel to be captain."
"Hey Lee, you alright?" Marigold smiled, "You know what they say, uneasy lies the head that wears the crown."
Her and Lee had always been friendly due to her place in the Quidditch world. When Lee commentated he nicknamed her the "Golden Knight", a nickname she wasn't ever particularly fond of but she could admit that it was clever play on her name.
"I never got to say sorry about Cedric, Goldie." Lee said in a softer voice, placing a friendly hand on her shoulder, "I know how close you guys were."
Marigold, who had been trying to avoid the thought of Cedric all morning, nodded, "Thanks, Lee."
"What's your game plan then?" He changed the subject and Marigold was grateful for it. "From what I remember, you guys need to focus on defense."
She huffed, humorously, "And what kind of captain would it make me to spill my game tactics to a Gryffindor!"
"You know," George's voice at her side made her jump, "With you elected captain, you and Ang are now the most powerful set of best friends in the school. Two opposing captains as best friends are rare."
Her eyes climbed his long torso up to his face and chuckled, "I don't know if I would go so far, Weasley. It's all fun and games until I beat you guys."
"Correct me if I'm mistaken," George grinned down at her, "But that sounds like a threat."
"Threat?" She creased her brow, playfully, "I don't make threats, I make promises."
Before he could retort, they'd reached the entrance to the Defense Against the Dark Arts class. George stepped aside for Marigold to enter before him, Lee made suggestive eyes at him but George shoved him.
At the front of the class was the woman they'd been introduced to as Professor Umbridge. She was wearing a hot pink blazer and skirt with a sickly-sweet smile on her face.
Students began to file in, Angelina and Marigold claimed a desk and Bernie and Elin grabbed the desk beside them. The twins and Lee filled into the row directly behind them. Diego jogged in with two minutes to spare and fell into the last empty seat near the front next to Alicia, he looked back at Marigold and mouthed what looked like "overslept".
She rolled her eyes at him and pulled her wand out, placing it onto the desk.
"Students," Umbridge's syrupy voice flowed across the quiet classroom, "If you could please put away your wands, we will be working out of our textbooks."
Angelina raised her hand unsurely, "Professor, we don't have textbooks. It wasn't on the booklist."
"Well," Umbridge's mouth pulled into tight smirk, "We will be using ministry-issued textbooks in this classroom only. I will be handing them out in a moment."
"Agenda much?" Marigold heard Angelina mutter quietly beside her.
"I want to start by saying that there will be no wand waving in this classroom, your Defense Against the Dark Art's syllabus is purely theoretical. Do I make myself clear?"
Most students nodded reluctantly, while the rest muttered under their breaths.
"Surely," Diego piped up, "We should learn some real world skills--"
"Mr...?" She looked at Diego.
Diego shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "Ortega." He replied.
"A week's detention for Mr Ortega."
Diego's mouth fell open and a collective gasp erupted from the students. "Professor--" He pleaded.
"Opposing a ministry-issued syllabus is an act of treason, Mr Ortega. That goes for everybody. Any more questions?"
The class stayed silent.
__________
"That bitch is crazy!" Diego exclaimed as soon as they were clear of the classroom.
"You're telling me," Lee commented, "I've never gotten so much homework on the first day of class."
Marigold shook her head in irritation, "It's the Ministry interfering at Hogwarts."
"You can say that again," Diego chimed, "And the ministry's got me a week of detention."
Elin took Marigold by the arm, "We have Transfiguration now with McGonagall, let's go or we'll be late."
The Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs parted, Bernie consoling Diego as they went.
Marigold always enjoyed Transfiguration, mostly because she enjoyed Professor McGonagall. So before she could think about it, the lesson was over and everyone was heading to lunch.
"I'm trying this new diet, my mum says my liver's not doing so well." Elin rambled as they walked to the Great Hall, "I can only eat vegetables and bread for a week."
"So, I guess you and Diego are both in detention for a week then." She chuckled at her own joke.
Elin rolled her eyes, "Vegetables are nice."
Marigold parked herself on a seat next to Winslow, "I haven't seen you all day." She said to him.
Winslow nodded, swallowing a mouthful, "I was with the Slytherins first period."
"We have them for Astronomy," Elin added, "But we have Charms with the Ravenclaws tomorrow before lunch and for Herbology on Thursday."
"Cool."
The group sat at lunch chatting and eating until it was almost one o' clock.
"We have class together again now with Snape." Bernie mentioned, standing up.
