Run With Me - Remus Lupin

8: And the Crowd Goes Wild

The entirety of the Great Hall was filled with excited chatter on the first Saturday of November. Three-fourths of the hall was covered in students wearing their best red and gold outfits. Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were borrowing scarves and hats from their friends in Gryffindors and the Gryffindors were doing their best to finish up some last-minute signs to hold up during the first Quidditch match of the year.

It was Gryffindor versus Slytherin.

All of the Slytherin's were sat at their table, filling that side of the Great Hall with a thick crowd of green and silver. They were all talking quietly to their Quidditch team, sometimes turning around to point at the Gryffindor players.

I'd made the mistake of facing towards the Slytherins. I could see every sneer and aggressive gesture they were making towards our table. It was also the first time I'd see the Slytherin team. They were all wearing their Quidditch robes, so they stood out against the crowd of cloaks and sweaters.

They were all so much bigger than I was. Every single person aside from Regulus had at least half a head of height on me. It was intimidating to say the least.

"Cassie, you have to eat," said Sirius.

I couldn't get myself to speak to anyone. My nerves hadn't been that high in a long time.

I felt like I was choking on my own breath. My hands were shaking.

"Cassie," said Sirius. "Cassie! Look at me."

He took me by the shoulders and forced me to look at him.

"Don't pay an ounce of attention to them. All they're doing is trying to psych you out. You've got to pull yourself together. You're the youngest Gryffindor Quidditch player in a decade because you're incredible."

I nodded slowly and took a deep breath.

"I know," I told Sirius. "I've got this."

"Now eat some of the potato soup you got detention for and put your game face on!"

I laughed and took a bowl of potato soup at Sirius' request. No, it wasn't breakfast food, but it was the only thing I wanted to eat in that moment.

James, Remus, and Peter came running into the Great Hall.

"Aiden's coming!" said Peter.

"He's not having a good day," James grumbled, falling into the seat next to me and rolling his eyes.

"Eat that quickly," said Remus. "The second the owls come in, you're gonna be out on the pitch."

I sighed and looked down at my soup. So much for a relaxing breakfast.

"Cassie!" Aiden yelled as soon as he stepped into the Great Hall. "Mail in yet?"

"Do you see a broomstick sitting on the table?" I asked him.

"Don't sass me right now," he barked.

"Sorry, but this is my first match and you're freaking me out!" I retorted. "You've been on my back about this every second of every day for weeks over the stupid broomstick! It's coming today."

"Why couldn't you have ordered it sooner?" he grumbled.

"I ordered it the day I found out that I was on the team! What did you want me to do?" I asked, pushing my soup away.

"James got his broom weeks before you!"

I rolled my eyes and dropped my forehead to the table.

"You're so dense, Aiden!" I screeched. "His parents went and bought it from the store and then owled it to him. I barely have parents so I had to order it myself. I'm not a top priority of the Bluebottle Company."