And that folks, is how you play Quidditch
That weekend Gryffindor was scheduled to play against Slytherin in the first quidditch match of the season.
Lena tried to stick to her excuse of quidditch not being her thing, but she had come so far in her friendship with Kara that she decided to go. Maggie would also be playing this year and her and Lena had started to grow closer, so if nothing else she should support her new friend.
As Lena looked herself over in her mirror, she couldn’t believe she was about to go to a quidditch match, with her Slytherin scarf on no less. She could care less about the green and black scarf with the Slytherin house crest on it, but in good fun she knew it would irk Maggie and Alex. With that, she walked out of her dorm and headed to where the group was meeting up.
She was slightly early, but in her defense, she liked being punctual. It was a habit she learned very early on in life with the Luthor’s and some habits were hard to break.
It was getting colder outside as the summer slowly turned to fall. As she made her way through the corridor and exited into the quad a gust of wind hit her causing her to adjust her scarf a bit. She looked ahead and noticed no one was there yet, but giggling to her right caused her to take a curious glance over.
As soon as her eyes fell upon to the two girls in the corner she should have known. She wanted to keep walking and pretend she hadn’t seen it, but as she stood there frozen, her feet just wouldn’t move.
Alex had one foot against the wall as she leaned against it. Her right hand had Maggie’s scarf pulled so that they were face to face, while her left-hand cupped Maggie’s cheek as they shared a deep kiss.
Lena, much to her embarrassment, just stood there with wide eyes. It was the last thing she wanted to be witnessing.
“Luthor!”
“Little Luthor!” Both said in unison as they finally realized they weren’t alone.
Both broke apart like they had just been electrocuted and simply stared at the other girl.
Trying not to upset Alex, she tried to be casual about it. “Hey, sorry I’m early.”
It seemed like neither of the girls knew what to say, they obviously hadn’t meant for anyone to find them, much less Lena.
“It’s fine little Luthor! Lovely morning isn’t it” Maggie nervously laughed.
“A little too cold for my liking but that’s fall I suppose.” With her feet finally able to move she went to go take a seat on an empty bench. In her mind she tried to figure out what would happen next. They would either all pretend nothing happened or it was about to get really weird. Alex and Maggie composed themselves and went to join Lena on the bench.
“Kara doesn’t know.” Was all Alex could say.
“I see. Well I’m certainly not going to tell her; I imagine that’s something that should come from you.”
Alex sighed out as she brought her hands to cover her eyes. “I haven’t exactly come out to her yet; I’m scared to tell her.”
Lena would hardly say her and Alex were close, it was more of a tolerated sort of friendship. In that moment though she felt for Alex. Lena herself had internally questioned her sexuality for years and understood how confusing it could all be. Hell, she still didn’t even understand it herself.
Deciding to reach out she placed her hand on Alex’s shoulder. “Alex, I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to walk in on anything. I’m not really good at giving advice but I know that Kara loves you so much, you shouldn’t be afraid to talk to her about this.”
“You’re right Luthor, I don’t really want any advice from you!” Alex says as she swats Lena’s hand away.
“Little Luthor, I know you didn’t mean any harm, it’s okay really! Things with Alex and I are just a little confusing, we know Kara loves us, but once we say it out loud to anyone else it's real you know? And we aren’t ready for that yet, if that makes sense?”
“Like I said it's your secret to share, so I’m not going to say anything. But you have to know that it's okay right? You shouldn’t have to be ashamed to be who you are. As someone who struggles with that daily, I can tell you that at some point you just need to accept yourself.” Lena tells them. “You may not know me that well but I’m here for you, you guys have shown me that anyone is worthy of kindness.”
Alex wanted to stay mad, but she couldn’t. She may not like Lena, but she was right. “Thank you. I guess I’m mostly afraid of what people might say. I just didn’t know this was going to happen.” She continues as she points between her and Maggie.
