LYOVA RASMUSSEN - A Durmstrang Quidditch Captain.

Chapter 37 - FUTURE

LYOVA RASMUSSEN POV - Durmstrang Quidditch Captain

It had been set. The last game of the season would show whether Gryffindor or Durmstrang would win the cup. Whether Lyova or Oliver had the better team, the better tactics, the stronger will to win.

The whole school eagerly anticipated the final match, and even the teachers were in a slightly better mood. Lyova had spent the last days since the previous game mainly in the common room, figuring out game strategies, or on the pitch, flying.

Now, the time had come to concentrate on winning the last game. She avoided too much contact to fade out any kind of social distraction. Davies had looked at her during meals and classes, but Lyova had made it clear that she didn't want to talk about anything that had happened. Fred and George had promised her not to tell anybody, and Lyova wasn't going to tell her teammates. This was a distraction she couldn't need right now.

Directly after the game, she'd written to Kasprzak to tell him the news, and it had only taken him a few days to answer and tell her that he would come to see their last match, along with Karkaroff, Horvat and a few other Durmstrang students.

Alexej had promised that he and their parents would come, and even some of the Russian Ministry of Magic had announced their appearance, which had caused the media and newspapers to gain interest in the game.

That morning, Orlov had passed her the Daily Prophet, already opened at the sports section.

"THE NORTH ATTACKS"

The following weekend, a student team of the Durmstrang Institute, which has its origin in Norway, will play a quidditch match against the Gryffindor team of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the annual Quidditch Cup.

The Bulgarian team has spent the last school year at Hogwarts and has already shown excellent skills in the sport. It is also a perfect opportunity to see the Bulgarian national team's seeker, Viktor Krum, who happens to be the school team's seeker. The all-male team is led by their only female player and captain: Lyvva Rasmussen.

"I am looking forward to the match. What a great example of magical international cooperation," Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, told the Daily Prophet in an exclusive interview.

Lyova had closed the newspaper and handed it back to Orlov, who had grinned at her.

"Lyvva," he had mocked her, referring to how her name was written in the article.

So much pressure and excitement were focused on this match, and Lyova loved every single moment of it.

"The Salem Witch Trials occurred in Salem, a Massachusetts settlement, and resulted in the executions of twenty people accused of witchcraft, most of them women. Some of these women were actually entirely innocent of the crimes they were convicted of. Others were simply Muggles unlucky enough to be swept up in a moment of mass hysteria," Professor Binns droned on, floating above his desk.

Lyova wasn't paying attention. From the beginning of the year, she couldn't figure out how a ghost remained a professor at this school. She was brainstorming new tactics and strategies on her parchment.

"Curious. We covered the history of wizarding sport in October," Percy commented as he took a closer look at his neighbours' notes.

Lyova sighed, looking up to him. His horn-rimmed glasses sat on his nose, and some curls of his red hair, which he usually tried to keep in place, had found their way onto his forehead.

"How does it look to you, then?" Lyova whispered, taking a look at his parchment.

Percy had thoroughly written down everything Professor Binns had talked about the last 40 minutes.

"Can I borrow these later?" she asked, pointing at his notes.

"I'm not sure. I'm not one to help a student who blatantly ignores the lecture, but I could possibly be persuaded," he said before smiling. "Of course, you can."

"Thank you, Percy. You're a true hero," Lyova mocked him, making even Percy laugh a bit.

"Mister Weasley, are you paying attention?" Professor Binns asked.

Percy's head snapped forward, looking at Binns, face turning bright red. "Of course I am, sir," he stammered.

Professor Binns grunted in satisfaction and carried on with the lecture. Lyova pressed her hand against her mouth, trying not to laugh out loud. Percy refused to look at her, his ears burning red now.

"You should pay more attention to the lesson," Lyova whispered once she had control of herself, causing him to turn around. A hint of mischief glinted in her eyes as she watched his transported expression.

"You spend too much time with Fred and George," he exhaled.

"Maybe you should spend more time with your brothers," Lyova proposed, earning a glare in return.

One more week until the last game. The day after the game, the Durmstrangs would return home to write their final exams. But was it even their 'home' anymore? Never had Lyova experienced her teammates so calm and content.

It was also Lyova's last year of school since the students in Durmstrang graduated one year earlier than in Hogwarts. What would she do after finishing school? Krum had insisted that he introduced her to some of the professional quidditch coaches, but Lyova wasn't sure yet which team she wanted to join.

Percy told her once that he'd been accepted into an internship with the British Ministry of Magic and that there was a Department of Magical Games and Sports within each country's ministry. So, ever since then, she'd been thinking about possibly applying for a job there if she couldn't make it as a player.

MARCUS FLINT POV - Slytherin Quidditch Captain

The days since their loss had been torture. The Slytherins were out of the running for the cup, and Flint had been obnoxious towards everybody who had tried to talk to him. Malfoy hadn't dared to even look him in the eyes since the end of the game. Better for him.

"...but not the captain. The pure male team is led by their only female player and captain: Lyvva Rasmussen." Flint had burnt the Daily Prophet with a wave of his wand after he had read the article.

It should have been his name in the article: Marcus Flint, captain of the winning team.

His parents had sent a letter telling him that they were 'filled with consternation about his defeat', but he was sure to have noticed hints of reproaches that he couldn't make it between the lines.

Lyovas comment about him having a new girl every day still lingered in the back of his mind. Sure, he had regularly changed the girls he had been with. And he still did. Mostly younger Slytherins with some kind of decent family background. Sometimes only just for fun. But somehow Lyova had managed to gain his attention. He hated to admit that she was rather appealing if that was the right word.

Flint rolled his head and cracked his bones, wandering through the corridors, trying to clear his head. They hadn't trained since their defeat. It wasn't necessary any longer. In one week, his time at Hogwarts would be over, and he had ended it with losing the Quidditch Cup. However, now Marcus only hoped that Lyova was good enough to win against the Gryffindors.

Marcus' father had already told him that he would do an internship at the Ministry of Magic, which wasn't too hard to get. His family had always been involved in politics. One of his relatives, Josephina Flint, had even been Minister of Magic some time ago, and her family's name still had influence.

Marcus was unsure how to feel about leaving Hogwarts. His time had been endurable, especially with his fellow Slytherins. He didn't love learning amongst all of the muggle-borns and being under the charge of Albus Dumbledore. But, he had felt at home here, much more so than when he was under his parents' roof.