✧✦✧

THE EXTRA MILE

act one ━ chapter seven

. . . . . .

━ JASON SAMUELS ━
september 1993

"I NEED TO END HIM."

It may be because it was early in the morning or it may be that she had seen Herbert smiling a little too much for her liking, but Morgan had a look of scary determinism on her face that none of her friends are quite sure they'd seen from her before.

"Not sure what the law would think about that, Morgan," Greg shovelled cereal into his mouth while his eyes flittered over to the newspaper sprawled out on the table before he spoke again: "But carry on." Greg had no intention of properly registering Morgan's words at eight o'clock in the morning. The only reason he was at the Gryffindor table was to feed off of Kamilah's Daily Prophet because his dads refused to ever let it go within five feet of their house.

Morgan observed as her friends went about their own business eating breakfast, appalled by the fact that none of them seemed to care enough to help her formulate a brilliant plan to quote end Herbert Fleet unquote. How could they just sit idly by as if jam on toast was of the utmost importance in the current climate?

"You make a fair point," Morgan could at least acknowledge that murder was (probably) off the table. She then death stared right at Greg, who, again, was preoccupied with his cornflakes and newspaper, because she had deemed him the smartest one (the one with the most common sense) who could help her the most. "So what's the best way to take someone down in a completely legal and semi-morally acceptable way?"

Kamilah chuckled to herself, "Don't let Fred and George hear you ask that."

"We've been summoned?"

The pair of redhead pranksters were only a few people away from where Morgan was sitting and were settled in the empty spaces in front of Morgan in a matter of seconds.

"Need the best revenge technique then, Samuels?" Fred asked as he cleared the table in front of him to perch his elbows.

Morgan glanced quickly at Bea beside her and asked quietly, "Do I dare indulge?"

Bea, quite obviously, mouthed an aggressive No but Morgan turned back to the Weasleys and let them continue.

"We could suggest a prank or two," George shrugged. "But."

"Practicality isn't always the best way to go."

"You need to crush them from the inside."

"What do they love the most?"

"What would pain them so much to lose?"

They spoke fast and Morgan couldn't tell whether it was because they had done this many times or because their brains worked fast. She predicted it was probably the former.

But when she took a second to register what they had said, Morgan realised that she never would have approached it like that. And she was suddenly very grateful that she had listened to them, despite Bea's advice not to and the current rolling of her eyes.

"That's kind of genius?"

"We don't hear that enough."

Bea cut Morgan off with her head and said to the three beside her, "Probably because a statement like that in the context of those two is morally questionable."

Maggie sighed, not awake enough to ever entertain the Weasley twins this early. "Einstein's legacy really did go down the drain."

Morgan thought long and hard about what Fred and George had said during her double period of History of Magic. It wasn't like her to not pay attention in class but Morgan likes to read ahead for a number of reasons: one) Professor Binns' voice is far too insipid to inspire any kind of motivation to learn and two) it's still mid-September, and Morgan liked to guarantee she wasn't behind towards the end of the year.

And, she never thought she'd say it but, their logic made sense to her. This whole time, Bea has been convinced Morgan is going through the stages of grief with this breakup. Denial has been and gone, and pain and suffering have most certainly done their job on her, so up next is anger. And Herbert deserves to feel her wrath.

(She has previously been named the sweetest girl in their year so she was not quite sure where this side of her has been all her life).

Now, Morgan hasn't lost all of her morals to turn to violence, ─ because that is never the answer (right?) ─ at least not physical violence. Emotional damage is definitely the number one priority. If Herbert can knock her to the side without warning and be Mr Perfectly Fine while she is quite literally falling apart, then he deserves what's coming to him.

Morgan knew she had to single in on what would depress him the most to lose (if that wasn't her) and take it down from within.

She could sabotage his grades but, it is his last year, and if that were done to her, she'd probably throw herself off the Astronomy tower. She wants him to feel pain, not be targeted by the devil himself. She could spread fatal rumours about him? Word does travel fast in this school . . . if you know the right people. Which Morgan doesn't. And Herbert is popular enough with the Hufflepuff crowd to shut them down pretty easily.

Then of course there is . . .

Morgan was the first one out of the classroom, sprinting to the door in a panicked frenzy as if her life depended on it.

"I've got it." Her words came out panted and with gasps for air as she stared down at her rather relaxed friends who had spent their free period on a bench in the courtyard soaking up the ounce of sun September was offering before autumn was in full swing.

