Edmund was battered and bruised; his back had been near enough obliterated in the tough match against Gryffindor, and a black eye was soon beginning to appear on his boyishly handsome face. He rolled over in bed, waking up hazily. What time was it? Six in the evening? Eight? Ten? He had no way of telling, and he'd been trying to sleep off the injury. It was just his luck to receive a Bludger the wrong way, and he could've killed Harcroft for delivering such a blow. Nevertheless, he'd worked well with Beatrix, which suprised Edmund; he knew that she wanted Blake on the team, but Edmund had been sure to prove her desires wrong. He'd worked to be on the Ravenclaw team, and another injury last year had prevented him making the squad. It was his final year in Hogwarts, and he was determined to go out with a bang.

Sitting up in bed, he gave a grunt of pain as he reached over to the familiar glass of water on the bedside cabinet. A pang of dull ache shot up his back and into the top of his arm, Edmund gritting his teeth as his eyes adjusted to the dark. Taking a long gulp, he lightly patted the purple bulge that had gathered underneath his eye, wincing a little. It'd gotten far bigger, and although he'd battled his way through the match, he couldn't help but feel brutishly attractive to Emmylou. Edmund could only hope that she was impressed.

Placing the glass back down, he sat up properly, rubbing sleep out of his eyes before running a hand through messy, unkempt hair. He'd been alone for the evening; the other lads had been in the common room all night which was good for Edmund - he needed some isolated recuperation time. Ready to light a candle on the table, he shuffled around in surprise as a crack of light appeared in the opening door opposite.
"Hello?" he replied loudly, only making out a familiar silhouette in the doorway.

Since we have no clue who won the match yet, I think I'll somehow edge around the subject, haha. Everything I say can be viewed in both a winning/losing way, anyways. :3

---

-- Leon, still in gear. --

With one last clap on the back and a tired 'You played well', Leon was finally going up to his dorm to get some rest. Though he was tired, he mainly just wanted to see how Edmund was doing. The Beaters had visited the Hospital Hut came back, Bea with a wrap around her wrist, and Edmund went upstairs before Leon could even speak to him. Well, Leon was merely assuming Edmund had visited the Hospital Hut. He could have always stayed back for one reason or another. Which sounded a lot like something dumb the Klint boy would do.

The Quidditch Captain had given a speech on how well his team had done, but he was mainly worried about their condition. How hurt did everyone get? And was the other team alright? George had suffered a nasty blow no doubt. Leon was lucky to leave the pitch with merely bruises (Rather large, painful bruises) and scratches... No broken bones or serious injuries. He had no room to complain when his best friend was upstairs, possibly in the worst pain Leon could imagine. And Leon had to be there for Edmund.

Leon finally tore off his shin guards and whatnot, forgetting to do so beforehand. He remembered, vividly, the pain that he felt when he watched Edmund crash into the ground. He even let Gryffindor have their first score because he was too preoccupied to see if Edmund was alright... He shouldn't have continued to play, he really shouldn't have. But the team did need their beaters... But Edmund's health mattered so much more!

He stopped outside their dorm and sighed. Edmund was probably asleep, anyways. They could talk in the morning... Even though his friend would definitely be hurting a whole lot more. He managed to open the door and his eyes flicked to his friend's bed. Surprisingly, Edmund was up. Though Leon couldn't exactly make out what he was doing, he could see Edmund was a mess and had probably just woken up.

"Hello?"

His lips parted to answer, but Leon wasn't sure of what to say. He wanted to tell Edmund that he felt awful and wanted to see if he was okay... But that seemed so unmanly and Edmund would likely laugh it off. "Hey... Um... Edmund," Leon simply said, his voice rather dry and depressing. He stepped in, slowly closing the door behind him in the darkness. Within seconds, Leon had pulled out his wand and muttered 'Lumos'. Through the dim light, Edmund looked even more pathetic. The usually proper, clean boy looked a mess. Leon swallowed, hard and lit a few of the candles in the room with a swish of his wand. Not all of their dormmates were actually hunkered down, and the ones that were had their curtains drawn, so he didn't believe it would bother them much.

