Disclaimer: You know it.

AN: I had a little help from my sister with a part of this chapter. I tried to blend her writing style with mine. Hope it's not too noticeable.

As always, thanks to all who have taken the time to read my updates. I'm having fun writing this fic.

Enjoy dear readers!

Chapter 25: Slytherin vs. Hufflepuff

The wind howled and threatened to rock me off my feet, but as soon as I began to doubt gravity, I held on to Lily's arm.

We stood by one of the Quidditch pitch stairs, the one that led up to the Gryffindor stalls. It was a much anticipated match, the first to start a new season, and it was particular exciting for me and my housemates for the fact that it was our Slytherin team that would be playing. The common room had been busting with excitement for a whole week, and it was inevitable that I would catch on to it too. The Prefects of my House anticipated a win, and therefore had been planning the victory celebration for days. No one in their right mind dared to question their logic, there was no reason to do it. We were going to win. I got bit by the bug too, how could I not when I was looking forward to the match so much. I saw the Slytherin team play once in the last season and I had been beyond amazed. So the morning of the game, I wore my green and silver colors with pride, prepared to root till the end for the Slytherin team.

After I had been done with breakfast, I waited for Lily and her friends so we could walk together out into the grounds. A week had gone by since Valentine's Day, and though things weren't very good for me socially with strangers, the Gryffindor girls seemed to be okay with me. Especially when I was willing to answer all their questions about my date with Sirius Black with juicy details. That helped. When only Lily emerged, I was silently glad. Sometimes I couldn't deal with the amount of energy needed to be a part of a group of chatting girls. We made our way, talking of whatever had happened since the last time we saw each other, that only happened to be earlier the previous day.

Of the events that happened to Lily after I had last seen her, she made sure to talk in detail, going into a heated re-telling of current events with her boyfriend, Uric Belby. Under fat clouds, Lily explained to me how she thought Uric was hiding something from her, and how the thought of it being an infidelity angered her to extremes that she hoped she could control. I said some words of encouragement along the lines that she might be overreacting and that Uric didn't seem like that kind of guy. However, my input was just the kind girl would tell her friend, and it was marred with naivety, both because I would say anything to get her spirits up and because I barely knew the guy. Sure, I spent enough time with him, and he seemed an okay boy to me, but we weren't anything close.

"Hey Faraday, Lily!" We knew who yelled out our names, there was only one person in the castle that would dare do it, simply for the fact that he could. Lily didn't turn to look, but I did, and unsurprisingly, I saw as James strutted our way with Sirius and Peter, passing a hand through his hair, and messing every strand of it that he found.

"He called me Lily." Lily gritted her teeth setting her glare to a spot behind my left earlobe. She was already in low spirits, and adding James Potter to the mix didn't make anything better.

"Yeah, that's your name." I said as I nodded, looking at the approaching boys with a smile on my face.

She made a sound between a scoff and a chuckle.

I greeted the boys as they went to stop in front of us with a wave on my hand. Dressed with their bright red and gold house colors, their robes seemed to stand out, as if they were charmed to do so. I didn't put it pass them to had enchanted their house colors as a form of rivalry against a Slytherin Quidditch match.

Peter came to stand closer to me, as he always tended to do when we met. It was something I would do too. Or we stood side by side or sat next to each other. I patted his arm in a special sort of greeting. I hadn't seen him the day before, and I was a bit curious to know what he had been up to, but with Lily there that wouldn't be good. Potter looked too smug for his own good as he whispered something to Sirius next to him, and asking about their adventures in front of her would cause an argument to break out.

I knew the reason I hadn't seen Peter the day before was because they were up to no good. I could see it in his exhilarated expression. Peter was far too easy to read and he looked like he wanted nothing more than to tell me something. Put one and two together with the Gryffindor boys and you always would get Marauder trouble.

