A Face In The Back((Theo))

[Woodrow Winchester R4]

OOC: Sorry for the slight g-mod, but it was all I could think of at the time.

IC: Woodrow shook his head roughly, trying to dispel the cobwebs that were clouding his head. He had just woken up, but it was not early, in fact it was half past noon! Groggily, he threw off his blankets swung his legs off the side of his bed. Standing up, he staggered over to the tap that was located on the wall to his right. He splashed some water on his face to wake himself up. Why was he waking up so late? He remembered after a few seconds, that he had pulled an all nighter, staying up til four a.m., just for History of Magic. Groaning, he walked over to the drawers next to his bed and pulled out some clothes. He got dressed slowly for his mind still wasn't as sharp as it usually was, he still managed to mess up, trying to put his hat on his foot. Finished, he checked himself to make sure there were no more mistakes. Satisfied, he left the dorms and into the common room.

Once in the common room, it was the brisk cool breeze that Woodrow noticed first. Someone had left open a window, much to his delight. He loved the chill cool breeze of winter, it was strangely comforting. Smiling tiredly, he decided that he should head outside, maybe he could finally review the practice that he had just participated in. With this in mind, he left out of the tower, and made his way downstairs.

It was on the first floor that he had begun to remember the practice and go over the different formations he had learned, as well as the different variations of shooting, feinting, passing, and dodging. It was all so much fun that he could barely notice where his feet were taking him. He was halfway down the corridor when his face suddenly combined forces with a solid back. Staggering backwards slightly, Woodrow rubbed his nose, for it slightly stung. The back hadn't been hard, but his nose had made contact with a bone, most likely the spine of the person that he had run into. With an apologetic voice, he said, " I'm sorry, I wasn't paying any attention."

[Theo Darke]

The kiss was long, drawn out... heavenly really, and Theo didn't want to pull away at all. But he knew Oscar had a Quidditch practice with his Gryffindor team, and as Vice Captain, being late was probably not setting a good example. So, Theo reluctantly pulled away, a wry but genuinely happy smile etched across his face. He could still feel the tingle on his lips that could only be Oscar's mark. "I don't want to make you late," he joked, opening the door. "Otherwise Cass might actually blame me for jeopardising your team." He winked at his boyfriend and then the two went their separate ways. Theo began a slow, leisurely walk back to the Common Room. He wondered where Lori was, but quickly banished the thought from his mind lest his feelings of guilt, regret, sorrow, wash over his heart.

His thoughts then, inevitably, fell on Oscar. What was Theo to do? He was too much in love, that was what, and he hadn't even noticed it until recently. Theo's life had become Oscar Flynn - it was as though this one boy had taken over his entire life; seeped into the little nooks and crannies Theo himself didn't bother exploring and opening. Oscar lifted his soul up and in a way, Theo's time with him was like an addiction. Always, there was a selfish streak in him he had never known - a possessive, needy part of him that constantly yearned for Oscar's attention. Oscar was his, not his friends', his teachers', his classmates', his teammates'. No one's but his. Theo was having a difficult time sharing, but he always controlled the monster well enough. The green-eyed monster of jealousy never reared its head high enough to cause him to do something silly and drastic, or cause worry for his boyfriend. Plus, Theo grinned to himself, Oscar was probably the same about him.

With his head stuck in the cloud named Oscar Flynn, Theo barely noticed where his feet were taking him. His body automatically steered him to the Common Room since it was second nature after six years at Hogwarts, but he wasn't exactly looking where he was going. When he suddenly stopped because he was about to hurtle into someone round a bend, he was about to apologise when something bumped into him from behind. "Sorry," Theo said hastily to the older Hufflepuff in front of him - curly hair, tall, lanky figure Theo registered to be a boy from the Quidditch team - before turning around to see what had hit him. He noticed a younger boy and exclaimed, "Oh, sorry I stopped like that. Are you okay?" When the boy looked up, Theo recognised him to be Woodrow, one of the players on his Quidditch team in his Third Year. "Oh, hi Woodrow," he greeted with a smile. "It's all right. Neither was I." He gazed thoughtfully at the younger boy, then said, "How are you? Thanks for turning up to the practice last week. It was good to have you there. Celia and I have some news for you too... Why don't you walk with me?"

Theo fell into step with Woodrow. After a brief silence, he started. "We were thinking of moving you into the main team, playing Chaser, since we have a free slot." He smiled encouragingly at Woodrow. "We know you're dedicated to the team and you're pretty good. With practice, you could be even better. What do you say? I would love you to be a part of my team of Chasers."

