Chapter VIII - Slytherin vs. Hufflepuff
Lucius woke up with a thumping sound above him. He felt his whole body aching and shivering in cold. His robes were mostly wet from the rain that kept falling from sky.
Thump!
He opened his eyes suddenly. What was happening? He was still under the stands of the Quidditch pitch. It was morning already as he could see light coming in and-
Thump!
It must be late too! Those thumps were students starting to come into the pitch to watch the game. His game!
He got up quickly and left the stands. He could see very few students in the pitch, and only two of them noticed when he came out of his hideout. He ran for the locker rooms. He could feel his left arm was numb. He had probably slept over it.
When he reached the locker rooms, most of his team was already there.
"Where the **** have you been, Lucius?" almost roared Rodolphus. "I've been awake all night, searching for you!"
"I'm sorry" he said, trying to catch his breath. "I-"
"You better be sorry! Narcissa has been impossible! Bellatrix made the mistake of telling her you haven't been in yet and she's like a maniac looking for you!"
"Yeah, well, I-"
"How could you leave your whole team in a big game's eve? That was completely irresponsible of you!"
"Yes, well-"
"Just get dressed before I show you my knuckles really close!"
"Shut up, Rod!" Lucius yelled suddenly "I had a terrible night!"
"If you hadn't sneaked away you wouldn't have had a terrible night!"
"Hei hei!" came MacNair's voice "gentleman, calm down! The game is about to start in a few minutes. Can we argue after the game is over?"
"We trained all week" said Lucius "We have the best team there is. Now stop nagging me, Rod!"
And he dressed his Quidditch robes to join the others outside. ***
The rain was still falling. Lucius was feeling sick. He hadn't eaten almost anything at dinner and the lack of breakfast now was starting to have its effects. He could feel his sugar level going down.
Rod was still fuming whenever he looked at Lucius. But he didn't seem to care. As they walked to the pitch, to the enthusiastic applauses of the crowd of students, Lucius couldn't help but look at the place he had been that night.
And the images of Alexis touching Andromeda's body kept bumping into his mind. They all kicked off ground. Bellatrix was looking at him sideways. Rod didn't even bother to look at him anymore. The other members of the team seem to eye him with concern. The whistle sounded and the Quaffle was released. He could hear the crowd cheer, he could see that Rod had caught the Quaffle and he tried to follow. But the rain and a sudden dizziness took hold of him and when he reached Rod and he passed him the Quaffle, Lucius was unable to catch it.
Alexis hands softly touching Andromeda's skin, gently-
"Lucius! What are you doing?" yelled Rod.
Lucius opened his eyes again. He was flying almost against one of the goal posts. He was feeling his muscles aching, screaming for him to land. It took him all his remaining strength to be able to hold to his broom and turn around to where the rest of the game was happening.
He heard a whistle. Rod had called time off. He met him and the rest of the team on the ground.
He couldn't make sense of Rod's yelling and pointing. He heard something about score but his head was now pumping in a terrible headache.
They all kicked off ground again and from that moment on everyone started ignoring Lucius and tried to play at their best. He couldn't remember afterwards how long it took for everything to finish, but it took too long, in his opinion. The whistle sounded again. Someone had caught the Golden Snitch.
Lucius was so relieved that he could finally get some rest that he landed and immediately headed for the castle. But he never reached it on his own.
***
Alexis was softly spreading a blue substance in Andromeda's naked skin. He could see her shiver under the touch of her friend. Alexis suddenly stopped. She started looking around and spotted Lucius. He tried to hide, but she smiled and walked to him. She gave him her hand.
"Come, Lucius." she said.
He walked with her until they reached the cauldron with the blue potion. She touched the liquid's surface with a finger, and touched Lucius bare skin, drawing a lighting bolt in his chest. Then she kissed his neck, longly. Lucius could feel all his body shivering. She broke apart and this time plunged her whole hand in the potion. She touched his neck, his chest, leaving a bluish warm trace, and didn't stop until she reached his belly. She kneeled and-
"Alexis" he moaned. He could feel a hand in his. He squeezed it. "Alexis."
