The Hufflepuff team stepped out from their tent to cheers of a perceived victory, as the team members' names were announced. The members of the team waved to the crowd of students, faculty and local fans, then took to the skies with the exception of Jones, their Captain, and their co-captain Jonson who awaited Potter and his co-captain in the middle of the pitch.
The flaps of Team Gryffindor pulled to either side and James Potter emerged first into the morning sun. He walked out, carrying his broom in one hand and waving with the other, a handsome smile on his face. He stood patiently by as the Gryffindor team members were introduced to the crowd. Cheers and applause abounded in the tightly filled the stands. When the last team member was announced, the team walked toward the middle of the pitch, stopping only when the game announcer informed James that the team was one player short.
James stopped in his tracks and he stepped back and counted heads. He sighed visibly and put his hands on his hips and shook his head. Finally, inhaled deeply he whistled as loud as he could. Several seconds later, no one emerged onto the pitch and he moved toward the tent. Suddenly and without warning, Sirius came ripping out from the team-tent on his broom to an eruption of wild cheering. He circled the pitch, eyeing each Hufflepuff team member. He finally flew straight up high into the air only to flip his broom in the other direction, then headed back toward the pitch, in a ninety-degree angle. Sirius slowed his decent and flattened out with the terrain at the last minute. He flew by the team high-fiving each member. He pushed himself off his broom and flipped into the air, landing on his feet then caught his broom and it circled around, riderless and the crowd ooo'd and ahhh'd. As co-captain, he took his place perpendicular to James' right and his eyes scanned the Gryffindor stands and quickly found who he was looking for in the upper risers...her hands were applauding wildly, but her eyes were full of concern. Sirius smiled handsomely and winked his eye at her.
Madam Hooch walked out onto the pitch with her referee assistants and eyed the teams hard. "I want a clean game Jones. It's come to my attention that with Black back on the team, that there might be some unsportsmanlike conduct going on?" She eyed James. "Potter that goes for you as well. Your teams are in great shape and I'd hate to have to ban anyone form playing any more matches this year. Black knows all too well what that feels like don't you, Black?"
"Yes Ma'am I do," he said.
Sirius was almost a head taller than James and easily eyed the Hufflepuff co-captain hard, a smirk slowly growing on his face, trying to unnerve him...the man who looked away first usually lost...still their eyes locked together and after the Captains shook hands and Black and Jonson moved closer until the were mere inches apart, eye to eye and toe to toe.
The commentator informed the crowd that this display was considered psychological warfare, designed to unnerve your opponent but that it was a legal move. The Captains allowed their seconds a few moments and they too met eyes, but it wasn't until the Captains had to pull them apart did they separate and move away from one another.
Jonson turned around to find that Sirius was still facing him, walking slowly backward. Jonson pointed his bat at Sirius as he moved to his position and mounted his broom. Sirius stopped in his tracks and smirked as he held out his hand and waved him over with two fingers. "Bring it on, Jonson," he growled. He swung his leg over his broom and jetted straight up about thirty feet into the air, his eyes on the Hufflepuff's beaters.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the gauntlet has been thrown and it has indeed been accepted by none other than Gryffindor's own Sirius Black," the commentator announced excitedly. "Good luck to both teams...and ladies and gentlemen...the quaffle has been released!"
Liesel's jaw fell as her eyes grew wide, looking nearly straight up, the morning sun blinding her.
Remus nudged her side gently and she looked at him as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Talented, isn't he?"
She nodded and swallowed hard.
"James is just as good. They've been practicing some new moves this past summer...I can't wait to see what they've come up with!"
"James has the quaffle! Look! No one's going after him! What the hell," Lily exclaimed.
Remus shook his head and stood abruptly. "NO! THEY'RE GOING AFTER SIRIUS!"
After the commentator announced the first ten points going to Gryffindor, James turned and looked at the keeper. "BIG MISTAKE YOUR TEAM IS MAKING, MATE!"
"WE'LL JUST SEE ABOUT THAT, POTTER!"
James realized that the only way this was going to end was for Stuart, their Seeker to find and catch the snitch. He raced toward his best friend who was now surrounded. The Gryffindor team rallied around their team mate and began taking on the Hufflepuff team, one by one as Sirius Black and Justin Jonson furiously passed the bludger back and forth between them, each attempting to unseat the other.
Liesel stood and extended her wand from her sleeve, just enough to hold it in her hand and before Remus or Lily could stop her, she cast a confudous charm on Jonson. It was at that moment, that Sirius saw his face taking on an air of confusion during the melee with the extra players around them and he hit the bludger as hard as he could out of anger. Jonson took the full force of the bludger to his gut, knocking the wind out of him. He immediately fell off his broom, plummeting toward the ground as Sirius watched in horror at what he had done...he never meant to really hurt the boy. He raced his broom for the tumbling boy, descending with alarming speed. He reached his arms out and just barely caught the boy by the tail end of his cape and struggled to hold on. His voice was raised in exasperation as the fabric slipped through his fingers.. He saw that the ground was coming up fast and he leaned back and just missed colliding with the ground and circled around and saw that the boy hovered in mid air and then fell. She had cast Arresto Momentum to slow his decent and halted him just above the ground just as Lily covered her eyes, then he fell the last three feet with a thud.
Sirius looked up into the stands and saw Liesel standing, her wand barely extended and Remus' arms around her and Lily struggling to shield her eyes by moving in front of her, thereby breaking eye-contact and he shook his head..."No," he said just as a stray bludger hit him in his back, knocking him to the ground. He shook it off and grimaced at the pain and looked up to see her father standing on the top riser behind her; knowing her eyes were on him, he pointed up toward her.