[Woodrow Winchester R4]

Woodrow noticed that the boy he had run into happened to almost collide with someone else, weird coincedence. The boy who he had walked into's voice sounded familiar, and when he turned around to talk to him, it was none other than his Vice Captain, Theo Darke, the ever ardent Sixth year Chaser. Smiling, he replied to Theo, " Hey V.P. Theo, I'm fine, it's not as bad as being hit by an bludger." He saw Theo look at him in a thoughtful manner and was curious as to why, and when he said that he and Celia had news for him, his curiosity increased ten fold. " Thanks, practice was fun, so I was glad to be there." he found himself saying, " Of course I'll walk with you, it was what I was doing when I bumped into you." The last bit he had said jokingly, and he then began to walk next to his teammate.

There was a brief silence that was not unprecedented, as he had Theo had never really talked before, other than at practice. Suddenly, Theo began talking, about a subject that made Woodrow want to run up and down the halls in ecstasy screaming his head off. The main team chaser! What an honor it would be to be on the main team, this was what he had aimed for of course. He let it all sink into the depths of his mind, and looked at Theo's smiling face, returning the smile jovially saying " Well I don't think I could join the main team, I'm sorry." He let that hang for a few seconds, then couldn't contain himself anymore saying, " I'm just kidding, I'll of course consider it an honor to join you on the main team."

His thoughts turned to the rest of his teammates as they continued to walk. What of August, wasn't he the usual starter, or at least that was what it had seemed like to him. Voicing aloud his thoughts, he looked at Theo and asked, " What about August, wasn't he the starter? I don't doubt my own skills, I just don't want any animosity between he and I." He watched Theo closely to see if something was possibly wrong with his teammate or if he really had outshone the others. Either way, he would take up the position of main team Chaser with as more enthusiasm that he had ever shown before.

[Theo Darke]

Theo laughed at Woodrow's reference to Bludgers and nodded. "Yes, I hope not... I'm not made of much muscle." Though Oscar is... Theo silenced his inner thoughts, resisting a sly grin in the process before glancing at the younger Ravenclaw boy once more. A flash of concern and surprise flickered across his face at Woodrow's answer to his proposition for Quidditch. "Why's that?" It would be a shame if Woodrow couldn't be on the main team; he was adept and Ravenclaw really needed him now, since they had recently lost so many players. Because they had no Beaters, Celia had been forced into playing with E... Theo didn't foresee any new players joining during the remainder of this school year. Hopefully, though, next year - when he would probably take over the captaincy when Celia graduated - there would be a few more recruits. Callum and Brittany were bound to join when they were old enough, but not yet; they would definitely make an unbeatable pair of Beaters, though Brittany liked to be Keeper, like Theo, and Callum Chaser, Theo's main position now. Flo, Lori's sister, had always hated Quidditch, like Lori herself, so Theo knew he would find no keenos in the Leigh family.

Theo laughed when Woodrow said he was joking. "Oh good, you had me going there. I was quite worried." He patted his new main team Chaser on the back. "Welcome to the team, Woodrow. It's great to have you on board." At Woodrow's next question, Theo shook his head. "We've swapped positions around a bit since the beginning of the year, since we lost Norah, Adriahna... a few others." He grimaced but quickly smiled and continued, "August is now the main team Chaser rather than Keeper. We promoted Edward during practice to main team Keeper instead. Celia has had to move from Chaser to Beater with E, so that's why there's an open slot with August and I. Ruth has become the new Seeker to replace Adriahna." Theo smiled after his explanation. "It's a strong team... and we'll get stronger. Sandy and Williard will remain on reserves." He nodded to himself. "I'm sure you and August will get on just fine. Us three boys will work well together, I think." Theo grinned reassuringly at Woodrow. "It's amusing how all three of us have the same positions; we all play Chaser and Keeper. We must have a lot in common." Musing thoughtfully to himself, Theo then glanced at Woodrow with interest. "What made you realise Chaser and Keeper were your preferred positions? I once had Keeper as my main, but then I realised Chaser was much more exciting." He laughed. Scott. And stayed quiet.

[Woodrow Winchester R4]

Woodrow laughed at Theo's reaction to his words. Joking was second nature to him, so when he got a good reaction he was jovial. Perhaps if Theo reacted so well to his jokes, then maybe the rest of the team would as well, jokes could hearten people when the were ready to give up. Every team needed a heart, someone they could lean on when things looked dark and they need a glimmer of hope. Woodrow decided he would try to be that person for the team, although Theo was pretty much their heart right now.

