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Chapter 2 - Quidditch & Crushes
Rukia PoV
The first day of classes had been dreadful and it had only been Friday. Given that they'd arrived at the school on a Thursday evening, she should have been thanking her lucky stars that she had an entire weekend to sort the Gryffindor Quidditch team out. Rukia was happy with her grades and knew she could put the work in when she needed to; she was someone who was gifted academically in that she could read a passage once and retain most of the information. So her new focus this year would be winning the Quidditch cup for Gryffindor.
Hufflepuff had been dominating the sport at the school. For the last four years they'd remained undefeated. The challenge with the Hufflepuff team was that every single player on the team was great. Ichigo was easily the best Keeper in the school, and the rest of the team were almost as good in each of their retrospective positions. Rukia knew that last year Ichigo had held try-outs where the returning members had to fight for their positions again and this was what made the Hufflepuff team such a formidable force. He didn't just pick his friends - he picked people who worked well together.
Rukia had been advertising the try-outs around the Gryffindor common room and even caught up with Karin, Ichigo's little sister (whom she'd met on the carriage ride on the way to the school), to make sure she knew the day and time. Rukia pulled her bright red robes on, trying her best not to make a sound as her dorm mates slumbered on. Only Tatsuki was awake. The other girl grumbled, pulling the red robes on over her short dark spiky hair. Then the two of them slipped out of the dorm and headed down through the portrait hole together.
'Why so early?' Tatsuki yawned when they were clear of the sleeping portraits and were walking down a set of stone stairs heading to the Entrance Hall.
'I don't want any of the other teams to see our try-outs, I don't want anyone else stealing our ideas and techniques,' Rukia replied confidently.
Tatsuki gave a snort, 'I think you're underestimating the hard working Hufflepuffs.'
'There will be no underestimating any of the Hufflepuffs this year,' Rukia stated, 'it's them I'm trying to avoid. This was the best I could do without getting you all up at four am.'
'And you think five on a Saturday is any better?' Tatsuki sighed. Rukia had to hand that to her, it was pretty cruel but it was all for naught. When they arrived on the Quidditch pitch they saw the familiar strawberry strands of the tall Hufflepuff Keeper ahead of them.
'Fuck sake,' Rukia hissed under her breath, narrowing her eyes at Ichigo, 'how did he find out?'
'He's best friends with Chad isn't he? And Karin is his sister,' Tatsuki pointed out.
Rukia sighed, while Ichigo may have shown up at least the rest of the school remained asleep.
'So we could have done this later?' Tatsuki groaned.
'No, it was always going to be the first test, to see who is dedicated enough to train at ridiculous times. It will weed out a lot of the people who maybe weren't sure if they wanted to try out or not.' Rukia explained. Tatsuki shot her an impressed but exasperated look.
They made their way to the broom cupboard and she and Tatsuki extracted a load of brooms for the people who had come to try out, then made their way onto the grassy pitch. Despite the early hour, there were a lot of people who had come to try out. They were all huddled in the middle of the pitch, some of them chatting to each other, others wrapping their robes around themselves trying to keep warm.
'Morning everyone,' Rukia said with a smile, 'you'll be happy to know you've all passed the first test. In order to make Gryffindor winners of the Quidditch cup this year, we're going to be training at all hours and in all weather conditions. The fact you got up at five am on a Saturday morning already puts you in my good books.' She stood stock still, her own gloved hands closed around the handle of the broom she'd selected for herself.
'First thing I want to test is your flying abilities, so I'm going to get you into teams and have you weave in and out the stands,' she pointed to the large stands which rose up over the pitch. Rukia arranged them in small teams of five and set them off with thirty seconds between each group.
This had been a very good idea, as there were a lot of first and second-years who had shown up to try out who had clearly never ridden a broom beyond their basic flying lessons with Soi Fon. As Hogwarts' resident Flying instructor and official Quidditch referee, Soi Fon instilled important lessons on broom safety and care to the students yet glossed over the skillful in-air maneuvering required of Quidditch players. Rukia dismissed them all after their drills and told them to go back to bed. She did the same with the third and fourth years, all bar one who rode impressively well.
Karin flew similarly to her brother, Rukia noticed, but this could work to their advantage. The dark haired twin stood at the side while the fifth, sixth and seventh-years all flew around the pitch too. One of the players was Rukia's ex Kaien. Rukia dismissed this notion very early in her head, he was a good flier but Renji had also tried out and she didn't need both her exes on the team. Between the two of them, Renji was much more practiced and fluid. Rukia knew that's what they needed if they were to stand a chance against the Hufflepuff team Ichigo would be putting together.
'Sorry,' she said a few moments later as she dismissed the group containing Kaien who shot her a frustrated glance. Even if he were dating Miyako now, Rukia just couldn't handle the awkwardness. Renji and Rukia had been on the team together before, she knew she could work with him.
'Like old times, eh?' Renji boomed thumping her on the back as she glared up at him.
'You've not been selected yet, Abarai, don't make me hex you,' Rukia waved her wand threateningly at him to which he held up his hands and laughed.
'You wouldn't dare,' he narrowed his eyes.
While Renji lay on the ground moaning in pain, Rukia stepped over him and decided to go ahead with trialling the Beaters first. She released the Bludgers and handed some old school bats to a few of the guys who were trying out. Rukia had only ever seen one female Beater, and that was Nell who had been on the Hufflepuff team for the last few years. She had an excessive amount of upper body strength and unparalleled aim, so Rukia knew it would take a lot of brute force to combat her. Thankfully for her a few of Gryffindor's previous Beaters had come to try out, including Bazz B, Chad and Ikkaku. Bazz B was wild, with a vivid pink mohawk and was ruthless in his swings. Chad was massive, huge, easily one of the biggest kids the school had ever seen, he could take a Bludger directly to his face and smack it back using his own forehead. Ikkaku wasn't built as tanky as Chad but he was crazy enough to do whatever it took to win and he had brilliant aim. Rukia also hoped his bald head might dazzle the other team in broad sunlight.
