The Little Lightning Girl

26-I Guess I'm Glad I Didn't Face-plant

I'd told Louis not to mention me too much at the Quidditch game. I should have realized that he'd do the exact opposite, he was a Marauder, after all. The players were announced as usual, I flew out behind Rose and took my position high above the other members of the Gryffindor team.

"And playing in the Seeker position for Gryffindor, Alana Faye makes her return to Quidditch at an unlikely game in the season!"

I shot a glare and a rude gesture at the blond announcer and realized he'd received my contempt when his grin only widened. I'd also asked him not to mention Henry, not even to say his name. I could only hope that Louis wasn't going to ignore that request, as it was of far more importance. Thankfully, he stopped talking about me after his initial jab.

I took the time while the referee was explaining the rules to find the Minister of Magic in the stands. Sitting next to him had to be the most unpleasant looking couple I'd ever seen. Both dark haired and pale, the man and woman wore frowns that rivaled those of death eaters. And I would know. If those were their neutral expressions, I understood why Henry had run away from them.

When the whistle blew and the game burst into action, adrenaline started pumping through my veins. I'd forgotten the total rush Quidditch brought. Practicing with the team had been wonderful, but it didn't compare to playing in the daylight with hundreds of screaming people watching. My job was actually rather boring until I spotted the snitch. But when I did see a speck of gold, about twenty or so minutes into the game, I tucked my body tight to my broom and shot after it.

This match was against Slytherin, and I knew from experience that Albus Potter wasn't an idiot. He was a good player, and unfortunately, the only way I'd ever won the snitch against him was to knock him out of the air first. We flew neck and neck towards the golden ball, each of us leaning close to our brooms. I decided that there was no way I'd get the snitch before him if we kept this up, so I quickly turned right and managed to cut off his path. This caused both of us to lose sight of the prize, and caused a string of curse words to exit Albus's lips. I hated playing against people who were friends, but we all knew that it was just part of the game.

I managed to make eye contact with Fred and jerked my chin towards Albus, marking his next target. He nodded his acknowledgement and I again flew up through the mess of players and began to hover above them all. The next time I spotted the elusive golden ball, I had the small fortune of spotting it first. I zipped after it as fast as possible, but Albus seemed to have spotted it just a few moments after me. Thankfully, Fred had astoundingly accurate aim and managed to hit a bludger at Albus going faster than I could track visually, and the violent ball slammed into the tail end of Albus's broom, sending the dark-haired boy careening towards the ground. I hoped he caught himself prior to crashing, but it gave me the opening I needed to chase the snitch unimpeded. Suddenly, the speck of gold started heading straight towards the ground. I didn't know what to do but follow it. So now I too, was spearing for the ground, right above the snitch. I figured it would have to turn back up at some point. Inches from the ground, the winged-ball pivoted and flew straight upwards. thanks to something, demigod instincts or just good reflexes, my right hand shot out and snatched the ball from the air.

I too, had to make a sharp turn to avoid tumbling onto the grass, and when I was safely balanced, I raised my fist in the air and gave a shout.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it seems Alana Faye has caught the snitch!"

This might have been the only occasion I was truly glad to hear Louis Weasley speak. I landed on the ground and the Gryffindor team soon surrounded me, where we gathered in a team huddle. Everyone was out of breath, but James managed to say, "Good game, we showed them what's up. Get showered, rest and relax, we'll meet back here for practice tomorrow."

"Hey, Alana," James pulled me aside before I could start walking back towards the changing rooms, "I talked to Henry before the game."

I switched my broom over to my left hand, "Oh, how's he doing?"

James shrugged, "His leg is fine. But that's not what we talked about. There's no rule that says I can't have a back-up Seeker, and Henry says that his parents will be coming to more games. I want you to start training with us again, and whenever the young one can't play, you'll step in."

I smiled, "That's nice, James, but I wouldn't want to take Henry's place from him. He worked hard to make the team just like everyone else did."

"No, he's the one who proposed this idea, Alana. His parents are coming for several more games this year. And he says his aunt is moving the two of them to America next year, so you'll have your spot back in no time."

I paused before answering, "Can I think about it?"

He clearly had expected me to agree instantly, but James still smiled, "Of course. See you at the Common Room?"

I nodded before walking away.

I loved Quidditch. I loved everything about the sport. I loved the adrenaline I got from flying in front of cheering fans, I loved the chase of the snitch and the victory that came when I caught it. But even though it had been awhile since I'd escaped my coma, I still felt like baby steps towards a new normal were necessary.

Rose was waiting for me at the edge of the field by the time I changed back into leggings and a black long-sleeved shirt. She linked her right arm through my left and we walked back towards the castle together.

"What was James talking to you about?"

I sighed, "He wants me to be the unofficial substitute Seeker. Henry is going to be unavailable for a few more games and he says he might be leaving for America next year so James wants me to start training again."

Rose's bright grin only made me cringe, "That's fantastic! Why don't you look excited?"

"I just... I'm scared."

She pulled us to a stop in the sidewalk and faced me, "What are you scared of, Alana?"

"I'm scared that I'm going too fast. I don't even feel like I'm back to normal yet and I don't want to rush this."

Her warm eyes were understanding, "Ok, sure. But mate, do you think you'll ever go back to normal if you don't do this? You've loved Quidditch from day one, it's a part of who you are, and if you're trying to figure out who you are, I don't see a better place to start."

I frowned at her, "When did you get so smart?"

We began walking again, "I've always been smart, you were just too conceited to notice."

I snorted, "Oh please, I'm conceited?"

She elbowed me in the ribs but we were laughing again, and I realized that I didn't need nearly as much time to think about James's proposition as I'd thought I would.