Dreams don't mean anything, do they? (nano challenge #3) on Crotalus Commons

Alistair Johnson

November 29, 2015 12:37 PM

Dreams don't mean anything, do they? (nano challenge #3) by Alistair Johnson

Crotalus was one step away from having a team of their own. To be precise, they were one player away from achieving Alistair’s goal which the rest of their house didn’t seem half as concerned with as he thought they should be. Yet being just one player short was still a problem. All the other teams had at least seven players, even Teppenpaw, so there was no fall back option of combining again.

It was a puzzle that Ali was so desperately trying to piece together in his mind but there seemed to be no solution for the missing piece. He wasn’t the kind to give up but realism was always high on his priorities. He’d bully anyone into playing if he could but his options were either much older students or girls and he wasn’t stupid enough to try with them. Perhaps it was time to step up and face the facts, that he couldn’t possibly get together a full team this year. He’d just have to train hard with what he had in the hopes that they’d be unbeatable once they got a new kid next year. Make that two new additions, since Leo Princeton was a seventh year so wouldn’t be making an appearance the next term. Of course he’d gotten Leo to join the team - Ali’s persuasive skills were just that good. He knew his good family name and maturity would bring the older boy round eventually if he was persistent in reminding him how important it was for the house that Crotalus be able to compete in the school Quidditch matches.

Alistair knocked on the door to Professor Skies’ office. She permitted him to enter and take a seat. He’d had an idea, pure genius that he was, but he knew it would be best to check it over with a senior member of staff before going ahead and doing it, if only to check that it could be within the rules. He wasn’t sure it had happened before but didn’t see why it couldn’t, provided the person in question was willing. Not that Ali had even decided who the person in question was yet.

“That’s an interesting idea,” said Professor Skies thoughtfully in response to his explanation of what he was planning. “And it would probably work. The only problem is, I’m not certain we could easily find a student willing to essentially ‘betray’ their house and play for Crotalus just so we get a team. Even if we could, who’s to say how their team would react.”

“That’s true,” Alistair could accept someone questioning his excellent plan if that someone was Professor Skies and provided they presented their constructive criticism in such a way that she did. “I have considered this and reached the conclusion that that wouldn’t be such of an issue if we selected a player from the Teppenpaw team. They have more players than they need so surely they’d be happy to lend us one if it meant that all four houses could compete. You know how they’re all about being nice and stuff.” If he had been in Liac Reinhardts position he likely would have refused the lease of player but even if he’d never seen eye to eye with the Reinhardt’s, they were Teppenpaws after all so they had to show why at some point. Plus Ali had a Reinhardt on his team which could probably be used as leverage as he didn’t doubt Liac and Tobi would want to support their little cousin/brother by doing all they could to help his team reach the required seven players.

“I see,” nodded Professor Skies, realizing that the young Captain had thought of everything already. “I suppose there couldn’t be any harm in asking. They have a few inexperienced first years who have tried out this year that shouldn’t be too much of a loss.”

Alistair begged to differ. There was most certainly harm in asking; his pride would be hurt and if his house had any slither of house pride then theirs should too. But he’d been left no choice. He wanted to play and this seemed the only option left. Anything was better than not playing, at least that’s what he repeatedly reminded himself. Nothing could really be worse than sharing his captaincy with Liac as he had the past two years anyway, that was for sure. “I don’t think we want an inexperienced first year, thank you.”

“Beggars can’t be choosers, Alistair. Surely you realize that if they do decide to lend us a player, which they may still refuse to do, they won’t be stupid enough to lend us one of their best?” Professor Skies seemed surprised by his words.

Alistair shrugged. “They have to find a player who’s willing to switch, not just a player they are willing to let go of. Considering I was also Captain of Teppalus, it is more likely that a student who was part of that combined team would be happy to help us.”

“Who do you have in mind?” asked Professor Skies. Besides pointing out potential flaws, she seemed pretty on board with the whole plan.

“Ginger Pierce,” Ali didn’t even pretend to think about it. In fact, he wasn’t entirely sure that he had thought about it. The name just jumped out of his mouth and he instantly wished he could take it back, or at least remove some of the eagerness and certainty in his voice as he’d said it.

“Really?” Professor Skies didn’t look fazed by his choice and neither did she sound surprised, only prompting an explanation.

