An hour and a half later Emma, Alexis, and Erica, whom Emma talked into coming with her to see her 'boy toy' were in the jeep heading towards to Puddlemere United's Quidditch Pitch, which was on the other side of the city. The two talked to each other like they hadn't seen each other for years, when in reality they saw each other practically everyday. As they neared the stadium, that was also invisible to muggles, Emma fell silent as they were able to see the tall spectator towers, with blue and gold banners, bearing Puddlemere's symbol blowing in the breeze.
Emma pulled into the very small parking lot at the rear of the pitch and got out, as did Erica. Emma then unbuckled her excited and squirming daughter, who was looking up at the stadium in awe. Emma carried Alexis through the gates, with Erica right beside her, and headed toward the hall that lead out onto the pitch that was near the team's locker rooms.
Emma smiled to herself as she stepped out onto the field. She hadn't been there in 7 months and the grass was greener then before. The 3 hoops that stood at each end were gleaming in the sunlight. In the air were 14 people, while about 8 people were standing on the ground by a tall elder-looking man with short graying hair and kind brown eyes. This was Philbert (Phil) Deverill, the team's manager. The people next to him were obviously the potentials.
She looked back up to the sky to see her team and a potential play a scrimmage with a magically created practice team. She walked up behind Phil who didn't seem to notice her, because the hallway had led out behind him, but the people next to him stared at her and made her uneasy.
"Hey Phil! Its been forever and a day" Emma greeted him making him jump, and Erica laughed at this.
"Oh by the love of Merlin! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" he said having snatched his hand over his heart, and turning around.
"Sorry Phil, couldn't resist." she said smiling at her manager.
"Its great to see you by the way. You look good, I remember the last time I saw you had stomach. I see you've finally brought Alexis. Oliver never stops talking about her." he said coming over to get a better look at the baby.
"Well, he is a very proud Father who loves his daughter very much. I believe he is already training her for Quidditch too. I catch him all the time teaching her plays, reading her books, and acting out games for her already. Plus, between him, me, and Oliver's family we're buying everything Quidditch related. Her robes are a present from Oliver's Father."
Phil laughed, "I believe it! He's really dedicated to the game. Nothing will stop him from playing. I hope that's the same for you and we aren't finding a permanent replacement for you today."
"Hey now! You know me better then that! I already told you and the team that I'll be back up there next season." Emma said smiling.
Phil looked behind her to see Erica standing there in the hallway. "Erica! I didn't see you hiding back there! Come on out we wont hurt you!" he said laughing.
She walked out and stood next to Emma and him. "But I like hiding its fun!" Erica said smiling.
Emma turned her attention up to the players. "So how have the tryouts been going?"
"They're going good." Phil said before leaning into both of the girls and whispering. "They are all really bad, but the two at the end. They have some talent." he said motioning his head to a very pretty blonde girl with blue eyes around her age and a man with short brown hair and brown hair that looked to be in middle-aged. "They need someone to show them how to play Chaser, and we want ours back. We've already gone through 10 people and sent them home. They couldn't even catch the Quaffle properly. Come on, for today get on a broom and show them how to play."
"Phil! I haven't been on a broom in a year and 3 months!" Emma yelled at him sarcastically, really eager to get the chance to go and play. "I might have lost my touch."
"Yea all right. I doubt it. I'll be right back." he replied walking to the locker room hall entrance. He was gone a few minutes, but when he came back he was caring a Firebolt, arm and shine guards, a set of blue robes, and ironically a ponytail holder. "You're getting into the air today if I have to force y-…"
"Fine! I will." Emma said not even giving Phil the chance to finish his statement and making him and Erica laugh at her eagerness. "But you didn't have to invade my locker. Hold Lex while I put these things on." she said handing Erica her baby girl, and sitting the baby bag on the ground.
She quickly strapped on her guards and slid her blue robes on. They felt so good to be on her again after not being in them forever. They were still as bright as ever, as if they hadn't been worn in ages. The two crossed golden bulrushes still shone like gold on the front as well as the back where it said 'E. Wood 13.' She then tied her black hair up into a high ponytail.
"Lucky number 13, right Emma?" Erica said smiling at her as she took back Alexis.
