A/N: Got some KatieOliver friendship for you today! Hope you enjoy :)
Disclaimer: Some details of the Quidditch match are different from canon, just a heads up.
QLFC R9: Cannons Beater 1 Write about an attack (I did a panic/anxiety attack) / Quidditch Pitch setting / Grass stain / Stronger - Kelly Clarkson
Pre-Match Nerves
"Come on, Katie. You have to eat something."
Katie didn't notice Angelina slide a plate of bacon and eggs in front of her until the smell drifted up to her nose and began to make her stomach lurch. She groaned and slid it back, feeling as though she was going to be sick.
"Not hungry," she mumbled.
"Are you sure?" Angelina asked. "No offence, but you don't look great, and we need you in top form for the today's game." She nodded towards Alicia, who was looking at Katie with concern.
"Come on Ang, she doesn't look that bad," Alicia said, buttering some toast. "It's probably just nerves; it's her first match after all."
Katie could tell Alicia was just being nice. She'd looked awful when she'd woken up, with a sickly, pale face and large bags under her eyes. A sense of dread had been building ever since last night and she hadn't slept a wink.
Angelina and Alicia were still looking at her, so as sick as Katie felt, she nibbled on a piece of bacon. She didn't want her team-mates to psych themselves out from worrying about her.
"Atta girl." Angelina smiled, and rubbed Katie's back comfortingly before returning to her breakfast.
Katie knew it would be a disaster if she ate another bite, and sipped from her glass of pumpkin juice, doing her best to think of anything except her first Quidditch match. It proved to be impossible, however, and she buried her face in her hands, breathing heavily. Maybe she wasn't ready to be on the house team. What if she missed every goal? What if she dropped the Quaffle? What if she fell off her broom? What if -?
"Bell?"
Oh no. It was Oliver Wood. Katie could feel his eyes on her, and she looked up slowly, plastering on a smile.
Oliver was frowning. "Everything okay?"
"Yes!" Her voice came out as a squeak, and before she realised what she was doing she gave him a dorky thumbs-up.
Merlin, why did I do that? Everything is far from okay.
Katie sagged with relief when Angelina spoke up, preventing Oliver from saying anything else to her.
"How's Potter doing, Wood?" she asked.
"Nervous, but I'm confident he'll do well," Oliver replied, before leaning in closer to his Chasers, his eyes shining with excitement. "And you'll never guess what – he's just got a Nimbus 2000 in the post!"
"Whoa," Alicia said. She clapped her hands together. "Well, that's it, then. Slytherin are going down!"
"Don't get too ahead of yourself," Oliver warned. "Of course it's an advantage for us, but we can't rely solely on Potter to get us the win. Everyone has to pull their weight and play like we have been doing in training. Only better. And smarter. You know how the Slytherins play –"
"Oliver, please." Angelina was rubbing her forehead wearily. "Can you save the speech for the changing rooms?"
Katie looked at her with wide eyes. She could barely string a sentence together in front of their fifth-year Captain, and here Angelina was, as cool and confident as ever.
Oliver looked conflicted for a moment before finally saying, "Very well, Johnson. I expect everyone to be changed and ready to go in fifteen minutes sharp." And with that he drew himself back up to his full height, and strode away.
If possible, Katie's stomach twisted even more at his words, and her heart began thumping loudly in her ears. She rose from her seat, the little colour she had draining from her face. Her legs were shaking so much she felt like they were going to give way, but she ran after Oliver.
"Oliver! I mean, Wood!"
Oliver stopped and turned around, allowing a breathless Katie to catch up to him in the Entrance Hall.
"Bell?" he said. "What's the matter?"
"I – I don't know if I can do this. The match, I mean." Katie was shaking more than ever, and now, standing in front of Oliver on the verge of resigning, she was sweating too.
"What?" Oliver seemed to be conflicted between anger and concern. "Look, if Fred and George put you up to this to wind me up –"
"They didn't," Katie said quickly. "I promise. It's just… I'm terrified of screwing up and making a fool of myself in front of the whole school."
