┏ ೋღ : 𝐇𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐂. ೋღ ┓

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖋𝖎𝖛𝖊;
𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔟𝔬𝔤𝔤𝔞𝔯𝔱'𝔰 𝔬𝔲𝔱 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔴𝔞𝔯𝔡𝔯𝔬𝔟𝔢

┗━━ ೋღ : ©-fictophilic : ೋღ ━━━┛

𝕿HE CLOUDED SKY WAS A PASTEL, muddled mixture of oranges, pinks, and blues. The sign of an earlier sunset was an indication of the changing seasons — from summer to fall, from warm September days to cold and windy breezes.

Arriving at the Quidditch pitch, you met up with Kyra, Cho, and Isaac. Everyone was sporting old, unnamed Ravenclaw Quidditch uniforms and held their brooms. Your broom was a Nimbus 1700 that your dad had gifted you when you made the team last year.

Madame Hooch was on the sidelines, idly standing by as she was going to supervise tryouts like she usually does.

Roger Davies, the new Ravenclaw Quidditch captain, stood in front of the crowd with his own broom in hand. He was a chaser on the team last year and received the mantle of captain when your old one had graduated.

There were some other familiar faces. Few had been on the team with you last year, some had been to tryouts in previous years, and the rest were new faces — mainly second-years who were now allowed to play Quidditch and own brooms.

"Alright, listen up!" Roger yelled over the crowd, cupping a hand around his mouth to amplify his voice. "We'll start off with drills then have a small scrimmage!"

Even though you knew you were fairly capable of making the team, you couldn't help but feel anxious that you wouldn't. I mean, there were new faces. What if a second-year replaced you? God, that'd be embarrassing. Not to mention your dad would probably be disappointed in you.

After all, he's "played seeker on his team for six years straight" when he attended Hogwarts — well, that's what he constantly reminds you, and he has the plaque to prove it.

You did the drills, pretending you totally weren't out of breath about ten minutes in. Despite having played the sport last year, it was still very tiring, and you're flying on a broomstick!

A few of the new faces had crashed their brooms, specifically the second-years. A couple of students had even quit after a few moments and left the pitch.

Merlin, that could never be you.

You were always taught that quitting was for losers and failures and indubitable disappointments.

And you don't want to be that.

Not to mention the embarrassment and shame you'd have to face when walking off the pitch while everyone else can see you.

Soon enough, the drills were over and the group had cut out the weak, undevoted links.

"Okay, I'll make teams of four and we'll have two scrimmages," Roger announced, holding a clipboard where all the participants were printed. Listing last names off, he divided the teams that he had previously made during drills.

Each team had enough players for a full team; one seeker, one keeper, three chasers, and two beaters.

You were teamed up with Cho and two other players who you had tried out last year; Ruben Minnagh and Lexie Thomson, the former being a fifth-year and the latter being a sixth-year. The three others were new faces — two second-years and another third-year.

Roger had purposefully assigned returning players who were on the team last year onto separate teams.

Kyra was on one team.

You and Cho were in another. Cho was your reserve seeker last year.

Isaac and Grant Page were in a third. Isaac played reserve beater and Grant was a reserve keeper.

And Jason Samuels — a beater last year — was on the last team.

"I've sorted you all by the positions you've put down on the sign-up sheet, so figure out who's playing what position," Roger informed, waving us off to converse with each other for a few minutes.

"I signed up for seeker," Cho initiated eagerly. "What position did everyone else put?"

"Beater," one of the second-years, Christian Dunphy, answered.

"I put chaser," Ruben said.

"Chaser," you agreed.

"Keeper," the other second-year, Imogen Clayton, replied.

"I'm trying out for beater," Lexie voiced out.

"I said chaser," the third-year, Ruairi Burns, told us with a slight shrug.

Once everyone had informed their team of their position, Roger spoke again. "Okay, we'll have teams one and two up against each other first. Team one, grab a ribbon and tie it somewhere," Roger instructed. It was yours and Cho's team against Kyra's. The bright red ribbons were to indicate the different teams. "Then it'll be teams three and four afterward."

Nodding in understanding, the students on teams three and four made their way up into the stands while the students on teams one and two flew up into the air on different sides of the pitch.

Kyra hovered on her broom in front of you. She made eye contact with you and raised her hand, fluttering her fingers into a small wave. "Good luck. You'll need it," she taunted jokingly. You rolled your eyes and flipped her off, a teasingly grin displayed on your lips.

"Alright, let's keep this practice match clean!" Madame Hooch shouted before tossing the quaffle up, releasing the bludgers and snitch as well.

Kyra was the first one to take the quaffle as she has always been an aggressive player. Cho and the opposing seeker flew off to look for the snitch.

A bludger was headed your way as you chased after Kyra and you dodged narrowly, calling out "heads" to your nearby teammates so that they could watch out for it.

The quaffle was passed from Kyra to a boy on her team. Zooming between them, you snag the quaffle before it could reach his hands. You flew higher into the air on your broom and u-turned towards the opposing goal.

