A Keeper and a Seeker

Juliana grew up around quidditch, her father was on a minor league team in his spare time, all three of her bothers played on their respective house teams, playing various positions that had left her as makeshift seeker. Over the years, she became so good that her bothers complained they didn’t really get a chance to practice before she caught the snitch.

Her first year, she sat in the top row of one of the stands, binoculars held to her face, her sight running the length of the pitch again and again until she saw the glimmer, knowing she would’ve caught it that instant. She saw a dozen or so opportunities for each seeker to end the game before one of them finally managed to catch the struggling bugger.

None of her brothers were surprised when she made the Ravenclaw team her second year. Her brother James made sure she didn’t get beat up too bad, protecting her from his position as beater.

But the story to tell takes place in her fifth year, after she was named team captain. She was responsible for planning practices, holding the try outs and putting a team together, shaking the other captains hand before the game started, keeping the team in line.

Their first match with Gryffindor proved to be one of the few games in Juliana’s life thus far where she did not catch the snitch.

“What the hell kind of wonder did you find, Wood?” she yelled, landing right in front of him as he walked towards the changing rooms.

“His name is Potter, if you haven’t’ heard the rumors.” She wondered. “yes, that Potter. Seems to have inherited his father’s skill, no?” He gave a laugh, “To beat the amazing Juliana McCollack.”

“Well, sorry I’m a better seeker than you are keeper.” A smirk played on her features.

“Well, sorry I knocked you off your broom.” he expected her to be distracted for a second, but she was too quick, avoiding his lunge towards her, an attempt to knock her off the enchanted wood.

“Sorry you didn’t.” Juliana hovered a few feet off the ground a few steps behind him.

Oliver smirked, turning and running at her with no warning, this time he hit his target.

“Oliver Wood, get off of me.” Her voice came through clenched teeth, anger over being outdone.

“On one condition.” Juliana raised her eyebrow in silent question. “There’s a Hogsmeade trip this weekend,” his accent thickened as he nervously said his words, “would you care to meet up for a drink at The Three Broomsticks?”

“Are you asking me on a date, Wood?” Juliana’s heartbeat quickened, this was Wood. Sure, he wasn’t Cedric from Hufflepuff, but he didn’t have a lack of admirers either.

“Well, yes…as long as that’s okay with you,” he tripped over the end of his sentence, added on in nervous haste.

“Sure, Oliver. We can meet up for a butterbeer or something. What time?”

***

Juliana was so nervous, her hand was shaking as she lined her eyes in a charcoal shade. She had to dab at her red lipstick more than usual, she just couldn’t steady her hand. After bracing her elbow on the counter, she managed to put on the two shades of blue eye shadow to her lids.

She brushed over her long sleeve shirt and skirt, looking at herself in the mirror. She adjusted her scarf, checked the zipper of her boots, and spun her ring around her finger. One last sprits of perfume to her wrists, rubbing it on her neck nervously before she headed out.

They hadn’t really made a plan as to when they would meet there, or where they would meet beforehand or anything. In fact, since he had asked her, they had avoided all they could of each other. Luckily they didn’t have class with each other, they were just busy diverting their eyes when they walked by the other in the hallways. Normally they would do some joking smack talk about the next game, but not while they were waiting to see if they could cross the friends barrier.

As she walked slowly down the stairs to the rest of the castle, she wondered how the day’s events would lead out. If the worse were to follow through, would there be no more fun, faux rivalry, though they were both deadly serious about it banter? Would she loose the one person she could analyze games with? During Slytherin/Hufflepuff games, Oliver would be beside her, also with binoculars, each nodding as the other spoke of strategy.

And if it went well, on the off chance it did, would she still loose that? Would they be too busy with what they would be expected to be when they put a title to crossing the boundaries to have those conversations? And what if they managed to figure everything out perfectly, if they managed to fit into the new mold…just in time for it all to crash down on them? Then she lost the only person outside of her family she ever found who loved Quidditch as much as she did.

She walked out of the door and found herself tripping over something she didn’t see as she was lost in her thoughts. Juliana’s quidditch skills came in handy, she rolled midair and landed on her butt, a landing a bit more graceful then falling flat on her face. She looked up to see the obstruction.

“Sorry,” they said in unison as Oliver offered a hand to help her up.

“I hope it’s okay, I thought maybe we’d start the day with the drink, and maybe walk there together?” The last time they’d spend without a possibly awkward elephant proverbially in the room, and to get the whole thing over with so they weren’t stuck thinking about it the whole day, Juliana quickly nodded, a genius idea.

“So, did you read about the Harpies game?” she asked with a smile, and they immediately started about the positives and negatives about the latest game. For the time being, they were just two friends talking about quidditch before going to get a drink. The minute they stepped into the pub…well that’s a whole different story.

A mask fell over both of them, their manners coming out. How they were supposed to act in such a situation took over as they headed towards one of the few free tables. “I’ll go get our drinks.” Juliana reached for her purse, ready to hand him a few sickles. “No, it’s on me.”

“Are you sure?” Instead of answering he flashed her his winning smile, normally saved for games where Gryffindor came out on top. He came back a few minutes later, a mug in each hand.

“I believe I forgot to mention how nice you look today, I didn’t know you cleaned up so well.” His manner cracked the awkward air a bit too.

She took a sip, a smile coming as she quickly shot back, “Oh, I didn’t even notice you weren’t wearing red and gold today, didn’t know you owned anything else.” Another crack to the wall. A few more and maybe things would be just like they always were.

Both of her hands rested on the table, and as she spoke of the statistics of this season, Oliver reached over and daringly took one into his own. She tripped over the middle of her sentence, smiled, and then resumed.

As he started on the new topic of broom models, she changed her grip on his hand, holding it in hers, palm up, to trace the lines of his palm with her other hand. It didn’t feel odd, just new. Just like the first time in the air on a new broomstick, you have to get your feel for everything all over again, less effort is needed in some areas, more in others.

“So what were you planning on doing during the rest of the day?” his voice soft, as if this was all a secret, his fingers intertwining with hers.

“I wasn’t really planning on doing anything. Maybe hitting Honeydukes and the quill shop before going back to the school and flying a little.” Her free hand spun her finger around her finger nervously.

“Would you mind doing some drills with me? I know you’re not a chaser or anything, but you’d get in your flying.” He just wanted to spend more time with her, for this to go on longer, to keep this going.

“I can’t promise it’ll make it anywhere near the hoop, but sure. I’ll see you there…or, we could just hit a few of the shops before heading back in?”

Oliver smiled, “Sounds like a plan.”