"DADDY!!"

Mary squealed as she saw her father, the rotund journalist Phillip Maywell, disapparating into Hogsmeade as he had promised by owl post. Running towards him, she was immediately met by his bushy beard. "Oh, easy there, my girl, you'll hurt someone," he said, laughing, as he caught the small whirlwind in his arms. "Glad to see you could make it!" She laughed, held safely in her father's arms, and chirped in a Scottish accent, "What're ye talking boot, 'make it'? Ah wouldn't miss it for the wurld, Da! The Magpies are in a greht position this season, of course ah wouldn't miss this match!" He smiled, looking at her with mock scorn. "Now, now, are you still holding on to that dialect, dear? I suppose that can't be helped, you being homesick and all. Just make sure your Mother doesn't hear about it, okay?"

Phillip took his daughter's hand, disapparating her as so many times before in her childhood. As the glaring pop died, the pair found themselves in a large crowd of people, all heading up a slope towards the large Quidditch Stadium located outside the rather small town of Montrose, Scotland. On the way, Mary overheard a few away supporters comment on their Beater, and turned to her father. "Is it troo, Da? Did Shamus MacAlpine spraien his wrist in traening yesterday? Won't that hurt our chances?" Out from the beard came a derisive scoff. "Hmph! Even if it is, MacAlpine is tougher than both Puddlemere beaters put together. I seriously doubt anything will hurt our chances for this match; we're in superb form.

Daddy wasn't lying, that's for sure. Ten minutes into the game, and we're already 20 points up! Hmm. I wonder if their Keeper will give us any headaches today-- doubt it, though, looks like he's way off his -- OH COME ON, THAT'S BLATCHING -- off his rocker. This should be easy! Hmm. Wonder what Alia and Erin are doing back home now. Probably off on some zany adventure, and -- Oh my, Trevor Wilde is through, he dodges, it's, YES! It's 30 - 0!

As the crowd exploded into scenes of joy on the home mainstand, Mary couldn't help but think about Hogwarts, and merely stood there, smiling serenely; her father leaned in. "Anything worrying you, dear? They are treating you well at the school, right?" Smiling, Mary replied, "Oh, oh yes, Da! Ah'm havin' the time of me life, really! It's all so greht. Just, well, it gives ye a lot to think aboot." Smiling, Phillip let go of her only child, turning his attention back on the pitch, where the Montrose Magpies were still firmly in the control of the game.

Stretching on her toes to see the pitch, the short thirteen-year old smiled, thinking back to her new home. I wonder if I'll ever be able to repay those girls for what they've given me, even if I live to be a hundred and twenty. I'm still not convinced they really understand. But then again, I'm not sure I can do anything about that. Hmm. I wonder if... Starting to worry, Mary was suddenly disrupted by her train of thought by a roar from the opposing mainstand; Puddlemere United had reduced the deficit to 30-10, and the home crowd was angrily shouting for a Blatching call on one of the Puddlemere Chasers, having distracted the Magpies' Keeper.

Oh, come on, have someone cast a Memory Charm on the officials?? Sigh, whatever. You know, my first years at school I was worried my greatest problem in life would be that no boy would ever want to talk to me, as clumsy as I can be in these social trappings. And suddenly I've got the opposite problem dumped into my l -- OH FOR CLIODNA'S SAKE -- right into my lap. I'm sort of hoping he doesn't really show up again. No idea where he took of, really, but I'd rather not do this. I'm not sure I've got the guts. And it's just so typical thatohmyhe'sthroughandit'saGOOOAAAAL!

As the home stand once again exploded in celebration of the fourth Magpie goal, Phillip picked up his daughter, lifiting her up so she could enjoy the celebratory scenes on the pitch. Mary laughed, exhilarated by the sport that was occupying so much of her thoughts these days. Of course, when she got down again, she was confused; why on earth couldn't she focus on the sport now that she was actually on the pitch, watching her heroes? Mary shrugged, deciding to put her mind where it mattered, and climbed on top of her father for a better view.

...

