The Keeper

Chapter 6

The songs I listened to while writing were Like I Can by Sam Smith, The Way I Am by Eminem and Together In Electric Dreams by The Human League.

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*

I woke up a few minutes early, as had become the norm recently. I supposed it had something to do with nerves regarding increased workload. Nevertheless, I made the best out of my newfound early bird and used my time to have a shower and get ready. I took extra time and care to make my hair and face look perfect. Today, I curled my hair into ringlets at the ends and tied it up into a ponytail.

"You're up early," Sasha remarked through a yawn. There were prominent bags under her eyes so I handed her my haemorrhoid cream. "Thanks."

"No problem," I replied while finishing my mascara. "Make sure you have an extra large cup of coffee today."

"You look very nice."

I shrugged. "I had the extra time and made the most of it. Although I still feel like a zombie."

Just then, Gillian stumbled into the bathroom, also half-asleep. "Morning," she yawned.

"Or are you dressing up for Oliver?" Sasha teased, nudging my side. "You do love him, after all."

Gillian muttered something before she left. Sasha and I watched her go, slightly confused.

"Ok then," she said, bewildered. "She probably didn't get enough sleep. Mind you, she isn't the clearest of people."

"Mmm," I hummed in agreement.

*

"Quidditch practice is at lunch today," Sasha told Aleeza, Louise and Gillian, "so feel free to come watch. It's our first practice since the trials - it should be fun."

"Are other quidditch teams going to watch too?" Gillian asked.

Sasha shrugged. "Maybe. Captains probably will because they like to get a sense of how we're going to play. I watch the other practices for the same reason. I try to evaluate the team and pinpoint their weaknesses."

"How diabolical," Aleeza commented.

"Quite," Sasha confirmed.

"I'll definitely go along," Gillian said excitedly. Aleeza and Louise nodded in agreement. "I can't wait to see everyone there."

*

The quidditch stands were mostly empty, except for a few Ravenclaws and other quidditch players. Oliver was amongst them and I silently prayed our apparent 'love' would not be brought up. Sasha was bubbling as she shifted her weight from foot to foot on the field.

After everyone had settled down, she and Felix went through their plan for today's practice. They explained some short drills to get our hearts racing. My personal favourite required us to fly through all three quidditch hoops on one end, race to the other end and go through those hoops. Whoever completed this the fastest could sit out for the next three exercises. I was glad to say that I was quickest so flew up to the stands to watch.

I hadn't consciously chosen where I was going to sit, but I ended up next to Gillian, Aleeza and Louise. Oliver was sitting a couple of rows behind us so he came down to join the group.

"That was very fast," Louise said, clapping my shoulder.

"Almost as fast as Gryffindor's chaser's trashy boyfriend," Aleeza quipped with a smirk. "Trust me. Your team tells me everything."

We laughed.

"Seriously, though," Oliver said after he stopped chuckling, "you were impressive."

"I do my best," I answered, trying to fight the blush that was growing on my cheeks. "It got me out of more drills, so that's good."

"Yeah, you're such a good flier," Gillian said firmly.

We chatted for a few more minutes, occasionally having to lean back to avoid low-flying players. All too soon, Sasha called me back to the ground to rejoin practice. I reluctantly said goodbye to my friends and flew down to the field.

"Hope you had a nice break, Y/N," Felix said, "because things are going to get intense now. Stand in two groups." Shuffling awkwardly, we managed to split ourselves into two even halves. "Sasha is going to stand in the middle of the pitch and hold the quaffle. One person from each group will fly up to opposite ends of the field. When I blow my whistle, Sasha will throw the quaffle into the air and you will fly as fast as possible to catch it and throw it into one of the hoops on the other side to the one you came from. If you don't get the quaffle, try and block the other person. Understood?"

I nodded. As luck would have it, I was called up first along with Mahir, our keeper. I went up in front of the hoops nearest Gillian, Oliver, Aleeza and Louise. They each cheered, making me smile broadly.

Jolting me out of my distraction, Felix blew the whistle. I immediately dived for the quaffle, barely catching it before Mahir. I span around to dodge his hands. I flew as fast as I could go towards the other hoops. Mahir was right on my tail, I could sense it. But I managed to stay ahead as I launched the quaffle through a hoop.

People clapped as I shook my fist in triumph, slowly returning to the ground.

Sasha jogged up to me. "You've got talent, Y/N," she whispered. "It's plain to see."

*

"Are you asking Oliver to Hogsmeade?" Aleeza asked me. It was nearly midnight but we were all up working, anyway.

"Nope."

"Is he asking you?" Louise added.

"Nope."

Gillian sighed. "Leave her alone. She obviously doesn't like Oliver and he doesn't like her."

"Thank you, Gillian," I said, drowning out the complaints of the other three.

"Honestly," she continued, "it's as if you don't care about Oliver's feelings. Or her feelings. Give it a rest. Don't force relationships on people if there's obviously no love there in the first place. I mean, Y/N and Oliver aren't compatible at all."

"I beg to differ," Aleeza interposed. "They're both excellent quidditch players, both Scottish, both smart, both really nice people. Plus, you've seen them together. They could talk forever."

I rolled my eyes, fully aware that I wouldn't be allowed to have a say. I put my transfiguration essay aside for the night and slid underneath the covers, drifting into a well-needed sleep.