A/N- Hey! Here's chapter 25. It's been a while! Well, I hope you like it!
Enjoy!(:
Chapter 25-
"Okay, guys, it's our last game before we go against the other winning team for the house cup. We're not going to break our winning streak, are we?" I said to my team. We were all huddled together, discussing strategy and sportsmanship. We were all in our gear and uniforms, pumped up. Last night I told everyone to take it easy, go to bed early and get a good night's sleep,
"No way!" everyone called back proudly.
"Alright, that's the spirit. Okay, we have some new players, we have some old. Either way, you guys have done excellent, may this be your first or your seventh. I'm so proud. Great job. Ravenclaw will be more than happy when we add that cup to our collection. Year number nine, coming up. Go Eagles!" I exclaimed. We all high-fived or yelled 'Go Eagles' then went out to the field. You could tell our team was just pumped.
"It's Ravenclaw against Slytherin, folks. Here we go. Emileigha Lupin, captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, goes to shake…Charlie Duncan's, captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team, hand." Tomas Flagler, the announcer for all the Quidditch games, said into the mic in the stands. He was in Hufflepuff, and you could tell.
I went up to shake Charlie's hand. When there's a female captain, she doesn't get her hands squeezed as tight as possible. But, she can do just that to the other player, of course. I'm not mean enough to do that, though. After all, it's bad enough that he's about to face the Eagles anyways. Madame Hooch blew her whistle, and we were off.
"Lupin flies overhead, Duncan has his eye one her…Bridger passes the Quaffle- right to Jones, he's flying to the ring, alright…Slytherin scores! 10 to 0. Oh, and suddenly we have Chang and Davis head and head. What's this, are they aiming for each other? Chang nearly knocks Davis off his broom…Davis fires back! Oh! Chang tastes the mud." Tomas said.
"Daniel, are you alright?" I called. Daniel nodded and got back on his broom as Madame Hooch called a foul. All the Slytherins- and even the ones who weren't on the field- groaned and booed Ravenclaw. A few even gave some of our own players the finger. I rolled my eyes and focused on the game. We had the ball first.
I could see everything, flying so high above everyone. The Marauders and Lily and Alice were holding up Ravenclaw-decorated signs that said 'Emi!' or 'Em!' on them.
Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a glint of gold. It was gone in a flash, and somehow I was telling myself not to go for it just yet. But Duncan saw it, I think.
He gave me an evil smirk and looked back down to the game. I started to drift low, keeping my eye on him, watching his every move. Unfortunately, I missed our first score. Being Captain, I probably should have seen that.
Duncan shot past me, chasing after nothing, just to scare me out of the blue. My bangs blew in that direction as he passed, and I huffed. He flashed me the same grin as before while I narrowed my eyes at him.
Then, I missed us score yet again, but I did happen to see Marcus grin. He must have made the shot.
"Ravenclaw in the lead, 20 to 10." Tomas said flatly, McGonagall now standing by his side. That happened last time he announced, too.
The Snitch suddenly flew by my head, making me nearly fall off my broom.
"Lupin nearly falls off the broom, has she seen the Snitch? Duncan's flying low yet again, does he see the Snitch too? Oh! Finnigan hits the Bludger right at Chang. Chang dodges and Davis gets his back…Ah, nice save Daniel! Chang dodges again, the Bludger has hit Finnigan! Hooch is calling a time-out. Finnigan's hurt." Tomas yelled excitedly, wincing as he said that Finnigan was hit.
We all stopped in our places at the sound of the whistle, except for Duncan, who had his eye on something. As Madame Hooch helped Finnigan off the field, I realized that Duncan had, in fact, seen the Snitch. But why wasn't he going after it?
I watched closely as Daniel hit the Bludger towards Davis, and Davis hit it back, only it flew backwards somehow. Jones sped up to get the Quaffle from Marcus, but he was too fats. I'm glad I put him on the team.
Then suddenly, I had to swoop down and rise back up as Davis shot a Bludger at me.
Davis (Beater), Jones (Beater), Finnigan (Chaser), and Duncan (Seeker) were the only Slytherins I needed to worry about in this game. They were always after me, no doubt about it.
I had Marcus, Daniel, Lockhart (who I forced to play Chaser, considering that he would play fairly well) out, not to mention a few newer players who were quite good. One of the four chasers was Hannah Dewberry, another Lane Greengrass, the third Byron Steele, and the fourth Natalie Carney.
"Carney passes to Steele, Steele passes to Lockhart- Ah! There it is! Lockhart scores! Ravenclaw, 30 to 10. What's the matter Slytherins?" Tomas teased. Every Slytherin shot him a look that promised a beating, while the others in the stands laughed.
