Chapter Ten


Extra! Extra! Read All About It:
Chuddley Cannons' First Match Is A Victory Against Hornets

After three grueling hours of intense Quidditch, the Chuddley Cannons came out victorious in their first match of the season. Coach, Crystal Fletcher, of the Cannons stated after the match's end, "We have a talented team and a growing program. What the world saw tonight was only the first level of what the Cannons can do. Look forward to more."

But it was the individual victories that were especially warming to the Wizarding World. Chaser, Katherin Bell, easily rivaled Sean Livingston, who is proclaimed to be the fastest chaser in the world. "Beginners luck," was all Livingston had to say when questionned about Bell. Reporters were later forbidden from speaking with the chaser. Teammate Traci Clay makes a bold statement by saying that his fellow chaser's ego was bruised and his skill challenged. Coach of the Hornets, Landon Grudoh, agrees wholeheartedly with Clay's statement, and intends to work with the star player to further improve his game.

A favorite, despite many difficulties, was given a second chance at this match, and didn't fail his team in the least. Of the ninety-six attempted shots, Oliver Wood was successdul in blocking over eighty percent of them. In post-game interviews, Wood says, "I haven't felt this good about Quidditch in years. When I was out there tonight, something inside me just clicked, and there was no other place I had rather been than on that pitch."

The Cannons will next face one of Japan's more famous teams, the Shinigami Samurai. This will prove to be a bittersweet reunion between seeker, Hitomi Kenji and Oliver Wood, as they had a relationship for a little over a year before she began to see another Cannon member, Tevin O' Reiley.

Furthermore----


Oliver crumpled the morning's issue of the Daily Prophet before setting it aflame with a simple flick of his wand. "Stupid reporters doing their research," he growled as he watched the paper turn into a mound of ashes right before his very eyes. "A few bad relationships and they haunt a man for the rest of his career."

With a small sigh, he leaned back in his beloved armchair with every intention in the world to sit there and relax for the entirty of the day. He knew it would be quite some time before he got another day to himself, but little did the scottsman know that this day would not belong to himself, but to everyone else, to be a bit more exact.

There was a brief knock at his door.

Perhaps, he thought hopefully, if I don't answer, whoever it is will just go away.

There were three more knocks and regular intervals. After a moment longer of silence, there was more knocking, and with each knock, the force grew a harder. A small indication that if the door wasn't opened willingly, brute force would certainly cause it to cave in.

"Mr. Wood! Mr. Wood!"

Oliver groaned before pushing himself out of the comforts of his armchair and strode over to the door of his flat. Rather than opening the door, he peered through the peep hole. As expected. Reporters. He leaned against the door, arms crossed in an annoyed fashion, "What do you want?"

"I'm Elise Conners of the Pro Quidditch Weekly magazine, and I was just wondering if you could answer a few questions for me, starting with--"

"I'm with the Quidditch Almanac and I was just wondering if you were interested in conducting an interview with me for this month's top story--"

"Mr. Wood! Mr. Wood!"

Cameras clicked away in a mad frenzy while reporters rambled on about whatever it was they wanted Oliver, or Mr. Wood, as they called him, to do. Thank goodness he was safely in his flat where no one could---

"Oh good! No one followed me!"

Katie smiled brightly as she took in Oliver's shocked expression, carefully combing small tangles from her hair. "You know, you have wards around your flat so that no one can apparate inside? And you aren't connected to the Floo Network either, so I had to literally break into your flat." She dropped her hand from her hair, still grinning brilliantly as she shrugged innocently.

Oliver could only stare open mouthed at the girl. Just as he had began to recover himself, he gaped once more as another figure strode into the room.

"Seaver?"

"See you're havin' the same trouble me and Kate are. I wonder how they found out where we lived, not that we made it difficult for them or anythin'," the dark skinned captain said quickly as she made herself perfectly comfortable on the love seat in the flat's den. "Those reporters are so pesky, yeah?"

Katie nodded her agreement, but Oliver was still quite frozen in place. The only reason he breathed was probably because he didn't even realize that he was performing the task. After a while longer, he finally got himself together enough to ask what the two women were doing in his flat.

"Well that's simple," Seaver responded, propping her feet up on the love seat's arm, "We're sneakin' away from the press, though I doubt your place was a wise choice."

"Oh bloody hell!" Came a muffled cry from Oliver's room.

Casting his two female teammates a weary glance, he hurried to his room while quickly asking, "You guys didn't bring anybody else, did you?"

"No, Oliver," Katie sighed, a bit exhasperated, "but we were probably followed."

"What!" Of all the things Oliver didn't want, he didn't want a complete stranger running amuck in his flat. He certainly didn't want some unexpected team meeting going on in his place of residence either. He stood silently in the doorway of his room, inspecting every inch of it from where he stood, then his eyes became narrowed slits as he took in Tevin O'Reiley. "What the hell are you doing in my flat, you bloody wanker?"

