The Game
*Year 5*
"Welcome to the game..." -Garth Brooks Life is a game which we are all a part of. But, unlike in most games, it's not all about whether you win or lose. It's about how you play. It's not about having the winning cards. It's about playing those you were delt well. And -by the way- there's no cheating. So play the game. Play hard. Maybe then you will win.
@}--,--'---
I've never been a big fan of sports. Even living in the States didn't turn me into a sports fan. All those American games -football, baseball, hockey- they bored me to death. None of the Yanks understood why. But then, they'd never seen Quidditch.
The last Quidditch game of my fifth year was scheduled for May seventeenth. It was down to my house (Slytherin) versus our arch enemies, the Gryffindors. The game would be murder. The Gryffindor team was outstanding, as were we, and neither captain would stand it if the other team won. It would be a vicious game. That's one reason I was glad I wasn't on the team. The other was that the game could possibly go on for days.
Both teams had excelent Seekers, ours being my best friend, Severus Snape, and theirs being the "amazing" James Potter, and they'd do anything to keep each other from getting the Snitch. The last game they'd played against one another had resulted in broken bones and a Gryffindor victory. The Gryffindors had beat the Slytherins in every game they'd played in the four years Severus had been on our team, only by a little bit, but enough to make Severus hate James even more. Pandora Boxington, one of the team's Chasers and my roommate, kept threatening Severus that if he didn't catch the Snitch she'd break his face. The pressure was on.
Severus spent most of the evening of the sixteenth pacing around the Common Room. I was sitting on the floor, working on homework for our Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Professor Visle didn't let up on the homework, even the night before a Quidditch Match. "Severus," I looked up from my work, "Calm down. You're making me nervous." He stood still a moment. "How do you think I feel?" He asked me in a sort of nasty voice, "I'm the one who has to play tomorrow. I'm the one with Pandora threatening to kill me. I'm the one who'll be dismembered by Derrick if I don't catch that damn Snitch before Potter does. The whole bloody team'll murder me if I mess up again!" I didn't think the team would murder him. Pandora probably would rough him up a bit, but the captain, Derrick Thurston, wouldn't let them kill him. He was far too valuable to the team. Derrick, Pandora, Lydia Redgrave, Gavin Steele, Rhoda Dendron and Vince Wallace weren't much of a team without him, despite their merciless training. And no one else in the house was small enough to play as Seeker.
"I think you feel plenty nervous yourself. Why don't you take a break from all the pacing? Help me out; you're good at this. Visle hates me. He gives me the hardest topics." I had to write a report on the five worst curses in the world. Professor Nickolai Visle always gave me stuff like that to do. He'd had it in for me ever since he found out my father was a very influential, powerful man. Severus sank down to the floor beside me. "You want Avada Kedavra, the Crutacius Curse, the Imperius Curse...Detestari...Hm...I only know of those four to be the worst. I don't think there's a fifth. And I know that kind of stuff." He said. He did know his curses. The Dark Arts fascinated my friend. He'd taught me everything I knew about hexing, cursing and bewitching when we were only eleven. "I don't know what to write!" I wailed. "If you don't know it, how am I supposed to?!" He smiled. "I'll figure it out eventually, Shelly. I've got a lot on my mind now. Don't get so worked up over it." He pushed his hair out of his eyes. "What'o you have to write about?" I asked curiously. "Ancient Egyptian Curses. Good topic. I've learned a lot about them from my Grandfather." A smile crossed my face. There weren't too many people who would've found something like that so exciting.
He helped me write my essay. We sat on the floor together, as we often did, planning what I should write. Every now and then he scribbled something on a spare piece of parchment, made notes of important facts or jotted down things he wanted to remember. We worked for about an hour before I was sick of magic words and counter charms and spells. I began to doodle a picture of Professor Visle on my spare paper. "I hate him, Severus, I hate his class and I hate the Dark Arts." I said sourly. We were snickering over my stupid drawing when Vince appeared beside us. "Severus! What are you doing still up? We've got a big match tomorrow. Go to bed!" He was so bossy. It drove me crazy. "If it's so important, what are you doing still up?" I demanded. "I'm not the one who has to worry about winning the game." He told me. "It's up to Severus to catch the Snitch, not me. I just keep him from dying, remember?" Severus stood up. "I probably should go to bed." He said slowly, "Goodnight, Shelly." I wanted to tell him that I'd be proud of him no matter what, but I was too shy. So I just said goodnight and went up to my room.
