Afternoon

George had been having a hard time this year. He really missed being on the Quidditch team. His probationary period couldn’t be up fast enough, either! He just hoped that his teammates let him back on for the following year. He’d been to every practice this year, showed his dedication by being the most decorated fan in the audience, and even took time out of his busy study time to practice extra with Nina. He more or less did that for fun, but it was easier to try and wiggle a bit of sympathy.

Today was going to be nice, he was sure of it. The clouds were there, like they usually were, but it wasn’t raining yet. Not that he minded playing in the rain. Or snow. Or any other type of weather. A little challenge always made the game more interesting, in his opinion. It just hadn’t started to rain today, which meant he could pester Nina more. With an extra Quaffle in his hands, he juggled it back and forth while his legs moved quickly, sending him on a light jog towards the Pitch.

He had planned to get there ahead of schedule, but seeing the figure in the distance, he cursed silently to himself. It seemed he could hardly ever be earlier than Nina, at least for Quidditch. When he got close enough, he grinned knowingly. George dropped the ball and kicked it to soar just beyond Nina (with the wind and everything taken into account, of course). Luckily for him, it did just miss the back of her head. Sometimes his aim was dead on, sometimes it wasn’t… he continued to work on it, though. As keeper, he needed as accurate a throw as possible.

With his hands free (there were brooms in the closet, right?), he took the little distance to spread them slightly. When he reached her, he tried to slow down a bit, still crashing into her. Luckily his arms wrapped around her and he laughed, catching their balance with his feet held wide apart. He might have forced her a couple meters from where she’d been before, but… the point was, they were still standing. Catching his breath, he gave her a hug before pulling away to just a light arm around the middle.

“Hey!” Now he separated himself from her and straightened out his outfit, smirking slightly. “Did you get the brooms out, or do I have to do everything?” His eyes flickered to her face to see her reaction. He’d come as ready for a work out as possible. He would work on his Keeper skills and she could work on her chaser abilities. At least he could forget about school work for the next short while. George was fairly certain they had the pitch to themselves for a while… at least part of it, anyway. Perhaps the possibility of rain kept more away from it than normal?

It was ironic that the girl who was late to almost every class every day was never less than ten minutes early to Quidditch practice. That was just typical Nina, though. Today she had been especially early, as she had left in the middle of Potions (due to a... "headache"). She was released and ordered to go right to bed, and she did. Kind of. She walked into the dormitories and changed into shorts and a tank top. She yanked on an old pair of shin and arm guards and put her gloves on, choosing to ignore for the 25245th time that the left one was coming apart at the seams. She'd fix it one of these days.

She figured she looked ridiculous, but she didn't like wearing the pants and robes the Quidditch uniform required. And she was just practicing with George, and she figured he'd be wearing the same low amount of gear as she was. Glancing into the mirror before she left, her professor's instructions flew into her mind again. While she had no problem not doing any of his work, she felt bad that she hadn't listened to his words of parting. So she sat on her bed and french-braided her hair into two thick braids that trailed down her back. That counted as 'going to bed', right?

Looking both ways before she exited the Common Room, she sighed with relief that the 6th Year classes were still in session. She walked animatedly towards the Pitch and, when she got there, scoped out the weather conditions. It was nice out, though she had heard it was supposed to rain later on. She didn't mind though, and knew George wouldn't either. Too bad she hadn't brought her goggles, though. She glanced at her watch. George wouldn't be here for another twenty minutes. Not wanting to stand around idly, she decided to run a few laps around the Pitch. She hadn't taken her normal run this morning, and was feeling a bit sluggish. Running for maybe ten minutes, she made her way back to the center of the Pitch, hands on her knees, breathing heavily.

Sprinting around the wide perimeter was a fabulous workout. Just as she straightened herself up, she felt a quick breeze and saw a Quaffle land to the left of her. She laughed, knowing it was George, and having her thought be confirmed as she was almost knocked down into the grass.

"Don't go killing the Captain," she said, still laughing and shaking her head.

“Hey!” Now he separated himself from her and straightened out his outfit, smirking slightly. “Did you get the brooms out, or do I have to do everything?”

"Hey to you, too. And yes. Yes you do have to do everything," Nina said, smiling. Quidditch practice with her best friend was by far her favorite thing in the world.

"Have anything in particular you want to work on today?" she asked before nibbling on her right index fingernail.

