Chapter Four

Conflict in the Park

It was Aurelius' day to pick the afternoon game, so it was no big surprise that the four Snapes found themselves back at Aviation Park. Unfortunately, it was a Saturday and teeming with kids; the list for the Quidditch Pitch was a dozen teams long, and the chances for them to actually get it were definitely slim.

On top of that, Alex had soon discovered one of her best friends, Mandria Shea, was there. Aurelius groaned in frustration when he caught up with them, for Alex had already started giving her a detailed account of their trip abroad.

"Her name is Thera and she's a Phrygian Princess," Alex said excitedly. "I didn't get to talk to her for very long, just in the morning as we were leaving. I got the impression that my parents didn't want me to speak to her for some reason."

"They were probably afraid you would talk her head off," Aurelius muttered.

"Her father accidentally turned her to gold, and she had been like that for thousands of years! Can you imagine? What if the Muggles had found them first, they might have melted her down, not knowing! She's a Muggle too, of course, but then after we saved her there was hardly denying magic, was there?" Alex went on.

"Alex, can I talk to you for a moment?" Aurelius said, grabbing her and pulling her to one side before she had a chance to reply. "Don't you ever use your brains at all before opening your mouth? What are you thinking, talking of something like that in public!"

"Mandria is one of my best friends. I don't keep secrets from my friends anymore," Alex said.

"It's not her I'm worried about. I have her thoughts protected. It's the fact we're in Aviation Park and anybody with five and a half sickles to their name can buy a pair of Weasley's Wonder Ears and hear you from the other side of the park!" Aurelius hissed. "Why don't you just gossip about boys like normal girls your age?"

"Perhaps because I haven't met any worth gossiping about," Alex said, sticking her nose up in the air and turning to join the others when she heard her name called. It was Conner Donovan, one of the Gryffindor Chasers, walking over to them with a broom in hand.

"And where have you four been hiding? I'd have expected to see you here nearly every day since school got out, and there's been no sign of any of you," he said.

"You make it sound as if that were a crime," Alex challenged.

She and Conner hadn't exactly gotten along. In fact, Conner and his friends were known for teasing the younger kids on occasion, and even some of his own classmates, especially Alex's other best friend, Rose. That and a Quidditch game before Alex had even gone to Hogwarts had set them at odds, and although he had made several attempts at friendship, Alex was not really interested in making peace with him.

"My parents went abroad to spend some time together, so we stayed with the Weasley's," Alex said.

"So you're in with the Weasley's, are you? Ever get free samples at the joke shop?" Conner asked.

"Just get to the point of why you came over, Donovan," Aurelius said impatiently.

"Well, I got a team signed up second on the Quidditch list and thought you might be up for a rematch after last year," Conner said. "But I can see you're not interested, so we'll find someone else."

"Wait!" Alex and Aurelius said at once as Conner pretended to turn around, breaking into a grin as he glanced at the Snapes.

"We're short two players, but we'll see what we can do," Alex said.

"Good," Conner nodded, glancing at Aurelius. "I can't wait to see you eat dirt again this year, Aurelius, or have you finally wised up that you're not Seeker material?" Conner grinned, walking back to his team. Alex held Aurelius back from grabbing onto the back of Conner's broom as he walked away.

"Save it for the game," Alex said.

"I just wanted to show him where he could put it," Aurelius said, following her as she joined the others and told them what was up. He looked around for his friends from school as they talked about who to add. "There's Heph sitting over at the snack bar, but I don't see Ranly or Peter."

"Heph is a great Beater, we could use him," Alex agreed. "Rel, how about letting Alicia take Seeker this time?"

"No!" Aurelius shouted so loudly that several of the other kids around them turned to try and see what the problem was. "You heard Conner, I plan to show him who's not a Seeker!"

"Well if it's any consolation, Rel, Conner isn't a Seeker either. He got reassigned to Chaser last year," Alex said. "Rose is the Gryffindor Seeker now."

"Hey, why don't we see if Rose can come? Then we could have a real Seeker on the team!" Mandria suggested.

"This is my day, and I want to put Conner in his place!" Aurelius said stubbornly. "I am going to be Seeker!"

"Rel, if you want to put Conner in his place, the answer really is Rose," Alex said. "He's still burning mad about getting replaced last year, and if we win, it'll not only be a win for the Snapes, but may just put a dent in that ego of his." Aurelius glared at her, his arms still folded. "I'll let you use my new broom if you take Chaser."

"Do I get to use it the rest of the day?" Aurelius asked after a moment. Alex hesitated only a moment before nodding. "Even if we can't get Rose?"

"All right, all right, but make up your mind! We don't know how long the next game will last!" Alex said impatiently.

