Who: Alicia Spinnet and Charlie Weasley What: Alicia missed the try-outs for the Quidditch team, but it wasn’t her fault. Really, it wasn’t. Hopefully she can get Charlie to give her a second chance to show that she can fly. When: Sept. 8, 1990 Where: Hogwarts - Gryffindor Common Room Rating: G
Rubbing her wrist gingerly Alicia glanced down the table, pulling back immediately when Charlie turned his head. No doubt he was just talking to someone on the other side of the table, but what if he caught her looking at him? That thought alone had her cheeks burn bright red as she sank back in her seat, doing her best to appear invisible.
She wasn’t invisible, though. Angelina was looking at her from across the table, and Katie was sitting right next to her, both of the staring at her. She knew what they were thinking, because they had already told her earlier. ‘Just ask him.’ Simple as that.
Oh, it was simple alright. The only problem was, that asking Charlie Weasley for a chance to try out after the team had already been picked, wasn’t simple at all. For one, it was hard to ask for something when all you could do was stutter and blush because you were standing in front of a huge seventh year, a boy who was being talked about by every girl in school, and who was just about the best, most handsome flyer she had ever seen.
Madam Pomfrey had Healed her wrist easily enough, though it was still sore when she moved it, though if it hadn’t been because Sam had insisted that she do as the old witch said, then she would have been down on the Pitch in time to at least be part of the try-outs. At least being late was better than missing it completely.
Alicia glanced over at Angelina. She knew her friend was sorry on her behalf, but she was still thrilled to have made it onto the team, and Alicia couldn’t blame her. She was happy for Angelina too, but she really, really wanted a spot as well. Drawing in a deep breath, she nodded and got up from her seat to go talk to Charlie, but once she got to her feet, he was nowhere to be found, and with a sigh she sat back down again to finish her supper.
It wasn’t until later that she found him, in the Common Room... talking to a girl, as usual. One of the older girls, who Alicia had found to be one of the prettiest since the first time she had seen her. That wouldn’t do. Now she couldn’t talk to him at all, because how could she make him listen when he was talking to her? Chewing on her lip, Alicia wrung her hands, though stopped immediately when it hurt her wrist to do so. Instead she began twining the tip of her ponytail around her finger, and before she knew it she was chewing on the blond strands of hair.
Quickly she looked around the room to see if anybody had seen her do that. It didn’t seem like it, and now that pretty girl was walking away from Charlie... In a flash Alicia was on her feet, determined to go talk to him, let him know what had happened and ask to get another chance to prove herself.
She walked steadily, in a straight line until she was standing in front of him, looking up into a face that looked so much like the twins, only... this wasn’t Fred or George. This was Charlie. Alicia opened her mouth to speak, though the words failed her, and instead her lips ended up pursing as if in thought. She tried again, drawing in a deep breath, and this time managed an almost inaudible squeak, that had her shoulders slump in defeat. Nibbling on her lower lip, she shuffled her foot a couple of times, looking down at the floor before she chanced a glance up at him. Just ask him, Ali, Katie’s voice rang in her head, making Alicia look fully up at him, and again, she opened her mouth.
“I fell down the stairs,” she rambled swiftly, her eyes widening as her hands clamped over her mouth to keep it from spouting any more nonsense.