3Hi everyone and welcome to the next chapter of "Dauntless Games"! I had a great time writing this chapter and I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I do! But first; REVEW RESPONSE!
HannahTheFabPotterHead
You couldn't wait for the next chapter, so I delivered :P Why thank you! That was exactly what I was going for! Quidditch is very hands on and pretty much dominated by males! The only non-example of this is the Gryffindor team (Angelina, Alicia, Katie). I am very interested to see what other people think about Saskia! Saskia isn't overly bad-ass in this chapter, but I hope I had enough to compensate the fact that she is a sweetheart! Oh just wait and see what I have in store ;)
Disclaimer; I do not own Harry Potter. The only this I own is the plot, the OC, any other characters that you will be introduced to throughout this story and on occasion Oliver Wood, because he's totally hot ;).
Beating Oliver Wood
"Ok Saskia, if you can keep pace with Wood around the pitch three times, we'll move on to the next training session. Good luck," the man, whose name still escaped me, ordered me around.
"Bring it on," I vaguely heard Oliver mumble under his breath as he went to stand at the edge of the pitch, ready for the gruelling run.
Oliver gripped the hem of his dirty, muddy Puddlemere shirt and tugged it up and over his head to reveal his toned, tan body. If he thought that making me drool over his perfect and absolute gorgeous abs was gorgeous abs was going to stop me from whooping his ass in front of all his team-mates and his coach he's definitely got another thing coming.
I smirked up at Oliver and raised my eyebrow in question.
"You seriously think that's going to work hotshot?" I asked as I grabbed the hem of my long sleeved, tight fitting shirt, pulled it up over my head and dropped it on the ground, which left me in just my training bra and tights.
I heard nearly all of the guys behind me to take sharp intakes of breath and I'm pretty sure I heard someone swear under their breath. Oliver's eyes trailed down my body, lingering on my chest, stomach and legs. He then proceeded to look me dead in the eyes and wink.
He winked. Oh, he was so going down.
"Ready you two?" The coach asked. I had still not gotten a name from him and to be honest, it was kind of annoying how he knew who I was, but how I had no clue on whom he was.
"Ready," Oliver said without even blinking or moving his defiant stance.
"I'm definitely ready to kick his ass," I signalled that I was ready to bring Oliver to his knees so that he'd be begging for me to be on his team. He was going down and he was going down hard.
Oliver and I lined up next to each other and got ready for probably the most important trial I will ever have to do. He was never going to win and I was going to make sure of that.
"On your marks," Nik called out into the large arena, which created an echo that rebounded across the empty stadium.
"Get set," Sam cried out excitedly. He was probably the same as the rest of the team. To finally see if the great Oliver Wood can be beaten by a girl.
"Go!" Who I thought was the attack coach shouted as he pressed the button on the side of the stopwatch. Oliver and I shot from our spots like racehorses as they burst out of the gates at a racetrack. What? Just because I was a witch doesn't mean I don't know about muggle entertainment. Although, I wouldn't even call it entertainment. I wouldn't even call it fun.
I started to pace myself as Oliver quickly put distance between us, but he obviously didn't know me very well. I was saving my energy for when he started to burn out.
It was only a couple of minutes until we had reached the halfway point and to be honest, it was already starting to kill me. My muscles in my legs were burning in a furious pain, but if I stopped now, Oliver would win and there was no way I was going to let him rub it in my face.
I pushed my legs to go harder, faster. I made myself barrel through the pain that I was feeling, in order to catch up with the snide rat.
About three quarters of the way, Oliver had the nerve to turn around while running to see how far I was behind him. H estopped for a second, laughed, turned around and then continued to run. He was going to burn himself out. I knew that, his teammates knew that and so did his coach. But did he know that?
It wasn't long before I had finished my first lap and started my second. I was growing weary and so was Oliver. I could tell by the way he was running. Barely lifting his feet from the ground, looking down in order not to show the face of him struggling. He was definitely losing his momentum. This was my time to strike.
