The rest of the summer managed to pass without much excitement. Daisy would rotate working out in the gym and one-on-one training with Nilsson in the mornings. The days she didn't work with him, he would devote to working with Bray. The afternoons were spent scrimmaging with the reserves or working on team plays. Daisy noted that Bray was starting to stop more quaffles and as a whole, the team was coming together.
She and Kingfisher had settled into an easy friendship and Daisy found that she enjoyed spending time with him and the rest of the team. They would take to stopping by her flat from time to time after practice. The triplets kept the drinks well stocked and their mother was often dropping food off, knowing all her children were either too tired or too sore to cook at the moment.
As the opening of quidditch season approached, practice got more and more vigorous. Daisy would return home late more often than not and covered in bruises. They were playing the Kestrals on Sept. 9, which would not be an easy match, seeing as they had made it to the second round of the postseason last year. At least they had a few easier teams before they played the Falcons.
It was the night before the opening match of the season on Sept. 4 - Puddlemere versus Falcons. Apparently the League thought it a good idea to open with a rematch of the final. Coach had thankfully given the team the day off from practice so that they could go. Daisy would be in the family box with her mother and brothers. She was sure other family would be there as well. Harry and Ginny would no doubt be there, though sans the kids as Hogwarts had started two days earlier. George and Angelina, both being former quidditch players themselves, took advantage of free tickets all the time.
"You ready for tomorrow?" Daisy asked from where she was lying on the sofa with several ice packs littering her body. Jamie looked over from the armchair and shrugged.
"I am, though it's just another game," he said, looking up from the copy of Quidditch Monthly that he was reading. They had done an extensive look at all the teams and what their chances were this season. "How's that shoulder of yours?"
"Still a bit sore, but it'll be fine. Mum dropped off more potions today while I was out at practice and some bruise cream," she said.
"Quidditch Monthly calls you the rookie to keep an eye on this season," Jamie said. Daisy sat up and gingerly pushed herself up off the couch. She walked over and stood behind Jamie looking down at the magazine. There was a photo of her flying upside down after the snitch in a friendly against the Harpies a few weeks ago. "And Nilsson's secret weapon." Daisy snorted.
"I'm sure there are plenty of other good rookies this season," she said. Jamie looked up at her, grinning.
"None like you, Pix," he said. He then shut the magazine and stood up. "Well, I'm off to bed. Get some sleep." Daisy nodded and watched as he walked down the hall to his room. Daisy heard a thump and a giggle. She looked upstairs and rolled her eyes. Alan had brought home his girlfriend of the month and was "entertaining" her upstairs. Remus was out with some of the Wanderers. Daisy sighed and walked to her room, figuring she'd do some reading before bed. She had just got settled in when there was a peck at her window. Sighing, she got up and walked over, pulling the curtains aside. Perched on the windowsill was a large, brown owl. She didn't recognize it, but pulled the window open and took the letter. It was addressed to her. She left the window open as the owl flew off. Walking back to bed, she settled in and opened it.
Daisy,
Just wanted to let you know that some of the guys and I will be in the players' box tomorrow at the Puddlemere game. Stop by if you can!
John
Daisy chuckled to herself and put the letter aside. She grabbed a pen and parchment from her nightstand and quickly scribbled off a reply that she was required to be in the family box for part of the game, but would stop by for a bit at some point. She then addressed it and walked over to her brown and gray pygmy owl - Scruff.
"I know it's late, little one, but I need you to deliver something," she said, holding out the letter. The owl took it and hopped on Daisy's hand. She then walked over and put her hand through the open window. The owl took off. Daisy watched a bit before going back to bed. She settled in to read, a small smile on her face.
The next day, Daisy showed up at Puddlemere's stadium with Remus, Alan and Toby. They were decked out head to toe in Puddlemere regalia, though the boys had gone all out with face paint again. They both had Jamie's jersey on while Daisy had on one of her father's old jerseys. They made their way up to the family box and were greeted by their mother, Harry, Ginny, George and Angelina. The other players' families were there as well. Daisy waved to Ashley's husband.
"Good to see you lot in the team spirit," George said as they sat in the front row next to their mother. She was wearing a jersey that read "Mrs. Wood" on the back. Daisy smiled to herself. Her mother had worn that thing to every match since before Daisy could remember.
"Thanks again for the ticket, Mrs. Wood," Toby said from next to Daisy. He too was wearing a Puddlemere shirt. Iris looked over at Daisy's oldest friend and smiled.
