Raven (Fred x oc)

12. Badgers and Lions

Diggory and Wood shook hands. Madame Hooch mouthed 'Mount your brooms.' We all did so. Then, distant as if far far away, the shrill noise of a whistle sounded. Instantly red and yellow shapes soared into the air. Swerving to the side, I got hold of the Quaffle and began to fly towards the goalpost. The commentary was drowned out and I couldn't see most of the other players. I had no idea when I managed to score and when I didn't.

"Got ya," I hissed, soaring around a large ball in the sky. A groan left my lips as the ball moved, colliding with my stomach harshly. Hiding my pain, I continued the game before another whistle sounded. Looking around, I saw George gesturing for me to come down. I winced as I landed, but quickly headed over to the large umbrella.

"What's the score?" Harry asked, wiping his glasses.

"We're fifty points up," Oliver explained. "But unless we get the snitch soon, we'll be playing into the night."

"I've got no chance with these on," Harry countered, gesturing to his glasses. Next moment, Hermione appeared.

"I've had an idea, Harry," she said. "Give me your glasses, quick."

"Impervius," she said, tapping his glasses with his wand. "There! They'll repel water." Oliver looked as if he could have kissed her at that moment.

"Brilliant," he cried as I hugged Hermione gratefully. "Okay team, let's go for it!"

"You ready?" Fred asked as we left the umbrella.

"Let's do it," I replied, bumping my fist to his. "Go knock some puffs off their brooms."

"Only if you go crush a puff keeper," he replied. Smiling, we mounted our brooms and soared back into the air. We zipped around the field, doing what we could to win, but it was beginning to get more and more dangerous. Lightning and thunder clapped around the sky with more and more violence and it began to get darker.

"Harry!" Wood screamed, distracting me. "Harry, behind you!" Looking beyond him, I saw Cedric diving for the snitch. Shaking it off, I took the Quaffle and streaked towards the keeper, the same direction as Harry and Cedric were going. I raised the ball, planning on taking my shot, but instantly my body froze over. Looking up, I spotted dementors, hundreds of them. "Valerie, what're you doing!" Oliver screamed. "Take the shot!" I couldn't move. Next moment, two objects connected with my body and I fell, everything fading to black.
..............................................
"Lucky the ground was so soft," a voice remarked as I began to come to. My head felt heavy and everything ached.

Another replied, "I thought they were both dead for sure."

"But he didn't even break his glasses."

"That was the scariest thing I've seen in my life."

"Harry! How're you feeling?" Fred's voice asked, sounding hollow and worried.

"What happened?" Harry asked. I kept my eyes closed, trying to keep from letting out a groan.

"You fell off," Fred explained. "Must've been - what - fifty feet?"

"We thought you died," Katie said shakily.

"But the match," Harry countered. "And Valerie, what happened?" When no one said anything, Harry gasped, "We didn't...lose?"

"Diggory got the snitch," George said bitterly. "Just after you fell. He didn't realize what had happened. When he looked back and saw you on the ground, he tried to call it off. Wanted a rematch. But they won fair and square...even Wood admits it."

"What happened to Valerie?" Harry asked.

Suddenly sounding rather choked up, Fred explained, "Uh, the Hufflepuff beaters couldn't see each other and they both aimed for her. One hit her head, cracking her skull, and, uh, the other shattered her spine and broke three ribs."

"Is she going to be okay?" Harry asked worriedly.

"I feel like I got hit by a trunk," I groaned.

"Val," Angelina exclaimed, a grip on my hand suddenly tightening and alerting me it was there.

"Where's Ollie?" I asked, still leaving my eyes closed.

"Still in the showers," Fred replied. "We think he's trying to drown himself." The others began speculating about how we could still win the cup, but I finally opened my eyes and looked at Angelina. Everyone was covered head to foot in mud.

"You okay?" Angelina asked worriedly.

"No," I groaned.

"Leave these two to rest," Madame Pomfrey ordered, stepping towards all of us. Everyone got up off the beds between Harry and I where they'd been sitting and began to go away.

"Angelina, can you stay?" I asked, glancing at Madame Pomfrey for permission. She nodded curtly and left us alone. "I got hit during the game too."

"What? Seriously?"

"Yeah," I replied with a wince. "My stomach. How long will I be in here?"

"Three days," she replied. "You'll miss classes Monday and Tuesday."

"Good," I said, beginning to feel like my head was sinking through the pillow.

"Well, I'll let you sleep," Angelina said, getting up and gently squeezing my hand. I gave her a weak smile and closed my eyes. A few hours later, I still hadn't managed to get to sleep. Harry was fast asleep and there was no other sound in the hospital wing. As I was laying there, I opened my eyes and stared up at the ceiling. Suddenly I heard the door open quietly.

Nearly silent footsteps moved towards me and I shut my eyes, pretending to be asleep. A calloused and cold hand gripped mine hesitantly. My heart pounded in my chest as I heard a voice. A croaked, tired sounding voice. "I know you can't hear me," it said softly, "but I had to make sure you're okay. You play really well. I used to play, you know. I was a beater. You could have rivaled James back in his day. I'm so proud of you, Raven."

My heart hammering, I whispered, "Dad?" His grip on my hand suddenly tightened and then loosened again, almost like a muscle spasm.

"Val?" he whispered.

"Oh my god," I gasped, opening my eyes and looking at him. So many emotions filled his expression. He was nervous, excited, and another emotion I can only describe as love. "Dad," I whispered, tears filling my eyes. "Oh my god, it's you. It's really you." He seemed stunned into silence and I didn't have anything I could say, we just stared at each other.

Finally he said, "Y-You don't hate me?"

"Hate you?" I breathed. "Why would I hate you?"

"You got locked up because of me," he countered softly.

"No," I countered. "I got locked up because they were corrupt and thought just because we were related I would've helped you even though I barely remember you."

"You remember me?" he asked.

"A little," I admitted. "I remember when you left, but that's it." After a pause, I asked, "You didn't do it, right? You're innocent?"

"I'm not innocent," he said. Everything in me froze. "But I didn't kill those thirteen people."

"Who did?" I asked shakily. "Who killed them?"

"Someone I thought I could trust," he replied vaguely. After a pause, he asked, "You believed in me? All these years?"

"I had to," I admitted. "Remus always said you were guilty, but I couldn't accept that." Pounding footsteps sounded outside the hospital wing. My eyes wide, I whispered shakily, "Go, hide. You can't let them catch you." Nodding, he suddenly sunk down out of my sight and changed into the form of a dog.