"I'm here" said a female voice "I'm here, Lucius."
He opened his eyes suddenly. That wasn't Alexis' voice. That was-
He looked up and saw Narcissa. She was smiling, though (it seemed) bitterly. Had she heard him?
"I'm here, Lucius." and she squeezed his hand too.
Lucius tried to get up. He was still feeling dizzy and his head was throbbing. He looked around. He was in the Hospital Wing. He looked questioningly to Narcissa. She passed her hand by his temple.
"You're still so hot." she said "You have a fever. Mr. Ming says it's just a common cold and that you'll be up in one piece by tomorrow morning. He has this new potion from St. Mungos he says it's very efficient."
"What... What happened?"
"You were acting very strange during the whole game. No one knew what was wrong with you. Then the game was over and you walked away. Everyone thought that it was because we lost-"
"We lost?!"
"Yes," she said quietly. "I thought you knew..."
"No, I was... I don't know what came into me."
"The Hufflepuffs caught the Snitch. But they were winning anyway."
Lucius was devastated. This was all his fault. Why had he been so ambitious? Why had he spied on the girls? He wanted to regret his decision... he wanted so badly to regret it. But deep down inside, he knew he didn't. He didn't regret a single moment of what he had lived last night.
After a walk in the rain, he returned inside to see the rest of the spell. Andromeda drank the potion once more and then the girls gathered everything and left. He stayed for a bit longer so they wouldn't notice him and that's when he fell asleep. He had slept all night in the cold and rain. Now he was ill and he had lost the game.
"And then" Narcissa said "you just fell on the ground. You just collapsed there. I was so worried. You didn't return last night. I knew something was happening. My heart was telling me." And she kissed his hands. He could feel she was shaking.
"I'm... I'm sorry I've been ignoring you all week, Narcissa." he said, looking her in the eyes. She smiled weakly.
"It's alright." she whispered "I know you always come back to me in the end."
Lucius woke up with a thumping sound above him. He felt his whole body aching and shivering in cold. His robes were mostly wet from the rain that kept falling from sky.
Thump!
He opened his eyes suddenly. What was happening? He was still under the stands of the Quidditch pitch. It was morning already as he could see light coming in and-
Thump!
It must be late too! Those thumps were students starting to come into the pitch to watch the game. His game!
He got up quickly and left the stands. He could see very few students in the pitch, and only two of them noticed when he came out of his hideout. He ran for the locker rooms. He could feel his left arm was numb. He had probably slept over it.
When he reached the locker rooms, most of his team was already there.
"Where the **** have you been, Lucius?" almost roared Rodolphus. "I've been awake all night, searching for you!"
"I'm sorry" he said, trying to catch his breath. "I-"
"You better be sorry! Narcissa has been impossible! Bellatrix made the mistake of telling her you haven't been in yet and she's like a maniac looking for you!"
"Yeah, well, I-"
"How could you leave your whole team in a big game's eve? That was completely irresponsible of you!"
"Yes, well-"
"Just get dressed before I show you my knuckles really close!"
"Shut up, Rod!" Lucius yelled suddenly "I had a terrible night!"
"If you hadn't sneaked away you wouldn't have had a terrible night!"
"Hei hei!" came MacNair's voice "gentleman, calm down! The game is about to start in a few minutes. Can we argue after the game is over?"
"We trained all week" said Lucius "We have the best team there is. Now stop nagging me, Rod!"
And he dressed his Quidditch robes to join the others outside. ***
The rain was still falling. Lucius was feeling sick. He hadn't eaten almost anything at dinner and the lack of breakfast now was starting to have its effects. He could feel his sugar level going down.
Rod was still fuming whenever he looked at Lucius. But he didn't seem to care. As they walked to the pitch, to the enthusiastic applauses of the crowd of students, Lucius couldn't help but look at the place he had been that night.
