CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
✧
-: sixth year :-

── IN WHICH A SECOND PARTY
IS PLANNED

. . .

Watching Quidditch was far more boring that playing it. Rosie found out as such as she stood alongside Peter and the girls of the sixth year Gryffindors, watching as James lead his team to a possible victory. Sirius played Beater, and Remus was sat up in the Commentator Box besides McGonagall, whose mind was mostly on the match and certainly not on the girl who had slipped under her pointed nose under the guise of non-verbal spells homework, which left her with a chance to get to know the fourth member of the group.

Or not, seeing as the only one not actually involved in the match was just as drawn in with James's intrinsical plans to win. Peter's eyes never left the players, watched as the Chasers flew loops around each other, as Beaters attempted to guide bludgers into people's heads and as the Seeker tried to weave around the troubles in attempt to find the snitch, and Keepers ultimately had a hard time saving the goals when each quaffle their way was joined by one of four players and their bat. 

And without Peter offering any viable conversation, Rosie was drawn into the group of girls. Lily eyed the scarf on her neck warily as it slipped several times - and she wasn't so sure whether James was wanting to keep up the plan of making his ex jealous and so, she took her time to cover them up again. But other than that, the girls were welcoming; Marlene and Mary were quick to ask how she kept her skin so clear, to which Rosie had quite the interesting conversation that ended with her getting paid to buy a few products. It turned out that from her few visits to Diagon Alley, Rosie was one of Alice's father's favourite customers to his ice cream parlour and after bypassing the awkwardness, her and Lily had a conversation about Muggle music and books, much to the excitement of Mary.

They also seemed happy to hear about Rosie's Quidditch league in London, which offered an expertise to the match happening in front of them as she added to Remus's commentary in a less neutral way; she told them exactly what James would do in order to score the goal, who then followed exactly as she predicted.

And when the last quaffle was thrown through a hoop, the snitch was caught and the match came to an end. It was tight - immensely tight - and the Slytherins played so dirty that James's prefect hair was all out of place and he had a slowly grownng black eye and wonky spectacles from a bludger attack and the rest of his teeam weren't looking amazing, but Gryffindor had won.

The stands erupted into cheers, and Peter began to usher them out onto the pitch, feet hitting the grass in a surge of a crowd as most made their way back up to the castle, still singing some of the chants that had come up over the course of the game. But Rosie joined Peter and the girls in coming to celebrate with the team, smiles on their faces as they headed through the tunnel and out onto the open grounds.

James wore a smile to match his glasses as he managed to make Rosie out, throwing his arms to catch her oncoming attack of celebratory hugs. "Hi." He tucked his arms under her bum, feeling her legs tighten around his back as he smiled up at her.

She returned the grin, shaking her head as she pulled the glasses off of his nose and extracting her wand from her sleeve. "Oculus Reparo." She muttered, and watched as the frames were bent back into place and jagged glass smooth once more. "I watched you stash your wand down your side, and you couldn't manage to extract it when the ref blew for half-time?"

"Nah." James shrugged. She gave him a reproving look. "I was too mixed up in the game to remember any of that. I had to go over tactics with my team anyway. Besides, I had my new lucky charm watching so I knew that eyesight in one eye was better than nothing." 

"Lucky charms can't stop you from scratching your cornea." Rosie scoffed. "But if my influence did help at all, I'm glad it stopped that from happening." She couldn't stop the grin from remaining as he pressed a kiss on the corner of her lips and put her down, slinging an arm around her waist. 

There was a clearing of a throat. Once Rosie and James turned to face everyone again, they found them all staring back at them. Lily was looking defiantly at one of the Beaters instead. 

"Alright, you lot?" James rose an eyebrow. "Who am I kidding - we did bloody well, well done to you all, played like absolute superstars. No practise for a week and I'll keep you updated on the next practise time. But go and get showered, and your captain'll provide you with another party tonight." 

His speech came to an end as the team began to make their way out of the stadium. Rosie turned, eyes bright. "Another party?"

"Obviously, gotta do something to celebrate our victory. Not that we won't be rubbing it in Slime-ball and his cronies' faces for the next few weeks anyways." James replied. "Oh, your attendance is mandatory, by the way. It is your fault that we won."

And with that, he kissed her cheek again and began to guide her towards the changing rooms.

"Sickening." Sirius grumbled. "They're absolutely sickening."

"It's James, what do you expect." Remus shook his head. "And in the limited time I've known her, Rosie seems like the type to enjoy some fun, and seeing as she lives in Hogsmeade, I doubt she experiences it much."

"She's cool though." Mary stared after her retreating back. "Hey - did you all know she plays in one of those illegal Quidditch leagues."

A groan of jealous reponses was returned.

✧

a/n
james would be a die hard
football fan and i stand by that