Later that day, Alex sat in the common room, working on getting homework done before quidditch practice. It was beginning to get stressful the closer they got to taking their exams. Add the Quidditch final on top of it and Alex felt like she was on the verge of a mental breakdown.
"Alright," Ron spoke as he and Harry entered, walking right to where she was sat, "how did you predict Hermione's mental breakdown?"
Alex looked up and furrowed her brow. "What are you talking about?"
"Hermione's mental breakdown," Ron told her. "She blew up on Trelawney and basically quit Divination today."
Alex couldn't help but snort. "Oh that's just rich," she told them as she went back to studying before seeing that they were still watching her. "Boys, I was joking when I said that, I didn't think she'd actually have one."
They both looked at each other before Hermione walked in and after a quick greeting, began to work on her homework. They all didn't say anything as she seemed rather tense over the days events and worked on their separate homework in silence.
☽
The Easter holidays ended up being anything but as everyone was swamped with homework. Not only was homework burying everyone, but Harry and Alex had to worry about quidditch on top of their homework as well.
The Quidditch final would be the week after break and everyone was beginning to get nervous for it, Alex more than usual. It was making falling asleep very hard that Wood practically forced a sleeping draught down her throat every night to get a good nights sleep.
"You know, this could probably be considered assault," Alex told him as he held the sleeping draught.
"Just open up!" Wood exclaimed, practically dumping the draught down her throat, which made her gag at the taste.
It really did help her sleep. And she wanted to win as much as Wood did, not only for Gryffindor but because of Malfoy's attitude about Buckbeak's verdict. She wanted nothing more than to rub in his face the fact of how much better Gryffindor was than Slytherin, even with the Nimbus 2001s.
However, after the Easter holidays ended, tensions were extremely high between the two teams which had resulted in several scuffles in the hallways. Alex had to be careful wherever she went because the Slytherins seemed determined to take her and Harry out, which she suspected had to do with their possession of the Firebolts.
Fred and George took to personally escorting her to and from classes, which annoyed the Slytherins as they couldn't attack her with those two standing close by, wands at the ready. She was just grateful that they were ensuring her safety.
The Friday before the match, she sat in the library, Fred and George sitting with her and actually studying for a little bit to make sure she wasn't alone. They all needed the distraction for a minute before heading back up to the Gryffindor to get a good nights sleep.
"Alright, I can't concentrate anymore," she finally groaned, her neck aching over how hunched over she was.
"Here," Fred said, moving to go behind her and rubbing her shoulders, which she immediately welcomed, moving her ponytail to the side.
"Fred Weasley, your hands are a godsend," she hummed with closed eyes.
George raised his eyebrows at the reaction as he looked at Fred with a smirk, who immediately shook his head with wide eyes. "We should head back to Gryffindor, otherwise, Wood is gonna send a search party out for the three of us," Fred told them as he dropped his hands from her shoulders.
"Yeah, you're right," Alex told them, gathering her things quickly as they did the same.
As they walked, Alex heard her name being yelled and they all turned, wands drawn only to see Cedric approaching with his hands up in surrender.
"I mean no harm," he told them reassuringly, "I just came to ask Alex if I could borrow something Gryffindor-y of hers to wear tomorrow."
Alex snorted. "Yeah, you can borrow my scarf, here." She pulled the fabric from her rucksack and handed it to Cedric, who accepted it. "But I want it back after the game."
"I'll take good care of it," he reassured her before pulling her into a hug. "In case I don't get a chance to tell you tomorrow, good luck!"
"Thank you!" She called as he rushed back for his own common room.
"Git," Fred mumbled under his breath, Alex luckily not having heard it.
Carefully and with wands drawn, they made it safely back to the common room without anymore interruptions. The rest of the team was sitting around, along with everyone else excitedly talking and making posters for the game the next day. Alex walked over to join her three friends in the corner while Fred and George walked over to Angelina and Alicia.
"I can't work, I can't concentrate," Hermione spoke as Alex walked over.
"I couldn't either," Alex told her as she watched Fred and George make loud jokes to those who would listen. It made her smile to see that they didn't let their nerves show and continued being their goofy selves.
