Disclaimer:
I do not own Harry Potter, all rights reserved to J.K Rowling
Chapter Ten:
The Little Cracks
The Autumn breeze played with my jet black hair as I rolled and tumbled my way through the Quidditch pitch on broomstick. Today was the first game of the season against Ravenclaw, and so far, we were losing bad. The chaser for they're team was the best in the school, Ryan Pierce was his name. He never missed a single shot. Everyone in Hogwarts was convinced that he would one day play professionally.
The score was one-hundred to thirty. Things were not going good for my team. I was doing to well either. Lily agreed to come to the game today, something she had never done before. Things between her and I were ever so awkward. As I floated there, I thought of that night, the one in the common room.
"What are we doing?" she asked, breaking apart from our embrace.
"What do mean?"
She looked at me, or through me as it felt. Her indifference hurt me, on a level I couldn't really explain.
"James, you said you love me . . ."
"Yes, I remember."
"And you won't really give me an answer as to why."
"I love you because . . . because you're different from all the other girls, Lily . . . we have a certain chemistry, which I believe to be quite good. You're not afraid to call me out when I'm being an idiot." I said, walking over to the couch.
"So, you love me, because I'm not afraid to call you out when your being thick?" she said, taking a seat beside me.
"No," I said, laughing a little, "well, not entirely . . . I love you because you're not afraid, of anything really. Is that good enough?"
She curled up into a ball and leaned herself against the arm of the sofa.
"I guess it's good enough,"she said yawning.
"Now you have to tell me something . . ." I said.
"What is it?" she asked cautiously.
I took a moment to gather my thoughts.
"Why were you so quick to accept that I love you?"
She flipped herself over, the sofa creaking under her movements.
"I don't know, I guess I always knew . . ."
"So you always knew, but you ignored it?"
"Well James, you were never exactly the nicest boy to me," she sat up now and stared at me directly.
I sulked, the fact that she brought up my previous actions only made me feel shame. I only acted that way because I liked her, surely she knew that.
"I'm sorry," was all I could say.
"I accept," she answered me absentmindedly.
For a long moment all that was in the room was silence. The cackling fire and silence. I wanted to talk, but I had no idea what to say. I was just hoping that she would come up with something soon. Finally, she did.
"So, where do we go from here?" she asked, folding her arms.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, what do we do?"
"I guess we could try things out . . ."
"Would that really work though?"
"Of course it would. As long as we give it a fair shot."
"I didn't take you for an optimist, Potter."
"Potter! Potter!"
I whipped around, my lengthy black hair falling into my face, obscuring my vision. My glasses almost slipped off my nose, the beads of sweat rolling off my forehead helping them to slip further.
The quaffle zoomed past my face, whirling until it was caught by blue robed boy. It was that Pierce boy, and he was going in for the kill. I watched him as he rolled and tumbled through the air, traipsing through every kind of defense my red robed team put up. He zigged and zagged through the Gryffindor formations that we tried to so hard to stop him with. He cut through us so effortlessly, like a knife through butter.
"Potter!" I heard my name being called again, "pay attention!" the voice was my captain's, "catch that snitch! It's the only chance we have to win the match!"
He was right. At this rate, we were doomed to lose.
I chased the snitch for what seemed like a half hour, coming close a few times, but not close enough. It seemed like every time I came near it, it would just slip through my fingers. I knew Lily was watching and I couldn't disappoint her. I didn't care if anytime else was watching, all I cared about was her.
I had to win. Nothing else mattered, only proving my greatness to Lily mattered. I could see it, my goal, the snitch. The little golden ball glimmered in the sunlight next to the Slytherin stands. It fluttered and buzzed it's way all the way to Hufflepuff stands, almost teleporting, that's how fast it was.
It was only a foot away now, one more heartbeat and I would have it in my hand. This time I was sure. I felt it's wings buzz against the palm of my sweaty hand. Soon enough the crowd erupted into cheers and hoorays. I had caught it.
We won that game two-hundred to one-hundred and seventy. A very close match. As we flew off the pitch I couldn't help but catch Ryan Pierce's eye, which was dark and disdainful. I then turned to see Lily who was beaming ear to ear. My heart swelled to see her happy like that, happy for me.
Tonight, to celebrate our victory, the first of the season, there would be a party.
Author's Note:
Hey guys! Sorry there was such a wait. I have no excuse other than I got lazy, I mean c'mon it's summer. Anyways, the next chapter won't be such a wait, I promise. I just hope you guys have enjoyed this one.