"Yup, and it always will be!" Emma said smiling. "Everything good that had happened to me has happened on a 13th."
"You're a stupid superstitious prat!" Erica yelled at her.
"And you're a stupid reporting git!" Emma countered back at her.
The continued making fun of each other for a few minutes until the team flew down and the potential left having severely failed his scrimmage. As soon as the girls on the team spotted Emma and Alexis they ran over to her.
"Oh my God! Emma! Aww! Look how cute Alexis is in her Puddlemere robes." said Joscelind Wadcock #22, the team's Chaser. She was tall and slender with long brown hair tightly braided and had bright blue eyes. Her and Emma were the inseparable of the team, and worked extraordinarily well together, as Emma, was Lead Chaser on the team. They were almost unstoppable when they wanted to execute a play perfectly.
"I agree Joscelind! She's simply adorable! May I hold her, Emma?" said the teams Seeker, Elena Castro #15. She was shorter then Emma, around 5'5", but was very slim. She had short dirty blonde hair that she kept back in a ponytail while they played, and she had cool steel gray eyes that were the complete opposite of her personality. Her small stature made her an excellent Seeker, being able to pick up speed and maneuver quickly.
"Of course you can hold her Elena." Emma said and Phil handed Alexis over to her.
"Women." said two voices, at the same time, to the side.
"I heard that Adrian and Neil." said Emma playfully glaring at the team's Beaters. They were the O'Connell twins. They looked almost exactly alike. Both had dark brown hair, that reached to right above their eyes, they were both tall and well built from Quidditch. The only difference between the two was that Adrian, #7, had blue eyes, while Neil, #8, had brown eyes. They reminded her so much of Fred and George Weasley. They were silly and could keep you entertained for hours, but on the field they could read each other's minds and conquer the other team.
The last two members of the team were, of course, Oliver #11, the Keeper and Captain, and Marcus Flint, #3, the Co-Captain and Chaser. The two had been rivals at school and hated each other with a passion. Then when Marcus showed up at a Chaser tryouts Oliver went off the walls and almost left the team to play for the Wimbourne Wasps. Though, through some talking by Emma he finally settled down and accepted the fact that he would have to be friends with Flint and act civil towards him, and Emma also talked to Flint about acting civil and being friends with Oliver and he too accepted it. It was a good thing too, because if you wanted an invincible play then you had to get both of them to create one.
Marcus just smiled at Emma, as he now had his arms around Erica who was now very happy, and she smiled back at him only if she lived with him and his family for a year they had been kind to her and he was like the brother she had never had. Oliver couldn't see why, but accepted it and his friendship with Marcus if it made her happy, which it did.
Emma looked over at Oliver and silently pleaded with him to help save their daughter from their fawning teammates. So he ran over saying, " OK OK now! I know my baby girl is gorgeous, but let her breathe." he said taking her from Elena. "It's her first time to the Quidditch Pitch and she needs to know that it's going to be her future home!" Everyone just laughed at him. The people that were trying out though if they should laugh or not, so they chose the latter.
"Olli, you're such a stupid egotistical dork sometimes!" Erica yelled at him, making Marcus laugh.
"Hey! I'll take egotistical dork any day, but don't call me OLLIE! I hate that!" Oliver said coming back to the group.
"Hence, why I continue to call you that." Erica said smirking like the Slytherin that she was.
"Hey Emma, you playing a scrimmage today or not?" Joscelind questioned her.
"Yea. That is only if Erica can get away from her LOVERBOY! And watch Alexis while I play." Emma said looking at Erica who looked right up as she heard Loverboy, and Joscelind ran over to her pulling her out of Marcus' grasp.
"Hey Josce! That was so mean!" Marcus yelled at her.
"HAHA! That's what you get Flint!" Oliver said pointing at him like he was 5 years old.
"Watch it Wood! Wouldn't want a stray Bludger hit you in the head again, now would we?" Flint said smirking, seeing if he would remember the move he pulled on him in Oliver 5th year at school.
Obviously he did, "Hey! You purposely hit that Bludger straight at me! You took me out of the game and sent me to the hospital wing for a week!" Oliver yelled. Marcus just stood there smirking.
