Hey guys, just wanted to let you know I suck at writing description and emotion, so bear that in mind when reading this chapter.
Chapter 21
The next day after classes and again after dinner, I try and show Anica where I was last night, but I can't seem to find it.
"It's like it just doesn't exist anymore," I say in exasperation as we head back to our Common Room for the night.
Sunday 16th February
The next few weeks pass in a blur until finally, it's time for the Ravenclaw verse Slytherin match.
All over the school, people were placing bets on which team they thought would win. Most were on Slytherin after Ravenclaw's unfortunate defeat against Hufflepuff.
"Oh, come on!" Xinia cries after the tenth bet that morning. "It was our first game. We'll be way better today."
"Sure," I grin over her head at Anica.
"Just keep in mind we won our first game," Anica reminds her with a smile.
Xinia punches her as we sit down at the Gryffindor table for breakfast. Before long, the customary welcome for Tatum and William comes, and the players on both teams stand around them as the school cheers for us. I smirk over at Xinia the whole time, who mutters angrily to Kimmy.
"Make sure you're at the Quidditch pitch at nine on the dot," Tatum tells Anica and I as she walks past.
"Nine?" Anica exclaims. "The game doesn't start until ten!"
Tatum gives her a stern look, and I hit her.
"Don't argue with the boss," I grin at Tatum, talking to Anica.
Tatum raises her eyebrow at me.
"Says the girl who doesn't get up voluntarily until eleven in the morning," Tatum retorts.
I shrug as Tatum walks away. Before she's out of earshot, she yells back to me.
"I appreciate the sucking up."
Anica glares at me as I grin. I glance at my watch and see that it's currently 8:25.
"We've got about 25 minutes before we should get ready to head down," I tell her.
She nods as we join up with the group again. Upon seeing us, Xinia smirks at us.
"George is betting Ravenclaw wins."
I bite my lip to stop a laugh as I glance at Anica. She smirks knowingly back at me and Xinia, who blushes.
"Shut up!"
"We didn't say anything," I smirk.
"George is only betting on you guys because Kimmy is also a Ravenclaw," Anica says.
"Or a certain someone," I mutter too quietly for the others to hear, glancing at Xinia.
Anica laughs beside me.
"Yeah, don't worry," Nick says, slinging his arm over Anica's shoulders. "Dylan and me are going for you two."
"Dylan and I," Ciena corrects absentmindedly, not looking up from her book.
"Dylan and I," Nick pretends he didn't mess up.
"Hey! Not the important part!" Anica rolls her eyes at Ciena while throwing Nick's arm to his side.
We all laugh before Xinia stands up, declaring Kimmy and herself need to get ready.
"Good luck," George tells them as they leave.
Ciena mutters something I assume is good luck before they're gone. A couple of minutes later, Anica and I have to leave as well.
With good lucks from the two boys and a smile from George, we head down to the Quidditch pitch. We arrive at 8:59, and Tatum gives us a warning look as we join the team. Liam is the last to arrive at 9:01 with a reprimand from Tatum.
"Alright folks, I've booked the pitch for us for the next half an hour. Don't waste my time."
"Anyone else think Tatum's getting competitive?" Wyrene mutters as we grab our gear.
"She's got a hefty bet against Will," Michael tells us. "20 galleons if we lose."
I wince, reminded of George and I's bet for our first game. He hadn't managed to pay up, so I had let him off at eight galleons. I felt sorry for whoever lost.
At exactly 9:30, William kicked us off the pitch to let his team practise.
"I got in first, so we got the half-hour," Tatum grins at us in the change room. "They've only got fifteen minutes."
Five minutes before we have to get on the field, Tatum rounds us up for a pep-talk.
"You all know this one's going to be big," she starts.
I glance at Anica, who looks as confused as I feel.
"If we lose our winning streak I'm not only going to be annoyed, I'm going to be poor, so don't screw this up," she warns.
With that, her speech is evidently over. Wyrene comes up to Anica and me to explain.
"Slytherin's beat Ravenclaw in every match against each other for the past ten years," she tells us. "No pressure, but if we lose this everyone in Slytherin hates us."
"Right, no pressure," I say sarcastically.
"You'll be fine," Wyrene rolls her eyes before walking off.