With a scoreline of 130 - 90 before the Magpies caught the Snitch in a fairly short game, the total score of 280 - 90 promised a good league position. Sitting exhausted in her bed, still in full Magpie garb, Mary smiled, her mind still torn. I wonder what the other one's thinking. Should I feel guilty? He's alot older than me, too. I wonder if he's... well, if he meant anything that night, or if it's all in my head, just a wishful dream. Seems alot of things are mostly in my head these days. If I don't get my head out of the clouds and into the classroom, Snape's gonna have my hide. But Potions is so dreadfully dull. I'd rather get some decent ours of practice in before tryouts; that Snitch is a lot harder to catch than I thought. Listening to her roommates' deep breath, she heard her father's last words that day repeat in her head: "You think too much, my girl." Snuffing the bedside candle with her wand, she smiled, hoping to see him again soon.

_________________
Mary Maywell, Ravenclaw, Resident Ray of Sunshine
Also, some other dudes I barely play.

Mary sighed, lying back in her bed.

Coming late to the dorm room, she could hear Alia's gentle snoring a few feet away. The last day had been crazy. Not in her wildest imaginations could, or should, this have happened to her. "I have to be dreaming. I did not just get private Quidditch training by the reserve Seeker for the Holyhead Harpies. I don't believe it. And, well, she's so down to earth. I have no idea how she manages it. If I was in her shoes, I'm sure I'd be a pretty arrogant and insufferable twerp to deal with." Looking around the unlit room, she caught a glimpse of Erin's still figure in the darkness. Smiling brightly to herself, she thought of how much the support of her friends meant to her. "I am going to have to make a choice. This can't go on anymore, or I'm going to hurt everyone I love, and end up with nothing. Neither of the three deserve that, me dangling them by the rope until it suits me to settle my heart." With a deep sigh, she thought fondly of all the wonderful people she'd met here at Hogwarts. "I wish I could have them all, really. Unfortunately, that's not how the world works..."

Suddenly, whispering as to not awaken the other girls, the poster of Eunice Murray peered out from the edges: "You -still- awake, girl? What's the matter with you? You've got Classes in six hours, you know. No self-respecting Quidditch team will take on a girl that can't even focus on school; it reflects poorly on her ability to handle stress on the pitch as well, you know. Sighing deeply, Mary turned to the Magpies portrait. "I know, Miss Murray. You're right. I really need to get myself togeth..." "No, Maywell. No more words. Time for action. Don't say it, do it. Get to sleep, get to your Classes, and make sure to get ready for that sodding tryout. I'm going to be very disappointed with you if that Ryuzaki kid gets the Seeker spot."

Eunice seemed to deliberate a bit, hanging around sleepily in her poster. "You know, the Sport of Warlocks is a lot like life, when it all comes down to it. Sometimes, the bludgers around you are just so aggressive that you'll be left no chance but to batter them away the best you can. Gods know you can't get anywhere in life without chasing that Quaffle down, and getting past the opposing Keeper when you can. And finally, being a Seeker in life requires alot of focus. You need to know what you want, and then you need to want it more than anything else. That's the only way to catch the Golden Snitch you're so desperately vying for." Mary smiled, whispering even lower, hearing Alia turning in her sleep. "You know, that's practically what Angelique told me. I mean, about the Snitch, you know. And desire to catch it." In the darkness, Murray smiled. "Well, the girl's got a good head on her shoulders, haven't she? Slytherins ain't such a bad sort, as long as you watch your back around them. And I doubt Angelique got anything for free in life. You'll do well to look at her, and learn from it. Now, I'm not inclined to linger here anymore, it's way past your bedtime, Miss Maywell." Snorting, the legendary Magpies Seeker trodded off from the portrait. Mary laid back, smiling warmly. "Life's great, really. You have nothing to worry about, Mary. Just believe in yourself; it's not that hard, your room mates illustrate just how easy it can be. Now focus. Step one; get to sleep, you silly Scot."

