Chapter 3: Midnight Flight and Double Jealousy
Quidditch try-outs for Ravenclaw were the first day of October. A lot of second years tried out, but for the most part we kept the same team. Roger Davies, the new Captain and a Chaser, even went through try-outs to show others what was expected. Roger chose his fellow fifth years, Jeremy Stretton and Randolph Burrow, as his fellow chasers. Duncan Inglebee, fourth year like myself, and a third year called Jason Samuels, stayed as the Beaters. The oldest member of the bunch was Grant Page, our Keeper and a Seventh year.
The try-outs for Seeker were difficult though. A third year, Cho Chang, was skilled on the broom and determined to be Seeker and nothing else. If it hadn't been for all the odd, unknown, and difficult moves I'd been working on this summer, plus the new, custom designed broom crafted by my mother. She called it the Shootingstar, and so far I loved it.
The Seeker position, in the end, was given to me for my third year. It had earned Roger a hug, even though he got a punch on the shoulder when he commented that I was the prettiest on the team. So unless he was into blokes, it was just silly.
That night was a full moon, so I decided to test the Shootingstar's full abilities on my own. The autumn chill was increasing almost every day it seemed. I personally feared an early, possibly even long, winter than typical. I wore thicker robes than normal as the moon rose to its zenith. 'Midnight.' I thought, smiling as I performed a Woollongong Shimmy, enjoying the smoothness of each turn. 'And my mother is a genius.' I mentally added.
A quick Wronski Feint earned me applause from a small audience I didn't know was there. The sound made me jump, causing my broom to veer to the right. 'Good to know.' I looked for the source of the clapping, only to see a certain pair of beaters flying towards me.
"Merlin, you two nearly gave me a bloody heart attack!" I growled at the twins when they were in earshot.
Fred chuckled, gently bumping into me as he hovered just to my left. George appeared at my right, smiling. "What can we say? You're almost as fast as Harry." The later of the two said.
"Almost? Oh please, he better keep an eye on me when we go against you proud Gryffindors in March." I grinned at them as they chuckled in response.
"Then you better keep an eye out for us, Lexi girl." Fred grinned, reaching over to pat my knee.
"Oh please Fred, you know neither of you could send a bludger at me. You like me too much." I smiled when he pouted.
George took my hand, pulling me closer and leaning over to smell my hair. "Oranges." He said and I giggled.
"You two are odd. This a new game?" Fred asked, an eyebrow quirked upwards on his forehead.
I looked at him, George still holding my hand. "Your brother really seems to like his games."
"That I do." George grinned, giving my hand a squeeze before letting go. "Hey, last person to the other end of the pitch has to eat a blood flavored lollipop!" Almost instantly, he and Fred shot forward.
I gaped, then scowled. "Prats!" I shouted after them, before leaning forward on my broom and shooting after them. I thanked my mum once more as I shot past them half way to the end of the pitch. I laughed, reaching the end of pitch and turning around easily. Fred reached me next, grinning.
"Seems like your plan backfired Georgie." I teased, smiling widely as the other ginger reached them, scowling. "Oh, and I want to be there when you enjoy your lollipop."
He pouted and grabbed the head of my broom, examining it. "This isn't a broom that's in stock…where'd you get it?"
"Oh that's right, you two don't know that my mom has been trying to make a broom for ages. This is her first success, already checked out by the Department of Magical Equipment Control and the Foreign Affairs and Sports Department. It won't be on the market until next summer, so they can build enough for the release day." I explained, smiling.
"Bloody hell Lex, you'll be the envy of every Quidditch player in Hogswart!" Fred said, eyes wide with excitement.
"Roger already warned me to keep it safe." I told them, shrugging.
George blinked while Fred raised an eyebrow. "Roger?" They asked as one.
"Yeah, Roger Davies, my captain. He's in your year." I said, puzzled by their sudden attitude.
"Ah right, that bloke. Smart-alec in our Charms class." Fred shook his head.
