So This is Love

The Game

~~~~~~~~~~

Angelina circled the field, feeling the wind whip her hair around her face. She loved the game, but she wasn't a fanatic like the captain of the Gryffindor team, Oliver Wood. She waved to Lee Jordan, a friend of hers, sitting next to their Head of House, Professor McGonagall. He waved excitedly from his commentator stand.

"Angelina! Pay attention," Alicia commanded as she zoomed by on her broom, narrowly missing George as he intercepted a Bludger very close to her,"we need to score some points! We're too far behind and Oliver will not be happy if we lose!" She flew away, catching the Quaffle from fellow Chaser, Katie Bell.

"I know that," Angelina yelled back, streaking after the other girl. Oliver had expressed his worry over the game as Hufflepuff had been doing exceptionally well.

"This is our last game before the end of the school year. The Hufflepuffs have Cedric Diggory as a Seeker. Diggory is very good," Oliver stressed in the Gryffindor locker room as he paced in front of his teammates. "He hasn't lost a game for his team since he joined." Oliver blotted sweat droplets from his forehead with the edge of sleeve.

"Ollie, ol' boy," said Fred Weasley, second Beater for the Gryffindors. "They might have Diggory, but we have Harry Potter."

Alicia smiled at Harry and Katie gave the youngest member a half hug. Angelina, the third Chaser, giggled when Harry blushed.

Oliver grinned. "You're right. Now, here's Plan A. I spent the last two weeks working on this tactic. Angelina, as our strongest thrower, sit back and listen to my idea. As for the other two wonderful Chasers..."

Angelina broke out of her reverie as a Bludger whizzed by her head. George slammed a Bludger toward a Hufflepuff Chaser who approached the scoring area. Oliver made the save.

"Do Plan A!" Oliver yelled. The girls nodded and he threw the ball to Katie, who quickly tossed it to Alicia. Angelina, who had received possession of the other Quaffle, threw it to Katie, so the other Chasers were working with both balls. Katie and Alicia tossed them back and forth as they flew higher in the air, in hopes of getting the opposing teams Beaters and Chasers to follow so the twins would have a clear shot at hitting the Hufflepuff Keeper. Angelina lagged behind the girls.

"It seems that Chaser Johnson is in need of a new broom," Lee announced. "Actually," he continued, "I don't think it's the broom. It's all the homework that the girl had to do last night. How much work can professors put on the fourth year students? I say that the students of Hogwarts go on a strike! No more homework --"

"JORDAN!"

"Of course your class is the exception, Professor McGonagall. I love the amount of homework you give us. It's just right. Kind of like that Muggle story about Goldilocks and the Three Pandas. Or was it bears? Maybe it was --"

"JORDAN! WILL YOU BEHAVE?!"

"Yes, Professor. Sorry, Professor."

The opposing Chasers followed the girls higher. Katie suddenly threw a Quaffle straight down. The Hufflepuffs dove, but Angelina, who was behind, was able to catch the ball first. She flew towards the Hufflepuff Keeper who looked terrified after having the Weasley twins take turns hitting a Bludger towards him. Fred was far across the field, protecting Katie and Alicia from the opposing Beaters.

Angelina threw the ball easily past the shaky Keeper. Gryffindor supporters screamed happily as Katie tossed the other Quaffle into the far right hoop.

Lee was the loudest. "Wicked! Ladies and Gentleman, those fabulous Gryffindor girls just pulled off the Porskoff Ploy! That's twenty points all for the mighty Gryffindors! Both teams are tied! Now, if Potter could just catch the Snitch..." Lee stopped talking, and his eyes grew wide. "Angelina," he shouted. "Watch out!"

The Chaser twisted on her broom, dread surrounding her. She gasped as the opposing Beaters hit two Bludgers, one a little ahead of the other, hurtling towards her. Unable to move, she shut her eyes and held tightly to the broom waiting for the inevitable impact. From a distance, she thought she heard a faint cry of Angelina, but the sudden explosion of pain threw any thoughts out of her head as she was knocked off her broom by the first Bludger. She fell from the air, and her scream was cut short by the second Bludger which struck her mid fall. She blacked out.

***

"Ugh...what happened," Angelina moaned, her eyes closed, as she came to. "I feel like I've been smacked with Bludgers."

"Actually," a voice said thoughtfully, "that's what happened."

"Oh." Angelina shrugged her sore shoulders. She opened her eyes to take in a head of red, matted hair. "Hullo, Fred," she stated. "How long have I been out?"

Fred grinned. "Just for two days. The entire Quidditch team has been taking turns sitting with you." He paused. "Well, all of us, except Harry. He keeps disappearing. Lockheart has probably kept him busy, mainly to write replies to fan letters from witches," he laughed. The two settled into a momentary silence. "We won the game, by the way. Harry caught the Snitch right after you scored twenty points. Diggory was close on his heels, too, so if you hadn't scored those points before Harry caught the Snitch, we would have lost. You should've seen Oliver, with tears of joy running down his face."

Angelina smiled. "I can imagine that, but what exactly happened? The way those Bludgers were coming at me, I should have smashed into the ground and been out for more than two days."

Fred scratched his head. "The Hufflepuff captain is kind of like Oliver -- he really wanted to win the game, and since you were scoring most of the goals, he wanted to take you out. The only problem is that his Beaters were a bit enthusiastic." Fred gave the girl a meaningful glance.

"But you didn't answer. How come I don't have bruises all over --"

"'Lina! You're awake!

Angelina and Fred looked up. Katie Bell stood in the Infirmary. "It's my turn to stay with Angelina, and George wants you to go with him to the kitchen and get some food to celebrate," she said, walking over and shoving Fred out of his chair. He gave her a nasty look and both girls laughed.

Fred stood, rubbing his sore behind. "I can tell you right now, if I die because of bum related injury, you won't be in my will."

"You've written a will?"

"No, but I'm going to make two right now. The first one will say you receive all my stuff in case of my sudden death. The second, newer will, will say you get nothing! Ha! And I have some pretty good things and you're getting none of it!" He limped out of the room.

"Not like I really wanted Dung Bombs and Canary Cremes," Katie mumbled. "Something bad would come out of it. My mum would eat a Ton Tongue Taffy. I'll be grounded for the rest of my life." She shook her head. "What's wrong?"

"He didn't tell me why I haven't received more injuries. I mean, I was pretty high up -- I thought I'd have more than a few bumps and bruises." Angelina sighed.

Katie stared at her friend. "He didn't tell you? After you fell off your broom, Fred flew to your rescue. He caught you before you hit the ground, but the two of you still ended up on the field. I never saw a Cleansweep move so fast."

He caught me,

Angelina thought. But, he was so far away...and on a Cleansweep too!

"Angelina!" Startled, Angelina looked up. The team, minus the Beaters, gathered inside the Infirmary, laughing and carrying Butterbeer.

"We're going to have a house party later, but right now let's celebrate triumph with the members that are here!" Oliver bounced over and hugged Angelina. "Let's have a good time with our well earned victory!" He raised his Butterbeer. "To Angelina!"

The rest echoed him. "To Angelina!"