"You've got what?" Edie asked plainly, not really registering Morgan's state at all. She spared the Gryffindor a sweet smile before returning her gaze from where it looked briefly at the out-of-breath new arrival, to the textbook in her lap.

"Herpes?" Casper offered.

"Chlamydia?" Not one of them was paying Morgan much attention, Kira included as she continued on with Casper's crude nonchalant joke.

Bea lifted her head slightly from where she was doodling on the grass with her back against the bench, faking a look of deep thought. "No, I think Pomfrey said it was gonorrhoea that's on the move lately."

"You guys are hilarious." Morgan thought for a moment that getting new friends would benefit her right now but then Greg walked up to her side and she felt all would be well now that the only sane one was here.

"Are we talking about whatever Morgan is infected with?" Greg asked before slowly turning his head towards his Gryffindor friend with whom he shares the lesson of History of Magic with. His expression, similar to Morgan's, appeared unimpressed. "Because that's the only explanation I'll accept for why you left that classroom so quickly."

Morgan only briefly felt guilty for not waiting for her friend after their class had ended but Binns sets designated seats and they didn't sit near each other. They would find each other after class anyway. But anyway, something else caught her eye.

The two redheaded twins who had given her advice she would surely treasure while her newly-formed plan played out, were sitting on the wall not so far from them on the other side of the courtyard. Accompanied by a few friends, leaving Morgan to ignore her own, Fred and George seemed to be in a perfect state to review her plan. And Morgan had a few things to run by them.

Seeing as her friends had shown little interest up till now, Morgan simply walked towards the ginger twins, as if she were away with the fairies, causing her friends to finally cast their eyes in her direction and then share a series of confused looks.

"Oh, what's she up to now?" Bea asked followed by a groan of annoyance. Bea knew that she would have to be one of the unlucky ones to go and retrieve their friend who currently only cared about getting revenge on her ex-boyfriend for simply smiling in Morgan's presence.

"Dare we ask?" Greg grimaced.

"Probably not," Bea shrugged. "But I fear Fred and George may corrupt her sooner rather than later so we should probably jump in."

Greg followed suit as Bea discarded her things and the pair of them crossed the courtyard to where Morgan was amusedly talking to the Weasley twins as their friends perched themselves on the grass, opting to do work to pass the time and to zone out the cackles of Fred and George.

Bea put a patronising hand on Morgan's shoulder once she and Greg were within a metre from the giggling trio. "Morgan, time to leave these lovely people alone now."

Morgan turned to look at her two friends who appeared to have just come to retrieve her like two aggravated parents wanting to be left alone. "I was running an idea by Fred and George," she said, before peeling Bea's hand from her shoulder, "if you don't mind."

"I beg you stop with your ludicrous insanity before we all get injured, expelled, and/or killed," Bea sighed, rubbing her hand along her forehead, looking just like the parents Morgan had been imagining.

"That's no way to speak to your hurting friend, is it Fisher?"

"Don't last name me, young lady," Bea said, folding her arms across her chest as Greg questioned why he followed Bea over here. "I'm only trying to help you."

"Then actually help me," Morgan replied before a sly grin slipped onto her face. "I have come up with a plan."

"A rather crafty one if you ask us," Fred interjected, earning himself a grin from not only his brother but Morgan too.

"See?" She said, cocking her head at Greg and Beatrice. "I already like them more than you lot."

"That speaks volumes," Bea whispered to Greg with every intention of Morgan hearing. "We should be concerned."

Greg arched a brow. "More than we already are?"

"What's she complaining about now?" Kira groaned, causing them all to glance backwards and see Kira, Casper and Edie all trudging over towards the now much larger group out of fear of missing out. And boredom.

"Us," Greg answered.

Kira seemed satisfied with this response. "That checks out."

"She was actually just about to tell us about her so-called crafty plan," Bea told the new arrivals, which made them all edge closer, Casper draping his hands over the two Hufflepuffs to form a huddle around Morgan.

It seemed they all now took up a large segment of the grass. Those on the floor consisted of Bianca and Adrian, who was copying his girlfriend's Potions homework word for word; Leo and Alicia playing a game of Go Fish; and Lee, Oliver and Maxine, who were definitely not eavesdropping because they were so engrossed in the books in their laps.

