A/N: Another day, another chapter. I've been re-reading The Rose and the Beast, basically a book that retells a bunch of fairytales—Sleeping Beauty (Charm), Bluebeard (Bones), Thumbelina (Tiny), Snow White (Snow) and some others. Little Red Riding Hood, some stuff about an ice princess, and a story involving Rose Red and Rose White, whoever they are. No clue here. I'm actually glad I got chapter thirteen over with. Its nice getting all that tension out of the way for chapter fifteen. Oops, shh, it's a secret. I sort of hate writing this story, because I know no one is reading it (Fishy excluded), which depresses me in a way. I get that OOC stories are annoying- hell, I never read them, but it annoys me when I see a perfectly good OOC story getting one review versus a crappy mary sue story getting fifty nine or so a day. With that said, *sigh* R+R
Whitney breathed in the fresh early morning air, a content smile on her face. Disgruntled, Bobby cast the captain a nasty look and muttered, "At least she's happy."
"Honestly, Stone, you would think that you might have grown in maturity over the past few months," Radovan shook his head disdainfully, "But obviously not."
"Shut it, Glass," Matilda chirped happily, tossing Prue a bottle of broom shine that she had finished with. Prue, who, like Bobby, had not outgrown the practice of whining about the early hours Whitney insisted they keep, yawned, choosing to let Serendipity catch the bottle instead.
"Guys," Whitney started, the smile on her face growing a tad more subdued, "This game doesn't decide anything. I mean, sure, this is my seventh year, and it would be nice if we won the cup. For once I'd like to wipe the smug looks off Hasbring and Dibson's faces. But, if we lose against Gryffindor, its sure as hell that we can catch up in points after the versus Hufflepuff game. Lord only knows that January Farrigan can't direct an entire team."
"Much less one that has Quince as their seeker," Bobby glowered.
"Get over it," Prue snapped.
Sensing an impending argument, Whitney quickly continued, "The game starts in an hour. Remember, Jackal Mac isn't going to be playing this round, unless Gelliston or Robins stupidly decides to bludger one of the chasers to death. We don't want him to play," she enunciated the words, "He's vicious. Keep Hasbring, Wingate, and your Wakefield boy in the air."
"Since when has he been ours?" Bobby objected, twirling a finger through his hair.
"Since when have you been such a tosser?" Cherridy inquired, an earnest look on his face. Then he broke into a grin, "Oh, I know, since Prue started dating my brother!"
Immediately, Prue's hair stood on end, "I am NOT dating him!"
Even though Prue and Casey, mainly Casey, had destroyed Reese's photos, most of the school did seem to be inclined to believe the two friends were going out. Cherridy and Cerulean, great boyfriend that he was, seemed to be taking great pleasure in teasing the hesitant pair about it.
Bobby rolled his eyes, "Oh please. I'm not jealous."
"You better not be," Matilda batted her eyes flirtatiously, "Jealousy doesn't suit you, Stone."
Now it was Prue's turn to roll her eyes, "Whoa, girl. Hold your hormones till after the game."
"Now who's jealous?" Matilda taunted childishly.
"Children, play nice," Whitney chided, tossing Matilda and Prue their beater's sticks. They caught them easily, predatory gleams coming into their eyes.
"Ladies shouldn't fight," Radovan added weakly, giving Whitney a hopeful look. Which she carefully evaded.
"Real ladies," Serendipity grinned, "never play nice."
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"And Ravenclaw scores again!" Elizabeth Golden's voice boomed over the magical loudspeaker, drowning out the sound of the crowd around them, "Look at Vedder go! Whitney, if you didn't know, is totally my home girl."
Half of the cheering crowd turned to give Elizabeth incredulous looks, missing the spectacular goal Bobby got past Rowan Yetings. Only Madame Boggs, the referee, caught it as Elizabeth shrugged defensively, "What? She is."
Professor Berkeley threw Elizabeth a warning look, "Sorry professor. Anyway, Stone scores again. Wow, Gryffindor's getting their butts kicked. No offense to all you lion fans out in the audience, and oops! Hasbring proves me wrong with a spectacular score against Ravenclaw's keeper, Watson. Oh my, did Robins just shoot that bludger at his head? And what- Whitney, what in the lord's name are you- ouch," Elizabeth winced as Apollo fell from his broom, victim of a brutal bludger attack by Prue, Matilda, and surprisingly, Whitney.
