Disclaimer: I am not Madame J.K. Rowling, nor do I claim to be. I only own the dialogue, Chameli, and a handful of Quidditch players.
Before seventh year, Quidditch was just a game to Lily. It was just a magical pastime on the weekends that Lily enjoyed watching. She never really got energetic about it. It was only a silly game. Today, however, would prove to be different.
It was a beautiful fall day. Halloween was over, and it was the first Saturday in November, the day of the first Slytherin-Gryffindor match of the year. There was a chilly breeze, and Lily bundled herself up tightly in Gryffindor colors as she trekked across the Gryffindor grounds with her two best friends, Chameli and Dorcas.
"With James Potter as captain, there's no way we can lose," Chameli, the Quidditch fanatic of the three, said. Her dark brown hair went wonderfully with her crimson house sweater, and Lily could see the gears in her head moving. "If we win this game, we'll rub their slimy snake noses in the mud! Ha!"
Lily rolled her eyes. "Dumbledore himself tells us not to be prejudiced against other houses, Chameli. With the world we're living in, it doesn't do to have useless enemies."
Chameli looked at her. "Way to kill my buzz, Evans. Besides, this is Quidditch! It's more important than the world we're living in!" The small girl said. She threw her hands into the air. "We're not talking about boys, or Voldemort, or even Dumbledore, for Merlin's sake. We're talking about QUIDDITCH!"
Both Lily and Dorcas rolled their eyes.
"Way to get all philosophical, you two. Come on, the game will begin soon, and I want a seat next to the guys," Dorcas said. She pulled Lily and Chameli along, and within a few minutes they were happily seated to their new found friends, Remus Lupin (who was commentating the game) and Peter Pettigrew.
"Hello Lily, Chameli, Dorcas." Remus smiled. He patted the seat next to him, and Lily happily obliged. Although always cordial to one another, their friendship had grown in the past six months, and Lily found herself so appreciative of Remus's friendship, and, believe it or not, his friends.
"James and Sirius ready for the win?" Lily asked.
"They're always ready for a win." Remus chuckled, "Although, James is nervous. He's determined to keep up his winning streak, and the Slytherins are his toughest competition."
"We'll beat them. We have to!" Chameli said. "If we don't, I'll shove a beater's bat up Potter's ars- Hello, Professor McGonagall!" Chameli cut her threat short. Minerva McGonagall had taken the seat behind them.
"Hello, Miss Nayar." McGonagall said, "Mr. Lupin, please start the game."
Remus nodded, and pulled the big purple microphone closer to him. "Good day, everyone! I'm Remus Lupin and I happily welcome you to the first Slytherin-Gryffindor Quidditch match of the season!"
The student body, surrounding the field in a great multitude of green, silver, red and gold, erupted into cheers. Lily found herself grinning with a new excitement for the game that she had never had before.
"Please welcome the Gryffindor Quiditch team: Theodore Perry, Seeker; Matthew Wood, Keeper; Sirius Black, Beater; Raj Patil, Beater; Emily Abbott, Chaser; Falco Avery, Chaser; and finally, Gryffindor's captain, James Potter, Chaser!" Remus cried.
Lily's stomach did an involuntary flip at James's name, and her emerald eyes found his gold and crimson clad form, way down on the pitch, clutching his broom. The majority of the stadium once again erupted into cheers; the remaining spectators booed.
"And now, please welcome the Slytherin Quidditch team:," Remus said with less enthusiasm, "Regulus Black, Seeker; Marcus Bode, Keeper; Demetrius Borage, Beater; Alecto Carrow, Beater; Crispin Dawlish, Chaser; Vlad Derwent, Chaser; and finally, Slytherin captain, Oswald Gibbon."
The green and silver clad parts of the stadium cheered, but were quickly drowned out by the gold and crimson boos. Remus tried his hardest to speak over them.
"Now, will the captains please shake hands?" Remus said, almost with a warning to James.
Lily watched as James and Gibbon shook hands. She noticed how James bit back a wince. It looked as though ape-like Gibbon was trying to crush every one of James's fingers. Lily wanted to smack him.
"I have a feeling this is going to be a nasty game…" Dorcas said, crossing her fingers. Lily couldn't help but agree.
"Potter passes to Abbott, Abbott to Avery, Avery shoots, and is blocked by Slytherin Keeper, Bode!" Remus yelled, "Potter takes possession of the Quaffle again, and goes to make another shot at the hoops. He aims and is knocked to the left by Slytherin Beater Carrow!" Remus cried. The Gryffindor support screamed in rage, and even McGonagall looked angry.
Lily gasped at the sight of burly Carrow smashing roughly into James. James let go of the Quaffle, and Derwent dived underneath of him to catch it. James looked livid as he turned his broom around and followed after Derwent.
"Potter chases Derwent, Avery following closely. They close in on Derwent, a strategic Bludger sent Derwent's way by Beater Sirius Black knocks the Quaffle out of his hands, Abbott takes possession and GRYFFINDOR TAKES THE LEAD AGAIN, 120-110 GRYFFINDOR!"
Every Gryffindor supporter, including McGonagall, cheered at the goal. James cheered loudly, and raced over to hug Emily Abbott. Lily tried her hardest to ignore the small flame of jealousy.
"Gryffindor takes possession of the Quaffle. Abbott and Potter fly with Avery to protect him, they near the hoops, and AVERY IS KNOCKED IN THE HEAD BY A BLUDGER! FOUL!"