The sweats George was wearing could only possibly get in the way if it started raining. Luckily he thought ahead and had on a pair of long shorts on under, just in case. He didn’t really like to wear many shorts at school; he much preferred waiting until he had some decent water, not just the old lake and squid. Been there, done that. Plus, he didn’t have a bike to coast on. The feel of wind up the short leg was just freeing.

The maroon t-shirt was plain, a bit worn, but important for him to wear to support his house colors. Gryffindor no matter what. Besides… no one would be able to tell what it was if he fell in the mud at some point. Pushing down on the ground slightly, feeling the all ready mushy grass beneath his quidditch boots, George grinned and dug his toe in. It would be fun, at least. Maybe they could involve a few others in a mud fight…

“Don’t go killing the Captain.”

Laughing and kissing the side of her head like he sometimes did, George sighed and pulled away, reluctantly shaking his head. “Then I would just have to help fill in as Captain. That would be… such a shame. Then, maybe we’d win a few more games.” Sticking his tongue out at her, he laughed it off and gave her a playful push before crossing his arms over his chest. Gryffindor did well for itself, and made enough foul play on the pitch to rival the counter parts.

“Hey to you, too. And yes. Yes you do have to do everything.”

Rolling his eyes at her, he shook his head and put his hands on his hips, looking towards the cloudy sky. “Honestly…” He should have just picked them up on the way out to the field. He couldn’t keep his face straight, however, and the little grin seeped through before he looked back down at her. Shaking his arms out, he started to stretch. Best not to injure himself in case of… well, any reason, though his was particularly selfish. If he was injured, he couldn’t practice.

“Have anything in particular you want to work on today?”

Rubbing the back of his head, frowning a little as he thought about it, he finally nodded excitedly before putting a finger up. “Let me get the brooms first, lazy.” Pushing off from the ground, acting a bit crazy, he finally leveled off and jogged straight for the broom closet. Once there, he pulled out a couple, testing them. Once happy, he jogged back over, tossing her one. “Let’s work on you trying to put the ball-” Resting his foot on top of the quaffle, he moved it backwards on the ball, causing it to spin on top of his foot before kicking it up and catching it with his free hand. “into the hoops.”

Laughing, he mounted his broom. “And I want to try some of my amazing dives. You know, I think I could catch one if I jump off the stick just right. Maybe we can work on that too.” Pausing as he was a few feet in the air, he glanced at her, the quaffle stuck under his arm. “What do you want to work on?” He just got excited and hadn’t even considered her. Leaning forward on the broomstick, he smirked and waited.

[I am so sorry! I feel awful for disappearing. Lately I've been either grounded or lacking an internet connection altogether. But everything is significantly less hectic now and I am so ready to continue]

“Then I would just have to help fill in as Captain. That would be… such a shame. Then, maybe we’d win a few more games.”

Nina returned the tongue-sticking-out gesture and placed her hands on her hips. "Remind me to watch my back then, yeah?" she said teasingly, and returning a push he had just given her. She watched him trot off to get some brooms, and she herself started to stretch. She was all ready warmed up, but she had to stay safe. While George would be more than willing to take over for her, she wasn't as willing to leave her position, even for a moment.

That attitude may have made her seem like a right royal you-know-what, but she knew George knew that was simply the way she was; over competitive, aggressive, and a wee bit cocky. But never mind that. Glancing up she caught the broom George threw her with one hand and jumped on it, letting herself hover.

She wasn't sure why he decided not to get out her own broom, but no matter. She didn't mind using the older Cleansweep for a couple of hours. But before she could dwell, George went off being, well, George, doing a fancy trick with the Quaffle that Nina was too proud to admit she probably couldn't do.

Right, he wanted to work on his keeping skills. That was obvious. It was good for Nina, too, as she was the one trying to get the Quaffle in while he tried to keep it out. When he mentioned working on dives, Nina couldn't help but smirk.

"Dives, right. Like last week when you dove so hard to the left you flew out of the Pitch? That type of dive?" she said, flying over to him and ruffling his hair before returning to her spot to his right.

“What do you want to work on?”

Nina considered the question for a moment, deciding what she felt like doing today. "Whatever. Kicking your arse sounds fine," she said innocently, stealing the Quaffle from under his arm. "Bet you can't catch me!" Nina called over her shoulder before taking off, shooting the Quaffle through one of the hoops.

“Remind me to watch my back then, yeah?”

