Damn He Fly--James

[OLIVIA AUBREY]

Early mornings had always been used for sleeping again after waking up but recently that view had changed for Olivia Aubrey. On the weekdays she was up around five, having breakfast early and right away while in her Hufflepuff qudditch sweater and jeans, her sneakers tied extremely tight so they wouldn't fall off once she was up in the air. Next to her usually would be propped up against the table her best friend, her broom. It was one of the latest models and quite fast, she had saved up for it by herself and Olivia was really proud of it. Summer of babysitting and then transacting all the money had gotten her a good reputation as a player and then the spot on the team as their captain. She'd been a beater since third year and loved the game. She was good, not to boast, and always loved to hit people with the bludger if she felt good. Usually the girl wasn't such a ruthless person but the minute she got on the pitch the game was on and she was willing to do anything to win.

A lot of people underestimated Hufflepuff's mostly. They thought them cute and...well fluffy in every way. No, they could be rude or unorganized sometimes too. Olivia sure wasn't a Gryffindor when it came to her bravery but she tried her best, her grades weren't the best always but she made sure they didn't fall below an 'A' and she wasn't rude all the time but no one is perfect. Olivia tried, she really did but sometimes trying wasn't what got her all the way there. Being a Hufflepuff was alright, but if she could switch houses she'd switch to Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. Slytherin just didn't fit her. She wasn't cunning or original in a rude way.

This morning the girl woke earlier than usual, plus it was a Saturday and she was up by 4:30 am. She took her time getting ready, slowly pulling on everything and lacing her sneakers tight but not as tight as usual. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail, not caring what it looked like since it'd be ruined by the wind of flight anyways. She didn't know anyone up as early as her so it was a surprise when she headed down to the Great Hall and saw more than the usual group of people. There was a third year eating at the Slytherin table and a few Gryffindor students, but Olivia was alone at her own table. She didn't have anyone to talk to and that might have been bad had this been the first time doing this. Olivia took the game seriously, always making sure to analyze what everyone did so it would benefit the team more so than help tear it apart possibly. There hadn't been too much drama on the team yet and it was pretty dull some days. Most of the time they ran drills and would fly around, working on balance. Sometimes they'd break into groups and work on skill flight, she always made sure everyone did something.

Finishing the breakfast quickly Olivia glanced around the table before deciding to then head out and continue her personal work. She would never make the whole team be up this early, she usually worked with herself for an hour then they'd meet her. The girls in the locker room would sometimes smile as they passed their captain but a lot of the time they just tried to make small talk. Today she headed out to the pitch with a good stride, her sneakers making squeaking noises on the grass, it had rained last night and wet fall colored leaves stuck to the bottom of her shoes. She tried to keep her cheeks from going numb as the wind nipped at them but she watched the broom closet instead, it was flapping open, the doors were. All Olivia could do now was hope that there wasn't anyone else in there, sometimes the girl got easily paranoid. That was a rare thing though.

Skipping over to the closet without falling she somehow managed to overcome her paranoia and find her broom tucked away in it's drawer lonely. It usually was left that way, her broom. She made sure to trim it every week and give it a through polishing after every game. She used an average wax but if they made it to the house cup tournament then she'd go to Hogsmede and buy a better brand. Her broom really mattered to her so she was glad when her parents had helped give her some funds to get it. Olivia wanted to be a healer someday and for the moment she wasn't sure if she would ever make it to professional level for Qudditch. Probably not since there were so many other kids that were better than her over the world, but despite the levels of Hogwarts Olivia would be considered on the top ten list, if not top five. She had helped beat Gryffindor last year, against James Potter who had a huge ego and was great at flying. He was a fellow Qudditch Captain and she couldn't help but let her competitive side to her, never really talking to him.

Mounting the cold broom and pushing off Olivia admired the wind flowing through her messy hair, strands becoming untucked out of the hairband. She flew around the pitch and sometimes inside the score rings for about ten minutes then stopped as she noticed a small figure crossing the pitch, he wasn't small on the ground as she could tell by his shoulders. They were a little more broad than usual. He had tousled black hair that waved in the wind as the figure headed out to the broom closet. Cupping her hands around the broom tighter she flew down to the ground, wondering who it was the minute her feet touche the ground and she mounted off the broom. "Hey," Olivia yelled over the wind in a demanding voice, her stomach twisting as she walked over to the broom closet. "Hello?" The girl asked so she didn't have to yell more as she stood two feet behind him, her mind racing with possibilities.

