"Well, look who finally decided to show up!"Sirius said as I walked onto the quidditch pitch.

"Shut your trap Black."I glared at him.

"Prongs isn't too happy with you."

"I'm only 10 minutes late so i don't think hes all that pissed. So why don't you do the world a fovor and shut your mouth for once!"I shouted. He just looked at me with that stupid smirk on his face and took off up into the air on his broom. I rolled my eyes and started to do the same when James walked over to me. He grabbed the handle of my broom just as I was about to kick off.

"You are ten minutes late Newhart."He began.

"Yes and by the looks of it I haven't missed anything so if you wouldn't mind, let go of my broom."James glared at me in response.
"Get off the broom. Ten laps around the pitch, one for each minute you were late."He commanded and grabbed the broom out of my hands. I stared open mouthed at him in disbelief.

"Are you shitting me?"

"I am being serious now go before I make it twenty!"Without another word I took off running around the quidditch pitch while everybody else flew around overhead.

"Hey just letting you know I can see straight down your shirt!"Jason Peterson yelled as he hovered right over my head. I flipped him off as he flew away laughing. Sometimes it really sucked being the only girl on the team. I saw Dylan fly up behind him and smack the back of his head. I giggled at him and he winked as he flew away. Oh my gosh that boy was so fine! Fifteen minutes later I was gasping for air as I finished the last few steps of my tenth lap. James was calling the rest of the guys down. They laughed and joked with each other as they landed while I stood gulping down water and trying to catch my breath.

"Ok so I know it's the first day back and everything but this year we are going to dominate. We are going to start practicing earlier and we are going to practice harder than the other teams. This is the last year I am going to be at Hogwarts and I for one would like to win the Quidditch cup for one last time."James finished his little speech and the two others who were in seventh year enthusiasticly applauded him. "All right everybody up in the air, Padfoot you can let out the bludgers and the snitch, Callahan grab the quaffle. We are going to practice like none of you have practiced before."

We were two hours into practice and James still had us up in the air. He was making me and Black practice together at the other end of the pitch so we didn't accidently hit one of the chasers. Sweat dripped from my forehead and into my eyes as I swung the beater bat and hit the bludger back at Sirius. It rocketed toward his head and just narrowly missed as he ducked. He hit it back toward me with just as much force. I felt the wind from it as it whistled past my ear. He had been purposely trying to hit me in the face all day.

"Will you stop trying to hit my face!"I screamed.

"Why? It couldn't possibly look any worse!"He said back with that stupid smirk.

I dived toward the ground after the bludger and smacked it up toward him with as much force as I could possibly muster. It skimmed over the top of his head and he glared at me.

"Will you two stop trying to kill eachother just this once!"James shouted at me as he chased after the golden snitch.

"Don't yell at me hes the one that..."I trailed off as the bludger finally made contact. It hit my ribs with an audible crack and knocked me sideways off my broom. Lucky for me I was only about ten feet from the ground but when I landed it was enough to knock the breath out of me. I just laid there coughing and trying to remember how to breathe. Each breath caused a ripple of pain to course through my side. I faintly heard the guys shouting my name through the rushing noise in my ears. I shook my head and sat half way up clutching my ribs. Dylan and James were the first to reach me.

"Oh my god are you ok? Pepper answer me!"James yelled.

"Nice job Black!"Dylan yelled and shot a glare at Sirius. "Are you trying to kill her?"

"Guys calm down. I'm fine." I gasped.

"Well you don't look fine. You're pale as a ghost."James said.

"Somebody help me up." I said. Dylan stood and grabbed my hand pulling me slowly to my feet. I swayed a little bit but remained standing.

"You ok?"He asked.

"Yeah."I winced and gripped my side.

"Ok guys I think thats enough for today so somebody catch the bludgers and everybody can go get cleaned up. Heres the snitch."James said and handed the snitch to Dylan."I'll be right back. I'm going to take Pepper to the hospital wing."

He grabbed my arm and pulled me along slowly back to the castle.

"You know I really don't think its necessary to go to the hospital wing. Its just a couple broken ribs I'm sure I'll be fine."I said and pulled away from him.

"Well too bad. You're going whether you like it or not."

"But I don't think Madam Pomfrey really likes me all that much so why bug her on the first day back."

"I don't care if she doesn't like you."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Um sure."He looked at me puzzled.

"Why are you all of a sudden not being a jerk to me?"

"Yeah about that...look I feel really bad about pulling all those stupid pranks on you all the time and for being such an ass all these years and I'm sorry about all of that... I never meant to be such a jerk and to me all those pranks were just jokes. As for Sirius...well thats a different story. I don't know what his problem is but I'm sorry about all the crap I did. You wanna call a truce?"

"Umm ok I guess... but just between us. Black is so going to get it for this."