Alistair wasn’t the blushing sort and therefore didn’t invoke any reason for the Head of House to be suspicious of his suggestion. “She’s probably the least experienced of the Teppenpaws who were in Teppalus,” he told Skies convincingly. Okay, that might not be so true nowadays. Little Ginger Pierce (who was thirteen now and probably not so little) had come a long way in her Quidditch playing since the beginning of her first year and most noticeably improved a great deal last term. Alistair was proud of how well his work with her during practice seemed to be paying off. Only he wouldn’t be able to work with her anymore if this plan didn’t go smoothly and as much as he hated to admit it even to himself, this was a thought that saddened him. Quidditch had always been his excuse to spend time with Ginger since he’d realized she wasn’t the appropriate sort of Pierce for him to mix with any more than was necessary. No longer being her Captain meant he’d either have to go against all his principles or just look the other way and try not to think about that smile… not that that was something he ever did, of course. “Having worked with her a lot for the past two years, I feel that she’d easily be the most willing to help us out too.” He didn’t doubt that Ginger would want to play for her own house first and foremost but she had to be the nicest, most thoughtful person he’d ever met so if she wasn’t willing to forfeit that to allow his team to play (when she knew there were others eager to fill her place that would benefit too), he doubted that anyone would. There was also a part of him that hoped she wouldn’t just do it for Crotalus as a house and her old teammates and for generally being a good person, but that she’d perhaps do it for him too. It was a guilty little wish of his but one that he excused as being because he deserved this kind of repayment and thanks for all that he’d taught her and supported her, rather than the hope that she had some other sort of feeling toward him.

“Well, I suggest you propose the idea to Captain Liac Reinhardt,” Professor Skies said. “I give you my approval to go ahead if the Teppenpaw team agree. I trust you to go about this in an appropriate manner and realize that they would be doing us a huge favour. Please let me know when they reach a decision. In the meantime, I shall inform Coach Olivers.”

Alistair thanked his Head of House politely and left the office. He was unsure whether it was best to follow her instructions and go straight to Liac or try and bring Ginger around first. It seemed that his decision was made for him pretty quickly as he departed out of the Crotalus common room. He was headed for the sports room in MARS but along the way he spotted Ginger Pierce herself up ahead. Ali sped up his walk, whilst maintaining a fairly dignified pace because he didn’t want to be seen chasing Ginger in any sense of the word.

“Ginger!” he called once he had caught up enough not to be shouting.

She stopped walking and turned, smiling that cheery smile that seemed to send all the clouds running. Ali thought she looked pleased to see him but refused to let it go to his head - she smiled at everyone like that, didn’t she?

“Ginger,” he repeated as he reached her. “I was wondering if-” but the end of the question refused to follow, as if he didn’t know what it was. But surely he did. Hadn’t he just explained it all to Professor Skies? Why were the words stuck in his throat now? “What would you think about-”

Something about Ginger’s smile suddenly seemed off. Everything did, from the way her hair seemed to be shining as though a halo surrounded her head and her eyes looked beautiful in a way that he’d never noticed before. Next thing he knew she was laughing. At him? It sounded cruel and nothing like that happy sound he was used to from the Quidditch pitch. But no longer was it just him and Ginger in this empty hall as though only they mattered. Other students were there, laughing and jeering. He hardly noticed this, however, when his eyes landed on a certain pair of girls in the crowd. Caelia and Kelsey were joining in, disdain written all over their faces in a way that he’d never seen them look before. This was what made his head spin and the ground disappear from beneath him. He was falling, falling…

Alistair woke with a jolt, coughing and spluttering as if the words from the question he’d never finished were still stuck there, blocking his windpipe. But they couldn’t be… it had all been a dream, right? It wasn’t as though he’d never dreamt in his sleep before but certainly he’d never experienced anything like this. He was hot and sweaty and highly embarrassed, even if no one had been able to see it. The realization that he had been dreaming about Ginger Pierce as this beautiful girl in the corridor was horrifying in itself but then the strange nightmare everything had spiralled into… Dreams were stupid, they didn’t mean anything. Of course Alistair didn’t have feelings for a California Pierce and he wasn’t scared that he did, nor was he scared of everyone’s reaction if he did. The whole thing was ridiculous. Even so, Alistair found he couldn’t shake it from his mind and he made his way to the bathroom through the dark. It was fairly early in the morning but he didn’t think it worth trying to get back to sleep, or maybe he didn’t dare. As he stood in the shower he found himself wondering where Joella had been in the dream and if he would have seen her if he hadn’t woken up at that point. What would she have been doing? Ali turned the tap on cold, as though he could freeze these absurd ideas out of his head.

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