Out of My Life, Chapter 5 – The Prank/ Beozar feet
Summary: Kate Brink has hated Sirius Black almost all her life, and she wishes that he never came into her life. But sooner or later Kate has to realize that no matter how hard she tries, she just can't get him out of her life. Full summary inside.
Full Summary: Kate Brink is the arch nemesis of Sirius Black, and is almost as bad as the Slytherins, which is saying a lot in his eyes. Sirius Black is the arch nemesis of Kate Brink, and is almost as bad as her mother, which is saying a lot in her eyes. She has hated him almost all her life, perhaps even more than her best friend Lily Evans has hated James Potter. And perhaps even more than her other best friend Emmy Parsons has hated cotton balls. But even Kate, one of the two smartest people in her house, has to take a while to realize that however hard she tries she just can't get Sirius Black out of her life.
Disclaimer: I own Kate Brink, Emmy Parsons, Selena and Serena Nevine, and anybody not in the HP series ONLY. The rest of the characters belong to JK Rowling, and so does everything else in the Potterverse.
"Which one is it?" Kate whispered, looking at the variety of shampoo bottles. Emmy twisted her head around so she could look. Only those two had gone up to the dormitories, because they had decided that Alice would be too loud and Lily would be too clumsy. Lily would hold the charm that was countering the protective spell to keep girls from the boys' dormitories, while Alice kept guard.
"That one," the blonde whispered, pointing to a deep purple one. "And that's his conditioner." She pointed to a bottle with a lighter shade of purple. Kate silently levitated the shampoo towards her, and uncorked it with her thumb and forefinger. Emmy handed Kate the vial of potion, and the other girl poured it in the shampoo.
Just then the ring on her middle finger flashed bright red, meaning that Alice needed her to hurry. Lily had put Protean Charms on four identical rings, so that it would flash different colors to show the state of each girl. Bright red meant Alice needed help (in this situation, though, it meant hurry the hell up), and pink meant Alice was fine. Emerald green meant Lily was in trouble, while forest green meant she wasn't. Cobalt blue meant Emmy had an emergency, and deep sea blue meant she hadn't. And, ironically, black meant Kate had had some serious misfortune, and silver meant she was fine.
Kate exchanged panicked looks with Emmy. The boys were coming earlier than expected. She quickly replaced the shampoo, dumped the potion in the conditioner, put it back, and ran to the window. Emmy raced after her. This time, the red flashed more urgently, followed by a burst of emerald green. They heard the portrait of the Fat Lady open. "Shit," Emmy cursed as they opened the window. "Accio broom!" The two both commanded, thinking of the same thing. Emmy, at the same time, made Lily and Alice's rings flash bright blue.
Downstairs, Alice trailed in behind the Marauders, who were too excited about the quidditch team tryouts tomorrow to notice the short black-haired girl behind them. She exchanged an anxious glance with Lily as the four boys started up the stairs, just passing by an invisible Lily with a Disillusionment Charm on her. Her ring flashed and, thinking quickly, she made James in the front trip. He stumbled with an "oomph", and the other three boys hurried to help their friend.
Kate heard a thud and realized that Lily must have made a distraction. With a mental note to thank her later, Kate spotted her Comet 120 speeding towards her. She grabbed it just as Emmy gripped her Cleansweep. Emmy jumped out the window, landing on her broom and flying off. "Come on!" She shouted before arcing high up into the sky, to avoid being seen. Kate hesitated, before leaping out herself.
It felt like going on a roller coaster, like the one she had gone on with her father when she was ten. Kate had always loved flying, but when she was free-falling with a broom in her hand it made things a bit different. It took her a bit to get the broom under her, and even longer to make it stop and go up. Emmy was lucky to have the Cleansweep, as it was better for speed and instructions, while Kate had an ideal beater's broom: Strong, high-dexterity, and stubborn as hell. She needed a seeker's or chaser's broom like Emmy's, at the moment. At least it had the new braking spell on it, to make her life easier. Nevertheless, Kate managed to fly up and shut the windows with a spell, just as the Marauders entered the room. Emmy sighed in relief when her ring flashed silver, and Kate appeared a moment later.
