This is my first Harry Potter fanfiction that I've ever done. I actually completed it a long while back - maybe a year or so, but I've just never got around to posting it and I never really thought that it was good enough to be posted. I definitely don't think it's as great as any of the other works I've seen on here, but, nonetheless, I wanted to share this to see what kind of response I'd get and improve as a writer. Thank you~! I do hope you enjoy~!


A Matter of Pride (Part 1 of 2)

Hogwarts is quad-friendly. We don't have quadruplets, but many… things… come in fours… there were four founders, four houses, four poster beds, four main classes; Transfiguration, Potions, Charms and Defence Against the Dark Arts. How many Maruders were there? Four. And how many feasts occur in one year? Four. Four, four, four, four, four… And it took I, Kasimira Wickerweed, four (school) years to ride a broom. I went through thirteen years of life without riding a broom.

If you care about your health, safety and face, it is not wise to laugh at this fact. Short and baby faced for my age; one wouldn't think I was a threat. Wilkes had thought so, in third year, he had harassed me to the point where I… well he and his gang of Slytherins soon learned they were wrong. A wand isn't necessary to induce pain.

Besides, there is a logical reason for this: I never learned. 'Oh, but there's a class, isn't there?' Yes, there is. I didn't take it. I was sick, and it didn't seem important to me to learn afterwards, why take time to learn to ride a broom? I could always learn later. I soon got sick of, 'You have such good reflexes, you should play Quidditch!' and 'Why didn't you learn to fly, you could've saved the team!' And for the last three years of school I have never touched a broom (flying or otherwise)…

Until this day! I mark this day, September 27th, the day on which I've learned and mastered the Art of Flying. And on October 16th, I will try out for the Quidditch team with Marlene Birwen, though she's guaranteed to be a member, and, a team-hopeful Mary MacDonald. We will be the first female members, and I mean the latter and myself, to join besides Marlene.

The feeling of flying was quite amazing, actually, but I preferred, personally… when it was fast. I enjoyed lounging in the air, just floating, as well, and just flying about, having the wind brush against me with only a thin piece of enchanted wood keeping me off the ground. But, the speed added adrenaline and gave it more of a thrill…

Even better, perhaps, was the fact that I had a deft, strong touch. Years of playing instruments and other activities that mainly replied on hands had paid off. I could make sharp turns and flips almost as if they were second nature, and, most importantly for my soon-to-be-Seeker spot, I had excellent eyesight. At first, I had attempted to catch falling leaves, but the burst of wind I produced made it too difficult as they'd flutter out of reach, so, instead I began tossing rocks as high and far in to the air I could muster and catch them falling down. My hand hurt a bit from the contact.

The wind whipped around me, making my eyes burn with the wind attacking them and making my hair lash at my face. I didn't mind, the only thing I saw was the rock approximately an inch or less in diameter dropping to the ground… I leaned closer to my broom – according to Marlene it was great that I was actually small and light, for my age, the best seekers weren't body builders, after all… The speed was exhilarating, the air cleaned my mind with its brisk, cold breath and made me see even better it seemed. I was almost within catching distance when…

"Kaz!" the voices, that of two girls, were so full of panic and fear that my immediate reaction was to stop and turn to the two shouting. Pulling my broom up and to the left sharply, I turned a perfect 180 to see that it was Mary and Marlene. I had forgotten that Mary had tagged along, and then Marlene had caught up. After Marlene arrived, she practiced to help Mary with Keeping; I went to do my own thing… They looked so alarmed I didn't understand it.

"What?" I demanded, my voice rather cold, even to me. I'd nearly been in reach of catching that damned rock and they spoiled it…

"What? You were about to crash in to that tree!" Mary accused, pointing at the tree behind me.

I rolled my eyes, "I wasn't, don't worry about me, if you get distracted like that during a match, how would you block the other team from scoring?" I chastised. Of course I knew about the tree, it wasn't a problem. If I turned upwards sharply enough, I could catch the rock and fly through the branches and leaves… Not really a big deal unless I got a face-first taste of bark…

Marlene let out a scoffing sort of laughter and shook her head, "Whatever… we're going to miss breakfast, you know, if we stay out here too long." Of course! Breakfast!

