07; CAPTAIN ELARA

Soon enough, the day of the first match came. The first match Slytherin would play of this season. The first match in which Elara would be the captain.

"Hey Theo?"

"Yes, Lara?" Theodore turned his head to face his girlfriend who had just walked into the great hall, dressed in her quidditch uniform with the silver crest of the captain emblazoned on the back of her shirt.

"I'm going to check something off my list during the match today, and I needed to tell you so you wouldn't worry and try and stop me." She sat down and placed one of her hands atop his.

"What are you going to do?" He asked warily.

"Fall off my broom and then get back on it?"

Theodore dropped his forehead and laid it on their joined hands. "Bloody hell."

"I'm sorry, I love you."

He lifted his head and kissed her. "I love you too, but you're going to cause me a fucking heart attack one day."

"Never." She smiled and kissed his cheek before grabbing a plate of food and digging in before the match in an hour or so.

When she was done, she stood and cleared her throat loudly, gaining the attention of the whole Slytherin table. "Excuse me! Good morning, Slytherin! Can the Quidditch team please stand and follow me to the changing rooms!"

The team stood and the rest of the house clapped and cheered for them. a small group of people at the Gryffindor table clapped too, and when Elara looked over, she saw it was her friends.

The team followed Elara and her co-captain Theodore out of the hall and towards the pitch. they entered the Slytherin changing rooms and all of them headed to their personal lockers and began strapping their arm, leg and chest guards on.

Elara finished and slipped her gloves on before grabbing her bat and slinging it over her shoulder. then, she stood on the bench and addressed her teammates.

"Alright, listen up Slytherins! We're the best damn team Slytherin has had in centuries, and I've got absolute faith that we're going to smash this match. I've also got a warning for you, I plan on doing something a little dangerous this match, so please, if you see me falling off my broom, do not intervene and try to save me. Just this one match. NOW LET'S GO OUT THERE AND FUCKING SMASH IT!" She yelled the last part and the team all raised their fists, yelling and cheering excitedly.

Elara grabbed her broom and stood in the front with Theodore beside her. The rest of the team assembled behind her, Draco first as seeker, then the chasers, and finally the keeper. "And now, we welcome the Slytherin team!" She heard Lee's voice announce and mounted her broom, flying out to the pitch.

"And leading them, in her first match as captain, is none other than Elara Black!" As soon as Lee said that, the stands erupted in applause for the much beloved girl, lots of noise coming specifically from the Slytherin and Gryffindor stands.

Elara grinned and raised her hand in the sky, shaking it and cheering, causing the applause to get only louder. "Now, I want a nice, clean game, alright?" Madame Hooch said sternly to the Slytherin and Ravenclaw teams, who's captains both nodded after shaking hands.

"Let the game begin!" Lee cried out as Hooch tossed the Quaffle into the air and the bludgers and snitch were set free. Elara's hand tightened around her bat as her eyes flickered around, keeping an eye on the bludgers. One of them got close to Draco, and she flew towards it, swinging hard and smacking her bat against it and sending it flying in the other direction, grinning in satisfaction as it hit the Ravenclaw seeker right in the stomach.

"Fuck yes!" She yelled. and then she heard a whoosh behind her, and before anyone could even move, she had turned around and hit the other bludger so hard that it went zooming back in the direction it came from and hit the Ravenclaw beaters broom, sending him spiralling back. "Watch it you dimwit!"

"You alright, El?" Draco asked his cousin.

"I'm brilliant Draco, never better. Now you get to looking for that bloody snitch so we can win this fucking game."

Elara saw an opportunity coming for her to fall off her broom, she could see the bludger was about to be hit from the Ravenclaw beater to the other Slytherin chaser, and just as the beater was about to hit it, Elara let herself slide off her broom and she plummeted to the ground, managing to hit the bludger on the way there and then held her free hand out, her broom coming to her, and metres from the ground, she got back on her broom.

She raised both her hands up high and did a quick spin around the stadium, high fixing people as she passed them. "AND THERE YOU HAVE IT FOLKS! ANOTHER FLAWLESS MOVE PERFORMED BY THE BRILLIANT ELARA BLACK!"

The cheers were deafening as her house and Gryffindor stomped their feet. Theodore flew up to her and kissed her strongly. "What was that for?"

"For being brilliant." The dark haired boy grinned before flying away. Elara smiled, and then got her game face back on. She scanned the stadium for the Quaffle and noticed that one of her chasers had it and he just scored a goal, then quick as the wind, the other chaser got it and scored.

Elara realised that the Quaffle was about to be in Ravenclaw's possession, and she steadied herself on her broom, before diving with her bat ready, she swung at a bludger and hit it to the Ravenclaw chaser with the Quaffle, he dropped it, allowing for a Slytherin chaser to grab it and score.

Lee cried out, "AND MALFOY HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH! SLYTHERIN WINS THEIR FIRST MATCH OF THE SEASON!"

