"Can I call you Tori? You know Tori, I'm a great friend."
"I don't get it, why are you being nice to me?"
"Maybe I don't want to see you friendless."
When Victoria Silvers, who comes from a long line of Slytherins, is sorted into Gryffindor her life...
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The morning of the big match was filled with nerves. The Gryffindor team entered the Great Hall the next day to enormous applause. Tori couldn't help grinning broadly as she saw that both the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables were applauding them too. Cedric gave her a thumbs up from his side. The Slytherin table hissed loudly as they passed. Tori noticed that Avalon looked even paler than usual.
Wood spent the whole of breakfast urging his team to eat, while touching nothing himself. Then he hurried them off to the field before anyone else had finished, so they could get an idea of the conditions. As they left the Great Hall, everyone applauded again.
Tori couldn't help but grin as they left. She shot Cedric one last look before glancing behind her to see Ravenclaw's chaser Blair Goldberg place a kiss on Oliver's cheek. Fred and Tori shared a look of surprise, yet Oliver seemed to strive a little more boldly because of this. However, this boldness was short term and immediately faded the moment the arrived on the pitch.
"Okay— no wind to speak of— sun's a bit bright, that could impair your vision, watch out for it— ground's fairly hard, good, that'll give us a fast kickoff—"
Wood paced the field, staring around with the team behind him. Finally, they saw the front doors of the castle open in the distance and the rest of the school spilling onto the lawn.
"Locker rooms," Wood said tersely.
None of them spoke as they changed into their scarlet robes. Tori was pulled aside by Katie and Angelina who began whispering to each other. "Ready? This is our time." Angelina said quietly. "We've got this. Remember what Wood said, we can win. We are one of the best rudy teams in this school. We are the best chasers in this school!"
In what seemed like no time at all, Wood was saying, "Okay, it's time, let's go —"
"Wait! Knock on wood?" Tori asked him, a smile in her face. Wood sighed, lifting his hands up. "Alright. Knock on wood."
After about six punches they walked out onto the field to a tidal wave of noise. Threequarters of the crowd was wearing scarlet rosettes, waving scarlet flags with the Gryffindor lion upon them, or brandishing banners with slogans like "GO GRYFFINDOR!" and "LIONS FOR THE CUP!"
Behind the Slytherin goal posts, however, two hundred people were wearing green; the silver serpent of Slytherin glittered on their flags, and Professor Snape sat in the very front row, wearing green like everyone else, and a very grim smile.
"And here are the Gryffindors!" Lee shouted, who was acting as commentator as usual. "Potter, Bell, Johnson, Silvers, Weasley, Weasley, and Wood. Widely acknowledged as the best team Hogwarts has seen in a good few years—" Lee's comments were drowned by a tide of "boos" from the Slytherin end.
"And here come the Slytherin team, led by Captain Flint. He's made some changes in the lineup and seems to be going for size rather than skill—" More boos from the Slytherin crowd. Tori, however, thought Lee had a point. Malfoy was easily the smallest person On the Slytherin team; the rest of them were enormous.
