Closed It's Not Goodbye

[Lizzie Parker-Taylor]

Graduation was growing closer every day, and though there were a million things to do and people to talk to around the castle, Lizzie had taken to spending more and more of her time at the Quidditch pitch. There were no more games this year, no more practices, nothing to actually do here, but Lizzie kept being drawn back to the pitch she had spent most of her school career at. She wished there was more time - more games, more practices with her teammates, more, more, more... there would never be enough time on the Gryffindor Quidditch team for Lizzie, and she was desperate to prolong the time until she had to walk away from the pitch for the last time.

Lizzie's shoulder ached slightly from all the practice she had been putting in to distract herself from her imminent graduation, and she knew it was time for a break as she soared slowly down towards the ground, touching down gracefully and just taking a moment to look around the pitch. It would be easy to feel small in the center of such a large stadium, seats and hoops towering above her, but here, Lizzie felt strong. Like a champion. It was a feeling she had done her best to imbue in her team over the year, and she hoped desperately that she was leaving them with a strong base to keep playing hard and enjoy more victories next year. Her job was essentially finished now as their captain, but Lizzie knew she would always feel deeply about the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Not ready to walk away from the pitch yet, Lizzie sat down in the middle of the field with her broom and cleaning kit, taking a moment to just sit and tend to her broom's bent tail twigs and buff out any scratches in the place she felt most at home.

 

[Jacob Kingsley]

After weeks of begging and working to convince his dad that he couldn't wait until he returned home for his broom, it arrived...to his mom. His dad had finally sent it. His mother had used the opportunity to get him to finish his last bit of homework before finally relinquishing his most prized possession into his care. Jacob could have cried. But instead, he tore off the paper keeping his precious broom safe and looked it over. The broom looked brand new, the weight of it familiar in his hands. The teenager could wait no longer and bounded his way down the steps and through the front door before heading to the pitch.

Jacob knew you weren't supposed to fly outside of the pitch because it was dangerous, but he couldn't help it. So he mounted his broom when the gates to the pitch were were in sight. And he flew in, adjusting his goggles and gear, running his own commentary as he did. Jacob wrapped his arms tightly around his broom and shot up when he'd cleared the gate, flying high, higher and then leaning forward and zipping around at a speed that would have gotten him in big trouble with his mom. Jacob felt such a sense of elation as he flew, the wind making his curly hair wild. He did another lap and then finally slowed. It was only then that he noticed that someone else was on the pitch, though they were on the ground. And then he grinned because he would recognize the person from anywhere. "Lizzieeee! Hi!" He waved before putting his broom into a nosedive, disembarking at a sort of trot when he'd hit a safe point.

 

[Lizzie Parker-Taylor]

Lizzie was clipping a particularly wonky twig when she heard a rushing of air, looking over to see someone flying into the pitch at high speed. It only took her a couple of moments to realise who was inside that Gryffindor gear, having become familiar with all her teammates flying styles over the years. Lizzie watched with a smile and waved up to Jacob as he flew around, deciding she didn't especially feel like reminding him of the rules about where they were allowed to fly, having broken that rule plenty herself in her time at Hogwarts.

Lizzie laughed and waved again when Jacob finally spotted her, calling out as he descended, "HEY JAKE!" She grinned brightly, pleased he had noticed her. She felt extremely fond of Jacob, and had been hoping to see him again before graduation. It felt bizarre how many people she would be saying goodbye to in the coming days, and it felt like there were a million more things she needed to say and do before her time at Hogwarts was finished. She got gloomy whenever she thought about it, and Lizzie was determined not to bring that energy to this conversation, smiling when Jacob touched down. "Getting in a last practice?"

 

[Jacob Kingsley]

Jacob nodded. "Yeah, I didn't have my broom all semester. It needed some repairs" he told her. It had been torture waiting to get it back though. "So I needed to make sure I still knew how to ride it well, ya know?" he shrugged. It was silly, Jacob knew. It wasn't like he'd suddenly forget how to ride his broom, but he still had to make sure it rode like his broom. Thankfully, it did. Jacob was glad for that. He'd have been pretty upset if he'd been separated from his broom for this long, and it rode differently. If there was anyone who might get it, it would be Lizzie.

Jacob went down one knee to re-tie his shoes and then adjust his leg gear. The young boy had a lot he wanted to say to Lizzie, but instead he'd just been overly loud and probably obnoxious whenever he saw her. She didn't seem too bothered by it at all, but Jacob knew he should say what was really on his mind. "Are you ready for graduation? My mom helped me get you a graduation gift" he admitted quietly. He couldn't sneak it into her room, but his mom had agreed to help him do it whenever she saw Lizzie was out. Jacob finished with his gear and then looked up at Lizzie and that's when it really hit him. One second he was just kneeling beside her and the next he was throwing himself at her, tears in his eyes. "Please don't leave, Lizzie. I'm sure the flying professor could use help. You can probably take her job. You're a good teacher. I know people have started here straight from school. My mom did. You can't goooo. You can't goooo. What's the team going to do without you? What am I going to do?" he rambled without taking a breath.

 

[Lizzie Parker-Taylor]

Lizzie nodded sympathetically as Jacob spoke. She had never been separated from her broom for so long, and could only imagine how much it must suck. "Well, it's pretty clear you're all good on that front." Lizzie grinned, glad that Jacob was able to fly comfortably again. A jolt of sadness and uncertainty shot through Lizzie as Jacob asked if she was ready for graduation, and she did her best to keep it off her face. It was a relief when Jacob kept talking before she had a chance to answer his question, though the mental image it conjured in Lizzie's mind was a strange one. She had never had much to do with her Head of House beyond visiting the woman's home to practice with Jacob, and the thought of the professor going present shopping for her with Jake was a strange one. It warmed her heart that Jacob had thought of her and Lizzie smiled, trying not to think about why he had bought her the present. "Awww, you didn't have to do that." She smiled, ruffling his hair lightly.

