Sugar Quills and Squabbles

CHAPTER SIX

Sugar Quills and Squabbles

"It isn't difficult," Madam Hooch promised us, "but there are a few tricks to remember. The most important one is to keep the rhythm." She placed a large metronome on the nearest table, and set it ticking at a loud four-beat. "Can you hear it saying 'fizz-ing whizz-bee, fizz-ing whizz-bee'? It can be at any speed – " a flick of the dial, and the beat was racing – "but if it says 'fizzing whizzbee' you have a four-beat. Now listen to a three." She waved her wand at the metronome, and the ticking altered. "'Sug-ar quill, sug-ar quill.' Again, any speed – " she demonstrated – "but, always, it says 'sugar quill'. Now, to practise the steps..."

After ten minutes of just stepping to the beats at different speeds, we spent another ten minutes using the correct foot in the correct direction. While the idea wasn't difficult, it certainly required practice, so I had my full concentration on my feet. It wasn't until Madam Hooch said, "Well, I think most of you have picked that up. Let's practise the ballroom hold now," that I realised something.

I scanned the hall while Madam Hooch instructed, "Find a partner! It doesn't matter if there aren't enough boys – practising with another girl is fine for now. Don't be fussy, just take the nearest person."

Finally I grabbed Morag while Madam Hooch admonished me, "Gently, dear! You're dancing with her, not throwing her on the tip!"

After we had arranged our arms in the correct hold and were settled to a slow four-step, I asked: "Morag, where is Padma?"

"Fizz-ing whizz-bee... She's with her sister, Michael."

"Doing what?"

"I did not ask too many questions, but Parvati's seeming to be very very upset about something. They were both crying when I left to come here."

"Both? What's with Padma?"

"She's maybe only weeping in sympathy, but Parvati's in dire distress. I inferred it was something about a boyfriend. I was not liking to ask, I do not really know Parvati."

Padma had never mentioned that Parvati had a boyfriend, but I supposed there might be a new one lurking around. As Madam Hooch called, "We'll try it to triple time now! Switch to 'sug-ar quill'!" I wondered whether there really was a boyfriend in the picture, or whether Parvati Patil had simply become the latest Zabini victim.

I soon found out.

Madam Hooch stopped the metronome at four o'clock, assuring us that we had all done extremely well, and Terry, Morag and I headed back to the Ravenclaw tower. Roger Davies was holding court on the table nearest the door.

"I'm telling you, the Tornados will make a come-back. It can't happen later than June next year."

"Roger, have you ever been to Tutshill?" protested Eddie Carmichael.

"That's exactly the problem, if you ask me," said Roger. "Past Tornados managers have had too much sympathy for the ambitious local fan, and haven't taken the trouble to scout for real talent. It's not that I like the Tornados or anything. I'm just telling you as a fact, now that Hedonius has taken over the management, he'll be ruthless about whom he allows on the team, and the Tornados won't be able to lose..."

"The Canons haven't succeeded in their promised come-back for decades," Harold Dingle pointed out.

"Yes, but what's their strategy?" said Roger impatiently. "Nothing but work harder, try again, repeat the same old mistakes. The Tornados will actually have a new strategy to match their new line-up on the team..."

Morag took a seat near a straggly-haired third-year named Luna Lovegood. "Nice earrings," she said.

I was surprised, for Morag did not joke much. The earrings were supposed to be large blue sunflowers, but they were so awkwardly proportioned that Luna looked as if she had toadstools growing out of her ears. They also drew attention to the wand that she had tucked behind her right ear. Luna told Morag that the earrings had been her great-grandmother's.

"Was your great-grandmother a dear, dear person?"

"Oh, she's still alive," said Luna. "She has a huge collection of jewellery; what she's passed on to me is only about a quarter. She knows a lot of goblins, and they find her bargains with the sapphire mines in Pakistan..."

Terry avoided a sofa where Robert's conversation with Mandy was starting to sound like a Regency romance. He chose the fourth seat at a square table where Kevin was "helping" Lisa and Su with their Transfiguration essays, chiefly by making wisecracks about the usual social relations between weasels and adders. Both girls were laughing dutifully, and Kevin was watching them carefully, as if he had not yet decided which of them he would risk inviting to the ball.

"The answer's on page 58," Terry blundered. Then he winked at me, and I realised he hadn't blundered at all. If only Kevin had bothered to look at the girls, instead of politely pretending to listen to Terry, he would have noticed that Su had her full attention on her text book while Lisa had her full attention on Kevin.

At a far corner of the common room sat a whey-faced Padma. She jumped up as I approached. "Michael, I need to tell you something in private. Can we go somewhere else?"

"Well, if it's about Zabini, there's something I want to tell you."

"Zabini?" But she looked almost guilty at the sound of his name. "Don't be absurd! This is much more important."

I doubted it, but I let her lead me back down the corridor into the empty Charms classroom.

"Parvati's really upset," Padma began.

I hummed non-committally.

"It's about this boy. I promised not to tell anyone who he is, but the point is, she's liked him for ages and ages."

If the boy wasn't Zabini, then I wasn't very interested in his identity, but I supposed it might be Potter. He was famous, and a champion, so probably all the girls liked him.

"Michael, are you listening? Parvati likes this boy, and she always thought he liked her too. He was never an official boyfriend, but he's always treated her like a friend, and never shown any sign of fancying anyone else. So she just naturally assumed they would go to this ball together. But at lunchtime today she found out that he's invited someone else."

"Hmm, that's not good." I waited for the rest of the story.

Padma stared at me. "Well, is that all you have to say?"

