Chapter 13 – Mistletoe and Wine
It's a time for giving, a time for getting
A time for forgiving and for forgetting
Christmas is love
Christmas is peace
A time for hating and fighting to cease
Janey had never felt more stricken with jealousy as she prepared to make her way over to the stands for the Gryffindor-Slytherin friendly—which she would not be participating in. It was the last day of term, and she felt thoroughly miserable.
Not even the sight of Sam in his Quidditch gear could do much to lift her spirits, and as his soft, brown eyes locked on hers, she thought he could sense how deeply saddened she was by the prospect of not playing. Not that she'd ever admit it.
"Are you okay?" he asked in a gentle voice, and she really wished he hadn't. But he knew her too well.
"I'm fine," Janey lied, heart thumping beneath her thick Gryffindor scarf.
She had debated over whether or not she should even come. It seemed overly petty to not support her House team, no matter the personal affliction she felt. She and Gwen might still not have been on good terms, but Janey was still going to support Rose, Sam, and the others. Even if she didn't play a part in it, she wanted them to win. She still had her Gryffindor pride.
But Janey could not deny that it would deeply hurt her to see them all out there on their brooms without her. Especially with the addition of stupid Maisie.
Janey felt that, for sure, Gwen had picked the most hopped-up annoying sixth-year she possibly could have as a means to spite Janey. The little blonde girl might have been fast on a broom, but she was annoying as all hell—and that role had very much already been fulfilled by another small, irritating blonde. It was insulting!
Janey was torn between wanting the team to win, obviously, but she also couldn't deny that it would feel greatly satisfying to see them bitterly fail without her playing her part. She wanted to feel like she was important—that they needed her. But Gwen had made it perfectly clear that they didn't.
Sam nodded at Janey's affirmation, but he didn't look convinced.
"You better win," Janey said in a teasingly firm tone. "Or the massive rager we've planned for tonight will all be for nothing."
It had always been custom to throw a huge party in the Gryffindor Common Room on the last day of term before the Christmas holidays—a tradition James Potter had started, naturally—and Janey had been insistent that they continue the legacy. Albus, as Head Boy, had been more than happy to step into his brother's shoes in that regard, and procure them bountiful amounts of Firewhisky, and it was the thought of the party that night that was getting Janey through the torment of what the Quidditch match would bring.
Sam smiled. "I'm sure nothing could stop us from indulging in a massive party regardless of the outcome of this friendly."
Janey smiled back. She went up onto her tiptoes to better be able to press her lips to Sam's, and at least some of the tensions she'd been holding in her body seemed to melt away.
"For luck," she said quietly.
"I think I'll need a bit more luck," Sam murmured back.
Janey normally would have rolled her eyes at how embarrassingly cringey that line had been, but she was feeling a rare moment of tenderness for Sam's soppiness. She kissed him again, a bit longer than last time, knowing when she broke away she was going to have to depart the changing rooms and take her place in the stands.
A sharp cough announced the arrival of the rest of the team, and Janey was panicked it would include Gwen. She didn't want to step on the Captain's toes and piss her off before the big match.
But Janey was relieved to see it was just the fifth-year boys—Hugo and Frankie.
"No snogging in the changing rooms," Frankie said wisely. "Gwen emphasised that this was a no-snog zone on our very first practice."
"Well, Gwen's a hypocrite because I'm pretty sure she and Mason used to make out in here all the time," Janey said playfully. "And you know she only said that to act like she's not into you, right?"
But the boy didn't look convinced. "Oh, I've made my peace with it never happening."
"Have you, though?" Hugo teased his roommate. "Because you sure say her name a lot in your sleep…"
As Janey snorted, she felt that sense of jealousy again. She missed this—the camaraderie of the changing room. She missed the fun dynamics of the team before she had gone and ruined it all.
"Maybe if we win, she'll give you a victory snog," Sam suggested with a wink to the younger boy.
"Well," Frankie said optimistically, "it is my birthday."
"Exactly," Hugo went on. "She can't keep using the age gap as an excuse now."
More voices could be heard approaching the changing room doors now, and Janey's stomach dropped. She'd recognise the approaching din of her roommates of the past six years anywhere, and sure enough, Rose and Gwen appeared in the doorway shortly after.
Gwen looked momentarily surprised to see Janey there, and then when she realised the two girls were looking at each other, she averted her gaze, her cheeks reddening.
"I was just leaving," Janey mumbled, looking down at her feet. When no one said anything further, Janey turned her attention back to Sam. She gave him one, last kiss on the cheek. "Good luck," she murmured once more before making a beeline for the door.
Gwen obligingly took a step to the side, but she didn't look at the girl as she went past.
"Don't we all get a kiss for luck?" Hugo called as she went past, and Janey was amused to see the look of shocked disgust Rose flashed her little brother.
"Only if you win," Janey called back goodnaturedly as she finally exited the room. And as she emerged into the crisp, winter air, her heart felt heavy with loss. But Janey refused to dwell on it. She shook her head, as though trying to shake some sense into herself, and then she headed to the stands to find Taylor.
"Geez, this is a massive turnout for a friendly, isn't it?" Janey said in surprise as she settled herself down onto the bench next to Taylor, having had to battle through a gathering crowd in order to do so. "I didn't know people were actually going to come and watch?"
"Bobbin cancelled all the classes today," Taylor said, looking rather cheerful. "And you know people love Quidditch."
"Why did Bobbin cancel classes?" Janey asked. They had purposefully arranged the match for a time when the seventh-years had all had a free period, as they were the ones who made up most of the teams. They'd had to ask for special permission for the younger students to be granted time off too, but as it was the last day of term, none of the professors had really minded.