“Oh, come on Danvers, there is no way you could resist this.” Maggie wiggles her eyebrows at Alex.
Lena laughs as Alex sends them a pointed glare.
“I think she's right though Alex, maybe it is time you talked to Kara about it.”
“Ugh, Fine I’ll talk to her after your game today, happy?”
“Thank you. You know what that means Little Luthor? You and I get to hang out this afternoon after my game! How are you at potions? I’m not exactly the best at it so you can help me with my homework.” Maggie says as she throws an arm over Lena.
“I’m not one to flaunt my talents, but I’m sure I could help you.”
“Fantastic. It's settled then!”
Alex finally doesn’t look like she wants to kill Lena and they all share in an awkward group hug, courtesy of Maggie. “You’re going to regret it Luthor. Maggie is horrible at potions; don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Alex whispers to Lena.
“Hey I heard that!”
“Hey guys! Sorry we're late, someone couldn’t decide which shoes matched her scarf best.” Winn tells them as they make their way out to the quad, Kara walking behind as she mumbles something about how matching is important.
“It’s okay, Little Luthor and I were just talking about how she’s going to help me with my homework later, after we crush Slytherin that is.” Maggie tells them as she elbows Lena in the side.
“Right! Yes, homework. Very important.”
Maggie and Alex both just roll their eyes and Lena gives the group an innocent smile.
“Well would you look at the time, I better head out and go warm up, I’ll catch you guys after?”
“Of course, good luck!” Barry and Winn say in unison as Maggie gets up to leave giving Alex and Lena one last devilish smile.
“Is it just me or was Maggie being weird?” Kara asks as she goes to squeeze in between Alex and Lena.
“I think it’s just you Kara.” Lena cuts in so that they can change the subject for Alex’s sake. “I’m usually not one for school spirit but I suppose I should be cheering for Slytherin today.”
“Lena! Look at you, you even wore a scarf! I’m proud of you, but since Hufflepuff isn’t playing today I’m going to support Gryffindor.”
“Kar. Your whole outfit is yellow and black.” Alex tells Kara as she looks her up and down.
“Fair, but I am a Hufflepuff after all. I will be cheering for Maggie though, that counts right?”
“Sure Kara, as long as you’re not cheering for Slytherin.”
“Rude.” Lena huffs out.
“Sorry.” Kara says as she shrugs her shoulders.
“Let's get going, I want to get good seats” Winn breaks in, to which everyone agrees.
Alex waits for the group to walk ahead. When she was sure they were far enough ahead to not be heard Alex grabs Lena’s hand to stop her. “Thank you again. You weren’t the first person I wanted to tell but I appreciate you taking it well.
“I know this friend stuff is hard for the both of us, I really do just want us to get along. No matter what I have your back.”
“No need to get sappy on me now Luthor” ALex nudges her as they speed up to catch up to the rest of the group.
Just as Winn had requested, they found seats at the very front. Most people were seated within their houses but Lena, Kara, Winn and Barry made themselves at home in the Gryffindor section. Lena knew the Slytherins wouldn’t be too happy about her sitting there, but she really didn’t care, it’s not like they acknowledged her presence any other time. She couldn’t help but make eye contact with Mike as they passed the Slytherin section, he simply gave her a disappointing glare as he watched her walk by.
The group watched as the Gryffindor and Slytherin players practiced on the field. Before long the overhead announcer (some 3rd year that Lena thought had way too much enthusiasm) introduced the lineup. When they heard Maggie’s name announced, even Lena was surprised by how loud she was cheering.
There was a loud horn that signaled the start of the game, and the players sped off. Maggie was doing pretty well; she flew around the others as she waited for the golden snitch to come out. She had to duck a few times as the Slytherin beaters sent bludgers zooming past here. One time she wasn’t able to swerve fast enough, sending a bludger straight to the chest. She was able to maintain her balance as two Slytherin chasers flew past her throwing their quaffle straight past her keeper and through their goal. 10 - 0 and Gryffindor hadn’t scored yet, soon cheers echoed throughout the stadium as the golden snitch was released. Maggie was quick to notice it before the Slytherin seeker, she bolted after with the other seeker not too far behind.
