the Founder's Legacy

Chapter 9: Here Goes Nothing

Riley's PoV:

    Breathe Riley, you can do this. Just focus on the field, your broom and the game, nothing else matters. Quidditch season was officially upon us and I was nervous beyond belief. Somehow, someway, I had actually gotten onto the house squad. Sebastians words had apparently worked and the house captain had approached me about officially joining, despite my subpar flying performance for Sebastian.
    That exciting and wonderful news had distracted me from everything else going on. Celeste had grudgingly accepted my detention report and had even admitted that it wasn't half bad. It wasn't really a compliment, but it wasn't a flat out rejection either, so I accepted it with pride. Getting even a half-hearted compliment from her was an accomplishment.
     Then there was Rowenna's mystery book. I had taken it back to my room after my initial discovery of it, but hadn't touched it yet. I had avoided the book, avoided the whispers that I had heard when I first touched the book. I had convinced myself that they had been a figment of my imagination, that I had just heard the wind, or ghosts of the castle. And yet, the book had still just sat on my dresser, toying with me, calling me to read it.
      So, I had ignored it, not wanting to think about what rabbit home it would lead me down. Instead I focused on my studies, on my flying and what I wanted to do about my personal life. Cause try as I might, Grant was not escaping my head. That dark, mysterious man who I thought I saw everywhere. I certainly saw him in a few classes or at the dining hall.  
     Those eyes, piercing and watching, as if seeing into my very soul, as if hoping that I would return a glance or acknowledge his presence.
     I hadn't yet, despite a part of my body and soul wanting to acknowledge him, to uncover that mysterious personality beneath the hard facade that he always showed. And yet, I hadn't. I hadn't so much as nodded in his general direction, let alone talk to him.
     The cheering of students pulled me from my deep thoughts and back into reality. A reality that I had only dreamed about for so many years. Here I was, about to step onto the Quidditch pitch of Hogwarts and play for one of the house teams.
     It was a pity that we were facing off against Ravenclaw in our very first match. The irony was not lost on me. In another life, I would be on the Ravenclaw side, playing for the team of my ancestor. But instead, here I was playing for the team of an old rival.
     As the teams flew lazy circles around the field, warming up and getting accustomed to the conditions, my eyes scanned the crowd. I didn't know who exactly I was looking for but my eyes scanned the crowd twice before my razor sharp eyes latched onto a person I both wanted to see and didn't expect to see. Sitting amongst the crowd was Grant Gryffindor.
     A flutter went through my chest. Was it excitement, nervousness or something else entirely that he was here. He wore a dark dark shirt, with the standard Slytherin tie, loosely around his neck. He stood out amongst the gaggle of mostly Gryffindor and Ravenclaw students. Faculty sat in their particular boxes, including Headmaster Malfoy and professor Sebastian Wesley.
    Grant sat in his seat, eyes fixed on me. As I ran through my warmups, I would occasionally glance over at Grant, gauging his reaction to my flying, my techniques and playstyle. He didn't show much emotion, except for the occasional smile when I would execute a good maneuver. The Gryffindors were known for being a family of amazing flyers, so even if Grant wasn't a good flyer himself, he would know a good one when he saw one.
    I wanted to fly close to him, say hello to him, see if I could get a reaction, anything out of him to give me a direction on what to do with him. But I didn't, I stayed in my lane and with my team, my eyes still glancing in Grant's direction every now and then. Get it together girl, don't let your lovestruck self get distracted and blow this game. Recentering myself, I took my position and waited for the whistle to blow.

*
    It was all a blur. The roar of the crowd, the fast paced action of the match, it was all over too fast. We had won, by the narrow skin of our teeth, but we had won.
     The house seeker, a 6th year, had barely outmuscled the younger Ravenclaw seeker to secure the snitch and claim a hard fought victory. It was an exhilarating feeling, one that I didn't think would ever be matched.
I had flown faster than ever before.
      The minute the whistle had sounded, my adrenaline had kicked in and I had pushed myself to the limits of what I thought I was capable of. I had performed quite well, even if it had been my first match. I felt on top of the world and there wasn't much that could bring me back down to earth.
      As I celebrated with my teammates I heard a voice that part of me had been dying to hear for some time.  
     "Nice flying Ravenclaw, I think even Godric himself would have been impressed." I whipped my head around to find Grant leaning up against one of the walls of the pitch. Up close, he was even more handsome than he had appeared in the stands. His hair was immaculate and he walked with that confident swagger that I usually found to be arrogant and annoying.
      "Well thank you Grant, though you would know better than anyone else that it was hard to impress the legendary Godric Gryffindor." On a dime, his expression turned. His face hardened into a scowl, I realized I must have hit a nerve.
     "Godric was alright I suppose, but he had his faults, like all the founders did. But enough about the dusty old founders, they're long gone. I want to talk about you. Specifically, I want to ask you to have dinner with me sometime in the dining hall. You know, just to get to know each other."
      I couldn't tell if my heart was racing from the adrenaline rush of the match or if it was because Grant was wanting to get to know me better. But whatever the reason was, my heart was thumping in my chest and I could feel myself start to blush. His gaze was penetrating, as if staring deep into my soul, begging me to come closer. Hold it together Riley, yes he's handsome but don't make it seem like you are just falling over for him. Make him work for it. My internal monologue was practically screaming at me to calm the hell down.
      I stood straight and tall and looked at Grant, trying to let on that I was almost swooning. I would do dinner, but only one dinner. I would see how things went from there. But if he truly wanted to date me, he was going to have to prove it. "Alright Grant, one day this week we'll have dinner together and then we'll go from there." As I walked away back to my team, Grant smiled, a smile of smugness and victory and I began to wonder if I had made the right decision.