Scorpius sat silently on the bench in the Falcon's male locker room as the activity swarmed around him. The rest of his male teammates were busy getting ready for the match. This was an important one. If they won, they'd be on the top of the table. At the head of the Quidditch league. Naturally, there was a general sense of excitement and nerves amongst everyone. The top spot on the league table... that was always the ultimate aim for any team. People were coping with their stress and excessive energy in different ways. Some were fidgeting and adjusting their uniforms. Others like William who were feeling more confident and calm, were practicing their swings and were warming up. As for Scorpius, he felt numb amongst all the bustle. Physically, he was ready for the match. His hair was slicked back, he had his bat and broom and was wearing the familiar dark grey and white coloured Falcon's uniform. He had warmed up on his own earlier and had remembered to stretch. His locker had been tightly shut as if to signal finality and if Coach Wood had called them onto the field now, he would have gone without a second thought. But mentally, he was quite as prepared. Something was troubling him. He wasn't nervous of the result of this match and what ramifications it might have for the team, like the others. Based on all the extra work and practice they had had, they had a good chance of winning. No, rather he was nervous about who they were playing. Today of all days, he thought with reluctance, on such a crucial match, they had to be playing against the Chudley Cannons.
Interestingly it was their first ever match against them. There had been so many other new fledgling teams sprouting up and competing this year, that it had taken awhile for them to reach the famed Cannons. But the fact that he would be facing this team for the first time on the pitch made the match all the more nerve racking for Scorpius. Rather, facing Rose for the first time on the pitch would be nerve racking. The fact that he'd never gone up against her before remained a nagging thought in his head. Would he still be able to read her like he used to? Or would she have picked up some new skills from Keitch? She probably had but then he couldn't know for sure. They hadn't spoken in 3 months. Not since their incident at Malfoy Manor. Every time Scorpius' mind went back to that image of her walking away from him, leaving him behind, he felt a pang in his heart. Having to face all that baggage on the field today, Scorpius had suddenly realised would be painful. But what he was most afraid of, was that when he played her, she might throw him off his game. Make him lose focus. At this stage it definitely wasn't about him and his feelings anymore. Like he and Rose had emphasised to his parents on her very last visit, Quidditch was a team sport. He couldn't let the others down. If he let Will down, he was dead meat anyway. He couldn't afford to go soft at all.
Really, any other day or match would have done. He would have been nervous but the pressure wouldn't have been as high. He just had to play her on the day when they could have the chance of reaching the top of league? Once teams reached the top of the board, they rarely, very rarely, left it. This could change everything, it could seal the season for all they knew. Fate was cruel, he decided. But he tried to take comfort in the fact that Rose probably felt the same way as him.
Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Scorpius turned his attention to William who was standing just by him and who seemed to be finishing up his warm up.
"All set Scorp?" he asked grinning, noticing his stare.
Scorpius nodded, trying to look confidant.
"Of course, you too?" he asked.
William scoffed, "Definitely. I'm ready to break some bones. The Cannons and Keitch shan't have the satisfaction of winning today!" he called out.
"Here here!" Colin called eagerly from across the locker room while the other guys murmured in agreement.
William grinned again cheekily
"Don't try anything too extreme Will." Scorpius warned.
"I know I know. It was a joke! Well... kinda" William grabbed his broom and bat and sat down beside Scorpius. "I just really don't want to see Andrew's famous smirk of satisfaction. Winds me up."
"He probably only does it to wind you up." Scorpius pointed out.
"Yea I know." came his reply.
"I'm not saying you can't be competitive, it's just that we have to be careful, since there's bad blood and everything, people are going to scrutinize a lot more. We don't want to be accused of anything. Especially with you, I mean we all know how rough you to play to begin with." he stressed.
"Gosh, man you sound like my mum!" Will widened his eyes.
"Someone has to take care of you." he chuckled in reply.
Will laughed and clapped him on the back and sighed.
"You're a good player Scorp. I know it's been tough adjusting to a new partner, learning the ropes of the big league. I haven't gone soft I reckon, throwing new stuff at you all the time. I bet you think that you still can't trust me right? Ahahaha, don't deny it! I was a newbie once and not that too long ago either. So I can still remember very clearly my orientation into the team and how I thought that I'd never be able to read my partner, never be able to work with him as a pair. But you know what? What I learnt from that was that the only thing I could predict about him, was his unpredictability. And eventually you'll learn that about me Scorp. I've become a lot like him actually.
