"You said there was an equipment closet, right?"

"Yeah! It's next to the lockers," she said. "Not sure where those are though…"

"Could be over there?"

He nodded toward a tunnel centered in the middle of the stadium's curve.

"Right! Good thinking, if that's not where they are, I don't know sports."

She set toward it, and Zach came after, their boots swishing in the grass.

"Is it open?"

She slowed. Kev and Ashley hadn't said anything about that.

"If it isn't, there's probably a gap at the top that we can Wingardium leviosa them through."

"Huh?" he said, boggling at her.

"What?!"

"You're serious? There's no way I can manage a whole broom! I barely made it through the pinecones! You really think you can do that?"

She laughed, starting forward again. "Sure. I mean, I've got the hang of the spell by now, and didn't Marwazi say the size of the object doesn't matter? I even heard Ellen talking about her grandad or something who did a troll's club in his second year -"

"But that's different! She also said precision was something you had to work on, and you'll need that if you want to, you know, guide it over a door. And you'd have to sustain it for a long time too."

Annoyance was creeping up again. Why was he doubting her? Even if it did need something technical, she was sure it wouldn't be too hard after an attempt or two. Did he think she wasn't capable?

"We don't even know if it's locked yet," she said. "Let's take a look at it before we start freaking out about things."

He didn't say anything, and she realized he hadn't been following her. He'd stopped a few paces back and was looking at the Hufflepuffs, and in an instant she knew what he was thinking.

"What are you doing?" she asked, anger bubbling up.

"Let's ask one of them!"

"No."

"Why not?"

"They might get us in trouble."

"But using the brooms isn't against the rules, is it?"

She hesitated.

"I also don't want to bother them," she said. "Besides, they're upper-classmen. And they're probably on their Quidditch team! I doubt they'd go out of their way for a couple of first-years, and there's probably some rule about us needing supervision or something -"

"Well, fortune favors the bold, eh? Hey, 'scuse me!"

Glaring, she crossed her arms. The boys looked up, and the blond one - who was also the leader, she felt, responded.

"What's up?"

She watched him cautiously. He had sandy-blond hair, a narrow nose, and was the tallest of the bunch. He was already mounted on his broom, too, waiting for his friends to finish putting their gear on. What kind of person was he?

"You think you could… erm, help us?" said Zach.

The boy glanced over at her, then back at him. "You wanting the school brooms?"

His tone was friendly, thankfully.

"Yeah!" said Zach. "How'd you know?"

The boy swung his leg off his broom and set it gently in the grass.

"Not normal for people to come out with flying robes and no broomsticks, is it?" he said. "It's okay, I can get you."

He said something to his friends (one of whom was wrestling a large, blood-red ball out of a leather pouch), and strode their way. Zach shot her a grin, and she let him have it, rolling her eyes.

"You two Gryffindors?" said the boy.

"Yeah," she and Zach said in unison.

"That's a good house, that is."

He led them into the tunnel. The stone floor was gritty with dirt and dry grass, and their boot scuffs echoed off the walls. A lingering smell of sweat came from the doors at the end, of which there were two: one on the left and another on the right, with the right one gated by a wooden door. That was the equipment closet, she knew intuitively. And there was definitely enough room to float a broom over.

"'Lohamora," the boy cast. A thunk sounded.

"That was the Alohamora spell!" she said. "You didn't pronounce it right!"

He gave her a smile. "Hardly even need to pronounce it at all, really."

"Why? I've been trying for ages!"

"You can do wordless magic?" asked Zach.

"Sure," said the boy. "You gotta, if you want to pass your fifth year. I learned seven myself, and now I've got to do another twelve by March." He let out a puff of breath at the idea. "Well go on, then."

They entered the dark space. The room was large, stone, and cobwebbed in the far corners, the scent of dust mingling in with an even heavier gloom of sweat. Most of the room was filled by a number of light, wooden crates, stacked up against the facing wall. Clumps of haphazardly-organized brooms were way over on the right, squeezed in next to a big, metal contraption covered in a moldy blanket. There were also four polished, black, official-looking boxes just to the side of the doorway that rattled alarmingly as they passed (she shared a look with Zach and guessed that they must have the official Quidditch balls), and above those was an enormous, sheathed scythe, holstered securely on the wall. She didn't know who was supposed to use that - it looked too big for even three men to use, let alone one, and would hardly be effective at that point.

