Chapter 17

Easter break came and went. Riley stayed once again at the castle with Severus and they very much enjoyed the time together alone. The world outside the castle was growing darker and darker with more muggle deaths reported each day. It was becoming more and more dangerous to be a muggle born student. Students with at least one muggle parent stayed more at Hogwarts during this break than any previous break due to parents who wanted to be precautionary in nature. The gossip of potential death eaters spread like wildfire throughout the school and most of the other houses avoided Slytherin students as much as possible. Riley was one of the few Gryffindor students who still associated with a Slytherin outside of class. It was a dark time in wizarding history, and yet this was not the darkest of times yet. Some would still look back at this time and sigh with nostalgia at the naivety. Aside from all of this, life went on as usual for Hogwarts students. The time was growing nearer towards the end of the year and O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s were overloading brains and causing meltdowns from house to house.

"I have to take my N.E.W.T.s in Potions, Muggle Studies, Transfiguration, and Defense against the Dark Arts." Riley whispered to Severus as they entered the library. She seemed slightly frazzled at her own words, thinking about the work load in front of her. "And on top of that, I have a huge match against Ravenclaw this week."

Riley ran her hands through her hair, overcome with stress. Severus smirked out of the corner of his mouth and looked at her from the corner of his black eyes.

"Overachiever." He sarcastically mumbled quietly to her, noting that most of the tables were occupied towards the front of the library so he continued his pace to the back. Severus stopped at a wooden table towards the very rear of the library, hidden by the numerous amounts of bookshelves. He dropped his books softly upon the table, pulling a chair out for himself and sitting down. Riley pulled out the chair right next to him and discarded her books on the table top, studying Severus' texts in front of him.

"Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Arithmancy, and Herbology." Riley muttered, leafing through all of Severus' books. "Herbology?" She asked, holding up the book so he could see.

"To be adept at Potions, one must know their ingredients." Severus said plainly with a raised his brow and as he opened his DADA book.

Riley grinned at him and put the book down on the table. She removed her cape from her shoulders and placed it on the back of her chair. Though being athletic, Riley was an intelligent as well. She had told Severus in passing that she had done rather well in her O.W.L. equivalent American exams prior to coming to Hogwarts. It had allowed her to pick and choose which N.E.W.T.s she wanted to partake in. He was surprised at first with the work load that she had taken on, similar to his own. It proved to himself that he had liked her for more than just her looks. She may have been loud and sometimes brass, but she held her own when it came to wits. Their intelligence complimented them both immensely. They were both gifted linguistics and were the logical-mathematical kind as well.

Even with similar attributes, they filled in each other's gaps. Riley was clearly more inter-personal than he was, forgiving and kind, where he held grudges and judged others. But he was better at controlling his emotions than she was, you could clearly see when Riley was angry. With Severus, he was a master of a cool and collected demeanor. This allowed him to be more analytical and calculated.

Their personalities completed each other's. When one couldn't deal with a situation, the other would step up and take the other's place. They were also competitive. That sizzle of competition caused the electricity in their relationship. They challenged each other; one did not simply bow to the other. They were both determined to get 'Outstanding's on every subject area they pursued and were ready to show the other up.

Severus loved that competitiveness about her. It was amusing to have someone challenge him so frequently, even if she occasionally got distracted. He thought it would never grow old. Finally, someone who made his existence interesting in world filled with idiots. She opened her DADA book in front of her and retrieved her quill and pen from her leather bag and began scratching away at a piece of parchment, taking notes.


Studying, classes, and Quidditch were soon all that consumed their lives. Riley and Severus often studied together in the library between classes so they could at least spend some waking hours in each other's company. They didn't have time to speak of the future after school, but Riley often thought of it. She often thought about what she and Severus might do together. Severus didn't seem very concerned about not having a plan. Riley found this odd, seeing as how he was so meticulous and organized about his schoolwork. She had recently convinced him to look into a career in Potions, since he often displayed his talents for it in class. He mumbled something about how he enjoyed Defense Against the Dark Arts as well. She even made him sign up for a Potions apprenticeship even though he had begrudgingly told her in was fruitless. It made her sad to think that someone who was so intelligent like Severus didn't care about his future. It was almost as if he didn't care about himself.