If you haven't already noticed, I like to take risks but I take different ones for different situations. It seems all random and that makes it almost unnoticeable but there is actually a pattern to my flying. And once you read that, you understand it, it'll become very clear to you. And you can them respond appropriately. It's like how I figured out your style very early on in our practices together. Very trademark and distinctive flying. You like low dips, spins and circle sweeps. But you see if I can pick that up, so can every one else. That's why I kept throwing new ideas and styles at you. So that you could pick up new moves, change your style a little. So that each match, you bring something different that people don't expect. So this match, bring something different, something unique. I know you and the Cannons' new beater, Weasley wasn't it? You two played together in Hogwarts. But don't take familiarity for granted. She's probably learnt a thing or two while you weren't looking. Having said that though, underneath that all, I still bet that she's retained some of her old style. So watch out for that. But again, that means that you're vulnerable because she'll try and do the same with you. Don't let her read you like an open book. Stay on your toes.
As for Keitch, he's a tough cookie. But a fairly predictable style. He likes to hit fake shots, gets behind you and hits you from there. He's all about breaking you down, mentally. Messing with you're head. Which trust me, he's dangerously good at. And not just on the field. But anyway, he'll make some faces, smirk. Don't let it get to you. Like you said so yourself, he does it to purposely wind you up. Whatever happens, don't show him, you're cracking because it'll only encourage him. I think we have a good chance of taking this, we just have to stand our ground."
The sudden stream of mentor advice from William hit Scorpius like a tidal wave but he tried his best to absorb everything that he was saying. Finally hearing him give an explanation for how he had trained him, keeping him on the edge all the time was especially comforting, it made Scorpius realise that all this time William wasn't out to get him or give him a hard time, it was ultimately to help him along and to give him an edge. And he was right, about picking up new moves. After being exposed to so many new methods and tricks in practice, Scorpius had noticed himself incorporating them more and more into his style of flying. Maybe he didn't notice before because nobody had told him. Rose, who had been the one person who had flown with him regularly, hadn't seen him fly really, not post Hogwarts. So she wouldn't have been able to comment on the change either. But boy, she could be in for a surprise today then. He could be in for one too. Rose might have become a master mind manipulator like Keitch. That would be a scary thought, double the trouble really. It was good to hear from William what to expect from Keitch though, at least he wouldn't be so unnerved when he tried anything on him.
"Thanks Will, I feel a lot better now." he smiled a little.
"I probably should have told you this earlier then huh?" William looked a little worried.
Scorpius shook his head, "Nah, wouldn't have made that much of a difference."
"Good." William nodded, relieved. "I'm very proud of how far you've come. Not just as a mentor, fellow beater or whatever you wanna call it, but just as a buddy, I'm happy for you. Like, I said, you're a good player. Not that you need me to keep telling you that. Even when you first came here, Coach Wood said you'd go far."
"Thanks, I know but it means even more coming from you. You've have been a great mentor though. And speaking of buddies, can... can I call you a friend? Cos I think I'd like to. You're kinda scary sometimes but great all the same" Scorpius beamed.
William laughed, "Yea, I tend to have that effect on people. I think I'd like to call you a friend too Scorp." clapping him on the back again.
Scorpius smirked a little. It seemed like the two of them had finally in a strange way broken through to each other.
After a pause Will pulled away though, "But... I'm not that bad am I?"
"No... the scary front is a facade. You should let people see more to this side of you. Prove that you're human for a change. Everyone else thinks that you're some human machine, out to get his enemy's blood. But in fact you never really want anyone to get hurt do you?" he encouraged.
"Well that depends." he teased. "Nah, I mean you're right, the objective is to have fun. It's a game. But it's also our job. So I admit I get carried away sometimes. So people think that's me 24/7. But honestly Scorp, how could I afford to act like I'm human? Then the other teams wouldn't be afraid of me" he shook his head as if stating the obvious.
Scorpius shook his head in exasperation. In the time in which they had gotten to know each other, Scorpius had realised that while he was still a formidable player on field and he still had fits of rage that made the other teams' beaters flee at the sight of him, William could be a pretty funny and easy going guy when he wasn't in uniform. It was pretty great just hanging out with him. Now that he could officially call him a friend, Scorpius felt proud to know someone as brave, aggressive but still deep down, as good hearted as him. If only he could have told Rose about this new stage in his relationship with Will. After all, she had been the one so worried for him when he had given her his first impressions about Will. She would have been pleased with these developments. She might even have wanted to meet him. Scorpius sighed in frustration at how everything reminded him about her.