"Fine. Deal," Aurelius agreed. "But how can we possibly get her here in time?" The two of them paused and looked at Alicia before breaking out into smiles.


The bell rang, letting the next group know that the Quidditch Pitch was free. Conner, along with Hilda and Lydia, the other two Chasers, looked up in surprise as they saw the Snape team coming over to them, including class and team mate, Rose Bailey, smiling almost defiantly at them as they approached.

"You didn't tell me they had Thorny on their team," Lydia said to Conner.

"She wasn't with them at the time, but I welcome the opportunity," Conner said. "I just got an idea."

"Should we be worried?" Hilda asked, glancing at her younger brother Hardy, who was going to be Keeper for them. She didn't want him in the middle of a war.

"Well if it isn't Thorny Bailey," Conner said cheerfully, offering his hand, which Rose decided not to take. "Decided to bring in a ringer for your team? Not that'll help. Everyone knows she isn't half the Seeker I was."

"Then why aren't you Seeker now?" Mandria challenged him.

"Because some people lack a certain amount of discipline. He's lucky to be on the team, and probably wouldn't be if his best friend wasn't the captain," Rose explained. "We never won any games when you were Seeker, Conner."

"Yes, well, that was then. Perhaps I was chosen for the team too early," Conner decided. "But now I'm ready, and I intend to prove it."

"Good. Then let's play already," Aurelius said impatiently.

"Care to make a bit of a wager on the game, Rose?" Conner asked calmly, ignoring Aurelius.

"What sort of wager?" Rose asked suspiciously.

"Just a personal one," Conner said. "If I get the Snitch before you, I want you to step down as Seeker and recommend me as your replacement to Stewart. If you win, I promise I'll drop it once and for all and not mention it again."

"Is that it?" Alex said. "It doesn't seem like a fair bet to me."

"If I win," Rose said carefully, "would you promise that you and Stewart won't tease me any more, or call me Thorny, or harass my plants?"

"I don't harass your plants!" Conner said indignantly. "Neither has Stewart since the last time he got poison ivy in uncomfortable places after touching one of your hybrids."

"Well that's the deal, take it or leave it," Rose said. "I'm fifteen years old and not a child anymore, and I want to be treated with respect."

"Ok Thorny… Rose, I mean. Let's shake on it then," Conner said, offering his hand again. This time she took it and Conner kicked his Quidditch chest open, letting out the balls. As the rest of the players took to the sky, he and Rose stood on the ground and together hoisted the Quaffle up, letting the Chasers above go at it before taking to brooms themselves, getting out of the way.

It didn't take Aurelius long to get a hold of the ball. It never did. He was a master of interception, and any pass made between Chasers when he was around was always a bad decision. In a flash he was between Lydia and Hilda before they even knew he was there, flinging it under his broom to where Alicia hovered in waiting. From the moment the Quaffle touched her fingers, Alicia suddenly became a blur as she shot forward at breakneck speed so fast that their Keeper instinctually dove as she approached, the Quaffle zooming past his head as Alicia pulled up as easily as if she had been going at half the speed. Lydia and Hilda found themselves pulling up and staring at sheer surprise, until Conner's shouting finally sunk in and the two of them went to help Hardy with the return.

Hardy was under heavy Bludger attack as Heph and Mandria nearly cracked their bats trying to get at a second swing in before Alex and Alicia sidled up, crowding Hardy to slow him down. Stuck with having to pass, Hardy pushed the ball towards his sister. But as Hilda reached out to catch it, Aurelius was there, batting it into Alex's hands, who then quickly dove out of the pack and around towards the rings again.

Conner's Beaters, a pair of boys Alex recognized as Hufflepuffs, finally got control of the Bludgers. But by the time the Bludgers were heading in her direction, she had passed the Quaffle off to Alicia and then veered out of the way. The Keeper, more alert this time, made a grab for the Quaffle as Alicia approached. But Alicia hadn't let it go; instead, she dropped suddenly and tossed it into the lower ring, twisting around in a double spiral pull-out as she turned for the chase across the Pitch again.

On the other end, Rose was snickering as Conner got close, and he immediately changed his mind about complementing her for how her team was playing when he saw the look on her face.

"So how does it feel to be beaten by a bunch of kids, Conner?" Rose grinned.

"It'll be just you and I at the end, Thorny," Conner said. "And then we'll see who gets the last laugh."

Just then something whizzed past them from behind and Conner turned about just to see the Snitch shooting away, immediately taking off after it with Rose close behind. It cut directly through the center of the Chasers, who had to quickly dive or jink out of the way of the two Seekers, splitting the group in two.

Alex, who had the Quaffle before dodging the group, suddenly found her hands empty. Cursing softly at the distraction, she looked around to see Hardy hurrying away with it and rose to meet him, determined to get it back. On his other side, Aurelius was catching up; Hardy had no intention of letting go of the ball, realizing that a pass now would be a disaster.

