Head in the Clouds ━━ james potter

001. Moonlight Liquor

CHAPTER ONE.
Moonlight Liquor

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          Kaori Nozomi was well aware that her friends were only trying to help when they brought her to Moonlight Liquor, but now that they watched her from a few seats away, and with the way she held herself now — drunk, depressed, and doubtful — they started to realize that maybe they were just adding to the damage. Never, in all seventeen years of her life, has she gotten this wasted (but hey, at least she had a valid reason!). Now, Kaori was merely a heavily inebriated, Japanese kid inside a busy bar who was all down in the dumps, with sleepy eyes and her third glass of Tequila in between her calloused hands.

          Truth be told, the night started out as a very pleasant experience, with the entirety of the Mahoutokoro Quidditch team all huddled up in front of the fireplace of their gloomy rental apartment. Their school's Headmaster, Professor Watanabe, had called all ten of his students to the room with some exciting news to announce: a declaration of who the next team captain would be!

          During then, a willowy and charming girl by the name of Saeko Yukimura playfully nudged Kaori by the shoulder with a knowing grin on her pretty face because duh! Who else would be appointed as team captain if not Kaori Nozomi herself? She had every single quality needed to fulfill the job — Kaori was strong, mentally and physically; she was their smartest player, and could come up with new game plans on the spot (a skill all of her opponents greatly despised), and even took the initiative to present more strategies to their previous captain, even if it wasn't her job. Not to mention her grandmother, the legendary Erika Hayashi, who was well known around the whole wizarding world and trained Kaori herself during her glory days.

          But then another name slipped out of Professor Watanabe's mouth, someone who Kaori swore was the very bane of her existence. Hiro Kozume, the son of Japan's Minister of Magic. There was no denying that he was a very skilled Chaser who scored the most points for the team, but that was the furthest his abilities could go. He was nothing compared to Kaori. He was lazy, arrogant, and egocentric — no doubt a bribe happened between his father and the Headmaster because, of course, who would be able to deny a request from the Minister of Magic?

          However, that was just a wild guess that Tadashi Sato made up to assure Kaori that she was still the most gifted player out there. That still didn't quell the fluttering in her stomach, though. It was merely a guess (a reasonable one, but a guess nonetheless), and the thought that Hiro Kozume was a more worthy team captain than Kaori has been swirling inside her mind ever since that it started to make her doubt her abilities.

          Noticing the sullen expression written evidently on their best friend's visage, Saeko and Tadashi planned to sneak out with Kaori to the nearest bar in town to grab a few drinks.

          They weren't able to get too far, though. As they were about to walk outside the door of the apartment, they failed to notice the rest of their teammates still lounging around in the living room and kitchen. It didn't take long before they all got dressed up as well and accompanied them to Moonlight Liquor, claiming they should all have a small party before the start of the tournament, but mostly to celebrate their new team captain.

          Now, Kaori was really mad. Electricity snapped and crackled in her burning veins. Her heartbeat pounded harshly against her flesh, the shards of volcanic anger slicing though her organs. Her skin felt too tight, too suffocating as she sat a few feet away from her team, watching as they chanted Hiro's name while he chugged a bottle of beer. Kaori pinched the inside of her cheeks between her back teeth. God, was she angry — the kind that made her want to destroy anything within her line of sight (preferably Hiro's smug face); the kind that made the only words to come out of her mouth be nothing except expletives; the kind that had her thick eyebrows scrunch together, jaws tense, and knuckles turn white as her grip on the chair she sat on tightened more and more with each passing second.