Sept. 30th, Saturday, Quidditch Game, Day Before Hogsmeade—
"You lift me up when I can't see. Your heart is all that I need. Your love carries me so I'm letting go..." ~Lift Me Up, The Afters (song)
"I'm not hungry," Arianna said forcibly, as she pushed away the happy plate of bacons and eggs that Olivia tried to force down her throat.
"Arianna, you're going to get light-headed in the air if you don't eat anything. The next thing you know, you'll be in the Hospital wing because you didn't eat this bacon," Claire reasoned as she pushed the plate towards Arianna.
Arianna took a tiny bite of the bacon, and eventually ate more of it. Olivia looked satisfied...until Fred sat down next to Arianna.
He looked paler than usual, and his mouth was set in an uncharacteristic frown.
"The game's almost about to begin," Fred declared softly, as he helped himself to some of Arianna's breakfast.
"I'm sure you'll both be fine," Olivia piped in.
Fred glanced up at her, and his usual smirk was suddenly in place.
"Do I get a kiss for good luck?" he asked impishly. Olivia just rolled her hazel eyes in response.
"C'mon," Arianna whispered, as she climbed out of the Gryffindor table and followed her fellow teammates towards the locker rooms.
James was pacing in front of a white board that had numerous plays written across it. He didn't say anything. His team just sat on patiently on the benches; waiting for him to give his before-the-game pep talk.
"You guys know all the plays," James started, as he paused mid stride. "You're prepared. All you need to do now is apply what you practiced. Don't be afraid."
He turned around to face the board of plays and notes before continuing, "We can do this. We are Gryffindors after all."
He pivoted back to scan the faces of all the players, and Arianna could have sworn that his brown eyes stayed on hers for a second longer that anyone else.
"You are all wickedly talented," James' gaze strayed to his sister's, "Lily, keep faking passes and shots. Trick the Slytherin keeper, and don't be intimidated by the bigger players."
James looked to the other chaser, Bobby Chandler, "Bobby, mate, pass as much as you can, and don't favor your right side. Hugo," James turned to his auburn-haired cousin, "don't freeze up out there, and guard the left hoop. You'll be fine."
Hugo nodded confidently, and James stared at Fred and Arianna, "You two are some of the best beaters this school has ever seen. Hit as many bludgers as you can towards the Slytherin teams."
Finally James turned to Gage Finnigan the lean seeker, "You're up against my brother who is a pretty great seeker himself. Catch that snitch as fast as you can."
James took a deep breath and smiled faintly at the team before saying proudly, "Gryffindor lions on three!"
The team formed a messy huddle and stuck their right hands in the middle of the circle while chanting "Gryffindor Lions!"
The team broke apart, and everyone gave words of encouragement as they waited for the game to start.
"Arianna!" a male voice shouted.
Arianna turned around to see Bobby walking towards her with a nervous smile on his face.
"I just wanted to wish you good luck...so... good luck," smiled Bobby before swooping down and kissing Arianna on the cheek. She blushed at the boldness of his actions, but before she could even say anything back to him, he was already walking away.
James stepped in her line of vision, and he looked almost...hurt. He ran a hand through his shaggy black hair as he approached a blushing Arianna.
He seemed to consider her with his beautiful brown eyes before whispering softly, "Be careful out there, Piff." He grazed the spot where Bobby kissed her with the pad of his thumb before walking away—leaving her more breathless than when Bobby kissed her.
"Hey, you alright?" Fred asked while coming up beside her and handing her a Beater's bat.
Arianna just nodded and turned to face him. He was holding his hand out to shake and Arianna smiled as she took it and did an intricate handshake that involved lots spinning around and high five-ing their bats together.
"Hit 'em hard, Arianna," Fred said—winking playfully.
Arianna shifted nervously from foot to foot as she waited to be released out onto the pitch with the rest of her team. She could spot Lily rubbing a necklace for good luck and Hugo nervously playing with his protective pads.
All of a sudden she heard the projected voice of Roxanne Weasley, Fred's younger sister.
"And here comes the Gryffindor Team!" Roxanne yelled, signaling for the Gryffindor team to dismount.