With a serene look, she closed her eyes, letting sleep take her within minutes, ready for yet another day at Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

_________________
Mary Maywell, Ravenclaw, Resident Ray of Sunshine
Also, some other dudes I barely play.

Dear Angelique,

I'll try to explain how many times I think about you, my dear prize
count the stars in the night sky, I'm sure it won't suffice
everytime I see you, dear, you make this heart beat faster
please, let me be your Pollux, you my Castor

Yours with love,

Mary

Mary smiled brightly, slightly reminiscent of a cat lying in wait for a mouse passing by. Which was ridiculous, of course, as the mouse in question was four years older than her, stunningly beautiful, and a Seeker for the Holyhead Harpies. For the first time after meeting this wonderful girl, she felt on sure footing. "It's a question of time, of course, before I become a nervous wreck. But right now, I've got the upper hand. I hope she likes the gift; it cost me every Bronze Knut of allowance I had this year." Nervously stroking the indigo gift wrapping, she looked around the small square surrounding the ice cream shop; watching every single passersby, waiting for Angelique to show up any minute. "This is complete madness", she thought to herself. "True love", "Destined for each other", "Meant to be". These were all words from a fairly tale -- they didn't happen in real life. Still, the last few weeks had been like a fairy tale. From the first night they met, when Angelique had offered a deal; if Mary could wait for her until her 15th birthday, Angel would go out with her. After two days of consideration, she had accepted, deciding to break things off with Veric, and that girl from her class. Angel was simply too good to pass by.

"Do you believe in love at first sight, Mary?" Staring nervously at her well-trimmed fingernails, Angelique had just asked the question. Mary had to do a double take just to realize what she had just been asked. Ten minutes earlier, Angelique had popped up, Disapparating from who knows where. Mary had given her the gift, an adamantine telescope, engraved with a poem she had written the day before. It had been expensive, sure, but it was worth every single Knut to see the expression on the French girl's face. They had been sitting in conversation that had slowly been increasingly more intimate, until Angelique had finally dropped this firebomb on her. "I... er... I'm... Umm, I... Get ahold of yourself, Mary Celeste! This is the moment you've been waiting for, and you're about to screw it up. Steeling herself, Mary looked up, gazing deeply into Angelique's passionate, green eyes. "I didn't. At least not until two weeks ago. Now, well, I do. I believe that I'm meant to be with you, Angel, and if I can't, well, I may as well be alone for the rest of my life."

Mary was quite surprised at the effect this had on Angel. The ever self-confident girl, the girl Mary had adored for weeks for her suave, composed demeanor, was biting her lip nervously, gazing back into Mary's icy blues. I think there's more to this girl. And I like what I'm seeing so far. Continuing, she looked out onto the street, watching passersby after passerby with curiosity. "I know that this must sound stupid, just a young schoolgirl's fantasy." She swallowed. "But where there was just this inexplicable feeling in my gut before, there have been too many signs to ignore. I'd... er... I'd like to tell you a story."

Smiling, her eyes twinkling, Angelique nodded. Mary smiled back, looking straight at her again. "I decided to learn the Patronus charm when I got to my Third year. Lockhart found it of little interest, but I was curious, and really wanted to see what kind of Patronus I could produce. So, well, I decided to research it on my own. After a little while, I sort of got the hang of the basics. Now, er, I'm not a very good witch, Angelique. I'm hanging in at school simply because I'm good with books, and I've got a good memory for detail. If it wasn't for Professor Binns... anyways, I digress. I've been working on my Patronus for nine months. Nine months, Angel. I've tried countless times, everytime failing for minutes before finally being able to produce one."