The game proved to keep everyone on the edge of their seats. While Maggie continued to chase after the snitch both teams were successfully making goals, soon the game was tied 100- 100. The snitch finally flew out into the center of the field and both seekers were hot on its trail. Cheers started to turn into boos as the Slytherin team started to play more aggressively. Instead of trying to score it seemed the Slytherin chasers were more focused on trying to knock the Gryffindor team off their brooms. Things got dirtier as the Slytherin seeker flew up to Maggie and was trying to Knock her off so she couldn’t catch the snitch.
Alex sat between Lena and Kara and had both of their hands in a death grip as she watched Maggie take hit after hit. Lena didn’t mind too much, she understood Alex was worried about Maggie. She was thankful when Maggie was finally able to shake off the other seeker giving her enough room to reach out and grab the snitch, ending the game. Alex and Kara had shot straight up and cheered. Lena found herself once again cheering, it was becoming normal at this point. Everyone cheered, even the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff houses. Slytherin in true fashion, just sulked and left without much fanfare.
The group made their way out of the stadium and started heading to the castle so they could eat lunch.
“That was amazing! Maggie did so well! Did you see how she flew circles around that Slytherin seeker.” Barry cheered out as him and Winn practically skipped out of the stadium.
“I’m proud of her, she managed not to run into any posts this time!” Alex chimed in.
Lena was happy, she may not care much for the sport but she was happy with being surrounded by friends.
“Luthor you got a minute.” A voice called from behind her.
She was becoming rather good at figuring out voices without having to look at who it was. She knew that voice, as much as she wished she didn’t. Kara turned around and motioned for Lena to keep up but she called ahead to her. “I’ll be right there Kara; I’ll catch up to you guys?”
Kara gave her a disappointed frown, an even bigger one once she noticed Mike Matthews walking up behind Lena.
Before Kara could walk over to Lena, she quickly told Kara that it was okay and that she would be quick, which Kara took hesitantly before tuning to catch up to Alex.
“Why is Lena talking to Mike Matthew?” Alex asks Kara as she walks up beside her.
“I don’t know. But I don’t like it.” Kara says with a huff as they continue their walk to the castle.
Skipping the pleasantries Lena got straight to the point.
“What do you want Mike?”
“Hello to you too.” Mike just huffs out.
“You’ll excuse my curtness, last time we met I seem to remember being pushed up against the wall. I’d rather not have a part two.”
“I’ll admit I may have been a little rough, but I warned you, didn’t I?”
“Is that your thing? Being weird and cryptic?” Lena could sense she was getting a rise out of him and wanted to see how far she could push it.
“I told you that you were being watched. I’ve seen you hanging around with your new friends, how would your dear mother react if she were to find out?”
“Am I not allowed to have friends now?” She retorted back.
“Ha. Come on Lena you know your mother would never approve of your friends, especially ones so low on the hierarchy.”
“Look if you don’t mind, I’m going to have lunch with MY friends. So, if you could just say what you want to say.”
“Your friends, I doubt they’d still be your friend after they find out who your family really is.”
What was that supposed to mean? The more she keeps running into Mike the more she wonders what her family has been up to. Is there something she should know about? Surely, they would have told her if she was actually a part of something. Then again, her family has never been one to include her in any family decisions.
“You should be scared.” Is all he says as a group of Slytherins walks out of the stadium and gives Lena disgusted glare as they see Mike and her talking. He goes to join them, leaving Lena to wonder what his words meant.
