Me: Mate, I have not realized that it has only been less than a month since I last updated...
VM: It felt like six months, actually. Six mother-effing months of not-stop studying, projects, practices, events and other events...our school hates us, I swear.
Me: AND THEY HAVE THE FUCKING RIGHT TO CALL US 'SLACKING OFF'? THAT'S SOME MAJOR BALLS! WELL, FUCK THEM, THEN!
VM: Veering away from our rants...a reviewer would like to know what the hell Ed from FMA is doing in this fic...yeah, well, I made a mistake on explaining that. Truth is, she was originally an OC for FMA, but I decided to stick her in the HP storyline... simply because I can.
Me: Right. Now that that's cleared up...mate, do we really have to do the disclaimer?
VM: ...HOW THE HELL SHOULD I KNOW?
Me: FINE! BE THAT WAY! LET'S JUST REFUSE TO DO IT FOR THIS CHAPTER AND SEE WHAT READERS WHO ACTUALLY BOTHER TO READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE OPINIONS ARE?
VM: FINE!
Me: OKAY! START!
The rest of the week was spent with Ed swearing that God had a personal vendetta against her and was purposefully making time go slower.
She just wanted to try out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team, so what the hell was wrong with that?
Sure, she was…less of average height and most of the wizard society will frown on her entering because of the fact that she was a girl (damn those bastards who say that), but still!
Damn it. There was nothing left to do but swallow thefucking nerves.
And let her tell you, not the most pleasant feeling you could freaking get.
"Look out, look out, it's Gryffindor Quidditch Team tryouts! I, your amazing, drop-dead gorgeous Quidditch Team Captain, Gryffindor's best Chaser ever, and Head Boy, James Potter, declare today to be a clear sunny day—perfect for Quidditch!" James smiled over at the heads of the sixty or so Gryffindors. They all wanted one thing—to get on the team.
"Me and my best mate, Sirius Black here," Sirius bowed at the mention of his name. "Will oversee and judge who to bring in the team. Of course, Sirius himself already has a spot in the team, unless someone proves better—and then I guess I have to kick him out." And handful of Gryffindors laughed, and Sirius grinned.
The Quidditch pitch was swarming in students—mostly Gryffindors. Majority took to the bleachers while a large handful out of the whole Gryffindor population tried out for the team. Several Hufflepuffs came, there were about five Ravenclaw groups, and only a handful of Slytherins. Majority were also girls, coming only to watch Potter and Black, the biggest 'heartthrobs' of Hogwarts.
"So who's ready to bring it on?"
Ed stood by, farther back up the line, unseen by Potter and Black. She was going to try out for the team, always wanted to since she had proven to be a natural since their first year—but she was held back by studies and coping issues. This was the last year she was going to be in Hogwarts, so it better be memorable. Aly and Aqua were in the bleachers, watching. They would have been cheering her on, but Ed decided against it, saying that their voices only made her jumpy and that she really didn't want to be discovered by Potter and Black. But she knew it was inevitable.
"Okay, now, let's all fall into lines. Beaters with Black. Chasers with me. Keeper and Seeker tryouts are this afternoon, come back later, nitwits. Move it, people!"
Ed swore under her breath, as twenty or so Gryffindors left. She lined up with the others trying out for Beaters, taking care to be in the very back of the line of the fifteen or so people.
"Listen up, Beaters! I, ruggedly handsome, witty and charming, Sirius Black, am looking for a fellow Beater. Not just any Beater. A Beater that has instinct. Gut. Wits. Strength. A little on the agile side. Size doesn't matter. Okay, well, it does. Somewhat." At this, Ed only growled, and effectively tuned him out. Ed was pretty small for a Beater—it requires great stamina and strength to be one. Ed's built was more cut out for a Seeker, or a Chaser, but she proved her classmates wrong in the first year, when they had mini Quidditch tournaments for flying classes and she clobbered most of them shitless. People always wondered how she managed.
Glancing at Black, she allowed herself to glare at him, to loath, to let the rage take over. This was her power. Hatred. Anger. Wrath. Her fury was where all the strength came from, where the power was unleashed. Quidditch was her way of blowing off steam, channelling the energy into something useful.