"Boys," Angelina called to Lee and the twins who were just further down the table, "It's Potions now."
They grumbled but stood and joined the group.
It was only when they were halfway to the Dungeons that Marigold realized that she'd packed the wrong textbook.
"Shit!" She stopped in her tracks, filtering frantically through her bag. "My Potions textbook is in the common room, how long do I have?"
Angelina glanced down at her watch, "Seven minutes."
"Take this," Marigold thrust her bag at the nearest person, which so happened to be George, "Get me a seat - a good one!"
She barely had time to hear his answer before she was taking off in the opposite direction towards the Hufflepuff common rooms. Snape was already not partial to Hufflepuffs and if she arrived on the first day of class without her textbook, she was signing her own detention slip. To be fair, she'd also get detention if she was late.
With that thought in her mind, Marigold sprinted down the hallways as fast as she could while competing between crowded corridors and almost knocking Flitwick off of his feet, she shouted a quick "Sorry, Professor!" but never stopped.
Slight relief come over her as the common room entrance came into view, she tapped the barrels quickly and pushed the door, racing up to her room. The Potions book was resting on her bedside table and she grabbed it, spinning on her heel to exit. The clock against the wall in the common room told her she had four minutes before the lesson started.
The run back was considerably harder, she was more out of breath and carrying a heavy textbook but when Marigold reached the entrance to the dungeon, the doors were still open. She practically skid through the doors, her eyes scanning the room. Her friends were all paired with each other, Lee and Fred at a desk near the front, Angelina and Elin and Bernie with Diego.
"Ms. Knight," Snape's drawling voice addressed her, "Are you planning on taking a seat or are we going to wait for you all afternoon?"
She spotted George at a table near the back, the space beside him empty. "Sorry, Professor."
Marigold shuffled as quietly as she could to the desk, her bag was resting on the seat,
"Hey, partner." She whispered still trying to catch her breath as quietly as possible, her face no doubt beet red. George leaned down and pulled a water bottle from his bag, offering it to Marigold. She took it gratefully, taking a few sips before handing it back, "Thanks."
Snape made a few announcements about the seventh year syllabus and informed them of a four page essay they have due the next week on Golpalott's Third Law.
"As in previous years," Snape spoke slowly, "Your desk partner will be your partner in potion-making." George grinned down at Marigold.
"I hope you're good at chopping, Weasley." She whispered quietly for him to hear.
"However, as seventh year is the most advanced year in terms of potion making," Snape continued, "You will also be doing a practical every two weeks with your partner that contributes to your end of year results. I hope you chose wisely."
Marigold saw Bernie face-palm, she was partnered with Diego - probably the most irresponsible in their whole friend group. She glanced up at George, who's gaze was still on Snape, she hoped he had a work ethic of some sort and that they could pass with a good grade.
"For the next hour, I want you to summarize chapters one and two in your textbooks and you will be handing in those summaries for marks at the end of the hour. No talking."
__________
The following two days flew by quickly and soon Marigold was leaving her last class on Wednesday afternoon.
Her and Elin were walking up from Herbology together towards the common room where Marigold needed to change into her Quidditch robes.
"Are you coming to watch the trials?" She asked Elin.
"No, sorry. I have an extra lesson with Flitwick, I am struggling with non-verbal spells."
They reached the entrance and Marigold tapped the barrels, "Don't worry. I'm kind of nervous to be honest, I'm debating whether I should go ask for some advice from Ang."
Elin shook her head, "You'll do great. Just do what Ced would do."
She nodded, easier said than done. "I'll see you at dinner."
Elin made her way off to Flitwick's class and Marigold hurried to her room. She'd already laid out her new robes on her bed that morning, she stared down at the large black "1" painted against the yellow robes. She'd almost forgotten that she'd need to change her number now that she was captain but the team had surprised her the previous night after dinner with the new robes and her captain's jacket. It was tradition that the team arranges the captains garments. In the lining of the robe, the names of everyone on the team were sown in with black thread - they'd included Cedric's as well.
Marigold had rarely felt so speechless. She felt the fabric in her hands and smiled, pulling it over her head and finding her shoes under the bed before grabbing her broom and leaving. Making sure she had the register in hand, Marigold jogged up to the pitch.
When she arrived, she was pleasantly surprised to find the whole team waiting five minutes early. "I like to see a team that's early."
"You look good in your new robes, cap." Herbert commented.
"All thanks to you guys." She replied.
