21

The sounds of the stadium overhead were absolutely deafening. Even from the dressing room, it was readily apparent that the crowd was heavily tilted in Gryffindor's favour. The Slytherins were not going down quietly, however, as they did their level best to drown out the Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws with their own cheering and jeering.

'This is it, everyone,' Dorcas said nervously for the eighth time. 'The Cup is in sight.'

'It's in the stadium,' Gideon observed.

'We saw McGonagall carrying it in,' Fabian added.

Dorcas looked faintly green and, for a moment, James worried that she had been poisoned again. She quickly regained her normal color, however, and exhaled slowly. 'Win or lose, you've been a great time this year. This has been a great year, I mean,' she stammered.

'Getting all mushy on us, Captain?' yawned Cresswell from his corner of the room. Dorcas glared at him but he winked at her, causing her to turn slightly pink. 'Relax, this will be in the bag.'

'Slytherin are short on skill but big on brutality,' Dorcas said, ignoring Cresswell. 'Their game plan is going to be pretty simple-send as many of us to Madam Pomfrey as they can.'

'They're welcome to try,' Fabian said confidently.

Dorcas smiled. 'What they aren't counting on,' she continued, 'is our speed. They might be stronger, but we're faster. We have the quickest seeker in the school in Alice.'

'Stop, I'm blushing,' Alice said in a foppish accent to a chuckle from the room.

'We have three Chasers who can move the quaffle faster than most wizards or witches can fly,' Dorcas continued.

James and Frank high fived each other. Cresswell waved lazily from his side of the room.

'We have two Beaters who lethally hit their bludgers,' Dorcas went on to a cheer from Gideon and Fabian.

'And there's you, Captain,' James added. 'The unbeatable keeper.'

Dorcas smiled. 'Just remember-keep your heads up, watch out for their bludgers, and score as many points as you can.'

'What does our victory margin have to be again?' Frank asked, although everyone already knew.

'Sixty points,' Dorcas replied automatically. 'Sixty points is all that separates us from the first Quidditch Cup for Gryffindor in four years! And let me tell you,' she said with a dreamy gaze. She and Cresswell were the only current members of the team who had lifted the Cup that year. 'It's incredible.'

Cresswell sat up straight, apparently inspired by the memory. 'Well, we haven't got all day,' he said in a suddenly bracing tone. James knew that he had put his game face on. 'Let's go out and greet the masses.'

'Let's go Gryffindor!' Dorcas shouted to whoops from the rest of the team and they filed out of the dressing room towards the Quidditch Pitch.

The noise was deafening; James was not entirely sure how the student body had managed to continue yelling at what must have been the top of their lungs for this long a time. He cast his eyes about the stadium and caught sight of Sirius. Evidently, he hadn't been able to knick Professor Flitwick's orchestra a second time-this might have had something to do with the fact that Flitwick himself was sitting right next to him, probably to keep an eye out.

Remus and Peter were seated one over, with a well crafted sign saying 'Hit them where it hurts, James!-right in the nose!'

And then, just a few seats over, James spotted Lily. She was waving at Snape on the Slytherin team, and for a moment James felt slightly crestfallen. But she then turned her gaze and spotted him. She gave him a lopsided grin and offered him a thumbs up, and James suddenly felt as if he was floating on a cloud. He turned his gaze to survey the Slytherin team; he spotted Snape glaring foully at him and he blew him a kiss, which made Snape look even angrier.

Malfoy was approaching the center of the pitch for the Captains' handshake. Mulciber and Avery were cracking their knuckles in a threatening fashion. Nott was glaring at Alice, who wasn't backing away in the slightest.

'How does your broom support that enormous backside?' Alice said with a smirk as Nott glowered at her.

'I hope you like the hospital wing,' he shot back.

Alice's smirk deepened. 'Is that where they'll be awarding the Cup to us?'

'Now, now,' Madam Hooch said as she passed between the two on her way to Dorcas and Malfoy. 'Keep your brooms on the pitch, now everyone. I want a good clean game. Captains, shake hands.'

Neither Malfoy nor Dorcas made a move to extend their arm. 'Keep your head up, Meadowes,' Malfoy said in an acid tone.

Dorcas raised an eyebrow. 'Is that Arthur Weasley who's come to watch?' she asked.

Malfoy whipped around to scan the stadium and Dorcas laughed, joined by the rest of the Gryffindor team. Malfoy turned back to her, glaring daggers and slightly red. 'I said shake hands,' Madam Hooch said in a threatening tone.