But Bobbin had cancelled all classes for the rest of the day just for an unofficial student-arranged Quidditch match. Why?
Taylor gave Janey a pointed look. "Why do you think?"
There was a sudden cheer from the Slytherin stands and Janey's attention was drawn to where the Slytherin team had just emerged onto the pitch. With Ebony looking more beautiful than ever, her thick black hair tied into a ponytail, Janey understood.
"Oh," she said, feeling stupid.
Bobbin herself had come to the match too, seated in the teachers' box between Professor Roberts and Professor Longbottom. Janey felt nervous on behalf of her former team, taking stock of just how much of the stands were filled. It had turned into a much bigger affair than they had ever intended for it to be. God, Gwen would be an absolute nightmare if they lost again. Janey only hoped her absence from the team really would be the key to bringing them all together—no matter how much the thought upset her.
Someone else had approached the two girls, and it took Janey a while to recognise him. She hadn't expected anybody, given that everybody else in their friendship group was involved in the game. But as Janey recognised the boy, she realised he wasn't there to see them but rather just Taylor.
"Hi, Henry," Janey greeted cheerfully, knowing Taylor hadn't noticed his presence yet.
And, in fact, the girl's eyes widened behind her oversized glasses as she turned to look where Janey was.
"Hi, Janey," Henry greeted politely. And then, looking bashfully hesitant, he said, "Hi, Taylor."
"Hi," Taylor squeaked back.
Realising neither of them would engage in conversation with much confidence, Janey decided to take the reins. "What brings you to the Gryffindor stands?" she went on conversationally. "Are you watching the match?"
"Oh," Henry said, perhaps surprised that she was so happily engaging with him—they hadn't really spoken much since they'd called things off between them, after all. "yeah, I am—but I'm going to sit with the Ravenclaws."
"But of course."
"I just—I wanted to say hi," he went on awkwardly. "To, err, both of you."
Taylor had gone bright red, and it seemed like she wasn't capable of uttering another word.
"Of course," Janey repeated, breaking out into a sly smile. "But more so Taylor, I would imagine?" She raised her eyebrows at Henry.
He, too, went very red, but Janey offered him a kind smile, hoping he could sense the reassurance she was trying to convey via her eyes. She and Henry had dated back in the day, and they hadn't ended on good terms. Not for any reason to do with themselves, but because of Sam's involvement. He had been dating Henry's twin sister at the time and both Janey and Sam had rather savagely broken up each other's relationships without either admitting how much they'd wanted to be with each other themselves.
Henry had, very rightfully, not wanted to have been caught up in so much drama, so his and Janey's relationship had been short and sweet, and though they'd ended their situation with no feelings of resentment towards each other, the whole affair between the four of them had been rather tainted with bitterness and hurt. Janey and Henry had never really overlapped since they'd parted ways, but she wanted him to know that she was more than happy for him to be pursuing things with Taylor.
He seemed to catch on and smiled at her with kind gratitude.
"Are you coming to the party later?" Janey went on, annoyed that Taylor still wasn't speaking up. "In the Gryffindor Common Room?"
Henry frowned. "Err, no… I wasn't planning on it?"
God, they were hopeless.
"Well, maybe Taylor can meet you after the match then," Janey suggested, digging a sharp elbow into her friend's ribcage.
Taylor shot her a furious look. But then, thankfully, she turned to look at Henry. "Only if you want to," she said in a meek voice.
Henry's eyes had lit up, like he couldn't quite believe it. "I would love to," he said kindly.
Taylor was back to furiously blushing. "Okay," she squeaked. "Well, I'll see you later then."
"Yeah." Henry grinned. "Bye then."
"Bye," Janey said sweetly. And as the Ravenclaw departed, she turned to regard Taylor with an eye roll. "God, you guys are painful to watch—speed this thing up before Christmas or I'll have to borrow some of that pervy mistletoe from James!"
"And how long did you and Sam do your angry little dance before you finally got together," Taylor demanded sharply, glaring at Janey.
Janey was just amused by the thought of her and Sam engaging in a literal interpretation of an angry little dance. "That was different," she said dismissively. "We're making up for it now."
"Yes," Taylor agreed distastefully.
"Hey!" Janey protested. "At least we get to enjoy snogging each other—you and Henry will still be waiting for another couple of years at this rate!"
"We already kissed!" Taylor suddenly burst out.
Janey's eyes widened so much that she thought the freezing air might permanently fix them as such. But she had never felt so shocked. "What?" she demanded eagerly. "You're kidding! When?"
Taylor was back to blushing. "Last night," she admitted, and it was rather sweet to see the uncontained little smile she broke out into.
Janey let out a squeal of delight and threw her arms around her friend. So that's why they had been so awkward around each other just then. "Taylor!" she accused, but she was thrilled. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I don't know," Taylor mumbled. "I thought it might be awkward… He is your ex, after all."
"So?" Janey demanded. "That was ages ago. And anyway, Sam is technically your ex," she gleefully reminded her.
Taylor looked disturbed by the reminder, but Janey wasn't offended—hers and Sam's brief little fling had been even more years in the past, and it had been incredibly short and unemotional.
"That's different," Taylor insisted. "That was hardly a relationship—we never even kissed!"
"Well, you have my permission to snog the life out of Henry as much as you wish," Janey enthused. "And I suggest you do so quickly and enthusiastically."
Taylor actually laughed at that. "Well, thanks for your permission, but I'm sure we'll be taking things much slower than you and Sam."
"Suit yourself," Janey said happily. "But I'm super proud of you, Taylor! I think you're really great together."
Taylor looked like she was about to reply, but at that moment, a huge eruption of applause sounded around them, drawing their attention down to the ground. The Gryffindor Team had made their way onto the pitch. Janey felt a mingled combination of pride, annoyance, and loss as she watched them.
