wise men say
it looks like rain today
it crackled on the speakers
and trickled down the sleepy subway trains
for heavy eyes could hardly hold us
aching legs that often told us
it's all worth it

We All Fall In Love Sometimes

Chapter 21: Surprise Me

The Wimbourne Wasps were an intense-looking team, that much was certain. In black and yellow robes, tightly laced gauntlets and ever-popular shaded goggles (which kept their eyes hidden), the team of seven large, rowdy men seemed ready to dominate.

On the other hand was the Montrose team, matched and haughty – the seven best Quidditch players 1982 had to offer. They were better quality athletes, but when it came to sheer manpower the Wasps were far superior. The two teams stood in a face-off as the captains shook hands, then all mounted their brooms and lifted up into a hover.

The whistle went up, and so did the Quaffle, signaling the beginning of the game.

"Watch the Chasers," Rosie instructed Lily, Amanda, and Karen, all of the same position. "Keep an eye on the Magpies' defense strategy. Forget about the Wasps – they don't know what they're doing. Every skill we need to hone is a skill to take on Montrose."

"Why are you so certain Montrose will make it to finals?" Amanda asked in amusement. "Surely you haven't forgotten the Appleby Arrows."

"After last year's loss," someone replied, "I should hope Rosie hasn't forgotten!" There was a sprinkling of laughter among the team.

"The Arrows are a threat, yes," Rosie replied, unperturbed, "but the Magpies have stolen their secret weapon." She pointed at James, who was breezing along the pitch, following the Quaffle.

"James Potter certainly does know his stuff," Karen commented, leaning back in her seat. She was a tall, Asian girl with sharp eyes and black hair in a bob; she had a certain fondness for sleeveless shirts and Acid pops. "Look at that turn he just pulled."

"Nothing special," Lily said blankly, thinking about the last few weeks.

It had been almost a month since that… interesting night when Lily caved in to him. It had been spontaneous, reckless, and rather stupid… still, she'd gone back. Several times. It was as if they couldn't quite stay apart, and so each of them had found some kind of odd comfort about the other.

They weren't, exactly, a couple… but Lily doubted James was hosting other women at his apartment, and she wasn't involved with any other men, so she wasn't too worried.

They'd been together just a few days before, and she told him all about Rosie's new, intense schedule – he approved. She also told him Remus had given the box of condoms back to Sirius on his April 13th birthday, something which really made him laugh. He hadn't known that.

Then he said it again and stopped her heart: "Lily, I really do love you. You're hilarious!"

She didn't respond, only told him another anecdote to keep him very well distracted, promising to see him after his game and keep him "properly entertained".

"See that goal?"' Rosie was saying? "Perfect form. Lily-chan, watch the motion of his arm. It's a well-designed throw, to keep you from injuring yourself…" Lily shot her a look. "… further."

"If he ever makes a goal again, I will," the redhead said, somewhat reluctantly.

"Of course he will," Cathy sighed, resting her chin in her hands. "He's James Potter. Quidditch star and, so I've heard, foreplay extraordinaire…"

"James doesn't do foreplay," Lily snapped without thinking about what she was saying. Curious eyes turned to her, and she blushed, covering lamely with, "I mean, he seems like the get-straight-to-business type, don't you think?"

The Seeker shrugged.

"Anyway, he's too old for you, Cathy," the woman tried to say kindly – though secretly she was heating up with embarrassment and indignation. 'You're – what, eighteen? Nineteen?"

"Twenty…"

"Right. He's a full two years up."

Amanda cut in boredly. "Let's talk about something else, yeah? I'm trying to concentrate on the game."

"Sorry, Manny!" Lily flashed her a grin. "We'll get straight back to Quidditch. Good ol' Quidditch!" she sang.

"More like it."

Was that a twinge of jealousy? Lily shook her head. She'd be better off just not listening to her teammates at all. Focus on the Chasers. That was why she was here, anyway, and James didn't belong in her conversations…

As if he'd heard her, James faltered. The Quaffle slid from his grip into the hands of a rival Chaser as he was bucked forward, losing balance briefly. He almost toppled off, if it weren't for one arm and on knee remaining hooked over his broom.

There was a small, collective gasp from the crowd as James recovered from his mistake and the Wasps scored, provoking more cheers and a few disappointed "Aww"s from the spectators.

"What was that all about?" someone wondered out loud.

"It happens from time to time," Amanda said, not taking her eyes off the game. "The Chaser is so caught up in being about to score that he forgets to encourage his broom magically, so to speak. It stops and he gets thrown forward. That's why most teams will have a Chaser wait below rival players about to make a goal."

"How embarrassing," Lily said, watching as James flew energetically around, trying to brush off the accident. Pretend it didn't happen. "That's never happened to me."

"Be glad. It's the stupidest thing."

"Lily, would you go to the concession stand for me?" Rosie glanced at her appealingly. "You're on the aisle seat."

"What do you want?"

"Anything to drink – it doesn't matter what. Here's a Galleon."

"Okay." Lily stood. "I'll be right back."

She made her way to the topmost section of the stadium, searching out a drink stand. Deciding that Rosie's definition of "anything" probably didn't include alcoholic beverages, she bought a strawberry milkshake and started heading back to her seat.

"You'd better not be allergic to strawberries," Lily said under her breath.

"Lily?" A voice called, making her stiffen. "Lily Evans?"

Author's Note: Uh-oh! Who is it?

You know, I love Rosie Arquette. She is such a versatile character. She's a bit whimsical and obviously reads way too much manga, but at the same time she has a serious side and is very passionate about Quidditch. Poor girl, she really wants to win the League Cup. It's actually almost all she thinks about.

When I first started this story, I expected James to be much more serious about Quidditch than Lily... but as per usual, the characters have taken their own turns, and Lily is, as a result, much more focused than James... he loves the sport, but he's just so interested in enjoying the other aspects of life as well.

Tell me what you think of this chapter!