Chapter Eleven: The Rogue Bludger

As the next couple of days pass, Emma finds that it is a lot harder to stay away from Killian like she had planned. She misses his companionship and she still can't get his kiss out of her head. Emma only sees him at meal times. He is always sitting with Greg, Tamara, Regina, Zelena and Walsh, and every so often, Milah would attempt to worm herself into the conversation, only each time to get ignored by Killian.

Every so often though his blue eyes would glance across the hall to her and she would automatically blush at being caught staring and would then pretend she was in deep conversation with Mary Margaret or Ruby.

Robin begins to spend less time with Emma and their usual group of Gryffindor's. The others believe that he is cooped up in the library studying hard but Emma knows that very secretly he and Regina are in secluded parts of the castle grounds and probably making out against a tree.

Emma is happy for Robin. She can see the difference in him dating Regina than Marian. Things had been tense between him and Marian for a couple of months. They weren't the same couple they were two years ago. They had changed and Marian had become extremely demanding and controlling. Emma and David had both noticed this but had come to the conclusion that it was Robin's relationship and nothing to do with them and Emma only hoped that David would remember this when he eventually discovers Robin and Regina.

The Great Hall is rather empty for New Year's Eve that Saturday morning. Many students have gone off to Hogsmeade to see their parents. Emma is struggling to see the logic in students coming back before New Year's eve from their homes only to then go and spend it with their parents anyway, yet again the wizard fireworks that were launched from the turrets of Hogwarts were amazing and with the students coming back early, it saved space in inns down in Hogsmeade. Parents could just apparate to the small Wizarding village for the evening and students could walk down Hogsmeade Lane to meet them.

Emma is the first to arrive out of her friend's and students are scarcely scattered over the Gryffindor table. Emma sits in her usual spot and piles some bacon and toast onto her plate. She is hungry. Last night she had been feeling a little unwell so she had skipped dinner.

"Ah, so you are alive."

Emma jumps and turns to see the grinning face of Killian Jones. Her heart gives a flutter and she completely forgets about the space she asked for. Instead, shocking the entire Great Hall she indicates to the empty seat next to her. Killian looks puzzled for a few moments, before sitting down next to her.

"Were you alright last night?" He asks his voice laced with concern.

Emma cuts into her bacon and nods. "Yeah I just felt a little unwell. Lunch was pretty heavy and I think I just ate too much of it."

Killian chuckles as Emma places a piece of bacon into her mouth, not caring about the long stripe of fat, and she chews it with a look of contempt on her face.

"Why were you worried?" She chuckles as she pours herself a glass of orange juice.

"Might have been." He gives a cocky smile as he reaches over and grabs a piece of bacon from the plate in the middle of the table.

Emma grins as she goes back to eating her breakfast. It is comfortable between them. Emma continues to eat whilst Killian keeps pinching bacon and now a couple of sausages from the Gryffindor share of food.

"Are you going to watch the fireworks from Hogsmeade tonight?" He asks.

"Yeah, Graham's parents have a room with a balcony. We're going down there." Emma answers. "What about you?"

"Mother and father are not coming so I'm going to spend it with Greg's family."

Emma can see his cornflower blue eyes turn darker at the mention of his father and she sighs.

"I'm sorry that you don't get to…"

"Don't worry about it." Killian looks up and sees that David and Mary Margaret are making their way over. "Hey, I'll see you later."

Emma nods and before she gets chance to respond, Killian has stood and swept past her, already exiting the Great Hall just as Mary Margaret and David join her.

"He wasn't bothering you was he?" David questions his tone protective.

"Nope." Emma smiles, before returning to her breakfast.

Professor Blanchard is there the next moment and Emma notes that Mary Margaret's mother looks slightly irritated.

"Bad news Emma and David. Match against Slytherin has been postponed until January the 10th. I know you'd all amped yourselves up but I'm sure you can survive another couple of weeks." Eva sighs. "Anyway gives more time for the best seeker to grace Hogwarts corridors in a hundred years to practice."

…

The evening is cold.

Emma is wrapped up in a woollen grey coat; with tights under jeans, woolly socks with her warmest boots, leather gloves, and a woolly beanie, and even that wasn't enough to help warm her up. Normally Graham would have his arm around her shoulder only this time he didn't as it hadn't felt right knowing that she had feelings for Killian.

Robin seemed to be low in spirits and Emma knows it was because he isn't going to share his New Year's Eve kiss with Regina. And Emma understands him. Emma convinces herself that it was only for a slight moment that when the fireworks exploded from Hogwarts starting New Year that she wanted to be kissing Killian in celebration.

