Hufflepuff Are the Champions

"Why did you make that change, Lorand?" Snape asked with a particularly nasty smile.

Looking at the clearer finished product, Evita pondered the question and tried to draw on her experience from her previous life. "To help the salamander blood blend in better? Speed up the reaction? Increase the surface area? Express the salamander blood's longing for home?"

Just as she was about to suggest that its talents had gone unrecognized and its ambitions unfulfilled, Snape cut her off in a vicious voice. "Nonsense!"

"Sorry, Professor." Evita kept her head down, staring at the tips of her shoes as she sincerely admitted her mistake. "I thought it might lighten the mood."

She was promptly thrown out of the office. Clutching her schoolbag, she trudged back dejectedly to the sound of Snape saying, "Two points from Hufflepuff."

Peeves happened to be passing by. Seeing how dejected Evita looked, he clapped his hands and jeered loudly, "Oh! The professor hates the good little girl! She's not the lovely little Lorand anymore!"

"Peeves!" Evita shouted. "Incarcerous!"

Then she gave a cold snort. "Take my jinxes!"

Peeves was hit by three jinxes in succession, leaving his entire ghostly form looking grimy and disheveled, though no evidence remained on him. He stared in shock, his jaw dropping.

Feeling refreshed, Evita gave another satisfied hum.

She left behind Peeves, who had nearly collapsed to the floor and was staring blankly, as well as Filch, who had come to investigate after the loud commotion.

"Who's breaking the rules?" he shouted in his old, raspy voice. "Show yourself! I'll hang you up in the dungeons and give you a good whipping!"

Peeves kept at it, teasing Filch with a giggle. "Oh, poor old fool! Dumbledore won't let you lay a hand on his good little children!"

He floated away, hands clasped behind his back and looking immensely pleased with himself.

In the end, only Filch got hurt.

After some more time in classes, the Quidditch final arrived on a weekend near June. The Hufflepuff and Gryffindor players walked onto the pitch amid earth-shaking cheers.

Madam Hooch was already standing in the center. The Hufflepuff Quidditch Team, dressed in pale yellow, had gathered together to confirm their tactics in the final minute.

Evita was now a prominent figure at school because she could always catch the Golden Snitch in the shortest possible time, sometimes in as little as five minutes and never taking more than an hour.

The match was about to begin, and the two captains were still quite friendly as they shook hands, even exchanging smiles.

But the moment the match began, the Gryffindor captain hit a Bludger hard. The Hufflepuff captain, a Chaser, refused to be outdone and immediately seized the Quaffle.

Evita rode her broom. She had always been patient, and she had exceptionally sharp eyes for spotting the Golden Snitch.

The Gryffindor Seeker opposite her watched her intently, paying even more attention to her than to the Golden Snitch.

Evita smiled at him and steered her broom downward. The Gryffindor Seeker followed without a second thought, and a pair of gleaming silver wings came into view. It was the Golden Snitch! He reached out to grab it.

But another, less mature-looking hand caught the Golden Snitch first and held it high.

The Hufflepuff students' cheers nearly lifted the roof off the Quidditch Pitch. The house team members gathered around Evita and hugged her tightly.

"That's wonderful!" the Hufflepuff captain shouted excitedly. "I haven't won once since I joined the team! I thought I wouldn't even get my hands on the championship trophy before I graduated!"

"Professor Sprout will be so happy," her teammates chimed in. "Evita, this victory is entirely thanks to you. Would you accept the trophy and then give it to Professor Sprout?"

"Mm!" Evita's cheeks gradually flushed red. Holding the trophy and surrounded by her teammates, she excitedly went to look for their Head of House in the stands.

But Professor Sprout had already come running over. She patted each of her students with her somewhat rough palms and said to Evita with great affection, "Good girl, I'm proud of you."

The praise left Evita dizzy, almost as though she were drunk. Finally, somehow, she blurted out, "We have to celebrate today!"

"Of course!" her teammates agreed with laughter.

Before returning to her dormitory, however, Evita had to go with Professor Sprout to put the trophy on display. She went to the office with her tail up, then walked all the way back to the common room with her head held high and her chest out, her pockets stuffed with sweets and coconut ice cream from the professor.

As soon as she entered, her schoolmates crowded around her. "That was amazing, Evita! How do you want to celebrate? Whatever you say!"

"Really?" Evita tilted her head. "You'll really do whatever I say? You won't go back on your word?"

"Of course," an older Prefect said with a smile. "Even if the celebration involves throwing Dungbombs at Filch, we'll go buy some right away."

"No, no, no." Evita shook her head, then smiled mysteriously. "At a time like this... what should the Prefects bring us?"

Several Prefects looked at one another and smiled knowingly.

"Right," one Prefect said. "Only we can pull this off."

Another Prefect said cheerfully, "That's right. We're the only ones who won't get caught by Filch!"

The other students caught on too and began calling out their orders.

"Prefect, I want roast lamb chops."

"Prefect, I want a beef pie."

"Prefect, I want pumpkin biscuits."

"Prefect, I want cream pastries."

"Prefect, Prefect, Prefect..."

The Prefects were nearly overwhelmed. Finally, a sixth-year female Prefect swept a crowd aside with each hand and came up to Evita. "What do you want to eat?"

"Hmm..." Evita thought for a moment. "I want roast beef and treacle tart."

"No problem," the Prefect readily agreed, then turned and said, "Wait in the common room. We'll go to the kitchen and get the food."

"Hooray!" everyone cheered.

The Prefects brought back not only the dishes the students had requested but plenty of extra food as well. The celebration lasted a long time, and many students spent the next day dozing off.

Evita was no exception. Fortunately, the class was History of Magic. She lay on her desk with her face buried in her arms and slept soundly.

When a classmate woke her after class, she suddenly remembered that she hadn't taken any notes.

Evita: "..."

She looked at her empty notebook and tried to remember how many times she had failed to take notes in History of Magic... Was it the fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth time?

A notebook was pushed toward her. Evita looked in that direction and saw Bill. A moment later, she remembered that Hufflepuff and Gryffindor had History of Magic together.

"Thank you," Evita said. "I'll treat you to a Chocolate Frog tomorrow."

"Sure," Bill replied.