George wouldn’t take away Nina’s spot; she’d earned it. Besides, there was a bit of loyalty and pride, trust even, between them. He wasn’t backstabbing, and felt she deserved the position. Joking about it, however, was totally allowed when he knew she knew he was just playing. What were best friends for, if not to be the butt of your jokes? He was hers just as often, he was sure of it. And personally, he didn’t mind one bit. It was a sign of affection for him. “Maybe I will… maybe I won’t.” Winking, he moved with her push.

“Dives, right. Like last week when you dove so hard to the left you flew out of the Pitch? That type of dive?”

His eyes widened at her accusation and he laughed, trying to move his head out of the way of her hand and not succeeding. Pulling his broom up, backing away from her a bit, he shook his head. “That was intentional.” He tried to look as serious as he could before a smirk slid onto his face. “As long as I stop the Quaffle, whatever I do to get it isn’t important, right?” Another reason… trying to think on his feet, his mouth opened. “Plus, if I need to work on my dives, then… that’s what practice with you is for.” Grinning, he put his arms out as if that explained everything.

“Whatever. Kicking your arse sounds fine.”

“Oh-ho, in your wildest dreams, baby.” Then she took the Quaffle and his eyes widened dramatically, attempting to lean out and swat it back. She moved just out of his reach, and for dramatics sake, he let his body weight lean him over the side and twirl him underneath the broom. Letting out a grunt, he worked to get himself back up on it right, grinning as she put the bet out there. Pushing the broom a bit to get it going, he shot off towards the Quaffle, diving down a bit to catch it on its decent to the Pitch ground.

Finally he made his way back up and juggled it from hand to hand, smirking. “Next time you should play fair. I thought you were a Gryffindor.” Winking, he leaned back, forcing the broom to lift up slightly from its neutral position. With a great force, he shoved himself forward, tucking and pulling the broom against him, moving in a forward flip, throwing the Quaffle halfway across the pitch before he righted himself, putting a hand to his head. Made him dizzy, even if it was fun to do.

“Come on, now try and score.” Moving the broom up towards the hoops, he cracked his knuckles and got ready. He might not be allowed to play that year, but it didn’t mean he slacked. He was still a damn good Keeper, if he could say so himself.

“Plus, if I need to work on my dives, then… that’s what practice with you is for.”

At that comment, and the one before it, Nina smirked. No matter what mood she was in, good or bad, George always put her in a better one.

“Next time you should play fair. I thought you were a Gryffindor.”

"I'm really a Slytherin in disguise," she said with a laugh. While she didn't mean the comment, she thought she'd throw it out there. She didn't discriminate between the Houses, but it was no secret that Gryffindor and Slytherin had the biggest Quidditch rivalry in the school.

Her eyes gazed back to him again, Quaffle intact from whatever trick he was doing with it. His moves were certainly impressive. Especially the flip he just did. Living up to her competitive nature, Nina felt compelled to perform a trick as well, and back flipped about half as well as George had done his front flip. Landing clumsily on the ground, she dusted herself off and returned to her broom.

"Damn, one up on me all ready," she said with a good natured grin. George was the only person who got away from the brunt of her competitive edge. She made a mental note to practice her flipping later, and snatched the Quaffle from the ground.

She had always liked the feeling of it through her ripped glove. Her exposed skin would occasionally brush up against it, and she enjoyed the feeling of the thick, red rubber. Her enjoying the feeling of some ball sounded crazy, even to herself, but it was just one of the many things she liked about Quidditch.

She liked the way the Snitch looked when it was first released, too. It was as if it was human and looked incredibly perplexed before it flew off into the air. The one thing she may not have liked were the Bludgers, as she had suffered many a break from the wicked balls.

 “Come on, now try and score.”

Pushing off with the Quaffle in hand, she surveyed George's body language. It was something she always did - she was always looking for ways to determine which direction the Keeper would go. Because they were best friends, Nina could usually foresee where George would go. However, he also knew all of her best tricks. Practicing together was incredibly beneficial because her scoring one on him and him keeping out her really good shots was fairly difficult.

Circling around the hoops, she made her way to the one on the right and halted mid-air, an idea brewing.

"Hey George!" she called out, waiting for him to look at her. "Will you let the Quaffle in if I flash you?" she asked, grinning. She didn't know why the thought occurred to her, but it was a good one. Distracting the Keeper could be very beneficial!

“I’m really a Slytherin in disguise.”

Laughing with her, he rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, eyeing her. “I should have known that was the only reason you got close to me. Your plan is ruined now!” Dropping his arms, he grinned after his sarcastic remarks, resting his hands on his hips. “You shall never learn my secrets.”

