Chapter 28

Hufflepuff and the Holyhead Harpies

March 8th, 2014

Julian had recovered well and had been released for the Hospital Wing within a few days. Tyriana welcomed him back with open arms, which was far more than could be said of Slytherin house. With the exception of his close friends and the members of the SSAP, they treated him like an outcast.

"This is worse than after the first match," he had told her. "At least I got the Snitch last time, thanks to you. This time we lost and it's obviously my fault. We were so close to beating Ravenclaw."

"You had three broken ribs!" Tyriana reminded him. "They can't expect you to be on your A-game when you're like that. Besides, even if you weren't injured you still would've been too far away to stop Naylor from catching it."

"If I wasn't injured I would've caught the Snitch right after that Split-S."

"Which was immaculate, I might add," she had said, trying to distract him from his disappointment. Her efforts were rewarded with a grin.

"That means a lot coming from you."

She grinned and just held him close.


February became March and the date of Gryffindor's match against Hufflepuff arrived. Tyriana was not worried in the slightest about this game, although she kept her team training hard just in case. Hufflepuff's team had been a joke for about five years now and everybody knew it. They were the team that the other three always beat, no matter what.

Tyriana awoke the morning of the match feeling rested and enthusiastic. If everything went according to plan, today's game would be quick, painless and fun. Of course, that wasn't the only thing to be excited about.

On Monday she'd received a letter confirming that the Holyhead Harpies were going to be scouting her during the match. This had stressed Tyriana out quite a bit at first. She couldn't imagine herself not playing professional Quidditch after graduation and the Harpies were at the top of her list of teams she wanted to play for. Thankfully, Julian had known exactly what she needed to hear to calm down. He had reminded her that she was Hogwarts' best Seeker in a number of years and there were many lesser players who'd gone on to play professionally.

"The Harpies will love you," he'd said. "They go for talented and empowered female Quidditch players whose first or last name starts with the letter G. I cannot think of anyone who fits that bill better than you, Tyriana. If I didn't know better I'd say that you were born to be a Harpy."

"It's a shame I don't have a Harpy's claws," she'd quipped, making the same clawing gesture she'd used months before to imitate a lioness.

He'd laughed and pulled her onto his lap. "Stop being so adorable. You're killing me."

"With my claws," she'd growled, playfully clawing at his heart with her nails.

Now it was gameday and she was feeling as ready as she'd ever been for a Quidditch match. When Julian awoke beside her, she asked him if he and his buddies wanted to sit in the Gryffindor section. "I can return the favor from your match and have my friends escort you guys. Besides, I'm sure Brielle would love an excuse to snog Riley. She might even get handsy."

Julian chuckled. Her words certainly conjured an amusing image in each of their minds. Brielle and Riley had officially begun dating a week-and-a-half previously after almost two months of flirting, snogging and — Tyriana suspected — exuberant shagging. As both Brielle and Riley knew where the Room of Requirement was, there really wasn't a limit to how much they could get away with. Brielle had certainly been disappearing seemingly at random quite frequently and she always came back with flushed cheeks and a poorly-concealed smile. Tyriana had been pleased to see that her relationship with Riley placed emphasis on more than just sexual chemistry and romantic clichés, though. Brielle had very different preferences and priorities when it came to her partner compared to Alara and Delaney. Her personality and Riley's seemed to mesh really well. They also shared some classes and many interests. Tyriana was very happy for them.

Julian answered her question by saying that he'd love to sit with the Gryffindors, and he'd invite his friends, too. Tyriana got ready for breakfast, making sure to slip gloves into her pockets so that she could walk down to the pitch afterwards without the chilly air numbing her hands and limiting her dexterity.

The Gryffindor table was jam-packed with students decked out in scarlet and gold. Some had even painted their faces. Next door, the Hufflepuffs were wearing canary yellow and black. They weren't quite as enthusiastic as the Gryffindors, nor were there as many of them dressed up. They clearly knew that their team was Hogwarts' equivalent to the Chudley Cannons; they lost a lot. Not many of the Ravenclaws and Slytherins had chosen a side. Those Slytherins that did tended to pick Hufflepuff. Tyriana suspected that they wanted the Hufflepuff Keeper to stop Gryffindor from scoring too many points and extending their lead in the Quidditch Cup.

