*Cough cough cough cough sniffle sniffle sniffle cough sniffle cough blows nose cough cough cough sniffle sniffle blows nose* Translation: Being sick sucks. Hope you all like this chapter, it's a bit of a break through for Rose and Scorpius :)
Disclaimer: All rights go to J.K. Rowling.
Chapter 10: Quidditch Scare
The next two days passed in a haze for both Rose and Scorpius. They were so swamped with homework that they were often seen in the library well past midnight and both tended to be extremely tired and at their wit's end. It wasn't easy, being members of the Quidditch team and still having so much homework to complete. So, all in all, both were pretty glad to reach the weekend.
"Thank Merlin it's Saturday," Rose sighed happily, leaning back against her bed, watching Molly do her hair.
"Aren't you worried for the match?" Molly asked incredulously. Rose shrugged.
"Sort of. I mean, we played really, really well yesterday. I'm perfectly confident that we can beat Ravenclaw," she answered easily. Molly just shook her head.
"Oh, Rose. You are something," she muttered to herself.
"Good luck today, Rose," Samantha MacMillian called from the door of the dormitory. "Hopefully we can get back some of our points if we win today."
"That would be appreciated," Rose agreed, rolling her eyes. Even though the Gryffindors were proud of Rose for not backing down against Scorpius, they were still angry that she'd lost a hundred and fifty points for them. The only ones who didn't mind were the Weasley-Potters.
"Honestly, Rose, don't even listen to them. Dad and your mum did the same thing when they were first years, and people still like them," James had reassured her. And Rose didn't really mind. She needed to focus on her studies, in any case.
"We got lucky this weekend, Mol," she commented, flopping back on her bed. "Only have to work on that essay for Binns that's due next week."
"Oh, I heard we get the Harry Potter History lesson this year," Molly answered excitedly. "It'll be so cool hearing boring old Binns talk about our parents! I bet he'll still make them sound boring, though," she added as an afterthought, and Rose laughed.
"Probably. But you know we get the lesson, Mol! The fifth years always stare at us more than usual around Christmas! Scared Albus and me to death my first year, James told me it was because they were planning to murder me. I remember when Aunt Ginny found out...oh, that was the highlight of my winter break," Rose reminisced, her eyes glinting.
"Good point. I suppose it'll be different, though, actually hearing it ourselves," Molly mused. Rose stretched.
"Probably. Oh, Merlin! Molly, we've got to get down to the Great Hall! I've got to eat something!" Rose gasped. And the two girls bounded down the stairs and out the portrait hole to the Great Hall without another word.
When they entered the Hall, most people cheered, although the Slytherins and Ravenclaws both booed her. Rose, too used to hearing them react whenever James or Fred would come in before a Quidditch match, simply waved and continued chatting to Molly. As the two of them passed the Ravenclaw table, Rose glanced up and met a pair of worried gray eyes. Scorpius attempted a smirk, but Rose could tell he was nervous. She gave him a saucy smile in return before taking her seat at the Gryffindor table.
"Hey, hey, hey, Rosie!" Fred greeted her cheerfully. "How's our little flower this morning?"
"Merlin's beard, Fred, you sound completely stupid when you say that," Rose responded, rolling her eyes at him. "And I'm starving."
"Well, I'm nervous," Jessica Finnigan, the Keeper, stated anxiously. "I mean, I'm really not that good, and-"
"Don't be ridiculous, Jess," Fred replied soothingly. "You're going to do just fine. Eat your sausage, now," he added. Rose, Molly, James, Lily, and Albus all turned away to hide their laughter.
"Oh, he's got it bad," Lily muttered.
"I know. That's why it's so funny," James replied, watching Fred continuing to talk to Jessica.
"I reckon they'll get together after the match," came a new voice from behind them. They all whirled to see Dominique standing behind them, watching Fred and Jessica.
"No way," Albus argued.
"Have you seen them flirting at Quidditch practice? I'm with Dominique," Rose answered.
"Wanna bet?" James challenged.
"Sure," Rose replied. "Three Galleons?"
"You're on," James grinned. "There's no way." Dominique shook her head.
"Alright, I'm off. I just came over to wish you all luck. Oh, and Greg and Emily asked me to let you know they've already left for the field."
"Thanks, Dom," James said, and Dominique smiled and left.
"Let me tell you, I think we have a real advantage with Oliver Wood's kids on our team," Roxanne mused. "Dad says he was a 'spanking good keeper' in his time."
"Yeah, our dad says the same," Albus spoke up. "Also used to tell us how insane he was about practicing." He, Lily, and Rose all glared at James, who ignored them.
"Well, it paid off. He's playing for the Kenmare Kestrels now, and making a mighty fine salary off it, too," Hugo added, and everyone jumped.
"When did you get here?" Rose asked her little brother.
"About the time Dominique left," he answered, piling sausages on his plate. "I happen to agree you've got a major advantage with the Wood kids on your team. Why, Peakes and Goldstein won't stand a chance against them!"
The rest of the breakfast was spent debating Gryffindor's chances of winning, and the best possible outcome of the entire season. At some point, Molly, growing tired of the endless Quidditch talk, picked up her book and began to read until it was time to go.
As the team left the Hall to whistles, cheers, and a few boos, Lily, Rose, and Jessica seemed to become quieter. James noticed and put an arm around his cousins.
"Don't worry, ladies. You played an excellent game yesterday, and we all know the Malfoy prat's got no chance against our Rosie," he grinned at his cousin, who rolled her eyes but looked pleased all the same.
