An Exquisite Pain

Fragile Line

A week after school had started again, Danielle found herself being dragged to one of Dylan and Alyssa's Quidditch matches. Both twins were avid players, unlike Danielle. Quidditch had long ago become synonymous with 'humiliation' in her mind after an unfortunate incident in her first year where she'd spent three days in the hospital wing.

"Did Gryffindor just score?" Danielle whispered under her breath to Alphard Black, who was sitting in the stands beside her.

"No, their team is cheering because Slytherin scored," Alphard replied sarcastically. "Honestly, Clara, haven't you ever watched a Quidditch game before?"

"I try not to," Danielle muttered. She squinted at the tiny figures zooming at unbelievable speeds around the pitch. "All I know is that Dylan is a Beater, and Alyssa is a Chaser, correct?"

"Yes," Alphard said absent-mindedly, peering through his binoculars. "Oh, look, look, Alyssa scored!" he yelled in Danielle's ear.

All around them, the Slytherins roared their approval in a sea of green. Danielle cheered too, but she couldn't help but wonder how on earth they could even see what was happening.

A flash of gold caught her eye and at the same moment, a green dot broke off from the others and sped towards it. "There's the Snitch!" Alphard said excitedly. "C'mon, Abraxas, you can do it!"

But Gryffindor's Seeker, Charlus Potter, had also spotted the Snitch. The two were racing at breakneck speed towards the tiny, fluttering ball. Even though she really had no interest in Quidditch, Danielle couldn't help but mentally root for the Slytherin team.

But just as the two were neck-in-neck, she saw Abraxas's hand reach out and knock Charlus away from the Snitch, then grabbing it himself.

As one, the Slytherins stood up and cheered, Alphard included. "Didn't you see that?" Danielle demanded, snatching his binoculars away from him. "Abraxas cheated!"

"So?" Alphard shouted. "We won!"

Victory, however, wasn't the Slytherins' yet. Danielle wasn't the only one to have noticed the foul; Madam Rolanda, the referee, had run out onto the pitch and the players had all gathered in a large circle around her. Numerous hisses and jeers could be heard from both Gryffindors and Slytherins.

"Slytherin caught the Snitch!" Alphard yelled down at the pitch. "It's over!"

But his cries fell on deaf ears. Ten minutes later, the players and Madam Rolanda were still huddled in a large, arguing group.

The freezing January air was beginning to bite at Danielle's fingers and toes. She hopped from foot to foot to keep herself warm, but to no avail. She was slowly but surely turning into a life-sized ice sculpture.

"A—Alphard," she finally said, teeth chattering, "I'm g—going to go inside. It's f—freezing."

"Sure," Alphard said distractedly. Danielle doubted he was even listening to her. Wrapping her cloak tighter around herself, she pushed her way through the angry, booing Slytherins and made her way back up to the castle, the glacial air biting at every inch of exposed skin.

She was more than halfway numb by the time she gratefully got to the Entrance Hall and huddled in front of the fire. Why am I the only one who seems to be cold? She idly wondered. Are they all such huge Quidditch fanatics that they don't even notice it?

Footsteps echoed from behind her as someone came up the stairs from the dungeons. Danielle turned to see Tom Riddle walking past her without turning his head. This bothered her more than it should have. "Hey—Riddle!" she called, but he didn't turn.