"I thought McGonagall was going to see you!" Emmy gasped, hugging her friend in the girl's dormitories where they had flown into via the window. (Kate had shouted "Alohomora!" Numerous times before her voice rose above the screaming wind and the window unlocked.) They locked it tightly and stashed their brooms under the bed.
"Me too," Kate admitted, grinning ruefully at Emmy as she stood back up. "I wish I had a Cleansweep."
"Then you'd be going around with a broken broom at quidditch games," Emmy rolled her eyes, and sat on her bed. "You need a Comet for Beating."
"Why don't you play quidditch, Em?" Kate asked suddenly. "You know a lot, and you fly really well."
Emmy hesitated before answering in a quieter voice, "My entire family hates quidditch."
Kate sighed. "Look, it doesn't matter. If you really like it, you should go for it. My mother hates quidditch, and I still play."
Emmy shot Kate a look. "It's different for you."
Kate silently acknowledged it. Her mother hated nearly everything she did. "Still, it doesn't bother me, does it? I go and do what I want," she persisted. When Emmy didn't answer, she sighed once more. "Come on, let's go tell Lily and Ali we're safe." The two went down to the common room, flashing their "calm" colors as they went.
Sirius paced the boys' dormitory. "I can't wait for tryouts," he glanced up at James and grinned, stopping for a second before moving on.
Remus groaned and massaged his temples. "Padfoot, that circling is making me dizzy," he complained, falling face-first on his bed.
The shorter boy stood still, grinning roguishly at his friend. "Why is it that I always make you get headaches, Moony?"
"Because you're Sirius Black," came the muffled reply, and James laughed. Peter joined in a little too late. Sirius pretended to glare at Remus' back, and the two boys laughed harder.
"Whatever. I'm just restless for tomorrow," he told Remus, sitting on his own bed.
"And the detention-date with Brink?" James teased, waggling his eyebrows.
Remus flipped over and propped his head up so that he was looking at the glasses-wearing boy, chuckling. "Only you would think of a detention as a date, Prongs."
Sirius glowered fiercely at both of them. "It's not a date! And I don't like her!" He turned away and faced the wall of his bed. There was a pause, and then he swiveled back around, eyes round. "Shit, I have detention with McGonagall!"
Remus grinned. "Ah, remember now?" Sirius flipped him the bird.
"I won't be able to join you guys with practice for quidditch tomorrow!" Sirius realized, putting his head in his hands. "I forgot."
"Well, you shouldn't have fought with her, then," Remus reminded him, and James looked hesitant.
"I can't say I don't agree with him, mate," he admitted, and Sirius glared at both of them again.
"Are my friends turning against me, now?" He muttered angrily, and James sighed.
"We're not turning against you, Paddy."
"Yeah! Nobody's turning against you, Sirius!" Peter suddenly squeaked, jumping into the conversation.
"Thanks, Wormy," Sirius said sarcastically, but Peter didn't detect the sardonic tone. His eyes sparkled at his words. Rolling his eyes at James, Sirius made his way out of the dormitories. Downstairs, he noticed four girls for the first time.
"Since when were you here?" He asked suspiciously.
"Hello to you too, Black," Lily rolled her eyes, not looking up from her essay.
"I didn't see you come in." Sirius ignored Lily's words, and continued to look suspicious.
"That's because you were upstairs, idiot," Kate sneered, and crossed out a sentence in her Potions report. "Get James, will you? I need to ask him something."
He felt a flash of jealousy, and felt surprised, but ignored it. "What for?"
"I don't need an interrogation, Black," Kate spat, and stood up. "I'll get him myself." She marched towards the staircase.
"You can't go in the boys' dormitory—" Sirius shut up when Kate pulled out her wand, waved it, and silenced Sirius. He glared angrily at her. With "Declimo femeprohibilia!" she walked easily up the stairs. A moment later he heard the banging of the door.