Behind them, the upper-year spoke.

"You two signing up for your Quidditch team?"

"Just me," she said, turning and walking backward.

The boy was leaning against the door frame, tightening one of his gloves. Ray thought he looked rather cool, there, with the light on him the way it was, and him in his flying robes. Whatever feelings of annoyance she had evaporated away. He looked like a professional player.

"Which position?" he asked.

"Chaser!" she said.

"Oh-ho! Girl after my own heart. Well practice hard, that's a good team, that is. I was about to captain it before I switched houses."

That sparked something in her memory. He was about to captain it? So he used to be Gryffindor? Bits of things Kev said came back to her, and she made the connection.

"You're Louis?"

"You got it," he winked. "Heard of me, have you?"

"Yes! From Kev and the others!"

"Only good things, I hope. How's a firsty like you get to talking to that lot?"

"I go running! Well, that is, I run with them in the mornings!"

"Nice, I need to get back on that."

Louis looked out of the room, back down the tunnel. "Well, you tell them I said hello, will you?"

"Sure!"

He said thanks, then reminded them to shut the door properly when they left, and went. She turned to Zach and grinned, but his back was to her and he was inspecting the brooms.

"Find any good ones?" she asked.

"Kinda. So, how early you get up for that, anyway?"

"Get up for what?"

"Running."

"Oh. Early," she laughed. "Like five or six, way before the sun's up."

He whistled, then tugged a broom out.

"This or these two look good," he said, pointing her.

"How can you tell?"

"They just… look a little less shoddy," he laughed.

Picking one, she saw title Dust Devil scrawled in shimmering orange writing on the handle. She took it over to a crate and shrugged off her pack, setting it on top. It wasn't like she could take it flying - and the closet was safe enough, she thought. A big part of her wanted to keep it in sight, but there was hardly anyone in the stadium, and they were the only ones that needed equipment, so she forced herself be comfortable with it.

"What broom have you got?"

"Cleansweep Sixty," he said.

Back out in the stadium, Ray planted a foot against the thick grass and shot up.

"Woah!"

Despite its unsporty appearance, the field was a lot easier to kick off from than the courtyard - almost instantly she was up twenty feet.

"Repulsion charm!" Zach laughed. "I think it's impedimenta-d, too, in case you fall!"

"Not sure what that means! But cool!"

They spent the next hour racing each other from one end of the stadium to the other. It was brilliant, flying - wind blasting over her, clearing her hair from her face, tugging at the brim of the witch hat. It was bloody cold, but she was having too much fun to care, and now that she'd gotten her balance figured out in Fitness she could really enjoy it. She didn't even mind her robes flapping around like a parachute, or never quite catching up to Zach. There were still eleven days, after all, and she had her jogging outfit for when the time came. Hell, if she was practicing with a parachute the whole time, who knew how good she'd get?

The only downside was the other people. Practicing her route hung at the back of her mind, but it'd be stupid to try and take out a broom with the Frisbee players and Hufflepuffs watching. Even if they didn't care about the broom, there was no way they'd let her go out over the forest. It really seemed to freak everyone out. Not even Kev and Ashley liked going on the running trail, it seemed like, even though it was very pretty - they'd only taken her twice since school started.

Up near the hoops, the Hufflepuffs were all zig-zagging around after their ball, trying both to capture it and knock each other away. She'd thought the ball might've been a Bludger, but it wasn't at all keen about coming into contact with anyone, so it seemed. She couldn't figure out the point - it was obviously for practice, but Bludgers were supposed to go after you, weren't they?

They also looked weird, when she was at a distance. The narrow shafts of the brooms were nearly invisible next to the bulk of their bodies, and it seemed like they should've been riding around on hover-bikes, only there was no loud buzzing, no bulky machinery, and no big battery on the ground to charge them up when they ran out of juice. Obviously because brooms never needed juice... as far as she knew, anyways.