"Oh no- I mean, Oh- Davis hits the Bludger at Lockhart. Lockhart dodges, but the Bludger hits Greengrass. It's all good, he's gotten back up just like that! Daniel hits the Bludger at Davis! Davis dodges, but manages to smack the Bludger back! Abbott hits the Bludger to Jones- oh! It hits him right in the face! Ouch! Madame Hooch calls a second time-out."
Again, we all stopped. I gave Marcus a reassuring smile, seeing the displeased, sorry look on his face. His took a deep breath, practically in unison with mine, and Jones was back up, ignoring his slightly bloody and bent nose.
"Ravenclaw! 60 to 20!" Tomas literally screamed into the mic. Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and Ravenclaw went wild, whopping and yelling in joy and excitement, while Slytherin sat there and barely clapped, sulking.
The Snitch, out of nowhere, flew right in front of me. It hovered in front of my face for a moment, before Duncan went after it and it started to fly away at what seemed like the speed of light. I chased after them, but I'll admit it I was lagging.
In a moment's notice, we were neck-and-neck, both of our hands out reached, trying to grasp the Snitch. Duncan snarled at me and bumped me, which I didn't return in fear that we'd get fouled. It was a rough bump, though- he was a big, tall, not-that-lean guy, no offense.
"I'm going to get this, Lupin. You should get out of my way, if you know what's good for you." He sneered, eyes narrowed.
"And let you take the cup? Please. After I get the Snitch, I'll beat Gryffindor, too. It's you who should get out of my way." I scoffed, as he tried to push me again. I passed him so he'd only poke the back of my broom. He caught up to me in no time.
"Hah! I'm not going to let your stupid Eagles win the cup a tenth time!" He yelled angrily, a wicked grin spreading on his face. Is it just me, or does every Slytherin have the same evil grin?
"Actually, this will be our ninth time, mind you. But, when we do win the cup the tenth time, we can talk again." I said, reaching my hand out. He forcefully slapped my hand down and reached his out, but Madame Hooch didn't see that. I could hear The marauders and Lily booing- Sirius being the loudest.
"Stupid girl!" he said, coughing and laughing at the same time.
"I just so happen to be smarter than you, sir." He cocked an eyebrow at this.
"Wha-" Bam. Right into the fabricated tower of Hufflepuff on the pitch. I swooped backwards, in time to catch the Snitch. But I reached a bit too far out and fell face first off my broom, snitch in-hand. I fell on my elbows and knees.
"Agh…" I groaned, sitting on my butt while holding the snitch up. "Bruises…"
"RAVENCLAW WINS THE GAME! THEY"RE GOING TO THE FINAL GAME, THEY ARE! RAVENCLAW WINS! 210 TO 20! GO EAGLES, GO!" Tomas yelled, jumping up and down. He held the mic right to his mouth, turned in a corner so Professor McGonagall couldn't grab it. Every house, except Slytherin cheered madly, and the rest of the team's friends ran onto the field to congratulate us. Daniel jogged over, panting when he stopped, and helped me up, a big smile on his face.
"Emileigha! That was a great game you played!" Daniel said while he was pulling me up. I brushed myself off and smiled.
"Oh, please- if only you could see yourself out there! Great job." I said, patting his back. He nodded and raced off with the rest of the team.
Sirius, James, and Lily ran up to me, all looking beyond happy.
"EMI! That was just…just bloody amazing!" Lily cried, hugging me way too tight.
"Oh, Lily- you're hugging me too tight! Too tight, too tight!" I said. She let go and dropped me back on my feet. James approached me next, pride in his eyes.
"Well. I've seen what we'll be going against this year for that cup." He said, puffing his chest out. "Good luck. Great game." He smiled confidently, nodding. Sirius was the last one to come up to me. Lily and James intertwined their fingers and started walking back to the castle, talking about the game still.
"Em, that was…wow! I'm really proud of you, you know. It's pretty hard to look for the Snitch and watch your whole team at the same time- but you did it." He smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. I smiled up at him, my face getting a little pink. "I'm sorry that Gryffindor will have to beat you, though. We'll be seeing you and your team in the final game." He smirked mischievously. I lightly punched his arm and laughed.
"That was supposed to be a happy moment, you know!" I grinned along with him.
"Sorry, love- we just need that cup." He said, slumping his arm over my shoulders. I did the same to him, except around his waist.
"Yeah, James has been telling me about this. Everyone still thinks we're on odd terms." I said, poking his side. He squirmed for a second and grabbed that hand, looking down at me.
"Don't do that." He said seriously, and then smirked. I laughed.
"Why? Are you ticklish?" I asked, cocking a brow while a smirk played at my lips.
Sirius looked at me for a moment as I tried to wriggle my hand out of his grasp. When I finally did, I lightly pinched and poked him in the same spot before and he started laughing.
