Firefly

[James Adams]

James stepped into the Quidditch pitch, his Scarlet Streak in his right hand and a small, ornately decorated, leather pouch which contained one of his most treasured items - his snitch. He proceeded to walk to the centre of the pitch, hoping to get a few hours of practice in before any of the games began for the season. He gently took the snitch out of the pouch, and the wings fluttered in eager anticipation of flying free, for even a few moments. The wings stroked his hand softly, and he held it above his head, watching the sunlight play off its gold surface. He uncurled his fingers, and the snitch took off, the sunlight making it look like a firefly in flight.

James stepped over his broom, and kicked off the ground hard, already straining his eyes to see if he could spot the snitch. He rose swiftly into the air, climbing higher and higher in an attempt to see the snitch. Suddenly, hovering just above the height of one of the viewing towers, James spotted a glimpse of gold. He crouched forward, pushing his broom into a dive in an attempt to catch it. He swooped down onto the snitch, and was about to catch it when it jinked to the left, grazing his fingers with its wings. He pulled back on the dive, turning to follow it. He strained every muscle in his body, putting every ounce of effort into getting his broom to move faster. He stretched out his hand, and he brushed his fingers along the smooth metal of the gold ball. Urging his broom to move faster, he closed his hand around the shiny orb, preventing it from escaping.

As James slowed down from the chase, exhilaration still pumping through his body, he returned to the ground, intending to get a drink of water before he released the snitch again. As his feet touched the ground, he looked towards the entrance by chance, and caught sight of a somebody walking in at that moment.

 

[Belladonna Metzger]

Belladonna brushed aside a few stray hairs of blonde that had fallen into her face as she made her way down the many corridors of Hogwarts. Right now she was completely caught up with her homework, despite how hard that was to believe, but other than wandering the castle she really had nothing to do. Of course she could always go hang out with Matt, but this was a really big castle and it'd probably take her quite some hours to find him. So what else there was to do other than play Quidditch and practice her skills a little bit? Well nothing better at least. Setting her gear down for a moment, Belladonna pulled a hair ribbon and threw her hair back into a bun so it wouldn't get into her face. Once she felt her hair was secure, she picked up her broomstick and quaffle from the floor and booked it towards the Quidditch Pitch. Hopefully this time it was void of Vladimir or his little gang of dogs he hung out with. Belladonna was so tired of that group and their desire to ruin her life. From here on out her only mission was to avoid them until they forgot about her and moved on to someone else. Then it was no longer her problem.

Belladonna entered the pitch just in time to see someone else lowering themselves to the ground to get a drink of water. Belladonna couldn't see who they were exactly because of the distance but she figured that sooner or later she'd figure out who they were and whether or not she'd be allowed to stay on the pitch for long. Once she was close enough she recognized the figured to be a fellow Gryffindor and teammate of hers. James, was it? Belladonna knew his name and that he was in the same year as she was, and that was about it. Aside from that he was a blank canvas to her. Belladonna wasn't sure whether to say hi to him or not. While he was probably a friendly guy, Belladonna wasn't sure if she wanted to risk him being friends with Pandora or Vladimir and getting made fun of. "Hello! I'm not disrupting you, am I?" Might as well test the waters and see if he was willing to have her talk to him. Belladonna wasn't the type of person to be shy, but lately she had to be real care with who she opened her mouth around. Her impulsive nature sometimes got the best of her. ​

 

[James Adams]

As James had touched down, he had seen the person walking in, but he or she was still swathed with shadows, and he unconsciously moved slightly closer to get a better look. As he neared the entrance, having picked up his bottle as he walked, he saw the person walk in, and recognised her. Seeing the red Quidditch robes brought a memory back to him of tryouts, and he remembered the girl suddenly. She was what...Belladonna? he thought, before silently confirming it. She was on the team, he knew, and that instantly gave her a whole load more respect. He had no friends to speak of, and so the two of them had only exchanged pleasantries over the past few years. He guessed her to be in his own year from her age, and he silently took in her features - there was something about her that made him shift uncomfortably, yet also compelled him to come closer. He recalled Veelas having some mind of ability like that, and he assumed that that was what she was.

"Not at all, come in come in. This is hardly my pitch after all, and the team needs all the practice it can get if we're to win the cup this year. I was only in for a quick practice, nothing much. Anyway, seeing as we've not really talked before, I'm James Adams, seeker." James hoped the welcome sound kind enough - he wasn't too good with social interaction, and he hoped he hadn't offended her in any sort of way.

