Chapter Nine : Quidditch
The thirteenth day of the fifth month comes directly from the minds of the Slytherins, and of how they picture the day to be. Fog hangs thick about them, ending somewhere near the torsos of the tallest, and most cannot see an arm's length before them. Twenty-six players, professional as well as amateur, gather around Slytherin captain Marcus Flint, and one of his Beaters--and not to mention bird--Rae Landon. She leans upon her broomstick, one of the newfound Firebolt Ices, and sports an awfully bored look as Marcus lectures on about the new rules of the game. The players across from them yawn, or roll their eyes; they have heard this speech a thousand times before.
"Flint, is this really necessary? I'm sure all of the captains here have had this talk with their players." Oliver comments, glancing around as other players agree with his words. Exhaling lightly, he voices the assumption everyone around him has, "We play two games, I'm presuming Slytherin versus Gryffindor, and Ravenclaw verses Hufflepuff." Of course, he thinks, Slytherin and Gryffindor would be rivaling. It's a given fact.
But, the Slytherins break out into a course of laughter.
"You're a wanker, Wood." Marcus states, chuckling nonchalantly. "Never assume. It's not always the best thing to do, and you are usually wrong. The game will go as follows: Slytherin versus Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw versus Hufflepuff. The Quidditch Pitch, designed by Gene Avery, has goal posts located at north, south, east, and west. The game, as usual, will play until the Golden Snitch is caught by one of the four Seekers, and the Quaffle counts as ten points. Sets of broomsticks have been supplied, courtesy of Lucius Malfoy."
Marcus motions towards twenty-seven brooms. Each is new and a dark oak colour, and handwritten along the handles are Firebolt Lightning in copper script, Firebolt Air in gold thread, Firebolt Glade in emeralds, or Firebolt Ice in jagged blue rock. "Lightning is the Seeker's broom, Air belongs to the Chasers, Glade to the Keepers, and Ice to the Beaters. There will be four Bludgers and two Quaffles, so keep your eyes open. Weasley and Malfoy will be refereeing this match, so let's hope that Weasley can stand the sight of blood. All other game rules do not apply. We play for blood, or we don't play at all."
A few of the players glance around cautiously; the younger ones begin to back away. "Blood?" comes a voice from the back. It takes Marcus several seconds to realise that Kerianna Spencer, twenty-three-year-old Hufflepuff Chaser, is speaking. "Isn't it against the rules to physically hurt someone?" She asks matter-of-factly, placing her hands into the pockets of her orange Quidditch robes and rocking back and forth slightly.
"All other game rules do not apply, Spencer. Are there any relevant questions?"
No one speaks, as most are too fixated on the fact that this Quidditch match will be unlike any other they have ever played. If they had known this before, a different strategy would have been practiced. A few, though, are not surprised at this revelation; Oliver Wood even expected something to be amiss. Especially with the Slytherins.
"Captains, you have ten minutes to prep your teams. Dismissed."
The players hustle over to select their respective brooms and follow their captains into the locker rooms. The Slytherins remain on the Pitch; four of the players glare at Rae. Only the haughty Seeker, Draco Malfoy, steps forward from the line.
"You let her on the team?" Draco raises his nose towards Rae, judging her with a disapproving look. "Just because you're shagging the captain doesn't mean that your talents extend past his chambers. You have no place here, wench!" He sneers the last word at her, seeming not to care that Marcus is ready to pounce on him. He is Draco Malfoy after all, Lucius' only son and heir. Therefore, he cannot be touched.
Adrian fights the urge to pound on Draco, as well, and his eyes momentarily connect with Rae's. She quickly glances away. Marcus does step forward, brooding over Draco threateningly; Rae is his after all. Draco stares Marcus squarely in the eyes, his trademark smirk never faltering on his pale face as he refuses to back down.
"What is going on here?" Lucius Malfoy and Percy Weasley both approach from literally nowhere, as the fog that's settled among them has yet to clear.
Marcus immediately pulls back, but his gaze lingers on Draco. "Nothing, sir. But I'm about to teach this whelp a lesson."
With a fierce look and raised eyebrow, it's apparent that Lucius's concern for his son's well being outweighs the fact that Marcus has every reason to be angry. But a dispute is not something he wants to show before inmates, for it would show a weakness, and Death Eaters are not weak.
