* * *
For decades, the house of Slytherin has dominated Hogwarts quidditch. Gryffindors has always been a close second and Hufflepuffs were just glad they didn't scrape bottom.
That bottom ranking belongs to the Ravenclaws.
In fact, for many years, so many that nobody bothered to count anymore, good old Rowena's house never won a single match, like ever. They may excel academically, but in sports they just don't.
But this year, they are all in for one big victory.
See, Lucy Vives was one consistent seeker. Be it the try outs, practice games or official matches, the girl makes it a point to show her excellent skill in quidditch.
In every match since last year, against any of the other houses, Vives always catches the golden snitch. In every match she played, she always wins. She has become this new undisputed best seeker in any quidditch league since Victor Krum himself. She's incredibly agile, incredibly fast, with impeccable hand-eye coordination.
That's saying something because it has been a long, long ass time since Victor Krum. And the Potter and Weasley family's best years in Hogwarts, ever since their time about more than a hundred years ago, the Slytherins gradually took back the throne as kings and queens of Hogwarts quidditch as well as the house cups.
And this year, Lucy is out to prove that she can continue Slytherin's winning streak. That she is the best they all have ever seen, incomparable to anyone who came before her.
Until, of course, Lauren Morgado comes in . . .
Suddenly, all of the Slytherin house had someone to look out for as an overall challenge. And it only took one Ravenclaw to make the entire green team feel so threatened.
Watching from the sidelines, away from the bleachers, Camila can see through her binoculars that for the first time ever, miss higher-than-thou Vives is struggling. She was trying so damn hard to keep up with Lauren Morgado in chasing the golden snitch.
Guess, whatever scheme she had at the picnic didn't work out afterall . . .
The shiny little ball is already within inches of the Ravenclaw's grasp, while the Slytherin was only two feet away, speeding right behind her.
Even though she never liked Lucy, or the other students for that matter, Camila had always rooted for her house. She took pride in all of their triumphs and strived harder whenever the other houses get a little too close to their house points. But this time around, she finds herself quietly cheering on for Lauren.
Only Lauren.
The rest of the other Ravenclaws can suck ass . . .
The Ravenclaws on the bleachers were going nuts already. Even if they were behind sixty points against Camila's house, literally zero to sixty, they were going crazy at how agile and fast the new girl is on her broomstick. Much more agile and faster than Slytherin's best, aka Lucia Vives.
It was inevitable.
Riotous, ear-splitting shouts of joy broke the very second Lauren closes her hand on the golden snitch. Lucy made a quick attempt to snatch it from the girl but failed, something she wasn't very keen on. While the rest of Slytherin team were quietly seething in contempt, already plotting their next move on how to decimate the house of blue and everybody else who stands in their way towards victory, the Ravenclaws are happily celebrating.
And they have every right to.
For the first time in many decades, the house of Ravenclaw have finally won one quidditch match. They were all now chanting Lauren's name, the other Ravenclaw players gathering around her. And despite feeling a tiny bit peeved because her house lost the game, Camila was smiling at the joyful celebration. She was smiling because Lauren looked so unapologetically happy, waving the golden snitch from the ground for everyone to see.
She was about to leave her corner on that sidelines when she caught sight of flowing blue robes running towards her, an old firebolt broomstick dangling next to it.
"Camzi! Camzi! Camziii!!"
The girl yells, next thing she knows, the broomstick was on the ground and so was she. Lauren just tackled her, squeezed her tight in one joyful bear hug. Good thing her shoulder healed faster than it should, thanks to the concoction Lauren herself made for her with a little bit of help from Madam Coleman, Hogwarts' resident school matron. Otherwise she'd have to stay much longer in the school's hospital wing.
"Look Camzi! I caught the snitch!" Lauren happily shows her the golden snitch, straddling her.
Camila fought every tingling nerve in her body as every single fiber of it reacted to their sudden physical contact, at the way they were positioned so intimately like that in the wide open with everybody else passing by. She stared at the golden snitch, blushing, heart erratically pounding, and returning Lauren's happy smile.
"Congratulations, Lauren. You were amazing,"
"Lucy was amazing too but I suppose I was a little faster and more lucky than her,"
She ignores that compliment for miss higher-than-thou, even if a tiny hint of jealousy did pinch her racing heart a little bit.
