Rivalries & Outings

"Why so intense? This is not the first time you've played each other," Christos said as he stared back and forth between Daisy and Jamie at the breakfast table. The two were silently eating and had barely said a word to each other all morning.

"Yea, but this isn't just a normal game, mate. This is the finals," Remus said with a grin as he sat down with a plate of food next to him.

"Jamie's team won last year over the Arrows. So, Pix is out for blood," Alan said as he sat next to Daisy, who was glaring across the table at her older brother.

"Is that really necessary, Pix?" Jamie asked, frowning at her.

"You'll not win this year," Daisy said before shoveling eggs in her mouth.

"Christ, it's just the Cup," Jamie said.

"Says the man who wins every year," Daisy replied, narrowing her eyes. Remus and Alan chuckled at the two.

"What is this Cup?" Christos asked. "Is it some magical artifact?"

"Just the most bloody important thing of the season," Daisy said.

"What are you going to do when you're playing against the three of us?" Remus asked, grinning. Daisy turned her scowl to him.

"I'm going to kick all three of your arses in one go," she said.

"You are terrifying when you talk like that," Christos said, staring at the fiery young woman.

"Just wait until you see what I've got in store for the pitch today," Daisy said, grinning wickedly.

"Hello Woods! And Christos!" Wills shouted as he walked into the flat, his team bag thrown over his shoulder. He dropped it on the ground and walked over to the table, kissing Daisy on the top of the head.

"No fraternizing with the enemy," Jamie said, frowning at the chaser.

"She's my girlfriend, not the enemy," Wills said, rolling his eyes.

"I'm still not quite use to this," Jamie said as Wills sat next to Daisy. "The two of you actually together."

"Better get used to it," Wills said grinning. "I'm not going anywhere."

"And it's been months, Jamie," Daisy said, frowning at him.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not against it. Still just can't believe after all those years of joking, you two would finally end up together," he said. Daisy's face relaxed as she chuckled.

"Uncle George keeps thanking us for all the money we won him," she said.

"I still don't appreciate the fact that he bet on your father jinxing me," Wills said.

"You should have seen that one coming, Wills," Remus said.

"Yea, good thing Daisy's got shields down," Alan added. "Wonder if she can protect you on the pitch and still get the snitch."

"Just watch me," Daisy replied, smiling.

A few hours later, Remus, Alan and Christos were settled in the players' box in front of Lucy and Dominique. Molly had wanted to join them - no doubt to sit near Christos - but had ended up in the family box as spare tickets for the players' box were limited and all reserved months in advance. Dominique and Lucy couldn't help but snicker as she glared at them from down the corridor before she disappeared inside behind her father and Uncle George.

Instead, Roxanne was happily seated next to James and Freddie - having gotten James' other spare ticket - while Lucy and Dominique sat to her other side. Lila was already situated on the other side of Remus, wearing Jamie's jersey, and thankfully not reporting the match, which left her free to enjoy the large amounts of alcohol that were likely to flow during the whole thing. The rest of their many cousins, aunts and uncles were in the family box with Iris. While most of the group were wearing Pixie jerseys, James and Freddie were conspicuous in their Puddlemere jerseys.

"I know they're the underdog and all, but did you all really have to side with the Arrows?" James asked, taking them all in. Toby rushed in and sat next to Christos, looking up at the two.

"Why are you in Puddlemere?" he asked, frowning slightly.

"Gotta show support for my future team," James replied.

"What makes you think Dad'll want to sign you?" Remus asked, looking back at him. "There won't be an open first string chaser spot open until Wills retires and he's stated he's playing forever."

"You two are pretty much Puddlemere now. Why are you in Pix's jersey?" James shouted down at them.

"Last chance to support Pix against Jamie," Alan said with a grin. "And you know we'll always choose Pixie over Jamie when we can."

"Here, here!" someone shouted from behind them. The group glanced back, noticing the rest of the Wanderers and half the Kestrals all decked out in light blue, black and white. Wiggins was holding up a beer in salute.

"Oi, I vaguely remember Pix kicking your ass a few days ago," James said, turning back to the seeker.

"I'll always support Daisy when we're not playing her," Wiggins shouted back. "Besides, she kicked your seeker's ass quite soundly before that." James shrugged.

"Fair enough," he said, turning around.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the 2024 English and Irish Quidditch League Cup Final!" the announcer boomed. Christos looked around the stadium, still a bit in awe of the sheer size and the energy humming through the stands.