…

Patrols are back on again as term has now officially started. Emma doesn't have patrol until Friday which leaves Killian patrolling by himself tonight. Professor Blanchard had excused her and Robin from their duties so they could sneak in some extra Quidditch practice. It is clear that Eva really wants Gryffindor to win.

Emma is currently hovering mid-air on her broom looking around for the snitch. Robin and Will are lazily swinging their clubs back and forth the bludger going between them. Mulan, David and Graham are streaking up the pitch lobbing the Quaffle randomly to one another, before trying to score a goal through the hoops as Frederick defends. If Emma could see one problem, it was lack of energy. Everyone looks bored and she feels the exact same way. Personally Emma believes that they are ready to face Slytherin but Eva was insistent that they needed to practice right up until the match.

"Do you want to call it a night?" Emma asks as she finally catches the small golden snitch.

"Can we?" Will moans. "I'm bloody tired. We have to be up soon and I'm freezing my bloody ass off."

"Aren't we all?" Mulan mutters as her breath comes out in front of her.

"Come on, before we all freeze to death." Emma mumbles as she slowly begins to descend towards the ground.

…

"Hey."

Emma looks up and smiles as Killian takes a seat on the ground next to her in the small classroom, the wardrobe a couple of metres in front where their boggart is still stored.

"You must have been freezing last night." He comments as he rolls out some parchment.

"I was. At least there was no chance of falling off my broom. I was frozen to it." Emma jokes as she looks back down at her parchment, where she is recounting her experience with Killian's boggart.

"Did you have a nice New Year's Evening?" Killian asks as he fights the control to grab Emma and kiss senseless, a feeling that has been taunting him since their kiss.

"It was cold and I had to witness Mary Margaret and David full on make out." Emma chuckles as she pulls a joking horrified face.

"You think that was bad?" Killian laughs. "Greg and Tamara made it so obvious that they were sneaking off. At the age of seventeen they are already humping like rabbits."

Emma groans. "That is way too much information, Jones."

So much for space.

…

Friday passes in a blur. The day had started out very oddly. For the first time ever at during Emma's stay at Hogwarts, she'd received a letter from the Page's. It was Lily's writing and Lily had even managed to use an owl, which Emma couldn't pinpoint how.

"Who's writing to you?" David had asked at breakfast.

"Lily." Emma had responded before tucking the letter into her bag, intending to read it at a later time of day.

Patrol with Killian arrives and Emma is saddened to see that Killian is standing there in his green Quidditch robes an apologetic look on his face.

"Sorry lass, Hellar is making the team practice. You're on your own tonight." He gives her a sad smile.

Emma shrugs and tries mask her disappointment. "Hey if you want to stand a chance at beating me, you're going to need all the practice you can get."

"Ha-ha." Killian chuckles sarcastically. "Anyway see you tomorrow."

Emma smiles before turning on her heels and walking off, leaving the ruggedly handsome sixteen year old behind.

The night that Killian had a legitimate reason for not being able to do patrol, turned out to be one of the worst patrols she had ever had to conduct. Emma had caught a bunch of Gryffindor girls sneaking off to the kitchens hoping to get some extra food from the house elves. Knowing she had to put her duties before her biasness, Emma settled for ducting ten points each and then she sent them back to the Gryffindor common room and warned them to try and avoid teachers, or they would have a worse punishment than just a few points deducted.

The second person she had to deal with was the one person she wished to avoid completely. Milah herself was trying to sneak down to the Quidditch pitch to try and watch Killian practice. Emma found the whole situation stalker-ish, and she just managed to convince herself that it wasn't out of jealously when she deducted thirteen points. Milah had simply rolled her eyes, told Emma to piss offbefore walking straight past and heading down to the pitch anyway.

And the last people she came across she wanted to throw up and obliviateherself. Regina and Robin had tucked themselves behind a curtain and where in the process of a heavy make-out session. At being caught Robin was highly embarrassed and muttered a few apologies, whilst Regina looked smug and straightened out her shirt. Pretending she hadn't seen anything Emma quickly retreated back to the Gryffindor common room trying not to be sick.

It was lucky the common room was quiet as Emma had decided to read Lily's letter. She takes a seat in the comfy armchair by the fire and rips open the dainty white envelope and lined paper.

Emma,

I don't know what to do. I'm scared. Today dad and I found out that mum is actually a witch. Emma oh god the entire time she pretended to be non-magical to get dad to love her. She's lied all my life, led me into believing that you are strange, when she was a witch herself.

