Chapter 9:

Quidditch?

Things were somewhat tense after The Mirror, we still got together but after a few days we drifted apart. Pansy had taken to avoiding us, and Hermione threw herself into school work and I was left floundering.

I like my alone time as much, if not more than, the average person, but I had gotten used to being with my friends. If I thought it was just time that they needed I would have simply left them alone, after making sure they knew I was there for them.

And at first that's what I did and I thought it was working but, if anything, they were getting worse. Yesterday I saw dark rings under Hermione's eyes, and given how pronounced they were she must not have been getting much sleep for the past week. I had noticed them before, but I saw just how dark they had gotten last night.

Hogwarts, or at least the Ravenclaw dormitories, was far too quite at night so I sleep with a white noise charm set on my bed. It was a bit too advanced for me to do myself, so I paid a six year to set it permanently on my bed. Cost me a galleon, but it let me sleep so it was worth it in my books.

Last night though, having noticed Hermione's dark eyes, I deactivated the charm after I thought she had fallen asleep. Only to hear her moaning in her sleep.

"No…Grace…no." She tossed and turned for an hour or more before finally settling into a deeper sleep. She woke up looking more like an extra on I-zombie than the girl that I had come to know.

As if that wasn't bad enough just a few days ago I saw Pansy say something to a third year, Brian something that sent him running. If rumor is to be believed he didn't go to any classes that day.

All of which led me here, waiting outside the Herbology greenhouse waiting for Pansy's class to let out. I had skipped my last class, history, to make it here before Pansy could leave. She had been going from class to class and the Great Hall to the Slytherin dorms, somehow avoiding me each time. This time I was going to make her talk to me.

I look up as I heard the greenhouse door open. The first ones out were the Gryffindors, leading the charge was Ron Weasley. I kept an eye on him as he ran towards the castle. I had managed to forget about Wormtail but the mirror had reminded me.

Unfortunately until I could prove one way or the other that he was guilty, or that the rat that the Weasley family handed down was in fact Wormtail, or if there even was a rat, I would have to bide my time. Sirius had made it more or less intact until third year in canon, and while I planned to see him freed before then, he would keep until I could manage to free him. Hopefully.

The Slytherins followed, walking at a dignified pace. Pansy was not amongst them. I waited for them to pass before going into the greenhouse. Standing in the doorway I look around the room and seeing neither hide nor hair of her.

"Point me" my wand waved back and forth for a moment before pointing just behind the nearest table. "Really Pansy, a disillusionment charm just to avoid me?"

Pansy faded into view, an irritated look on her face. "I'm just practicing." She grimaced as she said it, she knew it sounded week.

I raised an eyebrow. "Reallllly," I said drawing out the word.

Her eye started twitching a little before she took a calming breath and spoke. "Is there something you want Potter?" her voice was icy.

I ignored her tone, "Yes there is," I stopped speaking, draw her in, and let her ask the next question.

She sighed annoyed, "And what is it you want?"

I smiled brightly at her. "I want you to go the Quidditch game with me!"

It was nearly winter break and I had not attended a single Quidditch game since school started. It wasn't that I didn't like the game or that I hated it. It was just that I was never really into sports, and I was busy with more important things, like learning occlumency. Her reaction was about what I expected.

Pansy blinked. "What?" I just smiled wider.

888

"I thought we were going to the game?" Pansy asked as we walked to the library. I nodded in agreement. She waited a moment for me to speak but continued when I didn't. "Sooooo, why are we going to library? Isn't Hermione waiting in the stands?"

"Nope!" I answered cheerfully.

She hesitated a moment before speaking. "Is Hermione going to the game?" Another enthusiastic nod. "So why isn't she…" Pansy trailed off thinking. "Does Hermione know she's going to the game?"

My answering grin actually caused her to lean away from me. "Nope!"

"A-ah," She said. "Why doesn't Hermione know?"

"She might say no if I asked her by myself." I answered.

She nodded while pursuing her lips. "What if she says no anyway?"

My grin grew. "Then you'll have to carry her."

"Carry her?" Pansy asked, sounding bemused. I was saved from answering because we made it the library and found Hermione with her nose buried in the potion's book.

"Hermione," no response, "Hermione," nothing. Reaching into my bag I pulled out a quill and started tickling Hermione's ear, only pulling back when her hand flew back and hit her ear. I stifled a laugh as she turned around to glare at me, Pansy had no such inclination and started laughing when she saw Hermione's face.

"What?!" Hermione hissed.

"Quiet!" Madam Pince said. Hermione ducked her head and we all quieted.

"What," Hermione said again.

"Pansy and I want you to come to the Quidditch game with us." I said cheerfully, if quietly. Pansy shot me a look and Hermione looked annoyed.

