::Midnight Lily::
PG
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter – it belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Chapter Five
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
A week past distractedly. The teachers seemed to be pressuring their students to work harder and study more then they've ever had before. Lily seemed to be suffering more then any of her friends under the weight she was carrying. She had received her results for the Comparable Species Exam from Professor McGonagall three days after the exam. This had seemed to have had a strange influence on her to work harder. Even though she had received full marks.
She wasn't the only one who was doubling her study efforts either. James could also be seen, with the other players of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, practicing endlessly into the night. Their first match against Hufflepuff had been a failure and now they were about to verse Ravenclaw. There were rumours that they had a new seeker, Felicity Davies, who had the new Comet two-sixty.
With all the activities going on in the Gryffindor common room, the end of that week came to a strange high note, even Lily had set her books aside to relax. That Saturday afternoon, everyone had either decided to spend their time outside, beside the lake, or in the common room, joking around. Lily joined in a game of Exploding Snaps with her friends in the common room. Their seventh game finished with a big bang, which surprised many of the first years who were watching.
"Do you want to go for another round?" Charlie asked eagerly. "Loser buys all of us butterbeers in the next Hogsmeade weekend!"
Katie gave a sigh. "I'll pass," she said, standing up. "I think I'll go and have a rest."
"I'll come with you," said Lily quickly. She didn't want to take chances with Charlie's winning streak this afternoon.
So the both of them made their way back up to the dormitory.
Katie sat on her bed and pulled her shoes off, not bothering to untie the laces. Lily sat down on her dressing table. "Lily, are you going back home for Christmas?" Katie asked inquisitively.
"I'm not so sure," Lily said. "I'll have to ask my parents." Then she thought of the deal she had made with James. "Then again, maybe I'll just stay here." She picked up her brush and began combing her hair.
"Ya, me too," Katie agreed. "My parents are never home for Christmas anyway, always out on emergencies."
"Your dad's an Unspeakable, right?" Lily asked.
"Yep," Katie said dolefully. "I don't know why he's so hooked up in the Department of Mysteries, the place gives me the creeps every time I go down there." She walked up to Lily and looked at herself in the mirror. "Remember I told you about the accident he had last year? When he was sent back twenty years in time? I thought I'd never see him again."
Lily looked up to see Katie frown. Lily knew how much Katie hated that her father worked as an Unspeakable. But Katie still loved her dad and Lily knew she would be worried if anything ever happened to him. Lily had remembered last year when Katie's father had gone missing. It was a nightmare trying to comfort Katie.
"You know, I wouldn't be surprised if my dad went missing again," Katie continued furiously. "My mum always said that his job would end his life. Why did he have to be an Unspeakable in the first place?"
"He's handling everything well so far," Lily remarked.
Katie didn't say anything.
"Tell you what," Lily suggested. "The next Hogsmeade weekend is before Christmas – why don't we go do our Christmas shopping there?"
There was short silence while Katie thought it over. Then – "Does Sabina have to follow?"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Hogsmeade weekend, however, wasn't till another two more weeks. On the other hand the Quidditch match with Ravenclaw versus Gryffindor was only a week away and tensions were rising. Apparently, according to Wade Freeman, Amber's boyfriend and the Quidditch Captain, Felicity Davies was better then they'd have thought.
Another desperate situation for the Gryffindor team was that their beater, Toby Stuart, was currently injured after running into the Whomping Willow Tree. It had been a shallow bet produced by the chaser of the Slytherin team. Obviously they didn't want Gryffindor to win the cup this year. Wade seemed to be constantly in the verge of a breakdown and Amber could often be found comforting her boyfriend in the common room by the fireplace every night.
One night, Wade returned from visiting Toby in the hospital wing.
"Wade," Amber said soothingly as she kneeled beside him. "Don't be so hard on yourself, Toby will be alright, he's had injuries worst then this."
"We need to have him practicing for our next match," Wade said flatly. "Not up in the Hospital Wing acting sick."
Unfortunately at that moment, Charlie was walking past and heard what Wade had said. "Toby isn't 'acting sick!'" Charlie said heatedly. "He really is in pain, how would you feel if you had your bones broken in four different places!" Toby Stuart was Charlie's younger brother by three years.