"You want to go higher?" Zach called.

She looked at him. He was ahead of her and a couple feet up, looking perfectly at place in his flying robes, only holding onto his broom with one hand. He must have seen her watching the Hufflepuffs.

She looked down at the field, fingers sparkling from the height. It felt good enough - it was already as high as she'd ever been, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to go much more. With nothing between her and the ground except a bit of wood it didn't really sound appealing.

"You're going to have to go higher if you want to play Quidditch," he called. "Or practice your… you know."

She shot him a look to tell him shut up, then sighed. He was right. She concentrated, focusing on her broomstick handle.

"Okay!"

Zach went up, and she pulled her handle in close, leaning forward to follow him. He rose, and rose, and she kept hoping he'd stop, but his rate was steady. They rose five feet, then ten, then fifteen. The wind grew, battering against her. A shudder ran through her broomstick - was it less reliable at greater heights? The wind grew stronger still, blowing away her heat and letting cold sink into her bones. Just how high were they going to go?

Finally, he slowed.

"How's your - how's your broomstick?" she called.

"It's alright. It keeps wanting to fly sideways! But it's not bad."

A gust of wind came up behind her and she rocked forward. Below her the ground loomed, the walls of the stadium stretching out, the Frisbee players frozen in their places. Heart thumping, she grappled at her broomstick handle and re-oriented herself, pulse going at a hundred miles an hour.

"You alright?" he laughed.

"Yeah! Fine!"

They were almost level with the tops of the walls, and finally she saw where the stands were. Heart still thumping like crazy, she swallowed and forced herself not to look at the plummeting drop. Then in a spur of showmanship she went higher still, until she saw the woody seats of the bleachers, painted earthy tones of red, yellow, blue, and green. Past them, the sky opened up, its blue washed out, wisps of clouds scattered like a painter's brush strokes. Hogwarts Castle peeked up on one side, and she recognized the sun had lowered a lot from where it was earlier. At the moment it was partway blocked by an announcer's booth, blinding her when she looked its direction, but she was still glad for its warmth. The bit of light breaking past the booth's shadow sat against her skin, fighting off the chill.

"Let's go, then," said Zach, and he flew past her to the other side of the stadium.

Hands shaking, breaths coming in quick, she came about and steadied herself. Then she shot after him, skirting the rim of the stands. It was a lot easier moving - the worries of the height fell away, and soon enough she was able to enjoy herself again. They did a lap, and she took deep breaths of the wind, happiness rising her chest. This was what she was supposed to be doing. This was where she was supposed to be. Her, Zach, the other players, all out enjoying the September daylight. And she was practicing. She was finally, finally out practicing again, with a brand-new sport in her future, and games to attend, and if she beat Potter in their race, ones she might even be able to play in. And this time there was no one there to tell her no.

"Whoo-hoo!" she screamed.

They landed, and Zach set off for the lockers without her. Clutching the broom to her chest she hurried after him, her legs wobbly and buttocks a bit sore from the broom.

"Oh man, I need some flying robes!" she groaned, once at his side.

He gave her a sideways glance - "Yeah?"

She narrowed her eyes. That was a little abrupt. Was being short with her?

"Yeah," she went on, studying him. "They've got a protective layer, don't they?"

"In the pants?"

His tone seemed normal. Maybe she was imagining it.

"Yeah. Don't they have padding?"

"They do. Why haven't you got a pair?"

"I didn't buy any."

"Whatchu you mean? It's your parents that buy them for you, surely."

She pursed her lips. "That's what I meant."

"Right. Well, why didn't they?"

"They didn't have the funds," she said, looking away. She wasn't sure if she liked Zach asking about that.

"Not even for something second-hand?"

"No, man."

He fell silent. Face prickling, she watched the Frisbee players making their way to the entry tunnel.

"Good, that's them, then," she said. "Now just the Hufflepuffs!"

She heard him groan and whirled on him.

"What?"

"No, it's - it's nothing."

