Please do note that all HP characters are property of JK Rowling. The
characters of Nyx, Brenna, Thursday, Wolfe, Syke, and any other
unrecognized names are property of Denise G., and ME (excluding any
Hogwarts student only mentioned once in the real story)!!!!!
Chapter Ten
The Grudge Match
It was two days after Halloween and Brenna sat in the Great Hall, pushing a serving of scrambled eggs around her plate. She was one of the few at the table simply because she had woken up much earlier than when many of the students normally would. Brenna just couldn't sleep, with the actions the night two days before playing over in her mind like broken slides of a projector.
Brenna vaguely remembered finding herself on the floor of the Forbidden Forest, her costume in tatters with people running about. Before that she remembers seeing someone and wanting to attack, but something held her back and she scampered away. It's then when the scene plays straight to the hospital wing. Everyone within the room is in various states of injury; Ron and Harry cut and bruised to high heaven, Nyx was back to normal and shivering, Thursday without her Beaters club and paler than anyone could think possible, Wolfe with claw marks all over his face and arms, and Hermione knocked out cold (Apparently she had been knocked out by Thursday who had been found by Hermione beating a tree senseless because she thought it was stalking her). Snape, Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall were all there giving them the lecture of their lives. After that, nothing is clear. Now Brenna sat in her thoughts, not eating and waiting for the day to end.
"Hey, Brenn!" exclaimed a familiar voice. Looking up she saw Padma, Terry, and Mandy making their way to her. Brenna quickly shoved a forkful of egg into her mouth and swallowed it without chewing.
"Good morning," Brenna replied.
"You came in awful late last night," said Terry in a very hinting tone.
"Yes, it couldn't have anything to do with that Gryffindor, Ron would it?" said Mandy, filling the nearest bowl with oatmeal.
"Well, I - "stared Brenna.
"Morning everyone!" said Cho cheerily, taking a seat next to Brenna, "What going on?"
"Oh, we were just asking Brenna about her and that Gryffindor," said Terry.
"You mean Ron? Let's just leave her alone, whatever happened last night is her business." Brenna shot a grateful look at Cho, who winked at her.
"Anyway, who's excited for the Hogsmeade trip?"asked Padma.
"Woo Hoo! Hogsmeade!" yelled Terry.
"Me too," said Mandy.
Brenna merely nodded. Yes she knew about the trip, but it didn't seem very important anymore. "Er - yeah," she said, "It'll be good to get out of the castle for a while."
"I am very much craving a butterbeer," said Mandy as Cho picked up a bunch of grapes from a platter.
"That does sound good," said Padma, "Hey, I have and idea. How about we - OW!" A piece of parchment folded up into the form of an airplane collided with the side of Padma's head."What the - " she opened it and scoffed. "Ever heard of an owl, Nyx!" she called to the Gryffindor table.
"Bite me!" came the reply.
"It's for you," said Padma, thrusting the parchment towards Brenna.
Brenna took the parchment from the annoyed Padma and began to read the note aloud:
Brenna -
Meet us outside the Shrieking Shack today.
NYx
"Oh I was hoping we could all have a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks!"said Padma.
"You haven't spent much time with us at all," said Mandy.
"I know, but we can still meet," said Brenna, "We don't have to be back until five o'clock right? We can meet about a half an hour before that!"
"But you always hang out with Nyx!" whined Terry.
"I know. But I have a feeling this is important."
Brenna wrapped her cloak a little tighter around her shoulders as she walked down the main street of Hogsmeade. The day was cool, but the wind made it quite cold. She'd been walking down the street for a while, looking for the Shrieking Shack without luck. She let out a huge sigh and continued on her path down the road.
Finally after what seemed like ages, she found the Shrieking Shack and Nyx, Harry, Hermione, Thursday and Ron were all there. "There you are!" said Thursday.
"Um, hello," replied Brenna as she walked up to the group.
"'Bout time," muttered Nyx.
"But I couldn't find the shack -."started Brenna.
"Looks like you found it," said Nyx, gesturing to the boarded up house behind her. Brenna just nodded and looked at the ground. "Now, were just waiting for Wolfe," said Nyx.
"I wonder where he could be," said Thursday.
"I'm here," said a miserable voice.
Everyone turned to see Wolfe slumping over to them with Syke very close behind. "Hey everyone," Wolfe said.
"Er - hi, "said Harry awkwardly. Hermione gave Wolfe a puzzled look, almost as if she wanted to say something, but thought better of it.
"So, Wolfe, looks like you've gotten a new accessory there," stated Ron plainly.
Wolfe shot a dirty look at Ron. "Yeah, well this is my punishment; to have Syke magically bound to me," said Wolfe, "He must be within three feet of me or else . . . . well I don't really wanna find out the 'or else' part. Of course I really haven't had much trouble with that yet," Wolfe added disgustedly as Syke snuggled in closer and propped his head on Wolfe's shoulder. "What did you guys get?"
"Ron, Nyx, Hermione and I all got stuck doing a good wash down of the hospital wing. That or else no Hogsmeade visits," said Harry, "Guess which one we chose."
"I'm not allowed to have my favourite sweets for a month!" whimpered Thursday, "AND I WANT A BLOOD LOLLY RIGHT NOW!"
"I have to maintain all the school brooms for a month," said Brenna.
"Speaking of broomsticks," interjected Hermione, "Has anyone else noticed that, all of you who play anyway, are still playing Quidditch?"