"Why?" Hermione asked reasonably.

"It'll be fun!" I said. Pansy and Hermione exchanged looks and I sighed. We were going to have fun, even if it hurt dammit. "Look, the past week has been hard for all of us, and I think the game is a good chance for us to unwind and hang out."

Hermione gave her books a longing look before agreeing to come with us.

The walk out to the pitch, with a quick stop by the Great Hall for food, was spent chatting about class work and the weather. Idol talk that stayed well away from any heavy topics and most especially anything to do with mirrors.

Before long we were taking our seats in the Ravenclaw section of the stands. There were only a few other Ravenclaws here as it was both very cold and the match was Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff.

My plane was simple, we had all had a tough time since the mirror and the Quidditch match would give us all a chance to relax. I wasn't much for sports but I knew it was easy to get caught up in the emotions of the crowed and not think.

As the match progressed on my plane seemed to be working. Pansy and Hermione were getting into the game, Pansy cheering for Hufflepuff and Hermione for Gryffindor. I went back and forth, cheering for whichever team seemed to be winning at the time.

I remember reading a lot of fanfics that hated on Quidditch, watching the match I couldn't understand why. It was an interesting, for a sport. Fast paced and energetic it was entertaining to watch. Most of the fics that bashed it focused on the seeker position as the weak link in Quidditch.

As far as school games went, I could certainly see why some people would have problems with it. When the seeker caught the snitch they ended the game and earned 150 points and in a school match that was almost always the deciding factor. In a professional match though it was only a drop in the bucket.

Professional games often had scores in the low thousands, as the matches could last days at a time, and the seeker would often be employed to disrupt plays of opposing teams' in-between looking for the snitch.

I was pulled from my thoughts when I heard Pansy cry out. I had been looking the other way but when I turned to look at her I saw that she had stopped a bludger with her hand. My eyes widened as I saw her throw it towards one of the Weasley twins, who was look at us in horror as midway to him the ball abruptly reversed direction and was heading right for us and it wasn't alone. Every ball on the pitch was coming right behind it.

"Shit!" I said, twitching my wand into my hand. Only for Pansy to grab me and start for the stairs.

"The stands are shielded, and the bludger went right through it!" Hermione said from just behind us. We made it to the stairs when I heard it slam into the stands and something snapped, loudly.

We were making good time down the stairs but I could see the balls coming around for another pass. I was about to try my hand at the reducto curse when the beaters from both teams came out of nowhere and started beating the balls back. We slowed down gasping for breath.

They were doing a good job keeping the homicide balls at bay but the quaffle made it past them. I let loose a reducto only to miss. I was about to try again when Pansy pushed me down, just in time to avoided being hit in the head.

The quaffle slammed into the stair way, lodging itself several inches in the wood. For a moment it was still before it started wiggling to get out. Pansy started holding it in place.

"Well that was cl-ch," that was of course when the snitch buried itself in my chest. Not literally thankfully, but it made a valiant effort. When it hit it drove the air from my lungs and, if Hermione hadn't grabbed me, would have sent me tumbling down the stairs. As it was I fell on my ass, in too much pain to hold myself up.

I tried to breathe but I couldn't seem to draw in any air, it wasn't until Hermione reached down and grabbed the snitch, which was still digging into my chest, and pulled it lose. That I could finally breathe and I did so, taking in ragged pain filled breaths. The spots in my eyes final went away.

With that taken care of I was able to notice the Professors arrive, Quirrell wasn't with them thankfully, and let myself relax and be taken to the hospital wing.

888

Hermione

I was running for my life and it was all Alex's fault. If she had just let me work on the potions essay, that was due Monday as she well knew, I wouldn't be running from, of all things, Quidditch balls.

Honestly Quidditch balls!

I admit the game had been entertaining, for a sporting event, but the death balls took away from the experience. How the darn things made it through the stand shields I have no idea. They were charmed to be spell resistant, to avoid cheating on the pitch, but to completely ignore the shields around the stands was unheard of!

I was pulled from my thoughts when one of the balls, I didn't recognize which one it was off hand, slammed into the stairway. I heard Alex start to say something before falling back into me while gasping for breath.

The noises she made were nauseating, almost like Gra-.

Dry swallowing I forced my thoughts onto current matters. Alex was still gasping and Pansy was wrestling with one of the balls, trying to hold it in place.

"Gak," Alex was sounding worse by the moment. Moving her arms, which had been gripping her chest, I saw the problem. The snitch, that's the small ball right? Was still digging lodged in her rib cage, just looking at it I could see a few of Alex's ribs were broken.

I grabbed the snitch and pulled, it was really stuck in there, but I finally got it out. It flapped its wings trying to get away, likely for another pass at my friend, but I was able to hold into it long enough for Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout to arrive.

