❝Chapter 6 - Sneaking Out Late❞

Instructions

°•Chapter 6 - Sneaking Out Late•° “Breaking at least five school rules starts… now!” Skye teased as the dashed silently through the school to the Quidditch field at 3:07 in the morning. "Why do I sense that this a genius but also terrible idea?" Veronika laughed. "Because it is!" Skye grinned. Then she motioned for Veronika to stop. She did it so suddenly that Veronika almost plowed into her. Skye dove behind a nearby pillar and Veronika immediately did the same. It was just in time, too, because they caught sight of Filch, the caretaker, and Mrs. Norris, his cat, skulking down the hallway. Veronika almost didn't want to breathe out of fear that they would hear them. She accidentally brought her foot down on Skye's toe. "Ow!" Skye whispered, then slapped a hand over her mouth. To their immense relief, Filch just waved his lantern around suspiciously, and kept going. As soon as he and Mrs. Norris disappeared around the corner, Veronika and Skye emerged from their hiding place and chose another route through the castle to the stadium. After several more tight spots and a few missed turns, they finally found their way out of Hogwarts. The Quidditch Stadium was just down the hill, and if Xavier and Nic had better luck than the girls (which they probably did), they'd be there already. By the time Veronika and Skye reached the stadium, their sides were aching and they were in no mood to go any further. Skye lay down on the grass, panting, and Veronika sat slumped against a nearby tree, letting her tired muscles rest. Xavier raised his eyebrows amusedly. Clearly the two of them needed to be running around more. As soon as the girls felt their energy returning, which didn't take very long, Nic handed Skye a school broom. He and Xavier would be using school brooms as well just to keep speed and handling fair. "You ready?" Xavier held out a broom for Veronika. "Absolutely." Veronika answered, and she took the broom. "Off we go!" Nic pushed off and soon they were all in the air. Poor Skye nearly fell off her broom. "First, we're going to practice flying in all different directions." Xavier told Skye and Veronika, "I'm not great at teaching, so... we're just going to see how this goes!" "When either of us says a certain direction, go that way. If you mess up, that's okay." Nic added. They circled around the Quidditch field for about an hour. Veronika and Skye caught on surprisingly quick, and soon they were flying without any trouble. Nic and Xavier decided they were ready to move on to something harder, and their next lesson became a game of tag. They laughed and played until the smallest sliver of sunlight peeked over the horizon. They touched down outside of the Stadium and began the trek back to the castle. About halfway there, they heard someone behind them say, "What are ye doing out 'ere so early?" The four friends whirled around and saw Hagrid. The games-keeper smiled at them, "Well if it isn't me favorite Ravenclaw and Slytherins!" Veronika got a little confused at the word favorite. "Can you keep a secret?" Nic asked with a grin forming on his face. "Sure I can!" Hagrid claimed, sounding a little offended. "We were training." Veronika explained, "For the Games at the end of the semester." "We're hoping to get on the Quidditch team." Skye added, "Please don't tell anyone!" "All right, don't ye worry. I won't say a thing." Hagrid patted Skye on the shoulder, "Y'all just got to promise me ye won't be goin' into the Forbidden Forest." "Why?" Xavier asked curiously. "Somethin' be festerin' in there. Somethin' I'm sure Dumbledore wouldn't want any of you runnin' off to explore." "Okay, Hagrid." Veronika agreed to his terms. But now that Hagrid had warned against venturing into the Forbidden Forest, she wanted to go more than ever. She wanted to find out what it was Hagrid had talked about. On their way back to Hogwarts, Veronika brought it up with Skye, whom she knew would understand. "I felt it too!" Skye exclaimed. "But, we'd be breaking even more rules and our promise to Hagrid if we went into the Forest." "I know." Veronika sighed. She itched to find out what secrets Hogwarts and its grounds held, but right now, she would have to let it rest.