"Ah, it's just pre-match nerves," Oliver said dismissively. "Everyone has them before their first game. You'll be fine." It was apparent by his tone that he'd had to say this to several other players in the past; Katie now felt more panicked than reassured. She didn't want to go out onto the pitch one single bit.
"I really don't think I'm good enough!" She blurted, her face twisting. "There were some much better people at the try-outs; you know there were!" She was getting so worked up that tears were now prickling her eyes. "I don't know why you picked me, honestly," she continued through ragged, heaving breaths. "I should have never tried out. I'm not ready, Oliver. I - I…" At this point she was hyperventilating, and a hiccough cut her words off. She clutched her heart, willing it to stop beating so fast. Merlin, was this what a panic attack felt like?
"Katie…" Oliver didn't know how to react. This was the worst possible time for something like this to happen. He needed to focus; this was the first match of the season and he couldn't – wouldn't – lose to Marcus Flint. But on the other hand, Katie seemed genuinely distraught, and aside from wanting her to play well for the sake of the match, Oliver did genuinely care about her as a friend.
"Katie," he said firmly, taking a hold of her shoulders and steadying her. "You were fantastic at try-outs. I don't know where these nerves have come from all of a sudden. You've been a powerhouse in training."
Katie shrugged. She was looking at the floor. "I've been missing goals." She was still breathing hard and was now hiccoughing.
"That's because you have a great Keeper," Oliver said. Katie looked up, managing a watery smile. "Besides," he continued. "Being a good Chaser isn't just about scoring goals, though that's a big part of it. You're a great flyer, Katie, and you have amazing instincts. They're better than a lot of other people on the team, truth be told."
Katie felt herself blush. "Thanks, Oliver."
Oliver smiled. "I believe in you, Katie, and although it would be a great loss to the team if you choose to resign, I'd respect your decision if you don't feel ready." Katie sagged with relief at this, but immediately tensed again when Oliver continued. "However, for the sake of the rest of the team, I'll ask you to play in today's match. Then, if you're not comfortable continuing, let me know afterwards, and we can find a replacement as soon as possible."
Katie gulped. Her anxiety levels were sky-high, but she wouldn't abandon her team at the last minute. "Okay, Oliver," she said in a shaky voice. "Thanks. Sorry I freaked out so close to the match."
"No bother," Oliver said. "Just give me a bit more warning in the future." He gave her shoulder another squeeze and headed out towards the ground, giving Katie a parting smile before he disappeared. "See you out there."
Katie's legs were shaking more than ever when she stepped out onto the pitch with her team, and would have been grateful to kick off the ground on her broom if it weren't for the nausea that was making her stomach spin. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as the Captains shook hands and Madam Hooch stepped onto the pitch, and then geared into lightning speed when the first whistle was blown.
Katie's heart sank. She'd faltered her start and now she could hear cackles from the Slytherin stands. She shook it off and zoomed after Angelina and Alicia, the former of whom was in possession of the Quaffle. Katie flew at Angelina's left side, and was passed the Quaffle when a Bludger careered towards Angelina. Katie hadn't completely been focusing, and fumbled with the ball. She would have dropped it if it weren't for its gripping charms. It all happened in a split second but she could swear she saw one of the other Slytherins smirk at her. It was lucky that she didn't have time to feel embarrassed.
She flew towards the Slytherin goals with Angelina and Alicia at either side, passed back and forth with Alicia to evade the oncoming formation of the opposing Chasers, before Alicia made a final pass to Angelina, who threw the Quaffle towards the middle hoop, and –
"ANGELINA JOHNSON SCORES TEN POINTS FOR GRYFFINDOR!"
Lee Jordan's voice was music to Katie's ears, and as the next play began, she started to feel more comfortable, and weaved in and out of the Slytherin players back down the pitch. She was passed the Quaffle by Alicia and made to pass it down to Angelina, but she was being marked by one of the Slytherins. Katie panicked, and blindly threw it back into Alicia's direction. She felt mortified when the Quaffle was intercepted by a Slytherin, and zoomed after him down to Gryffindor's end of the pitch, holding her breath when he made a shot at their goal posts. She locked eyes with Oliver for a split second after he saved it, during which he threw the Quaffle back to her.
