Stay awake
Get a grip and get out, you’re safe
From the weight of the world. Just take
A second to set things straight.
I’ll be fine
Even though I’m not always right.
I can count on the sun to shine.
The dedication takes a lifetime
But dreams only last for a night.

Holly Wood stepped off the Hogwarts Express with a feeling of anticipation. She would be at her best friend’s (and now boyfriend) house for an entire week! She never thought that the gang would stay together after Hogwarts, but she had hoped and dreamed. And that dream had come true.

Jack Dawson was the next one off the train. “Mum!” he yelled, spotting his mother standing a few yards away, to the left of the train.

Mrs. Dawson had an arm protectively wrapped around her eleven year old daughter Elisha. Elisha was one of the first students off of the train; typical first year. The petite blonde girl broke free from her mother’s grasp and rushed into the throng of students so that she could hug her brother.

“Jackie!” Elisha said cheerfully.

Jack smiled as he drew his arms around her. Because of the age difference, they never really saw each other around the school. They were very close, though. “Ellie!”

“Alex, do you need a hug?” Holly questioned, looking at her other friend.

Alex Williams was leaning against the train, his arms crossed and his hair half in his eyes. Alex always put on an air of being too cool to care about anything. He swished his head to get a strand of honey-blond hair out of his eyes. “I’m fine, Wood,” he replied.

That didn’t stop Jack, though. He gently nudged Elisha towards Holly to keep her out of the way of students getting off the train before walking over to Alex and throwing his arms around his neck.

Alex grimaced. “Jack, Mrs. MacMillan might see.”

“So?”

“So she already thinks you’re…interested in me.”

“Oh. Right.” Jack let go.

“Right on time, too,” Zack Macmillan said, getting off the train. “My mum’s coming over.”

Zack’s mum appeared to the right of where the gang (plus Elisha Dawson) was standing. “Zackary, it’s wonderful to see you. Especially after you conveniently forgot to write to us for the past two months.”

Zack smiled sheepishly but walked over to hug his mother all the same. “Holly’s going to stay with us.”

“Mhm,” Mrs. Macmillan said. “And what is the deal there?”

“If Norah and Maria stayed as well,” Zack recalled. “But they are. So it’s a winning situation.”

“Auntie Meaghan wrote me to say that the girls would be a day late, because they have a prior commitment,” Mrs. Macmillan said. “So that means that it would be an entire night in the house with myself being the only other woman in the house. And I retire to bed early.”

“Oh, but you can trust me, Mrs. Macmillan.” Holly smiled earnestly. “I promise to be a perfect gentlewoman.”

“You know very well that it’s not you I worry about, dear,” Mrs. Macmillan said. She directed her gaze towards Zack and Alex. “It’s those two that trouble me.”

“Hey!” Jack yelled. “What about me?”

Mrs. Macmillan grimaced. “Jack, dear, you know that I’m not overly concerned about you and Holly.”

Jack scowled. “Really now? This is what I get? One time! One time I say Alex looks good as a friend and you never let me forget it!”

“Dear, we all saw you hug Alex just a few moments ago,” Mrs. Macmillan said sadly.

“Oh, my God.” Jack threw his hands in the air. “Elisha, come on. Let’s find Mum. You don’t need to hear this.” He ushered his sister away to his own mother.

--------------------------------

“Jack, how was the ride here?” Mrs. Dawson asked. “Did you make it alright?”

“No, Mum, we were attacked by a band of Death Eaters. But we fought them off ourselves, so no worries there. And then the conductor almost lead us off a cliff. But he swerved just in time,” Jack said sarcastically. “What could have happened?”

Mrs. Dawson laughed. “Oh, I missed your wit, Jackie,” she said. “Uh-oh.”

“What?” Elisha looked up at her mum.

“Jack has that questioning look in his eyes,” Mrs. Dawson said warily. “Jack, what do you want?”

“I was wondering if I could spend the week at Zack’s house,” Jack explained. “Holly and Alex would be there, too, and so would Zack’s cousins, Maria and Norah.”

Mrs. Dawson looked quickly at Alex, then turned her stare back to her son. “Oh, my God!” Jack yelled.

“What?” Mrs. Dawson asked.

“Not my own mother too!” Jack exclaimed.

Mrs. Dawson looked at her son with a perplexed look on her face. “Jack, I’m not sure if I follow? I was just wondering why he was all by himself without his family.”

“Oh,” Jack said slowly. “Well. Then never mind. So can I?”

“I don’t see a problem with it,” Mrs. Dawson agreed. “So you can go. Are you going there now?”

“I assume we’ll Apparate from here,” Jack explained. He hugged his mother. “See you in a week!” He set his hand on Elisha’s shoulder. “No magic outside of school,” he instructed. He pulled his wand out of his pocket and conjured a pink balloon. He handed it to Elisha. “I’ll see you later.”

“No magic outside of school!” Elisha giggled as Jack walked away to join Holly and Zack.

-----------------------------------

“Alex.”

The boy in question turned to the right. He groaned. “Go away. Better yet, go home.”

McKayla Williams shook her head. “Mum and Dad couldn’t come, but--”

“What a surprise,” Alex said in a bored voice. “I’m going to Zack's for a week. I’ll see you after that. Buh-bye.”

“Alex,” Michaela groaned. “Don’t do this. Come home! We haven’t seen you since last summer, seen as you rudely decided to stay home for the Christmas holidays.”

Alex cocked his head. He unfolded his arms and folded his hands in front of his chest. “Let’s see.” He pretended to think. “Spend the week with my best friends, or go home to my abusive father and alcoholic mother. What seems to be the right decision to make? Proper logic prohibits me from considering the latter.”

“Alex, they’ve gotten better!” Michaela sounded exasperated. “Mum’s in a twelve-step program, and Dad…He’s better, I promise.”

“How can you stand by them?” Alex spat. “A twelve-step program can't help her, haven’t you realized that? And I’ll believe it when I see it. Look at you! You look like you’re recovering from a black eye.”

McKayla shook her head, her hair falling across her left eye a bit. “I tripped,” she mumbled.

“Into his fist?” Alex laughed dryly. “Come with us. I’m sure Mrs. Macmillan would love to have you.”

“Don’t do me any favours. I need to stay with them,” Michaela said coldly. “Someone has to, since their own son deserted them.” She spun around and disappeared with a pop!

Alex walked over to where Zack, Holly, and Jack stood with the addition of Maria and Norah MacMillan. He knew that they had been watching the confrontation between him and his sister, no matter how animatedly they were talking now. “I can come,” he said as if they believed no different.

“Awesome.” Zack grinned. “There’s just one problem. Maria and Norah are going to be a day late because of a ‘prior commitment’.”

“I told you!” Norah cried. “We’re painting the basement of the house down the street for a study group!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Zack said. “Why would you paint the Muggle way when your parents can get it out of the way magically? Then you can come today!”

“Because Dad’s a Muggle and doesn’t believe in using magic?” Maria supplied.

“Whatever,” Zack said. “The point is, Mum might not let Holly come if she’ll be the only girl.”

Alex’s face didn’t betray the thoughts that began racing in his head. The last time he had gone home to his family over a holiday, the summer before this one, he had returned to school with a black eye and a bruise on his forearm. He didn’t want to go back to that. He couldn’t go back to that.

“Mrs. Macmillan,” he said, walking over to the woman, “can’t we please come? I promise that Zack and I will try absolutely nothing concerning Holly.” He knew better than to get into a debate with Mrs. Macmillan on Jack; she had her mind made up about him.

“Well…” Zack’s mother pondered for a moment. “Holly can’t go home. And I suppose that if you have nowhere else to go--don’t look at me like that, I saw you and your sister--then you would be welcome at our house. And it wouldn’t be fair to leave Jack out. Fine, fine, you can all come today.”

“Yippee!” Jack cheered, jumping up and down. “I mean, that’s cool.” He quickly composed himself.

“Let’s go, let’s go,” Mrs. Macmillan instructed. She waved her wand at the kids’ trunks. They floated over to the group. “Everyone, take your trunk. Maria, Norah, I’ll see you tomorrow. Early, I hope?”

“Yeah,” Norah said with a smile. “Early. Wouldn’t want Zackary to get any ideas.” She looked pointedly at Holly as she said this.

Mrs. Macmillan looked suspicious. “What aren’t you telling me, Zackary?”

“He’s going out with Holly!” Jack blurted out.

Alex snickered. “Way to go, Dawson.”

Mrs. Macmillan turned to Zack. “Zackary Walter Macmillan!” She ignored Alex’s laughing at Zack’s middle name. “How could you not tell your own mother something like this? It’s not even the gang coming over; it’s Alex, Jack, and your girlfriend now!”

“Erm, Mum, we’re still the gang,” Zack mumbled. “Holly and I are just going out.”

“Yes, and what’s next?” Mrs. Macmillan asked. “I don’t even want to go there with you. Just… Just don’t let anything happen that you might regret, okay?”

Jack seemed to be utterly fascinated by the ground under his feet. Alex whistled absentmindedly. Norah studied the fingernails on her right hand. Maria tried desperately not to laugh at Holly, her cousin, and her aunt.

“Well, Mrs. Macmillan, you have my assurance that nothing will happen,” Holly stammered. “Trust me. Really. Please!”