"Everyone is too concerned about ours houses chance to win the Cup," said Ron.
Silence fell over the group and Brenna readily suspected they were playing the events of Halloween over again in there heads. Brenna thought for a moment before deciding not to say anything. Unfortunately, Harry had obviously chosen to do the opposite.
"Last night was . . . er . . . interesting to say the least," he said.
"Interesting isn't quite the right word," said Wolfe, "More like strange and frightening."
"Let's walk."
Everyone began walking down the path in an almost solemn manner. Brenna was not very keen on saying much, mostly because she was afraid to although she wasn't quite sure why. "I swear, it seems as though more creatures pop out of that forest every time we go in!" said Ron disgustedly.
"Then maybe we shouldn't always end up in the forest then," said Hermione sternly.
Ron threw her a dirty look. "I mean that, besides Nyx and Wolfe, did anyone else notice that other animal?" he asked.
"Yeah," replied Nyx, "I remember seeing it stare at you and running away. You were almost dog food!"
"I only caught a glimpse of it. I really don't remember much after that," said Hermione with a sideways glance at Thursday ("Sorry!" Thursday squeaked.). "It looked similar to the werewolf, except the ears were much longer and it sort of had a mane around it's neck."
"What animal could that possibly be?" asked Harry.
"I bet it's a nemesis!"
Brenna began to fidget nervously. "I saw it run away," she said.
Nyx glanced at Brenna through slitted eyes. "Where were you last night anyways? I don't quite recall seeing you - ," she asked suspiciously.
"I passed out Nyx!" replied Brenna angrily, "Shove off!"
Nyx issued a low growl and Wolfe quickly intervened. "Lay off you guys! We were all separated last night and you know that!" he said.
"You tell 'em Wolfie!" sighed Syke.
"Stuff it," growled Wolfe dangerously.
"Look, what ever happened last night wasn't an accident!" Harry quickly cut in, "But what happened to Ka wasn't done by some unknown animal! Especially if it didn't harm us."
"So what about that Quidditch match next week?" asked Nyx loudly. Clearly, the discussion on Ka was closed.
Two weeks later, Brenna, Padma, and Cho waited in the Great Hall. Although Cho showed no signs of strain, they all ate very little and Mandy and Terry's futile attempts to psych them up weren't working.
"At least Nyx isn't Seeker this game at least," said Mandy.
Terry scoffed. "Yeah, like that'll make feel better," she retorted, "She find a way to send them all to the hospital wing before the day ends!"
Mandy rolled her eyes. "Way to go, Terry."
"Well, it's true . . . ."
Cho sighed. "Well, team. Let's head to the locker rooms," she said. Brenna, Padma, Stewart, Joshua, Justin, and Ashton stood solemnly and made their way to the locker rooms.
"Prepare for defeat, RavenBirds!" called Nyx to their retreating backs.
Once in the locker rooms everyone changed into their blue and grey robes and began putting on the protective gear. Through the wall, Nyx's frenzied cries were heard. "Quidditch, Quidditch, Quidditch!" she yelled. Brenna shook her head. For the past two weeks Nyx had been dropping hints, on the hour every hour, about the outcome of the match. No one at Hogwarts had any doubt on Nyx's standing.
"You don't think Nyx is excited for today's match do you?" asked Padma blandly.
"No, really," said Justin playfully, giving Padma nudge. Padma began to blush.
Brenna, who was completely dressed, was fumbling with the strings on her robes. Many images of herself laying on the field, finger twitching, with a worried Cho leaning over and asking if she was alive. Strangely enough, the image of Cho disappeared and replaced itself with one of Ron, and her worries somewhat dissipated.
BOOM! Everyone on the Ravenclaw, except for Cho who didn't seem to be fazed by the blast, turned. A hole had been blasted in the wall and Nyx was standing amongst the rubble and cloud of dust with her wand at the ready.
"C'mon! LET'S PLAY!" said Nyx as she began to twirl her wand wickedly. Silver sparks began to shoot out of the end of Nyx's wand and Brenna exchanged horrified glances with the rest of the team. "Let's go people, I haven't got all day!" continued Nyx impatiently as she ushered the Ravenclaw team out of the locker room. As they were being led out, Brenna could see Harry waiting to enter the stadium, shaking his head. She went over and tapped him on the shoulder. He looked up at her and a smile crept onto his face.
"Why are you smirking?" asked Brenna.
"Because that's the fifth hole Nyx has blasted into the wall," replied Harry.
"Oh God . . ."
"Don't worry about the wall," said George, "what you need to worry about is if they'll be enough beds in the hospital wing for you all."
Before anyone had a chance to react, the doors flung open revealing the lush green Quidditch pitch and the excited fans. Brenna and the rest of the Ravenclaws mounted their brooms and kicked off. Everyone flew onto the field. The spectators exploded into thunderous applause and Brenna smiled as she flew a warm up lap around the pitch.
As the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor teams finished some warm up laps, Brenna could hear an argument between Wolfe and Professor McGonagall over the magical megaphone.
"Were is Lee? It's his day to commentate!" exclaimed McGonagall with a glance at Thursday who had come up with Wolfe, "You know perfectly well that -."
"Relax! He . . . er . . . asked me to fill in for him today," replied Wolfe, "On his way to the hospital wing."
"Lee would have informed me himself -."
