fatal love

Chapter 20

There was a lot of tension leading up to the May full moon, as all four boys were scared for what injuries Remus would come out with this time. Thankfully, it passed without incident, and he came back the following evening safely, but it reminded Sirius of the promise he'd made. He'd had no luck coming up with an idea that could stop a werewolf from attacking itself, and neither had James or Pete. Usually, this is when he'd go to the library, and not stop researching until he found an answer, but as he had quickly discovered, even the unprejudiced books were unreliable, and filled with misinformation. That left him at a bit of a loss, but it didn't mean he was going to give up.

The passing of the full moon meant there were only two weeks left in May, and then exams would begin. Like last year, this meant all the other students were constantly revising, quizzing each other in the hallways and at mealtimes, and spending late nights in the library. Sirius was doing none of this. But hey, it wasn't like he was worried about his grades, he knew he'd get almost all Os anyway.

James was also not revising, but not out of laziness or arrogance like Sirius. James was spending every spare second he had on the Quidditch pitch, preparing for the final match against Ravenclaw. Gryffindor could win the Cup, but only if they won by 190 points, which meant the Chasers' jobs were more important than ever. Every day, once lessons were finished, he and the rest of the Gryffindor team were spending hours flying drills, practicing goals, and generally working themselves to the bone. James seemed to love it though, and came back from every practice more energetic than when he'd left.

The final match was the last weekend in May, and Sirius woke to James' pacing yet again. He was certainly predictable, Sirius thought. Used to the routine by now, Sirius took James to the Hall to force him to eat, and left him in the care of Fawley and the rest of his teammates, before joining the other boys and heading to the stands. Remus was wearing the jumper James had got him again, while Sirius had borrowed one of James' Gryffindor t-shirts.

"Welcome, Hogwarts, to the final Quidditch Match of the year!" the commentator bellowed into his mic, and all the students started cheering. "Sure to be an exciting game, with the Quidditch Cup on the line, lets welcome the teams!"

Both teams walked onto the pitch, and Fawley shook hands with the Ravenclaw Captain.

"An interesting line up today," the commentator continued, "on Gryffindor, we have the school's youngest Chaser, Second Year James Potter!" Sirius and the rest of the Gryffindors screamed and clapped wildly. "And on Ravenclaw, we have the school's youngest Seeker, Third Year Benjy Fenwick!"

Sirius turned his gaze to the Ravenclaw team, and he noticed Fenwick immediately. He was tall for a Third Year and his skin was a rich ebony, with thick hair cropped short. He was giving the crowd a charming smile, waving as the Ravenclaw supporters erupted.

As the game started, Sirius tried to watch James, but he kept finding himself glancing at Fenwick. He was certainly good on a broom, darting across the pitch with speed and deftly avoiding Bludgers. He wasn't quite as cocky as James, or as much of a crowd-pleaser, but the Ravenclaws obviously loved him, clapping even when he did something as simple as turn around. He looked so cool , for some reason, gliding effortlessly through the air, easygoing and charismatic.

An hour in, Gryffindor was thirty points ahead, which meant they only had to score one more goal, and catch the Snitch, and not only would they win the match, but the Cup as well. The crowd was obviously getting antsy, and the players were flying harder than ever. Then one of the Beaters whacked a Bludger at a Ravenclaw Chaser, forcing her to drop the Quaffle. James dove underneath her to catch it, before making a 180 degree spin and pelting for the hoops. Another Bludger came flying at him, but he ducked, throwing the Quaffle at the same time. It soared through the left goal - and that was it. They had enough points! All Fawley had to do now was find the Snitch before Fenwick, and before Ravenclaw scored another goal.