The Cannon and The Keeper pv Closed

She met his forest eyes with her own sapphire ones and offered him a warm smile when he said she could join. It was true that she was one of Erin’s teammates but thankfully she did not share the indigo haired girl’s opinions or thought processes. She remembered watching Ried on the field and he was strong. She certainly was glad she never had the opportunity to take a bludger from him. Noting that he moved the book so that she could sit within good company, so she closed the short distance left and gently laid her broom down before sitting with it.

She sat opposite of him so that if any conversation happened between them, she could at least look at him. Sitting side by side was something close friends did, and she couldn’t even remember his name. The rips in her black jeans exposed one of her knees and a couple of places on her shins, pants she should probably retire for the season, but what could you do when they were your favorite?

Her own sweater was long, but not baggy, ending right above her mid-thigh. The bottom hem, sleeve cuffs, and collar were a classic emerald green leaving the rest of the sweater black. She pushed up her sleeves revealing that it wasn’t just the random spots on her legs that shared her porcelain fine complexion. As she opened her satchel containing the little things, she would need for her broom his voice caused her to look up at him once more. “Oh, it’s a Nimbus 1500. I got it as a gift for making the team from my father. So I wanted to make sure to take really good care of it. I rode it a couple of days ago to get the feel for it and now I finally have time to shape it better.” If there was one thing San did it was taking pride in her possessions by taking good care of them, regardless of what the holes in her jeans said.

She extended her hand to him in greeting, something she should have done before even sitting down. “I’m Santario, by the way, and congratulations on your win. It was well earned.” If he took her hand to shake he would realize the girl had somewhat cold hands and a firm, but not too tight of a grip something considered respectable. If he did not take her hand, she would do the same thing she would do when he released her hand if he had taken it. She would grab the trimmers from her satchel and carefully set to work in shaping the very obviously new broom.

She returned his smile and when their hands released, she would pick up her trimmers. Children who were groomed would no doubt have an easier time noticing the little traits each other carried. She herself sat perfectly straight as if she had been used to having her shoulders tied back to a chair until she could do it on her own. Her hands although slim and elegant moved with purpose and never wasted a movement just as a proper lady should.

She nodded when he mentioned Koko but when he brought up Erin her smile faded, and she would not try to hide it. “Yeah, Koko is a really amazing keeper. Though, Erin… Well, she is, of course, a good beater although I do not approve of her attitude nor the way she treats people.” Teammate or not she would not stick up for someone she did not approve of it and actions that she could not condone.

Although she had picked up her own trimmers it would appear the girl did for the moment waste the movement as she focused on the boy in front of her. A breeze flowed through the pitch blowing some of her raven hair in her face. Something that was quickly remedied by collecting all of her hair over to one shoulder. Separating it into sections and wrapping them around each other as he asked her what position she played. “Ah, no, not a chaser. I am actually the second-string keeper. Though we were just informed that if we want to be apart of the dueling club when it starts, we also can’t be in quidditch. So I am second-guessing remaining with the team.” She wouldn’t quit without having a replacement on deck, but given her teammates as well it was the more appealing option.

“You are an amazing beater, Reid, you sent those bludgers off like cannonballs. The compliment was genuine and she would very much hate to have to take a bludger directed from him. Granted, if she did decide to take on dueling instead of quidditch that wouldn’t be an issue. Her sapphire eyes flitted over him as if she were analyzing him; the way he sat, spoke, how he carried himself within their so far short conversation, and more importantly any emotion he expressed. It was one of the things that she was good at and it helped her figure out how to converse with people who she considered far more normal than she was.     

That smile of his shone a little more than it did the first time, and it seemed that she had been successful in breaking the ice. She nodded as he spoke, agreeing with his sentiments. “Hm, yes, watching people get hurt is not something that I enjoy at all, but at the same time, it is apart of the game. We all knew what we were signing up for when we did.” That wasn’t exactly true because although she was a pureblood, she had no idea how violent quidditch could be. Having watched Quinn and Kyle plummet to the ground had scared the hell out of her. She wasn’t afraid for herself, but for her friends and what was worse is that Hogwarts’s bludgers weren’t even as powerful as the pros.

Dueling was also violent, but it somehow seemed a little less. “Yeah, I think so. I’m competitive, but at the same time not? It’s more like I am competitive with myself more than I am with others. I don’t believe in stepping on others to lift yourself up, but I do believe that I should always try to be better than I was yesterday.” He was easy to talk to, and it was notable as she spoke freely with him. It would appear that the more he relaxed, the more she could as well. Outwardly it was easy to show confidence, but in the back of her mind, he was still a third-year, a Prefect, and a fantastic beater, and that was still a little intimidating.

“I look at dueling as a way to practice my skills and hone myself to be better. How else can you be better at predicting when you will need something if you never use it in that situation? Although I don’t expect to run into dark wizards and I don’t plan on being an Auror, it is always good to be capable of protecting those you care most about.” It was her greatest fear, failing to protect those that she held dear, being useless, and afraid. "Really, I want to be a potions master and healer, but there isn't exactly a good way to practice either of those outside of classes." She laughed softly, looking down at the way her broom tail was shaping up to be. She figured that she had pruned enough to make the changes that she had wanted on how it handled. After all, even if she wasn't going to play quidditch, having a well-maintained broom would still be a good thing to have around.

She nodded when he spoke about going to the nurse or the abandoned bathrooms. “Honestly, I will probably also get in Professor Price’s good graces and see if he would be willing to let me pick his brain sometimes. Then I might also be able to volunteer in the hospital wing when I get older.” Given that the man used to work at St. Mungos and now was the potions professor here at Hogwarts, he had quickly become someone that Santario would look up to. He and Caradoc Browne as she had heard rumors that his healing capabilities were also quite good.

She laughed softly when he said that he would just run into people with magic resistant armor. “As much as I hope you never have to be in that situation, it is an interesting thing to picture. Just you done up in knights armor bull-rushing with magic resistance.” It very much was an amusing image in her head. “You have a nice smile, and I think you should do that more often. You also have plenty of time to figure out what you want to be in life. You seem like you have a good head on your shoulders, and I can’t see you struggling for long.” Her smile comment was genuine and would seem nonchalant. She wasn’t the type of girl to notice looks in anything other than an art form. As far as she was concerned, boys like him hardly stumbled for long. She was sure he was probably destined for something or other, and it would just take him a little more time to see it.

“I guess it was an easy decision for me. I spent a lot of time isolated, and I took to helping my mom with potions, and I became fascinated by them. I also do photography as a hobby, so if for whatever reason I fail, I suppose I can always work for the paper as a photographer. My father says I am always only looking at places and people through the lens of my camera.” She shrugged a little. What else could you do when you weren’t allowed to interact with the people around you?