VIOLET (A Harry Potter Universe Fanfiction)

18.

Another customer came in then, and Caiti glanced back at the door.

"I guess I should let you go," she said.

"Well, thanks for stopping by," he said with a nod. "It's good to see you."

Caiti smiled. It was good to see him. He had really started to feel like her brother again. The weird, angry, empty Sean had finally faded away.

As she stepped back outside, the little bubble of hope she'd felt talking to Amelia about mandrakes started to expand in her once again. She made her way over to the garden center and purchased half a dozen mandrake seedlings, her heart beating very quickly.

—-

The energy on the field for warmup was much different that afternoon than it had been at any of the regular season matches. Marlowe wasn't actually on the roster to play yet, but he had been officially told he was the first alternate, so he was out warming up with the rest of the team.

Everyone anticipated this being their last match of the season, but there was still a level of excitement and attack that he normally didn't feel from his teammates.

Caiti and his parents were somewhere in the stands, just in case Marlowe did get a chance to play. He thought it was pretty unlikely that they sub him in, but that was alright. Even to know he was at the top of their list of choices was flattering, especially going into the break.

He just had to keep it up over the next few months, make sure when they came back, he was even stronger.

When it was time for the match to begin, Marlowe and the other alternates headed back to the benches and the starters lined up on the field for the roll call.

Everyone looked at him expectantly. His imitations of the announcer had become something of a tradition. Marlowe would try to predict exactly what he'd say as he called out each of the Cannons players and the others would roar with laughter each time he got it word for word, intonation and all.

Marlowe waited, head down, the picture of focus, while the opposing team was announced, and then, as their seeker took his spin around the pitch, Marlowe said, "And now the moment you've all been waiting for... get ready to rumble... here come the Chudley CANNONS! Chasing this afternoon, we've got the one, the only... Damon MACKEY!"

When, moments later, the announcer used the exact phrase the one, the only, everyone laughed so hard they had tears in their eyes and Marlowe couldn't talk clearly enough to continue on until they'd already reached the beaters.

"Okay, okay..." he said, trying to pull himself together. His stomach ached from laughing so hard. "Up next, your beaters... give it up for the unbeatable Brian McSORLEY!"

It wasn't a perfect match for the real announcement this time, but Patrick Donnely clapped a hand to his knee and said, 'That's a good line! You should sell him that one!"

Marlowe grinned.

It was going to be weird, not spending every day with these guys for a few months. He didn't really know what he was going to do with himself.

—

The Cannons put in a respectable effort, but they were still positively slammed. Marlowe never did get to play, but that was alright. Everyone left the match in high spirits and with grand plans for how next year was going to be the comeback season no one expected. It would be the year they finally came back and won it all, no longer the lovable losers.

He found Caiti and his parents after the match, but not until he'd changed out of his robes and debriefed with Benson. Most of the crowd had already cleared out. There were just a few stragglers still chatting here and there.

Caiti gave Marlowe a big hug as soon as he made it to her. "How do you feel?" she asked.

"About losing?" Marlowe asked. "Fine. We expected it."

"About being mostly off for a few months," Caiti corrected.

"Oh," he said. "Weird. I guess the break will be kind of nice, but I don't know... I think I'll get bored of it. I got bored pretty fast last year."

Caiti hadn't been home last year though. Maybe this year would be a little different.

He kissed her on the cheek before he let her go. "I guess I've just got all kinds of free time to pester you," he smiled.

Caiti just shrugged. "I'll allow it."

Then she turned to Marlowe's mum. She'd just remembered something.

"What's it called when you search for stuff on your computer?"

"Googling?" she asked with a frown.

"Oh," said Caiti eyes widening. "That does sound familiar. Sean thought it was called noodling."

Mrs. Finnegan laughed so hard she was in tears.