Chapter 5 ~ Quiddich Accident
Muriel was freezing. Her fingers grasped the stubby bat as she tried again to head Black off and knock that bludger away from Kyle. And yet again she was much too late. She had to chase the thing down, and by the time she knocked it toward the Gryffindor Chaser, Amanda Bell, Black was already beside her to block. It was definitely the most frustrating game of Quiddich she'd ever played.
And if he didn't quit smirking at her like that, she was going to hex him. But at least they were winning. Once in a while. They kept jumping ahead and falling behind. They were only playing to 200. It was just too cold to play much longer.
She dodged Kyle, who had the Quaffle yet again and hit the bludger hard toward Wood. Black was already there, anticipating. Not only did he block the bludger, he caught the Quaffle in one hand as well and tossed it to his captain with an arrogant grin. Wood looked like he'd just thrown him the Quiddich World Cup, he was so happy. But Muriel didn't have time to be disgusted, or impressed. She was already after the bludger again. Amanda and Kyle were racing toward the Ravenclaw goals, practically joined at the hip. She saw the bludger above her and pulled up sharply to hit it.
Unfortunately, Sirius had already swung his club at it. Instead, his club connected with the side of Muriel's face. He'd swung hard to try and knock it far enough to hit Amos Diggory, the Ravenclaw keeper. There was a wet, crunching sound and her hands went limp on the broom. An instant later she was falling. Sirius sped toward the ground and just managed to catch her, holding the broom with his feet until he could set her down gently. Play had come to a halt above them and everyone landed.
"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL HAPPENED, BLACK?" Wood shouted furiously.
"She just pulled up out of no where. I'd already swung, I didn't see her in time." Sirius was sitting in the snow, his broomstick still beneath him, cradling her in his lap. Her cheek seemed to have gone black instantly and the bruise was spreading. It was obvious that her jawbone had shattered.
Wood's voice softened at the anguished look from Sirius. "Well, don't just look at her, mate, let's get her up to Madam Pomfrey." Wood conjured a stretcher and helped Sirius lift her onto it.
Halfway to the castle, they were all startled when she lifted up a hand. Her eyes didn't open. "Black?" she whispered. She couldn't even grimace, though it hurt so much to talk.
"I'm here," he said quietly, taking her hand.
"Don't leave me," she mumbled. Beside them, Wood smiled a knowing smile. Maybe Sirius would get that girl after all.
Sirius was so angry with himself he could barely see straight. He'd hoped after the game that he would get a chance to talk with her. Although, he would probably have just tried to give her pointers on being a beater, which she would have appreciated only slightly more than what she actually got.
He held her hand all the way to the Hospital ward. Madam Pomfrey was mortified. She couldn't even ask the proper questions, and seeing Sirius there with Muriel didn't bespeak much confidence. "Out! Every last one of you! Get out!" She tried to shoo them away, but Muriel had a vice like grip on Black and Wood. In the end she would have to wake the girl up before she could get rid of them. She went to look up spells for fixing bones in the face.
"Black?" Mur whispered again when she'd gone. "Don't leave. Stay here."
"I'll stay, Mur, as long as you need me to," he said. Wood could hardly believe how sad he looked. Black had knocked countless people off their brooms, some with far worse injuries than this, and never felt a bit of remorse. That's part of the reason he was such a bloody good beater.
"Stay here," she whispered again, her eyes still closed. "Because as soon as I can reach my wand I'm going to hex you until your ears are sprouting out your ass."
Wood felt his eyes widen. Black had been right, she was a spitfire, first order! He thought his beater might make a hasty exit at this point, but was surprised when Sirius only laughed shortly. "You can use my wand," he whispered, pushing her hair away from her face.
Madam Pomfrey bustled back in, looking a good deal happier. "Alright boys, its time to get started, out of the way now." Mur heard and let them go. What followed was three days of fading consciousness. She never did remember what exactly had brought her to the ward, or who had been with her.
Two days after Christmas, she was finally able to sit up in bed without the danger of passing out. Kyle and Amos stopped in to see her each day. Her face was still swollen and tinged with blue, but Madam Pomfrey assured them that it would be back to normal by the time the other students arrived.