Fat chance, Tyriana thought. Hufflepuff's Keeper is trash. I could give a Beater like Theo the Quaffle and he'd be able to get past Corwin Briggs.

Her thoughts were promptly interrupted by Jessamine, who ran up as if she had urgent news. Tyriana hadn't even sat down at the Gryffindor table yet.

"What is it?"

"Briggs got injured during Hufflepuff's practice on Thursday night," Jessamine said. "Hufflepuff's fielding Caden Weiss as Keeper."

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me!" Tyriana exclaimed, drawing a lot of attention from everybody in earshot. Even Jessamine seemed taken aback by the explosive reaction although, to be fair, she'd never heard about the Head Girl's short-lived relationship with Caden. Tyriana wrenched her mind back to focusing on the impending match. "We didn't train to face him. Do you know how he plays?"

Jessamine shook her head.

"Shit. Well, he can't be that talented if he's the reserve for a Keeper as bad as Briggs. We'll just play our best and steamroll them anyway. Pass the news on to the other Chasers."

Jessamine nodded and hurried away. Tyriana took a seat with her friends. "Caden's playing as Keeper for Hufflepuff," she blurted.

"Holy shit!" Brielle exclaimed.

"Have your Beaters barrage him with Bludgers," Siobhan suggested.

"Just don't bloody his gorgeous face too much," Alara said. She was wearing both Gryffindor and Hufflepuff colors, as her boyfriend was a Badger. The result was a garish collage that almost made Tyriana's eyes bleed.

"Oh, I intend to ruin his face," Tyriana said, only half-joking. "He deserves it. Maybe if he had an ugly mug he wouldn't be able to seduce girls quite as easily."

With that she turned her focus towards eating. Her friends knew her Quidditch day routine by now and didn't disturb her again.

Right before she got up to lead the team down to the pitch, she told her friends that Julian and his friends wanted to sit in the Gryffindor section of the stands. "I said that you girls would love to help. Especially you, Brielle. Riley will be there."

Brielle blushed profusely and everyone laughed at her reaction.

"Good luck!" Siobhan called as Tyriana rounded up her team and headed down to the stadium.

"So Caden Weiss is playing Keeper for Hufflepuff?" Hugh asked her as they walked.

"Apparently."

"What do you know about him?"

"He's a misogynistic douchebag."

"Uh… How do you know that?"

Tyriana chuckled wryly. "Firsthand experience. Lydia knows what I'm talking about."

"You do?"

The question seemed to make Lydia a little uncomfortable. "Tyriana saw him flirting with me and warned me he was a player."

"Forgive my ignorance but do you girls actually get hit on all the time?" Oscar asked.

"Yes," said Tyriana, Lydia and Jessamine simultaneously.

"Everyone should know by now that Julian and I are dating but guys still flirt with me!" Tyriana groaned.

"And if they don't know by now that I'm a lesbian then they're blind," Jessamine quipped, eliciting laughs from most of the team. She had never been shy about acknowledging her sexual orientation. By now pretty much everybody at Hogwarts knew and, considering how conservative the purebloods generally were, Tyriana had been genuinely surprised that only a few students had responded adversely to Jessamine. These students quickly discovered that she could not be shamed out of it and they gave up. Tyriana suspected that the only reason that some guys were okay with Jessamine's orientation was that they found the notion of two girls making out to be hot. That's certainly not a respectable reason to be accepting but I suppose that it's better than ostracizing her, Tyriana thought.

"Woe is me. I'm single," Lydia complained. "Why do guys hate tall girls so much?"

"Because they like the sense of physical superiority they get from being bigger," Tyriana said. Sarcastically, she thought, And that's not problematic in any way, shape or form...

"Well, no shit," Lydia replied. "It was a rhetorical question."