But as Hardy got to the ring to make the throw, Aurelius suddenly cut him off. The Quaffle bounced off Aurelius' shoulder and back in the other direction where Alex was waiting, jetting upward with the ball and away from the main pack as she went towards the rings. Below, Conner and Rose were still neck and neck after the Snitch, their brooms matched in speed.

Alex had little time to think of their race for the Snitch as a pair of Bludgers flew by, a clear miss. But as she turned to see where the rest of the pack was, the two Bludgers ricocheted off the ceiling and hit her full force in the back, knocking her off her broom.

Shouts of alarm from the others alerted Rose and she looked up. Seeing what was happening, she broke off to try to reach her friend, realizing she was going to be too late.

Suddenly Alex began to slow as the air became filled with feathers, and she landed on a growing cushion of them that appeared on the ground underneath her. It was then that Rose saw a wizard standing on the field with a face as white as a sheet, not recognizing who he was until he ran towards them along with the rest of her teammates.

Alex, groaning from the two fist-sized bruises that were surely forming on her back, found herself being pulled to her feet by someone altogether unexpected.

It was Lucius Malfoy, who looked none too pleased at being there at all.

"Haven't you got enough sense than to fly so close to the ceiling, you foolish girl? You could have gotten killed!" he snapped angrily.

"S… sorry," Alex stammered, shrinking back from the furious look on the man's face.

"The next time you're going to do something stupid, do it somewhere I'm not going to be!" he shouted out her with such ferocity that she just nodded vigorously.

It was then that Alex was aware of several others approaching and looked over to see Jennifer and Draco with his young daughter in hand. Noticing them, Lucius straightened his coat and put away his wand, striding towards Jennifer with such resolve that Jennifer became guarded, her hand on her sleeve defensively, ready to pull her wand out if needed. But the irate wizard merely walked up to her with a look of pure indignation.

"I hate you," Lucius said with complete conviction before glancing at Draco and walking away.

Grimacing, Draco picked up his daughter and followed behind him. But it was the look on Jennifer's face that intrigued Alex… it was an instantaneous look of sheer triumph, quickly buried by a stern gaze as she turned her attention to Alex.

"I got knocked off my broom," Alex explained, wincing when her mother touched her back. "Bludgers got me after bouncing off the wall."

"What are you doing playing with Bludgers in here, anyhow? You know how bad they can be in this Pitch," Jennifer scolded.

"It isn't Quidditch without the Bludgers!" Aurelius protested. "It'd just be Chaser Ball with a Snitch!"

"We'll talk about it at home, and about your insisting on playing Quidditch against a team three years older than you," Jennifer snapped.

"With all due respect, Professor, they were winning until Rose pulled out to check on Alex," Conner said, taking a moment to show Rose the Snitch in his hand. Rose groaned.

"I wouldn't have even gotten to her in time. If it hadn't been for Mr. Malfoy… he probably saved her life," Rose said, hardly believing she was saying it.

"Yes, he probably did," Jennifer said curtly, putting an arm gently around Alex and turning towards the gift shop. "Aurelius, help Andrew and Alicia get your things together. I'm going to go ahead and walk Alex back."

"You're not going to actually hold me to the bargain after what happened, are you?" Rose asked the moment Jennifer was out of hearing distance.

"Of course I am. Game continues even after an injury in Quidditch, you know that," Conner said cheerfully. "But to show you I'm a good sport, I promise not to tease you any more during school. Good game, by the way. Especially you, Aurelius. I hope you make Gryffindor. You've got a lot of potential as a Keeper, the way you block as well as you do."

"First off, I am usually the Seeker," Aurelius said, drawing himself up. "Furthermore, I am a Snape, and no true Snape would suffer the humiliation in a house filled with nothing but loafers, trouble makers, and Mudbloods," he said.

"Why you beastly little…" Hilda and Hardy quickly grabbed Lydia as she started to pull out her wand.

"He's just trying to provoke us! Don't forget Craw is nearby!" Hilda said.

"Well, maybe I'll tell her what he just said then!" Lydia sputtered.

"I'm sure he doesn't mean it, I'm sure he's just upset," Rose said, looking a bit worried.

"Come on, Rel, let's not get into any trouble. It is Alex we should be concerned with now," Andrew said quickly, handing Aurelius the broom Alex was using. "Let's just go home."

"Remind me never to try to be nice to that one again," Conner said to his friends, loud enough the other Snapes could hear. "I was just being polite. Besides, the little sister seems to be the only one of them with any real Quidditch talent anyhow. Now she is going to be lightning."

Alicia blushed brightly as they walked away, but Andrew couldn't help but turn and wink knowingly at her.