The Soulmate Principle: Black At Heart

by HCMONSTER93

Artemis Williams knows she's different, even for a witch. Growing up in a family that was never really hers, she's surrounded by people who will never understand her. But when Sirius Black escapes from the wizarding prison Azkaban, she finds a strange new bond with a friend she never really wanted and it sets off a chain of events that changes her life forever.

22. Twenty One: The Quidditch Final

"I'm going to kill the smug, arrogant, little-"

"Okay!" Hermione interrupted loudly as the four of us entered the Great Hall for the feast that night, ignoring the younger students turning to look in our direction. "Keep your voice down, would you? The last thing we need is the teachers hearing you dishing out death threats!"

"It's only Malfoy," Harry shrugged with a small smirk. Shooting him a warning look, Hermione threw herself down at the table with a heavy sigh.

"There has to be something we can do," Ron said urgently as the four of us settled around the table, helping ourselves to the large piles of food in front of us. "We can't just let them kill Buckbeak! You saw the state of Hagrid."

"But what can we do, short of breaking the law?" Hermione scoffed darkly under her breath.

"Wouldn't want to end up in Azkaban," I sighed sarcastically before I could stop myself. I could feel the three of them staring at me long before I looked up, shrugging at them. "What?"

"Nothing, Artemis," Hermione frowned with a roll of her eyes. "That wasn't inappropriate at all."

"If I can't make of fun of the situation, who can?" I replied airily with another shrug of my shoulders, and beside me, Harry gave a feeble snort of amusement.

"What happens next?" Ron demanded abruptly. I blinked at him. "Weren't you guys listening? We need to do something!"

"Ron, there's nothing we can do," Harry pointed out. "But we should be there for him."

"Excuse me?" he gawped as I choked on my food. "You want to sneak out at night to see a Hippogriff get beheaded?"

"Harry's right," Hermione insisted with a nervous gulp. "You saw how upset Hagrid was. He shouldn't be going through this alone."

I thought about it for a moment, pushing my food around my plate silently. The idea of watching Buckbeak's execution made me shudder violently, but I put my knife and fork down and straightened out. "Alright," I sighed heavily. "When?"

"Isn't it next Friday?" Harry frowned. "After the feast?" Hermione nodded carefully.

"Well that's settled then," I gulped. "We'll spend next Friday night watching a Hippogriff get its head chopped off. How lovely."

None of us said anything else while we ate that night. They didn't need to. I knew we were all thinking the same thing. After being specifically told not to, Malfoy had offended a Hippogriff, one of the proudest creatures alive. He was lucky he was still standing, let alone slightly injured. But now, he'd run to Daddy for protection and Daddy had obliged and flexed his control at the Ministry to inflict misery on decent people. One of these days, I was positive the two of them would push me too far and I'd snap, whether I wanted to or not.

Still, the thought of Malfoy, Buckbeak or even Hagrid was pushed out of our minds by the sudden arrival of the last Quidditch match of the season: Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Wood had all of us out training almost every night, which was difficult since we had to fight the Slytherins to get on the pitch in the first place. They'd go to Snape, Wood would go to McGonagall, and the entire school seemed to fall into the same argument. Unfortunately for the Slytherins, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were backing Gryffindor all the way.

"I can't remember feeling this nervous before Quidditch," I admitted quietly the morning of the match, trying not to draw attention to myself as three quarters of the school fought their way over to wish the Gryffindor team luck. "Nothing like a bit of pressure to push you to your best, huh?"

"That's one way to describe it," Harry grimaced, pushing a goblet of pumpkin juice toward me. "Eat something. You'll feel better."

"I doubt that very much," I said, pulling a face at the sight of my breakfast. Harry didn't answer, but he lifted an eyebrow and dropped the conversation. I'd never been one to let my nerves get the better of me, but today, with everyone whispering excitedly, I couldn't help but feel the pressure weight me down a little.

"Good morning, Artemis, Harry," Lupin's cheerful voice came, and the two of us looked up to see him stood behind me with a wide smile. "Cup final today, I take it?"

"How'd you guess?" I mumbled sourly.

Lupin hesitated. "You sound . . . like you're looking forward to it."

Harry laughed, jumping out of the way before I could kick him under the table. "The pressure's getting to her, Professor." Lupin allowed himself a small smile as I glowered in Harry's direction.