Just then Tatum calls out.
"Alright, go time!"
We exit the change room and join Ravenclaw on the pitch. Cheers erupt from all the stands.
Tatum and William shake hands, then Wood blows the whistle, and we're off.
"Lillian immediately snatches the Quaffle out of the air!" Viper's commentary starts. "Jones intercepts the pass. She's off!"
"Never a better time to let your anger out on those two!" I call out to Anica as we race off to get the Bludgers.
I manage to snag one of the Bludgers off of Peter and send it flying towards Dean, who now has the Quaffle. He's forced to dodge it, and Michael takes the opportunity to get the Quaffle.
It continues like this for a while, neither team managing to score. I quickly learn that Peter and Cohen are ruthless with the Bludgers, so I end up having to try harder to keep the Bludgers away from them.
"Patson races off! He reaches the hoops. He shoots - he scores! Ten points to Slytherin!"
A deafening cheer erupts, and all the Ravenclaws groan. I hear William cursing as I fly past him.
He throws the Quaffle back in, and the game starts again. All of the Chasers each manage to get a few goals in, bringing the score to fifty-forty in our favour. I hit Bludgers as much as I can, as do Anica, Peter and Cohen. All the Chasers keep dodging though, and we only manage to get them off their paths slightly.
Just as Xinia scores another goal for Ravenclaw, bringing the scores up to ninety-ninety, there's movement from Gerry. He dips himself into a dive, and Tyrene immediately follows after him. That was his plan though, and just before Gerry hits the ground, he pulls out of the dive. Tyrene notices too late and only manages to pull out of the dive after the tip of his broom touches the pitch.
His broom jerks a bit, but he manages to right himself. Meanwhile, Gerry had sped off in the proper direction of the Snitch. I stayed near him while Anica went after a Bludger.
Peter had gotten to one first though, and it was aimed directly for Gerry. I yelled out for him to keep going while I handled it. I swerved into the path of the Bludger and readied my bat. Before it could do any damage, I swung, and the Bludger changed paths away from me and, more importantly, Gerry.
I noticed too late it was a distraction.
While I was handling that Bludger, Cohen had managed to snag the other one, and it was heading for Gerry. He had about three seconds before it would hit him.
Without a second thought, I sped off while morphing myself. I became as small as possible in order to make myself fly faster, then at the last second, morphed back.
I didn't have enough time to hit the Bludger away, so instead, I put myself in its way. I held my arm up so it would bear the brunt of the damage and so there was a chance my bat could block it. Unfortunately, I wasn't so lucky.
I heard the bone crack as pain shot up my arm. I cried out as I was sent back a few metres. Gasps and groans from the crowd reached my ears.
Luckily the Bludger had nicked the side of my bat, so it was sent off in the opposite direction. Also luckily, it was my right arm that was broken. I could still use my left.
I took a second to force the pain away before focusing on the game again.
Gerry was still chasing the Snitch, and Tyrene was on his tail.
Using my left hand to steer and balance myself, I shot after them. As I passed the goal hoops Wyrene was stationed at, I heard her call out to me in exasperation, telling me to sit out. I ignored her.
Thankfully Anica had taken my place to keep the Bludgers away from Gerry and she was having more luck than me. Unfortunately, Tyrene had now caught up to Gerry, being the slightly smaller of the two.
I looked around for a Bludger and was glad to see one in a perfect spot. I raced over to it and hit it, aiming for Tyrene. The action almost caused me to topple off my broom, but I managed to right myself. Meanwhile, the Bludger was heading straight for Tyrene -
"But he dodges at the last second!" Viper announces in disappointment. "Dean hits the other Bludger - oh no!"
Anica had been intercepted by Peter, so Gerry had to dive out of the way. The movement made him fall even further behind Tyrene, who was now seconds away from catching the Snitch. I could see the determination on Gerry's face as he desperately tried to speed up to catch Tyrene.
His dive meant he was heading for the Snitch from the side while Tyrene was head-on. The two Seekers realised too late their mistake.
Tyrene tried to get out of the way, but Gerry wasn't perturbed. The two collided; Gerry hitting the back of Tyrene's broom, sending them both spiralling downwards. They managed to pull out of their tumble, having been quite a bit off the ground, but Wood blew the whistle for a penalty because Gerry hadn't even tried to pull away.
