This is a one-shot Angelina/Xiomara fic posted in response to the "I Love You" challenge by thegirlofcrazy. It isn't a part of "Flight and Freedom", my other AJ/XH story, and the prompt was Quality Quidditch Supplies. Madam Hooch, I'd always assumed her name was Xiomara, is supposed to be about a hundred years old in the Potterverse, but this just isn't how I'd imagined her. For the purposes of this story I'm writing her as approximately 60 and it will not be strictly canon. Fluff warning.

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It would never fail to overwhelm Angelina Johnson that people admired her and sought her out because of the success she was having in her first year playing for one on the wizarding world's most prestigious quidditch teams ; the Tutshill Tornadoes. The enthused chants of Johnson made her heart hammer against her rib cage so loudly that she could hear it over the crowds. Even now she had been forced to get up at the crack of dawn to visit Quality Quidditch supplies in order to purchase some new pairs of gloves; the position of chaser was very much hands on, and her current pairs were beginning to show signs of wear and tear. It was much better for her to purchase some new pairs now before an injury could result from her negligence and one had to get a feel for things, hence her avoidance of using owl order.

She hummed gently, browsed through the broad range of materials present and wondered at the richness of it all- buying even one pair of dragon hide gloves (her favoured material) even a year ago would have been an extravagance, but now she was off the reserve list for the Tornadoes it was important. Angelina set three pairs of gloves aside, two black the other a deep red that reminded her of the years she had spent on the Gryffindor team, and decided to try another material. Her lover of some months and ex flying instructor, Xiomara Hooch was the perfect person to ask. She turned to watch her examining the ingredients of a new brand of broom polish over her rectangular reading glasses, mouth pursed. They weren't the most obvious of romantic partnerships, but there was something about Xiomara that made her feel every bit as alive as she did soaring over the quidditch pitch, and that was something worth cultivating.

"Can I help you with anything?" The eager young sales assistant flashed Angelina her brightest smile, awe shining from her wide eyes- it wasn't every day a professional quidditch player frequented the shop after all, even if the latest addition to the Tornadoes was fairly new. The other employee of Quality Quidditch Supplies had left upon their arrival, presumably for some coffee. The darker witch returned the smile and handed over the gloves she would be taking.

"It's alright, thanks. I definitely want to take these, but I need to see what Xiomara thinks of these." Angelina nodded to the gloves she had selected. Her lover turned at the sound of her name, fixing her with a look the golden eyes that would forever amaze Angelina. The blonde sales assistant moved over to the desk and began wrapping the goods, looking between the two women every so often.

"See what Xiomara thinks of what?" Angelina gestured towards the mountain of boxes, each containing a different type of glove, tracing a finger from Xiomara's slender wrist to the tip of her thumb. The older witch's mouth twitched imperceptibly as she scanned the labels on the boxes with expert eyes, and she lifted her hand away discreetly when the bell rang announcing the first batch of customers. With a sigh Angelina realised that she could never be so fussy as to have written ahead and asked for the shop to be closed for her sole use, but her determination to live a normal life had disadvantages from time to time. An unbelievably short length of time later she plucked three boxes from the pile. "You'll like these." Angelina opened the first box and turned over the intricately design, sliding her hand into the surprisingly soft dark green gloves that were partially made with Grindylow's hide. The shop's bell rang once more, and several more customers filed through the door- this was always a popular shop with virtually every demographic. She ignored the chatter and flexed her fingers with ease. "The material is tough enough to protect your hands from most injuries, and a tad more flexible than dragon."

"I'll take them." Xiomara nodded, but whatever she was going to say was interrupted by yet another ringing of the bell and yet another barrage of quidditch enthusiasts, and this time they swarmed towards Angelina, as she knew was inevitable, and formed a cramped circle around her from which Xiomara was excluded. Angelina couldn't see her lover's face as she carried the gloves to the till and forced herself to smile- it would be unfair to provide her fans with anything else.

"Angelina, that goal you scored against the Arrows last week was just unreal." A young preteen boy with floppy blonde hair looked more excited to see her than anyone ever had, with the exception of Xiomara. She looked away from the child for a split second, long enough to see her lover watching with a patient interest.

"Thanks." Being praised so unreservedly was something Angelina knew would never seem normal. Taking care to make eye contact with each person in the crown, she began shaking hands with them all.

"Are you enjoying life with the Tornadoes, Ange?" She nodded, hiding her mild surprise at being addressed with such familiarity by a complete stranger.

"Yes, thank you. It's great."

"Can you sign this please?" Another fan, a willowy young woman with dark curls managed to squeeze to the front of the crown and press a quidditch magazine into her hands, followed by a quill.

