Decree No.29 (O.C) Fred Weasley/ Draco Malfoy

Snitches and Bludgers and Quaffles Oh My!

Jessica left the castle alone on Friday afternoon and headed towards the Quidditch pitch that stood tall on the outskirts of the grounds. It was still the backtail of summer, so it had been a mainly sunny day, and the sun was starting to set, a golden blanket of light encasing the school. Her first academic week at Hogwarts was done, and she was ready for the weekend. No longer in Slytherin robes and in her favourite lilac cardigan and jeans, she hoped the invisible divide between her friends and herself would be forgotten as she watched Ron succeed in the Keeper trials.

Beside the stadium stood two smaller wooden structures covered with cream tent material. She guessed these were the changing rooms, as George and Lee Jordan were standing outside of them chatting when she got there. George stood out in his dark red waterproof robes. If possible, they made him look even taller. As she approached them, Lee, wearing a bright blue jersey, saw her and smiled.

"Alright, Jess?" he asked.

"Yeah!" she said enthusiastically in response. It was the first time she had seen George in his Quidditch uniform, and it became quickly apparent to her that she was friends with the school jocks. He looked good in it.

"Are you still on for it tonight?" Lee asked, distracting her from looking at the embroidery on George's robes. "Yeah...," she answered, "it's all covered."

After their meeting in the toilets, Pansy and Jessica had made good on their deal. Pansy would help her prepare, and Jessica would distract the Gryffindors until Pansy's Hufflepuff contact got her in. It was a small price to keep on Pansy's good side, but by arriving separately, Jessica couldn't be blamed by anyone angry at her being there.

"Great stuff; I'm so proud that you're starting to get our sneaking skills," said George as he pulled the front strings of his robes so that they became snug around his chest. Jessica's heart sank a little as she hadn't snuck around the Slytherins, and she knew he would be disappointed if she told him the truth. "So, ready to see what real Quidditch looks like?"

Jessica looked him up and down, examining the large knee pads he was wearing. "Why, are Ravenclaw playing?"

Lee gasped and dramatically touched his chest as if hurt, "Oh no, she did not just say that, George."

"She did," George sighed as he picked up a bat from the equipment box a few feet away. He walked back over and pointed it towards Jessica like a sword, "but as she didn't say her own house, I'm going to let this one slide...you're on thin ice, Clarke; I know you want to play with us deep down."

Oh, how she had missed George. She hadn't been able to hang out with him much since being at Hogwarts, especially as he always seemed to be around his brother when she had seen him. The whole weekend was ahead of them, though, and finally, she could be free to be with the people whose company she preferred.

"Getting chased by killer balls with that outfit to keep me protected? No thanks," she laughed, hitting his bat away from her face.

"You're just jealous because you couldn't pull this off," George smiled, "and anyway, who needs protection when you've got a bat?"

"It's the other team that needs protection with them two on there," Lee conversed, "believe me, wait until you see them play a match."

"Speaking of which, we better go and ensure we have a full team to play with," said George, "do you mind putting this in the changing room whilst we take the rest of the equipment up?"

He saw the worried expression on Jessica's face and reassured her that no one was there. Her only worry was looking like a weirdo walking into somewhere where someone could be changing.

"Sure," she replied, taking the spare bat from his hand. She struggled to lift it at first as it was much heavier than she was used to, though she assumed it had to be that way to hit the bludgers. Fred and George must have had extreme arm strength to wave one about for an hour.