"Suck up," Lily muttered before she slipped into a stall to change into her scarlet Quidditch robes. Just as Dominique had said, Greg and Emily Wood were in the room, already changed and looking rather nervous at the prospect of playing their first Quidditch game in a few minutes. Rose had to admit to herself that she was starting to feel some butterflies as well, now. The competitive side of her wanted to beat Ravenclaw and show up Scorpius, but the intuitive side of her was worried. She just had this feeling that something was going to go wrong. Try as she might, she couldn't shake the feeling and as a result didn't hear a word of James's pep talk.
"Alright, then. Let's go!" James yelled, and Rose leaped to her feet with the rest and walked out onto the field to loud cheers. Rose knew that Molly, Lucy, Roxanne, Hugo, Albus, and even Dominique and Louis would be cheering for her. It had always been hard for Bill Weasleys' kids to choose sides in a Gryffindor-Ravenclaw game. Though all three of them had been Ravenclaws, none of them played on the team, and as the majority of their cousins were Gryffindor players...as you can imagine, it was a little hard to pick sides.
"And here they come!" Lee Jordan II announced from up in the stands. "Potter, Weasley, Potter, Wood, Wood, Weasley, and Finnigan. The new team for this year, put together of Gryffindor's finest!" This received loud cheers as the Ravenclaws made their appearance as well.
"And here's the Ravenclaws! Corner, Davies, Chang, Goldstein, Peaks, Malfoy, and Brown. Should be a decent face-off today!"
Rose watched nervously as James moved forward and shook hands with Flori Chang, the Ravenclaw captain.
"Mount your brooms!" Madam Hooch called, and Rose clambered onto hers, palms sweating slightly. Then the whistle sounded, and the teams took flight at last. Rose took off into the cool autumn air, feeling the breeze whistle through her red locks. In an instant, all her butterflies were gone and she was confident. She could do this. She'd show Scorpius.
"AND THEY'RE OFF! It's Lily Potter with the Quaffle, Lily Potter, new Gryffindor Chaser, sister of fellow Chaser James Potter, Lily Potter with the Quaffle-she's really flying and-OUCH! Hit with a bludger by Goldstein, Gregory Goldstein of Ravenclaw is-er, hit with a Bludger, too, from Emily Wood, but it's Chang with the Quaffle, moving right along down the field, nearing the Keeper's-OH! James Potter grabs the Quaffle and it's back up the field for the Gryffindors as he passes to Li-no, to Fred! Fred Weasley II speeding down the field, no one ahead, and he shoots-GRYFFINDORS SCORE!"
The cheers of the Gryffindors filled the air, and Rose punched the air triumphantly before returning to her vigilant watch for the Snitch. It was nowhere to be seen, and as Scorpius was currently skimming over the game just as she was, she gathered it was hiding somewhere.
Ravenclaw scored, but then Gryffindor scored twice more. Rose was ecstatic, they were up by twenty points. However, at this point, the game started to get dirty. When she caught sight of a flash of gold, she dove for it, only to be nearly knocked out of the air by Tom Peakes as he threw his Beater's bat at her. In response, James flew over and punched him in the nose. Madam Hooch awarded both teams a penalty, and Lily scored. Jessica Finnigan pulled off an excellent save, and the game continued.
But the Ravenclaws seemed to have gained new strength, and soon they scored thrice more. The game was tied at forty, and the crowds in stands went wild every time anyone from either team seized the Quaffle. Both teams were desperate for another score.
But just as Michael Davies headed up the field, Rose saw it. The Snitch was fluttering in the dead center of the field. Unfortunately, Scorpius saw it, too, and they dove at the same time, both hurtling toward the ground at a dangerous speed. Rose could hear Lily, Jessica, and Emily screaming, and James yelling, as well as several of Scorpius's teammates, but she was only focused on one thing: The Snitch.
Just before they reached it, the tiny golden ball darted off toward the Gryffindor end. Rose pulled her broom sharply around and shot off toward the posts, neck and neck with Scorpius. She could hear the crowd screaming and she felt a sudden adrenaline rush. She could do this.
The next few seconds happened so fast it was a blur. One thing permeated her soundless mind: Lily's scream to "WATCH OUT, ROSE!" The next second, a huge black ball had come swinging into her peripheral vision, but not as a danger to her. At the exact same moment the Bludger struck the side of Scorpius Malfoy's head, Rose Weasley's fingers closed tightly around the tiny golden Snitch.
The crowd went wild as Madam Hooch's whistle sounded. Six scarlet blurs were zooming toward Rose, but she was already on the ground.
"SCORPIUS!" she screamed, half-blinded by tears as she ran to his limp body. "Oh, Merlin, don't die, please don't die!" she exclaimed, falling to her knees beside him. Her hands fluttered over him, too afraid to touch him. "Please, Scorpius, don't die, don't die, don't be dead, please-"
"Move over. Now!" Madam Hooch barked, and Rose scrambled out of the way. The referee bent over Scorpius as the rest of the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw teams landed around them. The Ravenclaw Keeper, Jenny Brown, let out a gasp, and Jessica Finnigan held tight to Fred II.
"Is he alive?" Rose asked, her voice trembling.
"Yes," Madam Hooch replied. "But he's got some severe head injuries. He'll need to be taken to the hospital wing right away." And with these words, she conjured a stretcher underneath Scorpius, then levitated it into the air and set off toward the castle. The teams stood, silent, surrounded by the supporters who had made their way onto the field.
"Do you think he'll be OK?" Elizabeth Thomas asked nervously, and her whisper carried across the entire field.
"He has to be," Rose replied instantly. "He-he just has to be." And with that, she took off running for the castle. She didn't look back once.
Hmm. I guess maybe Rose cares a bit too, huh? ;)
More reviews=sooner updates!
Lovelovelove -D-