Mara's Magic

iii - living death

It didn't take long for Oliver to start up practice after we arrived at school. This year he held tryouts to find a Keeper reserve for when he graduated, but we couldn't find anyone. I tried to convince Ronald to try out, but he was convinced that he would just embarrass himself in front of the team - and especially Oliver. Since we had started dating the two had become friends, but Ron was still worried about looking cool in front of him. I could guarantee that he almost never did, but it was sweet to see him try. 

"On your left!" I yelled as I flew by Angelina with the quaffle. We were doing two-on-ones currently, practicing interceptions and blocks, and it was them two against me. I was winning.

She let out a loud laugh as Alicia blocked me in the front, but I just dipped down and skidded around her, the quaffle tucked safely in my arm. She groaned and the two raced off behind me again. Oliver waited at the goals with an amused smile. 

"Double trouble!" He warned. And that's when I noticed the twins tailing me. 

I dove down, spinning a few times into a Silver's Spiral and very nearly hitting the grass below me. I kicked off the ground and launched back in the air, avoiding the twins' bats as I flew straight between them. I heard Fred grunt in frustration and laughed. 

Suddenly, a thirteen year old boy slammed into my side, causing me to nearly drop the quaffle, I gritted my teeth, holding onto my broomstick as tight as I could. I glared at Harry, his lopsided grin setting me off. 

"What was that for Potter?" I called. He shrugged and leaned forward on his broom to come at me. 

"Pretend I'm Slytherin," he suggested with a shrug and an evil grin. I turned and glanced around me; I had the whole quidditch team trying to get the quaffle away from me and to Alicia and Angie. 

"Not fair," I muttered. 

"Life's not fair! Suck it up buttercup," Oliver yelled, his smile matching Harry's. Oh, how I hated him sometimes. 

"Fine, then. You asked for it," I said, launching off into an immediate dive towards my brothers. Surprised, the twins skirted out of the way and I laughed. Angelina was quickly on my side and she bumped intentionally into me. I bumped her back and soon Alicia was on my other side. I was trapped. Harry was coming straight for us, ready to knock me off my broom. With one swift move, I was below them all and headed for Oliver. Harry collided with the girls and they all cried out in annoyance as I chuckled. 

George launched a bludger at my head and I ducked, narrowly avoiding it. Fred was on the other side of me and knocked it back. I flew upwards, the ball scraping the back of my broom as it connected with George's bat once again. As Fred moved to hit the second bludger towards me, I mumbled a quick confundus charm and suddenly his bat was not cooperating.

"That's not fair! That's illegal!" He shouted. 

"Life's not fair, suck it up!" I called back with a smirk. 

I approached the hoops rapidly and Oliver squared up on his broom, prepared to block my oncoming quaffle. I made for the right hoop and he followed my movements carefully, knowing my habit of faking throws. I tossed the quaffle in the air and spun around on my broom, knocking it with the brush into the right goal. Oliver dove towards it and, only by an inch, he saved it from falling into the hoop. 

I sighed dramatically, falling back on my broom as my team laughed at me. 

"You were so confident with that too!" George guffawed, nearly falling off his broom as he gripped his stomach in laughter. 

"Oh shut up," I called back, laughing lightly to myself. 

"You were close," Oliver offered, though the victorious smile on his lips denied any sympathy towards me.