Well, it's Monday, and once again it's time for another chapter! This time, Ravenclaw Quidditch and even more toad bashing.

My thanks as always to those of you who have read, and even more thanks to those of you who have reviewed:

To the ever faithful Snood – Funny you should mention it, but I do know people surprisingly like Fred and George in real life (minus the magic and joke shop and such). They're great fun as long as you're not the target of their interest. As for the house points, Pansy never got around to taking the 20, hence why Esdras asked how many she was going to take. You have to show the Squad that you're in charge, after all. And thanks for the style advice, too!

To the ever faithful KRP (always right on time) – You would think the Squad would avoid him, but what do you expect from any group where Crabbe and Goyle are considered top quality members? I figure Roger's confusion about the Oracle is due to the fact that only a handful of mortals know about her existence. Thus, his confusion is understandable. This is definitely a dream come true for the cadets, and an incredibly high profile assignment being assigned to the Fourth Fleet. Yes, giant fireballs, I wanted something awesome, what's more awesome than giant fireballs? And about the fire text, I figure anything I tell you will be less funny than what you've already imagined. So why spoil your imagination?

NaginiFay – Like I told KRP, anything you can imagine is going to be funnier than anything I tell you, so let your imagination go. It says what you want it to say.

Buffalo1fromSalem – Glad you're enjoying things so far. More toad bashing in this chapter. Hope you enjoy!

Those of you who haven't reviewed should consider it. It's a good thing and helps build good karma. Plus, I enjoy hearing what you all have to say and your reviews make me a better writer. So go ahead, press the button at the bottom.

And as always, text in italics is in Azkabaaner and I don't own HP.

Chapter 18 – Ravenclaw vs. Gryffindor

Esdras sat at the breakfast table, forgoing the mortal food before him for a bottle of glowing ichor spiked with dark green ichodrenaline. His face was a battle hardened mask, and the Quidditch game hadn't even started. Ben Britten looked curiously at the glowing liquid in front of his teammate and arched an eyebrow. "The Dementor version of an energy drink, you say?"

Nodding slowly, the Dementor took another sip of the incandescent green tinted liquid. "It'll also help in case I have to fire my afterburners or if I get injured. I should be able to fly faster longer and heal moderate injuries within minutes."

Roger looked across the table to his friend. "Does that stuff work on mortals?"

The beater laughed and drained the rest of the liquid from the bottle. "Sadly no."

Ben nodded and looked around the table where the Ravenclaw Quidditch team had gathered. "If everyone's done, I suggest we get to the locker rooms and prepare for the match. We have a chance to take the cup this year. I do not intend to lose to them."

The seven Ravenclaws nodded intensely and moved together towards the door of the Great Hall. As they approached, the Gryffindor Quidditch team began entering. Silence reigned until Gryffindor chaser Bell passed Ravenclaw beater Demnin. Drawn like magnets, the two pulled their opposite in and gave them a passionate kiss. After a second, the pair simultaneously pushed the other away. Esdras smirked at the mortal. "Death to the opposition, Bell."

Katie grinned to the Dementor. "I'll wipe the pitch with your immortal ass, Demnin."

No further words were exchanged, and the Ravenclaw team passed into the Entrance Hall and then out into the brilliant morning towards the pitch. As they were walking, Roger turned to Esdras. "So is it difficult playing against Katie?"

Esdras shrugged his shoulders idly and took to floating instead of walking. "I don't think playing against her is any more or less difficult than playing against any other mortal. You all are so fragile. You need to see Dementors playing Quidditch. It's not a game until someone breaks their neck, and even then they just end up bracing it and keep playing." The Dementor laughed softly. "It's weird; it makes your feet tingle for hours afterwards."

Roger looked curious. "What, playing Quidditch?"

The Dementor smirked. "No, breaking your neck."

Ben broke up their unusual conversation as they entered the locker rooms. "Alright, heads back in the game, people." Ben went to the chalkboard and began sketching outlines of possible plays. "We all agree that our main trouble is going to come from the chasers, right?"

Trish Cadwallader laughed quietly, tossing a Quaffle into the air. "Well, it's certainly not going to come from their keeper, that's for sure."

Roger shrugged. "Ron will only be dangerous as long as his confidence holds out. Once he starts missing shots, he'll keep missing them."

Ben nodded quickly before turning to Esdras. "You had mentioned that you had an idea for how to handle their beaters?"

Esdras smirked. "Kirke and Sloper are nothing but incompetent children. If they don't knock themselves out within the first five minutes of the game, I'll use my natural form on them. With any luck, they'll be halfway to Glasgow before we've got the Snitch."

The captain smiled at his compatriot and turned to face the seeker. "That just leaves Ginny."

