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Arya was sitting in the common room, busy with her homework. Fortunately, she had made significant progress in Ancient Spells and no longer needed additional practice, but Potions had taken up all her time. After writing about the properties of the poisonous plant Colonia, she remembered her unfinished Charms assignment.
Since both Scorpius and Albus were deeply immersed in their own homework, no one was speaking to anyone else. Every few minutes, Arya would stretch her neck, sore from the long hours — she had been sitting there for nearly three hours.
Across the room, she saw Epidorus descending from the boys' dormitory. He approached them and said:
"Do we really have any other choice?"
This time, Epidorus turned directly to Arya and asked:
"Can I speak with you for a moment?"
"Of course," she replied, and the two of them walked over to the sofa near the fireplace. Once they were seated, Epidorus said:
"I don't know if you've heard, but we had training yesterday. The weather was windy, and there was a storm. Aaron wasn't feeling well, and I'm not sure what happened — he suddenly fell off his broom. He's in the infirmary now."
He shook his head in frustration. Arya looked at him curiously, waiting for him to continue.
"You know he was our only Seeker, and now that he's unwell, he probably won't be able to play in the next match. And since the next game is against Gryffindor, none of us wants to lose."
He gave Arya a hopeful look.
"I thought maybe you could play instead. After all, at the start of the year, you did say you'd like to join the team."
Arya sank into thought. She wasn't particularly surprised by his proposal, but she didn't want to make a hasty decision. She was an excellent Chaser and believed she would be more successful in that position. She tried to resist the tempting prospect of becoming a Seeker.
"To be honest, Epidorus, I'm a better Chaser than a Seeker. If I play in my own position, I can score a goal every minute — that way, even if they catch the Snitch, we'd still win."
Epidorus smiled, clearly expecting that very answer.
"I know, but we have great Chasers — both Chloe and I are top-notch. It's the Snitch and that James Potter who always get us. And besides, you're a new player — they won't be familiar with your technique or style. That might just give us an edge."
"I could be the Seeker myself," Epidorus continued, "but then the coordination we've built over the past years would be wasted."
Arya thought for a moment and then said:
"Alright. What days do you practise?"
Epidorus replied enthusiastically:
"I'll send you the schedule. Welcome to the Slytherin Quidditch team!" He extended his hand to her.
Arya shook it and headed over to where the boys were.
Scorpius asked, "Are you sure you want to play?" He gestured to the heap of books on the table. "We've got a lot of homework."
Arya replied, "Of course I'm playing. If that's the case, then every fifth-year should quit Quidditch!"
"Yeah, I think it's better if you play. Aaron was completely useless. I'm sure even a House-elf could fly better than him," Albus said.
Arya threw him a sharp look. "Don't be so racist!"
He smirked, unfazed. "Racist? Weren't you the one who said 'Obviously, we don't marry Muggles'?"
Later, Arya was in the changing room, standing in front of the mirror. She had put on the Slytherin Quidditch robes — green, with a shimmering silver serpent stitched onto the sleeve. She looked at herself; her chestnut hair was more tousled than usual, her robes slightly damp, and her trainers appeared rain-soaked.
It had been a long time since she last played Quidditch, but she wasn't too worried. She was a fast and capable player. Her new teammates seemed to take joy in the game; they played for one another, and once the match began, it was as though their spirits were striving to unite into a single force.
Arya was so lost in thought that she didn't notice the changing room filling up. All the team members had arrived, and Epidorus was giving a short speech.
"We've got a new player, everyone. None other than Arya Calderon-Boot. Let's help her get into sync with us quickly. Alright then — let's begin!"
The players left the changing room one by one. Arya stopped Epidorus and said, "By the way, I don't have a broom. Can I use Aaron's?"
"Of course," he answered, and the two made their way to the Quidditch pitch.
The air was still damp and drizzly. Half the pitch lay under a grey mist, making it nearly impossible to see the goalposts — spotting the Snitch in such weather was almost hopeless.
Once the players were in position, Epidorus gave the command to begin. Everyone sprang into action. Arya scanned the field carefully for any sign of the Golden Snitch. But all she could see was the thick fog that cloaked both ground and sky.
She took a quick glance at the team's formation — the Chasers were fast, the Beaters sturdy. The Keeper, however, looked unable to fend off Epidorus' powerful strikes — perhaps because Epidorus was a good Chaser.
Just then, a tiny golden glimmer near the goalpost caught her attention. With a burst of speed that surprised even herself, Arya darted towards it. But just a few metres away, she heard the whirring whistle of a Bludger headed straight for her. She swerved quickly to dodge it. When she looked again, the Snitch had vanished.