He nodded his head in understanding when Theo told him of the situation on the team, and was pleased that he was not taking August's role in the team, for August had contributed quite a bit in the last game. A strong team indeed, what with probably having the most talented team Hogwarts had seen since Gryffindor when Harry Potter had been in school. Theo's next batch of words made Woodrow think. Did he have much in common with Theo and August? They all did play Keeper and Chaser, but why had he himself chosen the positions? This was an easy answer, so he replied to Theo, " Well, I have tried out every position, and I found that Chasers and Keepers really have the most important positions on the team, not to mention the most exciting." He let that sink in, because it was popular opinion that Seekers were the most important of players. Continuing on, he said, " While a Seeker could," he emphasized the word could, " earn his team one hundred and fifty points, the Chasers have to take on the other teams Chasers, Beaters, and lasty the opposing Keeper. Keepers on the other hand have to be wary and quick so that they can make the saves that they need to, so if someone is feinting them they have to stay sharp, and when an opposing Beater chooses to attack when the Quaffle is in scoring range, then they have to focus completely on the Chaser with the Quaffle." He breathed deeply as he finished the last bit, he grinned, then said, " So you see, it only makes sense that the best play these two positions. What made you decide on these positions?"

[Theo Darke]

Theo listened to Woodrow's opinion with interest. He was surprised by the younger boy's reasons; he had expected him to say the standard answers, such as good reactions for Keeper and team work for Chaser; the latter was one of Theo's main reasons for enjoying playing Chaser so much - even though Keeper used to be Theo's primary position, practising chasing with Scott had soon converted him. As usual with Quidditch, thoughts of his friend leapt into Theo's mind and he hurriedly squashed them down again. His relationships in school were already complicated as it was; he didn't want to ponder over it and stress himself out even more. Tuning out his conscience, Theo focused solely on Woodrow.

He gave an understanding nod once Woodrow had finished, before replying. "I can see where you're coming from... But I like to think that, despite the fact the general conception is that Seeker is the most important role, what is most important is team work. Without team work, a team cannot be successful, even if you have the strongest, fastest Seeker in the world. For example, if you are facing a team that has exceptionally good team work, but you rely only on your Seeker's strength, you are bound to lose. Quidditch and games in general are unpredictable, after all - you never know if the Chasers will score so many times that even if your Seeker catches the Snitch, you will lose because the opponents have scored over fifteen times." Theo gave a humoured smile. "Have you heard about the World Cup final from a few years ago? Ireland versus Bulgaria - classic. I was there, since Dad is a huge Quidditch fan, and even though I wasn't a big fan myself at the time, I saw an amazing match that night. Bulgaria caught the Snitch, but Ireland won after all." Theo smiled at Woodrow. "That's proof to show team work works after all."

Theo held up a finger in the air. "But, we can't forget the Beaters and Keepers. Keepers are obviously important to stop the other team getting those points up. And Beaters are very, very important because they can knock out Seekers even if they wanted to." The thought of Oscar fleeting crossed Theo's mind and he smiled. "They can change the entire flow of the match. That is why everyone on the team is important." Theo sent Woodrow a meaningful look. "It's a big responsibility, but you've agreed to become a part of that important set-up. You will be part of a team and it's integral you work with everyone to make a great team." Theo grinned and patted Woodrow reassuringly again on the back. "I think you'll do great. You'll probably understand what I mean after you get more experience if you don't get it now. I didn't understand until I started playing seriously. But I won't dispute that Chaser is the most exciting position!"

Theo knew his own question was probably going to be turned onto himself, but he still had not decided on an accurate answer. He mused silently, brooding about the huge factor of Scott, who had changed everything. He couldn't talk about his friend comfortably, but he could explain to Woodrow the basic details of his decisions. "My primary position used to be Keeper. To be honest, the only reason I liked it was because that was the position my dad always pushed me into since I was the least into Quidditch; so my sister and brother would play with the Quaffle with Dad whilst I was keeping." He quirked a fond grin. "But then I found chasing... and that was much more exciting. I used to think I liked being passive, but actually, getting stuck into the action and play is much more satisfying. I also have good passing skills and I'm not scared to face my opponents head on. I knew beating would never be for me since I don't like to hurt people." Theo chuckled. "I'm too soft. And Seeker - nah, glory isn't for me. It's a lonely position, and it's a lot of responsibility. I'd rather be a Chaser, where I can work with my friends - you and August." He grinned and shrugged. "I just enjoy them more. I can't explain it any other way."