Something About Harry: The Lilia Watt Files

Chapter Four

"Lilia, where were you?"

"Er...nowhere, Ariana." I yawned and rubbed my eyes as I came down into the common room. It was Sunday.

"I waited for you, and you never came back."

"I...well, I had a lot of studying."

She didn't look convinced, but answered, "Sure, okay."

I looked around and noticed Ginny sitting on a couch across the room, talking to a fifth year and a few third years. I had made up my mind to apologise in my incessant mental rambling the night before, because I felt suddenly as if I was doing exactly what she accused me of. It had been a two weeks since the incident.

Just then, the Three Musketeers came in through the portrait hole. (Great timing, Potter.) Harry opened his mouth as if to say something to me, but I coughed and gestured discreetly toward Ginny. He nodded and Ron immediately began whispering in his ear.

I approached Ginny cautiously, and to my surprise, she stood up.

"I need to talk to you," we said at the same time.

"You first," we said in unison.

"Together?" I suggested.

She smiled. "Okay."

"I'm sorry!" we said together.

"I had hoped we could start all over," she said quietly.

"Of course."

"Sit down," she said, motioning at the couch, and so I did.

"We were just discussing the prospect of this year's Yule Ball," put in the fifth year.

"We're having another one?" This was news to me.

"We don't know yet," spoke up a third year. "But it's tentative, and would be in a month and a half. On Christmas day."

"A month and a half? We need to get planning!" I said excitedly.

Ginny grinned. "That's the Lilia I know."

Meanwhile, Harry and I talked a lot over that next month. He would send a glance my way in the halls, or flash that beautiful smile again. I tried to act as if nothing were happening, but I was starting to feel something whenever I was around him...

I yawned loudly as I sat down to breakfast on the morning of the first Quidditch match of the year. I had always enjoyed the excitement of watching, because I knew I'd never play.

Word was out that Ron Weasley was the new Keeper. Ginny had opted to sit next to her brother, as he looked a little green. I sat across from them, eating my oatmeal as I listened to Ginny comforting him.

"Don't worry, Ron, you'll do fine! You're a Weasley; everyone knows you can play Quidditch."

"It's a Shooting Star, for Pete's sake, Ginny! I'll fall flat on my face!"

"Calm down. And have some breakfast."

"I'm not hungry," said Ron firmly, pushing his plate away.

"It's just Quidditch," said Harry from Ron's other side, helping himself to some cereal. "You've played it loads of times."

"Ungh," Ron groaned, burying his face in his hands.

Ron didn't speak again as he, Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Ariana, and I departed for the field. I mumbled, "Good luck," to Harry out of the corner of my mouth as he and Ron went to the locker room.

The rest of us headed to the stands, but Harry pulled me aside absently and handed me his wand. "Oh, almost forgot, hold this, will you?" he said, then dashed off.

"Strange boy," I muttered, and followed the others. It had never occurred to me that one could lose a wand while in the air like that.

"Welcome to the first Quidditch match of the season: Gryffindor versus Slytherin!" Lee Jordan's voice rang out. I sat down next to Ginny, hugging my robes and Gryffindor scarf closely as the wind began to blow. The players shot around the field, letting off pre-game steam. Hagrid, behind us, was looking through enormous binoculars.

"Blimey, Gin, yer brother looks...sick!"

Ginny sighed, disgusted. "Let me have a look," she said, taking the binoculars from Hagrid. "Ugh...he doesn't look sick," she said as the speck that was Ron landed, "he is sick." She jerked the binoculars away from her eyes and handed them back to Hagrid. Ron took flight again, and the whistle was blown.

"And they're off! Gryffindor's new Keeper's first game, he looks a little pale...don't worry! Katie Bell in possession of the Quaffle...ooh, narrow miss from a Bludger..."

And that was about all I heard of the game because at that moment, something began wildly jumping around in my pocket. I stood up quickly, and reached into my pocket, pulling out my wand (which was making noises like a squirrel). As soon as I held it, it stopped. I pulled the other mad wand, Harry's, out of my pocket, hoping to make it act normal - but I made it worse.

Bewildered, I backed into my chair as both wands went completely ballistic. One shot me in the eye, and people around me began to back away, confused. Then there was a complete uproar in the Gryffindor stands, as both wands hopped chaotically around and sparked, unfortunately only in my vicinity. Then one bounced off of Hagrid and hit me with the force of a full-speed golf ball, and I suddenly found myself sprawled on the floor under the seats.

"Ow, my eye," I said blinking, and saw Hagrid's huge, hairy face over me.

"That ain't all that's happened to yeh," he said, and people around me began to laugh.

"I'd better take yeh to the hospital wing," he told me, lifting me up. I heard roars of laughter around me, and cheering from the other people who were completely immersed in the game. I lifted my hand to rub my eye.........

My hand was huge! I stopped abruptly in my tracks and said, "Er, Hagrid? What happened?"

He grinned. "Seems yeh've been turned into a miniature version of me. But never worry, Madam Pomfrey can mend it," he said, far too matter-of-factly, then held up the wands, far apart. "Which one's yours?"

I took it. "T'other one's Harry's," I said absently as he pocketed it.

Oh, how mortifying!

It was all Madam Pomfrey could do to keep from exploding with laughter.

"Mmf...okay dear, it may take a few days for you to be back to...n-n-normal." She drew the curtains around the bed, and went into the other room, where I could hear her laughing. My face itched horribly on account of all the hair, and I was miserable. But it didn't end there.

"Lilia, Lilia, are you okay? Everyone said you'd gone to the hospital wing." I saw Harry's outline through the screens, still in his Quidditch robes.

"I'm here," I said. "I'm not hurt, at least, but..." I examined my enormous hairy arms.

"Come on, it can't be that bad," he said, reaching for the curtain.

"Harry, please, honestly..."

"Girls are far too melodramatic," he said, and pulled open the screens, then jumped back in surprise.

"I'm Hagrid!" I exclaimed, throwing my large arms in the air in exasperation.

He coughed to disguise his laughter.

"Shut up, Harry, this is your fault," I snapped, folding Hagrid's arms. "Stupid wand went haywire..."

His eyebrows rose. "Oh...I gave you the wand? I usually give that to Hermione...must not have been paying attention..." He looked at me and coughed again. "S-sorry, Lilia. I'll...I'll just go now, shall I?" He turned and headed for the door. "Oh, and we won the game," he shrugged, and left.