Alexandra Farfield, one of my five roommates, was stretched out on her bed, a book before her. "Severus had better catch that Snitch tomorrow.'' She said absently, "Pandora'll slaughter him if he don't." Rosemarie Antime looked up at me from where she sat on the floor braiding her long black hair. "You do think he can catch it, don't you?" She asked anxiously. "I'm sick of the Gryffindors rubbing it in my face. Lily, Flora and Elanor are always saying they're so much better than we are. I hate it." I half smiled. "I suppose he could catch it." I said slowly, "If Potter doesn't first. Severus never misses during practice. Even when he practices alone. He always gets the Phantom Snitch I conjure for him."
Ariadne Arachnidah rolled up her homework parchment and stuffed it in her bag. "He won't catch it." She scoffed, "He always freezes up during the Gryffindor matches. There's no hope for a victory." She was always so negative. Ariadne and I didn't get along well. I ignored her, put away my homework and flopped down on my bed. "He'll do fine." Salome Surlaterre said calmly (She was the nicest of my roommates. She came from a family that'd been Hufflepuffs for years. She knew what it was like to be the first one in a different house.). Ivy Greenleaf looked at me through her light, mossy eyes. "It'll be okay if he doesn't catch it, you know. It won't be the end of the world." She was picking dirt from Herbology out from under her nails. She smiled. "So what if we don't win? It's not like winning will make him popular or anything. Severus will always be Severus and no one will like him any more than they already do." The other girls (except Salome) nodded in agreement and I felt my throat constricting and anger flowing through every vein in my body. That was my best friend they were talking about. "He will catch the bloody Snitch tomorrow." I said firmly. "You'll see. We will win the Quidditch Cup." Then, without another word to any of them, I changed into my pajamas and went to bed.
May seventeenth dawned warm and sunny. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and it wasn't windy. Perfect Quidditch conditions. The team sat huddled together around the breakfast table, didn't eat much, and planned a strategy. Severus didn't talk at all -he already knew what he had to do- and he looked horrible. He must've been very nervous. It was a big, important game -the last for Vince and Lydia- and they were dying to win the cup. In the four previous years it'd been Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Gryffindor. I hoped they would win. We were due for a win. But they put so much pressure on Severus. "You better catch the bloody Snitch." I heard Vince say, "Or I'll break your face." Severus nodded. His face was white and he looked as if he hadn't got much sleep. He sat there silently for a moment, staring at his hands. "If you don't catch it," Pandora agreed, "I'll do more than break your face. I'll break every bone in your body." I frowned. Enough was enough. "Excuse me." I said snidely, "Why is it that all the blame will be on Severus if you lose? Isn't there a reason that the rest of you are on the team? Even if he catches it, they could still win. It's happened before." They all stared at me. "It's up to him." Derrick said, "I'm good enough to keep them from scoring that many times. Now get outta here, Shelly. This is team business." Rhoda looked at them. "She does have a point. If Lydia, Vince and I score a lot, it could be a spectacular victory." Severus looked at me gratefully. They'd shut up about him. He smiled a small smile and I gave myself a mentle pat on the back. It wasn't often he appreciated anything any one did for him.
