The next weeks passed quickly, and overall the rumors and drama went down, not as much as Loralei and Sirius had hoped for, but enough so they weren't asked about it anymore, and if they were, in was in such a way that was easily walked away from or ignored.

Their dates stopped, instead they mostly hung out in the common room, or his dormitory, since he had still not found a way to get into hers without the staircase turning into a slide.

October came, and they only had to talk about how they were going to deal with his family. His parents were proud, which made Loralei sad and happy. Happy since they wouldn't try to break them up, or send her hate mail, sad because she knows how terrible his family is. She just hoped that she could get out of having dinner with them at some point.

"If they try I'll tell them no." Sirius had told her. "It's not like they can force you, and if they try you can always fake being sick."

She laughed at that.

Soon it was late October, and it was their first quidditch game against Ravenclaw. She was lacing up her brown boots, and putting on her gear, trying back her hair in a way that it couldn't become undone by wind or a bludger to the head, or falling off her broom.

She looked fierce, and ready to win.

James gave them a pep talk, that mostly had her rolling her eyes and making funny faces behind her brother's back, trying to make the new guys laugh. She succeeded.

Then they were on the Pitch, Sirius commentating it, and calling out all their names.

She took her position above all the other players, waiting for the game to begin.

She loved the adrenaline rush that she got from the game, from almost getting her scull smashed by the bludgers, or doing a dive, nearly planting her face in the ground going for the snitch. She'd only been seriously hurt once, and even then she was only knocked out for about six hours with three broken ribs, broken collarbone, and broken arm.

Now, she was above everyone, the other seeker was a boy, probably in third or forth year by the look of him, he was watching her, probably wanting to see how Gryffindor had won the cup all but one year when she was on the team.

The quaffle was released, and James was the first chaser to it, flying easily though the air, and dodging a bludger that was in his path. He scored the first point for Gryffindor.

"Good job Jamsie!" Sirius praised into the microphone so everyone could hear. "Ten points to Gryffindor."

Loralei laughed as her eyes searched for a little glint of gold that would be the snitch, or a blurr of brown that would be a bludger coming to smash one or more of her bones.

She saw that the other seeker was still watching her, looking for a sign that she saw the snitch, so she thought she could have a little fun with him.

She dove down, straight into the action, and cutting off two Ravenclaws that were after Alice and her brother for the quaffle. She was happy when she saw that the boy was following her, trying to catch up.

"It looks like Loralei Potter has seen the snitch," Sirius commented, "And it's only been ten minutes into the game. Give it another minute Lore! Give the poor boy a chance!"

"Mr. Bla-" Professor McGonagal scolded.

"Sorry, sorry, I'll be more professional." He apologized, though everyone knew he didn't mean a word.

Loralei tried not to laugh as she stopped abruptly and dove straight down, trying to freak the kid out, only to pull up when her heels were a foot from the ground.

The other seeker seemed to get she was messing with him as she kept going around the pitch, little did he know that she was stalking the snitch, not getting close enough to know it was being followed, but not getting too far away to get out of her sight. She just wanted to make sure that the audience got a good show, and that Ravenclaw was completely slaughtered. Not that she disliked the house, she was almost put in it, but because she wanted the points to win the house cup.

The match went on, and when she liked that they were eighty points ahead, she started to inch toward the snitch, from where she was halfway up the goalposts.

She heard a sickening crack, and moans from the audience.

"Stewart got hit by a bludger and is going down. Come on, Gryffindor beaters, get your act together!" Sirius said, as Alice, barely able to steer her broom, stumbled a bit before falling off her broom from a foot off the ground to where Madam Pomfrey was going towards here with a few other older students to get her.

Loralei swore. They had to win now.

She booked it after the snitch, until it was only a little ahead of her.

"Loralei Potter is going after the snitch, it's just at her fingertips. Come on. You can win." Sirius said, before getting told off again by Professor McGonagal.

Loralei tried to ignore the cheers, the commentary, the sound of the Ravenclaw players cursing as James scored ten more points. She focused on the little gold ball that was just out of her reach, leading her up, slowly until she was sure she was hundreds of feet from the ground.

She paced her breathing, the air wasn't getting thin yet, but she had to being close to it, when the snitch evened out for a minute before diving.

She followed.

This was a little more dangerous, because she was going faster since gravity was on her side, or against her depending on how you looked at it.