She stared at him hard, but he was still looking ahead.

"Tell me!"

"It's no big deal," he said, grimacing. "You've just been going on about them. Like, the entire time."

Her jaw dropped. "I have not!"

He glanced at her again, but didn't say anything. Her pulse thumped.

"What are you even talking about?" she demanded, closing in on him. "I haven't complained about them once."

"You kinda have," he said.

"Look at me! When?"

"All the way here. When we first got going. Every twenty minutes or so."

"WHAT? I have not! You're completely exaggerating!"

He shrugged.

She backed off. Had she actually?

"Alright, I might have said something once or twice," she said, "but I've got to try my route, and I can't do it while they're hanging around!"

"Yeah, you said."

She stuck her broom handle at his chest - "Why are you being an ass to me?"

He stopped, pushing it aside.

"I'm - I'm not," he said. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be."

They fell to silence and went forward again, and she looked ahead at the locker's tunnel. What was Zach thinking? Where was this coming from? And why wasn't he talking?

"There's no reason to be rude," she went on. "If it was bothering you, you should have said something. I can't read minds you know."

They got to the tunnel, and she saw him looking back at the Hufflepuffs. Following his gaze, her mood lightened - they were finally coming down!

"About bloody time!"

"If I were you," said Zach, boot scuffs echoing behind her, "I'd be more concerned about flying robes."

Her anger rose.

"Weren't you listening to me?" she said. "I haven't got the funds."

"No, I mean -" he paused.

What didn't he get? Was he going to make her say she was poor? It really wasn't that difficult to understand, she shouldn't have to spell it out for him.

"What I mean is, I'm sure there's other options," he said, making his tone softer. That almost made her more angry - no apology, and he was still going on about it! "You could look for a cheap pair," he went on. "Something they'd be willing to shell out for. Besides, they're required materials! On the school supply list. Didn't they see that?"

"No," she said. "They didn't look. My parents are Muggles, remember."

"Then…" he slowed, and she continued past him. "How'd you get your things?"

She sighed. "My brother took me. He's seventh-year, remember?"

"Right!"

Barking a single laugh, she ducked into the equipment closet. Her eyes went first to her backpack - it was just where she'd left it, like she'd been telling herself the whole time. Zach entered behind her.

"Actually, now that I think about it, he said they weren't needed," she went on, setting the broom back with its cluster. "He'd said we only did flying in the autumn, and that normal robes work well enough for that."

"Maybe for classes," he said, doing the same with his own broom. She set her hands on her hips. "But they're not any good if you're actually wanting to play. They hold the air in a lot more."

"Yeah, I figured that out, thanks."

He made eye contact. At close quarters, the height difference was a lot more noticeable.

"Well I'd look into it. I can't imagine you'll be able to play without them."

"I'll cross that bridge when I get there. And actually -" suddenly remembering, she went and pulled her jogging outfit out from her backpack. "What do you think about these? They're a lot closer fitting! Won't catch the air, you know? I thought they'd come in handy!"

"Your Muggle clothes?" he said, crossing his arms.

Her eyes widened and she set them down, stepping away from them.

"I guess they'd work for your race," he said. "Is that what mostly what you're worried about? Just beating Potter?"

"No! I want to play! I love sports, and I haven't gotten to play for a whole year."

"Oh yeah, soccer," he said, like he was suddenly remembering the most popular sport in the world.

"Yeah. Soccer. But I'm excited to see what Quidditch is all about. I wouldn't do something like this just to beat Potter, there's easier ways to do that."

"Why the race then?"

"It was his idea!"

"Couldn't you have suggested something simpler?"

"I -" she stopped. "I didn't think of it at the time."

"Well, good thing we're practicing," he laughed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, temper rising. "You think I can't do it?"

"No! It's just, he's got more experience, hasn't he?"

She crossed her arms. "Still sounds like you're saying I'm bad."

He sighed looked past her, and her anger rose even more.

"You just haven't seen me in Fitness," she said. "I do at least as well as everyone else. Better than some, even," she said, thinking of the other Muggle girls.

"Well... I've seen Potter."

