"Point me." Thess's wand spun in her hand, pointing north. Orion crossed his arm over hers, pointing northwest. "The Abbey's that way. About two hours of flying."

"And what does it look like?"

"It's a big yellow mansion surrounded by French-style gardens."

"I don't know what a French garden is."

"Don't worry, you'll recognize it by the Erumpents. Oh, and there's the Quidditch pitch, of course."

The journey was smooth, despite the cold. Thess had never used a broom as a mode of transportation before. She found it uncomfortable and couldn't help but wonder how her ancestors managed to fly on brooms all night long before Apparition and Floo Powder were invented. But as she flew beneath the stars and touched the clouds, she began to feel that Apparition might have taken some of the magic out of life.

An hour into the flight, they spotted a circle of stones in the middle of a field. Orion thought it was a good place to rest.

"These places give me the creeps," Thess said as she landed.

"I don't know why," Orion replied. "Our ancestors built these places. You can't get more at home than this."

"Yes, you can—in a place with a roof and a fireplace. This place isn't haunted or anything, is it?"

"Probably. But ghosts are just annoying these days."

Thess still felt uneasy, but the grass was soft and inviting, and the sun was rising, so she decided to sit and watch it.

"I don't remember you from school," she said, running her hands over the dewy grass.

"I kept a low profile," Orion replied.

"What house were you in?"

"Hufflepuff."

"Seriously?"

"Of course."

"You're the least Hufflepuff guy in history. The Sorting Hat must've been drunk."

"What do you mean?"

"Hufflepuff boys are cute."

"And me?"

"You look like a Slytherin."

"Slytherin boys are nasty."

"Exactly."

Orion swallowed the jab, not wanting to ruin Thess's "good mood."

By now, the sun had fully risen, casting long shadows from the stones. Thess stood up and walked over to examine them.

"What do you think these were for?" Orion asked.

"Astrology, mostly. And religious rituals. History of Magic 101."

"You paid attention in that class?"

"Professor Binns was a bore, but the books were interesting."

The wind started to blow warmer, promising a more pleasant journey ahead. The thought of breakfast also brightened Thess's mood, though she wasn't sure how she'd manage to train after staying up all night.

"You weren't on the team last year," Thess remarked.

"I didn't play Quidditch at school," Orion said.

"Why not? You're great. Don't tell me you learned after leaving."

"No, I've been flying since before I could walk."

"Then why didn't you join the team?"

"It's complicated."

Another 'complicated' rich boy, Thess thought. She was used to hearing these vague explanations from her pure-blood classmates. It seemed like when all of their needs were met without effort, they started creating problems for themselves to justify their existence. Problems so trivial they were embarrassed to explain, so they said things like, "It's complicated," to avoid having to elaborate.

"And how did you go pro if no one ever saw you play?"

"Ginny saw. She knew me and put me on the team, even before she became coach."

"Mrs. Potter really loves collecting lost causes, huh?"

"We agree on that."

That last comment brought back the tension of old grudges. The wind started picking up.

"Alright, let's settle this," Thess said.

"Settle what?" Orion asked.

"You won. We agreed on that. So, do you want me off the team?"

"I already told you I don't want you off the team. Stop it."

A fine, cold drizzle began falling, soaking their clothes.

"You conspired with Slytherin against me. And those two brats didn't get that good overnight just from your advice. You trained them to come after my head."

Orion grabbed his broom to avoid meeting her gaze. Thess did the same. The sun was now hidden behind strange clouds that hadn't been there a minute ago.

"I didn't want you to get hurt like that," Orion muttered.

"So you admit it?"

"Alright. Here's the deal—" He had to raise his voice to be heard over the growing wind. "After you broke Harry Potter's record for the fastest Snitch capture, Ginny went mad for you. She said you were the solution to our problems. A real gift. So, I had to see for myself. I watched some of your matches, and I have to say, you were terrible. No one that amateurish pulls off what you did, the way you did it, unless—"

"You thought I was cheating."

Thunder rumbled in the distance.

"Admit it, it's weird. You never played before, and suddenly you show up out of nowhere with unbelievable talent."

Thess's grip on her broom tightened as if she were trying to crush it.

"I tried to convince Ginny," Orion continued, "but she didn't believe me. She said she'd talked to her niece, Rose, and Rose had confirmed you were a raw diamond. So, the only thing left was to expose you."

"You could've done what she did. You could've come to me and asked."

"That didn't occur to me."

"Typical."

The wind stopped suddenly, leaving the air heavy and still. The raindrops began falling in slow, heavy plops, straight down.

"You were jealous," Thess said.

"Where'd you get that idea?"

"From your face. You were jealous, and you started stalking me."

"It's not what you think."

"I don't know what you think. I don't know what your intention was in telling me this story, but all you've done is make things worse for yourself. You're a spoiled, jealous brat, and you're a bloody stalker."

Orion's expression showed how much that accusation shook him. He was going through the confusion that only realization brings.

Around them, the horizon had disappeared, replaced by dark, storm-laden clouds.

Orion thought of a few things to say but choked on the words, then gave up. He finally lowered his head and let his shoulders drop.

"I'm so—"

"No," Thess interrupted. "Ask for anything else but that."

"What do you mean?"

"You beat me, and now I owe you. I don't like owing anyone anything. If you don't want me off the team, then ask for something else. Anything else."

"Anything but—"

"That."

Orion took a deep breath. "I... I want..."

And then the lightning struck.

When the world regained its colors and sounds, Thess found herself being carried by Orion at high speed, away from the stones.

"Where are you taking me?" she shouted over the howling wind.

"We need to find shelter!" he yelled back.

But the field was wide open, and visibility was terrible. Then the lightning slashed through the sky again, forming a spiderweb of electricity, and for a second, the world became as clear as day. They saw the silhouette of a barn against the rain.

"There!" Thess pointed.

Orion saw it too and sharply steered the Firebolt toward it. But just as they were almost there, the world lost its color and sound once more.

The light came first, blinding them instantly, and the sound followed, so loud and powerful that their minds and ears couldn't process it, leaving them dazed.

When her senses returned, Thess found herself lying on the grass, just inches from Orion's body. The barn had been replaced by a ball of fire. She crawled over to him and shook him awake, letting out a relieved sigh when he opened his eyes. But his face quickly twisted into terror as he looked at her. Thess couldn't see it, but she could feel what he was seeing. Her hair was floating up, defying gravity, and sparks of electricity were crackling along the hairs on her arms.

Orion pushed her down to the ground, covering her with his body, and they both closed their eyes, bracing for what was coming.

The lightning struck again, bringing light and sound, but not death.

After a moment of disoriented silence, they opened their eyes to find themselves face-to-face, the rain streaming from his face onto hers. Slowly, they both turned their gazes upward.

There, flying on a broomstick, was a witch. She held a wand pointed at the clouds, controlling the web of lightning like a lightning rod.

"Is that Ginny?" Thess asked in awe.

"No," Orion replied, grimly. "Worse."

That's when they noticed the small figure riding behind her on the broomstick. It had a much longer nose and larger ears than any human. The figure Disapparated from the sky, and in the next moment, the two young wizards felt a pair of hands touch their shoulders.

"Hold your breath, children," the house-elf said. "We're going home."

And with that, they Disapparated away.