Anne rushed outside into the beautiful spring day towards the quidditch pitch after class, anxious to meet up with Imelda after receiving her letter. She had said it was important, and with the quidditch finals less than a week away, Anne knew that any type of help or advice her captain had to give her was worth skipping her free period for.
She reached the Slytherin locker area and stopped suddenly when she heard voices from inside.
"Oi, come on. You're not still upset about the last match are you?"
"Oh just admit it. You gave up your spot to Ravenclaw on purpose, Garreth!"
"What are you talking about?" Garreth Weasley asked, his voice becoming frustrated.
"Don't play with me, I saw your sly little nod. Giving Keene a head start like that."
"Mel, that is not what happened. She caught that on her own. Besides, I thought you would be happy. Now you don't get to play against me."
Imelda sighed. "It's not that. Now, because we're going against Clopton and his fuck-all homophobic imps, I have to worry about my own team plus Aurelia. And with the rumors about the quidditch scouts being there and my family being there and everyone else it's just—"
Anne heard a sound like fabric rustling. It sounded like Garreth had gotten closer to Imelda as Anne strained to hear him. "Come now, love. Stop putting so much pressure on yourself." They paused for a minute. "Why don't you just sit Pucey out?"
"I can't," Imelda groaned. "His family are purebloods, and high profile. If I sit him out—"
"If you sit him out, it would send a message that not every pureblood is a saint. This is for Annes' safety, and Aurelias'." Garreth sighed. "And yours."
Anne suddenly felt like she was intruding on a moment. She had no idea that Imelda and Garreth had gotten so close, but the way they were speaking to each other made her realize they had been together for a while, and they probably did not want a lot of people to know. No wonder she was nervous during the last game, Anne thought before walking away back towards the empty quidditch field.
She waited for a few minutes, then when she saw Garreth leave, Anne stood up and walked back to the locker tent. She walked inside and saw Imelda sitting on one of the benches waiting for her.
"There you are," Imelda said when she saw Anne. "I wondered what was keeping you."
Anne shrugged. "It's a nice day, so I thought I would take a few extra minutes."
Imelda hummed in agreement. "The weather has been nice," she agreed as Anne sat down next to her. She looked over at Anne, now turning serious. "The game is this weekend. And I don't need to tell you how important this match is. I've heard rumors that there's going to be some professional quidditch team scouts there, so everyone has to be at their best on Saturday."
Nodding, Anne responded. "You know me, I'll do everything I can."
"Good. That leads me to my next point." Imelda stopped and studied Anne for a few seconds before she took a deep breath. "I need your word that you're not going to give up the snitch for Aurelia Keene again."
Anne felt her stomach drop at the mention, and being stared at by Imelda's dark eyes certainly didn't help how nervous she now was. "I didn't know you knew about that," she said finally.
"Everett Clopton and I both saw you hand it off to her at the exhibition match."
"Why did neither of you say anything?"
"Do you really think Clopton would admit he lost?"
"Fair. But why didn't you?"
The Slytherin Captain sighed. "Because I knew how much you liked Aurelia. And I knew your brother had probably already yelled at you about it. Besides, in the end it didn't really matter because it didn't go towards the actual season points."
The memory of Sebastian screaming at her after that particular game almost made Anne laugh. "He was so angry."
"Oh, I bet he was. Your brother is competitive."
"Aren't we all?"
Anne saw a small grin threaten to breach Imelda's lips. "We're Slytherins. Of course we are. But Anne, do I have your word?"
"You do," Anne nodded earnestly. "Besides, if I pull the same stunt again, Aurelia may actually kill me." As she said that, another thought crept into her mind. "What about Pucey?"
At the mention of his name, Imelda sighed again. "I don't know. I'm worried it would hurt our chances if I bench him. It would put us a player short–"
"Sebastian can take care of it!"
"--And his family are high profile. The Puceys have actually helped to fund the quidditch team. Professor Black wouldn't like it at all if I benched him."
"But if it's to protect your team, wouldn't it be worth it? Besides, imagine being a player short and still beating Clopton."
That finally made Imelda smile. "Oh, he would hate that."