"Thanks Pepper."James grinned and pulled me into a hug. Pain ripped through my side taking my breath away.

"OW OW OW OW OW let go!"I gasped.

"Oh sorry!"He immediately released me.

"It's fine."I managed to say. I was doubled over gripping my side.

"All right lets go." James said and picked me right up off the ground.

"What are you doing?"I shreiked and wrapped my arms tightly around his neck.

"No offense but you walk really slow when you're injured."He laughed and took off for the hospital wing.

"Oh my...What happened?"Madam Pomfrey came bustling out of her office as soon as James walked in."Set her down here."She gestured to a bed.

"We were at quidditch practice and she got hit by a bludger. I think she might have a couple broken ribs."James explained. Madam Pomfrey moved to pull up my shirt and examine my ribs.

"Don't touch it it hurts"I snapped.

"Um I think I'm gunna go back down to the pitch and get my broom and stuff so I guess I'll see you later."He walked toward the door of the hospital wing with a slight blush on his cheeks. Madam Pomfrey was running her fingers over my ribs feeling for breaks.

"OUCH THAT HURTS!"I yelled when she hit one.

"Will you hold still!"She said."You do have a break."

"Well don't touch it!It hurts!"

"Oh fine be difficult but if it heals wrong because you wouldn't let me properly examine you its not my fault!Just remember that."She said and walked over to her shelves of healing potions and picked one out. She poured one into a glass and brought it back to me. I could smell it before it was even in my hand.

"This stuff smells awful."I complained, wrinkling my nose in disgust.

"I am quite aware of that. You remind me of it everytime you show up with something broken and need to take some. Just drink it."

I plugged my nose and downed the contents of the glass as quickly as I could and held out the empty glass to her. I winced as I felt my ribs slowly shifting back into place and healing. After a few seconds it stopped.

"Is anything else hurting you or was that it?"

"No that was it. Now can I go."

"No you can sit here and relax for at least an hour so I can watch you and make sure you're really ok."

"But I..."

"No buts about it. Stay for a while then you can go."She said and walked back to her office. I glared at her back as she walked away and then just sat there with my arms crossed, pouting. There was no point in maing me stay when I was completely fine but hey at least the bed was comfortable. I stared out the window at the clear blue sky already bored out of my mind. Fifteen minutes later I was totally zoned out and didn't even notice when Dylan walked in.

"Hey"he said, his voice bringing me out of my trance.

"Oh hey whats up?"I answered.

"You missed it. Potter freaked on Black. I thought his head was gunna explode from yelling so loud. He said he would kick him off the team if it happened again. The look on his face was priceless."He laughed.

"Are you serious? Thats awesome. I am going to have to get revenge big time for this one."

"So how do you feel?"He looked concerned.

"I'm fine. Just a little sore and kinda bruised. I think I'll live though."

"Good. How much longer are you stuck here?"

"She said I had to stay for at least an hour 'so she can make sure I'm really ok'"I mimicked her voice and scowled. Dylan just laughed at my pouty face.

"Tell you what... I'll talk to her and see what I can do."He said and walked toward Madam Pomfrey's office. He knocked on the door and went in. I couldn't hear anything he was saying but I could tell by the expression on his face that he was really laying on the charm. He stopped talking and after a moment walked back out to me.

"Ok lets go."

"Are you serious?What did you say?"

"I just promised her I would keep an eye on you and if there was anything wrong I would bring you right back."

"You are amazing. I thought I was going to go crazy in here.I definately owe you one for this."I jumped off the bed and headed toward the door.

"I'm gunna remember you said that."He said with a grin.

Sirius

We had been practicing for about two hours and Prongs had me and Newhart practicing at the other end of the pitch so we didn't hit any of the chasers on accident. We had been aiming at each other's heads the whole time, every hit just barely missing. She hit the bludger toward me. I ducked as it just barely missed my shoulder. I hit it back toward her as hard as I could and laughed as it whizzed past her ear.

"Will you stop trying to hit my face!" She screamed at me.

"Why? It couldn't possibly look any worse!"I said back smirking.

She dived toward the ground after the bludger and smacked it up toward me. It skimmed over the top of my head and I glared at her.

"Will you two stop trying to kill eachother just this once!"James shouted at her as he chased after the golden snitch. I flew after the bludger and hit it down toward her with as much force as I possibly could. I looked up and saw that she was still saying something to Prongs and didn't even notice the bludger coming at her. I opened my mouth to warn her but it was too late. It hit her side and she fell side ways off her broom hitting the ground.

"Oh shit."I flew as fast as I could to the ground where the rest of the team was gathered around her.

"Oh my god are you ok? Pepper answer me!"James yelled.

