A Little Summer Fun ((Ryder))

[lisa]

Lisa yawned loudly as she swung her legs over the bed. The smells of breakfast filled the house which made her wake up. Her grandmother most already be up and making breakfast while her grandfather was reading The Daily Prophet. Lisa had always loved their house. It was the right size to raise a family in and the wizarding village was quite nice too. There were always kids running around playing games and brooms out on door steps sweeping. Her grandparents had lived there for almost their whole lives and the house was the place where Lisa's dad grew up. Ever since she was a little girl, her father would take her out every other week to see her grandparents. Lisa's older sisters also came along and they normally had to put three to a room and have someone sleep on the couch. When her grandfather Noah was still a bit young he taught Lisa how to play Quidditch. Her father also helped but most of the time he was busy with work. It was just something she could do that was only her and her grandfather's thing. Those were the old days and the future was different. Lisa had sent them an owl wanting to stay at least a couple weeks before moving into her new house. Yes, she could visit them whenever she wanted, but it was the only time that seemed right. After all Lisa got to sleep in a room all to herself since her sisters were out working.

Changing into a pair of shorts and an old worn out tee shirt, Lisa pulled her hair up into a pony tail while walking down the stairs. The sounds of eggs sizzling on the skillet and the soft tune of the WWN playing were the only sounds she could hear. Walking up to the chair which her grandfather sat in, Lisa wrapped her around his neck and gave him a kiss on the check whispering a good morning into his ear. "Oh you scared me there pumpkin. Good morning to you," Noah said putting his hand on top of granddaughters. Lisa smiled while making her way into the kitchen to help. "No need to help dear! I've got it all settled. You just sit and relax," Alice told her while Lisa took out a couple plates from the shelf. Setting them down on the counter she nodded while taking a seat in one of the chairs. "Are you going to go out today sweetie?" Noah asked while turning the page of the newspaper. "I was thinking about it." Picking up her shoes from the corner of the table she began to pull them on. "I've got the whole Quidditch set outside by the doorstep out for you to use. I've got new quaffles and everything." Lisa looked up from her tying with a raised eyebrow. "Now why would you buy new supplies if I'm not going to use them? After all I did graduate and now working in the Ministry." Lisa asked returning to finish the loop. "I just thought you might like it that’s all. Not everyday you get to see your youngest granddaughter play." His words brought a warm smile to Lisa's face as the plate of food was set in front of her. "Alright I’ll try it out. You two know my greatest weakness." She added with a teasing smile while finishing off the food.

It was around noon when she had finished helping clean the house. She had her Nimbus 20001 in her hand and the trunk full of the Quidditch gear flying behind her. The best part of being seventeen was being able to use magic outside of Hogwarts. Once she reached the large sunflower fields, she set the trunk down on the ground, taking out one of the quaffles. It shined under the sun, looking unused and new. Performing a little charm on the ball Lisa mounted her broom and took off. No one else was out today which was a bit odd. There was always someone outside. Catching each catch the ball moved she sped foreword to the left as it began to change course. Holding her hands out to catch it she gasped slightly as it moved through her fingers falling to the ground. That charm was supposed to work for at least an hour! Looking down she noticed that the Quaffle had already hit someone that was passing by. Slowly heading toward the ground she dismounted from the broom ready to apologize. “I’m so sorry! Are you alright?”

[ryder]

Certain elements in life had become routine; elements such as staying up too late, followed by getting up too early. His early mornings were always occupied with a short conversation with his father, followed by a long run. It was a routine that kept him in order. The rest of the day could hold whatever it may, but its start and its end were always similar, or almost always. Today was one of the few days when an exception had been made. Ryder awoke just as he always did, to the sound of his fathers footsteps walking by his door on his way down to the kitchen. With little reluctance he pushed himself up and out of his bed, taking a moment to neaten the sheets before he pulled on an old worn t-shirt with the name of a wizard band long since broken up. Within minutes he was down at the breakfast table, quickly draining a glass of water. He hadn’t sat there long, before his father, who had the Daily Prophet spread out before him glanced over at his eldest son. Their conversation in the morning was always minimal, an analysis of what their intentions for that day were, mostly as a result that Julien was gone for work by the time Ryder returned from his run. This morning Julien started the conversation, informing Ryder that with the World Cup fast approaching he needed to box up supplies that needed to be taken to the site. As Julien continued on, his voice relaxed and fatherly, he lifted his chin and looked over at his son, indicating that help be greatly appreciated for the morning. While Ryder was never exceedingly willing to give up his morning run, he knew if his father was asking for his help, it was with good reason, and soon he had changed into the appropriate work attire and headed to the office with his father, his run rescheduled for whenever he was released from his duties.