"Sure thing." Angelina recognised the article on her team and signed the picture it just above her own head in the flowing scrawl she had spent several days perfecting upon being given a contract with the Tornadoes. "There you go." She tuned to the next fan to begin a small exchange, but the woman pushed forward again. Angelina paused.

"How about we go for dinner some time? I'm Grace Ashford, and I think that we could have so much fun together-" For a moment Angelina couldn't speak as she processed these astonishing words. Stammering out a polite refusal, she looked over towards Xiomara to try and ask her for some assistance. She had been just in time to see Xiomara stalk towards the exit of the shop, eyes unreadable and her mouth set in a hard line. What was the matter?

"Excuse me, I- I have to go." It took a frustratingly long time for her to extract herself from the growing group of fans, but the number of customers had increased drastically since she had last checked and her girlfriend was having the same trouble working her way through the throng of early morning shoppers. "Xiomara, wait!" The chatter ceased as she raised her voice. The older witch's shoulders tensed and she turned around, her brilliant eyes overly bright.

"I can't." Her voice was uncharacteristically quiet and her eyes downcast. Was Xiomara going to leave her? Her bird like eyes had been ready to shed tears, and Xiomara never cried. Not even when the names of the dead had been listed after the war- then she had subsisted on a diet of firewhisky for three days solid, but never once had she cried. The pit of Angelina's stomach fell in despair, desperation giving her tunnel vision. All she could think of was how right it felt having Xiomara by her side, how much the Xiomara meant to her and suddenly it became clear what she felt. It was like diving on a broom, although the giddy feeling didn't fade with time.

"I love you." A low buzz of chatter started up, but Angelina couldn't care less what they were saying about her. Xiomara turned and bolted through the open door and into the street, her strong legs propelling her through the crowds of Diagon Alley. Although her training programme was highly intensive, Angelina had trouble keeping up and she almost lost her lover more than once as she was forced to weave between slow moving shoppers, but eventually she came close enough to wrap a hand around Xiomara's shoulder and pull her into the shelter of a doorway.

"What's wrong?" Tentatively Angelina wrapped her arms around her lover's waist, unsure of her reception, but the gamble paid off when Xiomara leant against her, resting her head on Angelina's shoulder. "Tell me what I've done?" In her arms was one of the best things that had ever happened to her, and Angelina didn't want to have to give that up.

"Nothing, I'm being silly." Sometimes Xiomara got upset because of things that Angelina just couldn't understand and up until now she had accepted the excuse of silliness, but now she regretted being so inattentive.

"It doesn't matter if it's silly; you're upset and I want to know how I can help you." Gently, she ran a hand through Xiomara's soft, thick and unruly spikes of hair. It was the only gesture that seemed in any way helpful, because truthfully Angelina felt unsure of what she should be doing. They were silent for a brief pause, listening to the hustle and bustle of the busy street.

"Isn't it obvious?" Angelina shook her head, the beads adorner her braids making music as they collided. "I'm scared."

"Scared of what?" The older witch pulled back slightly and looked at Angelina in a way that made her feel she was being tested.

"You really don't know?"

"No, but I want you to tell me."

"I'm scared that you're going to leave me-"

"Mara, I'd never do that-" One tapering finger pressed gently against her lips, and Angelina fell silent when she saw the intensity in her lover's eyes.

"Don't interrupt me because I don't think that I can say this again. I know you're a lovely young woman, Angelina, and ever since we started... this... you've been so sweet. You'd never deliberately hurt me, but what about all of those tempting young women so eager to get to know you better? Give it six months or so and they'll be all over you like flies on honey. I know damn well that someone younger and far more beautiful than me will whisk you away, you'd be quite right to go, and that'll be it I suppose." Angelina's mouth opened in what she could only describe as horror. She tried to pull Xiomara back against her, but her attempts were resisted. "I refuse to cry about it because that's just life, you see? And it's been wonderful..." She couldn't speak any more and didn't stop Angelina from holding her tightly.

"Don't be thick, Mara. You're older than me- so what, you're stunning. I love your eyes, your hair, your body, your personality... everything about you. I've never felt anything like this before now and nobody could compare to you. I don't want to be with anybody else no matter who they are or what they look like, because I love you. I love you so much." And it was true. Before today she hadn't professed such a thing, but now it was all that she could think of.

"I love you too." Xiomara smiled, enjoying being held. "I would have told you sooner, only I didn't want you to feel that you ought to say it back."

"I mean it Mara, I really do." She planted a soft kiss against Angelina's lips.

"I know."

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