Adeline Turner had never been so covered in sweat in her entire existence. And that was saying something, considering the fact that she had lived the first eleven years of her life on an African Safari where the concept of air conditioning was minimal. Had Addie known that she was magical, she would have tried to produce some cold air, but her muggle upbringing had impeded upon that lesson.
Addie's current sweat was not from the Ugandan heat, but rather from the intense training her coach had just put her through. It was pre-preseason for Quidditch and the Chudley Cannons' Coach Chang did not seem to understand that there was a thing such as post season, i.e. time off. Addie held a strong belief that the Department of Magical Games and Sports should enforce a longer mandatory break for all teams. Larger than the four measly weeks it gave off during the fall. Addie had sweat through her shirt, which she promptly removed once inside the locker room. She resented the shorts that stuck to her body, unwilling to be remove them and sit half naked in the co-ed locker room.
Running a hand through her sweaty hair did not help her disheveled appearance. She pulled out the hair pony holder, causing her hair to fan her face in a greasy tangle. Deciding that the extra weight only added to the heat, Addie combined the dark waves into a pile on her head, encasing the strands in the very hair tie that had just been giving her a mild headache with its tightness. The little hairs on the back of her neck were plastered against her pale skin and a small bead of sweat ran from her forehead down her temple to collect at the base of her neck. She hung her head, unable to hold its weight up for a moment longer and unwilling to have to try.
Legs spread open on the wooden bench, elbows on knees, and head hanging heavy, Adeline Turner sighed deeply as she listened to the quiet chatter of her teammates. Addie had been with the Cannons for a little over three years, joining their reserves shortly after her graduation from Hogwarts. She had been captain of her House's Quidditch team, playing fiercely as a Keeper, rarely letting anyone score. Many had been shocked when she decided to join the Cannons, a team almost prophetic in its failure. But Coach Chang had been incredibly, frighteningly, persuasive in convincing Addie to join the orange clad players. Addie had been convinced that that was finally the Chudley Cannons year in the lime light. They would finally rise up to the top and show the Wizarding World what they were capable of. Addie's first two years on the team ended with only one win. Total. After that, the old Keeper was traded, and Addie moved up to full-fledged team member. The last season had been far less embarrassing, with more than a few victories under their belt.
The team had become stronger, bonded in a way. Especially the three chasers who seemed inseparable. Samantha Cook, Adam Barnes, and Brendan Patterson. However, Adam, the eldest member of the team, had decided that the life of a professional Quidditch player was too dangerous and rowdy for him (and his wife.) He left the team at the end of the season, which had been around two months prior. There had been a lot of talk of his replacement, yet none of the players in reserve could really stand up to the challenge that this team was facing. And none of them seemed to be able to fit the mold needed to balance out the other two chasers.
Where Samantha was wild, Brendan was timid. Adam had become a great intermediary between the two, a constant voice of compromise. Their relationship had evolved over the few years they had worked together. There was often tension between Sami and Bren, which Adam defused. Somehow the three of them, despite being wildly different, were closer than any other three Chasers Addie had known. They could read each other's ticks and signals from across the pitch. Like Addie, Bren was a more recent addition to the main team, but he melded right into the Chaser Trio, helping secure wins in the previous season.
But now with Adam gone, there was a sense of uncertainty that Addie could feel in the locker room as she sat there. No one was sure where the new Chaser would come from. Most of the other players thought they would bring in someone from the outside, maybe someone with more experience. Ryan Wood, a Beater, was convinced they'd try and bring in someone who was on their way out due to age on another team. Convinced that no one would join the Cannons in the height of their career. Drew Henderson, the other Beater, disagreed, citing the same persuasion Chang had used on Addie that had worked on him. Addie had no idea who their new teammate would be. She knew of some players on other teams in the league. Many from her Hogwarts days or from matches she'd played in. The British and Irish Quidditch League made a point of ensuring that teams knew their rival players, with an annual ball each year at the start of the season and marketing events across the continent throughout the year. But none of those players she could say she knew personally seemed to be the right fit for what the Cannons needed.
The only people who truly knew what was going on were the Seeker and Captain, Robby Nott, Coach Chang, and the Team Manager, retired Quidditch player Evan Barker. They were all three very tight lipped about who they were vetting to take Adam's place. Sami and Bren had been attempting to get some information out of them, but all they would say is that the two other Chasers would get to have a say in the final decision, as the new member would work with them the most.
But at that moment, sweaty and tired, Addie could spare little thought as to who the new Chaser would be. All she wanted was a nice shower and her comfortable bed. She let her head hang lower. Almost between her knees.
"You doing all right there, Ads?" Drew sat down on the bench next to hers.
"Mhm fine," she mumbled in response.
He chuckled quietly beside her. Far used to her noncommittal noises and grumpy ways.
"Your aversion to running really hasn't faded since Hogwarts, has it?" He bumped his knee with hers, causing the elbow carefully balanced there to wobble.
"You're an aversion," Addie grumbled in a semi-mocking tone.
Drew laughed again, this time louder, demanding the attention of the rest of the locker room.