Unfortunately, from what she had gathered from his over the months, it didn't seem like he had ever had a very good support system in his life. The relationship with his parents was non-existent and he often redirected the conversation if she had asked about them. Riley felt like she was Severus' only cheerleader in life. At least they had each other and that was all that really mattered.


The Quidditch Cup game was a nail-biting sought after event. House rivals: Slytherin versus Gryffindor had been pitted against each other this year, after wonderful and amazing defeats of the other two houses. Severus clearly wanted his house to win, being a pretty devout Quidditch fan, but of course he wanted to see Riley thrive out on the pitch. She was in her element in the outdoors, swooping and flying around the goal posts she protected. That Hare-like energy aided her in game winning saves and cross-pitch catches. He did enjoy watching her out amongst the crowd, basking in her confidence and unremitting skill. This was the final game and the most important game for her.

Severus noted the chatter amongst the staff members in their particular box as he sat down on the Slytherin side of the pitch. Excitement filled the employees' voices as they sat next to the Tutshill Tornados and Puddlemere United scouts. It was known amongst the teams that the scouts sat quietly and humbly in the stands. Each team was tense with anticipation of the match, wanting to show off their best performance yet. This was a game for both teams that could make or break their players.

With one last pep talk from Crestfellowe, the Gryffindor players took to their designated spots on the pitch. Madam Hooch blew on her whistle and the balls were released. The players mounted their brooms and flew vertically towards their positions above the ground. Severus looked up as Riley caught his black eyes with her blue eyes. He nodded to her in assurance and she nodded back, setting her face into a fierce mask of competitiveness. Eyes back towards the center of the pitch, she patted her shoulder and knee pads out of habit and creaked her neck back and forth. She didn't need luck on her side today. She just needed to play her heart out like she normally did.

"And that's the start of the match!" Jones, the Hufflepuff announcer, proclaimed. Abney and the Slytherin seeker began their laps around the pitch, searching for the Golden Snitch. Riley sat sturdy on her broom, arms folded over each other, a very serious expression on her face. The Gryffindor chasers, one being James, darted towards the quaffle to retrieve it as the Slytherin chasers did the same. Riley adjusted her mind as well her body, waiting for the quaffle to be potentially pushed in her direction.

Before the match, she had met Severus under the stands and they had discussed the scouts that would be attending the match. The normally composed keeper expressed some nerves this afternoon at the possibility of a brighter future if she played her heart out. Severus spoke to her in calming tones and held her by her elbows, looking deeply into her eyes.

"You are by far, one of the most talented keepers I have ever seen. You also have the most ridiculous amount of confidence I've ever seen in one person. Even more than Potter and Black at times." He said, looking down at her from his vast difference in height. His comment caused her to laugh and he caught her chin in his hand as he had so many times before and kissed her gently.

"Slytherin is my house and I'd love to see that Quidditch Cup in our hands rather than Gryffindor's, but your future could depend on this." Severus told her, with a fierce edge to his eyes. Riley smiled brightly at her Slytherin beau and squeezed his hand before heading to the Gryffindor tents.

Now, she sat watching as the Gryffindor chasers scored their first goal. James Potter threw his hands up in the air in triumph as the quaffle sailed through the goal hoop past the Slytherin keeper.

"10 POINTS GRYFFINDOR! Potter sinks the quaffle in the goal like no one is watching!" Jones cried into the microphone loudly, his voice echoing in the stands.

The Slytherin chasers took back the quaffle and headed down the pitch as the Gryffindor beaters attempted to smash the bludgers in their directions. The chasers skillfully dodged the stray bludgers, sweeping in and out throughout their air on their brooms. The mixture of green and scarlet colors looked like Christmas exploded in the sky.

"McCabe and Gibbs from Slytherin have the quaffle and are approaching the Gryffindor keeper, Brannigan! They're doing some great passing between the duo and they look quite menacing coming towards the American! Did you know that this keeper played a summer for the American pro-quidditch team, the Hickory Skyes? I heard that recently from Professor Slughorn. No wonder she's such a catch—haha, get it? A catch? Okay, okay, Professor, I'll get back to the game…" Jones said as he was berated by a Professor seated close by him.