[James Potter]

James couldn't sleep. He had tossed and turned in his bed, earning a pillow to his head that had somehow mysteriously flew through te curtains drawn around him, and yet he couldn't sleep. It had been at least 2 in the early morning before he fell into a fitful sleep, but he was awake again at 5. 3 hours of pathetic sleep. What was wrong with him?!

He wasn't so sure why he was so restless, though. Maybe because he was thinking of a way to ask Lily out to the ball? He was always nervous when he wanted to ask her out, but never showed it. To her, and the rest of the school, he was the pompous, shamless brat who never cared that Lily turned him down every time he asked her out. Only his friends realise that the sensitive side of him forces him to pull a long face for the rest of the day. Because it kind of got in their way of pranking.

Sighing, he threw his comfortable sheets off his pajama-clad body and got out of the bed with a grunt. He was definitely not a morning person. But it seemed as if he had no choice. Besides, it was a Saturday. If he was too sleepy at anytime during the day, he would make a beeline to the dorm and sleep like a dead log. He made his way to the shared bathroom, not bothering to make as little noise as possible. He loved to annoy the hell out of his mates.

Once he was done with his usual morning routines, he got out of the bathroom, making a face at his friends' still sleeping forms. It'd be hard to wake them up even if the troll comes banging into the Common Room below. With the exception of Remus. Shaking his head, James trotted down the stairs to the Common Room, and made his way to the Great Hall, wondering what to do next. He's up so early, he needed something to keep him entertained till his mates woke up. And then an idea struck him - flying! Oh yes, he could go for a fly, it was absolutely lovely to fly in the mornings! Well, it was lovely to fly at any time, but mornings would be an ideal time.

He quickly rushed to the Great Hall, not bothering to see anyone who was seated there (why would anyone be up so early, it was beyond him. Maybe they had sleep troubles like him, too?) and plopped down at the Gryffindor table. He loaded his plate with whatever that he laid his eyes on, gobbled them up within minutes, and ran up to his dorm again to grab his broom. This time, he didn't even glance at his friends. He knew they were still asleep.

As soon as he stepped onto the Quidditch pitch, a smile lit up his face and he took a deep breath of the air. Oooh yes, he loved his brain for the idea of flying. And he hadn't even mounted his broom.

James had been a Quidditch lover ever since he knew how to differentiate between a Quaffle and a Bludger. His father was a Quidditch lover, and so was he. An avid one. If there was anything in this world he loved more than Lily, his parents and the Marauders, it was Quidditch. The adrenaline that rushed through him as he flew, the wind whipping past him and messing his untamable hair, the sheer fact that he was high up in the sky, and the sound of the crowd cheering as the quaffle goes through the loop...he loved it all.

As usual, he started to run around the Quidditch Pitch. He liked to do his laps before he started flying, it helped his reflexes greatly. And then he realised they was someone already up in the air. He stopped jogging when he saw the figure descending to the ground, and turned in time when he heard a girl's voice. "Olivia!" he grinned. He remembered the girl. She was tiny. Really tiny. But the moment she grabbed her bat, she was to be frightened of. For someone small, she truly had strength. And she was a Quidditch Captain, so however much James could take the whole 'Quidditch rivalry' thing seriously, he had to respect her: one couldn't just earn the title of Quidditch Captain just like that. He would know it. "Up flying so early?" he asked her, walking nearer to her as he kept a casual eye on his broom which was just a few feet away. Anyone who touched his broom would basically feel his terrible wrath. And the pain he'd inflict upon them.

[OLIVIA AUBREY]

Olivia narrowed her eyes a bit as she watched the figure. "Oh..." she said and brightened up a bit. Just James Potter, he wasn't too bad when he was around her. Although to other kids he could sometimes be a bit cocky if you thought about it. She'd sort of been friends with him since third year, when she'd joined the Qudditch team because they'd lost their beater to bad grades. His parents had made him withdraw and to Olivia she'd found it a little sad but she was happy herself, now she got to do what she wanted. It was nice really.

"James! How're you?" She asked with a big grin while propping a hand on her hip and let her eyes go back to normal. It looked like a glare when she did that and Olivia wasn't one to get mad easily. She also wasn't very good at being quiet, she was unique as people had told her many times before. Ever since first year that'd been her label probably from many students and even a few professors around the school. She was mostly called it behind her back, it wasn't like she was weird but sometimes she just thought differently and would stare into space. A few people told her that she reminded them of the girl version of Xenophilis Lovegood, a seventh year Ravenclaw who wrote a lot and spaced out in his own world. Olivia hadn't ever talked to him, he was probably one out of five people who she was actually sort of scared of. He wasn't rude or scary but more so a bit intimidating towards Olivia, they just never talked. You could leave it at that.

