After showers and hearty meals, Scorpius Malfoy and his three friends walked back toward the Gryffindor Common Room excitedly reliving their roles in the afternoon’s Quidditch match. As they entered through the portrait hole, Scorpius, Albus and Rose drew their wands out from their robes. The reason for their action was that just in front of the fireplace; Kaitlin Jones hung in the air upside down. A couple of yards away from the girl stood two figures staring up at her: James Potter and the Quidditch Captain Vance. Vance had his wand lifted shoulder high pointing up at the girl.
“When I get down, you’re a dead man, Vance,” the red faced brunette spat in frustration. As he advanced to her aid, Scorpius saw Kaitlin’s hand desperately attempt to reach the seat of an arm chair where her wand laid.
“Give him the Snitch and I’ll let you down,” Vance said.
James Potter looked nervously from the dangling girl back to Vance. “Come on Thaddeus, it’s not worth it,” James said as Scorpius, Jimber, and James’ two cousins pushed their way through a stunned, silent wall of Gryffindors to support their classmate.
As they were breaking through the group of bystanders, Scorpius heard Rose whisper something to Albus. When they arrived, Albus tossed a pair of red seat cushions from a nearby couch onto the floor directly under Kaitlin. Rose pointed her wand up toward the upside down girl and shouted, ‘Liberacorpus.’
Kaitlin fell onto the cushions and, like a trained gymnast, deftly rolled to her feet. Jimber and Scorpius moved side by side between Vance and the still unarmed girl. Scorpius pointed a shaky wand hand toward Vance’s chest. Jimber’s right hand was fumbling in his inside robe pocket for his wand as Vance lowered his stick to match Scorpius’ hand. With a smile on his face, Vance waved his wand and blue light exploded from the tip and flew toward the two boys. The light came within an inch of both Jimber and Scorpius before it was somehow deflected back at its caster. Vance cart wheeled his arms to his side trying to get his balance. However gravity won and he fell over backwards. Kaitlin Jones, now fully recovered, crashed through her male protectors to land on top of her prostrate tormentor and her fists began landing blows.
Suddenly the room was filled with a flash of bright green light and a whooshing sound that caused all to jump. Scorpius turned to see stepping out of the flames was an irate Head of House Professor Longbottom with a linen napkin tucked under his belt. Professor Longbottom silently cast a spell which sent Jones and Vance to opposite sides of the common room.
” What started this?” demanded Longbottom to the room at large.
James Potter, looking anguished, answered, “I did, sir. I wanted the Snitch. It was my first game winning capture.”
“Joint capture,” interjected Jones. At her words, Professor Longbottom raised his right hand to silence the girl.
“She wouldn’t let me have it. Next, Thaddeus came to my aid and it all just got out of hand,” said James Potter, his head bowed accepting full responsibility.
Thaddeus Vance attempted to stand up and fell. Professor Longbottom looked at the three first-years with their wands out. “Who cast the trip jinx?” the Head of House asked in a tired voice.
Albus Potter shook his head. Rose Weasley, in tone of dismissal worthy of her mother, said, “I didn’t cast a trip jinx. I cast ‘Liberacorpus’, something sensible.” Rose and his Head of House both turned to face Scorpius.
Scorpius felt his pulse quicken and he swallowed. “I didn’t cast anything, Vance did. I don’t know a tripping jinx. We haven’t covered them in Charms class,” Scorpius said trying to defend himself. Vance, half way onto his feet, fell to his knees up against a footstool.
“Vance, on your position as the Quidditch Captain, did you cast the trip jinx?” inquired Professor Longbottom.
Vance started to answer. He stopped and finally shook his head up and down. “So, who cast the shield charm?” No one answered Professor Longbottom. Longbottom took hold of Scorpius’ wand, and waved his wand over it. Wisps of light and whispers left Scorpius wand as the Professor watched. The Head of House tried the same with both the wands of Rose and Albus. The results of his examination did not give him the desired result.
After pausing a few seconds, Professor Longbottom turned to the majority of people in the room and announced, “One Hundred points from Gryffindor for fighting.” The students groaned.
Professor Longbottom motioned for Jones to stand next to Vance. The Head of House waved his wand over Vance and the boy was able to stand. Looking sternly at the two combatants, he passed judgment, “Beginning Tuesday, you both will have two hours of detention every night for a week with me. On that day, I will be receiving a large, fresh shipment of Romanian dragon dung that needs to be prepared, by hand, into small batches for use in my classes.” Pausing for a second, the Professor looked Vance in the face and added, “Thaddeus, along with the Prefects, the Quidditch Captain is supposed to be a leader. So in addition, I am suspending you for one game from the Quidditch team. Wood will be the temporary captain and he’ll choose a player to be your replacement.”
Wood, the seventh year Goal Keeper who had walked into the room just behind the four first years, blinked at the unexpected responsibility. Finally, he looked at the first year’s standing in front of him and said, “Albus Potter, Scorpius Malfoy, and Kaitlin Jones report to the pitch tomorrow at five for Chaser tryouts.”
Kaitlin turned toward Albus and Scorpius with a look of extreme confidence on her face and said, “Best if the two of you don’t show up on the pitch tomorrow. So you don’t get embarrassed in front of the whole school.”
Albus looked back at her in return and said, “I’m used to being publicly embarrassed. I mean look at the person I’ve got for a brother.” Kaitlin laughed, picked up her dropped wand from off of the chair and bounced up to the girl’s dormitory.
As Professor Longbottom exited the room through the door, Scorpius saw Vance glare at him as if Vance thought that he had somehow tricked Professor Longbottom. Vance’s look worried him.
.