"Plan for what?" Edie asked. She had heard from Bea that Morgan was planning to end Herbert and so had her suspicions but she was sort of hoping after two hours of Professor Binns that Morgan would have dropped the ideas she had got from the Weasley twins about getting revenge on her ex-boyfriend.

"Ending Herbert Fleet."

Maybe not.

Greg didn't try and hide his doubt whatsoever. "So did we not opt for the legal option then or?"

Morgan then took a breath in as if preparing herself for the big reveal. Which came out in one excited rambled sentence. "I'm going to make the Gryffindor Quidditch team, help them win the House Cup against Hufflepuff in the finals, and revel in the sweet triumph as Herbert sulks about missing out on winning during his last year."

It was as if the whole courtyard had gone quiet. As if it wasn't just Lee, Oliver and Maxine that had been eavesdropping but the entire school. And they had all now been dumbed into silence, incapable of words satisfactory enough to explain their thoughts.

Kira, being the loudest of the group, voiced her thoughts first, breaking the lull of the awestruck group and making the courtyard find its sound again. "Is a symptom of gonorrhoea delusion?" She asked with a tilted head.

Edie then nodded her head, coming to her own conclusion about Morgan's plan. "She's breathed in too many fumes from Potions. I knew she should have dropped it."

"She's probably hallucinating," Casper offered, before drawing closer to Morgan and muttering. "Can I have whatever you're on, Morgan?"

"Maybe she's having an allergic reaction to the sun or something." Greg liked to think the Ravenclaw in him meant he always looked for logic in times of idiocy. "That causes confusion right?"

"No, guys," Bea said, turning to them all to shut their theories down, "we've just been friends with a fucking maniac this whole time."

All Morgan could do was scoff, "Wow guys, thanks for your support." She had been under the impression that if Fred and George liked her idea ─ albeit an aspiring one ─ that her friends would encourage it too. By the stupefied looks on their faces, encouraging isn't the word she would use.

"You do hear yourself right, Em?" Bea asked, more curious than anything. "Cause if not, I'm worried about you."

"Maybe she should see Madam Pomfrey after all," Edie said.

Casper could hardly contain his grin. "I need a Beatles pun right now. This is golden."

Kira seemed to be more preoccupied with struggling to understand rather than moving on to the amused stage. "Morgan Samuels. On the Gryffindor Quidditch Team? You're hilarious."

"I'm deadly serious," Morgan deadpanned.

"Maybe you watch a practice," Casper laughed, "and see if you're still committed to this bat-shit plan, okay?"

"I know the risks," Morgan mumbled. She did not know the risks. She had her head in the clouds.

"I don't think you know the logistics, Em," Bea said, only grimacing a little at how ill-informed her best friend appeared to be on the subject of Quidditch.

"Yes, I do," Morgan assured, but her eyes fell to the floor and she fumbled around with her fingers. "I've . . ." she trailed off but when she lifted her chin again she tried her best to put on a confident face, "considered them all, actually."

"Okay, let me get this straight," Bea clasped her hands together as she squared in on Morgan. "You get good enough at one of the hardest sports in the world, somehow make it onto a team with players who have been doing this for years, then play three actual games of Quidditch without dying or going into a coma, making sure it's Hufflepuff in the finals, just so you can see Herbert a little bit upset?"

When you put it that way . . .

Morgan could hardly make eye contact. "He'll be a lot more upset than a little."

"That's the part you of my speech question?"

"I hate to but in, I just wanted to make sure I heard you right, Morgan." The group all shimmied to the side to see who had joined their questionable debate, to see Alicia now staring up at them, Leo too. "Did you say you wanted to get onto the Gryffindor Quidditch team?"

It was only now that Morgan realised that in order to make the team, or at least play as a reserve, she would have to take up one of the existing team member's place. And they had already started practising out of Wood's desire to keep the team the same in time for tryouts.

She only just started feeling a little awkward about her idea. "Maybe," she shrugged. "Would that be weird?"

If Alicia thought it was weird, she didn't show it. She didn't even say anything, causing George to shrug and sing-song a mischievous: "I mean . . ."

"Morgan is ambitious," Bianca said from where she was now editing her boyfriend's homework because Adrian was as worse at copying notes as he was writing them. She didn't look up as she spoke but it was now clear that the entire rest of the group was immersed in this new conversation even if they didn't seem it. "As a Gryffindor should be."

