I really hate Bludgers

His bright green eyes were locked on my face and mine on his. I realized his body had been shaking, but then has come to a stop once he looked at me.

There was a shift in my own small body; heat flooding through me, but it was a strange kind of heat―not a burning.

It was a glowing...

I woke early on Saturday morning and lay for a while, thinking that dream I had last night. I didn't understand why I was dreaming about him now, after so long― after so many years. Did that mean anything? It hurt a lot... just thinking about him... about them and how I left them to die that night. I might have been only two years old at the time. I might have not even shifted into my first soul animal yet, but I was strong, or at least as strong as my father taught me to be. I could've at least fought... I mean, I did survive the killing curse when I was only a few months old, and then again last year. I did do brave things― putting myself in front of Harry so he wouldn't end up as a double Horcrux or something, flying in front of every Bludger that was about to attack him, at the chessboard, with the troll... So why couldn't I be brave enough to object my mother's demand and got to help him.

I sighed. Maybe my grandmother was right― everything happens for a reason.

I signed again then rolled onto my side, only to have my face buried into something fury. I laughed as I saw Thunder yawn and shook my head. I kissed my little husky then my eyes widened when I remembered what day it was today. I quickly shot out of bed and ran to the bathroom to take a quick shower, thinking about the coming Quidditch match. Now that I thought about it, I was nervous, mainly at the thought of what Wood would say if Gryffindor lost, but also at the idea of facing a team mounted on the fastest racing brooms gold could buy. I had never wanted to beat Slytherin so badly. After half an hour of taking a cold shower with my insides churning, I got out, dressed, fed Atlas and Thunder, and went down to breakfast early, where I found the rest of the Gryffindor team huddled at the long, empty table, all looking uptight and not speaking much. I frowned and just as I stepped forward, I felt a hand grab my own. I looked back and slightly smiled a small smile at Harry before pulling him towards the team.

As eleven o'clock approached, the whole school started to make its way down to the Quidditch stadium. It was a muggy sort of day with a hint of thunder in the air. Ron and Hermione came hurrying over to wish Harry and I good luck as we entered the locker rooms. The team pulled on their scarlet Gryffindor robes, then sat down to listen to Wood's usual pre-match pep talk.

"Slytherin has better brooms than us," he began. "No point denying it. But we've got better people on our brooms. We've trained harder than they have, we've been flying in all weathers―"

"Too true," muttered George Weasley. "I haven't been properly dry since August."

"― and we're going to make them rue the day they let that little bit of slime, Malfoy, buy his way onto their team."

Chest heaving with emotion, Wood turned to Harry.

"It'll be down to you, Harry, to show them that a Seeker has to have something more than a rich father, you too, Deli. Get to that Snitch before Malfoy or die trying, Harry, because we've got to win today, we've got to." My eyes slightly widened before they narrowed into a glare towards Wood. I mean seriously? 'Get the Snitch or die trying'? Who says that to their twelve year old teammate?

"So no pressure, Harry," said Fred, winking at him.

Wow. He really knows how to make it better, doesn't he? That was so encouraging, way more encouraging than Wood's demand. Note the sarcasm I rarely use. I groaned and slammed my head against my locker, slightly denting it.

"Thank you, Fred. That was very enlightening of you," I muttered sarcastically.

The twins laughed before each kissing my cheek and saying, "Good luck, Lee-lee," at the same time, making me sigh and shake my head.

As we walked out onto the pitch, a roar of noise greeted us; mainly cheers, because Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were anxious to see Slytherin beaten, but the Slytherins in the crowd made their boos and hisses heard, too. Madam Hooch, the Quidditch teacher, asked Flint and Wood to shake hands, which they did, giving each other threatening stares and gripping rather harder than was necessary.

"On my whistle," said Madam Hooch. "Three... two... one..."

With a roar from the crowd to speed us upward, the sixteen players rose toward the leaden sky. Harry flew higher than any of us squinting around for the Snitch.

"All right there, Scarhead?" I heard Malfoy yell, shooting underneath Harry as though to show off the speed of his broom. Harry had no time to reply. At that very moment, a heavy black Bludger came pelting toward him; he avoided it so narrowly that it seemed it would have thrown his head off, merely ruffling his hair as it passed.

"Close one, Harry!" I heard George say, streaking past Harry with his club in his hand, ready to knock the Bludger back toward a Slytherin. I saw George give the Bludger a powerful whack in the direction of Adrian Pucey, but the Bludger changed direction in midair and shot straight for... me. What the bloody hell is wrong this time?

