BEATER 2 – ROUND 3 of The Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition

2. Bruises

7. Dialogue: "Pretend that didn't happen."

10. Towels

It hadn't been long since He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was defeated, yet here I was, after having Hannah forcibly drag me from my house; bickering back and forth to her "Hannah, Hannah I don't want to do this." I have tried so very hard to get out of it.

"Susan, it's been almost four months, I've bought us tickets to every single game all season just for you to fail to show up. Look, it's the semi-finals, they might not get through, it has to be now."

"Oh I don't care about the Quidditch, I don't want to be outside. Let me go back home."

"You've always liked Quidditch, don't lie to me. Three years ago you would have been jumping on your bed over this."

"Well there are more important things than watching the Falcons let me down AGAIN."

She gives me the dirtiest look she can muster, but Hannah is just too sweet for it to be damaging. It's her words that cut me, "All you've been doing is lying in your bed listlessly, and by the state of your kitchen, ordering take-out for every meal. You can't go on like this."

I stubbornly ignore her all too true comment. I just haven't felt like cooking in a few months, that's all. I'm so tired; all I can bring myself to do is lie in bed and try to sleep.

I'd been sitting in the stands for hours, watching lazily as far off players zip around the pitch. There's a girl I recognize playing chaser, it takes me a moment, but I recognize her as Alicia Spinnet from Gryffindor. I hadn't known she'd gone on to play professionally, but she's rather good. The crowd cheers as she scores another goal.

The crowd is in an uproar now, avidly watching the seekers battle for the snitch, I glance to the scoreboard and see that the Falcons are only down by 10. I am surprised by my smile as the seekers' hand closes around the tiny golden ball, Falcons win 240-100.

All too soon Hannah is dragging me off once more, I pull back just the slightest amount, but it is all it takes for her to notice. "What? Did you want to go ask for autographs?"

"Spinnet was a Gryffindor."

She blinks at me, "Yes, she was. And we were Hufflepuffs."

"She's a chaser for the Falcons, we should go say hello."

Hannah grins, "So all it takes is a pretty Quidditch player for you to end your self-imposed isolation?"

I roll my eyes at her, Hannah's been trying to play matchmaker with me for years. Now trust me when I say that Hannah has an almost Gryffindor way about her, she barges head first into situations, and once she's in over her head, she flees and usually ditches me to clean up her mess. So you can see how it was completely not my fault when she yanked me into the ladies dressing room, did I forget to mention that Spinnet was the only girl on the Falcons team?

So after dragging me into a changing room and being faced with an only half-dressed Alicia Spinnet, Hannah had bolted almost immediately, leaving me there. The tiny instant that I do admit I looked was all it took for my mouth to override my brain, "You're covered in bruises!"

Alicia pulled her shirt down before turning to me, her eyebrow raised, "Did you not see the bludger I took?"

"I probably did, but I don't think I had quite recognized you at that point."

She smiled a bit, and a butterfly began fluttering through my stomach, "Bones right?"

I just stared at her blankly, it was so odd to see her now, when only four months ago I had seen her dripping with blood during the battle. My eyes scanned across her arms looking for the wound I remembered seeing cut. She must have read my mind; she turned her right arm over so I could see the jagged scar running up from wrist to just above her elbow. It took me a moment to realize how rude I was being and I quickly diverted my eyes, searching for a conversation change; blandly I half-asked "You play Quidditch now?"

She tried to hold back her laugh at the redundancy of my question, but she answered anyway, "Yes, though it's only my first year in the league, so I didn't exactly get on the best team."

"The Falcons are my favourite."

She looked mildly embarrassed, "Oh, well, I mean they're quite a good-"

"You don't have to lie; they've done terribly for many years."

"Well I could be on a worse team."

"Yes," I agreed, "You could play for the Cannons."

She didn't bother to hold back her giggles this time, "Just don't ever say that near a Weasley."

I smiled for a second before my eyes forsook me, wandering down her arms and back to that wretched scar. I had felt so useless during the battle, barely staying shielded from the rogue spells flying in all directions, watching as the others of our number dropped one by one. The only time I felt I had ever done anything useful was in that short reprieve we had been granted, to tend to our dead; and though it was generally left unsaid, our living as well. I would never forget the cut that made that scar straight up her arm; she was half unconscious from blood loss as she stumbled into the Great Hall, Madame Pompfrey had been so overworked she had barely glanced at it before pointing me over. I had poured blood replenishers down Alicia's throat, waving my wand in complicated spirals and muttering under my breath as small patches of her skin fused back together bit by bit.

