I do not own any Harry Potter Characters.
Chapter 21:
After the meeting with the manager the team had continued with practice, with Jerry Halloran taking Katie's spot. Practice ended with Marcus letting the team know that everyone needed to show up to practice early tomorrow for extra training for the game the following day. After practice Katie headed to her father's house by Floo.
"What happened with the meeting with The Ministry?" Katie asked her father, wasting no time.
"They didn't have sufficient evidence, since I stopped talking to her, just as the bans were starting. I'm sure they will have someone following me for a while, to confirm." He explained, Katie could hear the hurt in his voice. She was relieved that her dad wouldn't be arrested but felt terrible knowing how much Adeline meant to her father. All she could do was hope that Harry Potter succeeded his mission, and fix the wizarding world they currently lived in.
"Enough about me, what's this about you attacking a reporter?" He questioned.
Katie nodded slowly debating on the best way to explain what happen. "You should have seen it, that woman was pure evil. She was being extremely rude and attacked Lucius, so I pushed her." Katie winced realizing how that sounded.
"Katie, not all things can be resolved by violence" her dad explained as if she didn't know already. Katie dropped her gaze to the ground, unable to look at him.
Katie mouth opened. Then closed. As if debating her next words. "I know" she said deflated with a loud sigh.
"The punishment they gave you wasn't too bad; you did attack a reporter." He said with a laugh shaking his head.
"What if we lose undefeated because I couldn't play?" Katie complained, her voice full of emotion.
"It's only one game Katie, it's not that bad" he tried to reassure her, but she couldn't help but feel worried.
After chatting for a while Katie headed back to her house, having plans to see Angelina and Alicia later. It wasn't long after she got home that her friends arrived. Angelina had a different outlook on the fight with the reporter saying, "why didn't you hit her? If you were going to get banned for a game anyway, it would only make sense." Katie tried to stifle a laugh, while Alicia glared at them, not finding the matter funny.
Alicia shifted her gaze from Katie to Angelina. "This is serious, haven't you been hearing what people are saying about Katie?" Alicia questioned. Katie clenched her jaw.
"Of course, I have. That's why it's such a shame all Katie did was shove her." Angelina persisted; malice laced in her voice. "If woman can't sanction woman, then who's going to keep them in control?" Angelina lifted her hands up as if to express 'tell me I'm wrong.'
Alicia turned to Katie who just sat there with a sad far of look to her face. "Why are you acting like you've been banned for life, it's only one game."
"Flint's angry at me, and I'm sure the rest of the team is as well." Katie huffed, not sure how to feel, everything felt so muddled. Passing the girls each a tea, she sat down on her barstool at her island. While the other two girls sat at her kitchen table only a short distance away.
"If I were your captain, I'd be angry too. Think about all the damage control he and your team need to do." Alicia explained as she picked up the Quidditch Daily. Katie couldn't help it when her body tensed.
"Why don't you tell the truth?" Angelina pressed the issue, nudging Katie with her arm.
Shrugging her shoulders acting nonchalant she replied, "Because people will think I'm just making excuses. It won't help." Katie sighed; her public apology would be tomorrow morning before practice. She was planning to make a simple speech, saying she acted inappropriately and that she was sorry. Having no plans to out the woman for starting the fight.
"Hey, have you seen this article yet?" Alicia asked, looking up from the paper. "The Cold Hard Truth." Alicia read the title handing it over to Katie. As she read the article, she felt instant relief. Whoever wrote this got the reporters assistants to tell their side of the story. Admitting that it was the reporter who attacked Lucius first, and that Katie had only been defending her teammate. "Someone from your team probably did it, or someone on the staff." They chatted about who it could be for a while, before eventually shifting topics.
"On a side note, did either of you know Marcus speaks German?" Katie asked flicking her eyes between the two girls.
"I mean it makes sense, he's the only heir. It's common with the richer pureblooded Wizarding community for their parents to teach them several languages." Alicia replied, taking a sip of her drink.
"Really?" Katie questioned her voice tight, stirring her tea absentmindedly.
"Didn't Marcus ever mention growing up or his father?" Alicia asked, her eyes fixed on Katie.
Katie's shoulders sagged a little bit. "No, it never came up, all I knew was that his mom died when he was young." She responded looking out her kitchen window.
"It's not something that casually comes up in a conversation but when you are dating someone, it's a common question to ask." Alicia stated, pursing her lips together.
"No need to nag." Katie teased, spinning herself slowly, around, and around on her island bar stool. "What do you know about his dad?" She added hastily.
