Extra: Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff

Margaret was laying on the ground in a bustling market, looking over a strange stand where students and a merchant played a strange macabre game, she couldn't move and she couldn't feel anything, two students passed in her field of vision: two Slytherin girls she knew, dressed in Gryffindor robes, she glared at them, they walked towards her, she blinked.
Margaret was laying in a bed at the top of a clock tower on a stormy night, one of the two Slytherin students was looking at her, preparing strange tools.
"Did you read this book about a blonde girl and her dog? They have to solve mysteries while evading monsters." said Margaret, unable to move or feel anything. "It's really interesting because despite the comforting presence of the large dog the story is still scary." she added.
She blinked, she was now running down the stairs of the tower, sprinting towards the finish line in a strange oriental school, she won the race and her classmates cheered, grabbing her and raising her high.

A stinging slap on her head woke her up, her groggy gaze meeting Professor Onai's angry face. "Girl, this is the second time in a row you've slept through my class! Pack your things and get out!" The Divination classroom was buzzing with whispers, everyone was looking at her, chuckling.
Yawning and stretching, she got up her seat and climbed down the ladder, embarrassed, a little sad, but happy she got out of the boring class, unaware of the storm brewing.
Expecting a howler, she sat down and grabbed a bag of candies from her bag, her parents had sent her violettes, a new kind of candy her mother was working on. Savouring the delicacy, she waited, stretching with a satisfied moan and looking around the quiet room. There it was, the Headmaster's, wait, no, it was Professor Fig's Howler.
"I'm very disappointed in you, young lady, please report to the kitchens for your punishment... Await another Howler." Kitchens? Great! Another Howler? For sleeping in class? She was a little worried.

With a spring in her step, she went down to the kitchen, sucking on a tasty candy. Knowing it wasn't dinner yet she was looking forward to cooking for the elves again, they finally got used to her kindness and happily accepted it.
With class being in session, the hallways were completely empty save for a few ghosts and the paintings, she felt at ease, enjoying the beautiful castle's twisting corridors.
Approaching the kitchen, the overpowering smell of pastries hit her like a kick in the chest, she quickly plugged her nose, tickled the pear and entered.
She was greeted by the warm smiles of the many elves working hard on the upcoming meal, she nodded politely, placed her robes on a chair, pulled up her sleeves and approached the Chef.
"Oh Margaret! What a surprise! What are you doing here?" said the elf "I fell asleep in Professor Onai's class." she answered bluntly, looking around the room.
"Well, if you're here for a punishment..." the elf looked around "Another student is already washing dishes, you can help her or you can cook with us, I'm sure the students will be delighted."
"I'll help with the cooking, my mother sent me prototype candies." she said, handing one to the elf "I can add them to the dessert." she added.
"Mmmm...Delicious!" said the Chef, Margaret smiled warmly, grabbing ingredients.

Displaying her impressive cooking skills, Margaret prepared a wide variety of Belgian, Italian and French delicacies for the students, her personal touch was sure to be appreciated.
"Could you bring the dirty dishes to the other student?" asked a nearby elf who was now cleaning the countertops, Margaret nodded, waving her wand and grabbing a large cauldron.
A black-haired Slytherin girl was busy washing dishes, Margaret had seen her face before but couldn't remember where... She carefully placed the dishes and cauldrons on the floor, grabbed a sponge and started helping her fellow student.
The two girls worked diligently, in silence, something both of them appreciated greatly. Sneaking a glance towards the Slytherin girl, trying to see if she needed helped, Margaret spotted a badge on her robes "Ah she's the girl from the badges." She remembered the drama that had the entire school buzzing a while back, she chuckled a little, grabbing more dishes to clean.

Their work done, Margaret washed her hands, sighing in relief, and as she reached for a towel the Slytherin girl's stomach grumbled loudly, much to her embarrassment.
"I'll be cooking for myself and the elves, do you want me to make you something?" said Margaret, drying her hands, not glancing at the girl once.
"Can you make steak and... Frites?" she said, the Gryffindor turned around, a slight grin on her face "Frites? Sure."
The Slytherin girl waited impatiently, along with a few hungry elves as the white haired girl worked her magic, both literally and figuratively.