"Charlie, please," Amber said softly.
Charlie let out a grunt of disapproval towards Wade then stormed up the stairs into the girl's dormitory.
"She's right," Wade said with a sigh. "And if we lose this match against Ravenclaw, we'd be out for the running of the Quidditch cup for sure. Maybe I should find somebody else to play beater – the match is in five days and I doubt he'd recover that fast. He still has broken ribs, for goodness sake."
Wade looked around the common room and caught sight of Katie talking with Lily. He stood up. "Hey, Katie! Want to play beater for the upcoming match?" It was a known fact that Katie had been a chaser in her third and fourth year before giving it up.
Katie looked at Wade and gave him a grin. "Nice try," she said. "But I'm not playing." She turned back to Lily and continued talking.
"Fiona!" Wade called out through the crowd. A fourth year girl turned around to look at Wade coyly. "How about playing beater against your brother?"
"No thanks, Freeman," she said repentantly, shaking her short mousse brown hair side to side. "I'm not up to playing against Lee, he's two years older then me and way stronger." The girls beside her giggled.
Wade sunk down low into his armchair. "It's hopeless," he said. "We're goners."
Amber bit her lip. "Why don't I play?" she offered.
Wade hid a smirk. "You? Play?" he asked defiantly. "I'm sorry, Amber, but I can't see you on the Gryffindor Quidditch team."
"I know a couple of moves!" Amber said in indignation.
Wade looked at her. "I don't know," he said slowly. "It's nice of you to offer but I was really hoping to find someone – good."
Amber looked at him huffily.
"Oh, fine," Wade said in resignation. "But only if Toby isn't well."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The morning before the Quidditch match was cold and dank. It had obviously rained during the night and a slight fog was cast across the lake. Unfortunately, Toby was still up in the hospital wing with a broken rib, which meant that Amber was to play in his place as beater. She woke up early to change into Katie's Gryffindor Quidditch Robes. She seemed to shake slightly as she took out her broomstick from underneath her bed. Once she was sure that she was completely ready, they made their way down to the Great Hall.
Amber refused to eat anything her friends offered her. Wade didn't come until later, at which he almost collapsed when he saw Amber in the Quidditch robes. Soon enough the whole of the Gryffindor Quidditch team arrived. They ate in silence. Jamie Stuart, the other beater and Charlie and Toby's brother, kept making spiteful glances at Amber and her attire.
"They hate me," Amber whispered. "They completely hate me!"
"They don't," Lily protested. "It's just – the outfit's something they have to get used to."
"It – it looks alright," Wade said unconvincingly.
Amber stared at her boyfriend as if he was mad, but she didn't say anything.
Soon enough it was time. The Gryffindor Quidditch team stood up and began to leave the Great Hall, along with the Ravenclaw team. The Slytherins all hissed and booed at the Gryffindors, shouting out shrewd comments.
"That's no beater!" shouted a dark-haired, fifth-year Slytherin boy. "Hey! Where's Toby Stuart? Still up in the hospital wing, acting sick?!"
"TOBY ISN'T 'ACTING SICK!!!'" Charlie roared across the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall came towards her and took away five points from Gryffindor. Lily gave Charlie a dismayed look. She hated the fact that her friends could lose so many points without even trying. "Let's just go to the Quidditch pitch and get good seats," Charlie said, giving the Slytherin fifth-year a disgusted glance. "Amber needs the support."
Lily couldn't agree more. They finished their breakfast quickly then stood up and made their way to the Quidditch pitch. Sun was pouring from a clearing beneath the clouds but the grass was still soggy and drenched.
As Lily made her way across the grounds, she caught sight of Ailsa Umbridge, chatting freely with the beater of the Hufflepuff team, Anders Bonds. He laughed at a joke Ailsa made and stroked his dark hair lightly. Lily wondered why Ailsa was talking to Anders. It was obvious that Ailsa wasn't interested in Quidditch. But then again they could just be talking about the homework a teacher had set for them.
"What are you looking at, Lily?" Charlie asked nosily. "Is it Bonds? He's really cute isn't he? Want me to set the two of you up?"
"No," Lily said quickly, maybe too quickly.