Up in the air, Polaris plastered on one of his trademark smirks and whizzed by Serendipity, "Hey Watson. How's it hanging?"
Serendipity grunted, attempting to keep her eye on the goal, on Orpheus down in the stands, even, anywhere that wouldn't allow her attention to stray to Polaris's rather amazing aerodynamic stunts. She saw Apollo mount his broom again, but with dismay saw that Whitney was doing her captainly duty and checking if he was okay. In itself, not a bad thing, except that Radovan was watching her with undisguised hatred for Apollo. Only, he should have been doing his job. Helen Carter was in rapid pursuit of what either might be the snitch or a particularly shiny chocolate frog wrapper. In either case, she dodged Polaris and shouted, "Radovan! The snitch!"
She shifted on her broom as he turned, noticing his error. Obediently, he was instantly on Helen's tailwind, and quickly gaining. Yet as Serendipity turned her attention back to the three golden hoops she was supposed to be guarding, a bludger flew by, carefully aimed by Frank. She shot him a nasty look, only to have her broom handle whalluped by another bludger, hit by Noah Weslen. Quickly losing her balance, Serendipity was unseated, flying through the air, only to land in Polaris's arms.
Intending to say something along the lines of how much she did not need his help, Serendipity then noticed that he wasn't looking at her. Instead, his gaze was stuck on Noah, who was laughing hysterically. Finally calming himself, the brunette managed, "Just trying to help you along, man."
A low, guttural sound, like a growl, sounded in the back of Polaris's throat, the kind of sound that made Serendipity's heart beat a trillion times faster. He wanted to protect her, she realized, even from one of his best friends. The thought warmed her, but before she could thank him, Whitney was flying by, "Stop messing around, Watson."
Defensively, Polaris interjected, "Go make moon eyes at your lover boy, Vedder. Her broom's busted."
"Not my fault," Whitney crossed her arms defensively.
"Who's your lover boy?" Serendipity wondered, watching Bobby score against Rowan for the umpteenth time.
Polaris smiled feral-like, "Apollo."
Surprised, Serendipity exclaimed, "Really?"
"He is not," Whitney protested, turning beat red. Exasperatedly, Whitney turned to guard the goal posts that Serendipity had abandoned.
Shrugging, Polaris replied to her retreating back, "If you say so."
He whirled his broom (a brand new lighteningrod. Serendipity was impressed) around so that they could watch the hurling match Prue and Matilda were having against Noah and Frank. Grinning sheepishly, he said, "I'm sorry Noah killed your broom."
Serendipity shook her head, "I should have been watching," she glanced at Orpheus, who was waving from the stands, "I had my mind where it shouldn't have been."
She was uncomfortably aware of Polaris's arms cradling her to his chest as he spoke, a cryptic smile on his face, "If you say so."
That smile was going to get really annoying really fast, Serendipity assured herself. Unfortunately, it was still in the cute stage at the moment.
"Ooh," Prue had finally proved her brute strength won out over Frank's and Noah's and had come to taunt them while Bobby and Cherridy attempted to keep the pretense that a real Quidditch game was going on around them, "Polaris and Serendipity sitting in the whomping willow!"
"K. I. S. S. I. N. G," Matilda added, "Or even better, S. N. O. G. G. I. N. G."
"I think that makes the song too long," Whitney called thoughtfully from the goalpost, and then shook her head, "What am I talking about? Gelliston, Robins, get your sorry arses out there!"
Coloring an angry red, Serendipity hid her head muttering, "Yeah Prue, stop being a prat."
"Sorry Sere," Prue's eyes said that she wasn't really, and that she'd much rather stay and taunt Serendipity than play this mock-Quidditch match, "You know how my foot likes to live in my mouth."
"Right now my foot would like to live in you ass," Whitney shrieked, "I said get out there!"
Bobby had scored another goal, making it sixty forty in Ravenclaw's favor. With one chaser out of commission on each side, the game's odds had evened out a little bit, since Whitney had taken Serendipity's place.
Soon the score was mounting in Ravenclaw's favor. They had just reached one fifty versus sixty when Radovan veered downward off his previously straight path.