They got changed in the locker room and Tyriana gave her pre-match motivational speech. "Alright, ladies and gentlemen. Hufflepuff may seem like an easy opponent but we aren't going to let our guard down. Believe me when I tell you that there is no Quidditch team at this school that is better than this one. We can and we will win. Let's have a nice, clean and impressive match. And please don't take unnecessary risks and get hurt. By the way, there is a scout for the Holyhead Harpies here today. Don't worry though; they're here solely to watch me so don't feel any extra pressure on your shoulders. This is going to be a fun match and I don't think it'll be any more difficult than the average training session. Be ready with your afterburners, though, just in case. Um... I see only Lydia understood that. Basically, be ready to put in some extra effort if they give us a challenge for some reason. You never know and it can't hurt to be cautious just in case. Let's line up."

Gryffindor was first onto the field this time, and Tyriana listened to Blake Leonard's commentary as she led her team towards Madam Hooch. "Gryffindor is coming off of a huge and, frankly, historic win over Slytherin. Will they be able to keep their Quidditch Cup dreams alive today? Out front is the Gryffindor Captain TYRIANA GALLAGHER. She plays Seeker and is the student body's Head Girl. If you've been living under a rock you may not know that she's dating the Slytherin Head — Sorry, Professor McGonagall. Moving on… The three players behind Gallagher are the Gryffindor Chasers. From right to left: HUGH ADDISON, JESSAMINE HOLLOWAY, and TAQUIN DONNELLY! Behind them are the Beaters, THEO LYONS and OSCAR NORTON! Last is the Gryffindor Keeper LYDIA FAULKNER!"

Confident that her team could assemble themselves properly around midfield without her paying attention, Tyriana focused her eyes on the Gryffindor section of the stands. After a moment of searching she saw her friends with Julian and his buddies. Unbeknownst to her, they had made a large sign that flashed "GALLAGHER IS OUR QUEEN" in Gryffindor gold and Slytherin silver. Together the two colors looked quite royal and they gleamed in the cold winter light. Her heart warmed when she saw the sign and she waved to them.

Meanwhile, Leonard was introducing the Hufflepuff team. "Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome to the field my fellow Hufflepuffs. Team Captain ROWAN FRASER is flanked by his fellow Chasers EVELYN MORLEY and KEIRA ABNEY! Those're some pretty nice escorts if I do say so myself."

"He did not just say that," Tyriana growled in sheer disbelief.

Spectators all across the stadium booed and Professor McGonagall could be heard chewing out Leonard. She was yelling something about being a gentleman and respecting all of the players, regardless of gender, particularly since they possessed 'infinitely more talent' than him.

Finally, Leonard's commentary resumed. By now the whole Hufflepuff team was gathered opposite Gryffindor and waiting for the formalities to end. Morley and Abney looked pissed at Leonard and Tyriana didn't blame them. "Ahem. Sorry about that, ladies. Um… the Hufflepuff Beaters are GREGORY JONES and NYE INGRAM. Keeping today is CADEN WEISS, who replaces the injured Corwin Briggs. Finally, the Hufflepuff Seeker: VICTOR SYKES!"

"Captains, please shake hands," Madam Hooch ordered.

Tyriana complied. She was sizing up Rowan Fraser, who was in his first and only year Captaining the Hufflepuff team. Like her, he would be graduating in a few months.

"Good luck," he said.

Tyriana grinned wryly. "Keep it all for yourself. You're going to need it."

Fraser chuckled. "You're probably right. By the way, thanks for beating Slytherin. We thought it was impossible."

"Any time." Tyriana could feel herself beaming with pride. "Ravenclaw beat them too. Maybe you'll round out the threesome?"

"Unlikely, but we'll try."

Madam Hooch finally stepped in, after having let this conversation go on noticeably longer than usual. "Alright, everybody. Mount your brooms. I want a clean game." She released the two Bludgers and the Snitch, then tossed the Quaffle up in the air.