The Quidditch players had managed to collect the wayward balls, all except the snitch and the one Pansy was still holding onto. We were quickly relieved of our burdens and even more quickly ushered down the remaining stairs, Alex was of course levitated, and brought behind the teacher's stand which had a fire place at its base for speedy trips to the hospital wing. Professor McGonagall and Alex went first with Pansy and I following soon after.

When I made it though I saw that Madam Pomfrey had already finished with Alex and was working on Pansy's hand. Worried I walked over and took Alex's hand.

"Why does God hate my chest?" Alex asked.

"…What?" I, just, what?

Alex looked me and in an earnest voice asked again. "Why does God hate my chest?" She looked so confused.

"Did Madan Pomfrey examine your head?" Because Alex was known to make bizarre statements, but this took the cake.

Alex looked at me curiously before answering. "She did her usual diagnostic spells, I think that that includes something that checks my head. Why?"

Why? "Because you asked if God hates your chest?" Was I really having this conversation?

Alex nodded. "God does seem to hate it."

"Why do you say that?" I asked, honestly curious.

"Whenever I get hurt, it seems to be in the chest." Alex answered.

"Ah," I responded. "That's ridicules."

Alex responded sulkily, "No it's not."

"Yes, it is." I stated firmly, Alex just pouted. I barely noticed the tension that I had been feeling since this all started had eased.

Pansy made her way over to us after Madam Pomfrey was done with her.

"How's your hand?" Alex asked.

Pansy's usual smirk was in place when she responded. "Better than your chest." Alex smirked at her.

"How are you three doing?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"Good," "Fine," "Swell," We responded. I shot Alex a look, swell?

"Professor why did the Quidditch balls attack us?" I asked.

Professor McGonagall pursed her lips before responding. "The Quidditch equipment is very old. Hogwarts has been using the same set for nearly two hundred years. Items that old tend to take on personalities of their own."

"So the old balls decided to try and take our heads off?" Pansy asked unconvinced. I very much shared her disbelief.

Professor McGonagall's lips thinned even more. "Doubtful, most likely someone spelled them as a prank, or as a way to help them win a match, and it got out of hand. When I find the perpetrators they will be serving a month of dentitions." She seemed to already have someone in mind. The Weasley twins were the most likely suspects in my opinion. There had been dozens of pranks since school had started and they were the main suspects in each, and had been punished for at least nine of them. How they haven't been expelled I will never understand. "Now, once Madam Pomfrey releases you I expect you all to head directly to your dorms. Is that understood?"

"Yes Ma'am," "Yes Professor," "Swell," I wasn't the only one to give Alex a look this time, but of course she just smiled innocently.

Professor McGonagall nodded firmly, "See that you do." With that she left and Madam Pomfrey came over.

"You are all free to leave. After I examine Miss Granger." Why she needed to examine me I have no idea, but despite explaining that I was completely fine she insisted.

After a quick examination we left, though Alex did take a moment to talk with Madam Pomfrey to get her calming potion for tonight. After today she would definitely need it.

"We need to talk." Alex said looking serious. I stiffened after a moment I forced myself to relax. It wasn't the first time Alex had tried to talk about what happened with the Mirror of Erised and I didn't want to talk about it any more now than I did then.

"We need to get to our rooms." Pansy said. It sounded like she wanted to talk about it less than I did.

I nodded in agreement. "You heard Professor McGonagall, it's almost curfew. If we don't get going we will get in trouble."

Alex sighed, "If we get in trouble so be it. This is more important." I was about to interrupt her when she continued. "Hermione your having nightmares, you're not sleeping and your barely eating." I flinched, I didn't think she noticed. Turning to Pansy she continued. "Pansy you've been avoiding us, if I'm right you've been avoiding everyone. I certainly haven't seen you hang out with your house mates." Alex sighed again. "Do I even need to mention O'Brian?"

Pansy had flinched at every point, but she remained silent.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore than either of you do, but we need to talk about it. Or it will just keep eating us up." When neither of us spoke up Alex continued. "Well then come on." With that she turned and started walking.

Pansy and I exchanged looks before following.

The trip to the Room of Requirement, because where else were we going to have this discussion, was made in silence. I could feel my heart speed up as we got closer to our destination. I was close to just walking away when Pansy grabbed my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. I gave her a smile and she nodded encouragingly.

After entering our library, Alex led us over to the fire place and we sat down. We sat there for a while none of us saying anything, before Alex reluctantly spoke up.

"Ok, let's try this. The mirror, it showed us some bad stuff right? But it also showed us some good stuff?" Pansy and I both nodded. "So, why don't we try talking about the good things first?" She looked at us both until we voiced our agreement. "I guess I'll go first."

