Chapter 2: Day One

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Yana held her breath. Through the soot and ash of the Floo powder, she kept her eyes shut as she whooshed between fireplaces. She landed firmly amongst the bright green flames and blinked several times to gain her bearings. The pale grey room around her was scattered with blackboards full of diagrams and notes, workout equipment and gym mats. This was the training room where Puddlemere players could enter and leave privately, away from prying public eyes.

Dante Luis Benito was waiting for her. He strode to the fireplace and gave her a firm handshake.

'Yana. Good to have you here.'

'Good to be here.' said Yana.

Benito adjusted the cap on his head. 'Ready to enter the lion's den?' he said, with a glint in his eyes.

Yana's stony expression betrayed none of the nerves that made her insides quiver. Instead, she gave a sharp nod. 'Let's do it.'

When they arrived at the pitch, Yana gazed up to see the team doing laps on their brooms. She clutched her broom and her bat tightly, trying to keep her breathing steady. The team moved in sleek formations and patterns as they flew ease. It made Yana's insides turn to see them so familiar with each other, and for a brief moment, she considered disapparating back home before they all saw her. But before she could act, Benito blew a whistle, and the six players in the sky swiftly made their way down to the centre of the grass.

'Nice work, everyone. We'll come back to air drills once Armstrong and McGovern arrive.' said Benito, taking a moment to clear his throat. He held an arm out towards Yana. 'Everyone, meet Yana Vaso, our new Open-Side Beater. Yana, meet the team.'

There was a garbled mix of hellos and polite greetings from the Puddlemere players. Yana simply bowed her head.

Benito rubbed his hands together and smiled at the group. 'Right, I thought in order to get to know each other better, we'd play a quick game.'

'What is this, summer camp?' said Benjy, raising an eyebrow.

'Just a quick bit of fun to get us comfortable.' said Benito.

The team exchanged expressions of surprise. 'Fun?! Who are you and what have you done with our coach?' said Leo, turning to Yana. 'He doesn't do fun.' he whispered dramatically.

Benito picked up a Quaffle and threw it at him. 'Leo, you can start. In a circle everyone.' he ordered. 'Quick passes to anyone in the circle, and we all have to answer some ice-breaker questions. Nothing too deep, just have fun.'

'Again with the fun thing. Who Imperius-cursed you, Benito?' said Andrei.

'Will there be a quiz at the end?' Wilda deadpanned.

'Just for Yana.' Leo grinned, winking at the Beater. Yana didn't know what to say, so stuck with her usual routine and said nothing.

'Alright. Let's start off with a boring one.' Benito announced. 'Name and position on the team. Go.'

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'Leo Madigan. Centre Chaser and most handsome player.' He tossed his curly ginger hair and gave a boyish grin.

The others rolled their eyes as Leo passed the ball to Solomon, who towered over them.

'Solomon Brodie, Blind-side Beater, and team Captain.'

He passed to Yana, she suspected out of sympathy.

'Yana Vaso. Open-side Beater.' she said quickly, throwing the Quaffle to a burly man with wavy dark hair and olive skin. He smiled warmly at her.

'Andrei Kazakov, Outside Chaser.'

'Wilda Griffiths, Outside Chaser.'

'Benjy Williams. Seeker.'

'Oliver Wood. Keeper. Vice-Captain.'

Oliver and Yana held each other's gaze as they sized one another up, taking in the changes the last few years had made to them. Oliver was much the same; tall and lanky with strong arms and a confident stance. He was still incredibly fair, but his face had weathered more from years playing outdoors, and he sported some dark stubble around his chin, which Yana didn't remember him ever having at school. His rich brown eyes were focused squarely on her, which made her uncomfortable, so she held his gaze, challenging him to back down. Oliver Wood was either too distracted to know he was staring, or he was someone who, like Yana, didn't back down easily. Oliver hadn't realised until now just how tall Yana was, almost as tall as him, which would make her nearly six foot. He noticed how brightly Yana's blue eyes stood out against her glowing olive skin. Her pointed nose was slightly crooked, likely from several Bludger hits, and she had two tiny white scars above her left eyebrow. In the sunlight, a few silvery hairs glinted in her wavy hair. When had that happened, he wondered? He was sure Yana was younger than him. Their thoughts were both interrupted by Benito calling for Solomon to choose the next ice-breaker topic.