Chad had been beaten out of last year's team by Bazz B, likely because the man was friends with the previous Captain, but for Rukia there was no contest. Though she was weary that Chad might not take his matches against Ichigo seriously, given that they were really good friends, she couldn't deny he was unmistakably better than Bazz B. Chad hit the Bludger so hard it flew almost the entire length of the pitch and still managed to knock a chunk out of one of the goal posts.
So the first two team members were selected, Ikkaku and Chad high fived and made their way up to the stands to join Ichigo as the rest of the try-outs continued. Rukia did her best to ignore the orange hair in the stands, which stood out like a beacon the moment the sunshine escaped the clouds and cast its late summer rays onto the pitch below.
Next up was the Keepers. Rukia didn't go easy on them. Two seventh year boys were the first to try-out and Rukia had seen them applying for the team in previous years. While they were good, they both equally let in two of the five goals she attempted to score. Rukia knew it probably wasn't fair to test a Keeper against herself, but she needed the practice too. If they wanted a Keeper to rival Ichigo then she needed someone who could block her attempts at scoring. Rukia attempted three goals as direct as possible but made two attempts to score in a really complicated fashion, heading for one hoop before darting around and going for a different one, moving her broom last minute and twisting her body in the air to aim for a different post.
There was a fourth year who managed to block four of Rukia's five attempts, but Rukia was almost certain the fourth had been a fluke given that the girl wore a ludicrous look on her face when she'd blocked the shot.
Thankfully Rukia was saved from having to make a tough decision when Tatsuki took to the air. The woman was a machine, and had been Keeper for Gryffindor three years in a row, meaning she had a lot of experience and practice. She blocked all of Rukia's attempts to score, though she nearly let the last one in. Rukia was really pleased-it was clear she'd been practicing over the summer holidays.
'I know you wouldn't make it that easy for me,' Tatsuki said, smugly securing the gloves around her fingers as she hovered in the air on her broom, 'if you had your teammates here to pass to, but I'm still rather impressed I was able to block all your attempts Kuchiki, have you gone soft?'
Rukia narrowed her eyes as Tatsuki smirked at her and Rukia had to relent. Tatsuki would keep her competitive, would keep her training hard and that was more incentive to take her on as Keeper. Unlike the Beaters, Rukia asked Tatsuki to stay close to the goal posts as she summoned everyone who had come to try out for a Chaser position. Some of the failed Keepers headed back to the school with the Beaters and a few others headed for the stands to watch the rest of the try-outs. Even though some of them didn't make the team, they were still invested in watching Gryffindor succeed.
Despite Renji still moaning in pain like a little bitch, Rukia forced him onto his broom as she joined the Chasers in the air. They were the only two returning from the previous year's team, their fellow Chaser had been a seventh year who had since graduated along with the Captain. Rukia started by having them fly around the pitch in teams of three, tossing the Quaffle between each other. If someone dropped the ball more than twice she dismissed them. What she was left with was Renji along with three fifth year girls who were all quite good at different passing techniques.
Rukia was confident in her selection of Renji, so she extracted him from the group and tested one girl at a three of them worked together to get the Quaffle past Tatsuki and through the goals. One of the fifth year girls dropped the ball and so Rukia let her go, another threw an awkward pass to Renji who only barely managed to catch it before it fell. The third girl was fast. Rukia was half convinced she'd make a really good Seeker considering her short, lithe frame, but the qualities suited her Chaser technique. She zoomed about, easily catching backward passes and always seemed to be aware of her teammate's movements.
'What's your name?' Rukia finally asked, stopping in mid-air with Renji behind her.
'Yachiru,' the girl chirped, her bubblegum pink hair blowing around her face as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a tie to sweep it back away from her face. She looked much younger than she was, due to her small frame, but Rukia was confident in her abilities.
'Yachiru you're on the team as a Chaser, congratulations,' Rukia nodded her head and grinned as the younger girl's face lit up and she fist pumped the air.
'I won't let you down,' she squealed in her high pitched voice, zooming straight at Renji who only just caught her high five before she battered him in the face with it. Rukia laughed all the way down to the ground where she instructed Tatsuki and the others to land with her.
It was finally time for the Seekers to try out. A few of the boys and girls who had come to try out for Seeker and made it past the basic flying exercises. They looked bored. One boy had even fallen asleep in the grass, so Rukia decided to just leave him there. Karin fixed Rukia with her full attention when she called out to them. She'd kept an eye on the dark haired twin. The younger girl had taken to walking around the pitch to observe the other players trying out. Still, she was only a third year, and Rukia was sceptical to let anyone younger than fourth or fifth year on the team. They'd had a bad track record with younger Quidditch players at Hogwarts.
Rukia instructed all the Seeker-hopefuls into the air, then released the Snitch and counted down ten seconds before letting them dart around to find it. A fifth year boy and a fourth year girl collided in the air and Rukia immediately told them to dismount. Their angry argument could be heard by the whole pitch as they stomped their way back toward the castle.
One of the fifth year girls who had tried out for Chaser also tried out for Seeker and while she was a good flier, she was easily outstripped by Karin. The dark-haired twin was lightning fast, her movement so full of precision it was bordering on insanity. The original Firebolts could go from nought to one hundred and fifty miles an hour in ten seconds. Granted, the old school stock had definitely taken a dive, they were lucky to get to eighty or one hundred miles an hour now. Rukia had seen many people refusing to use the brooms' full speed because it scared them and because they had such little control over it. Karin was obviously used to the speed, and Rukia watched with interest as the short girl darted around the pitch.
Rukia glanced down at the stop watch she held, timing how long it took them to find the little golden ball when a fourth year boy dove at the ground. His dive was sloppy and poorly timed though and he was forced to pull up when Karin cut directly in front of him, throwing him off his game and losing sight of the Snitch.
'She's good,' Renji hissed beside Rukia who hummed in agreement.
