MISSED CALLS ➡︎ TEDDY LUPIN [2] ✓

cxxiii. THE QUIDDITCH PITCH

Avalon was buzzing with nerves as she sat in the changing rooms, cross-legged on the floor in front of Josephine, who sat on the bench behind her and attempted to braid her hair.

It had become a tradition—or a chore, depending on how you looked at it—to braid Avalon's hair before every game. Usually, the team would take turns, but this morning Josephine had practically begged to do it.

"Sooo," Jo whispered in the redhead's ear. "Teddy's coming today?" She asked, clearly happy for Avalon.

Avalon blushed. "Yeah, him and my brother and my brother's boyfriend are all coming." She said.

Josephine squealed excitedly, accidentally yanking on her friend's hair. "Oh, sorry, Av! I just know you've been waiting to see Teddy, and you haven't seen Ollie since Christmas." She apologized.

Avalon simply smiled as the taller girl tied an elastic into her hair, turning around slightly to face her and grabbing her hands.

"Hey, I know I don't say it enough, but thank you." She said lowly. "You, Lainey, and Vi have been here for me more than I could ever have asked for over the past few years."

Josephine's eyebrows raised, dark eyes widening. "You wait seven years to get all sappy on me, Weasley? Come on. Don't get all blubbery now—this can wait 'til after we beat Ravenclaw, alright?"

Avalon grinned in response, nodding her head. "Oh, for sure. Ravenclaw's going to get their ass handed to them."

She stood up from her spot on the floor and walked over to the center of the changing room, clapping her hands to get her team's attention.

"Alright, friends." She began, raising her voice. "If we win this, we're into the finals against Slytherin. And I know some of you have only been on the team one year, but we are going to make this the best year yet, yeah?"

She paused, a wicked grin slipping onto her face. "What team?" She yelled at the top of her lungs. It was something she did at every practice, match, and team meeting since she had become captain in the beginning of last term.

"Gryffindor!" The six before her shouted back.

"Come on, that wasn't good enough! I'll ask again—what team?"

"Gryffindor!" They screamed, finally at an acceptable volume.

Avalon smiled widely. "Alright, get your head in the goddamn game!"

—

The view from the skies was beautiful that Saturday morning; there wasn't a cloud in sight, and the fog that had settled over the Hogwarts grounds that morning had completely dispersed, and she could see everyone in the stands quite clearly.

Including Teddy, Oliver, Lawrence, and the rest of her siblings. Everyone except for Arthur was wearing maroon and gold to represent Gryffindor, and her twin brother wore blue and bronze to root for his own house.

Avalon fiddled with the yellow bracelet on her wrist, eyes locked on Teddy for a moment while the match happened around her.

She had been flying a broom for nearly fifteen years, and her Nimbus 3000 was ridiculously intuitive. She didn't need to have her hands on it at all to keep it steady; most brooms were like that, even her mother's old Cleansweep model from back in the day, but this one seemed to be in tune with her emotions, doing what she needed it to before she even knew where she wanted to go.

So when her broom started to drift towards the stands, she barely even noticed, too focused on the way Teddy Lupin was looking at her to care.

Before she knew it, the Nimbus 3000 had taken her over to where he was standing with her sister and brothers, giving him a cheeky smile as she got close.