Emma Potter; Going to War

66: A Secret Weapon

Victory is sweet. We kept up a chant of "we won, we won, we won" for three whole days

Harry was also extremely proud of me. 

"You should try out for the team" he had told me confidently, but I had shook my head. 

"I'm passionate about it" I said "but for casual match sometime, I would love to play."

The tryouts were held on Sunday. In a paragon of glee Zoe, Amber and Jessica had been selected to play chaser, beater and keeper respectively. Ember had ruefully told me that she had not been selected but was glad that girls could at least play now. 

As Nicholas and I had predicted, the sixth years' free periodswere not the hours of blissful relaxation Ryan and Zoe had anticipated, but times in which to attempt to keep up with the vastamount of homework we were being set.
Not only were we studying as though we had exams every day, but the lessons themselves had become more demanding than ever before. I understood half of what Professor McGonagall said to them thesedays; even I had had to ask her to repeat instructions onceor twice. Nonverbal spells were now expected, not only in DefenseAgainst the Dark Arts, but in Charms and Transfiguration too. 

I frequently looked over at my classmates in the commonroom or at mealtimes to see them purple in the face and strainingas though they had overdosed on U-No-Poo; but I knew that they were really struggling to make spells work without saying incantations aloud. It was a relief to get outside into the greenhouses; we were dealing with more dangerous plants than ever in Herbology,but at least we were still allowed to swear loudly if the VenomousTentacula seized them unexpectedly from behind.

 One result of our enormous workload and the frantic hours ofpracticing nonverbal spells was that Me, Zoe, Harry, Ron, and Hermionehad so far been unable to find time to go and visit Hagrid. He hadstopped coming to meals at the staff table, an ominous sign, and onthe few occasions when we had passed him in the corridors or outin the grounds, he had mysteriously failed to notice us or hear our greetings. 

"We've got to go and explain," said Hermione, looking up atHagrid's huge empty chair at the staff table the following Saturdayat breakfast.

 "We've got Quidditch tryouts this morning!" said Ron. "Andwe're supposed to be practicing that Aguamenti Charm fromFlitwick! Anyway, explain what? How are we going to tell him wehated his stupid subject?"

 "We didn't hate it!" said Hermione. 

"Speak for yourself, I haven't forgotten the skrewts," said Rondarkly. "And I'm telling you now, we've had a narrow escape. Youdidn't hear him going on about his gormless brother — we'd havebeen teaching Grawp how to tie his shoelaces if we'd stayed." 

"I hate not talking to Hagrid," said Hermione, looking upset.

 "We'll go down after Quidditch," Harry assured her. 

I too wasmissing Hagrid, although like Ron I thought that we were better off without Grawp in our lives. 

"But trials might take allmorning, the number of people who have applied." said Harry.

"Oh, come on, Harry,"I said, suddenly impatient. "It'snot Quidditch that's popular, it's you! You've never been more interesting, and frankly, you've never been more fanciable by girls."

 Ron gagged on a large piece of kipper. I spared him onelook of disdain before turning back to Harry. 

"Everyone knows we've been telling the truth now, don't they?The whole Wizarding world has had to admit that we were rightabout Voldemort being back and that we really have fought himtwice in the last two years and escaped both times. And now they'recalling us 'the Chosen Ones' — well, come on, can't you see whypeople are fascinated by us?"