"Quite a few of my relatives are on this team including my brother, Fred who is a beater! Good luck Fred, and try not to wet your pants like in your third year," Roxanne teased, as the Gryffindors flew through the crisp September air.
Fred turned a strange maroon colored, and was about to make a rude hand gesture before James sent him a warning glare. Arianna followed close behind him as they circled the pitch. When they passed over the Gryffindor stands she saw Fred blow a kiss to Olivia who blushed furiously.
The Slytherin team was also circling the pitch and Arianna spotted two burly Slytherin players that were holding their bats menacingly. Arianna clutched her broom a little tighter—trying to fight her instinct to flee.
The roar of the crowds was deafening and slightly intimidating to Arianna who was hovering above Madame Hooch, and the two captains. She watched James shake Albus and Scorpius' hands, before mounting his own broom.
"And they're off!" Roxanne hollered into the magical microphone.
Arianna shot towards the other end of the pitch, while Fred stayed towards the center. They had decided to space themselves out so they could catch either of the bludgers no matter which way they went.
Arianna scanned the pitch for any rogue balls but she couldn't see any. Instead she saw several large Slytherins holding the quaffle as they flew straight towards her. Lily and Bobby were following close behind.
"Slytherin is in possession while two Gryffindor chasers, Lily Potter and Bobby Chandler, are following close behind. Hopefully Weasley can block the goal before Slytherin scores."
Roxanne's voice was drowned out by the uproar that came from the Gryffindors as Hugo blocked the shot.
"Hugo manages to block the shot and now Gryffindor is in possession. Watch out Slytherins! Lily Potter is tougher than she looks," Roxanne continued.
Meanwhile, Arianna flew towards a bludger that was currently trying to hit Gage in the head.
Arianna raised her bat and was closing in on the bludger when suddenly a huge Slytherin came barreling out of nowhere—successfully thumping Arianna painfully in the shoulder. She managed to swerve away before he hit her again, and she whacked the bludger towards some other Slytherin chasers.
"And Gryffindor scores!" Roxanne yelled cheerfully along with the other Gryffindors in the stands.
Arianna pumped her fist in victory, and winced through the pain of her left shoulder.
"Chandler is in possession of the quaffle and he's about to score—" there was a victorious yell in the Slytherin side of the pitch, "but Slytherin blocks the shot. Good try Bobby! Slytherin is in possession, and Flint passes to Malfoy who passes it back to Flint who scores!" Another uproar was heard on the Slytherin side of the pitch, while Gryffindor was groaning.
"The score is an even 10 points for both teams, but it seems that the Gryffindors will have to step it up if they want to win...C'mon lions!" Roxanne yelled when James narrowly missed a speeding bludger.
Arianna was about to help him out, but Fred managed to get in there and pelt the bludger towards Albus Potter who glared at Fred.
"Slytherin is in possession while James Potter and Chandler are closing in on the chaser. Zabini manages to get away narrowly due to a rogue bludger. He's closing in on the hoops. Can Weasley save this shot?" The Slytherin side of the pitch cheered in delight, and Arianna could see James frowning.
"Slytherin is in the lead with 20 points, and Lily Potter is in possession of the quaffle. She really is a brave girl since all these huge Slytherin's are closing in after her..."
Arianna raced towards where Lily and a group of Slytherin chasers were. She could spot Malfoy in the group with his bright blonde hair, and he seemed to be talking to an irate Lily.
But Arianna was more concerned about the bludger heading their way. She pulled back her bat and hit the bludger with all her might—aiming for Malfoy in particular.
"Thanks Ari!" Lily shouted gratefully as she sped up towards the humongous golden hoops.
Arianna barely heard Lily since she was racing down the pitch towards another bludger that was about to hit Gage who was searching for the snitch.
Where is Fred?Arianna thought desperately as she swung her bat at the violent ball. She heard the satisfying crack of the ball but soon it came pelting right back at her.
She was completely in shock that she barely had time to defend herself. As she hit the bludger away from her fellow Gryffindor players she saw the smirk of the Slytherin beater, Parkinson. He had almost injured her.
Arianna narrowed her eyes, and sped off to defend her fellow players.
