Here we are again, guys. Even if you don't have anything kind to say, put it in a review. Constructive criticism - rude and kind alike - is appreciated. Anyhow, it is review reply time!
Love . Fiction . 2017 - Thanks!
Finals make her jittery.
Be it the impending NEWTS or the deciding match for the Cup, Kate gets uneasy and jumpy when the big day approaches, and on the morning of the match she forces herself to swallow toast and a glass of pumpkin, Alden goading her to eat more. "You cannot expect a single piece of toast to carry you through the match, not when the weather's this vicious and we play against Gryffindor."
She glares at him but takes another piece of toast anyhow. He is right, but do I look like I want to admit that right now?
Kate hoists her broom and heads for the grounds, mentally repeating the play for today's game. The stands are packed and the two houses in contention are rowdy and enthusiastic, chants reverberating across the stadium.
Alden gathers them in a circle on their end of the pitch, anxious and excited faces looking back at each other. "Let's keep that cup where it is," he grins at everyone before they disband to take their positions. As soon as the whistle blows, the Snitch takes off and so do the two Seekers. Kate's eyes are searching for the small golden ball, but it is nowhere to be seen - for now.
"And it's another goal for Gryffindor! The score is now 60-20 folks, and Slytherin needs to do some quick recovery for their sake!"
Two and a half hours gone, and Gryffindor's Seeker is making rounds of the ground, staring aimlessly around him, and well, she's doing the same too, because the Snitch isn't even in her sights, forget reach.
"Better make it quick!" Alden pases her as Malfoy and Black chase the Quaffle, and the urgency isn't lost on her. Another ten minutes pass until she spots that glimmer of gold, and lets out a tiny shout, following the shimmer of the moving wings. The Snitch shoots up, and Kate chases after it, her Gryffindor counterpart doing the same.
A jumble of bodies as they collide, and she pushes the Seeker off her broom and onto his and resumes the chase. Two minutes later, she's within grasping reach of the Snitch and a force nearly knocks her off course. Oh no you don't.
Gryffindor's seeker is smirking, taunting as his fingers come dangerously close to touching the snitch, and she lets out an angry growl as she shoots towards him, ramming the tail end of her broom into his. The manoeuvre knocks him off, but his hand still shoots out towards the Snitch, and she's not sure whose fingers have closed upon it first.
"A disputed capture!"
Both teams are looking up anxiously at them - this isn't something that has happened since a long time.
Mister Matthews calls them both down on the ground, and takes the Snitch in his hands. "Okay - Miss Summers, Mister Lewis, each hold out your right hand. Mister Lewis, glove off." He pulls his glove off, and Mister Matthews drops the Snitch in his hand. The ball flutters for a moment before falling limp - Matthews stares for a minute at the object, but after no motion, takes it from him, and Kate doesn't know whether that means a yes or a no.
"Miss Summers, please." She takes her glove off, and as the Snitch is dropped into her hand, it flutters wildly for a while before falling limp. "Wait." A moment later, the Snitch cracks open.
"Well, it is decided - Miss Summers successfully captured the Snitch," he announces. "Slytherin wins the Quidditch Cup!"
The stadium lets out a cheer, like a collective breath that was being held, and her teammates crowd around her, cheering and yelling and thumping her back. She gleefully looks around at the other, and Alden passes the Quidditch Cup to her as they collectively let out a victory cheer. Kate looks at the trophy fondly, kissing the Cup before she passes it around to the others.
She looks around in the cheering crowd for Tom and contrary to her expectations, finds him there, standing at the edge of the ground. He's turning to leave, so Kate tosses aside her broom and sprints towards him. "Riddle!"
Tom and a few others turn around, looking at her disheveled and panting form, and I am not ashamed, not of how I look or of how I feel. "Congratulations." When she nods and waves her hand dismissively, his genial look fades to give place to a quizzical one, and I don't have time for all this.
"You're not always right, you moron." She can feel people's heads turn as she grabs his face in both hands and kisses him fiercely, propriety and etiquette gone with the wind blowing through her hair. A few moments later, he wraps his arms around her waist, and she feels her feet leave the ground.
"And I adore just how passionately you prove me wrong." A quick look at the back, and she can see that almost all eyes are on them.
"Now kiss me."
"What?" Kate laughs lightly at his look of mild surprise and raises an eyebrow - they both know exactly what she is referring to, but Tom wants to play coy and she is okay with being brash for the day.
"I am not ashamed of anything about myself, so shut up and publicly snog me, you utterly self righteous smug moron." His reply is in the form of another feet-lifting heart-racing kiss, and she knows someone definitely let out a hoot, but oh well.
We're going to hell together - might as well go shamelessly.
Quite a match.