Morgan appeared to gain some of her confidence back from this encouragement despite everyone else ─ besides Fred and George ─ remaining sceptical. "Thank you, Bianca."

"She's hopeful," Bea scoffed, "I'll give her that."

"I know!" Fred snapped his fingers together, abruptly calling out to break the uncomfortable silence that had fallen. He pointed at Morgan and the group curiously watched as to what on earth Fred of all people could suggest to aid this plan. "You can have Katie's spot!"

Morgan had since figured out that in order for this plan to work (if it ever will), she would have to knock out one of the existing players that, again, Wood seemed hopeful to keep, but she was never planning on specifically replacing Katie.

Her brows furrowed as her eye-line switched from one Quidditch player to the next. "She . . . quit?" It didn't seem believable but if it was true, that's one less person Morgan has to compete against in tryouts. Was that why Oliver had been upset?

Alicia glanced at Fred and then to a silent Oliver Wood, and seemed almost confusedly amused by this. "Erm does Katie know about this?" She asked.

Fred rolled his eyes jokily, "Okay, so she didn't technically quit, but-"

"Oliver hates her too much to let her play," George said simply, clearing the air of perplexity that seemed to have fallen.

"Can you two shut it?" It was the first the expanding group had heard from the Scottish captain and once he had said his part, Oliver shut up again and distracted himself with writing nonsense on some parchment. He had finished his essay for Flitwick a while ago but as soon as he overheard Morgan's desire to join the team, he just knew it was only a matter of time before Fred and George mentioned Katie so he made sure to stay alert.

They had only had one practice as a team so far this school year. Tryouts were in a couple of weeks and he liked to get his existing team defrosted after a long summer of probably no Quidditch. Of course, for him, he had been spending a lot of his summer break devising a whole new programme. And he wanted his players up to scratch before they started competing for their spots again.

And it hadn't been the most friendly of practices. Fred and George could hardly stop pestering Oliver about Katie's technique. She took numerous toilet breaks, leading to incomplete drills and awkward exchanges. Oliver was far from figuring out how to have a successful season with the girl who broke his heart on the team.

An unpleasant silence followed and it required Kira clearing her throat and speaking for it to end. "Right. Okay then."

A mere week ago her friends were encouraging Morgan to partake in a number of things to get over Herbert. And, although it didn't seem it to her right now, they all truly cared about Morgan after her long-term boyfriend, who had shown no signs of wanting to break it off beforehand, dumped her right before the school year started. There was nothing they could do about him going to the same school and they just expected Morgan to want to move on as swiftly as possible. And they would obviously help her with that in any way that they could. They were just surprised, is all, at her approach to getting over her ex. Because Quidditch and Morgan don't and never have mixed.

Morgan looked defeated and yet inspired in a gauche kind of way, as she turned to her friends one last time. "Look, whether you support me in my journey of self-discovery and ambition-"

"Delirious death wish, you mean?" Bea corrected her.

Morgan glared at her friend's interruption but continued on with strained speech nonetheless. "I'm doing it anyway. With or without your help." She lifted her chin once more and waited for her friends to say something else. Instead, they all gave her awkward straight-lined smiles quite unsure and unprepared for how to react further in this situation.

When no verbal response came, Morgan swished her hair behind her back and said, "Now, I'm off to the library for some startup research. Goodbye."

"At least she used the word startup," Kira said as the girl stalked off with her hand tightly gripped to her bag.

"I say we leave her to it," Greg shrugged. And it seemed like the best thing to do. He didn't know how to play Quidditch and he didn't know how the selection process worked so all he could do, seeing as Morgan appeared very set on this plan, was let her go about her breakup as she pleased.

"Don't underestimate her guys," Edie said. She had only gone through one breakup in her life before and if she hadn't been ten, then she probably would have gone to great lengths to annoy him too. Morgan is very much welcome to do what she wants in Edie's eyes. Morgan was going the extra mile, that's all. "Maybe she can do it. She is the smartest out of all of us."

Greg was happy to drop the subject until this point. "Woah, bold statements are being made all round today."

"Edie, I love you," Casper said as he drooped his arm around her shoulder once more as the group turned around, "but Morgan's gonna need all the help she can get."

"From you?" Edie asked with raised brows. She already knew the answer but it wasn't fair to make a statement such as Casper's and not even offer any of the so-called help Morgan desperately needs to pull this off.