I started to quicken my pace so that I could stick it to Mr Chauvinist Pig and the not so nice Oliver Wood. They don't believe that a girl could play Quidditch? Well it's about damn time they found out just what a girl could do.
Oliver's tiny form started to grow larger and larger until he was practically ten metres in front of me. We had both started to gain ground until we were almost at the end of this lap.
I pushed my legs, begged them to keep going, begged them to get me past this idiot and onto Puddlemere. It only took a few minutes of pure persistence until I passed him. The look on his face was absolutely priceless!
"What? How?!" His outraged cries fell on deaf ears. The entire team looked on in disbelief and the coach looked pretty damn impressed, which I guess meant good news for me.
I turned to face Oliver and raised my hand up. I wiggled my fingers in a dainty wave and pursed my lips. I sent a wink in his direction and was filled with satisfaction when his face turned red in both anger and embarrassment. This trial was quickly becoming something amazing. I ran a little further before I turned my head over my shoulder. I saw him push his legs harder, but there was no chance that he could catch me now when he was so worn out.
I had just finished my second lap when Oliver found a burst of energy. Did he play me? Or did he just find me so annoying that he had to beat me at whatever cost? The whole team were practically on the edge of their seats the whole time and I couldn't blame them.
Oliver didn't strike me as the kind that got beaten a lot, or easily. So if I beat him today it was going to be very interesting to see how he and the rest of the team would take it.
"Come on Kia! You can totally kick his ass!" Nik's voice was one to stand out in the crowd, but the fact that he was rooting for me against his own captain, was definitely saying something. It meant that they thought I had chance in beating the Hogwarts alum.
"Yeah, go on Saskia! Kick his ass!" All the boys whooped in agreement and to say that I was shocked was definitely an understatement. Oliver looked at them with wide eyes and was probably very shocked that his own team would be so open to having a girl kick his ass. As they all kindly put it.
"One more lap you two! Go Kia!" Even the attack coach was rooting for me. I think Oliver had the slightest case of betrayal by the way he burst past me and gained a whole lot of momentum. Could I still catch him? Was it really worth beating him in front of his whole team? Those questions were quickly answered when Oliver turned around and winked at me again.
I hated being winked at and I think Oliver had quickly figured that out and had started to use that to his advantage. He wanted me to get mad. Did he want me on this team? Did he want me to succeed? There was only one way to find out.
We were at the halfway point now when Oliver's sudden burst of energy had started to wear off. Now was my chance to strike. Now was my chance to shine as a player for Puddlemere United.
I had managed to catch up with Oliver when we were about a quarter to the finish line. Everyone was on the balls of their feet to see who would win the first round. I wouldn't deny it, but I was interested to see who would finish before the other.
I pushed harder as I could clearly see the finish line in place. Everyone was jumping, screaming and carrying on wildly while Oliver and I fought for first place. Oliver had started to slow, he fell behind. Now was my chance.
I thought about Slane. My brother lost his belief in Quidditch and magic because he was badly injured in a friendly match back when he was in Hogwarts. Madame Pomfrey healed all of his injuries, yet she couldn't heal his mind. But as a result of that match, Slane stopped believing. This was my chance to show him that it was okay to believe, that it was okay to be a witch or wizard. But for Slane to believe in magic, he first had to believe in himself.
I rushed past Oliver with my new found burst of energy and watched in glee as everyone started jogging around in circles.
I fell through the finish line and watched in anticipation for when Oliver would cross. But to my surprise, he was actually hot on my heels. Oliver crossed the finish line within a second of me. That was a tough and very close race. What would I have done if he had beaten me?
"Are you crying?" Nik's voice broke me out of my reverie of thoughts. Nearly everyone that had surrounded us looked at me with concern and confusion.
