Chapter 6
Riley was in a deep funk for the rest of the week. She had tried to seek out Severus in the Great Hall, in the hallways, and she even hung around the dungeons to see if he'd pop out from the Slytherin common room at any time. Her actions went on with no avail and she felt just plain glum. She had hope that she'd see him in Potions at the end of the week, but it would still be a while until then. He was clearly avoiding her like some plague and it was all her fault. Sirius seemed to be quite interested in her change of mood as of late because he kept by her side in the Gryffindor common room. He didn't pry into her personality change but attempted to entertain her nonetheless. She had to admit he was putting in a good effort and he made her smile at times. He was no Severus though. She often pictured their kiss again and again in her head. How beautiful his jawline was, the curve of his cheekbone, the silk of his hair, the deepness of his eyes, and the coolness of his lips pressed hungrily into hers. None of it made sense though, she felt his yearning and she knew he felt hers. She had kissed other boys in the past before but this was nothing like she felt now. That spark, that electricity they had between them, or she hoped they had between them, she hoped it wasn't one sided.
"Let's go to the Great Hall for lunch!" Sirius said to her jovially, his handsome face bright with a smile. She had to hand it to Sirius, he didn't give up. "We'll all go together." He waved his hand at the rest of the group, gathering in the common area, heading towards the portrait. James, Remus, Lily Evans, and Peter Pettigrew all sauntered together in a friendly, animated conversation. Although Riley didn't quite feel like herself, she dusted off her short school skirt, and took the hand that Sirius offered to her. He was surprisingly strong as he lifted her off her knees to a standing position. Why couldn't she be more interested in Sirius? She pondered this, staring at his upturned lips and boyish good looks. He was one of the most handsome boys in the school and clearly he was interested in her. She knew from the minute he met her. He had been around as much as he could. And he didn't appear nearly as stubborn as Severus. But Severus was brilliant and intelligent and sexy as hell for someone who didn't wear much but the color black and always had ink stains on his hands. And that kiss, wow, what a kiss. Her lips still tingled at the thought. Sirius' hand still held hers as he lifted her off the ground, after she gently released it. There was no electricity though, no spark, no tingly feeling.
They walked together in sync as most of the group chattered happily away. Sirius was trying to engage her in a conversation about Quidditch, which did capture some of her attention due to the upcoming game against Slytherin this week. She caught bits and pieces of what he said and made sure to nod at the appropriate times. She eyed Peter Pettigrew as he walked next to James and Lily. She didn't like him very much and tried not to speak with him during in and out of group situations. There was something off about him that she couldn't place. Like a neediness or that slimy, used car dealer feel. Concealing a shudder, she switched her eyes to the back of Lily's head, the girl's hair flowing in crimson waves down her back. She glanced at her profiled face and stared at those almond-shaped green eyes. Such a pretty girl, Riley thought, James must be thrilled. James was ever the attentive boyfriend when Lily was around and Riley could see the joy she brought him. She was continuing her assessment of Lily and James' relationship when she stopped short in the entrance to the Great Hall. There at the Slytherin table sat Severus with two Slytherin boys at his sides. He sat half turned upon the wooden bench, black eyes searching for something. Even from her position, she could see that whatever he looked for, it was of importance. She waited for his eyes to sweep towards her as she watched his eyes glance around the room. Instead of stopping on her though as she thought his dark eyes might do, she noticed his eyes were trained on a particular spot in the crowded loud hall. She allowed her crystal blue eyes to follow his stare and wondered what on Earth would have his attention so captivated. Her eyes directed themselves until they reached the Gryffindor table. Perhaps he was looking for her, or maybe Potter, whom he seemed to dislike. She noticed this in previous interactions with Severus and James. He tensed up quite a bit around James and she still hadn't found out why. Then suddenly in the midst of her thoughts, her heart thumped to the bottom of her chest and her breath caught in an oh-so-not fun way. His eyes were fastened on wavy, red crimson locks. The prettiest red hair she'd ever seen. Lily Evans. He couldn't take his eyes off of Lily Evans. His eyes traced each of her steps and every movement she made. Riley felt a menacing sickness in her stomach. One she had never felt before. Jealousy. This was why he stopped kissing her. This was why he was avoiding her. Not because she scared him away but because he was a wounded creature—a creature in love with someone who didn't love him back.
"Hey, Riley? Are you okay?" Sirius said with concern filtering in his voice. He was placing his arm on her shoulder and turning her towards him. She looked up into his handsome English face, into his striking gray eyes, and plastered on the best smile she could manage.
"I'm great." She said, "Never been better." She tried to hide the bitterness in her voice as she allowed Sirius to guide her into the Great Hall.
