An Art of Balance

Chapter 32: The Final Step

Orion was glad when the light that was filtering into their dormitory gradually got lighter as the beginning of the day crept up on them. Different than usual, he had been sleeping uneasily for the whole night, and not at all for the last hour or so. He had been going over all the necessary statistics Murphy had drilled into him, trying to remember their most important strategic points for the day. He was wondering if they were as prepared as they should be.

When he had woken from his turbulent dreams, Orion had known immediately that he wouldn't go back to sleep anytime soon; he had tried calming his mind with deep, steady breaths but like he had expected, it had been a futile attempt; his nerves were bubbling under his skin when he thought of what awaited him today. The energy vibrating inside him made him eager to get up, the first traces of adrenaline already flooding his body.

He could hear Everett tossing and turning on the other side of the room, quietly swearing and impatiently fluffing his pillow every now and again. Orion made no move to signal his teammate that he was awake as well. Ever since their confrontation on the day after the Slytherin match they had spoken even less than before, but it wasn't like Orion minded much. Despite them having shared a dorm for six years now, he and Everett had never been able to form a real connection.

But still, Orion hadn't forgotten how he had felt himself on the day of his first final, back when he had been the new kid on the team. He had been in a terrified state for most of the day until the game had begun. Even after playing for so many years, he still felt unusually agitated before the last match of the season; imagining how nervous Everett must feel right now, Orion felt a touch of sympathy for him. All of the showing off and aggressiveness was merely hiding a deep insecurity and wish for appreciation, and Everett knew that Orion could see behind his facade.

When it was finally bright enough to get up without raising questions, Orion reached over to his nightstand and picked up his favourite picture of their team. Putting it into the pocket of his coat, he quietly left his dorm and the Common Room behind and made his way up to the Astronomy Tower. He usually preferred the pitch to focus his thoughts but he didn't feel in the right mindset for it yet; he wanted to be calm and centred when entering it for the first time that day.

The sun was just starting to show on the edge of the horizon when he reached the top of the spiral staircase. Orion couldn't help remembering the last time he'd been up here outside of Astronomy classes. Just as he had anticipated, the memory of him and Lizzie started crashing in on him as he walked to the edge of the parapet to watch the sunrise. He wished he could have shown her the beauty of the place as it was basked in the first rays of the rising sun; everything looked so different in the light of a new day. A melancholy smile tugged at the corners of his mouth; but then again, so did everything.

He reached into his pocket and drew out the picture he had taken with him. It was the same picture most of them were keeping on their nightstands; it had been taken at the end of last season, to capture the team that had remained unchanged for so long, before their old Beater had graduated and left her position open for Everett to fill.

With the golden light of the sun washing over him, he thought about how their team had changed over the course of the year. It was something he did every time before their final match of the season, no matter if they were trying for the Cup or not. This year, their journey had been more turbulent than ever before. Like a pendulum, their harmony had swayed from balanced to non-existent in a constant up and down of emotions. 

He couldn't help but feel guilty at being partly to blame for this discontinuity. The feelings he had developed towards Lizzie had been a catalyst for many of the changes his team had had to endure. But despite the obstacles lining their way, they had come out on top, ready to take the final step towards their goal. Smiling fondly at the picture of what he considered his family, Orion felt overwhelmingly proud of what they had achieved. It had shown once again; with enough trust in themselves, everything had fallen into place in the end.