Maria lost her battle; she began laughing so hard that tears streamed down her face.

Mrs. Macmillan appeared to ponder this for a moment. “Oh, alright. I trust you, Holly.” She eyed her son. “You, on the other hand…”

“Mum!” Zack yelled.

~*~

“So, this is the famous Macmillan house,” Jack said as he set his trunk down in the foyer. “It’s pretty!”

The front door had a glass window at the top of it. The floor of the front hall had a dark green, almost black-looking, carpet that stretched to the kitchen, which was floored with tiles of linoleum. There was a staircase that sat to the right of the front door that led to the bedrooms. The living room was attached to the kitchen; there was a large television set in it, considering Zack’s mum was a Muggle, and a couple of tables. The sofas bordered the walls, and a ceiling fan with an attached lamp spun from the slanted ceiling.

Alex walked into the parlor and collapsed onto one of the sofas. “Yeah, I could get used to this.”

Zack’s father walked into the room. “You’re not my son,” he said simply. “Eh, wouldn’t be the first time.”

Jack walked into the room. “Ernie, my man!”

“That’s Mr. Macmillan to you.” Mr. Macmillan rolled his eyes. “You’re staying…again…I take it?”

“That’s right! Miss me?” Jack asked.

Alex looked at Zack, who had entered the room as well.

“Jack likes to spend half the summer here, you see,” Zack explained. “He likes to consider himself on a first-name basis with my father. It doesn’t exactly work that way.”

“I’m just saying,” Jack said, “that if I have to call him ‘Mr. Macmillan’, the least he can do is call me ‘Mr. Dawson’.”

“You would think so, wouldn’t you?” Mr. Macmillan nodded. “Yeah. No.”

Mrs. Macmillan entered the parlor with Holly. “Ernie, we have a new addition to this week’s stay. This is Holly. Holly Wood.”

“Like the Muggle city in America?” Mr. Macmillan asked.

Holly grimaced; she hated when people made that assumption. “Like the daughter of Oliver Wood, Quidditch player and family-leaving bastard extraordinaire.”

Mr. Macmillan’s mouth widened into an ‘o’ shape. “Huh. I didn’t know he had a family.”

“Oh, no one really does,” Holly snapped. “Because he left when I was six.”

Jack’s jaw dropped. “Soooo…Who’s up for a Exploding Snap? It’ll pass the time until dinner!”

~*~

Later that night, around about ten o’clock, the gang lay under the stars in Zack‘s backyard. A full moon shone above them, illuminating the grass and casting eerie shadows through the yard. Jack had his eyes closed, his hands clasped behind his head. “This is nice, isn’t it?” he asked.

“It really is,” Holly agreed. “So amazing.”

“Stop looking at Zack when you say things like that,” Jack reprimanded, not bothering to open his eyes.

“Man, it’s scary how you can do that,” Alex said from where he sat, leaning against a tree. “Really creepy sometimes.”

“You just wish you had my level of intuition,” Jack stated.

“Sure. Something like that.”

“Guys, it’s freezing,” Holly said, sitting up. “We should go inside. I know a great movie that’s on tonight.”

“What?” Alex asked.

“A story represented in moving pictures.” Holly smiled.

“I know what it is!” Alex snapped. “I was just asking which one it was!”

“Oh. Well then.” Holly laughed. “It’s about a girl named Elizabeth and her sisters, Mary, Lydia, and Jane. It takes place in, like, seventeenth century England and whatnot. So, Elizabeth knows this guy named Mr. Darcy--”

“Stop.” Alex held up a hand. “Sounds boring.”

“We’re watching it, so suck it up,” Zack said, standing up.

“You only want to see it because Holly does,” Alex muttered. Zack slapped him on the back of the head. “Thanks! Thanks, man.”

~*~

Halfway into the movie, Alex was dozing on the sofa. Jack was sitting less than two inches away from the television, his legs pulled up to his body with his arms wrapped around them. Zack lounged in the armchair, and Holly sat on the arm of his chair, leaning on him.

“I guess he didn’t like it after all,” Holly whispered, gesturing to Alex.

“Shhh!” Jack ordered.

“Sorry!” Holly said quietly, stifling a laugh.

Zack rolled his eyes. “This is a total chick flick, Hol. I can’t believe you’re making us watch it. Should’ve waited for Norah and Mar; they’d like this.”

Holly’s jaw dropped. “This is a classic, my friend!”

“Sorry!” Zack said. “It’s just, well, boring to someone of the male species.”

“You just cost yourself big time, man,” Alex mumbled. Apparently he wasn’t as heavily asleep as the others thought.

“Huh?” Zack asked.

“You just wait,” Alex said. “You just wait.”

“SHH!” Jack snapped.

“Sorry!"

Around midnight, Holly woke to a loud ringing noise. She looked around the room and saw that the rest of the friends were awake, Alex looking just as confused as she was while Jack and Zack groaned loudly.

“What is that?” Holly asked, sighing. She had been in the middle of a wonderful dream!

Alex let his head fall back onto the pillow he had been using. “Ugh!” he yelled.

Zack simply groaned before closing his eyes again. He sat there with a pained expression on his face until the ringing ended a few moments later. With everything quiet, the gang slowly fell asleep again.

Hours later, and Holly wasn’t exactly sure how much time had passed since the last time she was awakened, the same ringing noise jolted her out of her sleep yet again. Jack looked as though he was trying to ignore it, and Zack had his eyes shut tightly, a slight frown on his face. Alex, on the other hand, looked downright mutinous.

“This has got to stop!” Alex exclaimed. “Two bloody times in one night!”

The ringing ended again, leaving Holly to her very confused thoughts. What was causing the noise, and why did it have this effect on the Macmillan household?

Not much later, Holly awoke with a very painful sensation in her neck. “Aye,” she muttered. “I’ll feel that in the morning. Wait…it is morning…Good God, that’s painful.”

She took a quick survey of her surroundings to see what may have caused this blight upon her muscles. At first, she didn’t recognize the room she was in. There was a slanted ceiling with a fan whirring around. That must have been the sound that had woken her up. A few feet away, she recognized Jack lying on his side in the middle of the floor. Puzzled, Holly looked around the room a bit more. What was Alex doing here, too? The blonde boy was asleep on the sofa, his arm dangling off. Next to Holly, Zack sat in the armchair, asleep. And she was still on the arm of said chair, her head leaning on the back of it.

“Ouch,” she whispered. That must have been why her neck hurt! Slowly, it all came back to her. She was at Zack’s house. The gang was staying there for a week. They had been watching Pride and Prejudice on the television. And she must have fallen asleep in the middle of it, because she couldn’t remember the ending. How had she fallen asleep in the middle of a Jane Austen classic? The world never ceased to confuse her.

Zack stirred. “Mmph,” he grumbled. “Holly? Wha-what happened?”

“You fell asleep in the middle of Pride and Prejudice, you freak.”

“Oh. Right. Well that was to be expected, I guess.”

Jack sat bolt upright in the centre of the floor, his eyes wide. “Where am I?”

“Um, Jackie, you’re at my house,” Zack said slowly. “How does he not remember?” he whispered to Holly.

“It’s Jack. You really want me to try and figure out how his mind works?” Holly asked.

“Not even an experienced psychiatrist could figure that out.”

“So true.”

“I cannot believe you,” Alex said, sounding still half-asleep as he sat up. “You’re making fun of Jack without me. That can never be forgiven.”

Just then, Mrs Macmillan appeared in the room with a loud pop, sending Holly flying off of the chair in surprise. “Hello, children,” Mrs Macmillan said with a smile. “How are you this morning?”

“Tired,” Alex replied.

“Annoyed,” Zack grumbled.

“In pain!” Holly squeaked from the floor.

“Hungry,” Jack said. “Let’s make breakfast!”

“It’s almost noon.” Mrs. Macmillan laughed. “How about we make lunch?”

“I get to cut the cheese!” Jack yelled, running towards the kitchen.

“Jack, don’t--” Mrs. Macmillan began. She sighed. Zack looked at her questioningly. “Your father’s in there,” she replied weakly.

“Oh, no,” Zack said lowly. Two voices were heard from the hall.

“Hey, Ernie!”

“JACK!”

Jack came running back in, a nervous expression on his face. “How about you cut the cheese, Tori?”

“Not me, now,” Mrs. Macmillan groaned as she walked to the kitchen in order to prepare lunch.

“Jack, you’ll never be allowed back here again!” Holly laughed. She stood up. “Ow!”

“Rough night, huh?” Alex inquired. “Yeah, that’s what you get for sleeping on the arm of a freaking chair.”

“You took the sofa,” Holly pointed out.

“Shut up.”

~*~

After lunch, Norah and Maria arrived. Norah’s purple plaid dress was speckled with paint in every colour imaginable. Maria’s long brown hair was tied into a ponytail, but there was a smattering of green in it.

Zack laughed as he saw his cousins. “You’ve got to be kidding me! You just showed up here like that?”

“Apparently,” Alex said, nodding.

“Shut up,” Norah said, swishing her blond hair out of her face. “You’d be surprised how much fun it was.”

“Really?” Alex asked dryly. “It was fun? I’m shocked.”

“Well, some of the Muggles from the area were painting, too, so of course we couldn’t use magic,” Maria explained. “And it was fun to have to do something to Muggle way. It gave us a new appreciation for them.” Norah nodded earnestly.