I watched Lily glare particularly at Sirius. She was still not happy that he had fallen asleep during our date, even when I insisted it was the best thing he could do while I browsed Tomes and Scroll. Better him napping, than waiting behind my shoulder. But she insisted on it being an insult, and part of me figured it was just to use something negative to hate on him. When I told her everything that happened on the date, she at one point admitted that it wasn't as bad as she had thought, and she gritted her teeth in that way of hers, admitting that should it had been real, I would had ended up with a great first date. It was the stubborn in her that refuse to let the matter drop, no matter how many times I begged her for it.

She wasn't happy of the shade I was getting from my roommates after the whole date thing either. Any Sirius Black topic spread like wildfire in Hogwarts, so it was no surprise at all when I got to my dorm after coming back from Hogsmeade to an interrogation. Gemma was the ringleader, as she was with most things, and Mafalda, Gertrude and Hestia followed like little loyal minions. They put me under the spotlight, asking question after question, demanding things they had no right to demand, and now instead of doing their usual ignoring, they went out of their way, making sure I knew they hated me.

And I'm sure it was mostly because of Gemma. She was the one that not-so-secretly fancied Sirius. I'm not even sure if she hated on me because I went on a date with him or because I'm from her house. I once heard her say something along the lines that the only reason they had never dated was because he refused Slytherins.

When the boys made no inclination to keep moving, and we just stood there looking at each other awkwardly, Lily gave me some excuse of finding a good spot to watch the match, and with not a word uttered to the boys, went up the stairs to the stalls. I watched her go up, and when I turned around to face the boys again, I noticed that I had not been the only one. James grimaced once she farther away, scratching his untidy head in a frustrated manner.

"Why does she always run away from me like that?" James whined.

Sirius made what looked like a fake-thoughtful expression. "Maybe you smell?" He offered, pushing James gently with his shoulder. Peter covered his mouth to stop himself from laughing by my side. Black was obviously joking, but judging by Potter's sudden change in expression, he didn't quite get it. And it made me wonder if James was always like that or only when it had to do with Lily Evans.

"I do not!" He said puffing up his chest. Though he said it with his usual pompous confidence, he still turned to me with an eager look on his face. "Do I smell, Faraday?"

I decided to play along with Sirius' prank. I knitted my eyebrows together and sniffed around James edging toward him, getting closer to him than I should have dared. Then I nodded. His face fell almost instantly and I almost lost my hold over myself.

"I do?" He asked looking sadder than I've ever seen him. James grabbed his robes and moved them around as if he was airing them out. I was about to end the silly charade before Potter's confidence lowered, because honestly, it kind of hurt my heart to see him like that, but I remembered what Sirius had told me at Hogsmeade. I wanted to see for myself if he had told the truth.

I shook my head then smiled at him brightly. "You smell as good as you look today."

My words hit him like a ton of bricks, and it took a lot from me to not burst out in maniacal laughter. His eyes instantly widened, and he stilled as if he had been frozen in time. Sirius howled with laugher, and I abandoned my pretenses to join him in full. Just as he had said it would, James face had just turned pure crimson. Peter caught on with the joke, and was wheezing next to me as I tried hard to keep air in my lungs. If my memory served me right, it was probably the first time I had laughed that loud amongst the boys. James turned to Black with a puzzled look, fueling his laugher tenfold, making Sirius double over with his hilarity.

I looked over at Sirius, when I had control over myself. He winked at me in a response that I supposed was to doing a good job embarrassing his best mate with flirting. Then he faced James, who knew he had something to do with what I had said. With his embarrassment, James jumped at Sirius, pushing him around angrily in what looked more like playing than actual fighting.

They continued on their mock fight, as they were watched by nearby students walking to the pitch. Peter turned to me, back to normal. "Are you sitting with us, Faraday?"

"Of course not." I said almost instantly, and maybe too loud for it made the fighting boys stop what they were doing and look my way. Peter's gaze was on me too, a bit embarrassed over himself. I shrugged at them, sighing as I went.

"Y-You make it sound like it's obvious." Peter choked out, looking down at the floor.

