Poking about {Jason}

[Katherine Finnigan]

"Oh yeah...Coop's brill when it comes to Quidditch really. I've been playing against him since we both made our respective house teams and he's always a challenge...you know, him being a Keeper and me being the Hufflepuff chaser and all..." For a moment, Kat let her mind wander to how many times she'd faced Cooper Weasley over the years and it actually made her smile a little more. It really was no wonder the two had been friends for ages. Letting out a very soft sigh, she added, "Shame he's not looking into playing professionally after this year though. I'd love to kick his bum in front of billions of screaming and booing fans." At this, she grinned and let out a light laugh.

His next question came as a bit of a surprise to Kat. Scrunching her nose a little, she actually had to think about an answer that might make sense. While she thought, her eyes wandered down to her feet for a second or two. Finally, she replied, "I guess it's just because Quidditch is what I'm good at." Giving a short shrug, Kat went on, "See...when I was little, my dad and uncle were always teaching me little things about the sport and taking me to see matches and the like. Plus, I had a couple of cousins to practice with. When I started here, I was already pretty good at Quidditch...well, the flying and tossing a Quaffle about..." Again, she had to think about how that answered his question. It might have seemed like a simple enough question but a proper answer was difficult to come up with. Scratching the back of her neck lightly, she continued to say, "I was good...but I wanted to be better. I wanted to prove I could make my house team and make my daddy and Uncle Fergus proud. Didn't hurt that I already had a passion for Quidditch anyway."

Laughing softly, she shook her head and answered his next question. "I'm practically petrified about what my future's going to be like. I mean, it's not a sure thing that I'll even make a professional team...and if I don't...let's just say I'd rather not even think about that really." The idea of not being on signed by a team made Katherine sigh a little. It was a habit to second guess herself and assume she wasn't good enough but this single thing had her more worried than she'd ever been over anything. If it hurt when she had her heart broken, it would be at least ten times worse for her to not be signed to a professional Quidditch team. It simply was not an option. "You know, though, I'm gonna miss all you little buggers when I'm not here anymore. You'll have to promise to write and stop by if you're ever in Ireland. I know I already said it once...but I really do mean it. I'd love the company really."

Even though the ground was still pretty wet and a few clouds lingered in the sky, the dark rain clouds had gone and it was turning out to be a pretty nice day. Giving a quick glance around the grounds, she admired how the bits of sun shined through the clouds and gave the school an almost heavenly glow. Just as she was about to comment on it, she noticed that Jason was pointing over toward the forest. Following his gesture, she saw one of the most spectacular thing she'd ever laid eyes upon. "Kinda? Understatement of the century there Jason...it's gorgeous."