"James Potter, get out right now!" There was a silence, then the familiar rustle of robes being shifted. Suddenly, a bang sounded throughout the room, and a very sooty James Potter was being dragged down the stairs. Lily, Alice, and Emmy were laughing hysterically, while Sirius was trying his best to keep a smile off his face. Kate undid the spell on Sirius with a flick of her wand, and proceeded to force James' face into her parchment. "Potter, did you hear how long Slughorn's requirements for the extra report had to be?"
James' expression meant he had no idea what was going on. Kate sighed dramatically. "Slughorn assigned us an extra paper on bezzar fruit."
"On account of Brink needing reading—" Sirius was cut off once more with a silencing charm, and the expression on his face was priceless. Emmy snorted and pointed her wand at him, murmuring something inaudible under her breath. Sirius was pushed out of the common room, and the portrait slammed in his face. He wouldn't be able to come back in unless he was able to say the password, which was impossible since he couldn't talk. Lily and Alice laughed harder.
James gave Kate a look. "Did you have to do that?"
"Yes. Now come on, how long does it have to be?" Kate pushed his shoulder, standing over him as he eyed her paper, still on the floor and covered in soot.
He paused, and then his eyes went wide. "We have extra homework!" He exclaimed, and Kate slapped her forehead in frustration.
"You don't even pay attention when you're being given homework?" Lily gave James a look of disgust.
"No. Er, I mean, yeah. Most of the time." James looked slightly nervous as he crossed his legs in front of Kate.
"In other words, never. Don't even try," Kate warned him, hitting him in the head with her books. He yelped and rubbed his head. She smirked, and pulled him up. "Come on, we're going to go see Slughorn and ask." With surprising strength, Kate dragged him to the door. She flung open the portrait, and suddenly something big and dark flew at her. James jumped out of the way just in time.
Kate landed on the floor with a thud, her arms automatically spreading out and hitting the floor as well, softening her fall. Still, she moaned softly as she felt the throbbing of the back of her head. The person, who she now found to have dark hair and was a boy (judging by the… a-HEM, organ that was pressed against her right leg), had fallen on her. When he shifted, his arms tightening around her waist, and looked up, Kate's mouth dropped open in a huge 'O' of surprise. Sirius Black had his arms around her and was at a disbelievingly close distance.
Her eyes instantly met his grey ones and they stared at each other- still in shock, Kate later supposed, though it seemed like something else at the time. They stayed frozen for a few seconds- or hours- until somebody coughed in amusement behind them. It was then that she realized that his weight was actually entirely pressing down on her, and that he was hurting her chest.
And that the back of her head was throbbing with pain.
"Stop squishing my chest, you flaming idiot!" She roared in her fury, squirming underneath him, and the entire common room became silent. To whoever that either just arrived or didn't see what happened, it would sound very different than the actual meaning indeed. Sirius flushed dark red, but Kate was too enraged to feel embarrassed, or notice the implications of her words. "I said GET OFF!"
Sirius scrambled up, still blushing. Kate sent him a Stinging Hex to the groin, and he bent over, silently howling with pain. The crowd, realizing that there was nothing… inappropriate going on and that it was just two of their much-appreciated forms of humor, exploded with laughter as one of the most popular students in Hogwarts hopping around, clutching at his crotch.
With a last glare at Sirius, Kate grabbed James' hand and marched away, but not before James gave Sirius a suggestive wink, to which Sirius soundlessly growled at. The last thing James heard before the door shut behind him was a furious "trying to molest her now, are you?" from Lily. Kate pretended not to hear, and pretended even more not to remember the electricity running through her body as she stared into his eyes, just like when their fingers had touched.
"The bloody bastard! Thinking he can tackle me like that!" Kate was ranting as she ran down the stairs to the dungeons, her hand still attached to James'.
"Tackle you? I think it was more 'get on top of you'," James smirked in a suggestive fashion. Kate whipped her head around and if looks could kill, he would have shriveled up and died.