After Gwen and Scorpius had shaken hands, and the teams rose into the air, the match began. Janey took a deep breath, unsure when she'd next release it.
They were twenty minutes in, and Janey could barely watch. It had been agonising. Slytherin were currently winning with a shocking six goals scored, whilst Gryffindor hadn't made a single shot. The atmosphere in the stands was thoroughly depressing, and Janey could see how frustrated and disappointed the team was by how they were playing.
At this rate, by the time the Golden Snitch was finally released, it wouldn't even matter if irritating little Maisie caught it—the Slytherins would be up more than one-hundred-and-fity points in no time. But so far, there had been no glimmer of gold.
Even from the stands, Janey had been keeping an eye out for it. She couldn't help it—it was habit. She'd never been this invested in the matches before she herself had joined the team, but she had been on the edge of her seat since the first whistle had been sounded.
She watched Sam with a keen eye, deeply proud of him, and frustrated on his behalf that the Slytherins seemed to be so easily evading their attacks. He and Mason had been Beaters together, and even though Frankie wasn't half bad, he and Sam didn't yet have the same natural ease as a duo. Not like Jinx and Albireo, who were the Slytherins Beaters.
Janey didn't recognise the Slytherin Keeper, but he was a new recruit for that season, and he was annoyingly skilled. Scorpius had done well in picking him for the team, Janey thought bitterly. No matter what Gwen threw at him—quite literally—he had saved every goal. The same could not be said for Rose. Anxiety seemed to be getting the better of her, and the more the game played out, the worse her judgement was getting with regards to which of the three large, golden hoops she should be guarding. Ebony, as the main Chaser for the Snakes was playing with an urgent determination, never more alive than she looked right there in the air.
What a disappointing way to start Christmas, Janey thought miserably. They'd still have the party, of course—one of commiseration rather than celebration—but she knew how crushed Gwen would be if they lost.
As Ebony scored another perfect goal, Janey's heart sank.
Taylor groaned by her side. "This is painful to watch."
Shaking his head in obvious disappointment, Sam flew by, and as he caught Janey's eye, he looked temporarily uplifted. Happy to see him, Janey blew him a kiss.
From somewhere to their right, a bloodcurdling scream suddenly filled the air. In complete and total shock, both Sam and Janey turned to look towards where the commotion had come from. One of the Gryffindor players was hurtling towards the ground. Janey's heart went into overdrive.
"What the hell happened?" she demanded. "Who was that?"
Taylor looked completely shell-shocked, her face having gone disturbingly pale. "That new girl—the Seeker. She just got hit in the face with a Bludger."
Janey couldn't feel even remotely satisfied, because as she jumped to her feet to better see the fallout of such a hit, she could see the blood spattered on the grass from where the younger girl had hit the ground.
"Oh, shit!" Janey gasped, and even though neither of them really knew the girl, she and Taylor immediately raced down from the stands to where both teams were surrounding the injured girl.
It was even worse in close proximity. The blonde girl was screaming in agony, clutching at a surely shattered nose, blood gushing between her gloved fingers. But Bobbin and Roberts were there too, the former using his Healing prowess to tend to the girl. Before he had been the Defence teacher, he had worked at St. Mungo's, Janey remembered, and thank God he had.
"I did not do that on purpose," Jinx was insisting hysterically.
"Why were you even aiming for the Seeker?" Gwen snarled anyway. "She wasn't even doing anything!"
"I wasn't!" Jinx insisted once more, looking genuinely distressed. "And anyway, Sam was literally right next to her—he could have so easily blocked it!"
Sam looked just as pale as Taylor had done, and no doubt Janey was sure she looked too. "I didn't see it," he said, almost like he was pleading. "Believe me—if I had, I would have stopped it."
His and Janey's eyes briefly met, and both saw the other look as guilty as they felt themselves. It's not like Janey had been purposefully trying to distract Sam, but she realised that if she hadn't blown him that kiss then his eye would have rightfully been on the incoming Bludger. It seemed that even when she wasn't on the team, Janey was still causing their downfall.
Albus was staring at the crying girl like he might throw up. All the others looked just as panic-stricken and unnerved.
"It's alright," Professor Bobbin calmed the teens before any of them got too worked up. "She'll be okay—it's just a broken nose. Quidditch has seen far worse."
"I've stopped the bleeding," Professor Roberts told them calmly, "and administered a temporary pain-relief charm, but she's going to have to go to the Hospital Wing to get patched up." Helping Maisie to her feet, he slowly began to guide her away from the pitch.
"So the match is over?" Hugo asked sadly.
Rose looked at her brother in a way that suggested she thought he was being insensitive.
"Well, we can't play without a Seeker, can we?" he demanded.
Rose didn't reply, but she and Scorpius shared a look.
"We can reschedule," Scorpius suggested. "It's just a friendly anyway. It doesn't matter. We can have a do-over."
He was being remarkably kind, Janey thought. Anyone else would have probably just claimed the victory and be done with it.
Gwen seemed to have this same train of thought. "You guys can claim the win," she said, but it looked like it pained her to say it. "You were up—by a lot," she added miserably.
"No," Scorpius said firmly. "The match doesn't end until the Snitch is caught. We either finish the game, or we write it off entirely."
"Well, we can't finish it," Gwen said. "We don't have a reserve Seeker—I barely had enough time to find this one."
It was Bobbin who next spoke. "There isn't anybody who could play in her place?" she asked gently.
Without word, almost all sets of eyes seemed to turn towards Janey in sync.
"I—what?" Janey squeaked, for once in her life hating the attention.
It was Scorpius who looked at Gwen. She herself had not looked at Janey. She hadn't needed to. She'd known what they would all be thinking, and it was clear she didn't feel the same.
