My prompts for the second round were: Quidditch pitch. "Flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss." Douglas Adams.

I have interpreted this prompt as sometimes things that you consider to be a failure can turn out to be good.


Thank you to the amazing Schermionie for her precious help and encouragement with the fic.

Thank you to the great The Lola for her amazing betareading work.

Go Puddlemere!

Enjoy & Review please!


midnight meeting

Louis doesn't even know why he is hiding here, underneath the benches in the Quidditch pitch, after curfew. He should be in his dorm preparing for his test tomorrow. Or at least, he should be resting. But that damn note. He just couldn't ignore it.

He found it some days ago in his Potions textbook.

'Come to the Quidditch pitch 11pm tonight, it's important.'

He didn't go. He ignored it, wrongly thinking it was one of his cousins, possibly Roxanne, making a bad joke, and trying to land him a detention in order to stain his perfect record.

He is the first Gryffindor in history never to have had a detention – not even a minor one – and he will stick to it, thank you very much.

It's not that Louis isn't brave enough to find himself in situations potentially dangerous for his school record; he is just usually intelligent enough to avoid them. After-curfew exits, or rather re-entering the common room after curfew, can only happen between 11.00 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. Outside of those you are sure to be caught. It's the only safe slot since the prefects patrol away from the tower at that time. He knows that; his cousins know that. All Gryffindors who are interested in the information know that.

That's why Louis, knowing that the rendez-vous request was probably genuine, gave in to his curiosity and finally went to the pitch after the fifth parchment note found this morning in one of his books. All the messages state the same words: he is to go the Quidditch pitch – the bloody cold Quidditch pitch. He should have thought of bringing an extra robe.

After waiting for a good ten minutes, a silhouette finally appears on the pitch. Louis can't make out who it is, but the person is definitely tall. Fred is his first thought, but the hair is wrong. He needs to approach.

Only ten metres away, he recognises Lorcan Scamander. The boy is two years younger than him; he is in his fifth year, a Ravenclaw. He barely knows him, though. Only chats with him from time to time at lunch. Louis doesn't understand what could bring him here.

Louis approaches the boy noisily; he doesn't want to startle him.

"You came!" Lorcan shows relief, and Louis smiles at him.

"Why did we need to meet here, Lorcan?" Louis hesitates now: maybe it's the other twin, Lysander. No, the hair is wrong for Lysander. "It's Lorcan, isn't it?" the Gryffindor asks just in case.

"Yes, Lorcan. And, it's because of the stars. Mum said it would help."

Louis is confused. "Help for what?"

The night is only illuminated by the moon, but Louis can see the younger boy blush.

"Umm," Lorcan hesitates, "asking you on a date."

Louis is surprised. He can't help but laugh. "Risking detention for a setting?"

"And umm, for you. You need to be impressed. You never accept dates, you know. And Mum said impressing you, the stars, it would, umm, help."

Louis can see how uncomfortable the other boy is. After his break-up with Frank, he refused every boy who asked him on a date. But still, Lorcan tries. It's almost endearing, if only it wasn't so stupid. "You know that even if I accept, our first date would probably be a detention. And cleaning trophies without magic isn't really a turn on for me."

"Yes." Lorcan takes a deep breath. "But the company would be."

Louis laughs at the boldness of the Ravenclaw boy. "Come on, then, I am bloody freezing here. Let's go have our detention."

Lorcan laughs; his eyes shine. And Louis thinks, Maybe a tainted record won't be so bad after all.