This thread takes place in the stadium during the South Africa vs. Moldova Quarter Final Match

@Ruby Cazares

While watching a professional game was all fun and games, the crowds were too much for Daniel. Sitting next to stupid people from Slytherin drove him nuts, and while he was a bit sour that his own team, Wales, had lost so badly, he was still trying to enjoy his day. It just... wasn't sitting right with him. There were two boys behind him who kept screaming at the top of their lungs, and the girl sitting immediately to his right kept rubbing her arm against him, like she was jittery and unwilling to sit still. He couldn't take it. He knew his parents and brothers wouldn't be here, but that still meant that he had to find something else to do.

Sitting in the stands was no longer an option for the boy who didn't like crowds. Maybe, he figured, being in a scene like this was the wrong decision.

He hoisted his backpack up and tossed it over his shoulder and pushed his way through the stands to the end. He gave proper notice to the people who needed to know where he was, and started up the various steps towards the inner part of the stadium. He was sure there were bathrooms, and plenty of quieter places to talk without needing to be sandwiched between other people. He was already getting annoyed, although he was trying to not let a sour mood stop him from having fun.

He was lost in thoughts that he barely noticed someone was following him. At the top of the section, the seats tampered out and a walkway appeared, open enough between seats and the edge that it allowed Daniel some breathing room. He leaned against the back and took a breath.

Finally.

A girl of average height with brown hair tied in two plaits, pretty blue eyes, and a skin tone that was a variation of white was watching the game. The girl's name was Ruby, and she sat straight-backed, like always. She held herself with an air of sharp intelligence, quiet confidence, sophistication, some amount of grace, and there was something else – something strong, like ambition, passion, power, or all three. She was highly analytical and observant, and she was always calculating, always noting what went on.

She was interested in Quidditch and loved flying, but she was starting to get a bit bored. The game had been going on for a while, and there was lots of loud, unpredictable noise. It was all beginning to be too much for her, so she decided to go for a walk or something, just so that she could clear her head and be alone for a little while. She told the people who needed to know, and then she wandered away.

Ruby saw a boy of her own age not far in front of her, and she wondered where he was going. It seemed like she was following him, but she was just in the same direction and assumed he'd go somewhere else. Great. He was still here, and was now settled in the same area she wanted to be. It seemed like they had the same purpose, and in that case, she didn't want to disturb him, but she was also too stubborn to leave, so she situated herself far away enough so that she wouldn't be annoying, but they were still close to each other, since Ruby didn't have a lot of space to work with, really. She debated saying something, apologizing for seeming to follow him and being in the same place, but she decided against it for the time being, giving him the chance to say something if he wanted to. Ruby hoped the boy wasn't too annoyed with her. If they spoke, maybe he could be a possible friend.

The Quidditch stadium was way too loud. Daniel hated it. How did Professor Jensen manage to convince him to go? Sure, being able to go to a real game was a once in a lifetime thing, but she had also said some truth. Something about going to study how they played, if he was interested in joining the Slytherin Quidditch team. He wasn’t really sure whether or not he wanted to join. While he liked flying, and had been on a broom since he was a wee lad, he also wasn’t in the mood for teamwork. It was especially obvious when some of the Slytherins were… they were dense. Daniel, honestly, had no ambition to work alongside, or with them to bring their house to victory.

The young boy leaned against the banister that dropped sharply downwards. If the railing of the metal and wood gave out, he’d be a goner. He glanced over his shoulder down into the inky depths below. Yep. He’d much rather be on the broom in the sky than at the bottom of the ditch. How many people would know he had fallen? Glancing around, the majority of people here were busy. Even professor Jensen had disappeared… where ever. He didn’t know. He wasn’t much of a suck up, but the head of Slytherin was quickly becoming someone he was enjoying constant conversation with.

The boy, as he leaned against the banister realized there was another girl near him. A fellow Slytherin, as the other houses weren’t there. He glanced at her but offered no conversation. Between the fact he’d have to scream to even converse wasn’t something he was interested in, either. That would be stupid. He rolled his shoulders and allowed himself to glance back towards the Quidditch pitch. Finally, things were getting exciting. Not too much for Daniel’s attention to stay on it for too long.

Ruby watched the game for a while more. The fact that it was so loud even up here annoyed her. She didn't like noise this loud, especially when the crowd would start unexpectedly screaming when someone scored or when there was an interesting play. Quidditch was something that she enjoyed watching, for the most part, and she loved flying, but today, she just wasn't in the mood to deal with all of this.

