Chapter Three: Kira
Thank you for your first review, Nytd. ^_^ And thanks also to Susan, who was happy to critique the first two chapters last night. (and I love you, btw, for making my dress! You're an angel. I *will* make you cookies!) This FF.net version is quite a bit different from the original, it's going into more details and thus taking it slower.
Kira is the older cousin (by a year) to Belldani and Xathereth, and she's on the Puddlemere United Quidditch team. For almost the past year, she's been secretly seeing Oliver Wood, who is on the reserve team. (as anyone who read Goblet of Fire knows. if you have and you didn't know that, MEMORIZE THE BOOKS like I did!) . Ahem. sorry. I don't have much of a life.
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"Quidditch is over for the summer." Kira laughed, laying back in the grass at the Puddlemere United team boarding house. She looked up and watched Oliver wash the goal posts.
"Isn't it fun to be Keeper, Oliver?" she called out. He looked down.
"Swell," he remarked, and finished washing and grabbed his wand, magically drying the posts and adding a fresh coat of paint. He descended to the ground.
"What did you have to do?" he asked, noticing she was one of the only people not working on restoring the practice field to its original state.
"I polished the Snitch," Kira laughed, knowing Oliver would get upset. He did.
"That's not fair!" he sputtered, "Every person is to do their fair share!"
"Of course," Kira grinned, "I cleaned the part of the game that I use, you cleaned the part that you use, and everyone else is fixing the components of the game that their position uses."
"Yes, wonderful, isn't it?" Oliver muttered, laying down on the grass beside her, adding, "It feels good to rest."
"You know, we've got a *whole* month off before we have to come back here for next season." Kira babbled, "Do you want to do something in the between time?"
Oliver didn't answer. Kira felt stupid, and sat up. Glancing at Oliver, she realized he had fallen asleep.
The team sat down for its last dinner that night. Kira was at the end of the table for the first team, and Oliver was at the other with the reserve team. The captain of the first team, Marcus Wentworth stood up.
"I would like to propose a toast," he said, holding up his glass of butterbeer - alcohol wasn't permitted in the Puddlemere United boarding house, "To each and every person who has contributed to this team this year." He looked at them all.
"We didn't make it to first place. Alright, we lost in the second round of the British Cup tournament, but the point is, we *tried*. I have seen each and every one of us put their heart and soul into their game when it mattered most. We've come a long way from the team we have been - but I know that we can go all the way to the Cup, maybe not next season, but the season after that.
I know that each and every one of us has what it takes. Tomorrow morning we are all leaving, but I'll be back in September, and I hope that there will be nothing to stop the rest of this team from joining me back on our practice pitch."
Marcus cleared his throat, and raised his glass high.
"To Puddlemere United!" he cried, and the rest of the team echoed, "To Puddlemere United!" Some of the portraits even looked touched.
After the meal, Kira went back up to her room and finished packing her trunk. She set aside just what she would need for the morning. Kira went over to the window and looked out into the gardens.
There was a knock at the door. Kira turned.
"Oh, hi Oliver," she said, turning back to the gardens to watch them light up from the fireflies and pixies that were awakening.
"I was wondering." Oliver asked from the doorway, "Would you care to go for a walk with me?"
Kira thought for a second, and grabbed her cloak.
"Sure," she smiled at him, and let him lead the way outside.
"There sure are a lot of. fireflies." Oliver managed to say as they wandered through the thick foliage surrounding the team's boarding house.
"Yeah." Kira replied, content to watch the tiny pixies darting among the flowers. She could tell that Oliver was edgy about something, which made her feel a bit nervous.
"Listen, Kira." Oliver stopped and turned to look at her, "There's something I want to talk to you about."
"Yes?" Kira asked hesitantly. They had stopped by a stone bench, so she sat down and he followed suit.
"I know. that there's that rule. Rule 574, the one about. league players being banned from. you know."
"Marrying?" Kira asked, which came out as a squeak. Oliver laughed, and nodded, relaxing a bit.
"I want to marry you, Kira, but unless one of us quits the league we can't." Oliver had become quiet, and he was looking at the ground.