Imagine the endless possibilities. Ed was very quick-tempered, and so, if in a Quidditch match, it would be very much advisable to tell Ed that she was as speck of dust on the horizon, too small to be seen, and watch the fireworks begin in the game. It is very advisable indeed. That is, if you want to be kicked on the ass from Hogwarts to the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
"Right, you're up, Fletcher! Let's see what'cha got," Sirius said, to the boy who was first in line. The tryouts were simple—five tries, hit the bull's-eye thrice with a loose Bludger flying around using a bat, and you're up for elimination—which was a game of Quidditch itself. Fletcher was shaking nervously, ("Grow some balls, Fletcher!") and didn't hit the Bludger very well, missing three times in a row, before Black finally told him off. "Next!" The second one was no good either.
'Blimey,' Ed thought, 'this is going to take forever.'
Over at the bleachers, Aly and Aqua were watching intently. Though not avid fans of Quidditch, they understood enough of the game, and supported Ed throughout.
"Is it just me, or is Ed turning pale?" Aqua leaned to take a closer look.
"Aqua dear, that's because the line's getting shorter and she's getting closer to Black," Aly said grimly. "And she's not turning pale anymore, she's turning beet red with anger."
Aqua grinned. "Oh, good."
Aly tossed her a sidelong glance. "Oh? Why?"
"She's just getting warmed up, that's all."
They didn't notice, however, that while Black and Potter were on the field, the other Marauders, Lupin and Pettigrew were among the bleachers themselves.
"Oh, not him, he's a fluke," muttered Peter, more to himself than Remus.
"Peter, I'm pretty sure James and Sirius can spot the flukes themselves," Remus said, rolling his eyes. Peter kept watching, as if not hearing a word Remus had said. Peter had been muttering to himself the whole morning, talking about Quidditch. Quidditch was fairly amusing, Remus would have to admit, but it wasn't his life, not like Sirius and James, who were dedicated to the sport. Some things were just more important than a game.
He bent over his book and parchment, writing down reports for a year-long Herbology project, and he was partners with Aqua. Though there was nothing wrong with that, and it had only been two weeks since the beginning of school, Remus wanted to make a good impression. A really, really good impression. He felt a blush creep on his cheeks, and buried his nose in the parchment again.
"That was—oh damn, almost—!"
"Peter, shut up," Remus said, not taking his eyes off the parchment. "I can't concentrate."
"Oh—oh, fuck."
"Peter, shut UP!"
"Fuck," Peter repeated. "Remus, look—"
"Peter, I said—"
"NO, LOOK!"
Remus snapped up his head, realizing that Peter had cursed, and probably only twice in his whole life. And Remus didn't think there was a perfectly good reason, until he looked where Peter was pointing at, which was at the field.
"Oh, fuck," Remus said, cursing for the first time in his life, too.
"What's she doing there?"
The she in question, was, in fact, Ed. Three more people down the line, and she was going to have to face Black. She looked at the other line of people, just three others who got in. They were going to play a match with the others trying out for the team. She saw the one who finished his turn being rejected, and she bit her lip. 'Two more to go and I'm out of here,' she thought. She was never really quite sure she'd make the team, and the fact that Sirius could be her partner only made her ready to turn around and forget trying.
"Sirius is either going to blow his top off, or—"
"—Hex Rochford?"
"… No. Maybe laugh maniacally and send her off?" Remus said hopefully.
They looked at each other and shook their heads sadly.
"Sorry Kent," Sirius called, drawing a finger across his throat, indicating that the person trying out hadn't made it. "Next—OH."
Ed had finally come up in the line, the last person to try out. "Oh?" She said, a little too sarcastically.
Sirius laughed loudly, causing the other three who had gotten in to look at them. "You sure you wanna do this, Rochford? I mean," he said, circling her, "You're not exactly the build for a Beater. A little too… small." The other three laughed. It was true—they were at least over a hundred and fifty-five pounds and at least five feet seven, whereas Ed barely hit five feet two, and weighed ninety-six pounds. Obviously, they had never heard the quote, "small but terrible."
Or in Ed's case, "incredibly small but kick-you-where-the-sun-won't-shine terrible."
Ed's veins popped, but she didn't unleash it on him. No, she had to put that into Quidditch. She'd smash that Bludger in Black's face, no matter what. Her jaw hardened, and her eyes burned with fury. She drew herself to her full height, which wasn't much... Sirius was at least a head-and-a-half taller. Chin up, and back rigid, she glared into his eyes. "Try me, Black."
Sirius folded his arms, smirking. He looked at her for a couple more seconds. "Fine. But don't blame me for anything," he said, throwing his arms wide. He threw her a bat, which she caught by the handle in mid-air. "Release a Bludger," he shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth. He grinned, a little too evilly, in Ed's opinion.