“Oh, boy, here we go.” Zack shut his eyes. “Guys, no more Muggle-talk. You’ll start these two on a ranting rampage.”

“Excuse me?” Norah asked.

“Everytime you find a cause you like, you’re on the bandwagon for weeks, maybe months!” Zack exclaimed. “You’re on a Muggle-friendly kick!” He pulled his wand out so that he could clean up the mess from lunch.

“Nope, sorry!” Maria reached over and snatched his wand out of his hand. “Muggles do it without magic; so can you.”

“Oy,” Alex said lowly. “I see what he meant!”

A few moments later, a set of bells began ringing. Holly didn‘t recognize the sound (as they had arrived at Zack‘s house well past seven in the evening), and she hadn‘t heard it at all the night before. However, this had to be a recurring event, judging by the reactions that followed. Maria slammed her head down on the table, Norah put her hands over her ears, and Zack shut his eyes tightly.

“What’s up?” Alex tilted his head to the side.

“The church bells!” Norah screamed. “The freaking church bells!”

Maria groaned and began repeatedly hitting her head on the table. Zack sat completely still, looking as though he prayed it would be over soon.

“Okay, what’s the story with this?” Holly inquired.

“Well,” Jack began as though he was an expert on the goings-on of Zack’s small town, “a few months ago, around the Christmas holidays, I believe, they fixed the bell system on the Ye Olde Church. By the way, that’s not it’s real name, but I don’t know what it really is, so I’ll go with that. But, back to the story. At first, they were magnificent and beautiful. But now they’re just loud and obnoxious. They go off every six hours, and the six a.m. ones are awful.”

“So you don’t want them to stay, well, chiming?” Alex asked.

“Right,” Zack groaned. The bells stopped. He opened his eyes, Norah uncovered her ears, and Maria lifted her head up from the countertop.

“We can fix that,” Alex said.

“Alex!” Holly exclaimed. “That’s vandalism!”

“That’s helping a town that must be as miserable as the Macmillans,” Alex amended. “Not vandalism.”

Zack smiled widely. “Well…we could do a little something to make sure that the bells stopped tormenting the townspeople…”

“Zackary Macmillan, I swear to God that if you have something to do with the deliberate annihilation of those church bells, we are so over!” Holly threatened.

Zack pouted. “Oh, fine. I won’t have anything to do with it. Alex’ll have to go on without me.”

“Alex…” Holly began.

“Fine,” Alex sighed. “Fine, fine. I won’t destroy the bells.”

~*~

That evening, right before six o’clock dinner, the bells rang again. “Oh, my God.” Zack groaned. “That’s awful!”

“Get over it,” Holly snapped. “I think they’re beautiful.”

~*~

It was around eleven at night when the gang finally fell asleep in the living room. This time, though, they weren’t in excruciatingly painful positions such as the night before. Well, they might have been, depending on who they were.

Zack sat on the sofa, his feet on the floor, his head leaning against the side of the sofa. Maria sat next to him, her head on his lap, her legs hanging off the couch. Norah was next to her, with her legs on Maria’s and her head on the arm of the sofa.

Meanwhile, on the armchair, Alex sat with his feet stretched across to the coffee table. Jack was on the floor, his head leaning against Alex’s legs. Holly sat with her back on the floor, facing the ceiling, her legs up diagonally so that they rested on Jack’s shoulders.

One hour later, as the bells began chiming, Alex’s eyes fluttered open. This had to stop, he had woken up the previous night in much the same way. So, as he made to stand up by moving his legs to the floor, Jack’s headrest was terminated and he went falling backwards. As he fell, Holly’s footrest moved and her legs plummeted to the floor. All three of the teenagers were now wide awake.

“What are you doing?” she hissed.

“Standing up?” Alex asked softly as Jack began pummeling him with pillows. “Would you cut it out?”

“You woke me up!” Jack whined. “And it’s only--” he looked at the digital clock under the television-- “midnight!”

“Yeah, but I have a feeling that if I hadn’t woken you up, those damn bells would have!” Alex snapped. Zack grunted in his sleep. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get out of here before he wakes up or he’ll put your relationship in jeopardy!”

“You’re going to get rid of the bells?” Jack asked gleefully. “Oh, I love you Alex!”

“Oh, hi, Mrs. Macmillan!” Holly said.

Jack whipped around to see if the woman in question really was behind him. When he didn’t see her and realised that Holly was simply having some fun, he rolled his eyes. “Really nice, Hol.”

“So, I’ll see you in less than an hour,” Alex said as he began to walk out of the living room.

“Aren’t you going to Apparate there?” Holly asked. “It’s kind of far to walk at night.”

“Well, yeah, but Disapparating causes a noise, and that would wake everyone up,” Alex explained.

“Oh. Well, okay…” Holly agreed. “Make sure you don’t get caught!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Alex said, shaking his head. “You seen one Muggle prison, you’ve seem them all.” With that, he walked out of the room, leaving Holly dazed and confused as to what he meant. Seconds later, the front door opened and closed. There wasn’t another sound, save for Zack’s light snoring.

“I‘m quite glad he’s doing this,” Holly said with a contented sigh.

“I thought you loved the bells?” Jack asked.

“Oh, Jack, I just said that to dissuade Zack,” Holly explained. “If they get caught, my boyfriend will be in jail, and

s fragmented rays of sunlight seeped through the thin blinds in the window, Holly opened her eyes. “AGH! That’s bright!”

Alex sat only feet away from her, smiling slightly as he gestured to the clock. It read 7:51. She had slept through the bells! So had the rest of them! Wait…how was that possibly? They were so obnoxiously loud! Suddenly, the conversation at midnight came back to her.

“Alex!” she yelled. She stood up and hugged him tightly. “Oh, my God! I love you!” She pecked him on the cheek.

Alex blushed, although he would never, ever admit it. “I thought they were beautiful?”

“Oh, I needed to dissuade Zack from getting arrested,” Holly muttered. “They’re horrible and obnoxious and oh!” She squeezed him tighter.

Zack, unfortunately for him, woke up just at this moment. “Oy! I thought you were over her!”

“Oh, um, Zack!” Holly said, too elated to say anything more. “Alex just did the most amazing thing!”

“I’ll kill you, mate, I swear to God,” Zack threatened.

“Oh, Zack, no, gross!” Holly exclaimed. “Alex is…Oh, gross!”

“Hey, remember me?” Alex asked. “The ‘gross’ and obnoxious but hilarious best mate? I happen to still be in the room!”

“Right, sorry, man.” Holly grinned. “But Alex, tell Zack what you did?”

Zack proceeded to stand up, knocking Maria and Norah to the floor. This wouldn’t have been necessarily a bad thing, but Maria, due to her previous position, landed on Jack, who shot up with a scream.

Norah tilted her head to the side. “Explanation, please.”

“Well, around midnight, you three--” Alex gestured to Maria, Norah, and Zack-- “the three who complain about the bells the most, slept through them. I, however, woke up right in the middle.”

“And by waking up, he woke us up, because of our positions,” Jack whined, pointing to himself and Holly.

“Yeah, well, no one gives a damn about your apparent displeasure,” Alex said with a shrug. “Anyway, I was so fed up with being woken up at midnight that I went out, Apparated to the church and, well, look at what time it is.”

Norah squealed. “Eight o’clock! We slept through the bells!”

“You didn’t sleep through them,” Alex corrected, “because they never rang.”

“You- You- You destroyed the bells?” Zack asked incredulously. “I don’t think I’ve ever loved a man more.”

“That’s good,” Alex put in. “Otherwise Jack would be out of a job as the questionable one of our group.”

Norah smirked. “Thanks, Al. You rock.”

“Agreed.” Maria nodded.

Mrs. Macmillan walked into the parlor, looking particularly chipper for eight in the morning. “Hello, children. I got the most fabulous night’s sleep; how about yourselves?”

“Fantastic,” Zack said, smiling at Alex.

“Well, that’s nice, kids,” Mrs. Macmillan said with a smile. “Should I make you some pancakes for breakfast?”

“Yes, Tori, thanks!” Jack said with a grin.

“Mrs. Macmillan to you, Jack,” Mrs. Macmillan corrected with a scowl. She walked out of the room, and seconds later the gang heard the stove flicker on.

“Blimey, it’s got to be fun having a Muggle in the family,” Norah said. “Dad’s a half-blood, and that’s the closest it gets. He’s not much of a cook, anyway…”

“What about your mum, what status is she?” Holly asked.

“Pureblood; she’s Uncle Ernie’s younger sister,” Maria replied.

“Aunt Marissa’s an awful cook.” Zack laughed. “Really, it’s hilarious. Even Dad can manage to not explode a canister of Muggle cinnamon buns.”

“Oh, shove off,” Norah snapped.

Right after a filling breakfast of pancakes, Holly ran upstairs to take a shower in the guest bathroom. With Holly gone, Zack figured it was the perfect time to establish their plans for the day; that way, the disagreeable girl wouldn’t be able to rain on his parade.

“So, Mr. Day-Planner-Person,” Alex began, “what are we doing today, on this most joyous of days?”

“Well,” Zack said, “I don’t have any plans for the day. However, tonight, we’re in luck.”