Eventually, after twenty-five minutes, Arya caught the Snitch. Not bad for a first try. But she was determined to train more. The real challenge wasn't flying — it was spotting the Snitch before the rival Seeker did.
When Arya entered the Slytherin common room, she had no intention of doing her homework. She knew that it was likely she would spend the rest of the evening in bed, as there was no way she could concentrate on her studies. A whole week of Quidditch training had passed, and while she had settled in well with the team, her biggest problem remained the lack of a suitable broom. Aaron's broom, though decent, was stiff and a bit slow. Since they were using the school brooms at Ilvermorny and were not allowed to bring their own, Arya had never really thought about getting one for herself.
As she sat reading through the broom magazine, she muttered to herself, "Which one do you think is better? In America, Easy Fly brooms are the best. That's what we used at my old school."
Albus, who was also looking through the magazine, said, "The Firebolt is one of the best around here. I think the 2030 version is the latest model. James uses the same broom."
Arya glanced over at the nearby desk. She flipped through the magazine and spotted the Firebolt . It was a large red broom, featuring some of the latest American broom technologies, like Bludger-repelling spells.
"Alright, this one's great. I'll buy it — though I don't think I'll be able to afford it right now, seeing as my father hasn't even replied to my letters," Arya said, frowning slightly as she closed the magazine.
"By the way, why don't you two play Quidditch?" she asked curiously.
"Well, to be honest, we're not really into it," Scorpius replied.
Arya was surprised. "How can you not like Quidditch?"
Then she turned to Albus. "And what about you, Albus? Both your parents were Quidditch players, weren't they?"
Albus gave her a sidelong glance and then finally said, "Maybe I didn't inherit the talent from my parents."
Arya chuckled. "I find that hard to believe. Maybe your first attempts weren't successful, and now you're convincing yourself that you don't have any talent. In any case, if you want, I can teach you."
Albus didn't answer immediately. He simply looked at her, unsure of what to say.
All three of them turned their attention to two owls flying towards them, each carrying a bundle of letters. The first owl, bearing the heavier load, was wobbling unsteadily, its package tilting to one side. Both owls struggled to land, finally coming to an unsteady stop on the Slytherin table.
Scorpius read aloud, "From the Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, for Arya Calderon-Boot."
Arya was delighted to see the letters and cards from her friends back at Ilvermorny. One letter in particular, from Sara Graves, included a Christmas gift: a small bronze notebook. The letter read:
Dear Arya,
I was planning to send you a Christmas gift, but all the other kids in the dorm insisted I send their messages too. I hope this reaches you soon — or maybe even late. Here's a little communication notebook: just tell the password, and everything you write in it will show up in mine. No need for those ridiculous owls anymore.
The current password is: Weary Pukwudgies.
Oh, and by the way, we won the Quidditch match against the Wampus group! It was much easier than usual. In the end, George got so angry, he threw a Bludger at me. But don't worry, it wasn't a big deal — you remember the last time I got hit by a Bludger, back in first year when I was still learning!
Miss you loads. Merlin watch over you.
Your friend, Sara Graves.
Arya closed the letter and smiled. Reading all the letters and Christmas cards from her friends was enough to make her feel a little warmer inside, even if she didn't have much of a family Christmas celebration.
Albus and Scorpius looked at her curiously. Albus asked, "I didn't know you were so popular at your school."
Arya shrugged, "Yeah, well, what's the point? Here, I'm just another student. In fact, most people don't even know my name. They just call me that new girl."
The two boys chuckled, and Arya began opening the rest of her letters.
As Arya walked towards her Ancient Spells class, she noticed James Potter walking towards the hall from the opposite direction. She quickly tried to avert her gaze, but James walked straight toward her, wearing his red Gryffindor Quidditch robe. He stopped in front of her and said:
"Hey, Calderon-Boot. I hear you're the new Seeker for Slytherin."
Arya gave him a once-over, then replied, "Yeah, what about it?"
James moved closer, so close that Arya could feel his breath on her face. His brown eyes were wide and intense, even more so than usual.
"Nothing. Just wanted you to know that your efforts are futile. Slytherin will never beat us — not while I'm their Seeker."
Arya raised an eyebrow. "Actually, I saw you play. Quite impressive, I must say."
James looked taken aback for a moment. "Really?"
Arya smirked. "Yeah, nearly all of the Seekers at Ilvermorny are better than you, but none of them has the same confidence as you. It's really impressive."
James laughed, a little unsure. He stared at her for a moment before speaking again.
"Those were just jokes between teams. I hope you're not offended!"
Arya smiled, "Don't worry. I'm not offended by things like that."
And with that, she walked away, feeling a slight sense of victory as she left him behind.