'She's super, duper fast,' Yachiru giggled, the girl was sitting side-saddle on her broom which was hovering in mid-air, her little legs waving backwards and forwards as she gazed up at Karin.
'Aren't you Kenpatchi's daughter?' Renji asked, turning to Yachiru who chuckled girlishly and grinned broadly.
'Yes I am, Kenny adopted me when I ran away from my foster parents,' she said it in such a relaxed way, like this was an everyday occurrence. Rukia supposed that after the war against the Dark Lord, many children were fostered and adopted. She'd been lucky she still had family in her big brother.
'He's meant to be one of the best Auror's ever,' Renji said, sounding impressed.
'Isn't he also meant to be mad as a hatter?' Tatsuki asked.
'That's exactly why I will work for him one day,' Ikkaku said wistfully.
'I'll let Kenny know,' Yachiru chuckled. Rukia tuned them out, glad the new team were getting on well together but also giving all her attention to Karin who had just pulled off a stunning barrel roll and was now flattening herself against the handle of her broom as she dove down to the base of the goal posts at the other side of the pitch. From this distance Rukia couldn't see anything, but there must have been something there because another fourth year girl was diving in that direction too. Despite being further away, Karin zipped past her and emerged with the tiny ball clutched in her fist, holding it up over her head and waving it in their direction.
Rukia put the whistle to her mouth and blew twice, a signal for them to return to the ground and dismount.
'Well done,' Rukia complimented. Karin had been the best flyer, the most skilled of the group but one round of catching the Snitch was not enough to show consistency. 'We're going to do it one more time.'
Karin nodded her head, like she'd seen this coming and let the Snitch go. Rukia took a leaf from Karin's book and began to walk around the outside of the pitch, watching them as she walked. The rest of the team all sat together in the grass under the bright sunshine that now beat down on the pitch, getting to know each other and talking about their families.
Rukia's fear of letting a younger member on the team was entirely misplaced. Karin caught the Snitch another two times, not one of the other Seekers even held a candle to her in terms of speed or skill. When Rukia blew her whistle for the last time that day she was really pleased with the team they had put together.
'Congratulations Karin,' Rukia said with a wide smile, 'you're on the team.'
The other Seekers looked a bit disgruntled but none of them surprised, they all congratulated Karin and then they were marching their way back to the castle for breakfast.
'I'm starving,' Renji groaned, stretching his arms above his head. Rukia didn't dare admit how hungry she was, but as it was now well past eight and they'd been at it for a few hours, she could quite literally eat a horse.
'Karin, that was amazing!' a deep voice called and Rukia and the team stopped and turned to see Ichigo bounding toward them. He was wearing his standard Hufflepuff robes, with a travelling cloak tucked under his arms, his smile was as blinding as his hair. Rukia didn't want to say she had a type, but oh boy, did she have a type. Tall guys with pointed jaws and really distinct masculine features were her type. It wasn't fair for someone like Ichigo to be gifted a jaw that pointed and skin that perfect. Orihime was the luckiest girl at the school. Rukia sighed internally, because she knew that Orihime was also very attractive and the two were unfathomably kind, they deserved each other.
'Thanks,' Karin beamed at her brother when he pulled her into his side in a one arm hug.
'You better look out,' Rukia sassed, unable to stop herself as she glared up at the tall male, 'we're coming for your title this year Ichigo.'
He laughed and ran a hand sexily through his short orange hair, grinning down at Karin. 'Good, it's about time the Gryffindor team gave us a run for our money, winning all the time gets boring without a good challenge.'
Rukia narrowed her eyes at him and snorted.
'We'll see about a challenge when I knock you off your broom,' Ikkaku waved his bat threateningly at him.
'When are you having your try-outs?' Karin asked as they turned to head back to the castle, Rukia's ears metaphorically pricked at the question.
'Monday night, I wanted to do them this weekend too, but I like to give enough time for people to put their name down,' he said.
'You mean to give them time for Yuzu to work up the courage to try out?' Karin asked. Ichigo didn't answer, which likely meant Karin was right. Rukia found herself invested in their conversation but her attention was drawn when Renji somehow ended up in a headlock by Ikkaku and Chad had to break them up.
Breakfast was the usual affair. Toshiro had just come from his shower after going for his morning jog and Yukio joined them towards the end because he'd slept in.
'Aren't you worried that having Ichigo's best friend and his little sister on the team will hinder your ability to beat Hufflepuff?' Yukio asked, his mouth full of sausage and eggs. Rukia shook her head.
'I contemplated that, but they're both really dedicated Quidditch players and I don't doubt that they will put our team before Hufflepuff.'
After breakfast they parted ways. Despite how weary she was, Rukia promised herself an early night that night to make up for the early start to her morning. She gathered her bag and quill and went to the library to try and tackle some of the homework she'd been given. She started working on the Political Structure of the Muggle World essay that had been assigned to her during Muggle Studies, refusing to touch the essay on Everlasting Elixirs until after she had visited her brother. Byakuya would just demand to see it and sit and tut at her for all the minor points she'd gotten wrong. Rukia preferred to hand things into him and get the grade back like everyone else with minimal amount of personal scrutiny.
When the sun began to dip back down the horizon, filling the library with a lazy orange glow, Rukia re-read over her essay and rubbed her eyes before finishing up. Having forgone lunch since she knew she was having an early dinner with her brother, Rukia made her way down toward the Great Hall to meet him. There was an excited chatter from some of the students in front of her as she made her way down.
'Theirs is Monday night at seven, but I heard the Gryffindor team had theirs at five AM this morning-'
'Five AM!?'
'The team is apparently looking really strong!'
Rukia smiled as the young students skipped into the Great Hall, their excitement for the start of the Quidditch matches was palpable.
Rukia stood waiting at the front of the Great Hall, her eyes sweeping the long wooden tables. It seemed a lot of the older students were here for an early dinner too, perhaps because they knew that on the weekend the good food was always gone if you arrived too late. She noticed, with piqued curiosity, that once again Orihime and Ichigo weren't sitting together.