Dean took the shot for Ravenclaw, but thankfully, Wyrene managed to block it. The game went back into play as both Tyrene and Gerry had lost sight of the Snitch.
My arm had started to throb as I held it against my chest, and I knew I wouldn't be able to hit another Bludger properly. The last one had taken it out of me too much.
So I resorted to the good old tactic of distracting.
While the Chasers kept trying to score more goals, I flew around Peter and Cohen, attempting to block them from hitting the Bludgers.
"And Lillian scores yet again!" Viper announces. "Slytherin furthers their lead at one hundred and thirty to one hundred points."
Although I'm glad, I know we need to further the lead in order to win.
The game continues, and I do my best to play without being able to hit the Bludgers. At one point, Tatum flies past me and notices my arm properly.
"Do you need me to call time out?" she asks.
I shake my head.
"No point."
Players weren't allowed to be healed during the game, and there was no substitution. Time out would only make the pain worse because I would have to focus on it. The only other option was to sit out, which I was not doing.
Tatum sighs but nods, coming to the same conclusion. She flies off, and I look around to see where I can be helpful.
I spot Xinia with the Quaffle and Liam flying below her with Michael on one side. Tatum quickly filled the other side, and they closed in on her. She tried to pass the Quaffle off to Kimmy, but she couldn't without Tatum or Michael intercepting. The only place for her to go was up, which I decided to stop.
I raced over and flew overhead. She quickly noticed me and I could see how annoyed she was. Then she went into thinking mode, and I couldn't help but be a bit worried. I didn't see how she could get out of this any time soon though unless Peter or Cohen hit a Bludger, which Anica was handling.
Meanwhile, Tatum and Michael were directing Xinia's path. They were currently headed towards the stands, which Xinia would run into if she didn't escape quickly.
I followed them, making sure Xinia couldn't fly away. Just then, she looked up with an apologetic look at me. Without warning, she pulled her broom up and headed straight for me. I tried to block her path, but she didn't move out of the way. Instead, she flew straight for my side.
Her shoulder caught my right arm as she flew past, and I screamed out in pain, blinking stars out of my vision.
I could see the apology on her face as she yelled back to me.
"Sorry, Gena!"
"And it looks like even friendships can't escape the rivalry of the game!" Viper commentates. "Slytherin Beater Gena Dinnick doesn't look too good after being caught by her best friend and Ravenclaw Chaser, Xinia Ren's shoulder."
A string of curses leaves my mouth as I try to ignore the pounding that's now reached my head from the pain. I was vaguely amused that apparently everyone knew Xinia and I were friends, but I was too distracted to pay it any more thought.
Nearby, Tatum was arguing with Wood that Xinia's move was a foul. Wood pointed out that even though it was deliberate, it wasn't vicious or even hard enough to have caused pain in any other circumstance. Eventually, she gave in with an apologetic look at me.
The game was now even more intense than before. Everyone was playing harder, and Peter and Cohen were brutal with the Bludgers. Anica retaliated just the same, but it wasn't enough without another Beater.
Still, we held our own, and the scores became once again tied at one hundred and sixty points.
I alternated between distracting Peter and Cohen and Xinia, Kimmy and Dean. At one point I had managed to surprise Cohen by swooping by him, and he dropped the Quaffle right into Tatum's waiting hands. The following curses aimed at me were worth it as she tossed the Quaffle off to Michael, and he scored. Unfortunately, he was prepared after that, and the move didn't work again.
After that, Anica had aimed a Bludger at Kimmy, who hadn't noticed until it had hit her broom. She was sent spinning and dropped the Quaffle in order to right herself. Liam caught it and scored. Kimmy death-stared Anica for the rest of the game which Anica just laughed at.
The next time Ravenclaw scored, Dean had thrown the Quaffle to Xinia, who had managed to swing her broom around and hit the Quaffle with her broom towards the goal hoops. Wyrene hadn't seen it coming, and she scored. The stands went crazy as everyone cheered and clapped at the trick shot.
I was happy for Xinia, but that only made me angrier. I wanted us to win, not them.