She took her place in front of the target. The Bludger flew high up in the sky, 'til it was barely just a speck. The three others who were trying out for Beater taunted her with, "Ooh, that's a hard one", "Can't see it, can you Rochford? Can't reach, too small!" and "It's going to crush her before she even gets to hit it…"
Aqua was grinning widely, and Aly was frowning. "Mate, I don't get it. Ed's getting pissed. Why're you smiling?"
"Aw, Al, it's like you don't know Ed at all," Aqua said. "Remember what happens when she's in her pissed off moods?"
"She miraculously gets super strength? No, seriously," Aly said, looking at Aqua.
"Just look."
Aly leaned forward to look. The Bludger came flying downwards, and Aly was so sure it was going to hit Ed… but not before she hit it into the target—missed. Two inches off from bull's-eye.
Peter's jaw dropped in surprise, he and Remus had been watching intently after Ed had been up. Remus shook him. "What is it, mate?"
"She—almost—bull's-eye—" Peter choked out. Remus' eyes narrowed.
"So?"
Peter looked at Remus dumbfounded. "Are you mad, mate? Almost bull's-eye for someone who's not made for Beating? And a girl at that. It's practically impossible!"
Indeed, it was. None of the ones before Ed had hit it right the first time, and she almost hit the bull's-eye. The three others who were in competition wore different faces—the brunette girl was looking very pissed, the Sixth year boy was staring at her in shock, and the redhead looked like he lost the lottery for the five-hundred thousandth time. Ed glanced at Sirius, whose eyebrows were suddenly knotted. If he was surprised, he was doing a great job of hiding it. He gave her a curt nod and whistled, which signalled for the next Bludger to be sent out. Ed didn't smile. It wasn't time to rejoice just yet.
Remus and Peter craned their necks, watching, their intense gazes following Ed. They held their breath, as the Bludger got released, and Ed tensed, waiting. It rocketed downward.
"Oh, Merlin," Peter breathed. Ed hit the Bludger again, but missed the bull's-eye, hitting somewhere about five inches off.
"What now?" Remus said, irritated. Peter never bothered to explain. It's not as if Remus was a Quidditch genius or anything.
"She almost—oh, good—"
"She hasn't hit bull's-eye yet. So what?"
"It's good, she's going to miss this one, for sure," Peter blubbered. "Going to miss this one for sure. I'm sure of it."
Sirius whistled, signalling that another Bludger was yet released. Ed tensed up again, gripping the bat as if it were her lifeline. She swung the bat.
Aqua squealed happily. Aly stared, her mouth dropped opened.
Bull's-eye.
Ed hit the bull's-eye.
"She almost missed that one," Remus said, trying to comfort Peter. "Her hand almost slipped."
"Oh, no, no, noooo…" moaned Peter.
Remus frowned. "Wait, what's so wrong with Rochford joining the team? I mean, isn't it for Gryffindor and all?"
"What's so wrong? Remus, she's a girl. Girls aren't meant to be Beaters!"
"Well," Remus said, chuckling a bit, "I think you've forgotten that Ed is not a girl. In essence," he added quickly, because Peter looked like he was going to be sick.
"Still! Imagine the blows to Sirius'—"
"—pompous, supposedly untarnished image?"
"I was going for ego."
"Oh. Then will incredibly large, to the point where in won't fit the whole castle and will probably send him off to hell kind of ego suffice?"
"Remus."
"I was merely stating the absolute truth, Wormtail."
Not a single person was laughing now. All had their eyes on Ed, even the ones who were doing Chaser tryouts—even Quidditch Captain James himself. Sirius looked on, but he was rapidly turning red in the face. He whistled for another Bludger. Ed swung at it.
Bull's-eye.
Again.
Aqua burst out in triumph, and Aly was grinning. They exchanged high-fives. They had to stop and suppress their laughter because people started staring at them. Including, of course, Remus.
"Peter, be right back," Remus muttered to Peter, putting aside his books, parchment and quill.
"Yeah," Peter said, eyes glued to the field.
Remus made his way to the two, finally stealing a seat beside Aqua. "Having fun?"
Aqua looked at him, slightly alarmed. "Oh. O-oh, yeah. Ed's great." She sat up in her chair, trying to pay attention, and trying to not meet Remus' eyes. Aly saw the sudden change, and became quiet. She cast a suspicious look at Aqua, who tried to shrug it off with a smile.
