Chapter Four – Hitting the Pitch

Wills stepped out onto the field in his practice gear and covered his eyes from the sun. He took a deep breath, reveling in the smell of freshly cut grass. There was no place he loved more than the quidditch pitch. Especially when the weather was nice like that day. He knew he needed to enjoy it while it lasted. Once mid-summer hit, it would be uncomfortably hot.

"Alright. Give me five laps around the pitch to start off with," Coach Wood barked.

"Aye, aye captain," Wills said, grinning as he saluted. Oliver rolled his eyes and motioned for the group to start running.

"Must you always be so cheeky?" Jakes asked as they started running.

"Cheeky is the spice of life, dear Lizzie," Wills said. The tall woman huffed slightly.

"I hate when you call me that," she grumbled.

"I think it suits you," Vane said, grinning.

"And I think Johnnie suits you," Jakes shot back. Vane frowned at her. "Ah, see you don't like it once the tables are turned."

"Would you lot stop chattering and run," Ashley said, moving passed them. "Otherwise Coach is going to yell at us again." She fell in stride with Wills as the two led the group.

"It doesn't matter what we do. Coach always yells at us," Vane complained.

"Come to join me in the front? Perhaps you're finally coming round, White," Wills said, grinning at her.

"Please. I've been married nearly four years now, Wills. That ship sailed long ago," she said, keeping her eyes forward.

"WILLS! STOP FLIRTING AND FOCUS!" Oliver shouted.

"You sure your dad can't read minds too?" Wills asked, glancing behind him towards Jamie.

"That he does not," Jamie said. "Still just me and Mum."

"How's the old codger feeling now?" Wills asked.

"Annoyed," Jamie replied, causing the team to start laughing. Once Wills was let in on the connection secret, he promptly shared it with the rest of the team, much to the initial annoyance of Jamie. Though after awhile, he conceded that they probably would have been told anyway. They all knew about his Legilimens already.

"FASTER! WE HAVEN'T GOT ALL DAY WHILE YOU GOSSIP!" Oliver shouted.

"Best get on with it!" McIntosh shouted towards the front. Wills took a deep breath and sped up the pace.

"Come on, you lugs. You heard Coach. We haven't got all day!" he shouted.


A few hours later, Wills zipped through the air, the quaffle firmly tucked under his arm. He zeroed in on Jamie as the hoops loomed in front of him. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Jakes nearby to his left, easily dodging a bludger sent by Truffle. Coach had them running new plays without the reserves team, trying to drill them into the team's heads.

Jamie sat calmly on his broom, hovering just below the middle hoop – his sweet spot, he called it. Wills zig-zagged down the field, attempting to throw off the keeper before zagging left while shooting the quaffle right, where Vane was supposed to be waiting to catch it.

He heard a strange noise from the chaser and looking over just in time to see the quaffle zoom passed him and land somewhere in the stands.

"VANE! GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME!" Oliver shouted from where he was hovering on his broom, watching. Wills slowed down and looked over, noticing Vane scowling at the stands as he tried to locate the quaffle. "THAT WAS A PERFECT PASS AND YOU SHOULD OF CAUGHT IT!"

"Yes, Coach," Vane shouted. Wills frowned slightly. It was unlike the chaser to miss a pass so spectacularly.

"SET UP AND START OVER! WE'LL NOT MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ONE UNTIL YOU GET THIS ONE!" Oliver shouted.

"Yes, Coach!" the team shouted out as Wills and Jakes turned around and headed back down the field.

"What's got into him, you think?" Jakes asked softly, not wanting Vane to overhear. Wills shrugged.

"Got me. He seemed fine earlier. Until you started calling him Johnnie," he replied. Jakes chuckled.

"That couldn't have possibly thrown him off," she said. "He's got a thicker skin than that."

"Maybe he's still getting over the break up?" Wills suggested. "He and Evie were together for a long time. We all thought they were going to get married."