"That was nice," Salome said to me, "What you did for him back there." She was so nice to me, but to every one else...that was a different story. "He's my best friend, Salome. What was I supposed to do? They were making him miserable." We were on our way to the Pitch, both robed in silver and green to support our team. She grinned "You like him, don't you?" She asked eagerly. "I...I..." I was hesitant to respond. "C'mon, you can tell me. Who'm I going to tell? Pandora?" She snorted. "I don't know. We've know each other for four years. He'll always be my best friend." I said slowly. "Quite playing games. Ya like him. Bet he likes you too." I frowned. Crushes could be painful. They could ruin friendships forever. They -- "There go the Slytherins." My brother, Allan's voice interupted my thoughts. He and his friends from the Ravenclaw team were all wearing red and gold to support Gryffindor. "He won't catch it, Shelly. He only caught it at our match because Rilya got hurt." Rilya Right nodded in agreement. "We're much better than you. If I hadn't gotten hit by that Bludger-" "Severus woulda caught it anyway." Salome interupted in a mild voice. All seven of them -Allan, Rilya, Anthony, David, Laurel, Katie and Romie- glared at us. Then they marched off together to find seats.
"Are you ready?! Let's have a hand for Potter, Black, Stone, Stone, Ashwood, Slattery and Captain Heather Caley: the Gryffindors!!! They're charging out onto the Pitch; Potter looks quite fired up; it should be a spectacular match -the teams are quite even- and here come the Slytherins -- Captain Derrick Thurston with teammates Boxington, Redgrave, Steele, Dendron, Wallace and Snape! Boxington looks positively murderous. Like I said before, it'll be spectacular! And what a day for Quidditch. Not even the slightest breeze..." Ryley Renshaw, a Ravenclaw and Allan's friend, was the commentator for the match. Our Head-of-House, Professor Scythrop Southby, was refereeing. I guess Dumbledore figured that would be fair because Ryley would be biased towards the Gryffindors as would Professor Southby towards us. Salome and I sat down with the rest of the Slytherins. There was a small cluster of other fifth years -all mine and Salome's roommates and the boys that roomed with Severus- and they were eager for us to win. They waved around their pennants and cheered for the team every time they scored. "There goes Redgrave...passing the Quaffle...Wallace scored!! Ten more points for Slytherin! Slattery's got it...Gryffindor's in possesion...Is it too much, or can Thurston block?...Ten Points: Gryffindor!!" Ryley'd give himself a soar throat before the match was over. It went on that way for about four hours before either Severus or James saw the Snitch. James caught sight of it and drifted casually towards it. Severus went flying towards him, to either chase it away or ram James, I was never really sure.
Then the Snitch shot upwards and I could see them both scanning the air for a glimpse of it. "Look!" Salome exclaimed, "It's way down there!" I looked. The little golden ball was hovering a few inches from the ground. Severus and James both saw it too. They looked down, looked at one another, then sped towards the ground. James pulled up right as he was about to crash head-on into Severus. To this day, I still believe Severus would have just plowed through James if he had to, he was that desperate to catch the Snitch. It -as if it knew he was there- rocketed off towards a wall and he followed right behind. "Brilliant." Araidne's sarcastic voice drifted from somewhere behind me, "He'll hit the wall. What is he trying to do?" What was he trying to do? What kind of dumb question was that? "Shut your face, Ariadne." I said without taking my eyes off him for a moment, "He's just doing what you all told him to. So shut up. Please." She shut up. James came swooping down for another go at the Snitch. They both reached for it. Severus sped up a little; his hand nearly closed on it. James rammed him from behind. The broom -with him still on it- spiraled down towards the ground. James was smiling triumphantly as Severus lay dazed in the grass. I wasn't really sure what had happened; it'd been only a matter of seconds. Had he caught it?
The moment of truth- Salome and I stood there, clutching one another, not even daring to breath, as he stood up. Something gold glittered from within his hand. Severus Snape had caught the Snitch and won the match. Slytherin had won the cup only four hours, fifty-three minutes and eight seconds after they'd begun playing. "He did it! HE DID IT!!!" Salome screamed, "He caught the Snitch!! We Won!!!" I stood there in disbelief, my mouth opened wide, gripping the rail so tight my knuckles were white. I felt light- headed. I'd hoped above all hope that he'd catch it, but I hadn't been expecting him to catch it. Ivy was hugging me. "Hedidit!Hedidit!Hedidit!!!" She yelled. I sank back down into my seat. I was staring at Severus where he stood in the middle of the Pitch, the Snitch raised triumphantly over his head, and he was grinning. I'd never seen him smile like that. Then the rest of the team joined him in one massive group hug. "Isn't it great," Salome asked, "That they finally won?" I nodded wordlessly. "Come on, let's go congratulate the team."