“Ooh, do tell!” Maria said, leaning in.

“I have in my possession six tickets to tonight’s Puddlemere United vs. Chudley Cannons Quidditch game,” Zack said with a broad grin.

Jack whooped appreciatively. “Yes! I’ve been dying to see the Cannons!”

“Uh oh,” Norah muttered. She almost wasn’t heard over Jack, Alex, and Maria’s celebratory cheering, but luckily Zack had chosen that moment to sit down.

“What?” he asked.

“The Keeper for Puddlemere United is a bit of a problem,” Norah said softly. “Go get the paper.”

Zack walked from the kitchen to the living room in search of the Daily Prophet. After a good three minutes of searching, he found it lying on the coffee table. He walked back to the kitchen and handed it to Norah. She flipped through the paper until she found the roster for Puddlemere that night.

“Read it,” she said.

Zack looked down the list: Captain and Chaser Evan Norris, Chaser Persephone Vail, Chaser John Fiore, Beater Ebony Adymy, Beater Jordan Phillips, Seeker Felicia Cooper, and Keeper Oliver Wood. “Oh, no,” he whispered.

~*~

Holly tilted her head as she looked in the bathroom mirror. She was debating what to do with her hair, since she wore it to reflect her mood. Today, she was feeling somewhat tired but happy. Loose waves should do. With a wave of her wand (it sure felt good to use magic over the summer holidays!), her hair transformed from the corkscrew curls it was drying into,and cascaded down her back in waves.

Smiling slightly at the outcome, she changed into the first clothes she found in her trunk: a red shirt and black skirt. She knew that Maria would describe the skirt as a ‘ballerina tutu’, even though it didn’t necessarily look like one: it was just black with a few tulle ruffles on it.

She walked down the staircase, through the front hallway, and into the kitchen where she was slightly (but not incredibly) surprised by the sight she saw. Jack, Norah and Maria were dancing happily around the kitchen, Alex was (as usual) leaning against the wall with his arms folded (although his face betrayed the slightest hint of a smile), and Zack was sitting at the kitchen table, his expression one of mixed confusion and excitement.

“Hey,” Holly said, walking up to Zack and giving him a light kiss on his cheek. “What’s going on with them?” She gestured to Jack and the Macmillan twins.

“Oh, they’re just excited for tonight,” Zack said, trying to remain as mysterious as possible.

“Oh. Okay!” Holly said cheerfully. “Wait, what’s tonight?”

Zack mumbled something incoherent that sounded a bit like ‘Kibbutz maim’. But that made absolutely no sense, and so Holly inquired further. “What is it?”

“Quidditch game,” Zack said louder. Norah paused dancing and looked at him with a pained expression, anticipating the worst. Holly smirked and gestured for her to continue dancing happily, which she did.

“Who’s playing?” Holly asked.

“Cannons versus Puddlemere,” Zack said quietly without looking up at Holly.

“Oh, cool!” Holly exclaimed. “I’ve been dying to see the Cannons play!”

“Do you know who the Keeper for Puddlemere is?” Zack asked.

“Yeah, Oliver.” Holly’s cheerful voice faltered only a little. “But that’s fine. Maybe the Cannons’ll actually kick his sorry a--”

Jack cut her off. “Wait! You have absolutely no problem with going to a game where your father, who walked out on your family eleven years ago, is playing and will have millions of adoring fans watching his every move?”

“Well when you put it that way,” Holly said with a laugh. “Hey, it’s Quidditch! I was on the house team back at school; I’m not missing a game just because Oliver’s playing in it.”

“That’s my girl!” Zack said happily. “Alright, so we’ll all go tonight?”

“Yeah, sounds fun,” Holly agreed.

“YES!” Jack yelled.

~*~

“Maria,” Holly insisted, “I do not need help finding an outfit to wear. I like the one I have on right now perfectly fine, thank you very much!”

“Yes, but Holly,” Maria whined. “It’s a Quidditch stadium. That means we’ll be outside! And we’ll be there forever because they take forever to catch the Snitch. Sometimes, I think the Seekers take a long time just to get a rise out of me. And because we’ll be there until it gets dark out, that means it’ll be cold. So are you ready to agree that I win in this argument?”

“Never,” was Holly’s simple reply.

Maria sighed heavily and turned back to her closet. The three girls were in Maria’s and Norah’s room, getting ready for the Quidditch game. Since the girls spent so much time at their uncle’s house, he had just decided to turn one of the guest bedrooms into their own room just so that they didn’t have to leave at night.

“So she lets you off after only a few minutes, but I’ve been shoved into how many dresses over the course of the years?” Norah, the epitome of tomboyish behavior, said with disgust. “Really, I’m shocked!”

“Pack it in, Norah,” Maria grumbled from the closet. “How about this, Holly?” She held out a cream coloured sleeveless dress. “You can wear a nice sweater with it! Fashionable and sensible!”

“That dress is not sensible for anywhere other than a wedding,” Holly said. “Just let me wear what I have on, damn it!”

“Fine, fine,” Maria muttered. “Norah, it’s your turn.”

Norah winked at Holly, stood up, and began to slowly walk towards the door. Just as she was about to free herself from her sister’s dress -up efforts, Maria called, “Not so fast! Get in here and sit down!”

“How does she do that?” Norah asked to anyone in general as she sat down on her bed next to Holly. “It’s astounding!”

Holly rolled her eyes and walked out of the room. Maria said absolutely nothing. Norah’s cries about injustice rang through the house.

~*~

Around seven thirty that evening, Alex sat half asleep at the kitchen table. Despite the early hour, he was still tired from his lack of sleep the night before. He had been awake, tossing and turning, recalling memories from his childhood that he would rather have stayed locked in the trunk in the back of his mind.


A small boy sat in the corner of a house, tears streaming down his face. He watched as his father slapped his sister across the face once before tearing out of the room.
“Michaela?” the boy asked.
Tears threatened to spring from the girl’s eyes as she replied, “It’s okay, Alex. Everything’ll be fine. You’ll see.”
--

And that was only one of them. There were more, but Alex preferred not to give them much thought. He hated them and the fact that they plagued his memory like moths did a streetlight. It was so strange, the fact that he had kept all of this a secret ever since he had met his friends. No one knew. No one except Michaela, and there was no way that she would tell anyone; she loved her parents too much.

“Al? Al? ALEX!” a voice jerked him out of his reverie.

“Huh? What?” Alex asked, his head snapping up. “Did I miss something? Is the house on fire? Did Jack get hurt?”

“Er, no,” Zack said with a smile. “But we were about to leave. Figured you might want to, I dunno, come with us?”

“Thanks, man,” Alex said gratefully. He stood up and looked Zack up and down. He was dressed in Muggle attire (most likely on Maria and Norah’s insistence) that consisted of faded denim jeans, a plain white shirt, and a dark blue sweatshirt.

“Your cousins put you up to this?” Alex asked.

“No, actually, it’s actually quite comfortable.,” Zack said cheerfully. “So, you can’t go in that. Maria’ll have an coronary.”

Alex chuckled. Instead of provoking heart problems for Maria, he ran upstairs in order to change out of his trackies and T-shirt that he had been wearing since the night before. Moments later, he was back down the stairs wearing jeans and a white button-down shirt and tie. The top two buttons on the shirt were undone, and his tie was loose. His hair looked like he had just rolled out of bed. It took a lot of work to look like that, apparently.

“What?” Alex asked. “Muggle clothing. That was the only rule for tonight’s attire.”

Just then, Maria walked into the kitchen looking rather grouchy. “What are you wearing?” she asked, directing the question towards Alex.

“Muggle clothing,” Alex replied. “Those were the only regulations for tonight.”

“And you couldn’t dress nicely?” Maria groaned.

“This is nicely!” Alex gasped, aghast. “Nice for me, at least.”

“Die,” Maria said simply.

Jack came running into the kitchen, a panicked look on his face as he looked like a frightened little puppy dog.

“Jack, what happened?” Zack asked.

“Your dad!” Jack wailed. “He yelled at me and threatened to kick me out!”

“Did you call him ‘Ernie’ again?” Zack inquired.

“Maybe?” Jack supplied.

Alex roared with laughter. Maria fixed him with an intense scowl. “What?” he asked.

“Die twice,” Maria snapped.

~*~

“Ooh, this is awesome!” Holly exclaimed as the gang entered the Quidditch stadium. “Look at all the people! And the food! And--ooh--shiny lights!”

Zack rolled his eyes. Leave it to Holly to distract herself with the florescent lights shining from the field. Jack seemed utterly fascinated by the glimmering lights as well, and Alex looked as though he was fighting to not say something degrading to the boy. Norah and Maria were chatting animatedly about which team they wanted to win (Norah was a life-long Cannons fan, whereas Maria was a strong believer that Puddlemere would be victorious).

“Zackary!” someone shouted from behind them.

Holly was the first to turn around at the heavily accented feminine voice. She didn’t like what she saw. The woman had long black hair, clear blue eyes, and flawless skin. She had a broad smile that exposed her perfect white teeth and wore a short blue skirt, a short-sleeves white blouse, and black suede boots.

“Hi!” Zack exclaimed, walking up to the girl and hugging her.