Eventually, everyone was starting to grow tired. By now, my arm had gone numb, and I was sure that wasn't good, but I still ignored it. Peter and Cohen were alternating hitting arms; shaking their limbs out after every hit, and all the Chasers were starting to play with less and less skill.
Only Gerry and Tyrene seemed to be unphased, as even William and Wyrene were growing tired of continuously defending the goal hoops.
Even the crowd were becoming less enthusiastic. The cheers were weak when someone scored, and no one bothered shouting at the opposing team when they did something they didn't approve of.
Then, just as Kimmy scored another goal, bringing the points up to two hundred and ten to one hundred and eighty, Slytherin in the lead, Tyrene seemed to spot the Snitch.
He shot off, Gerry following him immediately. He seemed to spot it as well because he sped up, even more, pulling slightly ahead.
I locked eyes with Anica, and she gestured to Peter. I nodded and flew off towards Cohen. I flew around him and attempted to distract him from hitting a Bludger while Anica did the same with Peter, attempting to hit the Bludgers towards Tyrene as well.
Although I couldn't hit a Bludger at someone with enough force, I was still able to swing my bat. I had it tucked between my body and my broom when I wasn't using it, but I pulled it out and swung when a Bludger came near me. It never went anywhere near Tyrene - or anyone else for that matter - but I managed to keep it away from Cohen, which was good enough.
In the meantime, the Seekers were evenly matched. Whenever Gerry pulled ahead, Tyrene would overtake him a second later. They swerved past the stands and around the goal hoops, neither quite able to catch the golden blur.
Suddenly, Cohen swung his bat at an approaching Bludger. It flew towards Gerry. He dived out of the way, but Tyrene was still in its path. The Bludger hit his shoulder, slowing him down. Gerry managed to catch up with him, and the race continued.
"Good one!" I smirk at Cohen. "Hitting your own team member, very smart. I just love your tactic and gameplay."
"Piss off Dinnick. At least I didn't get hit by a Bludger."
"Which was rude," I retort, unphased. "I really don't appreciate being used as target practice. Could you maybe aim for your own player next time?"
He growls at me, and before I realise, his bat swipes at my broken arm. I shriek with pain as my vision blurs. I have time to hear the sudden cheers as someone seems to catch the Snitch before everything goes black.
I wake up in the hospital wing, the pain from my arm gone, but my head feels like it's been through a cyclone. I sit up to see Anica and Xinia sitting beside my bed.
"Hey guy -" I start, but they both put their fingers to their mouths.
I look around, and I suddenly notice that it is night.
"We wanted to be here when you woke up," Anica explains quietly.
I smile before my head falls into my hands.
"Madam Cheri said your head would hurt after the medicine, here, have some water," Xinia offers, handing me a cup that she fills with water.
I take it gratefully and gulp it down. I then set it down on the bedside table.
"What happened?" I ask.
They share a glance, and Xinia bites her lip.
"Ravenclaw won," Anica sighs.
I groan, glaring slightly at Xinia with no real malice.
"Just as you...passed out, Tyrene caught the Snitch."
"Damnit," I sigh.
"You gave us all a scare," Xinia speaks up. "One minute you were fine, the next you were slipping off your broom, unconscious. McGonagall had to cast a spell to stop you from…" she trails off.
"Yeah, next time you break your arm, maybe sit out?" Anica suggests with a small laugh.
I manage a grin.
"You know I'm too stubborn for that."
They shake their heads in amusement.
"Cohen got detention," Xinia offers after a beat of silence. "For hitting your arm."
"Don't suppose you did too?" I laugh. "That hurt like hell, by the way, and I'm still mad at you for that."
"Sorry," she apologises.
"It's fine. So how long have I been out?"
"Just the rest of the day," Anica says.
"Dang, is that all? I was hoping to miss more school," I sigh.
Xinia looks a little shocked at first before rolling her eyes.
"Typical," she mutters.
We talk for a while before I hear someone outside the door.
"Shh, I think someone's coming," I warn.
Xinia quickly puts the Disillusion charm over herself and Anica, and I turn to my side as if I'm asleep. I close my eyes as I listen and realise two people are entering the room.
"Do you think she's still asleep?" a woman's voice asks.