"Ohh noo," Casper chuckled before his expression became abruptly serious. "I don't have the strength."

Bea sighed as she watched her best friend disappear into a crowd. Morgan was ambitious, Bianca got that right, and she had her head screwed on. Herbert broke her heart and Bea is far from happy with him. But Quidditch? Morgan can barely swing a bat in rounders during a friendly game around the Fisher's house in summer. She needs a miracle to be able to do that on a broom. "Who does?"

As the group continued to discuss Morgan's new-formed plan to bring her ex-boyfriend down, Oliver watched as the blonde walked away in the direction of the library. He thought about following her for a second and it wasn't until Bea, Greg, Casper, Edie and Kira all sauntered off to retrieve their abandoned things before he scrambled to his feet, discarding his book and hurried to catch up with her. "Hey, Morgan! Wait up!"

Morgan recognised the Scottish lilt but chose to keep on walking. She wasn't prepared to hear someone else tell her she was crazy.

"Are you serious about this?"

Morgan felt the boy's presence arrive at her side and how he dipped his head low towards her. "Oliver," she sighed and continued on walking as if that might shake him away, "I have a lot of respect for your commitment to the sport, but if you're just here to lecture me about my commitment to this-"

"No, Morgan," he cut her off, a hint of a chuckle left to hang in the air between them. "I just wanted to ask," he said sincerely. "Do you even like Quidditch?"

Good question.

"I, well," Morgan bit her lip and fumbled on the words. "Erm." It shouldn't have taken her this long to figure out that saying yes would probably make her situation a little easier to entertain. "Yeah. Uh-huh. So much."

"Name a ball used in Quidditch." Oliver intended to help her out but even he couldn't help sounding dubious.

"The . . ." Surely she knew this? Everyone did. "Round one." Maybe not everyone (she wasn't technically wrong).

"Still baffled why we're friends by the way," a voice from behind Oliver called out suddenly.

It was just her luck that her friends were passing by at that moment. Probably because now Morgan had gone, they saw no reason to stick around. Guess they decided to leave her to it. Casper had spun around to call out to her and started walking backwards and had caught her pathetic attempt at strengthening her case.

Morgan's lips pursed into a straight line. "Thanks for letting me know, Cas."

"Pleasure." He saluted her and turned back around and before long, the group of five had been engulfed in the crowd.

As she and Oliver continued walking towards the library, Morgan muttered under her breath, "I will not be seeing you later."

Oliver watched as Morgan shook her head as if clearing herself from all of her friends' doubts which is why he was anxious when telling her in a very plain voice: "Quidditch isn't easy."

"Okay, yeah, I get it," Morgan groaned as the two turned a corner out of the courtyard and inside the castle, "you're all like super talented or whatever." She waggled her arms about in dismissal before looking as though she were about to sulk.

Oliver laughed as he held his arms up in defence. "Your words, not mine."

As the corridor became increasingly peaceful, Morgan snuck a look at the boy strolling alongside her and saw, in the light of a flickering candle, that his cheeks were pink. "Did I just make you blush by stating the obvious?" She asked, but her brows were furrowed and she wasn't teasing him. She really was stating the obvious.

Oliver's smile disappeared from his face and he held out a hand as if to stop her from embarrassing him further. "Can we focus on the topic at hand please?"

"That's the nicest thing I've heard all day, Oliver. Thank you."

While this made perfect sense to Morgan ─ all day her friends had been ignoring said topic, involving bringing Herbert Fleet down for being so darn happy ─ Oliver seemed baffled by her gratitude. "You're welcome?" He said before coming to an abrupt halt in the middle of the hallway. "But, Quidditch? Very difficult. Remember?"

"Oh, right yeah. Sure." She hoped he was buying her confidence. Because she wasn't. "But I'm smart," she said, in the coolest tone she could muster. "It's like . . . physics . . ." Morgan trailed off again as if, at first, her scientific approach was an assured statement, but a second later, she let out a meek: "right?"

"Physics. Yeah," Oliver said, his forehead slowly creasing more and more. She wasn't wrong but she was simplifying it far too much. "And flying. And catching. And throwing and coordination and avoiding death because the Slytherins haven't glanced at a rule book in a century."

"Go ahead and terrify me, why don't you?"

"All I'll say is good luck, Morgan." Oliver was smiling but there was a sweet sort of look in his eyes that was disguising what he really wanted to say: you're fucking stupid.

