Of Dragons and Broomsticks

[Brooke Edwards]

Brooke wandered out of the castle at a fast pace. She was walking and reading at the same time. She had her book bag with her full of her favourite beasty books. She missed all of Bryan's pets so much. Her favourite was Bryan's Pheonix, Lilac. She was a beautiful bird.

The book that Brooke was reading was one about Dragons. It was called,

Majestic Dragons
By Charlie Weasley

Brooke loved reading it. It told her all about Hungarian Horntails and Swedish Short Snouts. The first entry was:

The Norwegian Ridgeback lives in the mountains quite pleasurably. It spends it's time usually hunting larger animals. It has black scales and bronze horns, and it's main characteristic is the ridges on it's back. The Norwedgian Ridgeback....

The book trailed on. Brooke didn't even watch where she was going, when she tripped, dropping her book in front of her. She had scraped her knee, so she stood up rather slowly. Then she saw it. The Quidditch Pitch.

Brooke was a muggle born and her uncle never took her to any Quidditch matches before, so seeing the pitch was a big deal for Brooke. She was so amazingly intrigued by Quidditch. She had really wanted a broomstick, but her uncle just didn't have the money.

Brooke hurried to pick up her books. Then she ran towards the Quidditch Pitch. As she ran out into the center of the pitch she sensed how large it really was and how it must feel when the whole school came out to watch a match. It was amazing.

She spun herself around, smiling up at the sky, her hair changing colours from blue, to black, to red, to purple. How she wished she had a broom so she could fly around the pitch.

[Laelia Lule]

Laelia had been wandering around the Quidditch pitch for some time now. She had roamed the seats, the changing rooms, and had finally descended onto the pitch.

She pouted, disappointed. Mother had changed her mind and decided to keep her broom back.

She caught sight of another witch on the pitch. A very familiar looking one whose hair was now shifting colours. Ah, yes, the metamorphmagus Miss Brooke Edwards.

She walked quietly towards the spinning, rainbow headed girl, and greeted her, "Miss Edwards, we meet again."

[Brooke Edwards]

Brooke had a great light headed feeling as she saw Laelia come towards her. She smiled waving and ran up to greet her. Brooke's hair finally stopped at being completely white. She was so incredibly happy.

"HI!" She said, at the top of her lungs. "Long time no see! Looks like I ended up in Hufflepuff. I definately saw that coming." She smiled again and simply looked at Laelia.

"What brings you to the Quidditch pitch?" Brooke asked, suddenly curious. "Do you play? Are you good?" she asked hopefully, wanting to know more about Quidditch.

OOC: I'm thinking that this is a while after we meet at Leaky Cauldron. That's why I say "long time no see"

[Laelia Lule]

Apparently, all that twirling did and could scramble one's head, as Brooke's loud greeting made its way to her. Partly amused, "So excited to see me? Well, I'm honored by your enthusiasm."

Well, it was no surprise her fellow witch landed up in Hufflepuff thought Laelia. Though from the way she clung to her books, I expected Ravenclaw

Smiling, she said, "I landed in Slytherin."

At her question, she said, "Just the exploring the school grounds."

She snorted, "Every self respecting witch and wizard knows the basics of Quidditch. While I just like to fly, I prefer playing Keeper. Would you like me to explain it to you?"

[Brooke Edwards]

Brooke looked at Laelia when she said Slytherin. She thought about it and guessed that that made sense. She turned her hair green, just to make it fitting. She wasn't sure why she was in such a giddy mood. She was happy to be in the Quidditch pitch.

"Well," Brooke said, in response to Laelia's comment about Quidditch. "I did read a book about it, so I know the rules. My uncle doesn't talk about it much, but he's afraid of heights. I just wished that he owned a better broom for me to practice on." She really just wanted to fly. "I think I would make a good Seeker...No, never mind. I'd rather be a Chaser." Brooke was smiled as the words spilled out of her mouth like a fountain. She hadn't realized having friends could be so easy.

"Are you going to try for the Slytherin team?" Brooke wanted to try for Hufflepuff, but she didn't have enough experience.

[Laelia Lule]

The other witch's hair was now Slytherin green. Laelia teased her, "Join us Slytherins, instead Miss Edwards."

She contemplated Brooke's build as she spoke, "From your build, I suspect being a Chaser would help." She scrunched up her nose, "Though you might need a better broom and some more experience."

She shrugged her shoulders, "Once I get my broom from home, I suppose I will have to try."

[Brooke Edwards]

Brooke laughed at the "Slytherin" comment. She found it kind of funny, but then she quickly changed her hair blue, instead. Brooke was very fasinated by Quidditch and Laelia's comment about her being good for a Chaser, made her crazy with joy. She wasn't so sure why she was acting so bouncy. She probably was just so happy to have a friend.

"You don't have to call me Miss Edwards, you know," Brooke commented. "Just Brooke." Then Brooke laughed a little, thinking about her comment. Just Brooke...that explains me in a nutshell, she thought.

"What position do you want to go for?" She asked, changing the subject back to Quidditch.

[Laelia Lule]

Despite Miss Edwards' sunny disposition and boundless enthusiasm, Laelia grudgingly unbent towards the blue headed girl. She wasn't too bad. Plus, it wouldn't hurt to have friends in other houses. Hopefully, there was nothing on fraternizing with students outside their own houses, was there?