The girls laughed at the thought together. Anne couldn't wait to see the broken look on Everett's face when he lost.
"Anyway, we still have practice tonight. Make sure you're here after all your classes."
Anne stood up. "I won't miss it."
–
Anne met up with Aurelia after practice on her way to dinner. "So I was thinking," she began as she took Aurelia's hand. "When I win this weekend–"
"Excuse me?" Aurelia eyed her girlfriend. "What do you mean 'when'?"
"I mean when I win the Quidditch Cup."
"Oh right, because you think you're going to win?"
"Absolutely."
Aurelia scoffed playfully. "You are ridiculous."
Anne nudged her again. "Anyway, I was thinking we should make another bet."
"Oh?" Aurelia looked back at her with an obvious look of curiosity on her face. "You mean you're tired of carrying my books?"
"Aura, as much as I enjoy carrying all twenty of your books at one time, I was thinking something with a bit more... impactful."
Aurelia smiled. "Do tell."
The Slytherin girl stopped them right before they walked into the Great Hall, wrapping her arms around Aurelia's waist as she pulled her closer. "How about a broom?"
The red-haired girl raised her eyebrows.
"A new broom."
Aurelia chuckled. "You want to buy me a broom?"
Anne smiled. "Don't be ridiculous. I want you to buy me a broom."
Aurelia laughed. "Well, if that's all at stake then I can't wait to show you which racing broom I want from Spintwitches."
The door opened and the girls watched as Ominis walked in with Sabrina on his arm. "Hello, lovebirds," Ominis teased when he saw them. "I hope we didn't interrupt anything."
The girls shook their heads. "No, you didn't," Aurelia replied.
"Good. Now let's go to dinner. I need to make sure my darling here eats."
Sabrina sighed. "Do I really look so sickly that everyone thinks I don't eat?"
"Yes," the three all said together.
–
After dinner, Ominis and Sebastian found themselves in front of the main fireplace in the Slytherin Common Room as they got some last minute studying in. "Are you ready for Saturday?" Ominis asked his friends as he ran his fingers over his book.
Sebastian hummed in response. "As much as I can be."
"Did Imelda say anything about benching Pucey?"
"Not yet," Sebastian replied, turning the page in his alchemy book. "I'm not sure she will, honestly."
Ominis hummed in thought. "There's still time."
Sebastian scoffed. "Unless he does something stupid–"
They heard the door to the common room open, and immediately they were hit with a powerful smell of smoke and stink.
"Merlin's beard!" Ominis exclaimed as he coughed.
Sebastian glanced up to see what the stench was, and as he noticed how deserted the common room was, he watched as Adrien Pucey and Jefferson Graham slithered down the steps in the shadows before rushing towards the showers, not even noticing Sebastian giving them the evil eye. "Well, that's not suspicious," he commented aloud before he too coughed from the smell. "And I think Pucey just did something stupid."
–
The next morning, the entire Great Hall was buzzing with rumors.
"Someone released stink bombs all over the Ravenclaw Common Room!"
"Who would do such a thing?"
"What sort of sick prank is that?"
Sebastian had great satisfaction when he went to Imelda and told her what he and Ominis saw the night before. "That rat!" Imelda's eyes narrowed and her lips pursed together as her anger rose. "Those arseholes! Playing dirty two days before our big game!"
Lowering his voice, Sebastian leaned closer. "You know, I've been putting in some extra quidditch practice after school." He looked at her and let his words set in. "Just so you are aware."
Imelda met his gaze, and Sebastian watched as the wheels clicked in her mind. "I'm trusting you."
"As you should."
"Don't say anything."
"Yes, Captain."
–
The night before the game, Anne and Sebastian took a trip alone to Hogsmeade. They got to The Three Broomsticks and ordered each other a butterbeer, then Sebastian held up his tankard to his sister. "To us," he smiled. "For making it this far into the season."
Anne smiled and held up her own tankard. "To a victory regardless of the score." They clanged their drinks together, and Anne saw as Sebastian barely took a sip as he went deep into thought. "Are you alright?" she asked him.
