Avalon Weasley sat on a bench in the locker room, Alaina Mason behind her, fingers knuckle-deep in her fiery curls. Alaina was attempting to braid her hair, but Avalon's hair was so unruly that Alaina was having a hard time.
Eventually, the blonde grew so frustrated that she decided to give up, throwing a hairtie around the messy braid and calling it a day.
Clarissa Wood had already gone through her pre-game monologue that Avalon had admittedly slept through.
So now, the Gryffindor team just had to wait until game time, when they were allowed to go out onto the pitch and start playing.
Avalon sighed, standing from her spot on the bench and going towards the opening of the tented locker room in order to get a look at the crowds.
Gryffindor-Slytherin games always brought out the Hogwarts students that weren't as big fans of quidditch as their peers. Something about the centuries-long house rivalry made everyone want a piece of the action.
A scream nearly escaped her lips when a hand closed around her wrist and yanked her out of the tent, but another hand clamped over her mouth before any sound could escape.
"T-Teddy?" She stammered after ripping the boy's hand away.
He was dressed in maroon and gold, a Gryffindor scarf that surely wasn't his draped around his neck.
The icing on the cake was that his smiling face was painted maroon, and on his cheek was the number 37, which was also the number on the back of the jersey she wore.
"What are you doing here?" She whispered loudly, trying to hide the fact that she was blushing.
Teddy Lupin shrugged, still grinning widely. "Can't I come wish you good luck?"
He still hadn't let go of her wrist; instead, he'd slid his hand down to lace their fingers together, causing butterflies to swarm in her stomach.
"Well, yeah, I guess," Avalon said as she looked up at him and bit back a smile. "But you really shouldn't be here."
He raised his eyebrows. "And why's that, Ava?"
He knew exactly what he was doing. He had to. He wouldn't be looking at her like that and holding her bloody hand if he wasn't aware of what their close proximity did to her nervous system.
"Because you're incredibly distracting."
Teddy laughed, rolling his dark eyes at her flustered reaction. It seemed like he was enjoying this.
He leaned down a bit so their faces were only inches apart.
"Is this distracting as well?" He asked.
Avalon gulped, nodding slightly. "Yeah, actually. Quite distracting."
Time stopped, and so did her heart, as he kissed her quickly on the lips, pulling back before she even had a chance to react and kiss him back.
"Good luck, Ava. Win for me, yeah?"
With that, he gave her a wink, turned around, and walked briskly back towards the stands where he was presumably sitting with her brothers.
She was at a complete loss for words, dumbly going back into the tent, where her teammates were waiting.
Alaina Mason and Josephine Brooks immediately ran to her side.
"Was that him?"
"Tell me that was not Teddy Lupin!"
They spoke at the same time, as they often did.
Alaina and Josephine were either the same person's brain split into two bodies, or simply the best of friends. It was hard to tell with them. They acted as though they shared the same mind sometimes, and when one spoke, the other finished her sentence; of course, more often than not, they said the same thing at the same time.
Despite how close they were, and how intimidating their bond was, they were, without a doubt, some of the kindest people Avalon had ever met.
Avalon shrugged and attempted to downplay the fact that she felt like she was about to faint.
"Oh my god!" Alaina and Jo burst at her miniscule answer.
Clarissa was making the rounds throughout the locker room, checking in on the team, and then she saw her star player on the verge of passing out.
"Woah, what's happening?" Clarissa asked, concerned. She grabbed Avalon's arms and led her to one of the benches, where she sat her down and pressed the back of her hand to her forehead.
"He kissed me." Avalon mumbled, shell-shocked to her very core. "He kissed me."
Clarissa looked nothing short of perplexed. "Who kissed you, Weasley? Why do you look like you're about to die?"
Alaina giggled. "Teddy freaking Lupin!"
"Avalon." Clarissa said sternly, snapping her fingers in front of the redhead's face. When Avalon didn't reply, didn't even flinch at the noise, she continued: "Avalon, are you going to be alright to play?"
At the mention of quidditch, her one true love, Avalon's head snapped up and she stared Clarissa right in the eye. She stayed silent, but nodded in response.
Clarissa immediately lit up like a Christmas tree. "Brilliant."
—
Avalon sat on her broom, high in the sky above even the highest part of the stands. After a surprising pep talk from the quietest, most reclusive member of the quidditch team, Violetta Chambers, Avalon felt decently alright about pushing her personal life away for however long it took to win the match.
She felt good.
Well, maybe good was too strong of a word.
She felt like she could play the game of quidditch without thinking. That was what she felt.
She sat on her broom, watching the players below her fly around, barely paying attention to who scored goals for what team. It wouldn't matter, in the end, because as long as her team did their job, her catching the Snitch was all they would need to win, and be one step closer to winning the House Cup.
Sometimes, being a Seeker was incredibly boring.
At least, it would be. If Bludgers purposely directed towards Avalon didn't come out of nowhere.
hey watch i'm gonna predict what reese is gonna say: cheeky teddy