Disclaimer/Author Note/Rating: Please see Chapter 1 for full disclaimers, legal info, etc.
Go raibh maith agaibh:
Thanks to everyone for all the reviews on the last chapter!
Silverthreads… yes,tangents are good.
Elaine/Evenstar… As I said before, no, no, Serena and Bill didn't date. That was just some speculation on my part.
Wyall Jared… thanks for your very kind review. I hope you have the chance to read more!
Leonora & Mercury Gray… Here is your Quidditch, and yes, there will be some more history on Malificus, and more about the medallion coming too. I promise!
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Chapter 9: Game On
The air was still crisp. The preliminary matches were complete. All that remained was the final; one last contest today to determine the best. Serena slowly put on her lightly padded under coat, adjusting the edges until the fit was snug but not binding. She buckled on her shin guards and her elbow guards. Each time she flexed the limb, checking for any pinching or tightness. Against Slytherin, there could be no distractions.
Her gold and crimson red team robe went on next. She liked the familiar weight and the way the cloth draped over her shoulders. There was a certain comfort to it. Lastly, she pulled on her gloves, one at a time, checking the bindings and flexing her fingers. She picked up her broom and now, armed and armored as she was, Serena looked in the mirror.
Her hair, normally loose and parted on the side, was pulled back tightly from her head and bound into a thick ponytail to keep it out of her face. It made her face look harsher, but this wasn't a beauty contest. It wasn't even a game, she realized. It was going to be a war.
While Serena met the rest of the Gryffindor team, the stands were filling rapidly. Most of the Weasley clan were together along with Harry and Hermione. With a laugh, Harry pointed into the crowd.
"Look at Wood and his Dad!" he cried.
You couldn't miss Angus Wood and his son. Both had elected to paint their faces in House colors. Half of Oliver's face was yellow and half was red. Angus was more elaborate. He'd painted his forehead and nose red, but the rest of his face yellow, except for a round dot on his chin. He saw the Weasleys and smiled, suddenly dipping down.
"Oh my word!" said Ginny. "He's painted his bald spot!"
And, indeed, he had.
"Are you boys ready for the game?" asked Angus as the reached the group.
"Wood! You've outdone yourself," said Fred.
"Tremendous!" George was still howling.
Mrs. Weasley took one look at Oliver Wood and his father and immediately turned to the long-suffering Mrs. Wood. "Perhaps," she asked, "you'd care to join us in the stands?"
"Och, that's so kind of you, Molly. I'd be delighted." She smiled at the two painted faces looking at her. "You boys have a good time. Dinna get into to much trouble."
As the Weasleys and the Woods headed to their seats, Dumbledore and Snape arrived at the entrance gate at the same time.
"Severus! I think this will be a tremendous game. Surely, you must be having a difficult time deciding who to root for."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Well." Dumbledore smiled that quaint smile he had when he had a secret and didn't care who knew that he did. "Of course, your loyalty to Slytherin is commendable, but are you really not going to root for Serena at all?"
"Serena? She's magnificent… Ah, a magnificent player certainly, but she is on the Gryffindor team." Severus was a slightly flustered, but he mastered himself quickly. Dumbledore watched him for a few minutes more.
"Enjoy the game, Severus. Remember, faint heart never won…"
"Really, Headmaster. I'm a bit beyond nursery rhymes and poems…"
"Perhaps, perhaps not." And then Dumbledore vanished into the crowd, leaving Snape puzzling over exactly what the old wizard was hinting at.
Malificus and the rest of the Slytherin team were finishing putting their gear on as well. Malificus was standing near the tunnel, looking out towards the Quidditch field. Hecate Underwood, one of the other Chasers, watched him. He had a distinguished profile and a certain air about him that made her smile. He reminded her of a wolf, a wolf who had scented his prey.
"Rumor has it you shagged her back in school," she said artlessly.
"Shagged her?" Malfoy had never much cared for Hecate the few times he'd met her, but she was a good Quidditch player, he had to admit that.
"The tart from Gryffindor."
"No, Hecate, I did not shag her." He gave her a sly smile. "She was too skinny then. Now?" He shrugged. "She's not so skinny anymore."
Hecate made a face. "She doesn't even know who her father is," she sneered. "For all you know, Malificus, she could be a Mudblood!"
"And maybe not." As he turned away he moved his lips close to Hecate's ear. "But the risk will make it so much more enjoyable."
"We're being called," said Damien Parker. "Game's on."
Out on the field, Brooke Duff, the honorary announcer for the game cast a quick spell and cleared his throat. The amplified sound of his "ahem" rolled over the field, bringing the crowd's roar down to a thrum.
"Welcome! Welcome! Welcome to the final match of the Hogwart's All-Star Alumni Quidditch match! Our final championship game today is between Gryffindor House…" He paused and let the Gryffindor fans scream and shout their support. "… And Slytherin House." He extended the same courtesy to the Slytherin fans.
"I'm delighted to be calling the game. First, I'd like to introduce Madam Hooch, today's referee!"
Madam Hooch, with her flying goggles strapped on tight, took a turn around the field, waving.