Sebastian snapped out of his thoughts before he cleared his throat. "Yeah, I was just thinking."
"About?"
He frowned. "Well... I guess I'm just nervous about tomorrow."
Anne nudged him after putting down her mug. "Don't be. Regardless of what happens, tomorrow will be a great day."
Sebastian looked up at her and nodded back. "Yeah. You're right. I shouldn't worry so much."
The large doors to the tavern opened, and Anne immediately sat up. "Professor Garlick! What a surprise!"
The young Herbology teacher approached them smiling. "Why hello, young Sallows! Well, I suppose you're not so young anymore. You two have grown into a beautiful pair of chomping cabbages, haven't you?"
The twins instantly smiled at Garlick's strange analogy, but it made them sit up as their chests began to warm. "What brings you here?" Sebastian asked finally. "I never thought you were one for a butterbeer."
Before Professor Garlick could answer, they heard as Sirona returned from cleaning upstairs. She instantly smiled when she saw the red haired woman. "Mirabel! You're off early!"
Garlick beamed. "I am! I hope that's alright with you, dear."
"Oh, of course it is," Sirona replied before leaning in towards Garlick for a kiss.
The display surprised both of the twins as they had never seen such an open display of affection from them or even heard that the pair were together.
The two women seemed to notice they were being stared at before they looked back at Anne and Sebastian. "Sorry," Sirona grinned. "Hope that doesn't scare you."
Sebastian shook his head. "Believe me, just knowing Anne is fu–"
"I dare you to finish that sentence," Anne glared dangerously at her brother.
Garlick looked at Anne. "Oh, that's right. You're courting Miss Keene, aren't you? You two make such a lovely couple. I can tell you two care deeply for each other."
Anne blushed. "Thank you, Professor. Although, not everyone thinks the same way."
Sighing, Sirona replied. "We've had our fair share of that. Back when we were in school, we got hate for it everywhere we went."
Sebastian looked at Sirona. "Didn't Mr. Lewis punch Clopton's father in the face because he was bullying you?"
Sirona and Garlick laughed. "Oh yes!" Sirona said. "He was always a gentleman."
"He'll be at the Quidditch game tomorrow," Anne told her. "Along with Mrs. Lewis. It's Slytherin versus Ravenclaw for the final."
Garlick looked back at Sirona. "Darling, you should."
Sirona thought. "You know, that might be fun. I haven't been to a proper game in a while."
"It won't be too much fun. Anne's playing seeker against her girlfriend and chances are they'll be mind fucking each other the entire time."
This time, Anne kicked him.
–
The next morning, Anne and Sebastian could feel the energy buzzing around the school before they even left the common room. As they walked out towards the Great Hall in their quidditch sweater and trousers, everywhere they went there was someone wishing them good luck. It was busier than Anne had ever felt.
Walking into the Great Hall, they saw that the ceiling was covered in green and blue banners, and most students were wearing either the house colors of Slytherin or Ravenclaw depending on their team preference. The Slytherin table was completely covered in emerald green from the students to the ornate table runner.
"Good morning," Sabrina smiled when the pair sat down. "Are you nervous?"
"Not really," Sebastian replied.
"We will be when we get there," Anne added as she took a goblet of carrot juice.
She suddenly felt a slight pressure on her hair, and Anne turned around to see Aurelia standing behind her in her Ravenclaw quidditch sweater and pants. "Good morning," she said, kissing Anne's cheek before she began to braid her hair.
Anne purred into the touch and closed her eyes to enjoy how tender Aurelia's fingers felt. "Merlin, Aura, thank you for this."
Aurelia giggled. "We don't want to break tradition now, do we?"
They heard a scoff nearby, and when Anne opened her eyes she saw that Adrien Pucey was watching them with a look of disgust. "Like what you see there, Pucey?" Anne taunted. "Sorry, but one girl at a time. You'll have to wait your turn."
She was surprised by how many giggles and amused snorts she got from the table, and it instantly turned Pucey's cheeks pink and his eyes darker.
"Fuck him up today, Sebastian," Anne whispered to her brother.