She nervously played with the end of her hair as she sat in the chair, but when her legs became restless, she stood up and began walking around the common room to keep her body moving. The nerves were beginning to surface and she knew if she didn't burn some energy, she wouldn't be able to sleep, despite Wood forcing a sleeping draught down her throat.
"You good, Alex?" Fred asked as she walked by for the fiftieth time.
"Just trying to calm my nerves," she told him truthfully, resorting to jumping jacks right by them.
"Well, that won't do anything," he told her. "Here, let me help."
Before she could ask what he meant, Fred had lifted her over his shoulder and began running around the common room. Alex laughed loudly, which made others watching the scene laugh loudly as well. Wood looked up from where he sat in the corner, wondering what was going on but when he saw Fred and Alex, he yelled for Fred to put her down so neither one of them got hurt.
"Killjoy," Fred grumbled, but set Alex down as she still laughed. "Better?"
"Much," she told him with a sincere smile.
"Team! Bed!" Wood suddenly yelled. "Alex! Draught!"
Without wasting another second, Alex took the draught before running up to her dorm to fall asleep.
☽
The next morning, Alex woke up earlier than usual, her nerves buzzing that she decided to head down to the common room to wait for the rest of the team. Luckily, it wasn't just her down there as she spotted Angelina and Alicia doing each other's hair in the corner. Alex immediately walked over.
"Will you guys pull my hair back however you can?" She asked. "You know the Slytherins will try to play dirty and pull my hair if they can."
"That's exactly what we were thinking," Alicia reassured Alex before motioning for the younger girl to sit in front of them.
For the next twenty minutes, the two older girls braided Alex's hair back before pinning the two braids together in a tight bun at the base of her neck to ensure it wasn't easily grabbed and their own hair was pulled back in similar ways. It certainly put Alex's mind at ease to know that she wasn't the only one worrying about their hair being pulled.
After they finished with her hair and their own, the rest of the team had come down the stairs, which meant it was time to head down for breakfast. Alex felt the nerves hit harder as they walked into the Great Hall the thunderous applause from three of the four tables. The Slytherins opted for hissing at them, which made Alex very tempted to shoot another serpent at their feet.
"Alright, everyone eat up!" Wood instructed as the team sat there, but made no move to grab any food himself.
Too nervous to eat a big meal, Alex stuck to some toast and fruit so she wasn't at risk for blowing chunks all over the field. Fred, who had been sitting next to her, nudged her shoulder.
"Hey, we're gonna win this, okay?" He reassured her.
She only offered a tight smile before turning back to her toast and taking slow bites. Harry sent her a reassuring smile before pointing out where Malfoy looked very pale, which certainly brightened her spirits to know he was even more nervous than her.
"Alright, let's head down to the pitch to check conditions," Wood told the team, who all agreed, quickly standing.
The applause was loud as they left and Alex even saw Cedric sporting her scarf with a sign that read 'GO GRYFFINDOR!', along with her last name and team number underneath it. That made her blush slightly.
"Good luck, Harry!" Cho Chang called, which noticeably made Harry blush.
"Good luck, Harry," Alex mocked to tease Harry, who shoved her hard as they walked down to the pitch.
"Oh yeah?" Harry challenged. "Saw that Diggory had your scarf and made that cute sign with your name on it."
That caused Alex to shove Harry, who shoved her back and they continued to do so until Wood ordered them to stop, but not with one final shove from Alex.
"Okay - no wind to speak of - sun's a bit bright, that could impair your vision, watch out for it - grounds fairly hard, good, that'll give us a fast kickoff -"
"I think he's slowly going mad," Alex whispered to Fred, who bit his lip to keep from laughing as they watched Wood pace the field while watching the doors. A little later, students began to pour out and head for the stands.
"Locker rooms," Wood told them.
It was so silent as they all changed into their uniforms, Alex could swear she would've heard a pin drop had it not been for the sound of students and faculty taking their seats. Alex nervously tightened her arm guards before loosening them since she was worried she was cutting off circulation to her hands.
"Okay, it's time, let's go -" Wood told them.