"Look," Morgan let out a huff of air that she seemed to have been holding in for a long time, "Quidditch isn't a complete mystery to me. Jason and I used to play all the time when we were kids. I can't be that rusty. I'm sure it's not that difficult to re-learn how to play."

By this, Morgan meant Jason used to force her onto a broom because no one else was around to play with him (their dad would be at work and when he got home it would be late and he wanted nothing more than to fall asleep reading the newspaper). Jason wanted to practice his skills so that when he got to Hogwarts he'd be the best he could be. Insert his little sister. Morgan sort of just hovered in the air and grasped onto a bat tightly, her eyes squeezed shut as she swatted it around aimlessly.

She didn't actually know the rules of Quidditch.

Oliver's expression slowly turned into a wince. "You would know that's not true if you left the library once in a while and watched a game."

Morgan let out a dry chuckle and poked at his shoulder. "Okay, ouch. We're only newly-established friends, Wood, don't push your luck."

Oliver knocked his shoulder back dramatically before holding his arms up in mock surrender. "Okay sorry," he chuckled. "But, who's gonna ever be willing to teach you?"

"Leave that to me."

❋❋❋

THERE WAS ONLY ONE PERSON MORGAN HAD IN MIND THAT might be willing to help her. He would need an obscene amount of convincing but Morgan thinks that if anyone can break him, she could.

Morgan had never been to the changing rooms reserved for the Quidditch players before. In fact, she has never been at all close to the practice pitch whatsoever. It was a new phenomenon for her, in all its sweaty glory.

And it seemed, alongside this new-found location, Morgan seemed to have acquired a foreign sense of confidence that allowed her to waltz into the changing rooms without so much as a panicked breath. Sure, her cheeks went a little pink when those around her noticed someone that shouldn't be here, but once she had located her target, and her strides picked up in pace, she managed to ignore the Ravenclaw Quidditch team's baffled looks.

Jason turned around just as she walked up behind him. His expression was startled but only for a moment once he computed that his sister's visit was no doubt something of daft quality. And that he would be able to shut her up in two minutes.

"Brother."

"Sister."

"Hello, Morgan." Randolph was getting changed a few spots over from Jason. Morgan just about had a strained smile left in her tired self to spare him. It helped he wasn't indecent. "Lovely to see you, as always."

Jason slowly turned his head towards his best friend and one look at the excited grin planted on Randolph Burrow's face was enough to make his assessment. "You wanna keep it in your pants, buddy?"

Randolph gave Jason an irked dirty look in response and Morgan decided to ignore her brother's incessant need to accuse his friends of hitting on her when all they do is smile (it's the big brother in him) so that she could respond to the scowling boy. "Lovely to see you too, Randolph."

Jason merely rolled his eyes at the unwanted interaction between his teammate and little sister before staring down at the girl in question, sporting a rather bored expression as he asked, "What do you want?"

"Why are you assuming I want something from you?"

"Why else would you go out of your way to talk to me?" Jason scoffed. "You surely knew my creepy friends would be here too."

"Hey." Without looking, Morgan believed this was Roger's high-pitched cry but Randolph's follow-up question distracted her.

"Who you calling creepy?"

"You," Jason deadpanned. He really did have a vendetta against his mates being friendly with his sister. "The one who wants to date my eleven-year-old sister."

Morgan cut off Randolph's defence with a plain statement. "I'm sixteen."

"Same thing," Jason shrugged before busying himself with folding the contents of his rather large sports bag. "So. What is it?"

"Nothing," Morgan lied. "What, is it a crime to want to see my big brother?"

Jason briefly stopped what he was doing to turn his head to look at his sister with an expression that read really? "When it comes to you? Yes, yes it is."

Morgan should have guessed that Jason would read right through her and so knew that any further attempts she made to convince her brother that she was visiting him right after practice in the changing rooms for any other reason than to get something from him were futile. "Fine," she let out a huff, her hair lightly blowing against the gust. "You know how you said, and I quote, "shout me if you need me"?"

Jason's eyes narrowed on his sister, sensing he should be concerned with whatever strange probably brazen request she was going to ask of him. "Yes."

"And you know how when we were kids you always wanted me to play Quidditch with you?"

Jason's brows furrowed together and he was now struggling to predict where this was all going. "Did I?"