George frowned, seeming to now remember the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain. "He say much to you?" He asked.
I blinked, puzzled. "Not much this year. Just that I should keep my broom safe, someone might have an eye out for it after our first game. That and that I was the prettiest one on the team, but it's just me and a bunch of blokes. Why?"
George's frown deepened and I notice Fred give a silent growl.
"What is with you two?" I said, and then it hit me. "Oh Merlin, are you two jealous all because Roger called me pretty?"
George scowled as Fred scoffed, the latter looking away. "Davies doesn't deserve your attention Alexis."
I rolled my eyes, secretly smiling at the two. "Oh you two are the worst, I swear. Trust me, it'll be a long time before I even consider Roger Davies as more than a teammate, really." I looked at the two of them, who still seemed sour.
With a sigh, I flew over to them and leaned over first to kiss George on the cheek, then did the same with Fred. "I have enough trouble worrying over you two anyways."
That earned a grin out of Fred, while George only sighed and looked at me for a moment. He then smiled softly and reached over the gap between us to give my hand a squeeze. "Alright, we won't go hex Davies."
I frowned, squeezing back. "You better not. He already has an arse load of practice for us, not to mention the fact that he has to study for his O.W.L.s, just like you two should be!"
They rolled their eyes and groaned. "Ravenclaws and their tests!" Fred grumbled.
George smirked, glancing at me. I remembered the day in the library and grinned back. I winked suddenly, causing him to chuckled and Fred look at us oddly.
"And you thought us odd, Lex?" He asked.
I shrugged, pulling back on my broom and starting to slowly drift upwards. The twins blinked, but soon they were at my sides again and we silently enjoyed the clear night sky. I pointed out my favorite constellation, Sirius, and told them about my mum had stories about each constellation, but none were as interesting as the tales about Sirius, the dog of the sky.
The night drew on, often in warm silence as we huddled together to watch the moon make its way down to the horizon. It was probably around 3 in the morning by the time we touched down on the ground again and started to make our way towards the castle.
I yawned several times during the trek until Fred finally wrapped an arm around my shoulders as if to keep me standing. I glanced at George, who merely gave a bit of a smile.
It wasn't until I lay in my bed that I realized George had held my hand the entire way, even as Fred held me close to his side for warmth and support. Now, as I lay awake, hoping sleep would soon find me, I realized that there was more than just a Gryffindor's loyalty to a friend behind the twins' jealously. Since the kisses on the train ride, they slowly grew more and more romantic like.
I recalled how my new game with George had turned into more than just a sniff to judge the scent, but to touches and brushes to my hair, and often to my ear and neck as well. Sometimes he'd spook me by coming up to me, silent as the night, and whisper a greeting in my ear. Often times though, when it was only the two of us, George would simply stand close, sometimes holding my hand, other times just smiling softly at me as we talked, though sometimes it was just in silence.
Fred on the other hand wasn't so touchy as his twin. He was more the kind of guy who'd randomly give me a little compliment, mostly about my hair style choice of the day or when I did something to help with one of their pranks. After the night at the Quidditch Pitch, though, Fred started wrapping his arm around my shoulder or dolling out the random hug. He seemed to have fun with hugging me from behind and lifting me off my feet as I gave a surprised squeal.
Though neither dared give me a kiss on the cheek or any were else, their action seemed rather intimate and always left me confused. They both seemed to glare at Roger Davies whenever I was with the twins and he came to give me an update on what we'd be doing at practice that day or the next. Fred generally grumbled a threat about some hex or another, which typically just made the Ravenclaw captain raise an eyebrow and walk off. It also tended to earn Fred a punch on the shoulder and a scolding. It was either the grumbling and glaring or one of them would hold me close, boldly holding me around the shoulder or waist while I listened to what Roger was telling me, and there was often a blush on my face.
Still, I was slightly perplexed by their predatory behavior. Never before had either twin showed a liking to me beyond that of friendship, and now they seemed to be competing for my attention. Sometimes just thinking about it gave me a headache.