The Chaser's Heart

Year 5: Golpalott's Third Law

'Nora!'

I wheeled around, I recognized the voice at once and was surprised I hadn't heard it earlier. Penny was hurrying down the Charms corridor towards me. She'd shouted loud enough to draw the attention of a few other people in the corridor and I indicated for her to keep her voice down as she approached.

'Don't you shush me, Eleonora Knight!' She said loudly.

'What have I done?' I asked, looking around a bit desperately for help. I knew I was in trouble if she was using my full name. There was no help to be found.

'You know perfectly well what you've done!' She went on. 'Why did I have to find out through Laura Newbury, who heard it from her brother, Lance, that you went out with Murphy McNully on Saturday?'

I cursed under my breath.

'I meant to tell you!' I told her.

'But you didn't!' She put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at me.

'It was just the one time!' I told her.

'Still! I thought we were friends,' she pouted.

'We are!' I assured her. 'I just wanted to keep it private, I wasn't sure it would work out. How did Laura find out?'

I was actually surprised she hadn't discovered us herself. Though, she was more of a Madam Puddifoot's person than a Three Broomsticks person. I still thought it was odd that no one else had told her earlier. I suppose I had been facing away from the rest of the pub, Murphy had been the visible one of the two of us.

'Her brother saw you,' she sighed.

'Penny, it was literally only two days ago,' I raised an eyebrow at her.

'You never tell me anything!' She hissed.

'Penny, I didn't tell anyone!' I promised her. 'There was nothing to tell anyway. We went out, we had a good time, and then we came back.'

'Well, isn't that nice!' She gushed. 'You'll be wonderfully distracted come Saturday for the match!'

'Oi!' I exclaimed but she only laughed. Clearly, I was forgiven.

'Seriously, I was beginning to wonder,' she said with a smirk.

'Wonder what?' I asked.

'If he really fancied you or not,' she answered.

'You mean you knew?' I asked, incredulous. Had everyone known? I suppose if Skye had known, Penny definitely did. Penny knew everything that happened in the castle.

'I've been watching Quidditch a long time and listened to hours upon hours of Quidditch commentary,' she explained patiently. 'It's like he only watches you when you're playing, he definitely comments on your flying more than anyone else. And I catch him looking at you all the time in the Great Hall.'

'Right,' I said slowly. 'You know, you might have mentioned it to me.'

'I'm happy you had a good time,' she went on. 'Just keep thinking about him and Hufflepuff might stand a chance against the likes of you, Orion and Skye! So how was it? Tell me everything!'

'I'm not telling you everything,' I scoffed. 'We went to The Three Broomsticks.'

'Yeah, well I already knew that!' She pouted.

'We talked,' I shrugged. 'I thought it was going to be weird because we're mates, but it wasn't.'

'Aww, how sweet,' she gushed. 'What did you talk about?'

'Quidditch,' I shrugged. She rolled her eyes.

'You're joking,' she replied.

'Well, we talked about other things, too, I just can't remember all of it!' I told her.