As they continued passing the Quaffle to and fro, Yana was pleasantly surprised at how easy-going the team atmosphere was. There was joshing and joking, and a few in-jokes she figured she'd understand eventually, but she found herself loosening up with each round they did, even daring to smile. She discovered that half of them were born overseas; Benito in Venezuela, Andrei in Czechoslovakia, Solomon in Uganda, and her in Greece. There was much heated discussion over the revelation of everyone's favourite Bertie Botts flavour (hers was spaghetti), and several gasps and groans over some horror injury stories. Overall, Yana was relieved that there hadn't been any deeply personal questions so far. She wondered if her teammates were behaving better in their coach's presence. It was only a matter of time before someone would try to corner her.

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The rest of the morning was spent with Darius Armstrong and Lance McGovern, their offensive and defensive assistant coaches. The two middle-aged men made for a lively double act, frequently finishing each other's sentences, and passionately talking about tactics. Yana was grateful to have some more focused time working with Solomon, her new partner. They practiced together and with their coaches, observing each other's techniques and learning each other's reactions to sudden movements from Bludgers and players. Many times, Yana misjudged and stumbled around Solomon's motions, but he guided her patiently. For such an intimidating figure, Solomon Brodie's easy demeanour caught her off-guard. But having played against him several times, she knew his game face was completely different, and he was easily one of the League's strongest Beaters.

By lunchtime, she was exhausted and shaking from the intense workout she'd endured. She collapsed into a chair in the lunchroom and rested her head on the table.

'How are you holding up, kid?' said Solomon, poking her shoulder.

Yana groaned as she looked up at him. 'It's like I'm learning to play all over again.'

He chuckled and patted her shoulder. 'One day at a time. Now, have some food, or you'll be falling off your broom later.' He made his way to the fridge, where he pulled out a purple floral container.

Behind him, Benjy laughed. 'Nice lunchbox, Sol.'

He rolled his eyes. 'It's Daisy's. She'll cope without it for a day.' he said, sitting next to Yana at the table, and pulling out an assortment of food. 'Daisy's my youngest girl. She'll be three in September.'

Yana pulled out her own lunchbox from her bag, and summoned a plate from a cupboard, which nearly collided with Benjy's head. She gave a mumbled apology, and turned her attention to eating.

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'When did you go to Oxford?' said Leo, appearing next to her. He was pointing to Yana's grey hoodie, which was embezzled with the college's name in red letters.

'I didn't.' she said, looking up, 'Someone who did gave it to me.'

'Must be smart.' said Leo, through a mouthful of food. 'My eldest brother's doing his PhD there at the moment.'

'Must be smart.' Yana replied. 'Muggle-born?'

He nodded. 'Yeah. I'm the only wizard in the family.'

'What do they think of your job?' said Yana.

Leo shrugged. 'My folks don't really understand it, but they're supportive. There's only so much attention you get when you're the middle of five.'

'I'm the second of four. I get that.' said Yana. 'All wizards, though. Not that that matters.' she added hastily, lowering her gaze to stare intently at the sandwiches and tabbouleh on her plate. Leo didn't seem to take any notice of her gaffe, and continued eating. Not long after, Oliver Wood sat down next to Leo, and stared straight at Yana.

'Hey.' he said.

'Hey.' she murmured, still focused on her sandwich. Oliver waited for her to say something else, but she didn't. He met eyes with Leo, who shrugged.

'Congratulations. On making the team, I mean. Brodie said you had a good try-out.' Oliver said.

'He worked me hard. Must have paid off.' Yana said, turning to her partner. Solomon nodded in affirmation.

'Well, I hope you're ready to keep that up. We do things differently to the Arrows.' Oliver said firmly.

Yana frowned at him. 'What are you insinuating?'

Oliver paused as he chewed his food. 'I'm just pointing out that we've developed a strong work ethic here, and we want you to be on board with that.'