"Thank Merlin that ended – they were all wrong for each other," Jakes said with a sigh. "But it was nearly six months ago. Seems a bit long for Vane to mope." The two quieted down as the chaser in question pulled up beside them. Wills took a deep breath and glanced at him, Vane's dark eyes looking off somewhere ahead as he still scowled, clearly mentally berating himself for missing the pass.

Coach waved his wand and sent the quaffle zooming towards Wills from the stands, who caught it even though he was still studying Vane. Whatever was bugging him, Wills decided the middle of practice was not the time to ask about it. They needed to get the plays down or Coach Wood would undoubtedly keep them late until they did.

"Look… don't get stuck in your head," Wills said, tossing the quaffle up in the air a few times and catching it. Vane looked over at him, no longer scowling. "Just… clear your mind, follow me. You'll get the pass this time." Vane nodded silently.

"It's not much different from the play we learned last week and you got that one fast," Jakes added, offering an encouraging smile. Vane's cheeks turned slightly pink – something that did not go unnoticed by Wills, who started to grin slowly. While he was tempted to say something, he held off when Coach blew his whistle, not wanting to distract Vane even further.

He'd wait until later to ask exactly how long Vane had fancied Jakes.

Returning his focus to the play at hand, Wills leaned forward on his broom and shot down the field, retracing his moves from earlier. Jakes was to his left, keeping a sharp eye on both the bludgers as well as Wills. To his right, Vane seemed more at ease, keeping his face forward, though watching Wills out of his peripheral.

This time when Wills made the pass, Vane caught it and shot across in front of Wills before making a hard right and shooting the quaffle towards the left hoop. Jamie just barely caught it.

Despite not making the goal, Vane grinned, happy he didn't drop the ball a second time.

"GOOD WORK," Coach shouted. "JAKES TIGHTEN UP ON WILLS LEFT! VANE, TRY AND MAKE THAT CATCH A LITTLE SMOOTHER! WILLS, TRY NOT TO SHOW OFF SO MUCH!"

"Got it, Coach!" Wills shouted back with a grin and a salute.

"AGAIN!"


Wills landed smoothly and walked towards the coach at the end of practice, grinning. They had executed all the new plays well enough that he wasn't going to keep them late and for that, Wills was thankful.

"Fine good practice, that was," he said as the rest of the team followed him. He seemed hardly winded even though he was one of the oldest on the team and Coach hadn't gone easy on them. Even Jamie was a bit red-faced. The three chasers had kept him busy guarding all three hoops for a majority of the plays. McIntosh and Truffle were holding on to their sides and breathing heavily after working overtime trying to take out the chasers.

"Alright, just so yous all remember, the annual picnic is tomorrow. We'll have a bit of tourney with the Wanderers and the Arrows," Oliver said. "I know it's all in good fun, but I hope you'll use it wisely."

"Come on, Coach. Don't take the fun out of it," Wills scoffed. Oliver stared at him. "Really, lighten up a bit."

"He's got a point, Dad," Jamie said, speaking up and taking Wills side. "Isn't it supposed to be about inter-League camaraderie and all?"

"We never take it seriously, Coach," Ashley piped up.

"I don't care. It's a good chance to scope out the upcoming competition. The Arrows and Wanderers are both in the top 5 again and will be our biggest competition next season as well. Plus, we all know how Pix likes to use it to try out new stuff," he said, still speaking rather seriously.

"When she's not trying to get Harry killed," Jamie muttered, earning a frown from his father.

"Perhaps you should sit this year out so you can study the plays," Wills suggested.

"I'll do no such thing. Nilsson and Diggle are playing," Oliver said, offended.

"Then I suggest you relax and enjoy the match," Wills replied. Oliver huffed and shook his head.

"Get to the showers. You're starting to aggravate me," he said, waving them off.

"Get used to it, Coach. I'll be aggravating you at family gatherings and Christmas before long," Wills called out as he started walking towards the locker rooms.

