Peace, Love, and Quidditch
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
::Quidditch::
It was a cold, windy autumn day; the leaves were just turning scarlet and gold and orange outside on the castle grounds. The conditions, while not ideal for Quidditch, had been fairly good, and the Gryffindor Quidditch team was getting ready to face Ravenclaw in the first match of the season.
A particularly strong gust of wind blew past as Katie and her friend, Leanne, whom she had met on the train, entered the Quidditch pitch. They had only been First Years back then, scanning the crowd and looking for a couple of empty seats. Finally, Leanne pointed to an area and grabbed her friend's arm, pulling Katie through the throngs of people to a spot in the bleachers. They sat down, relieved, and waited for the match to start.
Quidditch had always been Katie's favorite sport. Something had always drawn her to it: the feeling of the wind in her hair, the thrill of approaching the three great hoops, the adrenaline rush she got when she was about to intercept the Quaffle from an opponent. She had, after all, been riding around on a toy broomstick since she could walk, and she planned to try out for her House's team next year.
"Oh, they're starting!" Leanne exclaimed, nudging Katie's arm. She glanced up in time to see all the players rise into the air. As the Keepers moved into place, the game began, punctuated by a sharp whistle blow from Madam Hooch.
As Katie watched the game, she found her light brown eyes resting on a single person: the Gryffindor team's Keeper. He was by far the most interesting of all the players, and not all that bad-looking, either: slightly windswept brown hair that she could tell would be soft to the touch and dark, slightly-brooding eyes. But it was more than just his looks; the Keeper radiated a certain intensity that nobody else on the team has. Ambition, willpower, drive…he was a serious Quidditch player. Katie had only seen intensity like this when watching professional Quidditch.
"What's his name?" she asked Leanne curiously, pointing in the direction of the Keeper. She should know. After all, Leanne knew many more people than Katie did…
"Who, the Keeper?" Leanne asked. "That's Oliver Wood, a Fourth Year."
Katie nodded silently, but she was already drowning in her own thoughts. A Fourth Year was much too old for her, she decided. After all, in four years she would only be in her fifth year, and he would be long gone.
Still, she couldn't help but notice the easy grace he used when moving between the three hoops, the confidence he showed when he rode. And then she realized that there was another reason why Quidditch was her favorite sport in the world.
My first submission for the "Aboard the Love Boat Challenge", to participate, see my profile. I hope you liked it! Please, please click the purpley-blue button and leave a review!