I dropped quickly to avoid it, and George managed to hit it hard toward Malfoy. Once again, the Bludger swerved like a boomerang and shot at Harry's head, this time. Harry put on a burst of speed and zoomed toward the other end of the pitch. From where I was, I could hear the Bludger whistling along behind him. Really, what was going on? Bludgers never concentrated on two players like this; it was their job to try and unseat as many people as possible...

Fred was waiting for the Bludger at the other end. Harry ducked as Fred swung at the Bludger with all his might; the Bludger was knocked off course.

"Gotcha!" Fred yelled happily, but he was wrong; as though it was magnetically attracted to both Harry and I, as I had just caught the Quaffle and was about to shoot it through hoop, the Bludger pelted after me once more and I was forced to fly off at full speed, passing it to Angelina who missed. It had started to rain; I felt heavy drops fall onto my face, splattering onto my cheeks, making my long bangs fall into my eyes. I didn't have a clue what was going on in the rest of the game until I heard Lee Jordan, who was commentating, say, "Slytherin lead, sixty points to zero."

The Slytherins' superior brooms were clearly doing their jobs, and meanwhile the mad Bludger was doing all it could to now knock Harry out of the air again. Fred and George were flying so close to him on either side that Harry probably could see nothing at all except their flailing arms and had no chance to look for the Snitch, let alone catch it.

Frustrated, I quickly pushed my bangs away from my face and looked around for the bloody Bludger, and a Quaffle to hopefully make a few points. The Bludger was coming towards me as soon as I had caught sight of Kathie who was flying towards me with a Quaffle. She threw it in my direction, and even though she was quite far and there was a bigger chance for Adrian Pucey, from the Slytherin Team, to catch it since he was getting closer to it, I decided I had to act.

I quickly hooked a leg on my broom and swung down, grabbing it as I swung back up with it hooked under my arm. I heard gasps and cheers from the crowd.

"Hawkins' back in possession of the Quaffle, a clear field ahead and off she goes― she's really flying― dodges a speeding Bludger― the goal posts are ahead― come on, now, Delilah― Keeper Bletchley dives― misses― GRYFFINDOR SCORES!"

Gryffindor cheers filled the cold air, with howls and moans from the Slytherins the moment I threw the Quaffle through a hoop. Once I had the Quaffle again, I pretended to throw it to the left, then quickly threw it to the right hoop again.

"And Lee-lee― I mean Delilah scores again! Another ten points to Gryffindor!" The crowd cheered and I couldn't help but fist pump the air for only a second before diving as the crazy Bludger decided to come for me again.

Fred was now flying so close to me, leaving George to look after Harry. I was flattered that they cared about me, but now was not the time; I need to keep a look out for Harry and the rogue Bludger. Somehow, through my dive, I ended up with one of the Quaffles, but then, without me getting a forewarning, something... familiar slammed against my right shoulder, dislocating it... again. I didn't let go of the Quaffle, though. I held it tight in my good arm and scored another ten points for Gryffindor before flying to a corner of the field, panting. I touched my shoulder gently but growled and quickly put my hand back on my broom. It was only dislocated, but it still hurt like hell.

It was now, as I looked down at my feet, that I realized I was pretty high up in the sky and that didn't make me feel the slightest bit better when I usually found myself being injured while playing Quidditch. It made me want to jump down― I didn't really care if I was flying about sixty feet above the ground― run into a forest and shift. That's what I need. I haven't shifted into either of my soul animals since I left home to come here... and that's been a while.

I had barely looked up when the Bludger hit me again, making me and my broom spin down quickly, nearly hitting the ground, but I tightened my grip on my broomstick and made it stop spinning. As soon as I was in a steady enough position, I balanced myself on my broom without hands for a moment. I raised my left hand to my injured shoulder and took a deep breath before snapping it back into place, letting out a hiss of pain through my now clenched teeth.

Someone zoomed over too me so quickly that if I hadn't fastened my grip back onto my Nimbus, I would have fallen off. I looked up and saw Harry looking at me with a worried expression.

"Are you alright?"

I nodded. "Go back. You have to look for the Snitch. I will try to help Fred and George keep the Bludger away from you so you can―"

"Me? It came after you too and broke your shoulder!" Harry exclaimed himself.

I groaned and had to fight the urge to slap him so he would understand. "My shoulder is fine, Harry. Just go. I do not care if the Bludger is trying to kill me, I―"

"Watch out!"

WHAM.

I had ducked just in time as Fred had swung once again at the Bludger with all his might; the Bludger was knocked off again course.

