Next to you

Chapter 10

Oscar was vibrating. Pure adrenaline was flowing in his veins, but at the same time his concentration was at the highest levels. He loved the feeling before matches. He felt like he could fight against thousands of lions alone with his bare hands.

He and his team had trained for a week to reach the best condition. All of them were in great shape, ready to defeat the Ravenclaw team.

"Come on, guys, we got this. Play like usual and follow the strategies. Remember, they can't win against our teamwork." As the captain, Oscar had the duty to say a few words to his teammates before the match started. They were waiting in the Gryffindor's changing room, almost ready to go out.

"Oscar." Keyu called for him. "Someone is looking for you." He pointed to the half-opened door of the room, through which he could see Hu Yetao waving at him.

Oscar's heart skipped a beat and he jogged towards him. "What are you doing here?" Oscar had barely seen Yetao in the last week, so he was happy he had come to greet him before the match.

"I came to cheer for you. And for the others of course." Yetao leaned forward to wave at his friends in the changing room, who waved back at him.

"Thank you, Taotao." Oscar grinned. "Watch closely. We will win for sure."

"I'm sure you will. I'll be watching you. Good luck!" Yetao said with a smile, before walking away.

After the incident, Oscar had almost no opportunity to meet up with Yetao and spend time together with him. He was sad about it, but he had to give his all to his team. He couldn't get distracted. But at the same time, Oscar wanted to see Yetao. He hoped he had gotten along well with his friends during his absence.

Oscar took a few seconds to calm down and get once again into the match mood. They would surely win this match so that he could go back triumphantly to Yetao.

Ravenclaws were strong, Oscar had to admit it, but Gryffindors were stronger. At a certain point, he was sure they were messing things up, but luckily Patrick managed to catch the Golden Snitch, allowing Gryffindors to win the match. Oscar threw his arms around him in excitement, followed by Caelan, Mika, Keyu and the rest of the team. The group hug lasted until the Headmaster handed the cup to Oscar, who raised it up, while his teammates lifted him high.

Celebrations continued first in the Gryffindor common room with their housemates, and then in the Great Hall with their circle of friends. Oscar was exhausted. The adrenaline was gone and tiredness hit him hard.

"Finally we can rest." Mika said, resting his head on Caelan's shoulder.

"Don't slack off. The next match is in three weeks against Slytherins." Keyu warned. Mika and Caelan both groaned at the same time.

"You can try as hard as you want, but we will pulverize you." Zhang Jiayuan said with a confident grin. "Hu Yetao, don't you dare root for Gryffindors next time." He pointed at the person concerned.

"Don't worry, Jiayuan, I'm a loyal Slytherin." Yetao answered smiling.

"What about me?" Oscar said, offended.

"Sorry, Oscar. I can't betray my origins." All the boys bursted out laughing.

Fu Sichao came close to Yetao and put his arm around his shoulders. "Oh right, Oscar. We took good care of Taotao during your absence. Now he is an expert Snitch Snatcher player."

Did Oscar hear Fu Sichao calling Yetao "Taotao"? And he was so close to him! "Since when you two are this close?" He said without thinking.

Sichao had a sly smile on his face. "We are besties now, right Taotao?"