Chapter 3

            "Here." James handed me a battered looking broomstick. "It's a bit tatty, but it'll do the job."

            I couldn't stop myself grinning. I didn't care how tatty it was. It was my first broom. And not my last, I hoped.

            "Thanks," I said, taking it and weighing it up in my hand.

            "And here's the kit," James went on, shoving a Hogsmeade Horntails sports robe and a pair of shorts into my arms. "Don't be afraid to get it dirty."

            My smile disappeared fast. I held up the sports robe and looked at it in dismay. Far too short to cover my exposed legs, if I wore the shorts. I don't do shorts. Ever.

            "Can't I wear my tracksuit bottoms?" I blurted out.

            James was already walking away, towards the pitch. "No. Go and get changed."

            My heart sank. I stared at the shorts. They looked tiny – my scar would be totally visible. I couldn't believe he was making me do this. I sighed and headed towards the changing rooms.

            I nearly died when I walked inside. The changing room was packed – and most of the girls had half their clothes off. One was actually walking around in her bra and knickers, without a care in the world. I gulped, clutching my kit. I wasn't used to undressing in public. It just wasn't something we did in my family. And my scar didn't help. But I was just going to have to get on with it. This was a whole new world I was jumping into.

            "Hey, Lily." Abby called to me from across the room. "Get changed over here with me."

            I hurried over gratefully. She looked really pleased to see me, which was reassuring. "You've met our captain, Mel, haven't you?" she went on.

            A pretty black girl was getting changed next to Abby. "Yeah," I smiled. "Hi."

            "So you're up for a proper match then, Lily," Mel said with a friendly grin. After a little initial suspicion from the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, I had been surprised at how welcoming the team had been. "Chiswick Cheetahs next. They've got the best defensive record in the league, so they're due for a good stuffing." She pulled her T-shirt over her head. "We need some more pace up front." I nodded, trying to look anywhere other than at her chest. "And we could do with another decent Chaser. So, welcome to the Horntails, Lily!"

            "Thanks," I mumbled.

            It was about time I was getting changed too, so I slipped my Horntails robe over my head and began trying to get my sweatshirt off underneath. I was tying myself up in knots, so I was glad when the other girls started filing outside. Within a few minutes I was the only one left in the dressing room.

            I whipped off my tracksuit bottoms, and pulled on the shorts. I felt sick. I hardly ever looked at my scar, and I'd forgotten just how big and ugly it was. It ran all the way down my right thigh to my knee. The shorts and sports robe hardly covered it at all.

            I crept out of the changing rooms, trying vainly to pull the right leg of my shorts down to hide the scar. Down on the pitch, James had already started the team on laps. I was dying to join in, but I just couldn't bring myself to. Maybe if I talked to him again, he'd let me wear my tracksuit bottoms instead.

            I slipped into the stand and sat down. After a moment or two James spotted me and walked over, frowning.

            "Lily, what's going on?"

            I didn't answer, so he vaulted over the barrier and came to sit beside me. I watched his expression when he noticed my scar. He looked totally taken aback. But he didn't seem disgusted or anything.

            "It looks awful," I muttered. "That's why I can't wear shorts."

            "Merlin, that's a stunner alright," James agreed. "I though I had a bad one on my knee, but yours is gorgeous! Look," he went on gently, "don't worry about it. No-one's going to care once you're up there." He glanced down at my leg again. "What happened?"

            "You don't want to know," I said gloomily.

            James pulled up the leg of his tracksuit and showed me a scar on his right knee. "The best medi-wizards in St Mungo's, and it's still useless," he said. "Does yours affect your game?"

            I shook my head. "Nah, it just looks awful." I glanced at him. "You know Professor Morgan?"

            "The DADA teacher?"

            "Yeah, well, my parents were killed a few years ago and I've lived with the Morgans ever since. Kate…I mean, Professor Morgan was experimenting with her potions homework back in seventh year. I was eleven, and chronically curious. I was watching over her shoulder and distracted her at the wrong moment – she dropped in too much Indian brandy, the potion expanded, the cauldron overflowed and the potion poured down my leg." I shivered as I remembered the shock and the pain. "Kate brewed an antidote as quick as she could, but it didn't work too well." I screwed my face up. "I was still missing half my skin."

            "I'm sorry," James said.

            "I know," I sighed. "And they wonder why I get bad potions grades."

            He burst out laughing and stood up. "C'mon. Mine stopped me from playing outright. Yours doesn't."

            I felt a bit ashamed of myself, then. James was right. At least I could play.

            "I'm sorry about your knee," I said hesitantly.

