Malfoy's Fall
After their embarrassing defeat at the hands of Gryffindor near the beginning of the school year, Ravenclaw's Quidditch team never managed to bounce back from their loss. In January, Hufflepuff slaughtered them following their own defeat from Slytherin just before Christmas break. Almost irrevocably out of the running for the Quidditch Cup, Ravenclaw's team did not worry the Gryffindors as they continued to train, especially after their heartening win against Hufflepuff in early February. The rival Chasers stood no chance against James' Airwake, and Morgan ended up catching the Snitch within minutes. Ravenclaw fell even further in the rankings when they competed against Slytherin and lost, and only Gryffindor's game against Slytherin was left, the match that would determine the winner of the Cup.
To prepare for their final game, the Gryffindor team met up in the pitch thrice every week, now back to their regular schedule after managing to nullify Professor Slughorn's note after the holidays. Although she never admitted it out loud, Morgan was clearly worried about Vanity's progress with the Slytherins, and she worked James and the other players twice as long as normal during each practice session. Every night after practice, James would crawl back into his dormitory with muscles that felt like straw, instantly falling asleep after the day's work.
The day before the match, Morgan advised the others to rest well and eat a full breakfast to prepare them for the game. Taking her advice, James clambered into his four-poster earlier than usual and woke up just when the sun began to peek through the window. Although he felt too excited to eat, he tried his best to scarf down a fair meal in the Great Hall while his roommates watched from his side.
"Did you get enough?" Sirius asked when James pushed back his unfinished plate and wiped his mouth on his sleeve.
"Yeah," James answered, his heart racing unnaturally fast.
"Here," Remus offered, reaching into the folds of his robes and handing him a square of chocolate. "For luck."
"Thanks," James told him, taking the chocolate and gulping it down in one bite. It gave him a strange sense of warmth when he swallowed, and he pushed back his glasses with a sudden surge of energy.
"Come on, James!" Frank called before James could ask for another square of chocolate. Glancing behind him, James spotted the third-year passing by the Gryffindor table with the rest of the team. "We're leaving!"
As if they had been waiting for a cue, the Slytherin team stood from the other side of the Great Hall and joined the Gryffindors on the way out; the members on both sides exchanged glares as they marched forward, each team refusing to back down. Matching strides, they walked shoulder by shoulder towards the double doors, and James jumped up to run after them.
"Hey, James!" Sirius interjected before he could leave, grabbing him by the sleeve. Looking down as the corner of Sirius' mouth lifted, James listened as his friend requested, "Do me a favor and kick Malfoy's butt."
"Will do," James answered, grinning. "I've been waiting all year for this!"
"Don't let me down!" Sirius said as he let go of James, allowing him to rush after his teammates. When he reached them, James fell into step beside Frank and glared up at Malfoy and Vanity. They both looked down at him with raised eyebrows, and the former rolled his eyes before glancing away again.
Neither team managed to pull ahead of the other before reaching the Quidditch pitch, and they separated to their locker rooms with an ice-cold silence still hanging between them. Already in their uniforms, the Gryffindors simply strapped their protective armor on and clutched their broom handles, listening to the murmuring crowd gathering in the stands outside.
"All right, team, this is it," Morgan finally announced, breaking the silence, and every eye turned to her. "We have one chance to make this work, and we won't make it unless we work together. Talk to each other out there, and remember what we've practiced. I know for a fact that Vanity doesn't stand a chance against us," she added with a slight snarl, and everyone raised their brooms.
"Hear, hear!" Raul exclaimed.
"Let's get this started!" Frank added, and they all turned for the exit a moment later.
Stepping into formation beside the rest of the team, James waited for Instructor Zunderfield to oversee the traditional shaking of hands while the Slytherins approached from the other side of the field. Upon both teams' entrance, the crowd erupted into cheers and catcalls, and James spotted his parents waving wildly from the visitor's tower. As Morgan and Vanity stepped towards each other, neither broke from her composed sort of forward stare, but Vanity's eyes bugged outwards when Morgan grabbed her hand, nearly crushing her fingers in a vice-like grip. Quickly jerking her hand away, she glowered at Morgan while rubbing her palm, mounting her broom with the other players.
Rising into position, James stared straight ahead at where Malfoy hovered just across from him, his face set in an unrelenting scowl. Smirking back at him, James rubbed his hand through his hair and leaned forward on his broom.
"Let the match begin!" Instructor Zunderfield cried, throwing the Quaffle into the air and unleashing the other balls.
Zipping forward, King managed to snatch the Quaffle just before Vanity could reach it, and James and Frank flew after him towards the Slytherins' goalposts. When he neared the opposing team, James dived to get nearer to King, but Malfoy appeared from the side and shoved him off balance before he could catch up. A cry of outrage rose up from the spectators, but Malfoy continued on as if he had not seen James at all, and Zunderfield did not blow his whistle. Spinning around once, James soon regained his balance and zoomed after his teammates.
