"And you're sure that you serviced your brooms last night?"
"Yes, Katie."
"And you said the mantra?"
"Katie?"
"I kick ass. I kick ass. I kick ass."
"KATIE!" Angelina shouted.
"What?" Katie asked irritably, looking at Angelina as though seeing her for the first time.
"Calm down," Angelina replied, firmly placing her hands on Katie's shoulders and shaking her a few times. Katie stumbled backward and blinked a few times, shaking her head furiously. She stared blankly at Angelina for a moment or two, and resumed pacing the locker room, mumbling things to herself.
I will not lose, Katie thought to herself as she took a seat on the bench. Nothing would come between her and seeing that arrogant waste of male reproductive organs grovel like the rubbish that he was. She was lost in thought when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and let out a yelp, jumping into the air. She glared at the hand on her shoulder, ready to tell off whomever it was that had disturbed her, until she looked up and saw Alicia gazing back at her, looking worried.
"Katie, love, are you all right?" she asked, sitting down next to her.
Katie bit back feelings of frustration and hugged her lightly. "Yeah, 'Licia. I'll pull through," she said, putting on a half-hearted smile. Alicia seemed to buy her act long enough to pull her into a tight embrace and smile warmly.
"No worries, Katie. We won't let you down. Just keep your eye on the Quaffle, and nothing can go wrong."
Katie grinned in spite of herself. Katie knew that Alicia thought that she was overly enthusiastic with Quidditch. But, Alicia never put it so nicely. With her it was more like "psychotically obsessed." But, Katie knew that Alicia was merely doing it to make her feel better, and she appreciated it.
"All right, Gryffindor!" Angelina barked, shifting gears to Captain, "Out onto the pitch!"
Katie stood up, and odd feeling of numbness settling over her. She grabbed her broom and began the walk out to the field.
- - -
Katie and the rest of the Gryffindor team stood in line, facing the Slytherins. Warrington and Angelina shook hands, each fixing the other with a deadly stare. Katie looked down the line of Slytherins, each looking condescendingly at her and her teammates. Her eyes came to rest on Malfoy, who was smirking as though the match had already been won.
"Good luck, Bell," he said, his voice barely audible over the roar of the crowd.
"I won't need it, Malfoy," Katie replied calmly, her eyes making clear the malevolence that her tone did not.
"Players, mount your brooms!" Madam Hooch yelled, bringing the whistle to her lips. "3-2-1," the crowd was then drown out by Madam Hooch's whistle, and in Katie's mind, it was magnified to a deafening volume. Katie kicked off the ground, and was instantly after the bright red ball that had become her very world from the moment that whistle was blown.
Alicia had the Quaffle, and was streaking up the field. Katie followed close behind, watching Alicia's every move. Years of training side by side with her fellow chasers had taught her that each of her friends did something specific, however involuntary, before they attempted a pass. She tossed a glance at Alicia and saw her eyes narrow. Go! She thought to herself, knowing that Alicia's rocket of an arm would be aiming the ball at Katie in mere moments.
She brushed off an ill planned attempt at knocking her off of her broom by the Slytherin beaters and flew as fast as her broom would carry her into Alicia's range. She urged the broom to go faster, the wind screaming in her ears. Before she knew it, a red streak was headed toward the side of her head, and she rushed to meet it, her actions entirely second nature. In the time it took the audience to react to the fact that the Quaffle had been thrown, Katie had streaked up the field, the ball tucked securely under her arm.
She raced toward the Gryffindor goal, reveling in the familiar feeling of the wind whipping through her hair, thinking of nothing more than her singular target. Bletchley, the Slytherin Keeper was staring at her, his face screwed up in a frightening mix of concentration and malice toward Katie and anyone else that stood in his way.
She quickly grew weary of the game of cat and mouse that she had entered with Bletchley, and prepared herself to take the shot. The muscles I her arm were taut with concentration and in a split second's time, the Quaffle was out from under her arm and hurtling toward the goal. Not a moment later, she heard the deafening ring of the Quaffle going through the hoop.
"Gryffindor scores!!" Lee Jordan bellowed, sending a wave of roaring cheers from the Gryffindor supporters.
Bletchley was scowling horrifically at Katie, and she managed to stop giggling maniacally long enough to smirk back at him.
- - -
Katie was considerably more enthused about the rest of the match. All emotion, all feeling, had been driven out of her game the moment she scored that first goal, and it was evident that the rest of the Gryffindor team had become so as well. By the time she snapped out of her mechanical funk, Gryffindor was up sixty to ten. Suddenly, she heard a great blast of screams from the crowd. She looked around for a moment for the source of the uproar, and saw Harry and Malfoy enter a spectacular dive toward the glinting Snitch. Harry had a look of utmost concentration on his face, but it was a dead heat between the two boys. Katie couldn't watch. She stole the Quaffle from one of the Slytherin Chasers, who was watching the show in awe. She raced up the field and scored one last goal, desperate for anything that could keep her in motion.
The ring of the bell, signaling the score was all but drown out by tumultuous cheers from the crowd. Katie looked about, grinning madly and waiting for the Gryffindor supporters to come and sweep Harry into their multi-armed embrace, but they never came. Instead, she looked and saw Malfoy, Snitch in hand, looking at it interestedly. He smirked up at Katie, giving it a slight wave.
Katie was vaguely aware that the crowd was still cheering as she touched down, but she couldn't hear it. She met Alicia's pitying glance and Angelina's "I told you so" glare, but didn't see them. She felt Fred and George's heart claps on her back, but wasn't aware of them. Her mind was on the future, on the next week, as Lee Jordan's disappointed voice fell over her.
"Slytherin defeats Gryffindor 160-70. Slytherin wins. Slytherin wins."