"Shut the fuck up! Honestly, now's not the time for your innuendos! You've got to get him to stop, you're the only one who can—"
"You know, you can let go of my hand now." James hid a smile, but Kate didn't even go slightly pink like he knew she would have if he were Sirius. Instead she growled and threw his hand down, taking hold of his tie and tuggings him away.
They stumbled into the Potions classroom, and Slughorn looked up from his desk and raised an eyebrow. "What's this?"
Kate ran up to him. "Professor, we have a question."
"Very well, but first I have one. Why is Mister Potter so… dirty?" Slughorn looked James up and down.
"Accident, sir," Kate said loudly, before James could say anything. "Our coal exploded in Transfiguration."
Slughorn still was skeptical, but he pointed his wand at James, and silently performed some kind of spell that sort of vacuumed the soot on his robes and face away, and then smoothed his crumpled clothing (mostly, the tie). "And what was this question you have for me?"
Kate nudged James, who looked sheepishly at Slughorn. "We didn't hear how long the assignment – the extra one – on bezzar fruit had to be," he admitted, and Slughorn narrowed his eyes.
"And why not? I was standing in front of you." Slughorn narrowed his eyes and took his spectacles off, presumably to make him look intimidating. It didn't work, and instead made him look like a walrus with smaller eyes.
James flashed him a charming smile. "Sorry, sir. We were thinking about our mistake."
Slughorn sighed. "It was going to be a metre, but now it'll be one and a half metres, for your… selective hearing. Off you go." The two students ran off and skidded to a stop outside of the common room.
"Great, now you've gotten us another half metre of writing!" Kate accused him, eyes narrowed, as they faced the Fat Lady. The sun had set, and most of the students were using their free time to work on their homework before going down to dinner.
James rolled his eyes. "You could have been paying attention in class, too. Galloping mermaids," he added to the Fat Lady, who swung open, leaving him wondering once again why the Head Boy and Girl had set that as the password.
"Well, that was Black's fault," Kate shot back, crossing her arms as she plopped down at her Potions essay. "And you should have been there to stop him."
"Did I hear my name?" Sirius drawled from the stairs of the boys' dormitory.
Kate felt like something was off. She gave James a thoughtful look, and then— "Who took off the Silencing Charm?" She demanded, standing up, glaring at Sirius.
"That would be me," Remus admitted, from next to Peter at the chess table. "He was threatening me with what I assume to be a Babbling Curse."
Kate directed the power of her glare at him, and he winced visibly.
"Relax, Kate," Alice called from Frank's lap. "He was being even more of an idiot anyway."
"Hey!" Sirius indignant scowl reminded Kate that Sirius was the evil one, not Remus, and the werewolf let out a sigh of relief when she went back to pointing her wand at Sirius.
Alice smirked at Sirius as Frank laughed while Lily and Emmy cracked identical smiles, knowing what Alice was going to say. "Exactly, Black."
Sirius shook his head, sighing. "Should have known you'd say that."
"Yes, you should," she agreed readily.
"And that."
She didn't even dignify that with a reply, and instead went back to snogging Frank.
Lily made a face. "Can you two at least go somewhere else and do that? We've spent 10 minutes watching you two eat each other's faces off." Kate laughed as the couple exchanged looks, shrugged, and promptly headed to the dormitories.
Kate's POV:
Mother had always hated quidditch. Maybe that was one of the reasons why I loved it so much. I'd sneak out of the house with Spence, while Mother wasn't home. He would cast a charm around the backyard to keep muggles from seeing us, and then he'd teach me to play quidditch.
Spence was the captain of the Hufflepuff team when he was still at Hogwarts two years ago, and he was the best Chaser I'd ever seen. It was only because Slytherin played dirty, and that Potter had the best Seeker instincts in Hogwarts that they would lose. I used to want to be a Chaser too, until I admitted that I always overshot the goalposts and Spence told me to try Beating. He said I was a natural. I watched him loop around the backyard with his perfect aim doubtfully, and when he saw me staring he grinned and told me to practice.