The game continued to progress with no one really in the lead. By the time both teams were tied 60 to 60 Arianna was exhausted and sweaty.
Her shoulder hurt from her constant batting, and her arm was limp. No one seemed to know where the snitch was, and everyone else was just as tired.
"The snitch still seems to be elusive as the game progresses. Flint has possession of the quaffle and he passes to Malfoy who passes it to Zabini—but is amazingly intercepted by Lily Potter! GO LILY!" Roxanne yelled despite McGonnagall's rules to keep the game unbiased.
"She really is Ginny Weasley's daughter," Roxanne mused proudly into the magical microphone.
"Lily's getting closer and closer towards the hoops and the Slytherin keeper seems a bit nervous." The tension in the stands was palpable, and Arianna tried to block as many bludgers that the Slytherins were throwing her way, while Fred was doing the same thing. Arianna spotted James and Bobby blocking chasers away from Lily—giving her a clear shot for the goals.
"Lily's almost about to score, while the other Gryffindor chasers are doing a magnificent job with blocking any—WHAT THE HELL!" Roxanne screamed suddenly into the microphone. She cursed very colorfully as everyone in the stands stood up on their feet to watch as Flint slammed into Lily Potter painfully. Arianna gasped in horror as she watched Lily almost tumble to the ground but was caught by James.
"FOUL! THAT'S A CLEAR FOUL YOU FU—" Roxanne's swear was drowned by McGonagall's screeches.
"Sorry professor, won't happen again," Roxanne said innocently, as she grabbed the microphone.
"Well after that despicable assault on Lily—" Professor McGonnagall tried to take the microphone away— "Just kidding professor! It seems that she is, in fact, okay, which is a relief. However, Chandler will be taking the penalty shot."
Arianna watched apprehensively as Bobby carefully weighed the quaffle between his hands before taking a shot at the golden hoops.
"And he misses..." groaned Roxanne. "Slytherin is in the lead with 70 points and—WAIT! I think Albus has spotted something!"
The whole crowd watched as Albus made a spectacular dive towards the ground with Gage Finnigan close on his heels.
"Finnigan and Potter are neck and neck as they're chasing the snitch—GO! GO! GO! GAGE!" Roxanne yelled fiercely as everyone watched the boys reach out their hands. They were getting closer and closer towards the ground and if one of them didn't catch the snitch they would either fall into the ground or barrel into the wooden stands.
"And it seems that—OH CRAP!" Roxanne swore loudly as Finnigan tumbled to the ground and Albus Potter shot straight up, like a bullet, while clutching the snitch successfully.
"Slytherin has won the game due to that great catch by my cousin Albus. The final score is a whopping 220 points to 60 points. Until next time, folks, this has been Roxanne Weasley who is now going to go weep with her fellow Gryffindor players. Don't cry professor, I'm sure the Gryffindors will catch up..."
The Slytherin side of the pitch thundered with applause and raucous shouts, while the Gryffindor team flew dejectedly to the ground. Arianna landed gracefully despite her sore muscles.
Fred slung an arm around her after he descended, and guided her towards the Gryffindor team that was standing a few feet near the celebrating Slytherin team. All of them deposited their brooms in a pile that would later be taken inside.
Arianna could see James and a few of his relatives talking quietly to Lily who looked shaken up from her close call.
"I'm fine guys, really. Let's go congratulate Al," Lily reassured, as she slipped out of James' grip and passed Arianna.
Fred steered Arianna towards the mass of people that were surrounding the happy Slytherins and Arianna's stomach churned dejectedly.
In the crowd Arianna got split up from Fred, and was looking for people she knew when she suddenly saw the bright head of Scorpius Malfoy. For a moment it seemed that he was talking to Lily, but Arianna noticed the girl's curly auburn locks, and taller figure.
It wasn't Lily, but the girl Arianna saw a two days before when she bumped into James' brother and Malfoy.
What surprised Arianna the most was the fact that Malfoy and the girl seemed to be...flirting despite the girl's obvious association with the Gryffindor house.
However, they were very cute together.
