Assassins and Lovers

Albus Dumbledore was immensely pleased with himself. The Faculty Quidditch Match had been one of his more brilliant ideas, he thought, and he smiled broadly as Severus, who was looking around nervously with his wand in his hand, crept onto the Quidditch pitch. In his other hand, Snape was carefully holding a rather nice-looking broom--was that a Firebolt?

Albus's own broom was old, but reliable; he had constructed it himself several years ago, embellishing it with a few extra tricks. Sirius Black, he noticed, was glaring at Snape while propping himself up on his own Firebolt.

"Snape," he growled, "when did you get a Firebolt?"

"Yesterday."

"Just for this game?"

Snape glared back at him. "Yes."

"Some people are too obsessive."

"I know, Black, but you needn't beat yourself up over it. I'm sure you'd like to win this time, but it's going to be hard without a decent seeker, don't you think?" Dumbledore was slightly surprised--and rather pleased--to see tiny smirks on both men's faces.

"I'm sure it will be hard for Slytherpuff," Sirius said, drawing out the word mockingly, "without a decent seeker. I assume you're all they've got?"

"While Gryffinclaw, on the other hand, has to make do with a former Chaser who wouldn't recognize a Snitch if it buzzed right past his Neanderthal-like forehead."

"Slytherpuff," Sirius replied, "has a seeker who, though he might recognize the Snitch--doubtful, since he's never had his hands on one--couldn't see it past that large obstruction in the middle of his face that some call a nose."

Severus turned away to hide his snickering. "Ah, Sirius. Save it for the Snitch--the little gold thing, just so you know..."

-----

Minerva McGonagall realized, zipping around on her broom for the first time in several years, that the Faculty Quidditch Match hadn't been such a terrible idea. She'd forgotten how exhilarating it was to be on a broom. Easily catching the Quaffle from Rachel, who seemed quite good considering she had only played Quodpot, her five years as a Chaser on the Gryffindor house team when she had been a student came quickly back to her. Dodging a Bludger that Hooch had zapped in her direction--the woman seemed determined to kill her--Minerva zoomed toward the goal hoops and easily tossed in the Quaffle past Slytherpuff's rather incompetent Keeper, Sybil Trelawney. Simple enough.

With Gryffinclaw winning, 20-0, Fleur Delacour gracefully intercepted the Quaffle and speeded toward the Slytherpuff goal hoops. She tossed the ball in a quick straight line toward the first goal hoop; it then, much to Minerva's surprise and admiration, curved toward the second. A classic Chaser maneuver, but very difficult to execute. Fortunately, the Quaffle was intercepted at the last minute by Gryffinclaw's skillful Keeper, Albus Dumbledore.

Minerva caught his eye and smiled. Things were looking up for Gryffinclaw.

-----

On the Seeker front, however, a potential Gryffinclaw victory seemed much more shaky. As skillful as he knew he was on his Firebolt, Sirius Black had to admit that Severus had him beaten solely on the basis of better eyesight. Sirius, accustomed to watching for the much larger Quaffle, found it difficult to see the tiny Snitch. Maybe he needed glasses.

He found himself constantly following Severus, who seemed to have no trouble spotting the Snitch, even from across the pitch. And with Severus also on a Firebolt, it was difficult to get ahead of him.

Actually, Sirius had only spotted the Snitch a couple of times, and was beginning to suspect that Severus was intentionally running him up and down the pitch for the sheer sport of it.

His stomach sank as he saw Severus all the way across the pitch chasing the Snitch, which was only about ten feet away from him. The distance was closing fast.

Then, with Severus only a few feet off the ground, his hand nearly touching the Snitch, a jolt of blue light shot out of Fleur Delacour's wand, aimed directly at Severus's head.

-----

Severus strained to stay on his broom, stretching toward the Snitch. Running Sirius Black around had been fun, but now it was time to put an end to this misery. Slytherpuff was only losing by 60-20, now that Delacour had squeezed a couple of shots past the annoyingly competent Albus Dumbledore.