"Yes." Morgan's finality showed she was adamant this fact was true. And it wasn't a complete lie, more a bit of a stretch of the truth. "So. Anyway. With both of those facts in mind, I am kindly asking you if you would be willing to teach me how to play Quidditch?"

Jason suddenly dropped the shirt he was folding, turned to look at his sister straight on and all he seemed to be able to do was blink. And then again for clarity that never came. "Sorry, I think I just hallucinated. What?"

Morgan tried to make sure the conviction in her voice never wavered. She lifted her chin a little higher to convey a sense of certitude she didn't have. "You heard me."

"No," Jason assured, "I really don't think I did."

The way everyone was reacting to Morgan's plan ─ one she thought was rather crafty of her (her lack of understanding of the sport really plays into why she is the only one that thinks this is a good idea) ─ she was beginning to think that she was the fool after all. And that she would never be able to make Herbert look the idiot.

With that in mind, her shoulders began to shrink and she had to bite her lip to contain her meekness to a minimum. "Please teach me how to play Quidditch."

"And why exactly do you want to learn how to play Quidditch?" Jason asked, trying rather hard not to scoff. "Wait. Don't answer that. Please tell me this isn't one of your bat-shit, convoluted plans to win Herbert back."

Morgan noted the ghost of a wince on her brother's face. He clearly was concerned by the possibility that what she was asking of him was one of her so-called bat-shit convoluted plans. But Morgan wouldn't call them that per se. "Not exactly," she said. Was it bat-shit? Probably. But still, he was in no place to say that since he didn't even know her course of action yet. "And my plans are not bat-shit."

Jason seemed unimpressed by this statement. "Really?" He leant forward condescendingly, crossing his arms and Morgan was hoping that her brother's teammates weren't gawking and were actually on their way out of the changing rooms. They were not. "Tell that to Operation Christmas 1989."

Morgan went a little pink all of a sudden and found her eyes flitting around the vicinity to see Randolph hastily busy himself and Jeremy scratch the back of his neck as if he wasn't just listening in. Roger was walking away seemingly unbothered and unaware.

Christmas Day 1989 was certainly one to remember. Twelve-year-old Morgan Samuels was desperate to try a drop of her mother's homemade mulled wine and her older brother had been taunting her all night with the fact that he had been permitted to his very own glass. There was something so aggravating that a boy a mere year older than her was allowed alcohol and she wasn't. Frustrated and fruity-wine-less, little Morgan made it her mission to steal the bottle for herself, hitting two birds with one stone ─ no more wine for her brother, and plenty for herself.

Using their family dog, Pongo, and a series of meticulously placed treats, Morgan caused the little dalmatian to knock the Christmas tree over, sending the house of guests into a riot and causing her mother to leave the kitchen unmanned to attend to the dirt tracks now in her new carpet, leaving Morgan to snatch the bottle and disappear upstairs.

Her parents were not happy to find their twelve-year-old drunk on Christmas night and Jason has never been more amused in his life (not to mention, he got the title of favourite child for a whole month afterwards). Her parents never invited those same family friends around all at once again because they will be forever known as the parents who let their little girl become overly intoxicated on her own. They also haven't had a pet since.

"Not my proudest moment," Morgan muttered at the memory. She has since vouched to never drink on family occasions. Or on any occasion for that matter. Because that way, Jason can never tease her about her tipsy self again. "But this is the exception."

Jason couldn't help the cocky smirk that broke out across his face. Partly at his sister's inability to accept that any scheme she comes up with is no doubt pure idiocy and partly at Operation Christmas 1989 and his baby sister drunk as a skunk. "Oh pray do tell."

And so Morgan did. Almost in one breath, she indulged her brother in her genius plan to get back at her ex-boyfriend, and Quidditch fanatic, Herbert Fleet, by making it onto the Gryffindor Quidditch team and contributing to losing the one thing he seemed to love consistently. Because he apparently couldn't do that for her.

As it was Herbert's last year, winning the Quidditch cup for Hufflepuff meant more to him than in other years. The only way that Morgan could be a part of his downfall was actually knowing how to play the sport. Oh, and of course, being good enough to make the team and then, well . . . winning the cup.

Let's not lose faith in her brilliant plan now. Jason, after all, is the key!

"You're insane."

Jason didn't look all that convinced by Morgan's plan to take down her first love. In fact, he didn't even seem that amused by how crazy it all was. More confused.