'Miss Rukia,' a familiar and squeaky voice called, breaking her stupor. Rukia turned, and saw a tiny timid creature wearing a standard Hogwarts uniform bowing low. It had large green eyes and pointed ears that wiggled as he bowed and straightened back up again.
'Hello Senny,' Rukia smiled fondly at the family elf.
'Sorry to bother you, Miss, but Lord Byakuya has asked that you meet him at his office for dinner instead? I shall be serving you tonight if you will accompany me?' he bowed again.
'Thanks,' Rukia chuckled and followed the elf as he led her to the staircase that led down into the dungeons.
Sen, or "Senny" as Rukia often called him, was the Kuchiki family house elf. He was the fifth generation and a sweet and kind elf who looked after the manor as well as working shifts at Hogwarts to be closer to Byakuya and Rukia during the school term. As house elves were one of the only creatures, other than phoenix, who could apparate and disapparate inside the castle, he was able to carry out his work in both locations with relative ease.
He skipped beside Rukia humming a happy tune as they walked through the dungeons, passing two of the school Ghosts. The older and uglier Slytherin ghost was scolding the young and beautiful Hufflepuff ghost. She seemed patient and was clearly trying to pay attention to whatever lecture she was getting from the older man as they floated through a wall together to Rukia's right. Most of the school ghosts were souls that had lost their lives during the big battle with the Dark Lord thirteen years ago.
'Here you are, Miss,' Sen said, bowing and holding the door open for her. Byakuya had tidied most of the potion kits away into their various racks and shelves but it didn't make the space any more inviting. His office was still underground and linked to the classroom where the smell of whatever potion he was brewing wafted through the open door and made Rukia's nose wrinkle.
'Good evening, Brother,' Rukia said, taking a seat opposite him as Byakuya closed the book he'd just been reading and took his glasses off.
'I heard you had Qudditch try-outs at five AM this morning?' he asked.
Rukia rolled her eyes at how quickly news travelled around the school, 'yeah I did.'
'That was an exceptionally early time,' he frowned, concern flickering across his beautiful face.
'I needed a quick way to eliminate the less hard-working and least dedicated candidates,' Rukia shrugged. Her brother stared at her, then an impressed smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
'Tea?' he offered.
'Love some,' Rukia nodded. As he poured her a cup a loud CRACK announced the arrival of their dinner. Senny began to lay out plates and dishes in front of them. The meal consisted of steak and roast potatoes with gravy and for dessert- apple pie. They ate and spoke amicably about her classes and her studies. Her brother berated her for a moment on the E she got on her Potions exam, before they slid onto the topic of Quidditch.
It wasn't that Byakuya disapproved, he just didn't understand the importance to her.
'I hope your studies don't falter this year just because you've been made Captain,' he said sternly.
'Never,' she shook her head. 'Number one, I know you'd kick my ass if I did,' (she ignored his indigent splutter and reminder of "language"), 'and number two I actually want to get a decent education to fall back on.'
'And you've not given any more thought to working at the Ministry of Magic?' he prompted.
'Seriously is that where all witches and wizards go after they're done at Hogwarts?' Rukia frowned and shook her head, 'no I want to be a Quidditch player.'
He sighed.
'Would you rather I tried to start a band like Ninny and Noel?' Rukia raised an eyebrow at him and he scowled, but she'd made her point.
The conversation was overtaken by talk of homework and Byakuya spoke excitedly about the potions he was working on. When they finished, Rukia smiled pleasantly at her brother.
'Thank you for dinner, Byakuya,' Rukia said, as she stood and stretched.
'Come and visit me again soon,' he said and Rukia smiled warmly at him. Byakuya was still relatively new and there weren't many teachers he seemed to get on with, so he was often alone and brooding in his office.
'I will,' she paused as she reached down to pick up her bag, the movement on her full belly making her feel a little sick, 'I might need help on all the homework you gave us.'
Byakuya chuckled at that and Rukia turned to leave, thanking Senny for his hard work and amazing food which had the elf beaming and bowing very low.
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘ ༓ ∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
By the time Monday rolled around, the weather had remained constant, bright and sunny during the day but grey and overcast after dinner time. Rukia hadn't forgotten that the Hufflepuff try-outs were scheduled for seven PM that evening. Despite her getting an unfathomable amount of homework from Transfiguration, Defence Against the Dark Arts and Care of Magical Creatures, Rukia still vowed to spend her time at the Quidditch pitch that night just as Ichigo had gone to hers. She needed to know what team she was up against for the year in order to start making plays and strategies.
As soon as dinner was over, Rukia went back to her dormitory to change into a black travelling cloak. The sky outside was threatening rain, so she wrapped herself up and made her way down to the pitch. She arrived early and took a seat in the stands then used her wand to emit heat to keep her warm. Rukia watched as stragglers and small groups made their way down onto the pitch for the try-outs. Some of the faces she recognised, while others were potential new additions to the team. A flash of bright yellow robes caught her eye as Ichigo walked out into the dwindling light of the setting sun, his broom thrown over his shoulder and made his way toward the gathered students.
After dismissing some who weren't even from Hufflepuff house, he started the try-outs in a very similar fashion to Rukia. He had them team up and fly around the pitch in small groups. It was one of the best strategies for weeding out the unadapt flyers, every Quidditch Captain knew this.
'Have we missed anything important?'
Rukia jumped about a foot in the air and turned to glare at Tatsuki and Renji who both grinned and sat down on the bench on either side of her. Renji instantly shoved his hands into the warm air emitting from her wand as Rukia shook her head.
'Not yet, they're just getting started, he had a lot of people who weren't even part of Hufflepuff show up.'
'Figures,' Renji snorted, 'they all came just because he's good looking.'
'You jealous?' Rukia shot at him. Instead of replying he scowled.
'He's starting with the Seekers?' Tatsuki said, leaning over the edge and they all watched as a group were sent into the air to try and find the Snitch. The rest of the players were then instructed to fly between the Seekers and try and confuse them.
