"Today's the day." James sat down triumphantly at the breakfast table, "Gryffindor are in for a win, I'm telling you."
Remus shook his head, full of doubt, "You say the same every year but I've yet to see you bring home a victory."
"Shut up! You're not meant to say stuff like that!" James complained.
"Maybe it's your over confidence that jinxes it every year." Peter suggested.
James sipped from his goblet, looking up and down the table to make sure all of the members of his quidditch team were eating a full breakfast before the match. That particular morning was Gryffindor's first match of the year, and their first match against Slytherin.
"Hey... Where's Sirius? He should be down here shouting about lion pride and waving red and gold flags." James frowned slightly.
Remus chuckled, "He went down to the pitch early with Asteria. To be honest, she looked like she was going to faint."
James pondered this. Whilst the Slytherin captain being unable to play would be a major advantage, he was also reminded of the blossoming friendship between himself and Asteria. "Where's Lily? Does she know?" He questioned.
Peter shrugged, "Haven't seen her all morning." He spoke with a mouthful of cereal, barely managing to keep the milk from drooling down his chin.
Remus grumbled, "She's probably avoiding me."
James tutted, "Don't be ridiculous. Lily isn't the kind of person to start avoiding you because she knows. She's never around any day there's a quidditch match."
Down at the quidditch pitch, Sirius and Asteria sat side-by-side in the stands.
"I think I'm going to be sick." Asteria clutched Sirius' hand and let out a shaky breath.
"Ri, you really need to calm down. There's no need to freak out." He placed a comforting hand on her leg and rubbed his thumb in small circles.
"Somehow that's not helpful." She replied quietly.
Sirius sighed and pulled her into a hug, resting Asteria's head against his chest. "Don't worry. Nothing will go wrong and you'll destroy the match. I know it."
"How can you be so confident?" She questioned, allowing her eyes to droop closed. Sirius chuckled in response, making Asteria smile as her head shifted against his moving chest as he laughed.
"Just trust me. Nobody will say a thing."
"I just wish I could hold your hand the whole time." She mumbled, "That sounds really cheesy. Sorry."
Sirius laughed again, "I'll be with you the whole time, no matter what. Don't worry."
They pulled away from each other and smiled. "Alright, I'm going to go get ready before this gets too mushy for my liking." Asteria rose from her seat and ruffled the boy's hair before clambering out of the stands and making her way towards the changing rooms.
Little did she know what Sirius had in store for the match.
Only a couple of hours later grey clouds had begun to circle in the sky above as the Gryffindor Quidditch team made their way down towards the pitch. James took the lead, a grin emerging on his face as the sound of the roaring stands grew louder and louder.
In truth he hadn't spent much of summer planning for his team's tactics during the school year. However upon hearing that Asteria was the new Slytherin captain, his obnoxious and competitive side had once again emerged.
"Where's Sirius? Isn't he playing?" Xavier, the goalkeeper, questioned as the team took the position ready to walk out onto the pitch.
"Just missing out on this match. Don't worry though, we're still going to win." James nodded firmly, throwing a glance to the temporary replacement beater for the match.
The Gryffindor team stood shoulder to shoulder underneath the shelter of the stands. Darkness had encircled the pitch as a few drops of rain began to fall into the otherwise pristine grass. James watched carefully as the Slytherin team strode out from their quarters to stand in the centre of the pitch. Asteria had taken the lead with Regulus close behind.
"Okay let's go. And nobody trip over this time." James smirked one final time before marching out towards Madam Hooch and their opposition. The roaring of the stands was almost deafening as the Gryffindor fans bellowed chants and cheers for support.
"About time you turned up." One of the Slytherin chasers sneered.
James rolled his eyes as a simple response and looked over to Asteria. She was tapping her foot on the floor rather impatiently and biting her bottom lip between her teeth. Asteria let out a shaky breath she didn't realise she'd been holding in as Madam Hooch began to address them all.
"No dirty play. I don't want any injuries or fouls. Alright?" She warned as the players kicked off from the ground and circled around her in the air.
James took his position in the air above all the other players as they waited for the commentator to signal the setting off of the balls.
"The bludger and snitch have been released."
Asteria nearly fell forward on her broom upon hearing those words echo around the stands. She looked up to where all the teachers sat to see Sirius Black in the commentator's seat with a watchful Professor Mcgonagall leaning over him.
