The Bludger
As the second Gryffindor match approached practice was becoming unbearable for Harry, and he thought it couldn't get worse. James and Fabian didn't speak to each other, only exchanging hostile glances, whilst the relation between Sirius and Marlene got worse every day as they started nagging about each other's relationships. The team's confidence was weakening and when Webber, the keeper, broke a leg, James had to run for Ron against his will.
The morning of the match came and Harry woke up really early, noticing James sat on his bed, completely dressed.
"Morning, Prongs. Didn't sleep well?"
The boy at first didn't show any sign of having heard whatsoever, and just answered in a louder voice when Harry repeated the question.
"I didn't, actually. We're going to lose." He sighed, holding his head on his hands. "I'm finished."
"We are great." Harry tried to comfort, but James wasn't convinced, and replied in an angry tone:
"Course we're great! Fabian will not follow my schemes neither looks at my face, and Sirius and Marlene are on the verge of physical fight! Besides, Ron has practiced with us only once, and I don't even know how he would go in an actual game!"
Seeing that nothing would calm James down, Harry just smiled encouraging to him and went to the bathroom. When he got out, all the other boys were already awake, getting dressed in a tense and uncomfortable silence, even those who weren't from the team.
When they arrived to the Main Hall, the ceiling was completely white, and Harry saw it was going to snow. The hall's doors were opened, and the students shook for the cold wind that entered the room in bursts.
For the fact of being of the Slytherin team, Regulus wasn't close to Marlene, which Sirius wouldn't help to notice.
"Morning, everyone!" he greeted as soon as he got to the table. "Hello, Marlene, Reg…Hey! There's someone missing, is it not?"
"Shut it, Sirius." Marlene snorted.
"Why? Just because Regulus isn't-"
"YOU SHUT UP!"
The group got silent suddenly, everyone turning to the origin of the yell. Red and angry beside Lily, James looked seriously at Sirius and Marlene.
"Sirius, I know you don't like Regulus, but stop provoking Marlene. Please." He sighed looking exhausted. Sirius went silent immediately, and said nothing more until a group particularly unpleasant appeared, headed by a black haired boy with a mean gaze.
"Nervous, Potter?" he said, smiling debauching. Behind him Harry saw Snape smiling victoriously as Sirius and Marlene sprung up from their chairs withdrawing their wands.
"Knock it off, Avery." Marlene growled and Sirius pushed Avery.
"Let's see who's going to smile after I break your face, git."
"Hey…" Ginny started afraid, but the tow of them just threatened the others, walking to the dressing rooms after.
When they arrived there, silently, Harry noticed James had a weird obsessive bright in his eyes, the same he had seen in Oliver so many times. Every one sat on the bench in front of the scheme board, and James pinched his captain badge before talking:
"Today." He punched his open hand with the other wrist."Is the day for us to forget everything. Fabian, I know you hate me, and I'm not your number one fan, but you're one of the best beaters I've ever got for this team, and I know that Avery tried to steal a kiss from Lisa Roxon when you were dating her. Sirius, even if you hate Regulus and his relationship with Marlene, please, focus on sending bludgers to his friends. Lene, I know you hate them as much as I do, so concentrate. We are the best, we just need some incentive. Ron, I trust you to keep our goals safe."
Beside him, Harry saw Ron smile, his face in a strange bluish shade. When they grabbed the brooms and walked to the pinch James stopped in front of Harry, putting his hands on his shoulders.
"I know I don't need to tell, but get that snitch. I know you can because somehow, New Kid, you've got my confidence."
Renewed, the gryffindors arrived under screams and greetings, echoing in a loud mess of sounds. Harry felt unexpected warmth in his chest when the song the crowd sung came to his ears:
Weasley is our king!
Weasley is our king!
He never leaves a single ring
He never lets the Quaffle in
Weasley is our king!
"How do they know the song?" Ron asked shockingly. Sirius looked at him confused.
"What is this song?"
"Hermione thought them, Ron." Ginny grinned. "It's Ron's song. See how good he is, James?"
"It's a nice song." James smiled confidently.
"Shake your hands!" Madam Hooch said, and James shook Avery's, both narrowing their eyes with disgust.
Harry heard the whistle and took a strong impulse from the ground, entering the snowy sky. Far away he could hear Mary McDonald irradiating the match.
"Gryffindor and Slytherin! A classic for the second round of the league. The winner goes to semi finals! What song is this?"