'Fuck what a good idea,' Rukia frowned, biting the tip of her thumb. She wished she'd thought of that. During a match Seekers would have a whole Quidditch game going on around them, so this was a really good way to see who could focus and who couldn't.
'We still have one of the best Seekers, and if Karin has been training with Ichigo and this is how he does things, she won't disappoint us,' Tatsuki said. It made Rukia feel better. She took mental notes on how to improve her Quidditch try-outs for the following year at the very least.
It was no surprise to anyone that once again, Hanataro was selected as Seeker. He was too good on his broom and was able to spot the Snitch from the other end of the pitch. He'd performed well in almost every game last year and the year before that, which made Rukia nervous. The boy had a lot more experience than Karin did.
Tatsuki pulled out a packet of Pepper Imps and the three sat eating as they watched Hanataro land beside Ichigo and the two conversed. Ichigo then selected his two Beaters by having them take target practice on himself, which Rukia found highly amusing.
'Ichigo has always been a good flyer,' Tatsuki said, offering the last sweet to Renji.
'But not as good as Rukia,' Renji shrugged, 'we've got the best flyer on the team.' Rukia tried, and failed, not to glow at the compliment.
'What about Toshiro?' Tatsuki asked with a smirk. Renji snorted.
Rukia sighed, 'he is one of the best flyers but the rest of his team is a pile of shite, so they're not going to be a threat for us this year.'
'Ravenclaw are putting together a strong team as well, I heard from Momo that they had their Quidditch try-outs over the weekend,' Tatsuki replied.
'Who made it?' Rukia asked. Her curiosity piqued.
'Uryu is Seeker again, and I know Momo and Kiyone got on as Chasers. That pale creepy guy in our Transfiguration class is on the team too.'
'Ulquiorra?' Rukia glanced at Tatsuki. The Keeper nodded.
'Yeah him and Tier and Bruno and Noel,' Tatsuki was counting down the names on her fingers as spoke.
'Momo and Kiyone are more evasive than aggressive flyers, if you fly right at them, they disperse,' Rukia said, 'they did that last year when we played them.'
Renji chuckled, 'I did it to Momo eleven times. When we landed she hit me with her broom.'
'You deserved that,' Rukia laughed. She wasn't as worried about the Ravenclaw team as she was about Hufflepuff.
After a bit of target practice, Ichigo selected his two Beaters. Nell and Shuuhei were back on the team, the two of them having an amazing balance of accuracy and strength while supporting each other's weaknesses. Not to mention they pulled off a stunning double attack on Ichigo, with Nell smacking one of the Bludgers at Shuuhei who sent it straight at Ichigo with double the force. Ichigo had to spin on his broom to avoid being hit and if he'd had the Quaffle he'd certainly have dropped it in favour of holding onto his broom.
They were a frightening pair.
Ichigo used his newfound Beaters to distract his Chasers, as if trying to get a goal past him wasn't hard enough on its own. Ichigo blocked the majority of the Chasers that attempted to score, while Hanataro kept track on the ground.
Ichigo had split the Chasers into two giant groups, and was observing how well they got the Quaffle off each other, their passing skills and how they worked together as a team. The more Rukia watched the Chasers being whittled down, the more nervous she grew.
There was very little contest as to who worked the best. Isane wasn't as fast as the other Chasers but she was very good at deflecting and getting the Quaffle off of other players, while Rikichi and Izuru worked together to score three impressive goals.
'Damn,' Tatsuki said as they studied the final team. Ichigo looked rightfully pleased with himself as they walked off the pitch.
Rukia let out an exasperated noise, 'we'll just have to practice really hard and hope that Hufflepuff don't do that well against Slytherin and Ravenclaw.'
'It's going to take a miracle for Slytherin to score any points against Hufflepuff,' Tatsuki said.
'Maybe we can encourage Toshiro to catch the Snitch super early,' Rukia replied standing up and following Tatsuki to the stairs.
'You're being silent,' Tatsuki said to Renji and Rukia cast her eyes back to him.
'Have fuck all to say,' but there was something akin to determination burning deep in his eyes, 'we're going to fucking end them.'
Inspired by Renji's speech, Tatsuki gave a cheer and the three of them made their way back toward the castle.
Rukia had a thought. 'You guys go on ahead,' she said to them in the Entrance Hall, 'I need to go and see my brother about something.'
Their look of confusion melted and the two of them walked side by side up the marble staircase in the direction of the Gryffindor common room. Rukia had no interest in going to see her brother, she checked her watch and realised she would be cutting it close to curfew but she was still determined. Tonight Toshiro had his private lessons with Yoruichi and Rukia was a nosy enough friend to see if she could figure out what the two of them were up to. It wasn't like Toshiro to keep secrets from her, which meant they were probably doing something against the law. She felt left out. If her best friend was breaking the law, she deserved to be involved.
Rukia made her way through the hallways and out into the courtyard, heading for the 1B classroom. The rainy clouds cast virtually no light on the marble pillars that made up the beautiful courtyard and the setting felt quite eerie as she walked it alone. Rukia pulled her cloak more firmly around her shoulders. She heard a distant voice and paused, straining her ears, but couldn't make out any words.
Creeping past the stone pillars, her eyes finally found the bright lavender hair of Gin Ichimaru. The man was leaning against a stone beam on the opposite side of the courtyard. He was half in shadow, avoiding the rain under the cover of the roof. It was hard to tell, but it looked like he had his arms folded across his chest as he spoke. From her new position, Rukia could barely make out his words, but she could hear a second voice, much calmer and deeper.
The voice sounded familiar, but she couldn't place it over the sound of the rainfall and how softly it spoke.
'- he wasn't as effective as we'd have hoped.'
It was hard to tell, but Gin's voice sounded almost angry as he replied, 'we could try one last time.'
'No, I think it's time we launch into our next plan,' there was a pause, Rukia strained her ears more, 'unless your priorities have shifted?'
'No,' Gin said quickly, defensively.
