Surviving Hogwarts

Back on the Pitch

The rest of that first week of class past in a flurry and after an uneventful weekend full of homework, Monday dawned too early.

Well, mostly uneventful. Emily from Slytherin accidentally mistook Jamie for Alan and tossed water in his face during lunch the day after her unsuccessful "study session" with Daisy, which was humorous to say the least.

Jamie then in turn tossed his pumpkin juice on Alan after he laughed, which nearly started a food fight at the Gryffindor table. Thankfully, Professor Longbottom had stepped in.

But that Monday morning, Daisy was lugging her broom to the Quidditch pitch at 4:20 a.m. Why Jamie thought they needed 30 minutes to warm-up before practice even started, she would never know. She quickly changed into her gear in the empty locker room before heading out to the pitch. The triplets were already there with Chris, stretching, though Chris looked a touch sleepier. They were still waiting on James and the other chaser - Roger McLaggen, a fifth year like Daisy.

"There's our little Pixie!" Remus shouted.

Daisy glared at him, still a touch angry. Plus, he was far too cheery for this early in the morning.

"You didn't by chance see any of the others on your way here, did you?" Jamie asked.

Daisy shook her head no.

"The common room and locker room were empty," she said.

"They better get here soon, or I'll make them do extra laps for making us wait," Jamie said, looking towards the castle.

The sun wasn't even up yet, and the four were standing in the somewhat chilly pre-dawn.

"What's the plan for today?" Daisy asked.

"Start teaching Chris and Roger the plays for Slytherin," Jamie said.

"Got it."

Daisy, the triplets, and James already had all the plays for the season down by heart. She wasn't quite sure how fair it was that most of the Gryffindor team could practice together over the summer due to living under the same roof, but Daisy had to admit that they could use the edge. Ravenclaw had put up a good fight last year in the final and were also returning with the same team. They would definitely want the grudge match to go in their favor.

"Ah, here they are. Right on time," Remus said as the two remaining chasers walked onto the pitch. Daisy looked over at them.

"Alright you lot, five laps around the pitch to warm-up!" Jamie yelled.

"Come on, five?!" Roger whined.

"Count yourself lucky, Da makes us do 10," Daisy said as she jogged past him.

About an hour later, Daisy was hovering far above the pitch, watching as Jamie yelled instructions at the chasers from his position in front of the hoops. She had lost sight of the snitch for a moment and was taking a short break, watching how the plays were going.

Chris and Roger seemed to be picking them up quickly. While Jamie wasn't nearly as brilliant as their father when it came to making up plays, he was pretty good. And he would likely tweak or come up with more as they watched the other teams play matches throughout the season.

She sat back on her broom and looked out over the castle grounds. This was perhaps her favorite place. Sitting up in the air, looking out over Hogwarts. She only had a couple more years here and she wasn't sure what to expect in the future. Sure, she knew she was going to play Quidditch, but she wasn't sure of the details.

She figured at first, she would live in the city with her brothers. The thought of being with them again was slightly comforting, but at the same time, she was looking forward to two years without them constantly being around. And she had every intention of spending her first few years after Hogwarts creating a name for herself in the Quidditch world - without her brothers or her father. She knew her parents weren't completely thrilled with some of the things she attempted to do, but it was what she was good at.

Daisy grinned to herself as she saw the snitch towards the other end of the pitch. Leaning forward on her broom, she took off.

Jamie glanced up and saw Daisy sitting calmly in the air high above him, looking out over the castle. She was still young, but she looked as though she belonged there. While they were all good in their own ways, he always felt Daisy got the most of their father's talent. She could really be something someday.

She leaned forward on the broom and took off in a streak across the field. She dived down and then almost seamlessly, she weaved in and out of the bludgers Remus and Alan had been hitting at each other. Shooting up, she grabbed the snitch and did a perfect loop before evening out and lazily coming to a stop above the opposing team's hoop. Jamie sighed. Remus and Alan flew over to where he was, coming to a stop on either side of him.

"She's getting more daring," Remus said. Jamie nodded.

"Da told me to look out for her, keep her from doing anything too dangerous," he said.

"Have you told her that?" Alan asked. Jamie shook his head no.

"You think she'll listen? She'll just practice them on her own. At least this way I can keep an eye on her," he said.

"You know Da'll send a Howler if he finds out you're encouragin' her," Remus said.

Jamie looked over and smiled at his brother.

"You honestly think any of us can stop her, even Da? You know our Pixie," Jamie said. Remus laughed softly.

The three brothers looked back over at their sister, who was now flying in increasingly faster circles over the loops.

"I noticed Elise Wright was making eyes at you over dinner last night," Remus said casually.

Jamie's cheeks flushed a pale pink.

"Hadn't noticed," he lied.

"I may not be able to read your mind, but even I know that's a lie," Alan said. "You going to ask her to Hogsmeade?"

"Maybe," he said.

"First one is coming up next weekend. You should ask her," Remus said. "Maybe she'll say yes."

"Maybe I will."