ROGUE BLUDGER

It was their first Quidditch game. Alex and Draco were nervous, but ready. Lucius Malfoy had come to watch the game. Some would say to support his son and his protegee. But if anyone asked Alex, she knew why he was there. "To show off and push Draco".

The game was against the Gryffindor team. The grades were full with students of every house. When they arrived at the field, both Fred and George walked behind Alex. They both smiled at her and spoke.

- Good luck out there, Rookie.

- Break a leg!

The Slytherin team had a clear advantage: their new shiny brooms. They were faster than the Gryffindors, and also more violent. Alex was competitive, so she enjoyed the game. She didn't want to lose. Of course, she would play nice, but she would be ruthless.

It was mid-game already. The Slytherins were winning by a lot of points. The crowd was roaring. The Slytherin chasers bent low over their new brooms, passing the overmatched Gryffindors. Alex kept on hitting the bludger against the enemy chasers to distract them and made them lose time. And the twins kept on defending their team. She was having a blast.

- All right there, Scarhead? – she heard Draco near her, talking to Harry. She wasn't paying attention when Fred screamed.

- ALEX! WATCH OUT!

Alex was able to avoid the bludger, and so did Draco and Harry. However, the bludger turned on the sky and returned in their direction. But Alex was not her target. It was Harry. He jetted off, and tried to avoid the bludger and leave it behind. Alex flew next to the twins.

- What the hell is that?

- It's a rogue bludger!

- What does that mean?

- It means it's being tampered with!

- We need to help him, don't we?

- You want to help the Gryffindor team, Black? – Fred grinned at her.

- I'll kick your ass when that bludger is gone, no worries!

Just as Alex and the twins started heading towards Harry, he and Draco started following the snitch, which difficulted the "rescue" mission. The bludger followed both of them from behind, shattering everything. Draco turned, then looked back…and found himself heading smack into a wooden beam. Panicked, he tried to pull up but it was too late. His broom met the beam and Draco spiralled out of the trench and flat on his back in the middle of the pitch.

- Draco! – Alex couldn't help her friend at the moment, she needed to get rid of that bludger before it could really hurt someone.

With a swift move, she was able to overtake Harry, standing in front of him.

- DODGE! – Alex screamed at her friend. Harry passed next to her as bent as he could.

Alex grabbed the bat with both hands, and hit as hard as she could the bludger, sending it up to the sky, against one of the towers. The strength of the hit made her fall from the broom. While she fell, she thought "it's just a couple metres, I'll be fine". But before she could hit the ground, someone stood right beneath her to grab her, falling from his broom as well. Both of them twirled through the field. When Alex opened her eyes, she saw a red head next to her. Without talking to him or seeing his face well, she knew it was Fred.

- Are you okay, Fred? – she kneeled next to the boy, who looked a bit dizzy.

- Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. What about you?

- I told you I would kick your ass. You didn't have to kick it by yourself. – they both laughed. Alex saw Draco some meters away, still sitting on the floor. She was heading towards him, when suddenly, Harry fell to the floor as well, with the bludger still after him. Harry rolled onto his shoulders and spined away, grimacing in agony, as the Bludger hit the ground like a sledgehammer, violently tattooing the pitch again and again, only inches from Harry. Hermione strode forth, and pointed her wand.

- Finite Incantatem!

With that, the bludger exploded in little pieces. Alex went towards Draco as the rest went towards Harry.

- Are you okay, Draco?

- My butt…it hurts…I think it's broken.

- You broke your butt? - Alex couldn't help but laugh. At that moment, Lucius, who had seated among the public, was standing in front of them.

- What a display of skill from both of you…with all the money I spent on your new brooms…Disappointing.

- No one asked you to spend that money. And in case you didn't notice, your son is hurt. - Alex confronted him. One more time, but this time it was different. She knew he wouldn't touch her, not in front of a crowd. He looked at her with hatred and then turned and left.

Alex helped Draco up. He seemed to be in a lot of pain. Fred walked towards them, and helped him too. At the end of the day, four people ended up hurt after the match. Alex and Fred had a couple bumps and some nasty scratches. Draco was in bed, his back and ass hurting. Harry broke his arm. Draco's crying could be heard all over the hospital wing.

- Stop complaining, Mister Malfoy. You can leave, everything's fine! - As Madam Pomfrey said, Draco cried a bit louder with a disapproving face that made Alex laugh. She went to sit next to Fred, two beds away.

- Thanks for today. If you hadn't caught me, the fall would have been worse…

- What are friends for, Black? - he gave her a soft push with a grin on his face.

She was tired. Exhausted. She rested her head on his shoulder. As she did that, he rested his head on top of hers. It was peaceful. Even with Draco crying in the background.