Looking at her, Angel asked, curiously, "what was the memory you used?" Smiling, closing her eyes, Mary replied. "My father. When I was five years old, he took me to my first Quidditch game, at the Magpies' stadium. For me, it's a flawless memory; a day I still remember as entirely happy. And with such a good memory, I still failed, and failed, and failed yet again. Now, a week ago, I met this girl by the name of Emily, a Huffle. She wanted to see my Patronus, and even though I struggle with it, I'm always proud to show it off. I took out my wand, starting waving, when suddenly... well... there was just this voice inside me that said I wasn't going to use that memory anymore. There was another one. I visualized the first day I met you. The Quidditch practice, the talking afterwards, the exchanged glances, everything. And you know what, Angel?" Angel simply looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "It worked on the first attempt. At that precise moment, I knew that I was meant for you." Angel smiled, and the magic between them was tangible in the air. Separating her beautiful, full lips, a smile curled over Angelique's mouth. "I feel exactly the same, Mary."

Suddenly, a voice broke the silence. "M-Mary??" As Mary turned, all the blood drained from her face. Veric. Standing in front of them, his face betraying shock. "Veric! I... er... erm..." As usual, Mary's face was disastrously honest, betraying that this was no ordinary stopping for ice cream. "I... this isn't... It's not... Before she could finish, Veric simply nodded at her, turning on his heel, storming off. Mary looked down. Angelique, seemingly calm and composed, glanced at her. "Was that the boy you told me about, that you needed to break it off with?" Nodding, Mary opened her mouth, words struggling hard to fail her. "I... I'm... well, I... er.... I haven't been able to find him for weeks, to be honest, I think he's been busy, and so have I. Besides, I figured that since we've decided... well, to wait, I had time. This is going to make this break up a lot messier."

Within a few minutes, though, the girls had forgotten about Veric. The chemistry between the two, the budding romance, was simply too strong to ignore. They'd been talking about a lot of things, Mary trying to crack the mysterious shell that was Angelique Danesque. Currently, their conversation had taken them to the topic of their deal; Mary was to turn fifteen before Angel agreed to see her. Mary had just insisted that, even though it was hard considering what they'd just been admitting to each other , she wanted to respect it, if Angel still wanted to wait. Angel looked at her sharply. "What do you want, Mary?" Blood rushed to Mary's face, causing her to blush nervously. "I... er... I'm not sure what I want is the best question to ask. Still, I'll answer. I want you, Angelique. There's nothing I want more in the whole world. I want you, fully and wholly." While Mary continued, talking about how she wasn't sure doing what she wanted was the smartest course of action, and a Ravenclaw having to seek the cleverest way, Angelique seemed to get more and more nervous by the second. After a few moments, Mary noticed, looking at her. Angel was shivering, a nervous wreck, staring intently at her fingernails, unable to look up. In her French accent, she spoke, her voice shaky. "I... I'm not sure how to... ah... how to transl- translate what I'm about to ask... into... English... I..." She kept glaring at her fingernails, as if they were a hidden portal, a hole she could sink into, Mary thought. "Mary?" Mary hunted down her eyes, finally making contact as Angel looked up. "Would you... er... w-would you like to be my... my girlfriend?"

Mary was so happy. She couldn't believe her luck, not in a million years. She heard her own voice squeal, telling Angelique that yes, she would, but she was about to slip away from her corporeal body; this was almost too much to handle for the fourteen year old girl. The next few minutes passed in silence. The pair held hands, gazing dreamily into each other's eyes, neither seeing the need to pass time with chat. After a while, Mary simply couldn't resist anymore. She cleared her throat, her cheeks getting hot. "Angel, I wondered if I could ask you for something? Angel smiled, a very content look on her face. She purred. "Mmm?" Mary swallowed. This was it. The moment she'd been fantasizing about for weeks. "I was... er... wondering if... well, since you're officially my girlfriend... Would you kiss me?" She blushed even more. The question was stupid, she felt, but she didn't have the nerve to come any closer to her. Angelique simply smiled, not daunted by the question at all. "Of course, my love." Taking charge, Angel moved closer, holding Mary's neck gently, while looking her deeply into her eyes. Their lips were mere inches away. Mary thought she might die. But she'd die blissful.

A loud boom suddenly went off, a fiery blast blinding Mary, as she felt heat all around her. Standing up, she looked left and right. The bystanders on the street seemed as confused as her. "What the...?" As Mary felt the confusion and rage building inside her, she suddenly spotted a silvery form down the end of the square. A Patronus. A dragonling. I've... wait a minute. I've seen that before. That belongs to.... VEEERIIIIC! VERIC, YE BASTARD! AH'M POSITIVELY GOIN' TER MORDER YE! Mary blacked out completely.

