Chapter Twenty-Four

There is a deafening thwack as my bat comes into contact with the Bludger, sending it spinning away from me and towards Stephan Macnair's broomtail as he closes in on Keegan and the Quaffle. The Bludger snaps him off course and Keegan manages to dodge Osmond's Bludger and throw the Quaffle through the lowest hoop.

"And that's ten points for Gryffindor," the commentator yells over the roar of the red robes. "That makes the score 170-80 for Slytherin!" which elicits a roar from the opposite stand. "I've never seen these two teams so focused before! But I gotta tell you, some of them aren't looking so good. Seriously Malfoy, you look like you're going to fall off your broom," the commentator chuckles and I glance over at the Malfoy in question. He's right. He's not funny but he's right. Andrius looks awful. There are heavy black smudges under his lines and his skin has a waxy quality that isn't just from the exertion of the game. He looks ill.

He doesn't even blink an eyelid at the commentator though. All his attention focused up the Quaffle and the players, I can almost see him plotting different tactical lines through the air. Apparently he hasn't spoken since he returned.

"Rose!" Lily bellows as a Bludger comes careering in my direction. I smack it away from me towards where Macnair and Logan are trying to get around Thelma's blocking swerves. It knocks Logan off course and I stick my tongue out at him. Macnair however, uses the distraction to swoop under Thelma and launch the Quaffle through the right-hand hoop. Great.

"And Slytherin is right back in with a goal! Stephan Macnair – who for those of you who don't already know, and really, have you been living under rocks – this guy is the future brother in law of James Potter! The shocking announcement of Potter's engagement to the granddaughter of a renowned Death Eater hit the news a few days ago and- Ow! Sorry Professor," the commentator mumbles and I glance at Stephan Macnair to see him glaring daggers at the commentator box. "Apparently I'm only supposed to talk about Quidditch and not inform you of the important developments in Wizarding society," he grumbles. "So anyway, Finnigan has the Quaffle, passes to Henderson, back to Finnigan, Henderson, James, Henderson, Finnigan – they are flying fast day," he breathes out. "Oops, Macnair snatches the Quaffle from Finnigan, throws to Malfoy – mini Malfoy that is – out to Moon and would you look at that, Slytherin has scored again!"

Albus is flying a far way above the crowd and the rest of the game and from the way he is tugging at his hair, looks like he might be having a minor freak out. Not that I can blame him, there are representatives from some of the major Quidditch teams present and if he can get a contract with one of them it would literally be his dream come true. But currently it's not looking so good as Andrius plants another goal past Leo's defenses. At that, Albus flies down and Leo takes his time putting the Quaffle back in play as Albus discusses something with Thelma and Keegan. They both nod and Leo throws Keegan the Quaffle.

Within seconds, Thelma is looping the Quaffle through the Slytherin posts. Alec looks extremely confused.

"I don't know what that was but the Gryffindor Captain – whose brother's future brother-in-law is on the opposing team – seems to have pulled out something special. James and Finnigan – and by that I mean Thelma James and not James Potter, who is- yes Professor, I'll stop!" he squeals. "Anyway they did something very complicated and I don't know what to call it but it was very fast and very cool and it worked because Gryffindor scored. Now Nott is throwing the Quaffle back to Malfoy and seriously dude, I can see those bags under your eyes from here, get some sleep man and Malfoy to Macnair and I'm not going to comment on anything to do with his family and Macnair to Moon and Moon to Macnair and ouch, Potter's Bludger knock him right off course and nope, nope, not going to say anything. Henderson catches the Quaffle but it's snatched from him by Malfoy and that's a goal to Slytherin! Don't lose hope though Gryffindor's, there is a good chance the guy's going to fall off his broom by the end of the- shit, sorry, I won't mention it again!" the commentator – whose name I should probably know – mutters sheepishly as Professor Talkalot stands angrily behind him, a rolled up copy of the Daily Prophet in her hand.

And so the game goes on. Thelma, Keegan and Will constantly pushing at the Slytherin defenses but no matter how many goals they score, Slytherin is always back in it with another. Albus has been surprisingly cool since his minor freak out earlier and somehow no one has lost focus.

"I honestly have no idea how these players aren't all falling off their brooms at this point," the commentator sighs. I mean really, it's been three and a half hours in the sweltering sun and I for one am sweating like a pig – even though I've never really seen a pig sweat so I don't really know if that is an accurate comparison – and all I've been doing is standing here talking at you people and who knew talking could be such a strenuous exercise," he rambles, fanning himself pointlessly with his wand. "Could you do us a favour and catch the snitch please," he begs.

