Several days had passed since we arrived at Hogwarts, and this morning, my sister dragged me to the school's Quidditch training field. Although we trained at the Nest, she was still interested in seeing what the house teams could offer, as she had never seen them in action. She found out from the twins that there would be training this morning and thought it would be a good opportunity to watch.
I had no issues accompanying her; in fact, it was a good idea. I needed to act normal so no one would ask questions or become suspicious about a prefect's disappearance the day before.
We picked up Luna and let the other girls know in case they wanted to join, but it was too early, and only a few were willing to get up. Apart from Hermione, Tracey, Cho, Ginny, Luna, and me, no one else joined to watch the training; most of those who came were still half-asleep.
We headed to the Quidditch field and settled in the stands, where I pulled out some treats for a sumptuous breakfast while we waited for the team to come out and practice. The girls were grateful to have something to fill their stomachs so early in the morning, which at least woke them up a bit, though it didn't do much to improve the general mood.
We waited and waited, but the Quidditch team never came out, and the wait was becoming boring. So, we started looking for ways to entertain ourselves. We talked about what we would study this year in the den, what kinds of magic seemed interesting, whether we would celebrate any parties, new dishes we would learn to cook, and even discussed the "baby harpies," among other things. In the end, we ended up playing Exploding Snap while chatting about whatever came to mind.
At some point, Ron and Neville appeared in the stands, along with Colin Creevey, who excitedly came over to me but was driven away by my aura; he paled and fled back to the Gryffindor stands. That boy is fascinated by the magical world, and I understand I can be somewhat striking, but I don't like being interrupted when I'm with my girls… or in general.
Neville also approached us at one point because he wanted to talk to me. I didn't push him away; I like him. If he were a girl, I might integrate him more into the group. He wanted to talk to me about extra classes since he was under a lot of pressure and sought help, though he didn't want to bother me. I answered some of his questions and suggested we could get together, him, Hannah, and me, to go over things in our spare time, though we don't have much because of the extra classes. Even today, Saturday, the professors scheduled classes, and in a little while, Neville and one of my clones would have to attend them.
It wasn't until the sun was already high that the Gryffindor Quidditch team finally came out onto the field. However, as soon as they took off, Wood and some others noticed the visitors in the stands: Ron, who had come to support Harry; Colin, who couldn't stop taking pictures; and our group, the most eye-catching, surrounded by party decorations we were making for an upcoming birthday of one of our members. Being such a large group, birthdays tend to accumulate on our calendar.
"Stop!" exclaimed Wood, raising his hand to halt the team. "We have spies. They're here to steal our training regimen."
"They should," muttered Alicia Spinnet, who, like the rest of her team, had been woken up very early and wasn't happy. Training at the Nest was already exhausting enough without having to deal with this.
"Relax, Oliver," said Fred.
"They're our siblings. Ron came to support Harry," added George.
"And Ginny likes Quidditch and dragged Red and her friends along," Fred continued.
"Actually, her group doesn't even seem interested in us anymore," commented George, pointing at us as we worked on the decorations, occasionally glancing at the team.
"And that kid over there…?" asked Wood.
"We don't know him," the twins replied in sync.
"That's Colin Creevey," replied Harry, wearily. "He's a first-year… in Gryffindor," he added, as if that made it worse.
"That doesn't mean they can't come here to spy on us. Remember, their siblings belong to another house; they could be spies," insisted Wood. He had dedicated the entire summer to these tactics and didn't want to take any risks; he was determined to win the Quidditch Cup at all costs this year.
"What good would spies be if the Slytherins themselves are here?" responded Katie Bell, pointing down at us in the lower stands.
When the Gryffindor team looked where Katie was pointing, they could see a group of students dressed in green robes, holding broomsticks.
I observed what was happening on the field, and although I fully understood the situation, I couldn't resist Ginny's insistence to go down and take a closer look. I glanced at Hermione, wondering if it would be like in the book, but I shook my head. It wasn't like it was going to happen, and besides, I could easily prevent it.
Thanks to my help, we quickly made it to the field, just in time to witness both teams arguing about who had the right to train on the field that Saturday. The Slytherins flaunted their new brooms, leaving many of the onlookers in awe… but not everyone. The three Gryffindor girls, as well as those in my group (except Hermione and Luna), weren't impressed; they themselves had much better brooms.
Hermione seemed upset by what was being said. Her sense of justice was quite strong, and knowing that Draco Malfoy, the new Slytherin Seeker, had obtained the position thanks to a large donation from his father didn't seem right to her. She was about to intervene when Draco insulted her house, but I held her back to stop her. However, Draco noticed the gesture and couldn't resist making a comment about it.