Sirius walked over to Ed, folding his arms and watching her. He was trying his hardest not to scowl. He nodded to her, and whistled. Ed stared into his eyes, as if she could burn him. She then turned her attention on the Bludger that was streaking downwards.
Sirius started talking to her. "Don't know how you're doing this, Rochford, but I'm not going to put you in the team. Not with me," he snarled.
She didn't listen to a single word, her eyes concentrating on the Bludger, which was coming any time now. She tensed—and swung, putting all of her might into it, bringing her body weight in the swing.
"Says who, Black?" She said, smiling triumphantly.
Sirius' face turned beet red in fury. "This is not possible," he gritted through his teeth.
Bull's-eye.
"I am not putting you in the team, Rochford," Sirius said, trying to put as much venom into his words. "Dream on."
"Well, Black—"
"Rochford!" James ran towards the two, breathless. "That was amazing! I never knew you were a Quidditch player, much less a Beater!"
Sirius rounded on James. "She's not getting in the team, James."
James looked at Sirius then at Ed. "'Course she is, mate. You're in, Rochford," he deadpanned, grinning widely, and holding out his hand. Ed raised an eyebrow, but shook it. Sirius rolled his eyes, and pulled James aside.
"Look, mate, she may be good on ground, but what if she's on air? On broom? Let's give the others a chance, why don't we?" Sirius said, slightly pleading.
"Look, Sirius," James said, looking at him in the eye. "I don't know what you have against Rochford, but for Gryffindor's sake, put your biases aside, goddamnit."
"You don't know what I have against her? She humiliated me in front of the school, James! We're sworn enemies!" Sirius' voice took on a softer, lower tone. "For Gryffindor's sake, James, don't you think you're over-estimating her?"
"Alright then," James said, after a while. Sirius grinned, but the smile faded when James gripped the front of his shirt. "But if Ed proves to be much more than any of them, she's in. And you have no right to deny her talent," James said, letting go of Sirius. The two glared at each other, but James broke it off when he turned to Ed with a smile.
"C'mere, Ed," he said, pulling her aside. "Y'see, Sirius is supposed to choose the Beater, and we've seen the talent you've got. Quite frankly, I think you're amazing," he said. "But Sirius isn't convinced. Go kick ass for me, hm? I want you on the team."
"This is because he's biased against me, right?" Ed said, folding her arms and smirking.
"Well, yes." James sighed, dramatically. "But for Gryffindor, you get? We've got to win the Cup this year."
Ed looked at him in the eye, and grinned. "I'll be on the team, James. Nothing's stopping me," she said, walking past him and Sirius, all the while smirking.
Aly and Aqua ran at breakneck speed to get to the field, and once Ed saw them, she smiled, and for the first time, the smile reached her eyes. She ran towards them, and stopped short, when Aqua came flying from the horizon and attacked her into a tight embrace. "You got in, Ed," Aqua said, gasping for breath. "I knew you would!"
"There's still elimination, Aqua," Ed protested, but Aqua let go and Aly hugged her.
"Well, you're almost there," Aly said, giving her a wink and ruffling her hair. Ed glared at her for a while, holding her head, and the three of them laughed.
"Ain't time to celebrate, Rochford," Sirius spat, shooting her a glare. "Tomorrow, James will see it's a mistake to let you in."
"Bring it on, Black," Ed challenged, folding her arms, chin up. "I ain't scared of you."
Me: You all better thank VM for making this chapter in advance, or else you're all screwed waiting.
VM: *nods*
Me: Running through the monsoon~
VM: Beyond the world, to the end of time, where the rain won't hurt~
Me: Fighting the storm, into the blue, AND WHEN I LOSE MYSELF I'LL THINK OF YOU~
VM: WE HAVE MADE IT A TRADITION THAT AFTER EVERY END OF A CHAPTER, WE WILL WRITE LYRICS TO A SONG!
Me: So if you don't like the song, well, sorr but, suck it up!
VM: Now for the German version of this song. (Note: WE ARE NOT GERMAN!)
Me: Ich muss durch den Monsun~
VM: Hinter die Welt, ans Ende der Zeit Bis kein Regen mehr fällt~
Me: Gegen den Sturm, am Abgrund entlang Und wenn ich nicht mehr kann, denk ich daran~~~! God, do I love this song!
VM: Now...well, you know the drill, REVIEW~!