"St-stop it! Em…Ha-ha! I'm gonna…ah! Get you for this…" he laughed between words. He didn't pull away for about a minute, but finally ripped away. He panted for a minute, backing up and looked at me, shaking my head. "I will get you back, Emileigha Jayne." He said, winking before saying my name. My chest fluttered for a moment and I was quiet for that short time.
"Oh r-" I was cut off by a sudden squeal and curly black hair flashed in front of me. Marlene.
I tried my best not to show that I was jealous or anything and watched as Marlene ran to Sirius, grabbing his shoulder.
This, if I may say, is my shoulder that I want to lay my head when I cry or fall asleep or anything!
"Sirius! There you are! Come on! We've got to go!" she screamed excitedly. Sirius looked surprised.
"What?" Sirius said, taking his arm out of her grasp. She put her hands on her hips and jumped up and down.
"We've got to go shopping! You know, for my dress? I guess you could get a tie or something." She said, giving him an incredulous look. Before Sirius could say anything, she was dragging him off the pitch. I sighed.
He turned the best he could and mouthed, "Sorry!" which matched his facial expression.
Great. I mean, me and Lily are going shopping as soon as I get a shower and get changed.
When I had to face some crazy girls in those Shopping Wars, I had totally forgotten to get a dress. That was stupid of me, I know.
I made my way back to the castle after putting my broom up. I went up to Ravenclaw tower and got some things out for my shower.
Afterwards, I brushed my teeth, blow dried my hair, and walked into my dorm in my panties and bra.
I totally could've gotten into Gryffindor. I mean, who else would be brave enough to do such a thing?
I put on a simple pair of jeans, a plain long-sleeved blue shirt, and a pair of grey boots.
I grabbed my purse, my jacket, and my wand and then headed to the Great Hall, where I met Lily. We hooked arms and caught a carriage out front. Just as it started to move, James grabbed the side of the entrance and hopped in, landing right next to Lily and almost falling in her lap.
"Alright, I made it!" He said, congratulating himself. I gave an approving nod and Lily smiled, patting his back.
Once he was situated, we started talking about dress shopping. But, with the year taking so many unexpected turns in a world of craziness, it wouldn't stay on that for long.
"Who's ready to go dress shopping?" I said in a sing-song tone, tucking a strand of her behind my ear. James pulled a face and Lily raised her hand happily.
"Me!" She nodded, nudging James.
"Well, I guess I am." James shrugged as Lily punched him in the arm, playfully. He kissed her cheek in a goofy manner and she laughed.
"Me and James are gonna go in red, I think. What about you? And who are you going to ask as a date?" Lily asked me. I thought for a minute.
Lockhart had tried to ask me to the dance, but I was still pretty mad at him. Plus, he acted the same as he always did. 'Hey there, Emi-Demi'….Ugh. Amos and I hadn't spoken in forever, and we probably wouldn't ever talk again. Daniel was going with some random girl, just like Marcus. Brandon, of course, was too shy to ask me anyways. And then Sirius was going with princess Marlene.
"I don't know- I might just go to this dance solo. Everyone else is pretty much taken. But that's alright with me. As for what I'll wear…I don't know that either. But something that makes me look like I have a longer…body. I'll have to wear heels too. God, I hate being short…" I said. Lily smirked and James nodded. I could tell he was a little uncomfortable- he's very easy to read.
"It's quite nice, being tall and such." James said. Lily nodded.
"It is, it is." She said in agreement. "And what about that peach colored dress you bought for the first dance?"
"Oh, I sold it. I sold it to Jenna. She really liked it, apparently, and she offered me the same amount I had paid for it." I winked, giving them a thumbs up.
"Ah. Nice. You know, I've always thought that shades of pink would look good on you." Lily pointed out, nodding.
"Yeah, sometimes that's what I think. But really I think the earthy tones look best on me." I said modestly, shrugging. James was lost in la-la land, his head bobbing around nonchalantly.
Lily glanced at him and rolled her eyes then turned back to me.
"Yeah, I agree." She smiled. Ashe nudged James as the carriage came to a stop. The three of us got out and silently walked to the closest dress shop. We were only quiet because just down the street from us was Sirius, along with Marlene and all of her girls.
My blood was starting to boil. James glanced over that way, then glanced back at Lily and I. What did James know about this whole mess, anyways?
We went inside and immediately Lily stopped us and grabbed our hands.
"Oh. My. Gosh. James! That one!" Lily squealed, pointing to a red dress covered in red sequins. It was quite charming! James stared at it for a minute, like he was imagining something. "Do you think it'll look good on me?" Lily asked hopefully. From behind her back, she was crossing her fingers.
James smiled and turned to her.
