Once Christmas break was over, Severus and Alexis were
spending more time together than ever. Suddenly they were spending
hours down in the dungeons, working on spells and potions that, put
together, might destroy Voldemort. It wasn't until a few weeks
later, when Quidditch season had begun, that they both realized they
would soon have to participate in the faculty versus student
Quidditch match. Although Severus had groaned loudly upon the
reminder, Alexis said, "There's no way either of us can get out of
it. We're both Slytherins, so they'll need us on the team."
So for two weeks half of their time, (which could have
been better spent on "the Project" as they had deemed it,) was spent
practicing on the Quidditch pitch. As they both came to find out,
it was not actually a "Student versus Faculty" match, but more on
the lines of a "Students with Faculty on their teams try to beat
each other." Unfortunately, this meant that Draco Malfoy would be
the team Captain and Seeker; if there was anyone in their house that
they despised, it was definitely the son of Lucius Malfoy.
"Now," said Malfoy, "since this is a mixed group of us
working together, we'll need to rearrange the team positions." He
looked at his student and faculty teammates carefully, "Right then.
Bole, you're still Keeper. Ah...let's see...Pansy, you and Blaise
are two of the Chasers. Professors, did either of you play
Quidditch when you were in school?" he asked, almost too politely.
"No," they said in unison. "Ever play on your off-time? At all?"
Again, "No," was the unison answer. Malfoy's face contorted with
thought, "Well then, we'll just make you both Beaters."
Malfoy continued on rearranging the team as he saw fit,
and soon they were up on the pitch practicing. Every time Malfoy
said, "Ooh, nice shot Professor!" or "Good hit!" to one of them,
Severus and Alexis both gritted their teeth. Complements from
Malfoy smelled more like sulfur than roses. Luckily, practice
sessions went by quickly; every once in a while, Severus's thoughts
would drift to the Gryffindor team, wondering how they were holding
up with McGonagall and Hagrid. 'That oaf on a broom,' he thought
with a snort, 'as if it could hold him up.'
Finally, the Quidditch match arrived; Severus and
Alexis both wanted it to be over with quickly so they could return
to the dungeons, but they both had a whole day of matches ahead of
them.
The first match, Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw, went over
quite well, with Ravenclaw winning the match 280-70 points.
Professor Vector looked quite proud of herself flying around on her
broom, and the Ravenclaws cheered her on as she whooshed around the
stadium spectacularly. "Show-off," muttered Severus; Alexis hid a
smile from him upon hearing the remark.
The following match, Hufflepuff versus Gryffindor,
ended brutally with the Gryffindors pummeling them 490-40. The
Hufflepuff team sat down on the benches looking quite discouraged,
although Alexis saw it coming from a hundred miles away. Finally,
Slytherin would play against Ravenclaw, and Severus relished the
idea of beating Vector mercilessly.
Up in the air, Severus and Alexis defended their
teammates spectacularly, whilst Malfoy flew around pretending he was
king of the sky, once missing the Snitch because he was too busy
gloating. After that, however, he buckled down, and finally he
caught the Snitch half an hour later. The stadium applauded
politely, although they had clambered for the Ravenclaws earlier.
"It's tough being the hated house," said Alexis quietly as they
landed on the grass. Severus said nothing; he knew she was right,
but didn't want to admit it.
Next, the Gryffindors beat the Ravenclaws with vim and
vigor, the score finally ending 320-80. "Too bad Vector's such a
wuss," said Alexis in a whisper, "I can't believe she's crying!"
With Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw now out of the tournament, Gryffindor
and Slytherin were the only ones left. "How ironic," said Alexis as
they mounted their brooms, "that we should be playing our arch
rivals." "Not ironic, fitting," said Pansy Parkinson, smiling a
pug-nosed smile. Alexis smiled back politely, although on the
inside she was grimacing.
Once the whistle had blown, havoc broke loose; Potter
and Malfoy were zipping around the stadium at insane speeds, trying
to outdo the other. Severus and Alexis were trying to hold their
own against McGonagall and Ginny Weasley, who were both the
Gryffindor Beaters. Luckily, McGonagall had definitely lost some of
her old spryness, making it easier for them to hit the Bludgers at
the other Gryffindor teammates. The game continued on endlessly;
the first to score was Slytherin, but then Gryffindor picked it up
with two more goals.
Then Severus saw his opening, and he took it; the
Bludger hit Harry Potter like a freight train, and he almost fell
from the broom, but held on just barely. "Amazing shot by Professor
Snape!" cried the Quidditch commentator, "Wouldn't be surprised if
Potter feels that in the morning!" 'That was the idea,' thought
Severus with glee as he whizzed past the disoriented Potter.
The stadium began to buzz louder with noise as the
score got higher; soon they were 100-90, Gryffindor barely leading.
Someone had to end the game soon, or else they might be playing
through the night. Severus was racing to hit the next Bludger when
the other one suddenly bashed into his stomach; he let out a grunt
as he lost all his air and fell of his broom, hanging on by one
hand. For a moment he just sucked in air, then finally got back on
his broom. "You all right?!" shouted Alexis as she whipped past.
