Growing Pains

[Jeremy Thorne]

Jeremy's hand landed on a particularly cold spot on his bed, jarring him awake. The man opened his blue eyes slowly, allowing them to adjust before they finally registered the time on the clock. 8:15pm. The man groaned, pushing himself up from the bed. If he didn't start moving, he was going to be late. Although he wasn't on call today, the young healer had plans and he'd very nearly overslept for them. After a quick shower, Jeremy rushed to his closet, quickly choosing a comfortable pair of jeans and a button down shirt. A quick look at himself, really he had no time left, and Jeremy was out the door. He was back in his apartment a moment later, rising to find the letter that had the address that he'd be meeting Georgiana.

With a quick crack, Jeremy landed in the wizarding village and barely list his pace. Luckily, there wasn't much of a crowd and he made it to their meeting place only a few minutes late. Jeremy spotted her easily enough. They'd seen each other on and off throughout the years, and although she had changed a lot since their school days, she hadn't changed that much since the last time they'd met. "Georgie" he called out as he approached her, his arms spreading to embrace her in a hug. It was a far cry from their interactions back when they'd been in school. They'd been at each other like cats and dogs at times, arguing fiercely and frequently. It amused him to remind her of this from time to time. "Sorry I'm late. I...overslept" he admitted sheepishly.

 

[Georgiana Night-Carter]

Georgiana was early, it was 8:15pm when she arrived to the place she'd be meeting her old friend. Jeremy had been the close friend of her first boyfriend, Logan. They hadn't gotten along at first but then things changed when they both lost Logan. She wasn't even sure what Logan was up to these days, but she had been keeping up with her Healer friend. He was quick to reply to most letters throughout the years since he left Hogwarts. While she hadn't ever seen herself dating Jeremy, especially considering he last few romantic encounters she was sure she did not match his taste at all, she did see him as a really close friend. The woman was glad that they were back in the same hemisphere again so their friendship could continue in person.

Georgie's face lit up when she saw her old friend approaching and returned the hug. Her arms wrapped around him and in her excitement she might have squeezed him a bit too tightly. She nodded at his apologies, he was a healer. Any chance he got to sleep he took it. It had been the same for her when she was player. She had training all the time and meetings as a Quidditch player, sleep was always a grateful respite from the day. "Don't worry about it, I was early that's all," she said taking his arm in hers. From the outside it might seem romantic, but Georgiana was always a close person with the friends she had. Really, Jeremy was more like an older brother to her these days than anything else.

 

[Jeremy Thorne]

Jeremy grinned as he hugged her, relaxing into the motion of wrapping his arms around his friend. As she dismissed his embarrassment, taking his arm so they could walk together, Jeremy was happy that he’d agreed to the loss of sleep to meet with his friend. The pair walked along the path quietly for a moment, and if they had a destination in mind, Jeremy was in no rush to get there. It was nice to be in Georgiana’s company again. She’d grown into a good friend, someone who understood how busy he was and didn’t fault him for it because she was just as busy.

“So, how have your first few weeks as a coach been? Have you whipped the Warriors into shape yet?” Jeremy smirked, knowing that if anyone could whip that team into shape, it would be Georgiana. He had seen her harsher side, back when they’d been in school, and he had no doubts that her team would feel that wrath if she needed them to.

 

[Georgiana Night-Carter]

Georgiana in her bright floral dress was enjoying the summer months of down under. Back in Canada they were facing cruel conditions and brutal temperatures, but not here. The temperatures here were a lot milder, though it did get fairly hot during the day outside. She was glad to be Wollongong on the coast. She laughed at her friend as he asked her about her team. Being a coach was something completely new to her, she wasn't sure if she was doing everything right or not quite yet. "Oh you know, they are trying to be hard on me seeing how far they can push me. But I warned them if they don't straighten out next time I hold auditions, it'll be for those spots of the trouble makers," she said with a laugh. She had been joking with the team but it had seemed to work. She knew from her years of playing that threats were sometimes a good motivation for a time like this.

"How's the healer business? My sister tells me her friend Tybalt is in training right now," Georgiana asked her friend. She was curious about Indiana's friend. She had first heard about him when they were in Hogwarts together but after their father cracked down on magic, she hadn't actually heard from her sister till just recently. She knew the girl hadn't stayed friends with the boy during school but it seemed they were back on good terms again. Georgiana always hoped Indiana would find a friend like she had in Jeremy. They always picked off from where they last left off, true friends. She knew she'd be able to trust his opinion on the boy, well man now, more than whatever fantasy her sister had imagined the guy to be in her own mind.