"Now" William suddenly stood up and helped Scorpius up too. "Enough, compliments eh? Let's knock these Cannons dead!"
"Yea!" came the cheers from the others.
As if sensing their anticipation, there was a sharp knock on the door.
"Guys! Time to get going!" came Adrianna's voice.
"Well you heard her lads! Let's go"
Jonathan led the way as they marched out of the locker room followed swiftly by Victor and Colin. William hung back for a while, waiting as Scorpius picked up his things to go. As he grabbed his bat, he caught sight of the small heart and within it the letters R and S still carved into the handle of his bat. Scorpius stroked it for a moment. The had faded a little, the edges not quite as sharp and prominent against the wood as before. But they were still there. He hadn't had the heart to get a new bat, because he had had his for so long, even though the initials on it tormented him every time he saw them. They reminded him far too much of those initials, on the willow tree. But unlike that time under that beautiful tree where Scorpius had carved the majority of their handiwork, this engraving was purely done by Rose. With her wand. This little "dent" in the wood was one of the few tangible things that directly held him back to her. He thanked Merlin that his hand gripping the bat would cover the carving when he was playing.
"Scorpius?" William was staring at him expectantly.
Scorpius nodded and together, they hurried out of the locker room, shutting the door behind them. They were joined by the rest of the team who had been waiting for them just outside. The girls were there too, Adrianna, Casey and Kristine. They smiled expectantly at Scorpius and William. As if sensing they were ready, the team began to set off towards the stadium. The one thing that Scorpius could feel comfortable about at the moment was that they were playing on home ground. But then of course it would be so much more embarrassing if they lost...
"You ok Scorp?" Adrianna had come up beside him out of nowhere.
Scorpius gave her a nervous smile. As always, her sense of timing was impeccable. He had leaned a thing or two about Adrianna over this year with her. She was even nicer in person than on the television. Or as people made her out to be. She was like the mother figure of the group, always warm and supporting and always could sense if something was wrong. She would never push you to tell her what was wrong, rather she would always try and be the person there for you if you needed to talk. A listener of some sorts. She hardly got angry or upset with anyone and if she was, she always tried to talk things out reasonably. She was forthcoming, honest, and friendly. Scorpius could still remember his first practice with the Falcons when she had been the first to introduce herself and instantly, her genuine sweet nature had made him feel well... starstruck but also more comfortable. In short, she was a great friend.
Thinking it over, he wasn't sure if anyone could ever dislike someone like Adrianna Green. Every time she cheered him up about something, whether about a match or his trouble at training, he always wanted to give her this huge hug to say how grateful he was to her. For being there for him. But in a way, he knew that he didn't have to. Because it was like she knew, like a sixth sense. And he wasn't the only one who felt that way about her. Almost the whole team saw Adrianna as their counsellor and shoulder to cry on. Scorpius often wondered how she had the patience to swallow everyone else's problems without never seeming to have any of her own. All he knew was, that he was grateful that she could.
"Usual nerves." he replied.
Adrianna rubbed his shoulder gently.
"You'll be great. We all believe in you. Will too." she insisted.
Scorpius laughed, recalling the pep talk he had just had with him. "Yea I know. Thanks Ad. You'll be great too."
She gave him a polite smile before murmuring, "Thanks, let's hope so."
"I know so! I bet you'll score at least 15 goals today Ad."
"Prepared to put the money where you're mouth is?" she challenged playfully
"Against what?"
"I bet at least 20 goals on my part."
Scorpius frowned. "I'm not betting against that."
"Why not?"
"Cos, you're probably going to score over 20 goals."
She laughed. "Good luck Scorp."
"You too."
With that she fell behind him once more, striking up conversation with Kristine. As they reached the entrance of the team headquarters, their small little band collectively took a breath before stepping confidently out of the air conditioned quarters and into the sunlight. The stadium was still a while away but Scorpius could hear the roar of the crowd. The sound made his heart pound and the blood rush to his head. A they continued to approach the massive structure that was looming before them, Scorpius', hands began to grip his bat and broom even tighter than usual. He felt like digging his nails into the wood to relieve the tension but restrained himself. As they passed through the gates of stadium, the cheers of the crowd got louder and louder, intensified within the enclosed space. The enthusiasm that always flowed from the spectators never failed to get Scorpius in the mood for a match. It was like Hogwarts except 10 times bigger. The stadium was clearly divided into two varying sides. The Falcons fans were on the right, their faces painted grey and white, waving banners, merchandise, chanting Falcon songs and shouting. The Cannons fans were clearly on the left, distinguished by the ever recognizable bright orange and tints of yellow. Upon noticing that their players had just arrived, the crowd on the left burst into hoots and cheers, there was whistling too. Scorpius and his other teammates turned to acknowledge their supporters and smiled, waving at them. On the other side of the pitch, Scorpius caught a glance at the Cannons who had arrived before them, already mingling with their supporters.
