::Okay, this is sort of what happens after Percy's conversation with Oliver. I am sorry that I had to cut it—So here goes… Oh, and Artemis and Courtney are going out::
"So, what you got planned for us, Captain?" Artemis asked as all seven members of the team walked up the staircase leading to the Hufflepuff Tower.
"I don't want to say anything yet. Who knows—there could be Slytherins, Ravenclaws, or even Gryffindors sneaking up around here—no offense to Oliver, Claire," Cedric explained, looking left to right for other House students.
"Ced, you really do sound like Oliver, now. Please, relax before you start spending all your nights sitting in the corner of the common room, playing with diagrams of our team and others like Oliver does," Claire giggled.
"Oliver really does that?" Amy asked, bewildered. She stopped dead on her tracks.
"Yes, he does. Why?" Claire stopped as well. They were halfway up the stairs.
"I always thought you were joking when you told us that," Amy whispered to her as the others walked past them.
"Come on, you girls! This is important!" Cedric beckoned to them. The girls giggled and rushed to catch up with their friends.
Once up the stairs and in front of the Portrait Hole to the Hufflepuff common room, Claire was next to Cedric, talking strictly prefect business. Claire looked up at the portrait of the Greek goddess Aphrodite, in a silk, white dress on and an elegant garden with a night sky backdrop.
"Cheesy badger," she muttered to the goddess of love as the portrait hole opened and revealed canary and black furniture taking its place near the fireplace. Claire situated herself on the black armchair on the right-hand side of the fireplace.
"Okay, everyone, let's all be seated. We need to discuss this season and our plans," Cedric said as he faced his back at the fireplace and faced his team assembled on the couch, other armchair, and ground. "Let's start with suggestions to make our team better this year."
"Well, we could train harder with different tactics," Anthony said.
"Yes, that's the obvious ticket, but what else can we do?"
"Well, I've got a plan. See, I've been studying these diagrams of Oliver's and it was how the Slytherins and Ravenclaws move. Now, I don't want to copy Oliver's team, but if we try our best to at least remember how every other team played last year, chances are they'd do the same thing this year," Claire explained as everyone nodded their head in agreement.
"That's a good idea," Artemis spoke.
"I agree. Okay, so we can do that. Any other suggestions?" Cedric said as everyone looked at each other. "No suggestions? Well, then, let's just end this meeting right now. If anyone has suggestions, just meet up with me and we'll bring it up on our practices. All right, good night, team."
"Good night, Cedric," they all said to him. Claire was about to go up to the bedchambers when Cedric stopped her.
"Claire, can I talk to you?" he asked, grasping her arm so she stayed.
"Yes?" she answered, turning around.
"I would appreciate it if none of our Quidditch business reached Wood. You know his strive and ambition. Please, please don't tell anything," Cedric requested.
"Cedric, you have known me how long? I have been on the same team as you how many years? And have I once slipped a word of information about Quidditch to Oliver? Have I?" Claire asked, sternly, yet pleasantly.
"No, you haven't," he chuckled, scratching the back of his neck.
"Okay, then. There is no need to worry, Ced. Oliver will not hear anything about anything concerning our team," she reassured him.
"All right. Good night, Claire," Cedric said, patting her shoulder.
"Good night, Ced," she said back to him, heading to the dormitories.
On the Saturday of the second week of school, Hufflepuff had their first practice in the afternoon. Claire arrived at the Quidditch field at one thirty with Amy and Zoë. They were talking about the usual teenage girl pap—boys. When they got there, the boys of the team were waiting on the field, impatiently.
"Sorry we're late, boys," Zoë sighed, as the girls giggled to themselves.
"All right, don't let it happen again," Cedric said, letting the tardiness of three of his teammates slide.
"So what are we doing today?" Anthony asked as all of them mounted their brooms.
"Well, I was thinking about putting to life this play that Claire, Artemis, and I came up with," Cedric explained.