She dragged me down onto the field. Severus, from amid a flurry of handshakes, high-fives and pats on the back, was calling my name. He pushed through the crowd and made his way over to where I stood. His hair was in his eyes and he was dirty and sweaty and bleeding from his amazing crash landing, but he was smiling. Then he threw his arms around me and I burst into tears. "What's the matter?" He asked me quietly. "I've never seen you so happy..." I sniffled, "But they aren't going to be any nicer to you because you caught it. It won't change things." He gave me a puzzled look. "What?" I wiped my eyes. "Last night...Ivy, she said they'll still all hate you. They don't care that you caught it. They only care that we won." I was miserable because they all treated him miserably. He looked at me sadly. "I know that, Shelly. I've always known that. I didn't want to catch it so they'd treat me better. I did it because it's my job. Because that's what I do." He looked over his shoulder at the jumble of Slytherins that were still shaking hands and jabbering away, then back at me. "Let's get out of here."
He pulled me away; off of the Pitch. He grabbed his broom on the way and we rode it to his favorite hiding spot: a stone ledge on the thirteenth story of the school, where a granite gargoyle perched and surveyed the park. We sat there together long until the stars had come out and a dampness descended upon the school grounds.
It was late by the time we got back to the Common Room. Professor Southby was waiting for us. "Where were you?" He asked Severus, "Didn't you want to celebrate? You won the game." Severus looked at him through haunted eyes. "Did any one ask you, Professor, where I was? Did they want to know why I wasn't here?" Southby looked puzzled. "No." He said slowly, "No one mentioned you at all. Why?" My friend smiled grimmly. "Then I haven't won the game. I mearly caught the Snitch." Southby looked from him to me. I nodded in agreement. "We are playing the most dangerous game." I said sadly, "All of us are. And we will never win." He gave us one last puzzled look, then let us go to bed. Severus stopped me before we parted at the bottom of the stairs. "Shelly?" He asked hesitantly. "Yeah?" We looked at one another shyly. He paused, "Thanks for believing in me. You stuck up for me through this whole thing." I brushed some grass out of his hair. "That's what friends do. I only play by the rules." He smiled wanly. "Rules are meant to be broken." I nodded. "Everything's meant to be broken. Promises, hopes, dreams, hearts. I just want you to know who I really am." Another smile. "I do. Oh, I do, Shelly. I know exactly who you are. You're my friend." I nodded a second time. "Yes. I am your friend. And I always will be." I said soflty. What I wish I'd said said was "because I love you," instead, I said "Goodnight." and went to bed.
Salome was waiting up for me. She smiled at me from where she sat bathed in pale moonlight. "Where have you been?" She whispered. "Out." I said softly, "We didn't want to be at the party." She ran her fingers through her hair. "I told you. You like him. I was wrong. You love him." I shook my head. "I don't. Goodnight." Love seemed like such a strong word when I was fifteen. "You do." She insisted. "Goodnight." I repeated firmly. It was so much easier to ignore it; to not acknowledge those feelings that we always skirted around. We were so scared of loving one another that we both denied it.
I settled into bed and pulled the sheet up over me. Sounds of Salome getting comfortable drifted throught the darkness. "You love him..." She whispered one last time, "...but you deny. You're not fooling me. You're playing games..." She yawned. I rolled over and faced the wall. "...Tell him that you love him...tell him that you need him..." She mumbled. But I just ignored her. I didn't think I loved him. And if I said I did but he didn't love me...it'd be "game over." I didn't want that. But I didn't know that you couldn't win without taking chances...