"How're you feeling?" Leon asked, sitting on his own bed across from where Edmund sat. He was lucky enough to get a bed next to Edmund, where the two could speak in whispers without being bothered. He placed his gear on the floor beneath him and then began to untie his shoes. Leon didn't want to admit to Edmund that he was still completely shaken by the whole incident. He didn't want to tell Edmund that if he had to stay out of Quidditch again that he would quit his position... Of course, Bombay probably wouldn't have let him, but... "You shouldn't have gotten back on your broom, you know? I know we needed our Beaters, but..." A smile cracked on Leon's unusually dirty face (Since Leon didn't usually walk around looking like a child of the streets, mind you), "I can't believe I'm saying this, but... You kind of need to think about yourself," he chuckled. The joke being that Edmund was usually conceited... Of course, it was all personal game, most likely, for him to actually get back on his broom.

He swallowed the words he wanted to say once more. Did it ever occur to you, Edmund, that I probably care more about you than yourself? Definitely not something bros typically told each other. But... Seven years he had been best friends with Edmund. A small scare was a big thing to Leon.

"Oh, Leon," Edmund replied, sighing with relief and relaxing once again, leaning against the headboard of the large bed. He really couldn't be bothered with any of the Ravenclaw boys at the moment, but seeing his best mate was never a chore. Leon had been around for Edmund's full time at Hogwarts, and had even stuck by him when Waker had ended their fling two years ago. The two had been on bad terms initially but after a few months of ignorance, they'd patched things up and the three were friends once again.

"I feel like I've been hexed by Professor Austerlitz," Edmund cynically joked, his shoulders slumping downwards with a self-pitying grin on his face.  "I could've killed Harcroft for delivering that bludger. Is Beatrix okay?" He enquired about his fellow Beater with real concern; they weren't the most cooperative duo in the world but it was his teammate nonetheless. She was a good Beater, and set the benchmark for how a real Quidditch player should perform.

"There was no way I was giving in, I was lasting the full match," he chuckled, retaining his own self-centred humour. "Besides, two injured Ravenclaw Beaters are better than six healthy Gryffindor ones." He still couldn't get rid of that sore competitive streak, no matter how badly bruised his back and torso and face was.

Silent for a few moments, he took a gulp of water, the usual smirk falling off his face as he raised an eyebrow, trying to be subtle for the question that followed.
"Did Emmylou Carter say anything about my fall?" he asked hopefully, raising his eyebrows boyishly. A boy could only hope.

Edmund visibly relaxed after Leon spoke up. Though Leon wasn't quite sure what that meant... Either he was glad to see his friend, or he was expecting someone much worse. Either way, it was best that it was Leon to be the first to visit Edmund. Not only would it be strange to know someone was in their dorm without Leon's knowledge, but best friends always had first dibs. For a second, Leon wondered if Waker had already spoken to Edmund but he immediately, subconsciously, shoved it out of his thoughts. Leon had always disapproved of those two being... Friendly. But he really felt like he was never in the position to tell them so.

"I could've killed Harcroft for delivering that bludger. Is Beatrix okay?"

Leon let out a small laugh, "It's a good thing you didn't... Bombay would have had my head. Then we'd both feel like we were hexed by Austerlitz," It was basically a known fact that Leon was afraid of most Professors. Though it was a quiet fear, an unspoken fear, it was noticeable. The way he flinched back whenever Professor Storm spoke... The way he would desperately seek for Professor Bombay's approval (Mainly so wouldn't have to face his wrath)... And the way that he purposely avoided Professor Snark at all costs. In fact, the boy was possibly the most frightened boy in existence. Leon was considered a Leader, but he was quiet and kept to himself. He knew how to maintain a good team... But fear was his issue. Plus, being so awkward didn't always help, either.

"She's fine... I think so, at least... She was acting like her usual, ah, Beatrixy self..." He shrugged and pulled off his cloak. The Beaters were definitely stronger that Leon expected... How they managed through the game was quite impressive. Then again, George Carter suffered through a dislocated shoulder, did he not? But it was hard to compare macho George to a petite girly-girl and a lanky pretty-boy. One would think they'd be suffering and would have quit after their injuries. But who was Leon to judge anymore? Sure, Leon could be rather brooding and scary to look at... But he would have been crying like a baby after what happened to Edmund. Perhaps it was simply the person... The Ravenclaw Beaters didn't back down easily and were much too self confident. Perhaps that was the difference between the quiet leader and his bat-wielding henchmen.

"There was no way I was giving in, I was lasting the full match... Besides, two injured Ravenclaw Beaters are better than six healthy Gryffindor ones."

