Forbidden Fate

Chapter Nine: Quidditch

It was the night before the Quidditch game that would determine who played for the Cup--Slytherin or Hufflepuff. Ravenclaw had to play Gryffindor at the end of May, and the match for the Quidditch Cup would be in June.

Ted and Kirley were ecstatic about their Hufflepuff's chances. Kirley played Seeker for the team, because his sister did. Though Ted was more of a music fan, he liked the sport as much as anybody else.

Andromeda was also exited. She didn't play Quidditch (too "unladylike", her parents said), but she loved watching it. It would be a nice diversion from the tediousness of her life. She was getting more and more homework, struggling to keep up. It didn't help that Ted was now asking her to help him in Defense Against the Dark Arts, her best subject.

She was most happy studying with Ted, who acted as though the OWLs were just homework assignments that weren't even graded. Though he still begged her for help. Andromeda didn't want to do any work on this Friday.

All week long she had acted like the perfect Slytherin pureblood: proud, aloof, clever. But on Friday night she tried on bell bottoms and tye- dyed blouses, put flowers in her hair, and danced with Ted to Muggle music he called "Billboard's 100 Greatest Hits from 1969".

Quidditch was the only thing that drove them apart. Andromeda hadn't been
paying much attention to Quidditch through the season; she had bigger things to worry
about. But with Bellatrix successfully off her tail (and Andromeda was being especially nice to her, just in case), she was back to being a Quidditch manic. It was too bad she and Ted were rooting for opposite teams.

"Hufflepuff's strong this year," Ted was saying. "Kirley's an amazing Seeker. I tell you, there's talent in his family."

"You're just saying that because he's your friend," teased Andromeda.

"An added bonus, 'cause it's true," replied Ted with a grin.

"You're forgetting that we have Lucius Malfoy on our team. I despise the git but you can't deny he's a good beater."

"He's the one who'll be getting a beating--just wait and see!"

Andromeda heaved a sigh. "You know, it's impossible to debate with you, Ted. Soon you'll convince me that I'm supporting a Badger!"

"You are on our side, deep down. You're not completely too far gone."

"Ha, ha," she replied dryly. "I'll see you at the game. Don't bother going to the Championship game, though. You'll have no one to root for."

"I bet you'll go, through." Grinning impudently, he tossed her a black and yellow scarf. "And make sure to wear this."

"In your dreams!" she yelled as he gathered up his things.

"See you tomorrow!" he called back, and he sauntered out the door.

Ugh! How she hated--yet loved--his cocky grin, his messy hair, his...

She gave herself a little shake. "Come back to reality..." she thought. "Ted's fun. But we don't say anything meaningful to one another. We never could..."

Now that he had gone she wrapped the scarf around her neck, feeling its warmth. Then she stuffed it into her robes, and left.

"Ted, I'm not feeling well," whispered Kirley. He was in his yellow robes, clutching his Cleansweep and laying on the floor in the changing room. The rest of the team was huddled around him. Ted could hear the cheering from the stadium outside and began to feel sick himself.

Ted was with the team to give his best friend moral support and pre- game prepping. But now he didn't know what to say. It wasn't nervous jitters; Kirley had gone pasty white. Except for the orange dots scattered all across his face.

"Everybody, stand back," Ted ordered. "It's a strange rash. I dunno, it could even be Dragon's Pox."

Kirley groaned. "I hope...it's curable."

"Don't worry," said Ted, his voice shaking a bit, "Madame Pomfrey will fix you up."

A second later the nurse herself came rushing in. "Oh, dear," she sighed. "Not another one."

"Huh?" Ted asked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that many Quidditch players are getting these strange rashes," she said, conjuring a stretcher and levitating Kirley up onto it. "Though none from the Slytherin team, I notice."

Ted was about to protest that the Slytherins can't be blamed for everything when Kirley rasped, "Is it...?"

"Yes, yes, it's curable," Madam Pomfrey answered soothingly. "We'll have to get you the antidote, of course, and at least a week's bed rest..."

"Can I come too?" asked Ted. "I could help."

"You'd be better help by staying here. He needs peace and quiet at least for a few days. You can visit him then."

As they trotted away, Kirley frantically called back to him about something. Now that he knew his friend would be all right, Ted worried about the match. How could Hufflepuff possibility win without a seeker? If they forfeited, they would lose any chance at the Quidditch Cup.

He went up to the captain. "I'll play Seeker for Kirley."

She eyed his wide frame doubtfully. "That's nice, Ted. But are you sure? It's against the rules. Besides, you might make a complete fool out of yourself."

"I probably will. But Kirley will hex me if I don't, if I don't hex myself first. As for the rules...I'm sure Dumbledore will let me play under these circumstances. So am I in?"

As the Slytherin team flew into the stadium, Andromeda cheered along with everyone else, though hers were rather half-hearted. She heard rumors going around that the Slytherins were poisoning the other Houses' seekers. At that moment she wasn't too proud of the green and silver banner Derrick was waving.

"Boo!" he joined in with the crowd as the Hufflepuff team flew by. She shot him a reproachful look.

She scanned the team for Kirley, but to her shock and surprise found--Ted!? What was he doing?

"And we have a substitute today," Ryan King, the Gryffindor Quidditch captain, boomed on the loudspeaker. "McCormack is out for some serious and suspicious injuries; ask me for details later, but his friend Ted Tonks has gamely agreed to fill in, in this unusual leniency of the rules!"

Cheers from the Hufflepuff side; more boos from the Slytherins. Including the team. Judging by the way they were huddled together, muttering and throwing dark looks at Ted, the situation didn't sit too well with them. Ted was oblivious to this, of course.

The match began, and Andromeda was surprised at how good Ted was. He swerved easily around the action of the teams. Unfortunately, the illness of their teammate seemed to have daunted the Hufflepuffs. Within the first five minutes, they lost six goals to Slytherin.

"And Lestrange comes in, he's in the scoring zone--he misses, excellent save by Bones. The tide may be turning here!"

Andromeda smirked; Rabastan Lestrange was one of Bellatrix's toadys. Now she knew why her sister always sneered, "I don't attend Quidditch matches."

"Here comes the Captain, she's going to shoot, she swerves Malfoy, pass to Bones, nice use of the Porskoff Ploy there--she scores! Ten points to Hufflepuff!"

With several other good plays, Ted's team managed to hang on 80-40. Rabastan was now flying down the field, Quaffle in hand, for another attempt to score. Ted came out from underneath him, accelerating.

"The first time player's going wild here!" yelled King. "It must be the Snitch. Yes, I think he's going for it!"

Then Andromeda spotted the Snitch, half an arms length ahead of Ted. But half an arms length behind him was Lucius Malfoy.

"What is he doing--" But she never finished the question. As a Bludger flew by Malfoy, he raised his bat and shouted something that sounded horribly like "Mudblood!" Then he swung and lobbed the Bludger and bat directly at Ted's back.

Ted crumpled and fell off his broom, falling towards the pitch from at least 100 feet, hitting the ground with a thud.

Andromeda had no idea what she was doing. She could barely think. She jumped up out of her seat, terrified, and to the shock of all the Slytherins around her (one in particular), she screamed, "TED!"