Holly’s eyes widened and her mouth set into a frown. Jack’s jaw dropped at the sight of the girl, and even Alex had a bit of trouble keeping himself looking unimpressed. Maria stifled a giggle at the two boys, and Norah looked back and forth from Holly to Zack to the other girl and back.

Zack turned to the group. “Everyone, this is my dad’s friend’s daughter Veronique de Laurent. Veronique, these are my friends Alex Williams, Jack Dawson, Holly Wood, and my cousins Maria and Norah.”

Holly had trouble keeping her mouth shut at this blatant display of ignorance from her boyfriend., Alex snickered. Maria elbowed him in the ribs, and he quickly shut up.

“Bonjour,” Veronique said happily. “I am most pleased to ‘ave met you all; Zackary ‘as told me much about you.”

“Has he really?” Holly asked, smiling dryly.

“But of course!” Veronique exclaimed. “’e says zat Jack ees very funny, Maria and Norah are ze strongest believers in their causes, Alex ees ze one who causes trouble, and Holly ees sarcastic and sweet.”

“Huh,” Holly said slowly. “Is that all he said about me?”

“Hmm.” Veronique thought for a moment. “Zat ees all I can remember.”

Holly shot a glare Zack’s way before turning to Jack. “Hey, man, you might want to shut your mouth. Flies and all.”

Jack snapped his mouth shut. “Ha ha,” he said dryly.

“Well, Veronique, we should be finding our seats,” Zack said. “I’ll make sure we talk before we leave!”

“Zat would be wonderful,” the French girl said with a smile. “Au revoir.” With that, she walked away.

“Your friend, huh?” Holly questioned Zack.

“What did I do?” Zack asked, looking from Holly to Alex and back to Holly.

Alex looked as though Christmas had come early, which was surprising considering that he rarely looked as gleeful as he did now. “Zack, man, this is shocking. You really don’t know what you did wrong!”

“This is my friend, Holly Wood,” Jack said mockingly.

“Oh.” Zack looked rather sheepish, now that his error was brought to his attention. “That was, erm, a, uh, mistake. Sorry.”

“Uh huh,” Holly said with a scowl. Maria looked very disappointed in Zack, so Holly turned to her and said, “Maria, do you and Norah want to come with me? I think I know a faster way to our seats.”

“Okay,” Maria agreed. She shot Zack a venomous glare before turning to Norah and asking, “Norah, are you going with us or them?”

“You,” Norah replied, turning her back on the boys.

“Oh, come on!” Zack yelled at the girls as they walked away. “I say one thing and it all blows up!”

Alex smirked. “Zack, you said the one thing that could make everything blow up. Trust me, I loved watching you go up in nuclear flames, but man, that was bad.”

Jack nodded his agreement. “Really, that was not good, Zack. OOH, chocolate!” Jack ran off to where a wizard was standing, wearing a stadium worker uniform and holding a box full of Honeyduke’s finest. Jack bought four bars and walked back over to his friends. “One for you--” he handed a bar to Zack-- “one for you--” he gave Alex another-- “and one for me.” He held two bars.

“Maybe you should go back to school, Dawson,” Alex suggested. “Because that is most certainly not one, no matter how much you believe it is.”

Jack narrowed his eyes at Alex as Zack gasped. “Hey, look over there.” He pointed to a door that had a sign on it. The sign read PLAYERS ONLY and had a Puddlemere United logo underneath.

“I think it’s the Puddlemere United changing room,” Jack said in awe.

“Are you going to come with us or just say something that’s obvious?” Alex asked. He and Zack were already walking slowly towards the door. Jack scurried over, and the three boys stood in front of the door, staring at it.

“We’ll look suspicious if we just stand here,” Alex pointed out.

“But we’ll get caught if we go in,” Zack said.

“So it’s a lose-lose situation,” Jack groaned.

“Not on my watch,” Alex said slowly. He looked to his left, then to his right, then pushed open the door and walked inside. It closed quickly, leaving Zack and Jack in the corridor.

“Hey!” Jack whined. “No fair.”

“Oh, for the love of God,” Zack muttered,pushing the door open again. He stepped inside. When he didn’t hear footsteps behind him, he reached back, grabbed Jack’s arm, and pulled him in the door.

The three boys were now standing in a long corridor carpeted with a grey rug. The walls were painted a painfully bright white, and moving pictures from previous games were hung on the walls. Chasers sped up and down in the pictures, scoring goals. Seekers sped after the Snitch while Beaters whacked bludgers across the frame. In every picture, though, the same Keeper floated in front of the goal hoops, bobbing around to block the opposition from scoring. Oliver Wood.

Every few metres, there was a door leading to some office or another. Alex suspected that they were for team managers.

“Why are we in here?” Jack asked worriedly. He seemed the least excited about the entire situation, as though getting in trouble was inevitable in his mind. Of course, they were of age, therefore meaning they were eligible for adult punishment now.

“Because it’s interesting,” Alex supplied as he studied a portrait of Ebony Adymy, one of Puddlemere’s Beaters. She had long black hair, pale white skin, and deep blue eyes. Her expression was one of joy and happiness as she looked at the camera, wearing her Quidditch robes and holding a Nimbus Three Thousand. In the background, Seeker Felicia Cooper sped by on her own broom. A small bronze plaque under the picture read Ebony Adymy, Beater. Youngest Puddlemere player ever, joining the team at age 18.

“Whoa,” Zack whispered. “She joined right after she graduated Hogwarts! That’s, like, one of us doing whatever we want right now!”

“Actually,” Alex said, “she didn’t join right after. It was a year or so.”

“Huh?” Zack asked.

“She graduated at seventeen, her birthday’s in the summer,” Alex explained.

“Oh.” Zack nodded.

“Think that’s pretty cool?” asked a voice from behind the boys.

Alex whipped around to see the woman from the picture standing behind them. “Well, yeah,” he said, not seeming nervous at all. In fact, he was a little too calm about meeting an international Quidditch star. “I mean, it’s insane that you were able to make it on a team that quickly. Oliver Wood didn’t even get to be an alternate until three years after he graduated!”

Ebony Adymy chuckled. She was wearing her Quidditch robes already and was holding the same broom she was seen clutching in her picture.“You really like Quidditch, don’t you?”

“A lot,” Alex replied. In truth, it was the only thing he had ever felt he could count on in his life, aside from his friends. His parents couldn’t take it away from him like they had everything else.
Ebony smiled. “It’s nice to meet a fan. I don’t really get to do that much.”

“How come?” Zack asked.

“Because, when you have someone who played alongside Harry Potter on your team like we have Oliver, they’re in the spotlight.” Ebony sighed. “Even if you are the youngest Puddlemere player in the team’s history.”

Zack thought he sensed some resentment in her tone. “You don’t particularly like Oliver?”

“Oh, no,” Ebony replied, looking aghast. “I just sort of wish sometimes that the rest of the team would get some recognition once in a while.

Zack nodded. “That makes sense.”

“Hey, Miss Adymy?” Jack asked, speaking for the first time since Ebony had shown up. “Do you think the Aurors will be here? Because, we’re kinda of age now, and I don’t want to be tried as an adult!”

Ebony laughed, and not the soft, delicate laugh that most girls laugh, but a loud, head-thrown-back, eyes closed laugh. “Oh, you won’t have a problem with them. I’ll cover for you.”

“We have an international Quidditch star covering for us,” Alex said softly. “Today could not get better.”

Ebony snickered. “Well, I should be going. I was just on my way to do a lap around the pitch. Oh, wait, what are your names?”

“Alex Williams.”

“Zack Macmillan.”

“Er… Um… Uh…”

“That’s Jack Dawson.” Alex sighed.

Ebony grinned. “Okay, Alex Williams, Zack Macmillan, and Jack Dawson. Tell you what. Since you’re the first fans brave enough to sneak through the door despite the Players Only sign, I’ll tell Nate to give you three free tickets to any Puddlemere match you want. I reward bravery… and stupidity, and this appears to be a case of both.”

Zack laughed. “Thanks, Miss Adymy.”

“Please, call me Ebony,” she replied with a smile.

Zack appeared at a loss for words. “Er… Um… Okay!” he stuttered.

“Thank you,” Alex said happily.

Jack was at a loss for words. He just smiled like a five-year-old in Honeyduke’s and nodded happily.

~*~

“Okay, where are they?” Norah snapped. She, Maria, and Holly had been sitting in their seats for a grand total of fifteen minutes, and they couldn’t see why the boys were so far behind. “There are three seats here that some person with a… a… a not-very-nice agenda could take!”

“Not-very-nice agenda?” Maria asked. “After all of that deliberation, you come up with not-very-nice?”

“I’m too mad to think clearly, okay?” Norah said, pouting.

“Okay then,” Holly said slowly. “Well, I think I’m just going to go try and find them.”

“Not-very-nice agenda!” Norah warned over Maria’s laughter. “Be careful!”

Holly tried to ignore this entirely plausible idea and brushed it off with a laugh. She stood up and walked out of the aisle of seats. Retracing her steps, Holly walked down a staircase, down a corridor, and through a door. Uh oh, she thought. Apparently, even though it was such a short path, she had taken a wrong turn somewhere and was now in a corridor she had never seen before.

