Chapter 4: Surprises
Two weeks after the Quidditch tryouts, Poppy was completely fine. That's what she said whenever someone asked and slowly she was actually beginning to believe it. She hadn't actually considered the possibility of not getting on the team but a few hours after the tryouts that thought had sunk into her head and never left.
"Are you alright?" Grace would ask several times a day.
"I'm fine," Poppy would answer with a smile.
Never mind the fact Poppy would spend their study sessions by staring into nothing and replaying the events of the tryouts in her head. What if she'd been faster, or maybe nicer to Flint? No matter what she did differently, the scenarios in her head always ended the same way; with Flint telling her she'd never be on the team.
It was a beautiful, bright Thursday afternoon and Poppy was waiting for her Herbology class to begin. Grace had some free time and wanted to wait with Poppy, try to cheer her up.
"Hogsmeade visit is coming up," Grace said. "We can go to Honeydukes."
"Great, maybe I should buy and eat twice my weight in chocolate., since I don't need to be in shape for anything," Poppy remarked but quickly added, "Kidding! I'm fine."
"Mhm," Grace mumbled. "Professor Sprout's coming, I should go."
Grace left while Poppy and her classmates poured into the greenhouse. Poppy loved Herbology but even that couldn't cheer her up. They were working with bouncing bulbs and Poppy didn't even feel up to answering the professor's questions about the plant. She knew most of the answers but was too busy trying to not think about Flint. Her thoughts of trying not to think were interrupted by somebody entering the greenhouse. Poppy assumed it would be Cho Chang from Ravenclaw as she was always late, but Cho was standing right next to her, trying to get her bulb to stop bouncing out of its pot. Poppy, along with other students, turned her head towards the door.
"Ah, Mr. Flint, what can I do for you today?" Professor Sprout asked with a warm, welcoming tone. "Perhaps you want to borrow another one of my books?"
"Not today, professor, thank you," Flint answered and searched the greenhouse with his grey eyes when he finally spotted Poppy. "I would like to borrow Miss Wood for a few minutes, though. Professor Snape needs to see her. He said it's urgent."
Poppy couldn't think of any reason why Snape would need to see her but she couldn't exactly say no even if Flint was the last person she wanted to see. Professor Sprout told her to come straight back and Poppy could hear all the other students whispering about her as she left.
"I heard she was caught in a broom closet with some boy," Cho Chang whispered.
"No, I think that was her friend," a girl standing next to Cho responded. "I wouldn't be too surprised, though."
Poppy followed Flint around the yard for a while when he suddenly stopped.
"What now?" Poppy asked, annoyed.
"Snape doesn't need to see you," he responded and looked taken aback by her. "I do."
"Oh, great. Did you interrupt my class just to make some mean remark?" Poppy said and looked at Flint. It would be so typical of him to do something like this. "Because that would be low, even for you."
"Actually, no," Flint responded. "I came to tell you I reconsidered my decision and decided to put you on the team. I'm starting to regret my that, though."
"Real nice, Flint, truly lovely. This is a definitely a new low point for you but guess what, I'm not buying it."
"It's not a joke."
He looked dead serious.
"So, if I go and ask anybody on the Slytherin team, they'll know their keeper has been replaced by me?"
"Well, no. I figured I'd ask you first. They'll probably know by supper, though."
Poppy was dumbfounded and at a loss for words.
"I'm warning you, they won't like you. Hell, I don't like you. I'll make you work hard to keep the spot you rightfully earned. I want to win, that's why I picked you," Flint said firmly. "So, are you in?"
"Uh, yeah," Poppy answered, still not able to even process what was happening.
"Good. And don't come crying to me when the other players are mean to you or when you think practice five times a week is too much."
And with that, he left. Poppy returned to Herbology with so many questions in her head. Mostly she was wondering why Flint would borrow books from Professor Sprout.