The two chasers took a quick throw, faking with the right and swinging with the left, causing Riley to swivel her head back and forth. She reacted quickly and grabbed her broom with one hand and stood with one foot on the broom while her other hand and leg were outstretched. Kicking with her free foot, Riley sent the incoming quaffle flying to the other side of the pitch where James scooped it up quickly. The stands went wild with cheers as they watched the play.

"The starfish and stick!" Jones cried out, "What an amazing play by Brannigan!"

Riley pumped her fist into the air, after settling on her broom to the cheers and catcalls, a smug look settled upon her face. Boos erupted from the Slytherin section and she ignored them with a grin. The crowd focused back on the swift flying from James and Riley took the opportunity to look down at the crowd. She pointed silently at Severus, whose eyes she had captured and winked. He smirked in recognition, proudly looking up at her. She quickly flipped her glittering blue eyes to the game and watched as James scored their team another ten points.

"TEN POINTS GRYFFINDOR!" Jones exclaimed, "Excellent toss by Potter! The games' 20 to 0."

The Slytherin team was pretty fed up at this point and were the receivers of many boos for fouling their opposition. Crestfellowe, a beater, was the target of a lot of cobbing, excessive elbow use, and blatching, flying with the intent of colliding. Riley kept her eyes up and crossed her fingers on her broom that Abney would soon find the Golden Snitch while they still had the advantage. So far quaffles had streaked by her which she had stopped and she wanted to keep it that way in front of the scouts. At one point, the Slytherin beaters started lodging their bludgers in her direction and she was able to duck and dive out of the way in time.

At one point, Riley was in the middle of doing a Sloth Grip Roll, hanging upside down from her broom to avoid a bludger, when a quaffle came soaring past her head. Seeing this, she righted herself on her broom and performed a spectacular Double Eight Loop, where she flew in front of the three goal hoops at a high speed and whacked the quaffle out of the way using the tail end of her broom. The quaffle flew to the other side of the pitch and into her opponent's unsuspecting goal net earning Gryffindor another ten points.

"ANOTHER SAVE BY BRANNIGAN! TEN POINTS FOR GRYFFINDOR BY THE KEEPER!"

The crowd went wild on the Gryffindor side as Riley set herself back in front of her goal posts. They were up now 30 to 0 with Gryffindor in the lead. Severus looked over to the professors' box in between the Slytherin and Gryffindor boxes. The scouts were looking surprised and wide eyed at the spectacle that had surfaced on the pitch. They nodded to each other and took notes on their notepads sitting in their hands.

"The Golden Snitch has been sighted!" Jones cried out suddenly, his voice cutting through the air. All heads swung towards the center of the pitch as Abney and the Slytherin Seeker, Lucinda Talkalot, dove in a spiral corkscrew towards the grassy plain below. Abney shot left and Lucinda moved right as the snitch flittered between them both. Their arms were both outstretched and fingertips ready to brush against the wings as they flew their finest. Riley bobbled along on her broomstick, throwing her fist in the air to chant with the Gryffindor fans. The snitch sharply turned and bolted out of sight into the clouds above. The two seekers noted the sudden change and shot upward at the same time to catch another glimpse of their prize.

While they awaited the outcome of the chase, quaffles began to move up field. The two Slytherin chasers went at it again, tossing the quaffle back and forth between them, trying to speed themselves up to catch Riley off guard. She looked at them with narrowed eyes as the red leather ball danced in front of her. Riley's blue eyes followed each of the ball's movements, careful to heed any toss coming her way. Paying attention to the quaffle, Riley momentarily took her eyes off of the Slytherin chaser on her left. The left sided chaser took Riley's momentary lapse to elbow her right in the ribs. Boos erupted from the crowd as Riley doubled over in pain, folding over on her broom.

"What a dirty play!" Jones cried out angrily.

Severus' eyes flashed darker than their normal color, noting his housemate. He would find some way to make the offender pay for harming Riley. He continued to watch in concern as Riley lay over her wooden handle. Clutching one side of her torso, Riley watched painfully as the quaffle soared over head and into the center hoop. Madam Hooch blew her whistle loudly, grabbing the quaffle from behind the hoop and flying over to the unsavory chaser.