"Please, Toby, you're practically family as it is," she said. Daisy glanced behind her and saw Lucy rush into the box and plop next to George in an empty chair directly behind Daisy.
"I haven't missed the start, have I?" she asked breathlessly. "I had to go in and do some work at the office before my boss would let me off."
"Not yet," Daisy said. Lucy was working at Witch Weekly in the current affairs section as a junior editor. While it was a lot of work, Daisy knew she loved it. And Lucy would forever be in her debt as Daisy planned to feed her free game tickets so that she could bribe her boss into letting her off early for matches. She looked as though she had grown a fair bit in just the few months since graduation, her auburn hair now cut in a short, stylish bob. She had traded in her horned rim glasses for a pair of trendier black frames. Even clad in her Puddlemere t-shirt and a pair of cut-off shorts, she looked much better than she had at Hogwarts.
"Ah good," Lucy exclaimed as she settled into her chair. "How's the ministry, Toby?"
"Good. Busy. How's Witch Weekly?" he asked.
"Thrilling," she responded genuinely. She looked around. "Thought Sarah was coming."
"She had work," Daisy said. "And she said she'd prefer box tickets to my opening match anyway."
"You might as well get the whole box that day," Lucy said with a snort. "Even Dad said he wants to come and he bloody hates quidditch." Daisy rolled her eyes.
"I suppose I should be happy that the school term has started. Otherwise there'd be even more people here," she said.
"What, you don't want all your cousins here rooting for you? Why ever not?" Ginny asked, smiling. Daisy laughed.
"Come on now, you of all people must be happy to have them out of your hair for a bit," she said. Ginny grinned.
"That is true," she said.
"So, what's your prediction?" George asked, leaning forward. Daisy leaned up in her chair and looked out over the field as the fans filled the stands.
"It'll be a close game. The Falcons beat them by a slim margin in the final, but Puddlemere's determined to get back at them," she said. "I've barely seen Jamie in the last couple of weeks, Dad's been pushing them so hard in practice."
"He's had that crazy look in his eyes for his last few weeks," Iris said, scowling slightly.
"Careful. Last time he had that crazy look, you ended up with Daisy," George joked.
"Will you stop it?!" Angelina said, hitting him on the arm playfully. Iris looked back and laughed. "Daisy is 18, I think it's about time you gave up on that bet."
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the first match of the British and Irish Quidditch League 2021/22 Season!" the announcer boomed, grabbing their attention. Daisy settled in, expecting it to be quite a long match.
Nearly three hours had passed before Daisy realized it. The match had lived up to expectation and it was a back and forth. While Jamie had been successful in blocking more shots than went through, the score was at 250 to 270 and the snitch was nowhere in sight. Ashley had spent the better half of the last hour dodging bludgers. Remus and Alan were just as bad as George and Angelina when it came to shouting at the referee, often jumping to their feet. Daisy was starting to get a headache. She looked over at Toby and then back at Lucy.
"Care to join me in the players' box for a bit, you two?" she asked.
"What's this? Going to visit your boyfriend?" Remus asked. Daisy shot a glare at him.
"Going to visit my team and get away from your incessant yelling," she said. Lucy grinned.
"Love to," she said, standing.
"Alright then," Toby said, also standing. Daisy stood as well and the three made their way out of the box and down the stairs.
"So… is there something going on between you and Mr. Kingfisher?" Lucy asked, linking her arm through Daisy's. Daisy sighed.
"No. A bit of flirting here and there, but nothing more. Dad's advice is actually pretty good. And we all remember what happened when Chris and I broke up," she said. "We nearly lost to Hufflepuff."
"I think it's sound advice," Toby said. Lucy scoffed.
"But what about true love?" she exclaimed. "Not to mention, the sexual tension will wreak just as much havoc." Toby coughed as Daisy laughed.
"I don't think you'll need to worry about that. At least on my part. And as for true love, I'm only 18, Lucy," she said rolling her eyes.
"So? Aunt Lily was your age when she got married!" Lucy exclaimed.
"Well, her dad and mum were older," Toby said reasonably. "What was it, 27 and 23?" Daisy nodded.
"I know Mum certainly hopes I'm a bit older before I get married. And to be honest, I really should be focusing more on my career at the moment. We all know quidditch players tend to have a short shelf life," Daisy said. Lucy stopped and stood in front of her, blocking her path.
"You listen to me, Daisy Wood, I watched you give up on a lot of fun in Hogwarts because you were so obsessed with quidditch. I'll not watch you give up all the fun in life because of that damned sport," she said, wagging her finger in Daisy's face.