"No," I began as I desperately tried to keep my voice, from breaking and my lip from quivering. "It's just sweat," I finished as I shot everyone a smile. Nik didn't look convinced and neither did the attack coach, but who were they to delve into my private life? Sam came up to me and hoisted me up onto his shoulder.
"For she's a jolly good ass-kicker, for she's a jolly good ass-kicker, for she's a jolly good ass-kickerrrr!" Sam started to sing and it only took a few seconds for the rest of the team to join in.
"And so say all of us!" The bonds that they had was extraordinary and I only hoped that someday I would have that bond with a team, maybe even a special someone. But hey? That was for after Puddlemere.
Sam set me down on the ground as I waited for the next round. Oliver came up next to me and smiled down at me. I took literally everything in me not to drop. He had a really nice smile, but that didn't mean anything on my part. But what really made me look at him in confusion was the fact that he was smiling at me. Did he hit his head or something?
"That was really impressive Saskia, was a very close race the entire way," the attack coach smiled as he wrote down something on his clipboard. "You were trying out for Seeker, weren't you?" He asked as he didn't even both looking up.
"That's correct, sir," I responded as I stretched out my aching muscles, but also tried to keep warm, because I had no idea what the next round would be.
"What would you have her do Oliver?" He asked the man that stood next to me.
"Some defence drills and maybe even some attack drills. Also I want everyone up in the air to see how she works with everyone else," he replied. I watched as the whole team's shoulders sunk as they all stole a look with each other. Was Oliver really that though of a captain? "Oh and Charlie?" The attack coach looked up and I was happy that I had finally learnt his name. "Let's see if she has Seeker blood," Oliver's eyes landed on me and to say that he was intrigued was a bloody understatement.
"Seeker blood?" I repeated as I looked him dead in the eye.
"Yep, see if you have what it takes to be a Seeker," he replied as he handed me a towel to wipe some of the sweat away from my brow. I took it with a small smile, which probably came off as a grimace, but hey, who was I to care? He had mistreated me the second I stepped onto this field.
I walked over to my duffel bag which lie on the ground practically forgotten and opened it up. I put my hand in and brought out my Firebolt 2000. I saw nearly everyone's jaws drop and Oliver looked at me with envy. This broom was my life and there was no way I was going to part with it. It had been a gift from Harry Potter himself. As a thank you for keeping Ginny safe during the time when he wasn't at Hogwarts. The time he was out looking and destroying the Horcruxes.
"Is that what I think it is?" Nik asked as he came closer to me and leant down close.
"If you mean a Firebolt 2000, then yes you would be correct. By the way, if you touch this broom, I will not hesitate to kill you," I smiled sweetly as I stood up from the grassy patch beneath my knees.
I saw Nik smile slightly before he stood up as well and then my attention turned to Sam who really couldn't take his eyes off of me.
"Oi Sam!" The man in question raised his eyes back up to my face and smiled a sheepish smile. He knew that he was in trouble. "Are you enjoying looking at me like I'm a piece of meat?" I asked angrily. I hated it when people looked at me and I hated it even more when they did it without even trying to hide.
"Uh…" He trailed off as he looked to his teammates for help. He even looked at Oliver, but what shocked me was the fact that Oliver held his hands up in front of him and shook his head from side to side. An indication that he wasn't even going to try and help him. No matter what he asked.
"Look at me like that again and you'll regret it. 'Kay?" I snapped as my eyes flashed with anger. To be honest, I was annoyed that I was letting him off the hook, but he was probably going to be my teammate, so there was no point in causing any trouble between us.
Nik looked at me with concern but I returned it with a look that clearly told him not to work about it and that I could handle it by myself. He still didn't look convinced but when Oliver clapped his hands together, he seemed to drop the subject.
"Right then, we're going to start with some drills. Sam, Rodger, Eric, you'll be one team. Nik, Anthony, Saskia you'll be with me. We're not actually playing a game everyone, the aim is to get the quaffle through the hoops. My team has possession," Oliver grabbed his broom from the broom rack and threw his leg over it. The others grabbed their brooms while I mounted mine. I kicked off from the gorund and hovered in mid air beforeI took off into the sky to get used to the wind and the nip of chill that had settled in.