"It is obvious." I said a tad too much like a scoff, so then I patted my friends arm so he wouldn't think I was intentionally trying to be mean to him. That was the last thing I wanted Peter to think, but I had priorities for the day and I had to make them clear. "It's Slytherin against Hufflepuff. Why would I sit with the Gryffindors? I do have House pride."

James jumped back into his normal self and completely turned to face me. I hadn't noticed when his brawl with his mate had ended, but now they stood in their original spots across from me, as if nothing had happened a second before. "Surely you'll be on our side when we play next game, right?"

I almost shrugged as I contemplated his words. "Which team would you be facing? Hufflepuff too?"

"If they lose." Sirius cut in, as normal as his friend.

"They will." I said throwing my Slytherin scarf over my shoulder to make a point, not because I particularly had a chill. "Next game, I'll cheer you on, Captain. Where's Remus, anyway?"

"Not here." Sirius said, hands in his pockets. His answer seemed evasive and I took it as a sign not to bother asking for more. I didn't need to know everything they did. I was too involved with their little group already, no need to go further in.

"Yes, thank you for that explanation. I'll be leaving now." I said turning around without waiting for a reaction.

I was among the last to arrive at the Slytherin stalls, and it wasn't long until the game should begin. Standing amongst a group of first years, Graham waved for me to join him and his friends when I got there. We cheered as loudly as possible as our team took to the air. Circling around the Quidditch pitch on their brooms, the Slytherin team was met with our ovations.

Just as the Slytherin and Hufflepuff teams were gathering to the middle of the pitch to start the game, a roar interrupted the Captains' hand shake. Heads turned all around the spectators stalls, and after another roar, we found the perpetrators of such a rude interruption.

I could barely see right to the other side of the Quidditch pitch, but if I were to guess, I would say that all the Gryffindor students were laughing or smiling. That made me wonder, but not for long. They stood out; they always did, but even more considering that they were the only spectators holding out a huge red and yellow banner off the edge of the stall. James, Sirius, Peter and even Remus, held on to the top edges of the banner, screaming something. There was much commotion and chatter going on, both from the other houses and my own. Only that the Slytherins weren't as amused as the other students.

'Lions with badgers' it read, with drawings of said animals coming to life in the banner. The lion roared again, majestically enchanted to give support to its badger friend. So that's why Remus had taken longer to join his friends.

Though a bit hurt, I laughed at their theatrics. I did enjoy their idiocy from time to time, even at my House expense. But only in small doses.

"Congratulations on your win. That last dive was amazing!"

Regulus accepted my compliment with an elegant nod and a smile. Still wearing his Quidditch robes, he inclined his head again when I left his side, as someone else had stepped forward to give his congratulations. I wanted to do the same to the rest of the team, but I had no idea if they would be as gracious as Regulus, so I didn't try.

The common room had been dressed for the victory party, our green and silver shining brightly all around. The Prefects had made sure to prepare well for the occasion, and with what I could gather looking around, there was a good atmosphere.

For a moment I appreciated the thought of going into my dorm, but I imagined that wouldn't sit well with anyone. I wasn't liked by many of my house, and if I left it would be seen as an insult to our team, who had put our names so high. Therefore, instead of hiding in my dorm, I went to get a drink, both to not seem weak, and to avoid Gemma and Mafalda, who were particularly standing close to the door to the dorms. I could feel Gemma's glare on me, even on the other side of the common room, and I had no intention of making things worse.

I grabbed a glass goblet, its intricate design mirroring the sweet taste of its contents. I wasn't one that enjoyed much alcoholic beverages, but wine held a special place in my palate. With another sip of it entering my system, I decided to sit down in a nice quiet place, where my attendance would be ignored.

And who should I stumble against one step away from the beverage table, but the one person that hated me the most in the damn school.