Tevin, who had tripped over a mess of bed covers on the floor, quickly stood up and straightened out his muggle attire. "I followed Katherine and Seaver, besides, I didn't want the press in Kendra's business." He wiped a bit of something away from his red shirt before fixing his teammate with a glare of his own, "It's not like I've got to explain myself to you anyway. Perhaps I just wanted to--"

"Who's Kendra?" Oliver ask, refusing to move from the door way, denying Tevin admission to the heart of his flat.

The seeker sighed and stepped up to his peer and crossed his arms, "My little sister, you git, now let me into the den! Your room smells like moldy cheese, and I'm afraid the scent might catch."

"Oh, you're so cruel, Tev!" Seaver called out.

At hearing Seaver call out, the voices of the numberous reporters began to filter into the flat. "Is that Seaver Caston in there with you Oliver? Are you attempting to start yet another doomed relationship?"

Katie grinned and shook her head at this. These reporter, she thought, they think up some of the most unusual stories.

"Yeah," Tevin responded to the reporter who had questionned Oliver about Seaver, making certain his voice carried through the door, "The rest of us are just here to see how well it works out! Get 'er done, Wood!"

Seaver glowered at Tevin before sticking her tongue out, while Katie only stifled a small giggle. Oliver rolled his eyes and shoved Tevin once more. "Prat," he growled in a low, menacing voice, before returning to the den.

Oliver seated himself at a wooden chair in the breakfast nook and began to rub his head. "All I want is a day to myself."

Katie leaned back comfortably in the armchair and drew her knees up to her chest. "I would leave, Oliver, but your flat is so much more comfy than mine and Seaver's. Is got a homey feel to it, yeah?" She looked to her two other intruding teammates for back up.

Seaver only shrugged, "I guess. Not as clean ar ours though."

"I don't know about your flat," Tevin drawled, leaning against a wall, and looking about the place carefully, "but my country home doesn't smell like moldy cheese."

"You know, leaving is always an available option," Oliver growled once more, his voice revealing his impatience.

There were even more frantic knocks at the door. "Mr. Wood! Mr. Wood! Was that Tevin O'Reiley you were yelling at? Are you two still bitter over the Hitomi factor?"

At this, both Tevin and Oliver glared at the door, and chorused together, "Why can't you pratsw just let the bloody past die already!"

Katie looked a bit alarmed at the irritation the two men shared. Apparently the reporters had touched on a sensative subject, but didn't seem to want to let up. "Those guys will do anything for a story," she muttered as the questions continued to fly.

Somehow, Oliver and Tevin went from yelling at the press to yelling at one another. Seaver narrowed her eyes at the two bickering young men but didn't dare attempt to part them. Katie glanced at the arguing pair, then to her roommate. "Shouldn't we try to stop them?"

"One thing you've got to learn Kate," Seaver responeded grimly, still glaring her worst, "Men are stupid creatures that can't be saved from their ever increasing stupidity."

A small grin touched Katie's lips at this comment, but it quickly faded when the arguement escaladed to new heights.

Tevin roughly grabbed the collar of Oliver's shirt and slammed him into the back wall, the scowl across his usually handsome face giving him a menacing demeanor. "I don't have to explain myself to you, Wood! Anyway, who did Hitomi leave you for?"

It was now Oliver's turn to turn the tables about, as the two young men switched positions, the Scottsman ruthlessly slamming Tevin into a wall repeatedly. "You prat! I don't care about that girl anymore than I care about the damn Puddlemere United team!" He slammed Tevin against the wall once more, for good measure, before speaking once again, "Now I remember why I can't even stand the bloody sight of you."

"Because I got the girl?" Tevin spat nastily, pushing Oliver with all his might.

In an instant Oliver's fist connected with Tevin's jaw, but the hit was not a very effective one, because in the very next instant, Tevin launched himself at Oliver.

"Oh my goodness!" Katie yelped, hopping from her seat and hurrying to the opposite end of the room, Seaver not too far behind her, but managing to scream out how incredibly stupid they were being and advised them to stop with the mindless violence, though not exactly in that context.

"Are the two doomed lovers of Hitomi Kenji doing battle over the fair Japanese girl right now, as we speak?" A reporter called out from behind Oliver's locked door. At this, there was an even bigger flurry of reporters attempting to bust down the door. "At this rate," that same reporter went on, "you guys will be the biggest drama celeberities in the world!"

Tevin managed to back Oliver into a corner and was repeatedly punching his with all he had, but his momentum didn't last long. In no time, the Scottsman was able to find an opening and acted on it, hitting his teammate with all the strength he could muster. "You fucking pansy!"

As the Irish seeker slowly recovered and prepared to attack once more, a single word made everyone, the reporters outside included, freeze.

"ENOUGH!"

Katie hadn't even seen Crystal enter the room, but she didn't have a single doubt in her mind that she had entered the same way the others had, for the same reasons too. By some miracle the two young men had stopped fighting with one another, but casted the other menacing and deadly glares, but the worst glare belonged to Crystal.

"Is that Crystal Fletcher's voice?" One of the reporters asked silently, their voice barely audible through the wooden door.


Tevin and Oliver stood at Crystals desk, both looking in opposite directions so that they wouldn't have to see the other, but so that they could avoid looking at Crystal as well. Crsytal; however, did not enjoy the fact that two of her players were acting like little elementary school children. It was enough to make anyone scream.