"It's just one match," Scorpius said in a weak voice, urging his fellow captain. "And it's just a friendly."
"No," Janey interrupted quickly. She hadn't even agreed to anything, and she didn't want to face the humiliation of Gwen refusing to let her play. "I'm not even dressed for Quidditch," she said with a dismissive laugh.
"Your stuff's still in the changing rooms," Rose pointed out hopefully.
Janey didn't know what to say. She wasn't on the Quidditch team anymore. Whether she had left, or Gwen had kicked her off, it didn't matter. She wasn't welcome anymore, and she wasn't even sure she would want to go back. But her thumping heart told her otherwise. The rush of adrenaline she felt at the thought of being airborne was hard to ignore.
But it was Gwen's call.
Sam looked at Janey with hopeful optimism, but she just shook her head. She wasn't going to beg.
Instead, Sam decided to appeal to Gwen. "We need Janey," he said in as weak a voice as Scorpius had used.
Gwen was staring at the ground, her expression giving nothing away. She hadn't looked at Janey even once since she'd rushed to be with the team.
"Just one match," Rose chimed in. It was clear how much they all wanted to see the game through, even after how miserably they'd been playing.
Finally, Gwen lifted her head, and she looked Janey dead in the eye. The former Seeker held her stare, unsure what she should do or say—if anything at all. Should she ask if she could. Should she insist that she be allowed. Should she apologise?
But before Janey could say a word, Gwen had spoken. "It's up to you."
There was something in Gwen's eye as she said it—a metaphorical olive branch being extended to her old friend. Her tone was not snide, but it was not quite warm. Janey couldn't be sure that, even if she agreed, things would be healed between the two. It felt like a lot more needed to be said before true amends could be made.
But there wasn't time. Janey needed to make a decision.
Janey looked once more at Sam. He seemed to be offering her encouragement via his eyes. She then looked at each of her team members in turn, all of them looking as desperate as the next, especially the two younger boys. She then finally settled her gaze back on Gwen.
The Captain was awaiting her answer. Janey offered Gwen a look of deep sincerity—a look that she hoped she understood to be her assurance that she wanted only the best for the team.
"Okay," Janey said after taking a steadying breath. "I'll play."
Back on her broom, Janey could not deny how much she had missed it. She had never considered herself the sporty type, but she felt at home on a broom. She enjoyed the attention too. She enjoyed the thrill of the whole school watching her, holding their breath, knowing she could elicit both deep joy and deep despair amongst the spectators. It was, in a way, like theatre.
Except, she thought nervously, on a stage you had a script. You already knew the outcome of what was about to happen. In this situation, she was completely clueless. Her hasty return to the Gryffindor team could end up being a bitter failure. And if it were, Gwen would be humiliated once more.
If Janey were to be cut from the team once and for all, she wanted to do so in a blaze of glory. She wanted the win, even if it meant she never played again.
She circled the pitch, refamiliarising herself with the layout of the stadium and gauging the weather conditions. It was a grey day, but it was remarkably calm. There was no snow and no wind. Everything felt calm and controlled—optimal conditions for catching the Snitch should it ever turn up. And, actually, the grey skies would only help emphasise where that flicker of gold should spring up.
But that also meant Scorpius would be playing at an advantage too, Janey realised. He was eagle-eyed and just as quick. Janey was small and agile on a broom, but Scorpius weighed more than her. If they were neck-and-neck, he could use that extra weight to push himself further forward. Janey would need to be faster than him in her pursuit, even if just by a fraction of a second.
She looked at him now. He was calmly circling the pitch too, almost directly opposite her. Should she tail him?—she wondered. Or play it safe by covering different ground? It was always hard to predict.
A sudden commotion sprang up near the Gryffindor hoops, and in spite of her resolve to stay completely focused, Janey couldn't help but look. Ebony was once more barrelling towards the goalposts, the Quaffle clutched tightly under her arm. Frankie took a desperate shot at her, but she dodged the Bludger with ease.
Keeping one eye on Scorpius, watching for any change in body language to suggest he'd spotted the Snitch, Janey held her breath as she watched Ebony approaching Rose.
Come on, she urged her friend internally. Just one save would do wonders for the team's self-esteem.
Ebony weaved past Albus, acting like she was heading for the left hoop.
Go right, Janey willed Rose, certain Ebony was bluffing.
Rose went right.
Ebony continued straight towards the left hoop and threw the Quaffle through with ease.
The stands erupted once more in a discordant clashing of both cheers and groans. "AND THAT BRINGS THE SCORE TO EIGHTY-NIL TO SLYTHERIN," the commentator declared to thunderous applause.
Even though Janey hadn't actually influenced what Rose had done, she still felt guilty. She released an angry huff of air through her nostrils, furious that she couldn't be doing more to help out. Like she'd realised before, even if she were to catch the Snitch, Slytherin was quickly climbing up the scoreboard, creeping ever closer to being more than one-hundred-and-fifty points up, meaning the catching of the Golden Snitch would have no bearing on the outcome of the match.
Just one save, Janey begged the universe. Or one goal.
Janey wasn't sure how, but Gwen had hold of the Quaffle all of a sudden, and was flying steadily towards the Slytherin hoops. A Bludger was also hurtling towards her, but Frankie was quicker, batting it away with ease, allowing Gwen a direct path to the goalposts. The rest of the players were still mostly gathered at the Gryffindor end, but noticing Gwen torpedo-ing away, had followed suit.
They weren't quick enough though. They wouldn't catch her before she could take the shot—now all she needed to do was pick the correct hoop.
Janey unintentionally held her breath once more.
"GRYFFINDOR FINALLY SCORES!"