With a wide wave of her wand, Margaret placed the many plates in front of all her hungry customers, the Slytherin girl's eye shone bright when a large silver plate containing a juicy steak, a fresh salad and a mountain of french fries landed in front of her, joined soon by the condiments.
Though forced to sit down closer to the Slytherin than she had wished, Margaret dined in silence, enjoying a Flemish Stew and her own french fries.
Suddenly, both of them realized something, they were both Belgians. The two girls exchanged a quick glance and a chuckle before wolfing down their meal.
The eating was seldom interrupted by a very short discussion about their home country, their hometown or their dislike of the French and they exchanged a few words in Dutch and in French. The two introverted girls surprised themselves as they enjoyed each other's company.

Suddenly, the Howler she had completely forgotten about made its entrance, booming loudly with Professor Kogawa's voice "Miss Megamelons! In light of your poor marks and appalling behaviour you are now to take part in Quidditch! I have complete confidence in your skills and as such you will be the Keeper for today's match." Margaret felt crushed, and her fellow student's gaze turned into a frown, well aware of the upcoming match. "See me in my office when you're done with your current punition." she added, before the letter shredded itself.
The Slytherin girl stood up quickly, grabbed her things and left the kitchen in a hurry. "Oh my, Miss Tilmann seemed quite angry." said the Chef.
Margaret nodded sadly, excusing herself as she left the room, waving goodbye to the grateful elves.

The office was tidy, filled with Quidditch posters and gear, the sunlight beamed beautiful motifs on the wooden floor, the young girl and her teacher bowed at each other.
Professor Kogawa could barely hide her smile and excitement as she explained the situation: due to her poor marks in certain classes, she had managed to convince the other professors to force Margaret into Quidditch under the pretense of extra credit, a truly devilish plan; The woman was utterly obsessed with pushing her into Quidditch, even though she hated it.
Resigned, Margaret accepted, not wanting to bother with the very complicated situation awaiting her if she fought back.
"Today you will play as a Keeper for the Gryffindor team in a match against Hufflepuff" said the professor, not hiding her smile anymore "What about Hannah?" asked the girl "She won't be playing today." said Kogawa, with a dismissive wave, in her mind's eye she was rubbing her hands devilishly, thinking "All according to plan! (plan means Keikaku)"

Being thrown into a Quidditch match at the last minute meant she had to get ready right way, an extreme feeling of unease filled her as she anticipated the brouhaha, the gazes, the disappointment, the cheer, she couldn't stand any of it.
She worked diligently, donning one of the brand new set of gear she had purchased for the team, she flew around the goals at breakneck speed, spinning, diving, jumping and displaying the almost unnatural ease years of fitness gifted her with. Her balance was impeccable and so was her confidence. She spinned towards the sun rapidly, jumped off, falling perfectly vertical, and mounted back close to the ground, finishing the impressive maneuver with a flip and a powerful landing, kicking grass and dirt everywhere. The onlookers waiting for the match clapped and cheered at this strange new player.
It was almost time for the match, she was called to the locker room but she dismissed her team with a wave, removing her gear instead, to make herself more comfortable for her stretching and yoga.

Despite her absence from the meeting, her teammates were excited to have her, she was well known for her fitness, having scared a few students when they caught her sprinting along the Hogwarts Express while balancing on the edge of the bridge, they knew she was a loner but they were unaware of her...Issues. The locker room was buzzing with excitement as they rallied loudly, roaring like lions.

Margaret was on the pitch, holding poses in silence, eyes closed, enjoying the calm before the storm, the warm sunlight bathed her whole body as she let out a sigh, slowly opening her eyes.
In front of her, in Hufflepuff's stand she spotted someone she knew: the girl from the kitchens.
"Oh dear..." she thought, realizing why she had left in a hurry earlier, as her teammates approached the pitch, signaling her it was time.

Alone in front of the three rings, she waited, eyes closed, enjoying the wind against her face as she waited for the signal.
Haitham's enthusiastic voice boomed, announcing the start of the match and describing the... Graceful dance of the chasers and beaters.
She watched the two teams with focused eyes, keeping track of the Quaffle and Bludgers, the rest was a blur.
She felt like she was in a trance, completely overwhelmed by stress and anxiety she alternated between masterful blocking and a painful auditory overload, which let her opponents score.
She was trembling on her broom, hands shaking from adrenaline and from her overwhelmed senses, she felt like her head was about to explode, she didn't keep scores or time.
Suddenly loud cheers, the dazed girl looked around, feeling nauseous, Matthew had caught the Snitch, they won.
Her teammates were celebrating on the pitch, cheering loudly as she shakily dismounted her broom, holding herself against one of the goals, hurriedly removing her gear: she was suffocating.
Charging towards her, her teammates cheered loudly "You were great, you blocked so many of their shots! You HUMILIATED them!" yelled a boy.
She nodded, breathing heavily, as she sat down, waving them to go. She couldn't remember a thing.
Her excited teammates walked away, singing, as Professor Kogawa rushed over to see if she was fine, wand out.
"I'm fine, Professor, I just need to rest, thank you..." she half whispered, eyes closed as her head rested against the pole.
"Hey Mega! See you at the Hog's Head!" yelled the Captain, she nodded quickly.