            "Yeah, yeah, I'm a right sob story, aren't I?" James shrugged as we walked out onto the pitch. I noticed Abby looking at us a bit strangely. She was probably wondering what we were talking about.

"Now, come on, let's see some sweat on you."

            I couldn't get over how understanding James was. He seemed to know exactly how I was feeling inside. He really was a brilliant coach. I bet he'd been an ace player, too. It was a shame about his knee injury.

            Seconds later I'd forgotten all about my stupid scar. I joined the others swooping around the pitch, then we levitated some target rings and James got us to fly through them while he made them move around. I was worried I might not be as fit as the rest of them, but all that time I put into embarrassing Zott and the others on the Hogwarts lawns seemed to have paid off. I was a bit out of breath, but not much.

            After some more fitness training, we moved on to practising Quaffle drills. It was much more fun – I felt truly alive, swooping around the pitch with Abby and the rest, Quaffle in hand and grin firmly in place.

            We finished the training session with a quick game, and I scored several times, as well as setting up some beauties for Abby and the other Chaser, Rosmerta, from the village. As I flew back to Hogwarts afterwards, I was buzzing. I could've flown to Bulgaria and back! This was what I'd always wanted to do. And now that I'd got used to the kit, I couldn't bear to take it off. I didn't care if the whole of Hogwarts saw my scar. I was on a total high.

            The boys were playing on the lawns as usual. I dashed over to them, broom in hand, grinning all over my face. "Hey, Sev!"

            Sev stared at me admiringly. "Wow, Lily! You look like a pro in that kit."

            "It's brilliant, Sev," I gabbled happily. "They're a top team, and the coach is ace."

            "Excellent!"

            The other boys had stopped playing and were staring at me.

            "What's that down your leg?" Zott said, pointing at my scar.

            "Haven't you seen a burn before?" I retorted.

            All the boys made loud noises like they were about to be sick.

            "That's disgusting, man!" Zott pulled a face.

            "Oi!" Sev yelled, squaring up to him. "Back off, you prat."

            "Ooh, lover boy!" they all sniggered, and fell about laughing.

            "It's fine." I was eyeing the Quaffle in Zott's hands. "At least I can still beat you with my eyes closed!" I darted forward and nicked the Quaffle, kicking off hard from the ground as I did so. Zott raced after me, but I spiralled around him, always just out of reach. Then I looped the Quaffle up and threw it over his head, diving under him to catch it on the other side. Zott gave a shout of frustration. He doubled back and came at me again. This time I stopped dead in midair before he got to me, and freefalled down and out of his reach, before swooping around him and chucking the Quaffle through the nearest hoop.

            "Oh, skill!" I shouted, as I caught the Quaffle again and swooped down the pitch. I was really enjoying myself. "Look at the skill!"

            I came to a stop near the ground as Zott grabbed me by the broomtail from behind.

            "Let me go!" I yelled, letting go of my broom with both hands in order to pummel him.

            The boys were all roaring with laughter as he swung me off my broom and onto his. I was laughing too – until I saw the look on Sev's face. He was staring past me and Zott, but I couldn't see what he was looking at. The other boys stopped laughing too. Then Taz glanced round, and dropped me the few feet onto the pitch like a hot potato.

            Kate was standing there with a bag of potion ingredients in her hand, looking like she was about to skin me alive to use as one of them.

            "By Salazar, Liliana!" Kate was wringing her hands, standing in front of the picture of our glorious founder. "He was touching you all over, putting his hands on your bare legs – you'll have even less chance of making a marriage." She glared at me. I was sitting on the sofa in the common room, still wearing my Horntails kit. "You're not a young girl any more, Liliana. You need to take more responsibility. I don't want you hanging around those boys any more – you'll be lucky to even get a half-blood now. And I forbid you to go anywhere near that Quidditch pitch. And what are you wearing? Showing the world your scar…Merlin's ghost!..."

            "Lily, now that your cousin's engaged, it's different," Mike said. He was at the bar in Kate's office, getting himself a Fire-whisky. I didn't drink, but right now I could have done with one myself. "You know how people talk."

            "She's the one getting married, not me!" I said resentfully.

            "I was married at your age," Kate snapped. "You don't even wear make-up!"

            I didn't see what that had to do with it. "Anyway, I'm not playing with boys any more." Maybe that would shut them up.

            "Good." Kate headed off towards her office. "End of matter."

            "I'm joining a girl's team," I went on. "They want me to play in proper matches."

            Kate and Mike stared at each other.

            "The coach said I could go far," I added, looking hopefully at Mike. He was always more of a soft touch than Mum.

