The game didn’t go well. Slytherin quickly took the lead. When the score was 90-10, Slytherin, Sara called a time-out.
“James is playing pretty well, but Sirius is playing terribly.” Lily muttered to Noelle.
Noelle nodded, trying to push the hateful words she had said earlier out of her head.
The game continued. Sirius tossed the Quaffle to James, but it was caught by a Slytherin chaser, who soared towards the hoops at the end of the pitch. They scored again. Noelle saw Sara yelling at Sirius, and he turned red with embarrassment. Suddenly, Colin MacDonald, Slytherin’s seeker, went into a steep dive. Adam Osbourne, Gryffindor’s seeker was right on his tail.
“They’re going to crash!” Lily yelped.
The boys hit the ground with a thud.
There was a tangle of arms and legs that Noelle couldn’t distinguish one from the other.
“Who has it?” she asked Lily.
The scarlet and green knot writhed on the ground, and an arm shot out, it’s fingers clenched around the tiny snitch.
“Whose arm is it?” Lily shouted.
Noelle shrugged. Then Colin disentangled himself, with his left fist clutching the struggling snitch. A tumultuous roar came up from the Slytherin section.
“Slytherin wins!” the announcer called out over the din.
Sullenly, the Gryffindors made their way back to the castle. Noelle was walking slowly with Lily when someone jostled her from behind. She turned, it was James.
“Happy, are you? Being as how you really should be a Slytherin.” He sneered.
“James, knock it off. Noelle was cheering for us!” Lily snapped.
He grunted and pushed by them.
Noelle shook her head, “It will always be this way. They will never accept me.”
Lily dropped her arm over her friend’s shoulders. “I accept you, and to hell with the rest of them!”
Noelle laughed and put her arm around Lily’s to continue back to the castle.
In the locker room, Sirius was angrily shoving things into his locker.
“Padfoot, you all right?”
“I’m fine.” He slammed the door of his locker shut and made to leave.
“Black! My office, now.” Sara’s voice rang out through the room.
Heaving a sigh, he dropped his bag and entered her office. He stood in front of her with his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his robe.
“What happened out there? You missed some easy shots.”
“I know. I got distracted.”
Sara frowned. “Maybe you should concentrate more on your commitments than you should on insulting people.”
Sirius tensed. “I am focused on my commitments.”
Sara smirked. “Fine. We’ll see in the next game. Things better improve or I’ll have to replace you.”
He stood as if frozen. Sara flipped through some papers on her desk. When she realized he was still standing there, she said, “You’re dismissed.”
He spun on his heel and left. Once in the main locker room, it was apparent by the looks on his teammates’ faces that they had heard every word. He grabbed his bag off the floor, and picked up a water bottle. He studied it intently for a moment, and then heaved it at the wall. The team was silent as he stormed out.
The next week was hectic. The fifth years were all anxiously awaiting their exams. Upstairs in Gryffindor tower, Noelle was sprawled out on the floor of her bedroom amongst her books and notes. Lily paced back and forth, muttering incantations under her breath. A tap at the window startled them both. Noelle’s screech owl was perched on the windowsill.
“Allô, chère. As-tu quelque chose pour moi?”
The owl hooted softly. Noelle absentmindedly stroked his feathers as she perused the note.
“Oh, damn.” She muttered.
“What is it?” Lily asked.
“It’s nothing, just a healer’s appointment.”
She scanned the date. Two weeks from today. That was the day of the Quidditch finals, so she would not have to watch that. She fed Etoile an owl treat and settled back on the floor to finish studying.
In her mind, she was panicking. Healer’s appointments were never fun, but lately they were downright depressing. As the day approached, she grew more apprehensive. She knew the healer was going to tell her she was too thin, so she tried to make up for it by eating ravenously at each meal.
The day came before she knew it. Early in the morning, Professor McGonagall came to wake her and escort her to the staff room. Monsieur Bardot was waiting there for her. He smiled at her and gestured to the fireplace. She stepped into the flames and vanished.
She exited the fire in the lobby of the Paris wizarding hospital. She gave the witch at the desk her name, and sat to wait. Nervously, she bit all her nails off until they called her name. She stood, pulled her shoulders back and entered the room.
The healer quickly weighed her.
“You are far too thin, Noelle.”
She nodded, “I know.”
He listened to her heart and had her breath into a long tube to check her lungs. “Well, mademoiselle, everything else looks fine. You may go, but remember to eat well, and sleep often.”
She smiled widely, and shook his hand. She left the room with a bounce to her step.
“You are well?” Monsieur Bardot inquired.
She nodded, “Oui, I am very well.”
“Bon. Would you like to go to lunch, while you are in Paris? You are excused all day.”
She accepted immediately, and pulled his hand, dragging him outside.