String 13: Games
"Ladies and Gentlemen…" Mei heard Dominique Weasley's voice from behind the gate. Even the easy, bright tone of her fellow Hufflepuff's voice couldn't make her stop shaking. Scropius tried to pat Mei's back and calm her, but he hit too hard and the girl tipped over. Heather caught Mei just in time. "Welcome to the first game of the 2017 Hogwarts Quidditch Cup, Hufflepuff vs. Slytherin!"
The crowd cheered. Mei gulped. Why does taking down monsters seem less scary than playing a game?
"You'll be fine Mei." Heather told her, as if she read the redhead's whirling negative thoughts. "Even if we don't win, no one will be mad. We play to be the best team we can be, not for some trophy that'll rust before the next year's up. Right team?"
The other team members echoed the whoops and cries of their audience outside. Scropius and Mei smiled.
"Now let's introduce our players." Dominique said. "From the Hufflepuff Team, starting with the boyishly beautiful captain with a green thumb, who's also my bestie mate and very single…" Heather put her hand on her forehead. "Keeper Heather Longbottom!" There was applause coming from the left and boos from the right. Heather walked out with her chin up regardless. "Next, Beater Kumar Madhur – who on top of loving dogs and walks around Hogsmeade is a pretty good snogger." The cocoa shaded man next to Scropius looked to the ground, blushing, before heading out. "Seriously ladies, I'd definitely rate him an O for –"
"Miss Weasley!" Mei heard her Headmistress bark. "This is a Quidditch game, not a dating service! "
"We could make it a Quidditch game and a dating service." Dominique suggested. "I've got stats on most the guys, and some of the girls!"
"Miss Weasley…"
"Fine, fine, you're no fun." There was a pained groan before Dominique carried on. "Next is a newbie Seeker Scorpius Malfoy." The cheers on the left were thunderous, Scorpius blinked. Mei had to gently shove the boy forward until he remembered to walk into the Pitch himself. "Then, Chaser Isabella Manx, Beater Cornelius Prescott, Chaser Tanya Saturday, and last but not least…" Mei breathed in and out, replaying her captain's encouraging words. "…another newbie, Chaser Mei Tate!" She walked out. The Pitch was bright green and the sky was bright blue. The three rings on each side of the vast field gleamed in the sunlight. She glanced at the side filled with green and silver. They hissed and jeered at her. She stuck her tongue at them before turning to the yellow and black side. She beamed as she caught Yuki, Ethan, and surprisingly Al and Aimi waving at her from those stands.
"Now that other team, what are their names again…"
"If you're not fair I'll remove you Miss Weasley."
"D'aw Lumpie, you know I kid." Mei couldn't help but laugh. Now that she was outside she could see her Headmistress squawk and try to pull the microphone away. The part veela danced back from Lumpsack even as she continued: "Anyways, time for the Slytherin team: welcome the roguishly handsome –"
"Weasley!"
"You said be fair!" The fifth year protested. "Slytherin captain, Seeker Titus Pucey." Mei saw Scorpius frown and clutch to his broom, as if the seventh year had already started trying to knock him off. "Followed by Beater Emily Edge - ah, hold the Pumpkin Pastries folks, looks like a sub. Make that second – string sexpot Nichole Higgs." Nichole smirked and tossed her red hair back. "Hey – Headmistress! I can't commentate if you keep trying to drag the mike from me. Next we have the Chasers: Benjamin O'Moor, Ripley Jackson, and Kendra Timberland." Kendra and Benjamin sent Mei steely glares, she sent them back. Ripley mouthed good luck instead and got a small grin from his little opponent. "And finally Keeper Anne Whitehorse with Beater Stefano Zabini!"
When the lightly tanned man and a lean brunette came to the field, Madame Robins blew on her whistle. "Now everyone, I want a good, clean game. I don't want to see anything illegal out there."
"Okay, you won't see anything." Mei overheard Nichole murmur.