"Trust me, the match is against Slytherin," I scowled. "It won't be getting to me for long."

My Uncle laughed lightly at me, patting my shoulder confidently. "Good to know," he smiled. "Of course, teachers aren't supposed to take sides."

"Oh, and Snape always treats everyone so equally," I replied, my voice dripping with sarcasm. Harry smirked, and even Lupin couldn't keep his face straight for long.

"Hey, Harry, Artemis," Wood called sternly as he strode up the Hall behind Harry. "Feeling alright? Enough energy? Get enough sleep?"

"Nah, I pulled an all-nighter," I sighed, forcing myself to yawn pointedly. "The only reason I'm still awake is the amount of caffeine I've been drinking since midnight." His jaw dropping, Wood suddenly turned a very pale shade of white, swaying slightly on his feet. "Jeez, Wood, I was kidding!"

"Don't joke around on match day, little Arty," Fred Weasley gasped from down the table, to the sound of giggling fifth year girls.

"You might end up giving the poor guy a heart attack," George added as Wood finally managed to catch his breath. Eyeing my hopeful apologetic expression, he took a deep breath and straightened himself out importantly.

"Eat," he instructed sternly. "We're counting on you girls to get this in the bag early. Remember, we need-"

"Fifty points before the Snitch," Harry and I rhymed off in a low drone.

"More than fifty," Wood corrected with a frown. "And let's not kid ourselves, the Slytherins aren't planning on playing a clean match. The sooner we can get this match over, the better." I snorted, grimacing up at Lupin as he patted my shoulder again.

"Well, good luck to all of you," he told us, then winked very deliberately. "Not that you need it." Grinning at us, he turned and strode down the hall, just as Wood cleared his throat loudly.

"Alright team!" he shouted. "Changing rooms!"

Shooting Harry a wry look, I pushed myself upright as the Hall clapped and cheered loudly. Luckily, from the look of the rest of the team, I wasn't the only one with mixed feelings about today's match. Unfortunately, Wood did nothing to help the situation with his pre-match speech.

"Okay guys," he started seriously, and when the Weasley twins didn't interrupt him with their mocking, we all knew the mood had taken a very determined turn. "The Quidditch final. We have to win this, the whole school is counting on us. No one wants to see the Slytherins win this any more than we do. So Katie, Angela and Artemis, I need the three of you on top form."

"Do we ever play anything else?" Katie scoffed with a confident smirk in mine and Angela's direction.

"Take early possession and keep it," Wood frowned at us. "Play a fast-paced game. Some of those Chasers are brutal, we can't afford them to catch you."

"Positive thinking," I grumbled, trying to ignore Harry's burning gaze.

"Fred, George, I need you two to stay in control of the Bludgers," Wood told them. "The last thing we need is them to get their hands on those too. And Harry, I know you have a personal grudge against Malfoy-" The rest of the team snorted loudly at that, and Wood sighed heavily. "But keep it professional. Only catch the Snitch if we're more than fifty points up and don't let that Malfoy boy get to you."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Harry shrugged.

Wood didn't look like he believed him, which was a wise decision as far as I was concerned, but he nodded stiffly and the team got to their feet, taking up their broomsticks and following Wood as he led the way out of the changing rooms and onto the Quidditch pitch.

Thunderous applause met our arrival, this time three times as loud as usual. True, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff almost always sided with us when we were up against Slytherin, just like we would for them. Even when we needed Slytherin to win to stay in the race of the cup, cheering them on wasn't right. But despite the extra noise, it was remarkably easy to tune all of them out as Madam Hooch took her place between Wood and the Slytherin captain, Marcus Flint.

"Good morning folks!" Lee Jordan's voice came over the speakers. "And welcome to the Quidditch final, Gryffindor versus Slytherin!" There was a lot of cheering and booing over his commentary. "So here's the line-ups for those of you have had your heads in the ground the past year. On the Slytherin side we've got the Chaser Captain Marcus Flint leading Warrington, Montague, Beaters Bole, Derrick, Seeker Malfoy and . . . who's the Keeper again? Sorry guys, there's been so many changes in the line-up I lost track! They seem to have gone for size rather than skill this time, though."