"God! I miss the fun!" Emma said remembering all the times the team would make fun at each other. "You don't mind watching Alexis do you Erica?"
"Not at all, nothing will happen to her, I promise" Erica said smiling.
Oliver, now finished with his yelling contest handed Alexis over to Erica. "Now if she starts crying giver her a bottle of milk. If that doesn't work call me down." Emma said giving her the baby bag and picking up her Firebolt. "Oh, and if you do give her a bottle be sure to burp her. There's a burp cloth in the front pocket of the bag."
"Emma? Are you really playing?" Elena said in disbelief.
Emma walked away and looked back at the team. "Come on guys, stop gawking." She mounted her broom and took off.
The rest of the team took off right behind her. Phil looked at the 8 potentials. "Now pay attention! You are going to see the world's best Chaser in action up there! She's a legend and maybe you will all learn something from her! If not… then shame on you!" he yelled at them and they all looked up at the sky at the Puddlemere team and the practice team.
Emma steadied herself in the air. It was odd to have been grounded for such a long time then jumping right back on a broom wasn't the best thing in the world. She was a little unsteady and wobbly, very unlike her graceful and determined skill.
"You OK there Emma?" Oliver asked stopping in front of her. He had noticed her uneasiness and was a little concerned that she should be playing a scrimmage right away, and not taking warm up laps. "You sure you don't want to take a few laps to warm up?"
Emma smiled over at him glad that he was concerned for her well-being. "No, I'm OK. Give me a few minutes and I'll be my old self."
"By the way…"Oliver started then flew up right next to her and whispered into her ear. "Did I ever tell you how sexy you look in your Quidditch robes?" he said then gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"OK now lovebirds! None of that on my pitch!" Phil yelled from the ground.
"Hey! How come I can never do that when Erica is here!" Marcus yelled down to Phil, he waited for Phil's answer, but none came, all he felt was something hit the back of his head. He turned around to see Joscelind catch the Quaffle that bounced of his head.
"Because you're a stupid git! That's why." Joscelind said flying off. She stopped and was holding the Quaffle and a few yards away from Emma. "Heads up Emma! Lets see if you still got your skill!" she said then chucked the Quaffle hard towards her.
Oliver backed away from her as the Quaffle came flying through the air. Emma prepared herself and extended both her hands to catch it. She had misjudged the distance and the Quaffle hit her one hand and began to roll off her fingertips. She then slammed her other hand down on the Quaffle to keep it secure, but the force of that action cause her to go into a no handed barrel roll. When she felt herself rolling she screamed slightly, but quickly crossed her legs under the broom and used all the strength in them to keep herself from falling off of it. She had executed the very unexpected barrel roll perfectly without dropping the Quaffle.
"I'm OK!" she said when she was right side up on her broom. Her team had just looked at her like she was insane. "OK, I know I'm gorgeous and all, but stop staring at me and lets play Quidditch."
None of them moved, but Marcus broke the silence. "Emma, you're insane. For someone not being on a broom for about a year and half and pulling that barrel roll off you have a very scary talent for Quidditch." Emma just grinned at them.
After the initial shock wore off of them all Oliver went into Captain's mode. "All right team! In position! Let's show those potentials down there how to play!" he said and flew off to the center of the pitch. The rest of the team followed and formed a half circle in the air. The practice team then formed the other half of the circle. Oliver then threw the Quaffle high into the air and then the scrimmage began.
Everyone fell into their role as soon as play began. Elena flew high above the game along with the practice Seeker, searching for the Snitch. Oliver went straight to his goal posts waiting for the incoming Quaffle. Neil and Adrian zoomed off towards the Bludgers and made sure they stayed away from the Chasers. Marcus, Joscelind, and Emma started passing the Quaffle back and forth to each other, dodging Bludgers and players.
Emma was a little rusty. She almost dropped the Quaffle a few times and was still shaky on the broom, she almost got unseated a few times by countless Bludgers. It took about 15 minutes but she would be back to her old self soon enough. She went from edgy, shaky, and unbalanced movements to her graceful, poised, polished, and difficult tactics that she had developed over the years.
