2nd chances (Scorose)

Chapter 32

James grilled us for three hours at quidditch practice. The rain continued through the evening, blinding us and soaking us. By the time we went back into the castle, my arms were stiff and mud clung to every part of my body. It wasn't a pleasant welcome back to the world of quidditch at Hogwarts to say the least. But at least James was happy.

All the way up to Gryffindor Tower, he exclaimed, "Great practice everyone!" and stuff like, "I'm sure we can beat Ravenclaw. We only need fifty points to win the cup, so just make sure we get those passes going."

I separated from the rest of the team at the Fifth Floor and went to the Prefect's bathroom to wash off, enjoying the many bubble baths of different scents and colors.

When I finally got back to Gryffindor Tower it was eleven o'clock and most people had already gone to bed. I climbed the dormitory stairs and changed, getting into bed with my hair still sopping wet from my bath. As a result, when I woke up that Saturday morning, my hair was even more of a mess than usual. While it normally had some waves in it, I now had a mass of curls sticking in all directions. Sighing, I pointed my wand at my head and muttered a quick detangling-spell, but that was the best I could do. I'd left my straightening potion at home.

In the pit of my stomach I already felt the pre-match nerves, but this year it was even worse. I was out of practice - I hadn't played a serious match for a year since my fourth year game against Ravenclaw at the end of last year's season. It didn't help that last year I had been looking forward to the game, not feeling nervous at all because the only thing I wanted to do was find some way to punish Scorpius, be it by beating him or fouling him. Now I was playing against my boyfriend, and he was sure to want to win just as much as James. He'd been aching for another chance to test his skill against mine all year.

Going down to breakfast, I found that the rest of the team had already assembled around James and were digging in to a full, cooked breakfast. I managed a few mouthfuls of egg and bacon, but I just couldn't focus, especially as at that moment Scorpius and the Ravenclaw team walked into the Great Hall, already dressed in their deep blue quidditch robes.

James too began to look a bit nervous, his face turning a queasy white and he stood up, shaking with nervous energy, to walk outside and test the conditions. Unlike yesterday, it was dry, but the ground wasn't hard enough for a fast kick-off as it was still saturated from the rain yesterday.

"Team talk," James called, already walking towards the Gryffindor changing room. I followed behind, walking alongside Fred.

"Important game, this is," Fred muttered. "James has been going on for months about how he needs to win this match. Supposedly there's going to be scouts in the stands, and you know he's aching to join a real team."

I nodded. James had been flying since before he could walk. He'd always gone with Auntie Ginny to her matches with the Holyhead Harpies and he always wanted a mock quidditch match in the summer holidays. He must have gone through over ten brooms in his years at Hogwarts and he still wasn't seventeen, though his birthday was only a few weeks away. Quidditch was all he talked about, unless he was telling jokes with Fred.

My stomach continued to flutter as I changed into my scarlet robes, not noticing how this year they were lined completely in gold. James paced, waiting for everyone to be ready so that he could begin his team talk, ensure we all understood the tactics and give us directions, meanwhile I sat on one of the benches, twiddling my broomstick between my hands.

Not only was I out of practice, but I realized that I had only had one training session with the rest of the team. I'd been playing with Fred and James all my life, I knew how they flew, how they moved and how their minds worked. Hugo was the same, though he was only a reserve beater this year. It was the newbies, Axel and Danielle, the other two chasers that I probably didn't know well enough to work with. And to make matters worse, James was counting on me.