"WILLS! I'M THIS CLOSE TO PUTTING YOU ON RESERVES FOR A MONTH FOR THAT MOUTH OF YOURS!" Oliver bellowed after him. Wills just chuckled.

"You wouldn't. Who'd win you matches then?" he said.

"You'd think he'd be used to it by now," Ashley said, chuckling. Wills shrugged.

"He's still coming to terms with the fact I'll someday be his son-in-law," he said, causing the seeker to groan softly.

"Seriously, Wills," she said.

The team made their way to the locker room and started removing their practice clothes in front of their respective lockers.

"You think Nilsson will bring his girlfriend this year?" Vane asked as he pulled off his wrist guards and tossed them into his bag, the earlier distraction seemingly far from his mind now that they were off the pitch.

"Possibly. They've been together awhile now and he showed up at all the after parties with her last season," Jamie said.

"After that first season, it's still a bit odd to see him out socializing," Jakes commented as she pulled the elastic out of her hair and ran her fingers through it, attempting to get out the tangles from her ponytail. For a moment, Vane was transfixed. Until he realized what he was doing and immediately buried his face in his locker under the pretense of looking for something.

Wills shook his head and chuckled to himself, looking forward to that conversation. Vane was a decent bloke, though he was sometimes too serious for his age. He was only 27. Though sometimes he did fluster easily when he wasn't focused on the game.

"Pixie says he goes out with the team now," Wills offered, resisting the urge to tease Vane in front of the team. "Perhaps the Ice Coach has finally melted."

"How many of your family are going to make it out tomorrow?" McIntosh asked, looking over at the keeper. Jamie shrugged.

"The usual. Harry, Ginny and their kids. Uncle George and Angelina, plus Freddie," he said.

"No Roxanne?" Ashley asked, looking over at the keeper.

"She's off somewhere in South America doing part of her cursebreaker training," Jamie said. "Chris and Toby'll be there too."

"I'm calling dibs on James for my team," Wills said. He glanced over at Jamie. "You good to play chaser again?"

"Should be. Take it you want Dad as keeper?" he asked.

"Of course. I'd rather not play against him. I need to stay on his good side," Wills said, causing the team to dissolve into raucous laughter.

"When have you ever tried to stay on Coach's good side?" Vane called out.

"Always," Wills said, grinning at the chaser. "And then I'll have Pix as seeker again."

"Remus and Alan going to play beaters?" McIntosh asked.

"Might try to mix it up and get Kingfisher," Wills mused. "Pix said I should try and be nicer to him, whatever that means."

"It means try not to annoy him too much," Ashley said, rolling her eyes.

"But I'm a nice person," Wills said, frowning slightly. He stopped working at his shin guards and looked over at the seeker. "Everyone likes me."

"More like most people tolerate you," Ashley said, grinning at him. "We're all used to your overtures towards Daisy, but he is her boyfriend. You can't blame the man for getting a bit put out that you're always proclaiming that she's the future Mrs. Wills."

"But she is the future Mrs. Wills," he replied, his face utterly serious.

"Sometimes I think you joke about it so much, you've actually convinced yourself that she will marry you someday," Ashley said, pulling her shower robe on.

"It's called confidence, White," Wills said, winking at her.

"Wishful thinking is more like it," she said as she walked into the women's shower room.

"I have to say, you're certainly dedicated," Jakes said with a grin as she pulled on her robe and followed Ashley.

"Patience is a virtue," Wills commented as he pulled his jersey off and threw it into his bag.

"Pixie's just about the only thing you're patient about," Truffle said with a chuckle as he walked towards the showers.

"I'll gladly wait however long it takes for her to come around!" Wills declared, causing his remaining teammates to groan. He laughed softly as he pulled his trousers down and wrapped a towel around him before heading off to the showers.

"Is it wrong that part of me hopes she hexes him tomorrow?" Jamie asked Vane. The chaser laughed and looked over towards the showers.