"Yes, Katie."
"And you said the mantra?"
"Katie?"
"I kick ass. I kick ass. I kick ass."
"KATIE!" Angelina shouted.
"What?" Katie asked irritably, looking at Angelina as though seeing her for the first time.
"Calm down," Angelina replied, firmly placing her hands on Katie's shoulders and shaking her a few times. Katie stumbled backward and blinked a few times, shaking her head furiously. She stared blankly at Angelina for a moment or two, and resumed pacing the locker room, mumbling things to herself.
I will not lose, Katie thought to herself as she took a seat on the bench. Nothing would come between her and seeing that arrogant waste of male reproductive organs grovel like the rubbish that he was. She was lost in thought when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and let out a yelp, jumping into the air. She glared at the hand on her shoulder, ready to tell off whomever it was that had disturbed her, until she looked up and saw Alicia gazing back at her, looking worried.
"Katie, love, are you all right?" she asked, sitting down next to her.
Katie bit back feelings of frustration and hugged her lightly. "Yeah, 'Licia. I'll pull through," she said, putting on a half-hearted smile. Alicia seemed to buy her act long enough to pull her into a tight embrace and smile warmly.
"No worries, Katie. We won't let you down. Just keep your eye on the Quaffle, and nothing can go wrong."
Katie grinned in spite of herself. Katie knew that Alicia thought that she was overly enthusiastic with Quidditch. But, Alicia never put it so nicely. With her it was more like "psychotically obsessed." But, Katie knew that Alicia was merely doing it to make her feel better, and she appreciated it.
"All right, Gryffindor!" Angelina barked, shifting gears to Captain, "Out onto the pitch!"
Katie stood up, and odd feeling of numbness settling over her. She grabbed her broom and began the walk out to the field.
- - -
Katie and the rest of the Gryffindor team stood in line, facing the Slytherins. Warrington and Angelina shook hands, each fixing the other with a deadly stare. Katie looked down the line of Slytherins, each looking condescendingly at her and her teammates. Her eyes came to rest on Malfoy, who was smirking as though the match had already been won.
"Good luck, Bell," he said, his voice barely audible over the roar of the crowd.
"I won't need it, Malfoy," Katie replied calmly, her eyes making clear the malevolence that her tone did not.
"Players, mount your brooms!" Madam Hooch yelled, bringing the whistle to her lips. "3-2-1," the crowd was then drown out by Madam Hooch's whistle, and in Katie's mind, it was magnified to a deafening volume. Katie kicked off the ground, and was instantly after the bright red ball that had become her very world from the moment that whistle was blown.
Alicia had the Quaffle, and was streaking up the field. Katie followed close behind, watching Alicia's every move. Years of training side by side with her fellow chasers had taught her that each of her friends did something specific, however involuntary, before they attempted a pass. She tossed a glance at Alicia and saw her eyes narrow. Go! She thought to herself, knowing that Alicia's rocket of an arm would be aiming the ball at Katie in mere moments.
She brushed off an ill planned attempt at knocking her off of her broom by the Slytherin beaters and flew as fast as her broom would carry her into Alicia's range. She urged the broom to go faster, the wind screaming in her ears. Before she knew it, a red streak was headed toward the side of her head, and she rushed to meet it, her actions entirely second nature. In the time it took the audience to react to the fact that the Quaffle had been thrown, Katie had streaked up the field, the ball tucked securely under her arm.
She raced toward the Gryffindor goal, reveling in the familiar feeling of the wind whipping through her hair, thinking of nothing more than her singular target. Bletchley, the Slytherin Keeper was staring at her, his face screwed up in a frightening mix of concentration and malice toward Katie and anyone else that stood in his way.
She quickly grew weary of the game of cat and mouse that she had entered with Bletchley, and prepared herself to take the shot. The muscles I her arm were taut with concentration and in a split second's time, the Quaffle was out from under her arm and hurtling toward the goal. Not a moment later, she heard the deafening ring of the Quaffle going through the hoop.
"Gryffindor scores!!" Lee Jordan bellowed, sending a wave of roaring cheers from the Gryffindor supporters.
Bletchley was scowling horrifically at Katie, and she managed to stop giggling maniacally long enough to smirk back at him.
- - -
Katie was considerably more enthused about the rest of the match. All emotion, all feeling, had been driven out of her game the moment she scored that first goal, and it was evident that the rest of the Gryffindor team had become so as well. By the time she snapped out of her mechanical funk, Gryffindor was up sixty to ten. Suddenly, she heard a great blast of screams from the crowd. She looked around for a moment for the source of the uproar, and saw Harry and Malfoy enter a spectacular dive toward the glinting Snitch. Harry had a look of utmost concentration on his face, but it was a dead heat between the two boys. Katie couldn't watch. She stole the Quaffle from one of the Slytherin Chasers, who was watching the show in awe. She raced up the field and scored one last goal, desperate for anything that could keep her in motion.
The ring of the bell, signaling the score was all but drown out by tumultuous cheers from the crowd. Katie looked about, grinning madly and waiting for the Gryffindor supporters to come and sweep Harry into their multi-armed embrace, but they never came. Instead, she looked and saw Malfoy, Snitch in hand, looking at it interestedly. He smirked up at Katie, giving it a slight wave.
Katie was vaguely aware that the crowd was still cheering as she touched down, but she couldn't hear it. She met Alicia's pitying glance and Angelina's "I told you so" glare, but didn't see them. She felt Fred and George's heart claps on her back, but wasn't aware of them. Her mind was on the future, on the next week, as Lee Jordan's disappointed voice fell over her.
"Slytherin defeats Gryffindor 160-70. Slytherin wins. Slytherin wins."