"You'd think that would be my question, Kyle," Mur said pleasantly, munching on the scones they'd brought up for her from breakfast.
"Er, well, we were just thinking that maybe Snape wouldn't have to know about this." Kyle said quickly. Mur would have smiled if it didn't still hurt so much.
"Severus lets me fight my own battles. And I assure you, Black will pay sufficiently without any input from Sev." Kyle and Amos exchanged a glance.
"Does that mean you won't tell him?" She narrowed her eyes a bit. Could they really be that afraid of Severus? She pictured him stalking across the grounds to Hogsmeade, cloak snapping in the wind, his eyes flashing at everyone who passed him, friend or foe. Yes, she imagined they COULD be that afraid of Severus Snape.
"I won't tell him how bad it was, but he's going to ask how my holiday went, and I'll have to at least mention it." This seemed to calm them sufficiently, and they nodded. "Now, where did those come from?" She pointed to a huge bouquet of violets that was sitting on the table behind them. She'd only just noticed them, since this was the first day she'd seen anything but the ceiling since the accident.
"The Gryffindors brought them in Christmas day. They feel really bad." Kyle said, shaking his head. Violets were awfully hard to get this time of year. Someone must have learned to conjure them. How did they know she liked purple? She decided that Wood must have remembered that her dress robes the last two years had been different shades of purple.
It was another day before Madam Pomfrey let her out of the ward. She was glad to be back in her dormitory, not least because of all the homework time she'd missed. Classes resumed the very next day, and she'd gotten nothing done! She was also thankful to have Marisa back in the dorm. Boys were starting to become very frustrating to her, and it was nice to have a girlfriend around again.
* * * * * * *
Sirius picked through the box of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans that had been left at the foot of his bed Christmas morning. He had yet to find a good one. He was starting to suspect who they were from, and he closed up the box and put it in the pocket of his robes. This was the worst Christmas he could remember in years. He knew he owed Muriel a huge apology, but she was definitely going to hex him if he went anywhere near her. He'd conjured violets to leave beside her bed, but she probably thought they were from Wood. Maybe he could send Wood to talk to her.
Mur's face was still a little bluish and tender when she and Marisa headed down to breakfast the next morning. But the swelling had gone down, and if you didn't know what had happened, you could hardly tell. Unless, of course, you'd spent as much time looking at her face as Severus had.
"What the bloody hell happened to you?" he exclaimed, as she turned on the bench to say hello. Kyle and Amos looked down the table, wide eyed.
"Quiddich accident. And this is nothing, you should have seen it before." She put a hand gingerly up to her face as Marisa made room for him to sit down.
"Black?" he asked calmly. He didn't know why she would be playing Quiddich with Black, but that was obviously a bruise from a beater's club. She nodded.
"I've already got a plan," she said, grinning wickedly. "Don't muck it up by getting in the way." Down the table, Kyle nodded, understanding that that was her way of keeping Severus out of it. Severus nodded, too.
"Alright, Mur. Listen, I came over here to ask you to dinner." He had determined over break that apologizing hadn't been enough. He was going to have to make the whole picture book thing up to her somehow, even if he hadn't actually been looking at one.
"There is no way I'm eating over there. Avery has left me alone this year because Papa caught him in Knockturn Alley over the summer and threatened his life very convincingly. But I don't want to antagonize him. I'd rather just stay out of his way."
Severus nodded again. It wasn't Papa who'd caught up with Avery in Knockturn Alley, and Sev and Malfoy had been very convincing indeed. Convincing enough to send Avery to St. Mungos for the remainder of the summer. Yet another thing he would rather Mur not find out about.
"Actually, I was thinking next Hogsmeade weekend we could apparate to London and go out somewhere," he said, suddenly very nervous. The next Hogsmeade weekend fell on Valentine's Day.
Muriel was looking at him strangely, and projecting very confusing emotions. Maybe she didn't want to.
"Alright, Sev. That would be really nice," she said finally.
"Great," he replied, standing up. "Let me know what you're going to do to Black, so I can help."
At this she laughed a little. It still hurt to laugh too hard. "Forget it, Sev. This time it's personal." He went back to the Slytherin table shaking his head.