 

[Belladonna Metzger]

He seemed uncomfortable. But Belladonna was unsure if it was her presence or the fact that he didn't plan on having company out here. The Gryffindor was aware that she made some people uncomfortable, but she tried to pretend like she didn't notice because it only made things worse when it came to certain people. "As long as this boy isn't friends with that group of pure bloods it's probably not because he detests me at least." Belladonna thought to herself. Hopefully not. It'd be nice to go somewhere without being made to feel like she was nothing more than a squawking bird that belonged to a zoo. The fact that the boy was actually welcoming her to join him, made her smile softly. Ah, so there were still people out there that had kindness and acceptance in their beliefs, how cool was that? "Awesome! That means I don't have to fight you for the pitch!" The blonde joked, showing that she could actually be quite humorous when she wanted to be. Belladonna loved to joke and laugh around when she was comfortable. Though she often had the tendency to say inappropriate and rude things when she wasn't thinking.

"I already know your name, but it's nice to formally meet you James. I'm Belladonna Metzger, whether you know that already or not I might as well pretend I'm polite." He might know her because of Quidditch, or because they were in the same house and year. Or if he was really into Quidditch, he might now that her dad was a professional Quidditch player, and quite the famous one at that. Belladonna's fingers traced the quaffle resting in her heads idly before she decided to spark up another conversation. Might as well attempt to make a friend if this boy had no intention of making her day suck. "Ready for the Quidditch season to start? I've been practicing all summer and I'm ready to kick some butt and win the cup for Gryffindor." Belladonna had been working on her skills all summer. Although she wasn't the best player, she had improved just about every year and it was finally starting to pay off. Maybe if she kept working on her skills she could be a professional player like her father was. He'd be so proud to have her play alongside him one day, she was just sure of it! ​

 

[James Adams]

James didn't really hate anybody at school, but then he didn't really like anybody either. He had no friends, nor no enemies, for him to speak of, and he hoped that perhaps this might blossom into something from which he could find a friend. As she joked about fighting him for the pitch, he grinned back, "I wouldn't try, my uncle taught me mixed martial arts." He hoped she would understand that it was only a joke however, and he would never contemplate using his skills on anyone unless they deserved it - and this situation definitely did not.

As Belladonna introduced herself, confirming she was Belladonna, James stiffened in surprise. "Wait...Metzger...as in Dietrich Metzger, the awesome seeker?!" James hoped it was, he followed all the major seekers, and Dietrich was one of the best he knew. When Belladonna changed the subject, James followed instantly, glad he could be talking about something he knew a bit about. "I've been ready to win this cup since I arrived...hopefully this year we may make it. We have a great team here in Gryffindor. I know I wanted some last-minute practice though, I've always never been sure of myself before something important, and Quidditch is perhaps one of the most important things here."

 

[Belladonna Metzger]

Belladonna blinked, suddenly finding herself confused. Although Belladonna wasn't a pure blood, she did grow up in an all magic community. No one she knew had ever spoken about something called 'martial arts' before. "I'm not exactly sure what the hell that is, so I'm just going to act like I'm impressed and maybe a little bit scared and maybe he won't be tempted to use it." Belladonna smiled and held her hands up in defeat, showing that she caved and he had won this round, despite the joking nature they both had. If it had anything to do with fighting Belladonna was probably lose anyways. Her impulsive and clumsy nature often made wound up causing her to lose just about any fight she got in, so it usually wasn't worth it to try and pick a fight with anyone. If Belladonna could, she would merely choose to be friends with everyone instead of fighting all of the time. "You with this round, Adams." Belladonna winked, still joking around despite the fact that she had no idea what the hell a martial arts was. Belladonna hoped it wasn't that obvious that she was clueless to what it was, because she hated looking stupid in front of people she didn't know so well.

Belladonna stiffened. Ah so he must have been a Quidditch fan. "Um. Yeah, Dietrich Metzger is my dad actually." The blonde mentally cursed in her head. Not that she dislike her dad or anything, she just became really self-conscious about her own playing when it came people knowing who her dad was. He was really good, one of the best. So when people look at Dietrich, then look at Belladonna who was pretty skilled, but still made a lot of stupid little mistakes, she worried that it would look bad on her dad. Erik, her older brother, didn't play Quidditch at all, so she was the only one they had to compare to. "I think our biggest competition is going to be Slytherin. They won last year and they have some really brutal players, but I think we can pull it off." Belladonna prayed they did or she would have to listen to Vladimir rub it in. "I agree, Quidditch is one of the most important things to me. Sadly my dad keeps reminding me to keep my grades in check too." Belladonna wondered if James wanted to help her get some practice in since he was already trying to focus on practicing himself. Belladonna could always use someone to help her out, since she clearly needed all the help she could get. ​