"Believe me, Professor, he was in no condition to say much to anyone . . . ."
McGonagall raised her eyebrow, but said nothing more. Wolfe pumped his fist into the air and pick up the megaphone. "Well it's a beautiful day for Quidditch!" he exclaimed. The crowd laughed as they collectively looked up at the grey sky. Today was anything but beautiful. "Anyway," he continued, "Today's match should be a fierce one as the Ravenclaw players prepare for their defeat -."
"WOLFE!"
"Sorry, perhaps defeat was the wrong wording . . . ."
Brenna chuckled slightly as she hovered above the ground at the ready. The game was about to start and the Chasers from both teams had gathered in the center. Directly across from her was Nyx, who was now dragging her forefinger across her throat in a threatening manner.
"On my whistle!" called Madame Hooch. Brenna put her game face on and waited for the signal. "Three . . . two . . . one!" and the whistle was blown. Brenna, Joshua, and Ashton zoomed upwards as the Quaffle was released and Joshua seized it.
"Looks like Ravenclaw has started today's game with Davies in possession of the Quaffle. He passes it to Quickle who just narrowly misses being run into by George Weasley."
"That was Fred! I'm George!" shouted George angrily.
"Whatever. Anyway, Quickle passes to Davies once more and they speed towards the goal posts with Gryffindor close behind - Ouch! A Bludger hit by Ackerly just barely misses Katie Bell of Gryffindor. That was a close one! And don't forget ladies, my Friday night is wide open!"said Wolfe.
Joshua passed the Quaffle off to Brenna and motioned for her to go for the goal. Brenna gave a quick nod of understanding and crouched close to her Nimbus 2001, zooming towards the goal posts. She could easily hear the Ravenclaw stands burst into applause and cheers.
Suddenly and completely out of nowhere, Brenna heard a whizzing sound and felt the tips of her fingers stinging. Stunned, she looked down and watched as the Quaffle fell into the open arms of Nyx. "Whoa! Fancy moves made by one of those Weasley guys!" shouted Wolfe, " Now Nyx Black hands the Quaffle off to Alicia Spinnet who quickly maneuvers her way across the field . . . and she scores giving Gryffindor and early lead!"
In the stands, the Gryffindors cheered wildly. Hermione and . . . well Hermione in particular. Ron had only managed a quiet, "Go Gryffindor," and a feeble wave of his house flag. But thank goodness nobody really noticed.
"And Ollivander takes the Quaffle. She hands it to Davies and he passes it to - yikes! Looks like Nyx is going straight into her take-out- the-enemy techniques, starting with the Ravenclaw Chasers," said Wolfe.
Cho frantically searched for one of the Beaters on the Ravenclaw team, and it wasn't long before Justin flew by. "Justin! Do something before Nyx gets out of control!"
Justin looked back at her hopelessly. "What should I do!" he called to her.
"Anything!"
Nervously, Justin gulped and sped away to find a spare Bludger.
"And Gryffindor is in possession of the Quaffle as Nyx Black barrels towards the goal posts," said Wolfe, "She rears back for what looks to be an easy shot and - OH MY GOOD NESS! Ladies and gentlemen, this is a first! Nyx has been taken out by a Bludger hit by Ravenclaw Beater Justin Clearwater!"
Brenna had been looking over at Justin and saw that his eyes were closed and his arm was still in the follow through. When Wolfe announced Nyx's demise (Nyx was now hanging by her forefinger on her broom stick), he opened his eyes and gave a hoot of joy. Ravenclaw fans were going positively wild and Gryffindor was in complete shock; fan and players.
"You better watch your back, Clearwater!" shouted Nyx, "YOU'RE NEXT!"
All colour drained from Justin's face.
While Nyx was shouting her threats and curses at Justin, Justin had taken the Quaffle. Brenna lay flat against her broom and hurtled down the pitch after him, where she was soon handed the Quaffle. Seconds later she scored.
"And Ravenclaw scores!" shouted Wolfe.
"Go Ravenclaw!" shouted Ron. Several Gryffindors shouted at him and only Hermione protected him from possible assailants.
Nyx's eyes dangerously flashed yellow as she balled her free hand into a fist. "That's it!" she growled. She suddenly swung herself onto her broom with ease and sped past Harry on her way down the field, almost hitting him. "Hey!" he exclaimed, tottering uneasily on his Firebolt.
"Gryffindor Chaser Black recovers quickly from her little nap and zooms down the field," stated Wolfe, "Looks like she's got her next target in mind and - oooh, that's gotta hurt! Looks like Quickle is down for the count!"
"Oh my God!" screamed Cho, "Ashton!"
Brenna watched as Ashton's limp body on the ground, his broom hovering patiently above him as if waiting for him to remount. Reluctantly, she turned her head away from Ashton and watched as Nyx handed the Quaffle off to Katie Bell. Clouds were now steadily growing darker and an angry rumble came from th sky.
"Chaser Bell is now in possession and she heads to Ravenclaw Keeper Patil and she . . . . misses. Patil recovers and - whoa! There goes Chaser Joshua Davies, knocked out by a Bludger hit by - Nyx's broom?!"
Dodging quickly, Brenna barely missed being hit by Joshua as he fell from him broom. It was not too soon after Joshua fell from the sky when the rain began to fall, and hard. From behind her, Brenna heard a vehement exclamation from Cho.
"You're next, Clearwater!" shouted Nyx.