'Good. Do it this week.'
Rukia didn't hear anything else after that. She was too scared to move in case she was discovered, so she slowly sunk down onto the ground. Her mind was processing the short conversation that she'd heard as she waited to be able to leave without being seen. Her tensed muscles began to cramp and she could feel her heart thudding in her chest, but there was no other noise over the patter of rain. Taking a deep breath of night air, Rukia slowly got to her feet, glancing around for any sight of Gin over the marbled ledge of the courtyard, but he was gone.
Toshiro! Rukia suddenly thought-she had to find Toshiro. Moving quietly and trying to keep the sound of her footsteps down, Rukia made her way to the other side of the courtyard and ran back inside the building, heading in the direction of the Transfiguration classroom when she spotted a familiar tuft of white hair.
'Toshiro!' she called, watching as her friend turned, his eyes confused for a moment.
'Shouldn't you be in bed?' he asked, and Rukia resisted the urge to scoff at the good-boy prefect charade.
'I went to spy on the Hufflepuff Quidditch try-outs,' she replied, 'and I was heading back when I saw something weird so came looking for you.'
Toshiro studied her for a second, the frown in his brow indicating his obvious concern.
'What did you see?' he asked.
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘ ༓ ∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
They decided to wait until the next day during a free period in the library where they could tell Yukio. The blond boy loved to sleep at the very back corner where he could hide between large rows of books.
Yukio didn't seem as concerned with the interaction as Toshiro and Rukia had.
'I mean, he was probably just on a call or something right?' Yukio yawned, pushing his blond hair back away from his face so they could see both emerald eyes.
'I don't think so.' Rukia thought back, 'he had his arms crossed and I shouldn't have been able to hear the other person speaking if they were on a call right?'
'Exactly,' Toshiro was nodding. He'd had this concerned look on his face ever since Rukia told him what she'd overheard. 'Plus a wireless conversation couldn't work with all the magic in the air. I wonder…' He was gazing off into the far corner of the library now. From where they sat they could only see a handful of other students, two were talking in rather hushed voices close by.
'What?' Rukia asked, growing impatient by his silence.
'I was just wondering… if this was why Gin was made Head Boy?'
Rukia sucked in a loud breath and Hyorinmaru chirped at her from his spot on her shoulder. Rukia felt his little wings flutter against her neck as he took off and flew back to Toshiro's head.
'You think so?' Rukia hopped up onto the edge of the desk where Toshiro's books were and studied him. He had brought a thoughtful finger up to his temple as he leaned against his hand.
'It's a possibility.'
'Don't you usually see him in the prefect's bathroom?' Rukia asked, 'has he ever said anything weird to you?'
Toshiro shook his head, 'we don't really talk much. Gin likes to keep to himself. My guess is that the only person who really knows him would be Rangiku.'
Hyorinmaru was now dangling upside down from Toshiro's hair and he winced and reached up to encourage the bird onto his fingers instead.
'Is it just me or is he being unusually clingy this year?' Rukia frowned.
'I'd noticed that too,' Toshiro said, watching Hyorinmaru who was now hanging upside down from three of his fingers, his long tail feathers fanning out awkwardly.
'Do you think it means anything?' Rukia asked, 'the Sorting Hats warning, Gin talking to nobody who is somebody, and Hyorinmaru acting strange?'
'I think you're both reading too much into this,' Yukio said with an eye roll, pulling the nearest of Toshiro's books over to him and laying his head down on it, a sigh of longing falling from his lips.
'I hope it isn't connected,' Toshiro said, ignoring his friend, but not without holding Hyorinmaru over the boy's head and trying to encourage the bird to use him as a climbing frame instead. Hyorinmaru refused, his little claws clinging desperately to the last of Toshiro's fingers instead. When he'd had enough he reached up and pecked Toshiro in the hand.
'You had that coming,' Rukia chuckled watching Toshiro pull his bloody hand to his lips and suck on the cut. He glared at Hyorinmaru who flapped back over to Rukia and found refuge on her shoulder.
'Clearly he doesn't care for our very important discussion,' Toshiro said to the bird who sat pruning himself on Rukia's shoulder. Rukia laughed and gave him a scratch on his head.
'Maybe he's just lonely,' she said.
'Or hungry,' Toshiro chuckled.
'Maybe both?' Rukia smirked.
'Hear, hear,' Yukio mumbled, raising a fist into the air.
Their chuckles were drowned by a sudden sound, they all whipped around to see Rangiku clicking her tongue impatiently as she pulled contents from the bag she'd just slammed down onto the table.. Rukia saw Toshiro nudge Yukio from her peripheral vision. She'd only had a handful of conversations with Rangiku. The Ravenclaw was one of the top performing seventh years next to Ichigo and Orihime and so it didn't surprise Rukia to see her in the library. She was rummaging in her bag, her beautiful face frowning as she looked for something.
'Hyorinmaru-' Toshiro's voice said as Rukia felt the bird fly from her shoulder. His beautiful icy plumage landed on the desk beside them, his claws gripping firmly around Toshiro's quill before he took flight into the air and in the direction of the busty blonde. Rukia watched, transfixed, as the bird dropped the quill down beside Rangiku who looked up in confusion as his captivating pale wings and tail landed down on the desk beside it. He chirped up at her and after a second she broke into a stunning smile.
Rangiku reached out and scratched the bird on his head, Hyorinmaru leaned into the touch, clearly enjoying the woman's long nails. Her eyes were then sweeping the library before they landed on Toshiro and she grinned again.
'S-sorry,' Toshiro sighed standing up and walking over toward them, 'I'll get him to leave you alone.'
'Not at all! I was actually looking for a quill and I couldn't be bothered going all the way back to Ravenclaw tower to get one,' she beamed.
'Hyorinmaru is… he's like that,' Toshiro said, 'sorry again if he bothered you.'
Rukia watched with mounting amusement as Toshiro tried to coax the bird away from Rangiku and onto his own hand but the bird simply gave another indignant chirp and hopped up onto Rangiku's arm instead.
