The Shit Squad - Modern Hogwarts AU

Drabble 14 - Campfire Stories Part Three

"Okay, alright. But I get to tell the story." Alice bartered. "It was actually pretty damn heroic, not to pat myself on the back or anything," she continued, patting herself on the back. Claire shoved her.

"Just get it over with already, come on." she complained.

"Fuck! Alright. Well, as you guys know, I've played regional quidditch over the summer back at home since I was little. Well, it kinda came in handy because that's how I got to meet her..."

~*~

A class of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw first-years lined up in two straight rows on the quidditch pitch. It was their first flying class.

Little Alice Dean felt right at home. Even without her Nimbus 2001, the school issued broom felt comfortable in her hand.

She was ready to get up in the air and hit some bludgers, but she soon realized she was in a class of beginners. Most of them were mudbloods and halfbloods, and the majority of them have never even touched a flying broom. One member of this majority was a tall, freckled brunette named Claire Waterstein. Alice noticed her body type was that of a chaser, long and lanky and streamline. Aerodynamic.

The instructor strutted into the field and between the two rows. She promptly took role and got into the lesson.

"Right class, who here has been on a broom before?" Alice was one of four people to raise their hand. All pure bloods. Alice was the only Ravenclaw.

"No matter, we'll start from the basics again. No student left behind. For those of you who know what you're doing, think of this as a return to the basics. Just do not go ahead of my instruction." The instructor smiled at the class and summoned a broom. It zoomed into her hand and she placed it gingerly in the grass.

"Alright then, I want everyone to hold your hand, palm down, at waist level, directly in line with your broom and say firmly, 'Up'. Like this," she held her hand out, "Up!" she ordered. The broom flew directly up into her open palm. "Alright everyone, try it."

Before the word could get out of her, Alice's broom was already zooming into her hand. 'Easy-peezy. I wonder how long it'll take these dumb mudbloods.' She looked up at Claire. She watched her struggle a few times, the broom hovering halfway between the grass and her hand, until she finally got the broom up. 'Pretty good for a first timer...' Alice thought.

After another minute or two, the rest of the class had succeeded in completing the task. "Ok, class! I want you all to mount your brooms, like this," the instructor demonstrated, her Firebolt between her legs, one hand firmly holding above the other at the top of the handle. The students copied the woman's position. Alice watched Claire as she fumbled with her hand hold. Even though she was a mudblood, for some reason, Alice didn't want to see her fail.

Alice somehow made eye contact with Claire. With their fleeting glances, Alice exaggerated her hand hold, and Claire adjusted her hands to copy Alice's. Perfect form.

"Okay, class. Time to take off. You must push off of the ground, hover for a m–"

Before the poor instructor could finish, a certain brunette Gryffindor was already two meters in the air and quickly rising.

"For the love of Merlin! Alright, I'll go get her." Alice announced as their flustered instructor began to shout at the ambitious first-year, and with that, she hopped up into the air and was chasing Claire into the sky. 'Why the hell did I help this idiot in the first place? Oh, my...' She thought as the people on the ground got smaller and smaller.

Alice called up to Claire, who was now only a decimeter or two ahead, "Claire! Stop leaning forward! Try to level out and sit vertically!"

After a moment of hesitation, she heard Claire call back, "Uh, okay! I'll try!"

Alice watched as Claire shifted her weight backwards a bit. "And watch your hands!"

"My what?!"

Alice watched in horror as the broom came to a dead stand still and flipped Claire off of the top. She hung from only one hand, and her grip was fleeting. Alice's instincts took over. She caught up with Claire, scooped her up with her beater arm, and threw her on the back of her broom. She was surprisingly light. "Hold on to me!" Alice sped back down towards the ground, the air whipping her ponytail into Claire's face. She could hear Claire spitting Alice's black hair out of her mouth. She giggled, and finally touched the grass again. "Hop off! Hurry! I have a broom to catch before it breaks!"

Claire slid off and before she could breathe, Alice was already flying record speed towards the rapidly falling school-issued broom. As quickly as she caught it, she was back on the ground, two brooms in hand. Everyone, even the instructor, had their jaws in the grass.

~*~

"And that, everyone, is why I was the youngest Ravenclaw beater since 1822." Alice boasted.

Everyone was silent. Alice sure was a good story teller. Preston was the first to come to his senses. "Uh, wait, weren't you telling us about how you met Claire?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. Duh. I was... getting to that. Let's see..."

~*~

After class ended, Claire approached Alice. After all, she had just casually saved her life (or at least a few broken bones and a concussion).

"Hey, Alice, right?" Claire asked.

"Yeah... And you're Claire."

"Right... I just wanted to say thanks for, ya know, saving my life earlier. I kinda have this compulsive attitude that gets me into trouble sometimes."

Alice was confused. Mudbloods were supposed to be stupid and crude, incompetent and unapologetic. Why was Claire being so... normal?

"Really, no need to thank me. Just doing what I had to."

"But you didn't have to do that. And yet, you did."

"Well," Alice considered, "um, you're welcome, I suppose."

"Hey, I don't have many friends here yet. Wanna come over to my dorm and hang out? I heard you're from an all magical family. I can show you some cool stuff from the muggle world, and you can show me some witchcraft!"

Alice considered her options. Did she really want to be mixing with muggleborns? It was tempting. She had minimal knowledge of anything in muggle culture. "Uh, yes. I'd like that. I'll just go get my things back in my dorm and I'll meet you in the Gryffindor common room."

"Cool! Sounds good. See ya then." Claire turned on her heel and walked towards her tower.

~*~

"So then I went up to Gryffindor tower, I watched netflix on her phone, and before I knew it, I was obsessed."

"Yeah, she even came home with me for the summer and met my family. We took her out to Nando's and everything." Claire added.

Preston scooted up closer, blowing out his flaming marshmallow. "So I guess it all makes sense now. I'm glad we had this little story time."

"Me too," Sam agreed, "but I'm tired and it's dark. Let's go back home."

"Yeah, I need some Sammy cuddles," Claire said, wrapping her arm around the sleepy Slytherin. "Alice, did you happen to bring your broom along?"

"Actually," Alice reached into her bag - which, at the time, had a charm to make the inside bigger - and pulled out her broom, "I did." She mounted the handle "Where shall I take her, Madame?"

Claire cordially approached Alice, leading Sam by the hand. "Please take this lovely lady up to her dorm, delivered directly into her room via the window. I don't want her to lift a finger. Ensure the Netflix is properly set and her pajamas are in order when I arrive."

Sam got on the back of the broom and held on to Alice. They levitated a few feet. "See you later babe!" Sam called, before the two girls sailed off into the night.

Preston looked at Claire. Claire spoke, while still looking in the distance, "I'm gonna cuddle the shit out of her."