Two minutes, three broken chairs and a tirade of a young Scottish girl swearing like a sailor at the top of her lungs later, Mary Maywell started coming to her senses. "Are you alright, Mary?" Angel looked at her, seeming composed. Mary looked around, and her ex-boyfriend was nowhere to be seen. "Ah'm... Ah'm sorry, ah jost... Ah jost snapped. Can we please get oht of here? Ah'm afraid he'll retorn; can we just Disapparate somewhere?" Angelique looked at her, smiling, an idea lighting up in her eyes. She grabbed Mary's hand, and the swirling pop sounded that Mary liked so much.

When Mary got to a few seconds later, she looked around. It was starting to darken; around her were thick iron railings. She felt a cool breeze, and all around her were tiny lights. Some were stars on the night sky, some twinkling at her from the ground; there were millions, in every direction. Gasping, Mary asked Angelique the obvious question. "Angel, where are we?"

Angel smiled, looking at her with eyes deeply in love, and took her hand, leading her towards the edge; they were hundreds of feet in the air. "This, my love, is the Eiffel Tower. Welcome to France."

_________________
Mary Maywell, Ravenclaw, Resident Ray of Sunshine
Also, some other dudes I barely play.

Mary was terrified. She'd never been so scared in her whole life. Not even with Amber on her tail, with that... thing inside her. She looked up at the Quidditch stands, where Angelique looked down, her figure framed by the moon, hovering behind her. Standing in a pure, white outfit and a broom in her hand, Mary couldn't make out her face.

She had been working like a dog that day. Travelling to Paris, she had scoured the city for the perfect rings. At Diagon, she had picked up an order of three hundred red roses, and enchanted every single one with a lighting charm. Now, the fruits of her labor law strewn around her; she was standing centre pitch, in the middle of a heart drawn out of glowing roses. Behind her, it spelled her love's name. In front of her, the words "Will you marry me?".

Angel took to the air on her broom, flying down on the pitch, and walked over, discarding her broom on the ground behind her. What is she going to think? It's so early, and I'm so young. I don't doubt her love, but... will she turn me down? Will she want to wait? I don't know if I can bear a rejection right now.

Rummaging through the pocket of her cloak, she pulled out one of the rings. It was the most beautiful Mary had seen in her life. Made out of the purest gold, it had a perfect emerald set in the center; a web of thing gold weaving seamlessly across the stone. In her pocket remained only the weight of its twin; exactly identically, except carrying a bright blue sapphire. Inside the bands were engraved the words "Castor" on the emerald ring, and "Pollux" on her own.

The fiery, red-haired girl simply stared at the small Scot for what seemed like an eternity, and a warm, bright smile spread across her beautiful, delicate features. "Are you sure about this, Mary? Am I the one person you want to spend the rest of your life with?" Mary needed but three seconds for her response, but she decided to wait -just- a little bit, to make it seem like she really deliberated the issue. "I am. I've known you're the one I want to spend my days with since the moment I met you." She needed not wait long for Angel's response. She took the ring Mary offered, slipping it on her finger, and they embraced.

_________________
Mary Maywell, Ravenclaw, Resident Ray of Sunshine
Also, some other dudes I barely play.

Mary had cried for a while. The last few days hadn't been good to her.

"I love you, so very much. So I let you go, so you may fully give yourself to your Angel.

Your friend, forever,

Florymonde de Bellehache."

Reading the last part of the letter again, she sighed, leaning against the bedpost. Flory meant she world to her, and while she had suspected this day might come, she still wasn't prepared for it. I'm sorry, Florymonde. I should've handled this differently. My heart's given to someone else; I could never give you what you so badly wanted.

