𝙎𝙃𝘼𝘿𝙀𝙎 𝙊𝙁 𝙍𝙀𝘿 ꧂ ʳᵒⁿ ʷᵉᵃˢˡᵉʸ

𝐦𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬.

☽ ★              ⇎✾⇎             ★ ☾

The Gryffindor Quidditch team were especially nervous that morning, their faces drained of colour and their fingers trembling as they held their knives and forks.

"Oh, relax, Weasley! Slytherins not even that good, have you seen Montague with a Quaffle? Absolutely tragic." Azelea exclaimed to a Ron Weasley, who was staring at his untouched cereal with a glazed expression.

"How're you feeling?" Ginny Weasley asked from a few seats down, an anxious expression on her face as she regarded her older brother.

"He's just nervous." said Harry, plucking at his own bowl of fruit with a grim face.

"Well, that's a good sign." Said Hermione, who was bent over Azelea's homework, which she had somehow agreed to do. "I never felt you perform as well in exams if your not a bit nervous." She said heartily.

"Hello, Juliet." Said a dreamy voice from behind Juliet, and she quickly whipped around to see Luna Lovegood, who had drifted over from the Ravenclaw table. Many students were sending the girl peculiar, amused looks, which Luna either chose to ignore or wasn't aware of.

"Hi, Luna. I— erm, like your hat." Juliet said with a meek smile, glancing up to the outrageous hat shaped as a lion's head perched on the girl's dirty-blonde hair.

"Oh- this?" Luna said dazedly, pointing unnecessarily to her hat. "I'm supporting Gryffindor, wait until you see what it does..."

And then, without warning, Luna's hat suddenly let out a loud, extremely realistic roar that made everyone on the Gryffindor table jump in fright, wildly looking around to find the source of the sudden noise.

"It's great, isn't it?" Luna said happily, and before Juliet could reply, the girl had wandered off.

"She's mental." Azelea mumbled. Juliet sent her a stern glare.

Before long, Angelina Johnson, the quidditch captain, had wandered over and instructed Harry and Ron to go down to the pitch.

"Good luck, Ron." Juliet said with a faint smile, her eyes flickering up to meet his, and for a second, all the anxiety in his worrisome cerulean eyes melted away as Ron's face crumbled into a lopsided, dazed grin.

"Thanks, Juliet." Ron said finally, shaking the expression off his face and giving Juliet a brief, curt nod. Juliet resisted the urge to roll her eyes when Harry threw her a suspicious glance.

Juliet found it hard to swallow down her breakfast after the two had left, nerves swimming in her stomach like fish as she fumbled with her fork as a distraction. Most of the Gryffindor house seemed to have the same mindset, as many students had blank expressions as they anxiously awaited to be called down to the stadium.

"Alright, well- we should probably go down now... y'know, to get good seats." Gulped Hermione after a few long minutes, standing from her seat and patting down her festive Gryffindor robes.

"I don't see how your all so nervous." Azelea beamed as the four made their way down to attend the match, their feet crunching into the frost-covered grass. "I mean, Gryffindor is obviously going to win."

"It's more that I'm anxious for Ron. I mean, it's his first match, and he's very anxious..." Hermione said worriedly, gazing down at her feet absentmindedly. At that moment, Azelea and Juliet both sent Hermione sharp, suspicious glances, both for different yet rather similar reasons.