"Cobbing during a goal scoring opportunity! No goal! Penalty shot goes to Gryffindor!" Madam Hooch cried thunderously upon her broom. She shook her pointer finger at the boy scolding him quietly and turning to check on Riley. Riley rubbed her ribs a final time and waved Madam Hooch's concern away as she glared daggers at the chaser. The chaser leered menacingly back and flew back to his side of the pitch.

The Gryffindor chasers flew to the center and set up to take a shot. James swung his arm back and tossed the quaffle towards the goal post with all his might. Everyone watched with wide eyes as the keeper grabbed at the red leather round object, surely capturing it. At the last minute though, the ball skid off the top of the player's fingertips and into the goal.

The Gryffindor students went crazy with boisterous cheers and slaps of merriment on each other backs. Meanwhile, the two seekers appeared out of the line of the Scottish clouds. The tips of their broom handles dipped below the edge of the white, pearly sky and down again towards the pitch, both seekers side by side. In a final grasp, Abney outstretched his hand one final time and grasped his fingers around the golden fluttering object.

"THAT'S IT! GRYFFINDOR WINS 190 to 0! THEY WIN THE QUIDDITCH CUP!" Jones blasted loudly, his voice echoing the emotion in the stands. The cheers from the lion-hearted grew louder than the hissing of Slytherins and the stands were loud with singing and chanting.

Severus watched as the Gryffindor team sailed together to the ground, lifting their brooms into the air in victory. They huddled together in a mass of scarlet and gold, arms around each other, jumping up and down enthusiastically. Students began to pour onto the pitch to celebrate with the victors when Severus saw a tall, black-haired Professor McGonagall making a straight line for the Quidditch team. She swerved in and out maneuvering between students before standing in the middle of the cluster of the team.

"Brannigan, Potter, and Abney, let me see you for just a minute!" The professor cried above the singing students.

The three students looked at each other and pulled themselves from the crowd to where McGonagall led them outside the gathering of students. They looked up at their head of house curiously waiting for her explanation. Severus took this opportunity to get a closer listen by sliding out of the Slytherin box and heading down to the pitch where he could overhear the Tranfiguration professor speaking to her competitors. He stood quietly behind a bunch of Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs and eavesdropped.

"You three have been requested for an interview with two scouts from the Tutshill Tornadoes and Puddlemere United! This is a wonderful opportunity and could lead to a future career in professional Quidditch! So, get on now, head back to tent! They'll be waiting for you!" McGonagall said in an excited and upbeat tone, waving her students towards their team tent.

The three stood for a moment in shock and looked at each other, collecting their thoughts. Riley looked behind a throng of students and saw Severus positioned nonchalantly towards the edge of the crowd. His black eyes met her blue eyes, feeling her gaze upon him. The steadiness in his eyes steadied the emotions swirling inside her. He nodded at her, shifting the curtains of his black hair and she nodded back. The nonverbal communication confirmed her own thoughts and feelings and she set her mind towards the interview.

James looked back and forth at the silent, almost undetected gesture between Severus and Riley and rolled his eyes. The two had been almost inseparable since the day they met and unfortunately for James, this was a constant observation. Although he had wished for a different partner for Riley, he began to see how they fit together. He patted Riley on the back and the three contenders walked in a hushed reverence towards the tent, awaiting their future.


Gryffindor celebrated in classic frat-house style that night after securing the Quidditch Cup. The common room was packed wall to wall with students with music blaring all around. Frosty mugs filled with libations were passed around by the older students and deftly taken out of the hands of younger students.

"Let's thank Potter and Black for pilfering—or oof" Crestfellowe, the Gryffindor captain tried to say as he was poked in the side by James indicating a need to change his verbage, "—or rather, for borrowing Old Sluggy's mead to celebrate this momentous occasion!"

The crowded room cheered loudly, raising their mugs in the air.

"As Head Boy," James chimed in, adjusting his badge upon his shirt, "I should tell you all to bugger off and go to bed, but as a fellow winner of the Quidditch Cup, I say who needs sleep?" He pounded his fist in the air with the last of his words causing the crowd to go crazy again. The Gryffindor common room was filled to the brim of the housemates to celebrate their victory.