"So this match against Slytherin, how are they as a team?"
Sirius threw a jovial grin at her and squeezed her shoulder gently, "Nothing you can't handle."
Riley stared at Lily throughout lunch and couldn't take her eyes off of her. A million questions filled her mind. She was with James, not Severus. Did she ever date Severus? Did she ever like him? Why did he like her? Besides her beauty and all that personality thing she had going on. Riley had also heard that she was a spectacularly gifted witch as well. She knew that was a draw for Severus since he couldn't stand to be in the presence of any person with low intelligence. Riley mentally kicked herself for allowing these thoughts to enter her brain. When had she become this person? This jealous, self loathing, demeaning person? She never let people get to her. She prided herself on her masculine ability to not be a girly girl. She tried to adjust her mindset. She'd just have to focus her efforts elsewhere. She wouldn't be a sappy, lovesick puppy crying about a boy liking someone else more. She was a catch. Someone would want her. But apparently not Severus. She shook this thought from her mind and turned her body to face Sirius who was chatting to Remus across the table. She'd focus her efforts somewhere else.
The whistle blew on the Quidditch pitch as the crowd roared in excitement. The stands were crowded and full of patrons from the school, making the wooden benches creak in the addition of bodies. Riley kicked off from the ground of the pitch with her hightop Converse black and white Chucks, which weren't regulation uniform shoes, but did she care? No. Not in the least, Riley was determined to be back to her carefree self and her carefree self wore hightops on the Quidditch field. She tilted her wooden broom handle up to the sky as her scarlet cape flew behind her. Her hair had been fastened into two small pigtails behind her ears to increase her visibility. She was not letting one of those quaffles through any goal hoops today. It was Slytherin versus Gryffindor, a big match, since the teams were rivals. She had received a lot of good luck wishes and don't eff it up, Rileys this morning. It was her premiere game, so she wasn't about to let anyone or anything get past her. Once in the sky with the rest of her teammates, she positioned herself at her post and set her black-rimmed eyes forward. It was a chilly day, but it didn't faze her in the least. She was looking forward to this and she was going to take all of her frustrations out on the opposing team. She sat high on her broom as James whipped around the pitch with a quick lap to ready himself as a chaser.
"Ready, Brannigan?" He tossed out to her amongst the shouts and cheers coming from below.
"Readier than ever." She tossed back, boasting merrily at the coming prospects of the game.
"You better be!" He laughed, and with that, he shot her a wink and sped off.
A second thrill of the whistle and the match began. The golden snitch had not been sighted as minutes ticked by on the clock. Riley waited patiently, her body movement's calm but her eyes wide open ready for any trace of red leather. She didn't have to wait much longer when the whizzing sound of quaffles sounded in her ears. She punted, she punched, and she slapped each passing piece of leather. She played her heart out, diving and ducking from throws coming from Slytherin players. It felt good to get her anger out on the unsuspecting quaffles. She unconsciously pictured a certain person or two when a ball flew towards her clutched fist.
"Another incredible save by Brannigan!" The match announcer cried as Riley dove for a quaffle and punt kicked it beyond her view. Riley smirked happily in recognition. There was nothing like pounding the crap out of something to make one feel much better. The score was 40 to 0 in favor of Gryffindor towards the end of the game. Her viewpoint of the game was great, even thought the weather had been chilly. It was clear skies as she watched from her post as James swooped up and down and headed towards the posts on the other side of pitch. Victory was called again as he sunk another quaffle into the Slytherin net.
"50 points to Gryffindor!" The announced hollered above the roars in the stands. The golden snitch hadn't been sighted yet as time ticked and the two seekers-one in green and the other in scarlet weaved around each other above the stadium. Odds were in their favor if only the snitch could be caught.
"Apparently, a seeker has heard the flutter of golden wings! Abney from Gryffindor has got the golden fever!" Riley turned her head to the right of the pitch with the rest of the crowd as everyone saw the tail end of scarlet robes. The Gryffindor seeker, Abney, took a sudden dive at a ridiculous speed. The Slytherin seeker, seeing this, immediately followed suit. Riley was watching the head to head battle when out of the corner of her eye, something flickered dark in the stands. She turned her neck and squinted her eyes, spotting a warmly dressed Severus Snape. He did not look her way from what she could see at her height in the air. His eyes were guided towards the fight for the snitch at the lower part of the pitch. She muttered to herself a line of curses that would make a mother blush as she stared down below. She was doing a pretty good job not thinking of that damn, handsome bat. Stupid, towering bat. Pain the ass bat. Robotic bat. She continued with her delightful nicknames under her breath, chuckling to herself, when something red popped up right before her eyes. She blinked and everything went black.
