Word Count: 519
Written for Character Diversity Boot Camp, prompt flying and Diagon Alley Challenge category Quality Quidditch Supplies.
Katie's long, dark blonde hair fanned out behind her as she zoomed through the pitch. Though she wasn't actually playing Quidditch at the moment, she loved flying, feeling the wind in her hair, the wind against her face. It was exhilarating, there was nothing that could even compare to the wonderful feeling of being on a broomstick. It felt so freeing, and there was nothing else in the world that could cheer her up more then her broomstick, a sunny day, and a Quidditch pitch.
It was a bright, sunny day, not a single cloud in sight. It was the first sunny day after a string of thunderstorms (knowing Wood, they still had to practice through it anyways) and Katie wanted to soak in the fabulous weather before another bloody thunderstorm hit and the team would desperately plead with Wood to cancel practice (who obviously wouldn't. Quidditch was great, Katie couldn't deny it, but that guy was obsessed beyond belief).
She dived in and out of the stands, winding through the goal posts and making sharp dives and pulling back up, just a few meters from making contact with the ground. This would always lift Katie up, after a bad day and wanting to blow off some steam. Quidditch and flying, at Hogwarts or at home, it didn't matter.
Katie zoomed to the ground, landing easily and hopped off her broom, tucking it under her arm as she made her way to the locker rooms. Katie had decided to fly around before Quidditch practice started - it was one in the afternoon on a Sunday, and the rest of the team had spent the morning in Hogsmeade. She loved it there, really, but since she already spent Christmas break and half of summer break with her Mum there, the novelty of going once or twice every few months had worn off.
Brushing her fingers through her hair, trying to tame the flyaways, Katie was still elated from flying around the pitch when her teammates came in to get ready. She was gathered with the rest of the team in the locker room when the obsessive captain came in, his moving figurine board under his arm. They looked tired, eyelids drooping, but Katie was still wide awake.
"Alright," started Wood, "I thought of some new plays..."
The rest of the team sighed deeply, including Katie, used to this, and settled into a half-conscious slumber as Wood droned on. Within five minutes, Fred was leaning heavily against Angelina, whose eyelids fluttered in a desperate attempt to keep herself awake. Katie tried to listen, but it was very, very hard...
"So," finished Wood, after a little less than an hour, "time to start practicing." The team shuffled out of the locker rooms,and began doing the usual flying laps around the pitch while Wood yelled things that everyone ignored unless it was directed at them.
Katie closed her eyes and relished the breeze catching her hair, her blonde waves dancing in the wind as she made her way around the pitch, following the others.
She really did love flying, Quidditch or not.