A prank war is all it takes for a wild and carefree Gryffindor to change an isolated Hufflepuff's perspective on life and teach her that they are more alike than she thinks.
Companion books:
- Other Eyes (Ginny Weasley)
- Gravity (Percy Weasley)
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After Halloween night the following week was bleak and dreary. The idea that Sirius Black was near by had everyone on edge even more than they already were due to the Dementors. Rain and wind also worried some, mainly those who were on the Quidditch teams. The conditions wouldn't necessarily bother Maxine if she would be in stands for the first match. However that wasn't the case.
Only a few days before the first match, both the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff team captains had been approached by Marcus Flint with the news that Slytherin would not be participating match due to their seeker's inability to play because of his arm injury. Stress seemed to take over Cedric easily as he hadn't booked many practices for his team with the assumption that it would still be Slytherin playing.
Maxine understood why Cedric seemed to be a bit bothered by the change of plans. Being captain and a full time seeker was indeed a lot to handle as the previous year he had only been a reserve player. Of course it wasn't just Cedric who was a bit irritated, everyone else on the team was as well.
The day before the match the team managed to get a short practice in after dinner before having to head to the common room with rain dripping from their hair and mud on their sweaters. They all slumped around the coffee table in the middle of the room grumbling to one another.
"I doubt that the reason Slytherin isn't playing is because of their seeker's arm," Gavin slouched in an armchair not caring a bit that he was covered in dirt.
Maxine rolled her eyes even though she knew her brother was right. "They're just scared of a bit of rain getting on their stupid brooms. How pathetic." There were a couple of laughs from everyone else before Maxine stood and shook her head. "But it's not going to be easy playing tomorrow...." she trailed off as a blast of thunder shook the castle.
"We've played in rain before," Tamsin shrugged her shoulders as she looked up at Maxine. "It won't be the greatest of matches but we can do it."
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As per usual, Maxine was up early and down in the Great Hall hours before the Quidditch match was to begin. It was almost custom for the team to gather there as a way to cover strategies and make a game plan. They wanted to win, and they had to work together in order to do so.
Maxine was distracted as Cedric told them what they needed to do and tipped them on how to do their best in the pouring rain. Her eyes were fixed on the glass windows of the Great Halls, watching thick stripes of rain slide down them. Thunder shook the castle and she could swear she could hear the wind howling through the thick stone walls.
Chewing on her cheek, Maxine grimaced as lightning flashed and lit up the deep gray sky. Seconds later she found herself flinching as someone snapped their fingers on her face.
Tamsin was leaned forward, still holding her hand in the air with her eyebrows raised at Maxine. "Oi. Are you paying attention?"
"Not really," Maxine breathed out shoved a loose chunk of hair behind her ear. "But I've been on this team for two years, I know what to do during a bloody storm."