Dorcas and Malfoy slapped at each other's hands once angrily and stormed off in opposite directions.

'Alright, everyone. Good clean game...game on!' Madam Hooch said and she opened the box, releasing the Quaffle and the Snitch into the air. James kicked off the ground and shot upwards at top speed, grabbing the quaffle. He quickly surveyed his surroundings and found Rosier was closing in quickly. James shot up into the sky and then dove down once again; the rapid change of direction shook Rosier and James spotted Cresswell streaking along the middle of the pitch. James whipped the quaffle to him and Cresswell zoomed in on Malfoy and Snape.

Snape slammed a bludger towards Cresswell who quickly rolled to avoid it. Malfoy hit is in quick succession and Cresswell deftly jumped off of his broom, soaring through the air for a moment as the bludger flew underneath him, and then landed back upon it. The crowd 'oooh'd' with amazement as Cresswell then spotted a streaking Frank Longbottom with a pass, sending Frank in alone. The stadium rose to its feet as Frank feinted left and then rang the quaffle off the opposite side of the hoop and through for the first point of the game. Ten to zero for Gryffindor.

'That was seriously impressive, Cresswell!' James shouted over the din as Cresswell flew by.

'Wotcher, James-here they come!' Cresswell said, all business.

James turned to see Mulciber and Avery flying as guards in front of Rosier who held the quaffle. James spared a quick look back and ducked as Gideon slammed a bludger towards them. It whistled over James' head and straight at Rosier, but Mulciber deflected it at the last moment so it sailed over his head. Frank rocketed forward, ducking under a swiping arm from Avery and closing in on Rosier, when a bludger struck by Snape caught him in the arm, sending him cart wheeling away.

Mulciber and Avery suddenly flew forward, catching James and Cresswell off guard and forcing them to scatter. Rosier darted between the Prewetts and heaved the quaffle at the left-side hoop, but Dorcas quickly appeared in front of it to catch it. She heaved the quaffle forward to James, who caught it in mid flight and curved back towards the Slytherin end.

Out of the corner of his eye, James spotted Frank headed down the opposite side. He curved towards the middle to draw the attention of both Snape and Malfoy, who hit their bludgers at him in rapid succession.

James at once realized his mistake-he was not in a position to dodge them both. He quickly dove and hurled the quaffle as hard as he could towards Frank before the second bludger struck him hard in the midsection. James was carried backwards for what felt like several feet as the momentum of the bludger transferred to him. He struggled to maintain his grip on his broom when something impacted on top of his head, sending him crashing down towards the stands below.

'Foul!' he heard Cresswell shouting in anger, but the next thing he knew, he was plowing into the stadium seating. He barely avoided having his arm caught under some rolling chairs and he laid there for a moment. Students had scattered out of the way as he came down and they now gathered around him.

'Potter! You alright? That was foul-Mulciber hit you in the head!' Edgar Bones was saying in righteous anger.

'Do you need the hospital wing?' asked another anxious student.

James stood, grimacing in pain. His vision was sparked with stars, but he could still make out everything that was going on. 'He's mine,' James snarled and he kicked back into the air with a roar from the crowd.

Frank's rush had been stopped by Flint, who was having a strong start to the game.

'Your head alright, Potter?' Snape taunted from his end. James ignored him, focusing on the play developing before them. Once again, Mulciber and Avery were acting as front-guards for Rosier, who had the quaffle. They passed it idly between each other and James saw his opportunity.

He sunk down low to the pitch until he was under them and waited for the quaffle to return to Mulciber.

James pulled into an upwards vertical climb and smashed his shoulder directly into Mulciber's chin. With his other arm, he caught the quaffle that squirted loose from Mulciber's grasp as he did this and he passed it to Cresswell who relayed to Frank, who sped away in the opposite direction.

James looked down to see Mulciber sinking towards the ground, shaking his head to clear it. Malfoy was yelling at Madam Hooch for a penalty, but she shook her head. 'He had the quaffle, it was fair!' she yelled.

The game continued in close fashion. It remained ten to nothing for Gryffindor for some time, with both Flint and Dorcas making excellent saves. It wasn't until nearly an hour had passed that Slytherin managed to even the score on a bizarre planned play.

James had just been stopped by Flint who had made a particularly acrobatic save. He launched the quaffle to Malfoy who suddenly raced ahead out of position. Snape did the same, momentarily taking James by surprise before he raced after them.

Malfoy whipped the quaffle to Rosier. Rosier dodged a bludger that was struck by Gideon, and James saw the plan unfold before it even happened.