Tyriana kicked off from the ground, a surge of adrenalin sweeping through her body as she embraced the glorious sensation of flight. Riding a broomstick was where she was meant to be.

Leonard was commentating on the action. "Morley seizes the Quaffle for Hufflepuff but she has a loose grip on it and Gryffindor's Taquin Donnelly snatches it right out of her hand. He speeds towards the Hufflepuff goalposts. There aren't any Hufflepuffs in his path; everyone else is still trying to get their bearings at midfield. Now is when we'll see what Hufflepuff's reserve Keeper is made of, ladies and gentlemen. I've never seen him play but he does look really fit. Does that actually mean anything, though? Donnelly lines up his shot to the right. It's a feint and the Hufflepuff Keeper falls for it. Donnelly shoots left! GRYFFINDOR SCORES! 10-0!"

Tyriana pumped her fist but kept her eyes searching the field for the Snitch. She wanted to capture it quickly to impress the Harpies' scout. There was no sense in giving Victor Sykes a single shot at the catch.

"Abney of Hufflepuff has the Quaffle. She crosses over midfield and passes to Morley. Morley barely dodges a well-aimed Bludger from Gryffindor Beater Lyons and passes to Captain Rowan Fraser. Keeper Faulkner is set up to block him. He throws! It goes right through Faulkner's fingertips. HUFFLEPUFF SCORES! 10-10!"

Tyriana wasn't surprised. Lydia, as always, needed a few minutes to warm up. She'd be performing masterfully in no time.

"Gryffindor Chaser Holloway has the Quaffle. She flies low, skimming the frosty turf. A pass to Addison, who expertly dodges Morley's clumsy attempt at defense and pushes for the goalposts. This is Keeper Weiss's chance to redeem himself. Can he make the save? Addison mimes throwing but passes to Donnelly, who passes to Holloway, who's now coming from above. She throws! No, it's another fake. Pass back to Addison, who throws it through the leftmost hoop. GRYFFINDOR SCORES! 20-10. The Gryffindor Chaser Squad is playing like a perfectly-oiled Muggle machine — smooth, fast and powerful. All of that passing happened in less than ten seconds and thoroughly confused the Hufflepuff reserve Keeper. No sign of the Snitch yet, but the Seekers are still circling like birds of prey, waiting for it to make an appearance. Morley has the Quaffle now. She passes… WHOA! GRYFFINDOR BEATER NORTON JUST HIT A BLUDGER TO INTERCEPT AND DEFLECT THE PASS! THE QUAFFLE FLIES STRAIGHT INTO THE WAITING ARMS OF GRYFFINDOR'S HUGH ADDISON, WHO SPINS AROUND AND CHUCKS IT AT THE GOALPOSTS BEFORE KEEPER WEISS IS EVEN AWARE THAT THERE'S BEEN A TURNOVER! GRYFFINDOR SCORES AGAIN! 30-10! Listen to the crowd roar! This appears to be the squash match we all knew that we were in for, ladies and gentlemen! Hufflepuff Captain Fraser takes the Quaffle. He dodges left, then right, then left again as Lyons sends a Bludger his way and Norton attempts to block him. Holloway is hot on his heels, looking for the steal. That would only add insult to injury after those last two turnovers! Whoops — it appears that he is now aware that he has a tail thanks to the commentary from yours truly. Fraser passes to Morley, who takes aim. Keeper Faulkner dives… beautiful save! Almost as beautiful as… um… nevermind."

Tyriana turned to glare at Leonard for his latest inappropriate comment only to see a speck of gold flitting around near the base of the commentary tower. It was the Snitch! Now was the perfect time to catch it. Tyriana wheeled her Firebolt Supreme around and made a beeline for the elusive golden ball.

"Anyways, Donnelly takes the Quaffle — LOOK AT THAT! Gallagher is diving right towards me as if she's seen the Snitch! Is it a Wronski Feint? We've seen a lot of those this season! Sykes hesitates, unsure, and by the time he decides to commit it is far too late! Gallagher is just too fast on that Firebolt Supreme! Meanwhile, Donnelly has scored his second goal of the match, bringing the score to 40-10!"