Tom hadn't expected a disputed capture to liven things up, but what he hadn't anticipated more was that rather public display of affection. But that was putting it a little politely. What it really was was him openly snogging Slytherin Seeker and Head Girl of Hogwarts in front of almost the entire school, staff included.
For the walk from the grounds to the Slytherin common room, his arm doesn't leave her waist, and no one expects it to, the new power couple of Hogwarts treading its corridors. Kate is excitedly discussing the details of the match, and one of the 3rd years asks her for a detailed breakdown of the capture, to which she readily obliges. Once they enter the common room, however, the atmosphere changes.
Fromjust jubilatory, the celebrations take a more raucous turn. The rest of the team is scattered around the room - Black and Rookwood appear to be starting a drinking contest.
"Riddle!" Malfoy taps a glass with a his finger, the liquid sloshing around as he waved it in his direction. "Come on - one for your brilliant lady." He takes a look at her, and she turns to Malfoy, eyes twinkling mischievously.
"I don't like my men like you, Malfoy."
"Come again?"
"Drunk, disorderly and utterly out of control." The blonde's face flushes, but he laughs and turns to Druella, who strokes his arm comfortingly as the latter takes a shot of whisky. Orion passes a glass to Alden, who downs the drink in one gulp.
"Someone's thirsty," Rookwood comments, and Kate's attention turns towards her friend as she watches him gulp down four glasses in succession, her brows furrowed in concern.
Then, in what seems utterly uncharacteristic, he walks over to Walburga Black, pulls her in the center of the room and kisses her, everyone else breaking into hoots and cheers. He feels Kate stiffen, and Tom takes advantage of the situation and pulls her aside.
"Wish to leave?"
"Understatement of the day," she chuckles lightly, walking out of the doors and towards the Hall. Once they reach the main entrance, Kate turns towards the courtyard, Tom jogging lightly to catch up with her quick strides. He notices the obvious disdain on her face and takes a chance to look into her head. Upset at her friend's behaviour, worried for him, worried for her father, and NEWTS. There is a lot of worry in this head.
Tom slips his hand in hers as they walk along the walls of the courtyard. She doesn't have any romantic inclinations towards him, but is upset at his behaviour. Miffed, but will not bend to petty measures to assert security and assurance. As he goes further in her medley of thoughts, she tightens her grip upon his hand. "What's wrong?" He pushes a lock of hair behind an ear.
"Headache - haven't eaten much since the match. This was coming, honestly," she mumbles. It's a good thing for him, and an opportunity to further cement his position as the 'good bad boy' in her books.
"Come with me," he tugs on her hand, leading her towards the castle. Once they reach the designated spot, he whips out his wand, tapping the head of the statue with a quick Dissendium.
"Where - why are we going through this passage?" They exchange a look, her non-verbally lighting up her wand as he pulls her along.
"So you know of its existence, but don't know where it goes?"
"Did not get the time to explore it - the hallways weren't deserted then, and I forgot about it after that because of NEWTS." Tom's lips curve in a smirk as they near the sound of footsteps and voices.
"Outside the castle?" She mouths at him, and he nods as he raises the trapdoor. She looks at the boxes, squinting at the writing on them, eyes lighting up. "Honeydukes?" Before they can move out of the corridor, he quickly taps her head and his, the cold of the Disillusionment charm trickling down his back.
They get out with a gaggle of shoppers, the two sneaking into an alley as he puts the counter charm on them. "Where to next?"
Kate slips on the hood of her Quidditch cloak, looking around for a quick moment before she pulls it off. "No point using it," she mutters, her green and silver robes a tad too obvious. "Let's go around the village first for a bit, then back to Honeydukes."
She loops her arm through his as they walk through the snowy streets of Hogsmeade, taking in the beauty of the hamlet - its cobbled street and the sun striking off its roofs, the snow crunching under their feet.
"Clever way of trying to make me forget things." Kate's expression is playful, and even though they both know that exercise doesn't work on her as effectively as on others, she still smiles at him. "Is someone envious?"
"Would it bother you if I am?"
They enter Honeydukes, the bell tinkling with the door. "Would it bother you if I am not?" They smile in unison at the cashier, who beams back and turns a blind eye to them as they browse the shelves.
"On the contrary," he picks up a pack of Honeydukes' dark chocolate, "it pleases me greatly to see someone so sure in themselves." They walk back through the corridor and to the Astronomy Tower, pockets stuffed with sweets. Alden is merrily discussing something with Walburga, who is all coy smiles and honeyed words. The blonde makes eye contact with them, and Tom takes a look at the girl beside him, who smirks before he leans down to kiss her. Her hands tug at his collar as they stand there before she pulls him out of sight, the two laughing quietly as they walk back to the dungeons.
What is life without a little pettiness and drama?
Read and review!