Your eyes flitted around your surroundings, keeping an eye out for a teammate who was open since you had an opposing chaser guarding you. Out of your peripheral vision, you saw an opposing beater hit a bludger in your direction.

Lexie swooped in and smacked the bludger down with a 'thwack'. You thanked her with a brief smile.

Seeing that Ruairi had a clear shot, you tossed the quaffle to him over the opposing chasers' head. He caught it a little clumsily but then steadied himself and took the shot. The throw wasn't fast enough, so the opposing keeper managed to catch it and tossed it to the opposing chaser.

You kept up with the opposing chaser's pace while the snitch was still being looked for. The quaffle was then passed to Kyra, but the throw was slightly off. Nonetheless, she adjusted quickly and threw it into the right hoop, scoring ten points.

Ruben got the quaffle from Imogen — who had picked it up after it went into the goal — and flew quickly towards the opposing hoops. Kyra was on his tail the entire time, he just couldn't seem to shake her off.

As you were slightly behind both of them, you dove down and under them before speeding up. Now being a few feet beneath Ruben, you whistled slightly to get his attention. He glanced down at you and understood, dropping the quaffle into the air to fall.

Kyra dove to get it, but then Christian knocked a bludger in her direction. She reeled her broom back to stop before the bludger could hit her.

With the quaffle dropping into your arms, you raised the handle of the broomstick to steer yourself higher into the sky. Being slightly above the goal, you threw the quaffle with an intense force so that it could make it past the keeper — it did, narrowly missing her head and the rim of the hoop.

The game continued. Sometimes your team was in the lead, other times Kyra's team was. It was hard to say who'd win.

This match was easy for you as you could read Kyra like a book — she is your best friend after all. You could tell when she would take the shot herself or when she would be passing it to her teammate.

Soon enough, the score was 30 - 40 with Kyra's team in the lead and the snitch had yet to be caught.

That is, until about half an hour into the match.

Cho and the opposing seeker spotted the snitch near where the Gryffindor stands are and they both dove for it swiftly. Cho was slightly ahead as she had spotted it just a little earlier and the opposing seeker was just following her lead.

Eyes of a hawk, she has. You had no idea how she could even see that.

Her hand reached out in front of her and wrapped her fingers around the tiny, golden-winged ball. Cho let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and her eyes sparkled with pride. The golden metal glistened in the light as she raised it up for all to see.

"The match is over! Cho Chang has caught the snitch!" Madame Hooch announced as Cho flew down to the ground. Everyone else followed and stepped onto the prickly green grass.

Cho held her hand out to the opposing seeker in a sportsmanlike manner when he landed on the pitch. He shook her hand and held disappointment in his eyes, but nonetheless gave her a half-hearted smile.

"Good game, idiot," beamed Kyra, wrapping an arm around your shoulder as she shook you side to side.

"Good game, loser," you teased, standing idly and waiting for Roger to say the next instructions.

Roger clapped his hands, applauding the game and bringing attention to himself. "Alright, we'll switch to the other teams. Head up into the stands and take a break everyone!"

Kyra's team untied their ribbons, setting them down on the ground. The other two teams headed down to the pitch, readying to start the scrimmage while your team and Kyra's went up to the stands to watch.

"Good job, Cho," Kyra voiced out as she sat down in the stands with you sitting beside her. Cho sat behind you two, her broom handle resting against her shoulder with a light sweat dampening her bangs.

"Yeah, you did great," you complimented with a sincere grin, feeling comfortable talking to Cho since Kyra was with you.

With Kyra around, you always felt more confident. If you made a fool out of yourself, it wouldn't be as awkward since you'd have Kyra with you to laugh at yourself with. Granted, you would be thinking about the embarrassing moments later when you get a moment alone, but you'd worry about it when it happens.

"Oh, thank you," Cho responded, giggling a little bit. She rubbed her nape tiredly, glancing out into the pitch to observe the game. "D'you reckon I'd make the team?"

"100%." Kyra nodded, solidifying her answer.

"For sure. I mean, you were our reserve last year, and with Jasper gone, I think you have the best chance," you pointed out. Cho's eyes connected with yours as she smiled optimistically. Jasper Pearce had been your seeker last year but graduated as all seventh-years do.

You and Kyra watched the scrimmage, occasionally conversing with one another about moments that happened in the match.

Someone had accidentally flown into the goal and another was very close to getting knocked out by a bludger.

Soon, the match had ended 210 - 20 and Isaac's team had won. It was hard for the other team to score since it appeared that Grant Page had practiced hard over the summer and got tremendously better.

Everyone gathered in the middle of the pitch. The sky was no longer a light pastel, it was now dark and stars threatened to appear amidst the gray clouds.

"Good job, everyone!" Roger congratulated and everyone beamed, happy that tryouts were now over. Everyone was starving now and dinner would be served in about half an hour or so. "I'm going to review my notes and make my decision soon. You'll know that you've made the team when you receive a Ravenclaw letterman jacket with your last name on the back."