She walks back alone as Mike’s words echo in her mind. He wasn’t wrong, if her mother could see her now, she would surely be disappointed. Lena didn’t want to care, but deep down she knew that being friends with Kara was going to be dangerous. One, because the blonde seemed to have an odd effect on her and two, her mother would never let her have friends who weren’t of some importance. The thing was, she couldn’t not be friends with Kara. Something about the girl pulled her in, it was like finally being able to breathe and she didn’t want to give that up. She knew if she wanted to continue her friendship with Kara, she needed to do some digging into this ‘plan’. The thought alone scared Lena, she knew whatever it was it wasn’t good, if Mike’s mysterious visits were any indication. All she could was hope for the best, and keep her friends from being dragged into it.
“Lena there you are, we were starting to worry!” Kara says to her as she takes her usual seat next to the blonde. “What was that all about, I didn’t know you knew Mike?”
“I don’t really, his parents are family friends so he just wanted to catch up.” Lena knew that was a lie but she also didn’t want to alert Kara to anything just yet.
“Oh. Well you seem a little on edge though, are you sure you’re okay?” Kara asks cautiously.
“I promise I’m okay, now what’s for lunch?” Lena says as the group just stares at her trying to feel if she was actually okay or not.
“Umm I think today is Shepard’s pie” Barry says as everyone continues on the high of Gryffindor winning the game.
Maggie meets up with them with Lucy in tow, both bickering about the match.
“I’m just saying, I think your swerving technique could use some work.”
“Pfft, easy for you to say, I didn’t see you out there almost dying.” Okay Maggie was in full dramatics. “Come to think of it I don’t remember seeing you at all, care to tell us where you were?”
“I was there, I just happened to be sitting with someone else...” “I knew it! You were sitting with that James Olsen guy weren’t you!”
“I will neither confirm nor deny that allegation.”
Maggie just rolls her eyes “You would ditch me on the day of my big game for some boy!”
“I didn’t ditch you; I’m here, now aren’t I?”
“Whatever Lane, we want to meet this guy soon.”
“I’m still trying to figure out what we are. When I know I’ll let you know okay?”
“Hmm.”
Everyone at the table just watches them curiously, once they had finally settled in, they went around the table and congratulated Maggie on a good game. They fell into conversation as they finished their food, Lena was thankful for the distraction, but she stayed relatively quiet as she thought about her earlier encounter. “Hey Kar, mind walking me to the Gryffindor common room? I forgot something”
“Ummm why don’t you just go get it yourself?” Kara asks curiously.
Lena and Maggie knew this was Alex’s way of getting Kara alone so they could talk, while Barry, Lucy and Winn continued their own conversations.
“It’s a nice day, I figured we could go for a walk after?”
“Yep. And little Luthor and I are going to the Library to study” Maggie says as she grabs her belongings
“Lena, I thought we were going to study?” Kara asks Lena, giving Lena a hurt look.
“And you will, just come with me please?” Alex asks again, almost desperate this time.
“Kara we will meet you in the library after, okay? I Promise.” Lena gives Kara a smile trying to ease her.
The others at the table have picked up on the underlying tone and excuse themselves leaving Maggie, Kara, Alex and Lena. “Come Little Luthor, potions are calling. Danvers, Little Danvers we’ll catch you later!” Maggie says as she gives one last reassuring smile to Alex.
The duo takes their time walking to the library, it is Saturday so there isn’t a need to rush.
“Are you always going to call me little Luthor?” Lena breaks the silence.
Maggie laughs “Would I rather I just call you Luthor?”
“Well, no but Little Luthor? I’m not that much younger than you.”
“You’re little Luthor just like Kara is little Danvers. Just deal with it.
They find a section of the library that isn’t crowded with other students, and begin their studying. Alex was right, Maggie really was awful at potions.
“Alex, not that I’m all about a sister bonding walk but you’ve seemed off since we left lunch.”
Alex had pretended to grab something from the common room and they both made their way outside past the quad and over to the bridge that led off the castle.
