t w e n t y _ t h r e e

"What in the world?" Maeve came to a sudden stop as a new decree on the wall caught her eye.

Theodore and Pansy gave her a confused glance before walking a few steps ahead. 

"All student organizations are henceforth disbanded any student in noncompliant will be expelled." Pansy murmured out loud as her eyes scanned it. 

"Student organizations?" Theodore snorted, "I doubt there are any student organizations other than the Gobstones Club." 

"I...  I have to go." Maeve's face paled as she took a few steps back before turning around and sprinting down the hallway towards the Gryffindor Tower. 

She saw Ron, Hermione, Dean, Fred and George standing outside, already talking to Elizabeth, Cho, Marietta and Justin. 

Ron glowered as she came near. "It's you isn't it? You told one of those Slytherin scum and they told Umbridge. We're done for." he grit his teeth. 

"Wha- no. And I swear Ron if you call my friends scum once more-" Maeve started angrily but took a deep breath after realizing that yelling wasn't going to take her anywhere. "I was walking past the Great Hall and I saw the decree. I came here to ask what was going on." she stated calmly. 

"You watch your mouth, Weasley." Elizabeth frowned. "Maeve isn't and will never be a snitch." 

"Let's all calm down. All things aside, I think Umbridge is on to us." Hermione said, looking around anxiously. "Okay everybody, we can't just stand here and loiter, it's going to seem more suspicious. We'll just have to be extra careful not to get caught." 

No one disagreed and everyone scattered; Maeve chose to walk with Elizabeth. "Hi." 

"Oh, hey Maeve." the girl grinned. 

"Thanks for backing me up." Maeve offered her a small smile. 

"Well I was just speaking the truth." Elizabeth shrugged. "How have you been? We haven't really talked since..." 

"Since the first day of school, yeah." Maeve scratched the back of her neck. "Thanks for training Cedell by the way, he might have gotten in as a replacement but as someone who has known about Quidditch since she was a toddler and still doesn't know how to sit on a broom properly, I'm impressed you managed to train him so quickly."

"Yeah, well it wasn't all me. That boy can fly." Elizabeth chuckled. "I could teach you, you know?"

"Teach me what?" 

"Flying, of course. Cedell and I still meet up by the lake on the weekends to race around. You could join us this Saturday." the prefect shrugged. 

"That... sounds like a wonderful idea, actually." Maeve's eyes widened with excitement. I don't have a broom of my own, but I'm sure Madame Hooch won't mind if I borrow one from the broom closet." 

"Great! I'll see you there, then." 

Maeve waved at the seventh-year as they both parted ways. 

_____

"Hey, where are you going?" Pansy asked as Maeve stood up and picked her satchel up. "It's 8:00 P.M. On a Friday." 

"I know, but I have to wake up early tomorrow. Lizzie and Cedell are teaching me how to ride a broom. Exciting stuff." she joked sarcastically. 

Pansy blinked uncertainly. "Lizzie as in Elizabeth? The girl you were madly in love with since second year?" 

"Yes, Pansy." Maeve said slowly, walking toward the Slytherin. "It's just Quidditch." 

"I don't know, Maeve. I don't like this." Pansy replied hesitantly. 

"Ced's going to be there too. It usually just them both but I'm kind of butting in to learn broom mounting. I'm a pathetic flyer." Maeve laughed, before taking Pansy's hand in hers. "Don't worry. I like you, not her." she kissed Pansy's cheek. 

Pansy smiled softly. "I love you, Maeve." 

The Hufflepuff looked into the girl's eyes before pulling her in for a passionate kiss.  A few long moments later, they separated. "Well I should leave before we do something that involves me spending the night here." Maeve laughed lightly, turning to walking to the door. 

"But what if you did?" Pansy asked with a smirk, letting one of her tank top's straps fall over her shoulder. 

Maeve gulped before looking at the Slytherin's chest. "Nice try, Pans. But as much as I want to, I really do need to leave." she sighed, kissing her forehead. "Goodnight." 

"Goodnight." Pansy waved back hesitantly as the door shut close behind Maeve. 

_____

"Over here!" Elizabeth waved and Maeve looked to her left before jogging to where the prefect was. "Good morning, May." 

"Good morning." the brunette grinned, looking around. "Where's Cedell?" 

"Someone snuck a puking pastille into his breakfast. He's at Poppy's." she frowned. 

Maeve's eyes widened. "Is he alright?" 

"He'll be fine. Fred and George said the effects will ward off in an hour." Elizabeth assured. 

"Okay..." Maeve trailed off uncertainly. 

"Well, let's get to work. Place you broom on the ground, like so." Elizabeth said, bending down to keep her Comet 260 to her left and Maeve did the same. "Now you reach your hand out, and say, UP!" 