"YES!" Janey screamed in delight, even though nobody could hear her.
"AN EXCELLENT SHOT FROM GWEN JONES, BRINGING THE SCORE TO EIGHTY-TEN IN FAVOUR OF THE SNAKES."
It was remarkable how much such an insignificant change to the scoreboard had on the Gryffindor team. For all they were celebrating, you'd have thought they'd just bloody won the thing. Janey wanted to fly nearer to where they were all gathered around Gwen, showering her with praise, but she held back, feeling like she would be unwelcome. It didn't matter anyway, Janey assured herself. She needed to keep her eyes on the sky. Just in case that golden glimmer should appear. Either way, the rush of warmth she felt was undeniable. Even if they still lost, it was a small boost.
Ten minutes later and the game had taken quite the turn. The scoreboard now read ninety-fifty to Slytherin. Gwen had scored twice more, Albus once, and even young Hugo. Rose had also successfully blocked Ebony's next attempt, but unfortunately, one of the other Slytherin Chasers had managed to slip by. Even so, they had made huge progress, and the team's spirit was dramatically boosted.
Janey felt elated. There had still been no sighting of the Snitch, and she was starting to feel anxious anticipation at what would happen when it did eventually appear. She had been watching Scorpius like a hawk, but he hadn't given anything away. It was truly anybody's game. One thing was clear though, the Gryffindors weren't giving up without a fight.
Janey dared to urge her broom lower. It was risky. It made more sense for the Seekers to circle higher up, so they had a better view of the entire stadium, but Janey was worried the distance would hinder her should the Snitch appear.
Curious, Scorpius mimicked her from the opposite end of the pitch, and Janey smirked. She was almost tempted to jerk back up just to mess with him and see if he followed her.
But before she could properly consider doing so, another commotion approached near her side. Janey panicked. She had unintentionally put herself directly into the path of a Bludger. Before she could react, Sam had effortlessly glided in front of her and sent the Bludger hurtling away from her with a swing of his bat.
Janey flashed him a grateful smile, which Sam happily returned. She was almost tempted to call out to him—to say thank you, or express some kind of positive affirmation—but before she could do so, Sam's eyes had widened in horror.
Fearful that another Bludger was headed her way, Janey whipped her head around in a panic. But it wasn't a Bludger. Scorpius had suddenly shot forward, clearly in pursuit of something.
Shit, shit, shit.
Janey instinctively jerked her broom in his direction, hating herself for once more allowing herself to get distracted by Sam on the pitch. Maybe Gwen had been right all along.
Janey had one thought only as she used every ounce of strength she had to urge her broom towards where Scorpius was. She could see the Snitch clearly now, but there was no doubt Scorpius would reach it before her. Even so, she tried her best, rapidly approaching him from behind.
With one final push, Janey found herself almost parallel to the Slytherin, the tiny golden ball just a foot away from his outstretched hand.
She knew it was futile, but Janey extended her hand too, willing her broom to go just a few inches further.
Scorpius' fingers brushed the wings of the Golden Snitch, causing it to lurch forward, just out of his grip.
Janey felt breathless. It wasn't over yet.
"JANEY," someone suddenly screamed, and the blonde girl had only a second's warning before she noticed the Bludger speeding directly towards her from the right. She dipped the handle of her broom downwards without thinking, and felt the vicious ball brush the hair on top of her head as it missed her by barely an inch, whistling straight past her and heading towards—
"SCORPIUS!"
There was no doubt that it had been Rose who had screamed, despite what team she was supposed to be playing for. Janey felt Scorpius jerk upwards, and when she heard no impact, she knew he had dodged it too. But it was to his detriment, because Janey was now closing in on the Snitch, and if she could just stretch her fingers out a little further…
"DAVINGTON CATCHES THE SNITCH!" the commentator roared, barely louder than the sounds coming from the Gryffindor stands. "GRYFFINDOR EARNS ANOTHER HUNDRED-AND-FIFTY POINTS, BRINGING THE FINAL SCORE TO TWO-HUNDRED-TO-NINETY. GRYFFINDOR WINS!"
Janey didn't know what felt better. The cool metal of the Golden Snitch now tightly nestled in her hand, or the giddiness she felt in her stomach as she heard the crowds roaring her name. She directed her broom to the ground instinctively, and she had barely dismounted before the arms were enfolding her.
Everybody's bodies seemed to have morphed into one gigantic mass, impossible to make out any individual person. Janey couldn't be sure whether the arm wrapped around her back belonged to Sam, Albus, Rose—any one of them—but she found she was struggling to breathe as she was enveloped in the ginormous bear hug.
After perhaps an exhilarating minute of embracing, the entire team expressing joyful exclamations of delight at their win, they finally broke apart. The first face Janey saw—the only one she focused on—was Gwen's.
Janey couldn't be sure whether Gwen had been a part of the hug, but from her position in front of the group, Janey suspected not. It looked as though Gwen had been watching them all, maybe with pride, maybe with hesitance. Perhaps she felt too uncomfortable celebrating with her team given that Janey had been at the heart of it.
But then Gwen did something that took Janey completely by surprise. She smiled at her,
And there was no reluctance, no wariness. It was just pure, kindhearted joy.
It was hard to tell who moved first, but all Janey knew was that she was incredibly grateful as she and Gwen flung their arms around each other, all bitterness lost and forgotten as the two girls celebrated something that far exceeded any petty resentment they might have been clinging to.
Friendship.
The rest of the team had made their way back to Gryffindor Tower in anticipation of the party. Everybody's spirits were incredibly high, and Janey herself felt like she had just downed an entire bottle of Firewhisky.
But not because of the win. Not because she had ensured their team a victory by catching the Snitch. But because she was with Gwen, and for the first time in two weeks, the athletically-inclined girl did not look resentful of that.