Sebastian smiled. "Oh yeah, I can't wait."
Aurelia finished tying off Anne's French braid, and as soon as she was done then Anne was on her feet to switch places. When she began to run her fingers in Aurelia's hair, she was again amazed at how soft the strands were in her hair. It reminded her of running her fingers through feathers.
When Anne began to work, Aurelia sighed almost in relief. Anne leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Don't let Clopton get to you," she whispered. "He's not worth it."
"I know," Aurelia sighed again. "It's just a lot of pressure."
"Once you're up in the air, you'll forget all about it."
"I know."
Anne finished her girlfriends' braids before helping her up. Before she let go of Aurelia's hands, she brought it to her lips and lay a soft kiss on her knuckles. "Good luck."
This finally made Aurelia smile back her mischievous grin. "Keep it. I don't need it."
This only caused Anne to smile wider before Aurelia went bouncing back to her Ravenclaw table. When she looked back, she saw that Sebastian was also glaring at her. "What?" she asked him as she sat back down.
However, Sebastian didn't have a chance to respond before they were interrupted again. "Hello, Sebastian."
The twins looked up and saw the flirtatious face of Adelaide Oakes looking at Sebastian as she batted her eyes.
Sebastian cleared his throat. "Hi, Adelaide."
"I was just wondering what you were doing after the game," the blonde Hufflepuff started. "And if you weren't too busy with your celebration, perhaps you and I could go to The Three Broomsticks."
If Sebastian was surprised, he was very good at hiding it. Clearing his throat, he answered her simply, "Sorry, Adelaide, but I'll be with my girlfriend."
Anne, Sabrina, and Ominis gave a slight smile at the word, however Adelaide frowned. "Girlfriend? I didn't realize you were courting anyone."
Sebastian looked back up at her. "Yes. I'm dating Poppy."
Adelaide laughed, all signs of flirting and politeness gone. "Peculiar Poppy? I didn't think that was real. She doesn't seem your type."
"And how would you know exactly what my type is, Oakes?" Sebastian snapped, also losing his polite attitude.
The girl stopped finally before lifting her head back up. "Fine. See you around, Sallow." A few seconds later, she stomped away back to her table.
As she moved, Sebastian looked up and saw that Poppy had been standing nearby. She was hanging her head, almost embarrassed, and this caused Sebastian to get up and approach her. "Are you alright?"
"You've never publicly said that before," Poppy said simply.
Sebastian shrugged. "It's true, isn't it?"
A slight pink washed over her face, causing Sebastian to grin and pull her face up to his. Giggling, Poppy finally told him, "I just came to wish you good luck."
"Thanks," Sebastian said.
The bells in the Great Hall finally rang out, signaling that the quidditch players were being called to the Quidditch pitch.
Sebastian leaned back in and gave Poppy a quick peck on her lips. "I'll see you after."
Anne came up and grabbed her brother's arm. "Are we ready?"
"Hell yeah!" he exclaimed. "Let's kick eagle ass!"
–
The Slytherin locker tent was silent as everyone got dressed into their jerseys. Anne changed into her silk emeralds and admired it for the last time as 'SALLOW 16' still stood out brightly and beautifully on her back. As they heard more and more students file up into the stands, the energy in the tent increased as well.
"Huddle," Imelda demanded finally once everyone was dressed.
The remaining six players surrounded her, listening to their captain with utmost attention.
"Clopton will want to win fast, so our goal is to get as many points as possible before they have a chance to find the snitch," Imelda advised. "Do not let Ravenclaw get their hands on the quaffle, whatever you do."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Imelda looked at Anne. "And we're counting on you."
Anne gave a single nod.
The announcement came for Slytherin to walk out onto the field. One by one, Madam Kogawa introduced each of the players, earning an excited applause from everyone in the stands, which even felt fuller than normal.
When all of the players were finally standing before the audience, Madam Kogawa announced. "These are your two teams. Whoever earns the most points by the time the snitch is caught will be your champion."
Anne watched Imelda take a deep breath before she stepped forward. "Professor," she said, approaching the referee.