She looked at the boy again. She wanted to talk to him, and it was definitely a little quieter and less annoying up here, but it was still loud. How could she manage to speak to him up here? She started to feel a little hopeless, and although she was content just standing here and letting her mind wander, she did want to speak with him. Ruby liked some of the Slytherins – after all, the person she was closest to here was a Slytherin – but some of them were complete idiots, if she was absolutely honest. She seriously wondered how those people had got into the house with cunning, shrewd, and cleverness as some of their traits. However, the ones who had a decent amount of brains or were more similar to her weren't that bad. They were the ones she preferred by far.

The fact that she had ended up in the same place as this boy showed that they were at least somewhat similar. Maybe they could become friends? Now, how to talk to him...

Annoyance crossed his face. Sure, the Quidditch game was all fun and games, but he was getting bored. Daniel liked Quidditch; he thought the game was exciting, but the people? No thanks. The eleven year old’s patience burned out. He was ready to go home. Professor Jensen would have to be disappointed in his lack of commitment to stay and watch. He learned a few of the moves; and if he really wanted to get on the Quidditch team, all he had to do was read and practice. He’d been flying on a broom for ages, after all. It wasn’t like it was too difficult to play Quidditch, either. He had thrown around quaffles with his brothers. He knew how to swing a beater’s bat.

He was thinking about this when he caught movement. The girl who had followed him up the steps was staring. Again. He didn’t know how many times she had stared at him, but the eleven-year-old found it gross. Girls were gross. What did she do? Get a crush on him because he was boy who liked Quidditch? He wrinkled his nose. Suffice to say, Daniel wasn’t very amused at her.

He didn’t bother turning to look towards the other Slytherin. A part of him didn’t care to look at her. He wouldn’t give her the amusement of being stared at. Maybe he was just that handsome she couldn’t stop staring. That was it. The only person who thought he was ugly was Anastasia Beckett, and if he was being honest, she was a monkey in general, so her thoughts weren’t very realistic. Or, if he was being frank, very smart.

Who knew when it came to the annoying Gryffindor.

Thinking about it, he finally spoke up towards the girl who kept staring, “If you need something, I suggest you simply say it, instead of staring at me like I’ve become a Runespoor,” he said a bit harshly. He didn’t really mean it, but he knew it’d get his point across. He didn’t like when people stared at him. He didn’t have to look to feel the eyes on him when everyone else stared at the Quidditch pitch.

Ruby had most certainly not been staring. She had glanced over at him two brief times, and not because she had developed a crush – she definitely hadn't. She never got crushes, and she liked being friends with boys.

As she watched the game, she started to almost feel the boy's annoyance. Was it with her? What had she done except come here? Maybe she could just leave and wander around the stadium or the surrounding area. That sounded nice – to see a bit more nature and stop annoying random boys. She was contemplating this and was about to move when the boy spoke.

Okay, maybe it would be easier to talk than she thought it was. Maybe she should have just spoken instead of thinking she would have to shout. As she listened to what the Slytherin guy was saying, she rolled her eyes – even if he couldn't see it. He thought she was staring at him? Really? Was he one of those boys, the touchy, girl-hating, self-centered ones? Or was he not? Maybe Ruby hadn't given him enough of a chance yet. She had intruded on his space, to be fair. She had glanced over at him twice, which may have made him feel uncomfortable and like he had been stared at. Maybe she was the one being unfair…

“I'm sorry. I wasn't sure how easy it would be to communicate over this noise, and although I wasn't staring at you, I can see why you might have thought or felt that. I apologize for intruding on your space, but I could leave now if you wish,” Ruby said neutrally, trying not to anger him further or make him more uncomfortable.

She didn't like apologizing unless it was absolutely necessary. Normally, something could be brought back to others as their fault, and even if it was her fault, she didn't particularly care. She didn't care if people didn't like her or were mad at her – she liked her own space, her peace and quiet, her time to think. However, this boy didn't seem like he was as much of an idiot as some of the others, and she realized that she might have been taking some of his space, privacy, peace, and thinking time away. Those things combined made her feel like she could at least try apologizing. It shouldn't hurt her, and if he still reacted badly, then he wasn't friend material, right? At least not until something changed. She could always leave and hope not to have many interactions with him in the future.