"Stand down, Flint," Lucius orders as he steps protectively towards his son.
Growling, Marcus turns away sharply; he doesn't notice that Draco has juvenilely stuck his tongue out at his captain. Draco glances up at his father seconds later, a smug look and crossed arms serving as his thank you.
* * *
Twenty-one players stare in awe at the design of the Quidditch Pitch. As Marcus stated earlier, the goal posts stand at north, south, east, and west--Slytherin, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw, respectively. What Marcus failed to mention was that upon each of the goal hoops are five small, very sharp, silver spikes, and each post is painted the colours of the respective house.
Spanning from east to west is a set of stands; hundreds of Death Eaters have come to watch this match. A box at the very end holds about three hundred of the inmates, selected personally by Gene Avery to watch their friends or family fly. Among them are Neville Longbottom, Ginny Wealsey, and Cressida Capulet.
The fog still hangs thick around them, but rising on their brooms, they notice the air above them is crystal clear.
Lucius throws the Quaffles high into the air, and almost immediately, Slytherin is in possession. Of course, the players who first have possession the Quaffles was determined by Lucius, for he threw them towards the Slytherins a fraction of a degree more, but that's all it took for Adrian and Travis to catch them and zoom towards the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw goal hoops. The other players realise that the Slytherins have perfected their tactics when Chaser Marcus Flint purposely rams into Oliver Wood, sending the Keeper spinning to the left so that Adrian can freely shoot a goal.
Katie Bell catches the ball, and Gryffindor now streaks towards the Hufflepuff goal posts. Katie Bell passes to Ronald Weasley, who nearly catches it before Hufflepuff Chaser Kyle Whitby intercepts it. Kyle underhands the Quaffle to Megan Jones, who drops it. And Ravenclaw Chaser Roger Davies catches it with ease, and Slytherin Travis Nott is now hot on his heels.
Roger soars past Marcus, streaking towards the tallest Slytherin goal hoop. Rae Landon attempts to knock a Bludger into his path, but Roger's eyesight is keen, and he ducks, causing the Bludger to smack into Slytherin Keeper Alexander Montague, allowing an easy ten points for Ravenclaw. But Slytherin comes back with a vengeance when Marcus cuts Roger off. As Roger tries to dodge, Adrian blocks his path, and at the same time, Lucius Malfoy mutters two words, and the only place Roger has to go is down. Darkness gathers in the corners of his eyes before he blacks out completely.
With Slytherin's attention elsewhere, Gryffindor easily gains possession, streaking once more towards the Hufflepuff goals. Natalie McDonald tosses the Quaffle, which is intercepted by Ronald Weasley before it reaches its expected recipient, Katie Bell.
Stebbins, Hufflepuff's teenage Beater, wails a screaming Bludger towards Ron, but it's deflected by Fred, who sends it towards Travis Nott, the Slytherin who is catching up fast. Ron passes back to Natalie, who is positioned strategically close to the Hufflepuff goal posts. Gryffindor scores ten points, and Slytherin gains possession of one of the Quaffles.
When the Quaffle is discharged from Nott's possession, Katie Bell never notices, but she suddenly finds herself with the large red ball, heading back towards the Slytherin goal posts. Ducking, she barely dodges a Bludger sent her way by Ravenclaw Su Li, and she never realises that a Slytherin is closing in fast.
"Katie!" George Weasley warns as he desperately backtracks towards the Chaser, leaving the Bludger he was chasing to be smacked towards a Hufflepuff by Leland Derrick. Leaning forward, he wills his Firebolt Ice to fly faster, but it's too late.
Marcus Flint has already de-broomed the young blonde with a simple kick to her head. A nauseating blood splash is the only thing that echoes through the arena as the doomed Chaser plunges to the rocky ground below.
The Gryffindor players stop dead to witness the death of their comrade, and live with the guilt that nothing they could have done would have changed the outcome. Mourning is brief, for the game is still playing out all around them. By the time the Gryffindors draw their attention back towards the others, Adrian Pucey has scored ten points.
