'We are the best, so screw the rest.' - Girls Aloud, St Trinian's

"Oh Godric, do you remember last summer when Fred told James he'd transfigured his broom into a stick, so James tried to practise his dives by flinging himself off the roof holding the stick?"

"Fuck yeah." I snort, joining in Lily's laughter, as James stabs his treacle tart and flips his middle finger at Fred. "He spent a week in St. Mungo's, right?"

"Absolutely." Fred joins in our midday nostalgia. "It was worth it though, to make him stop obsessing about Quidditch for a blessed week. I was trying to plan some epic pranks for our last year at Hogwarts, but this idiot couldn't stop going on about Chaser plays and the 'Ravenclaw Dream Team'.

Oh shit.

Lily, Ria, Scor, Frank, Katie and I made a desperate pact to not mention Quidditch around James. Fred clearly didn't get the memo.

James spits out a congealed mess of treacle tart and syrup. Lily sees the coming danger and smoothly pushes her plate down the table to sit with her friends. Fred winces. I just groan.

"THERE'S ONLY TWO DAYS UNTIL THE QUIDDITCH FINAL! HOW COULD I HAVE FORGOTTEN? FRED, YOU'RE SO RIGHT: I NEED TO DRAW UP SOME MORE CHASER PLAYS." James violently slaps his cousin on the back and shoves his plate away, standing up. "Quidditch practice after class today: six 'til ten, alright bro?" He whispers to me, glancing suspiciously towards the Ravenclaw table.

"Fine, but I'm not a Chaser, James; that means I don't have to come today, right?" I say hopefully.

"DON'T GIVE ME THAT SHIT, YOU LAZY ASS. YOU NEED ALL THE PRACTICE YOU CAN GET." With that totally untrue statement, James jabs his finger at me threateningly, and marches away to tell Lily.

"Fuck you, Fred." I scowl at Fred, who scrunches up his nose and sighs.

"Trust me, cuz, I may not be on the Quidditch team, but I regret it too. When James is in Captain mode, he's hell to have a decent conversation with." He loops his bag over his shoulder and runs off to where James is yelling at Lily, hopefully to try and calm his best mate down.

I moan at the prospect of the upcoming Quidditch practice. The week before any match, James pushes us to our limits in practice, but this isn't just any match: it's the Quidditch final against our long-term enemy Ravenclaw, which means tonight's practice is going to be the mental equivalent of being stuck in a room with Rose, with no air, whilst hanging upside down, on fire.

Right as I am contemplating ways of skipping the practice, Crystal, dad's snowy owl, swoops down and lands gracefully on the table in front of me, scattering my thoughts about the benefits of diluting a Dreamless Sleep potion.

I pull the parchment off her leg carelessly, leading to her swiping part of the waffle on my plate in retaliation.

I scowl and wait for the bitch to fly away, but she doesn't, instead cooing softly and waiting patiently as she chews on the stolen waffle. I frown; my parents haven't sent me a letter in years that needed an immediate reply.

I am just about to unfold the parchment, when the comforting (and rather attractive) scents of raspberry and sandalwood wash over me, as my girlfriend slides onto the bench next to me and grabs the other half of my waffle. "Hey, hun."

I kiss her and grab the waffle half back. "Where've you been?"

Ria smiles. "Lila wanted to talk to each of the Muggle Music students individually. I'm done, but Scor is with her now."

"What about Emma, Rose and Sander?" Not that I mind sitting by myself, but after six years being surrounded by the same five people, 24/7, you get used to not being alone.

"Rose has persuaded Emma to spy on the Muggle Music classroom. Apparently she doesn't trust Lila not to jump Scor's bones, and Lysander . . ." She pauses and narrows her eyes in thought. I lean in and kiss the frown off her.". . . is probably in the library."

She grabs her own waffle and gazes at the letter in my hand. "What's that about?"

I shrug and open the letter out onto the table between us. "Let's see."

- Al, we've been invited to a function at the American Wizarding War Society –

- there's a seat free for you –

- James and Lily wouldn't find this interesting –

- we'd love it if you'd join us, son -

- don't feel pressured to say yes; only if you want to come –

- we've cleared it with McGonagall -

- send a reply with Crystal -

- hope to see you on Saturday –

"Al, this is great!" There are long arms around my neck, and soft lips on my cheek. "They want you to go to a party with them! I told you that they were never ashamed of you, you stupid fucker."

"They want me to go." I repeat, staring at the letter, the words echoing around my head.

I feel Ria tense slightly, her next words soft. "You are going to say yes, right?"

I fold up the letter and grin at her. "Fuck yeah, I'm going."

