Early Morning Laps

[Merrill Piper]

For Christmas that year Merrill's parents had gotten her her very own broom. It wasn't as fancy or expensive as some of the brooms her peers, but it meant she didn;t have to use the old school brooms anymore. Merrill was hoping that now that she had her own broom it would give her an edge she needed to make the Gryffindor team next year. Merrill had dreamed of being on her house team since her first year, but had either been too young, or in the case of this year not paying enough attention. If I want to make the team I need to practise. So here she was bright, and early on a Saturday morning before most of the castle was awake. She wanted the pitch to herself for a little bit so she could run some drills that her brother had shown her. Merrill started by running a lap around the pitch while carrying her broom over her shoulders. By the time she was done the lap Merrill was huffing, and puffing. She bent over, and tried to catch her breath. She really needed to work on her cardio if one lap left her breathless. She thought she had been doing better after getting used to climbing all the stairs at school. Oh well. I'm on a broom the entire time anyways. she told herself. As long as she could keep hold of her broom, and the quaffle she would be fine. Once the young girl caught her breath she grabbed a quaffle from the supply shed, and took off on her broom. Merrill had only ridden it a handful of times, and so she was still full of excitement every time she left the ground. Her silver arrow was much faster then the school brooms, and better then the family one her parents had used when they needed to fly. Merrill meant to just take a few laps around the pitch, but ended up testing her broom to see how sigh she could take it. The line was known to be able to handle heights well. Soon enough Merrill was high enough that anyone on the ground appeared to be ants. The sun was coming up, and a few figures were slowly poking their way around the grounds. One appeared to be coming towards the pitch themselves. Glad I got out here early, and they didn't have to see the sorry display of me running. she thought. Merrill wondered who else would be out this early in the morning, and flew a bit closer to the ground to check it out.​

 

[Marisol Woods]

Even though the days after the full moon left Marisol looking pale and feeling sick, she always liked to go practice Quidditch the morning she was released from the Hospital Wing. It was a way for her to get some fresh air and get her blood pumping again. Not to mention she needed the practice since she was determined to get back on the team, and not as an alternate this time, so she needed to keep up with training. It was early morning and Marisol had just left the broom shed, still borrowing one of the brooms from the school since she hadn't made the plunge and gotten her own broomstick yet. She didn't know what was stopping her, she knew she had Wyatt and Asaiah to help her pick out the best one, but she didn't want to drag them with her to buy one. If she really wanted to get serious about Quidditch though she was going to need her own broom soon. Brightstone Weekend was coming up, perhaps she would go then.

In the meantime, the latina went out to the Pitch and looked up to the sky, seeing someone in the air already. She was a little surprised at someone else being there so early as well, and wasn't sure how she felt about the other person, wondering for a moment if it was someone from another House. As the figure grew closer, Marisol recognized it after a moment - she was a Gryffindor, a year younger than her probably, because she wasn't in any of her classes. Marisol subconsciously hugged her cardigan tighter around her as if her scars were suddenly exposed, and readjusted her side braid so it still covered the back of her neck. The Gryffindor waved at the girl and motioned for her to come closer so they could talk. "Mind if we share the pitch?" Marisol asked with a small, hopeful smile. ​

 

[Merrill Piper]

As the figure on the ground came into view Merrill felt her stomach drop. It was Marisol. The girl was in the same house as Merrill, a year above, and a werewolf. Sometime during her first year Merrill had noticed that Marisol seemed to get sick quite a lot. Once a month to be exact. At first Merrill had figured it had been lady trouble, but as the months went on Merrill realized that Marisol only got sick near the full moon. Soon all the symptoms started to add up, and there was no other answer Merrill could come to. I wish I didn't know. She had thought quite a few times. When she first found out her instinct was to tell her family, but when she began writing her letter she couldn't bring herself to finish it. As far as Merrill knew Marisol had never hurt anyone, and there was no way the Professors would let her attend school if she was dangerous. Still Merrill had kept her distance. She worried that if she spent time around Marisol then she would eventually slip up, and let the older girl know that she was in on her secret. There was also a little twinge of fear deep down.

