Closed The Giving Spirit

[Emily Madison]

As much as Emily loved being part of a big family, there were certain times of year she liked it less than others. Christmas shopping for her siblings took forever, and every year she tried to get it started as quickly as possible. She had picked up a broom catalogue before coming back to school, hoping she, Charlie, and Finn could all go in on some fancy Quidditch.... thing for Odette, but unfortunately hadn't quite considered how much of a factor her own lack of knowledge about Quidditch was going to be.

Emily was... sure she knew Quidditch people, until she was actually considering who to ask for help. Willow was the only Quidditch player she had ever really talked with, and the older girl had just had to go and graduate. There was Abian of course, but Emily didn't think she was quite far enough into her counselling to open that whole can of worms again. So she had picked someone who had played on another house team in the past, figuring she would just ask him and hope for the best. She was pretty sure Jasper didn't get along with the Slytherin captain, which was a big bonus in Emily's book. So she dropped into the seat opposite him at the Slytherin table, grinning hopefully and brushing a thick lock of hair back from her shoulder. "Heyyy! So, I know this is random, but I need some advice about Quidditch stuff and you're on the team, right?" She asked, giving the Slytherin boy her most winning smile and hoping for the best.

 

[Jasper Night]

While at the Slytherin table, Jasper didn't often talk to others during meals. He had Sydney he could talk to, but besides her most of his friends were in other houses. Though he did occasionally sit with some other kids on the Quidditch team as well. It was nice to be part of a team, and Jasper knew he'd miss Quidditch after graduating. But playing professionally did not really appeal to him. He was going to be an auror.

Today Jasper was sitting by himself, daydreaming about his future while eating toast. He blinked when a girl dropped into the seat opposite him, a girl he was sure had never sat at the Slytherin table before. He recognized her vaguely as one of the older girls from Gryffindor, one that was definitely pretty. He blinked at her a few times, not really registering she was talking to him until she was halfway through her sentence. "Sorry, what?" He asked her. "I mean, yes. I'm on the team." He added quickly.

 

[Emily Madison]

Emily knew she was pouncing Jasper a bit out of nowhere, smiling apologetically at his confusion. "Cool! Sorry, I know this is totally out of nowhere, but I think you used to play with my sister. Odette?" Emily smiled, pushing a lock of hair back over her shoulder. "I wanna get her some, like.... Quidditchy stuff for Christmas, but I have no idea what any of this is for." She grinned, smoothing a hand over the catalogue. "Can you help me pick something out for her? I want it to be actually useful, but like, I have no idea where to start."

 

[Jasper Night]

Jasper kept looking at the pretty blonde, still half convinced she wasn't meaning to talk to him. But she went on, talking about being Odette's sister. This surprised Jasper a little, as he hadn't thought of his old captain in a while. He knew Odette now played profesionally, and had sometimes wondered if he should write her for tips. But he didn't really want to break into the Quidditch world, he wanted to be an auror. "Oh, cool. I know Odette." He said with a nod. "Or, knew I guess. She's doing well, right? Playing for the Macaws?" He asked. As Emily went on to say she wanted his advice, he felt a slight pressure. He wanted to both impress this girl and his old captain, even though it was unlikely she would ever know he helped with her gift. "Well, I would usually say a beater's bat, they're the most important thing." He told her. "But as she's playing for a professional team, I assume those are taken care of. Maybe gloves? Those are always useful, and they get worn out more quickly than you'd think."

 

[Emily Madison]

Emily nodded when Jasper asked about Odette, beaming. "Yeah! She's totally crushing, it's awesome." She grinned, thinking proudly of her older sister. She nodded with interest as Jasper made recommendations, feeling a little silly for not thinking of gloves herself. "Oh, that's perfect!" Emily opened one of the catalogues she had brought with her, flicking to the page with the listing of different Beaters gloves. "Do you know which ones are like, good? I don't wanna get her crappy gloves she'll wear through in a week."

 

[Jasper Night]

Jasper smiled as Emily said Odette was doing well in her career. He did wonder what it was like to play professionally, though he hadn't looked into it too much. He didn't want to be distracted from his goal of being an auror. He was glad Emily thought his idea was perfect, and he figured his suggestion had impressed her. He grinned, feeling happy about that."Cool." He said, wondering if the conversation was now over. But then she asked his opinion again, and Jasper leaned over to look at the catalogue. "That one is good, I think." He said, pointing one out. "I'm not a beater so I'm not sure, but I've read this brand was good in a magazine."

 

[Emily Madison]

Emily nodded as Jasper pointed out a pair of gloves, peering at the ones he had indicated. "Perfect!" She grinned, making a mental note of which ones they were before closing the catalogue. "Thank you so much, you like, saved my life!" She laughed happily, standing up again. "I'll let you finish your breakfast now, thanks for the help!"