Reid stepped onto the Quidditch pitch, adrenaline rushing through her veins. She glanced at her teammates circling above her before kicking off on her broomstick. Reid catapulted into the sky, her robes and brown hair billowing around her.
She grinned at Black, a beater from the opposing team. He was the only Gryffindor she could tolerate, frankly, and she didn't see that changing any time soon.
"Always waiting for you, Avers! Get your bloody act together will you?" scolded the captain as he whizzed past behind her. Madame Van Camp blew her whistle to signal the start of the match, and Reid forgot about everything except her sport. Other players got caught up in House rivalries and personal vendettas, which drove Reid crazy. She was a Quidditch purist.
Reid was a seeker, and spent much of any given game scanning the clouds for a glint of gold, while keeping a safe distance from stray bludgers. Suddenly, a tiny blur whizzed past her and she sprang to life. Focusing intently on the snitch barely out of grasp, she barreled down the pitch. She was paying so much attention to her target that she didn't see the bludger that Black had sent her way. It caught her on the shoulder, and sent her broom spiraling out of control.
The bludger tore the sleeve of her robe clear off, but Reid struggled to get back on the trail of the snitch. She didn't glance down, and flinched at the searing pain in her left arm, which still gripped her broom tightly. The snitch wasn't two feet in front of her, and without a second thought, she leapt after it, fully leaving her broom.
She caught the snitch, and then realized the mistake she had made. Reid plummeted to the lawn below, clutching at air with her free hand and finding nothing to break her fall.
From across the pitch, Lucius had watched her dive for the snitch. Black was the first to notice from Gryffindor; Potter was, of course, nowhere to be found. Lucius stared between Black and Avers, still unsure if she saw the bludger headed her way. When it became obvious that she hadn't, Lucius hurtled toward her, way too late.
The bludger caught her arm, and immediately blood was clearly visible on her now bare skin. He hesitated only a second, when he saw her resume the chase of the golden snitch, but then pursued her just as adamantly as before. He watched her, slack jawed, as she dove off her broomstick after the snitch, and raced toward her even faster.
Lucius flew to where Reid was about to hit the ground, hard, and caught her in his arms. He landed quickly and set her on the ground.
Reid glanced up at Lucius amusedly. He was panting, trying very hard to return to his calm, cool, collected self. She held up the snitch and winked at him. "Nice catch, Malfoy. But, I'm still taking all the credit for getting the snitch!"
Madame Van Camp ran onto the field and signaled for the end of the match. Groans from the Gryffindor section at another Slytherin victory could be heard, along with roars of approval from Reid's Housemates.
Madame Van Camp collected the snitch from Reid, who was still sitting on the ground. "I urge you to try much less dangerous maneuvers next time, Ms. Avers. Your stunts are going to get you hurt!" she chided.
Meanwhile, Lucius had stalked angrily over to Sirius Black, who had just landed, chatting with James Potter. His long blond mane nearly glowed with the intensity that he exuded. "Black, what do you think you're playing at? You nearly killed her!" he fumed. Sirius took out his wand, sick of being around Lucius, ready to fight.
"It's part of the game, Lucius" Reid drawled, placing a hand on Malfoy's shoulder. "I'm fine, anyway. Good game, Potter." She nodded. "See you around, Sirius." Reid turned around and walked away, back to the locker rooms with the other girls. Lucius' glare had softened slightly with Reid's touch, but resumed its strength as soon as the 6th year Avers had left.
"Watch yourself, Black." Lucius muttered through his teeth, and made his way past the Gryffindors to where his broom lay on the ground. Sirius rolled his eyes at James and shrugged. "What's the deal with her, then?" James asked pointing over his shoulder to where Avers had disappeared into the girls' locker room.
"Lucius' girlfriend? She's a family friend, of sorts." James raised his eyebrows, knowing full well the kind of company the Black family kept. "No, Prongs. She's not like them."
"Whatever. She's still a Slytherin." James replied.
Reid sat in the Slytherin common room, absentmindedly writing a scroll for Transfiguration. She didn't look up when the portrait door opened, but was immediately made aware of who had entered. He approached her from behind and placed his hands on her shoulders. He traced the freshly healed wound on her left arm. "How are you?" he whispered in her ear.
"Lucius, I'm fine!" Reid replied, turning around to look him in the eyes. To her shock and dismay, it wasn't Lucius at all, but Severus Snape. Severus was Lucius' biggest fan, which made Reid the unwanted recipient of much of Snape's attention.
"You know, He wants you to join. He asks about you at the meetings." Reid knew exactly what Snape was talking about, but there was no polite way to say that she would never become a Death Eater. She returned to her scroll, and tried to get back to work, pushing the troubling thoughts from her head. Just then, a group of 5th year girls traipsed into the common room, filling the silence with chatter and gossip. Snape left Reid to her work and moved on to the dormitory.
Reid's reasons for not becoming a Death Eater were a lot less admirable than they should've been. She was a Pureblood, rare in the wizarding community nowadays, and her whole life she had been respected and esteemed for nothing except her lineage. It didn't matter to anyone how good she was at Quidditch, or how many Outstandings she had gotten on her O.W.L.S., because to them, she was even on the same level as Narcissa Black. Sirius' cousin Narcissa could barely hold her wand properly, let alone ace any Hogwarts classes.
Reid didn't like the idea of being on equal footing with people like Narcissa. Nothing could make her join Voldemort, if she wasn't going to be acknowledged for her exemplary prowess as a witch.
Sirius Black stared gloomily at his reflection in the window of the Gryffindor boy's dormitory.
"Aw, don't look so down. You'll get them next time, Padfoot!" Remus Lupin tried to cheer up his best friend.
"Wha-? Oh. No, it's not that. I got another letter from Reggie." Sirius showed the sheet of parchment to his friend with a sullen look on his face.
Regulus Black, Sirius' brother had certainly disowned him, like the rest of the Blacks. However, Regulus couldn't be as cruel as everyone else, and the brothers regularly corresponded. Regulus had to spend lots of time at home now that Mrs. Black was getting sick, and she didn't trust anyone else to run the household.
Regulus' letters were informative of life at home, and kept Sirius in the loop of the Death Eaters. The latest note was particularly disturbing to Sirius, having mentioned Reid Avers. Regulus wrote that Voldemort was getting extremely agitated that Reid hadn't joined, and was putting all of the other plans on hold until he had enlisted her. It was making the Death Eaters nervous that Voldemort wasn't as concerned about their well being anymore, and that they may be vulnerable to the Ministry officials.