"Saskia," Oliver's voice spoke from behind me and I spun my broom around to face him. I raised my eyebrows in a questionable glance and nodded my head as an indication for his to speak his mind. "The boys can be quite rough, so if you want to drop out at any time let me know," he finished with a small smirk and it took everything in me not to barrel into him.
I smiled sarcastically and nodded my head while biting my tongue.
"How dare you?" I asked him as I turned my face up to look him dead in the eye.
"Excuse me?" He asked with a confused look on his face.
"Do you automatically think that just because a girl is trying out for Quidditch on a team where it is al males who are huge and buff that you think that she hasn't gone through this before and that she can't handle herself. Screw you, Wood! You know what, they were wrong about you, I thought you were going to exceed my expectations, but congratulations Mr Famous Quidditch Player, you've just tarnished your Hogwarts reputation. Asshole," I finished as I glared at him. I turned my broom around and wen to fly beside Nik, as he was probably the only person who I could actually feel comfortable around and not want to kill.
Nik must have sensed that something was up because he gave me the all knowing look.
"What did Wood do this time?" He asked as he looked over at his very confused and befuddled captain.
"He thought I was going to drop out because I'm the only girl against a group of guys and," I growled out in frustration as I demonstrated my head blowing up. "He drives me insane Nik! How dare he compare me to all the other girls out there! Was that race not enough to show him that I am completely capable of looking after myself. That male chauvinist pig!" I cried out as I scrunched my hands into fists.
"You sure like using that line don't you?" Nik laughed as he waited for Charlie to initiate the next round.
"I only use it when it's true," I replied as I looked at him with a questionable look on my face.
"I know, but you have to understand, Wood might have this overbearing, protective thing with girls, but there's a reason behind it. His sister used to play for the Tutshill Tornadoes and one day in the middle of practice she got barrelled by one of the other players, fell of her broom and died. He's just trying to make sure that the same doesn't happen to you," Nik whispered as he probably feared what Oliver would do if he was caught telling me about the Puddlemere Captain's history.
"I didn't know," I whispered and instantly I felt really guilty for what I said. I knew that he was only looking out for me, but I didn't want anyone to and I certainly didn't need it.
"Saskia," Oliver's voice snapped from behind me and I turned around just in time to catch the Quaffle he threw at my face. The ball was heavier than I thought, but don't blame me for not knowing, I was a Seeker, I caught the lightest ball in the entire game!
"Oliver," I began but he had sped off before I even got an apology out. "Great, now he hates me." I finished as I looked to where Nik sat patiently on his broom.
"He doesn't hate you, trust me, he'll come around," he comforted as he looked off in the direction that Oliver flew off in. "I guess we better start the drills," he whispered as he looked at my face. It probably looked like I was down in the dumps, which couldn't be more true. I felt terrible. I wasn't even on the team and the captain already hated me.
I passed the Quaffle to Nik and waited for the whistle as an indication to begin. When the high-pitched, shrill noise sounded from below, we were all off like a shot.
"Nik!" Someone I didn't know called out to the other chaser and caught the Quaffle that flew through the air toward me. I saw Sam try to go for Nik so I leant forward on my broom, budged Sam with my shoulder and watched in satisfaction as he nearly fell off his broom. He looked shocked for a moment, but smiled and nodded his head. I must have impressed him.
That's when I saw something out of the corner of my eye.
Thanks everyone for reading! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and will continue to stick with me on this story! If you haven't already, check out my other OLIVERxOC story titled, "Do You Believe In Magic?", which you can find on my profile! If you could just leave a tiny review letting me know what you think of this chapter that would be fantastic! I accept guest reviews, so you can post without the need of an account!
Kisses from Australia,
~Danger xx