Daisies • HP Next Generation

The Illusion of a Castle

Chapter 22

After the Halloween feast, things quickly settled back into normalcy. Daisy went to class each day, afterwards heading to the Tech Center's common room or Owlery to work and send messages to her family and friends.

Emma had been pleased to see Daisy's Halloween costume even more so than Poppy. Her parents and Gran Petunia had been mostly indifferent to the occasion, but smiled and nodded when they saw how much it meant to her. Vernon Dursley still hadn't contacted Daisy in any way, and Daisy felt an anxious twist in the pit of her stomach every time she remembered she would have to see him over Christmas break.

Just after things calmed down, however, students anxious for a distraction from their studies turned to Quidditch. The first match, Slytherin against Gryffindor created excitement as the beginning of November grew near.

As they had been told at the beginning of Flying Lessons, first years had been chosen for backup teams, earning resentful glares from older students who had also tried out. Daisy, after receiving permission from her dad through a permission form sent by her Head of House, tried out for Hufflepuff's extra keeper. She almost bounced with glee when she was called onto the pitch, as she had been unsure if either of her parents would approve.

The tryout had been in game form. The rest of the spares had already been chosen, and Margo Wood, Hufflepuff team captain, as well as the rest of the Hufflepuff team watched as Daisy blocked shot after shot from a serious-faced third year and his fellow chasers. As soon as any keeper trying out had failed to block three shots, they ceded to the next contestant. The person with the most saves won, assuming they were willing to prioritize Quidditch over other things. Daisy successfully blocked the most throws, and landed herself in the backup keeper spot for the Hufflepuff Team.

"Extremely good job, Daisy," Margo had told her when the game was finished. "I didn't expect to actually accept any of the first years, but I got you as keeper and Regina as seeker! Eliza's going to be so jealous." Margo directed Daisy to talk to Accalon Applebee, a friendly, square-faced seventh-year boy who was the actual Hufflepuff keeper, and now her trainer during practice on Sundays.

As well as the good excitement, fights regularly broke out between Gryffindor and Slytherin students. Among the first years, nothing more than taunts occurred, but to them, it felt like a full-blown fight. Bella Castle had quickly switched gears from teasing Daisy about being muggleborn, to sneering at Lily, who had failed to become backup for the Gryffindor team - while Bella herself had made it into a chaser position.

"It would seem that the famous Potter girl isn't keeping up with the legend," Said Bella during one Transfiguration lesson. "I wonder how you inherited such a small amount of talent. The Gryffindor team wouldn't take you over anyone - even if that mud- that muggleborn cousin of yours had been in your house. How pitiful."

"And the Slytherin team only let you in 'cause they're so bad that someone as bad as you is better than the whole team!" Lily retorted back.

Daisy was a bit taken aback when she thought about this later. It did bother her a bit that Lily never stood up for their kinship, but it bothered her even more that Daisy herself did agree with Castle to a point. Lily held herself on a pedestal because she had famous parents. It wouldn't be bad for her to realize that she couldn't depend on that connection every once in awhile.

When she had mentioned the events to Sophia, who had not been near enough to listen in on the conversation, the only thing she caught onto was what Castle had said.

"That imbecile, how dare she! I'd bet all my chocolate frog cards that she isn't even pureblood!"

"She isn't," A voice said from behind them. It was Albus Potter who had spoken, walking with Scorpius. "The old pureblood lines have almost died out though. The Castles, however, consider themselves to be the next round of pureblood families, simply because I they haven't been able to trace back their family to a muggle member for generations more than the average wizard. That's why Chloe Castle and her sister in your year are so stuck up."