Muriel was freezing. Her fingers grasped the stubby bat as she tried again to head Black off and knock that bludger away from Kyle. And yet again she was much too late. She had to chase the thing down, and by the time she knocked it toward the Gryffindor Chaser, Amanda Bell, Black was already beside her to block. It was definitely the most frustrating game of Quiddich she'd ever played.
And if he didn't quit smirking at her like that, she was going to hex him. But at least they were winning. Once in a while. They kept jumping ahead and falling behind. They were only playing to 200. It was just too cold to play much longer.
She dodged Kyle, who had the Quaffle yet again and hit the bludger hard toward Wood. Black was already there, anticipating. Not only did he block the bludger, he caught the Quaffle in one hand as well and tossed it to his captain with an arrogant grin. Wood looked like he'd just thrown him the Quiddich World Cup, he was so happy. But Muriel didn't have time to be disgusted, or impressed. She was already after the bludger again. Amanda and Kyle were racing toward the Ravenclaw goals, practically joined at the hip. She saw the bludger above her and pulled up sharply to hit it.
Unfortunately, Sirius had already swung his club at it. Instead, his club connected with the side of Muriel's face. He'd swung hard to try and knock it far enough to hit Amos Diggory, the Ravenclaw keeper. There was a wet, crunching sound and her hands went limp on the broom. An instant later she was falling. Sirius sped toward the ground and just managed to catch her, holding the broom with his feet until he could set her down gently. Play had come to a halt above them and everyone landed.
"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL HAPPENED, BLACK?" Wood shouted furiously.
"She just pulled up out of no where. I'd already swung, I didn't see her in time." Sirius was sitting in the snow, his broomstick still beneath him, cradling her in his lap. Her cheek seemed to have gone black instantly and the bruise was spreading. It was obvious that her jawbone had shattered.
Wood's voice softened at the anguished look from Sirius. "Well, don't just look at her, mate, let's get her up to Madam Pomfrey." Wood conjured a stretcher and helped Sirius lift her onto it.
Halfway to the castle, they were all startled when she lifted up a hand. Her eyes didn't open. "Black?" she whispered. She couldn't even grimace, though it hurt so much to talk.
"I'm here," he said quietly, taking her hand.
"Don't leave me," she mumbled. Beside them, Wood smiled a knowing smile. Maybe Sirius would get that girl after all.
Sirius was so angry with himself he could barely see straight. He'd hoped after the game that he would get a chance to talk with her. Although, he would probably have just tried to give her pointers on being a beater, which she would have appreciated only slightly more than what she actually got.
He held her hand all the way to the Hospital ward. Madam Pomfrey was mortified. She couldn't even ask the proper questions, and seeing Sirius there with Muriel didn't bespeak much confidence. "Out! Every last one of you! Get out!" She tried to shoo them away, but Muriel had a vice like grip on Black and Wood. In the end she would have to wake the girl up before she could get rid of them. She went to look up spells for fixing bones in the face.
"Black?" Mur whispered again when she'd gone. "Don't leave. Stay here."
"I'll stay, Mur, as long as you need me to," he said. Wood could hardly believe how sad he looked. Black had knocked countless people off their brooms, some with far worse injuries than this, and never felt a bit of remorse. That's part of the reason he was such a bloody good beater.
"Stay here," she whispered again, her eyes still closed. "Because as soon as I can reach my wand I'm going to hex you until your ears are sprouting out your ass."
Wood felt his eyes widen. Black had been right, she was a spitfire, first order! He thought his beater might make a hasty exit at this point, but was surprised when Sirius only laughed shortly. "You can use my wand," he whispered, pushing her hair away from her face.
Madam Pomfrey bustled back in, looking a good deal happier. "Alright boys, its time to get started, out of the way now." Mur heard and let them go. What followed was three days of fading consciousness. She never did remember what exactly had brought her to the ward, or who had been with her.
Two days after Christmas, she was finally able to sit up in bed without the danger of passing out. Kyle and Amos stopped in to see her each day. Her face was still swollen and tinged with blue, but Madam Pomfrey assured them that it would be back to normal by the time the other students arrived.