Lorcan Mulciber smiled down at me, in that way that only he did to only me. It made me instantly regret all the choices I had done in my life that let up to that moment. My stomach churned at his presence, and by Merlin I wanted nothing more than to run away. He stood too close for comfort, like he always did. He held a goblet in his hand, much similar to the one I had, and should it also contain the same contents, well, things would be getting bad fast. Things always went bad fast when Lorcan was involved in my life. Holding on to every bit of my desperation, less it would strip me bare; I tried not to look into the eyes that looked at no one but me, as I was regarded in a way that made me tighten my grip on my goblet.

"Did you enjoy the match?" His voice was laced with all the sophistication of his station and he waited patiently for my answer.

I moved my head slightly in the resemblance of nodding.

"Then shall you and I celebrate?" At his words, I made the mistake of looking at him. I always made that mistake. He still sported that charming smile of his, a twisted snarl of an expression that would make any predator feel shame. Pointing at his goblet with his free hand, he made a motion with it toward my cup. It was an offer, an invitation for me to click my goblet against his in celebration, but I would be damned before I did anything he wanted. I ignored his request, taking a step to the side with the full intention on getting the heck out of there.

He merely mimicked my move, making my inconspicuous escape impossible. "Just have one drink with me Nolan."

"No." I hissed, trying hard to not get the attention of those that stood and sat close to us. It was no use, the combination of Mulciber and I was like a magnet to prying eyes. Especially since Lorcan never took rejection well, and it was always a sight to behold. For me, it was truly terrifying.

"I'm sure you wouldn't say no to Black." The venom in his voice left no room for me to question which Black he was talking about.

I looked away from him; how I managed it, I don't know. "That doesn't concern you."

I heard a low grow of frustration coming out of him before he grabbed my upper arm. It was a sudden motion, one that tensed me to oblivion and woke in me a fear that only Lorcan Mulciber could wake, for he was its maker and master. The force moved me, shook me and shocked me, and in the impulsiveness of the situation, my hand lost hold of the goblet I grasped. Like a sharp, deafening prelude to the horrible confrontation that I knew was to take place, the goblet shattered to pieces between my feet, the shards colliding with the hem of my robes and shoes. The loud bang made many heads turn in our direction, but how many I couldn't really see. I was stuck, trapped in the coil of the cruelest snake I knew, and his hold was unbreakable. There was nothing more for me but to look at his eyes as he brutally held on to my arm, bringing me close to his body. The fire of hell burned brightly in his eyes, whatever beauty that was in their green color gone.

The words rolled down his tongue, more vicious and wounding than anything else he had ever said or done to me. "You be sure you don't soil this House, slut."

There were several gasps in the vicinity and it was only then that I realized we had the attention of the entire common room.

Lorcan released me, but my arm still screamed with the lingering feel of his hold on me. He faced me, urged me with his expression to react, to do anything, but I could only stand there petrified. I was hurt, the kind of hurt I hadn't felt since September, and the stares didn't help. I could feel them all looking, judging, waiting for me as eagerly as Mulciber did. At that moment I looked around. I only saw a score of stares, yet what reflected back at me was not pleasant. They weren't pleased with what they saw, and that was strictly me. The kept on looking, witnessing, and whispering to each other, ever waiting.

My eyes went back to Lorcan, to the challenge that he demanded with his stare. There was nothing more than I wanted to do but to run away, but I was stuck in that spot, under his gaze, facing his twisted grin.

If I remained I would be answering his challenge, and if I did that wands would at some point be drawn. If I didn't, if I left, I would be doing so as a wounded animal. And one look at Mulciber was enough to know which decision he wanted me to take. He had remained posted, looking down at me in that perverse way of his. He wasn't walking away; he wouldn't, because he knew no one would help me. That was the worst thing, the worst insult. Lorcan knew I would never rise to his challenge, I never did. But Lorcan also knew that the only reason that he hadn't dragged me through hell again yet was because someone always stepped up to help me. Regulus, Lily, hell even Gemma had saved me from utter humiliation. Not this time though.

No one would step in. We knew that. And all that was left was for me to run off like a wounded animal.

And I did just that.

. . .