𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍 𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐒, oliver wood

ten.

10

GRYFFINDOR VS SLYTHERIN

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Louisa looked up from their green picnic blanket that had been thrown over the frozen grass. It was December now and there was only one competitive game left of the term: Gryffindor vs Slytherin. Slytherin had won both of their games and had accumulated enough points to put them in the top position. Juniper hated to toot her own horn, but most of those points had been scored by herself. 

"So, let me get this right, we don't need to win this game to still be in the top. We just need to have enough points to keep us there?" Louisa had been trying to wrap her head around the game for the past seven years and she still didn't get the rules. 

Juniper nodded at her as she pushed the plate of grapes back towards Louisa who had been inching it closer and closer to her as she had explained the rules of the tournament to her. Juniper had her DADA book open in front of her as she kept writing and re-writing the title of her essay that was due next lesson. For some reason, she couldn't focus on her studies with all her plans for quidditch brimming. The rest of the students had also gathered on the grass to enjoy the snow and the last few weekends before Christmas break.

Louisa, like everyone else, had wrapped herself up with hats, coats, fluffy socks, gloves and scarfs. Juniper, on the other hand, wore only her winter uniform and the gloves that Louisa had forced onto her hands. 

"Why do you keep looking up?" she whispered, her breath freezing in the air in front of her lips.

There they were, the Weasley twins had made it a habit to sit behind the towering pine tree to concoct their pranks and jokes. Hence why Juniper had dragged Louisa there, under the premise of studying. Louisa furrowed her brows at her as the spark appeared behind June's green eyes. That mischievous glint she had seen for weeks. The glint that had earned her many late night detentions.

"I know that it might not be a good idea," Juniper's voice got an octave louder as she breathed an over exaggerated sigh. "Flint thinks that it will work though. Sure, I might have got in the way last time, but I didn't know the plan then."

Juniper waved her hand in a circular motion to Louisa, begging her to carry on and play with it.

"Yeah... yeah... The plan!"

"Flint wants to do it himself this time," her words came out in an exaggerated hiss, "He's had the team training harder since our Hufflepuff game. He think's it'll work, and so do I."

Louisa crunched on the green grapes as she spoke, still confused. 

Juniper pushed her blonde curls away from her face as she listened to the other side of the tree, neither of the brothers had talked at all since they sat down and their giggles had stifled.

"Anyway, I should probably get back to the rest of the team. I don't think that Gryffindor stands a chance this weekend, not with what Flint has planned," Juniper stood from the blanket, leaving Louisa behind as she made her way down to the pitch to train. 

She had spent weeks training by herself, listening in to the team meetings in the common room because she had been completely excluded. She knew that they wouldn't officially take her off the team, Flint didn't have the power to do that and Snape rarely took interest in Quidditch other than claiming credit for their wins.

It suited her, always managing to sweep under the radar.

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Juniper was the first person on the Quidditch Pitch that Saturday morning. It was the big day, after all. The sun had barely appeared on the horizon before she was walking down to the pitch, her green uniform on and her broom in hand. She warmed up, waited and then warmed up some more.