"You'd think that would be my question, Kyle," Mur said pleasantly, munching on the scones they'd brought up for her from breakfast.
"Er, well, we were just thinking that maybe Snape wouldn't have to know about this." Kyle said quickly. Mur would have smiled if it didn't still hurt so much.
"Severus lets me fight my own battles. And I assure you, Black will pay sufficiently without any input from Sev." Kyle and Amos exchanged a glance.
"Does that mean you won't tell him?" She narrowed her eyes a bit. Could they really be that afraid of Severus? She pictured him stalking across the grounds to Hogsmeade, cloak snapping in the wind, his eyes flashing at everyone who passed him, friend or foe. Yes, she imagined they COULD be that afraid of Severus Snape.
"I won't tell him how bad it was, but he's going to ask how my holiday went, and I'll have to at least mention it." This seemed to calm them sufficiently, and they nodded. "Now, where did those come from?" She pointed to a huge bouquet of violets that was sitting on the table behind them. She'd only just noticed them, since this was the first day she'd seen anything but the ceiling since the accident.
"The Gryffindors brought them in Christmas day. They feel really bad." Kyle said, shaking his head. Violets were awfully hard to get this time of year. Someone must have learned to conjure them. How did they know she liked purple? She decided that Wood must have remembered that her dress robes the last two years had been different shades of purple.
It was another day before Madam Pomfrey let her out of the ward. She was glad to be back in her dormitory, not least because of all the homework time she'd missed. Classes resumed the very next day, and she'd gotten nothing done! She was also thankful to have Marisa back in the dorm. Boys were starting to become very frustrating to her, and it was nice to have a girlfriend around again.
* * * * * * *
Sirius picked through the box of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans that had been left at the foot of his bed Christmas morning. He had yet to find a good one. He was starting to suspect who they were from, and he closed up the box and put it in the pocket of his robes. This was the worst Christmas he could remember in years. He knew he owed Muriel a huge apology, but she was definitely going to hex him if he went anywhere near her. He'd conjured violets to leave beside her bed, but she probably thought they were from Wood. Maybe he could send Wood to talk to her.
Mur's face was still a little bluish and tender when she and Marisa headed down to breakfast the next morning. But the swelling had gone down, and if you didn't know what had happened, you could hardly tell. Unless, of course, you'd spent as much time looking at her face as Severus had.
"What the bloody hell happened to you?" he exclaimed, as she turned on the bench to say hello. Kyle and Amos looked down the table, wide eyed.
"Quiddich accident. And this is nothing, you should have seen it before." She put a hand gingerly up to her face as Marisa made room for him to sit down.
"Black?" he asked calmly. He didn't know why she would be playing Quiddich with Black, but that was obviously a bruise from a beater's club. She nodded.
"I've already got a plan," she said, grinning wickedly. "Don't muck it up by getting in the way." Down the table, Kyle nodded, understanding that that was her way of keeping Severus out of it. Severus nodded, too.
"Alright, Mur. Listen, I came over here to ask you to dinner." He had determined over break that apologizing hadn't been enough. He was going to have to make the whole picture book thing up to her somehow, even if he hadn't actually been looking at one.
"There is no way I'm eating over there. Avery has left me alone this year because Papa caught him in Knockturn Alley over the summer and threatened his life very convincingly. But I don't want to antagonize him. I'd rather just stay out of his way."
Severus nodded again. It wasn't Papa who'd caught up with Avery in Knockturn Alley, and Sev and Malfoy had been very convincing indeed. Convincing enough to send Avery to St. Mungos for the remainder of the summer. Yet another thing he would rather Mur not find out about.
"Actually, I was thinking next Hogsmeade weekend we could apparate to London and go out somewhere," he said, suddenly very nervous. The next Hogsmeade weekend fell on Valentine's Day.
Muriel was looking at him strangely, and projecting very confusing emotions. Maybe she didn't want to.
"Alright, Sev. That would be really nice," she said finally.
"Great," he replied, standing up. "Let me know what you're going to do to Black, so I can help."
At this she laughed a little. It still hurt to laugh too hard. "Forget it, Sev. This time it's personal." He went back to the Slytherin table shaking his head.
