Chapter II - Quidditch Practice
When Lucius arrived at the Quidditch pitch the other players were already there waiting for him. He looked around. You could hardly see the goal posts in the foggy weather.
"Well, boys" he said "I don't know if we'll have such a morning like this next Saturday. I could tell you, but I don't have Divination" a few of the boys chuckled "so we'll just have to do our best. Ok, enough crappy talk. Mount your brooms!"
The boys mounted their brooms and kicked off the ground. Lucius opened the wooden box where the balls were kept, took the Quaffle and kicked off ground too.
He loved the feeling he always had when he mounted a broom. He flew around in the fog for a couple of minutes and shot a goal right through a loop. Flying around another loop, he caught the Quaffle before hitting the ground and joined the rest of the team.
"Higgs, release the Snitch and I hope I can hear in an hour's time that you caught it at least ten times. Travers go to your goal posts. We'll be shooting at you in a moment." Both boys left in their brooms. He turned to the remaining team. " Black, Lestrange and I will be practicing Hawkshead Attacking Formation."
"What about us? In this fog-"
"I'll release the Bludgers also" said Lucius interrupting Baddock. "You and MacNair will practice as usual." His blue eyes stared right into MacNair's "I am trusting you in this fog. Don't fail me."
MacNair grinned and dived to let the Bludgers free.
Lucius, still with the Quaffle, nodded to Rodolphus and Bellatrix and the three of them began practice. Bellatrix was the only girl in the team. With her persistence, she had tried yet again this year to make it to the Quidditch team and Lucius finally gave in. It wasn't as much as she wasn't a good player, rather the fact that she was a girl and he didn't trust her much.
But she had shown her skills during practice and now he was confident she had been a good choice. In fact, he had never played in such a perfect Chaser team. They played as if they knew each other's thoughts.
Half way through practice the fog lifted a bit and near noon they could see all the Quidditch pitch and the standings, where some students had come to watch. During all practice Lucius reminded them why he was the captain, leading the team in inumerous moves and personally supervising every player at the time. And when practice was over, he felt stronger and more alive then anytime during the last week. They should practice more often, he thought. At least he should practice more often. It made him fell too good.
"I am pretty sure we have a winning team here" he said, when they all landed "but I still want us to practice at least once more before our match next Saturday."
"The Hufflepuffs are no match to us" said Travers.
"I hope not" said Lucius "but we can't get lazy. And if the match outcome was already decided before the game, nobody would need to play. So keep in mind that, though our team is superior, I don't want anyone celebrating victory before June." And he eyed each of them in turn.
"Right as always, Lucius." said Bellatrix when he looked at her.
"Thank you, Bella."
"My name is-"
"Thank you, Bellatrix" corrected Lucius. "I'll see Prof. McKinnon and book the pitch for this week's practice."
And everyone left for the locker rooms while Lucius hurried to catch the Flying Teacher before lunch. On his way back to the lockers, he found Rodolphus hand in hand with his girlfriend, Alice.
"Rod, I booked the pitch for Tuesday and Thursday for 4 o'clock."
"Sure, Lucius."
"How is the team going?" asked Alice. She was a round faced girl with brown sweet eyes and the voice of an angel.
"I think we will beat you easily." said Lucius. "Your Rodolphus here is doing quite a job."
"Poor us." she said, smiling. "Please, show some pity on our dear Hufflepuffs."
"I'll think about that, just for you" said Rodolphus, putting his arms around her. "But if we win, I'll have an excuse to hold you and make it up for the terrible outcome of the match."
Alice smiled as her face turned slightly pink. Lucius caught the cue and left the two lovers be. A few steps after them, he encountered Bellatrix, who was also making to the castle, after the loving couple.
"Good practice today, Bella." Lucius said before she could get past through him.
"Ah-ahn." she said, still looking into the distance. Though she had stopped, she didn't seem aware he was there.
"Listen, I booked the pitch-"
"I heard you. I'll be here, don't worry." and she tried to get pass him.
"You heard me?!" he asked in mock outrage. "And may I wonder what were you doing listening to other people's conversation?"
"Yes," she said, finally turning to him and smiling "you may wonder."
And without another word she passed by him and headed for the castle.
Lucius shrugged. Bellatrix had a crush on Rodolphus almost since she first came to Hogwarts. Strangely enough, no one ever seemed to notice besides him. Everyone thought she was plain weird and even Narcissa had trouble in reading her sister's feelings through her eyes. Lucius seemed to be the only one who could see something of her soul just by looking at her expression. And what he could see there made him uncomfortable. Unlike the others, he never thought Bellatrix was weird. She was just too different from everyone her age. She was too cunning. And she was also too instinctive. That was one of the things he didn't trust about her. She was so intelligent and yet she let it all be run by her heart.