After shaking a few hands and taking some pictures with his fans, Scorpius and his teammates were summoned by Coach Wood for their customary speech. Walking away from the fans, Scorpius shook his head in disbelief. At the start of the season, nobody had really cared who he was. Now, every young girl wanted a photograph with him. And every young male Quidditch fan wanted his autograph. Even back home in Falmouth, the fame was getting a lot more widespread. He couldn't even head to Tim's bar without people wanting some sort of souvenir or at least pointing him out. Rose had once remarked to him, the first time it had happened that he should have grown a mustache. Somehow her idea hadn't been very appealing. He didn't dislike the fame really, it was frankly flattering. It wasn't like people were intrusive either. They usually left him alone once they got their memorabilia or once he answered their questions. Nor did the Daily Prophet hound him like it did some Quidditch players. Maybe it was because he was still up and coming and he was relatively inconspicuous. He wasn't controversial like Will. It just felt very strange to be recognised by people he'd never met before. Thankfully, his friends like Leo and Albus and close neighbors like Muriel and Eddie still treated him like anyone else. Just like a guy. And until recently, so had Rose. But Scorpius knew those days were well over. In fact, as the days went by, he was beginning to wonder if Rose had been serious, about hoping that they'd be friends again. True he might be being unfair, she might need more time. He couldn't just jump to conclusions. But currently, he had to admit that the prospects of them even being acquaintances looked grim.
As they gathered about Wood for their briefing, out of the corner of his eye, Scorpius saw Ragmar Dorkins giving a little talk of his own from across the pitch. Putting the thoughts out of his mind, Scorpius tried to focus on what Wood was telling them.
"Alright guys! Genera points. This is it. Chance to hit the top of the league table. No pressure. You guys know what to do. You can do it, I believe in you. You've worked hard, you've done your best. So today, give it your all. Push for that last stretch. Resilience guys is key. Will and Scorp, make sure that you keep them guessing. Don't play familiar cards. Especially you Scorpius. You have to keep Weasley on her toes. Don't let her read you. Yea? Oh and Will, I know this is Keitch we're dealing with and he can get on your nerves but I don't want to see any blood. Clear? Well maybe a little blood... No I'm kidding, come on stop laughing and focus. Ad, I want you to keep the attacking strong, but don't compromise defense. I want someone holding back alright. Colin can you do that? Victor move forward with her. Remember sharp and quick passes. back and forth, back and forth. Keep it neat. Kristine, keep your eyes on that snitch. It's the most important thing in your life. You hear? Take risks, don't be afraid. For keeper today let's go with John. Casey I'll sub you in for Victor later? Great. Alright guys that's all I have to say. The rest, it's in your hands. So if you really want to prove to Keitch he made a mistake leaving us, that we're the best team to be with, now would be a good a time as any. Go blow his mind. Blow all of their minds! Ready?" Oliver called.
"Ready!" They all responded. Scorpius loved the way, Oliver Wood could give each team member the appropriate advice so succinctly. He seemed to be echoing Will's words about Rose. Scorpius knew what he had to do.
"Come on guys!" Adrianna called.
Everyone joined hands quickly and drew a deep breath. Sensing everyone about him, they took a pause before shouting out playfully, "Let us win, but if we cannot win, let us break a few heads!"
Oliver chuckled, "That's my team. Now get out there!"
With that he turned his back to them to take his place. Casey smiled at her fellow players encouragingly and pumped her fists in the air, cheering before she too took her place at the bench with their coach. Scorpius turned to watch her and as she sat down, he caught her eye for a moment. She mouthed typically optimistic "Casey" good luck to him. Scorpius winked playfully before he turned to face the pitch. The rest of the team had mounted their brooms. William was right beside him, gripping his bat confidently. Scorpius nodded at him.
He smiled. "Ready... friend?"
Scorpius laughed. "Ready. But you can just call me Scorp... friend."