Loud booing met that particular comment, but I smiled to myself and examined the Slytherin side. Lee wasn't wrong. All of them but Malfoy were built like moving houses. The only thing I could hope was that it turned out to be a serious disadvantage for their speed.

"Now, Gryffindor," Lee Jordan continued, over thunderous cheering from the rest of the school. "Same team as last year, of course, but then why fix something that's not broken, right? Keeper Captain Oliver Wood leads Chasers Bell, Johnson and Williams, Beaters Weasley and Weasley, and their Seeker, Harry Potter. Widely acknowledged as the best side Hogwarts has seen since Charlie Weasley left, the team have pulled off a remarkable recovery after the Dementor incident in their first match."

"So how'd you want to play this?" Katie murmured at me as she and Angela came to a halt at either side of me. "One of us has got to get in there pretty early to take possession."

"I'll do it," I volunteered immediately, glaring daggers at the three Slytherin Chasers that seemed to be trying to weigh up how much of a threat we were. "Angela, I need you to keep close for back up and Katie, could you try and stay clear of the mess in case we need to get the Quaffle out?" The two of them smiled, nodding and moving back to take their positions.

"I want a clean game," Madam Hooch was telling us all. "Captains, shake hands." Reluctantly, the two of them stretched their hands out, though it looked like Flint was trying to break Wood's hand. "Mount your brooms!"

All fourteen players immediately did as they were told and I could feel the tension rise to an all-time high. Taking a ragged breath to steady my nerves, I gripped my broom tightly and watched as Madam Hooch released the two Bludgers and the golden Snitch. Taking the Quaffle in one of her hands, she lifted her whistle to her lips and blew it as she threw the Quaffle into the air.

In the same second, I kicked off the ground with adrenaline rushing through my body as my heart pounded in my ears. Flint was already streaming straight toward the Quaffle, and on instinct, I altered my course a fraction and put on a burst of speed, wrapping an arm around the Quaffle and launching it back to Angela. She caught it with a grin and instantly off-loaded it out to Katie who bolted for the goalposts.

"Wow, folks, I'm not entirely sure how to start this match off!" Lee Jordan was laughing. "The whistles just blown and Gryffindor Chaser Artemis Williams took her life in her hands pelting straight toward the Slytherin Captain Marcus Flint and immediately got it out to Angela Johnson, who then passed to Katie Bell and look at the girl go! The rest of them are catching up now though, the Slytherin Chasers are doing a good job of blocking Williams and Johnson from the race."

He wasn't wrong. Every time I shifted course, a huge, bulky Slytherin player got in my way. Shooting Angela a pointed look, she laughed loudly and dipped down in front of me. Instantly, the players crowded around her and I took my opening, shooting around the left hand side and tearing past Katie.

"Finally!" she screamed at me, throwing the Quaffle at me.

"And there it is!" Lee Jordan yelled. "There's the off-load to Williams – she swerves Warrington – and there's a Bludger, deflected by Fred . . . or George, whichever one – Williams still in possession – here comes Flint, but she off-loads to Johnson – back to Williams – passes to Bell – back to Johnson – and look at these girls go! – here's Johnson, dives around Montague, passes back to Williams – and SHE SCORES! GRYFFINDOR LEAD TEN TO NOTHING!"

The roaring of the crowd almost distracted me from the sudden rushing in my ears, but something snatched around my arms and I could just about make out Katie yanking me to the side as the Slytherin Beater, Bole, rushed past me, his Beaters bat missing my head by an inch. I blinked, turning to Katie to thank her, but a Bludger suddenly bolted in our direction and knocked the ends of our brooms, sending us spinning uncontrollably through the air.

"FOUL!" Lee Jordan was yelling loudly. "YOU CHEATING LITTLE-"

"Jordan!" McGonagall's voice scolded. Heart thudding furiously in my chest, I got my broom back under control and was only stopped from tackling Derrick or Bole off their brooms when Madam Hooch came to a halt beside me, blowing her whistle loudly.

"Penalty to Gryffindor!" she snapped, waving a finger at the two Beaters. "For blatant attacks on two Chasers out of play."

We let Angela take the penalty, since she was the only one of us who wasn't trying to shake the dizzy feeling out of her head. Still, Katie and I took positions straight behind her, as though waiting for the Slytherins to even try and take her on. Montague shot me a cold look, but neither of us backed down and Katie managed to easily put the Quaffle through the left pole.