"Also, thanks to our resident audiophile, Brannigan, for supplying the music!" Cheers erupted again as Riley toasted the room with a mug of mead in her hand. Riley took out her wand and pointed it at her record player sitting on a coffee table shouting the word, "Sonorus!" to turn up the volume. Freddy Mercury's voice rose about the crowd singing, "We will, we will ROCK YOU!"

The Quidditch team joined arms and sang, somewhat drunkenly along with the lead singer of Queen. They jumped up and down, hanging on to each other, singing crudely and loudly. It was a wonder that the celebration hadn't been broken up yet, but McGonagall, being a former Quidditch player herself, might have charmed her living quarters for the evening. It was the least she could do to support her house's win.

Crestfellowe took a giant gulp of mead out of the giant Quidditch cup before passing it to James. Lily gave James a look as he tilted the cup back to his lips and he shrugged at her. She waved him on and turned back to her friends standing next to her who giggled at James' head in the giant trophy. The record flipped itself with the wave of a wand and the room filled with the song of the night.

"We are the champions! WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!" The room cried together as the students joined arms, swaying together in time and out of time with the music. Sirius took the opportunity to replace a departing member of the team and wrapped his arm around Riley's now empty shoulder. He swayed tipsily, badly butchering the muggle lyrics of the song. Riley took her blue eyes and surveyed him warily. With no Severus in the Gryffindor Common Room, there would be no murder tonight. She turned her head and joined her team in singing the last of the lyrics. As they laughed in hysterics, Riley turned her head back to Sirius, just in time to stop his puckering lips with her now free hand.

"Sirius! Really?" She exclaimed at him. Sirius laughed it off, unfazed by her hand pushing his lips away. He kissed her hand in reply with a good natured chortle.

"I just wanted to see if you changed your mind! But you haven't!" Sirius said chuckling merrily. His black hair swept wildly around his face as he bobbed and weaved. He stuck out his pointer finger in the air, like he was about to make a declaration of some sort. Riley braced herself with her defenses up, clearly not even a hint as drunk as Sirius.

"I have decided to forgive you for dumping me for old Snivelly!" He proclaimed with his finger still pointed in the air, a cocky grin surmounted upon his handsome face. Riley rolled her eyes at that and folded her arms in front of her.

"I have also decided that he has not slipped you a love potion as I have been telling everyone." Riley's black rimmed eyes widened and they angrily shot daggers at him. His eyes were lazily narrowed with drink and now opened a bit larger when he saw her expression.

"But you seemed to make him less of an arse somehow." He said to her in a sweeter tone. The daggers in her eyes didn't completely dissipate but softened their edge. She remembered Severus' story from earlier this year, but realized that the Gryffindor students had grown up a little since then. Now, was not a great example of grown up, but the words that were spoken, were almost a borderline apology for Sirius' earlier actions.

Sirius reached out with his pointer finger that was held up earlier and touched her gently at the tip of her button nose, like a child bopping a clown on a round rubber nose.

"Friends?" Sirius asked with a genuine look of drunken interest on his face.

"Sure." Riley said cautiously, "If you remember in the morning."

Sirius grinned boyishly at her and gathered her up suddenly in his arms, pulling her into a hug.

"Thanks, friend." He said affectionately. She patted him gently on the top of his head and slowly tried to pry his arms from her sides.

"Just try to keep your lips off of me for the rest of the night, huh?" She said with a raised brow as she pulled away from his grasp. Sirius apparently found this hilarious as he clutched his sides in laughter. James sauntered his way over with the gigantic trophy in his hands. He eyed the spectacle before him that was his best friend and gave Riley a look.

"Getting along, I see?" James said with a lop-sided grin.

"I have forgiven her for her past indiscretions! We are friends until the end!" Sirius cried out merrily.

Riley silently thanked whoever was listening that Severus was not a member of Gryffindor house at that moment. She thought if Severus was anywhere near this exhibition perhaps Sirius would have been bald from hexes at the end of the night. Riley shook her head and drank from her mug quietly.


a/n: Thanks to all my readers!