Closed Cheap Seats

[Leah Thorne]

Leah couldn't believe her parents. The Hollyhead Harpies were her favorite team and she had been looking forward to this game for weeks, ever since she got the tickets for her birthday. She had hoped they could have managed at least one afternoon without fighting but she had been quickly disappointed. The view from their box seats had been spectacular but she could hardly pay attention over the less than hushed whispered argument of her parents. With a dramatic roll of her eyes she made up some excuse and ducked out of their seats and went off to explore. There had to be something better out there.

The crowd was thick with people and she had to push her way through at some points. Leah used her boney elbows to get people to move out of her way and ignored their complaints. She kept moving until she found a section of seats that weren't completely full yet. With a smile she nearly skipped down the steps until she found a family that had some kids her age. They seemed welcoming enough and she slipped down the row of seats to them. Mumbling a distracted sorry when she stepped on a man's toes. "Hi!" she said brightly. "Can I sit here?" she asked before sitting in an empty seat off to the side. "Wow the view is so different down here!" Leah marveled as she looked up to see the chasers zooming around overhead.

 

[Rion Pendleton]

Rion was beginning to think she liked the idea of Quidditch more than Quidditch itself. There was just too much going on at once. When she did manage to locate the quaffle, it was gone again in the blink of an eye, and then everybody was cheering, apart from the people who weren't. Rion clearly hadn't got the hang of it, because the people in front of her kept glaring over their shoulders whenever she clapped. Finally she gave up and slumped back in her seat, resting her head on Ainmere's shoulder. She closed her eyes. If she only listened to the commentary, it was much easier to understand what was going on. She stayed this way for some time, until a voice much closer and younger than all the others piped up beside her.

The girl seemed to have come from higher up in the stands. Rion puzzled this. Why would someone want to trade an excellent view of the players for one of the soles of their boots? "OK," she said, budging up a bit, though the girl had already invited herself to sit down. "Do you like it? I don't. I've been watching with my eyes shut." She looked at Ainmere, wondering if her sister was having any more fun.

 

[Leah Thorne]

Leah had quickly lost track of her surroundings as she looked at the sky, completely engrossed by the game but girl's comment brought her crashing back to reality. "You don't like it?!" she asked in disbelief and was momentarily confused why you would be here if you didn't like it. "You'll miss all the best parts if you close your eyes!" she exclaimed and pointed just as the other team's seeker got hit with a Harpies' bludger. She winced at first but cheered along with the rest of the crowd. "Do you know the rules? I can teach them to you?" she offered. Maybe that's what was missing?