*Year 5*
"Welcome to the game..." -Garth Brooks Life is a game which we are all a part of. But, unlike in most games, it's not all about whether you win or lose. It's about how you play. It's not about having the winning cards. It's about playing those you were delt well. And -by the way- there's no cheating. So play the game. Play hard. Maybe then you will win.
@}--,--'---
I've never been a big fan of sports. Even living in the States didn't turn me into a sports fan. All those American games -football, baseball, hockey- they bored me to death. None of the Yanks understood why. But then, they'd never seen Quidditch.
The last Quidditch game of my fifth year was scheduled for May seventeenth. It was down to my house (Slytherin) versus our arch enemies, the Gryffindors. The game would be murder. The Gryffindor team was outstanding, as were we, and neither captain would stand it if the other team won. It would be a vicious game. That's one reason I was glad I wasn't on the team. The other was that the game could possibly go on for days.
Both teams had excelent Seekers, ours being my best friend, Severus Snape, and theirs being the "amazing" James Potter, and they'd do anything to keep each other from getting the Snitch. The last game they'd played against one another had resulted in broken bones and a Gryffindor victory. The Gryffindors had beat the Slytherins in every game they'd played in the four years Severus had been on our team, only by a little bit, but enough to make Severus hate James even more. Pandora Boxington, one of the team's Chasers and my roommate, kept threatening Severus that if he didn't catch the Snitch she'd break his face. The pressure was on.
Severus spent most of the evening of the sixteenth pacing around the Common Room. I was sitting on the floor, working on homework for our Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Professor Visle didn't let up on the homework, even the night before a Quidditch Match. "Severus," I looked up from my work, "Calm down. You're making me nervous." He stood still a moment. "How do you think I feel?" He asked me in a sort of nasty voice, "I'm the one who has to play tomorrow. I'm the one with Pandora threatening to kill me. I'm the one who'll be dismembered by Derrick if I don't catch that damn Snitch before Potter does. The whole bloody team'll murder me if I mess up again!" I didn't think the team would murder him. Pandora probably would rough him up a bit, but the captain, Derrick Thurston, wouldn't let them kill him. He was far too valuable to the team. Derrick, Pandora, Lydia Redgrave, Gavin Steele, Rhoda Dendron and Vince Wallace weren't much of a team without him, despite their merciless training. And no one else in the house was small enough to play as Seeker.
"I think you feel plenty nervous yourself. Why don't you take a break from all the pacing? Help me out; you're good at this. Visle hates me. He gives me the hardest topics." I had to write a report on the five worst curses in the world. Professor Nickolai Visle always gave me stuff like that to do. He'd had it in for me ever since he found out my father was a very influential, powerful man. Severus sank down to the floor beside me. "You want Avada Kedavra, the Crutacius Curse, the Imperius Curse...Detestari...Hm...I only know of those four to be the worst. I don't think there's a fifth. And I know that kind of stuff." He said. He did know his curses. The Dark Arts fascinated my friend. He'd taught me everything I knew about hexing, cursing and bewitching when we were only eleven. "I don't know what to write!" I wailed. "If you don't know it, how am I supposed to?!" He smiled. "I'll figure it out eventually, Shelly. I've got a lot on my mind now. Don't get so worked up over it." He pushed his hair out of his eyes. "What'o you have to write about?" I asked curiously. "Ancient Egyptian Curses. Good topic. I've learned a lot about them from my Grandfather." A smile crossed my face. There weren't too many people who would've found something like that so exciting.
He helped me write my essay. We sat on the floor together, as we often did, planning what I should write. Every now and then he scribbled something on a spare piece of parchment, made notes of important facts or jotted down things he wanted to remember. We worked for about an hour before I was sick of magic words and counter charms and spells. I began to doodle a picture of Professor Visle on my spare paper. "I hate him, Severus, I hate his class and I hate the Dark Arts." I said sourly. We were snickering over my stupid drawing when Vince appeared beside us. "Severus! What are you doing still up? We've got a big match tomorrow. Go to bed!" He was so bossy. It drove me crazy. "If it's so important, what are you doing still up?" I demanded. "I'm not the one who has to worry about winning the game." He told me. "It's up to Severus to catch the Snitch, not me. I just keep him from dying, remember?" Severus stood up. "I probably should go to bed." He said slowly, "Goodnight, Shelly." I wanted to tell him that I'd be proud of him no matter what, but I was too shy. So I just said goodnight and went up to my room.
