Daisy Potter and You-Know-Poo's Return (Book 4, Harry Potter ff)

Chapter 21 - Two at Once

The start of the summer term meant that Harry, Fred, George, and I were training hard for the last Quidditch match of the season. In the last week of May, Professor McGonagall held Harry and I back in Transfiguration.

"You are both to go down to the Quidditch pitch tonight at nine o'clock, Potters." She told us. "Mr Bagman will be there to tell the champions about the third task."

So at half past eight that night, Harry and I left our respective groups of friends in Gryffindor Tower, and went downstairs. As we crossed the Entrance Hall, chattering, Cedric came up from the Hufflepuff common room.

"What d'you guys reckon it's going to be?" He asked us as we went together down the stone steps, out into the cloudy night. "Fleur keeps going on about underground tunnels, she reckons we've got to find treasure."

"That would be awesome, not gonna lie." I said.

We walked down the dark lawn to the Quidditch stadium, bantering and joking around, turned through a gap in the stands, and walked out onto the pitch.

"What the HELL?" I shouted after seeing what had become of my beloved pitch. It was no longer smooth and flat. It looked as though somebody had been building long, low walls all over it, twisting and criss-crossing in every direction.

"They're hedges." Harry said grumpily, bending to examine the nearest one.

"Yeah, Bagman, this is fucking ridiculous!" Cedric agreed with me seconds later, just as dismayed. Harry got up and stared at the rest of the pitch, mouth dropped open.

"Relax, my fellow Quidditch fanatics; your perfect pitch will be returned to its original state after the final task." Bagman assured us upset teens as we approached.

"It better fucking be!" I murmured to Harry and Cedric.

Bagman was standing in the middle of the pitch with Krum and Fleur. Fleur beamed at me and Harry as we climbed over the last hedge. Her attitude to us had changed completely since Harry had pulled her sister out of the lake. "Give those hedges a month, though, and Hagrid'll have them twenty foot high!" Bagman said cheerily.

Bagman then explained how they were growing a maze, and gave out instructions about the third task, but I had a hard time concentrating on the instructions due to Fleur's exceptionally revealing evening dress. Shit. Do Veelas affect me as much as Ron? Maybe he's just more vocal about it than me...

"Very well... if you haven't got any questions, we'll go back up to the castle, shall we, it's a bit chilly..."

Bagman hurried away from me as we began to seek our way out of the growing maze. He's definitely avoiding me after what Fred, George, Terry, and I wrote to him.

"Oi." I said, catching up to him. His round face looked scared. "You've been ignoring us. First our letter, then every time we've tried to talk to you afterwards. When are you going to give us our money?"

Bagman blinked, drawing himself up. "You're too young to gamble, Daisy. All four of you." He said nastily. "I'm not giving you anything."

"Okay, you don't even have to give us the money we made off you, then." I said casually. "Just the money we gave you. Give us our money back."

Bagman blinked again, stepping back. "N-no."

I cocked my head, confused. "What? Why? You should still have it, surely."

"I'm not giving you ANYTHING, sweetheart -"

"You okay, Daze?" Harry called. I turned towards him and Cedric quickly, turning back to Bagman - but he was off, hurrying towards the castle at a much faster pace than before.