'I need a wingman like that,' Yukio groaned and Rukia smirked.
'Hyorinmaru,' Toshiro scowled at the bird, 'stop being a pain.'
'He's stunning,' Rangiku chuckled, slipping into her chair and looking far too content at having the small bird residing on her arm, 'he's an ice phoenix isn't he? I've seen him flying around of course, and climbing all over you.'
'Yeah,' Toshiro sighed, 'like I said, he's a pain.'
Rangiku laughed and Rukia leaned forward, entranced in this interaction.
'Rangiku has to study, Hyorinmaru, you can't stay on her arm,' Toshiro once again tried to coax the bird onto his own hand. This time Hyorinmaru climbed right up onto Rangiku's shoulder and stared at Toshiro.
Rukia and Yukio were laughing together now. She'd slipped down into Toshiro's empty chair where she had a better view of the two and Yukio leaned his chin on Rukia's shoulder as they watched their awkward best friend try and get himself out of this situation.
'Should we help him?' Yukio whispered in her ear.
'Absolutely-fucking-not,' Rukia replied.
'He's fine,' Rangiku cooed, pushing her hair away from the bird so that he wasn't hidden underneath her long strands.
'Five sickles says he'll poop on her,' Yukio whispered.
'You're on.'
Rukia would take that bet. She was sure Hyorinmaru was trying to get Toshiro a new friend, considering this interaction reminded Rukia of their very early days hanging out together.
'Are you sure?' Toshiro asked with a sigh, drawing out his wand, 'I could stun him.'
Hyorinmaru gave a loud screaming chirp and Toshiro hurriedly cast the muffliato charm to stop the bird's noisy calls carrying across the library.
Rangiku was giggling now, clearly appreciating how uncomfortable Toshiro seemed to be by the whole ordeal. Rukia could hardly blame her, it was very entertaining.
'Honestly, he's fine, without him I wouldn't have this quill,' she held it up and then winked at him.
Toshiro's shoulders sagged in defeat and he shot the bird a look. 'As long as you're sure, I'm really sorry.'
'You're fine, he's not a fuss,' Rangiku said pleasantly.
'Yes he is.'
'Yes he is!'
'Yeah he is.'
It had been said by Toshiro, Rukia and Yukio all at the same time. Rangiku spotted them and gave them a wave that had Yukio hiding behind Rukia's back instead. Rukia laughed and waved back, pushing the chair out to let Toshiro sit back down on it. Rangiku pulled her books and parchment out of her bag and made a start on her work while Toshiro flopped unceremoniously into the chair Rukia had just vacated.
Rukia had pursed her lips, sharing a look with Yukio whose green eyes were alight with mirth.
'Are we going to talk about it?' Rukia asked.
'No,' Toshiro sat his book up in front of his face and hid behind it. Rukia ran a hand through his white hair, turning back to see Hyorinmaru slowly starting to snooze on Rangiku's shoulder.
Ice phoenixes were meant to be one of the most intelligent birds in the magical world. Though Hyorinmaru had moments that seriously made Rukia question this, most of the time he was an incredible judge of character. If he was this warm and welcoming to Rangiku, then it meant she was dependable. It sparked a thought in Rukia.
'How has Hyorinmaru acted around Gin?' she asked, turning back to Toshiro. With a suffering sigh, Toshiro extracted himself from the book.
'Just avoids him, like he does most people,' he shrugged, 'but I don't think that means anything. He's really fussy. He even avoids Momo and Yukio.'
'That's because Yukio scared the crap out of him when they first met and Momo is a terrible Quidditch player.' Rukia rolled her eyes. This should have been obvious.
Toshiro fixed her with a look but ultimately his features broke into a soft grin, 'it's always about Quidditch with you, isn't it?'
'Always.'
And so it was. Rukia managed to get her Potions homework done and a chunk of her Charms before they packed up to leave the library. Hyorinmaru put up a fuss, but when they started walking away without him, he flew right back to Toshiro's shoulder, leaving a slightly sad looking Rangiku behind.
Rukia had scheduled a Quidditch practice for after dinner, so she ate light and made her way down toward the Quidditch pitch.
Practice had been scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday evenings for the foreseeable future, but Rukia really wanted to try and increase it to three or four times a week shortly before the big matches.
'If we keep booking the pitch none of the other teams will be able to practice,' Renji chuckled as they walked out into the light of the setting sun.
'Exactly,' Rukia smirked and the team made their way into the familiar green arena.
Practice went great. Renji and Yachiru passed exceptionally well to each other. He'd even tried to hit her with a few awkward passes but each one she'd managed to catch. Tatsuki blocked a great number of the goals they tried to get past her and Rukia was almost thrown from her broom by a Bludger from Ikkaku. Karin caught the snitch six times during their hour-long practice, and was never once put off her pursuit by what was happening around them. The evening was going amazingly well until Rukia spotted a familiar tuft of ginger hair in the stands.
'Is that Kurosaki?' Ikkaku asked, pulling up beside Rukia and glancing down at the stands.
'Yeah,' Rukia glared at him.
'Is he going to come and spy on every session we have?'
'I think so,' Rukia sighed, 'do me a favour?'
'Mm?'
'Hit him with a Bludger,' Rukia smirked and sped away from Ikkaku who laughed menacingly.
Perhaps she should have been more careful with her request. She'd been joking, partly, perhaps hoping that he'd hit the Bludger close enough to Ichigo to get their message across. She should not have asked Ikkaku, she should have asked Chad because he'd have at least not tried to kill his best friend.
'Keep that pressed against his head,' Rukia shouted at Renji just a few seconds later as they all sprinted for the castle. Ichigo gave a weak groan in Chad's arms, the blood blending into Chad's ruby red Quidditch uniform as he cradled the half conscious body.
'It's hard when we're running,' Renji grunted in response, but Rukia could hear the slight panic in his voice. Karin had initially been really worried when she'd seen her brother covered in blood, but it seemed Ichigo had ducked last second and the Bludger barely caught him, but enough to do damage. Now Karin was laughing at her brother's own stupidity for turning up to their Quidditch practice when he should have known better.