Alexandra Farfield, one of my five roommates, was stretched out on her bed, a book before her. "Severus had better catch that Snitch tomorrow.'' She said absently, "Pandora'll slaughter him if he don't." Rosemarie Antime looked up at me from where she sat on the floor braiding her long black hair. "You do think he can catch it, don't you?" She asked anxiously. "I'm sick of the Gryffindors rubbing it in my face. Lily, Flora and Elanor are always saying they're so much better than we are. I hate it." I half smiled. "I suppose he could catch it." I said slowly, "If Potter doesn't first. Severus never misses during practice. Even when he practices alone. He always gets the Phantom Snitch I conjure for him."
Ariadne Arachnidah rolled up her homework parchment and stuffed it in her bag. "He won't catch it." She scoffed, "He always freezes up during the Gryffindor matches. There's no hope for a victory." She was always so negative. Ariadne and I didn't get along well. I ignored her, put away my homework and flopped down on my bed. "He'll do fine." Salome Surlaterre said calmly (She was the nicest of my roommates. She came from a family that'd been Hufflepuffs for years. She knew what it was like to be the first one in a different house.). Ivy Greenleaf looked at me through her light, mossy eyes. "It'll be okay if he doesn't catch it, you know. It won't be the end of the world." She was picking dirt from Herbology out from under her nails. She smiled. "So what if we don't win? It's not like winning will make him popular or anything. Severus will always be Severus and no one will like him any more than they already do." The other girls (except Salome) nodded in agreement and I felt my throat constricting and anger flowing through every vein in my body. That was my best friend they were talking about. "He will catch the bloody Snitch tomorrow." I said firmly. "You'll see. We will win the Quidditch Cup." Then, without another word to any of them, I changed into my pajamas and went to bed.
May seventeenth dawned warm and sunny. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and it wasn't windy. Perfect Quidditch conditions. The team sat huddled together around the breakfast table, didn't eat much, and planned a strategy. Severus didn't talk at all -he already knew what he had to do- and he looked horrible. He must've been very nervous. It was a big, important game -the last for Vince and Lydia- and they were dying to win the cup. In the four previous years it'd been Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Gryffindor. I hoped they would win. We were due for a win. But they put so much pressure on Severus. "You better catch the bloody Snitch." I heard Vince say, "Or I'll break your face." Severus nodded. His face was white and he looked as if he hadn't got much sleep. He sat there silently for a moment, staring at his hands. "If you don't catch it," Pandora agreed, "I'll do more than break your face. I'll break every bone in your body." I frowned. Enough was enough. "Excuse me." I said snidely, "Why is it that all the blame will be on Severus if you lose? Isn't there a reason that the rest of you are on the team? Even if he catches it, they could still win. It's happened before." They all stared at me. "It's up to him." Derrick said, "I'm good enough to keep them from scoring that many times. Now get outta here, Shelly. This is team business." Rhoda looked at them. "She does have a point. If Lydia, Vince and I score a lot, it could be a spectacular victory." Severus looked at me gratefully. They'd shut up about him. He smiled a small smile and I gave myself a mentle pat on the back. It wasn't often he appreciated anything any one did for him.