The disgusted look on Megan Jones's face from the Slytherins' brutal treatment of fellow players would forever be her downfall. She stares at the fallen form of Katie Bell, her blood seeping into the dry grass as tears swell behind Megan's eyes. She never knew the girl, but Megan has been known to be an extremely melodramatic Hufflepuff. She examines the scene before her with double vision, but she doesn't see what is most important. A Bludger sent by Leland Derrick smacks inexperienced Ravenclaw Chaser Lisa Turnip, and she collides with Megan. The two youths meet their fate as Katie did.
Upon seeing what has transpired over the last few minutes of the game, and what a simple lapse in concentration can do to a player, everyone continues about their business. Only, this time, thoughts other than winning are on their minds.
Gryffindor scores ten points on Slytherin, only to realise it's because the Slytherin Chasers are focussed on Penelope Clearwater, Ravenclaw Keeper. Adrian has whipped his Firebolt Air around powerfully, the bristles smacking Penelope in the back and dismounting her. The only sound heard is Percy screaming angrily at Adrian with his wand aimed, but Penelope never hits the ground.
Marcus catches her.
Only to hang her upon one of the Slytherin goal posts, as Leland Derrick beats a Bludger into the woman's form, sending her through the hoop and towards the ground.
Percy, out of rage and disgust, curses a Bludger towards Marcus, and the game resumes with Hufflepuff in possession of both Quaffles, and ten points ahead. In that moment, two separate Bludgers are diving towards two separate Slytherins, Leland and Marcus. In the heat of the game, Rae debates over what she can do to save her two team mates. By the time she decides on a course of action, she realises it's too late for Leland, but there is a chance to deflect the Bludger heading towards Marcus.
A Bludger contacts with Leland's broom, breaking it in two. The bottom half of the broom falls first, with Leland spinning towards the ground a few seconds later. As Leland realises too late he's still holding the shard of his broom before him, he hits the ground with a searing pain shooting through his lower abdomen and a wash of blood across his robes.
Many have to look away at the gruesome sight of Leland's impalement.
Before he completely blacks out, Leland notices that a few of the younger players descend on their brooms, vomiting into the grass as the stench of death hangs thick in the air.
Rae's attention is drawn to Leland and her one mistake; she doesn't realise that she's made another. She sent the Bludger, which evaded Marcus perfectly, spinning towards Draco Malfoy and smacking him right on his nose.
Marcus angrily calls a timeout. He has two concerns at the moment: Rae, and Draco's nose. As the rage grows inside of him, he chooses to take his anger out on that which is most convenient. Which, matter-of-factly, is Rae. "That's why we never let bitches onto the team! They're too weak to make the right calls!" His words are backed up by silent nods from all, except for Adrian.
Rae anger explodes into action as she smacks Marcus squarely between the thighs with her Beater's bat. All Marcus hears as he falls to his knees is Oliver laughing, and his hands automatically clench that which burns with a searing pain. He's going to make sure Rae pays for this later. With the other players still laughing, the game resumes, and Marcus is out of commission.
Slytherin scores an simple ten points on Ravenclaw due to the players' amusement at what happened to the Slytherin captain.
"At this point, the scores stand thus . . ." Gene Avery bellows over the crowd. "Slytherin: 100, Hufflepuff close on their heels with 80, Gryffindor closing in fast with 70, and poor pathetic Ravenclaw with 50. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw are back in possession of the Quaffles now . . ."
All attention is drawn back to the air, where a blond and a redheaded wizard streak towards a golden flash that only the keenest of eyes can observe. By this time, the other two Seekers have noticed the struggle for the Snitch, and both zoom towards the area to where the Snitch has been spotted. By the time they arrive on the scene, they only have time to witness the Bludger being shot towards Charlie by Rae, and Charlie has no choice but to zig. And Draco zags when he should have zigged.
The Bludger contacts with the back of Draco's neck, knocking him forward with a loud snap of instant death.
Charlie desperately attempts to dive to save the falling form, but it proves irrelevant. Lucius has withdrawn his wand and is easing his son's body gently to the ground.
With his wand still extended, a cold vengeance runs through Lucius's veins. He aims his wand towards the one whom he blames for the death of his son: Percy Weasley. If he hadn't pressed the idiotic idea of a Quidditch match, his son would still be alive.
Percy realises what is going on around him by the look of hatred in Malfoy's eyes. He stands, leaving Penelope in Ginny's care, and prepares to defend himself from the coming attack.