"This game of yours, I think I'm starting to love it," Christos said as Lucy returned with beer for the group. He accepted his cup and took a large gulp and grinned.

"Bloody brilliant, it is," Roxanne commented, leaning forward in her own seat to look down at the field.

"Did you play in school as well?" he asked, glancing back at her. Dominique and Lucy shared a look and then leaned closer to the two.

"Nah. I enjoy playing for fun, but never had the drive to go for it in school. Not to mention my bloody family dominated all the positions for so long," she said, glancing around her.

"You could have made a decent chaser," Remus said, looking back at her. "At least after we graduated, that left Chris' spot open."

"She'd of probably been better than Roger," James commented.

"Maybe," Alan said, glancing at Roxanne. "Say, Luce… didn't you date Roger for a bit?"

Lucy, who had been whispering furiously with Dominique, went silent as her eyes widened.

"Minor distraction," she said.

"So you have always had a thing for quidditch players, no?" Christos asked as he grinned at her. Lucy's faced turned redder as Roxanne, Dominique, Freddie and James laughed hysterically.

"I don't have a thing for quidditch players," she scoffed. "I've dated blokes who didn't play quidditch!"

"It's alright, Luce. Daisy's only dated quidditch players too," Roxanne said. "Started with Chris at school."

"You mean the auror?" Christos asked. Roxanne nodded.

"Jamie gave him a black eye for it," she replied. Christos looked to Remus and Alan, as if to confirm the story. The two chuckled and nodded, figuring he was already searching one of their minds for the memory.

Christos laughed and shook his head. He was used to large families – nearly everyone on the island was from one including himself – but there was something about the Woods, Weasleys and Potters that drew him in. Perhaps it was just the excitement of being off the island and experiencing something new. After whatever was coming had passed, he thought perhaps he would spend some years living in London before traveling around the world a bit. It seemed there was much to see and do.

"How long are you back in town for, Roxie?" Remus asked, glancing back at her. Christos tuned into her answer.

"Awhile. I don't think they'll send me back out for a long time until I'm done with training and taking on assignments," she replied.

"How long's that?" Alan asked. Roxanne shrugged.

"Think I've got about a year left," she said. "Though I may go off for a week or two here and there before then."

"Do you like traveling?" Christos asked, drawing the attention of Remus and Alan now. Lucy was back to grinning, now that the focus had been taken off her.

"Love it," Roxanne said, grinning at him.

"As much as I enjoy being in the middle of your flirting, the game's about to start," Freddie said, pointing to the field. Roxanne blushed slightly as she focused on the pitch.

"Wasn't flirting," she said, shooting a glare at her brother.

"Sure you weren't," James said, winking at her. Christos chuckled and turned back to the field just in time to see Daisy blow a kiss at Wills as he sat waiting for the toss-up.

"Blimey, she's asking for it," Remus said. "Thought they decided not to say anything until the ball."

"I thought she only used this tactic against Hardwick," Lucy said.

"How much you want to bet one or both of them blow it by the end of the match?" Alan asked.

"20 galleons," Lila said immediately. "And I'll throw in another 10 if it's Wills."

"I'm putting 20 on Pix," Remus said. Alan chuckled.

"I'm with Lila on that one," he said. "It'll be Wills."

Daisy soared through the air, nimbly dodging the bludgers sent her way. She was certain her father had told McIntosh and Truffle to target her as they kept popping up everywhere she went, temporarily keeping her from both taking part in defense and searching for the snitch. He really had been working them as hard as Wills and Jamie said. Kelly, Cunningham and Wright were struggling to find many openings to steal the quaffle.

Thankfully Bray was pulling his own and managed to block most of Puddlemere's goals. Wills had on the scowl that he only got when incredibly frustrated - a rare occurrence for the easygoing player - which Daisy found entertaining.

"Pix! Get ready!" Kelly shouted as he passed her. She nodded and grinned, doing a roll to get into position. She set her sights on Wills and Vane, who were passing the quaffle back and forth. They were close, but left just enough space that she'd be able to squeeze through. She had been watching closely all game, a bit perturbed that her dad had them tighten up all their formations to make it difficult for her.

Leaning down over her broom, she increased her speed and zipped through them.