"And now, without further ado, may I present the Slytherin team: Bruce Bullthroat, James Goyle, Hecate Underwood, Gerald Gordon, Malificus Malfoy, and Damien Parker." The green and black-clad team raced onto the field and flew wildly around for a moment basking in the cheers and applause.
"And from Gryffindor: Dante Gianni, Rufus Woolsey, Bill Weasley, Artemis Delaney, Lolita LeBeau, Serena Castleton-Black, and Alexander Simon!" Flashes of crimson and gold raced out of the Gryffindor tunnel and sped around the field. Serena slowed as she passed the Gryffindor stands and pumped her arms in the air, clearly looking for louder cheers. She was not disappointed.
Wood and his father began to chant "SCB! SCB! SCB!"
"SCB?" said Ron.
George cuffed him in the back of the head. "Serena Castleton-Black, you idiot."
"Even I knew that," said Hermione.
"Shove off," snapped Ron.
"And he calls himself a Quidditch fan," said Fred with an exaggerated sigh.
Madam Hooch blew her whistle sharply and the players all moved to their spaces. Artemis and Hecate paired up and lunged skyward as Madam Hooch hurled the Quaffle into the air. Artemis came down with it and started towards the Slytherin goal, but her pass was intercepted by Gerald Gordon. Serena raced to cut him off, but had to veer off in order to dodge a Bludger hurled by Goyle. Gerald had amazing aim and the Quaffle flew straight towards the Gryffindor goal, but with a terrific tight loop move, Bill Weasley knocked it away.
The crowd roared.
Lolita tucked the Quaffle under her arm and hurtled down the field as fast as she could. Malificus raced ahead of her and swung around. He charged her head-on and punched the Quaffle out of her grip, but out of nowhere, Serena appeared next to him and flung her weight sideways and checked Malificus. She knocked the ball loose and he cursed as he almost went careening into one of the pavilions. The crowd was going wild but the players could barely hear them. They were so focused on their came, nothing else mattered.
Two hours later, Gryffindor had four goals and Slytherin had three, and neither Seeker had found the Golden Snitch yet. Few could remember such a fast paced and hard-fought game, even when the teams were younger. Already there had been at least seven near misses with the Bludger, and nearly every player had taken a blow of some sort or another. The enthusiasm of the crowds had not diminished in the slightest.
There was a rush and a swirl of cloaks and brooms as the Quaffle came loose from Gerald Gordon's hand. There was brief scuffle amongst several players and suddenly, Serena broke free and rocketed towards the goal. She passed the Quaffle to Lolita LeBeau and watched her teammate barrel down to the goal hoop, passing smoothly to Artemis Delaney. Malificus glared balefully at Serena's back.
"Shield me," shouted Malificus as he grabbed the bat from James Goyle.
The two Beaters criss-crossed, forcing the other Chasers wide and into Madam Hooch's path. Malificus rushed in and swung, smashing the bat into the nose of Serena's broom and then brought it back up, hard. The very end of the bat caught Serena on the cheek, splitting her lip. The shock and vibration made the broom buck and dive. The crowd gasped and pointed and it was hard to tell which was louder – the cheering from Slytherin House or the boos from Gryffindor.
"That's illegal!" shouted Wood at the top of his voice. "You're not allowed to strike a broom... He assaulted her!"
"Bloody wanker!" cursed Angus. "She'll be killed!"
"Foul! Foul!" The Weasley twins were howling at the top of their lungs. But Madam Hooch's line of vision had been blocked by Goyle and Bullthroat, and she never saw what happened, so no penalty was called. By the time she could see, Malificus had given the bat back to Goyle.
Unbalanced by the blow, Serena's broom bucked and lurched. She used all the strength she had to try pulling the nose up and out of the dive. Throwing her weight to one side she tried to counterbalance the spin and managed to slam herself into one of the pavilion stands. She grimaced from the pain but was rewarded as the broom became slightly more controllable although she was still heading down at a disconcerting amount of speed.
"I can't watch!" wailed Hermione from the stands. She buried her head in Ron's shoulder and for a minute he didn't know whether to stare at the game or stare at Hermione.
In the Slytherin stands, Severus leaped to his feet as Serena plummeted towards the ground. His throat constricted and his hand unconsciously clutched for his wand.
"Tremendous!" shouted Lucius with a wave of his cane.
"What are you looking at, Severus?" asked Narcissa. He can't possibly be worried about that Gryffindor Chaser, can he?
At the bottom of the field, Serena managed to slow the broom enough as she reached the ground to roll off in an emergency dismount. She rolled several times along the ground, hearing the roar of the crowd above her. Every part of her hurt, but she could tell no bones were broken. Scrambling to her feet, she reached out for her broom.
"UP!" she shouted and the broom surged into her hand. She swung her leg over and kicked off from the ground. Her shoulder throbbed and her lip was bleeding freely, and you could see the dark patch of a bruise already starting to form under her eye and across her cheek.
Furious, Serena went streaking back into the sky.
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I hope the first part of the long-awaited Quidditch match has been worth it. I'm traveling on business to Nova Scotia starting tomorrow, so I won't be posting, reading/reviewing until this weekend. Please let me know what you think of this chapter!