You grinned as the memory of receiving your letterman jacket for the first time entered your mind. Granted, the way it was given to you — or more specifically, everyone — was a little embarrassing, but it was tradition to hand out the Ravenclaw Quidditch letterman jackets like that.

"You're free to go! Enjoy your dinner everyone!" Roger beamed, waving everyone off.

Dark orange hues spread across the vast, open sky. It appeared to be no later than 6:00. You and Kyra stuck together, along with Isaac and Cho, as you walked back to the large castle to enjoy the delicious feast that you would be receiving after a hard day's work.

That night, after you had finished your Potions work, you found yourself stuck in bed at near one in the morning. You had fallen asleep, only to wake up this early in the morning and not be able to go back to sleep.

Your bed curtains were closed, blocking out the sight of anything else that could've obstructed your view. It was dark and you could barely see the outline of your own hands.

Seeing as you couldn't sleep, you found yourself thinking about the day you had just had. You stifled a groan, thinking about everything and anything embarrassing that had happened to you today.

Divination; it wasn't bad per se, but maybe you had said something weird? What if you had been too awkward when talking to Dean? What if it was embarrassing?

Care of Magical Creatures; it wasn't bad since Kyra was there, but thinking about that awkward eye contact made you scowl and shiver as you cringed, wanting to dig and bury yourself into a hole.

Charms; you replayed what you could remember from your conversation with Cedric or anything that had happened during the group study. You cringed when you remembered how you felt as if you forcing a conversation despite the fact that Cedric didn't seem like he noticed.

Potions; terrible altogether. You want to die and never show your face in that classroom ever again. It didn't help that literally everyone understands the unspoken rule that the seat you sit in on the first day is your assigned seat for the rest of the year.

The library and Nott's little deal; Merlin, you wanted to curse yourself for being such a pushover. Sure, you'd be getting paid, but could you really find the time to tutor someone while balancing your own studies — with the new addition of advance Charms — and, if you made the team, Quidditch. Goddamn, you just couldn't say no, could you?

At least you got your notebook back. It now filled the formerly empty space where it should've been before on your bookshelf.

Then Quidditch; it was probably the most calming part of the day, despite the constant nerve-wracking feeling you had about not making the team and knowing that people would be watching and possibly making fun of you.

Anyways, today was a normal day of being awkward and overthinking everything.

Yay!

Grabbing a pillow from beneath your cushioned head, you muffle your quiet, frustrated groan and cursed yourself for being like this; an overthinking weirdo with social anxiety.

After your regular little episode, you blankly stared up at the ceiling with your soft blanket tucked all the way up past your neck. 

You let your tired thoughts consume you. 

'What am I gonna go after I graduate?'

'I'm probably gonna be homeless or dependent on my parents.'

'No, I'm not. I'm gonna be rich and I'm gonna be my own person!'

'I have no useful life skills though.'

'Dear Godric, I'm a loser.'

'I can't live without my parents' help.'

'Merlin, I don't wanna be stuck with them for my entire life. 18 years is enough as it is!'

Despite only being the young age of 13 — almost 14 — you couldn't help but worry about the future. You sighed, remembering when you didn't need to worry about this kind of stuff when you were younger.

Feeling your eyelids grow heavy, you turned to your side and closed your eyes, thinking of a scenario to hopefully get yourself to dream about.

The next day, you found yourself on the way to Herbology with Kyra striding by your side. Simple silver rings decorated your fingers that clutched the spine of the latest novel you had been reading.

Walking out of the castle and towards the greenhouse, you couldn't help but squint your eyes at the slight brightness.  A cool breeze brushed past your robes, stirring it slightly, but the air remained the perfect temperature — not too hot, not too cold. You knew that weather like this would end soon though as fall started to near.

You talked animatedly while Kyra laughed and smiled. On the way here, the subject changed constantly; starting with Herbology, to Snape sucking, to Quidditch, to 'what if' questions, to a story about how your brother had once mistaken a random man as your mom.

"Yeah, I think he was distracted or something," you commented, stifling your laughter to prevent it from interrupting the story. "He let go of our mom's hand, walked a little bit, then reached up to grab her hand again. Only it wasn't our mom, it was some random ass dude who just looked at him weirdly! Leon got freaked out and ran over to us. I saw it the entire time and I didn't bother to warn him!"

"Oh, Merlin!" Kyra cackled, adjusting her bag on their shoulder as it started to slip off from the rumbling of her laughter. "You're evil! Why didn't you tell him?!"

"Because he laughed at me when the same thing happened to me!" You defended, laughing still. The greenhouse was in view and there were a noticeable amount of students entering the glass doors. "It's only fair that he receives the same moment that haunts me to this day!"

"Oh my god, there was this one time in primary school and Nadia allowed me to walk around the entire day with a size sticker on my back," reminisced Kyra. Nadia was their older sister and a muggle, who was currently a year 11 of what muggles call 'secondary school' or 'high school' — which, to your knowledge, would make Nadia around 17 years old. "Downright evil she was for that."

"I would've done the same." You shrugged.

"Yeah,