She'd been drying her favourite tea-set when the teapot slipped from her hands. Dad heard the crash and quickly ran into the kitchen only to see mum fixing it with magic. He was furious. He grabbed his car keys and stormed out. Mum said I should talk to you because she believes that I could have magical abilities as well.

I'm scared and I need someone to confide in. I'm sorry for the way I've treated you and I feel even worse knowing that I'm a half-blood as mum calls it.

Mum helped me to send this letter to you by owl, which is completely weird way of sending post. Please respond so I know that I have you to help me if it turns out I can perform magic.

Lily

Emma's eyes widen. Slight amusement bubbles up inside of her as well as anger. The fact that it taken Lily to find out that she was like her in ways to apologize and be nice was hurtful. Emma knows that if this event hadn't occurred, she would have gone home this upcoming summer to suffer more bullying from her cousin.

At the same time though, Emma is amused that it has taken so long for Lily and James to finally find out that Priscilla is a witch. Emma has always believed that one day they would have discovered the web of lies that Priscilla had weaved and she would finally be able to know what it feels like to be in Emma's shoes. To be looked down upon as though she wasn't human and was more like vermin than her own niece.

Emma isn't in the mood to respond to Lily's letter that night and instead she folds it back up and places the paper back inside the envelope. Emma is so lost in thoughts that she doesn't see a completely flushed Robin sneak into the common room before quickly making his way up to the dormitory.

…

January the 10th arrives quicker than both teams wanted. The pressure of winning this match is on them both. The Great Hall is excited. People are talking loudly and betting on who are going to win. As always Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff take Gryffindor's side, all of them wanting to see Slytherin lose too.

Emma, David, Mulan, Graham, Will, Frederick and Robin enter the hall in their Quidditch uniform and the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables burst into cheers. Emma blushes as she and her team sit down piling a small amount of food onto their plates, all too nervous to eat. Emma can see Killian and his Slytherin team all in deep conversation, probably going through their game tactics.

"Remember we just need to play a nice clean game and try not to give Professor Mills a reason to foul us." Emma says as she looks around at her teammates.

"Agreed. Mills will obviously favourite the Slytherin team but she can't give out unjust points and penalties. As long as we are careful everything will be good." David agrees.

The loud bell sings overhead indicating that it was time for the students to start making their way down to the pitch. Emma stands her legs a little wobbly and she was sure her teammates are experiencing the same feeling.

The Gryffindor team make their way down to the stadium all with linked arms. The Slytherin team are a few metres in front and Emma's eyes are trained on the back of Killian's head. And then suddenly he breaks away from his team and moves off to the side. His eyes meet Emma's and realizes he wants to see her. Muttering apologies to her team she pulls herself free and approaches the green robed Slytherin.

"Hi." She smiles stopping in front of him.

"I just wanted to say good luck today." Killian wears a happy grin as he looks Emma up and down in her scarlet robes. "You do look good in red."

Emma blushes but rolls her eyes. "And you don't look so bad in green either. Good luck to you too."

Killian smiles and very tentatively he steps forward and opens his arms, indicating that he wants to hug her. Emma stands frozen for a few moments and Killian is ready for the rejection but slowly she steps into his embrace, his arms wrapping around her instantly. Slowly Emma's arms wind round Killian and she rests her forehead against his chest. They remain like that for a few moments as though they aren't just about to go and battle it out on the Quidditch pitch. And just as quick as the hug started it ends. Emma pulls back and smiles at him.

"Seriously though, good luck. You're going to need to it." Emma smirks before she bounces away.

…

Twenty minutes later; Emma, David, Mulan, Robin, Will, Graham and Frederick are standing in formation ready to fly onto the pitch to begin the game. They have already mounted their brooms and are waiting for the door in front of them to open.

"And of course the Gryffindor team!" Shouts Michael Darling, a Hufflepuff student who has been chosen to commentate the match.

The door flies open and Emma leads the way into the air with her team following. The crowds cheer loudly as the Gryffindor team do a lap around the pitch before coming to a half in their start positions, face to face with the Slytherin team.

Professor Mills steps forward and lobs the bludgers into the air, followed by the snitch. Both Emma and Killian's eyes are trained on the small golden ball before it disappears from sight.

"Now I want a nice clean game." Mills orders before throwing the Quaffle into the air and blowing her whistle.

"And the Quaffle is released, and the game begins!" Michael calls.

