Instead of chatting like all her fellow players, Astrid was stretching. She stretched her arms, legs, stomach, neck, and any other stretchable part of her body. She jogged in place. She dropped down and did twenty push-ups in forty one seconds flat. She touched her toes without bending her knees easily. Lastly, she released a crick in her shoulder, and performed a handstand. She then proceeded to go up and down in that position. Fifty times would be acceptable. Her green and silver robes fell on her face, along with her blond hair.
"Excuse me," a faint voice came from her teammates, and the next thing she knew, Astrid was joined by someone who, with the tip of her finger, knocked her over. She crashed down, and even though nothing really hurt, she looked up furiously.
"Heather!"
Her best friend looked amused. "Yes, Astrid?" she asked, batting her eyes innocently.
Astrid glared. "I hate you."
"You love me."
"No, I don't."
"You do."
She sighed; there was just no winning with Heather. "What is it?"
"You haven't had breakfast, Ast," Heather reprimanded, "You've been practicing nonstop, and you haven't taken a break. Calm down."
"If that's why you're here, clear out. I'm fine." She went back to her handstand position
Heather groaned. "It's his first time playing! Why are you so worried?"
"You haven't seen him! He's a really good player! And he'll beat me if I don't take this seriously and I cannot have that!"
"Are you seriously afraid of Hiccup Haddock?"
"Shut up!" Astrid hissed. She looked around the changing room, which, because of her handstand, was upside down, to make sure no one heard. She didn't need that kind of information to travel. And information traveled fast at Hogwarts.
"Astrid's afraid," Heather whispered in a singsong voice, "Astrid's afraid she'll get beat by a Hufflepuff! Hiccup Haddock, no less!" After allowing herself to giggle for a few moments, Heather asked, "Can you get up now?"
"...No."
"But the game's starting!"
This time, Astrid tumbled down without anyone pushing her. Heather winced. "Sorry."
"No, you're not."
"Yeah, I'm not."
"Slytherin vs Hufflepuff, today, folks! Not the most exciting match, but with my amazing commentary, we'll live, I'm sure."
As Astrid flew out into the field, she rolled her eyes. "Don't be biased, Jorgenson!" she yelled out loudly. Honestly, who let Snotlout Jorgenson commentate the match?
"I'll try, Hofferson!" he called back, only his voice was extremely magnified and carried across the whole field, into the crowds and within everyone's hearing rage. "Ah, who am I kidding? No, I won't."
Professor Belch got onto his broom. "At the start of my whistle, we start! No cheating! Follow the rules, and, well, you know."
He blew the whistle, threw the Quaffle into the air, and the game began.
"Hofferson catches the Quaffle, always knew that girl was worth something, and she's flying towards the goal post, and - BLUDGER! - oh, she avoided it - STOP LAUGHING, YOU LOT, I DO NOT SCREAM LIKE A GIRL - she shoots, she scor - misses? Ah, Hiccup Haddock, the Hufflepuff's new keeper, blocks it, and it is passed on to Hufflepuff chaser, Dagur Derange."
Astrid gasped, and for the first time since she got out into the field, looked the Hufflepuff chaser in the eyes. Those oh-so green eyes.
How dare he smirk at her.
She didn't bother saying anything as she flew downwards and then back up to block Derange, but a well-placed Bludger came in her way. So all she could do was call out, "Heads up, Heather!"
"Ooh, and Heather Derange is playing Keeper against her own brother! And...blocked! Good for you Heather! Wait, wait, he's got it again, and he shoots, and he scores!"
A series of cheers erupted from the Hufflepuff students the same time a series of boos erupted from the Slytherin ones. One of her teammates, Ruffnut Thorston, caught the Quaffle and flew towards the Hufflepuff goal post. She did a roll on her broom to avoid a few players, and threw the Quaffle as hard as she could.
"Haddock blocks another Quaffle!"
"No! You son of a half troll, rat-eating, munge bucket!
"And...we take a break from this Qudditch game to see Slytherin's Astrid Hofferson giving Hufflepuff's Hiccup Haddock a piece of her mind."
Astrid forced her broom to whirl around to face Snotlout. She'd show him a a piece of her mind. She opened her mouth to yell at him, but he broke into a wide grin and shouted, "And Ryker Grimborn catches the Snitch! HUFFLEPUFF TAKES THE GAME!"
Dagur Derange let out a maniacal laugh, especially at the look on his sister's face, before grabbing on of the Beater's bats, and whacking a Bludger at random. In his elation, he didn't realize where it was headed.
And Astrid Hofferson didn't even have time to process that Hufflepuff had won, that Hiccup Haddock had beat her, before a black figure filled her line of vision, and she blacked out.
The hospital wing was a welcoming sight, especially due to her raging headache. The memory of what happened flooded her mind. They had lost. And then...and then...
"Oh, I am going to kill Dagur," she muttered.
"Heather's already on it, Ast," said a familiar nasally voice, "I don't think Dagur will live to see tomorrow."
Astrid turned her head to see Hiccup sitting there, a relieved expression on his face. "I'd do it myself, but I wanted to stay with you. I threw a punch, though, after I caught you. His tooth came out."
She grinned. "Thanks."
Then she remembered what he did.
Astrid sat up, drew her arm back, and punched him in the shoulder. Hard.
"Ow! Holy Thor, Astrid!"
"That," she said with a slight growl, "was for being better at Quidditch than your girlfriend."
He rubbed his arm and glared at her, but then she grabbed his collar and kissed him sweetly.
"And that was for saving me."
Hiccup grinned, and was about to respond, when they heard a voice from the halls.
"No! I'm sorry, Heather! Sis! Ouch! I'll apologize to her, I swear. No, not that curse. ARGH!"
For all who have watched HTTYD and/or watch dragons, I know I didn't match up the characters to the positions very well. I'm sorry! But, I had to, for the sake of the story!