Instead, Thelma throws the Quaffle past Alec once more. "Oh great, another goal," the commentator sighs. "That's 300 to Slytherin and 150 to Gryffindor. That's right ladies and gentlemen, we have had a grand total of 47 goals here on this fine day. Which believe it or not is not actually the record this year that is still held by the train-wreck of a game that was Gryffindor's annihilation of Ravenclaw. No such annihilation is occurring here today but I really hope they're not trying to break the record because we could be here for a long time and I'm a little concerned that I might pass out from the heat- Professor! That would definitely not be a relief!" he squawks back at Professor Talkalot who is smirking slightly with her muggle hand-held fan.

Turning my attention away from the commentator box, I spot Keegan and Albus whispering by the goal posts, Albus looks a little more agitated than he has for the majority of the game. But not panicked which is a good sign. When Alec throws the Quaffle in, Thelma is right on hand to intercept and throws it swiftly towards Will. Andrius is bearing down on them and I send a nearby Bludger into his path. Thelma yells something Keegan appears from seemingly nowhere to catch the Quaffle and launch it through the nearest hoop. The two of them high five and nod in someone's direction. Turning, I spot Albus grinning a little before a mask of complete focus falls over his face.

I do the maths. It is 300 to our 160 now. Albus catches the snitch… we win. The Slytherins seem to be a little slower on the uptake and glance around in confusion at the lift of Gryffindor spirits.

Albus is circling. Lily and I are in place to defend the goal with Leo above all else. The chasers are focused on the Quaffle. The aim is to keep it in the Slytherin half until Albus can catch the snitch. This is where things get exciting.

Keegan snatches the Quaffle from Macnair. Throws it to Will. Thelma and Will then play a came of back and forth, no real intention to risk trying for goal. Lily whacks a Bludger and it sends Logan off course. Which somehow sends Alec off course too and Will slips behind him to put another goal in the hoop. We have increased our chances. But we have also lost possession again.

"…and Nott throws to Macnair and Macnair to Malfoy, Malfoy to Moon and Moon back to Macnair. Finnigan misses a tackle. Macnair to Moon and why do all the chasers have surnames beginning with 'M' on the Slytherin team and Moon to Malfoy, Malfoy dodges Henderson, throws back to Moon and Moon aims for goal and Bell blocks it! Nice save from Leo Bell keeping the score at 300 to 170. Gryffindor just need to catch that snitch and they could win this game! Not that I am routing for anyone obviously," he mutters as an afterthought. Osmond's head snaps up and she takes in Albus' hovering stance and whispers something to Flint. I catch Lily's eye and nod at them so she keeping an eye out too.

Then Albus dives.

The entire stadium sucks in a collective gasp.

It's a Wronski Feint and I have seen him practicing it a thousand times before but it doesn't make it any less horrifying to watch. A flicker of movement catches my eye and I watch as Osmond sends a very well aimed Bludger straight into Albus' path.

"Al!" I screech. It must do something to break his focus because all of a sudden he is pulling up and away from a direct collision with the Bludger. "Are you out of your fucking wind!?" I scream at Osmond who looks a little shell-shocked herself. "You could have killed him!"

"Oh would you look at that, the weasel has a heart after all," Osmond snarks back but she is a little paler than she had been and considering she looks like the sort of person who has never encountered sunlight on a regular basis, that is saying something. Ignoring her, I look at Albus who is slightly green and gripping his broom a little tight. Next to him, Lily looks like she is trying to disentangle her wand from her robes so she can curse Osmond into the next century.

Then Keegan is there, hand resting on her forearm and persuading her that murder might not be the best way to handle the situation. The Referee is giving Osmond a earful about safety regulations and threatening to kick her off the pitch for the remainder of the game. In the end, she allows Albus the deciding vote.

"She can stay," he mutters grudgingly. And that it that. Lily looks like she might end up killing Albus now.

"So wow, that was quite something wasn't it!" the commentator breathes, excitement in the match renewed. "For those of you lovely people so concerned with Potter's safety and missed it, Finnigan used the distraction to score another goal, making the score 300 to 180. The nutter Potter is allowing Osmond the Insane to stay on the pitch. Sometimes I wonder if the kid shouldn't have been a Hufflepuff. Anyway… Nott throws the Quaffle into play, Malfoy picks it up, but wait- Malfoy, other Malfoy that is, the blond one, has spotted the snitch!"

And there is it.

My attention is finally forced upon the one Slytherin player that I have managed to avoid looking at for the duration of the game: Scorpius Malfoy.

I haven't spoken to Scorpius since we returned from St. Mungo's. The night has become a haze in my memory. I remember sleeping restlessly on his shoulder for a while in the uncomfortable hospital chairs. I remember his hand fitting perfectly in mine as we walked back up to the castle. I remember the ghost of his lips on my cheek as I fell asleep in my dorm bed.

I remember telling him he was different. Different from any other person I had been paid to kiss. Different to any person I had ever met. I remember him holding me like he never wanted to let go.