William chuckled again before the two of them kicked off the ground and launched themselves into the sky. They were joined shortly by the rest of their teammates. Quickly, Scorpius flew over to the beater starting position alongside William. Looking across the pitch, his heart stopped for a moment as he caught sight of her. Her hair done back in a formal ponytail, her brown eyes shining with anticipation, her hands gripped round her bat and broom respectively and the Cannons uniform adorning her proudly, Rose looked poised for battle. Beside her, Scorpius caught his first head on view of Andrew Keitch. For a moment he sucked in his breath, studying him. Brown hair, amber eyes and a good build. Perfect to play as a beater, he considered him. Catching Scorpius' stare, Keitch gave him a playful wink. Scorpius immediately looked away uncomfortably but he still saw Keitch lean over and whisper something to Rose. She frowned at him, as if in disagreement and shook her head vigorously. Scorpius itched to know what they were talking about. Scorpius stared at Rose for a moment who turned away from Keitch and faced him. Noticing him, she made strong eye contact. He couldn't tell what she was thinking but was slightly pleased when she gave him a weak but nevertheless, a smile.
Just then the referee stepped onto the pitch holding the large box with the respective balls. The teams looked down at him expectantly as he called the two team captains to speak to each other briefly. After some routine instructions, Scorpius heard the voice of the commentator come on.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Falmouth stadium where the hosts the Falmouth Falcons prepare to take on the Chudley Cannons! Today's match is an important one with the chance for the Falcons to fly their way to the top of the league board and for the Cannons to gain crucial points against Puddlemere United. This truly is a spectacular battle of the giants. And with Andrew Keitch playing his former teammates for the first time, this is sure to be an eventful match. "
There was a huge roar of approval from the crowd. The commentator had just reinforced what had been on everyone's mind. The referee looked up at the players for a moment and raised his hand, the other gripping the box lid. After what seemed like an eternity, he blew his whistle and raised the lid simultaneously. The bludgers and the snitch flew up into the air while the quaffle was thrown and efficiently caught by Ad. Scorpius turned his attention away from her and focused on the bludgers. They were thus far out of his reach but he saw William flying forward towards their chasers, almost forming a defensive shield for them. Suddenly it became clear to Scorpius. It wasn't just a random movement by his partner which he usually seemed to interpret it as. In fact, he had seen Will do this before, moving with the chasers. It meant that Scorpius was to remember what he had been instructed to do the last time this happened. He had to hold the fort with John. Filling with a new boost of confidence as the truth of Will's words echoed in his ears, he flew back towards John who gave him a nod of recognition. Watching his partner on the other edge of the field, he basically grinned from ear to ear as he saw a flicker of pride flit across Will's face, duly noting Scorpius' movement, before they broke eye contact.
He could hardly enjoy his moment of finally working as a team with Will though, when suddenly he heard the familiar whirring noise of an approaching bludger. Looking up, he saw that the Cannons had the quaffle and were heading for John with alarming speed. In bid to distract their keeper, Rose had aimed a bludger straight for the goal hoops. Thinking fast, Scorpius dove down under John and swinging his bat, whacked it towards the oncoming chasers. Caught unaware, the Cannons chaser holding the quaffle veered out of the way but lost grip and it slipped from his hands. Scorpius held his breath for a moment but broke out into a smile as he saw Colin who had been hovering nearby in anticipation, make a clean dive to retrieve the ball. In the meantime, Will had spotted Scorpius' bludger and had aimed it straight at one of the other opponent chasers in a bid to distract them. Kristine suddenly zoomed past them with her opponent seeker, clearly in pursuit of the evasive snitch. The look of determination and concentration on her face said it all. Scorpius looked around cautiously, playing defensively, on the look out for the second bludger. Hearing the whirring noise right behind him, his heart leapt with fear. It sounded so close... He barely had enough time to whirl around and smack the bludger out of his way, let alone aim it at something strategic. Who had hit that? Didn't they know it was unsafe to aim bludgers directly behind players. It wasn't just about a foul. Someone could get hurt. Unthinking and glaring angrily at the direction from which it had come, Scorpius was met with the smirking face of Andrew Keitch. He playfully raised and waved his bat at Scorpius as if taunting him. Scorpius had the strongest urge to find that bludger again and smack it at his face. But remembering Will's warning, he quickly forced the anger out of his face and disengaged.
Turning, he heard a loud roar from the crowd and realised that Victor had scored. He felt Andrew zoom past him and purposely avoided eye contact. Lest he suddenly reach out and try and strangle that guy's neck. It wasn't just his dangerous shots, his whole attitude on the pitch oozed confidence and self absorption. He couldn't stand guys like that.
"That was a good shot that Victor scored." John commented, who had come up beside him.
"Yea too bad I didn't see it." Scorpius still seethed.