“Fine Kara, I wanted to talk to you. I’m just nervous about it.” The pair stop midway on the bridge as the both look out over the grounds.
“Alex you’re scaring me, are you okay? Is Eliza okay!? Kara rushes out as she starts to panic.
“Jesus Kar Relax, mom is fine! I just need to talk to you about something.”
“Alex, you can tell me anything” Kara tells her sincerely
“Okay. Well you know how Maggie and I are friends?”
“Um. Yeah she’s my friend too, what does that have to do with anything?”
“No Kara. I mean yes, Maggie is my friend but she’s become more than that.” Alex waits as the gears turn in Kara’s head.
“Oh! like best friends! Winn, Barry and Lena are my best friends!” Kara explains excitedly as she thinks she’s finally figured it out.
“No. Kara. Not like that. I mean like Maggie and I are..... sort of.... Dating?”
The smile wipes off Kara’s face and she becomes expressionless.
Alex studies Kara’s expression but can’t make out what she’s feeling.
“Please say something Kara!” At this point Alex’s tears roll down her face and she can’t stop them.
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“Because I’m scared! I‘ve been struggling with all these feelings and I didn’t know what to do. It just sort of happened one day, we didn’t want to say anything at first but after Lena caught us this morning, I figured it was time I talk to you about it.” As soon as the words came out of her mouth Alex knew she had messed up.
“Wait! Lena knew before I did?” Kara says as the tears start to form in her eyes.
“I didn’t tell her on purpose! She just happened to walk out and see us.”
“I can’t believe Lena catching you was the only reason you’re telling me! How long would it have taken you?”
Alex knew her answer was only going to upset Kara more, but they had made it this far might as well be honest at this point. “I didn’t have any plans on telling you, at least not for a while”
Kara slowly started to back away “I can’t believe you weren’t going to tell me; do you not trust me?”
“No! Kara that isn’t it. I just couldn’t tell you; I couldn’t tell anyone.”
“We always used to tell each other everything.”
“Oh, like how you told me about Lena? I had to find out from Lucy and Maggie that you two were hanging out. My own little sister couldn’t even tell me herself!”
“I didn’t tell you because you had made it clear you didn’t like her!” Kara put her hands up in defeat and did the only thing she could. Run.
“Kara please, wait!” Alex tried to run after her, but let her go.
Leaving her standing alone on the bridge to cry alone.
Lena and Maggie were fully immersed in their books, despite Maggie’s many attempts to not study. They heard some commotion coming from the other side of the library but neither bothered to look. It wasn’t until a very upset Kara walked up that they knew things hadn’t gone so well.
“You knew and you didn’t tell me!” A very red-faced Kara asked Lena, bringing her out of her book.
Well at least Alex told her, Lena thought to herself.
“Kara, I literally only found out this morning, by accident I might add. I didn’t do it to hurt you, I promised them I wouldn’t say anything.”
“I can’t believe you knew, I’m such an idiot.”
“Hey little Danvers, relax; it wasn’t her fault. It’s mine and Alex’s for not telling you sooner and I’m sorry for that but Alex wasn’t ready, what was I supposed to do? Out her?”
“Don’t tell me to Relax Maggie!”
“KARA! I get that you're upset but you’re making a scene.” Lena tells her, and she was right the library had gone quite as everyone watched.
“Why couldn’t she just tell me? She used to tell me everything.” Kara whispers between tears.
“Let’s take a walk, and we can talk about it.” Lena reaches out to comfort the blonde.
“No! I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I just need to be alone” Realizing that all eyes were on her Kara quickly rushes out of the library and heads straight to her room.
Maggie looks like she also wants to burst into tears, but holds back. “I guess their talk didn’t go well, I’m going to go find Alex. You go catch Little Danvers?” She manages to breathe out.
“Of course.” Lena watches Maggie rush out to go find Alex, she gathers up her books and heads to the Hufflepuff common room hoping to stop Kara.