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╰┈➤ ❝ [𝐶𝐻𝐴𝑃𝑇𝐸𝑅 𝐹𝐼𝑉𝐸] ❞ೄྀ࿐ ˊˎ-
⁺⤾·˚.⃗.  [ʙᴀᴛᴛᴇʀᴇᴅ ʙᴜᴛ ɴᴏᴛ ʙʀᴏᴋᴇɴ] 𑁍ࠜೄ ･ﾟˊˎ
﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋﹋

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
- Scottish Highlands
( September 6th, 1994. )

𝑻he late afternoon sun hung low in the sky as Cassie made her way to the Quidditch pitch for her final training session. Her legs ached from a week of pushing herself harder than she ever thought possible, and her arms felt like they might fall off from all the Bludger practice. But she was still determined. Tomorrow was the match, and she wasn't about to let Oliver Wood win without a fight.

Fred and George were already waiting for her by the pitch, their brooms slung over their shoulders and mischievous grins firmly in place. This had become their routine over the past few days—relentless teasing, exhausting drills, and just the right amount of encouragement to keep her from quitting.

"Right on time, Cass," Fred called, twirling a Quaffle in one hand. "We thought maybe you'd finally come to your senses and run for the hills."

"Not a chance," Cassie replied, squaring her shoulders as she reached them. "I've put in too much work to back out now. Besides, I think you'd miss me."

George chuckled, tossing her the broom she'd borrowed all week. "Miss you? Definitely. Miss your flailing attempts at Quidditch? Absolutely not."

Cassie rolled her eyes, mounting the broom with more confidence than she'd had on Monday. "Well, lucky for you, I'm officially done flailing. What's the plan for today?"

Fred grinned, tossing the Quaffle from one hand to the other. "Today, we're mixing it up. You've been focused on mostly just Bludgers all week, but you've got to learn to multitask if you're going to survive on the pitch. So, today you'll be dealing with the quaffles and the bludgers!"

"Lovely," Cassie said dryly, gripping the broomstick. "Because hitting flying cannonballs wasn't enough of a challenge."

George smirked as he mounted his own broom. "Exactly. Now, the goal is simple: stay on your broom, keep the Bludgers away, and try to score with the Quaffle. Think you can handle that?"

Cassie narrowed her eyes, gripping her bat tighter. "Bring it on."

The twins wasted no time kicking off into the air, Fred tossing the Quaffle high while George released one of the Bludgers. Cassie shot after the Quaffle, weaving clumsily but managing to snatch it before it hit the ground. Her triumph was short-lived, however, as the Bludger whizzed past her shoulder, forcing her to duck.

"Eyes up, Cass!" Fred called, laughing as he swooped by. "Can't score if you're knocked out first!"

Cassie growled under her breath, clutching the Quaffle and adjusting her grip on the broom. She swerved sharply to avoid another pass from the Bludger, her focus divided between dodging and aiming for the goal.

"You're doing great!" George shouted sarcastically, clearly lying as she narrowly avoided crashing into him.

"Shut up, George!" Cassie yelled back, her determination fueling her. She spun her broom to face the goal, gripping the Quaffle tightly. The Bludger came barreling toward her again, but this time, she raised her bat and swung with all her strength. The bat connected, sending the Bludger veering off-course.

Fred let out a cheer. "That's the spirit!"

Cassie didn't hesitate, throwing the Quaffle toward the goal with all the power she could muster. It soared through the air, smacking cleanly into the center of the goalpost. She let out a victorious laugh, pumping her fist in the air.

"Not bad!" George called, his grin wide. "Though I'm pretty sure Oliver's going to be a bit harder to fool."

Cassie smirked, turning her broom to face them. "Let him try. If I can survive training with you two, I can survive anything."

Fred and George circled Cassie on their brooms like vultures, their identical grins only making her more suspicious.

Fred leaned forward, his bat resting lazily on his shoulder. "Alright, Harrington. One more round," he declared, his grin sharpening. "Let's see if you can keep that energy up."

George's smirk widened as he hovered closer. "This time," he added, a mischievous glint in his eye, "with us in the mix. Fred, fancy taking the goalpost?"

Fred's eyes lit up. "Oh, I love this plan." He shot off toward the goal at the other end of the pitch, already shouting back. "Good luck, Cass! You're gonna need it! Georgie is brutal!"

Cassie groaned audibly, gripping her broom tighter as George released the Bludger again.

George hovered beside her for a moment, his grin infuriatingly confident. "Now, here's the thing," he said, almost conversationally. "You've been practicing all week, but Fred and I? We've been playing for years. Think of this as... your final exam. Pass, and you might just survive tomorrow. Fail, and—well, I'd drop out."

"Thanks for the pep talk," Cassie shot back sarcastically, already veering to avoid the Bludger that had started honing in on her.

George laughed, taking off after her. "You're welcome!"

Fred, stationed at the goal, called out, "Come on, Harrington! Let's see what you've got!"

Cassie growled under her breath, clutching the Quaffle. She darted forward, aiming for the goal, but George swooped in from the side, blocking her path effortlessly.

