S E V E N

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The storm was pouring down up above during the first Quidditch match of the year, and Adeline couldn't stop shivering in her wet, freezing clothes. Estelle stood next to her, holding her umbrella up above the pair so they could huddle under it.

They had been fully anticipating to be decked out in Gryffindor colors for the game to support Ophelia, but when it was announced that Hufflepuff would be playing the game as well, Estelle and Adeline had gone neutral. Ophelia had come the library that evening furious, calling Draco a weasel and muttering threats about how she would make his hippogriff "injury" real.

Through the pouring rain, Adeline could just barely make out what was happening in the game with the flashes of red and yellow jerseys flying past her at full speed. Even Lee's commentary, which was normally her favorite part of the game, was almost lost over the sounds of the wind.

A bludger came flying in the direction of the Ravenclaw stands and Estelle screamed, ducking behind Adeline to avoid getting hit in the face with the ball. One of the Gryffindor beaters flew forward and beat the bludger with his bat, sending it away from the Ravenclaws and towards the Hufflepuff team. When he turned his back to the stands, Adeline saw the number 6 on his back and remembered Ophelia mentioning that George and Fred were 6 and 5 respectively.

Strangely though, when he turned around to face the stands for a second, through the pouring rain and goggles, Adeline could've sworn she saw George winking.

Melanie flew right in front of her, the Quaffle held tight in her hands, and Adeline and Estelle cheered her on loudly despite the fact she probably could not hear her.

"How are they even playing in this weather?" Estelle questioned loudly.

"Pretty sure they charmed their goggles to repel water!" Adeline answered. "That would be the best solution. But even then, it's absolutely mind-boggling they didn't even think to cancel the game."

"Every day, I wonder why Quidditch is so appealing. Sure, it's loads of fun to watch. But it all seems like one big death trap for the players."

"I'm pretty sure it's the adrenaline rush. I have so much respect for Melanie and Ophelia for even getting on a broomstick. Flying alone is absolutely terrifying."

Across the pitch, they caught Ophelia throwing the ball through the hoop, earning loud cheers from both the Gryffindor stands and the two Ravenclaw girls.

Just moments later, Adeline began to hear screams around her, and at first she thought it was happy yells of victory. But to her horror, Adeline realized it was screams of alarm as she saw Harry Potter beginning to fall from the sky, his broom having seemed to disappear with the wind. She saw a swarm of dementors in the sky, and Adeline quickly figured out what happened.

With her hands over her mouth, Adeline watched in fear as Harry fell faster and faster, and she thought for a split-second that she was actually going to watch Harry hit the ground and die right in front of her. But with a spell from Dumbledore, Harry was now floating mere centimeters from the ground, looking to be unconscious but mostly unharmed.

The pitch dove into chaos as the other Quidditch players began to realize what had happened, including Cedric Diggory who had only just caught the Snitch when Harry nearly hit the ground. He started arguing with Madam Hooch immediately. and from what Adeline could tell, was frantically pleading for a rematch.

"Merlin, is he dead?" Delilah exclaimed beside the pair.

Estelle shook her head. "He's probably just unconscious. Harry has a near death experience every year. Give him a night in the hospital wing and he'll be good as new."

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Ever since the game had come to a close, Melanie found herself pacing the corridor in near the Gryffindor tower repeatedly. Adeline and Estelle tried their best to calm her down, but it was no use.

"We shouldn't have won!" Melanie wailed for what was likely the fifteenth time that evening. "Normally, I would be over the moon because I beat Ophelia and Gryffindor, but if the dementors didn't attack, then Harry would've caught the snitch. It's not fair!"

"I really hope he's alright," Estelle sighed. "I know Dumbledore saved Harry before he could hit the ground, but those dementors are absolutely awful. We only saw one of the train, but there must've been a couple surrounding him."

"I don't even understand the point of having dementors at Hogwarts," Melanie muttered darkly under her breath. "They've done nothing but make Hogwarts students feel horrible and it's not like they've done anything to stop Sirius Black from breaking in. Are they even that effective?"

"He's slipped past them twice and they still can't find a trace of him other than the slashes in the Fat Lady's portrait," Adeline agreed. "It'd be fascinating to learn how he's done it though..."

The conversation went on for a few minutes before all three heard the faint sounds of footsteps echoing down the hallway. They soon became louder, revealing a dejected Ophelia in soaked Quidditch robes and tangled wet hair. Adeline assumed that she hadn't even gone to change after the game, instead rushing up to the hospital wing with the rest of the team to make sure Harry was alright.

"Hey guys, what're you doing–"

She was cut off by all three girls practically tackling her in a hug and Melanie profusely apologizing for Hufflepuff's win. "Woah woah woah!" Ophelia let out a loud laugh as she stumbled backwards. "It's not that big of a deal! Sure, winning the Quidditch Cup is Wood's singular goal in life and this loss is making him try to drown himself in the showers. But it's not that big of a deal!"

"Oliver's trying to drown himself...in the shower?"

Ophelia nodded at Estelle. "That's what Fred thinks anyways. Wood didn't even come to visit Harry in the hospital wing."

"Is he alright?" Adeline asked.

"A little battered up...but Harry will be fine. He's honestly more upset about his broomstick being shattered to bits."

Melanie winced. "I'm glad he's alright, but Merlin that's awful what happened to him."

"Just another typical Quidditch game at Hogwarts. Can't be an interesting match without a near-death experience," Ophelia shrugged nonchalantly, as if continually putting herself in danger for a sports game was something normal. "I'm absolutely starving...did I miss dinner."

Estelle nodded, but then gestured over to the plate sitting on the bench near her. "We figured you'd be hungry when you came back when we saw you weren't in the Great Hall for dinner so Melanie managed to steal from her table. Adeline kept it hot with a new charm she learnt."

Cheering and thanking her best friends, Ophelia sat down on the bench and dug into the meal. The four girls tried their best to distract Ophelia from Gryffindor's loss by telling them about an encounter with Peeves where they nearly got disgusting water from the Black Lake poured all over them. While she laughed over the incident, the girls could tell she was still a little upset over the events of the game.

"I need to go take a shower. Wood better not have used up all the damn hot water..." She muttered before giving her best friends a soft smile. "Thanks you guys."

"Next time I kick your ass at Quidditch, it'll because I'm the better Chaser and not because a bunch of scary dementors showed up."

Ophelia's soft smile turned into her signature mischievous grin, making Adeline let out a small sigh of relief because this meant that Ophelia was back to her normal mood. "Bold of you to assume you'd ever kick my ass at Quidditch."

"Oh I 100% believe I can and I will."

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a/n:

idk this was a fun filler chapter that i liked writing!! i love the four girls' friendship it's lowkey baby. i hope you all enjoyed the chapter!!

- g ♡