There's a pause, and I try to keep my breathing even.
"I think so," a man's voice answers.
I frown as I recognise the man's voice. Lupin. What's he doing here? Suddenly, I feel the bed dip down slightly and realise someone has sat down on it. I feel a gentle hand push my hair out of my face, and I bite my tongue to stop a noise from escaping my mouth.
I think I hear someone gasp and I feel the person on the bed move.
"Was that you?" the lady asks.
"No," Lupin answers and I hear a slight warning in his voice.
The hand draws away from my hair.
"Just a little longer. Please, Teddy," the woman pleads.
Lupin sighs.
"Victoire -"
I realise with a start, the woman must be Professor Weasley. What was she doing here?
"I know," Lupin says. "But -"
"She flies so well, doesn't she?" Weasley interrupts.
I try not to frown at the change of subject. Lupin pauses before answering.
"Of course she does."
"Are you sure she said she doesn't want to know?" Weasley asks, again changing the subject.
"Yes, in tears," Lupin confirms.
"Why was she crying?"
I realise they're talking about when Lupin found me crying.
"Because she's worried about what would happen if she reached out. She said a part of her wants to know, but fear's holding her back. She loves her current life too much. Not that I blame her."
I try not to think about Anica and Xinia right there, listening in. I knew I'd get an earful after this.
"Let's go," I hear Anica whisper.
If I heard it, that means Lupin heard it. I try not to tense.
"I think someone is here, Vic, we have to go," Lupin insists.
"Who would be here, though?" Weasley asks.
"Good job Anica," Xinia mutters, and I curse them in my mind.
"Miss Ren and Miss Wore," Lupin sighs.
I feel a breeze rush past and I know the charm is gone, and Anica and Xinia are revealed.
"What are you talking about?" Xinia demands. "When was Gena crying? She never cries!"
"Xinia," I hear Anica warn.
"What are you doing here?" Weasley interrupts.
"We were waiting for her to wake up, we should go, though," Anica answers.
"Don't tell her please," Weasley asks, and I try not to frown.
"Well actually she's -" Anica begins.
She abruptly cuts off, probably from a nudge from Xinia.
"Miss Wore, what were you going to say?" Lupin asks.
"Nothing," Anica lies swiftly. "I was going to ask why she shouldn't know, but I realise it's not my place to ask."
I can feel Xinia roll her eyes.
"Let's go," Xinia says firmly, although I can tell she wants to ask more.
"Not so fast," Lupin calls them back. "You two are out past curfew. Five points from Ravenclaw and Slytherin."
"Sir, please, have mercy," Xinia begs dramatically.
I try my hardest not to laugh, despite the situation. Luckily, Anica laughs for me. She quickly stops, though.
"Sorry Professors," she apologises before I hear their footsteps retreating.
Once the door closes, I hear Lupin sigh.
"Those two," he mutters. "They're like female versions of James and Fred, only smart!"
Beside him, Weasley laughs although it doesn't last long.
"Do you think they'll say something?"
"I don't know. Knowing the three of them, probably."
Weasley sighs.
"Do you think she'll ever change her mind?"
Lupin hesitates.
"I can't answer that, Vic. If there's one thing Andi is, it's stubborn."
I stiffen. How does he know my name? Stuff that, what were they doing here in the first place?
"Just like her father," Weasley says.
My father?
"Her mother, more like it," Lupin scoffs.
How do they know my parents? Mum and Dad said only my birth mother's family knew...That's not possible.
Weasley lets out an unamused noise.
"I wonder how different things would be if she wasn't raised by Kendra and Isaac," Weasley says. "If it were other people…"
"We can't change the past Vic," Lupin says, and I get the feeling they're talking much more deeply than I understand. "Even if we could, I don't think we would."
It's not possible that they're somehow related to me, is it? But that would explain how they knew my name, and why they talked like they knew my parents. But...how? Wouldn't they have mentioned it? Everything is just so confusing. I just don't understand.
I'm glad that they decide to leave now. I don't think I could stay still much longer if they didn't. As soon as they're gone, I roll over to get into a more comfortable position. I spend the rest of the night thinking about everything that was said while they thought they were alone, eventually drifting off in the early hours of the morning.