"I don't even need to ask what happened between you two blockheads, because I already have a small idea as to what brought this little tumble about." She sat ontop of her desk, flipping through the Daily Prophet, reading over the article that had been published for that day. "The Hitomi factor's mentioned in this article, ya know, and since we're about to play the team that she's on---"

"She has nothing to do with it," Oliver growled, finally fixing Crystal with a steady gaze. "That's all in the past. I don't care for her anymore." Tevin glanced at Oliver, but said nothing to agree or disagree with the keeper. Oliver went on, "Let the papers print what they want, it doesn't concern me."

Crystal rolled her eyes and slapped the paper down onto her desk, "Damnit, Wood! If your name is being printed in this paper, I'm afraid it does concern you! And if it does concern you, and it does concern Tevin, then it concerns the whole team! And your fighting over---" she shook her head as she tried to figure out what it was they were fighting about if it hadn't been about Hitomi, "--- what ever the hell it was you were fighting about, does nothing but give this team a bad name!"

"We're not children being scolded," Tevin spoke, finally, still avoiding the gaze of his coach. "We're grown men--"

"Who obviously can't take care of themselves if they're going around fighting their own teammates!" Crystal cut him off crisply. She sighed and rubbed the back of her neck, looking down at the floor of her office as she did so. When she spoke again, he voice was a great deal softer, "If we're going to have these sort of problems this early on in the season, I'm going to have to take action now so that theteam doesn't suffer. So," she lifted her head to look at the two men. "What do you suggest we do gentlemen?"

The silence in the office was deafening, each professional lost in his or her own thought as to how this would be handled.

It was Oliver who brought an end to the silence, "Why don't we just forget about it for now and get ready for the match? I'm sure a little fight only fueled our spirit to get out there and win." He glanced at the silent Irish man at his sight and nudged him slightly, "Right, O'Reiley?"

Tevin shrugged, "I suppose letting us off with a warning would be good enough." He peered silently at Crystal before continuing on, "Should the situation arise again--"

"I kick your little asses," Crystal concluded, clapping her hands together and forcing a grin onto her face. "I feel like we've made tremedous progress today," her smile all but vanished in an instant, having been that it was false in the first place, niether man was suprised that is gone so suddenly. "If you two ever pull something as stupid as this again, over something as stupid as Hitomi Kenji--"

Oliver interrupted politely by making a small raise of his hand before speaking, "If you want to get technical, it would be Kenji Hitomi since in Japan they say the last name fir--"

"Shut it, Wood Oliver," Crystal growled. "Get out of my sight, and don't come back until it's time for practice. For now, I suppose I'll let you off with a warning, but if you even rub me the wrong way, your play time, followed by your pay rate, will suffer horribly."

The keeper, nor the seeker, had anything to say to their irritated coach and took their leave when they recognized dismissal. Luckily for them they weren't being dismissed from the team entirely, but a fight of little matter wasn't nessecarily a reason to get rid of anyone, especially so early into the season.

Crystal ran her hands through her dirty blonde hair and sighed, "I'm gonna get greys from these guys by the end of the month, I just know it."


OH! Guess what? I have finally graduated high school! W00T W00T!

In August I will be joining the ranks of college students in Miami, FL where I will major in elementary education and be the bestest teacher since... well.. Great Teacher Onizuka (GTO) or Yankumi (Gokusen)! YaY! Can I get a W00t W00t!

-crickets chirp-

Er.. Right-o... ANYWHO!

Funstuff05 - Yes I agree.. Angelina does deserve to be out there.. Maybe in chapters to come? Oh well.. Things are still rolling though! Domo Arigato for the review.. Thanks time three hundred thousand.. or more.. Hehe..

bredalot - Sorry the spelling the really bad spelling is distracting you.. but uhm... I can't really find a good excuse for it at the moment.. Uhm.. Wasn't the match totally kick butt though? I mean.. COme on.. yOU've got to admit.. That was pretty sweet. Thank you thank you thank you for the review and all I can say in my own defense is.. I barely passed high school?

lala - WOOOOOO GO CANNONS! you guys are THE KICKINGEST BUTT GUYS EVER! Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah! I so need some orange paint so I can fully get into the spirit... Or not.. Now that I think of it, I hate the color orange..Uhm... Moving on.. Thanks a bunch for the review and continued support.

imakeeper - Thanks for the review, and keep on reading!

TooSweet4Words - Sorry it took me so long to update, but here it is and I'm very glad that you are enjoying so far. Thanks

luvu4eva - I'm starting to get a close attatchment to the Cannons.. They're a great bunch of athletes.. My favorite is Oliver.. followed by Tevin.. I really like Tevin.. But they're both really cool. Anyway.. Thank you for the support and thank you even more for the review

Well kiddies! Now that I am a graduate of the class of 2006 and will be going off to college.. Maybe my writing will get better and I'll be able to better develope and steadier plot and not include things that are not really needed.. Though some things are just fun and uhm.. I'm rambling so... Yeah!

Later Days!

Richi Sama