And the images of Alexis touching Andromeda's body kept bumping into his mind. They all kicked off ground. Bellatrix was looking at him sideways. Rod didn't even bother to look at him anymore. The other members of the team seem to eye him with concern. The whistle sounded and the Quaffle was released. He could hear the crowd cheer, he could see that Rod had caught the Quaffle and he tried to follow. But the rain and a sudden dizziness took hold of him and when he reached Rod and he passed him the Quaffle, Lucius was unable to catch it.
Alexis hands softly touching Andromeda's skin, gently-
"Lucius! What are you doing?" yelled Rod.
Lucius opened his eyes again. He was flying almost against one of the goal posts. He was feeling his muscles aching, screaming for him to land. It took him all his remaining strength to be able to hold to his broom and turn around to where the rest of the game was happening.
He heard a whistle. Rod had called time off. He met him and the rest of the team on the ground.
He couldn't make sense of Rod's yelling and pointing. He heard something about score but his head was now pumping in a terrible headache.
They all kicked off ground again and from that moment on everyone started ignoring Lucius and tried to play at their best. He couldn't remember afterwards how long it took for everything to finish, but it took too long, in his opinion. The whistle sounded again. Someone had caught the Golden Snitch.
Lucius was so relieved that he could finally get some rest that he landed and immediately headed for the castle. But he never reached it on his own.
***
Alexis was softly spreading a blue substance in Andromeda's naked skin. He could see her shiver under the touch of her friend. Alexis suddenly stopped. She started looking around and spotted Lucius. He tried to hide, but she smiled and walked to him. She gave him her hand.
"Come, Lucius." she said.
He walked with her until they reached the cauldron with the blue potion. She touched the liquid's surface with a finger, and touched Lucius bare skin, drawing a lighting bolt in his chest. Then she kissed his neck, longly. Lucius could feel all his body shivering. She broke apart and this time plunged her whole hand in the potion. She touched his neck, his chest, leaving a bluish warm trace, and didn't stop until she reached his belly. She kneeled and-
"Alexis" he moaned. He could feel a hand in his. He squeezed it. "Alexis."
"I'm here" said a female voice "I'm here, Lucius."
He opened his eyes suddenly. That wasn't Alexis' voice. That was-
He looked up and saw Narcissa. She was smiling, though (it seemed) bitterly. Had she heard him?
"I'm here, Lucius." and she squeezed his hand too.
Lucius tried to get up. He was still feeling dizzy and his head was throbbing. He looked around. He was in the Hospital Wing. He looked questioningly to Narcissa. She passed her hand by his temple.
"You're still so hot." she said "You have a fever. Mr. Ming says it's just a common cold and that you'll be up in one piece by tomorrow morning. He has this new potion from St. Mungos he says it's very efficient."
"What... What happened?"
"You were acting very strange during the whole game. No one knew what was wrong with you. Then the game was over and you walked away. Everyone thought that it was because we lost-"
"We lost?!"
"Yes," she said quietly. "I thought you knew..."
"No, I was... I don't know what came into me."
"The Hufflepuffs caught the Snitch. But they were winning anyway."
Lucius was devastated. This was all his fault. Why had he been so ambitious? Why had he spied on the girls? He wanted to regret his decision... he wanted so badly to regret it. But deep down inside, he knew he didn't. He didn't regret a single moment of what he had lived last night.
After a walk in the rain, he returned inside to see the rest of the spell. Andromeda drank the potion once more and then the girls gathered everything and left. He stayed for a bit longer so they wouldn't notice him and that's when he fell asleep. He had slept all night in the cold and rain. Now he was ill and he had lost the game.
"And then" Narcissa said "you just fell on the ground. You just collapsed there. I was so worried. You didn't return last night. I knew something was happening. My heart was telling me." And she kissed his hands. He could feel she was shaking.
"I'm... I'm sorry I've been ignoring you all week, Narcissa." he said, looking her in the eyes. She smiled weakly.
"It's alright." she whispered "I know you always come back to me in the end."