The two girls were sat cross-legged opposite each other on a bench in the changing rooms.
"You know I didn't purposefully distract Sam so that Maisie got hit in the face with the Bludger, right?"
Gwen snorted. "No, I know. I hope she's okay though."
"I'm sure she'll be patched up by the time your next match comes around," Janey said kindly. She knew better than to assume Gwen would be reinstating her to the team. Even if Janey had stepped in to save the day, it had just been a favour to her friends, but she rather felt like she would be okay with that. At least she had gotten to go out on a high.
But Gwen was frowning. She looked like she wanted to say something but thought better of it. Instead, she said, "You were really great out there, you know?"
"Yeah?" Janey asked, her heart giving a slight flutter. "Well," she said humbly, "so were you."
"We were shocking," Gwen said dismissively.
"Maybe at the start," Janey laughed. "But those last ten minutes? I think that's the best we've played all season so far." She immediately regretted the use of 'we'. There was no we anymore—not for Janey anyway. "It, ah, it felt like the team finally came together," she amended.
Gwen looked thoughtful. "It got so close at the end—I wasn't sure you would have even heard me call your name."
"That was you?" Janey asked in surprise. So it had been Gwen who had so desperately shrieked Janey's name, alerting her to the presence of the Bludger that had been just seconds away from colliding with her.
Gwen gave a shy nod.
"Well, if I hadn't then I probably would have ended up in the Hospital Wing with Maisie."
"But you did hear," Gwen said proudly, a twinkle in her eye. "And you caught the Snitch."
"If Frankie's shot hadn't been so good then I might not have," Janey pointed out. The inexperienced Beater had delivered the final blow—the shot that had been aligned perfectly so that Janey could evade it without compromising her gain on the Snitch, but that Scorpius would have to surrender his lead to avoid. "He's the real reason we won. If it weren't for that last-minute Bludger, Scorpius would have gotten there before me."
Gwen broke out into a small smile, but she didn't say anything.
Janey felt daring. "You know he's sixteen now," she teased.
Gwen, as usual, instinctively went to roll her eyes. "He's still—"
"He's cute!" Janey interrupted in protest before Gwen could dismiss the idea. "And he's really into you. I don't understand why you don't want to go for it?"
Gwen shifted uncomfortably from where she was sat on the bench. "Honestly?" she asked, and Janey could sense how vulnerable she was suddenly feeling.
The time for teasing was over. "Of course," Janey said sincerely, wanting Gwen to know she could comfortably open up to Janey. Anything that was said inside the walls of the changing rooms would be kept between them.
Gwen took a steadying breath. "Alright. I suppose it's that, ever since Mason and I ended things, I've been reluctant to… pursue anything romantic."
Janey frowned. Gwen and Mason had been together for over a year, but they had ended on good terms. Well, he and Rose had apparently shared a kiss in the Gryffindor Common Room just before Christmas, and that had inevitably led to the couple deciding to take a break, but there hadn't been any bitterness in their relationship going forward—they had simply just never reignited that romance. They had strictly remained friends.
"He was my first boyfriend," Gwen went on. "My first kiss too. And things were so easy between us—until they weren't."
"But it's not like anything bad happened between you?" Janey asked, unsure whether she was missing something.
"What?" Gwen snorted. "Other than him kissing another girl?"
Well, Janey couldn't say much in Mason's defence, but she was surprised. Gwen had always seemed to be so weirdly mature about it. "But it's not like he and Rose actually wanted to be together?" Janey said instead.
None of them would ever know what had really gone on in the common room other than the two themselves, and Janey couldn't say she understood it. It had occurred weeks after Scorpius had brutally left Rose to date Ebony instead, and she had felt lost and betrayed by them both. She had sought comfort in the only person who had been around at the time. Though why Mason had been inclined to kiss Rose, Janey couldn't say. She supposed, innocent as they both claimed it had been, she would be devastatingly hurt if Sam did any such thing. Maybe they had never given Gwen enough credit for how much it must have hurt her at the time.
"No," Gwen agreed. "And thank Merlin—because that would have hurt. But it's still painful to see someone you care so deeply for, suddenly… stop. I know things had kind of cooled down between the two of us. It felt like we'd lost that spark—we were only really staying together for the sake of it rather than because we were still so into each other—but the fact that he was already so open to moving on, even before we had ended things between us… It really hurt."
It had knocked her confidence, Janey realised. Gwen had been the first of them to have a serious boyfriend. Janey had obviously dated, but they all knew she could hardly have compared her so-called relationships to anything like what Mason and Gwen had shared—what she now shared with Sam. Rose had been heartbroken when Scorpius had left her in a messy, vindictive way. But Janey had never considered how much it would also have hurt Gwen to have realised, seemingly out of the blue, that her loyal boyfriend had simply fallen out of love with her. Without fanfare and spectacle. They had simply… drifted apart.
And Gwen had not been allowed to realise that on her own terms and act accordingly. She had been forced to make the decision because one party had already strayed. Even if it had been casual and meaningless.
"I never thought about it like that before," Janey said in a small voice. Rose had been such a mess over her own breakup that they'd never really paid much thought to Gwen's one. She had handled it with much more maturity and grace than Rose obviously had, but that hadn't meant she wasn't still hurting.
"Well"—Gwen gave a shrug of her shoulders—"it is what it is."
But that wasn't good enough for Janey. "So what, though, you're just never going to date again?"
Gwen looked uncomfortable. "I just don't know if I have the energy to invest myself in another relationship. I don't want to see another person I care about just start losing interest in me. I'd rather just focus on more important things—Quidditch, lessons, you guys."