Taking a few steps forward she smiled while looking at his possessive hold on his broom. If anyone knew James they knew that he loved his broom and qudditch nearly as much as he loved his own family. Maybe even more. He was a die-hard qudditch fan who would do anything to get the best broom, even if it meant giving up his love for Lily. A lot of people knew about Lily but it didn't mean she knew that. Rumor had it Lily Evans was really perky, she was a prefect, and rather naive with everything around her. Her good friend Paige Letosat was rather loud and snarky so it was hard to imagine such a universal pair.

Smiling she nodded at James, his grip on the broom made it even more obvious that he wouldn't let him touch it. "Found a new love James?" Olivia joked as she raised an eyebrow, she wasn't being serious or anything but smiled and giggled a bit at her own joke. Olivia liked to laugh, a lot.

[James Potter]

James realised the girl was narrowing her eyes a little, and chuckled to himself. She can be really cautious for someone so cheerful and chatty. “It’s just me,” he laughed a little, holding his hands up as if defending himself playfully. “I’m good. Well, except for the fact that I’m up at this ungodly hour, I’m feeling fine,” he made a face. He absolutely hated getting up early. It was just something he wasn’t used to. He could stay up all night planning a prank or just staring at Lily’s dot in the Marauder’s Map, but ask him to get up early (or at least on time), and it’s a pain in the arse.

“How about you, Liv, how are you? And exactly why are you up so early? Training hard to beat my team?” he grinned, wiggling his eyebrows. Yes, he took Quidditch very seriously, but Olivia was one of the handful of people he really didn’t mind joking about Quidditch with – only because he knew she was just as devoted to the wizarding sport.

He sauntered forward and took hold of his broom, and turned back to face her. Found a new love James? He heard her, and laughed. “Too obvious, huh? Still going after Lily, though. So you can say I have two loves,” he smirked, running a hand through his hair. “But then again, you can’t blame me for living my broom. This baby has won me so many goals,” he grinned. “I guess every Quidditch player has a special bond with his or her broom, don’t you think so,” he asked her as he sat down on bench. He patted the seat next to him, gesturing her to take a seat next to him.

ooc: ugh, sorry it's short. i promise to write up a better post the next time! =/

[OLIVIA AUBREY]

Olivia brushed a few strands of her long, pale blonde hair behind her ears. The morning air had no resistance to it so would easily sweep her off her broom if she lost control. Luckily there was James here but she figured they'd spend most of their time kicking the quaffle around. A metaphor some high-tech players used, it meant talking for too long. Something both of them were equally gifted with but Olivia especially.

"James," Olivia began and gave him a pointed look. "I am here every morning and I have been here since fourth year. I would expect someone like you would know that. Aren't you and your group always stalking the pitch?" She asked in her high voice. Olivia had matured mentally and physically but she still didn't really have time to worry about all that. She did however have enough time on her hands to worry about the qudditch team.

Since the year at Hogwarts had just started Olivia had needed time to recruit and plan everything with the team. She was a young team captain, that was for sure, but knew enough about the game to rightfully deserve the spot. James Potter was a good enough qudditch player to nearly beat her, he had in the last game anyways. Last year it had come down to Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, that hadn't really worked all that well if you came to think about it. Gryfinndor had won but an outstanding amount due to their seeker who had now graduated. A tiny smile crept up to her lips just thinking about the trouble they'd had finding a new one. No one was as good as their seeker, he had even gotten recruited to a major league team. Olivia wanted to someday be a healer but if a good qudditch option came her way then she'd be sure to take it, it would pay nice money anyways.

"You want to scrimmage or run some drills?" Olivia asked as she raised an eyebrow, kicking around the quaffle at her feet. She had played futball before over the summer with some family and neighbors. It was a fun and fairly easy game to play anyways, one of her favorite muggle sports. Also one of the only ones she truly understood. Maybe she could teach James to play somehow. If he was interested that is. "Or I could teach you a muggle sport!" She offered in an excited tone, accidentally jumping up once and smiling giddily. Olivia couldn't contain her excitement, she had always felt special compared to other students, they didn't know the muggle world as well.