Snape and Malfoy struck their bludgers simultaneously towards the middle hoop, just as Rosier launched the quaffle towards it. Dorcas did her level best to slip between the two bludgers, but one caught her just in the front and the other in the back, spinning her off balance and causing her to fall from her broom. The quaffle sailed through the hoop, and Gideon and Fabian looped low to catch Dorcas and her broomstick as the Slytherins roared.

'Come on!' Frank was yelling. 'That was blatant intent to injure!'

Madam Hooch remained tight lipped as the Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws shouted their disapproval. James set his jaw and flew back to grab the quaffle. He rounded about and took off at top speed straight towards Rosier.

Rosier looked momentarily stunned and then ducked out of the way as James flew past him. He weaved and bobbed past the sluggish Mulciber and Avery and found himself flying in on Malfoy and Snape, who whacked their bludgers at him.

James abruptly turned into a dive and then flew back upwards. Snape reached out an arm to catch him and James grinned, suddenly veering left and body checking the off balance Snape right off of his broom. Malfoy lunged forward and James bobbed upward, striking Malfoy in the back with his boot and sending him similarly towards the ground as he roared in alone on Flint.

Flint charged out aggressively to cut down the angle, but James had drawn all of the attention to himself. He caught Frank with a pass and Frank easily deposited the quaffle into the hoop-twenty to ten. Frank turned with a cheer, and his face suddenly changed.

'The snitch!' he shouted, pointing.

Alice had already spotted it and was climbing high and fast. Nott was chasing close behind her as they rose into the sky. The entire stadium had stopped to watch as Alice reached her hand out for the snitch-it looked like a sure thing.

But Nott reached out a hand and grabbed her broom, hauling her backwards. He used his impressive upper body strength to hurl her broom back down behind is-now it looked like a sure thing that he would get there first.

But Alice was not so easily dissuaded; as Nott hauled her broom past his, she leapt off of it altogether. The crowd gasped as she landed on Nott's back. He swatted at her angrily with his free hand, but she quickly scaled his back until she was standing on her shoulders. Nott realized what was about to happen and tried to turn into a dive, but it was too late.

Alice had leapt from his shoulders, caught the snitch in one hand, and was now in a free fall.

The crowd didn't seem to know whether to cheer or gasp. James dove hard towards the middle of the pitch. He had ample time to climb under her and catch her-but he was suddenly struck upside the head with a bludger that sent him cart wheeling into the stadium again. He was momentarily senseless, only aware that hands were trying to help him into a sitting position. He looked up, but it looked like there was twelve of everything.

'Alice!' James shouted. 'Alice!'

'It's okay, mate!' Sirius' voice suddenly came in his ear. 'Longbottom's got her! We've won! And look!'

Sirius hauled James to his feet and he tried to focus on what was going on.

Hagrid and Madam Hooch were in the thick of a mess between Gideon and Fabian Prewett and the entire Slytherin quidditch team. Malfoy was nursing a bleeding nose, Snape was lying on the ground in a fetal position, and the Prewetts were still trying to get at Mulciber and Avery.

'Snape cracked you in the head with that bludger,' Remus' voice came from James' other side. 'The Prewetts went mental and went straight for him. Luckily Frank paid attention to Alice.'

'Come on, let's help Gideon and Fabian!' Sirius said hotly.

James gripped him. 'No,' he said. 'It's being broken up. Let's get to the team.'

He was right; Hagrid had successfully gotten Gideon and Fabian to go to the other end of the pitch, with severe admonishments from Madam Hooch as they did so, although James thought he saw a hint of a smile on her face.

Frank and Alice were at the center of a team embrace at the other end. Dorcas and Cresswell were wrapped around them, cheering madly as the swells of the crowd joined in. James staggered over to them and accepted a clap on the back from Cresswell who whooped with glee. They were quickly joined by Gideon and Fabian who hoisted Alice into the air for the school to see. She pumped her arms happily.

Professor McGonagall had brought the Quidditch Cup to the center of the field as the school gathered round. She made to hand it to Dorcas, but Dorcas motioned for the team to come over and accept it as one. They held it high above their heads and cheered as the rest of the school converged upon them in their moment of glory.

*

James' own moment of glory was somewhat short-lived. He was whisked off the hospital wing fairly quickly after he nearly collapsed under the weight of the trophy. Madam Pomfrey was furious as she looked him over. 'What kind of match was Madam Hooch calling, anyway?' she snarled. 'I'd say you easily have a fractured skull. Some ribs, too. How many bludgers hit you?'