It was nearing noon by the time he changed into a pair of gym shorts and set off down the street to run. As was typical for him, he blocked out the world as he ran; his strides soon becoming steady and rhythmic, matching his breathing perfectly, and the world other than the ground before him blurred together. Once he was in his desired mindset for running, it took a serious blow to get him out of it, and by sheer chance the word seemed to be taken literally. He was mid-step when he felt something collide with his shoulder, breaking his strides he stopped , looking over to see a quaffle on the ground, rolling away from him. Almost by instinct he stepped onto the grass and picked it up, just as he had fetched countless quaffles for players over the years. He head yet looked over to see where it may have come from where he heard a girl’s voice. “I’m fine.” He answered, offering the quaffle out to her. “Been hit with a quaffle harder than that before.”

[lisa]

Lisa smiled greatly as her seemed alright. At least he wasn't hit in the head maybe giving him a concussion. She couldn't even bare it if that what happened or at least try to explain to everyone what she had done. Her chaser skills weren't all that good. "Thanks and sorry again," she said taking the quaffle from his hands, staring down at the quaffle. It's red rubber shined under the afternoon sun as her finger gently brushed over it making a squeaking noise. Her finger stopped in mid-stroke as she remembered what her grandfather said about her odd habit being annoying. Tucking the quaffle under her free arm she looked back at the boy. Lisa had seen him around in the morning running, but never joined him or talked to him. Tucking a strand of hair that fell from the ponytail Lisa began to speak. "Were you enjoying your jog? Well, until the quaffle hit you. I'm sorry about that again….my chaser skills are complete rubbish," Lisa asked while half leaning into her broom. It was true; Lisa wasn't all that good of a chaser. Beater was her best position. She was alright as keeper, if you counted her letting almost every quaffle go in but one and she could never find the snitch or at least catch it so being a seeker was crossed off her list. Lisa half leaned onto her broom as she spoke enjoying the break.

Taking her weight off from the broom she stood up straighter. "I'm Lisa Turpin. My grandparents live just a mile away from here I'm visiting for a while," she introduced herself wondering if he would ask her what house she was in. Everyone at Hogwarts introduced themselves like that. Honestly, Lisa couldn't care what house they were in, only if they seemed to be pretty nice people. Though, it did show that you had pride in the house that the sorting hat had chosen for you. "Do you play Quidditch or is retrieving quaffles that people drop what you do best?" Lisa asked tossing the quaffle in the air back toward him wondering if this boy just wanted to give her the quaffle and head back to running or actually wanting to play the game with her. Either that or Lisa could join in on his little fun jogging session even though she meant to just relax and be lazy while visiting her grandparents.

[ryder]

He gave the girl a once over as she thanked him for returning the quaffle. She was a fellow student from Hogwarts, or at least he guessed so because of the familiarity of her appearance. He had developed and almost obsessive habit of knowing everyone by name and quidditch stats, even if he had never spoken to them personally, they all fell into some registry in his head. His assessment of the girl before him paused for a moment as she rubbed her hand across the surface of the quaffle, emitting an off sounding squeak he wasn’t sure he had ever heard emerge before. She paused for a moment, as if catching herself and tucked it under her arm before speaking again. He gave her a one sided smile, partly in response to her question about his jog, and partly because of how she described her chaser abilities. “I always enjoy jogging, even the interrupts.” He let his one sided smile become an even one, and he looked down at her quaffle for a moment. “A question though, if your talent isn’t as a chaser, why do you play it?”

It was a moment later when she introduced herself as Lisa Turpin and he remembered that e had no finished trying to place her earlier. Turpin, he repeated for a moment, recalling why she had appeared so familiar. She was a Ravenclaw, and a chaser for the house team if he recalled correctly, which made him wonder about her previous statement. He couldn’t quite remember her year, but knew that she had to be a 7th or a grad by now. Realizing that he had been silent too long he extended his hand toward her, “Ryder Dallan, I live, maybe a kilo, down the road.” It stuck him after he said it that he had never seen her around outside of school before, which was perhaps a bit strange if she had family near by. He blamed it perhaps on the fact that normally the only time he made his way down the streets was when he ran, and when he ran the world disappeared to him. “I play” he responded, brining his attention back to the moment. “But I’m better suited for the sidelines.” He paused for a moment, think that he had hardly been on his broom all summer. “But if your analysis was right, and you really are rubbish with a quaffle, I probably know enough to teach you a thing or two.”