Despite not being in the same house and on rival Quidditch teams, Drew and Addie had been friends since her first year at Hogwarts. Drew, a Second Year Hufflepuff at the time, had seen Addie struggle immensely at her first flying lesson from his spot in the library. As a muggleborn, Addie's first experience with a flying broom was at Hogwarts and she had been frightened yet determined to learn to use it. One night, she snuck out to the pitch and broke out an old Nimbus 2000 to try and fly on. She had nearly broken her neck before Drew had come down from his hiding spot in a nearby tree to teach her to fly. It was revealed that he had thought her to be a Professor about to catch him flying after dark. Addie was at first distrustful, but eventually saw he meant no harm and wanted to help her fly correctly. Soon they became friends, him teaching her Quidditch and she taught him about the Muggle World, which he knew little of. Drew always jokingly said he regretted teaching her to fly when Slytherin beat Hufflepuff in the Cup Match his Sixth Year.
"They're talking about potential new Chasers. Like really talking about it," He said. This got her attention, so much so that she lifted her head.
Addie raised a plucked eyebrow, "Specific potential Chasers? Did they- have they chosen someone?"
Drew titled his head backwards in the direction of Nott's Office which stood behind the row of lockers.
"They're in their right now talking to Cook and Patterson about some names. I suspect they'll let us know soon who they decide."
Addie's other eyebrow rose to meet the first. She stood up and grabbed a towel from the locker behind her. Drew understood her intentions and nodded his head. He too stood up and went back to his locker across from hers, busying himself. He was attempting to take his time, so he would be here when the decision was made.
Addie grabbed some of her cleaning products from the metal cage. She made eye contact with Ryan, who's locker was next to hers. Ryan was taking his time putting away his robes. He was freshly showered and seemed in no rush to get back to his apartment.
Walking around the lockers, she passed slowly in front of the Captains Office. Through the window she saw Nott in his chair behind his desk. Sami and Bren were hunched over some photos of people playing Chaser. Chang was leaning against the desk, pointing something out to Bren. He nodded in understanding. Evan watched Addie pass by, winking at her. She reddened at being caught and slipped quickly into the bathroom.
The showers were empty. Addie chose the biggest one with the best water pressure. She might as well get clean as she waited for the announcement.
The Chasers had been pretty secretive the last few days. Drew suspected that they had been allowed to play a few rounds with potential Chasers and did not want to let slip any names to the rest of the team. Addie got their secrecy, no one wanted to get their hopes up over a great new player and then have it all fall through. But Addie wished she had some clue as to who she would be playing with. The Keeper generally worked very little with other players. Like the Seeker, her job was pretty separate from her own teammates. She knew to trust Bren and Sami with this decision, but it was still stressful to not know the newest edition to the team. Especially when the success of that team road on the backs of all of them. That was a reason the Cannons had failed, especially in recent years. The chemistry of the players was all off. While Adam and the others had worked well together the two years before Addie had been moved up, they did not have a good connection with the Keeper (who also was shitty at his job). A great relationship had formed the season before between all the players, not just those who worked together, specifically. This was definitely responsible for their uptick in wins. Addie feared that the wrong person would be hard to break or may never fit in at all.
Addie wasn't quite sure how long to shower. She knew that she could take her time but feared in missing the announcement. She also knew that if she was too quick, then she'd just awkwardly have to sit around, bidding her time, brushing her hair. She went for the medium amount of time. Washing her hair but not shaving her legs.
Once out of the shower, Addie applied some products her mother always ensured she never ran out of. Which Addie appreciated. Her hair was black, wavy, and frizzy. The muggle products defrizzed and curled. She knew that they weren't magical, but Addie has always suspected that there was something supernatural about her hair products and what they could do to her hair.
Walking out of the showers, Addie again passed by Nott's office. They were all in relatively the same positions but this time there was only one picture on the desk. She hurried back to her locker, slipping on an old Slytherin sweatshirt and shorts. Neither Wood nor Drew were paying attention. She wand dried her hair, before twirling the front pieces absentmindedly. She was reorganizing her space for the second time when Chang walked into the open space between the lockers, followed by the other occupants of the Captains Office.
It was a little strange to be the minority in not knowing the information. Addie prided herself on being in the know. But at that moment she was as clueless as anyone. She, Ryan, and Drew all stood up and moved to the front of their benches, waiting patiently.
"We've come to a decision on the new Chaser," Coach Chang said in her usual no nonsense manner. "He will begin training on Monday but will move his things into the Cannons Complex tomorrow afternoon."
Addie realized that this information was directly specifically at her. As she lived next to empty apartment left vacated by Adam and his wife, she would also be responsible for helping her unnamed teammate move in. Just as Adam had done for her the year before.
"Before giving his name, I'll give you his qualifications. He was Quidditch Captain of the Gryffindor Team for two years. While he will be the youngest member of the team, this new Chaser will have already played first string for two years on the Ballycastle Bats."
Addie's heart did a weird little dance. Neither excited nor dreading, just taking note. She had a feeling she knew who her new teammate would be. The Quidditch Captain that had managed to beat her in her very last game at Hogwarts. The one who had scored more goals on her than any other player. The one with that stupid smirk that had haunted her nightmares for weeks after the game. She prepared herself for Chang to say the name.
"The newest member of the Chudley Cannons will be James Potter."