"Gwen," Janey said firmly, "what happened with Mason only happened because it was with him. That's not an indicator of what all relationships are going to be like for you. No two are ever the same—believe me, I've had enough to know!"
Gwen actually laughed at that, and Janey felt uplifted, but the Captain still seemed hesitant.
"And you don't have to date him," Janey urged. "Just give him a snog! It doesn't have to mean anything more. But come on—you need to get out there again. I'm surprised your lips haven't dried up, it's been so long since you've been with Mason!"
Gwen shook her head, still laughing gently. "I don't know…"
Janey remembered something, and her face lit up with glee. "You know Taylor and Henry finally kissed?" she asked eagerly.
Gwen's eyes widened. "Really?"
"Yep! So now it's just you who's not getting any Christmas love. Find yourself some mistletoe and snog that boy, for God's sake! He's obsessed with you—why are you so afraid to go for it?"
Gwen was serious once more. "It's just hard to open myself up like that again—after everything that happened last time with Mason."
"Hey," Janey said gently. "Sometimes it's worth the risk. You never know what's going to happen if you don't just go for it. Being vulnerable isn't always a bad thing," she insisted, realising what a hypocrite she was. Her heart suddenly felt warm. "Finally going for things with Sam was one of the best decisions I ever made," she said with a coy smile. "Being with him completely erases any other experiences I had in relationships before him. Nothing else matters now."
Gwen looked endeared by Janey's words, and Janey wondered what Sam would think if he could see her saying such sweet things about him out loud. She blushed at the thought. It was a lot easier to say it to other people.
But Gwen's face dropped into a frown once more, and she looked deeply guilty about something. "Listen, Janey, what I said about you and Sam—"
"It doesn't matter," Janey dismissed.
Gwen was insistent though. "No, it does. It was so unfair of me to say those things about you—I don't even believe them! You and Sam are really good for each other, in spite of all your drama."
Janey snorted.
"And we can all see how much you both mean to each other. I was jealous," Gwen affirmed. "It's weird to see all my friends so loved-up when it was always me and Mason back in the day, and it was a cheap shot on my behalf."
"It doesn't matter," Janey said once more. "You were just angry."
"But it was cruel and unnecessary," Gwen said weakly. She offered a wary smile. "And I'm sorry."
Janey hadn't needed Gwen to say the words, but she appreciated the apology nonetheless. "Thank you," she said. She knew it was her turn now. "And I'm sorry for what I said about you being jealous—"
"You were right though."
"—and for not being as dedicated to the team as I should have been. Don't tell Sam, but I'd take the thrill of a Quidditch win over a snog with him any day. If I had to choose," she said slyly.
"You don't have to stop snogging Sam," Gwen said teasingly. "Though maybe in Quidditch practice, we would all appreciate it."
Janey's heart skipped a beat. She felt hopeful. "So does that mean…?" She didn't dare say it out loud.
Gwen was beaming at her. "Janey, we wouldn't have won without you."
"It was a team effort," Janey quickly insisted.
"Even still—we need you."
We need you. Sam had said the same thing on the pitch earlier, but somehow it meant more coming from Gwen. Coming from her captain. "But what about Maisie?"
"I think Maisie will be pretty traumatised from her time on the team. And if she's really serious about it, she can apply again next year."
Janey's heart was now rapidly thumping in her chest. "So I can be on the team again?"
"Are you going to be fully dedicated to it?" Gwen asked seriously.
"Yes," Janey vowed in breathy assurance. "Yes, I promise! I won't even look at Sam," she declared. "He's dead to me!"
Gwen looked alarmed. "You can still look at him. You can still date him. But when we're on the pitch, he's not your boyfriend, he's your teammate," she asserted.
"Deal," Janey agreed.
"Alright." Gwen looked thrilled. "Welcome back, Janey."
With a squeal, Janey lurched forward to wrap her arms around Gwen in another tight embrace. It felt truly good to have her friend back.
"And you have to actually turn up to practice on time," Gwen muttered, still clutching the girl.
"One step at a time," Janey said cheerily.
They broke apart, both still beaming at each other.
"Shall we go and celebrate our victory then?" Janey asked with eagerness. Albus had an entire crate of Firewhisky ready and waiting for them up in the common room. Janey wanted to soak up the glory of their win and enjoy the last night of the year with the entire house in the Gryffindor Tower.
"I'm going to go and check on Maisie first," Gwen said. "But I'll meet you up there."
"Alright," Janey said, still feeling a little guilty over the girl's fate. "But promise me that you'll march straight in there and snog the life out of Frankie."
Gwen just laughed, her tightly-coiled curls of hair shaking around her shoulders as she did so. "We'll see," was all she said in a sly voice, but Janey could see the twinkle in her eye.
Janey felt like she was walking on cloud nine as she made her way back to the Gryffindor Tower alone. She couldn't wait to tell her friends that she'd been reinstated on the team. She couldn't wait to celebrate their win with the entire house. She couldn't wait, she thought excitedly, to fall into Sam's arms and tell him how amazing the entire thing had been—the match, making up with Gwen, all of it.
As Janey clambered through the portrait hole, it was clear that they hadn't waited to get the party started, even with the absence of the team's captain. Music was blaring, drinks were flowing, and there was a general buzz of jovial excitement in the air.
People cheered as Janey entered the room, and she felt the force of many arms around her lifting her into the air before she could even process what was happening.
Once she was returned to the ground, feeling another rush of delightful triumph, Janey sought the face of only one. Sam beamed at her, gratefully taking her into his arms once the rest of the team had offered their praise and congratulations. Janey nestled her face into his chest, feeling warm, feeling safe.
"Congratulations," he said, although he'd already told her so after the match. "That was quite a catch."
"Well, thanks for letting Maisie take that Bludger," Janey couldn't resist saying.
