An interesting development

As soon as we returned to the dormitory, I disillusioned Laurie and myself.

"I'm sooooo going to kill Luella!!! Laurie, I'm joining you in hexing Luella's broom. She won't know what's come over her."

"You're on. Come on, let's go up to bed. I need a kip."



As soon as I got into my bed, I drew the curtains closed around me and illuminated my wand tip and took out my map.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."



I looked over my map and saw the two dots from the astronomy tower move away from each other. I tapped the Luella spot and saw that she had a bloody nose. I then tapped the Scott McCraig spot and saw that he had a red slap mark all over the right hand side of his face. Then I thought that it may be due to Luella breaking up with Scott. I formulated a plan that when I could, I would approach Scott. I quickly flashed my eyes back over the map and saw Scott approaching the Ravenclaw tower, but around the corner was filch! I whispered into the end of my wand for him to hide. I saw his dot then move behind the tapestry. He was safe, for now.



The next morning, we all went downstairs to breakfast, to find a big golden 3 hanging up over the dais. As we sat down, Prof. McGonagall stood up and said, "I'm sure you have all noticed the big golden number. This is to show that there are only three days to Christmas. As a treat, I would like to tell you that the whole school are allowed to go to Hogsmeade whenever they want to and that unlimited access to the broom shed has been granted to all of you, even first years. Have fun."



Laurie and I wolfed down our breakfast and rushed out to the den. We got a smallish leather ball and borrowed some of the old un-claimed Nimbus 2000s that had been left over the years. We played a great game of beater bludgeroo, a game we invented ourselves. What we did was we bumped the ball between each other using only a beater's bat and then tried to knock each other off of their brooms. Later on, we went to Prof. McGonagall's office to ask her if we could claim the Nimbus 2000s that had been in the broom shed for nigh over 10 years.

"Please professor, these brooms have been in the broom shed for about 10 years so that means that the people that they belonged to have now left the school, as the nimbus 2000 is a really old model since the Nimbus 3000 came out."

"Yes Professor. I looked at Broom Brigade monthly magazine and it said that the old Nimbus 2000 is one of the cheapest Nimbus models currently on the market. As it was first manufactured 14 years ago, those Nimbus 2000s in the broom shed are only worth the amount of a 3rd year's book set for Hogwarts and that's a maximum of 60 galleons and in the condition that the brooms in question are in, you would be lucky to get 47 galleons."

"Well... as you have put forward a very strong argument, I will permit you to take these Nimbus 2000 brooms on the one condition that you don't tell anyone in your year. As you know we can't allow first years to have brooms in school. Thank you very much for coming to see me girls."

"Thank you Professor."

We left prof. McGonagall's office and ran straight to the broom shed. We looked for the two Nimbus Two Thousands that we had been using, but before we found them, Laurie checked her watch and saw that it was 4:20.

"Quick, find Luella's comet 290! We'll do the hex now."

I found the broom and Laurie performed the spell. We heard footsteps so we hid behind the quidditch equipment chests. We saw Luella and my sister Sophie walk in.
Luella rammed Sophie up to the door and started to question her.

"Ok Sophie, are you my friend?"
"Yes Luella."
"Now, since we are friends.... would you do me an itsy-bitsy favour?" Luella asked her in a sickly cutesy voice.
"Of course Luella. Anything for you."
"Ok. Give me all the dirt on Bolt."
"You mean Annie?"
"Yeah. Bolt."
"I dunno what to say... I can't betray my sister."
"I'll give you until boxing day to decide where your loyalties lie."