"Someone's― tampered― with― this― Bludger―" Fred grunted, swinging his bat with all his might at it as it launched a new attack on Harry and I who were side by side.

"We need time out," said George, trying to signal to Wood and stop the Bludger breaking Harry's nose at the same time.

Wood had obviously got the message. Madam Hooch's whistle rang out and Harry, Fred, and George dived for the ground, still trying to avoid the mad Bludger.

"What's going on?" said Wood as the Gryffindor team huddled together, while Slytherins in the crowd jeered. "We're being flattened. If it wasn't for Deli, we'd be a dead carpet." I gave him a weird look. Carpets can't be dead, they're... carpets. But he ignored the look I was giving him and went on. "Fred, George, where were you when that Bludger stopped Angelina scoring?"

"We were twenty feet above her, stopping the other Bludger from murdering Harry and Deli, Oliver," said George angrily. "Someone's fixed it― it won't leave them alone. It hasn't gone for anyone else all game. The Slytherins must have done something to it."

"But the Bludgers have been locked in Madam Hooch's office since our last practice, and there was nothing wrong with them then..." said Wood, anxiously. Madam Hooch was walking toward us. Over her shoulder, I could see the Slytherin team jeering and pointing in Harry's direction, but they would instantly stop and look away when I would glare at them.

"Listen," said Harry as she came nearer and nearer, "with you two flying around us all the time, the only way I'm going to catch the Snitch is if it flies up my sleeve and the only way Deli would be able to score is if she throws herself through the hoop with the Quaffle or something like that."

I looked at Harry in disbelief when he said that last part about me. "What?"

He ignored me and went on. "Go back to the rest of the team and let me deal with the rogue one."

Now I was getting really frustrated.

"Don't be thick," said Fred. "It'll take your head off."

Wood was looking from Harry to the Weasleys, to me.

"Oliver, this is insane," I said angrily. "You can not let Harry deal with that thing on his own. Why do we not ask for an inquiry..."

"If we stop now, we'll have to forfeit the match!" said Harry.

"This is all your fault,"' George said angrily to Wood. "'Get the Snitch or die trying,' what a stupid thing to tell him―"

"Stop! Look, we're not losing to Slytherin just because of a crazy Bludger! Come on, Oliver, tell them to leave me alone!"

I growled loudly, making them turn to look at me in shock. "Ugh! Stop being so stubborn, Harry!" I said. "We are just trying to keep you from being decapitated!"

"Me? What about you?!"

"What about me?"

I looked at me as if I had gone mad or something. "It dislocated your shoulder!" he hissed.

I groaned. "My shoulder is perfectly fine!" I shouted back. I moved my shoulder around, fighting back a few winces. "See? Perfectly fine." It was back into place from when I snapped it, but it still ached. I looked up from my shoulder and saw the team looking at me with their mouths hanging open except for Harry and the twins.

"Oh, stop looking at me like that. This is not the first time you have heard me speak," I snapped at them, making them look away awkwardly.

"Er... fine, but I don't need any protection!" Harry argued. "I'll be fine, Deli. It's just one rogue Bludger! What's the harm in that?"

I stared at him. "Being DECAPITATED!"

"Me? What about you?!"

"Ugh! Really?! We have just gone through this!" I exclaimed myself.

Harry blushed and gave me a sheepish look. "Yeah... sorry. The same phrase kept popping into my head." I face-palmed myself. The nerve of this kid.

"Listen, Harry, I do not care if you think for one second that I will let that bloody Bludger or even a fly hurt you, because I will not, and I do remember making that clear last year before we confronted onion head to get the stone. And what happened to 'I bet we're all going to live until we're 200 years old and maybe even more'?"

His blush darkened. "I-I never said that."

I rolled my eyes at him. "You know, just because I am often in the hospital wing and unconscious when you go visit me there when I am there does not mean I can not hear speaking to me, Harry. Either way, that was out of context, but you will not be going out there unprotected. At least not on my watch... wait I do not have a watch... er... not on Fred's watch! Right, Fred?"

"Deli..." Harry groaned then turned to Wood once again. "Oliver, please! Tell them to leave me alone!"

Both of the twins rolled their eyes at Harry but nodded at me just as Madam Hooch had joined us.

"Ready to resume play?" she asked Wood.

Wood looked at the determined look on Harry's face.