"Aries Flint, is a top-notch lawyer and owns his own firm." Alicia explained leaning back in her chair.
"He's also a death eater." Angelina interjected, taking a sharp breath.
"Suspected Death Eater." Alicia cut her off. "He's a firm believer in keeping bloodlines pure." Katie chewed on the inside of her cheek, continuing to spin herself around. Sounds just like her grandfather, I'm sure they would have gotten along wonderfully. Wait. Was it possible they had known each other? The Wizarding Community wasn't that large. She wondered if her dad would know more about it. Deciding to ask him next time she saw him.
The following day Katie did her formal apology stating "I would like to apologize to Sarah Willis for my actions the other day. I especially regret the problems it has caused my team. I should have spoken more politely and discussed a better solution. I was wrong for how I acted." Simple and to the point. Giving a polite goodbye, she exited the stage, ignoring the questions the reporters were requesting.
When Katie got to practice, she pulled out the article in front of the team. "Who did this?" She questioned the team, looking at everyone incredulously. A few members who hadn't read the article came over to see what she was talking about.
"Probably a staff member who's good at swaying the public opinion." Jerry replied to her, shrugging his shoulders casually. Not seeing it as a big deal. It was silent for a moment.
"Whoever did it is my hero." Katie announced allowing herself a moment to try and spot out the culprit.
"Who is the hero?" Brian asked looking at everyone pointedly with a smirk. "Come on, no need to be shy." Brian often liked to stir up trouble and was clearly enjoying every moment of it.
"Maybe our chaser would be so excited she would agree to date him." Lucius said with a clever smile, looking in Marcus's direction, who was standing off to the side getting equipment ready.
"Did we come here to chat, or to play Quidditch? Get serious, we have a match tomorrow. On your brooms, now!" Marcus hollered to the team leaving no room for arguments.
As the team mounted their brooms, Lucius walked up to Katie. "He's still ignoring you?" He whispered.
Katie looked over at Marcus briefly before turning back to Lucius. "Yeah." She replied doing her best to ignore the tightness in her chest.
"If anyone asks, I didn't say anything but, he's worried about you, he's the one who got the assistants to tell the truth." Lucius explained. Katie studied him closely, warily. "Flint is first and foremost the captain of this team. He has the obligation to protect all of you from trouble, but if he gets involved, he could lose his spot as captain."
"What are you waiting for?" Marcus called out, his gaze unflinching. "Pick up the pace!" Practice was grueling, Marcus making Jerry run through every play. It had been a while since Jerry had been in a game, and they needed to prepare him and the team so they would coordinate properly. By the time they called it quits, everyone was sore and exhausted.
"It's worth mention that today Falmouth Falcon's chaser Jerry Halloran is replacing Katie Bell." Arthur the announcer stated. "It's been a long time since we've seen him play."
"If they win, they will be top of the leaderboard, undefeated." Victoria announced.
"We've had a lot of confidence in them until now. Even Flint who seldom praises anyone complimented their chaser, Bell." Arthur continued.
"Now looking back its quite ironic." Victoria giggled. Katie rolled her eyes. She hated those announcers.
When the game started all, she could do was watch from the sidelines. It was fast paced, and it seemed like the Falcons had an early lead. Until Banchory Bangers chasers dominated the Quaffle for the rest of the game, after their chaser Ulysses Ellington hit Falcons Keeper Mack Clifford hard enough to disorient him. It could have also just been a difficult day for the keeper, as it was obvious, he couldn't keep up with the number of hoops scored on him. While Falcon chasers were unable to coordinate properly, Jerry messing up several plays. 380 - 120 was a humiliation to a team like the Falmouth Falcons. The game finally ended with the Bangers seeker Bryson McConnell's catching the snitch, leaving a bitter taste in Katie's mouth.
The team didn't go out to celebrate that night for obvious reasons. So instead, Katie went to the gym within the Falmouth Falcons stadium. Deciding to take her anger out on a punching bag. A good thirty minutes into her work out, the door to the gym slid open. Marcus stood there briefly before deciding against it and walking out. Well, it obvious now that he was avoiding her. Not exactly sure why, but Katie followed him out of the gym. She could feel apprehension twisting her up in a knot. "What, you got nothing to say to me? Don't you think me being cut from the game and losing a month's pay is punishment enough?" He stopped in his tracks, standing there for a moment. Before turning around and marching right up to Katie.