"Captains, shake hands." Heather and Titus obeyed. Afterwards they and their teams took to the air. "On my mark." Robins blew the whistle twice.
Two balls whizzed into the air. Brooms zoomed past, before Mei could blink in seemed like Isabella had thrown her the ball. She fumbled it for a moment but sighed when it settled in her arms. She didn't have another second since Benjamin and Kendra were at steady speeding towards her. "Uh oh." She zigzagged past them in the air. They tailed her, she dipped and they dipped with her. She turned, and twirled. It made her narrowly miss a Bludger that nailed Benjamin in the stomach. "Phew."
"Excuse me." A male voice whispered as it past her. Mei gasped. Ripley snatched the Quaffle from her. "Borrowing this, thank you." He zipped towards the other end of the field. He found a ring and tossed it but Heather beat it away and into Tanya's arms. She swooped around the Pitch tailed by Kendra and Stefano. When Benjamin recovered, the three surrounded the girl. Mei rushed below her.
Tanya saw this, grinned, and dropped the Quaffle. The three dived at the same time, crashing into each other and letting Mei grab back the ball. She spiraled back up in the air, circling the middle ring. Anne flew into the middle ring before Mei threw the Quaffle into the leftmost one. The yellow and black crowd cheered.
"Ten points for my Badgers, thanks to our newest star, Tate! She's not letting anything or anyone get her Quaffle, no matter how much bigger they are."
Well, none of these guys are as big as an Orphan. Mei thought as Anne threw the Quaffle into Ripley's arms. Compared to them, this is actually kinda easy. She flew off.
"Argh! I'm not finding a lick of anything!" As Victoire cried a blue bird landed from the window to on her strawberry blonde hair. "Don't just stand there! We need your help!"
"Who's help?" Rose asked. "Victoire, that's just a bird!"
"No, she's not. Caster!" The bird tweeted and picked at her head. "Ow! Ow! Caster change back right now!"
"Ooh!" Rose's sharp cry cooled Victoire's anger enough to realize that her right hand had glowed. She stared at the shimmering dot in the center of her Reiju before it faded. The bird hopped off her head before morphing into Caster. The woman shook her head before.
"Completely daft." The woman clicked her tongue. "If you use up your last two seals so easily then I'll be free of you sooner rather than later, but then I'd probably be re-summoned as your executioner." The redhead girl gasped. She hid behind Victoire.
"You're scaring my little cousin!" Victorie barked. She tried to smooth Rose's hair but still looked straight ahead at the Servant. "She's not involved in this, she doesn't need to know."
"I know…"Rose said. Caster's blue eyes narrowed and Victorie's blue eyes widened. "She's the lady you were with on the full first moon, isn't she? She was trying to fight an Orphan with you and Mei."
"U-Uh..." Victoire stammered. "S-She told you about all that?"
"The HiME ought to know better than to spill her secrets." Caster folded her arms. "What I remember of the HiME legend says that hidden parties often silenced uninvolved persons who discovered the HiME's powers or the loose lipped HiMEs themselves."
"Silenced?" Rose had tears in her eyes. Victoire often thought the girl was too curious for her own good too. "How?"
"You're smart." Caster stated. Her pretty face was stony. "You've probably already guessed."
Rose shuttered and held herself tighter to Victoire. The part veela picked up her young cousin and held her. "Ssh. Don't worry, I wouldn't let anyone hurt you. Don't worry." Victoire cooed. Rose nodded but her eyes were still leaking. "And we won't let your friend get hurt too, that's why I called Caster."
The woman raised a blonde eyebrow. "Is this friend a Master you plan to align with for the time being?"
Victoire shook her head. "Not that I know, but –"
"Is she or he being held by a Master to earn your cooperation?"
"No, but –"
"Is she even a HiME, or some other strong wizard who's going to help you win this war?"