Walking out onto the field, the sound was nearly deafening. Alex couldn't help but let the nerves subside slightly when she saw three quarters of the school supporting Gryffindor. It certainly looked huge compared to the Slytherin's tiny section.
"And here are the Gryffindors!" Lee Jordan's voice called. "Potter, Selwyn, Johnson, Spinnet, Weasley, Weasley, and Wood. Widely acknowledged as the best team Hogwarts has seen in a good few years -" The Slytherins booed at that comment.
"And here comes the Slytherin team, led by Captain Flint. He's made some changes in the lineup and seems to be going for size rather than skill -"
Again, there were more boos but as Alex looked at the lineup, her stomach flopped when she realized how large they all were, except Malfoy. While her stomach tightened, she kept a strong front and gripped her Firebolt determinedly. Fred nudged her with his club, causing her to look at him as he nodded reassuringly.
"Captains, shake hands!" Madam Hooch called.
Flint and Wood did as she said, though to Alex, it looked like they desperately trying to break the others hand until Madam Hooch broke them apart.
"Mount your brooms!" Madam Hooch told them all. "Three... two... one..."
At the sound of her whistle, Alex watched her teammates and her rise into air and she suddenly felt ready for the match. She even sent a wink to one of the Chasers on Slytherins team as a taunt before following after Alicia, who had the Quaffle before tossing it at goalposts as they dodged the Bludgers coming their way. Unfortunately, the shot was intercepted by Cassius Warrington.
Alex immediately went after him and thanks to a Bludger hit in his direction by George, he dropped it right into Alex's waiting hands, who immediately made a beeline for the Slytherin goalposts, swerving around their players. She heard Lee shout for her to watch out for a Bludger, which she did before chucking the Quaffle in.
"SHE SCORES! TEN-ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!" Lee shouted as the Gryffindor section screamed with delight.
Alex cheered loudly before she felt a hard body hit her from the right, knocking the wind out of her and nearly knocking her off her broom. She steadied herself to see Flint smirking as he had rammed right into her without any mercy and now, her side was aching.
"Sorry!" He called the booing crowd. "Sorry, didn't see her!"
Fred gritted his teeth as he came over and chucked his Beater's club at the back of Flint's head, which caused him to smash his nose into the handle and for his nose to begin bleeding. Alex couldn't help but smirk as she sent a wink to Fred as a thanks.
"That will do!" Madam Hooch yelled. "Penalty shot to Gryffindor for an unprovoked attack on their Chaser! Penalty shot to Slytherin for deliberate damage to their Chaser!"
"Come off it, miss!" Fred cried but Madam Hooch ignored it as Alicia came forward to take the penalty.
"You've got this, Alicia!" Alex called from where she watched.
Silence fell on the crowd as the whistle sounded and Alicia took the shot. Their seemed to be a collective intake of breath before the Quaffle went through, earning another point for the team.
"YES! SHE'S BEATEN THE KEEPER! TWENTY-ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!" Lee shouted happily.
Then everyone turned their attention to where Flint moved forward to take his penalty shot. Alex tightened her grip on her broom handle, willing whatever wizard god there was that Flint would not score.
"'Course, Wood's a superb Keeper!" Lee Jordan told the crowd. "Superb! Very difficult to pass - very difficult indeed - YES! I DON'T BELIEVE IT! HE'S SAVED IT!"
Alex cheered before swerving right by Flint, causing him to shake on his broom as he watched her go by, still covered in blood. "You've got a little something there!" She teased with a laugh before zooming off after the Quaffle. She stole it from the Slytherin Chaser and made her way up the field before a flash of green swerved in front of her.
Graham Montague grabbed Alex's head, which caused her to nearly fall off her broom as she released the Quaffle to keep a grip on her broom. The Gryffindors yelled out angrily as Alex took a second to calm down, glaring at Graham, who winked back at her. Luckily, Madam Hooch called for a penalty shot, which Alex gladly took.
She hovered in front of the goal posts, Quaffle in her hand as silence fell over the crowd. Fred watched from not too far away and sent her a reassuring nod. The whistle sounded and Alex chucked it as hard she could, almost like when she chucked the dungbomb into the Slytherin common room. And it soared right through.
