An Art of Balance

Chapter 9: A Knight in Shining Armour

A/N: I swear @McNullyChaser , I'm almost done borrowing KC, I just enjoy her so much xD

Warning: use of alcohol

Word Count: ~ 2.600

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Tired and beaten down, the Hufflepuff team trudged back towards the castle. It hadn't taken the Ravenclaw seeker much longer to capture the Golden Snitch after KC's Bludger had hit Lizzie. None of them was in the mood for much talking. Losing this match was a heavy blow to them.

When they neared their Common Room, they could already make out the loud music and sound of chatter behind the narrow passage leading up to the entrance. Upon entering, they found themselves in the middle of a full-fledged post-match party taking place inside the round room. Their peers had set it up while they had been trying to wash off the pain of the loss. To the people of their House it didn't matter if their team won or lost. They always found a reason to celebrate anyway.

Before long, Lizzie found herself chatting away with Penny and Tonks. The butterbeer in her hand spread a comfortable warmth from her stomach into the rest of her body, numbing the pain still throbbing inside her bruised shoulder.

Her foot was lightly tapping to the rhythm of the music that was blasting out of the enchanted speakers Face Paint Kid had mounted above the huge fireplace. They obscured the huge portrait of Helga Hufflepuff, who had retreated to a picture of her friend Rowena Ravenclaw near the Astronomy Tower. She couldn't stand this 'modern nonsense people called music nowadays'.

Lizzie had just downed the rest of her drink, when Penny nudged her and nodded inconspicuously towards one of the ledges that were protruding from the walls of the Common Room.

Skye was seated there all on her own, as had been her habit for the last weeks. She was nursing an empty mug in her hands and seemed to be brooding on something, deeply lost in thought.

"Someone should go talk to her," Penny proposed softly. Lizzie contemplated passing on the task, but eventually her conscience got the better of her. She lifted her glass towards Penny and Tonks.

"I was going to get a refill anyway."

She left her friends standing and made her way through the thick crowd towards the refreshment table, grabbing two fresh butterbeers before heading over to where Skye was sitting. She noticed people were giving the gloomy looking girl a wide berth and braced herself for being snapped at. But when Lizzie sat down next to her, she just accepted the drink Lizzie offered with a thankful smile.

The two of them were as used to fighting with each other as they were to making up again. There was no needs for many words or apologies. Lizzie held her mug out to Skye in a silent offer of reconciliation and Skye simply clanked hers against it before both took a deep swallow of the sweet liquid inside.

"Seems like Orion was right after all."

Lizzie wasn't looking at Skye as she spoke, rather staring at the bubbles rising up from the bottom of her glass. She was slowly swivelling it, watching the light from the fireplace illuminate the golden drink.

"This stupid quarrel likely cost us the match today. We can't win if we don't work together. It made getting our hands on the Cup just that more difficult."

Skye chuckled wryly. "I'm always in for a challenge. How about you?"

Lizzie grinned back at her. "You know me."