Justin gulped and looked over at Cho for some kind of instruction.
"Fly!" called Cho, "Fly out of her each!"
Without hesitating, Justin flew in the opposite direction with Nyx hot on his trail. While NYx was going after Justin, Stewart took advantage of Nyx's absence. Since most everyone, including those a part of the match, were deeply enthralled in watching Nyx' pursuit of Justin, Stewart found a stray Bludger and took careful aim. He then swung, sending it directly towards Fred Weasley.
"Fred, look out!" yelled George.
Although it was obvious he didn't hear George, Fred managed to turn just in time to hit the Bludger out of his way in the opposite direction . . .
. . . right square in the face of George Weasley.
"Gryffindor Beater - er - Weasley has been taken out by his very own brother! Who'da thought that - Wait! It looks like Harry Potter has seen the Snitch!" exclaimed Wolfe.
Indeed, both Cho and Harry had seen the Golden Snitch and both were speeding after it. Brenna looked over at Nyx and saw the familiar flash of yellow in her eyes. Anticipating her next move, Brenna zoomed over to where Nyx was and blocked her path of travel.
"Outta my way, Ollivander!" growled Nyx. She quickly tried to push past Brenna, but instead of allowing her to just fly on by she grabbed a hold of Nyx's broom and swung her back around. Shocked, Nyx looked straight into Brenna's eyes. "Look, Ollivander, you'd better let go. I've left alone for a reason and it would be best if you'd do just the same."
Brenna's stomach began to churn as she continued to keep a firm grip on Nyx's vibrating Firebolt. Her hair had plastered itself against her head but her grip on Nyx remained firm. "No, I wont. I WILL NOT watch you harm anymore of my teammates!" she shouted at her.
Nyx stared at Brenna with a look of utmost loathing upon he face. "This is your last warning," she said in a deadly quiet tone, "LET. ME. GO!"
Once agin, it felt as if her insides were changing themselves around. Brenna also felt the blood drain from her face. "No!" she said firmly, despite all the pain she was feeling at the very moment.
A loud growl from Nyx vibrated through the air. She leapt off her broom at Brenna, ready to do some serious damage, but Brenna managed to duck and she fell from Nyx's grasp. Before Nyx could leap at her again, she heard the Gryffindor crowd shouting and cheering with joy.
"Looks like this match is over, folks!" said Wolfe, "Harry Potter has caught the Snitch giving Gryffindor the victory! And just a reminder to all you sexy ladies out there, I - OUCH! Hey! Geroff!"
Lee Jordan was now back to reclaim his position as commentator. His dread locks looked a bit dusty as if he'd been sitting in a closet for a few hours. He was now trying to rip the megaphone from Wolfe's hands. Both put up a very good fight, but Lee won in the end. Wolfe slunk away, defeated.
Brenna knew that she had to get away, and fast. Without much hesitation she landed on the soggy ground and ran as fast as she could into the locker rooms, hiding her face from anyone who might be looking at her. She ran so fast it felt as if she were dodging rain drops. Once she was inside the locker rooms, she continued running. She ran past the hole in the wall, and the cubicles until she reached a dark corner of the locker room. Panting, Brenna closed her eyes and leaned against the wall, sliding herself down the wall and onto the floor. Moaning slightly as her appearance began to physically change, she began taking deep breaths, calming herself. Her nails had grown and her hair was becoming thick and coarse. Suddenly, she felt her insides settle and her panting became normal breathing.
Wearily, Brenna stood back up and opened her eyes. Looking at her hands she saw they turned back to normal. She then felt her hair and realized it was back it's silky, but wet, state of being. With a sigh of relief she began to walk slowly back out onto the pitch, limping slightly. Outside the rain had stopped but the sky was as grey as it had been to begin with. The stands had emptied for the most part and she could see Thursday, Ron, Wolfe, and Hermione all crowded around Nyx, Padma, Cho, and Harry at the edge of the field. As if he'd been waiting for her, Ron turned and smiled at Brenna when she finally joined the group.
"You all played a good match today," said Ron encouragingly.
Scoffing, Brenna replied, "Yeah, well you did win."
Wolfe, whom was being cooed at by Thursday, nodded. "That was an excellent move you pulled at the end there," he said.
"Whatever," scowled Nyx. At the end of the match she had obviously calmed down, but everyone could tell she had a bruised pride. In fact, Brenna could tell that things would never be quite the same between them ever again.
Cho looked like she was about to say something when Padma interrupted her. "What's Malfoy so happy about? Gryffindor won!"
Sure enough, when they all turned around they could see Malfoy skipping past they and laughing with mirth. Fortunately, he didn't seem to notice Brenna or anyone else in the group looking at him. He continued going past on his way towards the castle.
"Leave him be. At least he's not gloating near us," said Cho.
"That creepy little Slytherin better stay away from us too," replied Ron.
"Don't provoke him, Ron!" exclaimed Hermione, "Violence is not the answer."
Ron rolled his eyes. "And this coming from a girl who slapped him in our third year!" he replied. Hermione blushed.
"Well, we should get out of these Quidditch robes," said Harry as he tugged at his sodden apparel.
Nyx, whom had been eying Brenna through slitted eyes again, simply grunted. This made Brenna nervous.
"Uh, yeah, we should go too," said Brenna quickly, prodding Padma and Cho to follow her,"See you later!" She then began to walk away quickly causing Padma and Cho to jog so they could catch up, and leaving behind some fairly bewildered friends.