"You were better than her, you really did great,"
"I kind of feel bad for your house, Camz. I'm sorry I got a carried away," Lauren gets up and pulls her upright as well, "That was insensitive of me to jump on you like that,"
"No, it's alright. Don't be sorry about winning. You should be proud, you won fair and square. Besides, we'll get you next time,"
"We'll see about that," Lauren grins at her adorably, "But I think I'll feel better if you can keep this snitch for me. Like a token of sort, so we can both feel like winners today somehow,"
She can't help but smile at the girl's kindness. "I don't think that's how it works, Lo . . . Besides the rest of your house might throw a fit if you do that,"
"Maybe . . . But then I'm the one who caught it. That means I can keep it, right? I get to choose whatever I want to do with it and I choose to give it to the best Slytherin girl I have ever known . . . That's you, by the way,"
Camila shakes her head, chuckling and the pink on her cheeks turn a shade darker, "You're too cute. Alright, how about you join me for a picnic of our own and I'll help you decide what to do with the golden snitch you just caught. You can't just give it away,"
"I'd give away any reward I won if I'm giving it you. Anyway, picnic's a great idea. I think you always have the best idea," Lauren hugs her some more, much to the other people's chagrin who are still moving about in that pitch, "Alright, Camzi! Let's go picnicking but first let me change into something more comfy, yeah?"
The girl grabs her hand, then her broom, and started skipping on their way back to the castle. She tried not to think too much of it but the girl's happy disposition was very infectious.
Camila finds herself happily skipping too, hand in hand with the Ravenclaw girl . . .
"Hey Camz, here's an idea," Lauren stops, mounts her broom and nods at her, "Hop on my broom with me and let's fly!"
"Uhh, that doesn't sound very safe at all,"
The girl raises an eyebrow, challenging, "Scared you might fall?"
"No! I'm not scared,"
"Then hop in! It's an adventure, Camzi, come on! If you fall, I'll jump after you!"
Not once in her life she allowed herself to be goaded into doing something so spontaneously fun and quite risky. But since she liked being physically close to Lauren, as close as she can possibly be, she goes along hopping behind Lauren on her broom without any more second thoughts.
"Are you ready?"
Well, actually she was still contemplating whether she's ready for this madness or not when barely a second after Lauren asked, they wheezed away to the sky and on to the castle without a warning. Her arms instinctively circled tight on the girl's waist.
This isn't the first time Camila rode a broom, but this is the first time she rode one with someone else in it too. She likes flying, but she never actually enjoyed the full extent of the exhilarating feeling that goes with it. It was more like a task; a necessary skill.
However today, with her arms tight around Lauren, this is the first time since she learned how to ride a broom that she finds herself enjoying a carefree flight up to the sky . . .
* * *
Professor Hansen looked skeptical but this woman is her boss. Not to mention a powerful witch from a powerful and influential wizarding family. The woman has never given her any reason to not trust her. And considering the current situation, it is imperative that she must comply.
"Is it true?"
It had been her task for several years now to look out for Camila Cabello. To see through her progress. Only watch but never interfere was the ministry's strict order. To monitor the signs if the curse had been truly passed on from mother to daughter.
But as it turns out, that wasn't the case at all.
The headmistress remains stoic. Catching a sight of two girls flying off on a single broomstick. Happy and cheerful.
"Fascinating how fate works, don't you think, professor?"
Professor Hansen understands what the headmistress is alluding to.
Sinuhe, in all of her years in Hogwarts, hated anyone who got in her way towards whatever goal she had. Clara Morgado was one of the very few who consistently posed a challenge to her and for that, she hated her. Even long after they graduated, her hate carried on. Only this time around, it was for an entirely different reason.
Sinuhe hated Clara. But the same thing cannot be said about their daughters.
"Do they know?"
"I don't think so,"
"I'm not sure if I can do this, headmistress," she sighs, "The curse created by Sinuhe is something that the entire wizarding world has never seen before. It is ingenious as it is terrifying, I don't think—"
"Yes you can, professor. You are the new defense against the dark arts teacher, it is your job now. I know you didn't ask for this; I most certainly didn't ask to be the new Hogwarts headmistress last year; but this is our job now. I am only asking you to pay closer attention to Lauren Morgado instead of Sinuhe's daughter. The girl from the island is the one bearing the curse,"
"How did you come by with this information? It doesn't make sense,"
Headmistress Hamilton sighed, "No, it doesn't. But it is true. Lauren Morgado bears the curse Sinuhe Estrabao created,"
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