"Okay, let's see it," Cliff said, as everyone kicked off the ground.
Once in the air, Artemis took his place in front of the goal posts as Cliff, Cedric, and Amy acted as the Ravenclaw chasers. Anthony, Zoë, and Claire passed the Quaffle to each other, keeping it out of reach of the amateur chasers and weaving around them. As Anthony was about to throw the Quaffle into the posts, Artemis blocked it off and Cedric caught it. But, it was cleverly taken away by Zoë, who passed it on to Claire to aim it for the posts. The ball passed by an inattentive Artemis. When the ball went through the hoops, Claire, Anthony, and Zoë hooted gleefully.
Then, Cedric took the ball and passed it to an open Amy. She wove around Claire and Anthony as Zoë tried to block her. It was a hopeless attempt on Zoë's part as the ball was kept securely in Amy's hands, passed off to Cliff, and he threw the ball to the hoop, as Artemis was, again, unable to block the shot.
The whole practice went on like that. Cedric and Anthony raced to find the Snitch before each other to strengthen Cedric's skill of the Seeker. Cliff and Amy did their Bludger hitting and everyone had even practice for their spot. When their practice was over at 2:30, the team washed themselves in the locker rooms, changed out of their Quidditch robes and into casual clothing, and then lied on the grass of the field, studying and talking about the clouds.
"That one looks kinda like a hippogriff," Cliff laughed, reminding himself of the Draco/hippogriff incident, which his sister, Hannah, told him about.
"I like that one—it looks like a Snitch," Cedric chuckled, pointing to one way above the hippogriff cloud.
"You and your Snitches," Amy giggled.
"That one looks like—" Claire started.
"OLIVER!" Artemis interrupted. He was the only one sitting up to see Oliver walking to the group of seven.
"That doesn't look like Oliver. I was about to say it looked like—"
"No, Oliver's here," Artemis said to her, pointing at the Scottish Gryffindor. Claire sat up as well, easily founding her beau, smiled, and waved at him.
"You invited him over here?" Cedric asked, getting up, too.
"Yes, I did. But I told him to come at three o'clock. I thought you lot would clear off after practice," Claire rebottled nicely.
"Well, okay then. Just remember what we discussed. We'll be giving you your privacy with Prince Charming now," Cedric joked as Claire slapped him lightly on his arm.
The six of her teammates stood up and left her lying on the ground by herself. When Oliver passed them, they greeted one another and walked to the Quidditch shed to store their broomsticks.
"Hey, Claire," Oliver said, taking a seat next to her.
"Hi, Oliver," she answered back, kissing him on the cheek.
"So, how was the first practice of the season?"
"Tiring, but I guess I have to get used to it. I reckon Cedric is turning into a Hufflepuff version of you, Ollie. He's so crazed on at least winning one game this season," Claire giggled.
"Really? Just one game? Your team is getting very better nowadays, I think you'd give us other teams a run for our money," Oliver laughed; not noticing Claire shifted her eyes from him to the ground.
"What's the matter?" he asked when he looked at his girlfriend stare sadly at the ground.
"Nothing at all, really," she whispered, privately wishing Oliver didn't want to talk more about Quidditch. But knowing him, he would be on the subject forever, she thought to herself.
"But something's wrong, I—"
"Look, Oliver, nothing's wrong. And if there was something wrong, I would've told you, correct?" she said to him.
"I guess. But, if there is something you'd like to talk about, you know that I am always here, right?" he told her, as Claire just nodded.
"I'd better go now. I'll see you later, okay?" Oliver said, standing up.
"Yeah, sure," Claire answered to him as Oliver walked off. Claire looked up at the sky and said to herself, "Always the same, damn, Oliver Wood. Can't seem to think about anything but Quidditch. Always talks about Quidditch!"
Then, she got up and walked to the castle to rest.
::Please, please review my story. I'd really love it if you did. Thanks a bunch…::