"Well done, Weasley. You should keep your little 'minions' in check," Draco sneered. He still harbored resentment toward me, especially since my sister had also been sorted into Slytherin, which he saw as an insult. Over the summer, he had spoken to his father about it, omitting certain details, which led to Lucius's responses being anything but conducive to peaceful coexistence.
"Really?" I looked at him with disdain and skepticism. I was avoiding a conflict, and he was just digging his own grave.
"Take your... sluts somewhere else. It's bad enough sharing a house with you; don't dirty the Quidditch field too," he continued, making all the girls glare at him with hatred. It didn't matter which house they were from; Malfoy had a confidence that didn't match the danger he was putting himself in. He went on, "That Mudblood, that traitor…" Malfoy continued with "creative" insults directed at Hermione, Tracey, and my friends, not realizing everyone was looking at him as if he were signing his own death sentence. Finally, he added, "And don't even get me started on your whore sis..." but he couldn't finish.
A liquid mass of red splashed him full in the face. I had let him talk for quite a while, wanting to see how far he would go before giving him the punishment he deserved. But at this point, I couldn't hold back any longer. The Gryffindors were also about to jump in against Malfoy and the other Slytherins if I didn't do anything; in fact, some Slytherin students started to distance themselves from him, well aware of the influence I held among the girls at school and the consequences his words could bring.
"You're dead, Malfoy," I said as I released blood from my reserves, letting it float around me.
Several Slytherins drew their wands; whether out of camaraderie or responsibility toward a housemate, they knew they had to defend Malfoy even if he had brought this on himself. Besides, several of them already had their own grievances with me.
Almost instinctively, after last year's training, the girls behind me drew their wands, ready to fight. My brothers were the next to raise their wands, followed by the other Gryffindors.
The entire field filled with tension: two sides facing each other, wands raised. Even though my group had more people, the Slytherins wouldn't back down; their pride wouldn't allow it. Malfoy, covered in blood and rising from the ground, looked at the scene with a hint of fear. He knew he couldn't back down or apologize without ruining his reputation. He was about to start a speech filled with the same words he'd learned from his father, but before he could begin...
*Splash*
Another wave of blood hit Malfoy, igniting an even wilder fight. Spells flew across the Quidditch field, turning it into a real battleground. The Slytherins used every bit of dark magic they had at their disposal, while the Gryffindors made up for their lack of magical skill with bold, fearless attacks. The girls behind me showed good reflexes thanks to previous training, and though they fought with determination, I stayed close to protect them, using the blood around me as projectiles and waves directed at our enemies. Malfoy, of course, got the worst of it. Colin Creevey, who had been left out of the fight, captured everything with his camera, recording the chaos in photos.
The fight reached a critical point when Ron, my brother, joined with a spell that ended up backfiring, knocking him out cold on the ground. At that moment, things had gone on for too long, and it was only a matter of time before the professors arrived. I needed to make a strategic retreat. Using a large part of my blood reserves, I raised a red liquid mass over the field, casting a scarlet light as it passed. Everyone stopped at the sight of the massive figure, impressed and terrified.
Mimicking the Genkidama, I raised my arms and then lowered them, letting the massive blood wave fall onto the center of the fight. It hit with force, expanding like a tsunami and scattering everyone in all directions.
However, I wasn't reckless and wouldn't allow my companions to be harmed. Although the blood wave wasn't fully controlled, its force diminished upon contact with any of the girls, enveloping them gently and carrying them toward me, as I'd already moved to the field's exit.
My companions, along with the three Gryffindor players, were surprised to be carried with care rather than violence toward me. I gestured for them to follow me immediately. As we ran, an invisible clone of mine gathered the blood used in the field.
"You three, if they ask, say you didn't know about the fight. Tell Professor McGonagall that you were going to get her when you noticed things were escalating," I suggested to Angelina, Katie, and Alicia, giving them an excuse to avoid punishment.
"Red…" said Angelina, exchanging a look with her teammates. "I'm sorry, but we can't do that."
"We can't let our housemates take the blame while we sneak away," added Katie, determined.
"We're Gryffindors, not Slytherins… no offense," said Alicia, apologizing to Ginny, Tracey, and me for her unintentionally offensive words.
"Hmmm… well, then…" I replied with some resignation. I liked to protect my own, but if they wanted to face the consequences, there was nothing I could do.
"We'll go back to see how things are," added Angelina as she stopped alongside the other two.
"Alright, let me know how it goes afterward. If you need anything, even an explosive distraction, just say the word. See you in the lair or the nest."
My group continued running, though Hermione, upon hearing the words of her seniors, considered going back and taking responsibility… but I didn't let her; I took her arm and led her along with us.
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