"All right then," said Charlie. "Probably the right thing too, just look at Ailsa, what a total flirt."
"I heard Ailsa's into Anders," Katie said softly so that Ailsa and Anders couldn't hear. "Rumoured that she'll ask him to go with her for the Graduation Ball."
"She is?" Lily staggered. "But how about James?"
"When have you ever cared about James?" Katie asked darkly. "He doesn't deserve Ailsa."
"Ya," Lily said. "Let's just go and find some seats, all right?" There were already a lot of people making their way towards the Quidditch pitch. As they made their way through the rises, they saw a group of Slytherins bantering on about how the Gryffindors were going to lose, they all held flags in heir hands which flashed slogans like 'Correy can't handle a bat' and 'Potter's lost his cogs.'
"Hey Stuart!" shouted a sixth-year boy with blonde hair. "Toby still up in the hospital wing isn't he? Laying it a bit thick, don't you think?" The Slytherins beside him laughed and waved their flags which suddenly read 'Toby's laying it thick.'
Lily and Katie had to hold Charlie back as a stream of colourful language escaped her mouth. "Want me to give you a broken rib, Bodds?" Charlie scorned. "Weren't too brave last year when a bludger flew into your stomach! Couldn't eat at the Halloween feast, could you?!"
"Save it," Lily whispered into Charlie's ears. They made their way up the rises and took a seat beside Sirius and Sabina.
"What was that all about, Charlie?" Sabina asked questioningly, nudging her head towards the crowd of Slytherins below them.
"Nothing," Charlie growled. "I just hate the lot of them, parading around with snooty noses up in the air."
Sirius grinned. "You'd think they'd all be a lot more reserved," he said. "What with Voldemort being from their house and all."
"Don't say his name, Sirius!" Sabina hissed. "You honestly want him around, cursing you to death?!"
"Ah, but he won't be around here, will he?" Sirius said, his eye twinkling. "Safest place in the world, Hogwarts, with Dumbledore here."
Sabina eyed him but said nothing more.
"Oh! Look! It's about to start!" Lily exclaimed, as a group of scarlet and blue began to march themselves to the centre of the pitch. "Amber doesn't look so good, does she?" She didn't. As the Gryffindor Quidditch Team made their way towards the referee, Madame Hooch, Amber seemed be swaying slightly out of nerves. Her face had gone pale. On the other hand, Felicity Davies, the Ravenclaw seeker, didn't look so good either.
"Shake hands," Madame Hooch said. Wade and Brett grabbed each others hand and shook politely. Brett gave Wade a forthcoming smile but Wade didn't seem to notice. "Mount you brooms." Then, came a loud blow of a silver whistle and fifteen brooms rose up into the air.
"The Quaffle is instantly caught by William King of Gryffindor," commentated Harvey Brawket, a fourth-year Hufflepuff. "He passes to Emma Dahl, who does an arched pass to Martha Tilford, she passes – no, a Bludger hit by Nick Anderson, and she drops it – David Reid now in possession of the Quaffle, throws it to Captain Dolce, who does a quick pass back to Reid."
Lily kept a close eye on Amber, who seemed to be trying to dodge Bludgers rather then hit them. Her bat seemed to lay forgotten in her hand.
"Henry Fisher passes to Reid," Harvey continued. "King tries to steal the Quaffle – no, misses, Reid passes to Dolce who sc – no, stopped by Captain and Keeper Wade Freeman – Dahl now in possession, passes to Tilford who tosses it back to Dahl – ducks a bludger sent by Anderson, she throws and – GRYFFINDOR SCORES!!" Lily cheered along with Katie and Charlie. Sabina jumped up and down on her seat with excitement.
"Hey, Correy," came a low voice from behind her.
Amber turned around to look at Jamie.
"Just keep your eye on the game will you?" he scowled. "If you're playing in Toby's place, at least do the job properly." He dived his broom down low and hit a bludger at David Reid who was currently in possession. He dropped the Quaffle and it was instantly caught by King.
Amber looked around and caught her eye on Felicity Davies who was streaking across the pitch in desperate pursuit for the Golden Snitch. James was hovering a few feet away, paying attention to the match and not watching what Felicity was up to. "JAMES!!!" Amber shouted out to him and pointed at Davies who was inches away from catching the Snitch.