"And it looks like Radovan Glass has finally caught sight of the snitch," Elizabeth's voice boomed, "The real snitch, not that bit of wrapper Helen was chasing before!"
Prue and Matilda obligingly sent bludgers Helen's way. Unfortunately, the snitch decided to make a return trip from the ground, sending Radovan right in the course of the bludgers.
Watching his downward spiral and Helen's triumphant capture of the snitch, Whitney flew up to Serendipity and Polaris, saying quietly, "You know, in hell, I hope there are lots of people in chains that you can ride like ponies."
"Hunh?" Polaris asked with a quizzical look, "Are you okay?"
Ignoring him, Whitney continued in confidential tones, "Because Prue and Matilda are going there, you know."
Serendipity whispered to Polaris as they touched ground, "I think she's a little upset."
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It was in the locker rooms, afterward, that all hell broke loose. A little after party was going on in the hall, whence Madame Boggs was handing them tiny wrapped cookies from Professor Claire. Briskly, Madame Boggs said, "Yes, Gwessendra wants to congratulate you on a well played game."
Curiously, Cherridy asked, "What the heck are you talking about? That was the worst game we've seen all season."
"There have only been two, Hargrove," Madame Boggs said sternly, handing him a cookie.
"Well in the past couple of years, then," Cherridy insisted, "What are these?"
"Cheer up, Cher, they're fortune cookies," Noah grinned, grabbing a cookie and forcing the redhead to unwrap his own, "What's it say?"
Clearing his throat, Cherridy turned red as he read, "Beware girls with big sticks."
Shrieking, Matilda tried to grab the fortune, "It does not say that!"
"No," Cherridy dodged, "No, it does."
"What's yours say?" Prue asked Serendipity, who was watching Polaris discuss the mechanics of some maneuver with Bobby.
"Your destiny is in the prophecy, your heart is in the melody," Serendipity shrugged, "Whatever that means."
"Oh, it means that you and Polaris need to get it together," Prue teased, "Or maybe it implies that Orpheus wants you."
Serendipity batted her friend away, "So what's your say, Madame know-it-all."
"Eh, nothing important," Prue ducked out of the way.
"Hey, where's Whitney?" Radovan inquired, coming up behind the girls.
"Back there," Prue gestured to the locker room, but then quickly covered, "But you don't want to go in there."
"Why-" Serendipity started, but was cut off.
"She's probably undressed."
"In the showers, still," Matilda chimed in.
"You're being silly," Radovan argued, starting for the Ravenclaw lockers.
"Great job, guys," Frank interjected, "Tell the guy the girl's still naked. Oh, yeah, that will keep him away."
Finally, Serendipity cut in, "What's going on?"
Prue smiled, "You'll see."
As if on cue, Radovan's angry shout had them all running. Whitney was in the showers, it seemed. But not naked, and certainly not alone. Serendipity and the rest found her with her arms around none other but Apollo Hasbring. Seemed they had been smooching for quite some time under the steady downpour of water, although thankfully fully clothed.
"Gee, Radovan," Apollo said condescendingly, "You look like you need to talk."
"How about we 'talk' about the ethics of girlfriend stealing," Radovan snarled.
"Since when have I been your girlfriend?" Whitney demanded. Apollo threaded a protective arm around her waist.
"Hey," Frank sidled up to Radovan, "Nice job getting majorly jilted."
"By Apollo, of all people," Bobby gave Frank a high five.
"Fuck off," Radovan muttered, "You don't know what its like."
The two boys exchanged looks, then glanced at Prue, Serendipity, and Dana, who were standing together, Noah making obscene hand gestures over their shoulders. Simultaneously, all four of them exclaimed, "What?"
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Later, in the dormitory, long after Elanore, Prue, Antoinetta, and Seprie had fallen asleep and her last thoughts of Polaris's warm arms and Orpheus's brilliant smile had melted into a light dream, Serendipity recalled Prue's fortune. Crawling out of bed, Serendipity made her way over to Prue's bedside, where the blue silk curtains were drawn tight and the blonde was lightly snoring away. She chuckled as she found the thin sheet of rice paper discarded in the trash.
Serendipity chuckled as she read the words, "Stars shine more brightly when there are two and even more so when they are two halves of one giving off light," She paused, breathing in sharply, "But when one dies, the other fades, like beauty and love might."