II- Sydney

I heard books slam down on the desk I was at. "Oh my gosh! Oliver Wood is so hot!"

I turned my head to the voice beside me, and I watched my friend, and fellow Ravenclaw, Zerena Lyon slide into the open seat. Zerena is a medium-sized girl with shoulder-length caramel brown curly hair, and an attitude the size of bigfoot. I met her back during first year. Initially meeting her I wasn't her biggest fan because of said attitude, but after we were put as partners in Potions I really got to know her and was able to take the attitude as part of the package, because when push comes to shove she is a really great friend.

"You run into him in the hall again?" I laughed.

Zerena has always had the absolute biggest crush on Oliver Wood since we started Hogwarts. Every time she sees him she never fails to comment on how hot he is.

"Ugh." She complains. "I just wish he could stop looking like he does...or at least still look that way, but-ya know date me."

I rolled my eyes at her and made my focus back to the Transfiguration textbook that lay in front of me. We were in our first class of the day, Transfiguration.

Just as I started to read the next passage, I hear the most God-awful comment.

"-Like your stupid crush on Isaac." She blabbed.

"Shh!" I sent her daggers. "Do you want to tell the entire school?"

She rolled her eyes at me. "The more people know, the faster you'll get over this little 'crush' of yours." She air quoted "crush".

"Just like how you'd get over your crush on Oliver."

She looked offended.

"Okay, those are two different things. First of all, it's not a crush it's love. Second of all, the entire school already knows about my love for Oliver."

"Yeah? And how is that working out for you? Oliver proclaim his undying love for you yet?"

"Not yet." She scoffed. "He still has to take in the fact that all of this awesomeness," She gestured toward herself, "is in love with him. He's gotta comes to terms with it still."

"Well, tell me how that turns out for you. And in the meantime, I'll keep my feelings to myself."

"What feelings?" The most irritating voice on the planet asked.

My eyes drifted up to see Daisy Miller, a Fifth Year Slytherin, stood in front of our desk. Daisy was a short stocky girl with short sandy blonde hair.

The Slytherins shared Transfiguration with us, and Daisy was the most irritating among them. Ever since I embarrassed her by performing the Disarming Charm on her in Second Year, she was hell-bent to make my life terrible.

"Nothing that even concerns you, Miller." Zerena spat.

Daisy rolled her eyes at Zerena and set them on me. "Are you ready to get creamed by Gryffindor in the next Quidditch match?"

"I thought you wanted Gryffindor to lose?" Zerena questioned.

"I'm not talking to you, Lyon!" She said irritably. "I mean, after the Bludger accident against us, I didn't even think they'd let you play." She shrugged her shoulders. "I mean if they have to play you as a Chaser in the next match, I guess you guys really don't have a chance against Gryffindor."

"And who hit that Bludger, Daisy? Who knew that Sydney is the best Chaser Hogwarts has seen, that someone deliberately tried to knock her unconscious?" Zerena defended.

I should elaborate on the "tried" part. Daisy succeeded in knocking me off my broom and setting me unconscious. I laid in the hospital wing for a week, which really sucked because that meant I was out of work for a week.

"Class to your seats!" McGonagall said as she entered the classroom.

Daisy left our table to go find her own, where she sat with her fellow Slytherin Charles Braxton two tables ahead of us. Charles was a tall and slim figure, who was more limbs than he was body mass. He had a crooked nose and greasy black hair. And to Zerena's dismay, had the absolute biggest crush on her; one might even say bigger than her crush on Oliver.

"So today we are starting Vanishing Spells. These are easier than Conjuring Spells, which you would not usually attempt until N.E.W.T. level, but they are still among the most difficult magic you will be tested on in your O.W.L." McGonagall started. "Please open your books to Chapter Fifteen."

The entire class flipped open their books. I squealed on the inside. Transfiguration is my favorite subject, in fact, my Post-Hogwarts plans include being an author for Transfiguration Today. I've already read this book several times and was really looking forward to learning Vanishment.

"Now who can tell me what Vanishment is?"

My hand was the only one in the air. She surveyed the classroom in hopes of other hands, but none raised. She then nodded at me.

"Vanishment is one of the four Transfiguration branches."

"And what are the other three, Miss O'Connor?"

"Transformation," I ticked one of my fingers, "Untransformation," I ticked another finger, "and as you stated earlier Conjuration." I ticked my third and final finger.

"Correct. Five Points to Ravenclaw!" She rewarded. "So, again Miss O'Connor what is Vanishment?"

"Vanishment is the magical art of vanishing objects meaning, causing objects to cease to exist."

"Excellent, another Five Points to Ravenclaw!"

Daisy turned around and glared at me. McGonagall then walked over to the blackboard and wrote the word Evanesco.

"Evenesco is the incantation for the basic Vanishing spell. There is a specific wand movement, which requires a quick flick of your wrist in a circular motion, and then your wand steadily pointed at the object you wish to vanish." She demonstrated the wand movement. "I want you and your desk partner to practice both the wand movement and incantation on the cauldrons in front of you."

