The Chamber Of Secrets (A Harry Potter Rewrite)

THE ESSENCE OF EVIL

Sunday morning, Ria was shaken awake by Katie at the crack of dawn.

"What's wrong?", Ria asked.

"Quidditch Practice", Katie said with a grimace.

"This early?", Ria asked bewildered, sitting up with a yawn.

"Wood", Katie said as an explanation. "Hurry up or he'll have our heads!"

Ria got dressed at top speed and then followed Katie down to the common room. Angelina was waiting for them along with Fred and George.

"Where's Harry?", Ria asked.

"On his way", Fred said, yawning widely.

"Let's get going. I really don't want a lecture at the crack of dawn", Katie said, yawning right back.

Outside, the sun hadn't made its way over the horizon yet. A light cold mist hung over the grounds, thickening over the lake and around the forbidden forest as if summoned by some unknown force. Ria inhaled the crisp sweet air deeply and let it out. It took the sleep clinging to her eyelids along with it, leaving a bright smile on her face.

"It's too early to be that smiley, you know?", George grumbled.

"Oh, let her!", Fred said, rubbing his palms together. "Maybe the sun will rise faster and it won't be so chilly."

"What has me smiling got to do with the sun?", Ria asked completely bewildered, and a bit apprehensive. Did the twins somehow know about her being a Naturakinance?

"Well, little Miss", Fred said, sounding extremely serious. "In case you haven't noticed, your smile is quite like sunshine itself."

Katie and Angelina giggled at this, George grimaced and Ria stared at Fred for a while with an eyebrow raised before rolling her eyes. For all his confidence and wit, Fred could be really weird at times.

Oliver entered the changing room minutes after they had settled down on one of the benches, the twins trying their best to sleep while the girls tried their best to keep them awake.

"You're all here. Good!", Oliver said briskly. "Harry is on his way."

He went about collecting a board a roll of chart paper. He was about to set things up when Harry finally arrived looking extremely put out.

"There you are, Harry, what kept you?" said Wood briskly. "Now, I
wanted a quick talk with you all before we actually get onto the field,
because I spent the summer devising a whole new training program, which I really think will make all the difference. . . ."

Wood was holding up a large diagram of a Quidditch field, on which
were drawn many lines, arrows, and crosses in different-colored inks. He
took out his wand, tapped the board, and the arrows began to wiggle over
the diagram like caterpillars. He started discussing defence and offence, and not one minute into the speech, Fred was asleep on Ria's shoulder and George on Fred's.

Wood lectured them for almost an hour. Ria managed to pay attention to about half of it, which, she argued, was very well done of her seeing as every other person in the room had fallen into some sort of stupor about five minutes into the speech.

Her mind had wandered about halfway through the second board. She needed to talk to Professor McGonagall about practice. She was hoping her earlier arrangement with Hagrid will continue. The four of them hadn't had a chance to visit Hagrid yet. She had every intention of doing so after the Quidditch practice ended. She could continue practicing with wind in the forest but she needed to start on something else. McGonagall had mentioned dealing with one element per year. Ria was hoping this year would be fire. She was itching to try her powers again but she was well aware she couldn't do it in the forest or in the dormitory or in a spare classroom. It would be too dangerous and while she was fireproof, the rest of the occupants of the castle weren't. Ria was hoping there would be a fireproof room somewhere or a spell she could use to make a room fireproof. It was a school of magic after all. Surely there would be something like that?