Oliver pulled off his navy blue robes with difficulty and hung them in his locker. He lowered himself tenderly onto a bench, massaging his lower back. He could not remember ever aching so much. Someone plopped down next to him on the bench. Oliver glanced over to see Warren's broad friendly smile.

"You okay there, mate?"

Oliver's reply was a pathetic moan.

Warren chuckled. "First day is always the worst. No worries, you're a great flier. Nice to finally have a keeper that knows what he's doing, y'know?" Warren's accent was distinctly Australian.

"Thanks," Oliver said with a weak smile.

"Never got to meet you properly. Matt Warren's the name. Been with the team four years. Nice to have you aboard." Matt stuck out his hand which Oliver firmly shook.

"Oliver Wood. Just graduated from Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts, eh? I went to Aussie's own Alkridge myself. Played Keeper there for four years. Found that Beater suits me better however."

"Yeah, hittin' things always has been your forte, hasn't it Warren?" another voice said, laughing. Oliver turned to see the other Beater called Warren sticking out his hand, which Oliver shook.

"Brit's own Scott Warren at your service. I came from Hogwarts too, though you were just a third year when I graduated. I remember you though, just made it on the Griffyndor team when I left. I played on Hufflepuff. Beater, of course."

Oliver nodded. He knew Warren had looked familiar. "Yeah, I remember you."

"I 'spect you're a little curious about the rest of these Quidditch Maniacs," Matt said. Oliver nodded, watching Jones talking with Merrell as she hung up her robes.

"Yeah... I mean I know who you everyone is because I follow Quidditch like mad but don't really know the details."

"Well you got Jonesy over there who seems tough but she's nothin' to be 'fraid of. Quite the sweetheart really... once you get her off her broom and back into reality. Canadian born she is. Great leader... great captain. A looker too, though she don't seem to know it. Had me and Warren here wide-eyed and jaw-dropped when she marched into our first practice. But she's taken, she is." Matt jabbed a finger towards the tall Chaser she was talking with.

"Merrell?" Oliver asked, surprised.

Scott answered. "Yeah, Will Merrell. Great guy. Real quiet type. 'Strong and Silent' his Lizzie likes to call him. Those two been makin' eyes at each other for ages, since they met at school years back. We're counting on an announcement any day now of the engagement kind. This is Will's last year seeing as next year he is off to work as an Auror for the Ministry. Passed the tests and all, real smart guy."

Oliver nodded.

"Then we got Juliette Farr," Matt continued. "Julie we call her. Nicest gal I know, except when she is playing the game. She gets mighty fierce up there on her broom, takes the game seriously. We got her from the French, though she's no hoity toity lass like those French women. Jules joined us two years ago and plays like a mad woman. Looks like she is still a bit riled up from practice. She gets that way." At the moment, she was brushing through her thick blonde hair so forcefully that small cries were escaping her. Oliver cringed.

Oliver nodded thoughtfully. He searched the room until his eyes came to rest on Jane, who was using her wand to get rid of the mud stick to her robes. Oliver was still stunned at the treatment she had given him at the beginning of practice. Because she was a Seeker, he hadn't seen much of her during the scrimmages because his eyes were focused on the Quaffle and hers searching for the Golden Snitch. "What do you know of Morgan?" Oliver said, nodding her way.

Matt shrugged. "Was planning to talk to her next actually. Pretty thing, isn't she? Amazing flier. Haven't seen one that good in this league since Viktor Krum."

Scott nodded. "Jane Morgan. I met her last week actually. Cute one she is. Real positive. American girl. She's nineteen. So she's pretty young still, like you Oliver. Was Captain of her team at America's Knobbernix School for Wizards for four years, and a darn good one at that. Real easy going type. You should go say hello." Scott nudged Oliver, his eyebrows raising a couple times.

Oliver rolled his eyes, yet couldn't help but feel tempted. Oliver had never gotten too caught up in girls. Quidditch was his love. Yet this girl obviously loved the game about as much as he did and his curiosity had reached amazing heights concerning her ignoring him. Yet he was simply not in the mood to be shot down again by this girl.

"I don't have anything to talk to her about," Oliver said simply, focusing his attention on finding the practice schedule Emma had just handed out. He already had seemed to misplace it.

Matt and Scott turned to each other in fake confusion. "Well, my heavens, Matthew, what on earth could two Quidditch loving lunatics talk about?" Scott asked in a high falsetto voice.

"I do not know, dear Scottamous, we must figure this out at once! What could Young Oliver have to say to his new Quidditch teammate? Surely they could not speak of Quidditch."

Scott gasped. "Oh heavens no. Not that."

Oliver knew exactly what they were doing and he rolled his eyes at the thought of it. "I don't want to talk to her."

"Come on now Ollie!" Oliver cringed at hearing the nickname his mother had used when he was little. "Give it a go then!" Scott encouraged.

"Yeah, you're a good looking bloke, she's got to see that. Besides, I'm sure you got her all impressed by your skill out there. Keeper is tough and you seem to be doing it right. Hard position to fill that is. What've you got to loose?" Matt pulled Oliver to his feet and pushed him towards Jane Morgan.

Oliver glanced back at his two new friends who were grinning at him, nodding. A smirk came across Oliver's face. He sauntered over to Jane who was just looking over the practice schedule. If she saw Oliver approach, she made no indication.

Oliver bent down a bit so his face was more level with hers. "Hello there." She said nothing, just kept reading. He straightened. "Oliver Wood," he said sticking out a hand. Again, no reply. "And you are....?"

Several seconds passed. "Jane Morgan, how nice to meet you," she muttered, flipping the page. Oliver furrowed his eyebrows, confused.

"So Jane, you as beat as I am after that practice?" he asked, trying to make conversation.

"I'll live," was her short reply.

She certainly didn't seem "easy going" and "positive" as Warren had described her. Jane took this opportunity to look up, force a very fake looking smile, and turn to walk away. Oliver looked after her, shocked that she had just walked away, and then looked at Matt and Scott for suggestions. They made crazy motions with their hands for him to follow her, to go after her. Oliver jogged to catch up.

"So, America huh? What's that like?" Oliver asked.

Her eyes were still scanning the pages in front of her, though she looked up briefly as if she were pondering the right answer. "Far away," she decided and then dropped her eyes back to the schedule.

There was a moment of silence as he walked next to her. He took a quick breath. "Is that paper really that interesting? You see, I am trying to make conversation and you are not being helpful. So perhaps I will turn the conversation to the paper you are so deeply engrossed in reading, the paper which I have not yet read, so that we may both be enlightened: you by your paper and me by your telling me about the paper." Jane stopped walking and looked rather pensive. Finally! Oliver thought. But she surprised him yet again by handing him the paper in her hands.

"I'm finished with it," she said in a whisper. "Enlighten away." She grinned at him and walked away leaving him with a dumbfounded expression and a crumpled piece of parchment.