"Oh Oliver." Kira stared at him, her mind racing. She leaned over and kissed him. Blah blah blah blah.
"Kira, you would really want to marry me?" Oliver asked, face flushed.
"Yes, I do- er, I would!" Kira whispered happily, already imagining a fancy wedding with half the wizarding world in attendance, though she knew in her head that it would be several years before that would happen.
"I. I heard of this Muggle place near the Scottish border." Oliver looked into her eyes, "It's called Gretna Green. Muggle young people have gone there for years to run away and be wed. You just sign a registry, and they marry you, you needn't have any forms or certificates or anything. The wizarding world wouldn't know.
"We could leave tonight, if you wanted to, and be there by morning. Of course, the marriage would have to be a complete secret, but still it." Oliver trailed off.
"Not tonight," Kira spoke, "My parents are expecting me home, and family business, you know."
"Yeah, tonight would be a bit too hard to pull off." Oliver murmured thoughtfully. Kira looked up at the night sky.
"How about a week from tonight?" she said softly. Oliver looked up at the sky as well.
"Where would we meet?" he asked. Kira furrowed her brows in thought.
"Can you get to Diagon Alley?" she responded, and he pondered for a while.
"Yes, and I could come up with the excuse that I was staying to visit friends for a few days," he added.
"Smashing," Kira smiled excitedly, "I'll owl you later in the week with directions to my family's flat. Everyone is gone during the day, so once I find out when the house is empty, I'll let you know to come pick me up at that time."
"How will you be able to be gone for a day or so?" Oliver pointed out. Kira smiled again.
"I can tell my mum and dad that I'm going to visit my cousin Belldani for a few days, and that she's coming to pick me up because she's been hired at Hogwarts, and I have to be with her to use the school's Floo network."
"Excellent," Oliver leaned in and snogged her again.
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A/N: Are there fireflies in Great Britain? If not, let's play pretend and make believe that there are. Thank you very much, Nytd, for mentioning this in your latest chapter. (Did you know that there are Harry Potter n the Socerer's Stone coffee mugs - some have Snape on them!) (The book Snape, but still.)
Thank you for your first review, Nytd. ^_^ And thanks also to Susan, who was happy to critique the first two chapters last night. (and I love you, btw, for making my dress! You're an angel. I *will* make you cookies!) This FF.net version is quite a bit different from the original, it's going into more details and thus taking it slower.
Kira is the older cousin (by a year) to Belldani and Xathereth, and she's on the Puddlemere United Quidditch team. For almost the past year, she's been secretly seeing Oliver Wood, who is on the reserve team. (as anyone who read Goblet of Fire knows. if you have and you didn't know that, MEMORIZE THE BOOKS like I did!) . Ahem. sorry. I don't have much of a life.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~
"Quidditch is over for the summer." Kira laughed, laying back in the grass at the Puddlemere United team boarding house. She looked up and watched Oliver wash the goal posts.
"Isn't it fun to be Keeper, Oliver?" she called out. He looked down.
"Swell," he remarked, and finished washing and grabbed his wand, magically drying the posts and adding a fresh coat of paint. He descended to the ground.
"What did you have to do?" he asked, noticing she was one of the only people not working on restoring the practice field to its original state.
"I polished the Snitch," Kira laughed, knowing Oliver would get upset. He did.
"That's not fair!" he sputtered, "Every person is to do their fair share!"
"Of course," Kira grinned, "I cleaned the part of the game that I use, you cleaned the part that you use, and everyone else is fixing the components of the game that their position uses."
"Yes, wonderful, isn't it?" Oliver muttered, laying down on the grass beside her, adding, "It feels good to rest."
"You know, we've got a *whole* month off before we have to come back here for next season." Kira babbled, "Do you want to do something in the between time?"
Oliver didn't answer. Kira felt stupid, and sat up. Glancing at Oliver, she realized he had fallen asleep.
The team sat down for its last dinner that night. Kira was at the end of the table for the first team, and Oliver was at the other with the reserve team. The captain of the first team, Marcus Wentworth stood up.
"I would like to propose a toast," he said, holding up his glass of butterbeer - alcohol wasn't permitted in the Puddlemere United boarding house, "To each and every person who has contributed to this team this year." He looked at them all.
