She sat on her bed, completely hidden from the room. What had brought on those coughs? She hadn't had an episode like that in a long time. She praised herself on her quick thinking, about the dust. She hated lying to Lily, but there was absolutely no way that she wanted her new classmates to know about her illness. When it had gotten out at Beauxbatons, they had treated her like a fragile piece of china. She wanted to lead as normal a life as possible at Hogwarts, and she was off to a good start. No one here cared that her father was the French Ambassador of Magic. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. Enough, Noelle, she told herself. Without even taking her robes off, she drifted into a deep sleep.
Gryffindor's first Quidditch match was against Ravenclaw. Noelle was eagerly looking forward to watching her favorite game again. The Saturday of the game was sunny and crisp. The air only had a slight chill to it.
As she and Lily made their way to the pitch, Noelle pulled her navy velvet Beauxbatons cloak around herself. The cool air made the girls' hair dance around their foreheads and their cheeks turn pink. The stands were already crowded with students from all the houses. Noelle and Lily chose seats at the top of the stands. The two teams soared out of the team entrance.
Cheering loudly, the girls waved a scarlet and gold banner above their heads. James and Sirius both glanced over at the two girls, and grinned broadly. Sirius' breath caught in his throat. Noelle looked enchanting. She was bundled up in a dark blue cloak, and her blonde hair tumbled down her shoulders. Her eyes were clear and sparkling, her cheeks flushed with both cold and excitement, and she was waving at him. He was going to play the best game of Quidditch he had ever played, knowing she was there watching him.
The game was amazing. Gryffindor quickly took the lead. Sirius had scored four goals and James scored three. When the score was 120-10 Gryffindor, Adam Osbourne, the Seeker for Gryffindor, went into a spectacular dive. Leaping to her feet, Noelle yelled as loud as she could.
The noise from the stands was deafening; the bleachers swaying ominously. Adam wrapped his fingers around the struggling Snitch, and the Gryffindors erupted in cheers. Noelle and Lily flung their arms around each other, jumping up and down. They pushed their ways down the stairs. When they reached the pitch, the entire team was holding Adam up on their shoulders.
"Gryffindors!!! Party in the common room tonight!!!" Sirius shouted as he and the others carried Adam back to the locker room.