Chapter ten. Yeah! It's done! FINALLY! Please review!
Chapter Ten
The Grudge Match
It was two days after Halloween and Brenna sat in the Great Hall, pushing a serving of scrambled eggs around her plate. She was one of the few at the table simply because she had woken up much earlier than when many of the students normally would. Brenna just couldn't sleep, with the actions the night two days before playing over in her mind like broken slides of a projector.
Brenna vaguely remembered finding herself on the floor of the Forbidden Forest, her costume in tatters with people running about. Before that she remembers seeing someone and wanting to attack, but something held her back and she scampered away. It's then when the scene plays straight to the hospital wing. Everyone within the room is in various states of injury; Ron and Harry cut and bruised to high heaven, Nyx was back to normal and shivering, Thursday without her Beaters club and paler than anyone could think possible, Wolfe with claw marks all over his face and arms, and Hermione knocked out cold (Apparently she had been knocked out by Thursday who had been found by Hermione beating a tree senseless because she thought it was stalking her). Snape, Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall were all there giving them the lecture of their lives. After that, nothing is clear. Now Brenna sat in her thoughts, not eating and waiting for the day to end.
"Hey, Brenn!" exclaimed a familiar voice. Looking up she saw Padma, Terry, and Mandy making their way to her. Brenna quickly shoved a forkful of egg into her mouth and swallowed it without chewing.
"Good morning," Brenna replied.
"You came in awful late last night," said Terry in a very hinting tone.
"Yes, it couldn't have anything to do with that Gryffindor, Ron would it?" said Mandy, filling the nearest bowl with oatmeal.
"Well, I - "stared Brenna.
"Morning everyone!" said Cho cheerily, taking a seat next to Brenna, "What going on?"
"Oh, we were just asking Brenna about her and that Gryffindor," said Terry.
"You mean Ron? Let's just leave her alone, whatever happened last night is her business." Brenna shot a grateful look at Cho, who winked at her.
"Anyway, who's excited for the Hogsmeade trip?"asked Padma.
"Woo Hoo! Hogsmeade!" yelled Terry.
"Me too," said Mandy.
Brenna merely nodded. Yes she knew about the trip, but it didn't seem very important anymore. "Er - yeah," she said, "It'll be good to get out of the castle for a while."
"I am very much craving a butterbeer," said Mandy as Cho picked up a bunch of grapes from a platter.
"That does sound good," said Padma, "Hey, I have and idea. How about we - OW!" A piece of parchment folded up into the form of an airplane collided with the side of Padma's head."What the - " she opened it and scoffed. "Ever heard of an owl, Nyx!" she called to the Gryffindor table.
"Bite me!" came the reply.
"It's for you," said Padma, thrusting the parchment towards Brenna.
Brenna took the parchment from the annoyed Padma and began to read the note aloud:
Brenna -
Meet us outside the Shrieking Shack today.
NYx
"Oh I was hoping we could all have a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks!"said Padma.
"You haven't spent much time with us at all," said Mandy.
"I know, but we can still meet," said Brenna, "We don't have to be back until five o'clock right? We can meet about a half an hour before that!"
"But you always hang out with Nyx!" whined Terry.
"I know. But I have a feeling this is important."
Brenna wrapped her cloak a little tighter around her shoulders as she walked down the main street of Hogsmeade. The day was cool, but the wind made it quite cold. She'd been walking down the street for a while, looking for the Shrieking Shack without luck. She let out a huge sigh and continued on her path down the road.
Finally after what seemed like ages, she found the Shrieking Shack and Nyx, Harry, Hermione, Thursday and Ron were all there. "There you are!" said Thursday.
"Um, hello," replied Brenna as she walked up to the group.
"'Bout time," muttered Nyx.
"But I couldn't find the shack -."started Brenna.
"Looks like you found it," said Nyx, gesturing to the boarded up house behind her. Brenna just nodded and looked at the ground. "Now, were just waiting for Wolfe," said Nyx.
"I wonder where he could be," said Thursday.
"I'm here," said a miserable voice.
Everyone turned to see Wolfe slumping over to them with Syke very close behind. "Hey everyone," Wolfe said.
"Er - hi, "said Harry awkwardly. Hermione gave Wolfe a puzzled look, almost as if she wanted to say something, but thought better of it.
"So, Wolfe, looks like you've gotten a new accessory there," stated Ron plainly.
Wolfe shot a dirty look at Ron. "Yeah, well this is my punishment; to have Syke magically bound to me," said Wolfe, "He must be within three feet of me or else . . . . well I don't really wanna find out the 'or else' part. Of course I really haven't had much trouble with that yet," Wolfe added disgustedly as Syke snuggled in closer and propped his head on Wolfe's shoulder. "What did you guys get?"
"Ron, Nyx, Hermione and I all got stuck doing a good wash down of the hospital wing. That or else no Hogsmeade visits," said Harry, "Guess which one we chose."
"I'm not allowed to have my favourite sweets for a month!" whimpered Thursday, "AND I WANT A BLOOD LOLLY RIGHT NOW!"
"I have to maintain all the school brooms for a month," said Brenna.
"Speaking of broomsticks," interjected Hermione, "Has anyone else noticed that, all of you who play anyway, are still playing Quidditch?"
"Everyone is too concerned about ours houses chance to win the Cup," said Ron.