Sighing, she put the letter away. God, I need to speak to Angelique. About so much. I know I've been egocentric about all of this, but the last few days have been hurting me. I wish I could just make this all go away, but I can't. I just have to talk to you about all of this going on. About Flory, about Emily, about everything. I've been blinded by jealousy, by my self-pity. I need to clear the air if we're going to make this work.

Biting her lip, Mary Celeste tried to imagine life without the red-headed girl she had grown to love so much. It was completely impossible; there was absolutely no way she could even picture it. This was just a hurdle in her way, and she had to cross it. What had she thought? That everything would be just smooth sailing? She knew very well that Angelique was a very different person, and they'd be bound to have their conflicts. If this was the first, it'd certainly not be the last. They would make it work. They had to; she didn't have any choice anymore. She was so hooked on the girl that she had nowhere else to turn. Softly, she let her name, Angelique, out of her mouth, smiling, thinking about her.

She let the feeling of bliss surround her for just a little while, then put her feet back on the ground. As Flory put it, the rosy cloud had disappeared, and it was time to be realistic about all of this. She picked up the letter again; the writing was fading at parts, where Mary had cried over it. Whispering, so as to not let Erin and Alia hear her, she said, "Godspeed, sweet Flory. You've been the best friend I could ever ask for. I'm sorry I couldn't be more for you. Please be safe, cheri, and hopefully fate brings me to meet you again."

_________________
Mary Maywell, Ravenclaw, Resident Ray of Sunshine
Also, some other dudes I barely play.

I've come so close. Far too close to squandering away everything I value in my life.

Mary was sitting in her old room, at home in her parents' mansion. The room, decorated lavishly in white and royal blue, was just as she'd left it the last time she was there; it probably hadn't changed in ten years. She was looking down at her engagement band, twirled in her fingers, a beautifully intertwined nest of thin gold encrusting a sapphire. The last few weeks had been... out of control, emotionally. All she had done was be herself, she'd said. She hadn't done anything wrong. Of course, there was always the gut feeling of guilt, but she'd learned to ignore it, justifying intellectually to herself why none of the flirting, sexual innuendo, all of it, why it wasn't a problem.

Mary had needed a wakeup call. She hadn't known it until it hit. First was Flo. Dear Flo, who she valued more than most things on this world. She'd been pretty blunt, to say the least. Harsh to the point of unbearable, in Mary's mind. But everything she told her just hit too much at home for her to argue. Flory had been a toy for Mary to play with. She really couldn't believe it, but that was what she'd done. Later, although she wanted to never tell Flory, she'd realized she had slowly cross emotional borders, too. At the worst, she was becoming far more than a friend in her mind. That day, when they decided they needed to talk everything out, Florymonde had been merciless, hitting Mary with one verbal salvo after the other.

When Mary thought she had it under control, though, things turned sour. Flo finally started to realize just what she'd been doing to her. It was probably with a pretty thin margin that she salvaged what remained of their friendship. If it could even work out, only time would tell.

Much, much worse, though, was the moment she started to realize what it'd done to Angel. That Angelique was disappointed, angry at her, seemed obvious to Mary. But not once had she raised her voice, not once expressed that anger. She'd just treated her cold. Like a child, incapable of adult decisions. Her fiancee seemed to take it out on herself more than anything; all her words still rung in Mary's head, still hurting deeply. She seemed to be believing that she wasn't good enough for Mary, that the reason Mary'd been seeking affection with others was because she couldn't give her what she needed.

It's nonsense. It's simply not true. I've just... been so selfish. So greedy. I've been misleading everyone around me with my behavior. And it needs to stop. You're sixteen years old, Mary. Under a year from adulthood. It'd time you acted it, hmm?

There was a knock on the door. The shrill voice of her mother rung through it. ''Mary Celeste, dinner's ready in five minutes! Don't make us wait!'' She answered yes, she'd be right down, and with a sigh, she slipped the ring in her pocket. She still needed to find a moment to tell her parents about the engagement. She doubted it'd go down easy.

_________________
Mary Maywell, Ravenclaw, Resident Ray of Sunshine
Also, some other dudes I barely play.