Part 45 – Playing with Fire
Severus sat in the Slytherin stands as the penultimate Quidditch match of the year, and the final match for the Slytherin team took place.
Like the rest of Slytherin house he was nearly hoarse from yelling out in support of their team. Of course, whether they won the cup this year was dependent on the final match of the season. If the Gryffindors won their match by a large enough margin they could still win the cup. The Slytherin team however were currently in first place and they were making sure that the number of points the Gryffindors had to make up was as many as possible.
The match had already been going on for an hour. The Slytherin team was leading with 400 points compared to 80 points for Hufflepuff.
Severus had seen that the Hufflepuff seeker had spotted the snitch several times but her team captain repeatedly signalled to her to leave it until they had caught up on points. Nearly everyone in the stands could tell that it wasn't going to happen, it was merely a question of waiting until the Hufflepuff captain had decided that enough was enough.
Something else Severus had noticed was the repeated bludger attacks on one of the Hufflepuff chasers. It was only when he spotted Andromeda Black flinching on her bench in front of him that he realised that the chaser in question was Ted Tonks.
Once he realised this, Severus began to take more notice of who the players were and soon spotted that the beater persistently sending the bludgers in the direction of Ted was Rodolphus Lestrange, Bellatrix Black's boyfriend.
Andromeda's gaze was directed at Ted and Severus heard her gasp when a bludger nearly dismounted him from his broom.
Beside him Bellatrix cheered Rodolphus loudly. "Did you see that?" she asked Severus with a wide grin. "A bludger sent from so far away as that one but still with enough power behind it to knock the mudblood from his broom."
Severus nodded mutely and cheered as Lucius scored another goal for the team.
The match stretched on and Severus saw every flinch made by Andromeda as Rodolphus repeatedly sent bludgers in Ted's direction. He wondered why Madam Hooch didn't call him on it but soon realised that Rodolphus was operating within the rules of the game. Only just within the rules, but within them just the same.
The match continued for the rest of the afternoon, with many of the students returning to the school for something to eat. Severus remained where he was, as did Bellatrix and Andromeda.
He wasn't sure which concerned Andromeda the most – the events on the pitch or her sister's comments from the stands.
Finally when the score was Slytherins 540 and Hufflepuff 190 the Hufflepuff captain gave the signal to their seeker to go for the snitch and put an end to their misery.
The match was quickly wound up with the Hufflepuffs closing the gap for catching the snitch but losing the match on points.
The spectators began to move about and drift back towards the school eager to get to the Great Hall for dinner.
Severus was still in the middle of the stands and waiting for the students nearest to him to move when he heard the sound of a tight scream in front of him. He looked at the white-faced Andromeda and saw that she was looking at the ground of the pitch.
He knew, even if Bellatrix's cackle of laughter hadn't given it away, what had happened.
Although the match had been over for several minutes Rodolphus had sent one final bludger to the unsuspecting Ted Tonks. Ted was lying, unmoving, on the ground and Madam Hooch was hurrying towards him with an expression of concern on her face.
"Stupid mudblood should have stayed on the ground instead of trying to play Quidditch," Bellatrix laughed before she pushed her way past Severus and the other Slytherins to make her way to Rodolphus and the rest of the Slytherin team.
Severus looked at Andromeda who was sitting unmoving. She was gripping the front of the stands; her knuckles were as white as her face.
He watched as Madam Hooch conjured a stretcher and carefully levitated Ted onto it. Severus stood quietly as Madam Hooch directed the stretcher out of the pitch and towards the school. Andromeda still wasn't moving.
"You should go to the hospital wing," Severus whispered. Andromeda jumped in her seat at his words and swung round to face him. She'd clearly forgotten anyone else was even there.
She nodded mutely and Severus walked with her towards the school.
It was the first time he'd been alone with Andromeda since the midnight party but now wasn't the time to ask questions of her. He didn't say anything as they walked into the hospital wing and saw that Ted was already laid down on one of the beds. He was still unconscious and Andromeda let out an involuntary moan when she saw him lying motionless.
"Is he going to be all right?" Severus asked Madam Pomfrey as she hurriedly tended the young chaser.
"I expect so," she replied with a smile. "Nothing but a bump on the head. He'll be right as rain in the morning."
Severus heard the audible sigh of relief from Andromeda. It was all she'd been waiting for to come out of her stupor and she hurried to the side of the bed, pulling up a chair and grasping Ted's hand in her own.
Severus hovered a moment, unsure whether he should stay or whether his presence would be an intrusion on the private moment between the other two students.
"You can sit down if you like," Andromeda said, nodding to the empty chair on the other side of the bed.
Severus moved to the seat and sat down quietly. He looked at Ted and saw that close up he had even more bruises than might have been expected for a Quidditch player. He'd have a black eye in the morning and his jaw was already sporting a darkening bruise.
