Close on Omniscience - Chapter 3
It was a whole week before the sixth-year Gryffindors had double-anything with the Ravenclaws. And when it came, it came in Flying Class. Unfortunately for Sirius, he was not good with the broom. Lucky for him, they were practicing throwing the Quaffle into the hoop while standing on the ground. The weather was lovely in the autumn: a cool, refreshing breeze sweeping the green countryside and coloring the leaves on the trees of the Forbidden Forest as if with a master's paints. The castle stood in its aged awe-inspiring large mass of a fortress.
"Remember, follow through," Madame Hooch instructed sharply on the Quidditch practice greens. Ten ground-level hoops had been set up for the lesson. "If you miss, retrieve the ball and shoot again. If you make it, your partner will retrieve the ball, and it is their turn to shoot. When they make their basket, begin to shoot at a distance five feet back than before. Choose partners and please record scores."
"I'm going be partners with that girl," he pointed to the select Ravenclaw. James nodded, not pausing to think about pairing up with Remus. Sirius walked quickly so she was not taken before he got there, but nobody made advances to her but Sirius.
"Want to be partners?" he asked politely. She looked skeptical but nodded. He collected a Quaffle and gave it to her.
"Ladies first," he insisted. She smiled a bit. Taking careful aim, she threw it, missing it by three feet. She jogged quickly to go get it, and shot again. This time, she threw it and went four feet wide, at least.
"Zero, zero," Sirius said with a small smile. She ran again, grabbed the wayward Quaffle. She stepped back again to aim, and missing it again. She repeated the process several times, while Sirius put on a show yawning at her obvious talent deficiency.
"Still zero," Sirius said with a grin as wide as Christmas as she went to retrieve it for the sixth time.
"You're-really-enjoying-this-aren't you?" she remarked, puffing out the words in winded pants, then taking a wild shot, which of course did not go near the hoop.
"Darn it, you made me lose count," Sirius snickered. She huffed incessantly, her chest heaving up and down, gasping for breath. She focused, under-handed throwing it like a softball pitcher. The ball reluctantly went in and she gasped with relief. She switched over to Sirius' position near the hoop, but he wasn't moving to go out and get the Quaffle.
"Wait," he said slowly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to dog you." The girl shrugged.
"S'all right. I'm used to it," she said with a half-smile.
"What I really want to ask is.what's your name?"
"What? You didn't believe Megatroid was my real name?"
"No," Sirius pushed cautiously. "It's not, is it?"
"Of course not. My name is Sara."
"Sara what?"
"Sara Cairns. Of Fairgold."
"Fairgold? Is that a city?"
"A town. Kind of cozy. It's an old folks village, mostly. All Muggle. Except for me. And an old Celtic lady who calls herself a witch." Sara smiled as if remembering a sweet memory.
"I'm Sirius Black," he said with a champion's grin.
"I knew that."
"Let's stop the chatter, ladies," Madame Hooch called to them from a ways away. Anyone who knew him had to admit he sort of looked like a girl from behind. He blushed red and Sara giggled like a first-year, sweeping away a stray lock of black hair.
Sirius had never actually studied anyone except his closest friends. Sara had lovely black hair. She had a tiny figure, and she was a stick straight up and down-not the type Sirius ever went for. Though she had fair, fair skin she blushed quite easily. He looked in her gray eyes and he could have sworn he saw a tiny sparkle there, one that wasn't there before.
"Your turn," she said, pointing toward the abandoned Quaffle. He went to get it. He stood on the throwing line, wound up a throw, and the ball sailed far into the air above the hoop.
"Zero," Sara Cairns called out, sitting down in the thick green grass to watch the show.
It was a whole week before the sixth-year Gryffindors had double-anything with the Ravenclaws. And when it came, it came in Flying Class. Unfortunately for Sirius, he was not good with the broom. Lucky for him, they were practicing throwing the Quaffle into the hoop while standing on the ground. The weather was lovely in the autumn: a cool, refreshing breeze sweeping the green countryside and coloring the leaves on the trees of the Forbidden Forest as if with a master's paints. The castle stood in its aged awe-inspiring large mass of a fortress.
"Remember, follow through," Madame Hooch instructed sharply on the Quidditch practice greens. Ten ground-level hoops had been set up for the lesson. "If you miss, retrieve the ball and shoot again. If you make it, your partner will retrieve the ball, and it is their turn to shoot. When they make their basket, begin to shoot at a distance five feet back than before. Choose partners and please record scores."
"I'm going be partners with that girl," he pointed to the select Ravenclaw. James nodded, not pausing to think about pairing up with Remus. Sirius walked quickly so she was not taken before he got there, but nobody made advances to her but Sirius.
"Want to be partners?" he asked politely. She looked skeptical but nodded. He collected a Quaffle and gave it to her.
"Ladies first," he insisted. She smiled a bit. Taking careful aim, she threw it, missing it by three feet. She jogged quickly to go get it, and shot again. This time, she threw it and went four feet wide, at least.
"Zero, zero," Sirius said with a small smile. She ran again, grabbed the wayward Quaffle. She stepped back again to aim, and missing it again. She repeated the process several times, while Sirius put on a show yawning at her obvious talent deficiency.
"Still zero," Sirius said with a grin as wide as Christmas as she went to retrieve it for the sixth time.
"You're-really-enjoying-this-aren't you?" she remarked, puffing out the words in winded pants, then taking a wild shot, which of course did not go near the hoop.
"Darn it, you made me lose count," Sirius snickered. She huffed incessantly, her chest heaving up and down, gasping for breath. She focused, under-handed throwing it like a softball pitcher. The ball reluctantly went in and she gasped with relief. She switched over to Sirius' position near the hoop, but he wasn't moving to go out and get the Quaffle.
"Wait," he said slowly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to dog you." The girl shrugged.
"S'all right. I'm used to it," she said with a half-smile.
"What I really want to ask is.what's your name?"
"What? You didn't believe Megatroid was my real name?"
"No," Sirius pushed cautiously. "It's not, is it?"
"Of course not. My name is Sara."
"Sara what?"
"Sara Cairns. Of Fairgold."
"Fairgold? Is that a city?"
"A town. Kind of cozy. It's an old folks village, mostly. All Muggle. Except for me. And an old Celtic lady who calls herself a witch." Sara smiled as if remembering a sweet memory.
"I'm Sirius Black," he said with a champion's grin.
"I knew that."
"Let's stop the chatter, ladies," Madame Hooch called to them from a ways away. Anyone who knew him had to admit he sort of looked like a girl from behind. He blushed red and Sara giggled like a first-year, sweeping away a stray lock of black hair.
Sirius had never actually studied anyone except his closest friends. Sara had lovely black hair. She had a tiny figure, and she was a stick straight up and down-not the type Sirius ever went for. Though she had fair, fair skin she blushed quite easily. He looked in her gray eyes and he could have sworn he saw a tiny sparkle there, one that wasn't there before.
"Your turn," she said, pointing toward the abandoned Quaffle. He went to get it. He stood on the throwing line, wound up a throw, and the ball sailed far into the air above the hoop.
"Zero," Sara Cairns called out, sitting down in the thick green grass to watch the show.