 

[Jeremy Thorne]

Jeremy wasn’t too surprised to hear that the team was trying to break Georgiana in. It had to be a difficult transition for everyone, especially anyone on the team who was older than Georgie. He knew that sometimes it was the older people who gave the most trouble as they struggled to transition to a new person’s rules and regulations. The man raised his eyebrow as he listened and then laughed heartily as she finished. “Good on you. I’m sure you’ll get them on your side in no time” he replied. Jeremy had watched Georgie play on a number of occasions, so he knew how good she was. And, he knew that she had a lot to offer the team as a coach, if only they chose to listen to her advice and guidance.

“The Healer business is always strong. There’s always people getting hurt” he winked at his friend. Quidditch Players were frequent hospital goers. Jeremy worked in Emergency Care, often dealing with the craziest cases. He brightened as his friend mentioned Tybalt. “Ah, Archer. I didn’t know you knew him. He’s working Emergency with me. He’s a good guy” Jeremy continued with a grin. There wasn’t a lot of down time to sit and chat, but he’d worked with Tybalt and had no complaints. Not everyone could handle working in that specific unit, so when someone was even halfway decent in the emergency area, they earned Jeremy’s respect. Jeremy continued walking, and now they’d entered a fuller part of the city. Restaurants dotted the streets around them, music blaring out of some and conversation blaring out of others. Jeremy didn’t know the area well at all, so he figured he’d leave it up to Georgiana to steer them wherever she felt like eating.

 

[Georgiana Night-Carter]

Georgiana laughed at her friend's comment. It seemed like a life time ago that they had been at school fighting over the attention of a guy who left them both in the dust. In all honesty, she hadn't ever gotten over Logan. He had been perfect, but the distance had been too hard for them both. She hardly missed him, not even sure what he was like anymore. The woman hadn't, however, gotten over the pain. She hadn't ever really felt being up to feeling hurt again. Her younger sister seemed to take a hint and was the heart breaker of her relationships. "I can't wait for that day. Their last coach had been with all of them when they joined, so this is new for all of us. Hopefully, we can place this year. If not, next year for sure," she said with the confidence she had in her team. They were good players and she was proud of all of them. She was glad she ended up with this team. And she was loving Australia.

Heading down an alley she was planning on taking Jeremy to a local pub. The pub was sealed behind a brick wall in a darker corner of this alley. She found it funny that no matter where you went, the creepiest places in alleys were where the witches and wizards gathered. "Ah well, I'm glad business is going strong. Hopefully not too many bad cases have come in," Georgiana said to her friend. She was glad healers were always around. She had had her fair share of tramatic injuries in the pitch. Broken bones, twisted joints, blood pouring out from just the most random places. But thanks to healers she had kept her face looking pretty and most her scars were faint and hard to see. She noticed a trend in the guy players asking for a scars, wanting battle wounds. "I don't personally. Indiana and him were in the same year and had been quite close before her squabble with magic. She ran into him on her first day in NZ for her visit. I think seeing him again really turned her around. I think she's gonna really come back and enjoy the magical world again," Georgiana admitted to Jeremy. Jeremy had been one of the few outside of the family Georgie had told about her sister's refusal to continue magic around her 5th year. The girl had took all their father's words about magic being terrible to heart and started believing them. Indi had forgotten all the good magic could do and ran from the world and her siblings. This was the first time Georgiana had seen in the girl in a few years.

 

[Jeremy Thorne]

Jeremy shrugged. "We all know that the Finches are still the best team out there, but I'm sure the Thunderers will do ok with you leading them" he joked, a nudge with his elbow to her side to let her know that he was playing around. The Finches were his favorite team, had been since he'd been a young child living in the United States. He didn't think he'd ever not support them, though he would certainly cheer Georgie on if she invited him to a game. He had in the past and would absolutely do it again. Following her lead, especially since she was hanging on to him, Jeremy turned into the alleyway, easily spotting the telltale signs of magic at the furthest end. It was like a beacon to him and, no doubt, Georgie, but a muggle would probably just think they were weirdos for turning into an alley that ended in a dead end.

"Nothing too out of the ordinary" he shrugged. Really, it wasn't. Broken bones. Spells gone wrong. Mislabeled potions. Those were pretty frequent and pretty normal. "Every once in a while, we'll get something really crazy. I'm sure things will pick up now that you're near enough to wreak havoc" he teased again. Jeremy didn't have a good relationship with his actual sister, certainly not good enough to tease her. So, Georgie got all of that. As she continued and they continued deeper into the alley, Jeremy listened. He still couldn't believe that Indiana had actually stepped away from magic, simply refused to use it. It was such a part of him, such a part of his life that he couldn't imagine denying himself a wand or the opportunity to do spells. Then again, Jeremy had grown up in a wizarding home. Magic was all he'd ever known. He supposed it was a bit easier for someone who knew a different life, understood exactly how people could exist without a lick of magic. "That's really great, Georgie."