"All right," he said. "Fred, George, you heard Harry― leave him alone and let him deal with the Bludger on his―"

"No," I said, making sure to at least try to use my Alpha tone― hopefully it would work. I guess it did work since I saw them slightly cringe. "Here is what we are going to do. Alicia, Angelina, Kathie, you girls will be doing as best as you can to score as much points as you can. When you make passes between each other or are about to shoot, make fake passes before you do the real thing. Oliver, make sure the Quaffles do not enter our hoops, Fred and George, make sure no one gets hit by any of the Bludgers. Got it?"

Angelina frowned. "Yeah, but... you..."

"What about you?" Alicia asked.

"What will you be doing?" Kathie added.

I swallowed hard and clenched my jaw. "The usual."

Harry furrowed his brows. "Which is?"

I gazed across the field towards the Slytherins and glared at their smirking faces. "Confront the antagonists."

The rain was falling more heavily now. On Madam Hooch's whistle, I kicked hard into the air, before any of my teammates can protest and heard the telltale whoosh of the Bludger behind me. Higher and higher I climbed; I looped and swooped, spiraled, zigzagged, and rolled. Slightly dizzy, I nevertheless kept my eyes wide open, rain was splashing across my face and ran up my nostrils as I hung upside down, avoiding another fierce dive from the Bludger. I spun back upside right to have a better look, but it was hard as my hair had gone untied through my dives and was now sticking to my face.

"Delilah!" Alicia's voice rang through my ears. I turned just in time as the Quaffle was thrown towards me, but just as I had help my right arm out to catch it, something hit me, crushing my arm into the right side of my body. Dimly, dazed by the searing pain in the right side of my body, I slid sideways on my rain-drenched broom, one knee still crooked over it, my right arm dangling useless at my side― the Bludger came pelting back for a second attack, this time zooming at my face― I swerved out of the way, switching the knee that I had crooked over it with my uninjured arm all the while gritting my teeth to stop myself from screaming out in pain. I needed to shift― it's the only way the pain would diminish and the only way I would quickly heal, but I can't do that in front of the entire school; they mustn't know what I am.

I was still hanging from my broom with one hand when I saw the Bludger chasing after Harry now. I used my strength to throw myself back onto it. I looked up at Harry and started to feel slightly panicked. There was a spell I could use to destroy it, but I forgot what it was.

I watched, frozen in panic, as the Bludger whooshed behind him. Higher and higher Harry climbed; he looped and swooped, spiraled, zigzagged, and rolled. Slightly dizzy, he nevertheless kept his eyes wide open, rain was speckling his glasses and ran up his nostrils as he hung upside down, avoiding another fierce dive from the Bludger. I could hear laughter from the crowd; he did look very stupid, but the rogue Bludger was heavy and couldn't change direction as quickly as Harry could; he began a kind of roller-coaster ride around the edges of the stadium, squinting through the silver sheets of rain to the Gryffindor goal posts, where Adrian Pucey was trying to get past Wood.

A distant whistling in my ear told me the Bludger had just missed him again; he turned right over and sped in the opposite direction.

"Training for the ballet, Potter?" I heard Malloy yell as Harry was forced to do a stupid kind of twirl in midair to dodge the Bludger, and he fled, the Bludger trailing a few feet behind him; and then, glaring back at Malfoy in hatred, I clearly saw what Harry saw― the Golden Snitch. It was hovering inches above Malfoy's left ear― and Malfoy, busy laughing at Harry, hadn't seen it.

For an agonizing moment, Harry hung in midair, not daring to speed toward Malloy probably in case he looked up and saw the Snitch.

WHAM.

He had stayed still a second too long. The Bludger had hit him at last, smashed into his elbow, and I could hear the bones in Harry's left arm break.

"Harry!" I cried out, than cursed under my breath. I needed to get the attention of the Bludger back on me, at least long enough for Harry to catch the snitch.

Looking dimly, probably dazed by the searing pain in his arm, he slid sideways on his rain-drenched broom just like I had, one knee still crooked over it, his right arm dangling useless at his side― the Bludger came pelting back for a second attack, this time zooming at his face― Harry swerved out of the way, one idea firmly lodged in his numb brain: get to Malfoy.

Through a haze of rain, he dived for the shimmering, sneering face below him and I could see its eyes widen with fear: Malfoy thought Harry was attacking him.

"What the―" he gasped, careening out of Harry's way.

Harry took his remaining hand off his broom and made a wild snatch; he fingers gracefully closed in on the cold Snitch but was now only gripping the broom with his legs, and there was a yell from the crowd below as he slowly started to make his way towards the ground. His arm was hanging at a very strange angle yet he focused on nothing other than the Snitch clutched in his good hand.

"Aha," I heard him say vaguely. "We've won."

