Effervescence | h.p.

i | xxxi. training up

Seven o'clock came and Harry sat with Lyra in the Gryffindor team's changing room, waiting for Oliver to finish his own training session. James and Sirius sat in the stands of the stadium, patiently waiting to see their kids in action for the first time.

Harry had collected Lyra from the hospital wing around six-thirty and Madam Pomfrey agreed to let the girl go and told her that she should avoid flying, but Lyra decided she was ready to be in the air after so many days and long nights in the wing.

Harry had asked the girl about who came to visit her while she was stuck in the hospital bed whenever he wasn't there.

"A third year Hufflepuff came in with an injury from Potions. He said his partner added too many rat spleens to their Shrinking Solution and it exploded. He said he plays for the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, his name's Cedric Diggory. He was really sweet and he talked to me the whole time he had to stay in the hospital wing," she replied.

"Did he say what position he plays? Who he'll be against in the game?" Harry asked.

"No, I didn't really ask him. Then Jordan and Hermione visited a lot, helped me with my assignments and we would just sit, talking sometimes. Ron would obviously come in when you were there, but no real other times. Draco came in about two times, but said he didn't want to 'take time away from other people who would visit,'" she said with air quotes, slightly sad about Draco.

She loved seeing him when Harry would leave, not that she didn't like Harry, she just enjoyed talking to Draco. But he would only really visit when no one else was with her — not Harry, not James, and not Sirius. She knew why he wouldn't want to see Harry, because she knew they didn't really get on, but he acted like he was not wanting to be seen with her.

Draco, however, didn't want to see her in pain and he also was scared to be seen with her. Here was this amazing, kind, lovely girl who was hanging around with a mean, rude, and stuck-up kid who would only bring her down to his level. He didn't want that for her and didn't want her friendships broken because of him and his 'bad influence' on her.

"Well that's . . . odd for him to be so . . . polite? It seems a bit nice that he would think that," Harry said with confusion. He didn't seem to pick up on his friend's disappointment about when Draco excused himself and got away from her.

"Potter!" Oliver exclaimed as soon as he walked into the tent. "And, Lyra! Nice to see you made it! How are you feeling?"

"Not the greatest, but I'm going to train just as hard as Harry tonight — no matter what," she said with determination.

"I like that attitude, Lyra! How about we head to the pitch and assess a few strengths, yeah?"

"Yeah," both children responded before walking out of the tent with Oliver.

"Now, you both know Quidditch, correct?" Wood asked.

"Yep," Harry said for both of them.

"Great! I'm going to introduce you to the team tonight and then figure out your flying styles so I can form some plays that work with your assets. After tonight, you'll be joining team practices three times a week," Oliver informed as the three walked to the center of the stadium.

In the center, there was a large, wooden box and surrounding it were four Gryffindor Quidditch players; two red-heads, a tall black girl with long black hair, and a blonde-haired girl. They were all talking to each other until they noticed that Oliver had returned with the two new teammates, which shut them all up.

"Team! These are our new Seeker and Chaser," Wood announced.

"Hi," Lyra said in a whisper, giving a small wave of her hand and a sheepish, unsure smile.