At that exact same moment in time, Fred comes to an abrupt halt in midair, seeing a moment of opportunity--a Bludger coming towards him. Taking careful aim, he smashes the Bludger towards Lucius, hoping to cause as great a pain as Lucius caused them when he killed their father.
Now Lucius has two things to worry about.
And it's too late to go back on either one.
"Expelliarmus!"
Within moments, the disarming charm and the Bludger contact with Lucius. He feels a collapse in his wrist as the bones shatter and penetrate the skin. A scream is heard, but the game continues on as most of the Death Eaters stare in disgust at the stupidity of their leader.
This is why emotions are considered a weakness.
Out of the corner of Michael's eyes, he notices a strikingly familiar female. He excitedly reaches over to tug on Summers's sleeve. "That's her! That's the bird I nailed!"
Summers has a look of absolute horror and disgust as he realises who the bird is. "You fucking tosser! That trash belongs to Flint. You never go near that. I don't know you anymore, man! You better pray that he doesn't find out." And with those words, he darts after a Bludger that went by his way.
"I don't care what you think! She said she loved me, even though she called me Adrian!" In his rash determination, he dives towards Rae Landon.
After that last Bludger she sent in the direction of a couple Ravenclaw Chasers, Rae recognises the wizard seated upon the Firebolt Lightning as the young Michael, the bloke who comforted her when both Marcus and Adrian were guards at Alpha. "Jesus fucking Christ, I thought I was rid of that!" She does several circles around the Pitch to shake the annoying youth, but he persists.
Adrian notices this and decides to do something to rid the woman he loves of the little nuisance. "Accio Beater's Bat!" And Leland's unneeded bat flies towards Adrian, and he grasps it with a firm grip. Circling around counterclockwise, Adrian winds up and clouts Michael on the crown. Hufflepuff's Seeker instantaneously blacks out and falls from his broom.
While the Slytherins are preoccupied with the Seeker, Charlie Wealsey catches the Snitch. Gene's voice booms over the crowd once more. "Gryffindor wins with the final score of 290! Hufflepuff in second with 170, Ravenclaw in third with 150, and Slytherin not gaining in position, the points still stand at 100!"
The players descend in silence, out of respect for the friends that they lost today.
Oliver Wood escorts his team to the lockers, and as they pass Katie's body, they mumble a short prayer and strain to keep the tears at bay. That doesn't last long; in the showers, they wash the blood away and let the tears fall.
Kerianna leads her team to the Hufflepuff lockers; along the way Summers and Stebbins pick up Michael's unconscious body. Most glare at Adrian as he walks by, for it is his fault. Upon throwing Michael into a cold shower, he wakes up and yells several incoherent and imaginary curses that he doesn't even know the meanings of.
Cho Chang does not follow her team into the locker room; instead she stops at the body of her love. Not a drop of blood graces his perfect ivory skin. Kneeling, she runs her hand over Draco's forehead, only to be pulled away by resident medi-witch Pansy Parkinson.
"Lucius wishes for the body to be untouched by all hands besides his own."
Cho hiccups before she bursts into tears, and Pansy leads her away as tears soak into her white nursing robes. As both women depart, Lucius silently picks up the body of his fallen son, his actions a pain in his heart as well as his wrist. He walks past his Death Eaters as a ghost, and no one but Percy Weasley follows him.
The Slytherins remain on the field; everyone ignores Alexander Montague as he kneels beside Leland Derrick, just staring at him. They know not to approach him, Alexander and Leland were once best friends, and may have even been more.
With a deep breath, Alexander pulls the shard of oak broom from Leland's torso. Forcing himself to his feet, he's joined by Cressida Capulet, and both are escorted back to Camp Lambda. Alexander never once discards the bloody shard to the ground.
"You shouldn't keep that." Cressida states, a little too harshly for Alexander's ears.
"Don't tell me what to do." Alexander holds the shard closer to his heart.
One by one, the Slytherin team eventually leaves, and Marcus finally stands to approach Rae. "If I didn't want to bone you tonight, I'd shoot you out of a canon. Because of you, Leland's dead, and my nads still hurt!" He curls his left fist and strikes out, causing her to double over with pain as his fist contacts with her abdomen. As Adrian witnesses this, a surge of bile rises in his throat.