She stood on a grey carpet, surrounded by agonizingly white walls. Moving pictures covered them, and where there weren’t pictures, there were large wooden doors. Holly looked around at the pictures. They all depicted people flying on broomsticks wearing gaudy orange robes. Holly smiled; she must be by the Chudley Cannons’ side of the arena. That was good, it was where she had left Zack a quarter of an hour ago.

But that didn’t explain the corridor. She was sure she hadn’t passed it on the way to the seats, but then again, Maria was complaining about Norah’s refusal to wear something other than Muggle denim jeans and a purple and black checkered shirt- Maria had worn the cream-coloured dress that she had originally tried to pawn off on Holly- and it had been very interesting; Holly probably hadn’t been paying attention to her surroundings. She turned and looked at the door she had come through. There was nothing significant about this side of it, so she didn’t think there was anything noteworthy about
the side shown to the crowd.

Walking down the corridor, she noticed several portraits of people: Derik Hayes, Zachery Ackles, Calvin Donahue, Kayla Colley, Jensen Forrester, Colin Longbine, and Alexei Nikolov. These were the starters on the Chudley Cannons. Realisation struck Holly like lightning: she was in the corridor leading to their changing room! This wouldn’t get her to where she wanted to be.

She turned around, ready to leave, when she saw someone who looked vaguely familiar at the other end of the hall, looking right at her with a confused expression on his face. Oh! She matched his face to the portrait of Alexei Nikolov on the wall. He had the same long brown hair, blue eyes, and short beard.

Alexei tilted his head and pursed his lips. “Do I know you?” he asked, his voice heavily accented.
Holly replied, “Er, no.”

Alexei pondered this idea for a moment and then said, “Could I?”

“Holly Wood.” She laughed.

“Are you any relation to Oliver Vood?”

“Yeah,” Holly said shortly. “I am.”

“That is interesting,” Alexei said slowly. “Vell, I suppose I must be getting to the pitch. It vas nice to meet you, Holly Vood.”

“You too, Alexei Nikolov. Good luck today,” Holly said. Alexei nodded and turned around. He walked out the door that was behind him, and Holly assumed that this must be where the players went onto the pitch. That definitely wasn’t the door she was looking for!

Holly went back the way she came, utterly confused at what had just transpired. She was in a clearly players only area, had ran into a player, and he hadn’t even done anything about it except ask to know her name. Weird.

~*~

“So we just met an internationally famous Quidditch player, got three free tickets to a game, and practically broke into a changing room to get them?” Alex asked. “And you think I’ve failed you!”

“Yes, Alex, we now grovel at your feet,” Zack muttered. “What do we do now, go back to our seats? Norah, Maria, and Holly must be worried sick.”

“Oh, they’ll get over it.” Alex dismissed this comment. “We should see if we can meet any Cannons players!”

“Right, that’s so what we came here to do,” Zack said. “The game starts in half an hour, I hope you know.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Alex said nonchalantly. He looked up at a clock on the wall; eight forty-two. The game began at nine fifteen. “We got here at seven forty-five. What was the point of coming early if we weren’t gonna do anything fun?”

“That’s them,” a shrill voice rang out from behind Alex, Jack, and Zack. “They’re the spies for Chudley!”

“Who wants to look and confirm my belief that they’re pointing at us?” Jack asked under his breath.

“I will if Alex does with me,” Zack offered.

“Deal,” Alex said. As they both turned to look over their shoulders, Alex quickly snapped his gaze to Jack again, leaving Zack as the only one looking behind them.

Zack seemed to notice this as soon as he saw a tall, statuesque blonde woman pointing at him. He turned back to his friends. “Why?”

“Because the opportunity was given.” Alex shrugged. “Now, let’s see what she wants. She sounds like she’s a bitch; does she look like it?”

Jack hazarded a look behind him. “Yeah. Oh, yeah.”

Zack nodded his confirmation. Alex turned around. “Yep. You win.”

The woman walked over to them, two large men in tow. They both wore dark purple robes, signifying that they were Aurors, and one of them wore a pin with the Cannons logo on it, while the other wore the same pin, but advertising Puddlemere. The woman between them wore dark red Quidditch robes, obviously a Puddlemere player.

“Oh, damn," Alex said under his breath. “Did we get lucky here or what?”

“I hope you’re being sarcastic,” Zack snapped, “because there is no way I would describe this situation as ‘lucky’.”

“I share those sentiments, thank you very much,” Jack said.

The blonde woman reached them, flanked by the two Aurors, who were much scarier up close. “What do you have to say for yourselves?” she snapped. “Breaking into a changing room! It’s a federal offense, is it not?” She turned her gaze to the Puddlemere-supporting Auror, who looked rather bored with his job.

“According to the rules, that is breaking the rules of the arena, and that is punishable by a fine,” one of the Aurors said. “Miss Vail saw you three in the Puddlemere changing room talking to Miss Adymy. Were you?”

“You don’t trust me?” Persephone Vail, one of Puddlemere United’s Chasers, shrieked. “I saw them with my own eyes!”

“Oh, God,” Alex muttered. “How were we supposed to know what that corridor was? Really? We were on our way to our seats and decided to take a shortcut and--”

"And you ignored the palpable sign on the door that says Players Only?” Persephone asked dryly. “I buy that.”

“Okay, you three have to come with us,” the Cannons Auror said. “We need to take you to our office here, make sure your story is the truth.”

Zack was about to protest, but Alex said, “That’s fine with us. Jack, Zack, come on.”

The Aurors dismissed Persephone, who shot a venomous glare at the three teenagers before departing. The Puddlemere Auror gestured for the boys to follow him, which they did. “Leave the talking to me,” Alex said so quietly that Jack and Zack had to strain to hear him. “I have a story already, and we have to be on the same page. Agree with what I say, and we might avoid the fine.”

After only a few minutes, the five reached their destination. Alex was a bit disappointed; the only thing that acknowledged the Auror office as anything different from the other doors in the stadium was a sign that read JB Allendale and Dennis Creevey, Aurors. Alex expected something more like a dark curtain blocking off the office, or at least a special enchantment surrounding it that prevented you from getting in unless you were with an Auror. But it was just a normal door, not unlike the one they used to get into the locker room hallway.

“So, which of you is JB and which is Dennis?” Alex questioned.

“We’ll do the questioning here,” the Cannons Auror said coldly.

“He means to say that I’m Mr. Creevey, and he’s Mr. Allendale,” said the Puddlemere Auror. “We just need to ask you a few questions about what you were doing in the Puddlemere hallway.”


“We were framed!” Jack exclaimed from out of the blue.

Zack’s gaze snapped to Jack. Alex put his head in his hands and sighed.

“What JB means to say is--” Dennis began, but was cut off by JB.

“What I mean to say is what the hell were you doing in the Puddlemere hallway?” JB snapped.

Alex looked at Jack pointedly before replying, “We were looking for a shortcut to our seats. We weren’t paying attention to where we were walking, so we just pushed open a random door. We were talking and stuff, so of course we weren’t looking where we were going. So we just went in.

“We had no idea it was where Puddlemere’s changing rooms were. The pictures should have tipped us off, but we were curious, you know? Then we met Ebony and talked to her for a bit. She said we should probably get going, since we could get in trouble. But I guess before we got out, Persephone saw us and assumed we had snuck in.”

Zack’s eyes were wide. If Alex managed to sell this story, they would be free. Jack was looking pitifully at the Aurors as if to say he was sorry for the misunderstanding.

“See, JB?” Dennis said. “It’s perfectly plausible that this happened. Maybe we just took it out of context…”

“Maybe,” JB said. “Or maybe some Veritaserum would convince me.” He smiled evilly. “After all, they could be lying.”

“JB, they’re just kids!” Dennis exclaimed wearily. “Really, I think they’re telling the truth.”

“You were a Gryffindor though; you’re too trusting.” JB smirked. “Slytherins could always find a rat easier.”

Zack chanced a glance at Alex. He still looked calm, leading Zack to believe that it was a façade. There would be no way to fight the Veritaserum if Dennis caved to JB’s wishes, and then they would be stuck.

“No,” Dennis said firmly. “I trust them. Miss Adymy will have the same story, I’m sure."

JB scowled. “Go.,” he said to Jack, Zack, and Alex.

The three boys sprinted out of the office without another glance. Meanwhile, Holly was on her way back to the seats, grumbling about their absence. When she saw three suspicious people running by, the first thought that crossed her mind was, found them!

“Zack!” she yelled.

Zack grabbed Alex and Jack’s shoulders so that they stopped running. He turned around and saw Holly, standing with her hands on her hips and a very annoyed expression on her face.

“There you are!” she said, running over. “Where have you been?”

Zack grinned sheepishly. “Well, you see…”

“Alex got us in trouble with stadium security,” Jack said.

“Thanks for that,” Alex muttered.

“Alex, you what?” Holly shrieked. “No, I changed my mind; I don’t want to know. But anyway, the game’s starting in a little bit. We should go to the seats.”

~*~

“That was wicked!” Maria exclaimed. It was three hours later, and the Cannon s had suffered a crushing loss, 220 to 90. Maria had supported Puddlemere in the game. Holly was none too pleased that her father had played one of his best games of the season.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Holly said. “Anyway, we should probably be heading home. Mrs. Macmillan said to Apparate as soon as the game was over.”

“Holly,” Zack said pleadingly, “we have to get our tickets from Ebony Adymy!”

