𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝘆, sirius black

˗ˋ 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
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-: sixth year :-

── IN WHICH THEY'RE IN AWE

. . .

Sirius wasn't too sure why he had decided to stay for the practise. James didn't really need his beater skills that much, he could easily get through the practise just testing Nancy.

He could've just asked not to be there and James would've understood. Perhaps there would have been a little bit of resistance, but eventually Sirius could have just turned back around and headed straight back up to the castle.

But admittedly, there was a small - and he meant a really small - part of him that was really truly curious. Was Nancy as good of a player as she claimed to be? He knew there had to be a certain amount of skill that went in to flying on uprooted tree trunks like they did in whatever that Russian school was called, but did that equate to skill on a broomstick?

Maybe, maybe not, but Sirius was about to find out, seeing as he hadn't turned back to the castle and was now stood besides James in the boys changing rooms, pulling the red Quidditch jersey over his head.

The Potter boy seemed to have noticed Sirius' uncertainty and, taking a glance towards the entrance just in case Nancy was waiting outside and lowered his voice. "Thanks for doing this mate, really." He said, pulling his own jersey over his head and moving over to the mirror, putting his glasses back on properly, running hands through his hair.

"It's no big deal." Sirius replied in a mumble. "I would say you owe me but neither of us have needed to do favours for each other since second year, so I won't." 

Seconds later and Sirius had joined James by the mirror, using a hair bobble to tie up the strands of long hair that framed his face and often got in the way whilst playing. "I just seem to be a bit more cautious then the rest of you." He added.

"And that's fine." James reassured him. "Just try not scare her off? I know she has weirdly strong powers which - and I'm just realising now - will definitely help her play - but I'm pretty sure someone who knows as much about about those weird creatures she was telling Dorcas about earlier is no threat to anyone." 

Sirius nodded absent-mindedly, far too stubborn to just blindly agree to anything and followed James out of the changing rooms. Nancy was waiting within the pitch, knelt down beside the pile of school broomsticks that James had dragged out. 

If they hadn't already experienced a couple of the oddities that came with Nancy Scamander, they would have found the sight a little weird; she had her hand hovered over the group, eyes closed and moving around a little. 

Sirius and James came to a stop just as her hand gravitated downwards and took a broom, standing up and facing them, a grin on her face. She had changed into the clothes that James had given her, and they most definitely was a size or two too big for her - the jersey was hanging off of her frame and the bottom of the pants were rolled up. 

"I'll get that fixed for you." James said, gesturing to the almost dress-length shirt. "But.. you've picked your broom?" 

"Yep! It took me a while to find one that I thought was right. Like with wands.. there's magic in broomsticks that you have to fit with." Nancy offered a smile and James glanced over at Sirius.

Completely harmless.

"Good." James nodded curtly, looking around the pitch. "Well it's still quite sunny and I don't think the sun will go down for a while so we have some time. I have a couple of exercises I want to try, both with Sirius and me, but for now.. just warm up I guess."

"I haven't flown in a little while, so I might be a bit rusty." Nancy confessed as she positioned herself besides the broom, hand gripping the stick as she swung her leg over and got comfortable. With a deep breath she pushed herself up off of the ground and into the air, shooting upwards at a speed that could only make her dizzy. 

James and Sirius's jaws dropped. Flying came naturally to the Scammander girl, it was extremely obvious in the way she moved across the sky, with such precision and trust that it couldn't have been taught anywhere.

"Bloody hell I don't know if it was the training on tree trunks but Merlin." Behind the glasses, James' eyes were practically bulging out of the sockets, shielding his vision from the sun. "I don't even think I need to try any of the exercises I thought of in class earlier."

Sirius looked over at him, tearing his gaze from the figure moving across the blue sky. "You should." He said, before returning to watch her. "What if she's all skill and no teamwork? You can't have someone on your team that doesn't work with others."

"Technically she doesn't need to." James reminded him. "Seekers work independently to find the Snitch. But don't worry, I was kidding about not doing the exercises. I need to time how quick she is to catch the snitch and how good she is dodging Bludgers as well."

"Perfect." Sirius picked up his broom from where it was leaning against the bench, retrieving his bat. "When can I go up?"

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