The prospective seekers were filing in, Anthony showing them where to line up.
Zach and Troy, Marigold's fellow chasers, stood on either side of her as they watched the students enter. "What do you gents think, good cap or bad cap?"
"Good cap." "Bad cap." They said simultaneously.
She looked at Zach in humorous disbelief, "Bad cap? It's a wonder you got into Hufflepuff."
"Hey, you asked and I answered." Zach chuckled. Troy rolled his eyes. The sign up register had fourteen names written down and when she was sure they were all there, Marigold stepped up to face them.
"Good afternoon Hufflepuffs!" She eyed them: some girls, more boys. Marigold recognized only one or two seventh year boys and the rest were younger. "I hope you've all prepared yourself, this is a team of the most elite Quidditch players in our house and should you be chosen - the expectation of you is nothing less than your best."
Marigold motioned to Maxine to hand her a Snitch, she lifted it up to show them. "You will be put into pairs and each be given ten minutes to outfly each other for the snitch once I release it. This doesn't necessarily mean that you have to catch the snitch in ten minutes but it does mean you have to demonstrate your flying skills, your ability to think on your feet, to keep your eye on the Snitch and prove to me and my team that you deserve a spot. Is that clear?"
There was a collective nod. "Good."
Within the hour, they'd narrowed the candidates from fourteen to four. They were now left with two sixth years, a fifth year boy and a second year girl.
Marigold stood in front of them, Snitch in hand. "Congratulations to you all for making top four. You have ten minutes before the start of the final round of trials, gather your strength."
She stepped aside for a sip from a bottle of water, it was nearing five o' clock and evening was on the verge of setting. Maxine approached her, "Do you want us to split them into pairs?"
"Nope." Marigold replied with a glint in her eyes, "Have them line up."
Maxine tilted her head, "Then how--" Realization struck her features. "Marigold, you're not."
She grinned, "I am."
When the four were lined up together, Marigold addressed them again: "In a moment, I will be releasing the Snitch. The person who catches the Snitch has the position." She let the Snitch drop from her fingertips, and watched it climb into the afternoon sky: "Go."
The remaining four clambered onto their broomsticks and took after it into the air.
Marigold watched them closely over the next hour, the boys were large and sometimes clumsy. The one had wide shoulders and another short arms, neither characteristic particularly advantageous to a Seeker. The other boy wasn't half bad, but the girl was slim in stature, undeniably young, small. She flew through the air like a bullet, her turns much faster than the boys'.
They had been searching for what was coming up on two hours, it was almost seven and the sun would be setting soon. Marigold climbed onto her broom and flew up to where they could hear her better, "The sun will be setting soon! You better make use of the last few minutes of sunlight!"
She landed back on the pitch and barely a moment later, the fifth year boy landed behind her.
"I can't do this anymore. " He pulled off his try-out robes, handing them to Marigold.
She nodded, "Thanks for coming." He stomped off the pitch in the direction of the castle.
Marigold could see her team was becoming restless, "I think you guys can call it a night, if you hurry you can catch the scraps of dinner. Get your rest, we'll be starting practices next week."
The team sighed gratefully and stood to leave, Marigold pulled Maxine aside.
"Max, make sure there's some food and drinks in the common room for when we get back. I don't know how much longer we'll be."
Maxine nodded and followed the team out to the castle. For almost twenty minutes, Marigold was alone watching the remaining three players fight to find the Snitch, the sky becoming increasingly dark. It wouldn't have been so bad if it hadn't started drizzling.
She sat on her broom, hovering a few meters off the ground, hoping that one of them would catch the Snitch soon.
"Marigold!" A voice called from behind her, she spun to find Angelina with the twins hot on her heels.
She was carrying an umbrella but the boys didn't seem fazed by the light downpour.
"You're going to get sick out here like this!" Angelina protested, offering Marigold shelter under her umbrella.
George and Fred's eyes were watching the players up in the sky, "You Hufflepuffs really don't play with these trails, hey." Fred chirped.
"Only the best of the best." She replied, "Although, I must admit it's getting tiresome."
"We heard that you were still down here, so I dragged the boys to come and check on you with me."
"Dragged?" Marigold asked, a cheeky grin on her face, "I'm flattered to hear you gents were so worried about me."
"Oh come off it," Fred chuckled, "We're here aren't we?"
"I'm just joking, thanks for coming, Ang. I needed the company--"
"Hey, hey!" The shouting was muffled by the rain, but it was shouting no less.