Zack had told his cousins and girlfriend the story of how he, Alex, and Jack had met Puddlemere’s Chaser, and how she’s promised them three free tickets for being brave enough to go through the door to the locker rooms. Maria and Norah had been so proud of their cousin, but Holly had been rather disapproving of the entire thing.

“Please, Holly?” Jack asked.

“Oh, fine,” Holly said with a sigh. “It’s impossible for me to win here. So you three go, and Norah and Maria and I will meet you back at home.”

“What? No!” Maria and Norah yelled at the same time. “We want to see if we can meet someone!,” Maria said.

Norah looked at Holly with her lower lip stuck out. “Please, Holly?” she asked, a dead-ringer for Jack.

“Oh, fine!” Holly exclaimed. “Fine, fine! We’ll all go!”

“Yay!” Jack cheered.

~*~

Taking the same route the boys had followed before, the six friends made their way to Puddlemere’s locker room. Maria and Norah were buzzing with excitement. Alex was walking carelessly ahead of everyone else. Zack and Jack were looking every which way to make sure that no one was following them.

When they reached their destination, Alex pushed open the door and walked in without pausing. Zack and Jack quickly followed, and the girls hastily joined them.
Holly, having seen the Cannons’ locker room hallway, wasn’t too surprised by the décor in this hall.
The twins were alight with excitement. “Hey, Holly, look at this!” Norah exclaimed, pointing to a picture on the wall.

Holly walked over and looked. It was a picture of a big, brawny man with short brown hair, dark eyes, and a carefree, excited expression on his face. He was smiling at the camera, and it was clear that he was very good-looking. Holly sighed. Under the picture, a plaque read Oliver Wood, Puddlemere Keeper.

“Why are you showing me this?” Holly asked.

“Thought you’d like to see it,” Norah said quietly.

At that moment, Ebony Adymy walked into the hall. “Hi, Zack, Jack, Alex. How did you like the game?”

“You were great,” Alex said, sounding impressed. “That was an awesome goal at the end of the game.”

Ebony smiled. “Thank you! Here are your tickets, by the way.” She handed each of the boys one. Just then, she noticed the girls at the other end of the hall. “Hello!” she said brightly. “Who are you?”

“Norah Macmillan.”

“Maria Macmillan.”

“Holly.”

Ebony tilted her head. “Holly…”

“Wood.”

Ebony’s mouth formed an ‘o’ shape. “Are you related to Oliver?”

“Erm, yeah,” Holly said, uncertain of where this was going. “Why?”

“Oh, I can go get him!” Ebony said cheerfully. “One minute!” She disappeared through a door.
Zack walked over to where Holly stood, shell-shocked. Maria and Norah looked very surprised. Jack’s jaw had dropped, and even Alex had the courtesy to not laugh at the situation.

Moments later, Ebony returned with Oliver. Holly stared at him; he looked just like how she had remembered. His hair was a bit longer, though. And he was thinner. Oliver looked surprised to see her. “Holly?”

“Yeah.” Holly’s voice was cold. “How are you, Oliver? Quidditch treating you well?”

“Holly, let me explain--” Oliver began.

“No, no I don’t think you need to,” Holly said. “You walked out on Mum and me and never looked back. Did we hear from you at all? No!”

“How is Rory?” Oliver asked. Rory Richards had been his girlfriend at Hogwarts. They married six years later, when they were twenty-three years of age. Holly had been born later that year. Six years later, he had left.

“Dead,” Holly said shortly. “She died of cancer a few months ago. Maybe you’d have heard something if you’d stayed.”

“Holly,” Oliver said, “my career made it too hard to have a family! I realised that too late, I know, but at least I did at all!”

“No,” Holly said. “Your family made it too hard to have your career. It’s always meant more to you, Oliver. You know that!”

Ebony’s gaze had been traveling between the father and daughter, flickering to each one as they spoke. “Er, Oliver, maybe it’s better if you…” Her voice trailed off.

“Holly, please. I wasn’t able to be there all the time,” Oliver said.

“So you decided not to be there at all?” Holly asked. “You selfish bastard.”

Oliver’s jaw dropped. “Holly, even if I haven’t acted like one, I am still your father, and I will not be spoken to like that.”

“Whatever,” Holly said. “Look, I’m leaving. So, I guess I’ll see you later. Or never. The latter sounds more like you, though.” She turned on her heel and walked back through the door to the stadium.
Maria and Norah quickly ran after her to make sure their friend was okay.

Zack said a quick thank you to Ebony for the tickets and smiled at Oliver. “She didn’t mean half of that; she’s just upset with me for dragging her back here.”

Oliver nodded. “Okay. Thank you. You look familiar. Do I know you from anywhere?"

“Oh, well, I’m Ernie Macmillan’s son. I know you went to school with him. People say I look somewhat like him,” Zack offered.

“That must be it.” Oliver nodded. “I may have to stop by, say hi to him one day. Would that be a problem?”

“Oh, I’m sure not,” Zack said. “He loves talking to people who survived the final battle against Voldemort, even if he never really knew them.”

Oliver chuckled. “Well, you should go see if she’s okay.”

“Right, right,” Zack muttered. “Bye!” He ran out the door, Alex trailing after him.

“Um, Mr. Wood?” Jack asked. “Can I have your autograph?”

The gang arrived home shortly after the Quiddich game , but for the first night since they began their stay, they didn’t sleep in the living room. Holly stomped up the stairs after telling the twins that she didn’t want anyone to follow her. Norah and Maria told this to the boys, and mere seconds later, they heard the door to a guest bedroom slam shut. Mrs Macmillan ran into the room.

“What was that?” the frazzled woman asked. She looked frightened, as if she was under the impression that someone was hurt.

“Holly being…Holly,” Alex replied carelessly. He walked to the living room and collapsed onto a sofa, picking up the remote control and clicking the television on.

“Alex!” Zack exclaimed. “Holly’s hurt, and I have no idea why you’re acting like an insensitive jerk!”

“And I have no idea why you’re acting like a menopausal woman,” Alex replied, not looking away from the television.

Zack opened and closed his mouth several times, as though he had something he wanted to say, before turning around and walking out of the kitchen. Jack counted down the seconds on his fingers before another door slammed.

Mrs. Macmillan looked back and forth between the teenagers remaining in the kitchen. “Would anyone care to tell me what happened?”

It was amazing how fast those kids could run after seven years without a physical education class at Hogwarts!

~*~

The next morning, Holly slowly rolled out of bed, literally. She hit the wooden floor with a resounding thud that she was quite sure had woken the entire house up. She stood up, brushed some dust off of her trackies, and walked to the mirror . She looked at her reflection and groaned. Her hair was quite messy, sticking up at random intervals. Her make up from the night before, which she had forgotten to wash off, was smeared around her eyes.

“Ugh,” she groaned softly. She picked up a hairbrush and ran it through her blond locks, grimacing as the brush caught where her hair was tangled tightly.

There was a quiet knock at the door. Holly set the brush down on the vanity and walked over. She opened it a bit and blinked. “What do you want?”

Zack opened the door all the way and walked in. “I wanted to apologise for dragging you back to the changing room last night. You didn’t seem like you wanted to go, but I wanted my free tickets. I’m sorry.”

Holly smiled sadly and wrapped her arms around him. “You’re so sweet,” she said. “Thank you.” She pulled back and kissed him. “Now I hope you don’t mind, I have to get ready for the day.”

Zack grinned. He turned around and walked out of her room, closing the door behind him. Holly sat down on her bed and smiled.

~*~

Jack, Alex, Maria, and Norah sat in the living room. “So what are we going to do tonight?” Maria asked, folding her hands and setting them on her lap.

Alex leaned his head against the back of the chair. “Oh, I dunno. Why don’t we ruin Holly’s life some more?”

“Sounds spectacular,” Jack said dryly. “Why don’t we make fun of her mother to top off her visit?”

Maria put her hand in front of her mouth to hid a smile. “Well, we shouldn’t go out, I don’t think. Mrs Macmillan probably wants us home today anyway.”

“Why?” Jack asked.

“I’m trying to make a point, dear,” Maria said. “And that point is that we should stay home tonight!”

“We’ve stayed home every night this week except yesterday,” Jack whined.

“I went out two nights ago,” Alex pointed out, referring to when he destroyed the church bells.

“Yeah, but that was just you,” Norah said. “We should do something where we all go out.”

“No,” Maria said firmly. “We’ll stay home, and we’ll play a game.”

“Does it involve a board and game pieces?” Alex asked, feigning excitement. The conversation bored him, and so he turned back to the television.

“No.” Maria rolled her eyes. “Let’s play Truth or Dare! Or a drinking game!”

Alex smiled and snapped his attention back to the group. “I’m beginning to like this idea.”

“You would,” Norah scoffed.

“I don’t see anything remotely interesting about playing a drinking game,” Jack pouted.

Maria laughed. “Jack, that’s the point! It isn’t interesting until you’ve drank!”

“Then everything is interesting.” Alex grinned widely.

Norah rolled her eyes. “Really, Alex? Really? Must you be like that?”

~*~

Holly walked down the stairs to find the group sitting at the kitchen table. “Hey,” she said cheerfully.