Silence fell over the group and Brenna readily suspected they were playing the events of Halloween over again in there heads. Brenna thought for a moment before deciding not to say anything. Unfortunately, Harry had obviously chosen to do the opposite.
"Last night was . . . er . . . interesting to say the least," he said.
"Interesting isn't quite the right word," said Wolfe, "More like strange and frightening."
"Let's walk."
Everyone began walking down the path in an almost solemn manner. Brenna was not very keen on saying much, mostly because she was afraid to although she wasn't quite sure why. "I swear, it seems as though more creatures pop out of that forest every time we go in!" said Ron disgustedly.
"Then maybe we shouldn't always end up in the forest then," said Hermione sternly.
Ron threw her a dirty look. "I mean that, besides Nyx and Wolfe, did anyone else notice that other animal?" he asked.
"Yeah," replied Nyx, "I remember seeing it stare at you and running away. You were almost dog food!"
"I only caught a glimpse of it. I really don't remember much after that," said Hermione with a sideways glance at Thursday ("Sorry!" Thursday squeaked.). "It looked similar to the werewolf, except the ears were much longer and it sort of had a mane around it's neck."
"What animal could that possibly be?" asked Harry.
"I bet it's a nemesis!"
Brenna began to fidget nervously. "I saw it run away," she said.
Nyx glanced at Brenna through slitted eyes. "Where were you last night anyways? I don't quite recall seeing you - ," she asked suspiciously.
"I passed out Nyx!" replied Brenna angrily, "Shove off!"
Nyx issued a low growl and Wolfe quickly intervened. "Lay off you guys! We were all separated last night and you know that!" he said.
"You tell 'em Wolfie!" sighed Syke.
"Stuff it," growled Wolfe dangerously.
"Look, what ever happened last night wasn't an accident!" Harry quickly cut in, "But what happened to Ka wasn't done by some unknown animal! Especially if it didn't harm us."
"So what about that Quidditch match next week?" asked Nyx loudly. Clearly, the discussion on Ka was closed.
Two weeks later, Brenna, Padma, and Cho waited in the Great Hall. Although Cho showed no signs of strain, they all ate very little and Mandy and Terry's futile attempts to psych them up weren't working.
"At least Nyx isn't Seeker this game at least," said Mandy.
Terry scoffed. "Yeah, like that'll make feel better," she retorted, "She find a way to send them all to the hospital wing before the day ends!"
Mandy rolled her eyes. "Way to go, Terry."
"Well, it's true . . . ."
Cho sighed. "Well, team. Let's head to the locker rooms," she said. Brenna, Padma, Stewart, Joshua, Justin, and Ashton stood solemnly and made their way to the locker rooms.
"Prepare for defeat, RavenBirds!" called Nyx to their retreating backs.
Once in the locker rooms everyone changed into their blue and grey robes and began putting on the protective gear. Through the wall, Nyx's frenzied cries were heard. "Quidditch, Quidditch, Quidditch!" she yelled. Brenna shook her head. For the past two weeks Nyx had been dropping hints, on the hour every hour, about the outcome of the match. No one at Hogwarts had any doubt on Nyx's standing.
"You don't think Nyx is excited for today's match do you?" asked Padma blandly.
"No, really," said Justin playfully, giving Padma nudge. Padma began to blush.
Brenna, who was completely dressed, was fumbling with the strings on her robes. Many images of herself laying on the field, finger twitching, with a worried Cho leaning over and asking if she was alive. Strangely enough, the image of Cho disappeared and replaced itself with one of Ron, and her worries somewhat dissipated.
BOOM! Everyone on the Ravenclaw, except for Cho who didn't seem to be fazed by the blast, turned. A hole had been blasted in the wall and Nyx was standing amongst the rubble and cloud of dust with her wand at the ready.
"C'mon! LET'S PLAY!" said Nyx as she began to twirl her wand wickedly. Silver sparks began to shoot out of the end of Nyx's wand and Brenna exchanged horrified glances with the rest of the team. "Let's go people, I haven't got all day!" continued Nyx impatiently as she ushered the Ravenclaw team out of the locker room. As they were being led out, Brenna could see Harry waiting to enter the stadium, shaking his head. She went over and tapped him on the shoulder. He looked up at her and a smile crept onto his face.
"Why are you smirking?" asked Brenna.
"Because that's the fifth hole Nyx has blasted into the wall," replied Harry.
"Oh God . . ."
"Don't worry about the wall," said George, "what you need to worry about is if they'll be enough beds in the hospital wing for you all."
Before anyone had a chance to react, the doors flung open revealing the lush green Quidditch pitch and the excited fans. Brenna and the rest of the Ravenclaws mounted their brooms and kicked off. Everyone flew onto the field. The spectators exploded into thunderous applause and Brenna smiled as she flew a warm up lap around the pitch.
As the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor teams finished some warm up laps, Brenna could hear an argument between Wolfe and Professor McGonagall over the magical megaphone.
"Were is Lee? It's his day to commentate!" exclaimed McGonagall with a glance at Thursday who had come up with Wolfe, "You know perfectly well that -."
"Relax! He . . . er . . . asked me to fill in for him today," replied Wolfe, "On his way to the hospital wing."
"Lee would have informed me himself -."
"Believe me, Professor, he was in no condition to say much to anyone . . . ."
