The Three Tasks

Train Time Talking

To say that I was happy about finding the compartment where Amanda and Lidia were was the understatement of the century. Searching for them was like trying to find the way out of Pan’s Labyrinth almost impossible. AS soon is I was in the safety of the compartment I fell onto one of the benches and let out the silent scream I was holding in. Only two people could make me so riled in anger, and Ada Fisher was one of them.

Trying to lighten the mood I had set into the compartment Amanda said, “Well look at the Brightside Ada looked like she gained some weight over the break, must have been because she was so worried about being away from Jacob for more than a week”. Following that Lidia and I began to laugh like crazy, every year after Ada and I’s first encounter Amanda would always make a comment about how she had gained a ton of weight, even though it seemed like she became a stick every summer, but each year there was a different reason why. Last year it had been because she forgot her identity, the year before because a dragon lit all of her clothes on fire.

And despite how every year Amanda did the same thing, it always managed to cheer me up and crack all of us up. The train began to lurch forward and I knew that our journey back to Hogwarts had finally begun. Reaching into my bag to put on my Quidditch Captain pin liked I did every other year once the train started to move, I found the back to school letter only to find it empty, no pin.  That was confusing, I was sure that I was going to be Captain as I had been for the past three years, and we had one the Quidditch Cup again last year.

Lidia was the first to notice my confusion, “Scarlet what happened?”

“I didn’t get my captains pin. I hope that doesn’t mean that there’s no Quidditch this year.”

Lidia replied, “My mom did say something confusing when she said goodbye, something about wanting to stay over the Christmas holidays.”

“Please do, then I won’t have to be alone or have to spend it with good old Mr. Wilfred again.”

“Scarlet, Mr. Wilfred can’t be that bad. Why do you even have to visit him every school break?”

“Lidia if I told you, you wouldn’t believe me. It’s just Ministry business; they want to ensure the safety of the O’Connelly blood line.”

“What ever.” Lidia had lost interest in the whole conversation, turned to Amanda who had her thinking face on.  “Earth to Amanda come back to our planet. And tell us what’s up with the thinking face.” Despite Lidia’s harsh way of saying it I did want to know what Amanda had been thinking about.

“Do you guys remember how the whole seventh year wasn’t there for the year during our second year?”

Of course I remembered that year, there was no Quidditch to look forward to, but I and the rest of the team left still practiced. Before I could speak up Lidia had already answered, “Yeah wasn’t there some sort of a competition?”

Amanda nodded and replied, “I think there might be another one this year, that’s why Scarlet didn’t get her Captain’s Pin. No one else could be the captain while you’re still here Scarlet.”

“Well I hope that there isn’t a competition, and even if there is one I don’t think I’ll enter it.”

Lidia’s face dropped and she just about shouted, “Seriously! Scarlet you’re the best at actual magic in our year, you have to enter!”

Amanda the said, “If Lidia and I enter you’re entering too.”

“Oh hush you two. No more talk of a competition until we know it actually exists.”, after I forcibly ended the topic neither of them said the c-word. And we continued the train ride with our normal conversations about, who had gotten hotter over the break, and what teacher was going to retire next since all except Professor Longbottom and, the Care of Magical Creatures teacher, Professor Feltip were ancient.