“Hi,” Norah replied. Maria smiled. Jack, who was slicing cheese at the kitchen counter, waved using the hand holding a very sharp-looking knife. Alex rolled his eyes and took the knife out of his hand.

“I don’t trust you, man,” he said. “Not at all.”

Jack sighed. “Alex, how am I going to finish making breakfast if you won’t let me slice the damn cheese?”

Now it was Alex’s turn to sigh. “You hurt yourself no matter what you do, even carrying a simple shirt to the laundry room, and you expect me to let you cut cheese with a sharp knife?”

“Fine,” Jack said, throwing his arms in the air. “You finish the omelets!” He stalked over to the table, where he sat next to Maria and sulked for the next few minutes.

Alex set about trying to complete the omelets Jack had began, but after cutting open his finger while trying to cut up a tomato, he gave up and magically cleared the counter. Maria rolled her eyes. “Alex, really? You can’t even cook a simple dish consisting of only eggs, cheese, tomatoes, and peppers?”

“That sounds disgusting!” Norah exclaimed. “I’m glad he couldn’t do it!”

“Well without the cheese and vegetables, it would just be bland and flavorless!” Jack exclaimed. “And if you have issues with my cooking, just keep them to yourselves because I will NOT take it!”

“Okay Jackie, calm down,” Maria said, setting her hand on his shoulder. “It’s alright, I thought they sounded simply wonderful.”

“Okay, you two, pack it in,” Zack snapped as he entered the kitchen. “I’m tired of thinking that my cousin and best mate have something going on; it’s just not natural.”

Alex opened his mouth as though he had something to say, then thought better of it and turned his attention back to the television.

“Alexander Jeremy Williams actually exercising self-control? Who else thinks the world is coming to a crashing halt?” Zack asked, raising his hand.

Jack eagerly shot his arm in the air. Maria grimaced and lowered his arm. “Jack, don’t provoke him. Remember fifth year, after the chess tournament.”

Jack’s eyes widened and he seemed to shrink, obviously reliving the time when he had beat Alex for the first (and last) time at wizard’s chess. Jack believed he still had the scars from one of Alex’s curses; no one doubted him.

“So, Zack.” Alex turned to him with a somewhat evil grin on his face. “Where’s your father keep the Firewhiskey?”

“ALEX!”

“Only kidding, Mrs Macmillan!”

~*~

Around six o’clock that night, the gang sat in Zack’s backyard with several bottles of Firewhiskey that Alex had curiously managed to steal. Holly was smiling giddily, even though she hadn’t had anything to drink yet, and Zack was debating whether or not to call the whole thing off.

“Alright,” Alex said, throwing a bottle to Jack. “Here’s the rules of the game. Someone says something they haven’t done. If you have done it, you drink. Understood?”

The group collectively nodded, and Alex smiled. He handed everyone a bottle. “Now, let’s see, who wants to go first. No one?” He asked when none of the friends volunteered. “Okay then.” He lay his bottle down on the ground and spun it around. When the bottle slowed to a halt, its neck was pointing at Zack. “Oh, goodie.”

Zack grimaced. “Okay. For lack of something better to say, I’ve never played a drinking game with my friends before.”

Jack and Alex were the only ones who didn’t life their bottles. Maria looked incredulously at Jack, who merely replied with, “I was a very trusting child, okay?”

“So who’s next?” Zack asked.

Alex pointed to Holly, who was sitting next to him. “We go clockwise, for the purposes of this game.”

Holly nodded. “Okay. I have not wanted to kill Alex at any time that I’ve known him.”

Every other person in the group with the exception of Alex drank. “Hey!” Alex yelled. “I’m extremely insulted by that.”

“Well what did you expect?” Zack asked. “You’re very disagreeable.”

Alex rolled his eyes but nodded nonetheless. “So, this’ll be my turn. I’ve never liked one of the Macmillan cousins.”

Maria, Norah, and Zack all drank. Everyone’s eyes shot towards Jack, who looked sheepishly towards the ground. Norah looked aghast and then smiled knowingly. “Ha!” she exclaimed. “Oh-ho-ho, Alex got you good! FAIL!”

Jack scowled over at Norah. “And it’s a wonder it’s not you.”

Holly laughed loudly and fell onto Zack’s shoulder. “Maybe it’s not Maria either! Maybe Zack’s mother’s right!”

The rest of the group burst out laughing, including Jack who seemed to be confused as to what was going on. He stopped abruptly. “Wait…”

“Good God, Jack!” Alex exclaimed. “Just admit it! You like Maria!”

Jack narrowed his eyes. “I will do no such thing! Even if it is true…”

“I win!” Alex thrust his fist into the air triumphantly.

“No, you don’t, you idiot!” Norah groaned. “Now not only do we have to deal with Zack and Hol, but we now have Mar and Jack! They’ll be more insufferable than they are alone!”

Maria giggled. “That could be true.”

Jack smiled. Alex mimed vomiting into the bushes behind him.

~*~

Mrs Macmillan lit a candle on the table. It smelled sweet, like a midsummer’s night with a light rain. Mr Macmillan walked into the kitchen, seeing as it was never as dark as now, and looked questioningly at his wife.

“Tori, what’s the meaning of this?”

“It’s not often we get quiet, what with the neighborhood being so loud,” Tori replied. “I figured I’d take advantage of it.” She smiled at Ernie.

Ernie grinned. “Well, by all means, take advantage of it.”

Right as he made his way across the kitchen, the doorbell rang. Tori narrowed her eyes and groaned. “Who is it?” she muttered under her breath. “Who comes to call this late at night?”

Ernie waited in the kitchen, silently telling himself that it was just a sound from the television and Tori would be back within moments, ready to finish what they started.

“Ernie?” Her voice rang through the hall.

“Yes, dear?” Ernie yelled back.

“It would appear that we have some company.”

“Ah, cripes,” Ernie muttered. He made his way to the front hallway, where he saw, standing under the darkened chandelier, a tall figure wrapped in shadow.

The mystery figure stepped out of the shadows of the threshold, and Tori flipped the switch on the wall into the ‘up’ position. The man had short dark hair, deep brown eyes, and had rather broad shoulders.

“Hi, Ernie,” he said. “Remember me? Oliver Wood?”

~*~

Holly tried hard to keep the disgust off of her face as she watched Maria kiss Jack. Apparently, though, it was evident considering Alex was laughing more at the expression on her face than anything else.

Zack seemed equally as disgusted as Holly, although his reason was much more logical. Alex sighed happily. “Hey, this is good for one reason.”

“Why?” Zack asked.

“Because it opens the door for this: Jack loves Maria! Jack loves Maria!” Alex roared with laughter yet again.

Holly dissolved into giggles, and even Norah couldn’t hold in her laughter. Just then, Zack heard his mother yell for the kids.

“Macmillans and friends, there’s a visitor!”

“Oh, God, who could it be?” Zack asked.

Alex’s eyes widened. “I was never here!” He stood up and waved his wand quickly. With a loud pop, he disappeared.

“Where, why, and what?” Norah asked tiredly.

“Diagon Alley, he’s afraid, and who knows,” Zack replied, shaking his head.

Lacking one of their number, the five remaining friends walked into the house. Holly was slightly tilted to the side, Zack was holding her up (and looking confused about it the whole time, as she hadn’t even drank that much), Jack and Maria had their arms around each other’s shoulders, and Norah brought up the rear with her long brown hair swinging to each side as she walked.

“Yeah, Mum?” Zack asked as he walked into the foyer.

Tori looked side to side before saying, “someone’s here to see Holly.”

Zack shrugged. “Okay, where is she?”

“Er, it’s not a ‘she’…” Tori trailed off. “Oliver?”

Oliver Wood walked into the kitchen, looking at his daughter fondly. “Hi, Holly.”

Holly’s eyes widened and her jaw set into a hard line. “Why are you here?”

Oliver shook his head. “Holly, look. Things didn’t start off too well for us at the pitch last night and I wanted to make up for it. You don’t have a place to live now that Hogwarts is over, so I figured I’d make it a bit easier for you.”

Holly looked incredulous. “What, you think I want to live with you?”

Oliver looked uncomfortable. “Er, no…I was going to buy you your own apartment.”

Norah gasped. “Holly, that’d be awesome!”

“Damn.” Jack nodded in agreement. “That would be awesome.”

Zack smiled. “That’s so cool!” Mrs Macmillan looked at him reproachfully. “I mean…” Zack began. “Er…In a totally innocent way. Like…studying!”

“Zack,” Maria whispered. “We left school.”

“Ah, damn it.”

“So, Holly, what d’you say?” Oliver asked. “Do you want the apartment.”

Holly scowled. “No, I don’t want a damn apartment. I want a father who’s been there for me! I want a father who cared about me! And I want a father who supported me! But I didn’t get any of it, just a father who abandoned me.”

Holly spun on her heel and walked out of the room. Zack was about to follow, but a loud sound similar to that from when Alex disappeared told him that Holly wasn’t in the house or garden.

Tori looked at Oliver. “Well... That was uncomfortable! Would you care for a cup of tea?”

Oliver looked stunned, but nodded nonetheless. Ernie led him to the dining room table, where he sat down with the children.

“So, Oliver,” Zack began. “Would you happen to know how I find someone who Disapparated without a trace?”

“I’m a Quidditch player, not a freaking miracle worker.”

“Oh, that just figures.”