McGonagall raised her eyebrow, but said nothing more. Wolfe pumped his fist into the air and pick up the megaphone. "Well it's a beautiful day for Quidditch!" he exclaimed. The crowd laughed as they collectively looked up at the grey sky. Today was anything but beautiful. "Anyway," he continued, "Today's match should be a fierce one as the Ravenclaw players prepare for their defeat -."
"WOLFE!"
"Sorry, perhaps defeat was the wrong wording . . . ."
Brenna chuckled slightly as she hovered above the ground at the ready. The game was about to start and the Chasers from both teams had gathered in the center. Directly across from her was Nyx, who was now dragging her forefinger across her throat in a threatening manner.
"On my whistle!" called Madame Hooch. Brenna put her game face on and waited for the signal. "Three . . . two . . . one!" and the whistle was blown. Brenna, Joshua, and Ashton zoomed upwards as the Quaffle was released and Joshua seized it.
"Looks like Ravenclaw has started today's game with Davies in possession of the Quaffle. He passes it to Quickle who just narrowly misses being run into by George Weasley."
"That was Fred! I'm George!" shouted George angrily.
"Whatever. Anyway, Quickle passes to Davies once more and they speed towards the goal posts with Gryffindor close behind - Ouch! A Bludger hit by Ackerly just barely misses Katie Bell of Gryffindor. That was a close one! And don't forget ladies, my Friday night is wide open!"said Wolfe.
Joshua passed the Quaffle off to Brenna and motioned for her to go for the goal. Brenna gave a quick nod of understanding and crouched close to her Nimbus 2001, zooming towards the goal posts. She could easily hear the Ravenclaw stands burst into applause and cheers.
Suddenly and completely out of nowhere, Brenna heard a whizzing sound and felt the tips of her fingers stinging. Stunned, she looked down and watched as the Quaffle fell into the open arms of Nyx. "Whoa! Fancy moves made by one of those Weasley guys!" shouted Wolfe, " Now Nyx Black hands the Quaffle off to Alicia Spinnet who quickly maneuvers her way across the field . . . and she scores giving Gryffindor and early lead!"
In the stands, the Gryffindors cheered wildly. Hermione and . . . well Hermione in particular. Ron had only managed a quiet, "Go Gryffindor," and a feeble wave of his house flag. But thank goodness nobody really noticed.
"And Ollivander takes the Quaffle. She hands it to Davies and he passes it to - yikes! Looks like Nyx is going straight into her take-out- the-enemy techniques, starting with the Ravenclaw Chasers," said Wolfe.
Cho frantically searched for one of the Beaters on the Ravenclaw team, and it wasn't long before Justin flew by. "Justin! Do something before Nyx gets out of control!"
Justin looked back at her hopelessly. "What should I do!" he called to her.
"Anything!"
Nervously, Justin gulped and sped away to find a spare Bludger.
"And Gryffindor is in possession of the Quaffle as Nyx Black barrels towards the goal posts," said Wolfe, "She rears back for what looks to be an easy shot and - OH MY GOOD NESS! Ladies and gentlemen, this is a first! Nyx has been taken out by a Bludger hit by Ravenclaw Beater Justin Clearwater!"
Brenna had been looking over at Justin and saw that his eyes were closed and his arm was still in the follow through. When Wolfe announced Nyx's demise (Nyx was now hanging by her forefinger on her broom stick), he opened his eyes and gave a hoot of joy. Ravenclaw fans were going positively wild and Gryffindor was in complete shock; fan and players.
"You better watch your back, Clearwater!" shouted Nyx, "YOU'RE NEXT!"
All colour drained from Justin's face.
While Nyx was shouting her threats and curses at Justin, Justin had taken the Quaffle. Brenna lay flat against her broom and hurtled down the pitch after him, where she was soon handed the Quaffle. Seconds later she scored.
"And Ravenclaw scores!" shouted Wolfe.
"Go Ravenclaw!" shouted Ron. Several Gryffindors shouted at him and only Hermione protected him from possible assailants.
Nyx's eyes dangerously flashed yellow as she balled her free hand into a fist. "That's it!" she growled. She suddenly swung herself onto her broom with ease and sped past Harry on her way down the field, almost hitting him. "Hey!" he exclaimed, tottering uneasily on his Firebolt.
"Gryffindor Chaser Black recovers quickly from her little nap and zooms down the field," stated Wolfe, "Looks like she's got her next target in mind and - oooh, that's gotta hurt! Looks like Quickle is down for the count!"
"Oh my God!" screamed Cho, "Ashton!"
Brenna watched as Ashton's limp body on the ground, his broom hovering patiently above him as if waiting for him to remount. Reluctantly, she turned her head away from Ashton and watched as Nyx handed the Quaffle off to Katie Bell. Clouds were now steadily growing darker and an angry rumble came from th sky.
"Chaser Bell is now in possession and she heads to Ravenclaw Keeper Patil and she . . . . misses. Patil recovers and - whoa! There goes Chaser Joshua Davies, knocked out by a Bludger hit by - Nyx's broom?!"
Dodging quickly, Brenna barely missed being hit by Joshua as he fell from him broom. It was not too soon after Joshua fell from the sky when the rain began to fall, and hard. From behind her, Brenna heard a vehement exclamation from Cho.
"You're next, Clearwater!" shouted Nyx.
Justin gulped and looked over at Cho for some kind of instruction.
"Fly!" called Cho, "Fly out of her each!"