"I had fun in Hogwarts! I went to parties. And I dated," she said. Lucy rolled her eyes.
"You only went because we had to drag you and going to Hogsmeade with Toby doesn't count as dates," she said.
"I wasn't talking about that, no offense, Toby," Daisy said.
"None taken," he said, laughing softly.
"Okay, so you dated your brothers' friend for a few months, then he broke up with you once they found out," Lucy said.
"In sixth year there was that Hufflepuff, Micah from Ravenclaw and then Alex from Gryffindor. I'd say that's a successful dating history," Daisy added. Lucy rolled her eyes.
"You went on one date to Hogsmeade with the Hufflepuff then declared he was the most boring man on earth. Micah made it two weeks until he insulted the Harpies - really you've got to work on that one, Daisy," she said. Daisy scowled at her. "And I do not count snogging someone once then ignoring them the rest of the year as dating, which is what happened with Alex. And let's not forget that in seventh year you were so obsessed with getting signed that I only ever saw you in class or on the pitch."
"You saw me more than that. We were roommates," Daisy said, scoffing. Lucy glared at her.
"Fine, all I'm saying is, we're about to go into a room full of hot, single quidditch players. I want you to try to have fun and flirt a bit. At the very least, snog someone senseless at some point - preferably tonight at the after party," Lucy begged. Daisy laughed.
"Fine. Let's go in," she said. She looked over at Toby. "You ready?" He nodded, smiling a bit tensely.
"What ever did happen to that bloke?" he asked. "Chris?" Daisy took a deep breath and flashed her credentials to the guard at the door.
"Good to see you, Daisy," he said, instantly recognizing her. She smiled as he opened the door and let the three in.
"Went into auror training and I never heard from him again. Even the triplets haven't really kept up with him," she said. As they walked in, everyone stood to their feet and cheered. Daisy saw John in the front row with Kelly, Bray and Cunningham. He high-fived them. Each of them had a glass of beer in hand. John looked over and saw Daisy, smiling. Kelly looked over and saw the small seeker.
"WOOD!" he shouted. "Get your little arse over here! You're missing one hell of a game!" She walked over, Lucy and Toby following.
"I brought my cousin Lucy and best friend Toby," she said, motioning to them. Kelly took in the pretty redhead and grinned.
"Lovely to see you again," he said, taking her hand and kissing it. Lucy blushed. "And you too, Toby." Toby nodded. "Have a seat, I'll get you lot some drinks!" Daisy laughed as she walked over and stood in between John and Cunningham. Bray and Kelly made room for Toby and Lucy in between them.
"What did I miss?" she asked, looking out to the field.
"Your brother just made a magnificent save," Cunningham said.
"And then Wills got it and scored. Your dad may be a bit crazy, but he's got insane plays," John said, smiling down at Daisy. She shrugged and kept her eyes on the field. She saw her brother, an intense look on his face. He was in the zone.
"Here you are," Kelly said, coming back with four glasses in hand. He passed them around to Lucy, Toby and Daisy. Daisy took a large drink of hers and turned back to the game.
"How does your brother seem to know where they are going?" Bray asked. "I mean, a fair amount have gone through, but he's caught more than that." John looked down at Daisy, his eyebrows raised.
"He's good at reading body language," she said, still watching the match.
"He's amazing at it. I remember having a hard time getting quaffles through in practice," Kelly said. Cunningham nodded.
"He's wicked fast. But not nearly as fast as our Wood," he said, grinning at Daisy.
"I knew I recognized you!" someone shouted from behind Daisy. She turned around and saw Nigel Broadmoor, a chaser from the Wanderers. He was tall - granted everyone was tall to Daisy - and had light brown hair and mischievous dark green eyes. "Red hair and an antique Wood jersey. Must be Remus and Alan's little sister. When was the last time I saw you?" She grinned at him. "And where are those rascal brothers of yours?"
"In the family box with the rest of the family. And you saw me at the party this summer after Puddlemere beat the Kestrals," she said. He nodded.
"Ah right. Meant to say hi, but you were pretty occupied," he said. "Saw that friendly with the Harpies, by the way. Incredible." She grinned.
"Just wait until you see what I have in store for the game against you lot," she said with a wink. Nigel laughed.
"How does dear 'ol dad feel about these moves?" he asked. Daisy shrugged.
"He's learning to live with them," she said. Nigel elbowed the man standing next to him.
"Little Daisy is growing up, Alistair," he said. Alistair glanced at him, down at Daisy and then back at the game, a hint of a smile on his face.