But, he walks away.
The thirteenth day of the fifth month comes directly from the minds of the Slytherins, and of how they picture the day to be. Fog hangs thick about them, ending somewhere near the torsos of the tallest, and most cannot see an arm's length before them. Twenty-six players, professional as well as amateur, gather around Slytherin captain Marcus Flint, and one of his Beaters--and not to mention bird--Rae Landon. She leans upon her broomstick, one of the newfound Firebolt Ices, and sports an awfully bored look as Marcus lectures on about the new rules of the game. The players across from them yawn, or roll their eyes; they have heard this speech a thousand times before.
"Flint, is this really necessary? I'm sure all of the captains here have had this talk with their players." Oliver comments, glancing around as other players agree with his words. Exhaling lightly, he voices the assumption everyone around him has, "We play two games, I'm presuming Slytherin versus Gryffindor, and Ravenclaw verses Hufflepuff." Of course, he thinks, Slytherin and Gryffindor would be rivaling. It's a given fact.
But, the Slytherins break out into a course of laughter.
"You're a wanker, Wood." Marcus states, chuckling nonchalantly. "Never assume. It's not always the best thing to do, and you are usually wrong. The game will go as follows: Slytherin versus Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw versus Hufflepuff. The Quidditch Pitch, designed by Gene Avery, has goal posts located at north, south, east, and west. The game, as usual, will play until the Golden Snitch is caught by one of the four Seekers, and the Quaffle counts as ten points. Sets of broomsticks have been supplied, courtesy of Lucius Malfoy."
Marcus motions towards twenty-seven brooms. Each is new and a dark oak colour, and handwritten along the handles are Firebolt Lightning in copper script, Firebolt Air in gold thread, Firebolt Glade in emeralds, or Firebolt Ice in jagged blue rock. "Lightning is the Seeker's broom, Air belongs to the Chasers, Glade to the Keepers, and Ice to the Beaters. There will be four Bludgers and two Quaffles, so keep your eyes open. Weasley and Malfoy will be refereeing this match, so let's hope that Weasley can stand the sight of blood. All other game rules do not apply. We play for blood, or we don't play at all."
A few of the players glance around cautiously; the younger ones begin to back away. "Blood?" comes a voice from the back. It takes Marcus several seconds to realise that Kerianna Spencer, twenty-three-year-old Hufflepuff Chaser, is speaking. "Isn't it against the rules to physically hurt someone?" She asks matter-of-factly, placing her hands into the pockets of her orange Quidditch robes and rocking back and forth slightly.
"All other game rules do not apply, Spencer. Are there any relevant questions?"
No one speaks, as most are too fixated on the fact that this Quidditch match will be unlike any other they have ever played. If they had known this before, a different strategy would have been practiced. A few, though, are not surprised at this revelation; Oliver Wood even expected something to be amiss. Especially with the Slytherins.
"Captains, you have ten minutes to prep your teams. Dismissed."
The players hustle over to select their respective brooms and follow their captains into the locker rooms. The Slytherins remain on the Pitch; four of the players glare at Rae. Only the haughty Seeker, Draco Malfoy, steps forward from the line.
"You let her on the team?" Draco raises his nose towards Rae, judging her with a disapproving look. "Just because you're shagging the captain doesn't mean that your talents extend past his chambers. You have no place here, wench!" He sneers the last word at her, seeming not to care that Marcus is ready to pounce on him. He is Draco Malfoy after all, Lucius' only son and heir. Therefore, he cannot be touched.
Adrian fights the urge to pound on Draco, as well, and his eyes momentarily connect with Rae's. She quickly glances away. Marcus does step forward, brooding over Draco threateningly; Rae is his after all. Draco stares Marcus squarely in the eyes, his trademark smirk never faltering on his pale face as he refuses to back down.
"What is going on here?" Lucius Malfoy and Percy Weasley both approach from literally nowhere, as the fog that's settled among them has yet to clear.
Marcus immediately pulls back, but his gaze lingers on Draco. "Nothing, sir. But I'm about to teach this whelp a lesson."
With a fierce look and raised eyebrow, it's apparent that Lucius's concern for his son's well being outweighs the fact that Marcus has every reason to be angry. But a dispute is not something he wants to show before inmates, for it would show a weakness, and Death Eaters are not weak.
