𝒱𝒾𝒷𝓇𝒶𝓃𝓉 - Declan Hayes (a Harry Potter Story)

xii.

A week after Declan's interaction with Joey was the first Quidditch match of the season. Gryffindor vs. Slytherin.

The first game was always very hyped up by the students of Hogwarts, mostly due to the rivalry between the two houses and the fact that they were always the first teams to go against one another.

On the morning of the game, Declan and his friends had all woken and eaten in the Great Hall. Declan looked at the Gryffindor table as he walked in and saw the Gryffindor team eating. Declan saw Charlie Weasley with a piece of toast in front of him, so he decided to go say hi.

"Hey, Charlie," Declan said as he approached the table.

"Hm? Oh, hey Declan," Charlie replied. He didn't seem very focused on the conversation the two were having.

"Good luck, mate," said Declan.

"Thanks," Charlie responded.

Declan walked away, but he did notice Joey wasn't there. He assumed they wanted to keep Joey a secret for as long as possible.

Once he made it back to the Hufflepuff table, Declan sat down and began to eat his own food.

Over the past week, Declan's friend group had returned to a slight normalcy. Declan, after his conversation with Allison, had decided to try and commit to spending more time with his friends while still balancing time with Amanda and Quidditch practice. Amanda had been fine with this when he told her, though she had made him promise they would still spend time together.

Lori seemed to have returned to her normal self, though she was seeming a little.. distant? Declan didn't really know how to put it, but it felt like she was trying too hard to be her normal self.

Thomas and Allison had remained, for the most part, unchanged. Declan could tell they were both relieved to have the whole friend group back together. Declan was too. He was feeling stressed during the entire situation. They were his best friends. He didn't want to lose that.

The previous day, the Hufflepuff team had had their final Quidditch practice before the Gryffindor-Slytherin match. The team was looking to be in pretty good shape, so a rare speech was given by Kristin.

"Tomorrow, we'll see if the other houses have been working as hard as we have. I think we're in great shape, especially when comparing our skills and teamwork to previous years," Kristin said, sending a glare towards Tozer and Booth, who both snickered. Randy and Kelly both nodded in agreement to Kristin, while Declan and Allison both watched their captain.

"Gryffindor has a new secret Chaser, as does Slytherin, so we'll be able to guage how we'll do against their teams tomorrow. Ravenclaw'll be in two weeks, so be prepared for the normal pre-game taunts. Don't let them get under your skin because, at the end of the day, you're playing out there and the people trying to make you mad don't." said Kristin.

"Well said, Kristin," said Kelly, clapping. Randy nodded in agreement.

Declan had been feeling fine until Kristin brought up the fact that his first match against Ravenclaw was only two weeks from the following day. He hadn't really thought much about it, only really thinking about his own team. How would he fare against other Chasers? They probably had more experience than him. What if he lets his house down? Hufflepuff hasn't won a Quidditch cup in years, and they normally scrape by with a win or two. Declan obviously wanted that to change, but what if it didn't? It would be his fault.

"Declan, you alright?" Thomas said from beside him at the table, snapping Declan out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm alright. I just realized our first match against Ravenclaw is soon. I hadn't even really thought much about it."