And around Rodolphus she was even more temperamental than usual. "Oh, no" would say Narcissa "Bellatrix is just a child. How could she have a crush on your friend?" And yet, there it was, on those eyes, firing flames of hatred towards Alice, clear to anyone who would care to see.
Truth be told, he also couldn't understand what Rodolphus saw in Alice. She was too good, too perfect, too sweet.
"Diabetically sweet, if you ask me" thought Lucius. "Why do you date her?" had he asked again and again to Rodolphus.
"Why? Isn't she a perfect angel?"
A perfect angel. Geeesh. What was that all about? Opposite's attraction, he always said to himself. No other possible explanation.
"Is everything ready?" he heard a female voice from the girl's lockers just as he was stepping out of the boy's.
Whose team would that be? he wondered.
Hufflepuff ?, he thought with a smile, casually leaning closer to spy.
"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" asked another voice.
Ravenclaw, he thought. He had recognised Alexis' voice.
"What else can I do?" he heard the first girl's muffled voice.
"It can be dangerous. I told you-"
"For Merlin's sake!" said the other, suddenly furious. "I thought you wanted to help us! But if you're getting cold feet-"
"I am not getting cold feet!" answered Alexis. And in a much quieter tone, she added "Jesus, you really are a Black sometimes!"
"I'm sorry." said the voice Lucius could now recognise as Andromeda's. "It's not been easy for me."
"I know. But we'll manage. The potion is nearly ready. If you really choose to go with this through-"
"I do."
"Then full moon is this Friday."
"Then it will be this Friday. Have you chosen a place yet?"
"And what the hell are you doing here?" asked a voice from behind Lucius. He quickly tried to look innocent (even though he was now so close to the door that it was clear he had been spying) but before he could answer, Lynch, the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain (and Seeker) knocked at the girl's locker and cried "Are you ready yet? We really want to get started!"
"Hi-ho, Captain!" mocked Alexis.
"I heard that!" he said, turning to go to the pitch.
The girls giggled and Lucius quickly got to his locker room before the two Ravenclaw Chasers could see him.
And after they left, he slowly returned to the castle lost in thoughts.
The girls were clearly up to something both dangerous and illegal. He ginned. This was one kick he wouldn't miss for the world. He had 6 days to find out what the girls were up to. and to join them in their mischief.
When Lucius arrived at the Quidditch pitch the other players were already there waiting for him. He looked around. You could hardly see the goal posts in the foggy weather.
"Well, boys" he said "I don't know if we'll have such a morning like this next Saturday. I could tell you, but I don't have Divination" a few of the boys chuckled "so we'll just have to do our best. Ok, enough crappy talk. Mount your brooms!"
The boys mounted their brooms and kicked off the ground. Lucius opened the wooden box where the balls were kept, took the Quaffle and kicked off ground too.
He loved the feeling he always had when he mounted a broom. He flew around in the fog for a couple of minutes and shot a goal right through a loop. Flying around another loop, he caught the Quaffle before hitting the ground and joined the rest of the team.
"Higgs, release the Snitch and I hope I can hear in an hour's time that you caught it at least ten times. Travers go to your goal posts. We'll be shooting at you in a moment." Both boys left in their brooms. He turned to the remaining team. " Black, Lestrange and I will be practicing Hawkshead Attacking Formation."
"What about us? In this fog-"
"I'll release the Bludgers also" said Lucius interrupting Baddock. "You and MacNair will practice as usual." His blue eyes stared right into MacNair's "I am trusting you in this fog. Don't fail me."
MacNair grinned and dived to let the Bludgers free.
Lucius, still with the Quaffle, nodded to Rodolphus and Bellatrix and the three of them began practice. Bellatrix was the only girl in the team. With her persistence, she had tried yet again this year to make it to the Quidditch team and Lucius finally gave in. It wasn't as much as she wasn't a good player, rather the fact that she was a girl and he didn't trust her much.
But she had shown her skills during practice and now he was confident she had been a good choice. In fact, he had never played in such a perfect Chaser team. They played as if they knew each other's thoughts.
Half way through practice the fog lifted a bit and near noon they could see all the Quidditch pitch and the standings, where some students had come to watch. During all practice Lucius reminded them why he was the captain, leading the team in inumerous moves and personally supervising every player at the time. And when practice was over, he felt stronger and more alive then anytime during the last week. They should practice more often, he thought. At least he should practice more often. It made him fell too good.
"I am pretty sure we have a winning team here" he said, when they all landed "but I still want us to practice at least once more before our match next Saturday."
"The Hufflepuffs are no match to us" said Travers.