"Stand down, Flint," Lucius orders as he steps protectively towards his son.
Growling, Marcus turns away sharply; he doesn't notice that Draco has juvenilely stuck his tongue out at his captain. Draco glances up at his father seconds later, a smug look and crossed arms serving as his thank you.
* * *
Twenty-one players stare in awe at the design of the Quidditch Pitch. As Marcus stated earlier, the goal posts stand at north, south, east, and west--Slytherin, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw, respectively. What Marcus failed to mention was that upon each of the goal hoops are five small, very sharp, silver spikes, and each post is painted the colours of the respective house.
Spanning from east to west is a set of stands; hundreds of Death Eaters have come to watch this match. A box at the very end holds about three hundred of the inmates, selected personally by Gene Avery to watch their friends or family fly. Among them are Neville Longbottom, Ginny Wealsey, and Cressida Capulet.
The fog still hangs thick around them, but rising on their brooms, they notice the air above them is crystal clear.
Lucius throws the Quaffles high into the air, and almost immediately, Slytherin is in possession. Of course, the players who first have possession the Quaffles was determined by Lucius, for he threw them towards the Slytherins a fraction of a degree more, but that's all it took for Adrian and Travis to catch them and zoom towards the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw goal hoops. The other players realise that the Slytherins have perfected their tactics when Chaser Marcus Flint purposely rams into Oliver Wood, sending the Keeper spinning to the left so that Adrian can freely shoot a goal.
Katie Bell catches the ball, and Gryffindor now streaks towards the Hufflepuff goal posts. Katie Bell passes to Ronald Weasley, who nearly catches it before Hufflepuff Chaser Kyle Whitby intercepts it. Kyle underhands the Quaffle to Megan Jones, who drops it. And Ravenclaw Chaser Roger Davies catches it with ease, and Slytherin Travis Nott is now hot on his heels.
Roger soars past Marcus, streaking towards the tallest Slytherin goal hoop. Rae Landon attempts to knock a Bludger into his path, but Roger's eyesight is keen, and he ducks, causing the Bludger to smack into Slytherin Keeper Alexander Montague, allowing an easy ten points for Ravenclaw. But Slytherin comes back with a vengeance when Marcus cuts Roger off. As Roger tries to dodge, Adrian blocks his path, and at the same time, Lucius Malfoy mutters two words, and the only place Roger has to go is down. Darkness gathers in the corners of his eyes before he blacks out completely.
With Slytherin's attention elsewhere, Gryffindor easily gains possession, streaking once more towards the Hufflepuff goals. Natalie McDonald tosses the Quaffle, which is intercepted by Ronald Weasley before it reaches its expected recipient, Katie Bell.
Stebbins, Hufflepuff's teenage Beater, wails a screaming Bludger towards Ron, but it's deflected by Fred, who sends it towards Travis Nott, the Slytherin who is catching up fast. Ron passes back to Natalie, who is positioned strategically close to the Hufflepuff goal posts. Gryffindor scores ten points, and Slytherin gains possession of one of the Quaffles.
When the Quaffle is discharged from Nott's possession, Katie Bell never notices, but she suddenly finds herself with the large red ball, heading back towards the Slytherin goal posts. Ducking, she barely dodges a Bludger sent her way by Ravenclaw Su Li, and she never realises that a Slytherin is closing in fast.
"Katie!" George Weasley warns as he desperately backtracks towards the Chaser, leaving the Bludger he was chasing to be smacked towards a Hufflepuff by Leland Derrick. Leaning forward, he wills his Firebolt Ice to fly faster, but it's too late.
Marcus Flint has already de-broomed the young blonde with a simple kick to her head. A nauseating blood splash is the only thing that echoes through the arena as the doomed Chaser plunges to the rocky ground below.
The Gryffindor players stop dead to witness the death of their comrade, and live with the guilt that nothing they could have done would have changed the outcome. Mourning is brief, for the game is still playing out all around them. By the time the Gryffindors draw their attention back towards the others, Adrian Pucey has scored ten points.
