Crowds cheered; hundreds, no, thousands of devoted fans waved banners of scarlet emblazoned with roaring lions or flags of silver adorned with the emblem of pearly wings. Chants rang out in the air: Gryffindor! Gryffindor! Flock! Flock!
Max basked in the adoration of her fans and shot a grin at Fang, "I've got to say, this beats saving the world."
Fang gave a sardonic smile and said, "Yeah, I mean, being mobbed by loving fans is better than being mobbed by hateful Erasers, eh?" The seasoned Chaser thrust his wings downward, powerful and graceful, which earned him high-pitched screams from his fangirls as they admired his muscled physique.
Meanwhile, Harry Potter stared at the flock, mouth dropping in awe. The flock was a legend! To play alongside them was the highest honour for any self-respecting Quidditch player. He hovered on his broomstick, desperately wishing he could gather enough bravery to say hi and introduce himself to the captain of the Flock, but unable to muster his courage. Not to mention the fact that she was unbelievably gorgeous and kick-ass.
The object of his interest, however, was oblivious to his affections. Max cocked her head and exchanged an apprehensive look with her team as she heard the announcement, "The match begins now!", the commentator boomed, prompting another round of screams and shrieks.
Immediately, both teams kicked into gear, going into full action right away. "Chaser Fang gets the Quaffle! Uh oh! Beater Fred Weasely just hit a nice one at him, whoops! He ducked it! Nice one there. But he dropped the Quaffle! Now, the Chasers are fighting for the ball. This is getting intense." the commentator rattled out easily, eyes fixated on the players, "Now Chaser Nudge gets the ball and... Score! First score of the day goes to the Flock! Woohoo!"
The crowd appeared to ripple as they leapt up and yelled in excitement. "Oh yeah, Nudge! Gimme a high-five!" Gazzy cheered. The two of them exchanged a high-five while Iggy fist-bumped Fang.
Max scanned the skies, trying not to get distracted by the cheering people around her and the bright lights sweeping around the field. Where was that irritating little snitch? She saw a gleam of gold and stiffened up. Naw, trick of light. She gritted her teeth and gave a groan.
Suddenly, she saw Harry Potter gather speed and give chase, apparently having caught sight of the snitch. Immediately, Max zoomed after him. She saw it a split second later, a tiny golden ball flitting on insect-like wings, delicate and elusive.
Harry was now shoulder to shoulder with Max. They bumped against each other, both of them focused only on their prize - the snitch, and zoomed nearer and nearer until-
Bam! Iggy swung his beater bat crazily, hard enough to kill, as was his style, and hit a Bludger right at the two Seekers. Both of them barely had time to avoid it. In fact, the Gryffindor seeker had no time at all.
As the ball whistled towards them, Max used all of her mutant reflexes and moved as quick as she could, at the same time, her hand shot out and grabbed Harry tightly, yanking him out of the way just in time. Her head whipped around as she roared at her Beater, "Watch where you're aiming, you idiot!"
"Excuse me? I can't see, dumbo!" Iggy snapped back, as was his standard response. He glared haughtily at Max and continued, "And you're still alive, yes? No harm done."
Max rolled her eyes, knowing there was no way to reason with him and cast a glance at Harry. "Hey, you alright? That was a close shave." Max said.
Harry nodded, looking shaken, and said, "Thanks for that. For saving me. You could have gotten the snitch instead of saving me."
Max looked at him. "Are you kidding me?! Who cares about that stupid snitch when lives are at risk? I love Quidditch, but not to the point of death, and not to the point that I would rather win and not save my opponent even if I had the ability to." She flew off, leaving Harry to stare after her retreating back.
Max scanned the skies again, trying not to let her frustration show. The snitch was gone once more in the commotion and the competition was still as fierce as ever. The score was currently 120-100 with the flock in the lead and Max couldn't wait to deliver the "killing blow".
Suddenly, she spotted it again. For a moment, she couldn't breathe. There it was, flying near the ground, and Harry hadn't seen it yet. It was the perfect opportunity. She could barely believe it.
Max moved fast, heading down towards the snitch. But Harry saw her and moved downwards as well until both were once more shoulder to shoulder. At the rate they were both heading, they would smash into the ground if they didn't stop soon. Yet, both were unwilling to back out, still hurtling to the ground at a deathly speed.
It was almost like gambling. Betting more money to scare off your opponent sort of summed up their situation, though they appeared to be betting their life now. Max and Harry were at a stalemate and at any second now, both would end up as a patch of grease on the ground.
Suddenly, Harry pulled up, having chickened out. Max rushed down, beautiful and triumphant, her cheeks flushed, when the snitch randomly zoomed upwards.
All along, the snitch had been hovering near the ground. Now, it rushed upwards, catching both Max and Harry by surprising and indigeniously avoiding both.
Maz roared in frustration and soared up, heart pounding wildly. Harry now had a head start on her and there was no way she could close the gap between them in time. But Max had one last trick up her sleeve, or in her case, wing.
She flexed her back muscles, pouring in speed, and shot towards Harry. All her surroundings became blurred as she focused entirely on the rapid beating of her wings. "Oh my god! She's so fast she's literally a blur! That's incredible!" The commentator yelled in astonishment.
Max rushed past Harry and grabbed the snitch, feeling the cool bliss of metal against her skin. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" She screamed, her throat feeling hoarse.
Around her, her flock gathered, cheering. "That was... that was warp speed!" Gazzy said enviously.
"Did you know you could do that?" Fang said, and his voice was a touch accusing.
Max shrugged casualy and said, "Well, maybe I knew a bit about it." She grinned teasingly.
"C'mon, Max, you didn't tell us?!" Iggy moaned.
Angel grinned her little girl grin. "Well I knew about it.
Suddenly, voice rang out from behind them, nervous and apologetic. "Hey, that was a great game. Cool move, just now."
Max turned around in mid-air and caught sight of the messy-haired, green-eyed Seeker, who was smiling shyly at her and grinning. "Thanks. You're not that bad yourself, hotshot. That was some flying." Max said, smiling.
Harry blushed profusely and managed to stutter back, "Thuh-thanks... guess I'll suh-see you ah-around." He flew back to the ground before she could respond and before he could make a fool of himself some more. God, what was with that stutter? And in front of Max too! He cringed, knowing this moment would haunt him for the rest of his life.
Max watched him go, highly amused. "What is with that guy?" Dylan said, jealousy written over his face. The sturdy goalkeeper frowned at Harry.
Max smiled. "I think he's sweet. That stutter was adorable. And he's got beautiful eyes."
Fang glared at her. "Not funny, Max."
"Never said it was meant to be funny," Max said, laughing now, "Seriously, guys, what say you for a drink at the bar to celebrate? I'll pay!"
And so, among laughter and teasing, the flock walked off into the night.