I couldn't imagine what else there was to say. "It's very unlucky," I managed. "Parvati must be dreadfully disappointed. It's good that you were there to comfort her." But I could see that I had guessed wrongly.

Padma stamped her foot impatiently. "This is a broken heart we're talking about, Michael! She's been expecting this boy's interest for about eighteen months now. And it isn't just a crush on a random stranger, he's practically her best friend!"

"Yes, that's really bad, as you said. But did I miss something? It's not as if Mr Disappointing has actually done anything wrong. You said he was never an official boyfriend. So presumably he's free to take whomever he likes to the ball." I didn't get it. Did girls think they had the right to reciprocal interest from any boy they fancied?

"And you'll never guess who it is that he apparently likes so much better than my sister." Padma was on the verge of tears. "Eloise Midgen!"

I racked my brains. "Remind us? A Gryffindor?"

"No, a Hufflepuff! A spotty little third-year Hufflepuff! I mean, we could have understood it if Mr Stupid had gone for – for Fleur Delacour, or Cho Chang. But to pass over my sister for such an ugly little thing!"

Since Padma and Parvati are identical, I thought Padma showed rather poor taste to assume her sister's beauty like that – even though it was perfectly true. "Well, looks aren't everything," I pointed out.

"But it doesn't make sense! And now Parvati has no-one."

"There's still nearly two weeks to go," I reminded her reasonably. "And, as you said, Parvati is very attractive. I'm sure she'll find some kind of partner in that time."

Padma glowered at me. "Do you think she wants to go with a boy who only cares about her looks?"

"Talking of boys," I decided it was high time we changed the uncomfortable subject, "I want to warn you girls about Zabini. I overheard – "

"Shut up about Zabini!" she screamed. "I don't care about silly gossip or vile Slytherins! I wanted your help about a problem, but you boys are all the same... You just couldn't care less about girls when you have no use for us!"

Right at that moment, I certainly felt that I didn't care much about Padma. She did not elaborate on how I could help her, so, after a moment of silence, I turned and walked out of the classroom.

Half an hour later, Terry pointed out that it was really pretty obvious what kind of "help" Padma had required. She had wanted me to help her find a Yule Ball partner for Parvati.

But if that was all she wanted, why couldn't she just say so plainly?

On Sunday morning I was in no great hurry to speak to Padma again. Terry and I took broomsticks out to the Quidditch pitch, where several Hufflepuffs were already playing.

"You can play Beater, Michael," said Zacharias Smith, who seemed to be in charge. "And, Terry, we're needing another Chaser over here. This is not a proper match, we're just keeping in practice."

So I Beat all morning. I wasn't used to this position (if I can't be Keeper, I like to Chase), so I was embarrassed to discover that we had an audience. And not just a few students who were hoping to join the game. In a far corner, Zabini was conversing earnestly with a girl from Durmstrang. But in a middle-level bench, watching Zacharias intently, and scowling at a missed goal, sat Viktor Krum himself.

Zacharias was not nervous about approaching celebrities. He swooped down to the stand, and said to Krum's ear: "How would you have done that? Can you show us?"

To my surprise, Krum did not seem to mind being addressed so familiarly. He Summoned a spare broomstick from the Durmstrang ship, soared into the air, and caught the Quaffle that Zacharias tossed to him. He demonstrated a long-range throw with slow arm movements, then wordlessly tossed the Quaffle back to Zacharias, and stared hawklike while Zacharias tried to copy his movement.

When it began to rain, we put away the brooms, and Stephen Cornfoot fell into step beside me. "So," he said, "are you going to this ball?"

"Isn't everyone?" I returned. "Know whom you're taking yet?"

"Maybe. And you?"

"Maybe. Or perhaps I'll just go for the food."

"Are you reckoning," Zacharias interrupted, "that folks who are going only for the food will look like dorks?"

"I don't see why," I said. "Partners aren't compulsory."

"The girls think they are. They're so keen on partners that you'd think they'd make more effort to find them. They could at least let us know who's available and who's already taken."

"Dat is a real problem." Viktor Krum had been following us back to the castle, taking in every word. "A man finds a nice girl, he speaks to her for von minute, and suddenly her admirer is his enemy. Or she has no admirer, but de man finds dat she does not like him."

"But all the girls are wanting to go with you, Krum!" Zacharias protested.

Krum did not reply.

"So, are all the Ravenclaw girls taken, Terry?" Zacharias persisted.

Really unsubtle, I thought. And Zacharias might just walk away from this interview with enough information to make the job easy for himself, for Terry was handing him the facts on a platter.

"No-one had asked Morag by yesterday evening, and I don't think anyone has asked Su. I don't know about Lisa. What about in Hufflepuff?"

"They're all playing impossible to get," said Zacharias. "Not one has admitted to a definite plan. All I can advise you is, do not try for Hannah while Ernie's still living. But something Megan said this morning made me think that she was still up for grabs."

"No, she jolly well is not!" retorted Wayne Hopkins.

"Oh, you asked her, did you?"

"No-o, but... well, do any of you know the goss on the Gryffindor girls?"

"I think Lavender Brown's definitely taken," I said, remembering the way she had stared into Finnigan's eyes during dance practice yesterday. "But Parvati Patil's definitely free."

Krum glanced at me, as if hoping I would say more; but Zacharias turned abruptly away, as if he had heard enough. We had reached the Entrance Hall, and the Hufflepuffs disappeared through the door next to the stairs. Krum had his foot on the first step when Terry took a deep breath and pulled a parchment out of his pocket.

"Krum," he said, "CanIhaveyourautograph?"

Krum signed his name without a word.

"Thanks, that's marvellous. Where are you going now?"

"Library."