Merrill was trying to decide if she should just fly off or not when Marisol asked if they could share the pitch. Oh that's right. Wasn't she an alternate on the team? Merrill asked herself. Of course Marisol had lost her position this year because of a full moon. If I want to be on the team too we'll have to spend a lot of time together. Merrill bit her lip nervously. She supposed that maybe getting used to being around the older girl wouldn't be such a bad idea. "Um sure. I was just about to run a few drills. Want to join me?" Merrill asked. She stumbled a bit on her words at first, but she hoped Marisol would just take it for shyness. These things aren't much fun on your own anyways.​

 

[Marisol Woods]

Marisol was glad the girl hadn't turned down her offer to share the pitch. She would've been fine practicing on one end while the blonde practiced on the other, but when she extended the invitation to run drills with her, the idea intrigued her. "Sure," Marisol smiled brightly. "Are you looking to try out for the team then?" she asked. Marisol mounted the school broom and kicked off lightly to match the low height the blonde was hovering at. "I'm Marisol by the way," she added belatedly. She wanted to extend her hand for a handshake but she was afraid the girl would notice the scars on her palm, so she thought better of it. The scars were small and most of the time people didn't immediately notice them, but she knew the blonde girl was rather observant. She had seen the girl around many times before because they were in the same house. And if she was being honest she sometimes thought the girl was studying her, but when Marisol would turn to look, the blonde girl would be looking elsewhere so Marisol thought perhaps she was imagining it.
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[Merrill Piper]

Merrill Couldn't help, but feel a little reassured when Marisol smiled so brightly at her. She almost wanted to shake her head because she had half expected Marisol to have fangs when she smiled. "Yeah! I love quidditch. When I turned 11 my parents took me to see my favourite team, The Holyhead Harpies as a present." The memory made Merrill smile. It was one of the few moments in her life where she was able to feel like a normal girl. She was just another fan cheering for her team. "Who do you cheer for?" Merrill asked. She didn't really have problems with any of the teams, but she would be pretty disappointed if Marisol cheered for the Chudley Cannons. Merrill was a little surprised when the other girl introduced herself, and then Merrill remembered that this was their first time actually meeting. "I'm Merrill. It's nice to meet more people in my house." she replied. Most of the girls in Merrill's year stuck to themselves, and Merrill had been the same for the first year, but she was trying to branch out more lately. "Do you wanna start with basic passes?" the young girl suggested. It was a basic drill, but it was always good to practise the fundamentals first.​

 

[Marisol Woods]

Marisol smiled when the girl said she loved Quidditch but hesitated a little when she mentioned her parents taking her to a game because she knew that meant the girl was not Muggle born like Marisol was. She'd been getting more judgment for being muggle born lately so she was afraid to reveal that, but the girl seemed nice enough so Marisol decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, if only because she was curious about knowing about other teams so her lack of Quidditch knowledge would give her away anyway. "I go for the Moutohora Macaws," she said proudly. If Wyatt had introduced her to the sport first she'd probably be a Falcon's fan, and that was the only other team she knew of. "Who are the Holyhead Harpies?" she asked, interested to know more.

Marisol flew slowly higher into the air at a steady pace with the girl and nodded when she suggested doing passes. "Yes please!" she said, letting go of her broom with both hands so she could get used to flying without holding on to it with both hands. "I used to be on the team as an Alternate Seeker, which is my preferred position, but I don't think I'll ever get a chance to play as Seeker with James on the team," she said somewhat bitterly, "so I'm thinking of training to play Chaser," Marisol explained. If she became good at both positions it would just make her a more well-rounded player overall so she didn't mind. "Is that the position you're hoping for?" she asked.
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[Merrill Piper]

Merrill wasn't surprised when Marisol said she was a Macaws fan. Most people at the school were seeing as they were New Zealand's team. Merrill had to admit their showmanship, and mascot were pretty entertaining to watch, but the Harpies would always hold a place in her heart. Merrill almost gasped when Marisol asked who the Harpies were. She must have been just getting into the sport then. Perhaps Marisol had come from a muggle background? "The Harpies are one of the oldest teams in British league. They're from Wales, like me, and they only hire girl players." Merrill boasted proudly about her team, "They even had Ginny Potter for a few years!" Merrill added. Ginny had been a hero of hers ever since her mother had read books about the second wizarding war to her as a young child.