After about an hour, after some closed calls of falling off their brooms and getting hit with Bludgers, Elena had spotted the Snitch and took off in a dive after it. She caught it with ease and the team landed. "Now that's how you play Quidditch" said Phil to the potentials.
"She's back!" said Elena happily when Emma landed.
"Back to my old self yes, but playing yet no." Emma said walking over to Erica for Alexis, who was holding out her arms for her mother.
Oliver called for the team to take a quick break on the benches. Emma, still in her team robes, walked over to them and sat next to Oliver with Alexis on her lap. "I think Alexis enjoyed that little game." Oliver said smiling and taking a drink from his bottle of water. "She didn't take her eyes off of the team and she looked like she as smiling."
Emma laughed, "Well she hasn't seen anything like that before so I wouldn't doubt it. Plus Quidditch is in her blood, so she must love it." Oliver just laughed, Alexis did have a family Quidditch history and he was anxious to see if she would continue you that tradition.
"OK guys! Back in the air! Lets finish the tryouts!" Oliver said getting up a few minutes later.
It took another 3 hours to get through the rest of the people that were trying out. Emma, Alexis, and Erica just sat on the benches watching, with Alexis occasionally playing in the grass. Out of the six people that hadn't went only one stayed, a man with blonde hair and green eyes. Oliver then put him along with the other man and the woman through the ropes. He had them play every position and pushed them as hard as he could with the team helping him, not to mention Phil's criticism to go along with it. All in the end, the team chose the petit blonde woman.
"Welcome to the team Cassandra Smith!" Phil said shaking her hand.
"Thank you all so much! I don't know what to say! I cant believe you guys actually chose me." Cassandra said almost crying, Emma and Erica rolled their eyes at this.
"All right. Everyone here tomorrow bright and early for practice. Hit the showers!" Phil said. "Elena, get Cassandra a locker." he added as an afterthought.
"Oliver, I'll meet you in the car." Emma said giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, and he nodded. She had already took off her robes and guards while they held tryouts. "Oh and Erica I can give you and Marcus a ride home if you want."
"K. Meet you in the car, sweetie." Erica said giving Marcus a kiss as well.
Emma and Erica said bye to Phil and headed out of the pitch with Alexis. They got to the jeep and Emma put Alexis in her car seat. She looked as though she was about to fall asleep at any moment. Once she was secure Emma climbed into the front seat an turned the jeep on, and turning the A/C on, so that it was cool for when Oliver got in. Erica was sitting in the back and the two of them started talking until they heard voices outside of the jeep. There was the team and new recruit heading out of the pitch talking very loudly, with an orange glow on them from the setting sun. Oliver and Marcus left the group and headed over towards the jeep. Oliver was now in a pair of khakis and a black t-shirt, and Marcus a pair of black jeans and a black t-shirt. Oliver got into the front of the jeep giving Emma a kiss and looking back at the now sleeping Alexis, then back to Emma. Marcus then climbed into the back of the jeep, behind Oliver, and gave Erica a kiss as well, as he sat her on his lap.
"Hey Emma. Can we always get a ride with you. I like sitting back her with Marcus." Erica said smirking.
"That's only because its small back there and you have to sit on his lap." Emma said smirking as well.
Erica smiled and kissed Marcus. "Hey! There will be none of that in my car." Emma said sarcastically knowing that they won't listen.
"Want to go out for dinner?" Oliver asked them
"Sure" they all said together.
"Where do you want to go?" Emma asked Oliver.
Oliver contemplated this for a few minutes, before answering. "How about we go to Rainforest Café?"
"Sounds good to me." Emma said backing out of the parking lot and waving bye to the team. "What about you two?" she said asking Erica and Marcus who just nodded in agreement.
It took about 20 minutes for Emma to get to the restaurant and another 10 minutes to find a parking spot. Alexis was still asleep when they all went inside and she slept throughout the whole meal. An hour and a half after they left the restaurant, and dropping Marcus and Erica off, they got her home. They would have to wake her up and give her a bottle, then put her asleep. Oliver had driven them home from the restaurant that night. When he parked the jeep he got Alexis out while Emma took the baby bag and went to unlock the door. Taped to the front door, though, there was a letter that said two words on the front of the envelope, written in a very delicate cursive handwriting and it said:
'Emma Rosier'