Brushing back my hair, my hair tie had fallen out whilst I was practicing, I landed and began to clean up, listening only partially to their talk. Instead I immersed myself in thoughts about breakfast, I always woke 'round the same time as the birds did, and so I ate earlier than anyone else. The House Elves personally made me breakfast, but since skipped, in case flying wasn't best with a filled stomach, I would, for the first time since first year, eat breakfast in the Great Hall… so many things were happening: learning to fly, eating breakfast in the Great Hall… I'd have to mark my calendar…

As I left the equipment shack with the two at my side, I collided with something, someone, really, as heat didn't emanate from walls and walls didn't grow out of the ground… and although I didn't fall over from the collision, it was irritating. "Shouldn't you watch where you're going?" we chorused in unison, yes, it was human. As I was about to snap at the person, I realized whom I was talking to.

James Potter. Marauder-in-command and guaranteed Chaser of the Quidditch team… and, according to Lily, an arrogant toerag undeserving of all the praise and affection he gets. I had to agree, I never thought that one of the Marauders was that good-looking, admittedly, though, Potter was a talented Chaser. But he was exceedingly arrogant at times, as well… an arrogant toerag, indeed.

I guess I spent more time than I thought practicing… if Potter was finished; he usually took his sweet time in leaving, under the quote of 'So that everyone can feast their eyes upon me!', it was things like that that made me want to hit him… but, then again, if he was at the Quidditch Pitch, he might've left early… There might still be time for breakfast…

He smirked down at me, there was barely two inches separating our heights, he was just hitting his growth spurt, "Wickerweed! What were you doing at the Quidditch pitch? Didn't know you could even fly." His voice interrupted my thoughts, not because it was loud, but because…

The git was mocking me. I was prideful, confident, not arrogant, and… fierce when someone pissed me off. "I didn't." There was only one thing that was preventing me from clobbering him – irritating me was one thing, insulting my pride was another, after all, he was using that voice… that condescending, holier than thou, superior voice that told me he was fully confident he could beat me in anything that had to do with riding a broom…

He cocked a brow and looked back at his Quidditch buddies, a practice team just as obsessed over the sport as him, he turned back and smiled, "Oh? So you can now?" he suggested. He enjoyed it, I was sure, that feeling of being King of the Castle… of being praised and admired and sought after by those girls and respected, needlessly, by the empty-headed boys… all striving after that same perfection, good looks, brains, wit…

"Thus my use of the past tense, Potter." I replied coldly, I attempted to sidestep him, only to be brought to a halt the moment he sidestepped in front of me. He leaned in so that the tips of our noses practically touched, and, repulsed, I took a step back, but I could still see clearly in to his hazel eyes, which were tinged with both green and gold.

"Meadowes told me something interesting at breakfast…" he hinted and I glared in response, this only made him smile widely, "She said that you were trying out for the team. I didn't believe it at first, since everyone knew you didn't know how to fly but now that you claim to know how… mind if you give us a show?" He was luring me in to giving them a show of what they thought was my poor skills.

"Hey, come on, let's not deal with this…" Mary insisted, tugging on my arm, Marlene seemed to agree as she snapped at Potter, "Leave her alone, James, I taught her personally, and if I say so myself, she's one hell of a beginner." They were trying to drive me away from what they thought was going to be my knee in between Potter's legs. Trying to get me away from any sort of conflict, I would've loved to; I didn't want to deal with this, with Potter.

But I had no choice. This was a matter of pride, which Potter was insulting, he even brushed the two aside and insisted to me, "Let's just call it pre-qualification, I just want to see if you can even make it two feet in the air."

Oh, I'd like to launch him two hundred feet in the air… like off Hogwarts ceiling… but, embarrassment was better, he needed a lesson in humility, he needed to be humiliated… I snatched a broom from one of his buddies, school brooms were slow, and he grabbed his broom willingly as I asked, "What do you want to see?" I demanded, like I knew an array of stunts… I didn't. Marlene had tried, but explanation wasn't her forte, nor was demonstration, she stumbled over bits of the routine.

Potter grinned. He grinned to his mates, who consisted only of a seventh year and two unknown sixth years, pathetic, really, how they respected him because he could garner a few laughs and sighs… And after a staring contest with Potter, I snapped around and began the march back to the Quidditch pitch with him and his lot trailing behind. He was about to see just how wrong he was for doubting me…

I wouldn't have time for breakfast after all…


I honestly don't know what to do next - I could continue it, I do have a plot and, like I've said, it's practically all written out - just looking for people willing to read it. Well, reviews would be appreciated~! Thank you for reading~!