With a flick of her wand, two cauldrons appeared on each desk. Eager to start I picked up my wand. I watched as Zerena practiced the wand movement and mutter the incantation, but just like the rest of the class, the cauldron didn't vanish.

"What am I doing wrong?" She asked.

"You're not moving your wrist in a complete circle nor is your wand near steady enough," I told her.

She rolled her eyes at me. "And how do you possibly know that?"

"'Cause I already read the chapter like three times, watch," I told her.

I flicked my wrist in a full circle, mumbled Evanesco at the same time my wand became steady. And the cauldron vanished.

-*-

With everyone quickly rushing out of the classroom after dismissal I quietly began packing up my things. Zerena had gotten up as quickly as the other students in hopes to avoid being stopped by Charles in the passing period. Just as I was about to get up Clare Braxton, one of my fellow Ravenclaws, had slid into Zerena's seat next to me.

"Hey, O'Connor." She said. "Rebecca and I were wondering what the status on the Weasley boys are?"

I sighed. I always got asked about the twins, however more often than not over the last year, it was girls coming up to me, asking if they were single or if they liked anyone. I do have to admit it was a nice change of pace of random people asking me if I was dating one of them. Over the course of the summer, the boys really sprouted in height, and they let their hair grow out from their normal cuts(my suggestion), and they have been attracting a lot of female attention. Apparently, I was the most approachable one because I had all the girls from our year come up and ask me about them. It was actually a relief that Zerena was so obsessed with Oliver that I don't think our friendship would survive if she was obsessed over the twins like everyone else.

"I uh-"

"Like are they in a relationship with anyone?" She asked with a little too much attitude apparently annoyed that I didn't quite get her earlier reference.

"Not that I'm aware of," I said while picking up my things in hopes to hurry this conversation along.

"Are they crushing on anyone?"

I sighed. "I don't know, more than likely."

She squealed giddily in excitement. Apparently, she must've thought I meant her, I opened my mouth to say that, the odds it was her a girl they've never even had talked to nor knew that she existed was very slim, but instead of getting her hopes up I shut my mouth.

When we walked out of the classroom I felt my eyes searching for the twins. They normally meet me after every class to walk to our next class together. We deemed it as our "catch-up time" since being sorted into different houses. We tried to spend as much time together as possible, but with me working at The Three Broomsticks on the weekends I don't have Quidditch practice and studying for the O.W.Ls, it seemed like recently this was the only time we ever get to see each other, save Potions class.

My eyes finally came across a tall red-headed figure leaning against the wall.

"Which one is that?" Clare asked.

I jumped at the sound of her voice apparently she decided to walk out of the class with me, waiting for this opportunity.

"Uh, George," I told her.

"How can you tell?" She asked.

Obviously, since they were identical, nobody could tell them apart. Except for me, I have always been able to tell them apart since we were kids. To this day I have no idea how I could, but I knew.

"Hi, George." She gave a flirty smile as we approached him.

His head snapped towards her voice. "Uh, hi?"

"Would you like to walk with me to Potions?" She asked.

Potions was our next class and the only class we shared with Gryffindor. His eyes met mine as if asking for help. I shrugged my shoulders at him.

"I uh-have to head to the Gryffindor dorms I just had to talk to Sydney before class, but maybe next time?"

Clare ran a finger over his arm and smiled at him, "I'll hold you up on that."

"Who the hell was that?" George asked as soon as she was out of eyesight.

"Clare Braxton, she sits like three rows behind us in Potions." I began looking around for Fred but couldn't see him. "Where's Fred?"

George pushed himself off the wall and proceeded to take my books from me, against my protesting per usual.

"With Angelina, talking," He air quoted the next part, "'Quidditch strategies.'"

"Oh, so you mean flirting the entire time and ignoring the fact that they like each other."

I do have to give props to Johnson she was getting quite good at differentiating between the twins the more time she spends with Fred. I actually really liked them together and was very vocal about it, but Fred insisted he didn't want to "settle down" that there was plenty of fish in the sea, but still proceeded to spend the most time he could with Angelina.

He nodded. "So like did you want to explain what just happened with Clare and what I signed myself up for?"

"Your inability to say no?" I laughed. "She had come up to me after class and was asking about yours and Fred's relationship statuses and I said you guys were single."

We started walking towards Potions.

"And then she asked if you were crushing on anyone and I said not that I'm aware of, so apparently she thought it was her." I held my hands up in defense. "I didn't feel like breaking her heart."

"Oh, so you're gonna let me do it? Thanks, I appreciate you so much." He said sarcastically.

"Listen, it's not my fault you and Fred decided to get hot, now I got all the girls in the school coming up and asking me about you two. If it were up to me I'd smack the both of you with an ugly stick."