"Lily, I think that anything would look good on you." He said, looking her straight in the eyes with that same old grin. Aw! Why can't that happen to me?
I'll probably have to be a lonely cat lady when I grow up. And I don't even like cats.
"Aw…" Lily pecked James's lips. "Thank-you, James. Your so sweet."
James smiled and touched his lips. Even though he and lily have been dating for a while, I still think that he can't get over it. That is just so cute.
"Now let's go pick out a tie for me, and then you can see how great you'll look in that dress." James said, his arm around Lily. She smiled and pulled the dress of the rack and they started to walk on, me trailing behind.
I couldn't get Marlene and Sirius out of my head. I kept picturing them kissing and laughing together and all kinds of crap. Then it felt like something hit me upside the head…
What if Sirius falls for Marlene?
Marlene isn't the best person, I'll be honest. But she's very pretty. No, she's gorgeous. Me? Notta. I'm not pretty at all. But is Sirius the kind of guy who only glances at how a girl looks? Does he care about a girl's personality?
Does he really love me, like he said he did?
He probably doesn't. Not anymore at least. You can fall out of love, can't you? I never said I loved him to his face. And I'm not ready for that kind of thing…I just don't even know anymore! I hate this.
But more than anything, I think I'm hating myself.
I should have told him how I felt. There's no denying that he likes Marlene. And who knows, maybe he loves her?
I let out a sigh that came out much shakier than I intended and…my eyes started to water. We can just say that they started to water. I ahd a really heavy feeling in my chest that was just killing me, but I perked up a little when the three of us passed another aisle of dresses.
"Hey, I'm gonna look at these. I'll see you in the Dressing Room, Lily." I smiled, pointing my thumb towards the aisle.
"Okay! Happy shopping." She said, looking a little worried. I hope my eyes aren't getting red…I don't want Lily or James to wonder about this…
I moseyed down the aisle and looked at all the dresses. There were mostly maxi dresses that looked kind of uncomfortable and things with long sleeves. It's cold outside, but the dance isn't outside- and it's pretty warm inside.
So here I am, shuffling through sequined dresses and maxi dresses and mini dresses and all of the sort, feeling a little stupid and very and very mad at myself. As if Rowena Ravenclaw granted me my happiness, I found the dress on another rack that was made for Valentine's day. Beside it were discount Christmas-themed dresses.
This dress came to my knees, just a bit above. It was a happy red and the bottom half was ruffled. The dress had tank-top sleeves that were kind of old fashioned, so they came out farther on your shoulders than normal ones. I didn't notice it at first, but there was a heart cut out on the back upper half of the dress.
The next thing I know, my mood is up-lifted a bit.
That is, until Marlene prances in. She walks past the cashier, winking at him and smirking as his face turns beet red. Meanwhile, I try to hide behind the rack I'm at, folding the dress in half. She was about to walk by when I hid behind a shelf on the next aisle over.
I breathe a sigh of relief and open my eyes only to let out a surprised squeal.
There's Marlene, right in front of me.
"Emileigha! Hi, girl!" She greets happily, flipping her black curls behind her shoulder. I picture myself doing the same thing as her, but more awkwardly. Fail. I immediately felt a sense of…I don't know, jealousy? A mix of that and self-consciousness.
"Hey, Marlene…" I said, trying to sound nice.
"I didn't think I'd see you here!" she said, smiling. For some reason, I felt that that smile was a total fake. But I couldn't just say something like 'get that stupid fake smile off your face, brat'. That would be awful. Plus, that's Lily's job.
"What do you mean?" I asked, laughing kind of nervously.
"People like you don't normally shop here." She said, still happy and smiley Marlene. What's that supposed to mean?
"Marlene, I'm afraid I don't follow you…" I trailed off. Suddenly, I felt shorter than I already was. Her happy smile melted right off and she rolled her eyes.
"Seriously? All the pretty people shop here. Why are you even here?" she sneered, talking way too fast. It took me a minute to take everything in. Why is she suddenly acting like this? This was like a bad dream- not a nightmare, just a bad dream. I stared at Marlene, dumbstruck.
"Why are y-" I was cut off when she started to talk again.
"Let's just get to the point. You're in Ravenclaw, but I don't think you're going to crack the code any time soon. I know you like Sirius Black. Everyone knows that you do. And everyone thinks that he likes you, but I'm going to prove them wrong. Sirius likes me, not you. He likes pretty girls. And just so you know…you're a backstabber." Marlene said, flipping her hair one last time before she turned to leave. I stared after her and felt my eyes…water.
So today, I've been called ugly and a backstabber.
A/N- Rate, Review, Love! Criticism welcome.(: Sorry that it's been a while since I've updated, dearest. (: Thank you, thank you, thank you!