Unfortunately, Vanity intercepted the Quaffle when King passed it to Frank, and she held onto it while James tried to block her path. Shooting under him, she ignored Malfoy's wave and flew straight at Joseph where he floated in front of Gryffindor's goalposts. Watching her rapid approach, the Keeper steadied himself and readied for the defense; however, Vanity did not slow as she entered the scoring zone, and when she threw the Quaffle, it hit the top of Joseph's fingers and continued on through the left hoop.
Out of the corner of his eye, James saw the score board by the commentator's box change in Slytherin's favor. Despite the first play's outcome, he was somewhat gratified to see Malfoy grind his jaw slightly as Vanity waved to the cheering audience. Flying up next to James, Frank and King waved him aside.
"We'll have to watch out for more fouls," Frank growled, shooting a look in Malfoy's direction.
"They'll do what they have to," King said. "There's no way that Malfoy's going to lose so easily in his last year."
"I'll keep an eye on him," James agreed.
"Do you see that?" King asked, pointing at where Vanity flew slightly above Malfoy and Slytherin's other Chaser, Marcus Mimbleton. "Focus on her. She's not likely to share the ball if she has a shot at the glory."
"Right," James and Frank responded, and they separated so that Frank could take the Quaffle for the new offensive.
As soon as he passed the ball to James, Vanity shot forward, and neither Malfoy nor Mimbleton had time to reach it before she had snatched it out of the air. Flying in front of her in order to slow her down, King gave his teammates enough time to close in from both sides, controlling her path of travel. Only spotting the trap once it had already been set, Vanity tried to fly higher, but James and the others followed her closely until she finally threw down the Quaffle in desperation. Catching it, James turned and sped for the Slytherin goalposts, diving down to avoid Malfoy as he flew forward to intercept him. Quickly tossing the ball to Frank to throw Mimbleton off his trail, he continued to a secure position in front of the hoops and signaled for his teammate again. When the Quaffle was thrown back at him, James smacked it with the end of his Airwake's handle and sent it soaring through the closest goalpost, much to the Slytherin Keeper's frustration.
Grinning now that the score was tied, James waved at the crowd before high-fiving Frank and floating back into position. Glancing backwards when the other team did not follow, he watched as Vanity flew up to the Slytherin Keeper and threw her hands into the air.
"WHAT WAS THAT?" she yelled, apparently not caring that the spectators could hear every word. "ARE YOU JUST GOING TO LET THE BALL IN LIKE THAT EVERY TIME?"
Observing from her spot next to the stands as Vanity continued to yell, Morgan's face lit up like she had just won the match. As Zunderfield blew his whistle in an attempt to restore order, Malfoy turned a deep shade of purple, and James and Frank shared a glance. Together, they attempted to hide their laughter behind their hands for the benefit of King, who simply stared at the proceedings.
"BACK TO THE GAME, YOU TWO!" Zunderfield finally shouted, abandoning his whistle after it became clear that it was having no effect. Above him, Vanity snatched the Keeper's broom handle and twisted it in order to display the proper way of defending the goalposts, and Zunderfield gave two short blasts on his whistle, giving Gryffindor a free shot and finally breaking apart the Slytherins. King threw the Quaffle, and the Keeper, still ill-composed, did not reach it in time before it sailed through the left hoop.
During the next few plays, James could see the effects of Vanity's outburst and Gryffindor's extra shot taking their toll on the Slytherins. Mimbleton could not seem to throw straight, either towards his teammates or Gryffindor's three hoops, and Malfoy and Vanity ended up colliding while trying to catch the Quaffle. After Vanity chastised him, Malfoy flew over to Mimbleton and conversed with him in a low voice, and they eventually seemed to reach an agreement. Grabbing the Quaffle, Mimbleton held onto it until Vanity yelled at him to pass it to her; preparing for a throw, he tossed the ball underneath her waving arm to Malfoy, who snatched it and raced towards the middle goalpost on Gryffindor's side of the field. The Quaffle sailed past Joseph's lunge, and a cheer erupted from the Slytherin side of the stands. Waving at the spectators, Malfoy sped right past Vanity as she hovered up by his side to reprimand him.
For the next half hour, Malfoy and Mimbleton continued to ignore their Captain, refusing to throw the Quaffle her way despite her frequent yelling. Unfortunately, their plan seemed to be working, and they quickly scored several more points while Gryffindor struggled to catch up. Although Vanity eventually abandoned the game altogether as she pouted on her broom, her watching Housemates paid her no heed as they cheered on the other Chasers, and the scoreboard near the commentator's box soon displayed Slytherin's advantage at 120 to 40. Motioning to Instructor Zunderfield for a time-out, Morgan gathered her team on the ground while the Slytherins stayed airborne.
"Come on, pull it together!" she told James and the other Chasers. "They Chasers aren't going to pass the Quaffle to Vanity, so there's only two of them you need to worry about! What's the problem?"
"When I tried to get close to Malfoy, he shoved me away," Frank complained, rubbing the dark bruise on his chin. "He and Mimbleton always make sure to keep the fouls hidden from Zunderfield. We can't get close to them, and they're too fast to intercept at long distances."
"Block them off together, then!" Morgan retorted. "There's two of them and three of you!"