I saw him tense up as soon as I mentioned that I found him to be attractive. I always vocalized to the twins who I found attractive and they normally laughed at me but now when I mention that they are attractive George normally tenses up and Fred flirts.

"Again did I mention how much I appreciate you?"

I rolled my eyes at his comment, "I know you think you mean it sarcastically, but let's get real here Weasley, I'm the best thing that has ever happened to you."

I playfully nudged his arm with mine and I could see a small smile appear on his face.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night." He chuckled.

Things were easy like this with George. It was like our brains were on the same frequency. I could always read George easier than I could Fred, and he could always read me easier than Fred could. I would never put a preference on the twins and would consider them both to be my very best friends, but it was just my friendship with George was different-closer I guess. Fred being Fred had never mentioned if it bothered him if it even did.

"How's your arm?" George asked.

My hand subconsciously went to my once injured arm.

"Never better." I gave him a slight smile.

George looked at me in the eyes and asked again. "How are you doing?"

At this point the staircase we were on decided to move as if symbolizing that I couldn't run away from this conversation.

"Madam Pomfrey had cleared me right before Christmas Break," I told him.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

I shrugged. "I didn't think it mattered." I saw him open his mouth to rebuttal. "I didn't think Isaac would play me. I thought Holmes did a good enough job replacing me as we won our last match."

"He's playing you?" George asked venomously.

I nodded. "He said I should be good, that he'd be a fool not to play me in such an important game like this." I nervously laughed. "I'm not even that good, you guys have Harry, it's not like I can score one hundred and fifty points by myself."

George rolled his eyes, "You mean like Second-Year?"

"Yeah, like that."

I had never taken a blow as I had in our match against Slytherin. I mean I wasn't afraid of heights, I played Quidditch, but taking a Bludger so hard that it breaks your arm and sends you falling off your broom nine meters high in the sky was enough to make anyone scared of heights or Bludgers.

"I mean I, of course, think you should sit the rest of the year out." He said for the ten billionth time whenever this topic had been brought up since the accident.

George had sat at my bedside the entire time I was in the Hospital Wing, and when Isaac would come in and visit just to check on my status for the next Quidditch match, would turn into a heated argument that Madam Pomfrey would have to threaten to kick them both out to stop the argument for that day.

"Unfortunately, I have to agree with you."

He raised his eyes at me. "You do?"

This entire debate of should I play vs I shouldn't play, I was on the I should play side every single time. That was until my first practice I returned since Pomfrey cleared me. Getting on the broom was easy, I did a couple of warm-up laps as I normally do but once those Bludgers came out, I froze. Well, I did more than freeze I had an absolute complete mental breakdown that I walked off the pitch. I of course got my ass chewed out on ditching practice, but I blamed it on that my cat back at home died, I didn't have a cat but I didn't want to show weakness. Especially since I was deemed "The greatest Chaser Hogwarts has ever seen".

The staircase finally moved back into our path to the dungeons. I proceed to quickly walk down it to hopefully avoid any more questions. However, to my dismay, he caught up.

"Are you going to explain to me why you finally agree with me?" He asked.

"Nope."

I tried to pick up my pace in hopes of getting to Potions might end this conversation. But he grabbed the crook of my arm and pulled me aside to the empty corridor.

"Sydney, please tell me." Our eyes connected and I could feel like I was about to explode, that I couldn't keep this from him, like most things. I was basically an open book when it came to George.

"I-uh," I started. I gulped this was harder to admit than I thought it would. I admit I never thought about playing Quidditch professionally, as I always had my career path in mind, but there was talk going around the Wizarding World that plenty of teams were looking at me for an addition, but no one could approach me about it until next year, I still wanted to keep it an option as I do love playing Quidditch and I'm quite good at it. What use was a Chaser who was terrified of Bludgers?

I felt my body begin to shake as I said, "I'm terrified of Bludgers."

George took his fingers and was lightly tracing the scar on my arm, but didn't say anything.

"Pathetic, right?" I asked somewhat hysterically. "The Great Sydney O'Connor, Hogwarts Greatest Chaser, terrified of Bludgers."

I turned away from him to face the wall like shame was written all over my face. I ran a hand through my hair as I felt tears stinging my eyes. Saying it out loud I could hear how ridiculous I was sounding. I had greater things to worry about than what people would say if they found this out.

"Hey," George started. He turned me around and I crashed into his chest. Burying my face so deep that he may have felt the tears that I wasn't too sure were coming out or not.

"Don't tell anyone," I muttered. "Not even Fred."

I felt him nod and his hand was petting my hair, as it normally did when we were in a position like this, it calmed me down.

"How long have you felt like this?" He asked.

"My first practice back, but I thought I could avoid it this year, but apparently not."

He pushed me from his chest, so our eyes met. "If you insist you're going to play." He pushed the hair out of my face. "I'll help you get over this fear of yours."

"Really?" I asked.

I hugged him and I felt his hands enclose my back pushing me closer to him.

"I'd do anything for you." He muttered.