I remember what it felt like in those few moments before Dave opened his cursed mouth. I remember feeling like everything was about to go right.

But we never spoke about us beyond that. We never put a name to what we have. Perhaps how it felt at St. Mungo's – like we were really together, solid – perhaps that was only due to the trauma of the night. Perhaps we were just seeking comfort in each other. Perhaps he didn't feel what I felt.

So now it's awkward between us. Our eyes meet and it's a race to see who can look away fastest. We bump into each other in the corridor and it's game to see who can stutter out the most coherent apology. It is a mess. We are a mess.

I know I should just talk to him, be honest with him, open up to him. But the thought of doing so is terrifying. Because the idea of him not feeling the same way is almost unbearable. And that terrifies me. I never gave my heart permission to leave itself so utterly open and exposed to just one person. I knew it wasn't healthy, shutting myself off from people the way I did and I am learning, trying to let them back in. But it has always been by choice; my head rules my heart – that is the one rule I still abide by.

Scorpius Malfoy is the exception.

I never made the conscious decision to let him in; I never had a choice in whether or not he was going to be a part of my life; I never wanted anyone to hold so much of my heart in their hands without even knowing it. But I did and he does. He holds my heart. And he doesn't even know it.

It's not love. I refuse to call it love. I'm not in love with him.

But by Merlin it's the closest I have ever been.

"Is this it! Is this the end?" the commentator calls out dramatically. "Scorpius Malfoy is chasing the snitch, Albus Potter hard on his heels but is it enough? Can Potter push that little bit further or is Malfoy's head start going to win the game?"

There is a bat in my hand. And a Bludger hovering near by.

"I've never seen anyone fly this fast! Well that's a lie I went to the World Cup but still – I've never seen anyone fly this fast in Hogwarts!"

The question is: can I knock one off course without distracting the other?

"Malfoy is stretching out his hand, is he going to catch it? Is he?" the commentator is yelling now, leaning over the box to get a better look.

I take the risk. I swing.

"Holy mother of Merlin's mothballs! Did you see that?" the commentator squeals. "Rose Weasley sends a Bludger smashing into the back of Malfoy's broom, there are twigs flying everywhere! He is not going to be happy about the cost of repairs for that! I guess that's Weasley's revenge for Osmond almost killing her cousin so touché to her! Malfoy is spiraling out of control and he can't keep up, Albus is over taking him and holy fudgesticks he's caught the snitch! Gryffindor wins the game!" he shouts over the bellowing in the stands.

It takes a while for my heart to return to a normal pace, by witch time the team is flying down to land. Thelma and Leo are high-fiving, Will is jumping on Albus' back and grinning like an idiot. Then Lily touches down and strides over the pitch to where Keegan is getting off his broom. Fisting her hands in his robes, she pulls him forward and kisses him soundly on the lips, the Gryffindor stalls erupt into cheers all over again.

"My, oh my," the commentator smirks. "Looks like the oldest Potter isn't the only one getting some action! Its just Al left now! Maybe Osmond the Insane can take you on a date as compensation for almost killing you!" he laughs. I really should know his name. Albus flips him the bird but he is looking at Lily and Keegan with a resigned and slightly amused expression. Keegan gives him a helpless look and Al just rolls his eyes.

Students are flooding on to the pitch now. I spot Hugo teasing Logan a few meters away, the crowd hiding them in plain sight. Thelma is being tackled by her siblings as Elsa watches on in amusement. Bertha Corner is congratulating Will who looks a little pink around the ears and a couple of Fifth Years have produced water-balloons from Merlin knows where and are causing havoc in the crowd.

And then someone's hands are on my shoulders and I am being steered out of the crowd to the shadows cast by the stands.

"I have a proposition for you," Anninka Osmond says by way of explanation as she spins me around to face her.

"What?"

"I need you to kiss my boyfriend."

"Are you insane?" I ask her for the second time today.

"Yeah, yeah, everyone knows that this is your little job now so business must be tough because boys are staying well clear of you, whatever. This boy is denser than most apparently and if he cheats on me with anyone, trust me, it'd be you. So are you in or out? Twenty-five galleons right?"

"What?" I repeat.

"Hmm… I never had you pegged down as a moron weasel. Are you in or not?"

"You're crazy, you're boyfriend would have to be dumber than a troll to kiss me. Doesn't mean he's not going to cheat on you with someone else!"

"Like I said, if he would cheat on me it would hands down be with you."

"Oh really, what makes you so sure of that?" I resist rolling my eyes.

"Because… he's Scorpius Malfoy."

Author's Note:

So I have had the worst writers block in regards to this fic and I hope you can forgive me. This chapter was not at all what I had planned but the main plot points remain the same. There will be one more chapter (gasp) and then the epilogue. I really hope neither of them take as long as this did. Thanks so all of those who are still with me and I hope you enjoy it!

Irish Myth.