The Snitch suddenly veered to the left. Tyriana wrenched her broom around, refusing to let it outmaneuver her. She was getting closer and closer; her broom was simply too fast for the Snitch to escape. In desperation, the winged ball began to zig and zag evasively. Once she determined that it was still committed to the same general direction, Tyriana didn't even bother to echo its every move. Doing so would have cost her some precious speed. She just held true to its general direction and kept gaining.

Tyriana was reaching out, inches away from grabbing the Snitch, when it abruptly decided to head straight up. She kept on its tail, her fingers reaching. She was aware of Sykes coming from above, but she sensed that she'd catch it before he arrived. Her instincts proved correct when her hand finally closed around the little golden ball.

The Gryffindor side of the stadium erupted in victorious cheers as Tyriana slowed to a hover, holding the captured Snitch up in the air. Her team enveloped her in hugs. She heard Leonard announcing the final score in the background: 190-10.

Tyriana turned to Oscar. "That Bludger hit on the Quaffle was insane, you show-off!"

"I just wanted to show the Slytherins that what we did to them wasn't a fluke."

"Consider your mission accomplished, then." She noticed three people in Holyhead Harpies robes approaching on foot and turned to quickly address the rest of her team. "Fantastic win, you guys! Go to the locker room and get changed; I'm sure there'll be a huge party in the Common Room."

Tyriana drifted down to the ground in front of the Harpies' representatives, trying not to look as giddy as she felt. Hold your horses, Tyriana; they haven't offered you a contract just yet, she reminded herself.

One of them stepped forward to shake her hand. "Hello, Miss Gallagher. I'm Gwendolyn Foster, the Harpies' team manager."

Tyriana found herself blushing profusely. She'd been expecting a lowly talent scout. "I'm honored," she managed to say.

"The honor is mine. Your reputation precedes you, Miss Gallagher, and you certainly lived up to it. It was a fantastic match and your skills are clearly first-rate."

"Thank you!" She blushed some more, glad that the cold weather gave her cheeks and ears an excuse to be red. She continued, "That means so much to me and I really appreciate you coming to watch today. The Harpies have always been my favorite team." Tyriana worried that her excitement might come across as over-exaggerated. She didn't want to lay on the flattery too heavy for fear of them thinking that she was trying too hard to ingratiate herself. Tyriana could have very easily begun fangirling and spent the next hour monologuing about how amazing all of the team's star players were.

Thankfully, Foster seemed to find her excitement endearing. "So what would you say if we offered you a contract?"

Tyriana held back her instinctive response, which was an enthusiastic "Yes!" Instead she said, "Well, I'm very interested but I'd like to hear the details before I sign anything."

"You're a smart girl. We'd love to have you."

"Thank you so much! I… I don't know what to say! This is a dream come true!" She'd been striving to reach this moment for so long and now she was here and it was perfect. Tyriana was surprised to feel tears coming; the last time she'd cried was when Gryffindor had lost the Cup to Slytherin the previous year. This time, though, they were tears of happiness and relief. She barely managed to restrain the burst of emotions.

Foster patted her on the shoulder comfortingly. "If Gryffindor is anything like I remember it there's going to be a huge party starting shortly. I don't want to keep you from celebrating with your team. You've all earned some fun. How about you meet me at the Three Broomsticks tomorrow at noon and we'll discuss the details?"

"I'll… I'll have to ask Professor McGonagall for permission."

"I'm one step ahead of you. She already gave her approval."

"Thank you. I'll be there."

"Good. I look forward to it." Foster glanced at something over Tyriana's shoulder. "Your team's waiting for you, dear."

Tyriana spun around and, sure enough, her team had gathered about fifty feet away, watching anxiously. They'd disobeyed her order to go to the locker room. Apparently their Captain's future Quidditch career was more interesting than getting changed and celebrating. Tyriana supposed that such a choice on their part spoke to how tightly the team was bonded.

