L'amour est tout ce qui augmente, élargit, enrichit nos vies. Après tous les hauts et les bas. L'amour est aussi simple qu'un véhicule. Seuls le guidon, les passagers et la route sont problématiques.
The moment in which Victoria Atkinson would find herself on top of a hill, looking down at the people without a care in the world, made her question on what their position would be like. But not only then, the constant 'what if' had always been there, in one way or another.
Often she would have to stop herself from getting further into this question. What if's where a possibility for a reason, and to not get lost in those, nodding and accepting the reality was the painful yet honest way of looking into the future. And even when not the future, the now.
And even if the moment she had only slightly allowed her heart to question it around her, the universe had an intention of once in a while doing that for her.
Therefore she had stopped her thoughts when she spotted a Hufflepuff making his way up to her, visibly riddled up. Only for a short moment did he seem surprised seeing her there, but he still sat down next to her on the bench.
There was a small moment of silence, which Victoria didn't attempt to fill, but the sixth year visibly had sorted his thoughts.
"Liam and I had a fight. , "Chris started out of a sudden, having expected the bewildered yet deeply concerned expression the girl wore. He exhaled, before again having turned away to remain with his green eyes somewhere in the distance, just to not meet the pity in the girl's eyes as she knew how much the boy still affected Chris. "I was going over the strategies in the locker room as he came in to switch into his Quidditch things. And there was this awkward silence and - then we just talked, as if we were just to teammates. And it was like those times back then, before we started dating. I honestly haven't noticed how much I had missed that side of him during the end part of our relationship."
"So you talked?" the blond still looked worried at the boy having wondered on what was it with the fight as the pause he made, made her just worry more, the usual brightness in the auburn flecks in his eyes almost gone in thoughtfullness.
"Yeah, until he leaned in and we kissed. , "only then did he turned towards the blond and was greeted with an expression he had seen coming. Shooked yet full of worry with something she just wished this story having at least a peaceful ending.
"You kissed, but Chris-"
"I stopped it before it went too far. I tried to explain to him that I was finally over him and that he has a girlfriend and everything. For once I even told him face to face how I don't want that anymore. That thing we had. "
"That's why you argued. He wasn't accepting it and got angry." Chris nodded confirming, and despite rather wanting to look down at the broom, he kept his gaze locked with hers. Victoria exhaled, before comforting putting an arm around his shoulder and his head now lying on top of hers as both watched the stadium filled with viewers for the game.
For a short time, they just spent each other the comfort one needed more than the other, as Chris voiced out the little and almost quiet thought having been there since Liam's lips meet his.
"I still miss him sometimes, I mean the way he was at the beginning but...I just - I'm over him. I don't want him in my life anymore." Victorias didn't know what she should say, but as it proved itself, having taken his hand in hers somehow made a smile appear on his face. Again both remained silent in a way that let them lose the blue feeling that had held on to him.
"You know, we're still going to kick your ass on the field. , "the boy exclaimed in a joking manner after a while, as he chuckled along with the girl, both of them standing up and while having to continue to tease each other on the upcoming Quidditch match they made their way down to the pitch.
Half an hour later, the match was about to start, the Hufflepuff team just finished being announced as it was now Gryffindors turn to walk up the field. Still, as the announcer seemed to take his time pre-talking about some stuff, Victoria was left last in line with her hands shaking like mad.
One moment she read over the name of the broom for the hundredth time, next thing, the announcing of their team began. She had calmed herself a little, did she could make out what was said about the 3 last players. "And here we have our all known keeper Artemis, who just as she doesn't let a ball through the hoops, she doesn't let a man into her life. ," the voice of Randall Ridcully filled her ear, having her a little smile to herself as she heard Artemis scream up a light-hearted 'fuck you' at the boy and McGonnagles voice slightly being heard as she told the boy to keep it formal.
The third-year himself had been Quidditch commentator since the second half of his first years as he once had sat near the earlier commentator. So near that the comments he muttered during the game, where heard by the whole stadium and everyone insisting that he had to get that job. And while some of his comments result in occasional admonitions of the head of the Gryffindor house, did he still managed to keep his position.
The person next being announced would have on any other occasions used the opportunity of being alone with the girl, but as he himself had been too focused on the checking his quidditch attire, he kept any word to himself and listened partly as Victoria mumbled something and partly as his name was called.
"Next up is James Potter, Gryffindors extraordinary chaser." As the crowd cheered by his announcement, he stepped out being greeted by the sunshine the sky spent and Sirius voice in the distance shouting 'that's my little boy'.
"If you don't know the devilishly handsome boy from that, you probably know him in association with our next player" as flying one short round around the pitch too high five both, a giggly Sirius and Randal after having smirked cockily at the announcement and stopping next to the rest of the team. Like everyone else, he looked towards where the last member of the Quidditch team had to come out from.
