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| The next morning was Saturday and the Quidditch team were all up early for breakfast. Carlton had called for an early practise, determined that Gryffindor would win the Quidditch cup on his last year on the team and as Captain. The other five seventh years all felt the same way, but this didn’t stop them from grumbling about their early rising. Oliver wasn’t in his bed when Carlton went to rouse him, so assumed he had already gone down to breakfast. When the main body of the Quidditch team arrived downstairs an incredible sight met their eyes. The tables for the houses had been pushed back against the walls and in the centre of the room a gaggle of Gryffindor girls stood all looking at Katerina. Oliver was sat in the corner by the staff tables with a very amused look on his face. He waved the rest of the team over to him when he saw them. “What on earth is happening here?” “Kat had a brainwave. She has started the first cheerleading squad for the Gryffindor Quidditch team.” Carlton looked confused “What are cheerleaders?” “Generally girls in the muggle world who jump around in skimpy outfits and cheer on sports teams.” Roger looked eagerly around at the girls assembled. “How did you know about them, Oliver?” “I didn’t, Kat told me.” All the time he was talking his eyes didn’t leave Katerina. Ellie grinned. “It looks like it could be fun.” Katerina had conjured an image of what the cheerleaders would be doing during a Quidditch match. “Just like the mascots at the last World Cup.” “Yeh I can just see Kat as a Veela.” Darren quipped and found he had suddenly grown a pair of huge elephant ears and a trunk. “Who gave her permission?” Richard sat down next to Oliver. “Dumbledore, Last night when she went to see him. I think you guys owe her an apology over that anyway.” Oliver was looking at Ellie and Carlton. “How did you…” “Like she wouldn’t tell me about it.” “So is it official then?” “Don’t know what you mean Eva.” “Don’t play dumb. You and Kat, are you going out officially?” “No comment.” Eva and Ellie squealed again, distracting the cheerleaders. Katerina grinned. “Ok, so you all know what you are doing? Good. Our first practise is Monday lunchtime. So I’ll see you all then.” The group of girls dispersed leaving Katerina to replace the tables as they were. Alicia, Angelina and Katie wandered over toward the quidditch team, but stopped just short so they were out of Kat’s way. Katerina lifted her wand “Retorner!” The tables and benches that had been stacked around the room, flew effortlessly back to where they had stood before. Through the doors into the Great hall plates, platters, cutlery and goblets came to position themselves on each table. Katerina nodded with satisfaction and walked over to the waiting Angelina, Alicia and Sarah. The four of them began to whisper excitedly, laughing occasionally before they split apart and joined the Quidditch team that had sat down for breakfast. Carlton shot the girls a sidelong glance as the sat down but didn’t say anything. Eva and Ellie launched into conversation with Angelina and Sarah as soon as they sat down. Alicia began arguing with Darren and Roger over the best moves for chasers during a match. Katerina was sat next to Oliver talking very quietly when Fred, George, Simon and Lee entered. “Morning all.” Simon smiled down as he joined the table. Katerina waved in the boys’ general direction and continued to talk with Oliver. Fred and George looked disgruntled at this and sat at the opposite end of the table to Katerina. Lee laughed and sat down opposite her. “Fred and George don’t seem to like the competition.” He muttered to Katerina and Oliver who snickered and cast their eyes down the table at the twins. “Aww, Poor ickle Freddiekins and Georgey Porgy are all jealous of ickle Oliekins.” Katerina teased. Lee howled with laughter and the others at the table were struggling to smoother their giggles. Carlton stood up from the table. “Come on, if you don’t hurry up someone will steal our practise slot.” He chivvied the Quidditch team along. Eva grinned up at him “We’ll go down to the pitch now with whoever is ready, start practising so no one can steal our slot and the others can finish their breakfast.” She stood up, slipped her arm through his and towed Carlton from the hall, much to the delight of the other Quidditchers. “Aren’t you gonna hurry?” Katerina lanced up from her eggs. “We’ll take our time, you have no idea how hell bent on winning Carlton is.” Darren spoke up. “Yeh, I’m surprised he and Eva are still going out.” Richard observed. “I’m not. Carlton is really sweet to Eva outside of training. Did you see what he got her last Valentine’s day?” Ellie looked mildly annoyed. The others shook their heads. “A ton of Honeydukes best chocolate, four dozen long steamed red roses, that were enchanted so that they would last for four months and a gold locket, pure gold!” “He must have spent a fortune!” Lee looked horrified “Yeh and he does it every year, buys different extravagant gifts for her. Mind you she buys him just as much.” “I think it is sweet.” Oliver glanced worriedly at Katerina for a moment “but slightly sickly and really a bit annoying.” Relief covered Oliver’s face and he hugged Katerina tightly, who winked at Ellie, knowingly. Other pupils had begun to filter into the hall. Darren’s trunk and elephant ears now disappeared. “Well I think it is now safe for me to venture outside.” Darren was feeing his nose to make sure it was the right size. The rest of the team finished their breakfast and left the Great hall together. The hall itself was still pretty empty. The remaining eight Gryffindors moved closer together when Lee beckoned them to him. “I heard that students are forbidden to go into the attics, no one knows why and as far as I know, no one has ever been up there to find out…” “What time and where do we meet?” Fred interrupted. “There’s an entrance to the attics on the third floor. You have to climb up through the wall but you get there eventually.” The triplets beamed at the idea, although Simon and the girls looked a little nervous. “Don’t worry, If anything is up there then Kat will be able to deal with it.” George coxed the four of them. “Alright we’ll come.” Angelina agreed but still wasn’t completely convinced. “Great! We’ll meet on the third floor in twenty minutes.” Katerina disappeared off into the entrance hall. “Where’s she going in such a hurry?” Simon spoke though a mouthful of bacon. “She was writing a letter to Bill in Egypt yesterday, I think she’s gone to finish it.” George shrugged in agreement with Fred “But then again there is that flesh eating crab she keeps under her bed…” “Haha, very funny George.” Ellie ducked as a bludger skimmed past her ear. “Hey be careful where you aim those things, Eva.” “It wasn’t me!” The Gryffindor girls glanced down to see the Slytherin Quidditch team laughing below. "You know it would be nice to have at least one quidditch practise without it descending into anarchy." Carlton muttered under his breathe as Eva and Ellie retailated hitting the bludgers back at the Slytherins as hard as they could. Darren grabbed the quaffle and was about to throw it at the Slytherins when Madam Hooch appeared on the field. "What on earth is going on out here? Gryffindor you should be practising and Slytherin you shouldn't even be here. 10 points from each of you Slytherins for being here and 30 from each Gryffindor for the attack on the Slytherins." The Gryffindors began to land to protest against this but Madam Hooch would hear none of it. "Either get back on your brooms and continue practising or I will end your practise now so another team can play." the Gryffindors relcutantly remounted their brooms and took flight, whilst the Slytherins were ushered away. "We better beat them this year." "We will don't worry, Carlton, we've got our cheerleaders this time." Oliver scowled at Darren's sarcasm. The Gryffindors continued playing until their stomachs began to rumble, so they trooped back inside for lunch. |
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