'Don't worry, I'll be a good girl and work hard, just like I did with my try-out. I didn't have to be bought.' Yana shot back. She regretted her words instantly.

There was an awkward silence in the room, and a few people glanced at Wilda cautiously. After many successful years with the Holyhead Harpies, Puddlemere had secured Wilda Griffiths for one thousand Galleons. She was one of the most in-demand Chasers of the decade, and had performed well in her three seasons at Puddlemere. Wilda turned to the fridge and simply continued compiling her lunch.

Yana tried to backtrack. 'What I meant was, I'm not so high-profile that I have people banging down my door. I'm grateful to be here.'

They all ate quietly for a while. Andrei joined them soon after and chatted with Yana about growing up in mainland Europe, and how he'd come to England after meeting a witch called Mia, who he was now engaged to.

'Did you go to Hogwarts like the others?' he asked.

Yana nodded. 'Yeah. I was in Huffelpuff house. Played Quidditch for most of school, and was captain in my seventh year.'

Oliver frowned. 'Really? I thought Cedric Diggory was still captain in your time.'

Yana glared at him. 'He was, until he was killed by The Dark Lord.'

Wood dropped his fork, and mumbled out an apology, silently berating himself. How could he have forgotten? It had only been a year after he'd left school and joined Puddlemere's reserves. It became clear soon afterwards that You-Know-Who really had returned.

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'The War here sounded really bad. Did you all have to fight?' said Andrei.

'Not everyone. Some chose to actively fight, others did civil resistance.' Solomon explained. 'Many people had to go into hiding, mainly Muggle-borns and their families. Some who worked in the Ministry had no choice but to stay in their jobs, even under The Dark Lord's regime. My wife, Monique, used to be at the Ministry, but was already a stay-at-home mum when things got really bad, thank goodness. No way would I have wanted her working with all that happening.' He shuddered and shook his head despondently.

'Quidditch shut down for a while too.' Benjy added. 'It was too hard to pretend everything was still normal. They ended up cancelling the '97 season.'

'But a number of Quidditch-playing folk rallied when the Battle of Hogwarts got underway. Oliver was there, he can tell you.'

All eyes turned to Oliver, who looked very uncomfortable with the sudden attention. He chose instead to look at Yana, who was also very quiet.

'You were there too.' he said quietly. 'I remember.'

'Blimey, Yana! You fought?!' Leo exclaimed, staring at Yana in awe.

'Yeah.' she said. 'Wasn't pleasant.'

'Did you lose anyone?' Solomon asked gently.

Yana nodded, reluctantly meeting Oliver's gaze.

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Oliver grunted as he picked up another body. In his wildest dreams, this was not something he thought he'd ever be doing. He'd only ever been to one funeral in his life, that of his elderly grandfather. Oliver carried the young Gryffindor, a boy named Colin Creevey, towards the Great Hall. The Death Eaters had retreated into the Forbidden Forest, and the Dark Lord had given the others an hour's reprieve to gather their fallen and injured. On the way, he met Neville Longbottom, covered in blood and dust.

'I'll take him from here.' he said softly.

'You sure?' said Oliver.

Neville nodded. 'Yeah. I got it.'

Yana was already in the Hall. She was with Professor Sprout and a handful of others, quietly tending to the injured and comforting the grieving. She wasn't much of a Healer, but her House Head had called for her, so she obediently came to fill the need. She'd already seen the bodies of her old Defence teacher, Professor Lupin, and a woman with pink hair, she assumed had been his wife. And the bodies just kept coming. Dozens of them.

She stopped when she spotted the body of a student being passed to Neville Longbottom. The man carrying the boy turned around, and instantly, Yana recognised her fellow Quidditch player, Oliver Wood. They shared a pained look as Neville limped away with the body.

'He's so young.' she whispered. Oliver nodded weakly, unable to express his distress with words.

From the other end of the Great Hall, they heard a blood-curdling scream, and several people crying. They turned to see the entire Weasley family on the floor, surrounding one lifeless form. Yana's heart sunk into her stomach. Of all the members of that beautiful family, she hoped to the gods that it wasn't her best friends.