John shrugged. "You were busy."
"Dealing with a pain in the ass."
"But there's no denying he can play."
"Yea... whatever."
Almost an hour had gone by. The Falcons were playing well. Adrianna had already scored 18 goals with Victor close behind with 16. Colin, who was playing relatively defensive had squeezed in 8. Casey had just substituted Victor so she hadn't had her chance yet. The Cannons had managed to break through to John several times with a total of 20 goals. But it wasn't all that bad really. They were leading by a decent margin. But at the end of the day, it all came down to the snitch. If Kristine didn't catch it, they'd still lose by a long shot. William was keeping Andrew fairly occupied, hitting bludgers back and forth between them. Andrew had obviously decided that Scorpius wasn't quite as fun to rile up. While he was nervous for his partner, he couldn't say he wasn't relieved. It seemed like Rose and Scorpius had been lumped to handle each other. She hadn't given him too much grief, on the whole aiming more for the other players as opposed to trying to knock him off his broom. Scorpius too, had tried to stay out of her way. More or less.
William and Coach Wood's advice had not gone unheard by Scorpius though. He made sure he changed it up with her and was pleased when he noticed that her reactions to his newer movements were slower and less sure. He tried to avoid his trademark dives and circular curved movements. Instead he tried to stick to head on long shots and quick sharp turns. Rose too had picked up some new skills since they had played together. Despite all her complaints about the dive practices, she was employing what she had learnt fro them , calculated swoops, frequently in this match and she had improved tremendously. Physically, her shots were stronger and went further. But he could still sort of predict where she was coming from. For all the apprehension he had held earlier, he realised that he needn't have seriously been worried. Her style, compared to him, hadn't changed so dramatically. Keitch must have a different teaching style, he reflected. Probably wants her to build on what she already has, not learn new stuff. Well, that worked just fine for him.
Deflecting one of her oncoming bludgers now, Scorpius tried to study her. There was one major thing that was different about her though, playing wise. Her eyes, which once used to be the windows to her soul for him, a way for him to read every thought, seemed to have been closed off. Keitch had obviously helped her with that. You never knew what he was thinking. Her expression was unreadable, thought process untraceable. The only times where she showed her emotions was when she hesitated, or contemplated something. But the veil would lift for a couple of seconds before it rapidly fell once more. Just then the Cannons chasers came racing towards them, heading straight for their goal hoops. Adrianna and Casey were hot on their tail. Seizing her chance, Rose had immediately flown straight at the nearest bludger and taking her aim, had shot it straight at Adrianna's broom. Scorpius saw Rose swing her bat but it took him a while to understand what she was trying to do. He shouted out.
"Ad! Look out!"
Adrianna immediately looked up to see the bludger plummeting towards her. She tried to veer out of the way but her reaction came too late as the ball clipped part of the handle of her broom, spinning her out of control. Meanwhile, the rest of the players had also been distracted as the ball had flown right through the middle of the pack and in the confusion, Colin had managed to bump, the Cannons chaser, effectively stealing back the quaffle. Throwing it to Casey, she expertly sped away without hesitation, towards the now relatively unguarded goal hoops on the opposite end of the field. It was a great way to seize the moment.
But Scorpius was hardly focusing on that. Instead, gasping in horror, along with the rest of the crowd, he felt helpless as he saw his friend tumble towards the ground. He was too far away to reach her in time. Luckily he suddenly saw William, a few paces behind her, speed up instinctively at dive downwards in an attempt to help her with her landing. Most of the crowd were on their feet now, leaning down to see what had happened. William managed to grab hold of Adrianna's hand, who had been until this point, valiantly battling with her failing broom and she had skillfully managed to jump onto the broom with him, abandoning hers. Scorpius winced slightly as he saw her broom hit the earth and splinter into pieces. William quickly swooped down to the ground to help her dismount, before taking off into the sky once more.
"Adrianna Green has been knocked off her broom! Victor Trupher is substituting!" came the commentators call.
"Thank Merlin for Will." Scorpius breathed.
But now he turned his attention to the suddenly forlorn looking Rose who had watched the action from above. Her veil had lifted and he could clearly see the shock on her face. Her shot had been mis-angled, he understood. She hadn't meant it to hit Ad. But suddenly he was filled with a strange feeling. It suddenly didn't matter that this was Rose, it didn't matter if it had been an accident. She had just knocked Ad of her broom and he was angry.
