They would not, Rex knew, have another match until they faced Gryffindor in March, but after his less than stellar performance at the most recent Hufflepuff quidditch practice, the young chaser was embarrassed enough to trek out into the snow for a solo practice. As the youngest member of the team, Abraxas Crabbe felt as though he had the most to prove—particularly with so many quidditch players in his family!

The first year was crestfallen when, arriving on the pitch, he saw another student already in the air. I was bad enough he had made a mess of it at practice—he didn’t need an audience when he tried to make amends, too!

Rex dithered for a moment, his broomstick still slung over his shoulder. If he left, he would be in no better position than he was now—plus, he would have gone out into the cold for nothing. If he stayed…

With a sigh—one the crispness of the air allowed him to see before him—Rex mounted his broomstick and kicked off from the frozen ground.