'Who is it?' Oliver croaked. They saw Angelina Johnson sprinting away from the group, and Yana stepped out to stop her friend.

'Angie! Who is it?'

Angelina let out a strangled sob, and threw herself into Yana's arms. 'It's Fred! It's Fred.' she cried, repeating his name over and over.

Yana's knees buckled, whether from Angelina's weight or the shock, but the next thing she knew, Alicia Spinnet and Katie Bell, fellow Gryffindor players were with them, being comforted by Oliver. They wept together until The Dark Lord announced himself again, and returned with Harry Potter's body from the Forest. Even when Harry came back and defeated The Dark Lord in the early hours of that morning, the absolute shock of what had occurred those previous twenty-four hours was still sinking in. Yana was so tired she didn't think she had the energy to cry anymore. That was before she arrived home to an even greater shock.

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'Break time's over!' Benito called from the doorway. Yana jumped slightly as she was pulled out of her thoughts. 'Reserves are here, let's get back to it.'

Andrei summoned everyone's plates to the sink, and cast another spell to wash them.

'Mia's taught you well.' Benjy teased.

'I was always a good son, thank you. We never had a house-elf.' he said, ruffling Benjy's hair. 'They'd be about your size, right?'

The two of scuffled out of the room, as the others followed along in drips and drabs. Yana took her time, fiddling with her sportsbag, hoping to get some quiet before she went back into the fore with everyone else. She was so distracted, she was startled when Oliver pulled her back by the arm.

'Hey.' he said, uncomfortably close to her face. Yana took a defiant step back.

'Are you here to apologise for earlier?' she said coolly.

Oliver's eyebrows went up into his hairline. 'What? No.' he spluttered. Yana shrugged him away and kept walking down the hall. Oliver huffed in frustration. 'I was just… wondering if you still kept up with George Weasley.'

Yana stopped and waited for Oliver to catch up with her. 'I do. We still hang out when we can.'

'How is he?'

'He's alright, better than he was. Business is booming, which is a good distraction.' she said as they walked back to the pitch. 'His brother Ron's working for him now, and so is my oldest brother. You know George and Angelina are together, right?'

Oliver hummed in surprise. 'Fancy that. She was one of my best Chasers.'

'That she was. It's been hard for them without Fred. But they're good for each other. I'm happy for them.'

They jogged down the steps of stadium, where the Coaches and Puddlemere Reserve players were flying around while they waited for the rest of the main squad.

'I always knew you'd make it to the League.' Yana said to Oliver, keeping pace with him. 'You were always one of the best players at school. Gryffindor had a good run when you were Captain.'

Oliver flushed 'Thanks. You know, you were probably the only female Beater I'd ever seen back then.'

'I was also taller than Fred and George until fourth year. They hated me for it.'

Oliver let out a laugh. 'I kinda miss school Quidditch. Everything seemed so much easier. I can't believe how seriously I took it then.'

'I can.' Yana said dryly.

Oliver opened his mouth to retaliate, but was interrupted by Benito calling out for him and Yana to hurry up.
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The rest of the afternoon was spent practicing with the Reserve team, and playing a short practice match. It was strange for Yana to suddenly have to view her teammates as her allies, not her opposition. She'd been used to a whole different set of strategies and call-signs, and yet again, felt a bit clumsy around the other six. But the Coaches seemed happy enough, and right now, that was all the affirmation she needed. Working on the trust of her new team would take much more time.

As the main squad finished up and said farewell to the Reserves, who were still training, Yana realised she didn't know where the home change-rooms were located. Wilda picked up on this, and strode over to her.

'Come on, shower's this way.' she said.

They went through one of the tunnels, and down some stairs. It was remarkable to be this close to the famous Wilda Griffiths; she was in her thirties, similar to Solomon, but since Yana was at school, she had greatly admired Wilda's talent and fierce charisma. And, although she'd never admit it to her, she'd also had a poster of Wilda pinned up in her childhood bedroom. All these years later, Wilda Griffiths was still the gorgeous auburn-haired figure she'd remembered from the posters and magazines. There were a few more laugh lines around her fair impish face, and she'd filled out a bit more, likely from age or increased muscle mass. Yana really hadn't known what to expect, having only briefly exchanged greetings with her at official League events. Now, they were going spending a lot more time together.