The anger was something that he couldn't quite explain but it was boiling within him and he had to get it out. Ad was a good friend, he wouldn't have been able to bear it if Rose had seriously hurt her. As saw the the culprit bludger heading in his direction once more, he robotically seized all his strength and hurled it back towards Rose.
Rose saw the bludger and immediately flew out of the way, choosing not to retaliate. Scorpius hadn't planned for it to hit her anyway. The shot had just been his way of expressing his anger and letting her know that he was displeased. But as he caught her look as she turned to face him once more, he felt the anger slowly dispel his body. Her eyes were now transparent to him. Like she wanted him to know what she was thinking. Pain, guilt, regret. The feelings were brimming at her eyes. Like she openly recognised she had been wrong and was seeking... forgiveness. Then she stared him square on and mouthed a word to him. What was it? He'd never been good at reading mouths. And then he figured it out. She had mouthed, "sorry". Suddenly feeling ashamed of himself for the unnecessary shot at her, Scorpius hung his head in embarrassment.
"Scorp!" he heard Will's voice.
Andrew had seized Scorpius' distracted state to his advantage and the bludger came flying. Scorpius however was ready and was about to raise his bat to turn it back when suddenly he saw Rose out of the corner of his eye, fly right in front of him. Holding his position in shock, he didn't know quite what to do. Directly across from him, he could see the same confused look on Will's face. But he did nothing to stop her too. Then, as if in slow motion, Scorpius watched in bewilderment as she quickly whacked it out of his path and towards Victor. Coming out of his daze and reacting immediately, Will sped off to get the bludger out of the way.
Scorpius brought his arm down and frowned at Rose. Why had she done that? As if reading his thoughts, Keitch called across the field.
"What in Merlin's name Rose?"
Scorpius couldn't see her expression, her back was to him but he saw her shrug her shoulders. Casually she called back as if what she had done was the most natural thing in the world,
"Don't waste your time on the beaters. Aim for the real players."
Without turning to look at him, Rose then sped off towards Keitch.
Still sort of frozen, Scorpius couldn't get over what had just happened. Had that ever happened in Quidditch before? He wasn't sure. Maybe she had knocked it out of the way as another way, non vocal obviously, of apologising. Rose, for all her faults, would always try to make it up to someone when she knew she had been in the wrong. But he hadn't quite expected that sort of chivalrous behaviour from her today. Not on a professional turf where her every action would be questioned and inappropriate behaviour would have serious repercussions. But it just seemed to reassure him of something. Whatever Rose was going through, underneath it all, she was still the same person. The same good person. Who knew? Maybe she was already getting better? In that one line to Keitch, she had sounded calm and confident, much like the old Rose he had known for years.
As he was about to head back to the middle of the pitch to help out Will, Scorpius suddenly heard the roar of the crowd pick up and a moment later, the referee blew his final whistle. Glancing down, Scorpius saw Kristine standing on the ground, triumphantly gripping the snitch, holding it out for the crowd to see. Grinning, Scorpius smiled with satisfaction. They had won! He had gotten through this match in one piece without completely falling apart emotionally. Rose hadn't gotten in his head as many times as he had feared she would. Keitch had been kept out of his way thanks to Will and despite Ad's little mishap, the team had come through strongly. What a brilliant win! Straight to the top of the league too! Excitedly, he swooped back to the ground with his teammates who were already rushing to Kristine in happiness.
"What a splendid end to a great match! Kristine Dewsprout catching the snitch in a brilliantly executed dive! The Falcons clench this win 470 to 200, to fly their way straight to the top of the league! What a day for Coach Wood and his team! What a day!" came the commentator in equal excitement. The Falmouth crowd roared in approval.
Scorpius squeezed his way past his peers to envelope Kristine in a bear hug.
"Great job Kris! You were fantastic!"
Kristine hugged him back furiously, jumping up and down. Her face was flushed and her hair was sticky and matted but she looked thoroughly satisfied.
"Oh you too Scorp. All of you!" she turned to face the rest of the team.
"Yea Kris!" called the others who suddenly as if sensing each others' thoughts, lifted her up in the air.
"Wooo! Come on now, put me down!" she called and tried to wriggle free.
"We won!" called John.
"We won!" called the rest.
After several more kicks and threats from Kristine, they finally albeit reluctantly put her down and she hugged them once more.
Scorpius then turned his attention to Ad who was hurrying onto the pitch with Coach Wood. He was relieved to see she hadn't been hurt.
"Ad... I'm so sorry." he hung his head.
"Hey hey, you tried to warn me. Me being the grandmother that I was, didn't act fast enough. There was nothing you could have done. You know that right? No sweat." she grinned.
