Chapter Twenty-Four
The Quidditch Tie
Mia refused to speak to Reuben for the rest of the weekend. She ended up telling Lily, Hugo and Louis what had happened, and was relieved by their reactions. Louis offered to hex either Javan or Reuben or both, but backed down as soon as Mia told him no, and he and Hugo held Lily down until she'd promised not to go after them. Reuben tried to talk to Mia several times over the course of the weekend, but one of her friends was always there to tell him firmly that she didn't want to talk to him.
Mia spent her Monday evening working on a Transfiguration essay, determined not to get too far behind on homework this week. By 10pm, the Common Room started emptying out as people headed up to bed. Mia was just putting the finishing touches to her essay when the portrait hole opened and Javan came in. In the chair beside her, Lily reached for her wand, but Javan paid no notice to either of them, walking straight through the Common Room and up the spiral staircase which led to the boys' dormitories. A minute later, Reuben came in. He walked cautiously across the room toward Mia.
Lily got to her feet. "She doesn't want to talk to you," she said firmly.
"It's okay, Lil," Mia said, standing up too. "Alright. Let's talk."
Reuben followed Mia to a sofa a little way away from Lily and the two of them sat down.
"How was detention?" Mia asked.
"Javan told Hawksworth it was about Quidditch and I didn't disagree," Reuben said. "Mia, I'm sorry I lost it. I was just so angry that he'd scared you. But I shouldn't've gone after him like that. I'm sorry."
"Apology accepted," Mia said. "And thanks for not telling Professor Hawksworth what really happened."
"For what it's worth, I think you should've told Professor Longbottom or someone," Reuben said. "It's not on for him – an older guy – to intimidate you like that."
"But can you respect my decision not to?" Mia asked.
There was a long pause before Reuben replied, "Yeah. But if he does anything again-"
"Then I'll tell Professor Longbottom," Mia said. She was fairly sure Javan would leave her alone from now on, but if he did do anything again, she knew she'd have to report him to her Head of House.
"So... are we good?" Reuben asked tentatively.
"So long as you promise not to be such a Gryffindor next time," Mia said firmly.
"Promise," Reuben said. "Listening first from now on, I swear."
"Then we're good," Mia agreed.
But even as she said it, she wondered whether things would ever feel quite the same between the two of them.
It started snowing heavily on Friday afternoon, and on Saturday, match day, Lily and Mia woke to a good six inches of snow on the group, with more still falling.
"Has a match ever been cancelled due to snow before?" Mia asked Lily as they got dressed and headed down to breakfast.
"I doubt it," Lily said. "Quidditch is never cancelled for anything."
In the Great Hall, Matilda, Emma, JJ and Archie were already sat at the Gryffindor table with platefuls of bacon and eggs in front of them, minus the bacon for Matilda, who was a vegetarian.
"What are you lot doing up so early?" Lily demanded and she and Mia sat down opposite the second-year quartet.
"We went down to check the minibeast hotels were alright in the snow," Matilda explained. "They seemed to be okay, but we dug out the snow a bit around them so the creatures can get in if they need to."
In the next half hour, the rest of the Gryffindor team and reserve team, as well as assorted hangers-on, came and joined the group at the Gryffindor table. The Quidditch Cup was still wide open, with only 90 points separating the leaders Ravenclaw and last place Hufflepuff. This meant the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were pretty indifferent about who won today. The Slytherins, however, were not, and the Gryffindor teams had to endure many jeers and taunts before Samuel declared it was time to head down to the pitch.
"Hope you've brought your glasses, Wood," Scorpius, the Slytherin Seeker grinned as he walked past. "Hey, Em."
"Hi, Scorp," Emma said to her brother. "Good luck out there... but I hope you lose!"
Mia said goodbye to Emma and JJ (the reserve team were already dressed in their Quidditch robes and would sit together at the front of the stands ready to be called upon if necessary) and walked down to the Quidditch pitch with the rest of the team.
"Alright, let's do this," Samuel said as they got changed. "Roxy, Mary, hit every last Bludger you get at that Zabini kid – keeping him at bay is key."
"We'll do it," Roxanne nodded. "Then you just need to catch the Snitch before Malfoy does."
In Slytherin's last match, the Hufflepuff Chasers and Beaters had worked together to keep Slytherin's star player, third year Asher Zabini, from scoring too many goals. The strategy hand worked well until Scorpius caught the Snitch before Hufflepuff could get 150 points ahead. Samuel nodded with grim determination on his face; he was determined not to let that happen this time.
The team shouldered their brooms and walked out onto the snowy pitch to Mac's booming introduction of: "It's the Gryffindors: Potter, Goldstein, Caplan, Cattermole, Weasley, Dursley aaaand Wood! The Gryffindor team is once again restored to its full fitness – if you remember, last time Beater Roxanne Weasley spent the match in the Hospital Wing. Her beautiful cousin, Lily Potter-" but Mac got no further – Professor Longbottom had cut him off with,
"The Slytherins, Mr Walter?"
The Slytherin team was walking onto the pitch to cheers from their house and boos and catcalls from the Gryffindors. Mac introduced them:
"McLaggen, Zabini, Haines, Warrington, Tomlin, Montague aaaand Malfoy!"
On Madam Hooch's command, Sam shook hands with the Slytherin Captain, Keeper Madison Montague. Mia smiled (and Lily poked her tongue out) at Ruby McLaggen, who was part of the gang and one of the Slytherin Chasers. Then Madam Hooch told the players to mount their brooms, blew her whistle, and they were off.