Straight away Gryffindor's chasers; Mulan, David and Graham soar upwards after the red Quaffle and the Slytherin chasers are right on their heels. Zelena has chosen to mark Mulan just like she always did, whilst William Smee took on Graham and James took on his own brother David. Emma quickly goes into seeker mode and blocks out the crowd below. She squints around the stadium with the hope of seeing a flash of gold. She knows Killian is marking her just like he always has done.

"And the Quaffle is in Gryffindor's possession. Mulan Chung attempts to take it all the way down the field, only to be intercepted by a bludger sent her way by Slytherin beater, Greg Mendell. Quaffle is now in Slytherin possession, but it doesn't look like it will be for long. Zelena Mills is tearing down the pitch determinedly, she passes it to James Nolan who takes it straight to the hoops, he shoots and he scores. Ten points to Slytherin after Gryffindor keeper Frederick Knight fails to defend."

Emma groans. Frederick has never missed such an easy save like that before and even from a good hundred metres away, Emma is able to tell that he isn't one-hundred percent focused.

"Bad luck Swan." Killian calls from behind her.

Emma, even though she was be quite happy to be around Killian if given the chance, shoots away from him as fast as she can. She can't allow her feelings to distract her from winning one of the biggest games of the year.

"The Quaffle is once again in Gryffindor's possession. Chaser Graham Humbert is charging down that pitch. The Slytherin beaters are trying to put him off with bludgers but Graham is not giving up any time soon, and he's at the hoops taken aim and he scores. Ten points to Gryffindor. Good attempt at a save by the Slytherin keeper, Mullins."

Emma claps in the air alongside the students below before re-focusing. She needs to catch the snitch before Killian to gain them a place in the semi-finals for the Quidditch Cup. Killian has now fallen behind her again and he is too looking around. Emma gasps when she saw a flash of gold and gets ready to dive, but it turns out to be Professor Mills' watch.

"Damn it, lady. Could have at least taken it off." She mutters before re-scanning the pitch around her.

"Emma, look out!" Killian's voice shouts from below her.

Emma turns just in time to see a bludger coming her way and very quickly she manages to avoid it, by doing a sharp dive.

"What's this?" Michael's voice comes over the megaphone. "It appears a bludger has taken an interest in the Gryffindor Seeker, Emma Swan."

Emma weaves in and out of the chasers trying not to disturb their game. To the side of her she watches as Robin quickly flies towards her, harshly beating the bludger at James.

"Bloody Walsh. He did that on purpose." Robin says before he flies back to defend the chasers.

Emma breathes a sigh of relief and flies back above the stadium still searching for the snitch. And then she catches sight of the same bludger pelting towards her.

"What the actual fuck?" She mutters as she swiftly avoids being hit again.

Below the crowds are no longer watching the chasers. Their eyes are focused on Emma as the bludger continues taking malicious strikes at her.

"Emma what's going on?" Frederick calls.

"It won't leave me alone!" She shouts back before putting some speed on her broom to escape yet another attack.

"And what is this? It looks like Slytherin seeker, Killian Jones is in mid-dive for the snitch!" Michael shouts directing everyone's attention to Killian instead.

Sure enough the Slytherin seeker is in a dive his hand outstretched and he is coming towards her. Emma gets ready to try and intercept the dive when a sudden crack comes to her left arm. She screams in pain as she feels her bones shatter the bludger having made contact. Emma can't control her broom and she is blinded by tears. She can't see Killian still coming towards her or the bludger moving in for another attack until it is too late. Something hard hits her head, and her world instantly goes black.

"I don't believe it." Michael mutters in shock as Emma slips off her broom. "She's going to f…"

He stops mid-sentence and the entire crowd gasps as Killian retreats from his dive for the snitch and instead flies towards Emma. A panicked expression is on his face as angles his broom so that he can catch her. The crowd is silent apart from the Slytherin's who are booing Killian as he lands safely on the ground. An unconscious Emma tucked under his arms.

"Emma look at me." He pleads gently touching her cheek.

Professor Mills blows her whistle to pause the game and the other players land immediately, the Gryffindor's running forward to see if their friend is okay. Even the Slytherin's are shocked at what has just occurred. Mills is about to bend down when Michael's voice comes back over the megaphone.

"It's coming back!"

Killian shields Emma as much as he can in fear that the bludger will hurt her again and Mills quickly turns around drawing her wand and mutters an incantation before blasting the bludger into pieces.

Killian doesn't look up once. He doesn't care the entire school is watching. He continues to hold Emma in his arms willing her to wake. She doesn't.