I tilted up the cup to my lips, but no liquid poured out. Curious, I looked down into the cup and discovered that it had empty for a long time. Pushing back my hair, I gathered my things, left Tom a tip, and went on home.
I climbed the stairs to my flat and flopped down on my bed. I pushed my face into my pillow, savoring its sweet softness. Then, I heard a tapping sound on my window, like talons on glass.
Déjà vû, I thought, remembering this morning’s events.
I swung my legs over the side of my bed and walked over to the window. After I untied the note, the owl flew back out the window to its owner. Heart hammering, I held the letter. It was thin, only one sheet of parchment “ that must mean a rejection letter. Disappointment flooded me while with a heavy heart, I broke the wax seal.
I dropped the letter to the floor, stiff as if I was hit with a body binding curse.
I must have read incorrectly, I decided. However, in plain view, it said:
Dear Miss Perry,
Congratulations on making the Appleby Arrows Quidditch Team. We look forward to your arrival. Practice starts next week, and your contract is coming via another owl.
Sincerely,
Walter Falcons
A wave of joy began in the pit of my stomach and spread across my body. Clasping my hand to my mouth in attempt to muffle my screams of excitement, I felt a strange urge to share the information with someone. Quickly, I blotted down two letters, “ one to Charlie, and one to my parents “ my hand trembling so much that it made the note illegible. I attached them to Sisi, my owl, and sent her on her way. It was barely a minute after Sisi left that another owl came, this time weighed down by thick wads of paper. Quickly, I untied my contract and gave the poor owl some water and food before sending it off again.
Clutching my contract, I had no clue who to send it to. I couldn’t possible detect the loopholes and careful wording sure to be found! After much thought, I finally decided to send it to Albus Dumbledore. After all, there wasn’t a more brilliant wizard alive today. I scribbled a small note explaining today’s events and asked him to look over the contract.
I went down to the post office (open despite the rather late hour) and sent the request on its way. I returned to my flat, exhausted from the excitement, and decided to celebrate with a long slumber.
* * *
The next day, I woke up earlier and more refreshed than usual. I smiled to myself; everything was finally getting better.
I opened a window to let a breeze enter. While dining on toast and coffee, and owl fluttered in “ the same owl I sent to Dumbledore. Excited, I ran over and opened the letter:
Dear Miss Perry,
Congratulations on your new job. It is very lucky you caught me when you did, or else I wouldn’t have gotten your letter until this morning. Nothing is out of the ordinary in your contract, so it is alright to sign.
A very happy career to you,
Albus Dumbledore
Trusting Dumbledore completely, I read the contract and signed it. I sat back down to my breakfast, feeling very accomplished.
Not long after I finished eating, Sisi fluttered in back home with two notes. The first one read:
Ari,
Congrats on getting Beater! You deserve it more than anyone else. I have to go, a Horntail is getting restless.
-Charlie
I put down the letter, a bit disappointed. That’s all that Charlie had to say? I understood that his job needed a lot of time, but still….
My parent’s letter, on the other hand, was oozing with compliments and how proud they were of me. No amount of complements, however, was going to lift up my spirits after Charlie’s letter.
Pushing him from my mind, I decided to start preparing. For the next week, I began tweaking my broom into the best shape possible.
* * *
On the day of my practice, I woke up early. A nervous pit was forming in my stomach, and I thought that I was going to be sick. After a light breakfast of only coffee, I put on my robes and pulled my hair into a braid. After grabbing my shining Silver Arrow, I proceeded to apparate to Appleby Stadium.
When I got there, the stadium was boiling with action. Six men on brooms whizzed over my head. Walter Falcons sat in the bleachers, watching them. When he saw me, he clapped his hands and everyone landed on the ground.
“This is your new teammate, Arianna Perry. I expect you all to get along quite nicely.”
One of the players, muscular and bald, muttered something and spat.
“Right then,” continued Walter Falcons, clearly thinking nothing of it. “This is Janusz Kamieniewski. He will be your fellow Beater.”
I smiled and held out my hand, but one look from his stony eyes told me that he wasn’t a hand-shaking person.
“This is Phil Oberman,” said Walter Falcons, gesturing to a man with black hair and a malevolent glint in his eyes. I didn’t even consider offering him my hand.
“Here is Ben Whills,” continued Walter Falcons, introducing a man with a deep red mop of hair on his head. He glared at me, flexing his arm muscles threateningly. I swallowed the urge to bolt.
Soon, I was also acquainted with Joey Lems (the blondest head of hair I've ever seen) and Scott Novel, an almost shy individual…but the air that hung around him was anything but kind.
My hope was plummeting faster than a dropped Quaffle. This was not going to be an easy team to work with.
Finally, Walter Falcons introduced the last member of the team. I was in such a state of shock when I saw him, my jaw unhinged from its fearful clench. He was hidden from view by his teammates’ unfriendliness, yet his kind eyes shone through like a ray of light on a cloudy day.
“Finally,” concluded Walter Falcons, “this is Leopold Adams.”
“Actually,” he said, grinning, “you can call me Leo.” He caught my eye and winked.
“Well, that took a longer time than expected,” said Walter Falcons. “How about we take the day off of practice?” The suggestion was followed by spitting and some cursing in another language. I turned of leave when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around to see Leo.
“Don’t take the team too harshly, alright?” He ran a hand through his chin-length, reddish brown hair. “They’re just jerks.”
I smiled back and nodded. Leo broke out into a grin. “See you later then, Arianna.”
I shook my head. “Call me Ari,” I insisted.
Leo grinned. “Alright then…Ari.”