Mia zoomed up to the goalhoops and took up her position; fixing her eyes on the Quaffle and letting Mac's commentary fill her in on anything else which was happening. It was still snowing lightly, so visibility wasn't perfect, but the red Quaffle was pretty easy to see.
"And it's Slytherin in possession – McLaggen passes to Zabini, he's had to dive to avoid a Bludger and he's dropped the Quaffle. Nice catch there from Haines, and Slytherin are still in possession. Haines passes to McLaggen, back to Haines, to Zabini, and it's Slytherin's Asher Zabini headed for goal!"
Mia steeled herself – she knew from experience that Zabini was lightning fast. But before he got ten feet up the pitch, Roxanne sent a Bludger at him, and he dropped the Quaffle again. This time it was Lily waiting below him. She took off toward the Slytherin goalhoops, quickly passing to Kyle. Lily and Kyle worked their way up the pitch, dodging Ruby and a Bludger, before setting Reuben up for the first goal of the match.
"GRYFFINDOR SCORE!" Mac yelled into the magical megaphone.
Reuben turned and grinned up the pitch and Mia and she blew him a kiss.
"Nice goal there from Gryffindor's Reuben Goldstein. Not Lily Potter, who promised she'd score the first goal of the match for me, so no kisses for her later. But Goldstein's Keeper girlfriend Mia Dursley will probably snog him later, so that's something."
Mia laughed as Professor Longbottom snatched the magical megaphone from Mac and threatened to take over commentary if Mac couldn't keep the players' personal lives out of it.
Gryffindor's strategy seemed to be working, as they scored three more goals in quick succession. Mia made her first save – from a difficult shot of Ruby's which had Mac bringing out his old favourite word, epic – but the match was half an hour old before Zabini scored his first goal.
"So, it's 40-10 to Gryffindor, who are in possession again," Mac said. "Potter, passes to Caplan, Goldstein, Potter, Goldstein, Potter, Caplan, Potter... she shoots... she scores! Gryffindor's Lily Potter scores, and Gryffindor still lead, 50 points to 10."
As Montague dived down to retrieve the Quaffle, Mia allowed herself a glance up at Samuel and Scorpius. The two Seekers were circling high above, eyes peeled for Quiddtich's smallest ball. The Quaffle returned to playing height, and Mia returned her attention to her own role in the match as Zabini flew down the pitch toward her, the Quaffle tucked under his arm.
As the match passed the hour mark, the Gryffindor team worked well together to maintain their lead. Mia let in a few goals, mostly from Zabini, but otherwise the Chasers and Beaters did a good job of ensuring the Slytherins weren't in possession of the Quaffle long enough to make many attempts on goal.
"So, it's 190-100 to Gryffindor, and the Snitch still remains as elusive as a smile from Professor Duncan," Mac said. "It's Slytherin in possession, Haines, to Zabini, back to Haines, Zabini, McLaggen, Zabini, and it's Zabini heading for goal!"
Mia gave Zabini her full attention as he flew toward her right hand hoop. She prepared herself as he took aim, then dived as he threw the Quaffle... to Ruby. Mia quickly flew back the other way, but not quickly enough to stop Ruby putting the Quaffle through her left hand hoop.
Mac swore into the magical megaphone – he appeared to be supporting Gryffindor today, presumably because his girlfriend was on the team.
"Mr Walter, if you use foul language again, I will be forced to take over the commentary myself, and I can assure you that nobody wants that," Professor Longbottom said drily.
In the next ten minutes, Gryffindor blitzed the Slytherin goal, with Lily and Kyle scoring a goal apiece, and Reuben managing three. The match lengthened out, still with no sign of the Snitch. Mia began to wonder what the record for the longest Quidditch match at Hogwarts was. She knew a league game had once gone on for three months, but couldn't imagine that happening at Hogwarts; if nothing else, they had lessons on Monday.
"So, that beautiful goal from the beautiful Lily Potter brings the score to 300-140 to Gryffindor, but doesn't appear to have brought us any closer to the end of the match and our lunch," Mac sighed. The match had been going on for three hours, and Mia was feeling increasingly grateful for the charmed gloves Lily's gran had knitted the entire team, which were the only thing coming between her fingers and frostbite. "Just a reminder to both captains that the match can be called a draw if you both agree... no? Worth a shot..."
Zabini's next goal brought Slytherin's score up to 150, and just as Mia passed the Quaffle back to Kyle, she heard Mac announce, "Breaking news! We have some Seeker activity! Slytherin's Scorpius Malfoy seems to have caught sight of that elusive Snitch... either that or he's fainted from boredom. Wood's hot on his tail... frankly I don't care who catches it, so long as someone does! Wood's gaining on him but... MALFOY CATCHES THE SNITCH! Looks like Wood's old broom is not match for Malfoy's new birthday-present Firebolt! So, Slytherin w- no, wait, Gryffindor... no, hang on, what? Both teams have exactly 300 points! Professor... this is unprecedented, what do we do?"
But Professor Longbottom seemed to be equally confused. Mia had never heard of a Quidditch match ending in a draw before. The two teams hung around uncertainly, and it was left to Madam Hooch to announce that it was a draw.
"Since the Cup is awarded on total points scored over the year, it doesn't really matter who wins each individual match," she explained. "Congratulations, both teams."
"We should have a penalty shootout," Lily said indignantly as the team landed together on the pitch – Mia had explained the concept to her when they'd played Quidditch in the summer. Mia didn't much fancy her chances one on one versus Zabini, though, so she was quietly relieved when Samuel shook his head.
"I know it's weird, but it's not a bad outcome," he said. "We just need to completely destroy Hufflepuff in June... and since Ravenclaw play Slytherin first, we'll know exactly by how much. C'mon, we all did good – let's go celebrate."