The next week passed in a blur. I had to make sure I was sufficiently prepared for the snow that was now continuously pouring from the sky. I had started to adjust to the weather, though, and no longer looked like a marshmallow.

I forced everyone to finish their homework, especially Ary. She had inherited her lack of enthusiasm for school from her dad. But, as I explained to her sternly the day before we left for Hogwarts, I would quit the team if she didn't pass this next semester.

When we arrived back at Hogwarts, the first thing I did was collapsed onto my bed in the Gryffindor dorms. I sighed with relief. I really did like it at Hogwarts. It was so different from my old school. We didn't dorm at the Golden Coast Academy. It was nice to live on campus. I supposed it was something like muggle college.

Classes resumed as normal, though I made sure to sit in the back of any of the classes I had with James, and to be the last one there and the first one out. On the quidditch pitch I ignored him completely, and Ary always held him back to let escape. Jane, Georgie, and Carly also were working hard to keep him away from me whenever he approached, which he did quite often.

The last week of January, however, he seemed to get the picture and left me alone. I really started to enjoy myself then. I tried to teach Jack and Reggie how to broom surf, but they both chickened out. I just snorted, biding my time until the hills of Hogwarts had at least five feet of snow. I could then try out snowboarding.

My friends all rolled their eyes at my muggle sport antics. I was determined to have fun, though. Louis was right, I started to lose my enthusiasm with the snow, and I wanted to make the most of it before I started hating it.

I did catch the eye of a seventh year, though, with all my talks of surfing and snowboarding, and the lectures I gave to my friends about soccer.

"First of all," Jane slammed a fist on the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall one day during lunch, "it's bloody football, not soccer." She shook her head in disbelief. She was a half blood, and knew the very basics of the game. "Second, why the hell are we talking about this? Quidditch!" She waved her arms in the air. "Quidditch."

Arabella nodded enthusiastically. "Why do you need other sports when you've got quidditch?"

I snorted. "It's called some diversity, Ary. Don't you want to try other things besides quidditch?"

It was her turn to snort. "No."

I pleaded, "But it's a great game! Fourteen people after one ball? It's a bloodbath!"

Ary just shook her head. "But quidditch, Lin! Quidditch is bloody! And it's way up in the air!"

I groaned. "But soccer has a sense of style to it. A beauty."

She crossed her arms. "You can keep it, then. Marry it, even. But quidditch is the best sport ever."

I sighed. Georgie and Carly were examining the diagram I had drawn. Georgie was pointing to the midfielder. "What does he do again?"

I shook my head. "I give up."

I heard a chuckle behind me, and Jane and Ary, who were sitting across the table from me, both looked shocked.

I turned around quickly. I saw a boy I recognized. Kyle Richardson was a seventh year Gryffindor, and utterly gorgeous, with perfectly messy blond hair, shining green eyes, and a tall, well-built physique.

I felt myself turning red. "Hi," I squeaked.

He chuckled again. "Hi. My name's Kyle. I think we have a few classes together?"

I nodded. "Defense and Potions."

He smiled. "Yeah. You're the one who stopped Gowan from blowing us all up."

I laughed. "Which time?"

He nodded. "Good point. I heard you talking about football. You a fan?"

I nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yeah. I love it! You?"

He grinned. "Definitely. I'm a muggle born. I still play with the community leagues every summer. Prefer it to quidditch, actually."

I heard Ary take in a deep breath. "You should watch what you say around Arabella, Kyle. She doesn't take quidditch lightly." I threw Ary a look over my shoulder. Don't screw it up, Ary.

He looked guilty. "Apologies, ladies. I didn't mean to offend."

I waved it off. "Oh, don't worry about it."

He smiled at me again. I melted. "Say, Benedetto, you fancy going to Three Broomsticks next weekend and discussing it more in depth?"

I found myself nodding.

He beamed. "It's a date." He saluted the rest of them as he left. "Ladies."

I turned slowly back around. Jane, Ary, Georgie, and Carly were looking at me oddly. "What?"

"You. Have a date. WITH KYLE BLOODY RICHARDSON!" Carly screamed. I clapped my hand over her mouth.

"Shut up, shut up!" I looked around us. Thankfully, it was clearing out, and the hall was practically empty.

Ary grumbled. "Too bad he's not fonder of quidditch."

Jane rolled her eyes. "Who cares when he looks like that?" She gestured to his figure as he exited the hall.

"Who looks like what?" Lily plopped down into a seat next to me, and snatched the remains of my sandwich off of my plate.

I began to grumble, but Georgie cut me off. "Kyle Richardson," she said with a dreamy sigh.

"Oh." Lily looked confused. "What's he got to do with anything?"

Jane cupped her chin in her hand as she propped herself up on the table. "For your information, Ms. Potter, he just asked Linny on a DATE!"

Lily paled as she looked from Jane to me. "Is it true, Lin?"

I nodded with a smile on my face. "Yes. We're going to talk about soccer."

Jane poked me. "Oi, it's football."

I sighed and waved her off. "Whatever."

I found myself grinning for the rest of the week. On our Thursday night practice, however, Ary got sick of it and stole the beater's bat from Hugo to whack a bludger at me. It socked me in the stomach.

"What was that for?" I gasped as I tried to regain my breath.

"I don't care if you have a date with Tom Goldmeir! CATCH THE BLOODY SNITCH!" Ary bellowed from her position in front of the hoops.

I scowled as I scanned for the fleck of gold. I caught it within five minutes.

I stood under the showers in the locker rooms. I knew Ary was right. I had to focus on what I was doing, especially in quidditch, even though I was excited for Saturday. I shook my hair under the water and felt a release. I heard someone slam a locker door outside.

I stepped out of the shower with a towel wrapped around my body. "Hello?" I called.

Mary Moriarty's head peered around the corner. "Linny!"

I smiled. "Mary! Whatcha doing?"

The rest of her body came into view. She was in her quidditch robes. "Fancied a fly. Care to join?"

I nodded. "Sure. Let me just throw on my robes again."

We lapped around the pitch, and then raced each other to the Whomping Willow and back. She laughed. "Oh, I love flying." She turned to me. "Heard Richardson asked you out."

I nodded. "Yeah, we're going to the Three Broomsticks on Saturday. Do you know him?"

She shook her head. "Nah. Dated my sister's best friend for a while before they graduated, though. He's got quite the reputation as a ladies' man."

I grinned. "I don't mind that. As long as he's not a cheater."

She shrugged, not meeting my eyes. "Cheaters are the worst."

I looked closely at her. "What aren't you telling me?"

"It's not my story to tell." She caught my eyes. "I'm sorry I can't tell you, but please, be careful, Lin. I don't want you to get hurt."

I nodded. "Thanks. I'll keep it in mind."

She suddenly smiled. "We should fly together more often. It's fun!"

I laughed. "It is. Hey, you want me to teach you how to surf?"

And with that the tension was diffused, and Mary and I spent the rest of the evening before dinner surfing. She caught on pretty quickly. What she said, however, stayed in my head for the rest of the day. I thought about them in bed later. I wasn't looking for something serious. I just wanted to have a bit of fun.

I had dated in the past, and wasn't particularly to concerned when I was broken up with, or when I had to break up with others, but I meant what I said about cheaters. My best friend in California, Beth, had been cheated on, and I made sure her ex couldn't walk straight for a month afterwards.

I shrugged as I rolled over. I could take care of myself.