Arianna saw Malfoy pull the girl closer to him, and lean in for a kiss, but the girl leaned away playfully. They both laughed, and finally Malfoy got the kiss he was looking for.
Arianna smiled, and was about to turn away when she heard a commotion behind her.
She whipped back around, only to see James clutching the front of Scorpius' robes, and yelling in Malfoy's face. The curly haired girl, and Albus Potter were both trying to pry James off of Malfoy, but he simply ignored them.
What the heck is he doing? Arianna thought in shock as she approached the raging James.
"Don't ever touch her again!" James shouted before he pulled his arm back and punched Malfoy square in the jaw. Many people gasped, but the mass of people was so thick that the adults and teachers couldn't tell what was happening.
Arianna didn't know what possessed her to get in the fray; maybe it was because Malfoy seemed like a perfectly harmless person. Maybe it was because James would get into a lot of trouble. Maybe Arianna just knew it was the right thing to do—but either way, Arianna ran right into there, and pried James' hands off Malfoy.
"What are you doing?" Arianna screamed, shoving James away from Malfoy. James seemed so surprised to see Arianna screaming that he immediately released Malfoy from his vice grip and held his hands up in surrender.
It was then that Arianna realized what a scene she made. Everyone from various houses was staring at her, James, Malfoy, Albus and the curly haired girl with a mixture of shock, surprise, and confusion.
"Come with me," Arianna growled as she grabbed James' hand and dragged him towards the locker rooms.
When they got into safety the locker room, Arianna turned on James who looked less wild.
"What the hell was that?" Arianna roared. James had the decency to look a little embarrassed, but he still responded loudly.
"He was kissing Rose, my cousin! She's like my sister for Merlin's sake! And after we just lost the game..." James grew more frustrated as he said that, and he turned to kick a locker.
Arianna narrowed her green eyes at him, "That doesn't give you any right to punch him! You could have screwed everything up for yourself and the team, James! You probably already have!"
James leaned in closer to Arianna—making her heart race a bit faster even though she was mad at him.
"He was kissing her, Arianna. They're just—"
"They were celebrating! And you probably kissed girls when you were a fifth year."
"He's a MALFOY!"
Arianna was taken aback for a moment.
"And you think," Arianna said in a deadly whisper, "that just because his dad was a Death Eater, he's one too?"
"No! I didn't—"
"Is it because Malfoy's a Slytherin?" Arianna shouted.
"Well yeah—" James said cautiously.
"I cannot believe you! Just because he's a Slytherin doesn't mean he's a bad guy! Need I remind you that your own brother is in the same house?"
"Arianna that's different—"
"It's not different, James! You have to give Malfoy a chance! You can't just judge him based on his family or his house!"
"Well they could have told me before!" James yelled louder, while drawing up to his full height.
"You would have reacted the same way!" Arianna shouted back with her chin raised defiantly.
They held each other's glares for a long moment—only inches apart. Arianna could feel herself breathing heavily, but her heart rate wasn't slowing down a bit.
Finally, James looked away and ran a hand through his messy black hair.
He turned back to look Arianna straight in the eye, "I'm sorry."
"It's not me that you have to apologize to," Arianna said quietly, as she stepped away from James and towards the locker room door.
She pulled the door open and walked away from James—fighting the urge to look back at him.
A/N: Oh my gosh XD It's been so long since I've published something, and I'm so so sorry this so long to publish also! BTW, please excuse any typos/errors/grammar fails, this was a monster of a chapter that was not beta-ed so I probably made a BUNCH of mistakes! Hopefully the next chapter will be quicker since I only have a little time before finals. Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter since it was a lot of fun writing :). More fluff to come also!
Next Chapter: Hogsmeade! Olivia and Fred's date! Arianna and Bobby's date! Cue fluff!
Gah, I'm so excited for the coming chapter, it's going to be great. In the mean time please leave a review, since I do enjoy them immensely ;) And HOLY CRUD! I received so many reviews lately that I'm up to 66! XD Thank you thank you thank you so much :) I really appreciate it!
Busy, busy, busy, but HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Pickles
Review Challenge: How do you think Olivia and Fred's date will go? Favorite Holiday Food? Please describe your favorite Christmas ornament.