Coffee & Commentary

Kestrels and Katriona

May 1996

"Sweet... Merlin..." he sighed as I walked into the bedroom, nearly dressed for the Kestrels for Kids gala. I rolled my eyes as I turned my back to him with my dress half zipped. "Help me out, love?" I begged as I bent at my waist. The fabric of my emerald sequin gown suddenly loosened around my hips as he sighed.  "Murphy! Perhaps I should have been more specific... I do need your help getting into my dress." I admonished my new husband as I turned back for assistance. He zipped my dress and pulled me onto his lap. "You came into the room, and then you turned around, and then... technically... you said, 'help me out, love'. I am just following directions", he reminded me as he wrapped his hands around my waist. I laced my fingers with his. "Some things never change. Please Murphy, never change." I rested my forehead on his as I looked into his stormy blue eyes.

He helped me to my feet and straightened his tie. His fingers traced the pin he wore in the shape of Cassiopeia on his chest. He checked his hair in the mirror and took a deep breath. He looked fantastic, but nervous. "Love, you are going to be spectacular. I am so proud of you." I reassured him as I kissed his cheek, careful not to leave a trace of my lipstick. He looked up at me and smiled, "It does help now that I get to attend these events with Quidditch Phenom, Katriona Cassiopeia at my side". I stopped in my tracks and sat on the bed facing him at eye level. "You are not attending this event with Katriona Cassiopeia. You are hosting this event, and I prefer to be called Katriona McNully." 

We arrived early for his sound check. The event coordinator gave him the rundown on what to expect, where the donors were sitting, where the recipients would gather, and where the paparazzi would lurk. I saw Murphy give a smile to someone behind me, but before I could turn around, I was being spun around in a hug. Once I was steady on my feet, I turned around to face my mystery friend. "DOOOOUGAN!!!!" I shrieked.

"What are you doing here?" I asked Caerphilly's All-Star Chaser and my former teammate. He hugged me once more. "I am with Kenmare now. I am coaching strategy for the Kestrel chasers. It's a dream gig. What are you doing here? I thought you were out of the game?!" he inquired. I flashed the ring he saw me receive at our last game together. "I am here with the host." I beamed. Dougan shook Murphy's hand and congratulated us. Murphy spoke up, "I'll be working hard all night, why don't you two grab a couple of butterbeers and settle into the good seats? It will be nice to catch up" he kissed my cheek and made his way to the stage.

"How'd you meet?" Dougan asked as I watched Murphy on the stage. "He taught me how to play chaser." I sighed as I stared up at Murphy, hard at work doing what he loved most. He really had become the next best- ever quidditch commentator, but tonight's gig was far more special to him. Tonight, deserving children from all over Kenmare would get to spend an evening with the players, coaches, and the extended Kestrels family... myself included. I felt so proud to be invited to an event as Mrs. Murphy McNully rather than seen as an outsider after playing for a rival team. "You're joking?" Dougan's voice snapped me back to attention. "Huh?" I shook my head and looked at my old teammate. "Your husband was your first coach?" he repeated.

My shoulders tensed, "Why is that surprising?" I snapped, I knew I would never get used to questions like the one that was about to arise. Dougan's eyes softened as he realized what I must have been thinking. "Because he's the best commentary in the league, I had no idea he played and coached too. Your man is an all star." Dougan smiled. I was embarrassed that I thought the worst. "He doesn't play, he never cared much for the physical aspect of the game, but he's a brilliant strategist. There's a maneuver that he wrote when he was a kid... you get three chasers in on it... and you win the championship. It is how I won my last school match before going to the Catapults. It's the move that got me noticed by Davie Cynan in the first place." I gushed about the genius of my wonderful guy.