"I—didn't!" Sam spluttered, horrified by the notion.
"I know," Janey said quickly, pulling away to stare at him with sincerity. "But I'm glad she did. Well"—she frowned—"I'm not glad she got hurt, but I'm glad that I got to play."
"And are you going to continue to play?" Sam asked expectantly, placing his hands either side of her waist.
Janey's grin was insuppressible. "I'm back on the team!" she confirmed with a delighted squeal.
Sam looked just as thrilled as she felt. "I'm glad to hear it," he said. "And you and Gwen—you're okay?"
"More than okay," Janey confirmed happily. "But, ah, we'll have to keep the snogging to a minimum in practice from now on."
Sam grinned. "I'm sure that's a sacrifice we can make. Although, the deadline for your ultimatum is coming up," he reminded her. "So are you going to dump me for good?"
Janey distracted herself by playing with the collar of his shirt, like she was genuinely considering it. "That all depends," she teased, training her baby blues on him. "Rose seemed to be under the impression that I threatened to dump you if you didn't buy me an expensive gift."
"That's as good as what you said!" Sam protested.
Janey snorted. "That was just flirting," she insisted in much the same way she had with Rose. "You really think I'd be that shallow?"
Sam had rightfully reddened. "You can be very confusing, you know?"
Janey wouldn't have it any other way. "So does that mean you did get me an expensive gift?" she asked, trying not to sound too genuinely eager but now incredibly interested.
Sam looked rather smug. "I did not spend a single penny on you," he said cryptically.
Janey froze, slowly withdrawing her hands from his shirt. "What?" she asked, unable to hide her disappointment.
But Sam didn't falter. "Or a single Knut," he clarified, but this certainly did not reassure her.
"You didn't even get me a present?" Janey might have been bluffing when she'd implied she'd wanted Tiffany or Chanel, but she had still expected that he would actually buy her something—even something pitiably cheap. She knew he didn't have any money, but now she felt like a right idiot.
"I didn't say I didn't get you anything," Sam emphasised, clearly enjoying himself. "Just that I didn't spend any money on it."
Janey involuntarily wrinkled her nose, aware she was being a snob but unable to contain her displeasure. It was all sounding like a massive cop-out, and she couldn't understand why Sam was so happy about it. Unless he was bluffing?—she thought optimistically.
Sam folded his arms across his chest, peering down at her with still more smugness. "I'm actually surprised you haven't already noticed it."
Janey blinked in surprise, her eyes suddenly darting around the common room. What on earth was he talking about?
And then Janey saw it. With all the commotion of the party, she had assumed it was just overly crowded in the common room as people celebrated their last day in the castle before the holidays. But there was a new addition to the room. Or, rather, the addition of something Janey had not seen for about two years.
"My karaoke machine?" she exclaimed in total disbelief.
Janey's first act as a prefect, which she had thought was pure genius, had been to install a karaoke machine in the common room. And why not? People had loved it. Few more than James Potter, and, of course, Janey herself. It had taken a fair bit of magic to even get the Muggle technology to work correctly, but it had totally brought joy to the students of Gryffindor House.
But back then her and Sam had shared a bitter rivalry, amplified by the fact they were forced to co-prefect against their will. He had been furious that she'd done anything of the sort without his support or consent, and it had mysteriously disappeared overnight, never to be seen again…
Not until now.
Janey supposed he had attempted to make up for it by taking them all to a karaoke bar for her birthday, but she'd never expected this.
She looked at her boyfriend in complete awe.
"Only for Christmas though," Sam emphasised. "We do not need to be serenaded by squealing first-years whilst we're trying to study for our NEWTs."
"You think I'm going to let any of the first-years use it?" Janey scoffed. "This common room is about to turn into The Janey Show, and you know it!"
If possible, Sam grinned even further, his eyes shining with deep adoration. "Isn't it always?"
Janey aimed a playful punch at his arm, but she couldn't deny how excited she was. "I can't believe you had it stashed away for the past two years—where the hell have you been keeping it?"
"I'm not going to tell you that," Sam laughed. "Because then you'll only look for it when it mysteriously disappears again in the New Year."
Janey felt truly thrilled. God, she loved to sing, even if no one else cared to hear her do so. But most of the house would be returning to Kings Cross tomorrow morning anyway, so who would she really be upsetting? Everyone was already getting tipsy anyway, and she was sure it would take little encouragement to entice others to join in. It was even better than any material gift, she thought—even if it was a cop-out.
Janey wrapped herself around Sam once more. "I love it!" she gushed. And then, feeling like a child who had just woken up on Christmas morning, breathlessly said, "It really is going to be the best Christmas ever."
Sam kissed the top of her head. "Well, you'll have to rechristen it then, won't you?"
Janey didn't need telling twice, but before she could eagerly take the stage, someone had drawn the attention of all those celebrating in the common room as they clambered through the portrait hole.
It was Gwen.
Just as Janey had been greeted, everybody rushed to embrace the winning captain, but before anyone had a chance to, she had strode, rather determinedly, towards something in the room. Or, rather, someone. No one cheered louder than Janey as Gwen, with the confidence of a queen, met Frankie in the centre of the room and finally, finally, gave him a kiss that the startled sixteen-year-old wasn't sure to forget any time soon.
The party that raged on in the Gryffindor Common Room extended well into the early hours of the morning, the whole tower coming alive with music, and laughter, and pure, unadulterated joy that the teens would surely be feeling all the way up to Christmas Day itself.
Author's Note: Title and epigraph inspired by Cliff Richard's 'Mistletoe and Wine'. This was a particularly long chapter because I had lots of loose ends to tie up, but the final two will be back to normal. Not long left—see you tomorrow!