He nearly had it. His hand was about to grasp the Snitch. And then he sensed it--a beam of magic headed directly toward him. He took his chances and zoomed forward toward the Snitch. The beam continued to accelerate toward him; it seemed to have been calculated to follow his path. Clever... Must be Delacour's work, he thought.

Pulling out his extra wand with his left hand, he deftly blocked the curse, just as his right hand closed around the Snitch.

The large crowd of students amassed on the Slytherin/Hufflepuff side erupted into deafening cheers. He suspected he had never before been this popular with the students. What pleased him most was the disgusted look on Sirius Black's face.

-----

Fleur nearly threw down her wand in anger. It had been a perfect plan, a well-executed charm.... and he had done the impossible and foiled her. The man apparently had reflexes like a cat. The game was over, and he would soon retreat again to his impenetrable fortress. She would never be able to kill him... and she so desperately needed the time off. Her grandmother, at that moment, lay ill in Transylvania and nothing could be done. She had simply grown very old. She had, perhaps, only another month to live. And Fleur might never see her again. She quickly brushed the tears out of her eyes and descended back to the ground, hopping quickly off her broom.

Severus Snape still held the Snitch and was looking around for a place to deposit it. He seemed to be in a hurry to get off the field. Fleur quickly hurled another hex in his direction, hoping to catch him off guard. Severus, in one agile motion, tossed the Snitch to Hooch and pulled out his wand, blocking the hex. He then sent a wave of green and silver sparks out of the end of his wand, obstructing Fleur's view of him.

By this time the professors had nearly all dismounted their brooms and were beginning to form a circle around what looked to be an all-out duel.

-----

Severus reluctantly admired Fleur's pluck. She was certainly determined to have it out once and for all... But did she really expect to defeat him in a duel?

He realized as a wave of white light cleared his green and silver obstruction that she might have a chance.

He transfigured Delacour's own broom into a wall between them, but she nearly instantly transfigured it back. She was, apparently, accomplished in several branches of magic. With the wall down, she proceeded to fire a wave of flowers at him.

Severus nearly laughed at this tactic, then felt an immense itch in his nose. He was about to sneeze. Subtly lifting his wand as he prepared to sneeze, he saw Delacour smirking and pointing hers. Before she had a chance to fire, he yelled, almost mid-sneeze, "Expelliarmus!"

Success--Fleur was caught off guard, thinking she had beaten Severus. Her wand went flying out of her hand. Severus quickly summoned it into his free hand and began walking toward the unarmed woman with both wands drawn.

It was then that she began fluttering her hair. Severus maintained a straight face but inwardly smirked. It was a good thing she didn't know that he, as 1/8 veela (though one would never know it to look at him) was immune to this nonsense...

-----

Minerva McGonagall was rather proud of Severus's efficient transfiguration job with the broomstick. Delacour seemed quite good, too... but McGonagall was, of course, particularly proud of her own former student, who, walking toward Fleur with two wands drawn, seemed to be making fairly quick work of the duel. Minerva realized then that Albus was standing next to her. She turned to him and gave him a quick, tiny smile, then felt his hand graze her back, lingering protectively between her shoulder blades. His eyes remained glued to the scene unfolding in front of them.

Severus now seemed to be drawing it out dramatically, his black robes billowing behind him as he strode arrogantly toward the French witch. Fleur, continuing to flutter her hair, looked at Snape adoringly. Adoringly? Minerva thought. This is rather disturbing. She pulled a small tube of lip gloss out of her pocket and made a show of spreading it across her full lips, giving Severus a wink.

With that, Severus, now only a few feet from Fleur, rushed toward her and caught her up in his arms, his hands still tightly clutching the wands. Their lips met in the steamiest kiss Minerva had ever seen. She inadvertently glanced at Dumbledore. Tears gleamed in Albus's eyes and his lips curled up in a peaceful smile. He turned to Minerva, whispering, "I do love a good romantic ending."

The students in the stands, who had temporarily been silenced by the drama of the duel, again erupted. The Quidditch pitch shook.