"I don't give a crap about winning!" Victoire exclaimed. "But this person my cousin knows is in trouble and all the teachers and students are at the Pitch by now so – "
"So it doesn't concern me. Sorry. I'll continue my own surveillance – and unless you really don't want to get you or your kin harmed by me when I'm under new management…" Caster warned. "I suggest you don't force me to comply with your search or un-shift me again. Good day Princess." In a blink she was a blue bird again and fluttering out the window.
"Useless little prick," Victoire groaned. "I oughta…" The shivering Rose reminded her that the wayward Servant was the least of their worries now. "Okay, sorry, I thought she'd be more help than that. Can you explain to me again what happened so I can give Lumpsack the short version?"
Rose nodded. "Alright, alright…" Rose took in a deep breath. "I-was-woken-up-by-a-girl-at-first-I-couldn't-tell who-because-it-was-so-dark-but-then-I-heard-her-speak." She exhaled, returning to normal speed. "It's my Quidditch Captain, Wei Chang – Cahier."
"Her?" Victoire raked her mind for memories of the gorgeous tomboy. She realized most of them consisted of either her being gush about by Fred or seeing Fred and her an inch too close for 'best mates'. "Fred's girlfriend? The one he thinks we don't all know about?"
"Well I didn't know! Someone should've told me!" Rose huffed. It made Victoire smile slightly since it was normal behavior for the redheaded first year. "Anyways, she told me she was heading toward the Forbidden Forest for a duel. I tried to warn her of all the points we'd lose or how disappointed the teachers would be and how she could be cut from the team if she was found out but she said she needed to fight. It was more important than any of that, she said."
"Yeesh, I knew she was a sports nut but I didn't think she'd be a brawler nut." Victoire commented. "Go on."
"She seemed sad, and scared." Rose teared up once more. "She told me that I was supposed to give…" She dug into the pocket of her robes. "…give this girl," she gave Victoire a picture, "a message. And no one but her. The girl's name is Emily Edgecombe. Wen said to tell Emily that she'd be fighting and to tell Fred something to distract him so he wouldn't look for her."
Victoire snorted. "Well consider him distracted, he's at the Pitch right now." She glanced at the picture. "Blonde hair - ugh, Slytherin uniform - looks about the same age as Wen." Victoire sighed. "For a Ravenclaw her plan is daft as hell. We've wasted enough time searching the Ravenclaw Tower for clues about why she's got AWOL, now we've got to get Lumpsack and the professors to search the forest for her. Come on."
The Weasley duo ran through the halls till they reached the Great Hall.
Victoire heard someone's feet scrape against the floor. Probably just some animated armor milling about.
"Victoire! Victoire!" Rose yanked on her elder cousin's arm so hard the seventh year tumbled over. "I saw a green light heading straight toward – ah!" A red light blasted Rose into the opposite wall.
"Rose!" Victoire stood up and ran for her cousin. She stopped when she heard hissing. She shakily turned around, three hooded snakes, each five feet tall, slithered closer to her. "Pyre!" She snapped, the line of fire forced the snakes back but her spell was suddenly doused and the reptiles inched towards her once more. What's wrong with this castle, she thought as she cast the Reductor curse. It turned one snake to dust but another, behind her, formed in an instant. Is Hogwarts trying to kill Rose and I too? Victoire huddled into a corner.
"Subterlabor Ex Scaena!" The snakes suddenly backed away from Victoire. The teen girl looked up, Caster smiled down at her before hopping out from the window. "Now it won't matter how many venomous creatures it summons. It'll probably bring them…"As the blonde spoke each serpent fizzled into air. "…in. Amplitudo Contego!" As the last word left her Servant's lips a swarm of multi-colored spells shot at her and bounced off the shield. From how the magic beat cracks into the hourglasses and turned tables to splinters, Victoire was more grateful for her Servant now than ever. "If only it was that effective against monsters." the woman murmured
"What's going on?!" Victoire breathed.
