Victoire relaxed in the Quidditch stadium seats as a feeling of nervousness she hadn’t even noticed before dissolved. If being picked for the team brought her this much relief maybe she had been fooling herself about not wanting to play Quidditch. She sighed and shook her head as she smiled over at Teddy and Ella.
“I suppose I’ve been being silly?” she asked them.
“Just a bit,” Teddy nodded.
“I just want to know why Tabitha let Hazel skip try outs and not me,” Victoire stood up and went to the stairs down to the field.
“I suppose you’re about to go ask her?”
“Of course,” she ran into James who was hurrying up the stairs, still carrying his broom. “Hey James, great job!” She stopped long enough to hug her cousin before leaving him to celebrate with Ella and Teddy. She was happier about James being picked for the team than about anything else. She knew his dad would be too happy for words that his son had become the next first year to make it on a Quidditch team, and she also knew that he would be just what their team needed to keep up with the rest of the teams for another year before they lost Ben and then Tabitha and Teddy.
She couldn’t wait for practices to begin, with Teddy and Ella as her fellow chasers they would have fun times at their practices and they already worked well as a team. Fred and Ben would keep them laughing while practicing their beating and Tabitha would make some attempt to calm things down but all along she would know that it was good for the team anyway.
Victoire came out on the field and found Tabitha cleaning up. She picked up a broom and a beater’s bat that had been left out on the field and brought them to the box to give them to Tabitha who thanked her but seemed to be somewhere between restraining a smile and avoiding conversation.
“Tabitha,” Victoire started, but was not surprised to be interrupted by Tabitha, she was getting used to be interrupted.
“All right I know why you’re here,” she closed the box of balls and sat on it. “I let Hazel skip over try outs because her mom thinks it’s too dangerous of a sport. Her mom is a Muggle and she’s also a bit overprotective. She just told me on Thursday so I didn’t know about it when I was talking to you.”
Victoire sat down too, “What if I got my mom to…?”
“Oh no you don’t” Tabitha cut in, grinning. “Besides, your dad wouldn’t let you stop playing Quidditch.”
“Yeah I suppose you’re right.”
She sighed, “Victoire, the closest I got before to why I didn’t want you to stop playing was saying that the Quidditch wouldn’t be the same without you and you’re not allowed to leave until I’m gone. I’m not the only one who feels that way you know. I suspect that you’re the only reason I got some people to be on the team. I was afraid if you didn’t try out they wouldn’t either.” She got up and picked up the box of balls. “Good job today,” she patted Victoire’s arm and left before she could say anything. Victoire wasn’t really feeling like talking anyway. She just hoped she’d misunderstood Tabitha’s hinting.
I need to find that line between too subtle and not subtle enough 
