Pluto Projector.

Chapter Twenty-Five.

"Our first game of the season is in two weeks today," Cho reminded (Y/n) during the morning of the Slytherin Vs. Gryffindor game. "I'm going to amp practice up to every other day."

"Oh, okay," (Y/n) mumbled, thinking for a moment. "Yeah, I can do that... As long as it's after my club activities."

"Of course," Cho nodded. "I'm sure the others are going to say the same." Most captains did not like having players who also had other priorities, but Cho personally preferred to hold skill in a higher regard than 'time available.' Cho and (Y/n) looked up from their breakfast as loud cheers broke out from the Gryffindor table. Marietta and Padma didn't care to stop eating and look back. (Y/n) joined the applause, lightly clapping her fingers together. She wasn't sure when she developed such a habit.

"A bit loud, isn't it?"

"Not more than usual," Cho answered. "No one's more intense about Quidditch than Slytherin and Gryffindor."

"What? That is literally half the school," (Y/n) murmured. Cho nodded, emphasizing the point. A few moments later, Hermione came storming over to (Y/n)'s friend group.

"Harry just spiked Ron's drink!" Hermione whisper-shouted seethingly, sitting right beside (Y/n) and receiving odd looks from some of the Ravenclaws who were disturbed by her angry energy disrupting their morning.

"What? You sure?" (Y/n) asked, holding her hand over her mouth as she chewed.

"Yes!" Hermione exclaimed. "I'm sure it was that elixir he won from Slughorn's class!"

"You saw him?"

"Well..." Hermione trailed off. "It was might suspicious that he insisted on serving Ron his drink."

"Hm... You think Harry would have wasted that elixir on a game, though?"

"Definitely! It's against Slytherin! And no offence to the players, but they're nowhere near as good as the old team."

"Oh, is that so?" Cho asked, perking right up. Hermione eyed her cautiously, now deciding she ought to be careful with her words. The group headed off to the Quidditch pitch shortly thereafter. (Y/n) headed off with Hermione despite the fact she was wearing a mixture of green and red to support both teams.

"One of these days, you'll actually have to pick a side," Parvati said.

"Not any time soon!" (Y/n) said pleasantly. She paused and did a double-take on Parvati. "Is that Ginny's number?" she asked, eyeing the jersey number painted on Parvati's hand.

"Oh, you noticed?" Parvati said loudly, hoping Lavender, who was sitting on the other side of Hermione, would hear her over the crowd. "Ginny and I have been hanging out a lot lately. I figured it's best to focus on supporting one member of the team at a time!" Hermione shrunk into her scarf, her eyes narrowing. (Y/n) imagined that Hermione was starting to feel like a child caught in between her divorced parents. While she, Lavender, and Parvati had a love-hate relationship in the sense that they didn't always get along, Hermione shared a dorm with the two, who always seemed to be trying to one-up each other by claiming they had moved on and still weren't hopelessly in love.

"Luna is a real cutie, isn't she?" (Y/n) mused. Even over the crowd, she heard the roar of Luna's lion-topped hat.
Down on the field, Harry, Ginny, and Ron were squinting up at the crowds, trying to pinpoint where (Y/n) was sitting. They already had her outfit memorized and were uncertain on whether or not she would be sitting in the Gryffindor stands like she used to. They found her quite easily given that she was sitting beside Hermione and Parvati, who they had first searched for as the two girls were usually the ones who brought (Y/n) to the Gryffindor stands with them.