I stood in the changing rooms at eight the following morning. I had been up early again, this time from a splitting headache which I assumed was due to my run-in with the bar the previous night. I tugged a Puddlemere jumper over my head before pulling the set of robes from their hanger and turning to set them on the bench behind me.

I was startled to see Oliver standing there instead.

He studied me for a moment before holding out my folded coat and my wand, "Here."

"Er, thanks," I said, awkwardly taking them. I spun around quickly to hang my coat and pulled my robes on, storing my wand in an inside pocket.

I tried to busy myself when I felt his hand on my arm, stopping me. I sighed and allowed him to turn me to face him again.

"Why?" he demanded gruffly.

"She started it-"

The look on his face silenced me.

"What would compel you to behave like that? You're mad!"

"Oliver, she-"

"No, Rue, I expected better from you," he said finally.

We were silent for a long time. I figured Oliver wasn't sure what more to say, and I was less than willing to say what I knew I should.

I sighed, giving in. "I'm sorry," I whispered, my conscience getting the better of me. I turned my attention to my feet.

His fingers gently slid under my chin, forcing me to look up at him. He turned my face and looked at the dark bruise and the cut above my temple. I couldn't keep my eyes from sliding downwards to his lips as he pulled out his wand and gently pressed it along the damaged skin, murmuring a soft healing spell that tingled.

He returned his wand to his pocket, "Better?"

"Yeah, thanks," I breathed, raising my eyes to his again.

I'm not sure how much time passed between us as we simply stared at each other, but it seemed to drag on forever. His fingertips brushed against my cheek and slid under my chin again, tilting my face upwards. I looked up at him expectantly for a moment before his lips pressed gently against my forehead. The hair on his chin tickled.

I closed my eyes, letting out a breath I hadn't realised I had been holding as he slowly pulled away from me. "Oliver, she's cheat-," I began, but found I couldn't finish my sentence as he dipped his head. I could feel his breath on my lips as he moved closer to me. I thought my heart was going to leap from my chest as his nose brushed against mine. He was so close, I had only to lean forward a little more to meet him...

"Oliver?" a tight voice rang out. Both our eyes flew open and he backed away before turning to face his girlfriend. "What's going on here?" she demanded.

Saying nothing, I shut my locker and grabbed my broom before brushing past her and heading out to the pitch for a warm-up.


The game was fast-paced, Robbie often having to duck out of the way before snapping a photograph. Bray was brutal, taking any opportunity to knock into me. It seemed she had also instructed the beaters to direct all Bludgers at me, and I felt I spent more time trying not to get injured than I did scoring goals. I figured she was nursing a sore ego, what with the physical wounds from our scuffle last night and the humiliation of potentially losing to someone who hadn't played Quidditch since graduating.

I hurled the Quaffle past Lara for the tenth time, putting 80 points between the two teams. "Damn, Rue!" she said, laughing. Lara never had been particularly competitive. I winked at her before turning to fly down the pitch for the next play.

The game continued for another twenty or so minutes. I spent most of that time dodging Bludgers and passing the Quaffle. To be completely honest, the reserve team was kicking some serious arse, and even Sean, from his place in the stands next to other team members who had been benched for the event, was impressed.

Toni, however, hit a Bludger the wrong way just as I made to throw another goal and I was forced to duck out of the way, the Quaffle, instead of going through the post, landing squarely in Lara's arms. I backed away, looking up at Toni who shot me an apologetic look and shrugged.

Bray had the Quaffle and was heading towards our posts. I came up from beneath her, punching the ball from her grasp and speeding down to the opposite end of the pitch. Bray let out a cry of anger behind me. I threw the Quaffle to Max, who caught it and continued toward the goalposts. I was about to follow when a Bludger hurtled toward me, snapping the front of my broom. I watched it fall to the ground. I turned to see Bray thrusting a bat back into one of the twins' hands.

"Bloody hell!" I cried, reaching into my pocket to pull out my wand. She was bleeding mad.

Another Bludger came at me, but I threw it off course with a spell and urged my broken broom forward, realising it would be best to put distance between myself and that bitch.

I glanced around and saw that both Seekers were in hot pursuit of the Snitch.

"Rue!" Toni yelled from above me. I turned to see that damn Bludger coming at me again. I dropped down as it whizzed over me. I shifted in my seat only to be knocked from it as the little bugger came back around. I grabbed onto the broom at the last moment, dangling in the air. I panicked, reaching up with my other hand as my mind flashed back to that cursed Bludger incident with Harry Potter in my sixth year.

"Von Straussburg," a sharp voice called from somewhere above me. I looked up, searching the skies for Bray as I desperately tried to avoid the Bludger that continued to charge at me.

"Bray," Edward shouted from somewhere. "Drop your wand!"

That didn't stop her, as an Unforgiveable Curse flew from her lips and an excruciating pain I had never experienced took hold of my body. I screamed as it felt like the very core of my being was being torn apart. My grip on the broom loosened as the torture endured, my fingers finally slipping from it entirely as I plummeted.

I hit the ground with a loud thud, my body still shaking from the Cruciatus Curse it had endured. So many feet were around me and so many voices were calling to me, others yelling at Bray who I could only pray was bound, wandless, and far away from me.

"We need to get her to St. Mungo's," Sean said, sounding panicked.

"How?" Edward asked hesitantly.

"You could floo from the Downs."

"She shouldn't move," Robbie said.

"Then what, side-along apparition?"

"She's not strong enough for that!"

"We can't just leave her here, she needs to be treated."

"Rue, can you hear me?" Lara whispered, gently placing her hand on my forehead.

I moaned in response, trying to roll away from her.

"C'mon, we've got to get her up," someone said as they pulled me to my feet. Blood rushed to my head and I swooned. My last thought was how I hoped someone would catch me before the world went black.


So there's chapter 11! Sorry it's significantly shorter than the previous one. Next chapter should be up in the very near future and, like this one, it'll be a bit shorter. J.K. Rowling owns that which you recognize from the series. Side note, I feel like this site is mocking me with its ads for Colonial Williamsburg. It's like it knows how much I love early American history... My life is such a joke. Hope you find it in your heart to review! Yours.