𝟏.| ✬ 𝒟ℯ𝒶𝓇 ℬ𝒾𝓁𝓁, ✬ {ℬ. 𝒲ℯ𝒶𝓈𝓁ℯ𝓎}

\𝓈𝒾𝓍\

~

They all spent the night in the Great Hall while the teachers searched the school for Sirius Black. Eleanora curled up on the purple sleeping back Dumbledore had provided between Fred and Lee, trying to fall asleep. It wasn't easy, though, not with the threat of a mass murderer looming so close. It didn't matter anyway, Fred and George couldn't sleep either, which was always a recipe for some good entertainment. They stayed up all night making popping noises, like someone apparating, and then pretending to be asleep when Percy, who'd been left in charge, came to tell them off. At around midnight, Fred turned and whispered in Eleanora's ear for her to spread a message, and pretty soon the entire great hall was making noises, and then falling still when Percy stalked over to investigate. Eleanora finally fell asleep to the sound of Percy whisper screaming at the great hall as a whole to "pipe down" or he would send for Professor Dumbledore."

Surprisingly enough, things in the castle were oddly normal in the time after the attack on the Fat Lady. One of the main differences was that the Fat Lady had been replaced by Sir Cadogan, a rambunctious knight who kept challenging people to duels to the death. Fred and George thought he was funny until he changed the password three times in one day. Eleanora was throwing herself into her studies again, just barely managing to scrape by. Despite admitting to herself that she liked Bill as more than a friend or a big brotherly figure, or maybe because of it, she was putting off writing back to him. Her new hobby was starting letters to him, writing a few sentences, and then throwing them in the fire. It wasn't the same as it used to be, not as effortless. Now she had to worry about what to say and how to say it. She hated liking people. It had been like this with Oliver and... well, that was the only one. She'd fancied people, but never in a way that really mattered.

At any rate, she used school and quidditch as an excuse for not writing. Flying always helped to take her mind off of things, even in the driving wind and pouring rain. At their final training session before the first match, Wood gave the team some bad news. "We're not playing Slytherin!" he told them angrily. "Flint's just been to see me. We're playing Hufflepuff instead."

"What, why?" Eleanora asked, almost as outraged as him. She'd been so ready to gloat a huge win to Marcus Flint the day after the match.

"Flint's excuse is that their seeker's arm's still injured," said Wood, grinding his teeth furiously. "But it's obvious why they're doing it. Don't want to play in this weather. Think it'll damage their chances..."

"There's nothing wrong with Malfoy's arm!" Harry said furiously. "He's faking it!"

"I know that, but we can't prove it," said Wood bitterly. "And we've been practicing all those moves assuming we're playing Slytherin, and instead, it's Hufflepuff, and their style's quite different. And they've got a new captain, Cedric Diggory."

The three chasers suddenly started giggling.

"What?" said Wood, frowning at this lighthearted behavior.