"Nice job Black!"Callahan yelled and shot a glare at me. "Are you trying to kill her?"I opened my mouth to say something but thought better of it. Everybody was already pissed enough at me.

"Guys calm down. I'm fine." She gasped.

"Well you don't look fine. You're pale as a ghost."James said.

"Somebody help me up." she said. Callahan slowly pulled her to her feet. She swayed a little bit but remained standing.

"You ok?"He asked her and glared at me again.

"Yeah."She winced and gripped her side.

"Ok guys I think thats enough for today so somebody catch the bludgers and everybody can go get cleaned up. Heres the snitch."James said and handed the snitch to Callahan. He looked really pissed off."I'll be right back. I'm going to take Pepper to the hospital wing."

I stood there and watched as he pulled her slowly along beside him toward the castle. The rest of the team grabbed their brooms and made their way to the locker room, none of them talking to me at all. I spent the next few minutes flying around catching the bludgers and feeling sorry for myself. I couldn't stop thinking about it. I had never meant to actually hit her. I was just messing around and now the whole team was pissed at me for it. Maybe I was being a little bit hard on her with the pranks and everything but hey its what I do. But I still couldn't help feeling bad that she got hurt. There must be something really wrong with me. I had never once felt bad for anything that I had done to Newhart. Then I saw Prongs coming across the pitch looking angry enough to commit murder.

"SIRIUS GET DOWN HERE NOW!"He bellowed.

"Dammit here we go."I mumbled as I touched down and walked over to him.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?!YOU REALLY HURT HER!YOU ARE SO LUCKY THAT I DON'T KICK YOUR SORRY ASS OF THE TEAM FOR THIS!I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS THAT YOU HAVE AGAINST PEPPER BUT YOU HAD BETTER GET OVER IT AND JUST LEAVE HER ALONE!IF YOU EVER DO ANYTHING TO HURT HER LIKE THIS AGAIN YOU 'RE GOING TO HAVE TO ANSWER TO ME!"

"I didn't mean to actually hit her. I didn't know she wasn't looking."

"I DON'T CARE!JUST CUT THE SHIT AND LEAVE HER ALONE! IF THIS HAPPENS AGAIN YOU'RE OFF THE TEAM!" He finished and stalked off. This was just great. Now what was I supposed to do.

Pepper

When Dylan and I walked through the portrait hole into the common room I was immediately attacked by Lily. She pulled me into a crushing hug.

"Ow take it easy with the hugging."

"James told me and Remus that you got hurt at practice! What happened?Are you ok?"She blurted out.

"Black hit me with a bludger and broke a couple ribs then I fell of my broom but I'm ok don't worry."I explained.

"No big deal?!You could have been killed!"

"Yes but I'm perfectly fine so cool it."

"Oh fine be that way."She stalked off and sat down on the couch grumbling to herself.

"Does she always get like that?"Dylan asked. I'd almost forgotten he was there.

"No not really. I mean she kinda freaks a little bit but she doesn't get mad like that. I better go talk to her and see whats going on so I'll talk to you later."

"Ok see you later cutie."Oh my gosh he just called me cute!He winked and walked back out of the common room. I could feel the blush creeping up into my cheeks as I walked over to Lily. I sat down on the couch next to her. She glanced at me for a second and abruptly looked away.

"Ok whats going on with you?"

"Don't know what you're talking about."She still didn't look at me.

"Why are you all pissed at me?And what the hell is with the freaking out over what happened in quidditch?"I demanded.

"I just think that you got hurt enough over the summer at home and you really don't need it here!"she said glowering at the wall.I sighed.

"Lily look. What happened today was just an accident and it was my own fault for not paying attention."

"Bull shit you know he hit you on purpose!"She yelled.I knew she was right but still I had to try to calm her down.

"No it's really my fault. I was talking to James and I wasn't paying attention."

"Whatever. I still hate Black though."

"I know so do I."I laughed.I heard somebody clear their throat behind us. Sirius was standing there looking at the floor with his hands shoved into his pockets, long dark hair hanging into his eyes.

"What the bloody hell do you want?"I demanded glaring at him. He glanced up at me then looked back to the floor.

"I just came over to apologise for today. I'm sorry for hitting you. I was just messing around and I didn't mean to actually hit you. So uh yeah sorry."He said and walked away.I stared after him dumbfounded as he plopped into a chair next to James.

"What was that all about?"Lily asked looking just as confused as I did.

"I have no idea but did he actually just apologise to me?"

"Yes I believe he did."

"It's probably just because James yelled at him. He threatened to kick him off the team and everything."

"Really?I never thought James would do that."She looked over at him and smiled slightly.

"I didn't think so either but hey lets go to lunch I'm starving!"As if to prove my point my stomach grumbled loudly.

"Alright lets go before you starve to death."She laughed.