 

[James Adams]

James kept his - hopefully - kind smile on his face as Belladonna held up her hands. He grinned slightly harder at that, knowing that he would never harm a Gryffindor Quidditch player. He thought quickly about explaining what martial arts were to the girl, but then decided against it as she looked like she knew exactly what they were. He figured she wouldn't like it if he explained something she already knew, so she kept her mouth shut, only slightly dimming the grin that had formed there. When she said that he had won, he replied carefully "I have no intention to hurt you, it's not exactly the way to make friends, is it?" He had seen Belladonna only once or twice around the school, but one thing that he did know was that a few Slytherins harassed her constantly. He doubted she would want to be reminded of this though - he himself often came to practice just to get away from the stifling castle with everyone around, constantly reminding him of the few friends he actually had.

When Belladonna admitted to her father being Dietrich, James' smile turned into a jaw drop. He'd always wanted to meet the guy himself, but he doubted he ever would, so he had just contented himself with knowing that by going to a Quidditch match, he could watch him play. But meeting his daughter was like a dream come true, maybe he would finally have a chance to get some pro tips. So, trying to sound friendly, he said “That is so cool! It makes sense why you were always so much better than everyone else in our year! Your dad should be rightly proud in you, because you are perhaps one of the best Quidditch players in our team!” James firmly believed what he had just said, he thought of her as a Quidditch role-model, and believed that one year she would be made Captain for Gryffindor. "Sure, they definitely have some of the harsher players in the school - although that isn't surprising given their track record! I know what you mean though, it's never 'Have fun' but always 'You're marks in So and so aren't good enough, pick up the slack'." James grimaced at the words that he spoke, despite knowing that they were true. And then he realised that the two of them were just standing there like lemons, talking, when they still had a Quidditch cup to win. He therefore proposed a bit of practice:"Do you want to practice then? I know I'm a seeker, but my uncle made me practice all the positions, so I can help you practice shooting, or passing, or tactics or whatever. I'm probably no good at training though, so don't take my word for anything!" Despife grinning at that last statement, he realised that it was true - he had only caught the snitch once, and played the other positions infrequently.

 

[Belladonna Metzger]

Belladonna shrugged. There wasn't much she could say when it came to the topic of making friends because she wasn't all that good at making friends to begin with. Every single one of the friends she had now had come to her by accident. "Sorry. I'm just used to getting made fun of so I guess it's a little weird having some stranger decide to actually be nice to me instead of tricking me." It's not as bad as it used to be, because Belladonna was learning how to defend herself better than she could as an eleven year old. There were still times when it got into her head though. Vladimir was the best at executing those kind of blows. He must have figured out how what makes Belladonna tick because she had never had someone get into her head as much as he managed to. "So we're friends, now?" Belladonna questioned, a smile never leaving her face the whole time. The idea of making another friend brought something alive within Belladonna. Excitement? Happiness? Whatever it was, it made Belladonna feel reckless and carefree. Like she could do a million cartwheels or something. A gentle breeze rustled some of Belladonna's thin blonde hair, interrupting the excitement by blowing some hair into her face.

Belladonna spat as a few strands into her mouth and smiled apologetically. Sometimes it felt like the world was just trying to work against her. James seemed thoroughly impressed that her dad was Dietrich Metzger, and that only aided in making the excitement die and allowing embarrassment to take over. "Ha! I wish I could say I was the best. I mean, I'm pretty cool and all, but I've dropped the ball and missed shots more times than I can count. I still have a ways to go! You're pretty good yourself though! For a young seeker, I can say I'm impressed. Maybe we'll stand a chance against Slytherin after all!" Belladonna wanted to believe that she was the best, and maybe one day she would be. But with the way that she kept dropping the damn Quaffle was most definitely playing against her. From here on out though, she could only improve and that's what she intended to do. "Sure! I could always use someone to practice with!" It'd be nice to get some practice in with someone she wasn't used to practicing with. Mounting her broomstick quickly, she waited to see what James' wanted to play. He could either be another Chaser or a Keeper. Well he could be a seeker or a beater too, but Belladonna wasn't sure how that would help her practice.

Out of Character:

So sorry this took so long! Got really busy with school.

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