Rukia was inclined to agree with the girl, but she felt responsible and had panicked when she'd seen the blood.
'What happened?' a calm yet commanding voice called the moment they sprinted into the Entrance Hall. Rukia whipped around to see Professor Aizen, head of Ravenclaw house, sweeping toward them. His glasses glinted in the low hall lighting and his eyes flashed with concern the moment he saw their blood stained robes.
'Ichigo was hit with a Bludger, Sir,' Rukia said at once, keeping any other details from the story.
Aizen's eyes travelled over them, likely noting that he wasn't part of their house, but he didn't say anything else. He pulled his wand from inside his robes and without even uttering a spell, Ichigo's head wound began to close. 'Let's get him to Madam Unohana.'
With Professor Aizen beside them, Rukia was feeling much better. She was sure that Ichigo's life was no longer in danger and with the Professor leading the way they soon made it to the Hospital Wing on the first floor.
'Oh my, what happened?' the matron asked as soon as they entered.
'Hit by a Bludger,' Aizen said calmly as Chad gently placed Ichigo onto one of the empty beds. Madam Unohana leaned over Ichigo to examine his head, using her wand to clean away most of the blood so she could see better.
'He's very lucky, this could have been worse,' she said leaning back, 'I assume you healed it, Professor?' she asked Aizen.
He nodded, his calm demeanour was putting Rukia more at ease, but did nothing to alleviate her guilt.
'I didn't think he was part of the Gryffindor team,' Madam Unohana said, and Rukia winced. She knew nothing would get by the sharp eyes of the matron and she opened her mouth to reply when Aizen did it for her.
'I think young Ichigo was in the wrong place at the wrong time,' his glasses flashed and he gave the matron a soft smile. She nodded her head and began to mutter some complex healing spells. 'I will take my leave now that he is in your expert hands.'
Aizen turned and swept from the room, a few of the Gryffindor team agreeing and heading for the door, only Rukia, Karin and Chad hung back.
'Don't look so worried,' Karin said sitting down on a chair as Unohana left Ichigo to rest now that she'd done everything she could for him. 'My brother's had worse injuries than this.'
Not at my expense. Rukia thought, sighing and slumping down into the other chair beside the dark-haired twin. Chad was silent as he stood, brooding at the corner of his best friend's bed.
They all lapsed into silence, Rukia's leg bouncing as they waited for a sign of life.
Eventually Karin began to doze in her chair and Chad offered to take her back to Gryffindor Tower. Rukia promised to tell them the moment Ichigo stirred. She hoped he would show signs of life before she was forced to leave.
Being left alone with Ichigo had been a fantasy she'd had many times, usually during class, but in none of them was she sitting beside his bed after he'd just been knocked out. It was made worse by the fact that Rukia felt personally responsible for this injury. She made a mental note to herself to never jokingly tell Ikkaku to do something.
Rukia watched his sleeping face. His hair was orange once more since Unohana had gotten rid of most of the blood, but it was still matted in places. His black lashes fanned out across his high cheekbones which gave way to slender cheeks and a prominent chin. Even while sleeping he was incredibly attractive.
'Staring will not negate your team's murder attempt,' his voice mumbled. Rukia started, watching his eyes slowly open and a soft smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
Relief flooded her but she still scowled at him, 'next time I'll try harder.'
He laughed, the sound echoing beautifully around the stone walls and lighting up his handsome chocolate eyes.
'There are more diplomatic ways to tell me that you don't want me at your Quidditch practices,' he mused softly, humour still evident in his voice.
'That way was faster,' Rukia said, inclining her head and raising a challenging eyebrow at him as he considered her words.
He was still highly amused, his smile now stretching over his face, his white teeth stark against his slightly olive skin, 'that is true.'
'What were you doing anyway?' Rukia huffed, folding her arms across her chest and hoping her face didn't look as hot as it felt, 'spying on me?'
'You might say that,' Ichigo shrugged, his smile slipping off his face. Rukia quirked an eyebrow at him, hoping he'd elaborate but he didn't.
They lapsed instead into a slightly more awkward silence, as Rukia cast her eyes around the hospital wing looking for something else to discuss.
'You've put together a really strong team this year,' he sounded proud and Rukia snapped her eyes back to him. He was watching her thoughtfully before he tried to sit up.
'You probably shouldn't move, Madam Unohana will murder me if I hurt you anymore than I already have,' Rukia fussed.
'You worried?' he smirked and Rukia scowled, again. 'Besides I don't remember you hitting the Bludger, but perhaps the blow knocked my memory.'
'It was Ikkaku, but I asked him to do it,' Rukia guiltily admitted.
Ichigo sized her up, warily, but perhaps her tense body language proved she wasn't a threat because he relaxed.
'I promise not to show up intentionally to any more of your Quidditch practices,' Ichigo agreed.
'I mean, I get it, your sister and best friend are on the team,' Rukia sighed, shaking her head, 'I don't want you to think you can't come and see them.'
Ichigo hummed his agreement and the silence lapsed again.
'I suppose I should let you sleep,' Rukia said awkwardly sliding out of her chair and onto her feet, glancing around for the matron.
'I thought concussed people weren't meant to fall asleep?' Ichigo chuckled, 'is this you trying to double kill me?'
'Stop being a martyr,' Rukia scowled and he burst out laughing. The laughter caused the door at the end of the chamber to open and Madam Unohana slid gracefully out. She smiled pleasantly when she saw Ichigo awake and went to check his head.
'Catch ya later, Rukia,' Ichigo said, firing her a final grin that made Rukia's heart skip three beats.
'Yeah, but not during my Quidditch practice,' she shot back.
She heard him laughing as she made her way out of the Hospital Wing. The light in his eyes burned her vision each time she closed hers. His perfect face would haunt her dreams, but it was a sleepless night she was willing to accept.
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