"Not so fast!" George said, snatching the Quaffle from her grasp with an ease that made her stomach drop. He tossed it up and down tauntingly. "Come on, Cass, you've gotta do better than that."

She clenched her jaw, turning her broom sharply and chasing after him. The Bludger came barreling toward her, but she swung her bat just in time, sending it careening toward George instead.

He laughed, swerving to dodge it, but the movement gave Cassie an opening. She darted in, grabbing the Quaffle from his hand. "Gotcha!" she shouted triumphantly.

Fred laughed from the goalpost. "Don't celebrate too early, Harrington! You still have to score."

Cassie narrowed her eyes, her muscles burning as she pushed her broom harder. Fred was already in position, his sharp eyes tracking her every move. She zigzagged, trying to throw him off, but Fred didn't budge.

At the last second, she feinted left and threw the Quaffle to the right, hoping to catch him off guard.

Fred reacted instantly, diving to the side and catching the Quaffle with one hand. He spun back up, grinning at her. "Nice try," he called, tossing the Quaffle back to George.

Cassie groaned in frustration, flying back to the center of the pitch. George was already waiting, his smirk firmly in place.

"Not bad," he said. "For a beginner. But you're gonna have to do a lot better if you want to even touch the Quaffle tomorrow."

"Again," Cassie said through gritted teeth, her determination unwavering.

Fred laughed as he flew back to the goalpost. "Now that's the spirit!"

The twins didn't hold back this time. Fred guarded the goal with the precision of someone who'd been playing for years, while George darted around the pitch, effortlessly intercepting her attempts and occasionally lobbing the Quaffle toward her just to mess with her rhythm.

By the time they finally called it a day, Cassie was drenched in sweat, her arms and legs trembling from exhaustion. But despite how much the twins had run her ragged, she couldn't help the small, satisfied smile on her face.

"You're not half bad, Harrington," Fred said as they touched down on the grass. "Still not as good as us, of course, but you've got guts."

"And a decent swing," George added, nodding toward her bat. "Tomorrow's going to be interesting, that's for sure."

Cassie smirked, planting the broom firmly in the ground. "You two better be there to watch me knock Oliver Wood down a peg."

"Oh, don't worry," Fred said with a grin.

"We wouldn't miss it for the world." George added.

As the three of them made their way back toward the castle, Cassie felt a flicker of confidence beneath her exhaustion. She might not win tomorrow, but she was ready to give Oliver Wood the fight of his life.

𝑪assie pushed open the door to her dormitory, her broom still slung over her shoulder and her bat tucked under her arm. She was sore, exhausted, and more than ready to collapse into bed. But as she stepped inside, Judeth looked up from where she was sprawled across her bed, a book in her lap and an expectant look on her face.

Judeth smirked. "You look like you've been hit by a Bludger. Twice."

"Funny you say that," Cassie muttered, dropping her broom and bat unceremoniously by the door before flopping onto her bed. "Because I actually have. Thanks to Fred and George."

Judeth raised an eyebrow, setting her book aside. "Still alive, though. That's something."

"Barely," Cassie groaned, staring up at the canopy above her bed. "They've been running me into the ground all week. Today was the worst. They added Quaffles into the mix—Fred was on the goal, and George was just... everywhere. I couldn't catch a break."

Judeth chuckled, leaning back on her elbows. "Well, what did you expect? They've been playing since they were twelve. Did you really think they'd go easy on you?"

Cassie turned her head to glare at her. "A little mercy would've been nice. Just once."

"Not their style, and definitely not Oliver's either." Judeth said, smirking. "So, how are you feeling about tomorrow? Ready to take on Oliver?"

Cassie hesitated, the smirk falling from her face. She let out a long sigh, running a hand through her hair. "Honestly? I don't know. I'm better than I was at the start of the week, sure. But Oliver? He's been playing since he could walk. I'm... me."

Judeth tilted her head, studying her for a moment. "You don't have to beat him, you know. That's not what this is about."

Cassie snorted softly. "Yeah, I know. It's about bruising his ego."

"Exactly," Judeth said, smiling. "And from what you've told me, you're already halfway there. Just the fact that you're going through with this is going to drive him mad. He won't be able to stand the idea that someone dared to challenge him."

Cassie couldn't help but laugh. "You think?"

"Oh, definitely," Judeth said with a nod. "And who knows? You might actually surprise him. Surprise everyone, even."

Cassie let out a soft hum, staring up at the ceiling. "Maybe. I mean, Fred and George wouldn't put this much effort into helping me if they thought I had zero chance, right?"

"Exactly," Judeth agreed. "And if all else fails, you'll still have the satisfaction of making Oliver Wood sweat a little. That's worth it, isn't it?"

Cassie grinned, finally sitting up and leaning against the headboard. "Yeah. It is."

Judeth smiled back, picking up her book again. "Good. Now get some rest. You'll need it if you're going to survive tomorrow."

Cassie nodded, letting her head fall back against the wall. Tomorrow was going to be a challenge, no doubt about it. But with the support of her friends—and the sheer force of her own determination—she was ready to give it everything she had.