Harry flew closer to the bleachers to listen better to the choir of "Weasley is our King", but instead other lyrics were sung, adapted by the 1977's students:
Gryffindor is the team
All the others freeze in shock!
When we are in the pinch
Gryffindor will rock!
Harry smiled. He wanted to call James attention to the song, but the snow had increased and he couldn't distinguish anything more than red and green flashes. He started roaming the pinch lonely and was scared when Regulus suddenly showed up by his side.
"Bad weather, hun?" he said with a grin.
"Awful, have you seen something?" Harry answered, not believing he was having such talk with the Slytherin seeker. A distant sound indicated one of them scored, but he didn't know who. As he forced his sight to see the scoreboard a bright golden flash passed through him, disappearing right after.
Harry quickly accelerated on the direction of the flash, and felt Regulus starting to follow him, almost side by side.
It happened really fast. In a second Harry closed his wrist over the golden ball and the other he saw Regulus being thrown off his broom by a bludger that hit his chest.
The crowd's screams and boos made him deaf, but he released the snitch and ran to stop Regulus from falling to the ground, though when he got there, it was too late. Sirius carried his brother's body off of his own broomstick, extremely pale.
James got off his broom beside Harry, and the boy felt the other's arm over him.
"We won! Hey, what happened to Regulus?"
In minutes the whole team was surrounding Regulus, who was being assisted by Madam Pomfrey.
"There is not one single Slytherin here, helping their seeker." Dorcas noticed, gazing at the green team. They were all around Madam Hooch, but rather than complaining about Regulus injury they nagged that the match should be canceled for Harry released the snitch on the attempt of saving Regulus.
Angry, the Gryffindor team followed Madam Pomfrey to the Hospital Wing where James and Sirius put the unconscious Regulus. Curtains were put around his bed and rest limited themselves to wait outside as the nurse saw what had happened.
"Ungrateful." Lily started nervously. "He's their seeker and the gryffindoors are here. Who send him the bludger?"
"I bet it was you, wasn't it, Prewett?" Sirius growled and everyone turned to him. The marauder was pale and tremulous, and couldn't stop sending tense glances at the curtains. The red-headed rolled his eyes.
"I thought we were supposed to forget our problems, Black. It wasn't me, besides I was around James when it happened. Amycus was throwing bludgers in his directing without a rest, so I had to beat them all away."
"So it must have been one of the Carrows." Hermione conclude thoughtfully. "But why would they attack their own seeker?"
"It doesn't matter right now." Marlene rose from where she was,, sitting beside Sirius. "What matters is Regulus getting out of this alive. It was true luck that Sirius could catch him when he fell, wasn't it, Sirius?"
"They tried to kill my brother." Sirius said anxiously, clutching Marlene's hand kindly. "Those slytherins tried to kill my brother."
Harry and Ginny exchanged surprised looks. Sirius didn't call Regulus of brother usually. Some minutes later Madam Pomfrey sent everyone away, claiming that Regulus was only sleeping and that he needed rest. They got back to the Gryffindor tower muttering, Marlene and Sirius together.
Later, as everyone rest in front of the fireplace, James asked:
"Where are you spending the Christmas holiday?"
"We were thinking of here…" Ginny said.
"Let's go to my house." James suggested, smiling. "My parents sent me a letter saying they're going to invite some people to our home. My dad could use some life.
"The Prewett's called us over." Ron commented, and Sirius coughed:
"And since when you are friends with the Prewett?"
"Oh, they said our last name is the same as their brother-in-law, and invited us to meet them."
"Regulus and I will be at the apartment." Sirius muttered and Remus raised his eyebrows.
"I thought you didn't want him around…"
"The situation has changed." He said simply. James rolled his eyes.
"Great. Harry comes with me, and before Christmas we'll go pick you up. Remus, Peter, you can take your parents. Sirius, you, hum…"
"The day I bring my parents near your house, Prongs, you can arrest me." Sirius said sarcastically.
Laughing, James lied his head over Lily's lap, closing his eyes.
"I can see how this holiday will be…"
"And I can see how my brother is." Sirius sprung to his feet, and Harry saw how worried he was. Marlene rose up too, and them both headed to the Hospital Wing. Harry noticed their hands touch, and asked himself how would Regulus react if he knew that his accident brought together his brother and his girlfriend.