"Watch it, love!" she shouted, laughing in glee as she startled Wills enough that he dropped the quaffle and Wright snatched it from underneath, flying in the opposite direction.

"Not funny!" she faintly heard Wills shout as she looped around Puddlemere's hoops.

"Dad'll have his head for that one," Jamie sent her. Daisy glanced over, noting the amused look on his face.

"Just wait… things are about to get fun," she sent back.

Christos eyes widened as he watched Daisy somersault over a Puddlemere beater and landed smoothly on her broom on the other side.

"Maybe she has the ability to fly without a broom," he said in awe.

"Is that a thing?" Remus asked. Christos shrugged.

"There hasn't been anyone with that ability, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was a gift from Hermes," he said.

"I doubt it. She's a wicked good flyer on a broom and has no fear," Alan said. As if on cue, Daisy spiraled through the Puddlemere chasers, causing them to scatter as Jamie shot her a dirty look.

"DAISY NYMPHADORA WOOD! LEAVE MY CHASERS ALONE!" Oliver bellowed. One of the referees threw up a warning. "I'M HER BLOODY FATHER!"

"Merlin, I've never seen Dad this worked up during a match. Pix must be making him nervous," Remus said, his eyes widening. "He hasn't yelled at her like that since that friendly her first summer."

"And the referee reminds Puddlemere Coach Oliver Wood to stick to coaching his own team," the announcer said, laughing. On the large screen, Nilsson's amused face appeared as he nodded in Oliver's direction and then signaled to Daisy.

"What's that mean?" Christos asked.

"He just told her to keep doing what she's doing," Remus said. Alan looked over at him.

"You figured out his calls?" he asked. Remus chuckled and shrugged.

"It's what I'd tell her to do," he replied. They all turned their attention back to the field, watching as Daisy continued zipping in and out of plays, seemingly without abandon.

"She's going all out. This is going to be a good match," Alan finally said, sitting back in his chair.

Daisy grinned as she passed by Wills, watching as he nearly fumbled again. She laid off on the catcalls early in the match, but seemed just flying near him seemed to have the same effect. Ashley had taken to staying up high above the plays, laughing nearly every time her former protege managed to throw off the chaser. Oliver had taken to yelling obscenities anytime Daisy got near Wills, getting another warning from the ref. After he tried to argue with another over a foul, he was told that if he kept it up, he'd be tossed out. He was now sulking as he paced and watched his daughter pull off increasingly death-defying stunts while dodging bludgers.

She looked over at Nilsson, who was chuckling as he signalled for her to lay off on the chasers for a bit, taking pity on both Wills and Oliver. Truth be told, she was pushing the boundaries of what was acceptable within an official match anyway.

She flew up and hovered behind the Arrows goals, watching as Bray successfully blocked a goal by Jakes and tossed the quaffle to Cunningham.

"Nice work, Pix!" he shouted back at her.

"I'm just getting warmed up!" she shouted back, grinning as the adrenaline flowed through her body. She watched as Blanks shot a bludger at Wills, who narrowly ducked out of the way in time, showing more of the moves that made him a formidable chaser. She had to admit that even with her attempts at throwing him off, he was still pulling out some stunning plays.

"No doubt you'll give Wills a run for MVP the way you've been playing," Bray shouted back.

"It'll be as good as mine by the end of this game!" she shouted back as she shot off down the field.

"Dad is not happy," Remus said, grinning as he leaned forward in his chair, watching Daisy do loops in and out of plays, easily balancing her role in defense while still keeping a sharp eye out for the snitch.

"Dunno why he's letting her get to him. You'd think Dad would be used to her style by now," Alan replied, chuckling. "He's even had the chasers change to tighter formations."

"Perhaps because this time there's a good chance that the Arrows will win - I still can't figure out how she manages to squeeze in between them," Remus said. "And we all know how Dad hates to lose."

"He takes his game very seriously," Christos said, following the rapid plays easily.

"Where do you think his kids get it from?" Dominique said with a snort. Christos glanced back at her, and then caught Roxanne watching him out of the corner of her eye. She blushed and turned her attention back to the game as Christos grinned.

"Do you usually come to many games when you're here?" he asked, glancing back at her.

"When I can," she said, still watching the match.

"Your man just made a brilliant play," Remus said, glancing back at Dominique.

"He is doing rather well this match," she said, smiling to herself. "Might have a good chance at Chaser of the Year, even. Seeing as Kelly's likely up for MVP being team captain."