Marigold's head snapped up to the sky, in the darkness and between the rain droplets, she could make out a small figure with their hand in the air. "I got it! I got it!"
The three of them came flying down and landed exhausted on the pitch.
The second year girl came rushing forward, almost tripping as she climbed off her broom, "I got it!" She handed Marigold the Snitch carefully.
The grin on Marigold's face couldn't be suppressed. She looked up to the boys, both looking defeated: "You boys did terrific, Hufflepuff would have been lucky to have you on the team." They nodded and walked off side by side, heads hanging.
"As for you," She looked down at the girl. She was really quite cute, pigtails sopping wet and droplets sticking to her lashes with the biggest grin on her face, "What's your name?"
"Jane Summerby." She squeaked, shivering.
"Welcome to the Hufflepuff Quidditch Team, Jane Summerby." She dropped onto one knee to hug her, Marigold could feel her shaking in her arms.
She stood and motioned for Angelina to hand her the umbrella, offering it to Jane. "Take this."
Marigold looked back to her friends, "Anyone willing to borrow a coat?"
Fred quickly unfastened his cloak from around his neck, stepping up and leaning down to wrap it around Jane's tiny shoulders like a blanket, "Hopefully you'll rub some of your amazing Quidditch skills off on here, I could use some."
Even in the darkness, the little girl's blush was impossible to not notice.
"Let's get back." Angelina said, placing a comforting hand over Jane's shoulder leading her to the exit.
All Marigold could think of on her way back up to the castle was a plate of food and a hot shower. She was very pleased with her new addition to the team, they had been needing another girl for a while. Jane stuck close by Fred's side on the walk back, laughing at all the dad-jokes he had in his inventory.
She felt George's presence before she saw him.
"I think my little Seeker has a crush on your brother, Weasley."
His laugh filled the air between them, "A wonder. He's not half as good looking as me."
Her robes were heavy from the weight of the rain and Marigold felt herself beginning to shiver as well. "Ever the humble brother." She stuttered without meaning to.
"Of course, when--" He noticed her state, "You're cold."
Marigold adjusted the broom in her hand, her fingers growing stiff from the cold, "You should become a detective for the ministry, Weasley."
"I'm being serious." He reached for the clip of his cloak, unfastening it and pulling it off his shoulders.
Marigold noticed what he was doing, "George, it's okay. I'm fine, really--"
George ignored her, throwing the cloak over her shoulders. "It's got the Gryffindor crest on it so you might have to fight off a bit of an identity crisis but at least you won't freeze."
Marigold blushed, "The chivalry is coming off you boys in leaps and bounds tonight, isn't it."
George gave her a cheeky grin that could only barely be seen in the darkness, "Mum taught us well."
She nodded, "Thank you, George."
Angelina and the boys walked with Marigold and Jane until they reached the intersection between their respective common rooms. She unclipped George's cloak and handed it to him, "Thanks again, Weasley."
He smiled, "Anytime."
Marigold hugged Angelina, "I'll see you guys at breakfast."
Jane unraveled herself from within Fred's cloak and handed to him shyly, "Thank you, Fred." She said in a small voice.
He ruffled her hair, "Off you trot. Remember what I told you?"
She nodded, "Rules were made to be broken."
Fred laughed loudly, George joining him. They high-fived. "Nice one."
Marigold took Jane under her arm, feigning a shocked face. "Don't listen to him, all he does is get up to trouble."
She looked to Angelina, "Reel in your kids, Ang."
Angelina rolled her eyes, "Come boys, let's go."
Bidding final goodbyes, the group separated.
"You know," Marigold said as they walked, "Not many second years can beat two sixth-year boys to the Snitch. Much less in the dark and fighting the rain. How're you so good?"
Jane shrugged, "I don't know. I guess I'm smaller so I'm faster."
Marigold nodded, "Either way, well done."
"Thank you ... captain." Marigold smiled.
When they entered the common room, the team were waiting on the couches to welcome the new Seeker. There was a roar of noise and in less than a minute, Jane was on Herbert's shoulders.
Maxine had done as promised and there was food waiting for them, Marigold dished some sandwiches onto a plate and poured a goblet of pumpkin juice before crashing into one of the nearby couches.
Alerted by the ruckus, Elin popped her head out the door to see when she noticed Marigold on the couch. She came to join her, "I'm assuming you found your seeker?"
Marigold watched as Jane was bounced between the boys' shoulders, giggling.
"I did." She smiled.
___________