Quidditch

During the remaining days of the Christmas holidays, Rose spent three days reading the book Mary had given her, then enthusiastically recommended it to Marlene, telling her to read about Scarlett too, who was as vibrant and sharp as a red rose.

The last day of the holidays soon arrived, and the students returned to the castle, excitedly discussing what wonderful experiences they had enjoyed.

Lily brought the girls some Scottish shortbread her mother had baked. Its buttery flavor instantly won over Rose and Marlene, the two poor children who had stayed behind.

Rose resumed helping Madam Pince in the library on weekend mornings. She was happy to go: not only did the job give her a little money to spend as she pleased, it also helped her learn more about the wizarding world, through books she had never seen before.

Even when she wasn't needed to help, Rose spent a great deal of time in the library, prompting Mary to exclaim that she was becoming more and more like Lily.

The weather in Britain could hardly have been worse. Only a few days after the snow stopped, a stretch of endless cold rain began. Damp, clammy air crept like insects through the gaps in Rose's loose robes and into her clothes. Every breath she took formed a warm cloud in the air, and before long, the tip of her nose was bright red with cold.

Only the armchairs in the Gryffindor Common Room could make Rose comfortable—and that feeling reached its peak one evening when she watched the older Quidditch players, soaked through and shivering, crawl through the entrance one by one in a sorry state.

The sixth-year captain, Dennis McGoo, was a tall boy with a square face. He carried on the customary tradition of Gryffindor Quidditch Team captains, squeezing every last bit of time and energy out of his players and putting them through a frenzy of Quidditch training before a match.

"Poor things," Mary said, shaking her head as she watched the sleepy young men. Their captain was in the middle of giving an impassioned speech.

"When's the next match?" Rose asked.

"Next week. We're playing Slytherin." Marlene began sorting her parchment.

"No wonder," Rose said, understanding.

Every house wanted to win the House Cup, but as far as Gryffindor was concerned, the worst possible outcome was surely Slytherin taking the final victory.

"Slytherin's Quidditch team is strong. My brother said they've won the championship three years in a row," Marlene said.

"That'll change next year," James Potter's voice came from behind the girls. "Because our house has me now."

James Potter stood behind the girls, hands on his hips and chest thrust out, as though he were already standing on the House Cup podium.

"When are you going to learn some manners, Potter?" Lily said angrily.

"Oh, hi, Evans." James Potter acted as though he had only just noticed Lily was there. His exaggerated gestures and expressions made it hard for Rose to hold back her laughter. An eleven-year-old's thoughts were far too easy to guess.

Lily rolled her eyes, ignored him, and lowered her head to continue reading.

"I'll definitely win the House Cup!" James Potter shouted. The entire common room suddenly fell silent, and everyone turned to stare at him.

"Good lad, are you a first-year?" Dennis McGoo came over and patted him on the shoulder, squeezing it firmly. "Solid enough. Looking forward to having you join us next year!"

Then his teammates called him away, and the group huddled together again, whispering about their tactics.

James Potter stood alone where he was, grinning foolishly.

Silly boy. Rose went back to her book, a faint smile on her lips.

On a cold, overcast day, the time came for Gryffindor's match against Slytherin. People's fervor seemed to warm even the freezing air.

Rose put on nearly all the clothes she owned, wrapped the red scarf Black had given her around her neck, and went to the Quidditch Pitch with the girls.

The pitch was buzzing with voices, and the stands were nearly full. Quite a few people from the other two houses had come as well.

Rose and the others struggled to squeeze between several tall older boys. Mary found a few empty seats together and stood waving to them.

"If you ask me, we should send someone ahead to save seats next time," Marlene said, her voice muffled by her scarf.

"Good idea. Who should we pick?" Rose said.

Both of them looked at the lively Mary, then exchanged foolish grins.

"It's so cold, and they still have to fly on broomsticks!" Rose was full of admiration.

"My dad always tells me you don't feel cold once you're flying," Marlene said. "But I'm sure he's lying to me."

"Hey, girls!" A familiar voice rang out above their heads.

"Hi, Potter. Since when did you take up eavesdropping?" Marlene said.

"Er-recently?" James Potter said hesitantly. He looked around and asked, feigning nonchalance, "Didn't Evans come?"

"She said she'd arranged to sit with Snape," Rose said.

"Snivellus?!" Potter shouted. He looked a little angry. "We're playing Slytherin today, and she's with Snivellus!"

"Calm down, mate." Black sat beside him, looking down and fiddling with his wand. He didn't seem very interested in the match.

He said casually, "We can teach him a lesson later."

Rose sighed. Marlene didn't even want to bother with the bad boys, while Mary glanced back at them from time to time, looking very interested.

The referee's whistle blew, and the match began.

Lightning-fast shadows cut through the biting wind as the players flew nimbly through the air like ghosts.

Rose had watched the film series, and even seeing it on a small screen had been astonishing. Now that she was truly there, the sensations were hundreds, even thousands of times stronger. She finally understood why wizards were so obsessed with Quidditch.

Bludgers hurtled wildly around, nearly knocking Gryffindor players off their broomsticks several times. The Gryffindor Chasers got the ball three times in a row, but the opposing Keeper blocked every attempt.

Rose heard Potter cry out in disappointment behind her.

The score reached 190-20, and even though McGu caught the Golden Snitch in the end, Slytherin still won.

190-170. McGu's Golden Snitch kept the score from looking too ugly, but everyone knew that Gryffindor had only scored two goals in the entire match!

The Slytherins in the stands erupted in cheers, while the Gryffindors were all dejected.

"I'll show them next year!" James Potter said fiercely. He looked ready to rush back and write his application that very moment.

"If you ask me, you can definitely do it!" Peter Pettigrew looked at him with open admiration.

"Look who that is," Sirius Black said softly, his eyes fixed on the distance. "It's our Snivellus."

Rose followed his gaze. Snape was leaving side by side with Lily, a faint smile on his face. His head was close to hers, and the two were talking quietly.