Imelda said something to Madam Kogawa, her voice drowned out by the noise from the crowds. After a minute, Madam Kogawa looked towards the Slytherin team. "Pucey. Graham."
The two seventh year boys took a step forward.
Madam Kogawa's voice became amplified again for the crowd. "Due to some unsportsmanlike conduct performed against the opposing team, Slytherin Beater Adrien Pucey, and Slytherin Chaser Jefferson Graham, have been benched by their captain and will sit out the game"
The entire Slytherin team and stands erupted. "What?!" Anne exclaimed in shock.
"WHAT?!" Adrien Pucey screamed. "Professor, you can't–!"
"You two were caught throwing stink bombs into the Ravenclaw Common Room," Madam Kogawa explained. "That is unsportsmanlike. You two should know better. Go take a seat."
Jefferson Graham was silent and accepting of his fate, unlike his teammate who screamed and cursed out Imelda before he was all but dragged off the field.
Imelda turned to the last Slytherin chaser, Bella Rosier. "We can do this. Just go fast and wait for my signals, like we've been practicing."
Rosier nodded.
Anne turned to Sebastian. "Are you going to be okay?"
Sebastian smiled. "Let's go."
The seven Ravenclaw players and five remaining Slytherin players were instructed to mount their brooms, and a few seconds later everyone was up in the air, hovering and waiting for the balls to be released.
Madam Kogawa released the two bludgers, then the small golden snitch. Anne watched as it hovered between her and Aurelia before it flew off into the crowd.
The quaffle was picked up, and everyone got quiet and anxious in anticipation.
Anne gripped her broom tighter in anticipation.
As soon as the quaffle was thrown up, everyone lunged forward.
"Welcome to the last game of the season!" the young, familiar voice of Lucan called out as the game narrator. "Looks like Ravenclaw is starting strong as team captain Everett Clopton gets the quaffle first. There he goes, zooming fast on his broom! He goes to pass it to Dogworth, she throws it to– OH! Stolen by Slytherin captain Imelda Reyes! Look at her on her new broom! She's going, going, she passes to Bella Rosier, slips it back to Imelda – SCORE! First points of the game go to Slytherin!"
The crowds screamed, and Anne could feel the earth shaking from her spot up in the air.
Their new odds made Anne nervous. Ravenclaw had the upper hand with one more chaser and two beaters, and even though Sebastian was a damn good beater, he still had his work cut out for him. Even with Imelda on her new broom, it was going to be hard for them.
Moments like this made Anne wish she had tried out for chaser instead.
"Slytherin back in possession of the quaffle. Rosier rushes forward, makes a desperate throw caught by Reyes. OH! Good thing Imelda's on that new broom! She almost got hit by that bludger aimed by Larson of Ravenclaw. But look at that! Good hit by Sebastian Sallow of Slytherin, hitting that bludger away from Bella."
Anne tried keeping her eyes open for the snitch, but it was hard to do so when she felt her anxiety rise watching the game below her.
"Merlin! The quaffle is stolen by Clopton– STOLEN BACK BY REYES! Imelda is on her game today, ladies and gentlemen! She is not letting go! SCORE! Slytherin leads twenty points to zero."
Everett was glaring an angry look in Imelda's direction, but she simply ignored him by keeping her eyes on the quaffle now in Ravenclaw's hands.
"There they go again. Dogworth has the quaffle, she passes to Clopton. Oh, nice save by Clopton as Reyes tries to steal again. He's not letting her have it. He throws to Buckman, goes for the goal– SCORE! Barely squeezing through Slytherin Keeper, Travers. The score is now twenty-ten in Slytherin's favor."
Anne looked up and saw Aurelia across the field from her, her eyes also on the field as she kept a lookout for a spot of gold.
The game continued, and it felt like Ravenclaw had finally hit their mark. The next three goals were scored by them, barely slipping through Slytherin hands. If Imelda was starting to get anxious, she didn't show it.
Anne felt her stomach jump. Right by Imelda's elbow, Anne saw the snitch!
Both seekers sped forward at the same time. Anne leaned forward as far as she could, willing her broom to go faster to get there before Aurelia. She was not going to lose to her now.
