𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐑

the one with the room of requirements

“But in the end, it ends.
New beginnings are
in short supply.”

•

I WAS SEETHING when I returned to the Gryffindor Common Room after visiting Harry at the hospital wing the next week. The Quidditch disaster had happened and despite my regular warnings to McLaggen about how he should mind his own business and be a Keeper, he still took the bat in the middle of the game and -might I say purposely -hit Harry point-blank in his face, causing him to crack his skull. Of course Madam Pomfrey was able to repair him, and Ron was on the verge of laughter at the commentatory, I was still seething with rage when I entered the gloomy, post-defeat Gryffindor Common Room.

"You!" I snarled at McLaggen who was sitting on an armchair next to the fireplace. "What is wrong with you!"

He stood up, way taller than me and way bulkier. "I'm not proud, but the match was a lost cause with the way they were playing," he said with contempt.

"Gryffindor always played and always managed to win," I said loudly. Hermione made to come towards me but thankfully Ginny stopped her. "And as I see it, you were the one who let Hufflepuff's score points under your watch!"

"Look, you don't play. You don't know how it works on the pitch," he sneered.

"But I sure know Keepers don't try to give orders to everyone when they're not Captain!" I shouted. "And Keepers sure don't attack their Captains!" He opened his mouth. "I'm not done talking!" I seethed. "We lost to Hufflepuff! No offense to them but they were never good at Quidditch! And you're oversmartness let them win so," I stepped towards him, and it would have been a comical scene to anyone watching, "if you ever try to come back to the team, after the nasty stunt you pulled today, I'd hex you so bad you'd have toenails growing from your eyeballs."

He squinted his eyes, probably imagining the hex. He opened his mouth to say something, but probably noticed the number of people who thought I was right at deeming him unfit for playing, pursed his lips and went off to the boy's dorm. I sighed, flopping down on my armchair.

"Serves him right," Ginny said. "Too bad you're not on the team. Why are you not on the team?"

"I'm scared of flying," I stated bluntly. "I tried once, in third year, kept calling off and I never tried again."

"I fell off multiple times too," Ginny said. "I didn't stop flying though. It makes me feel free. It's a good way to blow off steam," she said pointedly. "You should try again," she said suddenly. "We all were trained to fly first. But no one really trained you, because you joined late. If you have proper guidance, maybe you'd enjoy it."

I contemplated on the thought for a while. "Helps blow off steam you say?" I asked.

"Yeah," she shrugged. "With a temper like yours, you'd need to fly a lot."

I laughed. She was funny. She didn't sugarcoat the fact that I was ill-tempered. "Okay, but who will guide me?"

"I can," she said. "Not that you have to play Quidditch or anything. And Harry's too busy all the time, as it seems. . . "

I smirked lightly at the way she said the last part. She quickly shook her blush away and said, "We'll practice on the weekends okay?"

"Sure," I shrugged.

The next few days went exceedingly with boredom. Harry and Ron were both discharged by Monday and the aftermath was, that Hermione and Ron were friends again, and Harry desperately telling me about Draco having affairs.

"I see him with his two girlfriends all the time now," he said, as we walked towards transfiguration.

"Sure," I sniggered. For I knew the two girls were Crabbe and Goyle, and the only thing I was interested in was how he managed to sneak out potions from Slughorn's office.