"Fine!" he shouted after her, coughing slightly as he continued with
the game. He looked around, wondering which of the Gryffindor
Beaters might have hit him, then noticed the little smile on Minerva
McGonagall's face. "Hilarious, Minerva!" he shouted as he dove past
her.
Just then, the stadium rocked as if a bomb had gone
off; Alexis lost her grip on her broom and almost fell, then luckily
grasped it tighter. Smoke and flame were all around them, and no
one could see in the thickening black billowing clouds. "Alexis!"
shouted Severus, "Where are you?!" "Over here!" she shouted,
coughing out the smoke as she climbed back on her broom. For what
seemed like an hour, there was pandemonium; the smoke covered the
ground so thickly no one could see, even in the stadium seats.
Severus and Alexis finally found each other, although Alexis was
beginning to suffer from smoke inhalation. "Let's go up! It's the
only way out!" said Severus as they began steering their brooms up
and out from the smoke. Finally they were high enough, (and now
freezing) that they could see.
"What the hell happened?" said Severus, looking down at
the smoking stadium; it looked as if it had been cracked in half by
some invisible force. "I...can't...guess," hacked Alexis; he turned
to her with concern, "Alexis?" The wind blew more smoke at them,
and suddenly Alexis lost her grip on her broom, falling to the
ground like a rock. Severus did a nose dive to the ground grabbed
her around the waist merely feet above the ground, suddenly glad he
wasn't as susceptible to smoke as she clearly was. Hoisting her
onto his broom carefully, he streamed over the ground, (only ten
feet up this time) heading toward the back of the stadium.
"Severus!" shouted someone; he turned to see
Dumbledore, waving a hand at him. "Albus!" said Severus, guiding
his over-weight broom toward him, "What in God's name is going on?"
Dumbledore, for the first time in a long time, looked angered,
"Someone released some sort of a Dark Magic bomb. The smoke is
refusing to clear, no matter what we do." Then, as if responding,
the wind suddenly picked up, and the black clouds separated until
eventually the smoke was gone. They both entered the pitch slowly;
most of the students had already cleared out of the stands, so
almost no one was there to see what was on the field. "Take her,
Albus," said Severus, removing Alexis from his broom.
He shot straight up into the air, then stopped after
one hundred and fifty feet, and looked down at the decimated
Quidditch pitch. The grass gone, only scorched earth left, one word
was etched into the ground in blackened letters.
TRAITORS
spending more time together than ever. Suddenly they were spending
hours down in the dungeons, working on spells and potions that, put
together, might destroy Voldemort. It wasn't until a few weeks
later, when Quidditch season had begun, that they both realized they
would soon have to participate in the faculty versus student
Quidditch match. Although Severus had groaned loudly upon the
reminder, Alexis said, "There's no way either of us can get out of
it. We're both Slytherins, so they'll need us on the team."
So for two weeks half of their time, (which could have
been better spent on "the Project" as they had deemed it,) was spent
practicing on the Quidditch pitch. As they both came to find out,
it was not actually a "Student versus Faculty" match, but more on
the lines of a "Students with Faculty on their teams try to beat
each other." Unfortunately, this meant that Draco Malfoy would be
the team Captain and Seeker; if there was anyone in their house that
they despised, it was definitely the son of Lucius Malfoy.
"Now," said Malfoy, "since this is a mixed group of us
working together, we'll need to rearrange the team positions." He
looked at his student and faculty teammates carefully, "Right then.
Bole, you're still Keeper. Ah...let's see...Pansy, you and Blaise
are two of the Chasers. Professors, did either of you play
Quidditch when you were in school?" he asked, almost too politely.
"No," they said in unison. "Ever play on your off-time? At all?"
Again, "No," was the unison answer. Malfoy's face contorted with
thought, "Well then, we'll just make you both Beaters."
Malfoy continued on rearranging the team as he saw fit,
and soon they were up on the pitch practicing. Every time Malfoy
said, "Ooh, nice shot Professor!" or "Good hit!" to one of them,
Severus and Alexis both gritted their teeth. Complements from
Malfoy smelled more like sulfur than roses. Luckily, practice
sessions went by quickly; every once in a while, Severus's thoughts
would drift to the Gryffindor team, wondering how they were holding
up with McGonagall and Hagrid. 'That oaf on a broom,' he thought
with a snort, 'as if it could hold him up.'
Finally, the Quidditch match arrived; Severus and
Alexis both wanted it to be over with quickly so they could return
to the dungeons, but they both had a whole day of matches ahead of
them.
The first match, Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw, went over
quite well, with Ravenclaw winning the match 280-70 points.
Professor Vector looked quite proud of herself flying around on her
broom, and the Ravenclaws cheered her on as she whooshed around the
stadium spectacularly. "Show-off," muttered Severus; Alexis hid a
smile from him upon hearing the remark.