I've been sneaking out at three in the morning to practice until five for five years.
So here I was, finally trying out, because Spence had, in the end, convinced me. And I was more nervous than I had ever been in my life, even if I'd been more excited than Remus with chocolate about it last week. I had gotten there late, because Gid had said that the Beater tryouts would go last. What shocked me more than Potter beating all the 7th year Seeker tryouts was that there was a beautiful, blonde, blue-eyed girl sitting on a bench waiting for Chaser tryouts (which were second to last).
"Emmy!" I practically howled, and she looked up, looking less startled by the fact that I was launching myself through the air at her and more that I had even seen her. Strange girl, she was.
Still, she squeaked and jumped out of the way, effectively making me land flat on my butt. Which, you know, hurt. "Em, what are you doing here?" I exclaimed the second after I had yelped and sat down on the bench next to her.
"I- er, I thought about what you said yesterday, so I thought, 'why the hell not?' and decided to try out," she admitted, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly.
I grinned triumphantly. "Hah! I knew it!" I crowed, and Emmy rolled her eyes at me.
"No, you didn't—"
"Brink! What're you doing here?" An arrogant, irritating, enraging voice that I knew all too well interrupted Emmy.
I whipped around and rolled my eyes, looking ridiculously like Emmy. "What does it look like, dumbass?" I growled, knowing he was only talking to me to provoke me.
"I don't know. Why don't you tell me?" Black smirked mockingly at me, and my eyes narrowed.
"Then you're beyond stupid, though I always knew you were," I spat, and turned away from him, giving Emmy a 'save me!' look. I knew that if I tried to get him to shut up I would probably start a fight, getting both of us in the chance of getting asked to leave, which would be bad for both me and the Plan. She sighed, and got up.
"Black, don't you have some practicing and flirting to do?" Emmy crossed her arms, as I polished my broom best I could.
"Probably, but antagonizing Brink is top of my schedule," he crossed his arms as well, giving her a cocky look. He didn't notice his slip until it was too late.
"Kate's more important to you than quidditch and other girls?" Emmy raised a delicate eyebrow, and in my head I cursed her for making it sound like he loved me, or something stupid like that. The mental images? Ugh. I think I just shuddered.
"What? I never said that," Black growled, and for once I agreed with him. Surely he never said that.
"You implied it," she told him snottily, and Black, having nothing to say that would not make it worse, snorted, rolled his eyes, and stomped off. Emmy huffed after him, and turned to face me. "What do you say?"
"Thanks for making him go away," I replied dutifully, though somehow I missed his ever-annoying presence. I quickly brushed the thought away angrily. Stupid raging estrogen needs to leave me alone. Now.
Just then, Gid's scarily loud voice echoed across the quidditch pitch, and all of us jumped, until we realized it was a Sonorus charm. "Chaser tryouts, get over here!" Emmy gave me a nervous grin before heading off.
"You'll do brilliant, Em!" I called after her, knowing that she really would. Merlin, she would be able to outfly Potter if she tried, judging by the way she escaped the boys' dormitories.
The next hour was devastatingly boring, sitting there and polishing my broom while waiting for Emmy's turn. When Potter turned up, Sirius decided to stay back (much to my relief). He gave me a charming smile. "Your pretty friend's doing pretty well," he told me, sitting down beside me, moving my broom aside. He didn't even ask.
I scowled. "I thought you had your sights on Lily," I accused him, snatching my Comet from his grasp.
He looked scandalized. "Of course I do! Emmy's beautiful and is a great person, but Lily's gorgeous in every single way possible." Potter paused for a moment, and added, "Well, and Remus wants Emmy too much for me to take her away from him, anyway. And Lily will always be the flower of my eye," he smirked, finding his not-at-all-humourous play-on words funny.
I must admit, I was surprised at his description of Lily. There was a moment of silence. "You really do care about her, don't you?" I asked him quietly.
"I love her!" Potter exclaimed, staring into my eyes with his hazel ones.
I was quiet for another while. "A lot of people think that the reason you were so infatuated with her was because you thought she was the prettiest girl out of the four you could never get."