"Gryffindor up twenty to zero after that disgusting foul trying to take out two Gryffindor Chasers at once," Lee was saying coolly. "Anyway, here's Slytherin in possession, Flint taking it down to the Gryffindors side – passes to Warrington – Johnson with the intercept – but there's the pass to Flint again – across to Montague – and here's Weasley with a well-aimed Bludger! Nice work from the Gryffindor Beater – Montague drops the Quaffle – picked up by Katie Bell – passes to Williams – back to Bell, Katie watch the Bludger!"

I watched Katie swerve and roll to avoid Derrick's Bludger, and the Quaffle slipped from her grasp, plunging for the ground. Instantly, all three Slytherin Chasers dived for it, and I cursed loudly. Then, out of nowhere, Harry dived, shooting at them like a bullet and several yells tore through the air as the crowd laughed and cheered loudly. Swerving the mess, I dropped through the air and snatched the Quaffle up. "Thanks, Harry!" I laughed, passing it to Angela almost instantly. He winked back at me, shooting back off toward Malfoy.

Lee Jordan's laughter echoed the crowd's as Angela and Katie bolted for the Slytherin Keeper. "The Gryffindor team are just playing with the opposition now! Bell in possession, closing in on the posts – passes to Johnson – swerves out of Montague's cheap shot-"

"Jordan, an unbiased commentary please!" McGonagall snapped beside him, but I was barely paying attention. Apparently, the Slytherins had changed tactics. Their new plan, which I should have anticipated, was to take out each Chaser individually.

And lucky me, it seemed it was my turn first.

I heard the gasp from the crowd before I saw Derrick bolting toward me, swinging his Beaters club in his hand as he flew. Scanning quickly for nearby Bludgers, I made to dive, only to come face to face with the second Beater, Bole. Gritting my teeth, I pulled my Nimbus into a steep climb, circling Derrick and aiming for the rest of the players.

"Flint intercepting Bell now," Lee was saying downheartedly. "Moving back down the pitch, and it looks like Williams still has her hands full with the Slytherin Beaters. Under-handed, low, foul, cheating-"

"JORDAN!"

"Derrick and Bole obviously cheating Williams out of a match, but never mind," Lee sighed over the speakers. "Flint passes to Warrington – Warrington trying to out-class Bell – drops the Quaffle, picked up by Johnson – but here's Flint with another intercept, Johnson manages to unload onto Bell – attacked by Montague, come on ref! – Warrington advancing on Wood . . . oh no . . ."

The Slytherin side roared with applause and, determined that their tactics were working, Derrick and Bole put on a burst of speed. Letting out a frustrated yell, I dipped down low to the ground and swerved around Fred Weasley in an attempt to shake them off. "Hey, Fred, you gotta do something!" I pleaded. "If these guys don't back off, I'll kill 'em!"

Winking at me once, Fred whistled at George. Immediately, his brother turned his broom around and slammed his club against a Bludger that alerted its course straight toward us. Within seconds, Fred had sent it flying toward the Beaters behind me. Derrick immediately backed off, but Bole swerved and leant forward, deliberately colliding very brutally into my side.

The two of us slipped off the sides of our brooms and the crowd yelped in horror, but we were that close to the ground, the drop couldn't even break anything. It did, however, send shooting pains down my back as my head bounced at least twice off the ground and my Nimbus fell to the ground inches from my head.

"HOW'D HE GET AWAY WITH THAT?" Lee was shouting over the crowd. "FOUL, REF! THE LOW-LIFE, CHEATING COWARD!"

Madam Hooch's whistle sounded from somewhere far away, and I groaned loudly, lifting a hand to my head as Bole spluttered grass from his mouth a few feet away. Blinking a few more times than necessary, I pushed myself upright. Immediately, my stomach twisted and I had to clamp a hand over my mouth to stop me gagging.

"Artemis!" Katie and Angela shrieked, and I glanced up to see that the two of them had landed, Katie with the Quaffle tucked into her arm.

"She can't do that!" Flint was yelling at Madam Hooch as the referee approached. "The Quaffle is still in play!"