The following match, Hufflepuff versus Gryffindor,
ended brutally with the Gryffindors pummeling them 490-40. The
Hufflepuff team sat down on the benches looking quite discouraged,
although Alexis saw it coming from a hundred miles away. Finally,
Slytherin would play against Ravenclaw, and Severus relished the
idea of beating Vector mercilessly.
Up in the air, Severus and Alexis defended their
teammates spectacularly, whilst Malfoy flew around pretending he was
king of the sky, once missing the Snitch because he was too busy
gloating. After that, however, he buckled down, and finally he
caught the Snitch half an hour later. The stadium applauded
politely, although they had clambered for the Ravenclaws earlier.
"It's tough being the hated house," said Alexis quietly as they
landed on the grass. Severus said nothing; he knew she was right,
but didn't want to admit it.
Next, the Gryffindors beat the Ravenclaws with vim and
vigor, the score finally ending 320-80. "Too bad Vector's such a
wuss," said Alexis in a whisper, "I can't believe she's crying!"
With Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw now out of the tournament, Gryffindor
and Slytherin were the only ones left. "How ironic," said Alexis as
they mounted their brooms, "that we should be playing our arch
rivals." "Not ironic, fitting," said Pansy Parkinson, smiling a
pug-nosed smile. Alexis smiled back politely, although on the
inside she was grimacing.
Once the whistle had blown, havoc broke loose; Potter
and Malfoy were zipping around the stadium at insane speeds, trying
to outdo the other. Severus and Alexis were trying to hold their
own against McGonagall and Ginny Weasley, who were both the
Gryffindor Beaters. Luckily, McGonagall had definitely lost some of
her old spryness, making it easier for them to hit the Bludgers at
the other Gryffindor teammates. The game continued on endlessly;
the first to score was Slytherin, but then Gryffindor picked it up
with two more goals.
Then Severus saw his opening, and he took it; the
Bludger hit Harry Potter like a freight train, and he almost fell
from the broom, but held on just barely. "Amazing shot by Professor
Snape!" cried the Quidditch commentator, "Wouldn't be surprised if
Potter feels that in the morning!" 'That was the idea,' thought
Severus with glee as he whizzed past the disoriented Potter.
The stadium began to buzz louder with noise as the
score got higher; soon they were 100-90, Gryffindor barely leading.
Someone had to end the game soon, or else they might be playing
through the night. Severus was racing to hit the next Bludger when
the other one suddenly bashed into his stomach; he let out a grunt
as he lost all his air and fell of his broom, hanging on by one
hand. For a moment he just sucked in air, then finally got back on
his broom. "You all right?!" shouted Alexis as she whipped past.
"Fine!" he shouted after her, coughing slightly as he continued with
the game. He looked around, wondering which of the Gryffindor
Beaters might have hit him, then noticed the little smile on Minerva
McGonagall's face. "Hilarious, Minerva!" he shouted as he dove past
her.
Just then, the stadium rocked as if a bomb had gone
off; Alexis lost her grip on her broom and almost fell, then luckily
grasped it tighter. Smoke and flame were all around them, and no
one could see in the thickening black billowing clouds. "Alexis!"
shouted Severus, "Where are you?!" "Over here!" she shouted,
coughing out the smoke as she climbed back on her broom. For what
seemed like an hour, there was pandemonium; the smoke covered the
ground so thickly no one could see, even in the stadium seats.
Severus and Alexis finally found each other, although Alexis was
beginning to suffer from smoke inhalation. "Let's go up! It's the
only way out!" said Severus as they began steering their brooms up
and out from the smoke. Finally they were high enough, (and now
freezing) that they could see.
"What the hell happened?" said Severus, looking down at
the smoking stadium; it looked as if it had been cracked in half by
some invisible force. "I...can't...guess," hacked Alexis; he turned
to her with concern, "Alexis?" The wind blew more smoke at them,
and suddenly Alexis lost her grip on her broom, falling to the
ground like a rock. Severus did a nose dive to the ground grabbed
her around the waist merely feet above the ground, suddenly glad he
wasn't as susceptible to smoke as she clearly was. Hoisting her
onto his broom carefully, he streamed over the ground, (only ten
feet up this time) heading toward the back of the stadium.
"Severus!" shouted someone; he turned to see
Dumbledore, waving a hand at him. "Albus!" said Severus, guiding
his over-weight broom toward him, "What in God's name is going on?"
Dumbledore, for the first time in a long time, looked angered,
"Someone released some sort of a Dark Magic bomb. The smoke is
refusing to clear, no matter what we do." Then, as if responding,
the wind suddenly picked up, and the black clouds separated until
eventually the smoke was gone. They both entered the pitch slowly;
most of the students had already cleared out of the stands, so
almost no one was there to see what was on the field. "Take her,
Albus," said Severus, removing Alexis from his broom.
He shot straight up into the air, then stopped after
one hundred and fifty feet, and looked down at the decimated
Quidditch pitch. The grass gone, only scorched earth left, one word
was etched into the ground in blackened letters.
TRAITORS