I wake up later in the day, and I see Anica, Xinia, Ciena, Bailey and Wyrene by the bed.
"Hey, how are you?" Bailey asks.
"Fine, I woke up last night, Ani -" I begin before they shake their heads at me.
"That's great," Madam Cheri says as she walks over. "Is your head hurting at all?"
"Oh. Uh, only a little," I respond.
She smiles before telling me I can leave then walking over check up on another patient.
"What's the time?" I ask.
"11:00, we need to be at class soon actually," Ciena looks at me with an apologetic look.
"Ugh, what do we have?" I groan, starting to sit up.
"Potions," Xinia supplies.
"On second thought…" I flop back down on the bed.
Anica laughs while Xinia, Ciena and Bailey all give me a stern look. Wyrene looks like she couldn't care less.
"You are not missing any more class Gena Dinnick!" Xinia orders. "You've already missed Charms and Herbology, which Anica and I took notes for you in. You will be going to Potions."
"How did you manage to convince Anica to take notes?" I ignore her statement.
"She threatened me," Anica says, obviously annoyed. "And blackmailed."
"Stop avoiding me," Xinia says. "Come on, up you get!"
I glare at her but get out of the bed nonetheless.
"You know there's really no point in me going right?" I point out. "No amount of classes is going to help me. I suck at Potions!"
"No excuses! Get up let's go," Xinia orders.
I groan, and everyone laughs at my expanse. I give them all dark looks as I thank Madame Cheri then walk out.
I have to rush to my dormitory to grab all my things. I then meet up with Anica, and we head off to Potions. Just as we reach the classroom, Anica points out my clothing. I was still in my Quidditch robes.
"Thanks," I mutter and morph just as Professor Malfoy arrives.
He gives me a half stern look, having seen me morph, but doesn't say anything. The lesson goes by without much drama, although my end potion is less than satisfactory, and during lunch, Xinia catches up with us, and we go to a quiet spot where we won't be disturbed.
"What was Lupin talking about last night?" Xinia demands immediately.
I sigh, knowing I can't get out of this one.
"After I left dinner on my birthday, I went somewhere I could be alone. I was thinking about what Parkinson said. I didn't tell you guys, but when we came home for Christmas, Mum and Dad gave me a letter that was from my birth parents."
I hold up my hand to quiet their outbursts.
"I hadn't read it until then. But what Parkinson said made me read the letter. Do you know that present I got on my birthday? The one we didn't know who it was from? I opened that as well, it was from them."
"How did that lead to you crying and Lupin knowing what happened?" Anica asks.
"In the letter, they told me I could reach out to them if I wanted. I was crying because I knew I wouldn't, no matter how much I was tempted. Lupin heard me crying and came to see what was wrong. I kinda just let everything out to him for some reason."
"I don't understand," Xinia furrows her brow. "Why won't you reach out?"
"Because I don't want to lose everything here. You heard Lupin last night."
"So are you just going to ignore them?" Anica asks. "I mean, whatever you do, we'll support you…"
I sigh, before shooting her a small smile.
"Pretty much, yeah. They didn't want me when I was a baby, so why should it be any different now?"
Thankfully, they understand the topics closed. I can tell Xinia's still curious about something, so I gesture for her to spit it out.
"Why did Lupin and Weasley visit you last night?" she blurts. "And Lupin sat next to you and Weasley was running her hands through your hair. Why?"
I shrug, not wanting to share the rest of the conversation the couple had after they had left.
"You know how Lupin is. He's a softie, maybe he felt sorry for me," I try to sound clueless. "Maybe they know my birth parents; I don't know."
They seem to shrug it off, the girls knowing its a sensitive topic.
The rest of the day goes by smoothly if you ignore the dirty looks the Slytherins give Anica and me for losing the Quidditch match, which I do.
I mostly feel sorry for Tatum, who lost 20 galleons and her dignity and respect amongst the Slytherins. We all promise to make it up in the next game, but understandably, it doesn't do much to soothe her anger. After that, we try to stay out of her way for a bit.
Hey guys, sorry for the kinda late update. Also, I suck at writing description, so please don't hate it too much that there's not much emotion and stuff. I tried, but it kinda failed. I'm sorry! Anyway, hope you didn't hate it.