Her heart was pounding as she zipped past Imelda. The snitch had gone up towards the stands, and Anne felt hot on its tail. She could feel Aurelia by her feet, and she was gaining on her. As the snitch made a sharp turn to the right, Anne cut off Aurelia's pursuit and barely missed the wooden stands full of people. Her eyes were locked on the small golden ball, and she had never felt so close to victory.
Just as she reached out her arm, she felt something hard suddenly pushing her out of the way. Anne stopped her broom, coming face to face with a mess of curly hair and glasses. "What the fuck, Clopton!"
A whistle rang out over the field. "Interferrence from Ravenclaw!"
Clopton turned towards Madam Kogawa. "It was an accident!" he yelled out.
"Penalty to Ravenclaw, Slytherin gets a free shot," Madam Kogawa announced.
Anne couldn't help but smile. "Thanks, Clopton. We might win yet thanks to you."
Imelda took the quaffle and effortlessly threw it into the goalpost. "With that penalty shot, the score now stands at sixty-seventy for Ravenclaw. Slytherin better pick it up if they want a shot at those bragging rights!"
Looking around, Anne could no longer see the snitch. She saw Aurelia hovering nearby and saw that she had also lost track of the golden snitch, and she looked just as unhappy about the interruption by her teammate as Anne felt.
Anne saw Imelda fly next to Bella Rosier, telling her something quick before they got the quaffle back.
"There goes Rosier now in possession. She goes to throw - no wait! She fakes it, tripping up Ravenclaw chaser! She's not passing it, no she's going straight for it! There she goes! Points to Slytherin! Look at that! Unorthodox as one normally passes between players, but it looks like the Slytherin girls may have a new tactic."
As Anne hovered above the crowds again, she watched as Slytherin seemed to finally get their gears going. In no time at all, Slytherin had one hundred points, and they had seemed to master the art of stealing as Ravenclaw seemed to suddenly lose all control of their grip on the quaffle.
"Look at that!" Lucan Brattleby called out again. "As Slytherin leads one hundred and twenty points to seventy, it looks like this will be an interesting game indeed! But it's not over yet, folks. Whoever catches the snitch will determine our champions! Who will it be? Will Slytherin's seeker Anne Sallow continue to dominate as she has all season, or will Ravenclaw's brightest Aurelia Keene sneak in from behind?"
Anne took a glance in Aurelia's direction and smiled when she saw Aurelia had also looked at her at the mention. "You know," Anne called out. "You could just give me the money for that new broom now. That way we can end the game early and go home."
Aurelia scoffed. "Nice try, Annabeth."
Shrugging, Anne heard another ding as Slytherin scored again. "One-hundred and fifty to seventy! Ravenclaw has fallen apart!" Lucan cried.
Aurelia's face hardened as she got serious again. Anne could feel her girlfriends' anxiety rise as the stakes rose. If Ravenclaw had any chance of winning, she had to find the snitch.
The game continued on for what seemed like hours. Ravenclaw had only been able to score a few more goals, but Slytherin had continued to dominate as they reached near two hundred points. With each new goal the snakes made, Anne felt the excitement rise again.
As she watched Sebastian hit a bludger out of Imelda's way, Anne finally saw the sunlight bounce off of the snitch again.
Quickly, Anne threw her feet back and pushed hard, giving her broom a burst of energy as she bolted off the nearby wall. Her broom flew so fast by Aurelia she thought she might actually fall off.
She readjusted her grip on her broom and weaved in and out of the crowd of players as she chased after the snitch. She felt Aurelia right by her again, and out of the corner of her eyes Anne could see her girlfriend almost laying down on the broom as she tried to catch up.
Anne kept her eyes ahead of her. She had to get it. She was not losing today.
She heard more goals being scored behind her, and it caused Anne to grip tighter as she pulled her broom up. The snitch went up into the sky before it suddenly darted back down towards the grass and past Anne.
Aurelia stopped her broom, causing her to hover stagnantly in the air before she began to fall. As she freefalled towards the ground, Anne thought she was going to crash before Aurelia pulled her broom up, using gravity as her momentum to push full speed towards the snitch.
