The afternoon sun warmed my face until a figure cast a shadow over me as they lay down. Clancy gently brushed a stray lock of hair from my face before kissing me. After a time, he pulled away. I reached up, smiling, and traced his lips. His grey eyes searched mine, his brows furrowed.

"Clancy?" I breathed.

"I loved you, Rue," he said huskily, beginning to pull away.

"Come back to me," I whispered, my fingers curling around the back of his neck. "Come back to me." Tears streamed down my face.

Before my eyes he morphed from the dark haired, fair-skinned gentleman I knew to none other than Oliver Wood.

"I'm right here, Rue," he murmured, his accent soft. He brushed the tears from my cheeks. "I've always been right here."

"No you haven't," I choked out. "You, you stopped writing me and then...then you just-"

He pressed his forehead to mine and pulled me close. "Rue," he breathed before pressing his lips to my cheek, my nose, and finally my lips.

"Rue, I love-"

I suddenly sat up in bed, my heart pounding and the bedsheets pooling in my lap. I quickly wiped at my cheeks, uncertain if I had actually cried.

"It was just a dream," I whispered. "Just a dream." It seemed so real, well, except for Clancy changing into Wood, unless there was some sort of Polyjuice Potion involved.

I ran a shaky hand through my hair as I glanced at the clock. It was only five in the morning. I technically didn't have to be up until seven or eight, but I knew I wouldn't be getting any more sleep. I rolled out of bed and quickly pulled on a jumper and a pair of jeans before trudging down to the dining room adjacent to the lobby.

No one was around save for a few house elves who regarded me curiously before approaching me.

"Can we get the miss anything?"

"I'll have some tea," I said simply. The one who had spoken shooed the other two away before disapparating with a pop.

I was alone for an hour before Robbie strolled in. "Morning," he said brightly, pulling out the chair across from me and taking a seat.

"Sleep well?"

I shrugged before taking a sip from my cup.

He smiled gently, "If you wanted to take a personal leave, I'm sure Sean would understand."

I scoffed, "I'm not taking a 'personal leave', that'd mean she won."

"Who?" Robbie asked, after ordering a cup of coffee. After a moment, a look of realisation appeared on his features. "Ah, Keira Bray, you mean?"

"Yeah, her," I grumbled.

"It doesn't have to be about winning or losing, you know."

I raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"Or, maybe it does," he laughed.

"Robbie, can I ask you something?"

He nodded.

"What would you have done? If you were in my situation, I mean," I quickly added.

He shrugged, "Well, if I had you're temper, I'd have done the very same thing. Mind I don't know the particulars of your past relationship with Wood, but, yeah, if it's really as bad as I suspect," he trailed off.

I sighed, about to say something else when Toni and Lara entered the room, chatting animatedly. It was odd, considering neither of them, Lara in particular, were morning people.

"Good morning," Lara greeted chirpily.

Toni nodded her head in acknowledgement.

I looked between the two of them. "What's going on?"

"Whaddya mean?" Toni asked.

"Why are you both so happy at," I glanced at my watch, "seven in the morning?"

"Sean's feeling a bit under the weather," Lara announced. "And, today is team bonding, meaning minimal practice."

I grunted in response. Toni clapped me on the shoulder, "It's gonna be a good day!"

Edward had just given us our team assignments for the final match. I would be playing on the Reserve team with Toni as a beater. The one she was replacing had to return to his wife for the delivery of the first child. Toni and Lara thought it was the cutest thing in the world, but I couldn't help rolling my eyes.

I could feel Bray's glare in the back of my head, and I wondered if she ever concentrated her energy and hatred elsewhere.

That train of thought was quickly stopped, though, when practice started. We had ventured from the pitch, the disadvantage of being on the reserve team, and were to practice in the fields. Lara stuck her tongue out at us as we passed, quite pleased that she didn't have to leave the relative cleanliness of the pitch for the "wild."

We practiced for twice as long as the other team, and I, personally, put every ounce of my being into improving my own skills and focusing on the plays, rather than everything else that was going on. Toni seemed to follow suit, completely content as a beater. I would be sure to tease her about her enthusiasm later.

Practice ended, and, instead of scattering to go about our daily lives until dinner at the pub later, Richard suggested we go to Piddletrenthide proper. I made a mad dash to the changing rooms, wanting to beat my teammates there and was startled to find Keira pressing herself against the Puddlemere United seeker, Rolfe Tarleton, in a rather intimate way. One of his hands was tangled in her hair and the other was up her shirt. They obviously hadn't realised they had company and so I made a show of slamming my locker shut as I pulled out my clothing. They quickly separated, Rolfe sauntering away, looking quite full of himself, and Bray trying to murder me with her eyes.

"You know, if you keep squinting like that, they'll get stuck. Wouldn't want you to be an uglier vampire than you already are," I said nonchalantly. She opened her mouth to retort, but the rest of the team entered and Toni was at my side in an instant. Bray could do nothing but march off in a huff. "What's gotten into her?" Toni asked. I shrugged and tried to push the incident from my mind, though I wondered if Oliver was aware that his dearest girlfriend was cheating on him.

The afternoon hours passed quickly. Toni and I spent most of our time in a dusty old book shop in muggle Piddletrenthide, reading romantic poems dramatically to one another. Suddenly, she had a Baudelaire book in her hands and, to my horror, she flipped open to the one poem I hated above all others.