Another laugh from Leon, "Well, one healthy Gryffindor Beater nearly took down two healthy Ravenclaw Beaters," He pointed out, giving Edmund's cockiness a dose of reality. Not that Leon didn't admire that in his friend, he simply had to point that out. "Well, I'm glad you stayed in, Edmund. We needed our Beaters, that's for sure... But it's not always about the game, you know? You could get permanent back damage from that act of yours, and I--" He paused, noticing that he was giving one of his 'I'm-A-Tight-Wad-Buzz-Killer' speeches that he tended to start on his close friends. Leon was generally a practical person, and though he was quiet and timid there was always a limit of so much fantasy he could take. Those were the times he spoke up... But Leon always stopped himself whenever he started on Edmund. It wasn't fair to his best friend that Leon was stuck in reality. He stayed silent, his gaze dropped to the floor.

"Did Emmylou Carter say anything about my fall?"

He ran a hand through his sweaty hair and finally looked up at Edmund, "No, sorry, mate... I don't, um..." He shook his head, "I don't generally talk to the Carters... Nothing against them... It's just..." They were quite intimidating. Leon had never really spoken to the Carters for a few reasons, though. Emmylou because she was overwhelming (Though there was nothing wrong with her, she was just a bit... Too much) and George because he was, well, Waker's boyfriend. Leon approved of George, of course, but... Being Waker's best friend and... Being a guy... It all seemed a bit awkward. They were nice people, just... Leon wasn't quite comfortable around them.

"Why, though?" He asked. Leon hadn't exactly learned about Edmund and Emmylou just yet. And Edmund hadn't learned about Regina Grayson just yet. Which Leon had been meaning to get to... He was just a bit... Well... Leon. He didn't usually speak about girls, and when he did it was either because they were friends or it was a big stuttering mess. He would tell Edmund eventually... When Leon finally grew some manhood, perhaps. "Are you two friends... Or...?" Leon's eyebrows shot up. Edmund was considered one of the more handsome boys in school, was he not? Leon had no doubts he could get any girl he wanted... But it seemed a bit funny to Leon that his two best friends were chasing after the Carters. If Leon weren't head-over-heels for Regina, he would probably have found himself chasing after another one of the Cousins. Then again, Regina was a Gryffindor, was she not? That was another sequence Leon would notice.

"I'm glad Beatrix is alright," Edmund sighed with relief, leaning back in the bed and taking another gulp of water. The two were on good terms, but had never been close; she was far too quirky for Edmund's taste, and he was too much of the typical playboy for her. However, they were more than teammates; she was his other half on the Quidditch pitch as Beater, and although he'd have preferred a more hulking partner to counter his own lean agility, Beatrix had proven herself on many an occasion. She was quite the player. "The last thing we'd want is to be two Beaters down."

Edmund thought about the match and gave a satisfied nod, ruffling a hand through his mud-stained hair. He'd not showered properly since due to injury, but he knew that he'd have to get cleaned up properly if he did want a proper night of sleep and recuperation.
"We did alright," Edmund replied, giving Leon one of his more characteristic smirks. "I wanted to smack George Carter in the face though after slagging me off on the pitch..." There were two big reasons why he hadn't targeted good old Captain Carter in the latter stages of the game. One, it was Waker's boyfriend, and he knew that one of his best friends would've gone nuts if he'd intentionally set out to harm George. Secondly, it was Emmy's cousin, and even though they were all Quidditch rivals, he wanted to keep on her good side. Well, more than her good side...

Leon began to ramble about Edmund's own brashness and gutsy bravery on the pitch. Squinting a little, he raised his hand, signalling Leon to give the lecturing a break.
"Yeah, yeah I know," he replied, rolling his eyes. "I didn't have any choice really, there was no way Beatrix was going to work on her own, and diving off the broom was the only way I stopped my face from being transformed into a bag of smashed crabs." He chuckled, looking at his best mate. Leon had always been a worrier, and the more level-headed of the two, but he loved his friend for this. They were like chalk and cheese, but that was the fundamental reason as to why their friendship was so solid.

Edmund couldn't help but feel a little disappointed when he found out Leon had indeed not talked to Emmylou. He'd been dying to meet her after the game, but Madame Hooch had frogmarched him to the infirmary. He must've looked such a wet blanket being mollycoddled by the senior staff.
"Why, though?" Leon questioned, and the room felt silent for a moment. Edmund hadn't really told Leon yet about Emmy, for fear he'd tell Waker. Even though the three were best friends, Edmund rarely spoke with Waker about that type of thing. It'd been awkward when George had been brought up in the past, so they just steered clear from conversation involving romantics.
"I, well..." he murmured, then smirked at his best mate. "We've kind of got a thing going." It was a revelation in itself, and even Edmund didn't exactly know what a 'thing' entailed or involved.