"Assassin." Caster stated. Victoire' felt goose bumps all over her skin. "It's a class of servant known for stealth and swift killers. It must have seen your Reiju from before and started attacking."
"Why can't I see it?"
"A Noble Phantasm probably, I can't see it either." Caster went quiet. Victoire, for once, wished she'd snark or say something catty. For all the time that she'd knew Caster, the woman had only fallen silent when they were about to be mauled by a werewolf. To distract herself from the uneasy silence and the pattering of spells ricocheting off the shield, Victoire turned to her cousin. Rose was coughing out stone dust and wiping a trickle of blood from her wounded knee. Suddenly the sound of spells stopped. A red spell knocked Rose to the floor again. She made an impression in the brick. "Don't –" Caster ordered, gripping Victoire's shoulder tightly before she could run to her cousin's aid. "Assassin ought to know she's not a Master, but the Servant also knows you care for her. It's trying to lure you out."
"It's succeeding." Victoire moved one foot out of the barrier, Caster dragged her back and the strawberry blonde narrowly avoided a green spell. "I don't care! I can't just leave Rose to die!"
"Assassin hasn't used any lethal spells on her yet, but if it kills you there's no point in taking prisoners, Rose will die."
"But Rose–"
"Wait." Caster snapped her fingers. "Where are the spells coming from?"
"Everywhere! It keeps changing!" Victoire snapped. Rose had just been thrown to the ground once more. This time the first year didn't rise. "I've got to –"
"The Assassin isn't an assassin, it's a team!" Caster whispered. "Victoire, you and I have to be completely in sync, do you know any stunning spells?" The Gryffindor nodded. "Good. We're both going to leave, use the strongest one you know and shoot at the ceiling."
"Okay!" Victoire said. They sprinted outside, a trail of light nipped at the part – veela's heels but didn't touch her. She turned and aimed up like Caster told her. "Immobulus!" A blue light erupted from her wand.
Caster held her wand up too. "Diffindo Magia!" The blue light split into innumerable rays of blue that covered the ceiling before descending. Victoire grabbed Rose and bolted with Caster back into their shield. Every inch besides their space was rained on by magic. Debris and wood chips hung in the air as if strings held them. After the cascade it was quiet.
"Um…"Victoire handed Rose to Caster and walked out. She sighed with relief when no spells started again "I think it worked."
"Of course it did." Caster said. Her voice was light and chiding once more as she gave Victoire her cousin back. "I'm not the novice here."
"Whatever." Victoire glanced. "How'd you split my magic? I've never seen that spell before."
"I diffused it," Caster snorted. "And I'm not surprised. I've been looking around this so-called-school, considering the few snippets of history they got right about me it's a miracle you lot know any half – decent spells at all.
"Wait, you mean you're –"
"Princess," Caster jumped in the air and stayed. "If you thought my other magics were impressive, watch carefully."
Victoire did, and her eyes grew and grew. Her Servant's blonde hair turned to bright scarlet plumes, her mouth become protruded, more beak-like. Her eyes became red. Her skin turned white while it glowed like a star. Caster flew to the ceiling. Victoire only saw three figures, frozen like statues in the air, when the transformed Caster brushed them and then hurled batches of fire at them. The flame hungrily ate at the Assassins, within minutes they were simply ashes and even those ashes became air. Caster finally flew down, in a second she was back to her beautiful blonde self.
"You're a veela!" Victoire realized. "B-But…" Caster grinned and in another instant she was the blue bird again, fluttering right past the harried girl who ran into the Great Hall.
"Where is your Servant?" She snarled. Victoire felt her throat suddenly go dry. She was so shocked she couldn't even speak. "You completely imbecile, answer me! I want to know which one of those bastards Reina gave you! You don't have the slightest clue about what you've done!"
Reina…Reina…that sounds so familiar. Victoire shook her head before starting again. "Um, you're Emily right?"