“Damn, one up on me all ready.”

He tried not to laugh when she tried a back flip, and he held back all but just a little chuckle. Biting his lower lip to keep it in, he fought to put on a concerned look. “You all right?” A grin filtered through, however, and he rested against the edge of his broom. When she started to get back on her broom, George stretched a bit, groaning in satisfaction as something popped. That felt good...

Watching her move around the hoops, he moved with her, straffing and watching how she handled the ball. He knew when she was about to throw it, the way she stiffened a little, focused on her target... it was probably just as noticeable the way he got ready to dive for a save. He tried to keep his body loose so she couldn’t tell which way he would go, but found it increasingly harder the longer they played.

“Hey George!”

Smirking, he kept his eyes on her, but didn’t focus on her face so much when she called his attention. Attempting to catch him off guard? That wasn’t very original... he got used to that while playing on a broom at home. “Hey Nina...” She had to know that wasn’t going to deter him.

“Will you let the Quaffle in if I flash you?”

Blinking in surprise, this time he did focus on her face and it showed how much it shocked him. “What?” His eyes strayed to the Quaffle, and other things, before he blinked back to her face, frowning a little. “Well... ah, I don’t... Maybe if...” The answer was a resounding yes in his head, but he didn’t feel like he could tell her that. His face was turning red slowly, and he rubbed his hands together, still stumbling a bit. “I just...” Swallowing, he finally grinned. “You could always find out.”

He could tease her back, it was just a little slow to finally kick in. “If it doesn’t go in after, though, you can’t blame me for it.” George didn’t expect her to do it, and hadn’t even considered what he might do if she actually did. It was way too out there for Nina to do. “Maybe you should work on your skill to try and make a hoop...”

“Well... ah, I don’t... Maybe if...”

His face was turning red. Almost as red as the Quaffle she was holding in her hands. If she had known the words would have as much effect as they did on him, she would have thought of this a lot sooner. Not that she would ever use this new, ah, tactic in a game. That was unprofessional. And while Nina had pulled her fair share of... punches, so to speak, she always tried to stay professional whilst playing a school sanctioned game of Quidditch. But when her and her friends played, well, anything went, really.

Like that one time her and Ramon had played two or three years ago. They were just playing one-on-one in a field near their mostly Wizarding neighborhood where he had decided to be 'cute' and have the Quaffle shock her every time she touched it. Nina had obviously been less than amused, but she had  done similar things so it was only fair. For instance, shortly after that, she slammed into him with her broom so hard he backflipped to the ground. She had not been of age yet, and therefore could not retaliate with magic. But sometimes brute force was just as fun.

I just...” Swallowing, he finally grinned. “You could always find out.”

"Is that a dare, Carter?" she said, arching one eyebrow and using his surname jokingly. And with that, the usually not flirtatious Gryffindor lifted up her tank top to reveal a dark purple bra. Leaving gravity to pull it back down, she took off towards the far right hoop, throwing it forcibly, hoping George would miss it. If not she had given him a free show for nothing.

---

ooc: Right, I hope I was allowed to do that, haha. And sorry it's so short - I didn't want to do too much for fear of GModing you.

“Is that a dare, Carter?”

George’s surprised look came back, and his mouth opened a little. Was it a dare? He wasn’t sure if he should dare her… Frowning a little, he tried to think of how to respond. To dare or not to dare… Would she do it? No, no, bad teenage boy, don’t think like that. Reprimanding himself, he closed his mouth and swallowed, a small chuckle escaping his lips. He wasn’t sure what he was doing anymore; she liked him like a brother, how did it come out that she was threatening (not that he minded) to flash him for a score?

Okay, that put images in his head that shouldn’t be there while they practiced. Blinking, he shook his head, another laugh escaping his lips. Cool down…

No chance of that, though. His eyes widened wide as she followed through with what she perceived as a dare, and his mouth dropped open. Purple. He loved the color purple all of a sudden. Why didn’t she wear red or gold? At least then she’d be Gryffindor colors… He really wasn’t worrying about that, though, as his eyes took in what he saw. This was so bad, and yet… and yet he didn’t know what else to think.

His eyes followed her as she darted off to the side, merely blinking as she scored a goal. He was a bit dumbfounded, and didn’t want to risk moving at that moment. Sitting up on his broom a little, he still just stared at her, the shirt having come back down all ready. Had she really just done that? Blinking again, George ran a hand over his face, leaning back more on his broom. “I…” Swallowing, he found his voice. “I think you won.”