Saturday 9th October 1993

Saturday morning came – blue skies, early bird calls, a slight chill from the morning dew, but otherwise nice conditions for a run. Getting out of bed slowly, Liv pulled on her black sports leggings, sports bra, top, and blue sports fleece. The time between summer and autumn was Liv's favourite time for early morning running. And she especially loved to make use of the Quidditch pitch. It was flat, the bends were gradual, and she could easily keep track of how many laps she had done.

The summer holidays weren't an optimal time for running for Liv. Her mother, Gwen, was a freelance nature photographer. When Liv had gotten her letter to Hogwarts, Gwen decided to sell the small bungalow they had inherited from Gwen's mother and buy a campervan. The van, named Gerty, was Gwen's full-time home now, and was useful for her career as she could drive all around the country, or even into Europe, to do her photography. The lifestyle suited Gwen too – small, simple living, nomadic, free.

Liv had no resentments about this. She was happy that her mother – after being a single mum and a carer to her Gran for so many years – was finally able to pursue her passion and turn it into a career. Liv liked staying at Hogwarts, and she equally enjoyed her time over the summer with her mother – but 6 weeks together in a tiny van is enough bonding time. They're both always somewhat glad when September rolls around (though Gwen thus far has cried at every train boarding).

As much as Liv enjoyed her summers with her nomadic mother, outdoor running was made difficult, due to them being in a new place every few days, and Liv not knowing the area enough to go out for a run safely. And so, she would wake up early every Saturday at Hogwarts, creep out of the castle to the Quidditch pitch, and do a few laps.

(She wasn't breaking any rules – she had checked).

As it happened, Quidditch practice wasn't to start for another few weeks. After last year – when Gryffindor and Slytherin had ended up fighting over who had booked the pitch for practice earliest – a strict schedule had been written up for all houses this year ahead of the start of term.

The weeks passed with relative ease, though a slight feeling of unease shadowed the Hogwarts castle as dementors roamed the boundaries, and gossip about Sirius Black spread. During Transfiguration classes, Holly continued to get to know her new friend Laurie better, while Liv fought off Fred Weasley's attempts at disruption. She often feigned annoyance at his incessant chattering, though really, she enjoyed basking in his jovial, easy-going nature. She began to understand the charm and appeal of the boy; understand why so many people in her year hung onto his and his brother's every word and deed. He had an ability rarely seen in boys his age, that of being funny without ever being malicious. However, there was one thing about him that Liv couldn't shake – he still had not asked her her name. Every lesson, he would refer to her by her surname only, and Liv had the suspicion that he truly did not know what her first name was.

Liv continued her Saturday morning runs down at the Quidditch pitch uninterrupted until one Saturday in October. After the chaos of scheduling last year, she was sure that no teams were going to be turning up unexpectedly at this time. What she had forgotten, though, was the intense rivalry of the Gryffindor and Slytherin houses – and the intensity especially of Gryffindor captain Oliver Wood, who would do anything, even bend the rules, to get ahead.

Liv was on her second lap when a group of tired eyed students in red Quidditch robes stepped out from the changing rooms onto the pitch. She recognised them instantly as the Gryffindor team. Their captain, Oliver Wood, seemed so engrossed in talking to his team that he hadn't seen Liv – which she was perfectly fine with. She would do a few more laps on the ground and they wouldn't get in the way of each other, as they would be training in the sky.

As she was rounding a bend, one of the team members did catch her eye though. Even at a distance, she could tell – or rather, she just knew – that it was Fred, not George, Weasley. He smiled slowly, watching her run, no hint of shyness in him at all. For a split second, Liv felt a jolt of envy. The confidence he gave off reminded him of Holly – it was a confidence she had always been jealous of. It wasn't like she was particularly self-conscious about any one aspect of herself, and yet still, she couldn't help but find herself blushing, or stuttering, or feeling awkward at just the smallest moments of potential embarrassment.

The Gryffindor team kicked off on their brooms and began training just as Liv was approaching where they had been standing. However, as she approached the changing room's entrance, another group of Quidditch players emerged onto the pitch – this time in Slytherin robes.

Now Liv felt annoyed. Saturday mornings had always been her time for running on the pitch. Now, her morning tranquility was ruined by an additional fourteen people out here with her. She stopped a few metres in front of the Slytherin team.

"What's going on?" she asked the captain, Marcus Flint. "No one is ever normally here Saturday mornings, and now there's a boat load of you."

Liv was greeted by mutterings of variations of the phrase "None of your business", some being a lot ruder than that. The whole team had their gaze fixed on the Gryffindor team in the air above them, and they were not particularly interested in Liv or what she thought about their presence.

Oliver Wood spotted the new arrivals too and came flying down so fast he barely stuck the landing, with the rest of his team following behind. Before long, raised voices and angry words were being exchanged, and Liv thought she would be better off leaving them to it. The Gryffindor-Slytherin feud was something she, like other members of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, tried her best to stay out of. Slinking away into the background, she managed to leave the two teams' argument without anyone really noticing she was there.

Well, barely anyone – Fred Weasley continued to observe her as she left via the changing rooms.