"She is," he told me seriously. "But that's not the only reason I love her. Kate, I've had a crush on her since the time she sent me a Bat-Hogey Hex in the first year, and I've loved her since the Marauders and I played that prank on her, and she gave me that incredible Stinging Hex on my balls. Man, that expression on her face is still enough to make me—"
"That's enough," I commanded quickly, before I barfed all over his new quidditch robes. "I get it. You love girls that abuse you. You love Lily. You're whipped."
"I know," he sighed dreamily. I rolled my eyes, before I realized something that was of high importance in my mind.
"You called me Kate."
"That's your name, isn't it?" Potter grinned at me, amused with my reaction. I think I just stared.
"Well, yeah, but… I hadn't realized we were on a first-name basis." My face burned with embarrassment. Honestly, who said that to someone, anyway?
"You're my friend, aren't you?" Po- I mean, James asked, cocking his head to one side.
I paused. "Yeah," I finally smiled at him, and he very childlishly hugged me.
"Yay! Katy's my—" I rapped his skull hard with my Beater's Bat, and he yowled in pain.
"Call me Katy again, and your head will be the next Bludger flying at Doholov's face," I growled, naming the Slytherin Quidditch Team captain.
"Yes, Ma'am," he muttered, clutching at his head.
"Is that sarcasm I hear?" I threateningly raised my bat once more, pretending to bash his cranium with the heavy metal ball. He played along, cowering pitifully under my mock-fiery glare. I ended up accidentally hitting his shoulder and breaking it.
"OWWWWW!" He screamed, rolling around, and I angrily kicked him into attention.
"Shut up! And stop rolling the fuck around, you'll make it worse!" I sighed, and took out my wand. "Let's see now… Scourgify. Brakium Emendo. Episkey. And… Tergeo." My four charms cleaned the wound, mended the joint, treated his cuts, and siphoned the blood away.
James stared at me. "Where did you learn that?"
I rolled my eyes. "We learned Scourgify and Tergeoin our 1st and 2nd year," I told him. "Idiot."
"But what about that Brakim Emenda thing?" James was looking at me the way a 2nd year would look at a 7th year.
"It's Brakium Emendo," I corrected him prissily. "And I learned it myself." I didn't tell him it was practically one of my most used ones, after my evil hag of a mother would beat me. I had the feeling he wouldn't react well.
"Beater tryouts!" Gid bellowed, and I stood up.
"Sorry about that. Gotta go. Wish me luck!" Waving, I grabbed my broom and kicked off. Below me I could see him run to Black, say something to him, and wave at me.
I quickly assessed the other students that were trying out. Black, obviously, was there, but I ignored him. There was Dorcas Meadowes and her friend Emmeline Vance, Hufflepuff sixth years, both of whom I had Ancient Runes and Herbology with. Talking fervently with Xavier Smith was Larrius Vane. There were some other people I didn't really know from other years and houses, all gazing at Gid with some sort of reverent respect. James and Andrew Goldstein were the only 7th years there. Black was flirting with Emmeline, who was blushing redder than my best friend's hair. Which, you know, was saying a lot.
"You guys are in luck this year, 'cause the two McKinnon brothers have both graduated, so both the spots for Beaters are open!" Gid announced with a broad grin.
I swear I tried my best to listen to his next words, but the cocky Chris McLaggen was trying desperately to get my attention, while I was trying desperately to ignore him. Out of the corner of my eye, Black had paused his endless stream of pick up lines and was now glaring furiously at McLaggen. Perhaps if I could use this over-confident, too-eager git to my advantage…
"So, what do you like to do?" He drawled, eyes flickering to Gid as the captain watched Dorcas bat the Bludger at a series of targets which he conjured with his wand.
I gazed at him under my eyelashes. "Oh, you know. Anything… exciting. I love a challenge," I purred rather uncharacteristically, and hoped with all I had that it was convincing. McLaggen was too much of an idiot to tell.
