Disclaimer: The only one I own is Angela Peters.

To Win at Any Cost

"We're done!" James yelled. He was painfully aware of the grim looks that the members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team were giving him and he was grateful that the falling dusk hid the furious blush of his cheeks. He knew that they were not doing well and that it was mainly his fault – as their captain and star Chaser he was the one they looked up at most, but the truth was, he just wasn't at his best right now. For first time in his life, he had to really put efforts into his studies, he had to deal with the revelation that life was not just a big joke thanks to Sirius and his idea of a great prank, he didn't have that much time to decide what he wanted to be after he graduated next year. His heart was still set on Quidditch, but he didn't have so much time for practicing and when he did, he couldn't lose himself in it the way he had been able to only a few months ago.

And the match that would take place tomorrow would determine which team – Gryffindor or Ravenclaw – would meet Slytherin at the last game for the year. Gryffindor had to win this match.

And they weren't at their best.

A dark-haired Ravenclaw came to them as soon as they left the Quidditch pitch. James immediately recognized her dark hair and olive complexion, but even if he hadn't, he could have said who it was just by the way Sirius' steps quickened at the sight of her. It's as if he hasn't seen her for ages, James thought angrily.

Angela Peters seemed quite unfazed by the dark looks the Gryffindors gave her – it was something usual for the members of opposing teams to be at odds with each other before a match. "Bad practice?" she asked and that made James finally crack.

"What are you doing here, Peters? Spying on us?"

Unlike her words which had been careless and casual, just the usual bantering, his were acid and malicious. She blinked, briefly surprised by his hostility, but came to her senses soon enough. "Just waiting for my boyfriend, Potter. Is your play really so poor that you should be afraid of that?"

That remark hit home. James Potter and Angela Peters, the star Chasers of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, had been rivals on the Quidditch pitch ever since their second year, when each had made the team of their respective Houses. Each of them had won and lost: James had scored the goal that had won Gryffindor the Quiddich Cup in their second year, but Angela had made it possible for Ravenclaw to compete in the final match in their third, where they had beaten Slytherin; James had tricked the Ravenclaw Keeper in their fifth year and managed to score a crucial goal, but at his try to repeat this feat, Angela had feigned and suddenly barring the way, she had managed to grab the ball before it reached the goal and before the Gryffindor team could recover from their surprise, she had shoot across the whole length of the pitch, right past the Gryffindor Keeper and into the goal. Their friends said that instead of Gryffindor-Ravenclaw, the matches between the two teams should be called Potter-Peters. Apart from being true, it had such a nice ring to it, they said. James and Angela laughed at this and took it as the big joke it was. The Potter-Petters rivalry and, in general, equality, was just part of the Hogwarts routine.

But lately, while James had been trying to find his real self, Angela had stayed the way she had always been – clever, devoted to her studies and Quidditch and sure of herself and what she wanted to be. He was distraught, she was not; the only thing that was different about her was that now she had Sirius as a boyfriend, but even that had not inflicted some major changes in her life.

In short, right now Angela was playing better than James, as proven by the last two Gryffindor-Ravenclaw matches where she had taken the lead even without too much effort.

Would she do it again tomorrow?

Sirius glared at him and James realized that his friend was angry. "If you cannot play for real, do not take it out of her," he hissed in a low voice, so only James could hear him.

Angela and Sirius left the pitch together, leaving James to stare darkly after them, feeling like he had been deserted by everyone, even his best friend. The team started muttering, giving their captain disapproving looks

I have to beat her tomorrow. We must win. At any cost.

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Four hours later…

When James' broom landed in the centre of the pitch, he was surprised to see Remus there, staring at him. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same question. Why aren't you in the dorm? It's half past eleven, James. You need to be rested tomorrow."

James stared at his friend to see whether there was any accusation on his face, but met only a concerned question in his eyes. "Is Padfoot back?" he asked.

Remus nodded. "He came back two hours ago. And no, he isn't angry with you," he went on, having correctly guessed what James' next question would be. "He lashes out, but he's quick to forgive, and rightly so, because the others have to forgive him all the time. You know how he is."

"Actually," James said slowly, "I'm not sure. I'm not sure anymore. Not when it comes to her. I'll tell you something. I expected that he'd just play with her for a while and then toss her aside and be done with her. I was actually disappointed, because I liked her mettle… but so far, it hasn't happened."

Remus burst out laughing. "Be done with her? Are you kidding? Let's hope that when she's done with him, he'll be able to mend the pieces of his broken heart."

The incredible idea of Sirius with broken heart made James laughed – for a first time this day. Remus laughed too. "Come on," he said, "let's go inside."

James shook his head. "Give me twenty minutes and I promise I'll go back to the dormitory and sleep the whole night like a good little boy," he grinned.

Remus shook his head in despair. "Are twenty minutes of practice really going to make such a big difference?" he asked.

"I have to beat her tomorrow," James said. "If we don't win this match, that'll be the end."

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The next morning…

"20:10 for Ravenclaw," the commentator cried, just before James intercepted the Quaffle and threw it in Ravenclaw goal, equalizing the result. Carrie Ross grabbed the next Quaffle and shot, but right when she was aiming, a Bludger came and shook her on her broom, declining the shot. Angela Peters managed to lay her hands on the ball and send it in the Gryffindor goal just a moment before a Gryffindor Beater – her loving boyfriend, Sirius Black – almost knocked her off her broom with a deadly aimed Bludger.