Without hesitating, Justin flew in the opposite direction with Nyx hot on his trail. While NYx was going after Justin, Stewart took advantage of Nyx's absence. Since most everyone, including those a part of the match, were deeply enthralled in watching Nyx' pursuit of Justin, Stewart found a stray Bludger and took careful aim. He then swung, sending it directly towards Fred Weasley.
"Fred, look out!" yelled George.
Although it was obvious he didn't hear George, Fred managed to turn just in time to hit the Bludger out of his way in the opposite direction . . .
. . . right square in the face of George Weasley.
"Gryffindor Beater - er - Weasley has been taken out by his very own brother! Who'da thought that - Wait! It looks like Harry Potter has seen the Snitch!" exclaimed Wolfe.
Indeed, both Cho and Harry had seen the Golden Snitch and both were speeding after it. Brenna looked over at Nyx and saw the familiar flash of yellow in her eyes. Anticipating her next move, Brenna zoomed over to where Nyx was and blocked her path of travel.
"Outta my way, Ollivander!" growled Nyx. She quickly tried to push past Brenna, but instead of allowing her to just fly on by she grabbed a hold of Nyx's broom and swung her back around. Shocked, Nyx looked straight into Brenna's eyes. "Look, Ollivander, you'd better let go. I've left alone for a reason and it would be best if you'd do just the same."
Brenna's stomach began to churn as she continued to keep a firm grip on Nyx's vibrating Firebolt. Her hair had plastered itself against her head but her grip on Nyx remained firm. "No, I wont. I WILL NOT watch you harm anymore of my teammates!" she shouted at her.
Nyx stared at Brenna with a look of utmost loathing upon he face. "This is your last warning," she said in a deadly quiet tone, "LET. ME. GO!"
Once agin, it felt as if her insides were changing themselves around. Brenna also felt the blood drain from her face. "No!" she said firmly, despite all the pain she was feeling at the very moment.
A loud growl from Nyx vibrated through the air. She leapt off her broom at Brenna, ready to do some serious damage, but Brenna managed to duck and she fell from Nyx's grasp. Before Nyx could leap at her again, she heard the Gryffindor crowd shouting and cheering with joy.
"Looks like this match is over, folks!" said Wolfe, "Harry Potter has caught the Snitch giving Gryffindor the victory! And just a reminder to all you sexy ladies out there, I - OUCH! Hey! Geroff!"
Lee Jordan was now back to reclaim his position as commentator. His dread locks looked a bit dusty as if he'd been sitting in a closet for a few hours. He was now trying to rip the megaphone from Wolfe's hands. Both put up a very good fight, but Lee won in the end. Wolfe slunk away, defeated.
Brenna knew that she had to get away, and fast. Without much hesitation she landed on the soggy ground and ran as fast as she could into the locker rooms, hiding her face from anyone who might be looking at her. She ran so fast it felt as if she were dodging rain drops. Once she was inside the locker rooms, she continued running. She ran past the hole in the wall, and the cubicles until she reached a dark corner of the locker room. Panting, Brenna closed her eyes and leaned against the wall, sliding herself down the wall and onto the floor. Moaning slightly as her appearance began to physically change, she began taking deep breaths, calming herself. Her nails had grown and her hair was becoming thick and coarse. Suddenly, she felt her insides settle and her panting became normal breathing.
Wearily, Brenna stood back up and opened her eyes. Looking at her hands she saw they turned back to normal. She then felt her hair and realized it was back it's silky, but wet, state of being. With a sigh of relief she began to walk slowly back out onto the pitch, limping slightly. Outside the rain had stopped but the sky was as grey as it had been to begin with. The stands had emptied for the most part and she could see Thursday, Ron, Wolfe, and Hermione all crowded around Nyx, Padma, Cho, and Harry at the edge of the field. As if he'd been waiting for her, Ron turned and smiled at Brenna when she finally joined the group.
"You all played a good match today," said Ron encouragingly.
Scoffing, Brenna replied, "Yeah, well you did win."
Wolfe, whom was being cooed at by Thursday, nodded. "That was an excellent move you pulled at the end there," he said.
"Whatever," scowled Nyx. At the end of the match she had obviously calmed down, but everyone could tell she had a bruised pride. In fact, Brenna could tell that things would never be quite the same between them ever again.
Cho looked like she was about to say something when Padma interrupted her. "What's Malfoy so happy about? Gryffindor won!"
Sure enough, when they all turned around they could see Malfoy skipping past they and laughing with mirth. Fortunately, he didn't seem to notice Brenna or anyone else in the group looking at him. He continued going past on his way towards the castle.
"Leave him be. At least he's not gloating near us," said Cho.
"That creepy little Slytherin better stay away from us too," replied Ron.
"Don't provoke him, Ron!" exclaimed Hermione, "Violence is not the answer."
Ron rolled his eyes. "And this coming from a girl who slapped him in our third year!" he replied. Hermione blushed.
"Well, we should get out of these Quidditch robes," said Harry as he tugged at his sodden apparel.
Nyx, whom had been eying Brenna through slitted eyes again, simply grunted. This made Brenna nervous.
"Uh, yeah, we should go too," said Brenna quickly, prodding Padma and Cho to follow her,"See you later!" She then began to walk away quickly causing Padma and Cho to jog so they could catch up, and leaving behind some fairly bewildered friends.
Chapter ten. Yeah! It's done! FINALLY! Please review!