"I WANT YOU STUPID, WEAKLING PANSIES TO GET OUT THERE AND SHOW ME I'M WRONG ABOUT YOU! I WANT YOU TO GET OUT THERE AND FLY SO WELL YOU FLEECE THE SKIN OFF THE RAVENCLAW TEAM' S BUTTOCKS. I WANT YOU TO - "

"James, I don't really feel w - "

"Shut up." Lily hisses at Frank, eyes never leaving James, "You don't interrupt James when he's like this unless you want the skin fleeced off your buttocks."

"But - "

"IS THERE SOMETHING YOU'D LIKE TO ADD, YOU DUMB PRICK?"

"No, Captain."

"THEN SHUT YOUR MOUTH. NOW AS I WAS SAYING, THE TEAM WE ARE FACING ARE THE BEST TEAM RAVENCLAW HAS PRODUCED IN DECADES. AND YOU LOT ARE A BUNCH OF NO-GOOD, SLAPSTICK, DIRTY-MOUTHED PARTICLES OF DUST UNDER THEIR FEET. BUT EVEN PARTICLES OF DUST CAN WIN IF THEY PUSH THEIR MINDS AND BODIES TO THE LIMIT. I NEED YOU TO GIVE IT ALL YOU'VE GOT AND WIN THIS GAME, UNDERSTOOD?"

We all nod and stand up quickly at James' glare, gathering around him, brooms in hand.

"ALRIGHT!" he yells, nearly deafening us in such close proximity. "WHAT TEAM?"

"LIONS!" We scream.

"WHAT TEAM?"

"LIONS!"

"LIONS?"

"FUCK THE EAGLES!"

With that, the doors to the pitch crash open, and we zoom out in perfect formation as Lorcan announces us, under the watchful eye of the headmistress.

Hovering above Madam Flue, I can sense Quentin, opposite me, trying to catch my eye and stare me down, but I look away casually.

Mind games are rife when you play Seeker, but while he may be trying to intimidate me, I want him to know that I don't give a damn about him (partly because I know I can beat him blindfolded, and partly because he's an insignificant douchebag for making Emma cry months ago).

The Quaffle is released, and the game explodes around me.

The Lions vs Snakes game is packed full of rivalry and cheating and the stands around are always overflowing with students wanting to see blood, but the Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw game was always going to be the most fast-paced and closely-matched of the season. Yet unless the Ravenclaw team have somehow transformed into deities specialising in Quidditch, there's no way they can beat us, with the points lead that we already have and with how well my brother-turned-dictator has trained us, so I'm not too fussed about finding the Snitch quickly.

Lily flips and dives fantastically as she chucks the Quaffle away from our hoops, but all eyes are on James, Scor and Katie, as they duck, weave, swoop and spin spectacularly around the pitch, carrying out plays perfectly as they score time and time again.

But the Ravenclaws are no sissy pack of untalented infants, and they too sink in as many goals as possible.

But Ria and Frank are there, religiously keeping Bludgers away from the PMS trio, and smashing them towards the Eagles.

I watch Ria for a moment, feeling the butterflies when she smiles brilliantly as she sweeps around, blasting Bludgers away with her bat. I follow the arc of one such Bludger, watching as Frank reaches for it with his bat just a moment too late, leaving it to crash into the bottom of one of the Hufflepuff stands.

I frown. James has made sure that Ria and Frank work like a Beater dream team, exacting plays with violence and precision, and never missing a hit.

I forget Frank as a glint of gold catches my eye near the bottom of the mangled Hufflepuff stand. And credit to Quentin: he's spotted it too, diving down immediately. A scream rents the air, but I pay it no heed as I plummet after him, and now we're neck-and-neck, speeding for the fluttering golden ball, knowing but not caring that all play has stopped and the stands are silent as everyone watches the Snitch Chase, as always. And I reach out, knowing that there's no way I'm not going to catch this, before I'm flung away suddenly, broom spinning wildly as I am thrown harmlessly into the sand by the Ravenclaw hoops, splinters of my broom's tail settling around me, and a Bludger zooming away.

Quentin pulls his broom to a stop, fist pumped high in the air, with gold clearly visible through his fingers as the Ravenclaw captain throws her broom on the ground in frustration and Lorcan announces, "GRYFFINDOR WINS THE QUIDDITCH CUP!"

That's right, fuckers: you may have won this match, but you didn't get that 200 point goal difference you needed to win the Cup.

Yet I still scowl at the knowledge that the Gryffindor Beaters didn't keep that Bludger away from me; I could have won this match for us. The cheers could have been for me and me alone.