Right now, romances and tender feelings weren't worth a Knut. All that mattered was to win. For everyone.

Angela managed to stay on her broom and pass the Quaffle to one of her teammates. She even scored a goal, but after her initial successes, she seemed to have lost her spirit. Maybe the fact that James managed to actually steal the Quaffle from right before her had discouraged her, but that wouldn't last long.

And yet, it did. Shocked, James realized that he had done the same thing again, snatching the Quaffle almost out of her fingers, while she was looking at him, just as shocked as him, her face pale, her hand flown to her throat, as if she wanted to strangle a disbelieving cry.

Ravenclaw scored a goal. Eighty to fifty. Her hand still pressed to her throat, Angela directed her broom at the Quaffle, trying to make a pass, while James was aiming another ball at the Ravenclaw Keeper and the Seekers of the two teams were flying sight to side towards a round golden gleam…

And then everything exploded.

The Gryffindor Seeker gave a victorious cry, clutching the Snitch, but his rival was not even nearby, when mere moments ago he had been next to him; now Michael Davies was flying at full speed downwards, trying to catch his teammate Angela Peters, who was falling rapidly, Madame Hooch bellowed the Gryffindor's victory and the members of the two teams were rushing after Davies, hoping to catch Angela before she hit the ground; the spectators were trying to catch her in time, but she was having a strange fit that kept her trashing in all directions, so no one could point his wand at her – there was no saying where she would be the next moment. Her broom flew off, and she continued falling. James drew his wand out, but he knew it was hopeless… A few meters away from him, Sirius was shouting something, his face contorted in terror, but the wind was blowing his words away. James closed his eyes, waiting for the sound of a body hitting the ground and breaking skull and bones – but it did not come. James opened his eyes.

Michael Davies was next to him, his face pale with fear, his arms tightly encircling Angela. He had managed to catch her only two meters before she hit the ground and he had immediately sped upwards, so they would not both crash.

She was still trashing in his arms, her arms and legs flailing furiously, her eyes rolling wildly.

James pressed her arms to her sides and helped Davies bring her to the ground, where she was immediately brought to the infirmary, the whole school following the procession.

"Mr Black, you cannot enter!" Madame Pomfrey barked.

"But, Madame Pom – "

"Listen," the school nurse said firmly, "I don't have the time to argue. Stay here and wait!"

And she slammed the door right in front of Sirius, who was beside himself with worry. Well, James could sympathize with him. If it had been Lily… he shuddered just at the thought of it.

A few moments later, the Ravenclaw team burst in, followed by the Gryffindor one. "What happened?" Margery Wilks, another Ravenclaw Beater, cried. "How is she?"

"They don't let us in," James answered darkly. "She must have had some sort of attack. Was she unwell this morning?"

"No," Margery denied, "she was all right during breakfast. Oh Merlin, is she going to be all right? I thought she was going to crash, it was so awful – " Her voice faded, and Davies patted her awkwardly on the shoulder.

The Gryffindor team looked just as distressed as the Ravenclaws. The thought that a classmate of theirs was in such state was more than concerning. "Well," Sam Chapman offered hesitantly at his teammates, "at least we won."

James shrank him with a look. "I'd rather lose," he snapped and realized that it was true. When he had thought that they had to win at any cost, he hadn't meant that cost! He'd rather have Angela play against him right now – and win. "No, Sirius, don't!" he said quickly and stepped in front of his best friend, who looked ready to curse Chapman into oblivion.

Madame Pomfrey went out three hours later, when almost everyone had got tired of waiting and left. The only ones staying were the Ravenclaw team, a few friends of Angela, Professor Flitwick, who was of course her Head of House, and the Marauders.

The school nurse looked exhausted, but the smile that lit her face the moment she looked at them told them everything they had been praying to hear. Everyone relaxed and burst out in questions. "Miss Peters' life is out of danger now," Madame Pomfrey said, "but it was a close call."

James was shaken at the thought that a smart, lively girl could have died just like that.

The nurse looked at the people in the room. "Does Miss Peters have some known allergies?" she asked.

"Yes." The answer came from two people at the same time: Remus and Vesta Billings, both close friends of Angela's.

"She's allergic to all sorts of Calming Potions, she told me herself" Vesta went off. Remus nodded in confirmation. "When we're working with such ingredients in our Poton classes, she usually leaves. Professor Slughorn is acquainted with her condition and he doesn't make fuss for her absences or anything. Really – " She shrugged. "It isn't a big deal."

"It is now," Madame Pomfrey cut her off. "You see, there is a solid amount of these ingredients in Miss Peters' body. She suffered an allergic shock and that caused the spasms. She's lucky her respiratory organs didn't completely shut off."

Vesta stared at her. "But Angela doesn't take such potions!" she cried. "She's very cautious about that and anyway, her nerves are all right and she doesn't have trouble sleeping."

"That means," Madame Pomfrey said, "that someone had given her the potion without her knowledge."

Professor Flitwick straightened up. "I shall report to the Headmaster."

"But why? What about?" Sirius asked.

The tiny teached eyed him sternly. "Someone has slipped a Calming Potion to my best Chaser right before the match – if it had been earlier, she would have felt the effects sooner. Whoever did it didn't know that she's allergic to it. He probably did it just to slow her reflexes, so she wouldn't score too many goals." His voice became hard. "So Gryffindor would win."

James realized that everyone – Flitwick, Pomfrey, Billings, the Ravenclaws and even Sirius and Remus – was looking straight at him.

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