The next few days weren't much better. Although I've stopped receiving sympathetic looks or dirty glares, I still notice people whispering as I pass by. Mercifully, Thursday night, Tetula Brown and Jack Cummings finally broke up. The couple is famous for very public relationship; everything from their snogging to their fights has happened with much of the school as an audience for their entire six month relationship. The break up was all everyone could talk about Friday; apparently it consisted of a huge fight in which Tetula had tried to Avada Kedavra Jack, but he dodged it. He was about to send a curse back when his mate, Arthur humped in and saved the day by restraining him and in doing so, probably saved many lives. The sad part about all this is that this isn't even the most far-fetched embellished version of the story I've heard.
After a very long day, and a very long week for that matter, in which every minute I spent awake was a minute wasted, in my opinion, I trudged onto the Quidditch pitch for Gryffindor's first practice of the season on Friday evening. I stare up at the sky before I enter the changing room. It's grey and there are dark clouds gathering. Seems like a storm is about to hit, and although I absolutely love the rain and thunderstorms especially. I think back to the afternoons and evenings I spent walking through the rain for hours at a time when I couldn't take being at home with mum and dad any longer. When there wasn't any rain, I'd usually lock myself in my room and read, or even go explore the muggle town near our neighborhood. Anything to be as far away from my parents as possible. However, thunderstorms, as much as I loved them aren't exactly ideal flying conditions. And a storm on our first practice feels like a bad omen.
The team got dressed, and then Aaron bored us almost to death for an hour, talking strategy for the upcoming season. He had a chart and everything. Timmy and Simon were asleep by the time he'd finished, and I was having trouble keeping my eyes open as well.
"Ok team" Aaron clapped, "let's get out there."
There's a light drizzle as we headed out. As I mount my broom, I feel the familiar tingle of excitement run through my body. I stopped thinking and just let myself feel the wind around me and the tiny raindrops hitting my face. I force Jacob and everything else from my mind.
We start with laps, then drills. However, twenty minutes into the practice the rain starts to come down harder. By forty minutes in, we'd started practicing strategic movies but could barely see four feet in front of our brooms. The rain was coming that was falling made me think of giant buckets filled with water being tipped on us from the heavens. It was even darker now and the lightning and thunder had started. But our captain did not call to stop. I gritted my teeth, forcing myself not to yell out at Aaron. Thankfully, Sheryl took the words right out of my mouth.
"Oi! Everard! This is useless! And we're getting soaked!"
"What if a game day turns out like this? Wha're we gonna do then? Get pummeled because we were too pathetic to practice in a bit of rain?" He shouted back.
Pierre Smith joined in "this is not just a bit of rain!" He yells down from his post way above us, supposedly searching for a snitch he'd never be able to find anyway. Sheryl just rolla her eyes and continues flying, quaffle in hand, to the goal posts. She throws the quaffle and the only reason it got in was because Patel couldn't see Sheryl coming, much less the quaffle she threw.
We keep at it for a while longer, swerving to avoid colliding with each other every few minutes. Finally, two hours into practice, Aaron decides it's getting pointless, especially with the sky so dark and the rain showing no sign of easing up any time soon. We trudge back into the school. Our first practice had not gone well at all. On top of the weather, everybody seemed out of sync with each other. 'We don't move as a team' as Aaron had put it. As we walk up to the common room, I pray we don't run into Jack Argon, the caretaker, who would probably have our heads for bringing in so much water and mud this late into the evening.
I lose myself in my thoughts as we continue to make our way. Those thoughts, for the first time in a while, do not stray to Jacob, but to Aaron. Ever since that night during patrols, I feel awkward every time I'm around him. Am I supposed to be nice to him now? I really don't want to. And I don't think he deserves it; it was one kind act, it doesn't make up for three years of hating him. Does it? No, it doesn't I decide. He was just being polite, or civil. And in the days that followed the incident, he hasn't acted out of the ordinary toward me so I'm not going to let it change anything between us; he is still an arrogant, egotistical, self absorbed jerk.
Everyone goes straight to the fireplace to warm up when we enter the common room. I threw off my red an gold robe, padding, and cape, and stand by the fire with my dripping sweater sticking to me uncomfortably. I look over at Aaron, who was seated on a chair close by. He'd seemed pretty ticked when we were coming up here. It doesn't seem like he he's thinking about Quidditch anymore though. I realize with a mix of revulsion and horror that he's staring at me, or more specifically, at the sweater clinging to my frame.
"What're you staring at?" I snap at him.
He never falters. Arching a sarcastic eyebrow, while the shadow of a smirk played on his lips, he counters "Don't flatter yourself," and winks at a group of fifth year girls sitting in a corner of the room behind me, whom immediately begin giggling and whispering.
My blush deepens "Whatever" I mutter and refusing to look at his face where the smirk is dancing freely now, I fast walk up to my room and straight into the shower. I close my eyes as the stinging hot water washes over me and I attempt to return my cheeks to their regular hue. I stretch lightly and then lather my hair with my lavender scented shampoo. Only when I start feeling faint from the burning water do I step out, change into my pajamas and climb straight into bed, too tired to wonder where Penelope and Stacey are or even to dry my hair.
Author's Note
Sorry for the slightly shorter chapter, but at least the updates are super quick! Leave a review? :)