I had been so lost in the memory I hadn't noticed Alicia's approach, I jolted as her rough hand cupped my cheek. I almost felt the need to apologize for leaving such an ugly mark, but she beat me to words "You saved my life, don't be sorry for the scar, my teammates think it's awesome anyway."

I glanced up into chocolaty eyes, she had barely leaned forward before I closed the distance. Though as quickly as our lips had met, they were separated again and her eyes were wide in shock, I raised my hands in apology "Pretend that didn't happen."

After she turned and began to pack her bag, the silence grew tense and awkward, I fumbled through my thoughts before turning to leave, "It was good to see you Spinnet." I glanced back to her while reaching for the door.

"Alicia."

My hand paused.

"You can call me Alicia, and we should go out for a drink sometime, it will be good to catch up."

"I… That would be nice."

After I left the changing room Hannah took me home, and all the way back I was embarrassed to find myself to be ignoring her in favour for my thoughts of calloused cinnamon hands. Hannah chattered away in my ear until night fall, at which point she finally realized that I had been paying her no attention and left with a smirk gracing her lips.

I had barely gotten any sleep when I was rudely awakened by an owl pecking at my window impatiently. I shuffled to the window to let the infernal bird in, after untying the letter I quickly read it, "Susan, I've decided to pick you up for that drink I promised at 6. See you then, Alicia."

I glared down at the letter in my hands, wondering if I should send a response asking to meet instead at the pub. However when I turned back to the owl, quill and parchment in hand, I discovered that it had already flown off.

I only panicked a little bit, there were so many things I had to do. I had to shower, and pick something to wear, brush my teeth, and do my hair and make-up, get dressed, I had to eat something, probably more take-out as my pantry was likely empty. Then I remembered my messy, cluttered, dusty, hadn't been cleaned in over a month house; I couldn't possibly meet her in such a filthy place, had I even trimmed the garden in the last half-year?

I screeched in horror as I looked out the window, weeds were towering above long thick crab-grass patches, thistles and thorns dominated what had once been a lush green garden. I scrambled with my wand to cast hurried spells out my window, though a second glance told me that all my spells had managed was a swift beheading of my once perfect peonies, a choppy grass line, and various uprooted bushes. It looked even worse. I vowed to ignore it for now and instead rushed towards the bathroom.

The loud ringing of my family's old grandfather clock shocked me further, it wasn't early morning, it was one in the afternoon, I had overslept. That was when I panicked a lot; I slid down the wall in shocked betrayal at my alarm clock. "Oh what am I going to do? There's so much to be done and I only have five hours, I don't even know what to wear." I moaned piteously.

I scrambled to the shower, and after only slipping and falling twice, was safely back in my bedroom. I tossed my towel haphazardly onto my bed, spelled my hair dry and began brushing it as I elbowed through the closet, digging in search of a good skirt, and where had I put that blue blouse of mine?

I paused briefly to wonder why it mattered so much that I impress Alicia, who cared if she saw my messy house and disgusting yard. What did it matter if I looked good, I certainly hadn't looked my best yesterday and she still asked me out. The grandfather clock rang again, it was two. I groaned, "What would Hannah do?" Realization struck; I was a witch, and what did witches have to help them? "Granger can yell at me later! I NEED A HOUSE-ELF!"

I sipped contentedly at my tea as my newly purchased house-elf Topsy fluttered about my yard, roses were blooming under her deft work, the grass had been cut, and now was a lush green. My once beheaded peonies had been replaced with new ones in full bloom, the yard was weeded. I sighed joyfully as I munched on the sandwich Topsy had made me. I looked over at my kitchen where dishes were dutifully washing themselves, all the take-out boxes had been removed, the counters glistened still damp from being scrubbed. This was the life.

I had found my blouse, my hair was done, and I had even managed to dig out a nice pair of shoes. I had only begun to lean back contentedly when the clock rang out 6'o'clock, and promptly on time, what was surely Alicia knocked on my door.

At the pub we quickly launched into conversation over our drinks, Alicia had dressed more casually than I, settling for a good pair of jeans and a crimson tank top. She discussed her Quidditch career and laughed off the large bruise across her shoulder, "It's a hazard of doing what you love."

When she tried to turn the conversation to what I had been doing post war I realized for the first time, that I had done absolutely nothing. I scrambled to think of what I had wanted to do with my life, before my world had ended; but as I rambled aimlessly about trying to get a ministry job and following in my aunts footsteps, I quickly realized that such a life was the last thing I desired. I stopped talking and frowned for a minute, "I actually don't think I know what I want to do."