"The nightly heavens're not more beautiful than you, beloved-"

"We should go," I said, tugging the small book from her hands and snapping it shut. I turned and hurried out of the store, leaving a confused Toni behind me.

I shrugged off my coat and barely managed a smile as I hung it on the back of a chair next to Lara. The table the pub had set up for us seemed to run the length of the establishment.

"Sit yerself on down there, Rue!" Toni said, holding up her glass. It was clear she was already beating me at our usual consumption contest, having forgotten my awkward exit from the book store earlier.

"I'm just going to go get a few so I can catch up, yeah?" I gestured towards the bar.

"Yes, ma'am!" she saluted me with her glass before knocking back a swig.

I chortled, before leaning down next to Lara's ear, "Can I grab you anything, or are you good?"

"I'm fine, thanks," she said smiling before returning her attention to some story Richard was recounting.

I returned to the table with three glasses of beer and quickly started in on them after placing my order. We soon became that rowdy group everyone loved to hate while trying to enjoy a nice dinner, and, although slightly inebriated, I did note the looks a few couples threw our way. I glanced around the table, swirling the silver ring on my finger. From where I sat I couldn't see Oliver, and Sean was at the head of the table sniffling and watery-eyed from the cold he was apparently suffering through.

As soon as our dinner plates were cleared, the tables that had been pushed together were separated by the staff and we made our way to the bar. Toni hung off of me, laughing hysterically at something.

"Toni," I slurred, struggling to keep my arm around her waist, "I admit defeat. You've won this match!"

"And that's how we do it down south," she declared, setting an empty glass on the counter. She waved at the bartender, "Celebratory shots!"

I rolled my eyes, sliding my arm from her and rolling my shoulder once. Lara glanced over at us and mouthed, "Is she really going to drink more?" while pointing at Toni. I shrugged as four shot glasses were placed between us and filled with whiskey. "Thank ya kindly," Toni said before turning to me with a raised glass, "What're we drinking to, darlin'?"

I laughed, "Whatever the hell it is single women drink to."

"To whatever the hell single women drink to!" Toni cried loudly before tipping hers back.

I was about to down my own when someone suddenly pushed into me, forcing the shot to hit my shirtfront rather than the back of my throat. I turned slowly to see who it was, already expecting the porcelain-skinned, dark-haired woman I found myself looking at.

"Excuse you," I said.

She clicked her tongue, tilting her head to the side. "I'd say that's a pity, but you don't have anyone to impress, do you? Not with that Yank gone. He smartened up real quick," she sneered.

"Well, at least I didn't have to run to others to get the pleasure I so desired," I said darkly. I wondered where Oliver was for a moment, but the thought was interrupted when she grabbed the neck of my jumper and pulled me to her.

"Hey, what're you-" Toni started.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but you'd do better to keep your bloody mouth shut," she said through gritted teeth.

"One really shouldn't tell lies, Bray. But, then again, I suppose not all of us are of moral and upstanding stock. There have to be some borne of whores and libertines in order to carry on the tradition," I declared venomously, not particularly caring who heard.

I wasn't expecting Bray to have the strength to physically harm me, but it seemed she did as I was thrown against the counter, my forehead catching its sharp edge. I let out a cry of pain before pushing myself up, my fingers curling around the nearest object, a full glass of beer. I turned and hurled it at her, but she ducked out of the way and it hit the wall behind her. The foamy beer slid down the wall.

"Rue!" I heard Lara's shrill cry from somewhere behind me.

I ignored her as I lurched forward, hurling a well-placed punch at Bray's cheekbone before she even registered what was happening. She stumbled backwards, palm on her cheek. It seemed the ring I wore had cut her skin, and, shocked, she pulled her hand away to find blood there. I smirked, admiring my handiwork, but the triumph quickly faded when she flew at me, the back of her hand connecting with my face.

Dumbstruck, I held my cheek before I quickly recovered, reaching for my wand in my back pocket.

"You insolent slut," I roared, rushing at her again. I grabbed her shirtfront and pushed her against the wet, sticky wall, the tip of my wand digging into her throat.

My heart was pounding and my breath was heavy as she whimpered. Several pairs of hands pulled me backwards. Another pair wrenched my wand from my hand. Someone led me out the front door which slammed behind me. I realized how cold it was without my coat

"Merlin dammit, Rüdiger von Straussburg," Sean bellowed as he rounded on me. My head was still spinning; everything had happened so fast. "What the hell were you thinking, starting a bar fight? If you can't control yourself, I'm going to have to permanently remove you from this show! I can't have a lawsuit on my hands simply because you can't control your temper!" He continued on, but none of it registered.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" he finally demanded.

I looked up at him in the dim lighting, opening and closing my mouth a few times, nothing coming to me.

He sniffed, rubbing his handkerchief under his nose as he shook his head. "Go back to your room. I don't want to see you until the game tomorrow. Someone will bring you your things."

With that, Sean went back inside the pub, leaving me to trudge back to my room through the freshly fallen snow.

Hope you enjoyed! Please leave me a review, that would be most kind of you. So, Part 1 was amazing. So many good things. I can't wait for Part 2 when Mr Wood has a cameo... As always, Jo Rowling owns the Harry Potter Universe, and I own that which you don't recognize from it. Special surprise to whoever can spot the Part 1 line and also my favorite line from a recent Wuthering Heights adaptation. Chapter 11 will be posted soon! Yours.