Merrill watched as Marisol flew up to match her height, and practised flying with no hands. It was always scary at first, but once your legs got used it it it wasn't so bad. The girl nodded when Marisol said she had been hoping to be seeker. Merrill had been considering that position herself, but James didn't seem to be going away any time soon, and now Marisol would definitely be ahead of her. "I think so. That, or keeper." Merrill replied. She made sure Marisol was paying attention, and then gave a nice easy pass to the girl. Thank-fully it wasn't very windy today so she didn't have to worry about that. "I don't exactly have the build for beater." she joked. Beaters had to be stocky, and strong. Merrill wasn't a weakling, but with her build it seemed that a rather nasty hit from a bludger wouldn't have too much of a problem knocking her off her broom.​

 

[Marisol Woods]

Marisol listened intently as Merrill explained who the Holyhead Harpies were and a smile grew on her face when she said they only hired female players. "That's so cool!" Marisol declared, wanting to look them up on her own. Marisol was by no means the best Quidditch player and she didn't think she could ever pursue it professionally, but the idea of an all girl team intrigued her nonetheless. The importance of Ginny Potter being on the team went unnoticed by her at first though, but she saw how proud the blonde had been of this fact. Marisol stared at her blankly for a moment, trying to figure out where she had heard that name before, and then remembered when Ellie had suggested she look up Remus Lupin and Harry Potter which had been an overload of information so it took her a moment to recall it all. "Oh, that's that guy Harry Potter's wife, right?" Marisol asked uncertainly.

Marisol kept her eye on Merrill and the ball she had in her hand so she was alert when the blonde threw it at her. Marisol caught it with both hands and then immediately grabbed her broom with one hand to steady herself so she wouldn't fall. After a moment she passed it back to Merrill, already preparing herself to catch it again once it was passed back. "Nice, so we can help each other out," Marisol said once Merrill said she was hoping for Chaser or Keeper. No matter what position she eventually decided on, they could still train together. "I think Keeper will be open next year since Archie is graduating," Marisol recalled, nodding encouragingly to her. She chuckled when the blonde girl said she didn't have the build for beater and said, "Yeah I guess not. But maybe speed can be your advantage?" she shrugged. "Both my best friends play beater and they love it. I guess hitting balls is fun. Maybe it's a boy thing? I'd rather be scoring," Marisol said with a small smirk. Between realizing both of her best friends were boys and her interest in an all-female team, Marisol was beginning to realize she didn't have many friends that were girls so she hoped Merrill wouldn't mind training with her regularly so they could eventually become friends since they already seemed to run into each other around the common room.
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[Merrill Piper]

Merrill was so happy when Marisol said how cool the Harpies sounded. The more fans the merrier as far as Merrill was concerned. "Yeah that's right. The whole family is famous." Merrill replied. It seemed impossible that one family would have so many talented, and brave people, but there they were. When Marisol caught the ball Merrill flashed her a smile, and a thumbs up. Soon enough it was being tossed back at her. Merrill squeezed her broom between her legs, and caught the quaffle that was about to fly over her head with both hands. The young witch quickly threw it back a little harder this time. The pair was doing quite well so far. Merrill made a mental note about Archie graduating. She would have to practise her goal keeping a little more. Merrill laughed when Marisol said that playing beater must be a boy thing. It was true that her brother did enjoy playing keeper, but he liked to switch it up every couple of games too. "I wish my friends played quidditch. They just like to read books." Merrill commented. "I mean it's great with exams coming up, but sometimes I wanna do something a buit more fun, ya know?" Both Solomon, and Anthony were rather studious. It was great this semester because she had some serious catching up to do, but she wanted someone to run around, and have fun with too. Having a few more girl friends wouldn't hurt either. She had hoped so much that she would become close with her roommates, but it seemed like it wouldn't happen anytime soon. Merrill was having such a good time with Marisol she had completely forgotten that the girl was supposed to be her enemy.​

 

[Marisol Woods]

Marisol felt a sense of relief that Merrill wasn't judging her for not knowing more about the magical world which made her feel much more at ease around the girl. If she didn't know any better there had been some sort of weird tension around the two that she felt coming from the girl, but that feeling had gone away the more they talked. Marisol caught the quaffle and practiced flying one handedly before throwing it with one hand as well. Her aim wasn't that well with just one hand so it didn't go quite where she aimed but she hoped Merrill could catch it.

Marisol laughed lightly as Merrill described her friends and found it amusing that their group of friends were the exact opposite. "My friends and I could do with more studying and less quidditch," she joked lightly. "But maybe we can balance each other out," Marisol suggested with a nervous smile. It was weird trying to make friends, with Asaiah and Wyatt it had just come naturally, and Marisol desperately wanted this girl to be her friend but she didn't know how not to force it when all she wanted to yell was 'Please be my friend!' She tried not to dwell on it and just continue talking since that seemed to work for her then and now. "Now that I think about it, I think we put more time into trying to scheme up new adventures than we do studying," Marisol said truthfully, laughing a little. "It's hard to concentrate when there's so much of this world to discover by just going out there instead of reading it in a book, don't you think?" she said with a bright, innocent smile.
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