But that regret soon fades into the background of my ecstasy that we won the Cup. And there's cheering, of course, but not enough, and I soon realise why when I spot a crowd in the middle of the pitch, huddled around a limp red-and-gold figure lying on the ground.

The ecstasy is gone in an instant as I sprint over immediately, heart constricting.

It was a Bludger that smashed me off course. The two fearsome Gryffindor Beaters in their right states would never let a Bludger touch any of their players.

Which means –

"Fuck." I push through the crowd, and the sight that greets me is horrific, but I can't help that nasty rush of relief that squirms through me at the realisation that Ria's not hurt.

Instead it's Frank who's lying on the ground, unconscious, with blood pouring out of the side of his head. Ria's next to him, blood matting her hands, as she gazes up at Madam Flue desperately.

"Get him to the Hospital Wing." Flue says crisply.

"RIA, NO! HE'S GOT A HEAD WOUND. YOU'LL MAKE IT WORSE." Lily yells, as Ria pulls the unconscious Frank over her shoulder.

James steps up quickly, grabs a wand from someone in the crowd, and flicks it, sending Frank gently up into the air with a slow Levitation spell, and then running with him to the castle.

"Al!" Ria's gaze catches mine, and she stands up immediately, gripping my arms. "Are you alright? I saw that you fell into the sand, so I reckoned you'd be fine, but babe, I'm sorry. I should've been there to hit that Bludger away from you."

"Whatever." I say, and then kiss her hard because for a moment there I thought she was hurt. When we pull away, she smiles gently, but still looks worried, so I lead her into a jog up to the Hospital Wing. "What happened to Frank?"

"He wasn't feeling well before the match, so he wasn't on top form today." Ria pants, "He didn't duck fast enough when Alec sent a Bludger at his head – fuck James and his stupid refusal to let us wear the fucking Quidditch helmets everyone else wears – so it hit him. I flew straight to him to catch him before he hit the ground, which is why I wasn't around to send that Bludger away from you."

"James can be an idiot sometimes."

We burst into the Hospital Wing to see him bent over a bed, along with the rest of the team, wringing his hands furiously.

"Please step away." Madam Lovelle says softly.

"But - "

"Mr Potter, I can assure you that I have a potion that will mend this injury easily. Mr Jones is going to be just fine."

"Oh, thank Godric." Ria sags against me.

"I'm making Quidditch helmets mandatory." Flue announces, striding into the Hospital Wing.

"Please, no disturbances." Madam Lovelle pleads gently.

Flue ignores her, and turns to my brother angrily. "James Potter - "

Suddenly, we are all unceremoniously shoved out of the Hospital Wing, with the doors closing shut behind us, just before we see Madam Lovelle pocket her wand happily.

Flue scowls darkly at the doors for a minute, before striding away, angrily muttering about strong non-verbal Shield charms that mere school nurses should not be able to do, and seemingly not remembering to yell at James for banning helmets for the team.

"Here that, Lils?" James says, "Helmets are going to be mandatory next year."

Lily looks confused. "Sure, great, but why are you picking on me?"

James blinks at her innocently. "Because you'll be Captain next year."

There's a moment of silence, and then –

"CONGRATULATIONS!" Scor and Ria pounce on Lily as she stands there shocked, with Katie worming her way into the hug too.

"Al?" James sidles over to stand next to me, looking nervous for some reason. "You're not pissed at me, are you?"

I frown. "Why? Should I be?"

He ruffles his hair. "Didn't you want to be Captain?"

I laugh. "Nah, James. Only Lily didn't know you would choose her as Captain for next year, because, let's face it: I only care about myself and my plays, not the team as whole; Scor and Ria don't really take the sport seriously; Katie's too young; and Frank would be a shitty leader. Lily'll be great. No hard feelings, I swear."

With that, leaving James looking relieved, I walk over and join in the hug.

Lily takes a while to extract herself from under the mountain of sweaty bodies, but when she does, she runs over and embraces James tightly. "Thanks, J! I'll be a super Captain, I promise."

"I know, Lils." He replies, kissing her exuberantly on both cheeks. "I'm going to train you in the holidays, to make sure."

Lily laughs and pulls him into another hug, and I turn to my two best mates, only to find Scor staring at me like I'm an idiot. "The fuck are you still doing here, Al? Hurry the hell up, or you're going to be late, and your parents will kill you. I love you too much to be burying you this early in life."

I catch sight of the Tempus charm hovering in the air behind him.

Shit.

"Thanks, Hyp." I yell over my shoulder as I sprint away to Gryffindor Tower.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Comes the shouted reply.