Cho smiled confidently. "She's nothing. I'll have the Snitch in hand while she's still circling the pitch trying to get her bearings."

The Dementor huffed slightly. "Three thousand years ago, my ancestor, King Sachiel III, a brilliant military strategist who helped end the last Dementor civil war, once said that the surest path to defeat is the surest confidence of victory."

The raven haired mortal swung around and glared at the beater. "And just what is that supposed to mean?"

Esdras shrugged and slipped on his cobalt tinted glasses before staring calmly at Cho. "It means that one should never underestimate the enemy."

The stadium was packed, both inside and out. Students filled the stands surrounding the pitch, and the air was filled with Dementors who had been able to take the day off to watch Esdras play. Most had managed to find something blue to wear, a few going so far as to even temporarily dye their black cloaks a shade of Ravenclaw blue. The Reapings floated together over the Ravenclaw stands, with Jacob and Calla holding the ends of a banner which read in Azkabaaner "Go Esdras, go!" However, out of fairness to their mortal friend, the opposite side of the banner read "Go Katie, go!"

Lee Jordan's voice rang out through the stadium. "Coming onto the pitch is Ravenclaw! Cadwallader, Chambers, Davies, Britten, Demnin, Page, and Chang!" The blue clad team took a turn around the pitch before Lee shouted into the magical microphone. "And here comes Gryffindor! Johnson, Spinnet, Bell, Sloper, Kirke, Weasley, and Weasley!"

Esdras hovered in midair with Ben to his side. Together, they stared down the Gryffindor beaters who looked surprisingly confident. Ben smirked slightly. "Hey, Esdras, let's knock this pair down a notch."

The Dementor nodded, changing forms immediately and drawing back the hood of his cloak. His echoing voice carried across the pitch as he pointed his bludgerbat at Sloper and Kirke in turn. "Death to the opposition, and you are my opposition."

As the disturbing sound of Dementor laugher filled the air, Katie floated down to the pair of them. "Don't pay any attention to him; he's nothing to worry about. You just concentrate on keeping the Bludgers off Ginny."

Katie returned to her position and, below them all, Madame Hooch released the Bludgers and Snitch from the box. Katie, however, only had eyes for the Quaffle. As the leather ball was released, she flew forward and grabbed it from midair. Almost immediately, she heard a scream coming from behind her. Looking back, she saw Kirke being chased by Esdras, who had both Bludgers in his hands. The momentary distraction proved to be enough for Cadwallader to get the Quaffle from her and drive across the pitch. She was intercepted by Esdras, who flew in front of her and threw both Bludgers straight at Ron, who had to dive to avoid them, leaving the way clear for Ravenclaw to score.

Laughing as he struck a returning Bludger with his bat, Esdras shouted to the terrified Kirke. "Don't tell me they forgot to tell you that I can catch and hold a Bludger."

Katie would have shouted something back, but paused when Ginny dive bombed Esdras, coming within inches of his hood. The redheaded seeker called back to the Dementor. "Hey Esdras, shut up and play."

The Dementor growled and shot forward on his broom, striking a Bludger and causing it to fly in an upward arc at an incredible speed. The angry ball flew through the space between Ginny's broomstick and her body before she could even attempt to get out of its way. Esdras laughed out loud as the mortal jerked back in delayed shock. "I haven't made a trick shot like that in decades!"

The trick shot had its intended effect, rattling Ginny momentarily and allowing Cho a few uninterrupted seconds to scan for the Snitch. Down below her, the action continued. Esdras took a high line and ignited his afterburners, flying directly in front of Ron and bathing him in silvery fire. The distracted keeper was unable to prevent Roger from scoring.

Esdras smirked, but his attention was quickly drawn to the center of the pitch. Sloper had struck a Bludger, but his aim was off as usual, sending the sphere hurtling towards Katie. The Dementor fired all his afterburners, closing the distance almost instantaneously. He was unable to deflect the Bludger, though, instead taking the hit himself, grunting in pain as the ball struck him below the shoulder blade. Katie turned at the noise and looked surprised. "Esdras?"

The Dementor turned and gave the Gryffindor beater behind them a murderous glare. "Do something like that again and they won't find your body!"

Katie smirked as they flew in formation within the action. "You didn't have to do that for me."

Esdras shook his head grimly. "Yes I did, it was aiming for your head. You could have been killed."

The mortal looked shocked for a second, and then smiled. "Thank you."

The Dementor shrugged and struck an approaching Bludger, directing it towards Ginny, who had to swerve to avoid it. "Anytime."

The match continued on, with both sides inching up the scores. Esdras had given up his torture of Ron, choosing instead to concentrate on Ginny in order to end the match as quickly as possible. Currently, he was in formation beside Cho, beating Bludgers away from her and redirecting them toward her redheaded counterpart. The Dementor took a lull in the action to look around the pitch. Through his cobalt glasses he could see the magical glow they imparted on the Quaffle and both Bludgers, but not the Snitch. He sighed. "Well, I don't see anything."