Elizebeth's broom shot off the ground and right into her hand. 

"Now you try." 

Maeve took a deep breath as she reached her arm out. "Up!" 

The broom rose a few inches before falling back down. 

"You have to really mean it. You're ordering the broom to come to your hand. It's how you establish control." the blonde explained. 

Maeve nodded, closing her eyes. "This reminds me of first year flying class." she chuckled to herself before her eyes shot open again. "UP!" 

The next thing she knew, her fingers were clutching the broom. 

"Great! That's the first step out of the way." Elizabeth grinned. "Now you lower a leg over the other side and sit." 

Maeve did as she said. 

"Now, slowly tip the front end of the broom towards the sky." 

The brunette did that and the broom rose a few feet above the ground before she fell with a loud thump. 

"Are you alright?" Elizabeth asked, her eyes wide in alarm. 

"Yes." Maeve blushed. "My butt hurts a little, that's all." 

"Okay, how about we try something else?" Elizabeth asked, "Come here." she said, placing the broom in between her legs. "Swing your leg over. You're struggling with the balancing part." she said and Maeve did so hesitantly. 

"Okay." 

Elizabeth put her hands over Maeve's. "Don't be so tense. I'm right behind you, okay? You won't fall again."  

Maeve nodded and Elizabeth rose them a few feet into the air. 

"Perfect. Now fasten your feet on the handles." she said her hand resting on Maeve's thigh as she positioned her foot. The broom wobbled a little but Elizabeth managed to steady them. 

"You're still tense. Close your eyes, Maeve." she said softly and Maeve felt her breath hit her ear, the hairs on her neck standing upright. 

Maeve closed her eyes. "Just focus on my voice. Nothing else." 

The brunette did as was told and felt them rise higher. 

"You can open them now." 

Maeve's eyes fluttered open and she shrieked, noticing that they were a good fifteen feet above the lake. Her hands instinctively wrapped around Elizabeth's for support. "Don't let go." she gulped, scared. 

"I have to." Elizabeth chuckled, trying to untangle their fingers. 

"No, I'll fall!" 

"You won't. I'm still behind you, right?" 

"I'll still fall!" Maeve whisper-shrieked. 

Two things happened at once. From the corner of her eye, Maeve saw Pansy staring at the them from one of the bridge's archways, and Elizabeth let go off her hand. 

Then Maeve felt herself fall off the broom.

Fortunately, she was caught by Elizabeth, who swooped her in and lowered them to the ground before Maeve was five feet above the ground. She could see why Elizabeth was the new Hufflepuff Quidditch Captain.

Maeve panted, her chest rising and falling rapidly. "I told you not to let go." 

"I'm sorry. Are you fine?" the blonde asked seriously, holding Maeve by the shoulders. 

"I uh - yeah." Maeve said, watching as Pansy turned to head back into the castle. "I think that's enough for today. I should go visit Ced. Um, bye." she waved distractedly before running for the bridge. 

The caught Pansy in an abandoned corridor. "Pans wait up." she panted, catching her breath as she bent down. 

"What?" Pansy turned around, a scowl on her face with her hands crossed across her chest. "'It's just Quidditch', 'Ced's going to be there too.' Who're you kidding, Maeve? You like her and she obviously still likes you." Pansy huffed before turning away. 

"Pansy." Maeve complained. "I swear it really was just flying. Someone played a stupid prank on Cedell this morning. That's why he wasn't there. I swear upon my life I don't have any romantic feelings for Elizabeth now."

"How do I know you're not lying?" Pansy asked angrily, turning back around. 

Maeve knew she would rather die than admit it, but Pansy was genuinely hurt. 

"Well, you keep saying you're going to leave Draco, but you haven't yet. And it's been months. How do I know you're not lying?" 

"I..." Pansy sighed. "It's hard okay. But I love you, Maeve. I would never lie. Not to you."

"I suppose there's no way of actually knowing whether either of us is lying." Maeve said softly, taking her hands. "And nothing I say will convince you. So how about I show you?" she whispered, kissing Pansy's neck.

Pansy took a sharp breath. "Okay." she said in a tiny voice. 

Maeve smiled, continuing to kiss Pansy's neck before backing her into a wall. Her right hand slowly slid under Pansy's jumper, the other going under the girl's skirt and caressing her thigh in soft circles. 

Pansy bit her lip from making a sound as one of Maeve's fingers brushed over her nipples. "Just kiss me already." 

Maeve followed, wasting no time before latching lips to Pansy's, whose hands were now under Maeve's shirt, kneading her breasts. 

"Fuck, Pans." Maeve's eyes darkened with lust. 