The disgusted look on Megan Jones's face from the Slytherins' brutal treatment of fellow players would forever be her downfall. She stares at the fallen form of Katie Bell, her blood seeping into the dry grass as tears swell behind Megan's eyes. She never knew the girl, but Megan has been known to be an extremely melodramatic Hufflepuff. She examines the scene before her with double vision, but she doesn't see what is most important. A Bludger sent by Leland Derrick smacks inexperienced Ravenclaw Chaser Lisa Turnip, and she collides with Megan. The two youths meet their fate as Katie did.
Upon seeing what has transpired over the last few minutes of the game, and what a simple lapse in concentration can do to a player, everyone continues about their business. Only, this time, thoughts other than winning are on their minds.
Gryffindor scores ten points on Slytherin, only to realise it's because the Slytherin Chasers are focussed on Penelope Clearwater, Ravenclaw Keeper. Adrian has whipped his Firebolt Air around powerfully, the bristles smacking Penelope in the back and dismounting her. The only sound heard is Percy screaming angrily at Adrian with his wand aimed, but Penelope never hits the ground.
Marcus catches her.
Only to hang her upon one of the Slytherin goal posts, as Leland Derrick beats a Bludger into the woman's form, sending her through the hoop and towards the ground.
Percy, out of rage and disgust, curses a Bludger towards Marcus, and the game resumes with Hufflepuff in possession of both Quaffles, and ten points ahead. In that moment, two separate Bludgers are diving towards two separate Slytherins, Leland and Marcus. In the heat of the game, Rae debates over what she can do to save her two team mates. By the time she decides on a course of action, she realises it's too late for Leland, but there is a chance to deflect the Bludger heading towards Marcus.
A Bludger contacts with Leland's broom, breaking it in two. The bottom half of the broom falls first, with Leland spinning towards the ground a few seconds later. As Leland realises too late he's still holding the shard of his broom before him, he hits the ground with a searing pain shooting through his lower abdomen and a wash of blood across his robes.
Many have to look away at the gruesome sight of Leland's impalement.
Before he completely blacks out, Leland notices that a few of the younger players descend on their brooms, vomiting into the grass as the stench of death hangs thick in the air.
Rae's attention is drawn to Leland and her one mistake; she doesn't realise that she's made another. She sent the Bludger, which evaded Marcus perfectly, spinning towards Draco Malfoy and smacking him right on his nose.
Marcus angrily calls a timeout. He has two concerns at the moment: Rae, and Draco's nose. As the rage grows inside of him, he chooses to take his anger out on that which is most convenient. Which, matter-of-factly, is Rae. "That's why we never let bitches onto the team! They're too weak to make the right calls!" His words are backed up by silent nods from all, except for Adrian.
Rae anger explodes into action as she smacks Marcus squarely between the thighs with her Beater's bat. All Marcus hears as he falls to his knees is Oliver laughing, and his hands automatically clench that which burns with a searing pain. He's going to make sure Rae pays for this later. With the other players still laughing, the game resumes, and Marcus is out of commission.
Slytherin scores an simple ten points on Ravenclaw due to the players' amusement at what happened to the Slytherin captain.
"At this point, the scores stand thus . . ." Gene Avery bellows over the crowd. "Slytherin: 100, Hufflepuff close on their heels with 80, Gryffindor closing in fast with 70, and poor pathetic Ravenclaw with 50. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw are back in possession of the Quaffles now . . ."
All attention is drawn back to the air, where a blond and a redheaded wizard streak towards a golden flash that only the keenest of eyes can observe. By this time, the other two Seekers have noticed the struggle for the Snitch, and both zoom towards the area to where the Snitch has been spotted. By the time they arrive on the scene, they only have time to witness the Bludger being shot towards Charlie by Rae, and Charlie has no choice but to zig. And Draco zags when he should have zigged.
The Bludger contacts with the back of Draco's neck, knocking him forward with a loud snap of instant death.
Charlie desperately attempts to dive to save the falling form, but it proves irrelevant. Lucius has withdrawn his wand and is easing his son's body gently to the ground.
With his wand still extended, a cold vengeance runs through Lucius's veins. He aims his wand towards the one whom he blames for the death of his son: Percy Weasley. If he hadn't pressed the idiotic idea of a Quidditch match, his son would still be alive.
Percy realises what is going on around him by the look of hatred in Malfoy's eyes. He stands, leaving Penelope in Ginny's care, and prepares to defend himself from the coming attack.