Liesel felt a tapping on her shoulder and she closed her eyes as Lily and Remus released her. "Come with me, Bobbie."
"I'm in big trouble again, aren't I?"
"Oh, you have no idea," her father said crossly.
"Jonson and Black both look to be alright," the commentator said. "And they're back on their brooms! Let's hope they got all that out of their systems!"
"Who was that," Lily asked with concern.
"Don't rightly know," Remus replied. "But I'll bet you five galleons that it's her dad."
"I'm not taking that bet, Remus. Should we go with her?"
"Might as well, see if we can't diffuse this situation."
"Right." She looked over at James as he hovered with Sirius with his arms outstretched, looking incredibly perplexed. She grimaced and shook her head and followed Liesel and her father. She stopped for a moment before leaving the stands and her shoulders fell as Dumbledore was standing, watching them leave the match, with a concerned look on his face.
Standing behind the stands, her father paced back and forth, his daughter standing still with her eyes closed, prepared for the verbal backlash.
"AND GRYFFINDOR'S STUART JONES HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WINS! ONE HUNDRED-SIXTY TO ZERO!"
Soon, Sirius and James found Peter and learned where Mister Moody had taken Liesel and rounded the back of the stands quietly. Sirius marched up to her and grabbed her arm intent on asking her what she had done and she hissed as her eyes flew open and he saw the slitted pupils of her eyes and he released her in shock.
"Well," he said in a whisper. "That explains a lot of things," He fought a grin. He placed his hands on her shoulders gently, he was no longer furious and that in and of itself shocked him as well as his friends. "What did you do up there?"
Her eyes returned to normal and her eyes moved to the side as her father approached.
"Take your hands off her, Black!"
Sirius breathed in deeply and he released her and turned to face him. He looked into his eyes and saw that he was a handsome man, and reminded him of his own father...especially his demeanor. "With all due respect Sir, I was getting pummeled up there. I want to know what she did is all?"
"It's obvious, isn't it?"
"Is it?"
"Yes! She cast at least two spells and interrupted the match!"
"I wouldn't say that she interrupted the match, Sir," Remus said calmly. "The match was in continuous play and ended in a win for Gryffindor."
Mister Moody turned on his heel. "Another country heard from! Who the hell are you!"
Remus extended his hand and moved forward quickly. "Remus Lupin, resident werewolf, at your service, Sir!"
Sirius lowered his head and sighed with defeat as did James, Peter and Lily.
"I'm really sorry Daddy..." Liesel said as she raised her wand. "Obliviate."
Sirius grabbed her and turned her around toward him as he took her into his arms and held her close to him. "WILL YOU STOP PLEASE! DAMN IT GIRL! JUST STOP IT!"
"Sirius?"
"Yes," he asked quietly.
"Let me go."
He shook his head, a deep-seeded sob arising in his throat. "No."
"Let me go." She pulled away and looked up at him.
"Excuse me," Mister Moody yelled. "My daughter asked you to release her!" He pulled Sirius back and he had no choice but to let her go.
Sirius and the others realized that her spell was weak and he only had forgotten what Remus had said to him and Remus tried again, but did not repeat the comment regarding his lycanthropy.
"Sirius has every right to know what she did," Remus said gently.
Liesel put her hand over her sensitive ears and closed her eyes tightly. "HE WAS KILLING YOU, SIRIUS! I COULDN'T JUST STAND THERE AND LET HIM!"
Mister Moody's face softened a bit. "Bobbie, you can't just go and whip out your wand when people you love are in trouble!"
"Why not! YOU DO IT!"
Mister Moody opened his mouth to speak and then stopped short. "You're absolutely right. I do. It's my job," he said gently.
"Wasn't your job when Mom was attacked, was it?"
"That was different!"
"HOW!"
Albert Moody struggled to find the words finally, he managed to speak in a soft voice. "We were married with a young daughter!"
Liesel rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"Yeah, that was pretty weak, so how about this? You're still a kid! I'm an adult! Can't top that one, now can you kiddo? Huh?" He huffed and put his hands on his hips, fire still in his eyes.
"Only for another two months," she spat as she nodded.
Sirius' face became blank but his eyes registered surprise.
Remus walked up to her. "So, why are you only a fifth year?"
"Because of all the traveling we've done," Mister Moody said.
"After Mom...died, we moved back here."
"Bobbie, this isn't the time or place to talk about this...in front of strangers...Come on, come with me?"
"They're my friends Daddy, they're not strangers."
"Then make the appropriate introductions will you please? That way, I'll at least know who the hell I'm taking to!"
Liesel smiled and introduced her friends to her father and made sure that she introduced Remus last as her first and best friend. Mister Moody studied the young man's face and then his hands as he shook them, then his eyes welled up. "How long," he asked quietly.
"Sir?"
"How long...have you been infected?"
Remus' face lost all color. "Since I was five."
The man's eyes finally released the tears that had threatened to reveal themselves and he laughed uncomfortably as pointed to his child. "Leave it to my brat-cat-kid to be drawn to the one werewolf with in a hundred miles of here!" He sniffed and wiped at his face.
"Sir," Remus asked quietly...he had so many questions...
He put his arm around Remus and turned him around and walked with him. "I need a drink. I think this is a conversation for someplace else."
Liesel clasped Sirius' hand in hers and he looked into her eyes. "I think that went really well. Don't you?"
He stared at her. "You're quite mad, aren't you?"
She nodded as she began walking. "Barking."
James threw his arm around Lily's shoulder. "You know what? This is better than a soap opera!"
Lily shook her head and rolled her eyes. "I have no words for you right now, James. Not. One."