"Let's get out of here." Pansy's hands slid out of Maeve's sweater and she grabbed her hands, leading Maeve down to the Dungeons. 

*Two Weeks Later*

Maeve almost burst laughing as she and Elizabeth scurried out through the back entrance. "That scream was priceless, Lizzie." she placed a hand over her mouth so as not to wake Filch up. 

"I know, right." Elizabeth snickered as they made their way into an emptier hallway. "That's what he gets for thinking so highly of himself. Hermione is one of the most brilliant witches I've ever met." her laugh was cut short and Maeve stopped too, following her line of sight. 

A very disturbed Pansy Parkinson was standing at the end of the Hallway. 

"Oh, hi Pansy." Maeve smiled nervously, remembering that their relationship was still a secret. 

"You told me you were going to the Greenhouse to help Professor Sprout." Pansy blinked. 

"Right." Maeve nodded, also remembering that the D.A. was a secret too. "We were just there. At the Greenhouse." 

"On the seventh floor?" Pansy asked, quirking a brow. 

"Professor Sprout wanted us to go deliver some things to Professor Flitwick near Ravenclaw Tower." Elizabeth shrugged. "I'll be off then. Bye." she waved at Maeve who waved back feebly. 

"Okay seriously, what's going on?" Pansy asked, "You've been so sketchy lately." 

"I haven't." Maeve protested. "I just have a lot of work to do. This is our O.W.L. year you know. I'm sorry if I haven't been spending a lot of time with you lately."

"I get that you want to study, but does it have to be with her?" 

"She's the Head Girl, Pans. Don't you trust me?" Maeve frowned. 

"I do..." Pansy trailed off uncertainly. 

_____

"She's kidding. First the questioning and now this stupid squad?" Maeve cried incredulously, sitting down for lunch. 

"It doesn't really matter, does it? As long we have nothing to hide, that is." Blaise shrugged. "Just let Umbridge have her fun." 

"Fun?" Maeve's eyes widened. 

"I agree with Blaise. As long as you have nothing to hide... right?" Pansy asked, eyeing Maeve who bit her lip and looked down. 

"Right." 

"And we joined too." Pansy added and Maeve's head whipped back up. "What?" 

"We're getting extra credit. Why wouldn't we want that?" Daphne asked confusedly. 

"Oh, I don't know maybe because you're getting extra credit to spy on people?" Maeve said sarcastically before glancing up. "I'm sorry. I have to go." 

"What's been up with her lately?" Theodore frowned, watching the girl walk out the door. 

"No idea." Pansy murmured, her brows scrunched. "None." 

_____

"Oh, Cho, what happened?" Maeve gasped, abandoning Nigel and Padma before rushing to the Ravenclaw who was failing miserably at hiding the fact that she was crying. 

"Uh - hi, Maeve." she sniffed. "I'm sorry." she burst, flinging her hands around the Hufflepuff who she had built a rapport with over their classes in the Room of Requirement.

"Sorry for what?" she asked worriedly, taking her hand. "Let's go down to the lake. We can talk there." 

Neither said a word until Maeve settled down on soft patch of grass. "What's going on, Cho?" 

"I just - I'm sorry." tears started streaking down Cho's face again and Maeve panicked. 

"About what? I'm sure you haven't done anything to upset me." she said calmly, trying to get Cho to stop crying. 

"I kissed Harry." Cho blurted out and Maeve blinked. 

It was no surprise that Cho and Harry had been flirting relentlessly over the year. That she understood. What she didn't, was why Cho was crying. 

"I'm sorry, but isn't that a good thing?" 

Cho shook her head. "Cedric would be disgusted by me." 

Maeve sighed, finally realizing what it was all about. "Cho..." she hugged the sobbing girl. "Cedric's gone now. Even he would think it would be ridiculous if you never dated anyone again. Harry likes you. And you like him. I know you loved Cedric but he isn't here. It's time to move on. And you and Harry might be the place to start." 

Cho moved away and looked Maeve in the eyes. "So you aren't angry at me?" 

"Of course not! I want you to be happy, Cho." Maeve smiled. "You're an amazing person with an amazing personality. It would be a shame if you chose not to let anyone love you ever again." 

A small smile lit up Cho's face. 

"So no crying okay? If Harry is who you want, go get him." Maeve grinned, standing up and offering the Ravenclaw a hand. 

"Okay." she said, her mood changing drastically. She ran a few yards to the castle before running back to Maeve and hugging her. "Thank you, Maeve. So much." she said happily before running back towards the castle and Maeve laughed as she went out of sight. She smiled down sadly at the lake next to her, wondering if Chertric was sitting peaceful on the waterbed. 

"I think we're doing it, Ced." she smiled, looking at her reflection. "We're actually moving on."

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