The subject rapidly became unavoidable though, when Lizzie found herself with an armful of Jacob. After getting over her surprise she hugged the boy back quickly, waves of sorrow over her imminent departure rushing through her as he spoke. As much as there was to look forward to in her future, Lizzie struggled with the things she was going to have to leave behind, and her friendship with Jacob was going to be one of the most difficult. She couldn't quite hold back a sob, though she did her best to chuckle through it, shaking her head slightly. "If Professor Holland needed an assistant you'd never get rid of me." Lizzie laughed lightly, trying and failing to keep the tears out of her voice. She wiped her eyes quickly, shaking her head. "But hey, you'll be-be fine. The team will be fine. You guys keep... keep working hard, and you'll be great." It was hard to hold her sobs back, but Lizzie did her best, trying to hold herself together for Jacob. "And we can still pr-practice in the holidays... and you can write to me any time... it's not goodbye forever, 'kay?" Lizzie rubbed Jacob's back lightly as she spoke, trying to soothe him, as well as calm herself down. "We'd better be beater buddies again on some pro team someday..."

 

[Jacob Kingsley]

Jacob had thought a lot about saying goodbye to Lizzie. It seemed every time he tried to avoid thinking about it, he only thought about it more. But he hadn't expected it to go quite like this. Jacob had been having a difficult few years, and he counted Lizzie as one of the few people he could truly count on. She'd always been nice to him and treated him like an adult, and once she graduated, he wasn't quite sure what he was going to do. He continued to sniffle as the tears fell. Jacob knew the team would be fine just like Lizzie said. The Gryffindors were really a great team because of Lizzie. He was definitely more concerned about himself, about who would be there to give him words of encouragement but also make sure he kept pushing himself to become a better Beater. Lizzie did that for him. He gave a small nod, knowing that it wasn't goodbye forever. She was right, of course. They could practice during the breaks, and even if it wasn't exactly the same, he was happy to know she still would want to play with him. "Okaaa-aay" his breath hitched on the word. Jacob eventually pulled back though he stayed on the ground. He took a moment to rub at his eyes, a little embarrassed as he knew his eyes were probably really red. "Have you decided what team you're gonna play for yet?" he asked.

 

[Lizzie Parker-Taylor]

Lizzie hugged Jacob close, rubbing his back gently, trying to soothe him and control her own tears at the same time. She would be leaving a lot of important people behind at Hogwarts, but Jacob was going to be one of the hardest people to say goodbye to, she knew without a doubt, even if there was plenty they could do to keep in touch. She patted his back gently. "We'll still be friends. You c-can write to me... any time. I'll always wanna chat with you." Lizzie let Jacob go when he pulled back, wiping her eyes again quickly. Looking over at the younger boy, a pang of memories struck Lizzie as she thought back to Archie's graduation. He had been a mentor and friend to her in her second year, and at the time he had seemed impossibly mature and wise and grown up. And now here she was, in the exact same position for Jacob. It felt surreal, thinking about how far she had come and how much she had changed in her time at Hogwarts, and she wondered if Archie would be proud, seeing her follow in his footsteps. She knew that 13 year old Lizzie would be proud, if she could see herself now, and the thought filled her with warmth. Lizzie was so distracted it took her a moment to process Jacob's question. "Oh, I'm gonna try out for a few teams, but I'm hoping to play for the Kea." She said, smiling a little. "They're my home team, I'm from down south, so it'd be really nice to play for them."

 

[Jacob Kingsley]

Jacob knew that whatever team Lizzie ended up, and she would end up on one he had no doubt, they'd be lucky to have her. "Then it'll be the Keas" he replied confidently. "I can't wait to see you play for them" he grinned, a watery smile as his shoulders continued to lift slightly with his sniffles. He was still managing the aftermath of that moment of crying. "I really will write to you. Promise" he added. Jacob wasn't much of a letter writer. He often lost track of letters for days and weeks and then would come back to them. Jacob knew he'd do better with Lizzie. He had to. "Are professional tryouts the same like ours?" he asked. Jacob had only just begun thinking about what he wanted to do beyond school. It still seemed so very far away for him, though moments like this made it feel closer. His parents often brought it up, especially with Noah about to graduate, but he always just shrugged.

 

[Lizzie Parker-Taylor]

Lizzie grinned, touched by Jacob's belief in her. "I'll have to get you tickets sometime if I make the team." She smiled, wondering how easy it would be to get tickets for all her friends to come see her play. That would be something to figure out if she actually managed to make the team. Lizzie smiled when Jacob said he would write to her, rubbing his arm gently. "And I'll write to you, promise. We'll stay in touch." Lizzie smiled. She had gotten into a good habit of writing to Archie fairly often, and since she no longer needed to keep in touch any of her graduated friends by mail, Lizzie hoped she could redirect that energy to writing to Jacob. Jacob's question surprised Lizzie, and she shrugged slightly. "A bit more intense, I think. I've been doing some extra training to prepare." Lizzie didn't really know what to expect from the professional Quidditch world, but she aimed to do her very best, no matter what.

 

[Jacob Kingsley]

Jacob nodded his head, hoping she would be able to get him to tickets. Even if she couldn't, he was sure he could get his mom to get them for him. She liked quidditch plenty and the Keas were pretty local. The third year listened as she described tryouts, wishing he could watch Lizzie try out. He knew she could do it, and to see her fly with professionals would be the coolest. "Probably a lot more intense" he nodded. "My cousin Link plays and it seems like he's always playing a game or practicing. " Just like with his brother, Jacob never saw his older cousin any more.