21st of September, 1972
Gryffindor Junior Quidditch Team “Cubs” 1972
Keeper (& Captain) – Frank Longbottom, Fourth Year
Beater – Marlene McKinnon, Second Year
Beater – Sirius Black, Second Year
Chaser – Alice Fortescue, Fourth Year
Chaser – Mary Macdonald, Second Year
Chaser – James Potter, Second Year
Seeker – Braxen Wormwood, Third Year
Marlene was officially a Gryffindor beater!!!
She screams and jumps up and down in delight, grabbing onto Mary who is frozen in disbelief at finding her name on the list.
They were finally in the Gryffindor Cubs, the junior quidditch team! And if she worked her ass off, they could promote her to the senior team in two years!!
James Potter stands proudly next to her, tall and just a little cocky as he punches his best friend Sirius Black on the shoulder. Black’s mouth is slightly dropped in excitement, though a certain air of ‘I knew it’ hangs around him, dripping off his raised eyebrow and black painted fingernails.
Sure enough, Marlene’s mates don’t wait long to begin boasting, parading around like the pretentious knobs Marlene knows they only pretend to be.
“Knew we could do it Black.”
“I mean it was only a matter of time before they saw our brilliance, Potter.”
“Maybe we should quit the team,” James remarks casually as if he hadn’t been a hyper-competitive maniac during trials. “Show them up for not putting us in the team last year.”
“It really was a disgrace to think we weren’t in the team before!” Sirius cries in outrage, somehow still managing to appear casual when he throws a Fizzing Whizzbee with effortless grace into the air to fall in his mouth. He grins wickedly as the sweet takes effect, floating him momentarily off the floor before he settles down next to James again who watches in open amusement.
“I don’t care what you do,” Mary says beside Marlene, attitude dripping from her words and every fibre of the young 12-year-old’s body as she studies her nails in front of their male friends, “so long as you don’t make us lose ‘cause you’re as slow in the air as you are in Exploding Snaps.”
Sirius mouth drops open at the accusation. “What!”
“We aren’t slow!” James says, looking astonished.
“We are the best!”
“We are the reigning champions, in fact!!!”
“Why, this is an absolute disgra–“
Mary smirks at Marlene as the boys’ voices blend together in a cacophony of complaints and boasting and Marlene grins back, delighted to be part of something.
Girlhood and female friendships. Marlene loves it.
“Alright, that’s enough!” Comes a loud male voice behind them, and Marlene and Mary whip around to see a friendly looking boy with a kind but stern smile on his face. “If you’re gonna keep yapping on like children, I’ll get you kicked off my team!”
Frank Longbottom. The captain of the Cubs and a quidditch prodigy in his own right. Translation= James and Sirius (and maybe a little Marlene and Mary) all worshipped the ground he walked on.
James looks increasingly alarmed to be caught for his ‘squabbling’ by the fourth year, going slightly red in the face. “Oh, sorry sir!”
Sirius quickly joins into the apologies. “It won’t happen again!”
“Please don’t kick us off the team!” James pleads and Marlene trades a discreet eye roll with Mary who coughs a laugh into her hand.
Boys. No spine on them.
“You wouldn’t dare kick us off the team,” Mary challenges instead, chin jutted and eyes twinkling.
Longbottom turns to her with his arms crossed, an eyebrow raised at the feisty second year. “Oh yeah? And what makes you think that.”
Marlene snorts, taking the reins from her friend. She props a hand on her hip as she answers: “Because then you’d lose.”
Their new captain laughs at that, a deep belly laugh that Marlene immediately knows is one of the reasons the beloved male to be so likeable among Gryffindor house. “I like your attitude,” He laughs and Mary winks at Marlene when she turns to her friend as their captain turns back to the boys. “You gotta get some tips from the girls mates or you’re gonna end up on the wrong side of a bludger. Don’t be the weak link. Got it?” Longbottom finishes sternly and Marlene swallows the laugh that bubbles in her throat when she sees the faint shade the boys go.
Chuck them in a room with any professor and they won’t blush the slightest colour when pulling a prank or receiving detention, but as soon as it comes to quidditch? Well: James looks like he’s going to faint, and Sirius doesn’t look strong enough to catch him.
“Noted.”
“Yes Captain.”
Their captain nods, satisfied, before turning and walking away, hooking his arm over the shoulder of his girlfriend, Alice Fortescue, who has been watching the whole interaction with an openly delighted smile on her face. Marlene and Mary wait until they round the corner before they burst out laughing, much to the chagrin of the boys.