"That was nice," Salome said to me, "What you did for him back there." She was so nice to me, but to every one else...that was a different story. "He's my best friend, Salome. What was I supposed to do? They were making him miserable." We were on our way to the Pitch, both robed in silver and green to support our team. She grinned "You like him, don't you?" She asked eagerly. "I...I..." I was hesitant to respond. "C'mon, you can tell me. Who'm I going to tell? Pandora?" She snorted. "I don't know. We've know each other for four years. He'll always be my best friend." I said slowly. "Quite playing games. Ya like him. Bet he likes you too." I frowned. Crushes could be painful. They could ruin friendships forever. They -- "There go the Slytherins." My brother, Allan's voice interupted my thoughts. He and his friends from the Ravenclaw team were all wearing red and gold to support Gryffindor. "He won't catch it, Shelly. He only caught it at our match because Rilya got hurt." Rilya Right nodded in agreement. "We're much better than you. If I hadn't gotten hit by that Bludger-" "Severus woulda caught it anyway." Salome interupted in a mild voice. All seven of them -Allan, Rilya, Anthony, David, Laurel, Katie and Romie- glared at us. Then they marched off together to find seats.
"Are you ready?! Let's have a hand for Potter, Black, Stone, Stone, Ashwood, Slattery and Captain Heather Caley: the Gryffindors!!! They're charging out onto the Pitch; Potter looks quite fired up; it should be a spectacular match -the teams are quite even- and here come the Slytherins -- Captain Derrick Thurston with teammates Boxington, Redgrave, Steele, Dendron, Wallace and Snape! Boxington looks positively murderous. Like I said before, it'll be spectacular! And what a day for Quidditch. Not even the slightest breeze..." Ryley Renshaw, a Ravenclaw and Allan's friend, was the commentator for the match. Our Head-of-House, Professor Scythrop Southby, was refereeing. I guess Dumbledore figured that would be fair because Ryley would be biased towards the Gryffindors as would Professor Southby towards us. Salome and I sat down with the rest of the Slytherins. There was a small cluster of other fifth years -all mine and Salome's roommates and the boys that roomed with Severus- and they were eager for us to win. They waved around their pennants and cheered for the team every time they scored. "There goes Redgrave...passing the Quaffle...Wallace scored!! Ten more points for Slytherin! Slattery's got it...Gryffindor's in possesion...Is it too much, or can Thurston block?...Ten Points: Gryffindor!!" Ryley'd give himself a soar throat before the match was over. It went on that way for about four hours before either Severus or James saw the Snitch. James caught sight of it and drifted casually towards it. Severus went flying towards him, to either chase it away or ram James, I was never really sure.
Then the Snitch shot upwards and I could see them both scanning the air for a glimpse of it. "Look!" Salome exclaimed, "It's way down there!" I looked. The little golden ball was hovering a few inches from the ground. Severus and James both saw it too. They looked down, looked at one another, then sped towards the ground. James pulled up right as he was about to crash head-on into Severus. To this day, I still believe Severus would have just plowed through James if he had to, he was that desperate to catch the Snitch. It -as if it knew he was there- rocketed off towards a wall and he followed right behind. "Brilliant." Araidne's sarcastic voice drifted from somewhere behind me, "He'll hit the wall. What is he trying to do?" What was he trying to do? What kind of dumb question was that? "Shut your face, Ariadne." I said without taking my eyes off him for a moment, "He's just doing what you all told him to. So shut up. Please." She shut up. James came swooping down for another go at the Snitch. They both reached for it. Severus sped up a little; his hand nearly closed on it. James rammed him from behind. The broom -with him still on it- spiraled down towards the ground. James was smiling triumphantly as Severus lay dazed in the grass. I wasn't really sure what had happened; it'd been only a matter of seconds. Had he caught it?
The moment of truth- Salome and I stood there, clutching one another, not even daring to breath, as he stood up. Something gold glittered from within his hand. Severus Snape had caught the Snitch and won the match. Slytherin had won the cup only four hours, fifty-three minutes and eight seconds after they'd begun playing. "He did it! HE DID IT!!!" Salome screamed, "He caught the Snitch!! We Won!!!" I stood there in disbelief, my mouth opened wide, gripping the rail so tight my knuckles were white. I felt light- headed. I'd hoped above all hope that he'd catch it, but I hadn't been expecting him to catch it. Ivy was hugging me. "Hedidit!Hedidit!Hedidit!!!" She yelled. I sank back down into my seat. I was staring at Severus where he stood in the middle of the Pitch, the Snitch raised triumphantly over his head, and he was grinning. I'd never seen him smile like that. Then the rest of the team joined him in one massive group hug. "Isn't it great," Salome asked, "That they finally won?" I nodded wordlessly. "Come on, let's go congratulate the team."