There were gasps as she caught the snitch, but she roughly pulled her broom up in such a way that made her loose her balance and fall off. The golden snitch still clutched in her fingers.

Loralei didn't wake up until the next evening, with a killer headache and her whole body hurting, and covered in bruises.

Sirius was asleep in the chair next to the bed she was in, his head leaned onto bed using his arms for a pillow.

Loralei groaned as she tried to move her stiff, sore muscles. "Siri?"

He woke up, sitting up. "Hey," he smiled. "How do you feel?"

"Like I've been hit by the Knight Bus." She groaned. "I haven't been hit by it, but I have a feeling this is what it feels like." She looked down at her arms, she wasn't wearing a shirt, but there was gause bandages wrapped around her from hip to armpit, but what she could see from her skin, it was all black and blue. "What happened?"

"Good or bad news?" He asked.

"Good then bad." She told him. "I have a feeling the good news is shorter."

He smiled. "You won the match, but you fell off your broom. Shattered the bones in your hands and arms, you broke seven ribs, a concussion, and some internal bleeding." He told her. "Most of your body is covered in bruises."

She frowned. "I can't lift up my arms."

"You won't be able to for a while. Good news, you're off class tomorrow." He told her, trying to cheer her up. "Slughorn is making a potion to help you heal faster, but it won't be ready until tonight. Your parents are getting dinner, they should be here soon, James, Remus and Evans are with them. Melanie stops in once an hour to see if you've woken up.

"Lily's with James?"

"They're all worried, it's binding them together." He told them.

"Why aren't you with them?" She asked.

"Someone should be here in case you woke up."

"How long have I been out?" She asked, before taking a deep breath and cringing.

"It's Sunday night." He told her.

"Shit." She whispered. "This can't be happening."

"It did. You scared me, Loralei." He told her, scared to touch her, fearing his touch would hurt her since her skin was so tender.

"I'm fine," she whispered, "Or I will be."

"Still, you could've died if you hadn't pulled up your broom at that second." He told her. "You were ten feet off the ground, and still had some of the momentum of the dive, if you hadn't had your arms in front of you your brain would be on the pitch."

"But I did, and I'll be fine." She told him. "How was the victory party?"

"There wasn't one." He told her. "The whole team was here, and all of our year, and the firsties, and anyone who you've ever met, they brought you candy and flowers." He pointed at the bedside table which was overcome with boxes of candy and flowers in vases were everywhere, on the floor, and the other table for the bed to the right of her.

"Cool," she breathed. "I'm loved."

"You know you are." He said. "That's why everyone was freaking out when you were crumpled on the pitch, you looked like you were dead, you were knocked out on impact, Lore."

"Hey," she said, trying to comfort him. "I'm okay, I'll be fine in a week, you'll see."

"I didn't know that, everyone but James wasn't allowed to see you until your bones were healed and you were wrapped up. It took two hours." He told her. "Everyone was freaking out."

Her lower lip stuck out a bit in a pout. "I couldn't change it, it just happened."

"You're getting cocky, Lore." He told her gently. "You're not invincible."

"I know that-"

"No, you don't." He disagreed, hoping to get her to admit it. "If you fell just a little different your neck would've snapped and you-you'd be dead."

She held her breath, as she lifted her arm, and put it on his cheek. "But I'm okay. Isn't that what matters?" Her muscle gave out, and she hissed when it fell back on the bed.

"You're not okay. I'm not asking you to quit the team, I'm just asking you to take it easier." He said, desperately. "Don't take as many risks. You're good on a broom, that doesn't mean you won't make a mistake and plummet when no ones around to help you."

She didn't respond, she even averted her eyes. "Who knows if I'm still able to fly a broom. James might have to replace-"

"No, you just have bruises now, they're deep bruises, but when Slughorn brings the potion you'll feel a lot better."

"I sure hope so." Loralei muttered. "I feel like hell."

"It'll be here soon," he promised. "He's not going to let his one of his favorite students suffer long."

As if on cue, Professor came in, walking faster than she had ever seen him before.

"Oh, Loralei Potter, you'll feel better after this." He told her, unstopping the vial, and holding it out for her to take.

Sirius took it instead. "It hurts her to move." He told him, standing up, and pouring it into Loralei's mouth.

She instantly felt better before slipping back into sleep.