Disclaimer: same as others. I don't own Harry Potter.
Danielle was exhausted. Her mind was tired, as was her body, and she felt that she could go to sleep for days. After a quick hug from Tonks, as much to calm Tonk's nerves as to do anything, Danielle decided to grab some toast and head back to bed. She'd have time to think later.
Climbing the stairs, she was vaguely aware of the fatigue slowly claiming her muscles. Nonuse for the duration of her mission had made them a tad weak and it would probably take her a few weeks to get them back to full strength again.
She quietly walked past the portrait of the matriarch of the Black clan, munching on her toast as she did so. It was weird for her, thinking back, to have been in the company of so many Order members. She had only ever really dealt with Dumbledore, and of course knew the others from the first Order, except Tonks, but only ever in passing. Dumbledore had always felt she was of best use undercover or far away. It was enough to give a weaker mind a complex.
Rounding the corner for the next set of stairs, she grabbed the banister and started to climb once more. She remembered the four anxious teens waiting for her upstairs and hoped she'd be able to sneak by them without them hearing her. It wasn't likely though.
The others were coming up the basement stairs now. She could hear Molly chastising Sirius to act better in front of the children, which made Danielle smile. She was on the eleventh step when it happened. Her legs buckled under her and her shins slammed into the twelfth step. The sheer pain caused her to jerk back and, before she knew what to think, she was tumbling down the stairs.
Danielle flopped less than gracefully on her backside with a dainty "oomph" to boot on the landing. Pain shot in both directions from different points of contact and she could feel her face flush with embarrassment.
There was nothing worse than hurting your pride in front of half a dozen other people.
And that was the last thing she remembered before passing out.
October 31, 1976
Danielle widened her eyes in the moonlight trying to watch the Quaffle dance around between her teammates on the other side of the field. She was keeping one eye on the action and one eye on Potter, trying his hand at seeker, and the seeker from her team high above her, trying to spot the Snitch first. She had thwarted Potter's attempts twice with a Bludger.
It was well past midnight and the professors had agreed to an impromptu "Halloween bash-pick-up Qudditch match" for a little holiday fun and to relieve the tension from the impending O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s.
The Quidditch captains from each house were granted the privilege of choosing any person from their house for the members of their teams, which made for some interesting experiences. Danielle, a natural Beater, had quickly been picked by her captain and co-Beater from the regular Ravenclaw Quidditch team to which she was paired against Potter's picks of Sirius Black and a fifth year that she had only seen in passing.
She turned her mind back to the game and saw with delight one of her teammates dodge a Bludger from the end of Sirius' bat and successfully toss the Quaffle through one of the hoops, scoring the first points of the game. She cheered along with her house quickly before launching a Bludger in Potter's direction, quickly prompting an uttered curse from the seeker's lips.
"Black! What are you? Asleep?" James yelled at the top of his lungs. Rushing to the other side of the field, James put as much distance between himself and Dani as he could.
Black gave the girl a flustered look to which she responded with a triumphant snicker. Unfortunately, her premature celebration made her vulnerable to the other Gryffindor Beater and he promptly blasted a Bludger in her direction hitting her squarely in the stomach.
With a very unladylike grunt, she fell over the back of her broom and barely wrapped her fingers around the handle before she could fall to the earth below. There was a scattering of gasps and laughs from the audience depending on team affiliation but it was only the jeers that Dani heard resounding in her ears.
Gathering her strength, she threw her leg up to the stick but unfortunately missed it and dangled again by her left hand. All thoughts of the game had vacated her mind and all she could think about was getting back on her broom.
"Need any help?" Sirius yelled from across the way. It didn't stop him from nailing one of her teammates with a Bludger squarely to the shoulder though.
"NO THANK Y--!" she screamed, her breath catching in her throat as the other Gryffindor beater pelted her again with an assaulting Bludger, which she caught in her chest and flew backwards away from her broom.
"Holloway! YOU GIT!" Sirius bellowed as he watched Dani fold in half and sail through one of the hoops. The watching audience didn't know whether to laugh or gasp but laughter won out and soon the entire stadium was roaring with laughter. Only Sirius seemed to be aware of the imminent danger that awaited Dani if she fell out of the boundaries of the Quidditch field.
Sure enough, he watched in horror as her body sailed over the last row of the audience and out of sight, as well as the protection, of everyone. No one could save her in the pitch now. Sirius, instinct taking over, flattened against his broom and rocketed to where Danielle had disappeared behind the crowd. Horror flooded his soul as he watched her freefall to the ground, the Bludger still fighting in her arms.
"Dani!" he barked, making his body as flat as possible. He was gaining on her and hopefully he would catch her before the ground did. What he wouldn't give for his wand! he thought, disheartened that he had left it in the changing room. The wind ripped tears from his eyes as he came closer and closer. Stretching his arm out as far as he could, wishing upon wish to grab some part of her robes or body in some way, he called her name again to which she responded by reaching her arm out. Briefly their fingertips touched but just for a second. Resolving his courage, he surged forward and grabbed her wrist, just before he pulled up to keep from slamming into the ground.
With far less polish, the two evened out and tumbled from the now much slower broom. Sirius wrapped his arms around Dani to protect her from more injury as they rolled along the ground for a few seconds. Finally, all movement stopped except for the Bludger, still squirming in her arms.
"Why didn't you let that go?" he asked, breathless and relieved.