"No - that'll be Pix," Alan said, frowning back at her as she shrugged.

"Wait… you didn't argue back. Does this mean what I think it means?" Remus asked.

"Who is this man?" Christos asked, before Dominique could answer.

"No. 13 – Paul Cunningham. Right chase," Remus said. "They were an item for a long time and I believe they are now back together." He grinned up at Dominique who just rolled her eyes.

"I'm surprised it took you this long to figure it out, seeing how gossip spreads like wildfire in our family. We've been back together a few weeks and I'm going to the ball with him," she said, smiling. "Who did you win money from this time?"

"Freddie," they said in unison as the man in question grumbled slightly and started digging in his pockets for money. Christos chuckled. Suddenly, Daisy shot off away from the action, heading towards the opposite side of the field.

"She's found it," Remus said.

"Bit early to go for the snitch, yea?" Alan asked as he glanced at the score. It was pretty much dead even at 200 to 210 and had been the whole match. They had only been playing about three hours.

"Suspect Nilsson wants that Cup and fast," Remus said.

Ashley was now coming at the snitch from the opposite side and it was turning into a race to catch it.

"She's going to do something stupid," Lucy said, as she leaned in. "I can just feel it. She always does something stupid at times like this."

"Yea, she's got that look on her face," Toby added with a grin as he watched through his omniculars.

The group went silent as they watched the two edge nearer to each other.

"Mum's probably dying right about now," Remus quipped.

"Jamie certainly is," Alan said, pointing at their brother, who was now frowning at Daisy while still managing to keep an eye on the quaffle. Just as it seemed the two were about to collide, the snitch shot straight up and both shot up after it, mere inches apart.

A roar went through the crowd as everyone shot to their feet, transfixed by the two seekers.

"Christ," Remus uttered.

The two seekers were about dead even until Daisy seemed to hunch down to her broom before nearly leaving it all together as she shoved her body up in the air an extra few inches. Her right hand closed around the snitch and she immediately leaned to the right, locking her legs around the broomstick as she started a dive back towards the stadium.

The crowd lost it. Remus and Alan started jumping and shouting as Daisy did spirals towards the pitch, flying towards her team with her hand still held out.

"SHE DID IT!" Alan shouted as pandemonium broke out in the players' box.

Daisy laughed as she spiraled back towards the field, tears streaming down her cheeks. They had won. The crowd was going crazy as every player flew down to the field. As soon as she landed, her entire team rushed her, nearly squashing her.

"That's our Pixie!" Kelly yelled. She looked over at Nilsson who had just landed on the field. He smiled and nodded at her. She then saw her Dad land next to him, tears in his eyes. For once, he didn't seem so upset about losing. And seemed to have forgotten how mad he had been just moments before.

"PIXIE!" someone shouted. Daisy turned to see her brother and Wills moving through the crowd of players, reporters and officials to get to her. She laughed loudly at the goofy grin on Wills' face. He pushed Kelly out of the way and immediately picked her up, swinging her around.

"Wills! Put me down!" she shouted. He complied and set her down, then immediately bent her back into a dip and kissed her soundly, causing both teams to start whistling. Daisy heard the sounds of many cameras going off around them but found herself not caring, still high from the win. When he stopped, the two just stared at each other, both grinning madly.

"Well, I suppose that'll make the front page," Daisy finally said.

"Good. We can get this out of the way before I show up with you on my arm for the Summer Ball," he said, grinning.

"Oi, Wills! We need our seeker back!" Kelly shouted. The two looked over at him, catching his grin.

"Apologies, mate," Wills said as he righted Daisy and stepped away. The Arrows immediately surrounded her again and lifted her up, settling her on Kelly and Cunningham's shoulders.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, your 2024 Quidditch League Champions… THE APPLEBY ARROWS!" the announcer shouted as Daisy's aunt Angelina walked over with the Cup, grinning. The crowd parted, allowing her through. She lifted it up and Daisy grabbed it, lifting it high into the air, the Cup nearly bigger than her.

"DAISY! DAISY!" reporters started shouting as she wiped tears from her face. "How does it feel to win your first Cup!?"

"Bloody amazing!" she shouted back, not sure where the question came from. "Couldn't have done it without the excellent leadership of our captain Ryan Kelly and Coach Nilsson!" She looked around as Wright and Campbell pulled Nilsson into the group and lifted him up on their shoulders. They walked him over and he took hold of one side of the Cup, grinning at Daisy.