"THIRTY-ZERO! TAKE THAT, YOU DIRTY, CHEATING -"
"Jordan, if you can't commentate in an unbiased way-" McGonagall's voice scolded.
"I'm tell it like it is, Professor!"
Alex aided Angelina and Alicia in passing the Quaffle around, but Flint managed to come up beside Angelina. Before she could toss it to Alex to score, Flint had stolen it and scored for Slytherin, which caused Alex to swear loudly.
"Language, Miss Selwyn!" George teased as he whacked a Bludger away from her.
"Shut it!" She snapped before zooming after the Quaffle.
After Alicia had scored another penalty point for being hit with a Slytherin's club, Alex had possession of the Quaffle, determinedly flying down the field. Fred and George were at her sides, clubs raised since the Slytherins were deliberately targeting Alex anytime she had the Quaffle. With a scream from the crowd, Alex had scored. They were now sitting at fifty-ten.
However, both the Slytherin Beaters took advantage and whacked the Bludgers at Wood, winding him badly. Alex gasped as she steadied himself before telling Fred and George to leave her be and got help the others as well.
"YOU DO NOT ATTACK THE KEEPER UNLESS THE QUAFFLE IS WITHIN THE SCORING AREA!" Madam Hooch yelled at them. "Gryffindor penalty!"
Angelina managed to score, meaning they were past fifty points. Then Fred managed to whack a Bludger at Warrington, knocking the Quaffle right into Alicia's hands, who managed to score. They were up by sixty points now. If Harry caught the Snitch, the game and the cup would be Gryffindor's.
Alex watched as Harry managed to spot the Snitch and went for it with Malfoy zooming right behind. But Malfoy was playing dirty and threw himself forward, grabbing the end of the Firebolt, slowing Harry down.
"Oh, I'm going to kill him!" Alex yelled, but Fred swerved in front of him to block her from doing so.
"As tempting as that is, we don't need to give them anymore reason for more penalty points!" He told her.
"Penalty! Penalty to Gryffindor! I've never seen such tactics!" Madam Hooch yelled.
"YOU CHEATING SCUM!" Lee Jordan yelled angrily as he maneuvered out of McGonagall's reach. "YOU FILTHY, CHEATING, B-"
But even McGonagall looked angry and shook her finger at Malfoy. She had never looked more wild to Alex as her hat had managed to fall off. Alicia flew forward to take the penalty, but ended up missing by several feet. It was clear the team was losing their concentration.
"No!" Alex groaned.
She flew after Graham Montague to steal the Quaffle but he swerved at the last second and with a perfectly timed Bludger whacked by Fred, Alex was hit right in the stomach, winding her completely. She nearly fell from her broomstick as she watched Montague score. The pain she felt caused tears to prick at her eyes as she hovered to the side to breathe through her pain.
"Are you okay?" Fred asked as he came up beside her.
She could only shake her head no.
"I'm so sorry!" He gushed. "That was meant for Montague but he swerved at the last second!"
"It's okay," was all she could managed to squeak out.
She needed medical attention and that was clear. However, something caught Alex's eye as she spotted Harry and Malfoy neck in neck with their hands outstretched in front of them and Fred noticed too. They both held their breath before watching Harry's fingers wrap around the Snitch.
The stadium erupted as everyone on the team landed. Alex was the first one to throw her arms around Harry with a happy cry, despite the pain in her ribs. She couldn't help the happy tears falling down her face before they were soon joined by the rest of the team. Wood sobbed happily as they all cheered and screamed. Alex managed to spot Fred in the crowd before she was lifted into the air, along with the rest of the team in celebration.
Wood passed Harry the Quidditch cup, who with the help of Alex, lifted it above their heads with loud cheers. If only her mum could see her now.
☽
So I know I said in the last chapter to wait until this chapter to be real frustrated by Fred and Alex... I lied. I didn't want to make the chapter super long, so wait until next chapter, which ready written.. now when to post it, that is the question...
Should I post it tonight or leave you all to suffer lol
Don't forget to VOTE and COMMENT!
Love you guys!
-Squid☽