'You did well today.' Wilda said, as they walked, both sweating and puffing from the end of training. 'Don't mind Leo and Benjy, they muck around a lot. Andrei's a sweetheart, he won't bother you. And Oliver can be a bit tightly strung, but he's mellowed a lot since he joined the main squad.'

'Thanks.' said Yana. 'And thanks for… I don't know- not writing me off straightaway.' she cleared her throat as she stood. 'Listen, about what I said earlier, I didn't-'

'Don't worry about it.' Wilda said, cutting her off. 'You're a woman on a first-grade team, and a Beater at that. You've already worked twice as hard as the others to get here. This way.' She pointed as they turned another corner.

'Do I hear a feminist talking?' Yana mused, prompting a snort from Wilda.

'Someone here needs to be. New century, new millennia, change is around the corner.'

'That's a good hope to have.' Yana agreed.

The men entered through a dark blue door on the right, while Wilda led her to an identical door on the left that read: "Home Team- Ladies".

Yana craned her neck as she took in the spacious room, decked out in pale blue and yellow tiles. She whistled approvingly.

'Nice.'

Wilda shrugged, dumping her bag on a bench. 'I guess. Least I have someone to share it with now, other than those twats from reserves. Drive me up the bloody wall.' she said, stripping down to her sports bra and shorts, revealing a toned white body. Yana dropped her bag unceremoniously and sunk onto a bench.

'How long's it been since you've played with another woman?'

'Not since the Harpies.' said Wilda. 'It was right shock, I'll tell you.'

Yana nodded. 'I hear you. I've just come from a team of five ladies. This is more personal space than I'd dreamed of.'

'I wouldn't get too comfortable.' Wilda cautioned, eyeing off the locker that read 'Vaso' on the name slot.

'Should I be worried?' asked Yana.

'We like our practical jokes here, but I think Leo and Benjy are too scared of you to try any of their usual stunts.' Wilda explained.

'Why are they scared of me?' said Yana.

Wilda raised an eyebrow. 'You do read what the papers say about you, right?'

'I try not to.' Yana replied, pulling out her wand.

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With a flick, the locker clanged open, and a dark mass of cloud swept towards them. Wilda whipped out her wand as the clouds rumbled and tiny peels of lightning flashed around them. Before they could react, the two women were drenched in a shower of rain. They cried out in shock as they were soaked in the icy water.

'Damnit, Benjy!' Wilda screamed, running from the cloud, and sending a hex towards the change-room entrance. In her peripheral vision, Yana spotted two bodies stumbling away from the other side of the door. A minute later, the clouds started to shrink and at the direction of Yana's wand, flew neatly into a tiny glass bottle, followed by a cork. Yana squelched over to the locker and examined the jar closely.

'What was that?!' exclaimed Wilda.

'Weather in a Bottle. I helped invent these.' said Yana.

Wilda did a double take. 'Come again?'

'This is a Weasley product.' Yana explained, holding up the bottle. 'I helped the twins design them when we were at school. Also get a cut of the profits.'

She reached into locker and pulled out two large packets of sherbet lemons and jelly slugs. She frowned at them in confusion, then at Wilda. 'Are they trying to send me a message with these?'

Wilda scoffed. 'Doubt it. Probably Andrei or Sol's idea.' She clucked her tongue, eyeing off the sweets. 'The boys have gone soft. That, or they're too scared Benito would kill them if you'd been injured by fireworks. If you have any ideas for retaliation, I'd be happy to hear them. I've been dying to get back at them for ages. Stuffed a giant tarantula in my locker last season. I hate bugs.'

Yana opened the packet of sherbet lemons and tossed one to Wilda. 'Give me a week.' she said as she headed to the showers.

Wilda grinned. 'You know, you're not as scary as people make you out to be!' she called.

'You haven't been on the receiving end of my wand. Or my pranks!' Yana called back.