 

[Georgiana Night-Carter]

"Oh please. It's a shame that they'll probably never make it as high in the World Champs as my team will. I'd love to send the Finches home crying to spite you," Georgiana said back to her friend with a nudge. Her tone was fierce but there was the twinkle in her eye and a smirk on her face. Jeremy constantly teased her whenever they were together and she wasn't afraid to give it back. They made it to the brick wall where the doorway was hidden to the pub. Pulling out her wand she tapped a few bricks in a sequence known to most wizards and witches. Walking in she was glad to see that it was crowded yet. Going on 9pm already she would have thought more people would be out. But then it might be too loud for them to hear each other.

Continuing the conversation Georgiana listened to her friend talking about the hospital world. "Well, if we ever get the chance to kick some butt over in New Zealand, you'll be seeing a lot of Quidditch players from their teams in the hospital," the women said, not joking. Her team was tough, rivaled teams from Bulgaria and the likes on the force they used to win. She hoped to turn them around and teach them more tricks and tactics they could use over brute force. There were some more petite players on her team that did fairly well. She had a long way to go with the team and that was for sure. She nodded long with his words for her sister. She was happy about that, things were looking up again. Though she was sure her father wouldn't be too happy. Her sister mentioned she might be coming back to this side of the world. Georgiana hoped so, she'd love to have her sister close by and love it more if Kayden and his woman would move down here as well.

 

[Jeremy Thorne]

Jeremy clutched at his chest, a look of utter surprise and disgust on his face at her words. "A girl can dream, I guess" he hissed at her, a good natured smirk on his face to let her know that he wasn't too serious. He enjoyed the mostly lighthearted interaction, though quidditch conversations could and had gone wrong. He really did hope that her team did well. He couldn't imagine the pressure that she would soon find herself under as she pushed to have her team do well for her in this first year of her leading. Entering the pub behind her, Jeremy barely took note of how many people were inside as they continued talking. "I'm looking forward to it. Make sure it's the good looking ones that they injure. It'll make my shifts go faster" he nodded as they headed to a small table and took their seats.

Jeremy played with the salt and pepper shakers on the table. "It's really good to have you around again, Georgie." This was said genuinely. Although he liked having her as a penpal, nothing beat having her in front of him. Georgiana was pretty funny and always fun to be around. He opened his mouth to say something to her but was interrupted when a waitress came for their drink orders. He put his in quickly, firewhiskey, and waited for Georgiana to put hers in.

 

[Georgiana Night-Carter]

Georgie rolled her eyes at her friend. She was glad she had a guy she could just be friends with at this point. She only saw the guys on her team and when she had been a player it had been mostly banter between the teammates and no love interests. Not that she was looking, she figured some people did have to end up alone anyways. She figured Kayden would marry Corey soon, so the family lineage would continue and she wasn't sure about Indiana, the girl was still young just entering into her twenties, she had plenty of time till she needed to settle down. "Oh jeez Jeremy, somethings about you never cease to surprise me," she said with a playful smile on her face.

"I'm glad I'm around too, plus I'm skipping out the cold Canadian winter months for once, so this is really nice," she said with a gleeful smile. Her team here was lucky, she had trained long hours in really tough conditions in Canada. It amused her greatly that many made fun of the Canadian teams, but to her she knew the players truly had be really tough to make it there. She ordered a light rum and coke when the waitress came by, glad she had a partner to go drinking with whenever they were both free. "So living up the single life still?" Georgiana knew about his past relations from his letters, but she still enjoyed the gossip Jeremy could provide, it was like reading a book, living vicariously.

 

[Jeremy Thorne]

"I aim to amuse" the Healer said, a smirk on his face as Georgiana placed her order. The waitress left them and the guy listened to the question, a quick nod of his head as he settled back in his seat. "Yea, pretty much. I've been too busy to do much dating, and I'm not in a rush after the whole Yehveniy thing." Jeremy had told Georgiana about that whole thing, how fun Yev was at first, but how volatile he had proven to be, and the duel that had led to their breakup, if they could even be considered a thing. Jeremy still didn't know, but he really didn't care anymore. He was well over that whole bit of his life, and he'd moved onto other things.

"Tell me that you're having better luck than me." Jeremy flipped the question back to her. She should have been expecting it really, though he wasn't sure that she had time. With her new position, he figured that they probably had about the same amount of free time which was to say almost none.

 

[Georgiana Night-Carter]

Georgiana smiled back at her friend. This was becoming a wonderful evening already, even if it was late already. It was becoming a nice break from her usual stern face of late. She found coaching was very different here than she had imagined it to be. Her coach had always seemed more like family. But these players here didn't know her and nor she them. She knew over time they'd get to know each other, but her old coach wrote her that it might take a great victory before the players really trust her to be friends. She nodded as her friend told her she was too busy to date.

But Georgie had to laugh at his comment. "You know me, Jer," she said leaving it at that. She never really told many about her poor dating past. Yet, Jeremy knew most of the things going on with her life and dating wasn't ever one. Her first and only guy had always seemed to be the one, until he left. She never bothered after not, she wasn't hung up on him but she was happy being her.