"That will do, Flint!" Madam Hooch snapped back, watching as Katie and Angela pulled me to my feet. "Your Beater just fouled a Chaser. Penalty to Gryffindor!" The Slytherins immediately tried to protest, but she waved them away and fixed me with a stern look. "Are you okay to continue playing, Williams, or do you need to call in a reserve?"

I snorted darkly. "I'm fine," I insisted, glowering at Bole. "Katie." She nodded at me, tossing the Quaffle to me as I mounted my broom again and kicked off. The rest of the team was circling overhead, and I caught Harry scowling my direction, Malfoy hovering somewhere behind him. Nodding in determination, I took my place in front of the posts and waited for everyone else to get into place. Pursing my lips, I took a deep breath and took my shot. The crowd roared as it flew through the middle post, inches from the Slytherin Keeper's head.

If the game was getting dirty before that, it was nothing to how it continued. After I'd taken the penalty, Gryffindor were up thirty to ten. Katie, Angela and I picked up the pace, keeping closer together and using complex patterns and movements to keep the Slytherins from pulling anymore under-handed stunts. But, after scoring another thirty points to put us fifty ahead, the Slytherin Beaters had picked another target; Harry. Fred and George immediately peeled off to help him out, but that left us open to attack when Derrick or Bole managed to land a cheap shot.

The crowd was booing and hissing as the Slytherin Chaser Warrington managed to put another ten points on the board when Flint took the chance to snatch Derrick's Beaters club away from him and pelted Angela with a Bludger. In the same second, Fred, annoyed with their less than sportsman like play, brought his own club smashing around Flint's head as hard as humanly possible.

Luckily, Wood caught the Slytherins penalty, while Angela managed to put the Quaffle safely through the right post.

We were fifty up again. To avoid a tie-breaker, we need another goal before Harry could safely catch the Snitch. The only problem was, I wasn't sure we could hold the Slytherins back much longer without getting one of us killed. Apparently, this thought was occurring to everyone else, too.

"Get the Quaffle halfway up the pitch," I told Katie and Angela when I noticed their worried looks. "I've got an idea."

Katie winced. "How often do your plans work again?"

"Almost always."

"Got to give it her for confidence," Angela shrugged with a small laugh. From the look on her face, she was still a little dazed from that last foul.

"Trust me," I insisted. They nodded at me, and I bolted up the pitch until I saw Harry. He was circling overhead, keeping one eye out for the Snitch, and one on Malfoy who was still hovering nearby. Grimacing, I climbed until I was level with him, wincing as the Quaffle was brought back into play. "Harry, you've got to find it now," I rushed, ignoring Malfoy as much as possible.

"But-"

"Trust me," I repeated pleadingly. He hesitated, scanning my expression then glancing back at Malfoy.

"Okay," he sighed. "This is on you, though, Arty."

I grinned. "I'm banking on it!" I exclaimed as the Chasers started toward me. Diving back down rapidly, I circled around Flint, distracting him long enough for Katie to shift closer and knock the Quaffle out of his hand. Down below, Angela caught it easily. Instantly, Warrington and Montague dived, but Katie diverted Flint to the right while I swerved around them, catching the Quaffle Angela threw upwards and speeding up as much as possible.

"We've been playing now for nearly two hours, and despite the numerous fouls to the Gryffindor side, they aren't backing down!" Lee's commentary came. "And Williams is now in possession and . . . was that the Snitch?"

A murmur of excitement rushed through the grounds and I risked a glance sideways to see Harry and Malfoy bolting into a dive to my left. But behind me, the Slytherin Chasers were catching up, crowding around me with Katie and Angela lagging at the back. Just as I was contemplating how I was going to get away, Harry altered his course. The crowd gasped and cursed at him, but he bolted straight toward us, missing me by inches and turning sharply behind me to circle straight back around. The Slytherin Chasers cursed and backed down away from the attack, but Harry's face was already set dead ahead, and with a speed only the Firebolt could achieve, he raced back and pulled in just ahead of Malfoy behind the Snitch, swerving into my path roughly a hundred yards ahead. Then I saw possibly the most devious tactic of the entire game when Malfoy lunged forward and snatch the end of Harry's Firebolt. Harry jerked back under the extra weight, and the Snitch – just a golden flicker ahead of him – began to flutter out of his grasp.