James looked at Davies in surprise and pelted after her. But it was no use – she had too much of an advantage.
Without thinking, Amber swung her bat and hit a Bludger towards Davies. It hit the tip of her Comet two-sixty and Davies swung off course. In those few crucial moments the Snitch had disappeared.
James flew his broomstick beside Amber and gave her a smile. "Thanks."
"Captain Dolce of Ravenclaw seems to be halfway to hysterics," Harvey commentated with a grin. "A nice hit by Correy, the Snitch has disappeared again – just hope Potter pays more attention next time – Tilford in possession, no, Dolce has stolen the Quaffle, passes to Fisher, who makes a quick throw to Reid, back to Fisher – and RAVENCLAW SCORES!!"
James's smile fell. Wade Freeman, who was beaming up at Amber, looked down to see Henry Fisher give him a quick smile. They were now equal. Gryffindor had scored once and so had Ravenclaw.
"King now in possession of the Quaffle," Harvey continued. "He passes to Tilford, who makes a quick toss to Dahl, she passes Dolce, Reid – Fisher steals the Quaffle, passes to Dolce, throws it back to Fisher, King tries to steal the Quaffle – but he misses – RAVENCLAW SCORES TWENTY TO TEN!!"
"James, hurry up and catch that Snitch," Wade said irritably.
"He's just upset," James explained to Amber. "He hates it when he misses." James flew off and began searching for the Snitch. On the other side of the Quidditch pitch, Felicity Davies was doing the same thing. During the game, Ravenclaw scored once more and the sixth-year boy with blonde hair, Bodds, turned around to wave his flag at Charlie.
"Gryffindor in possession, King passes to Tilford – throws to Dahl, passes back to Tilford – ouch! A Bludger hit by Lee Hazell hits Tilford on her shoulder and she drops the Quaffle – Dolce catches it and throws to Reid, who passes back to Dolce, who tosses it to Fisher – Quaffle stolen by Dahl, tosses it to King – LOOK AT POTTER GO!!!"
Everyone's heads was turned to James, who was shooting across the pitch, a golden fleck a few inches ahead of him. Soon enough, Davies was hot on his trail, her Comet two-sixty almost overcoming James's broom. They were just a blue, scarlet and gold blur, flying across the pitch at high speed. They cut into a sharp dive – twenty feet in the air – streaming down in a blur of colours. The whole crowd were on their feet cheering the two Seekers on.
A few inches from the ground, the Snitch swerved off course and was hurtling towards the Ravenclaw goalposts. James was the first to pull out of the dive – Davies, not being fast enough, came crashing into the sodden soil, mud flying on her robes and into the sky. James however, was still racing towards the Snitch, he stretched out his hand in desperate chase.
James came to a halt beside the Ravenclaw goalposts, his arm raised in triumph, the Snitch clasped in his hand.
The stands erupted. Lily, Katie and Charlie hugged each other, jumping up and down. Sabina gave Sirius a big hug and, to Katie's disgust, Sirius gave her a warm kiss on the lips back. Remus and Peter shouted their voices hoarse cheering, "James caught the Snitch! James caught the Snitch!" Down on the pitch, the Gryffindor Quidditch Team gathered in an enormous hug. Wade was beside himself in elation.
"ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY TO THIRTY!!!!" he roared to his team.
Felicity Davies gave James a smile and shook his hand supportively. "Should have pulled out of that dive earlier," she kept saying, her light brown hair flying everywhere. "But well done, Potter, you did really well!!"
"So you're going to the Finals," Amber said to Wade as they made their way back to the Gryffindor locker room.
"No," Wade said. "WE are going to the Finals – you're going to be with us, Toby's a fifth year, he'll have loads of time to play Quidditch – but this is our last time."
"And hey," James remarked from behind them. "Maybe this time we'll win the Quidditch Cup."
"That would be nice," Wade said contemplatively.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
A/N: There, a longer chapter, ten pages long. I'm sorry that I'm not so good at Quidditch scenes. There's going to be another one coming up with Gryffindor versus Slytherin. If you have any suggestions on how I can make it better, then tell me, please. Please R/R!!
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::