He smirked. "Really. That's exactly what I would have said… where have you been all my life?"
So corny. What a retard. On a regular basis I would laugh in his face and said "hiding from you." This time, though, I had a bit of annoying Black to do. I chose between an equally corny answer ("waiting for you") and a slightly better but more suggestive one. The latter, I decided. "In a broom cupboard," I fluttered my eyelashes, simpering. The sharp intake of breath and a shudder let me know that I had succeeded. Smirking, I turned away.
I heard a loud wham, and I looked up to see Black hitting the Bludger very, very hard. How had he heard me? Extra-Sensory Charm, I realized. Well, all for the better, I suppose.
"Kate Brink!" Gid flashed me a smile that I returned. He was still my favored Prewett twin, since Fabian was a bit of a player. "Hit the targets, Brink. Go!" he used his wand to send a Bludger flying hard at me, barely giving me enough time to bat it away.
I had always found that using my anger towards someone fueled the power behind my Bat. Usually I thought of my mother or her stupid pureblood Zabini family, so naturally I used that same topic. Envisioning my mother's sneering face as she degraded my muggleborn friends and that lovely muggle neighbor who lived just down the street, I swung the bat around. With a crack it smashed into the target, bouncing back. Gid moved the target quickly, and I tried again.
I imagined mother raising her wand and slicing my arm with a painful diffindo, and the Bludger rammed heavily into the target. Below me, Black was eying me disdainfully, and I was suddenly hit with a cartload of emotions. In my mind images of Black laughing at me, dueling with me, getting punched by me, tricking me, playing a prank on my friends and me, and getting me into detention flashed repeatedly as I raised my bat once more. His face was the only thing that was on my mind. Every angle, every strand of glossy black hair, every detail that was ever etched onto his face was clear to me. Stormy grey eyes bore into mine, and my bat came into contact with the Bludger.
The ball was flying across the pitch faster than I could have tracked with my eyes and broke the target straight through the middle, and disappeared into the forest far behind it with a mighty crash.
Silence settled in the quidditch pitch, and Black's face slowly dissolved into nothing but pride and a bit of guilt. Suddenly, I heard laughter. Gid was snorting and clutching at himself in his chortles, nearly falling off his broom in the process. My face flushed beet red as my bat hung limply in my hands. "Sorry about the target and the Bludger," I muttered, and raised my wand. "Accio Bludger!" Nothing happened. Gid laughed harder.
"It's- haha! It's not affected by accio, heheheh! Because there's always the danger that someone will use magic to guide it away, bahahaha! From a player, hee hee!" Gid explained between his laughter.
My aggressive and assertive side kicked in. "What's so funny, pray tell?" I snapped, glowering at the Captain.
"Your- your expression! You looked like you were about to slaughter something, or shag it to death!" He howled, and this time the rest of the Beater tryouts laughed as well.
My face burned. "Shut up!" I growled, and Gid managed to restrain his giggles.
"Right. Good job, Brink. Don't worry about the Bludger, we'll get McGonagall to find it." He motioned me to fly back down and I do, avoiding a gushing McLaggen going on and on about my techniques. For some reason, I was afraid to look at Black. Would he knew that he was the reason I could hit it so hard? Sure, it was because I was imagining hitting his face with the Bludger, but I didn't want him to know that it was he who helped me, at least in some way. So, keeping my eyes down, I hurried towards Emmy who was beaming happily at me. "You were fabulous, Kate! How did you learn to hit like that?"
I gave her a vague answer and scuffled to the changing rooms, hoping to clear my confused mind with the warm water of a shower.
Please don't think that I just like criticizing my chapters, alright? I just really think that this chapter was horrible because I was lazy and unsure of what to right. If you're mad about the chapter, I'll understand.
Besides having the actual prank, this chapter was really just to demonstrate the effect Sirius can have on Kate, so I decided to do this in her POV. Also, it was to show how much like brother and sister James and Kate really are. Oh, and how pro she is at Beating. Yeah. :D
See ya later, my little Marshmallows…
~Fflight