            "Go far?" Kate snorted. "To where? Lily, we let you play all you wanted when you were young. You've played enough."

            "But that's not fair," I cut in. "He selected me."

            "He?" Kate pounced like a cat on a mouse, and turned to Mike. "She said it was girls!"

            "The coach is called James," I explained patiently.

            "See how she lies?" Kate shook her head at Mike. "What family will want a daughter-in-law who flies around playing Quidditch all day?" She looked sternly at me. "You should be studying for your NEWTs, so you can get a good job in the Ministry and be useful, for a change!"

            "But, Mike –" I began.

            Mike started to say something, but Kate jumped in again. "Look, this is how you spoil her," she said loudly. "This is how it started with your niece. The way that girl would answer back! Then she runs off to find dead bodies and get sand in her hair."

            "Kate!" I tried to get a word in edgeways. "She's a Curse-Breaker!"

            "She's divorced, that's what she is," Kate pointed out triumphantly. "Cast off after three years married to a Muggle with blue hair! Her poor mother, she hasn't been able to come near society since. I don't want this shame in my family!" She held up her hand. "That's it! No more Quidditch!"

            She stormed out of the common room. I slumped on the sofa. I couldn't believe it. I'd finally found something I really wanted to do and now I wasn't going to be allowed to do it.

            "Lily, Kaitlyn is right," Mike said, looking at me awkwardly. "It doesn't look nice. You must behave like a proper young woman now."

            There was no point in arguing. I swallowed hard, trying not to cry. It looked like my Quidditch days were well and truly over.

***

            "It's out of order, Sev!" I bunched my wet hanky into a ball, and scrubbed at my eyes. "Anything I want is just not feminine enough, or not Slytherin enough. I mean, I never bunked off lessons like Cissa and Bubbly, I'm not sleeping around or wearing tarty clothes or sneaking out like they do. I get the best grades of everyone! I'm Head Girl, for Merlin's sake! But they just don't see all those things."

            "Parents never see the good things." Sev said understandingly. We were walking across the lawns together. After what had happened, I'd just had to get out of the castle.

            "Anyone can pass the exams, if they study, or can try and catch a guy," I muttered. "But who can pitch a pass like Pendragon?"

            Sev looked thoughtfully at me. "Why don't you just play, and not tell them?" he suggested. "I mean, Cissa's been sneaking out to Hogsmeade to see Luc for years, and now they're getting married, no-one cares. I bet she'll tell you where the secret passages are. What your family don't know won't hurt 'em."

            "Why should I have to lie?" I sighed. "It's not like I'm sleeping around or anything."

            "Lily!"

            Abby was running to catch us up. Quickly I wiped my eyes again. "Hi, Abby," I said, as cheerfully as I could. "This is Sev. Sev, this is Abby from the team."

            "Hi, all right?" Sev grinned at her. "Lily's got it good with your team."

            "We've got high hopes for her," Abby smiled back. "Especially me."

            I looked down at the ground. "Professor Morgan doesn't want me to play any more," I blurted out.

            "What?! But that's crap!" Abby sounded horrified. "Listen, my mum's never wanted me to play since I started. You just can't take no for an answer."

            I glanced at her. "Really?"

            Abby nodded. "Yeah, she's convinced I'm too much of a tomboy. Whenever I go home for the holidays she tries to make me wear girly clothes, and go out with this guy we know called Kevin."

            "But my cousin's getting married soon, and everyone's totally stressed out," I explained. "I won't be able to get out of the castle for training and matches anyway."

            "Come on, Lily, you can't leave me alone out there," Abby urged. "James's told me he's got a scout coming over from the professional teams."

            I remembered what Abby said about playing professionally in England now, and felt a stab of envy. That was never going to happen for me.

            "Anyway, don't worry about Professor Morgan," Abby went on confidently. "I'll show you a couple of secret passages down into Hogsmeade."

            "But she'll notice I'm never there… she's not stupid."

            "Just say you've joined a study group, with me. There are NEWTs coming up, after all."

            That was a great idea. I glanced at Sev, who nodded. It might just work.

            "So, now we've got that sorted –" Abby grinned widely at us and whipped out her wand to summon her broom "– are you going to show me what your fella can do or what?"

            "Oh, he's not my fella," I said, at exactly the same time as Sev said, "I'm not her boyfriend.

            We looked at each other, embarrassed, and then Sev summoned his broom and scooted off after Abby.

            "Come on, Lily," Abby yelled over her shoulder. "Are you playing or what?"

            I ran after them, summoning my broom as I went. I felt better, but not much. I was going to carry on playing, but I was going to have to lie to do it. I didn't know if I could pull it off.