"I hope not" said Lucius "but we can't get lazy. And if the match outcome was already decided before the game, nobody would need to play. So keep in mind that, though our team is superior, I don't want anyone celebrating victory before June." And he eyed each of them in turn.
"Right as always, Lucius." said Bellatrix when he looked at her.
"Thank you, Bella."
"My name is-"
"Thank you, Bellatrix" corrected Lucius. "I'll see Prof. McKinnon and book the pitch for this week's practice."
And everyone left for the locker rooms while Lucius hurried to catch the Flying Teacher before lunch. On his way back to the lockers, he found Rodolphus hand in hand with his girlfriend, Alice.
"Rod, I booked the pitch for Tuesday and Thursday for 4 o'clock."
"Sure, Lucius."
"How is the team going?" asked Alice. She was a round faced girl with brown sweet eyes and the voice of an angel.
"I think we will beat you easily." said Lucius. "Your Rodolphus here is doing quite a job."
"Poor us." she said, smiling. "Please, show some pity on our dear Hufflepuffs."
"I'll think about that, just for you" said Rodolphus, putting his arms around her. "But if we win, I'll have an excuse to hold you and make it up for the terrible outcome of the match."
Alice smiled as her face turned slightly pink. Lucius caught the cue and left the two lovers be. A few steps after them, he encountered Bellatrix, who was also making to the castle, after the loving couple.
"Good practice today, Bella." Lucius said before she could get past through him.
"Ah-ahn." she said, still looking into the distance. Though she had stopped, she didn't seem aware he was there.
"Listen, I booked the pitch-"
"I heard you. I'll be here, don't worry." and she tried to get pass him.
"You heard me?!" he asked in mock outrage. "And may I wonder what were you doing listening to other people's conversation?"
"Yes," she said, finally turning to him and smiling "you may wonder."
And without another word she passed by him and headed for the castle.
Lucius shrugged. Bellatrix had a crush on Rodolphus almost since she first came to Hogwarts. Strangely enough, no one ever seemed to notice besides him. Everyone thought she was plain weird and even Narcissa had trouble in reading her sister's feelings through her eyes. Lucius seemed to be the only one who could see something of her soul just by looking at her expression. And what he could see there made him uncomfortable. Unlike the others, he never thought Bellatrix was weird. She was just too different from everyone her age. She was too cunning. And she was also too instinctive. That was one of the things he didn't trust about her. She was so intelligent and yet she let it all be run by her heart.
And around Rodolphus she was even more temperamental than usual. "Oh, no" would say Narcissa "Bellatrix is just a child. How could she have a crush on your friend?" And yet, there it was, on those eyes, firing flames of hatred towards Alice, clear to anyone who would care to see.
Truth be told, he also couldn't understand what Rodolphus saw in Alice. She was too good, too perfect, too sweet.
"Diabetically sweet, if you ask me" thought Lucius. "Why do you date her?" had he asked again and again to Rodolphus.
"Why? Isn't she a perfect angel?"
A perfect angel. Geeesh. What was that all about? Opposite's attraction, he always said to himself. No other possible explanation.
"Is everything ready?" he heard a female voice from the girl's lockers just as he was stepping out of the boy's.
Whose team would that be? he wondered.
Hufflepuff ?, he thought with a smile, casually leaning closer to spy.
"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" asked another voice.
Ravenclaw, he thought. He had recognised Alexis' voice.
"What else can I do?" he heard the first girl's muffled voice.
"It can be dangerous. I told you-"
"For Merlin's sake!" said the other, suddenly furious. "I thought you wanted to help us! But if you're getting cold feet-"
"I am not getting cold feet!" answered Alexis. And in a much quieter tone, she added "Jesus, you really are a Black sometimes!"
"I'm sorry." said the voice Lucius could now recognise as Andromeda's. "It's not been easy for me."
"I know. But we'll manage. The potion is nearly ready. If you really choose to go with this through-"
"I do."
"Then full moon is this Friday."
"Then it will be this Friday. Have you chosen a place yet?"
"And what the hell are you doing here?" asked a voice from behind Lucius. He quickly tried to look innocent (even though he was now so close to the door that it was clear he had been spying) but before he could answer, Lynch, the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain (and Seeker) knocked at the girl's locker and cried "Are you ready yet? We really want to get started!"
"Hi-ho, Captain!" mocked Alexis.
"I heard that!" he said, turning to go to the pitch.
The girls giggled and Lucius quickly got to his locker room before the two Ravenclaw Chasers could see him.
And after they left, he slowly returned to the castle lost in thoughts.
The girls were clearly up to something both dangerous and illegal. He ginned. This was one kick he wouldn't miss for the world. He had 6 days to find out what the girls were up to. and to join them in their mischief.