In a sudden unseen movement, Harry started speeding toward the ground, but then I saw from the corner of my eye the rogue Bludger flying towards him. So instantly, like so many times before, I ignored the pain shooting through my right arm and made my way in between them, then, the next thing I knew, I was crash diving after hearing a very loud crack and a few people from the crowd gasping. After crash landing pretty hard, my body rolled all the while I was cringing and whimpering in pain; my bones were shattered on the right side of my body, I could feel it. I lifted my head and squinted my eyes, trying to see through the rain when suddenly my breath got caught up in my throat. Today is really not my day.

The Bludger had come back and flew down toward me. Just as it was about to hit me, I rolled to my side, letting out of gasp in pain. It came back again and I had to roll onto my injured side, making me scream in pain as it hit the ground. It came back a third time, but this time, I had to spread my legs so I wouldn't have to end up cutting them off. As it flew up and was about to come and try to hit me for a fourth time, I quickly brought my wand out with my left hand pointed it toward the Bludger, shouting,

"Finite incantatem!"

As soon as it exploded, I dropped my arm to my side in exhaustion, not caring that I dropped my wand in the process and looked to my left, only to find Harry lying down beside me, fainted. I kept looking at him― I know it's creepy, but deal with it― until he finally came around, rain falling on our faces, still lying on the field, and it was then, when I looked up, that I realized someone was leaning over us. I squinted my eyes, saw a glitter of teeth and groaned.

"Oh, no, not you," Harry moaned.

"Doesn't know what he's saying," said Lockhart loudly to the anxious crowd of Gryffindors pressing around us. "Not to worry, Harry. I'm about to fix your arm. And you, Delilah... whatever you broke."

"No!" said Harry. "I'll keep it like this, thanks..."

"Amen," I muttered, trying to sit up, but only to end up falling back down, hissing in pain. Harry saw the state of pain I was in and tried to sit up to help me, but from the looks of it, the pain he felt was also terrible. We then heard a familiar clicking noise nearby.

I groaned. "We don't want a photo of this, Colin," Harry said loudly.

"Lie back, Harry, I'm going to start with you," Lockhart said and what he probably thought was a soothing voice. To me it sounded like an 'I have no idea what I'm doing but I'm going to try it anyway' kind of voice. "It's a simple charm I've used countless times―"

"Why can't we just go to the hospital wing?" said Harry through clenched teeth.

"Yes, why can we not just go there? Seriously," I muttered under my breath.

"They should really, Professor," said a muddy Wood, who couldn't seem to help grinning even though his Seeker was injured. "Great capture, Harry, really spectacular, your best yet, I'd say―"

"One more word, Wood. Just one more and I will break your jaw with my good hand," I warned through my clenched teeth.

Through the thicket of legs around Harry and I, I spotted Fred and George, wrestling the rogue Bludger into a box. It was still putting up a terrific fight.

"Stand back," said Lockhart, who was rolling up his jade-green sleeves.

"No― don't―" said Harry weakly, but Lockhart was twirling his wand and a second later had directed it straight at Harry's arm.

Harry shut his eyes close in fear just as Lockhart muttered, "Brackium Emendo," a blue light flashing out of the tip of his wand. Once the light faded, my eyes widened in rage and disbelief― Harry's bones weren't broken, they were gone. Literally.

"What have you done?!" I shrieked at him, while everyone looked at me questioningly. "You call yourself a teacher? Rule number one: know what the spell does before you cast it, you idiot!" From the corner of my eye I could see Ron, Dean and Seamus snickering― they still seemed confused though― and Snape giving me an approving nod.

He blushed and that only infuriated me even more. "Blush all you want, that definitely does not make you look cute." I growled.

"Ah," said Lockhart. "Yes. Well, that can sometimes happen." He turned Harry's arm around. "Er... But the point is," he paused, taking Harry's wrist and bending it like rubber towards his shoulder in a disgusting way, "you can't feel anymore pain... and the bones are no longer broken."

I stared at the man in disbelief. "That's because he doesn't have any bones left!" I exclaimed myself.

"First time she didn't speak properly," I heard Ron mutter, just as Lockhart started advancing towards me.

I quickly shook my head. "Oh, no! Someone get us out of here before this man ends up deboning me completely," I said loudly. The Weasley twins quickly came to help me while Ron and Hermione went to help Harry.

As Harry got to his feet, he took a deep breath he looked down at his right side. What he saw nearly made him pass out again. He was staring down at his arm with wide eyes; poking out of the end of his robes was what looked like a thick, flesh-colored rubber glove. He tried to move his fingers. Nothing happened.