FROM EDEN | Mattheo Riddle

vii. Quidditch Tryouts

"What a perfect day for try-outs!" Urquhart, their quidditch captain, hollered. His loud voice resounding throughout the pitch. The players groaned, unamused at their captain's insistence on holding try-outs for the quidditch team this year. Much to her mother's chagrin, Violet's been on the team as a chaser for years now, participating in the "barbaric unladylike sport," as her mum likes to call it.

She watched Pansy at the stands, her brown locks tousling through the air like blades of leaves. Her eyes scanned through the players for Malfoy, disappointment clouding her features as the blonde boy was nowhere to be found. Violet, too, was searching the crowd for a familiar face when someone covered her eyes from behind.

"Looking for me, sweetheart?" A raspy voice asked, notes of bergamot and cedar enveloping her. She turned to face the culprit, a smile forming on her lips, "Theodore! You're back." 

"I had to cut my trip short, worried you might miss me too much." He hummed, wiggling his brows in a flirtatious manner. Out of Draco's little boyband, Theodore was her favorite. Unlike the rest of the group, he was polite, articulate, and quite a recluse.

"Here, I brought you something," handing her a deep violet quill that had an iridescent luster when light bounced off its soft vane. "I know you like collecting quills." The boy sheepishly remarked, scratching the back of his head; a habit she noticed Theodore did when he was nervous.

"Thank you, Theodore," Violet stroked the silky barbs of the feather, "It's beautiful." She offered him a genuine smile, one that was becoming increasingly rare these days. "How was France?"

Theodore was about to respond when Urquhart yelled, "Oi, Riddle! Trying out for the team?" The crowd parted, doe-eyed stares and whispers seemed to follow him like a shadow.

"Yes, as a seeker." Dark eyes were trained on her face, a delicate brow arching slightly as he looked at the quill in her hand then at the boy beside her. His calculating look was comparable to that of a greedy vulture watching its prey.

Theodore went rigid beside her, gawking at the new student in disbelief. "What is he doing here?" She simply shrugged, unsure of how to answer his question. She didn't even know the answer, no one did.

"Well, then! Let's start with the chasers and beaters!" Their captain whistled, releasing the quaffle from its confinement.

"Good luck, Vi!" Pansy and Daphne cheered, her heart warming at their support. She mounted her broom, whizzing through the field, reveling in the frosty air that blew through her dark ringlets. At this point, try-outs for her were child's play, throwing quaffle after quaffle towards the goalpost.

She watched in horror as Theodore and Mattheo competed for the same position, the seeker. "Alright, whoever catches the snitch first gets the position." As soon as the golden snitch was released, it had disappeared. The two boys were suspended in mid-air, searching for the golden sphere while dodging bludgers thrown at them. However, Mattheo seemed to have spotted it first, chasing the snitch as Theodore tailed his broom.

Half an hour had passed from the game, yet they were still circling the field, flying higher and higher above the ground. Violet observed Mattheo, watching him effortlessly zip through the clouds, his cheeks and lips frostbitten pink. She noticed several girls from the stands were fawning over him;  with his enigmatic nature and painfully beautiful face, it was inevitable that people were drawn to him despite the danger. If she hadn't known about his background, she'd assume he was just a normal teenager enjoying a game of quidditch. An attractive one at that.

Finally, with a whistle from their captain, Mattheo had caught the snitch. His competitor suffering a concussion after being knocked by a bludger. Violet flew downwards to where Theodore sat, worried about the hit her friend took. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Theodore looked up at her somberly, rubbing his arm that was now developing purple and blue swirls. "Hey, it's alright. At least we both get to be chasers now." Violet held out a hand for him, the tension in his shoulders disappearing.

"Looks like we got a new seeker, ey? Our first game would be against those nasty Gryffindors. So I expect nothing but the best...or rather, the worst from everyone! I can't wait to see the look on scarhead's face" The team laughed at their captain's distasteful joke, pleased with their newest addition.

She turned to leave with Daphne and Pansy when someone called out to her.

"No congratulations for me, Lestrange?" Mattheo circled them, still on his broom with a teasing smirk on his face.

Her friends shared a knowing look, "Catch you later, Violet!" Daphne giggled, dragging Pansy away from the two. "What? Wait!" Despite her pleas, her friends had already left her with the devil. Great friends, really.

She turned to face Mattheo, "Get out of my way!"

"Go out with me" He halted in front of her once again.

"No"

"Just for lunch?"

"I'm not hungry."

"Let's have some tea then?"

"I hate tea."

"To The Three broomsticks!" He was still tailing her, exasperated, she yelled "Bloody hell, fine! Merlin, you're unbearable." Mattheo only grinned at her response, his boyish charm making him look like a different person. "Get on then," gesturing at his broom.

"Are you mental? That's dangerous!" She was about to conjure her own broom when he suddenly gripped her waist, forcing her to clutch onto him as they flew towards the pub.

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I'm still testing out the different formats.....would you prefer longer paragraphs or separate paragraphs?