"Well, thanks again," Tyriana said to the Harpies. "I'll see you tomorrow. It was great to meet you!" Holding her broomstick in one hand and the captured Snitch in the other, she went to rejoin her teammates. She felt like she was floating on cloud nine.

"What'd she say?" Jessamine asked.

"They're offering me a contract!" Tyriana exclaimed, unable to contain the news any longer.

Her teammates swarmed her with hugs and congratulations, telling her that she deserved it more than anybody. The tears she'd been holding back started to fall from her eyes. She wondered if this was a dream. She was in such a daze that she wasn't aware that the team was leading her to the locker room until they were suddenly inside a much warmer and enclosed space with magical lighting.

She sat down heavily on the bench next to her locker, surprised that she was even able to find it through the blur of her own tears. It took her five whole minutes to regain control of herself. Her teammates gave her some alone time.

Finally, Lydia hauled her to her feet. "Time to get changed or the party's going to be over before you get there."

"I highly doubt that," she murmured.

When Tyriana exited the locker room she was confronted by a wall of scarlet and gold. But the first person her eyes focused on was Julian, who was standing directly in front of her. He stepped closer and used his thumbs to wipe the tears off her cheeks. "You were amazing," he whispered.

Her face split into a helpless smile. "The Harpies offered me a contract!"

"I knew they would," he murmured in her ear as he hugged her tightly against his chest. "They'd be stupid not to. Did you accept it?"

She breathlessly told him about the meeting the next day.

"That's wise," he commented.

Remembering that the Snitch was still in her hand, she offered it to him. "Take it."

Around them, Tyriana heard several gasps as the true Quidditch fans around them understood what she was doing. Professional Seekers would sometimes present the captured Snitch to their significant other as a public declaration that they'd found what they were looking for — their other half. As most Seekers throughout history had been male, her action had the added significance of being rather transgressive.

Julian gave her one of his adorable smiles and took the offered Snitch. He hugged her tightly and kissed her cheek. "Thank you, Tyriana. Enjoy the party. You're going to get a real victory celebration in private tonight," he whispered in her ear, the last sentence sending flutters of desire shooting through her body. She had a pretty good idea of what she was in for. Giving Tyriana one last affectionate squeeze, he passed her on to Brielle and all of her other friends. They'd overheard the news of the Harpies' contract, as had a few other Gryffindors, and the team was spreading the story too.

For the second time that year Tyriana found herself being carried up to the castle. This time it was her team doing the work while the rest of the Gryffindors followed along, chanting her name.

They headed straight to the Gryffindor Common Room, where a party promptly began that bore significant resemblance to the first. This time, however, Tyriana was alert enough to participate. She socialized with her peers, danced clumsily to the loud music, and even drank a few sips of firewhiskey that some Gryffindors had smuggled in. They seemed very concerned that she was going to confiscate the alcohol but she told them not to worry about it. "As long as you're only serving to people who are of-age then I'll turn a blind eye."

The party had a brief timeout during the lunch hour and resumed in full-force afterwards. It wasn't until five in the evening that she returned to her room nursing a headache from all of the noise and feeling mildly tipsy from the alcohol. She'd kept her drinking under control but she was so small that even small amounts had a noticeable effect on her.

Julian greeted her with open arms. "I'm so proud of you," he whispered in her ear. "You should tell your parents."

"I should," Tyriana agreed, grabbing a sheet of parchment and her quill.

Dear Mom and Dad,

I have a lot of great news! First, my team just won our second match of the season 190-10! We knew that this one was going to be easy but that's still a great result. Also, I heard before the match that the Holyhead Harpies (my favorite professional Quidditch team) were going to be scouting me. It turns out the team manager came in person to see me play! She offered me a contract afterwards. We're going to meet tomorrow to discuss the details. I'm so excited!

Love,

Tyriana

P.S. Julian and I are still doing great, cause I know you're wondering.

Tyriana practically ran to the Owlery to send the letter. If her steps hadn't been springy before they definitely were now. Her life was turning into everything that she'd ever wanted it to be.