Lily screamed in rage. Poor Falco Avery about fell off his broom in a dead faint. James quickly caught the lean fifth year before he plummeted fifty feet to the ground.
"And a foul is called on Slytherin. Chaser James Potter will take three shots at the goal," Remus said. Lily held her breath as James took aim at the hoops. He made all three shots, and the crowd went wild. Avery smiled madly, still a bit dazed, and the game started up again.
Lily's nails were digging into her face. Her voice was hoarse with screaming. She never usually got this riled up about games, she thought, why now?
"Potter passes to Avery, Dawlish intercepts. Dawlish takes the Quaffle up, aims, shoots, scores!" Remus said. The Syltherins went wild. Sirius hit a Bludger with extreme force, and sent it flying at Dawlish and slammed his head into his own broom handle.
"FOUL!" cried the Slytherin house.
"Ugh, foul on Gryffindor," Remus said. He glared at Sirius, who was laughing at the blood pouring down Dawlish's face. Finally wiped clean of his blood, Dawlish made all three. James flew over to Sirius and started yelling at him.
"The game proceeds with Gryffindor in the lead, 150-140. Dawlish passes to Carrow, passes to Derwent. Beater Raj Patil sends a lovely Bludger his way, James intercepts the Quaffle…"
Lily's eyes scanned the skies. Where was Gryffindor's trusted Seeker, Theodore Perry? She didn't see him anywhere. Slytherin's Seeker, Regulus Black, was looping around the stadium, searching for the Golden Ball that would make or break this game.
"LOOK! THEODORE HAS GONE INTO A DIVE!" Chameli screamed. Lily finally saw him.
Fourth year Theodore Perry was straight above her. He came swopping down so fast she felt the whoosh! of air on her face. The whole crowd was frozen in anticipation. Regulus Black plunged after Theodore, and so did Borage, Slytherin's largest Beater. Lily's stomach nearly turned when she heard the sickening sound of Borage's bat collide with Teddy's body.
"TEDDY!" everyone screamed. A ferocious scream, loud enough to raise the hair on Lord Voldemort's arms, sounded through the stadium. Every swear Lily had ever heard was being directed at Borage.
"Foul on Slytherin!" Remus cried. Everyone looked over the stands to see Teddy's crumpled body on the ground. James flew down and looked over his bleeding Seeker. The stands went silent.
After what seemed like an hour, Teddy was up and walking. Borage had cracked his bat over Teddy's head and sent him free falling twenty feet. Thankfully, the Snitch had escaped, and James lined up to take the foul shots.
"This game is getting awfully nasty…" Lily heard Remus mutter.
James made all three. The Gryffindors cheered and poor Teddy high-fived James with a smile on his face before he resumed his search for the Snitch.
"And the score is 180-140 Gryffindor!" Remus yelled. "Abbott takes the lead, passes to Avery, back to Abbott. Patil sends a nice Bludger Gibbon's way, misses, damn… interception by Dawlish. Dawlish aims, but Matthew Wood of Gryffindor blocks it! Potter now in possession!"
Lily watched, almost ripping her hair out, as James zoomed towards Slytherin's goal. He was so, so close to scoring when Lily saw them. Carrow and Borage, the Slytherin brutes, went after James, bats raised. With a sickening crack! both Beater's bats came in contact with James. The Quaffle dropped, and so did the star Chaser.
"JAMES!" Lily screamed. She watched, horrified, as James plummeted to the ground. Dawlish stole the Quaffle, and made six goals while everyone's eyes were on James, but it didn't matter.
Lily saw Teddy go into another dive, and Regulus was more than fifty feet away.
Within seconds, Teddy pulled up from his dive with his fist raised high in the air. He had caught the Snitch. Gryffindor won.
"THEODORE PERRY HAS THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WINS, 300-200!" Remus cried. The roaring cheers filled the stadium and James was almost forgotten as he lay on the grass, not moving. Lily took off running, pushing celebrating Gryffindors aside in her haste to get to James.
His team was surrounding him by the time she got there. She pushed aside Sirius and Emily to get to him.
"Oh, James…"
He was bleeding from the nose and had a fat lip. She knew he was going to be badly bruised and limping for days.
"He's okay, right?" she heard Teddy ask. She went down on her knees beside James's body, and gently pulled him into her lap. No one questioned why she was there. In fact, Sirius looked positively giddy at the two.
"James? Can you hear me?" she asked. A tear ran down her nose and dropped onto his face. After a moment or two, he came around, and blearily opened his eyes.
"Lily…?" he said. He blinked a couple of times, and Lily grinned down at him.
"Yeah, it's me," she said, wiping some blood off his cheek.
"Did we win?" he asked.
"Hell yeah we won!" Sirius cheered. The whole team erupted into cheers. James grinned.
"Wicked cool," he said. He reached up and cupped Lily's face. "You're especially beautiful today, Lils," he slurred.
Lily smiled down at him. "You're delusional, James" she said, "You were obviously hit too hard."
"I am not delusional," he said. "I am good. You're here with me. I'm perfect."
She smiled, and her heart nearly leapt out of her chest. "Maybe I'm the delusional one," she said, and she kneeled down and pressed her lips gently against his.
Both of James's hands tangled into Lily's hair, and she heard the cat calls of everyone around her. She pulled away first, and noted his cheeky grin.
"I love Quidditch," James said.
"So do I," Lily said before she closed the distance between them again.