Emily Edgecombe took out her wand. "I've got the ghosts and portraits combing the whole for an Asian girl with short black hair, and a circle birthmark on the back of her knee. If you killed her too I'll…"
"That's Wen Chang – Cahier, right?"
The name coming from Victoire's mouth almost seemed to pain Emily as she heard it. Amber eyes winced. She pointed her wand at the Gryffindor. "Where is she?!"
"At the Forbidden Forest." Rose said softly. Her eyes slowly opened. "Wen told me to tell Emily she's fighting at the Forest." Blue eyes dropped and closed.
Emily's already pale skin lost shade after shade of color. "It's alright." Victoire tried to cool her down. "We were heading out to tell Lumpsack before – hey!" The Slytherin sped off. "Wait! You can't just have you're goons attack and then leave! Stop!" The door leading outside was slammed shut.
"…it's neck and neck folks, 200 to 200, and the Snitch is out!" Mei had nearly let Kendra grab her ball for the third time, so when she managed to evade the Slytherin again she quickly handed the ball to Isabella. Then the first year Chaser turned back to what had been distracting her for awhile. Scropius slid away from Titus and stretched out his right hand. Titus jolted forward and gripped his wrist. Scropius yelped before Titus shoved the boy outside the field. The crowd groaned as a whole, save for some in the Slytherin stands. Mei clenched her teeth. "Ouch, Malfoy is down…but the blond badger isn't out yet!" Mei breathed once Scropius swerved back inside. The seventh year was so bug - eyed he veered off course, away from the Snitch. "And that's ten points for Jackson and Whitehorse blocked Manx! Slytherin's leading unless the newbie can…" Scorpius's small fingers grazed the golden ball before he clutched it all together. "…He did it! Malfoy caught the Snitch! Hufflepuff wins! Woot! I've got enough Firewhiskey in the dorms of everyone! Oh, bugger this is still on isn't it?"
"Thirty points from Hufflepuff." Lumpsack's voice could hardly be heard of the wave of cheers from the Hufflepuff stands. Even the Gryffindors, Ravenclaw join in. Mei and Scropius high-fived each other before flying towards their friends.
"Congratulations you two!" Yuki told them.
"You did alright." Ethan looked directly at Scropius. "You both did alright."
"He's right! You both were awesome!" Aimi said breathlessly. "You squatted those older blokes like gnats, it was brilliant! Too back Rosy Posy missed it."
Al blinked. She searched both the Hufflepuff strands and the Ravenclaw ones across the field. "I thought she said she was going to meet us later but she's not here." He stopped scanning the crowd and locked on to a wary looking Fred Weasley. "Fred! Hey Fred! Have you seen Rose anywhere?"
Fred shook his head. "But I'm heading back to the Ravenclaw section in a second. I'm looking for someone too. I figured she of all people wouldn't miss a Quidditch Match."
"Oh!" Mei realized. "You mean your girlfriend!" Fred looked away.
"Uh, well, it's more like we're friends, but more friendly than your average friend and-"
"Yap, yap, yap, excuses, excuses." Aimi said with a laugh. Everyone laugh. Fred chuckled a bit before he suddenly clutched his chest and collapsed.
"Fred!" Al cried. Try as he might he couldn't lift his older cousin by himself. Scropius attempted to help the boy while on his broom.
Mei saw Nichole hover over them for a second. "I will not be beat by any blood – traitor git." She took out her wand and muttered something. She heard a whizzing sound come closer to the blond.
"Look out!" Mei shoved him away, taking the Bludger to the head.
"Mei!" Scropius cried.
"Fred!" Al continued.
"Mei!" Her vision faded so she couldn't tell who cried out this time.
Her world went silent before it went dark.
A/N: I know I'm terrible for updating so late. Thanks to everyone who put up with this crazy schedule and kept reading ^^
Oye, next chapter is intense, get ready...