"The one continuing a quidditch legacy, the amazing captain of this team and if I can say, one of the hot-" As there had been the head of the Gryffindor house scowling the smiling boy, Victoria was given seconds breathing deeply in, having then got into the quidditch modus much needed in this game, as after this game had been the one before fhe finals and as Slytherin had to live this year with one of the worst seekers they ever had, it was left with Ravenclaw as a competition in the last game this season.
The discussion that had been able to be slightly heard had come to an end and as she swung her leg over the broom the boys' voice was still as enthusiastic as before, and as the woman turned shortly away, exhausted and despite not voicing it out, amused, the boy used that opportunity to continue what had been begun.
"And there she is, the stunning beater, Victoria Atkinson." Cheers filled her ear as she flew up, smiling despite her nerves brightly, and smiling even brighter when her eyes meet the ones of either one of her dormmates, Cayden, Ethan or Severus.
As she came to halt in front next to her team, after having Lily scream up at her to be careful, the girl flew a little forward, shaking politely and with a small smile, the hand of Hufflepuff captain Ryder. But as she backward flew back into her position, the Beater's bat in her hand, she not only made eye contact with a winking Chris a little bit higher than herself but with a glaring Hufflepuff beater, Liam.
The anger filled look that could be both sided was kept short as it was then that the whistle was blown and the game had started.
90 minutes into the game and Gryffindors chances of winning this game were that far, that far that if Hufflepuff wouldn't score anymore and Gryffindor would manage it another 2 times to score, it wouldn't matter who caught the snitch. That fact wasn't stopping the red and golden team of still working as if they were 100 points behind, and especially the yellow and black team to give everything able.
The captain of Gryffindor herself was no other, even hitting the bludger with more force and flying as fast as she could whenever a goal was made. Wherever team it was scoring. She had mostly prevented any of her teammates from being hurt by a bludger along with Fabian.
James Potter himself had been focused on the game, but other than the blond, he had noticed the opposites teams beater, seeming to have a rage full gaze on Victoria the whole time, especially on times when she would prevent every bludger being sent flying by him, to actually touch anything other than her own beaters beat. Yet the most rage his face seemed to display was when the girl had been laughing shortly along with Chris. Those couple of seconds in the one and a half hour game seemed to have triggered something in him.
While the rage of the boy somehow had gone unnoticed by Victoria and not by James, both then noticed the bludger the Hufflepuff had aimed not at the blond but at the unsuspecting seeker of the same team. Where it had more been in this situation that James only noticed it when he saw the girl flying steeply upwards as she caught up on what Liam had aimed at after Chris just having sent a wink into her direction as he had circled the space above them in search of the snitch.
James knew, at the moment before the bludger would actually touch something in that speed that this wouldn't go right. But he couldn't even have flown as fast as the bludger that made in full contact with not Victorias beater's bat but rather with her shoulder.
The sound of something cracking had been heard audibly, for him like thunder in his ears. And if it hadn't been that what made James fly with full speed to where the girl pained expression, it till then had to be when the pain got her that distracted that she lost her balance on the broom and feel right of.
While the girl had fallen in a way that made her still be able to hold onto the broom with one arm, it had been the arm with the hurt shoulder that got shortly hold of the broom before having her flinch back from the pain.
If Liam's plan had been to cause the most pain from this one hit, he had fully managed it, as every player seemed to be not near enough to stop the girl from falling, even then having Chris realize what had been going on, as only the sound of cracking bones had made him turn around.
Still, the fearful screams from watchers were one of the last things the girl heard as her body hit the ground. The distant to the ground hadn't been that big, but enough as a short and failed on being held back cry out of pain left her mouth before she rolled around, everytime pressure was put on either her shoulder and now the whole right side of her, the pain made black spots appear in her vision.
James was the first one having put a foot on the ground, running the couple meter that separated him from the hurt girl. Alone seeing how her shoulder looked now, made him slightly get pale from it. As she opened her eyes for the first time after having them since the bludger squint together because of the pain, it had been hazel eyes meeting hers.
There weren't tears in her eyes or screams out of pain leaving her mouth, like it would have been with every other person, leaving her gritted teeth as the only evidence of pain. "Why did you bloody do that Victoria?!" The worried voice of James Potter was the only thing she could hear clearly through all the worried chatter of people hurrying their way to her. But as the pain seemed to went like fire through her whole body in a way telling herself that the wounds were pretty bad, she told herself that there was made a fuss about nothing and that the worried voice of the boy meant nothing.
"It would have been his neck being hit...It's not as bad as it-" her attempt to explaining it looked worse than it was, was stopped when she tried standing up, just resulting in another wave of pain going through the upper half of her body, and her almost falling down again, if the boy hadn't caught her, looking more worried than before with his hand on her left shoulder blade, what had to be the only part of her upper body that hadn't made her grit her teeth even harder.
