VOID, harry potter

vi. just crashed into a goalpost, no big deal

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CHAPTER SIX

— just crashed into a goalpost, no big deal

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THE NEXT MORNING was the Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff match and Juliet was jittering with nerves. She was so nervous that she wasn't even speaking, which, for her friends, seemed to be a first.

"You'll do great!" Kate told her at breakfast, "You're like.. the best quidditch player I know,"

"Hey, I am right here!" Callum exclaimed, who seemed to be shaking as much as Juliet was.

"You too, don't worry, but Julie just looks like she's about to throw up in her cereal and I'd rather that not happen, so I took priority," Kate said, like it was a matter-of-fact.

Juliet nodded, trying to force a smile and get some food down her throat. She had never been so nervous in her life – this game would be her first impression to everyone of her quidditch skills.

'You can't redo first impressions." Juliet's mother used to say and her mother was a Quidditch legend.

The Hufflepuff team changed into their canary-yellow robes and waited for Cedric to give them one of his famous uplifting talks.

"Obviously, the weather isn't ideal but... I believe in every single one of you. We've trained hard and we work really well together, we're going to do great. And on the slim chance we don't, we'll know we did everything we could to win, and that's all that matters."

There were a few moments of silence. Then, Callum began a slow clap, the rest of the team slowly joined.

"That was really inspirational, Diggory." he said. Juliet whooped.

"It wasn't anything," Cedric said, his cheeks going red as he scratched the back of his neck.

"I think you just motivated the brooms too," Blake Morley said, with a cheesy grin on his face.

"I hate you all."

The rain pounded on them relentlessly as they approached the scarlet-robed Gryffindor team. The Captains walked up to each other and shook hands; Diggory smiled at Wood but Wood looked as though he had lockjaw and merely nodded.

Juliet mounted her broom once she saw Madam Hooch mouth the words. There was the shrill distorted sound of the whistle and they were off.

The weather was unbearable. Juliet had never played in worse conditions before, and she barely was able to pass the ball to Morley or Warren. As the game went on, it became harder and harder to grip the broom or raise her hands to hold the Quaffle. Left and right Juliet kept almost colliding with other players: whether they were Hufflepuff or Gryffindor she didn't know.

With the first flash of lightning came the sound of Madam Hooch's whistle; it seemed that Gryffindor had called for a timeout and Cedric was waving them all hurriedly to join them underneath a large umbrella at the side of the field.

"We're getting battered, it's no use in this weather!" Cedric said, wiping the water off of his face with his hands.

"You need to get the snitch as soon as possible, Diggory, Gryffindor are fifty points up and I just want to get inside at this point," Morley yelled over the lightning.