Oh. Right. The words popped her confidence like a balloon, and she felt all her air leak out.

A moment passed.

"How good is he?"

"Pretty good."

She felt like she was crumpling. Even after their practice, he still thought Potter was way better than her. Just how much harder did she have to train? Did she need to do more than just after-class practices? Was this something she'd have to commit to morning, noon, and night?

Zach pulled out his writer and tugged its quill from the binding, leafing to a page.

"Who's that?" she asked.

"Kendra," he said. She saw her little maroon-colored tab at the top. "She's wondering where we are. C'mon, let's go get ready for dinner."

He made for the door, but her boots were rooted in place. Food suddenly didn't seem that important, even if the tightening in her stomach said otherwise. She had eleven days. Only eleven days. Which was an astonishingly short amount of time, now that she thought about it. And Potter had been flying for years. Worry rushed through her, prickling her fingers. Did she even stand a chance? Was he going to mop the floor with her?

Zach was at the doorway.

"I'm going to stay," she said.

He turned.

"To keep flying?"

"Yeah."

"You gonna try your route?"

She swallowed. "I think I'd better."

"You know, if you go out of bounds -"

"Yeah, I know!" she said, pulse rising. She did not need a lecture right now. "But I don't have any other options, do I? The stadium is too easy. We can't go over the grounds, we'd get in just as much trouble there as we would the forest. And, really, I can't go at any other time of the day," she said, realizing. "It's too risky outside of meal hours because people might be here. You saw how long it took for those the Frisbee guys to clear off, and then the Hufflepuffs -"

"Yeah, yeah," he said, poking his writer back in a pocket.

Fury surged.

"So don't go telling me I've got other things I can be doing! I need help! Not you reminding me I can't afford proper robes, or how much worse I am than Potter, I need practice! I need training! Sorry if I worry about people hanging around, or not having enough time, or being spotted and getting in trouble!" She was shouting now. "You don't get it! Do you have any idea how hard I'm trying not to act up? What have you ever had to worry about? You've been a wizard since day one, and here I am with all these things to learn, and rules to follow, and I've no idea what I'm doing -"

"Okay!" he said, raising his hands. "Okay, I'm sorry! I get it, alright?"

"It doesn't sound like you're sorry!" she said, heart hammering.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, and lowered his hands.

There was a pause.

"Well see you after dinner, then," he said, and left through the doorway. Her mouth dropped and hurt climbed inside her. That was it? He was just going to leave like that? They were right in the middle talking, and he was just going to go? What kind of person was he?

She went after him. He was already halfway down the tunnel, his figure silhouetted against the bright opening.

"That's it?" she demanded.

He turned, arms spread. "What am I supposed to say?"

She opened her mouth, then closed it again. She didn't know what she wanted him to say. But he couldn't just leave like that. She was still mad at him, but he needed to explain himself, to talk to her, to be her friend, but all of that came up at once and she couldn't think of how to put it into words.

"I already apologized, didn't I?" he said.

"Yeah. But I know there's something you're not saying!" she said, a heavy, hollow feeling in her chest. "Don't think I don't!"

"Look," he said, and took a breath. "You've got to do what you've got to do. And it doesn't sound like there's any way I can change your mind, is there?"

She stared at his silhouette for a moment, brain stuck. She felt like her eyes were watering.

"No," she said.

"Then I'll see you after dinner. Okay? Good luck."

"Fine."

"And try not to get caught!"

"...Okay."

And then he left, turning out of sight beyond the tunnel's edge. A second passed, and then she returned to the darkness and dustiness of the closet. She went all the way up to the brooms, then back to the doorway, then back to the brooms again. Zach just left her like that. It wasn't like him. They were supposed to be friends, and he was supposed to have her back, not make fun of her, or abandon things before they were settled. Honestly, she and him were closer friends than she was with Kendra, weren't they? At least she thought so. But how well did she actually know him? They'd spent a few weeks hanging out together already, but how much had they actually talked?

She was clutching a broom handle without realizing it. Her thoughts refocused. Talking had to wait until later. Right now, she had to do this.