"Do you think you are the only one affected by this ban?" Katie was startled not expecting that as a response. There was an intensity in the way he looked at her. "Your teammates are being punished as well; they must forget about all their previous training they did with you and try to adapt again with Halloran. They changed their play style to accommodate you, which took months of practice. Should we use you, or Halloran? Or should we get a new chaser? There are plenty of people that are as good as you and countless of people waiting to replace you." Katie broke eye contact, wanting to hide the guilt she felt. "It's more than being good at Quidditch, it's about being a proper team and anticipating what your teammates will do." He waited a moment, as if accessing her reaction before continuing. "Professional quidditch isn't somewhere you can do as you please off the pitch. You are a public icon now. Your fans are watching your every move outside the pitch. Professional careers are short, you can't afford to waste your time, or other people's time."
Not trusting her voice, she cleared her throat before speaking. "I'm sorry" she said softly, staring at her hands.
"Katie, people are questioning if I made a mistake keeping you on the team this season. I don't care what they think. The point is you. It's you I care about." He paused before he continued. "If you pull a stunt like that again, I won't be able to convince the manger to keep you on the team." He hurriedly tried to explain.
"I'm sorry that what I did caused problems for the team, and you. I don't want to let the team down again." She said softly, still not making eye contact.
"Good." Marcus nodded his head. "If you want to make it up to the team, talk to Halloran, he's not doing well after the match. Last I saw he was still on the pitch. He wouldn't talk to me, but hopefully, you'll have more luck." Katie agreed heading to the pitch.
"So, what did she say to you?" Lucius teased Marcus, appearing around a corner. "Did she confess her love for you?"
"I'd be more pleased if you used your imagination on quidditch plays." Marcus shot back, leaving Lucius standing there with his mouth ajar.
Katie walked onto the pitch seeing Jerry flying around, Quaffle tight in his grip. She called out to him a few times before he heard her, flying down to her. "Hey, how are you doing?" Katie asked concerned. She felt awful, knowing she was the reason he was thrown into the game unprepared.
"Eh, been better. You don't need to give me another cheer up speech, Flint already did." He said shrugging his shoulders, looking away from her.
"It's not that, I just wanted to say I'm sorry. For causing you to be thrown into a situation you weren't prepared for, and for bringing all this drama to the team." Katie said sheepishly, rubbing her elbow awkwardly.
"Bell, please don't say you're sorry. It makes me sad to hear you say you're sorry. I truthfully wished you had hit her." He said with a laugh, Katie couldn't help but join in.
The following day at practice the tension was thick between everyone, spending the first hour in silence, besides Marcus instructing. Lucius from that point on made it his mission to try and lighten the mood amongst the team. By cracking jokes anytime Marcus or anyone else would go for a goal. Eventually the tactic worked when he screamed out, "Marcus I see the fuck up fairy has visited you again." Marcus missed the shot, shaking his head heatedly he scowled at Lucius. "Don't get bitter, just get better." Lucius pestered.
"Remember when I asked for your opinion? Yeah, me neither." Marcus shot back aggravated.
"If I wanted to hear from an asshole, I'd fart." Lucius retorted with a smirk.
Albert couldn't hold back anymore, laughing loudly easing the tension. While Marcus chucked a Quaffle at Lucius who was unprepared, and was knocked from his broom, barely holding on by his fingers. "Oh no, are you hurt?" Marcus asked with a devil like grin.
"Have you no heart? Help me!" Lucius cried out in mock agony, attempting to pull himself up unsuccessfully.
"I'll help, after I'm done laughing." Albert called out between fits of laughter.
"I work hard to raise the handsomeness of this team, and this is how you guys treat me." Lucius called out as he remounted his broom.
"We're screwed if that's what we rely on you for." Adam barked out a laugh.
"If you have time to chat then you have time to run drills." Marcus called out. By the end of practice, the tension seemed to have eased, even Jerry was in a better mood. When the team flew down, Brian invited everyone to go out for drinks, saying he would pay for the first round of drinks.
"Sorry, not tonight I got a date." Lucius said excitedly.
"Anyone else coming?" Brian asked, ignoring Lucius's comment.
"Why can't you give me some sort of reaction?" Lucius complained, stomping his foot irritably. "I got a date with the seeker from Pride of Portree, Marfa Parma."
"A girl actually likes you?" Marcus questioned with a smirk.
"Of course, I am handsome." Lucius said pridefully. "It would be illogical if she were not into me."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night." Katie called out before heading to the locker rooms, to take a shower and change. She only had one thing on her mind. Bed.
Authors note: Sorry this chapter is shorter, I didn't have a good place to cut it off between this chapter and the next one. But I promise that one will be a lot longer.
Thank you Ginny blue for helping me fix the translations in the last chapter. I really appreciate it.