"Knew you could do it," he said. "You're the heart of the team, Daisy." She laughed, noting the sheen of tears in his ice blue eyes.

"Thanks, Coach!" she replied, wiping at her own cheeks.

"SPEECH! SPEECH!" Campbell and Blanks started yelling. Nilsson blanched slightly, not being one for speeches.

"Um…" he looked around frantically. He locked eyes with Kelly, silently pleading for him to come to his rescue.

"I'd just like to say… I think this is the best team we've had together for the Arrows in a long while. We work hard, rely on each other, help each other," Kelly started. He looked up at Daisy."We've got a smashing good seeker, to boot. We're family. And finally… THE CUP IS OURS!" The entire team exploded into shouts and cheers as Cunningham and Kelly bounced Daisy up and down.

"PIXIE! PIXIE!" Remus and Alan started shouted, very shortly joined by half the crowd.

"What's next, Daisy?" a reporter shouted. She looked at the crowd, meeting Wills' eyes.

"Think I'll go celebrate with my friends and family. And my boyfriend," she said, grinning.

"DOES THIS MEAN YOU AND WILLS ARE TOGETHER?!" another reporter shouted. Daisy laughed as Wills ran up to her. Daisy passed off the trophy to Nilsson, hopped off Kelly and Cunningham, and landed in his arms.

"That would be a resounding yes," Wills shouted, grinning.

"Aren't you sad you lost?" another reporter shouted at them. Wills looked over.

"Did you not watch that match? How could you be upset at losing to such a brilliant seeker?" he said before turning back to kiss her, causing a round of cheers to break out among both teams.

"WILLS!" Oliver shouted. "STOP SNOGGING MY DAUGHTER! IT'S GOING TO BE ON THE FRONT PAGE!"

"Apologies, Coach," Wills shouted, still grinning at Daisy.

"Knock it off, Dad!" Daisy shouted, looking over at him. Oliver just rolled his eyes.

"See! Told you I'd end up part of the family in the end!" Wills shouted over at him. Oliver's face turned bright red.

"WILLS!" he shouted as the reporters clamored to get closer to the couple.

"ARE YOU GETTING MARRIED?"

"DOES THIS MEAN DAISY WILL BE TRANSFERRING TO PUDDLEMERE?"

"Not likely!" Daisy shouted. "I'm an Arrow through and through!"

The rest of her team started cheering and launched into the Arrows fight song as Daisy laughed at them. She then looked around the stadium, taking in the thousands decked out in Arrows gear. It was a bit overwhelming as the tears started up again. She looked over at the screen, catching a close-up of a tiny girl jumping up and down in a Pixie jersey before the picture changed to her in Wills' arms.

"I think that's enough press for right now, thank you!" Wills shouted as he started walking towards the locker rooms, the Arrows and Puddlemere players following close behind. "Got a party to get to!"

"COACH WOOD! HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR STAR CHASER DATING YOUR DAUGHTER?" Daisy heard someone shout.

"NO COMMENT!" Oliver boomed. "Now you want to ask me about quidditch, I'm more than happy to answer that!"

"DID YOU KNOW?!"

"WHAT DID I JUST BLOODY SAY?!"

Daisy snorted and looked back at her father, who was glaring at the gaggle of reporters while her mother was shooting him dirty looks.

"The next few days are certainly going to be interesting," she murmured.

Needless to say, I'm so happy to be posting this chapter. I wrote it forever ago it seems and had a blast working on it. And then adding and changing stuff later. Originally this and the first half of the next chapter were all one, but I think it was good to split them up. But now I'm super eager to post the next chapter, though I'm going to try and wait until tomorrow... I may just give in and post it in a bit, since I know everyone's waiting for Kingfisher's return.

AleenaBean - Yea, as I'm sure you've guessed, we're about to get into all of that. I think with the new stuff I added, it's much better than what I originally wrote. And really, I couldn't get rid of John completely. He's a good character and it didn't seem quite right not having him in the story. So, he'll have a bigger role in the next book. I may give him his own short or oneshot later on, just because I think the poor guy deserves it for everything I've put him through. Plus, I think it would be kinda fun to have Delilah come visit. So much potential there...

As always, thanks for reading, following and reviewing!