When Miss Edwards- no wait, Brooke- allowed her leave to call her by her first name, Laelia replied in kind with an immediate response drilled from birth by her mother, "How kind of you. I will insist on being called Laelia as well then. La-li-ya is how it goes. Don't worry about mispronouncing it a few times, practice will make it perfect."

Now directed towards Quidditch, she replied to her question, "Keeper. I prefer it that way as well. I play on my own too much to team up with other chasers and beaters."

[Brooke Edwards]

La-li-ya, La-li-ya, Laelia, Brooke repeated this many times in her head. She knew she would try to get it right. She smiled, hearing her speak of being a keeper. It just made Brooke wish that she had a broom to try out with, although she probably wouldn't get in.

"I just wish my uncle had enough money to buy me a new broom. The one he has is as old as Harry Potter is now," Brooke laughed at her joke. She wasn't fully sure of all the things Harry Potter had done, being a muggle-born, but she knew he was famous for defeating He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

"I don't know if you'd like my uncle, Laelia," She had pronouced it La-Lay-a. She almost hit herself in the head, but she continued talking. "He's a little eccentric and isn't very good at keeping his thoughts straight...kind of like me."

[Laelia Lule]

Laelia frowned, scrunching her eyebrows. "This school has a flying class, so it might have brooms somewhere to practice on." She didn't even think that she could be wrong. Confidently, she assured Brooke, "I'm sure if we ask a professor, they'll be able to tell us where they are."

She snorted at the mention of the Chosen One. The whole wizarding world bowed down to him but Laelia would not figure among the grateful ones even if he did defeat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

Quirking a lone eyebrow, she said, "Eccentric wizards are the norm not the exception. Just look at Albus Dumbledore." Her mouth made a moue of distaste, "Of course, that does not mean everyone can understand them."

[Brooke Edwards]

Brooke wasn't sure about Laelia's reaction to her mentioning Harry Potter. She simply shrugged it off though.

"So, what are you interested in?" She asked. "We've only really talked about wands and Quidditch. " she paused to think. "And about my uncle too, I guess. Pardon if I mention him a lot. I live with him out in the country. He's all I know about the wizarding world, really." She wasn't sure if she wanted to tell Laelia about her muggle parents. Apparently with some wizards that was a touchy subject...muggle-borns, that is.

"Sorry, I continue to not let you talk," She said, some of her former hyperness draining from her. She started feeling self conscious again.

[Laelia Lule]

Brooke did mention him many times. It was becoming a little irritating. On the other hand, she did not mention her parents. Perhaps, they were dead. In the aftermath of You-Know-Who many wizards and witches died.

If that was the case, she would not ask about them. It never occurred to Laelia that the girl she was chatting with was a muggleborn. After all, she had some decent knowledge about the wizarding world, and mentioned her uncle the wizard. If Brooke did lack the knowledge a child growing up in the magical world would have, she put it down to the lack of galleons.

Laelia waved her apology away. She could not have learned quite a bit about her companion if had not chattered on. "We mentioned wands, quidditch, and have yet to discuss the music. I prefer wizarding classics, like the Weird Sisters."

[Brooke Edwards]

"Music?" Brooke asked, not knowing really anything about wizard music. "Oh, well, my dad used to like The Beatles, but I've never heard of the Weird Sisters." She felt very awkward talking about it. Even her Uncle Bryan listened to muggle music, he grew up listening to Classical muggle music. He loved one famous muggle composer in particular, Mozart.

"My uncle...oh, sorry. I mentioned him again," She apologized. Her hair then changed to be short and spikey and she made her eyes orange. "He likes muggle music. Especially Mozart." Brooke admitted after a long pause. She wondered if she should tell Laelia the truth.

"Mozart's a famous old muggle composer. Uncle Bryan finds his music nice and uses it to calm some of his animals." Brooke smiled awkwardly and silently vowed not to bring up Uncle Bryan again.

[Laelia Lule]

This was the first time Laelia had heard of a band named after insects.Was it a new Wizarding band? She stared at Brooke, when the she said she was not familiar with the Weird Sisters. She flipped her hair, "They are an old band. Famous for the many hits including my favorite, Do the Hippogriff."

She scrunched her nose up. "Muggle music? That is all well and good- despite the deplorable lack of magic. I suppose your uncle finds it dead useful."

With a shake of her shoulders and a regal gesture of her hand, she dismissed the subject. Gah, muggle music! She glanced at Brooke, "I suppose your favorite subject is Care of Magical Creatures. I prefer Mythology to relax. I signed up for it. Egyptian mythology is amazing."

[Brooke Edwards]

Seeing how quickly Laelia brushed off the subject of muggle music made Brooke happy that she hadn't told her about her muggle parents. She sighed, smiling with relief.

"Well, Care of Magical Creatures isn't my favourite, although I do enjoy it." Brooke said simply. "My favourite class I think with be Charms. I won't really know until I start classes though. I don't know much about wizard school. Uncle Bryan kind of schooled me from home and I have a few left over mug-" Brooke was about to say muggle books, from her old school, but she stopped. She didn't want Laelia to know she was muggle-born. "Books." She finished simply, hoping Laelia didn't notice her little blip.

"So you like Mythology," Brooke changed the subject quickly. "I guess it's pretty interesting. If you have any books on it, I wouldn't mind borrowing one. It would be a nice read." Brooke was covering very quickly. She hoped Laelia wouldn't notice.