Morgan tried to not let her brother's bored expression affect her confidence. "I prefer ambitious."

"Ambitious is just another synonym for naive," Jason countered, before adding, "And stupid."

Morgan barely had time to register her brother's insults before a voice hollered over to them from the bench against the opposite side of the tent. Randolph was peering over the benches in the middle of the room so that she could see his eager expression ─ a direct contrast to the one Jason was currently sporting.

"I'll teach you, Em!" He called out.

Morgan couldn't help but grimace. Randolph was sweet and cute in a sort of gauche way, and yes, he could play Quidditch rather well, but no, she did not fancy taking him up on his offer unless it was a total last resort so that she could avoid awkward small-talk and embarrassing herself in front of someone she wasn't totally comfortable around.

"Thank you, Randolph," she replied, as politely as she could muster, while her brother smirked, thoroughly entertained behind her. "How about we make you plan D?"

Morgan's attention was pulled back to Jason before she could register Randolph's rather offended and slightly hurt expression. "Who's plan B?" He asked.

"Casper," she answered. Morgan hadn't asked her close friend yet mainly because she knew he would expect some kind of payment from her and she couldn't afford that right now. And Casper had thought she was high when she revealed her plan to him so it seemed best to let him settle with her idea first. At least with Jason ─ who definitely would expect her to pay him too ─ she could appeal to their father to make sure her brother didn't charge her for quality sibling bonding time.

Jason arched a brow. "And plan C?"

"Literally anyone else." Again, she would rather not ask Randolph Burrow, her older brother's best friend who has some weird fondness for her, to teach her, a complete novice, how to effectively fly a broom.

"Can't Casper be plan A?" Jason moaned. "I kind of have better things to do."

Morgan didn't believe that for a second. Jason didn't exactly care about his school work and he managed (annoyingly!) good grades anyway. Apart from a social life that Morgan likes to pretend he doesn't have, Jason must have time for teaching his little sister his favourite thing in the world for a couple of hours a week.

She folded her arms across her chest a blinked up at him unimpressed. "Like what?"

"Literally anything else." He smiled sarcastically as he parrotted her earlier words before his smile curved into a coky smirk. "Or anyone, for that matter."

Morgan visibly gagged. "Gross, you man whore."

Jason then leaned down towards his sister's face patronisingly and said, "Nice sisters don't call their big brother a man whore when they want something."

Morgan narrowed her eyes into his and tried to predict what her brother would want from her in order to say yes. "You want me to beg? Plead on my knees?"

He stood up a little straighter, flashing his teeth in a big grin, his dimples popping out. "That would be great."

Morgan gritted her teeth. She sized up her brother's expression and considered her best course of action. Actually beg her irritating brother who doesn't deserve her mercy? Or risk him not accepting anything else from her in order to agree to a plan she really needed him for?

Jason's smirk barely even wavered. And that was her answer ─ he knew she was going to do it because he knew how committed Morgan was to whatever stupid idea graced her mind. He knew he was the one in control and that Morgan was helpless to stop him from getting what he wanted from her in return for his selflessness.

Slowly ─ and with dignity, she would like to add ─ Morgan fell to her knees, clasped her hands together and prayed to God that her brother would be possessed into helping her. Although, she actually said, in a dull tone, her eyes rolled, and with a sigh, "Please will you help me make the Quidditch team and be the best big brother in the world?"

Jason did not look satisfied. "Say it like you mean it and we'll see."

Holding back a groan and feeling like she had lost all self-worth on the floor of the grimy, sweaty changing rooms, no doubt with an audience she was pretending didn't exist, Morgan repeated the words with a flashy grin on her face.

After a moment of deliberation, weighing up his options (his mum would definitely be hearing about this if he said no and this was the best chance he had at getting incriminating evidence of her falling flat on her face), Jason decided he didn't need to make a star Quidditch player of his sister, he just needed to try.

"I'll help you," he said after what seemed like an eternity for Morgan who let out a gust of air in relief. She started getting to her feet again but Jason stopped her by lightly kicking her knee, sending her back onto the floor. With a gruff, she blew her hair out of her face and looked back up to her cocky brother who wasn't finished. Clearly. "But you're still crazy. And this will not work."

"Wait and see big brother," Morgan replied, making sure her honour was still intact. "Wait and see."

𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐞'𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐫!

new challenge: spot the t-swift references.