"Seems we'll need to keep an eye on her," Alistair replied offhandedly, his eyes still glued to the game, no doubt analyzing the plays of both teams. She remembered he was the captain of the Wanderers and took his role and job quite seriously. He had an extreme amount of patience while dealing with her brothers' antics, though more often than not would keep them late for extra laps. Daisy remembered liking him from the moment she met him back when Remus and Alan joined the first string. Nigel grinned down at the small seeker
"I believe we will. If you're ever free for a drink, let me know," he said while winking. Daisy laughed as Alistair snorted, looking away from the game to laugh at his teammate.
"I think you forgot who her brothers are," he said. "You know… the blokes on our team that fly around hitting balls of death at people that could very well take your head off. I'd be careful there, mate."
"What? I'm a perfectly upstanding person," Nigel replied. "A gentleman. I don't see what's so wrong with me taking the lady out for a drink."
"First of all, it's not Remus and Alan you have to worry about, it's Jamie," Cunningham said, butting in. "Then it's Wood, Sr. And he's scarier than the three of them put together." Daisy rolled her eyes.
"When will you all get it through your thick heads. I am my own person," she said, before taking a long sip of her beer. John looked down at her, chuckling softly. "And I get to decide when and who I go out for drinks with. Jamie and Dad be damned."
"That's the spirit!" Kelly shouted, holding his beer out. Daisy clinked her glass against his and then turned back to the game, just in time to see Jamie make another save.
"Did you see that?!" she shouted.
The game lasted another three hours, and Daisy finished off a few more beers during that time. By the end, she and Lucy had a good buzz going. Daisy was openly flirting with Nigel in the few moments when she wasn't glued to the match. She wasn't sure what had come over her, but perhaps it was part Lucy's talk and part the alcohol. And Nigel was a known flirt, which made it more fun. He was definitely good at it.
Daisy was the first to notice that Ashley had found the snitch. Nigel was leaning over towards her, when she suddenly whipped her head around, smacking him in the face with her ponytail.
"She's going for it," she said, suddenly engrossed in the game. Her eyes were wide with wonder as she watched her former teacher execute a perfect dive. She spiraled down, easily outflying the Falcons' seeker. Reaching out she grabbed it and pulled out just before hitting the pitch, holding the snitch triumphantly in her hand. Daisy yelled and jumped. She turned, pushing Cunningham out of the way, and hugged Toby and Lucy. The room exploded into cheers. While they all played for opposing teams, it was obvious they were all rooting for Puddlemere to win.
"We should probably get back to the family box," Toby said. Daisy nodded and finished her beer in one gulp. She turned to her teammates and Nigel.
"I'll see you lot at the flat later," she said before they left. They ran over and got to the family box just in time to see her brother fly up and kiss her mother on the cheek then high-five his brothers.
"Pixie! Get over here and congratulate your older brother!" he shouted. She ran over and hugged him. Her dad flew up next to him and kissed Iris. Jamie and Daisy grimaced and fake gagged, which appeared on the large screen documenting the game for all to see.
"Hush up, you lot!" Oliver shouted, grinning. "Pixie, care for a ride? Like old times?" Daisy laughed.
"Da, I'm not a child anymore!" she exclaimed.
"Humor me," he said. Daisy laughed and then hopped on behind her dad, holding on tight as he flew a lap around the stadium.
"Seems she still is Daddy's little girl, eh," Nigel said in the players' box, as he watched a grinning Daisy laugh from behind her dad.
"Of course, she is," Alistair said. "And she's a Wood. Contrary to what she said earlier, no one in quidditch stands a chance with her."
"That sounds like a challenge, Higgs," Nigel said, grinning. Alistair chuckled.
"That was a fact, not a wager, Broadmoor. You've heard the stories," he replied. "If you know what's good for you, flirt and all, but leave it at that. Not unless you want to lose your head. And I won't bail you out of that one."
Nigel watched Daisy as her hair flew behind her, her father's old number prominently displayed on her back. Even from here, he could see her green eyes flash in happiness. There was something about the rookie that drew him in. And it was much more than just the thrill of a challenge.
"We'll see," he said softly to himself.
And the plot thickens. ^_^ There is a second part to this that I'm currently trying to decide whether I want to post it tonight. I have actually gotten a lot written today, so may post it later before I go to bed.
twilightlover427: He's warming up to them. But there is a bit of father-daughter strife to come.
Homerunhitter: Aw, thanks. I find with all my writing - even my regular fiction - I like to base characters and relationships on people I know in real life. It's a good foundation for character development and makes it more relatable I think. And there is fun stuff to come with Coach.