She dragged me down onto the field. Severus, from amid a flurry of handshakes, high-fives and pats on the back, was calling my name. He pushed through the crowd and made his way over to where I stood. His hair was in his eyes and he was dirty and sweaty and bleeding from his amazing crash landing, but he was smiling. Then he threw his arms around me and I burst into tears. "What's the matter?" He asked me quietly. "I've never seen you so happy..." I sniffled, "But they aren't going to be any nicer to you because you caught it. It won't change things." He gave me a puzzled look. "What?" I wiped my eyes. "Last night...Ivy, she said they'll still all hate you. They don't care that you caught it. They only care that we won." I was miserable because they all treated him miserably. He looked at me sadly. "I know that, Shelly. I've always known that. I didn't want to catch it so they'd treat me better. I did it because it's my job. Because that's what I do." He looked over his shoulder at the jumble of Slytherins that were still shaking hands and jabbering away, then back at me. "Let's get out of here."
He pulled me away; off of the Pitch. He grabbed his broom on the way and we rode it to his favorite hiding spot: a stone ledge on the thirteenth story of the school, where a granite gargoyle perched and surveyed the park. We sat there together long until the stars had come out and a dampness descended upon the school grounds.
It was late by the time we got back to the Common Room. Professor Southby was waiting for us. "Where were you?" He asked Severus, "Didn't you want to celebrate? You won the game." Severus looked at him through haunted eyes. "Did any one ask you, Professor, where I was? Did they want to know why I wasn't here?" Southby looked puzzled. "No." He said slowly, "No one mentioned you at all. Why?" My friend smiled grimmly. "Then I haven't won the game. I mearly caught the Snitch." Southby looked from him to me. I nodded in agreement. "We are playing the most dangerous game." I said sadly, "All of us are. And we will never win." He gave us one last puzzled look, then let us go to bed. Severus stopped me before we parted at the bottom of the stairs. "Shelly?" He asked hesitantly. "Yeah?" We looked at one another shyly. He paused, "Thanks for believing in me. You stuck up for me through this whole thing." I brushed some grass out of his hair. "That's what friends do. I only play by the rules." He smiled wanly. "Rules are meant to be broken." I nodded. "Everything's meant to be broken. Promises, hopes, dreams, hearts. I just want you to know who I really am." Another smile. "I do. Oh, I do, Shelly. I know exactly who you are. You're my friend." I nodded a second time. "Yes. I am your friend. And I always will be." I said soflty. What I wish I'd said said was "because I love you," instead, I said "Goodnight." and went to bed.
Salome was waiting up for me. She smiled at me from where she sat bathed in pale moonlight. "Where have you been?" She whispered. "Out." I said softly, "We didn't want to be at the party." She ran her fingers through her hair. "I told you. You like him. I was wrong. You love him." I shook my head. "I don't. Goodnight." Love seemed like such a strong word when I was fifteen. "You do." She insisted. "Goodnight." I repeated firmly. It was so much easier to ignore it; to not acknowledge those feelings that we always skirted around. We were so scared of loving one another that we both denied it.
I settled into bed and pulled the sheet up over me. Sounds of Salome getting comfortable drifted throught the darkness. "You love him..." She whispered one last time, "...but you deny. You're not fooling me. You're playing games..." She yawned. I rolled over and faced the wall. "...Tell him that you love him...tell him that you need him..." She mumbled. But I just ignored her. I didn't think I loved him. And if I said I did but he didn't love me...it'd be "game over." I didn't want that. But I didn't know that you couldn't win without taking chances...