The sun was starting to set, the pitch was quieter but cheers and singing could still be heard from afar.
Breathing deeply, she focused , trying to calm herself down, as a few students approached to see if she was alright. Margaret looked around: Haitham threw a thumbs up as he walked by and the Hufflepuff Captain hugged the Kitchen Girl in the stands who was looking sad, she nodded at a few students who waved at her, they most likely didn't even know her.
She pulled herself up, grabbed her gear and stashed it in the locker rooms. She felt guilty about the way she treated her teammates, steeling herself she decided to join them at the Hog's Head.

The place used to be a seedy pub until it was taken over by students, it was now what the Three Broomsticks used to be, even she got involved with the popular tavern, supplying handmade, imported and custom drinks and snacks. It was a very generous deal, a single taste was enough to justify the premium price and the locals were hooked (Unlike the students who shied away from her stock). The proceeds were split 50/50 between the Gryffindor Team and the working bartender.
Entering through the back door, she accessed the storage room, it was much larger than it used to be thanks to extension charms, her desk and notice boards were filled with orders and receipts, the rest of the room was filled with barrels and machines.
A head peeked inside, looking shocked at the surprising sight before asking for drinks "Oh, hey Margaret! Can I get two limoncellos?" asked Liz.
She wasn't supposed to serve drinks, that wasn't part of the deal at all, still, she couldn't let her teammate go without her tasteful celebratory drink.
Chuckling, she pulled out a house-shaped cake she baked beforehand, magically fresh, and she placed the two full glasses on top of it. Bracing herself, she entered the noisy main room, knuckles whitening and gritting her teeth. Cake in hand she nodded at Elizabeth, handing her the pastry while whispering "On the house."
The two of them chuckled and the blonde joined Matthew, smiling, laughing and waving at Margaret.

The room was noisy with the party, Quidditch memorabilia covered the wall, a scoreboard, ... Panties..? The namesake Hoghead's drooling days were long over, its mouth filled with a magical Apple, a gift from Margaret, the barmaids had complained quite a lot about it.
On her way back to her office, Margaret spotted the Hufflepuff Captain and Ms Tilmann, she quickly went back to her office to grab a box from her bag and approached them.
"Good evening." she bowed "Hey! Meg! Well played today!" remarked the Captain "You know me?" asked Margaret, surprised "I do now, what with Haitham screaming MEGAMELONS all match!" she seemed happy but something felt off, like she was hiding her pain, her friend wasn't, and she glared at her "Come on Amelia, you can't be mad at a Keeper..." said the Captain, holding her friend's hand.
"Watchu got, there?" asked the Hufflepuff "...Ah...Cuberdons, I thought your friend could enjoy them, they're from Belgium, and really hard to export." mumbled Margaret, uneasy.
The Slytherin girl's eyes lit up as she hurriedly opened the box "Oh, wow, thank you!" said the brunette, chuckling at the sight of her friend's joy.
"You're welcome..." quickly added Margaret, her speech trailing off slightly "Ava." said the Captain, smiling "This is Amelia." Margaret looked away in shame, she wasn't trying to ask for her name.
Bowing quickly, she left the room in a hurry before they could invite her to sit down, the barmaid was finally back, apologizing to her with a quick bow and smile.

Closing the door behind her, the cacophony finally stopped, she sat down in a comfortable chair with a cup of tea and sighed, expecting orders but enjoying the brief respite.
Long respite, actually, the tavern was packed with students, and aside from one of the barmaid who was hooked on smoothies, none of them ordered her drinks.
The order bell didn't ring once and she dozed off in her chair, utterly exhausted, but smiling : Her team won and she survived the match, better than that, she exceeded expectations and hopefully was responsible for more than one smile today.
Riding the thin line between slumber and consciousness, she half dreamed of Professor Kogawa cheering her and telling her to keep playing.