At that exact same moment in time, Fred comes to an abrupt halt in midair, seeing a moment of opportunity--a Bludger coming towards him. Taking careful aim, he smashes the Bludger towards Lucius, hoping to cause as great a pain as Lucius caused them when he killed their father.
Now Lucius has two things to worry about.
And it's too late to go back on either one.
"Expelliarmus!"
Within moments, the disarming charm and the Bludger contact with Lucius. He feels a collapse in his wrist as the bones shatter and penetrate the skin. A scream is heard, but the game continues on as most of the Death Eaters stare in disgust at the stupidity of their leader.
This is why emotions are considered a weakness.
Out of the corner of Michael's eyes, he notices a strikingly familiar female. He excitedly reaches over to tug on Summers's sleeve. "That's her! That's the bird I nailed!"
Summers has a look of absolute horror and disgust as he realises who the bird is. "You fucking tosser! That trash belongs to Flint. You never go near that. I don't know you anymore, man! You better pray that he doesn't find out." And with those words, he darts after a Bludger that went by his way.
"I don't care what you think! She said she loved me, even though she called me Adrian!" In his rash determination, he dives towards Rae Landon.
After that last Bludger she sent in the direction of a couple Ravenclaw Chasers, Rae recognises the wizard seated upon the Firebolt Lightning as the young Michael, the bloke who comforted her when both Marcus and Adrian were guards at Alpha. "Jesus fucking Christ, I thought I was rid of that!" She does several circles around the Pitch to shake the annoying youth, but he persists.
Adrian notices this and decides to do something to rid the woman he loves of the little nuisance. "Accio Beater's Bat!" And Leland's unneeded bat flies towards Adrian, and he grasps it with a firm grip. Circling around counterclockwise, Adrian winds up and clouts Michael on the crown. Hufflepuff's Seeker instantaneously blacks out and falls from his broom.
While the Slytherins are preoccupied with the Seeker, Charlie Wealsey catches the Snitch. Gene's voice booms over the crowd once more. "Gryffindor wins with the final score of 290! Hufflepuff in second with 170, Ravenclaw in third with 150, and Slytherin not gaining in position, the points still stand at 100!"
The players descend in silence, out of respect for the friends that they lost today.
Oliver Wood escorts his team to the lockers, and as they pass Katie's body, they mumble a short prayer and strain to keep the tears at bay. That doesn't last long; in the showers, they wash the blood away and let the tears fall.
Kerianna leads her team to the Hufflepuff lockers; along the way Summers and Stebbins pick up Michael's unconscious body. Most glare at Adrian as he walks by, for it is his fault. Upon throwing Michael into a cold shower, he wakes up and yells several incoherent and imaginary curses that he doesn't even know the meanings of.
Cho Chang does not follow her team into the locker room; instead she stops at the body of her love. Not a drop of blood graces his perfect ivory skin. Kneeling, she runs her hand over Draco's forehead, only to be pulled away by resident medi-witch Pansy Parkinson.
"Lucius wishes for the body to be untouched by all hands besides his own."
Cho hiccups before she bursts into tears, and Pansy leads her away as tears soak into her white nursing robes. As both women depart, Lucius silently picks up the body of his fallen son, his actions a pain in his heart as well as his wrist. He walks past his Death Eaters as a ghost, and no one but Percy Weasley follows him.
The Slytherins remain on the field; everyone ignores Alexander Montague as he kneels beside Leland Derrick, just staring at him. They know not to approach him, Alexander and Leland were once best friends, and may have even been more.
With a deep breath, Alexander pulls the shard of oak broom from Leland's torso. Forcing himself to his feet, he's joined by Cressida Capulet, and both are escorted back to Camp Lambda. Alexander never once discards the bloody shard to the ground.
"You shouldn't keep that." Cressida states, a little too harshly for Alexander's ears.
"Don't tell me what to do." Alexander holds the shard closer to his heart.
One by one, the Slytherin team eventually leaves, and Marcus finally stands to approach Rae. "If I didn't want to bone you tonight, I'd shoot you out of a canon. Because of you, Leland's dead, and my nads still hurt!" He curls his left fist and strikes out, causing her to double over with pain as his fist contacts with her abdomen. As Adrian witnesses this, a surge of bile rises in his throat.
But, he walks away.