Party Police.

Chapter Twelve.

As November came along, the weather turned very cold. The mountains surrounding the school became icy grey and the lake, like chilled steel. Every morning th ground was covered with frost. Hagrid could be seen from the upstairs windows defrosting broomsticks on the Quidditch field, bundled up in a long moleskin overcoat, rabbit fur gloves, and enormous beaverskin boots.
The Quidditch season had at last begun. On Saturday, Harry would be playing in his first match after weeks of training: Gryffindor versus Slytherin. If Gryffindor won, they would move up into second place in the House Championship.

"How do I style green and red without making my outfit look... Christmas-y?" (Y/n) asked herself. Hermione, Harry, and Ron collectively looked up at her before exchanging glances of confusion. (Y/n) was in the process of studying a colour wheel.

"Clothing? You're thinking about clothing?" Hermione asked. It was very obvious to (Y/n) that she was trying not to sound judgemental but rather curious.

"Yeah..." (Y/n) sighed. "I really can't focus on a class that still doesn't know Pluto and Neptune are recorded planets." Hermione and Harry both grinned. Ron's eyebrows furrowed. "It isn't very hard to walk into a planetarium, you know? Gosh, I'll have to create my own Astronomy textbooks at this rate."

(Y/n) had made red and green work in a non-Christmasy way. At least she thought so. She had a red knitted turtleneck tucked into jeans. Angelina had convinced (Y/n) to wear her Gryffindor scarf and (Y/n) had tied her hair up with a green ribbon. The second Hermione spotted her, she quite literally dragged her towards the Gryffindor stands. (Y/n) smiled apologetically at Cho and Marietta.

"Guess who's teaching themselves how to read auras?" (Y/n) said to Hermione. "Please act excited. Mari and Cho both thought it was either useless or weird to learn."

"Auras? Wow," Hermione said in a way that (Y/n) genuinely couldn't tell whether or not she was being serious. "I don't think I have enough patience to learn how to read auras."

"Neither do I," (Y/n) said. "But I think it'll be worth it in the end, no?" Hermione hummed before nodding. "We should learn together!"

"Just us girls?" Hermione requested.

"Just us girls."

By eleven o'clock, the whole school seemed to be out in the stands around the Quidditch pitch. Many students had binoculars. The seats might be raised high in the air, but it was still difficult to see what was going on sometimes.
(Y/n), Ron, and Hermione joined Neville, Seamus, and Dean the West Ham fan up in the top row. As a surprise for Harry, they had painted a large banner on one of the sheets Scabbers had ruined. It said Potter for President, and Dean, who was good at drawing, and (Y/n), who was good at painting, had done a large Gryffindor lion underneath. Then Hermione had performed a tricky little charm so that the paint flashed different colours.
Meanwhile, just outside the locker room, Harry and the rest of the team were changing into their scarlet Quidditch robes (Slytherin would be playing in green).
Wood cleared his throat for silence.

"Okay, men," he said.

"And women," said Chaser Angelina Johnson.

"And women," Wood agreed. "This is it."

"The big one," said Fred.

"The one we've all been waiting for," added George.

"We know Oliver's speech by heart," Fred told Harry, "we were on the team last year."

"Shut up, you two," said Wood. "This is the best team Gryffindor's had in years. We're going to win. I know it." He glared at them as if to say, or else. "Right, it's time. Good luck, all of you."