"We didn't make it to first place. Alright, we lost in the second round of the British Cup tournament, but the point is, we *tried*. I have seen each and every one of us put their heart and soul into their game when it mattered most. We've come a long way from the team we have been - but I know that we can go all the way to the Cup, maybe not next season, but the season after that.
I know that each and every one of us has what it takes. Tomorrow morning we are all leaving, but I'll be back in September, and I hope that there will be nothing to stop the rest of this team from joining me back on our practice pitch."
Marcus cleared his throat, and raised his glass high.
"To Puddlemere United!" he cried, and the rest of the team echoed, "To Puddlemere United!" Some of the portraits even looked touched.
After the meal, Kira went back up to her room and finished packing her trunk. She set aside just what she would need for the morning. Kira went over to the window and looked out into the gardens.
There was a knock at the door. Kira turned.
"Oh, hi Oliver," she said, turning back to the gardens to watch them light up from the fireflies and pixies that were awakening.
"I was wondering." Oliver asked from the doorway, "Would you care to go for a walk with me?"
Kira thought for a second, and grabbed her cloak.
"Sure," she smiled at him, and let him lead the way outside.
"There sure are a lot of. fireflies." Oliver managed to say as they wandered through the thick foliage surrounding the team's boarding house.
"Yeah." Kira replied, content to watch the tiny pixies darting among the flowers. She could tell that Oliver was edgy about something, which made her feel a bit nervous.
"Listen, Kira." Oliver stopped and turned to look at her, "There's something I want to talk to you about."
"Yes?" Kira asked hesitantly. They had stopped by a stone bench, so she sat down and he followed suit.
"I know. that there's that rule. Rule 574, the one about. league players being banned from. you know."
"Marrying?" Kira asked, which came out as a squeak. Oliver laughed, and nodded, relaxing a bit.
"I want to marry you, Kira, but unless one of us quits the league we can't." Oliver had become quiet, and he was looking at the ground.
"Oh Oliver." Kira stared at him, her mind racing. She leaned over and kissed him. Blah blah blah blah.
"Kira, you would really want to marry me?" Oliver asked, face flushed.
"Yes, I do- er, I would!" Kira whispered happily, already imagining a fancy wedding with half the wizarding world in attendance, though she knew in her head that it would be several years before that would happen.
"I. I heard of this Muggle place near the Scottish border." Oliver looked into her eyes, "It's called Gretna Green. Muggle young people have gone there for years to run away and be wed. You just sign a registry, and they marry you, you needn't have any forms or certificates or anything. The wizarding world wouldn't know.
"We could leave tonight, if you wanted to, and be there by morning. Of course, the marriage would have to be a complete secret, but still it." Oliver trailed off.
"Not tonight," Kira spoke, "My parents are expecting me home, and family business, you know."
"Yeah, tonight would be a bit too hard to pull off." Oliver murmured thoughtfully. Kira looked up at the night sky.
"How about a week from tonight?" she said softly. Oliver looked up at the sky as well.
"Where would we meet?" he asked. Kira furrowed her brows in thought.
"Can you get to Diagon Alley?" she responded, and he pondered for a while.
"Yes, and I could come up with the excuse that I was staying to visit friends for a few days," he added.
"Smashing," Kira smiled excitedly, "I'll owl you later in the week with directions to my family's flat. Everyone is gone during the day, so once I find out when the house is empty, I'll let you know to come pick me up at that time."
"How will you be able to be gone for a day or so?" Oliver pointed out. Kira smiled again.
"I can tell my mum and dad that I'm going to visit my cousin Belldani for a few days, and that she's coming to pick me up because she's been hired at Hogwarts, and I have to be with her to use the school's Floo network."
"Excellent," Oliver leaned in and snogged her again.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~
A/N: Are there fireflies in Great Britain? If not, let's play pretend and make believe that there are. Thank you very much, Nytd, for mentioning this in your latest chapter. (Did you know that there are Harry Potter n the Socerer's Stone coffee mugs - some have Snape on them!) (The book Snape, but still.)