𝐒𝐎 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓! book 2

𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓

She was also worried about Kaycie. She had written the girl five letters across the almost two months back, and she had barely received any responses. When Kaycie did reply, her handwriting was sloppy, her paper stained and her words blunt, her sentences quick and almost forced. Charlotte could remember when Kaycie's letters were decorated with mean words about Remus Lupin and the girls from her school. She remembered when Kaycie would ask questions and talk about her own days, when her replies were quick.

Charlotte couldn't imagine why Kaycie's responses were like this. If anything, she thought they'd be even better. Surely Kaycie should have the energy to reply quickly, she had no exams and was back in a place she was familiar with. Not only that, but she had something exciting to look forwards to, Christmas.

So why had she gone so quiet?

Charlotte had no idea how to answer that question, and instead, she was left with unanswered theories.

"We should head back inside, you're shivering," Harry said to Charlotte, knocking her out of her daydream as his hand took hers in his. "Your hands are freezing! Maybe we should get some hot chocolate when we get to the kitchens!"

Lottie nodded, smiling as his thumb grazed her knuckles, turning as they walked back up to the castle.

Not long later, Harry and Charlotte were standing in the Hufflepuff common room. It was lively in there, everyone was excited for the match and the team moral was high. Coco had been dropped off with Ron, who had decided against going to the match.

"Ah look! Our star chaser!" Ernie Macmillan called out as he looked at Lottie, I wide smile on his face as he sat with his friends.

Lottie did a little bow, laughing as she walked through the crowded common room to reach the broom cupboard, oblivious to a slightly jealous Harry.

"So, are you and Ernie close friends?" He asked, biting back any bitter comments about the boys nose and taking a long gulp of his hot chocolate.

"I don't really talk to him," Charlotte shrugged, grabbing her kit from the cupboard and passing him her broom and her hot chocolate, "hold this for me?"

He nodded, but still felt oddly jealous, "so he's not your boyfriend or anything?"

"Boyfriend?" Lottie repeated, stifling a laugh, "like a said, I don't really know him."

"Right,"

"He's not my type anyway," Charlotte said, pulling on her quidditch shoes.

"Really?" Harry asked, 'what is your type?"

She looked him up and now, swallowing any nerves as she replied, "dark hair...glasses....pretty smile, preferably a quidditch player, you know, the seekers are always nice?"

She hoped to drop some kind of hint to him.

"Do you like Cedric?" He asked frantically, "Malfoy? Oh Merlin, not Malfoy..."

"No, neither of them," she laughed at how adorably oblivious he was, "come on Harold, let's go get some breakfast before the match."

"Okay..." he replied, still not convinced that she didn't like Draco Malfoy.

Arriving in the great hall, Harry chose to stay with Lottie, sitting down at the Hufflepuff table with her so he could keep an eye on which boy's she talked about with Theo and Alex.

"Hey Harry, Lottie," Alex smiled, sitting down at the table.

"Hey guys!" Theo grinned, "looking forward to the match?"

"Of course," Charlotte nodded, offering Harry a pastry that he agreed to happily.

"I'm excited to watch...I'm so glad its quidditch season again!" Alex said dreamily, pouring syrup over his pancakes.

"Me too," Harry said, finally engaging in the conversation whilst Lottie had her eyes on him. She couldn't help it, he looked so attractive with his sleeves rolled up and his short hair...it was so mesmerising to watch.

"Any idea when Gryffindor have their first game?" Asked Theo, stuffing a fork full of food in his mouth.

"We have it against Ravenclaw and soon, apparently," he shrugged, "Angelina hasn't told us any other information yet."

"Ah, my favourite match is always Gryffindor versus Slytherin," Charlotte said, taking a sip of her pumpkin juice.

"Which team do you support?" Harry asked.

"Slytherin," she said, almost laughing at how much she used to dislike the Gryffindors.

"What? For Malfoy?" He asked hurriedly, suddenly feeling worried about Charlotte's feelings towards Malfoy.

"Draco?" She asked, raising any eyebrow, "I don't like him much, he's annoying. But no, I usually root for Theo and Alex."

"I see," he said, still slightly worried.

꧁꧂

"Everybody ready?" Tamsin Applebee asked her team, rubbing her hands together anxiously.

"Yeah!" The team chorused, everyone was more excited for their first match.

"This can be an easy win, as long as we let it be one!" Tamsin continued. "We all know what we have to do, we can do this!"

"Yeah!" The team repeated, all following her out onto the pitch.

Charlotte gripped her broom in her left hand, her right one still covered in scars (that had turned from her burns to white lines.) It was still excruciating pain to do small things, and so she stuck to doing things with her left hand.

"Captains shake hands!" James Potter instructed Tamsin and Jeremy shook hands, sending quick yet competitive smiles to the other before turning their focus back on the match.

With a blow of James's whistle, the teams where off.

Charlotte kicked of the ground, forcing her broom into the air as she headed straight for the quaffle, knowing full well there would already be Ravenclaws ready to tail her.

"And they're off! A great start from Lupin...the Hufflepuffs did well last season, how will they do this year?" Lee Jordan was saying, his voice echoing around the pitch.

Charlotte grinned, she had missed Lee's commentary.

She made a quick move and grabbed the quaffle, quickly heading further up in the air as she headed for the hoops.

Randolph Burrow was on her tail, desperate to swipe the quaffle from her hands, and yet she was far too smart for that. Dodging his attempt to grab the quaffle, she threw it straight to Tamsin.

"Applebee had the quaffle..."

Tamsin threw it back to Charlotte, and with a miraculous throw, she got it straight in the hoop.

"....and she scores! 10 POINTS TO HUFFLEPUFF!"

The crowd cheered in applause and Lottie smiled brightly as she noticed Harry, Alex and Theo all waving their hands and cheering wildly.

"Stretton is in possession! Passes to Burrow and OH! Applebee intercepts, she passes to Lupin...a pass to Macavoy...passes to Applebee...is anyone else getting dizzy here? Still no sign of the snitch...Zacharias Smith has taken over Diggory, will he live up to Diggory's achievements?"

The game intensified as it went on, and soon enough the score was 50:40, Hufflepuff in the lead.

"Is that? Oh Godric! Smith has dived...HE HAS THE SNITCH! HUFFLEPUFF WINS!"

Loud screams of happiness echoed across the pitch as all of the Hufflepuffs waved their arms around in happiness.

Lottie smiled, looking up to see Harry Potter giving her the brightest, proudest smile.

She was too busy looking at the boy she was falling in love with to notice her fathers proud smile.

A/n

We are so close to 800k oh my god -- tysm for 50k votes!!!

Qotd: would u play quidditch? If so, what would your position be?

Word count: 1640