"Rodolphus was doing it on purpose, wasn't he?" Severus whispered, knowing the answer even before he spoke the question.
"Bellatrix saw us together in Hogsmeade last week," Andromeda replied quietly. "I thought maybe she hadn't spotted us. She didn't say anything at the time, or later. I thought…I hoped, that perhaps…" Her voice trailed off and she shook her head at her own foolishness.
"They were just waiting?" Severus guessed.
"Quidditch," Andromeda muttered. "A great game in some respects, but often merely used as an excuse to beat someone to a pulp and get away with it."
"I can't believe the Hufflepuff captain didn't end things sooner," Severus muttered. "Couldn't the rest of the team see what was happening?"
"Those who are on the team are as obsessed with the game as you can get," Andromeda replied with a snort of barely concealed contempt. "They don't see anything that stands in the way of their winning the match."
"Will they leave him alone now?" Severus asked. "I mean, well, they've…" He gestured towards the bed, even as he realised that putting Ted into the hospital wing following a game of Quidditch was not going to be enough to satisfy Bellatrix and the others.
"They'll only leave him alone if I do," Andromeda confirmed. "I have to wonder if he thinks I'm worth all this trouble though."
"I'm sure he does," a new voice said and Severus looked up to see that Sirius Black was standing at the end of the bed. "I thought I'd find you here when you didn't appear for dinner. I brought you some food."
He placed a pie and a sticky éclair on the bedside table and gave Andromeda a small hesitant pat on the shoulder.
"Thanks Sirius," Andromeda whispered. "Looks like the Gryffindors have their work cut out for them if they're going to win the cup," she added with somewhat forced humour.
"They'll manage it," Sirius replied with a grin. "We've got a great team this year."
"Even without the talented Sirius Black on it?" Andromeda teased.
"You knew I tried out for the team?" Sirius asked in surprise.
"Everyone knew you tried out for the team," Andromeda laughed. "Cocky little first years try out every year, but only Sirius Black and his best friend James Potter are known for nearly making it."
"We are?" Sirius asked with a smug smile.
Severus watched the two cousins and they exchanged easy banter and he wondered why it was that Sirius seemed to hate him so much when clearly he was good friends with his cousin, who was as much a part of the Slytherin house as he was.
"I'll catch you later," Sirius finally said and he left the ward with a wave back at Andromeda.
"What is it?" Andromeda asked as she turned back to Severus. "Don't you get along with Sirius?"
Severus tried to school his expression into one that was less hostile but knew he was failing miserably. "He doesn't get on with me," he muttered. "I thought he hated all Slytherins so it wasn't so bad. But I guess I was wrong."
"Sirius can be a bit difficult," Andromeda admitted. "But if you give him a chance you might find you get along with him."
"Fat chance," Severus muttered.
"Well you don't know if you don't try," Andromeda said with a shrug. "It's up to you. Sirius can be very loyal when he's your friend. You'd be surprised."
Severus shrugged. "Can I ask you something?"
"If you like," Andromeda replied. She didn't sound very curious about what it was he was going to ask and Severus had second thoughts as to whether he should say anything. "What is it?" she prompted after he'd been silent for a minute.
"I was wondering how you do it," Severus asked.
"Do what?"
"How you keep up a friendship with someone from one of the other houses when the rest of the Slytherins only seem to have friendships in their own houses. They really hate the Gryffindors."
"You hang out sometimes with that red headed girl in Gryffindor, don't you?" Andromeda asked. "What's her name again?"
"Lily," Severus replied immediately, knowing his face was lighting up just by saying her name.
"Quite a few Slytherins have friends in other houses," Andromeda explained. "Take Sirius. No one in Slytherin would have a problem with anyone being friends with him. He's from a pureblood family after all. If Ted was from a pureblood family no one would mind my dating him. But he's…"
"Muggleborn," Severus replied quietly.
"As long as your Lily is pureblood they won't have a problem with her. If she's a talented half blood like yourself then they'll probably turn a blind eye too."
"She's muggleborn," Severus whispered even as he felt a smile spreading over his face at the idea that Lily was his.
"Then you're playing with fire," Andromeda said quietly. "You just have to decide whether your friendship with her is worth the risk of being burned."
Severus nodded thoughtfully.
"I don't have any easy answers for you," Andromeda continued. "If there were a spell to sort out problems like these I'd have used one myself long ago. It's a matter of deciding what you want most and having the courage to take it."
"I don't know if I have that much courage," Severus whispered quietly.
"Then you'll lose her," Andromeda stated in a matter of fact tone.
Severus didn't know what to say to that but was saved from having to speak by Ted waking up. He quietly made his way from the hospital wing and headed back towards the Great Hall to see if there was any food left.
He replayed Andromeda's words in his head and wondered whether he had the same courage inside him that she had. He simply didn't know.