My jaw locked, I glanced to either side with a pounding heart as Warrington and Flint closed in. Renewed adrenaline rushed through my veins, and I dipped down before almost immediately jerking upright again, leaving the Slytherins bolting toward the ground. The crowd cheered loudly, but I just tightened my hold on the Quaffle and flattened myself against my Nimbus as I raced straight at Harry and Malfoy. Ignoring the gasps from the crowd, I pushed my broom to move faster, watching Malfoy's eyes widen in horror and his hand slip from Harry's Firebolt. Yanking the Nimbus into another climb, I rushed straight at the goalposts as Harry sped straight from the Snitch.

"LOOK AT THIS!" Lee was screaming. "WILLIAMS FORCES THE SLYTHERIN SEEKER INTO RETREAT AND IS NOW APPROACHING THE GOALS, BUT LOOK AT POTTER! ON THE FIREBOLT, OF COURSE, HE'S CLOSING IN ON THE SNITCH! FAIR TO SAY GRYFFINDOR HAVE THIS MATCH IN THE BAG NOW, BUT WILLIAMS HAS TO SCORE FIRST IF THEY'RE GOING TO WIN THE CUP!"

"I know, Lee," I found myself groaning under my breath as Derrick and Bole knocked both Bludgers in my direction. Dipping down and rolling over, I swerved and glanced at Harry. He must have been two feet from the Snitch, and I was just a few seconds outside scoring range. "Come on!" I urged the Nimbus.

With a yell of frustration, the Slytherin Keeper bolted straight at me, but I rolled one last time and launched the Quaffle through the air. The crowd gasped and seemed to hold their breaths in collective silence as I froze in mid-air.

The Quaffle sailed through the centre post, followed immediately by Harry's triumphant yell.

The stadium exploded in thunderous cheers and I felt my shoulders sag and my entire body relax in relief as Lee yelled and shouted incoherently over the speakers for a moment. "GRYFFINDOR WIN THE QUIDDITCH CUP!" he screamed. "WILLIAMS PUSHES THE SCORES TO EIGHTY TO TWENTY MERE SECONDS BEFORE POTTER CATCHES THE SNITCH TO MAKE THE SCORE TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY TO TWENTY."

Wheeling my Nimbus around, I flew straight at Harry and the rest of the Gryffindor team. Katie and Angela were screaming tearfully, the Weasley twins were chanting 'WE WON THE CUP!' excitedly and Wood was actually shaking from head to toe. Through the mass, I managed to find Harry, who was still clutching the Snitch with a wide grin on his face.

"Arty, that was brilliant!" he laughed, pulling me through to the middle of the crowd. The others cheered loudly and I laughed with them, not minding that I was being crushed in the tangle of arms around us.

"Are you kidding me?" I screamed back over the noise. "I thought I was going to be smothered by those Slytherins back there! How the hell did you pull that one off?"

He grinned. "I'm riding a Firebolt, Arty. It was easy."

"Show-off!" Katie and Angela chimed behind me, and the team laughed in pure happiness.

Somehow, the seven of us managed to sink slowly to the ground, and my legs felt like jelly by the time my feet hit the ground. Still, with Katie's and Angela's arms over my shoulders, I unsteadily climbed off my Nimbus and watched the Weasley twins haul Harry onto their shoulders with a loud cheer. The crowd, still screaming, seemed to burst onto the pitch as Wood led all of us toward a large stage that had risen out of nowhere.

Dumbledore beamed at us all with a small chuckle as the seven of us stumbled onto the stage, laughing and joking, mostly at the expense of the Slytherin team and House, all of whom were huddled together at the other end of the pitch glaring daggers at us. In front of us, the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff houses were all chanting 'GRYFFINDOR!' at the top of the voices, growing even louder when the Weasley twins placed Harry beside Wood and began conducting them with solemn expressions.

Dumbledore made his way past all of us, shaking our hands and congratulating us with an amused smile and sparkling eyes, before handing Wood the Quidditch Cup. It looked as though he might actually faint as he took it from the Headmaster with shaky hands. When he held it high above his head, the crowd only grew louder. And despite my mixed feelings about playing Quidditch, I honestly didn't know how I could have felt any better than I did in that moment.