Bruises

[Lizzie Parker-Taylor]

Although playing against a team from the other side of the world had been a bit of a rush, Lizzie was still dejected that Gryffindor hadn't been able to pull out a win for the school. It would have been such a nice way to finish the year. But now winter holidays were looming, and Lizzie couldn't believe the school year was almost over. Fifth year sounded so impossibly old, so much more mature than she had ever felt she would be when she first arrived at school. It still didn't seem like it could really happen.

The strange thing about the Beauxbatons players still being around was just seeing them, a powder blue uniform amidst the sea of Hogwarts black. They stood out like sore thumbs, and Lizzie was sure it must make them a little uncomfortable to be so easily recognisable. She didn't waste the opportunity though, when she saw the Beauxbatons seeker walking just ahead of her. Lizzie felt like the girl had taken her first bludger of the match hard, and wanted to make sure she was okay. Lizzie wasn't one to feel guilty for the role she played on her team, but she didn't want to actually leave anyone with any lasting injuries. It was all supposed to be in fun. Speeding up her stride, Lizzie approached the Beauxbatons seeker quickly, giving the girl a friendly, slightly awkward smile. "Hey, I just wanted to say sorry if that Bludger was a little rough. You guys still played really well, congrats on the win." She smiled and extended a hand. "I'm Lizzie."

 

[Elvira Rojas]

Even after getting off her broom, Elvira hadn't stopped feeling like she was flying. The team had won, and she had played a large part in it. They had won! She had caught the snitch! She had shown these people in New Zealand what Beauxbatons could do. She was grinning widely, waving at random people as they passed. When someone caught up to her, she paused and looked at them, surprised to see the Gryffindor beater that had hit a bludger at her. It had hurt for a while after the match, and she was very aware that she could have been hit twice if Jessica hadn't come in between her and the bludger. Still, she knew the girl's job was to beat bludgers at players, and had known seekers were prime targets. It just hadn't seemed very real until playing this game. Still, she managed a smile. "Hi Lizzie, thanks." She said, shaking her hand. "I'm Elvira. You played really well too, that bludger hit hard." She grinned to show there were no hard feelings. "Do you guys usually play this way? It was a little... aggressive, wasn't it?" She wondered if that was the Gryffindor tactic, or if they had just gotten lucky in this game.

 

[Lizzie Parker-Taylor]

Lizzie's smile widened as she realised this girl didn't seem to be upset. It wouldn't make for a good Quidditch player to bear grudges over bludgers, but you could never tell how people would take these things. She laughed a little at the other girl's comment about their aggression, and nodded. "That's... somewhat the Gryffindor way." She smiled. "We can be a little over the top about some things, I know. I don't usually get quite so lucky with my shots though, that was a pretty intense game." She smiled. "Congratulations on the win, you guys were really fun to play against."

 

[Elvira Rojas]

Elvira was glad the other girl didn't seem angry with her for winning. She had received a few hostile glares from Hogwarts students since the match, which she honestly relished a little. Every time she had wanted to point at them and say. 'Yes it is me, the seeker who helped win the match, good eye!' but she had restrained herself so far. Grace wouldn't want her to gloat about their victory, she was sure. The serious co-captain had seemed a lot happier and lighted since the victory, which made Elvira happy to see. "I see, so you won this opportunity to go against us this way?" She asked with a grin and a tilt of her head. "I guess it would be hard for any other team to play if they're all recovering from your bludgers in the medical wing." She said with a laugh. She knew that probably wasn't really accurate, but during the last match it had really felt like this beater and the other one had been everywhere. Four of their team members had been hit by bludgers during the relatively short match. "It was fun to play against you too, though there was a lot of pressure." She admitted, brushing some of her hair off her shoulders. "I'm normally the alternate, so the pressure was on for me for sure."

 

[Lizzie Parker-Taylor]

Lizzie laughed a little awkwardly, hoping the girl didn't have too violent an impression of her. "Well, we try to avoid hurting anyone so badly they can't get some revenge on the pitch." She smiled. "Really though, we don't usually get that lucky, there are usually a lot more near misses." Lizzie smiled when the other girl said their game had been fun though, glad that the girl enjoyed the competitive spirit. Her eyes widened sightly at her second statemtent. "Really?! Wow, you played really well! I never would have guessed you were an alternate, you must've practiced heaps." She beamed. "That's really impressive, way to go!"

 

[Elvira Rojas]

Elvira laughed. "I know you probably didn't really put them all in the medical wing." She said with a grin. "I was joking, though you really were good enough to do that. I find it hard to believe that was largely luck." The girl was clearly talented, and Elvira wondered if she was considering playing professionally after school. She herself was, but she really didn't know if that was realistic. She felt herself blush with pride when the girl said she wouldn't have guessed she was an alternate. If she was completely honest, she would admit to herself she had said it in the hopes of getting this compliment. "I did practice heaps, our captains took this really seriously." She said with a nod. "The older chaser, the brunette one? She's in her final year, so I think she just really wanted to win this as a grand finale. In a way. At least, she was the strict one of the two." She said, pulling a face.

 

[Lizzie Parker-Taylor]

Lizzie laughed, relieved that Elvira didn't have a bad impression of her. The girl's comments about her skill made Lizzie blush slightly and she smiled, torn between feeling flattered and confident, and a strange kind of nervousness fluttering in her stomach. "Thanks." She laughed softly. "We did practice pretty hard. And I've been playing my whole life, my dad taught me. Did you play before you joined the school team?" Elvira had been a natural on the pitch, and it was hard for Lizzie to believe that she was only an alternate, surely the girl had plenty of experience. Lizzie imagined that European teams had to be more competitive to get into, with more people vying for fewer spots. "Oh, that makes sense." Lizzie nodded. "Our captain's gonna be in his final year next year, and I imagine he'll be really keen to finish on a win. We'll have to work hard, I'm already excited for next year." Lizzie grinned, thinking of lifting the cup again in future. "Who's your other captain?" She asked curiously, not wanting to take over the conversation.