She finally opened her arms and watched as the stupid ball flew back towards the Qudditch field. "Because," she began, taking deep, shuddery breaths, "if I had, it would have hit you."
Sirius chuckled and dropped his head back against the ground. Dani curled up next to his side, her head on his shoulder. "I guess thanks are in order?"
"I would hope so."
"Thank you, Sirius," she said, rolling away and climbing to her feet. She promptly tripped over a root and fell flat to the ground again. Turning over, she saw that Sirius had lifted his head to watch her.
"Well aren't you little Miss Gracie?"
She flushed and quipped, "If you're thinking that's cute, it's not."
"Oh," he said, dropping his head back to the earth, still breathing hard, "it's cute, and fitting, for you."
"Are you saying I'm cute?"
"But of course, love."
Reaching out, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her to his side again, wrapping his arms around her when she was safely tucked against him. "Why don't we just stay here for a bit? I think you're safer that way."
"Yes. I think that's true." Moments past; she lay trying to settle her breathing, staring out at the endless stars, listening to the echoes of the crowd above her. From the sounds of things, it seemed that one of the Seekers had finally caught the Snitch. At last she wondered aloud, "Who won?"
Sirius chuckled, brushing her hair from the side of her face and tucking it behind her ear. "Well, without you to keep sending Bludgers his way, I'm sure Prongs caught the Snitch."
Rolling onto her stomach she rested her chin on her hands on his chest and gave him a quizzical look. "I always hear you guys with those weird nicknames. What do they mean?"
Tucking his hands behind his head, he grinned at her sweet face with the best expression ever; a look of naivety yet very sexy. "Let's just say that there are certain people in my life that I share something so special with, that a nickname is the best way to constantly revel in that secret."
"An inside joke?"
"Yes," he began thinking about her comment, but more the way her mouth said it just so and how her eyes twinkled in the night. "Minus the joke part. I take my nicknames very seriously."
She giggled and shared a smile with him that made him weak in the knees.
"You're going to be bad for my reputation, you know?"
"What's that mean?"
"It means, I never thought I'd date a Ravenclaw."
She scoffed and slapped his stomach, "You're giving yourself an awful lot of credit Black. What makes you think that I'd date you?"
Chuckling, he turned his head to gaze out at the stars to his left, to where she had been staring. Pointing to one he said, "That one. There. That was the one you were staring at."
"So?"
"I think we both know which one that is," he offered, tucking his arm behind his head again.
Groaning softly, she dropped her face against his chest. "I've become one of those, haven't I?" she said, slightly muffled by his Quidditch robes.
"One of those?" he asked confused.
"Those girls that hang all over you."
He barked out a laugh and rubbed his shoulder. "Yes, it's safe to say you were hanging from me tonight. But I hardly think you're 'hanging all over me.' You've proven to be quite a challenge."
"And that means?"
"Well, I've known you for six years. Since that day you were sorted. I remember thinking, 'man o man. Wouldn't mind her being in Gryffindor.' But, sadly that ruddy thing placed you in Ravenclaw."
She lifted her gaze to his and huffed, "If I find out that that's one of your lame pick-up lines, it'll be your funeral Black."
"I guarantee that I'd never utter those words to another living soul, Gracie."
"Gracie?"
"My nickname for you. Maybe now you'll take me seriously. It's in honor of your little escapades tonight. And this. This is a memory I never want to forget. Our secret."
Her cheeks flushed immediately and she giggled nervously, not sure what to say. Her skin flamed even more when he tugged on a strand of her hair, offering a devilish half-grin. He was going to be bad for her. "I think we should get back. They're probably wondering where we are."
"Let them," he urged, not offering to budge at all.
She pushed against his chest and rocked back on her knees, "Siri--."
But just as quickly as she sat up, so had he, cupping his hand behind her neck and pulling her lips to his. It was an action he couldn't resist. Not with the way she pulled her mouth to one side in a grin, or how her eyebrows would arch just so right before she would laugh.
He was in trouble.
He pulled away from her and grinned. Her eyes were still closed; she looked as if she were in the middle of a perfect dream. And when she looked as if she were going to ask a question, or say something entirely too witty for her own good, he stopped her opportunity with another long kiss.
Placing a stopping hand on his chest, she pushed him away but only to arms length. He looked at her with a quizzical expression, wondering why she had halted their fun. She stood and walked over to her broom, ignoring Sirius and his slight protests. Turning her gaze over her shoulder, she arched an eyebrow and grinned, "You're going to be bad for my reputation."
Dani groggily opened an eye and saw a blurry figure at the window. Light bathed them in a halo and she couldn't tell who it was or if it was even a person.
"How long have I been out?"
"About an hour," he said.
She was surprised to hear Sirius' voice seeing as how he didn't want her there in the first place, but he was exactly who she wanted to be there.
"I see you haven't lost your elegant style," he said, a touch of sadness in his voice.
Elegant. What a plain horrible word. It rattled around in her heart like a sharp rock. Quietly she added, "I didn't score a goal this time, though. Maybe if I had…" he would have remembered. The memory hurt her heart all the more.
Sitting on the side of the bed, he offered her a glass of water. "Had what?" he asked, sounding as if he desperately wanted her to finish her thought.
"Never mind," she said. Danielle took a long drink of water before continuing, "So, when do we leave?"
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Well? Please review! Help a lowly writer out! Thanks as always to becca.