"What do you think we've been trying to do?" Frank exclaimed, but a sudden blast from Instructor Zunderfield's whistle interrupted his words.
"We still have a minute left!" Morgan argued, turning to Zunderfield, but he was not looking at her team; instead, he gave another two screeches from his whistle to stop Yun, Slytherin's Seeker, from racing around the stands. His mouth falling open, James spotted the Golden Snitch fleeing from his outstretched hand.
"WE'RE ON A TIME-OUT!" Zunderfield shouted, but once again, his actions proved fruitless. Turning to Morgan, he raised his arms in a shrug, and she jumped onto her broomstick and sped into the air without a backwards glance. Following her, the rest of the team rose into the sky and watched as the Seekers raced down the length of the pitch, Morgan just a few broom-lengths behind.
"Why, that cheating little scumbag!" Michael exclaimed, gritting his teeth in Yun's direction.
"Can I borrow your bat for a moment?" Frank asked Michael, glaring down the pitch at the Slytherin Seeker. "I want to send a Bludger at him."
Glancing down the Seekers' path of travel, James spotted Vanity sitting on her broomstick with her back to the Seekers, apparently still unaware of their approach. A little closer to him, he saw the other Slytherin Chasers hovering with the Quaffle, having completely abandoned the game in order to watch the Seekers. Suddenly, an idea struck James, and he felt a grin creep up his face.
"The game's not over yet," he announced to the others before diving towards Malfoy where he floated in midair, holding the Quaffle. As he passed, James grabbed the ball from his relaxed grip and sped forward as Malfoy let out strangled yell.
"I'll be needing that!" James called to him over his shoulder, and both Slytherin Chasers took off after him in pursuit. Flying after James as well, Frank and King strove to catch up to him.
"James! Over here!" Frank yelled, waving his arms as the Slytherins began to gain ground. Putting on a sudden burst of speed, Frank reached out as James threw the Quaffle—not at him, but towards Vanity.
"Here!" James yelled, drawing Vanity's attention just before the ball reached her. Her eyes widening, she caught the Quaffle as it thudded into her chest, and she looked down at it for a moment before glancing up at James and smirking. Holding the Quaffle above her head, she turned her broom towards Gryffindor's goalposts only to halt abruptly as the Snitch suddenly buzzed past her ear. A second later, Yun rammed into her head-on and sent both of them careening to the earth; zipping over the two of them, Morgan closed her fist over the fleeing Snitch and held it up victoriously as the crowd burst into applause.
"Gryffindor wins the Quidditch Cup!" Thompson announced over the loudspeaker, and Frank dove into James from the side, tackling him in a vicious hug. The audience's cheering turned into laughter as the two fell unsteadily to the ground, and the rest of James' team ran up to offer their congratulations. Michael, Raul, and Joseph were yelling incoherently, and James saw the flash of King's white teeth as Morgan jumped up and wrapped his neck in a hug, her feet momentarily leaving the ground.
"Wait just a moment!" an angry voice cried out from behind the group, and James pulled apart from his teammates to see Malfoy marching his way, fire in his eyes. Pointing his finger at James, he spat, "You can't interfere with the Seekers!"
Although James opened his mouth to defend himself, Instructor Zunderfield appeared from behind and beat him to it. "Technically," he interjected, leafing through a hand-held notebook, "he didn't interfere with the Seekers—it was your Captain who did that. But, as I recall, chasing the Snitch or performing any such plays during a time-out is strictly prohibited, especially after encouragement from one's own team."
His mouth slightly open, Malfoy quickly paled as he gaped back at Zunderfield. Snapping his notebook closed, Zunderfield continued, "So those breaches will earn two detentions for your team: one for Yun, and one for you. Oh, and I'm sure that your Head of House can find room for one more. After all, Vanity did technically interfere with the Seekers." Turning to Morgan, Zunderfield added, "I believe that this is yours."
Pulling out his wand, he conjured a golden trophy out of thin air and handed it to the team Captain as the crowd's cheering amplified. As Instructor Zunderfield walked off with a slight smile, Malfoy stood frozen as a surge of excited Gryffindors pushed him aside to make their way towards the winning team.
"You did it, James, you did it!" James heard Sirius yell over the din of the other students, and he turned to see his parents standing just behind his friend. Rushing forward, Sirius squeezed James as hard as he could before letting go and doing the same to James' father. Instantly realizing what he had done, Sirius released his hold and backed away, but James' father roared with laughter and hugged him back just as tightly before doing the same to his family.
Soon enough, all four of them were clasping hands and laughing, and James turned to face Remus and Peter as they ran up, beaming and shouting congratulations. To the right, Frank was yelling over the noise with his roommates, and Dill reached out to grab the Quidditch Cup from Morgan as she turned to talk with Professor McGonagall, who looked as if she would explode with jubilation. Even Lily had been dragged onto the field by her roommates, and they all cheered as Dill raised the Cup to show to everyone. In that split second of seeing his Housemates gathered around him, his parents shouting so loudly that their voices cracked, James was convinced that he had never felt so joyous in his life.