Cho smirked slightly. "That's because you're not the seeker. It's over by Umbridge."

Esdras looked closely at the professor's stands across the field. Sure enough, the small winged ball was hovering nearby, hiding in the glow associated with the nearby mortal souls. He nodded. "I can see it now."

The seeker nodded. "Let's go."

Together they flew fast together across the pitch, Ginny hot on their trail. Esdras rolled his broom, catching a Bludger quickly fired towards him by Britten. Ginny was directly behind him, so he merely let the ball go with a short toss, causing her to swerve to avoid it. They were almost to the Snitch now, and Cho had her arm outstretched. But Kirke, not looking where he was going after striking a Bludger, clipped her broom at the last minute, sending her spinning into Esdras and the Snitch flying off in an unseen direction.

The pair slammed into the professor's stands, with Esdras taking the brunt of the impact against the wooden frame. He grabbed Cho's broom and placed her back on it. "Are you alright?"

She nodded quickly. "I'm fine. You?"

The Dementor grunted and rubbed his shoulder a bit. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Esdras rose up on level with the professors in the stands and grinned. He turned his back to them and put his four dorsal afterburners on standby. In such close proximity, the front row of professors was able to hear the high pitched whine as they charged up. As the four bands of silver grew in intensity across Esdras' back, Snape threw himself over McGonagall and Hagrid used his massive bulk to shield both Flitwick and Sinestra. Umbridge, however, sitting in the middle of the front row with no one willing to shield her, was left totally unprotected as the Dementor fired his afterburners. The result was unexpected, though. Instead of the energetic ichor plasma stream normally produced by the afterburners, his left side dorsal superior float bladder exploded.

Cho screamed as she recovered from the shock of the blast. "What happened?"

Esdras unlatched his cloak and dislocated his neck to view the damage. He winced in pain and cursed loudly. The force of the explosion had been directed outwards, destroying his shoulder blade and the left side of his back, revealing the damaged organs beneath. "My float bladder exploded. It must have fractured when we hit the stands. The afterburner caused it to detonate."

The seeker looked worried as she watched him with one eye and scanned for the Snitch with the other. "Are you okay?"

No answer came immediately as Esdras busied himself with folding his cloak and wrapping it around his chest, cinching it tight to keep his internal organs internal. He grunted as he tied the knot and snapped his head back in place. "I'm fine, but I can't float, fly, or use afterburners now."

Cho nodded quickly and flew off in search of the Snitch as Esdras worked his way through the melee to the other side of the pitch. Once there, he turned to view his result. The pink sweater that the toad had been wearing was now charred a silvery black by the plasma explosion.

Roger, direct from scoring a goal, quickly flew over. "Are you okay?" The Dementor nodded and smiled, causing the mortal to laugh. "Only you could turn that toad into charcoal."

The beater was only able to smirk before a cry from the crowd directed the pair's attention towards the two seekers, which were flying in formation near the midline of the pitch as they chased after the Snitch. Esdras pushed his broom to the limit and called out as he flew. "Ben! I need Bludgers!"

The second Ravenclaw beater swooped down, striking first one, then the other towards the Dementor. Esdras caught the first one, but the second managed to pull from the grip of his weakened left arm. He flew forward, directly towards the Snitch, which was being followed by Ginny, then Cho. Esdras lined up the shot and threw the Bludger, sending it hurtling towards Ginny. To his dismay, Ginny saw the incoming Bludger and pulled up. Cho, sensing an opening, rushed forward. It happened so quickly that no member of the Ravenclaw team was able to warn her. The Bludger struck Cho in the arm, knocking her aside and leaving Ginny free to grab the Snitch.

Esdras was distinctly aware of the blood dripping from his makeshift bandage as he tightened the sling around Cho's arm. Any animosity they had had before the match was lost with their injuries. The Dementor smoothed out the strip of cloak that he had made her sling out of. "I'm sorry."

The seeker sighed and shook her head slowly. "I should have known it was too good to be true when she pulled away from the Snitch. I just wasn't thinking." She reached out and touched his Quidditch robes, stained with black and silver. "We need to get Madame Pomfrey to take a look at you."

The Dementor smiled softly and helped Cho to her feet. "I'll be fine for a while longer. I want to congratulate Katie." He gave her a hug, being mindful of her injured arm. "We'll get them next year."

Cho smirked. "We have to; it'll be our last chance."

Esdras nodded and smiled as she walked towards the castle and the waiting Hospital Wing. With a sigh, he turned to face the advancing crowd of Gryffindors, who were at once cheering, singing, and carrying an elated Ron from the stadium. Ginny was the first to notice him, and ran up to him. "Esdras, are you alright?"