Till then most of Hogwarts concerned staffs and numerous students had arrived there. "Boy, keep your hand there. , "the voice of Madame Pomfrey was heard as the woman kneeled down to get on eye level with Victoria's shoulder as exclaiming it, resulted in her grimacing at the condition the body part was in. "Your whole bone is shattered and... child, how haven't you passed out yet?! She has to get the hospital wing, right now!" Her demanding voice was stopped when the girl again tried getting out of the situation.
"It's really not that bad, and quidditch is still-"
"Ariyah had caught the snitch!!! Gryffindor had caught the snitch and for that - GRYFFINDOR WINS!!!" The cheers were there, yet most people, especially from Gryffindor, were focused on the situation with their captain.
"No excuses. You, infirmary, now." There wasn't any sense for James when Victoria again insisting on not having to go to the infirmary as she had to be in an awful amount of pain.
"For fucking sake Victoria, let them help you! ,"James comanded, the girl looking at him with wide eyes for the loud tone. Yet, when they actually tried on lifting her up, they were quick to realise that every pressure they put anywhere on her upper body only resulted in more pain. Anything seamed almost impossible for the healer to tolerate and having landed partly on her hip and upper leg made the lower part hurt too. Only as Madame Hooch summoned a flying folding stretcher, was a way found that Madame Pomfrey tolerated.
Victoria hadn't really acknowledged the way to to the hospital wing, as people around her were talking in a chaos . But as she was shifted over to the hospital bed, did the words seemed to get clearer, certainly the ones boamed over the words around her.
" I will now cut your t-shirt open. , "the woman had already moved forward with her scissor as the people the woman had allowed staying in the wing, watched as Victoria panicked in attempting on getting away from the scissors.
"No, no, no. Just use Brackium Emendo. ," if the eyes weren't messing with viewers, Victoria looked almost scared of the scissors.
"Child, your bones are splintered. I have to give you the right potion to soothe the pain. I can't just use that spell, you have no idea how much pain this brings."
Every other person would have just followed the advice the woman gave to prevent such pain that even the woman seemed to grimace a little, but Victoria still wouldn't let the woman do that. With a grimace and an unreadable expression, the woman nodded yielding. "Well, then young woman."
Simultaneously with the woman pointing her wand at the girl's shoulder did she supportively felt a warm hand taking hers. Despite knowing not whos it was, the warm hand comforted her in a way that made her momentary only focus on that, and not the pain of her bone setting back together. Only then did the warmth meeting the cold filled her mind before black filled her vision.
•••
Victoria didn't know what time it was when she again opened her eyes, but she knew the blue eyes that clashed with hers, shining as he noticed her awake condition. The boy himself had smiled for the first time then, worry written all over his face."How are you feeling? " The question came out a little quieter than he had intended, but his focus was rather on the girl who tried on sitting up a little straighter, than the way he delivered those words.
"Better." She chuckled away the answer leaving the boy to smile at her better condition, still more worried than anything other.
"Madame Pomfrey allowed me to stay here if that's no problem. I mean I can get Lily or Cayden or-" Victoria silenced him by taking his hand in hers.
"There is no problem of you staying here. " As he kissed her hands, she recurring smiled at him, again attempting to sit straighter, but this time she allowed the boy to help her, his hands on her waist as if she was glass, and he was afraid he would break her. "Godric, I will never persuade a Quidditch career."While she tried to chuckle the atmosphere a little more relaxed, Ethan looked concerned down for a moment before having decided on voicing his thoughts.
"I really thought you wouldn't wake up anymore. I mean Madame Pomfrey told me you would and I was so concerned of you ... I-"
Not even to have him continue with his explanation but rather to tell without words that everything was alright, she took both of her hands in his, squeezing them lightly along with a small smile she offered the boy who then, held more emotions in his eyes than she had ever seen. Sitting on the edge of his seat he thought about what would have happened if she wouldn't have waken up. If her eyes would have stayed closed, never revealing the maze of green and brown again. Maybe this fear alone brought him enough courage.
"I love you."
And there weren't any other words that made time stand still like that.
From the sincere in his voice to the way he looked at her - Victoria's body reacted not the way it should be. It should have been her heart jumping and not sinking at his words, her mouth turning into a smile and not in the surprised expression, it now wore. She should have felt warmth instead of her blood running cold. But she should have been able to say it back - instead, her mind made her known that those 3 words were a lie if she replied them to the boy who had been nothing but sweet; the boy who she had wished nothing but to feel exactly the same - to say those words back. There was something inside of her; telling her that this wasn't the kind of love that made you say those words back.
The realisation hit her like a wave. Surely she knew how to swim, but drowning didn't seem that bad in that moment. Because that realisation flew through her whole body, and for that through her heart. Leaving it beating and beating with things it never wanted to know. Things she never wanted to know. No never, so maybe when she pressed her lips down to his, it was her way of staying in denial. And maybe when he kissed her back after a little hesistation, it was his way to stay obvious.