Anne flew as fast as she could towards Aurelia. She had to get there before she did! She was not going to lose to her girlfriend! She got closer and closer, her adrenaline causing her heart to almost burst out of her chest as she saw the snitch within reach.
Aurelia held out her arm to reach. Anne flew next to Aurelia's arm before she made a desperate reach.
WHAM!
Anne immediately screamed and held her arm up to her chest in pain, stopping her broom as she struggled to sit up.
"OOF! Good hit on Sallow by Ravenclaw Beater, Andrew Larson! Looks like that may be a broken arm. But look as Aurelia Keene is getting closer and closer to— AND SHE'S GOT IT! RAVENCLAW HAS GOT THE SNITCH!"
Anne looked up and watched Aurelia hold up her arm in victory as two delicate golden wings flapped in her hand. The screams from the crowd were so deafening that Anne felt a headache start to overcome her.
Her heart stung a bit as it finally sunk in. They had lost. She hadn't been quick enough, and Slytherin had lost.
As her feet touched the ground to dismount, Sebastian met her and caught her. "Fuck, are you okay?" he asked.
Anne nodded. "I'm so sorry. I could have caught it—"
Imelda and the rest of the team dismounted with them. "Are you alright?" Imelda asked as she gingerly touched Anne's arm. "Shit, it's shattered. We'll take you up to the hospital wing in a minute."
"Imelda, I'm so sorry," Anne began, trying to talk over the roar of the crowds. "We lost because of me."
Suddenly, the cheers went silent as Madam Kogawa's voice announced. "Ladies and gentlemen, I have the final score. As it stands, Ravenclaw ends the game with two hundred and fifty points—"
The screams and cheers started again, the loudest almost coming from the Ravenclaw Quidditch team themselves as they celebrated next to the emerald team next to them.
"—however, despite Ravenclaw catching the golden snitch, Slytherin has earned themselves a total of two hundred and sixty points, making the Slytherins your 1892 Quidditch Champions!"
Anne hadn't imagined that the stands could get any louder as a new wave of screams and cheers erupted. A small collection of boos could be clearly heard from the Ravenclaw spectators, and the Ravenclaw team instantly let their faces drop as it dawned on them what Madam Kogawa had said.
However, the Slytherin Quidditch team let out their own yells of celebration at the news. Anne stood in shock for a few seconds and allowed it to sink in. Despite her not catching the snitch, her team had won.
Slytherin won!
Imelda and Rosier were hoisted up onto Sebastian and Travers' shoulders to be paraded around, and Anne thought she had never seen their team captain so happy and exhausted before.
Madam Kogawa approached the Slytherin team and handed them a large golden trophy that everyone recognized as the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup. As Imelda held it up for the school to admire, Anne felt like she had never been more proud to be a Slytherin.
Anne looked back at the Ravenclaw team. Everett looked red in the face and most on the team looked to be on the verge of tears.
Aurelia was the only one smiling and celebrating with the school.
—
"So about my broom."
Aurelia rolled her eyes as she walked out of the hospital wing with Anne later that evening. "Let's not forget that I caught the snitch," she said again.
"But I am on the winning team," Anne argued. "So I'm thinking the Nimbus 800. That's pretty fast. Or perhaps the Heartstring. That's the one Imelda has."
"I'm about this close to smacking you on your head."
Anne faked a gasp as they walked down the steps to get out of the Faculty Tower. "You better be careful or people will start to think I'm being abused."
Aurelia scoffed again. "More like they'll believe we're an old married couple."
"Now that's not a bad idea."
Finally grinning, Aurelia turned to her girlfriend. "Oh really?" she asked before wrapping her arm around Anne's. "You want to?"
Anne shrugged. "I mean, I would like to know you first. I'm not that easy."
The girls finally started giggling despite themselves, and despite the hallways still full of celebrating students, Anne noticed for the first time that no one was staring at them.
-----
A/N: Just two more chapters and we'll be done with 'Yearning'... it's very bittersweet.... Comments are love! Thank you for reading!