In Pursuit of Perfection SOLO fin.

Date: Saturday, 29 June 2024
Time: 07:15
Location: Quidditch Training Pitch

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They'd finally done it. They'd finally fucking done it. The Quidditch Cup was in Slytherin's hands, and in the moment, it had felt so, so good. Victory – or happiness, or even vengeance, whatever you wanted to call it – had never tasted so sweet as when Dan caught the Snitch in the last game of the year, Right then, it had hardly mattered what happened in the other game. Slytherin had managed three wins.

It hadn't been easy. And that was the simple truth of it all: it had never been easy, and it would never be easy. Everyone had to be at their best all the time, and sometimes that wasn't feasible. But it had been feasible this year. They had bested everyone... this time. Next year would be different – especially without Erin. Other teams had also lost seventh years, but Erin struck fear into the minds of opponents and allies alike.

Koko didn't know if anyone on their team could have the same effect on others as Erin had, but she did know they could damn well try.

She woke up as early as she always did and changed into a lightweight hoodie and leggings, but instead of simply jogging around the grounds as soon as curfew lifted, she brought her Oakshaft 79 to the Quidditch Training Pitch and stared up at the already-bright sky. The sun had been up for quite some time now, and Koko felt smaller than usual, dwarfed by her surroundings and the sky. Huffing, she mounted her broom and kicked off.

The sky seemed to momentarily hold her in its arms, but the short rush of joy Koko felt in the sky was simply unwarranted. She grit her teeth and forced herself to fly faster, her hair whipping in the wind as she rushed through the air. As much as she enjoyed flying, as much as the wind rushing past her often brought smiles to her lips, today was not for happiness.

No, today was for training. She would not allow the upcoming summer to erode her talent. She had to make the most of the training pitch at Hogwarts while she still could, and then while she was with her mum's family in France, she would make use of the estate's expansive grounds to continue training.

They had won once. But they had lost much, much more than that. If Koko had her way, they would not lose again – ever. But she only had one more year to cement that wish, and cement it she would. She, at least, would be perfect. She would support everyone if they wished to do the same, but she would not hold them to quite the same expectation.

Koko flexed her fingers against her broom's handle, and after braking sharply, she forced herself into a steep dive to gain speed. The Oakshaft was about as fast as her Silver Arrow, and it was sturdier, meaning she felt she could push herself further. She levelled out relatively close to the ground and then began to head back to a normal altitude, beginning a lap around the Pitch, her knuckles red from the assault of the wind. Tears dotted the corners of her eyes; be them from emotion or exertion, she wouldn't know.

Right now, the focus was speed. In France, she would get to have a bit more fun. But right now, she had to be able to get from point A to point B without interruption. What happened to Avery in the last game would never happen again, not on Koko's watch, not unless she was knocked out cold on the grassy pitch below.

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