Elara drove her broom towards the ground and landed, then began jumping up and down happily. As soon as Draco landed, she wrapped him in a massive hug. "YOU BRILLIANT BOY!"

They were both laughing as she squeezed him and kissed his head. She could feel the rest of the team come closer and wrap their arms around the pair, all of them cheering and laughing.

Elara was especially happy because she knew some scouts were attending this game. Coaches and assistants from teams participating in the English and Irish League. As the team slowly calmed down, she heard someone clear their throat.

"Elara Black?" Elara whipped around, her hair flicking around in its messy ponytail.

"That's me." She replied to a woman dressed in dark robes, holding a roll of parchment in her hands. "Can I help you?"

The team went quiet, watching the exchange. The woman smiled. "My name is Matilda Harvey. I'm the representative for the Holyhead Harpies. May I have a word with you?"

Elara could hear gasps of shock around her. A massive smile appeared on her face. "Of course."

"Come this way." Matilda began walking to the Slytherin changing rooms, opening the door and walking in after Elara. She took a seat on the bench and Elara sat opposite her. "I'm sure you know, but representatives and scouts come to watch games here, to see if there's any interesting, or good players."

Elara gave a nod in response. "I was sent by the Harpies to watch this game, and suffice to say, you caught my eye. I haven't seen a Beater that good in a long time. They don't have many female Beaters in the Quidditch world, which serves as a disadvantages for the Harpies considering we only have females on our team. You are Captain, are you not?"

"Yes. First year being Captain. And last as well, I suppose." Elara laughed nervously. "This is my last year."

"Well, congratulations on getting Captain. What I wanted to speak with you about, is one of our Beaters is retiring. She wants to be a Healer, so she's going off to study. We need a Beater. I'm sure you can see where this is going." Elara nodded, practically on the edge of her seat, eyes wide in anticipation. "I'd like you to come and try out for us."

"You're being completely serious. You're not fucking with me?" Elara asked to be sure, eyes still wide and mouth slightly open.

"Absolutely. No bullshit." Matilda laughed. "We want you to try out. You have a talent, and we want to see how good you really are against others. Don't want your talent going to some other team."

"Wow. Thank you, first of all! I've always dreamed of playing for the Harpies, no joke. I always tell my boyfriend. He's the other Beater. He wants to play for the Magpies." Matilda made a face. "I know right! Exactly my reaction." Elara laughed.

"So, what do you say?"

"I say, absolutely! Yes! I would be honoured!"

Matilda stood and so did Elara. She held a hand out and Elara took it, shaking it. "Wonderful! I'll send you a letter with the details of the time and place. You are over 17 aren't you?"

"Yes, I turn 18 next month." Elara confirmed.

"Good. I will see you at the try outs then, Elara Black. Don't disappoint me!" Matilda called as she walked out of the room. She turned to say one last thing. "One more thing, don't tell anyone what we spoke about, alright? Not until results of the try outs are out."

Elara mimed zipping her mouth, and Matilda left the room. Her team filed in, expectant looks on their faces. "So?" Blaise asked.

"So, what?" Elara laughed, slipping her robes off, leaving her in her shirt and trousers. She knelt down to pull her boots off and then slip her arm guards off.

"What did she want?" Draco urged.

"To have a nice chat with me. Confidential, sorry." Elara mimed zipping her mouth once more before grabbing her school robes and heading to one of the stalls to get changed, leaving behind a team groaning in exasperation and annoyance.

Matilda, true to her word, sent Elara a letter almost a week later.

Elara Black,

Try outs will be in the Harpies home stadium in Wales. 7AM sharp on the 1st of November.

*insert location*

We'll be sending you a Portkey the day off, just be sure no one sees you leaving. We're trying to keep this under wraps until all is done.

Good luck.

Matilda Harvey.

The days leading up to the 1st of November, Elara could barely concentrate on anything. She was letting herself get hit during the D.A. meeting, causing mass alarm as the girl was usually always on alert. She wasn't focused during classes, and she wasn't able to get much sleep, leading to energy and sleep potions. The only time she was concentrated was during Quidditch practice.

So, when the day came, Elara woke up early, and tiptoed to the bathroom with her Slytherin Quidditch robes and other clothes. She brushed her teeth and dressed in the Slytherin shirt and trousers, before pulling her black boots on and sticking her wand in it's holster to make sure it wouldn't fly out when she was playing.

After she slapped her guards on, she pulled her hair into a high ponytail, groaning internally when she realised it was pretty long now. She would have to cut it soon. Then, she took a deep breath and walked out of the bathroom quietly and headed to the small wrapped package on her desk.

She would be gone for the majority of the morning, but considering it was the weekend, she wouldn't miss any classes. Elara had written a note for Theodore, telling him she was spending the day with her father, and told her father to cover for her, even though he had no idea what was going on.

Unwrapping the package, she saw it held a small dirty can. When it started to glow blue, she covered it with one hand, while her other hand held her Firebolt. Then, she disappeared.