Oak Trees

Hufflepuff vs Gryffindor ; Pregame

The summer went by without incident. it was now November, and the frost was heavy as the Hufflepuff quidditch team practiced endlessly in preparation for their game against Gryffindor.

"We are gonna lose." Riley said quietly as she clutched her hot chocolate, desperately trying to warm up. Jackson smacked the back of her head so hard that the cup almost fell from her hand.

"Shut up, Riley. I'm not going to listen to that." He hissed. "We are a great team."

"Gryffindor has a great team too..." David said.

"Yeah, they do. The big difference is, they aren't sitting in their common room saying they're gonna lose!" Elroy growled low in his throat.

Everyone was tired, cold, and rather irritable.

"Infact, they're in their common room thinking that they are going win by a landslide." Jackson said with a smirk as he sunk down in his big leather armchair by the fire. "That's how we will get them. They have a team of kings-"

"And we have a team of jacks..." Elroy said slowly, starting to catch on.

"We also have aces." Jackson smirked. "We have David, who didn't let Ravenclaw score a single goal. We have our chasers, who have the best chemistry I've ever seen on a team - really, are you three telepathic? - Elroy can knock the quaffle out of peoples hands, and, well, we have Riley."

"The Gryffindors have Potter..." Riley clutched her cup in her hands.

James Potter had really started to get under her skin. He was relentless. Class, hallways, the great hall - it felt like she couldn't escape him.

"Potter is the only seeker that can keep up with you by skill." Jackson answered her flatly. "He's your best match up. That doesn't mean that he's better, do you understand?"

"He ended their game against Ravenclaw in 20 minutes."

"You ended in in 18. The ravenclaw team kinda sucks this year through." Charles chuckled. He wrapped his arm around Riley and she leaned into him, accepting the warmth.

Mason worked his jaw and tried to push down the jealousy bubbling in his throat. "You're the best seeker in the school, Riley." He said firmly. He was satisfied when she snapped her head to him and smiled - Mason didn't talk much, but when he did it always made Riley's heart flutter a bit. Every time he spoke it was something important.

"You're one of the best chasers..." she said softly. "The other two are in the room with us."

"Then it's settled. We are not going to lose tomorrow. We've got this." Jackson said with a finality that welcomed no further argument.

—

"Male entering the - woah, you're up." Jackson's morning call was interrupted by Riley opening the door, already in her practice uniform.

"I've been up for 30 minutes." She said flatly, walking out of her dorm and shutting the door behind her.

The team walked together onto the pitch. They were all silent, and you could've cut the tension with a knife. As they all took to their brooms, the sun finally broke through the chilled air.

—

"Aren't you going to get cold?" Riley asked Severus as she approached the tree. He was wearing a thin long sleeved shirt and jeans - no hat, scarf or gloves.

"The cold doesn't bother me much." Serverus replied, his attention still out on the half frozen lake. Riley reached into her bag and pulled out an extra scarf. She extended it to him, and he hesitated.

"Just take it. It's cold, you're going to get sick." Reluctantly, Severus took it. "Are you coming to the game today?"

"Haven't missed one yet, have I?" She looked up at him on the low branch, a half smile toying at his lips. "Are you excited?"

"Excited... isn't exactly how I'd put it." Riley said quietly.

"Potters a good seeker." Severus said. "But you are too. Haven't lost a game."

Riley just looked at him. She wondered how he always seemed to know what she was thinking.

"Has he given you much trouble?" He asked softly.

"Only every time he sees me..." she replied, running a gloved hand though her still slightly damp hair. "We have charms together, he bugs me a lot there."

"I hope he's not getting to you too horribly." Serverus' eyes were locked on the lake in front of them. "He doesn't deserve the space in your thoughts. You should go eat breakfast, Riley. I'll see you on the pitch... save the frogs for after you win, okay?"

Riley laughed halfheartedly and nodded. "I'll see you on the pitch."

—

"Are you ready?"

"I'm ready!"

"Are you gonna get the snitch?"

"I'll get it before he even sees it!"

"Have you had enough coffee?"

"...probably!"

Elroy laughed and took the cup out of Riley's shaking hands. "You're gonna do great, kid, but we don't need you trembling off your broom."

"But she's right. She's gonna get that snitch before Potter even sees it!" Jackson clapped his hand on Riley's back hard enough to jolt her forward.