Written for the Houses Competition, Year 3 Round 7, and for Monthly Challenges For All (Fem Power Challenge, Seriously Important (Not), Terms of Service)
House: Hufflepuff
Position: Prefect
Category: Standard
Prompt: [Pairing] Oliver Wood/Angelina Johnson
Additional Requirement: Include a letter or a note.
Representation: Angelina Johnson, stressing out, Quidditch Captain, asking for advice, Oliver Wood, sending letters
Bonus Challenge(s): Second Verse (Ladylike (FPC); Tomorrow's Shade (ToS); Unwanted Advice (ToS); Zucchini Bread (SI(N))
Word Count: 1169
Beta: Aya
Angelina stared at the letter in shock. She read it once again to confirm what it had said. She put it down in disbelief, then grabbed a piece of parchment and her quill. She wrote as fast as she could, her hand barely leaving the parchment. She stared at what she had wrote, then sighed her name at the bottom and tied it with a piece of twine around the family owl's leg.
"Take this to Oliver Wood. I don't know where he is, but I need his help." She told the brown barn owl, who gave her a look of confirmation before spreading its wings and flying out the window into the dark of the night. Angelina groaned as she sat down and looked at the letter once more.
"What am I ever going to do? I can't handle a whole team, I can barely take care of myself! Quidditch Captain! Who in the world would think it's a good idea to give me such a huge responsibly?" She tossed the letter on her desk before storming out of her room, slamming the door behind her.
"Quidditch Captain! Me! I-I …" She muttered to herself as she stomped down the stairs as quietly as she could to not wake her parents. Heading into the kitchen, she opened the cupboard to get herself a spare Honeydukes chocolate bar that she got last year in Hogsmeade and saved for situations like this where she would be extremely stressed, but she never pictured she would eat it after receiving news like that.
She tore the wrapper off and took a huge bite, instantly calming down once the smooth chocolate touched her tongue. She pulled out a chair at the table and moved it to the window, watching the sun rise slowly. She took a deep breath and rested her head on the windowsill. Maybe things would turn out just fine, but she needed help.
Oliver Wood woke up to the loud sound of something beating against his window. He grunted as he got out of bed and to the window where a brown barn owl stood on the windowsill beating its beak against the glass. He opened the window and the owl flew in and perched itself on top of his desk in the corner of his room, holding its leg out.
Oliver took notice of what was tied to the bird's leg and rushed over to the desk and untied the twine holding the parchment onto its leg. The owl gave Oliver a knowing look before spreading its wings and flying over to the coat rack by the door, stalking over him like a vulture.
Oliver sat at his desk, yawning loudly before unrolling the piece of the parchment and reading it sleepily. The letter said:
Dear Oliver,
Hello, it's Angelina. Hope everything is well and playing for Puddlemere United is everything you wished it would be.
I'm writing you to inform you that I was just notified that I have been selected as Quidditch Captain for this year's team. Actually, I'm really writing to you to ask for advice. I don't know what to do. You always handled the team so good and made it so easy, but I'm clueless and scared. It's my last year here at Hogwarts and I already have my hands full without the stress of a whole team on my shoulders.
Mainly, I'm afraid that I'll make a total fool of myself and let the whole team down. I need your help. How did you do it? You were always so optimistic and hopeful, even through the hardest times. I know I won't have the ability in me to do that. I might end up losing my mind before the first practice. I'm terrified of what's going to be expected of me.
Much love,
Angelina
Oliver didn't know what to think after reading the letter. He was beyond overjoyed for Angelina and her being selected as Quidditch Captain, he thought that the team would be in great hands, but at the same time, he didn't know what to tell her. He himself didn't know how he managed the team for so long. He tried not to fret about it for too long because he knew that Angelina was stressing out at this very minute and he didn't want her to worry.
So, he pulled open his desk drawer and took out a spare piece of parchment the perfect size he needed to write back to her, dipped his quill in ink, and wrote quickly yet neatly so Angelina so could still be able to read his handwriting despite the fact that it was five in the morning and his brain was half-asleep.
When he was finished, he motioned to the owl, who was hooting loudly in annoyance from waiting so long for Oliver to finish his reply and used a piece of string to tie the letter to his leg. He nodded to the owl, who quickly flew out of the window into the light sunrise.
He glanced at the clock and decided that there was still time to sleep before practice for his team started at nine, so he crawled back in bed, hoping that his reply would help his friend calm down.
Angelina was in the locker room, getting her uniform on. She took a deep breath to calm herself, adjusting the gold and red Quidditch Captain badge that was pinned on her shirt. She stood up and started to stretch, preparing her more mentally than physically. Her first practice as Captain and she felt more nervous than she did before her first game as a Chaser so many years ago.
She took another breath, knowing her teammates would be out there before her if she didn't hurry up, so before she went out, she opened her bag and pulled out a letter that she kept with her and read whenever she was nervous about this, keeping the words close to her. It wrote:
Dearest Angelina,
Everything is well here, playing professionally is better than I had ever dreamed. I hope one day you can experience this yourself.
All I can say to you is that I'm proud of you that you were chosen as Quidditch Captain, it's a huge honour for them to pick you; it means they think you're smart, reliable, responsible, and a great player and person, and that you need to believe in yourself and the team. Be by each others' side for better and for worse. What makes a team great isn't just talent, it's chemistry and relationships. Have faith in yourself and each other, no matter how much yelling it takes to get it going.
Feel free to send me a letter again if you need my help. I'm here for you.
My best wishes to you and the team,
Oliver
She put the letter back in her bag and stepped out to the field. It was time to make this team a family.