She smiled indulgently, "Well not everyone can figure it out right away. But you were always a very good listener if I recall."

I rolled my eyes, "Yes, but listening has never gotten anyone a job."

"You could be a journalist."

My eyes widened in horror at the thought, and she instantly dissolved into laughter, "Maybe not. You could be…" She thought for a minute, "You could be a mind healer."

I was about to shake my head when the memories of fixing up wounds in the battle caught me. I had felt so useless fighting, but spelling people back together had given me a purpose, I nodded slowly, "I think I'll be a healer."

"If that's what you want, you should get your application in right away, training starts in a week."

A few weeks later Alicia suggested that we go for a walk, and I was quickly surprised when she led me off into muggle London, we had walked for nearly an hour, and my lack of athleticism was beginning to show; Alicia assured me it wasn't far now. Still, the night was warm and peaceful. Mere minutes later she bumped my shoulder to get my attention, as I looked across the street I saw a large park full of trees. Though it was dark Alicia seemed to know exactly where she was going, "We won't see many on the edges, there's more the deeper in you go. I don't think they like the bright lights of the city."

I looked around wondering what on Earth Alicia could be talking about, yet a dozen steps through the woods I caught a light out of the corner of my eye. It flitted out of sight an instant later, and we continued to wander further. When almost all of the residual lights from the city had been shielded by the trees I saw another, the longer we walked, the more specks of light appeared, ghosting through the trees; it took me a moment to realize what I was seeing. "Fireflies."

It wasn't much longer before we approached a clearing, it was almost surreal, watching them dance through the trees, flaring to life and then dying away, only to light up moments later somewhere else.

We took one final step; I held my breath at the sight that greeted me. If the fireflies among the trees were surreal, then the scene before me now was beyond words. A thousand tiny points of light danced, winking in and out, tiny stars reflecting those just visible above us.

Over the next passing months my days gradually grew into a pattern with Alicia. She would attend Quidditch practise with the Falcons, vowing to win the cup in the coming season, as they had only lost it this time by 30 points. I went to and from healer training every day, and each day I returned home and was met with multiple bruises or scrapes that she had sustained while flying; she called it testing my knowledge, and I would roll my eyes and deftly flick my wrist through various movements, fixing her wounds better each time.

However it wasn't the days that I favoured, but our evenings; sometimes we went for a walk through the city, or out to dinner at a variety of muggle and wizarding restaurants, but my favourite nights were when we just curled up on our couch with a movie playing on the muggle picture box she'd bought.

I was spending my mornings running through the hospital delivering potions to various patients, healing broken bones, and reversing minor spell damage. The afternoons were filled with a constant stream of classes teaching and testing me on spell after spell. After which I would be expected to successfully diagnose and treat patients for multiple related problems. I was far too exhausted to go out most evenings, but anyone can gather enough energy to doze peacefully through a movie.

One particularly difficult evening I stepped inside our house, finally allowing myself to slump from my exhaustion. It had been an expectedly busy week at St. Mungos, having been almost exactly nine months after the fall of Voldemort, a lot of babies were being born. I leaned against the entryway and moved exhaustedly to rub the kinks out of my neck.

My eyes were closing on their own when Alicia wrapped her arm around my waist and began the languid journey to our bathroom. She helped me undress and lowered me gently into the bathtub. I sank contentedly into the warm steaming water, the soft scent of lavender and aloe greeted me. She sat on the edge of the tub for a minute to rub my aching shoulders before disappearing out the door.

I lounged in the warm water happily, and slowly began to wipe the sweat from my body. I wringed out a face cloth before lying it across my forehead. I descended ever deeper into the bathtub, reflecting on our world in its endeavor to rebuild; my thoughts wandered to Alicia and the insanity of our relationship, she's all bruises and scrapes from Quidditch, and I with my healer training always having a spell and a kiss to make her injuries better. Yet here I am, after the most fatiguing week of my life, and for the first time she's the one playing nursemaid.

The water cools around me, and as though she'd timed the cooling rate of water; just as I begin to rise from the tub Alicia is pushing the door open to greet me, a towel stretched out in front of her just waiting for me. A lazy grin spreads across my face as I snuggle into the towel, it's soft and fluffy, and Alicia is a genius for thinking to warm it in the dryer for me.

I sigh happily in her arms, and squeeze her slightly tighter when the realization comes that I never want to be without her again.