"I write her a letter
just a few short lines,
and suffer death
a thousand times."
Asteria O'Connor, sole heir of a prestigious wizarding family,
has other plans when the self-proclaimed Marauders decide to
torment her and her housemates.
It's abo...
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aster
"Hey Cap," Lucas Parkinson – our seventh year Chaser – calls as he quickly makes his way over to me. He dodges around the other team members as he comes to my side. Even at his close proximity I can barely see him, the corners of my vision buzzing with tiny black dots. "You don't look so good. Maybe take a rest for a few minutes."
Struggling to hear him properly, I grip my broom tighter with my left hand and shake my head which clears the lightheadedness only by a small amount. "Lucas I'm fine. I don't need any help."
He gives me a worried look but goes back to his original position nonetheless. We continue our game of Eleven Man Fast-break. I'm not on any particular team along with Cyrus. We're simply trying to keep the others sharp and agile by firing Bludgers back and forth along the pitch. They however are trying to complete a match like situation at each end. Once one of the Chasers – Anthony in this case – reaches eleven points we concede. I yell for them to land and then run three laps of the circumference of the pitch.
"Not joining us?" Reg shouts at me from halfway through his first lap, a teasing grin playing on his features.
I begin picking up the discarded brooms and putting them under my arm in a bundle. "Don't test me, Black. I can easily add on another hour of training just for you. Hufflepuff cancelled their slot after us today." I place the brooms into the storage cabinet along with the ball case and Beater bats. "Also we're going to be training every day until next Friday, I'll put the times on the notice board tomorrow." The big final against Gryffindor is then and much to my dismay I still need to get the team working on some tactics which means more loss of sleep.
I leave training earlier than everyone else, picking up my stuff and deciding to shower in the school instead of the changing rooms. Even on the walk back up to the school, I begin feeling out of breath, a general ache clouding my muscles, particularly my right hip. Half-walking half-limping my way, I try not to make eye contact with any students.
Rowdy laughter from none other than the Marauders follow behind me.
"Wormtail I swear to Godric, I never knew you were such a romantic. Dropping a basket of bread rolls on her head is definitely gonna send her some 'I love you' signals."
"Shut up, I'll hex the lot of you. You know it was an accident."
"Don't worry Pete, we know."
"Ooh maybe you can romantically pick crumbs out of her hair together."
Suddenly the laughter becomes hushed and muffled. I can already tell I've been spotted. The Quidditch jersey with my surname plastered along the back is definitely a dead giveaway. Footsteps speed up and I know I'm done for. Afraid of anyone talking to me directly and noticing my pained expression, I burst into the nearest door where they're unable to follow me: the girl's bathroom.