Alex was quiet a long time, so long I was about to tell her to just forget about the whole thing, when she finally started speaking. "I saw my f-family," Her voice broke as she spoke, "I saw my parents alive together and happy, so happy." Tears were running freely as she spoke. "It's been so long since I've seen them I had almost forgotten their faces." Alex took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm glad I got to see them but it hurts." Alex dabbed her eyes, "So who's next?"

Pansy spoke up hesitantly, "My father's sick, very sick and my mother is, well I don't really know what she is but she isn't here. The mirror, it showed me them together and healthy and proud of me." Pansy didn't look up until she finished speaking, her eyes were red but she didn't seem to be crying. Alex leaned over and gave her a hug. When she let go they both looked at me.

I swallowed before looking at the floor and speaking. "I was head girl and my parents were both very proud." After what they saw, how could mine even compare? It was so shallow, my parents were both alive and happy. What must they think of me? I was still staring at the ground when I felt both of them start hugging me and I let myself relax.

We separated and Alex spoke up. "Before we start talking about what else the mirror showed us I think we should take some of this." She pulled out her calming potion.

"Are you trying to drug us Potter?" Pansy asked, bemused.

Alex shrugged, "Yes."

"What?!" I asked.

"Look this is going to be hard, very hard and I think we need to have a bit of this so we can talk about it. Because if we don't take it I don't think we'll be able to really talk about it." Neither Pansy nor I spoke. "Look adults do it all the time with alcohol, when they have something they need to talk about but can't or don't want to talk about. They use alcohol, it's perfectly normal." She sounded like one of those people from those warning videos they showed in school, the ones you're supposed to avoid.

I was about to tell her that when Pansy reached over and took the vial before taking a drink. The potion must have worked because her voice was almost robotic as she spoke, "My mother is not a nice, person she is the reason my father's sick. She's the reason he doesn't go out, the reason he doesn't leave the house, ever." She was staring at the potions bottle as she spoke. "I saw them together and happy but I also saw her dead and paying for her crimes." In spite of the potion I could hear the satisfaction in her voice. "She paid dearly." Pansy handed me the bottle.

Alex moved a little closer to Pansy to give her a proper hug, before giving me an encouraging smile. I sighed and took a drink, shivering as I felt it get to work. It was a disconcerting feeling, though I could not tell so at the time, I could still feel my emotions but there was this, disconnect between me and them.

"I was bullied badly before I came to Hogwarts, but there was one bully that was really bad. Grace, she was horrible. Day in and day out, she wouldn't leave me alone. In the mirror I saw her dead and I knew I killed her." Her chocking, gasping and…Despite the potion I couldn't go on. The mirror had shown me more, every bully, from before and from Hogwarts, was on their knees worshipping the very ground I walked on and it felt great. As bad as that was it didn't compare to killing Grace.

I gave the potion a look before taking another sip, enjoying the instant calm it induced.

Alex reached over and took it saying, "Save some for me." She downed the rest before speaking. "I saw Vol…" even though the calm of the potion I felt a little shock when Pansy practically jumped at Alex and covered her mouth.

Pansy blushed a little before going back to her seat. "Please don't say his name, people who say his name die and I don't want you to die."

"What do you mean, he's dead isn't he?" I asked, before giving Alex a concerned look when she flinched a little.

Pansy nodded before speaking. "Yes, but he did something. A spell of some sort that let him know when someone said his name they died. No matter what wards they were hiding behind, if someone said his name he was able to get to them."

"But he's dead now, so why can't we say his name?" I asked curious, if he was dead what did it matter who said his name?

Pansy shook her head. "He is dead, but not all of his followers are. It's mostly just rumor but there's been more than one murder victim that had the dark mark found at their home."

"That's horrible." I said, though the potion kept me from feeling the full impact of that.

Pansy nodded looking at Alex, "So please don't say his name, it's been a while since the last killing but…"

"You can't be too careful." Alex finished. "Ok I won't say it."

"Thank you."

We sat there for a moment before Alex started talking again. "Where was I? Right, I saw, him, but I had killed him. Or rather I had tortured him so badly that he would be better off dead. But he wasn't, dead that is, I could still hear his screams." Alex's voice was disturbingly matter of fact, the potion was really potent.

We didn't say anything for a while. Just sitting there absorbing everything that had been said and what it meant.

"Do you think we would be missed if we stayed here tonight?" Pansy asked.

"I, for one, don't care if they do." Alex said.

We really should get back, it was a miracle we weren't caught last time, but after everything. "Maybe you can come to our room tonight and we can push the beds together?"

Alex and Pansy exchanged a look before voicing agreement. With that decided we left the room, after Disillusioning and silencing ourselves, and made our way to Ravenclaw for the first goodnights sleep I had had in over a week.