He flashed her a quick wink before continuing, "The quaffle has been released and the game begins!"
Asteria gripped her boom tightly between her hands, knowing and having faith in her team's plan. One of the other Slytherin chasers shot forward and slipped the ball from a Gryffindor's hands, darting off down the pitch.
"Well don't just sit there. Get a move on Gryffindors!" Sirius shouted as Asteria shot after the ball.
James sat up higher in the air, watching everything unfold beneath him. He pursed his lips and visibly winced as one of the Slytherins slammed the quaffle through one of their hoops with quite come force.
"Slytherin look to be on top form today. I'm just saying, as a completely unbiased observer, that it must be all to do with their new captain." Sirius flashed a warm smile as Mcgonagall scowled at him. "I mean she is hot. Not that-that doesn't have anything to do with it. Nobody look at her!" He stammered, attempting to cover up his trail.
Asteria glanced up to see Regulus circling the pitch high above their heads. She continued to shoot after one of the Gryffindor players, the Slytherin beaters also flying alongside her.
"Don't hit them!" She exclaimed as one of the beaters smashed the bludger towards the Gryffindor chaser. It caught the tip of the girl's knee and she shrieked in shock, dropping the ball as she came to an unsteady stop.
Having no other choice now, Asteria shot straight down after the ball. Determined to grab it before it hit the ground, she inhaled deeply and pushed forward. She had to have been a mere metre of the ground when she pulled up and swooped her arm underneath to catch the ball and hug it in close to her body. Now skimming along the grass so close to the ground, none of the other players were anywhere nearby as they all watched in confused amazement.
"Now that is good quidditch! But wait! Don't pay too much attention to that because Fletcher over there is hanging off his broom! Don't fall or you'll land on Dumbledore's head! Fletcher, are you going to kill the headmaster?" Sirius rolled back laughing as the attention of everyone in the stands went to watching the young Gryffindor chaser attempt to clamber back onto his broom with only one hand holding on.
Asteria mentally thanked Sirius, feeling a weight lifted off her shoulders as all eyes moved from her. She shot upwards, barrelling head on towards Xavier, the Gryffindor goalkeeper. He sat firmly in his position in from of one of the goals, but occasionally his eyes would glance over not only to his two other undefended goals but also to Fletcher who still hung in the air.
Adjusting the hold of the ball under her arm, Asteria aimed straight at Xavier with no sign of changing path. Xavier's eyes widened in fear of being tackled head on and he reversed slightly. Just as he sat right in the middle of the centre hoop, unable to move to either side, Asteria darted down to the left and passed the quaffle through one of the other empty hoops.
The Slytherin stands roared in response as another Slytherin chaser circled around Xavier to intercept the ball once he passed it on.
Rain was now hammering down on them, thunder beginning to sound. Asteria couldn't hear or see a thing as she attempted to navigate the dark pitch.
"Another ten points to Slytherin! I really hate saying that but come on Gryffindor, try not to suck so much. And I'm just saying this seems like a pretty intense storm. Don't you think we should call it a day? I mean I wouldn't want anyone to get hurt." Sirius continued his dodgy commendation of the game, watching Asteria closely as a few bolts of lighting struck high up in the sky.
Asteria remained still in the centre of the pitch as a Gryffindor chaser was flying around in circles holding the quaffle, unsure of which direction to go in. That's when her gaze moved upwards to where James and Regulus were. Except Regulus wasn't there.
She couldn't see a thing through the storm, holding up her eyes to shield from the rain didn't help either.
"It... It looks like Reg-the Slytherin seeker has caught sight of the snitch. Either that or he's just insane." Sirius leaned forward in his seat.
That's when Asteria noticed a streak of green and black shooting across the pitch and diving straight down behind the Hufflepuff stands. She held her breath, watching as a bludger barrelled after Regulus.
"Go stop that! Don't let it hit him!" Asteria pointed at one of the beaters who immediately began chasing after him.
Near silence had fallen over the stands as two chasers from opposing teams began chasing each other around the centre of the pitch in a battle for the quaffle. Everyone else seemed to just be waiting for the sight that someone had caught the snitch. James too was now nowhere to be seen, presumably hot on Regulus' tail.
Only a couple of minutes had passed but it felt like hours. Nothing seemed to be happening.