Name Game (completed)

Chapter Six

Disclaimer: JK Rowling created Harry Potter, but if you don't know that you probably shouldn't be reading Harry Potter fanfics.

(undergoing editing hence weird gaps,  inconsistancies, etc.)

"I don't fucking believe it!" Jason flung his broom down in the mud in frustration. Placating Camilla stepped forward tentatively and picked it up. "Scorpius, I'm so sorry mate, we really fucked that one up."

Scorpius shrugged stiffly.

"Well, you know... it happened. Not worth worrying about."

The match had gone badly. Very badly; Gryffindor had slaughtered them: two-hundred-and-sixty to zero.

"You've got to admit it was pretty shit." Jeremy was slouched in the mud by Scorpius feet, head in hands.

"Yeah I know it was." Scorpius looked out at his despondent team. They shuffled their feet or began picking at a stray twig on their brooms, determined not to make eye contact. "But look, we knew Gryffindor would be hard to beat. We won against Hufflepuff, so if we win against Slytherin next term and Gryffindor lose one of their coming matches, then we'll still be in with a chance."

"Yeah, but Gryffindor won't lose any of their matches," Sam pointed out.

Scorpius felt like flinging his broom on the ground too, and then drowning in the mud.

"Look, this pessimism isn't going to get us anywhere. We might not have played at our best standard today, but it was hard opposition and hard conditions. We're a great team, I believe in all of you. What's important now is that we don't let this dishearten us. I'm not planning on any practices before the Christmas holidays - I think we all need a break - but I'd like all of you to think about how you could improve, and try out a few new techniques if you get the chance. Don't lose focus just because there's a lapse in our training schedule." He turned to Martin Able, Caroline's replacement Chaser. "You did well there, considering you're still new to the team, but please no more haversacking. We really couldn't afford for Gryffindor to get any penalties. Right," he said, addressing the whole team once again, "that's it for the evening and term, have a great holiday - I expect Gryffindor we'll be done in the changing rooms now so you can all have a could shower and change into something clean and dry." He looked pointedly at Jeremy.

The team disbanded, shoulders slumped, broomsticks dragging behind them in the mire. Scorpius didn't follow them to the changing rooms, but headed to the castle. He attempted to hurry through the corridors and up the staircases, hindered by his soaking robes, stored his modified Silver Arrow in a broomcupbaord a few doors from the Ravenclaw tower. Finally, dripping, he climbed the spiral starecase to the eagle knocker, answered the presented riddle after approximately ten minutes of consideration (a personal worse, but then again he was exhausted and distracted by the lost match), and stumbled into the Common Room, trailing filthy water, and earning himself several resentful looks from the students gathered there. Scorpius was unsure whether these was due to the mud he was treading into the carpet or the lost match; regardless he ignored them - he was desperate to find Rose before she went up to the girls' dormitory. 

He found her in her usual spot on the floor before the fire, leaning back against the armchair which held a couple of textbooks - Spellman's Syllabry and Advanced Rune Translation - and a pile of dogeared sheets of parchment. One knee was drawn up to her chest, then other extended towards the warmth of the fire, and a marked translation lay beside her, which she was in the process of correcting.

He sat down next to her - not too close, so as not to transfer the mud and damp from his own robes onto her, but close enough to the fire that he should have a chance of drying off.