"I know but..." he protested.
She clucked her tongue. "No buts! I'm fine. Look at me. I need a couple of shots, that's all. Well I suppose I can't say the same for my broom but it was a blessing in disguise really. I did want a new one." she chuckled.
Scorpius shook his head at a jovial attitude but hugged her.
"You, were great by the way." she smiled.
"You too, though it's a pity I didn't make that bet with you after all. If I recall you scored 18 not quite 20 eh?" he joked.
She laughed. "Yea well, not meant to be then."
Just then William came up beside them, his face was beaming. Adrianna detached herself from Scorpius and faced him, her face full of gratitude.
"Thank Will, you can now call yourself a real lifesaver." she smiled at him.
Will shook his head.
"Well I couldn't let you fall could I?" he chuckled.
Adrianna said nothing but reached over to give him a hug of gratefulness. Will seemed a little taken aback at first but after a pause, he hugged her back.
"Thanks again." she murmured before hurrying to join the others.
"Good job today." Will turned to Scorpius.
"And to you." he nodded towards Ad and continued, "And for helping to keep Keitch out of my hair." he laughed.
Will laughed too, "It would be too cruel to expect you to handle him on your own you first time round. But next time..." his eyes darkened a little but Scorpius knew it was a joke.
"Thanks all the same."
"Well what did I tell you? You seemed to read me pretty well today didn't you? I was very impressed. Of course you shouldn't have aimed that bludger at Weasley, I know you were upset about Ad..."
"Yea, I know I know. It was an accident but I was a little mad." Scorpius admitted.
"Well just don't let it get to you too much. Or you get like me." Will sighed.
"Well you were relatively tame today, considering you handled Keitch."
"Yea well I decided to try and take your advice on board. Show the world I'm more human. Believe me it wasn't easy but sacrifices must be made..." he said solemnly.
"Shut up." Scorpius punched his shoulder.
"But what was up with Weasley later though? Why'd she knock that bludger out of the way for you? I'd have let it hit you if I were her. You'd have thought she was your girlfriend, trying to mummy you." he laughed.
Scorpius gulped a little nervously at this, none of the team, except Wood who had guessed it when Scorpius had told him about his partnership with Rose, knew that until recently, Rose and he had been walking out together. And honestly, he planned to keep it that way. It wasn't like he was ashamed of her or anything, but since they were no longer together, there simply wasn't the reason for anyone to know. Plus it would make things a lot more complicated between his team and him whenever they played the Cannons in the future. So he currently wasn't too keen to share his various theories regarding Rose's behaviour with Will.
"Don't know. Don't care though. Better for me." he commented.
"Ah well. All's well that ends well." Will shrugged comfortably.
Scorpius smiled in response.
Watching his team cheering and celebrating around him, seeing Coach Wood's ecstatic face, congratulating each of the players one by one, he felt a little hollow as he turned to see the slightly dejected looking Cannons nearby. Keitch still seemed to be in high spirits and was evidently giving the team along with their coach, a much needed morale boosting pep talk. Rose had was standing beside him, her head hung, looking a little disappointed. As if feeling her gaze on her once more, she looked up to see Scorpius. They still seemed to be completely in-tuned to him. She smiled at him a little, as if to say, "Good job" before turning back to her team. Usually he was never affected when they won a match and when later saw, post match, the losing team. But seeing Rose amongst them now, he felt almost a little guilty to have caused them this pain. He felt silly for thinking that, but it was true.
"Come on Scorp! Let's get outta here!" William called as the team started to get ready to leave. The crowd was beginning to file out of the stadium and the noise was slowly subsiding.
"Where we headed?" he asked.
"We all thought we'd head to Tim's to celebrate?" he suggested.
"Ok, I'm in!" Scorpius nodded and began to gather his things.
Running to catch up with the others, as they passed through the gates of the stadium, he turned one last time to catch a glimpse of the team behind them. They too were heading back to the team headquarters so that they could go to the Away team dressing rooms to freshen up and head back to Chudley. Scorpius suddenly frowned as he watched them. It wasn't their disappointed body language that was bothering him anymore, or their downcast expressions. No, he frowned because as he caught sight of Rose one last time, with Keitch walking right beside her, Keitch had surreptitiously and casually draped his hand over her shoulders as if in an attempt to draw her close to him. And Rose, as if she had been hit by a bolt of lightning, her face filled with a sudden fear intermixed with rage, had immediately and aggressively shoved him away.