This was her chance to make up for letting Slytherin take possession. She took off in the other direction, looking for Angelina and Alicia in her peripheral vision. She spotted an opening for Alicia to take possession and make a shot at the goal, and turned to pass it to her when she was elbowed by a Slytherin Chaser and sent directly into the path of an oncoming Bludger.
Bang!
An explosion of pain shot through the Katie's left arm, and she dropped the Quaffle, screaming as her broom dipped, and she fell towards the ground, unable to control it in her state of shock and only one hand.
She managed to get the broom level about ten feet off the ground, but overestimated how much she needed to pull, and the broom continued to tip backwards until it was almost vertical mid-air. Katie lost her grip, and fell the rest of the way down, landing on the grass with a hard thump.
She heaved and spluttered as she attempted to regain the wind that had been knocked out of her. So much for her 'amazing instincts'. Her arm was throbbing and her head was spinning as she sat up. She looked up to see the stand of Slytherins pointing and jeering at her, and groaned. This match was a disaster. She was more hopeless than she thought she'd be.
"ANOTHER GOAL FOR GRYFFINDOR."
Katie turned her head, still looking up to see Alicia punching the air in celebration. She smiled sadly; they didn't need her.
She picked herself up solemnly, dusting off her robes - which now sported a large grass stain on her hip - with her good hand, retrieved her broom from the spot it had landed, and began to walk off the pitch with her head hung low.
"Yeah, you walk away."
"You suck!"
"How did you not see that Bludger coming?"
"Slytherin rules!"
Katie's whole body tensed in anger at the comments being called down to her from the Slytherin stands. She was suddenly overcome with a loathing for the lot of them. That Chaser elbowing her had been a dirty move. The Gryffindor team never had to resort to that kind of thing, and that made them, including her, miles better than all of the Slytherin players...
Katie stopped in her tracks, having just had a huge epiphany. It didn't matter that she'd made a couple of mistakes this match. She was fair, and that made her twice the player of any of the Slytherins out there. It was just unfortunate for her that being hit by a Bludger was the thing to make her realise that. But there was that Muggle saying: 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.' And Katie now felt a hell of a lot stronger and assured of herself than ever before. She was going to show them how great of a player she was.
Jaw set and eyes narrowed, she mounted her broom, gripping it with both hands despite the throbbing in her arm, and kicked off the ground, zooming back up into the fray. She intercepted the Quaffle from the very player who'd elbowed her into the Bludger, and looped around to fly in the opposite direction. She tore down the pitch, outstripping everyone in green robes, and hurled the Quaffle towards the goal-posts. The Keeper's fingers barely grazed the side of the ball, and it sailed through the lowest hoop.
"KATIE BELL SCORES FOR GRYFFINDOR!"
Katie let out a breath, now feeling completely in her element, and played the rest of the match better than she'd ever played before, a fire burning in her belly until the very last second.
"HARRY POTTER HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WINS!"
Katie's heart skipped a beat. Had they done it? Had they really done it?
She looked down, where sure enough, Harry was standing on the ground, holding something in the air which Katie presumed must be the Snitch with a grin on his face. She squealed with delight and flew downwards where the Gryffindor team was already gathering.
"Well done, Harry!" she said, giving him a one-armed hug.
"Great job, Potter," Oliver said. "I knew you could do it!"
"Thanks," Harry breathed. He didn't seem to have fully comprehended what had happened.
"Oi! Nice one, Harry!" the twins chorused.
Oliver pulled Katie to the side as the team congratulated Harry. "Well played out there," he said. "You really turned things around."
"Yeah, I know I was awful to start with, but thank you," Katie replied.
"You seem a lot happier than earlier," Oliver said.
"Never been better." Katie beamed.
Oliver chuckled. "So, I take it you're staying on the team?"
Katie nodded. "I'm afraid you're stuck with me."
"Oliver smiled. "I'm glad to hear it."
A/N: Word count: 2385