No reply was given; the Dementor only reached out and grabbed her by the robes, lifting her up to his eye level. Ginny stared defiantly into his eyes for a second until Esdras smirked and pulled her into a tight hug. "Good match."

The redhead grinned and hugged him gingerly once she felt the squishy bit where he was injured. "You, too. I'll ask Ron to fix you up nice with his Patronus. With how he's feeling right now, it ought to heal you up in no time."

The Dementor grinned and put an arm around her shoulders. He thought for a second before he spoke slowly. "Weasley, he can save most things. At times, it's true, he'll leave a ring. But Ravenclaws begrudgingly sing that Weasley could be king."

Ginny laughed long and hard at the newest version of the song and smiled brightly. "That's far too humble for my dear brother. He'll never sing it."

Esdras smirked. "If I fly at him with Bludgers in both hands, he'll sing whatever I tell him to."

The mortal shook her head with a smile on her face and gave the Dementor a squeeze on the arm before running over to where Michael Corner was waiting. As his glowing green eyes followed her, a soft voice appeared at his side. "You're injured again."

The Dementor turned to face Katie, a look of shock on his face as he tried to look at the left side of his back. "Really? Wow, when did that happen?"

Katie glared. "My guess would be that it started when you took that Bludger hit for me. Now let me see the damage."

Esdras knew it would be useless to argue, so he carefully untied his cloak bandage and let it slip down. Katie gently prodded at the wound. Through the silver haze of the healing ichor, she could see the soft light grey of his shredded lung and the remains of his black heart below the beginnings of a new float bladder and the slowly knitting bone. When she was satisfied, she lifted the cloak back up and helped him tie it in place. "I've seen worse. At least you have your head this time."

She was met with a soft peal of laughter and cold arms wrapping gently around her waist. "You mortals worry too much. I'll be fine."

Katie huffed slightly, but eventually looked up at him with a smile. "Just promise me you'll see Madame Pomfrey?"

The Dementor rolled his glowing eyes. "I will. I just wanted to congratulate you before anything else."

The mortal smiled and leaned in, capturing him with a passionate kiss. When she finally broke the kiss, she slipped easily from his grip. "There'll be a party in the common room when we get back. Stop by when the nurse is done with you."

Esdras smirked. "Another check up?"

Katie looked over her shoulder with a wink and a flip of her hair. The Dementor had his answer.

Madame Pomfrey didn't take long to discharge Esdras. By now, she was all too familiar with the intricacies of Dementor physiology and knew that holding him would be a completely pointless endeavor. So she checked the medical triage spell to make sure there was no other damage and, when satisfied, covered the injury with a thick gauze dressing and wrapped his chest in bandages. She smiled as she tied the last one secure. "Would you like to feed now, or will someone take care of you later?"

Esdras smiled. "How about both?"

The nurse laughed softly and cast her Patronus for the Dementor to feed upon. Once he was finished, he thanked the nurse and glided quickly to the Ravenclaw dormitories to grab a change of clothes. He made his way through the despondent crowd to his room and emerged moments later in fresh robes and a clean cloak. He found Roger sitting by the fireplace. The mortal looked up at him and smiled. "Well, you're looking much more human."

The Dementor laughed. "Thanks, I think. I'm going over to Gryffindor. They've got a party, you know how they are."

Roger simply waved his friend away. "Go. Michael is already over there with Ginny. Bring me back a bottle of butterbeer or two."

Esdras nodded and glided out the common room door and down to the Gryffindor dormitory. The Fat Lady, in high spirits, let the Dementor into the raucous party. He had hardly taken two steps into the mess before Katie had latched onto his side and put a drink in his hand. "Took you long enough."

The Dementor gave her a bland look. "Gaping chest wound."

The mortal nodded sagely. "Very true." Then she grinned happily and took his hand. "Well, whatever, I'm glad you're here. Let's see if Ron will help you out with his Patronus."

It didn't take long for Esdras to be immersed in the silver light from Ron's canine Patronus. Even though he had already fed, he managed to pack on a few extra soul equivalents to help him regenerate overnight. When he could feed no more, he backed away and bumped into the only other non-Gryffindor in the party, a decidedly solemn looking Michael Corner. Esdras smiled. "Cheer up, we did our best."

Michael sighed and shook his head. "That may be the case, but we didn't win. We were supposed to win."

Esdras blinked in disbelief. "Your girlfriend's team won. Be happy."

At this point, Ginny and Katie joined them. The redhead looked irritated as Michael continued his rant. "But we had the better team. I mean, we have you, Esdras, and you're a Dementor."

Shaking his head slowly, Esdras cuffed the disheartened mortal on the back of the head. "Grow up."