"Would certainly be entertaining," he replied.

"I heard that!" Wills shouted from the showers. Both men rolled their eyes and made their way into the showers.


Wills walked into his flat and dropped his Puddlemere bag on the floor before walking over to the large wall of windows. He saw a small pile of letters on the ledge and opened it, grabbing them. He left the window open, allowing the soft summer breeze and various sounds from the Alley to waft into the flat.

Flipping through the post he saw a letter from his mum and a few bill notices. He sat those down on the kitchen table so he'd remember to get them paid first thing Monday morning when Gringotts opened. He wouldn't have time before the picnic the next day. He then stopped and smiled slightly when he saw one with neat, loopy handwriting from an O. Pentergrass at the Ministry of Magic. Dropping the rest of the envelopes on the table, Wills flipped it over and ripped it open as he walked over to the sofa and sat down, propping his feet up on the coffee table.

Dear Wills,

I just wanted to let you know that I received the parcel with the book you spoke about last weekend. Thank you kindly for sending it. I feel like there are some useful things in it that I will be able to incorporate.

I will send it back as soon as I have finished and make sure to keep it in good condition.

Hope you are well.

Sincerely,

Olive Pentergrass
Senior Assistant to Barnabus Treacle, British Seat 1, International Confederation of Wizards
Department of International Magical Cooperation

Will chuckled at the formal tone of the letter, noting that Olive came across as stiff even on paper.

"That title's a bit of a mouthful," he muttered to himself, reading over the letter again. He put it down on the coffee table and thought back to the luncheon with his parents, Aunt Muriel and Olive. She honestly hadn't seemed that bad, though Wills could tell after a few dates they would no doubt drive each other mad. Olive screamed order and perfection while Wills was spontaneity in human form.

He then remembered her comments on the upcoming leadership summit that she was helping plan with the Minister's office. Thinking back to recent conversations with the Woods, Wills found himself even more curious as to what this big family secret was and whether it was in any way connected to the summit.

Glancing down at the letter again, the gears in Wills head started to whirl. While most assumed the only thing he thought about was quidditch – outside Daisy Wood – he was actually fairly analytical and often enjoyed crime stories and mystery novels, purely for the thrill of trying to figure out the ending before he got there. He was very observant and good at making connections.

Case in point, his observations that Vane was distracted at practice today by Jakes. He was positive that his conclusion was correct.

Maybe he would invite Olive out and see what he could find out from her about the summit in the hopes it would yield some clues to the family secret. He wasn't yet sure if there were any connection, but knowing the Woods, Potters and Weasleys as well as he did, it wasn't outside the realm of possibility. He hopped up and walked over to his desk in front of the windows and sat down, pulling out a piece of parchment and a quill from the drawer.

Rapidly, he jotted down a short note telling Olive to take her time with the book and then asking if she was free sometime next week and wouldn't mind getting a bite to eat. Once pleased with it, he shoved it into an envelope and addressed it after sealing it. He then stood and walked over to the large cage where he kept his great horned owl Narcissus.

"Time to do a bit of work, Narcissus," he said as he opened the cage and put his arm in. The owl hopped on and patiently waited while Wills pulled him out. He held the envelope up, watching as the owl took it in his beak. He then walked over to the open window. Narcissus launched off his arm and out to the sunset, flapping his wings majestically.

Wills smiled, rather pleased with himself, as he walked over to the kitchen to start dinner. He waved his wand towards the wireless as he passed through the living room, turning it to the news. If the Woods were going to keep secrets, he wasn't above doing some sleuthing to try and figure them out.


And it seems we have an amateur detective on our hands...

Oh guys, this story has got me excited. Every chapter I finish the more I want to post it all quickly. I only have three more chapters left to write out and one to edit, so should be able to keep up with posting every day as long as I don't get too distracted.

twilightlover427: I'm glad that you're enjoying the story! I love Wills too...

Thanks for reading, reviewing and following!