'Uh, the one, I think,' James said. He looked over to the side of the room. The other members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team were all there, gazing at the cup fondly and chattering excitedly.

'Only for you, Potter,' Madam Pomfrey sighed, glaring at the visitors with disapproval. 'I can mend the bones right away, but I'm worried about a concussion. So no going to sleep for a little while.'

James smiled. 'I wouldn't dream of it,' he said. 'How are you doing, Captain?' he asked.

Dorcas smiled. Madam Pomfrey had insisted on checking her out after she'd heard that she had been struck by two bludgers. 'Wonderful,' she sighed, staring at the Cup with a look she usually reserved for Cresswell. 'Absolutely wonderful.'

James grinned again as the door to the hospital wing opened. Sirius, Remus and Peter strolled in. 'Sorry, we had to give everyone updates. They want to know when you're going to be back so the party can start,' Sirius said cheerily.

'Party?' Madam Pomfrey asked sharply.

'Er, study party,' Remus said quickly and somewhat convincingly. Madam Pomfrey huffed and went back to her office.

'How are you feeling?' Peter asked urgently.

James waved an arm. 'I'm fine. I was just a bit light headed...apparently I broke my skull.'

Sirius whistled. 'At least Snape aimed for the biggest part of your body,' he joked. James swung at him but missed.

'Any sign of Lily?' James asked in what he hoped was an offhand tone.

Remus cleared his throat. 'Snape tried to talk to her after the match,' he said. 'She stormed off. None of us has seen her since.'

James felt a pang of guilt. 'Where's the map?' he whispered so the Quidditch team wouldn't see.

'I had a feeling he'd ask,' Sirius sighed as he produced the map from his pocket and gave it to James. James spared a quick glance around to make sure no one was looking and he spotted her-down in the kitchens.

'You guys get going back to the common room. Start the party. I'll meet you there,' James said.

*

James opened the door to the kitchen and heard a clang of dropped silverware as Lily stood with a start. 'It's alright, Evans,' he said with a smile. 'It's just me.'

'Oh,' Lily said miserably and she sat down. 'Come to gloat have you?'

'Gloat?' James echoed.

Lily sighed. 'About Sev. What he did was horrible...if Frank hadn't been right there, Alice would be a pancake right now.'

James stifled a laugh at the image of a pancake-Alice. 'It's just a game, Lily,' he tried, not entirely sure why he was defending Snape's actions.

'You're really excusing what Sev did?' she said hotly.

'You don't normally approve of me ripping on him,' James pointed out. 'It was stupid. It was dumb. Emotions were high and it happened...but everyone's alright.'

Lily sniffed. 'I don't know why I was ever friends with him,' she muttered.

'Sure you do,' James said, again mentally kicking himself for defending Snape to her. 'You said yourself you've been friends since you got your letter.'

Lily stared at her hands. 'He was just this link to a whole new world I never knew existed,' she said quietly. 'He was so interesting. Everything he told me sounded impossible, but it was all true...and he made me feel like I was born for it.'

'Well...you were,' James said.

'People like Voldemort don't think so,' Lily replied.

James sat down. 'Well, he's an idiot,' he said. 'Seriously. Anyone can be born into a pure-blood family like me. But to be a witch, born to muggles? You talk about being born for it, that seems like a good case to me.'

Lily smiled faintly. 'And now here I am talking about my feelings to you of all people,' she said. 'You and Sev can be more alike than you realize.'

'Words hurt, you know,' James said sarcastically.

'You're both capable of being so...nice,' she said. 'But you're also capable of being a-a-'

'-toerag?' James supplied helpfully.

Lily smiled. 'I know what you're doing, Potter. Thanks.'

James shrugged. 'You'd do the same for me,' he said brightly. She raised an eyebrow at him. 'Oh don't give me that look,' he said with a smirk. 'Who was by my sickbed when I was attacked?'

Lily flushed. 'I was just checking on you!'

'Right,' James replied with a wink. 'Evans, come on. There's a party in the common room right now and everyone would want you to be there.'

'I don't feel like it,' she said.

James knelt down beside her. 'One of your best friends just made a play that people are going to be talking about for years,' he said earnestly. 'Don't you want to be there for her in her big moment?'

Lily looked at James. 'I don't get you, Potter,' she said. 'One moment you have me wanting to tear my hair out, and then you act like this.'

James motioned for her to go to the door. 'It's a kind of magic,' he said with a warm smile, one which she returned.