Ch: 9 The Debut of a Star (& the return of another)

Reive couldn't believe her good fortune. Just when she was sure her life was going down the drain, it had taken an about turn for the better! Here she was perfectly happy at Hogwarts, reunited with her mentor and continuing her 'luna education' so to speak with her new 'friend' (more like partner in crime!) Draco Malfoy a.k.a. blondie. She had nicknamed him that after the talk with her mentor, during which Maya had inadvertently referred to him as 'the blondie'. It had amused her as much as it did Malfoy junior when he finally heard of it.

Plus, she was doing well at school. Not just studies, but the all-important quidditch as well. She would never forget that day( indeed, neither would Hogwarts for quite some time to come) when she was accepted into the Slytherin team.

During a certain Potions class, when they had as usual, finished earlier than the rest, except for, no surprise, one pesky Granger, Draco told her about the quidditch try-outs that afternoon after classes. He was rambling on about who he thought would make the team when he was stopped short by her declaration " I think I'll try out for the team."

Mouth still open in mid-sentence, he turned to stare at her with fish- eyes. "What?" he hissed in her ear. "You play?"

She took offence immediately. "What do you mean by That? That girls can't play Quidditch? I've noticed the 'Non- existence' of females on the team and personally ,I think that's where the weak link is. You guys are too busy bragging off pitch and showing off on the pitch to ever think straight enough to stick to the gameplan, presuming you even devise such a thing!" she said in a fierce hiss.

Now Draco's mouth was opening and closing as though he was trying to get a word in and that coupled with his wide eyes made him look even more 'fishy'. When her tirade finally ended he huffed, "Would you atleast give me a chance to explain myself? I was just about to ask why you never told me before! What position do you prefer to play?"

A little way away, the Potions Master's mouth curled slightly upward at the corners. He had overheard most of Reive's little outburst and couldn't help but agree. His mouth straightened to its usual thin line soon enough as he caught Potter staring at him. "Insufferable brat!" he thought to himself as he moved off to inspect another student's work.

By the time class ended, Reive and Draco were immersed in a typical Quidditch discussion. Brooms, tactics, players every aspect of the game(from the slytherin pov) had been covered by the time they arrived at the pitch to find around 12 hopefuls for the slytherin team gathered there. It was a slightly windy day. Reive summoned her broom, an older model of the Firebolt, given to her by her mentor and waited her turn while Draco examined it admiringly. She would try-out for the position of a Chaser.

" Great balance," he commented as he let the broom hover in mid-air. "What about pick-up speed?" he asked.

"Its just as good as the latest model, except the manufacturers thought it needed a change in its looks, plus an update in the braking and anti-jinx charms" she replied as she watched a particularly good save executed by the goal keeper.

" May I?" he asked hopefully. "After you're done ofcourse!" he added hastily.

" Sure" she grinned at him but he was too busy with the broom in his hands. "Boys." she thought to herself.

Finally her turn arrived. Just as she mounted her broom, she heard a familiar sound, no, it was more like a continuous beat... like...music?

" What the..?!" She looked around the stands for the source. Suddenly, someone cried out from a corner of the stands.

"Watcha waiting for? A freakin' invitation?! Well, it certainly don't get any better than this!" a cheery ,suspisciously Irish female voice called out.

It was then she caught sight of the figure clad in dark maroon figure hugging robes [!] standing high up in the stand. Although she recognized the figure instantly, her mind refused to believe what her eyes were seeing.

"G? [thats kinda like 'jee'] Merlin's bloody beard!" she screeched. It couldn't be...but it was, indeed, Yana Giovanni [Italian name, Irish acent.. go figure!].

Yana Giovanni was, or had been, popularly known as a part of the original singing trio "The Weird Sisters" in the wizarding world until the band's split 5 years ago. Red-headed with dull gold streaks, she made quite a striking figure, and was easily recognized. She was also a huge quidditch fan and had been Reive's coach and driving inspiration when she first started playing at the age of 7. It had been the esteemed ex-coach's practice to play a particularly fast, pulsing piece of music whenever Reive made her entrance in any game she played. It was embarrassing but it was an expression of the coach's fierce pride in her protégé.

"You go girl!" Yana yelled delightedly, as Myra, who now donned elegant flowing black robes as Professor, stepped out onto the stands behind her and waved encouragingly at Reive.

She noticed the music start up again as she kicked off and tried to ignore the heat in her cheeks and concentrate on the game. Fairly soon she was lost in the frantic chase for the Quaffle, the pulsing rhythm nothing more than a natural part of the game just like the sound of the wind. It definitely felt like the old times. Music always brought out the best in her.

Meanwhile, it seemed as if most of the school had turned up in the stands, lured by the strains of guitars and drum beats. They certainly weren't disappointed by the sight that met their eyes.

It was Reive's peculiar style to hover a little above playing level for a few seconds, weighing her options, before launching into battle with a sound akin to a battle-cry. She was a natural attacker and attacked suddenly and without mercy. Her opponents had soon learnt to dread that cry and that whoosh of air as she careened past them, inevitably with the quaffle in her hands, as they looked on helplessly.

The school got their first taste of Madeline Reive at her finest in quidditch that day, and the ex-coach's musical finishing touch only ensured that the incident would become the stuff of Hogwarts legend.

[btw this means a/n] a/n: ok I received 2 more reviews a looong time ago and this acknowledgement is rather overdue. Thanx guys, dunno if you're still reading this, sorry but school got in the way, hope you catch up! I've tried to correct the offending chapters. To new readers, welcome to my humble imaginary world!(rights owned by JKR duh! Except for the Luna part and Ocs) Puleeze review if you think this is worth it. Or even if you don't!