Chapter 5

CRACK!

I opened my eyes to find myself standing in front of the building I knew as the Montrose Magpies training ground. I gulped. The building suddenly seemed a lot more imposing than it had before. But I wasn't going to give up now. I was a Gryffindor, after all. We're meant to be brave.

So, with that sentiment in mind, I took a deep breath and stepped through the door.

"Katie!" said Larry at once, turning around from where he'd been talking to the receptionist. "Great, you're right on time. This is Julian Swift, captain of the Magpies."

A tall man stepped forward out of the shadows, taking me by surprise. He was grimfaced and powerfully built, with very short hair.

I shook his outstretched hand.

"Katie Bell," I said nervously.

Julian nodded. "Julian Swift. I hear you're a good player."

It wasn't a comment, more like a statement, and it caught me off guard. Quick, shit, what am I meant to say? I thought frantically.

"Um…. Thanks." I managed eventually.

"Just don't let us down."

Julian let go of my hand and disappeared down a corridor. I swallowed. My new captain's doom-laden words weren't exactly doing wonders for my nerves.

"Don't worry about him, Katie," Larry called over his shoulder. "Just do your best, you'll be fine. I have to go sort out some things now, but Laura should be along in a minute to show you where to go."

Then he too disappeared, and I was left alone with the receptionist and the sandwich machines, shifting awkwardly from one foot to the other.

A few moments later, the sound of approaching footsteps caught my attention, and the next second a girl of about my own age rounded the corner. Her fair hair was tied back in a low ponytail, and she was wearing muggle clothes. She glanced around the foyer, and her eyes settled on me.

"Ah, there you are," she said with a smile. "You must be Katie. I'm Laura Quirke, one of the other Chasers. I hear you already know Aaron, am I right?"

I shrugged. "Sort of. I met him the other day, if that counts."

"Well at least you had a bit of warning. Come on, I'll show you to the changing rooms and you can get ready for training."

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In the minute or two it took to reach the female changing rooms, Laura had filled me in on everything I might ever need to know about the team- names, ages, favourite movies- as well as what to watch out for. I was considerably more worried now, having found out that Steve was even grumpier in training, Julian was widely acknowledged as the toughest captain in the league and that Aaron and the two Beaters, Mark Andrews and Kian Grant, were the worst pranksters you were ever likely to meet, barring the Weasley twins.

"What about the Seeker? Who's that?" I asked, realising with some surprise that Laura hadn't mentioned one.

"Well, until you arrived, she was the only other girl on the team," said Laura as she pushed the door open. "So I'll let her tell you herself. Fia, this is Katie Bell, our new Chaser. Katie, this is Fia Cleary, our Seeker."

"Been giving her the rundown, have you Laura?" asked Fia with a grin. "I could hear you coming a mile off." She turned to me with a smile. "Sorry about her, she gets a bit carried away. Come over here, I'll get you a locker."

Fia stood up and beckoned for me to follow her. She was pale with light red hair and freckles, not to mention remarkably slight of build, even for a Seeker.

So far so good! I thought, as I pulled on my Magpie robes for the first time. Now I've just got to get through the training…..

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Oliver's POV

"Hey Wood, think fast!"

I caught the towel Carter threw me with ease, barely bothering to turn towards him.

"You need to do better than that, Spellman," I grinned as he caught up with me.

"Yeah, but I'm a Beater not a Chaser. I don't need to worry."

"Oh yeah? D'you think you'll need to worry when the first match comes around and all the Bludgers you hit go way off course?"

Carter shot me a grim look as we exited the building. "I'm warning you Oliver, don't get all captainish on me, one Jethro Loughley is bad enough."

"Fine, fine," I relented. "So where are you off to now?"

"Home, most likely," Carter replied with a shrug. "Might go for a drink first. You?"

"I'm going home, I'm wrecked. I need to get some sleep."

"Not meeting any more mysterious ladies tonight, then?" Carter smirked.

I whacked him with my towel, rolling my eyes. "Oh, give over, Spellman, it was just an old schoolfriend."

"Oh really," said Carter, sounding utterly unconvinced. "Well then do you mind explaining why, if it was as innocent as you say, it took you till now to even tell us that much?"

"Oh shove off Carter, what is this, the bloody Spanish Inquisition?" I said irritably. "I'll see you tomorrow."

I saw Carter raise his eyebrows as I turned away, but I ignored him, focusing my attention. There was a CRACK, and I was standing at the door of my apartment. I fumbled with my key, hoping that Carter wouldn't be back for another few hours. I needed some time to unravel my thoughts. Even I had no idea why I'd been so cagey about my meeting with Katie, and I wasn't used to not knowing why I said or did things. I was a logical person, and I was going to restore logic in my mind if it took me all night.

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Katie's POV

"Good practise, Bell. Same time tomorrow." Julian's deep voice beside me made me jump, and he was gone before I realised with some shock that he'd actually praised me. One training session, I had found out, was more than enough to discover just how tough a captain Julian Swift was. Not for nothing was he known as the ogre of the League.

I pushed open the door of the locker room and immediately flopped down on a bench. I felt more tired than I had since my last practise with Oliver as Captain, and that was saying something.

"Hey Katie!" said Fia cheerily as she emerged from the showers, looking even tinier than before with only a towel wrapped around her. "Great flying! I'm telling you, we're well on our way to the league finals now- you're even better than Greenlee was before he left."

"Thanks Fia," I said, grinning. All in all, the practise hadn't gone too badly. I'd screwed up once or twice, but I'd flown well for the most part, and by the end of the three hours I was pretty much able to keep in formation with Aaron and Laura. Add to the equation the fact that Steve and Julian between them had me scared out of my wits the whole time, and I figured I had done pretty damn well. Who knows? I might live to see the start of the season after all.

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Thanks a MILLION to all my brilliant reviewers- you guys ROCK, and without you, I would have given up on this fic ages ago. I know I took ages to get this chapter up, and I'm really sorry, I was just really busy with school. Unfortunately, between exams and a load of other stuff, I probably won't be posting again until mid-July. But please be patient! I promise I won't abandon it.

Doodleflip.

FizzingWhizbeez: Thanx for reviewing! I get sidetracked all the time so I know what you mean, its fine. Oliver's in this chapter too, although not in the same scene as Katie this time, unfortunately. It will come, don't worry!

Forever Shia: Aw, thanx! Here's the next chapter, hope it lives up to expectations!

swimgirl: Thank you! And I'm hoping to make it fun, hehe….. cackles evilly

AlleyWings: Yeah, I know, where does all that time go? You'll have to wait and see for Oliver's thoughts, coz he doesn't even know yet….

ohohohoh: Thank you! And don't worry, I will, it just takes a while…

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