The Untold Story of RAB

The Game

"We've been worried, Di," Saoirse said, her eyebrows furrowed.

Ginerva was sitting cross-legged on her bed, leaning back. Saoirse was standing, look very concerned, in her pyjamas. Margeret was closest to the door, arms crossed and a sour expression on her face.

Margeret was a sweet friend but she was bitter when crossed.

"I-," Diana grappled at the explanation for being unaccounted for and her nervous behaviour. "I was in the library just finishing work, I walked back with a Hufflepuff girl, I don't know her name."

Margeret and Ginerva gave her skeptical looks.

After a pause that felt like forever, Margeret said "fine."

The subject was dropped but, there was tension in the air.

Saturday morning came as Diana was lacing up her Quidditch boots in the empty team room she was bombarded.

"Why do your friends think that you and Remus are dating?"

Diana's head snapped up to see Sirius Black standing over her, arms crossed.

"What?"

"Are you and Remus together?"

"Uh, no."

"You hesitated!"

At this Diana, stood up, arms crossed.

"Sirius, what are you talking about?" She said.

"Saoirse asked me if I thought you and Remus were dating because you seemed close and had been sneaky recently," he said rather accusatory.

"I don't know what to say."

"It is true?" He sounded desperate.

"No," she said quickly. "We're just friends," tying her hair into a low ponytail.

"Ok cool," he said relieved.

"Ok," Diana said slowly. "We should get out to the field."

"Yeah," he responded absentmindedly.

Diana grasped his shoulders which gave him a bit of a start, "I don't know what's going on but this is the biggest game we have or will ever play. This isn't just Slytherin vs Gryffindor, this is for Mary and all the other people in the school those Slytherins think it's ok to take their hate out on. Get yourself together and let's work as a team."

Sirius nodded firmly, he cracked a grin and said "let's do this!"

They walked out to the pitch, heads raised to join their team waiting under the seats to be called out.

Diana could hear Peter Pettigrew, the Quidditch Commentator, announce the entrance of the Gryffindor Team. Wiping her mind from the strange encounter with Sirius in the team room she joined her fellow players as they marched out to the pitch, arms held out as the school cheering them on. Almost the entire school had turned out for this match and the stands were packed. It was pretty good weather, sunny with a chilly wind, and a light drizzle Diana prayed wouldn't escalate.

She spotted her friends decked out in Gryffindor sweaters and scarves waving a banner that said: "#3 AND #5 RULE THE GAME". Ginerva was #5 and Diana was #3. It warmed Diana's heart. The letters were sparkly gold on a red banner and someone (probably Margaret) had enchanted a doodle of a lion to move and roar on the banner. Diana glanced over at Ginerva, whose long red hair was braided back, it looked like a whip in the wind.

Mme. Hooch snapped her fingers and hustled the two teams into the centre of the pitch. Mme. Hooch was an eagle-eyed woman with a sharp nose and an even sharper temperament.

"Alright," she said firmly addressing the two teams, as they stood opposed to each other on the pitch.

Diana avoided looking at the Slytherins, she kept her eyes focused on the students in the stands. In her line of sight, she could see Saoirse, Margeret, and their banner. And even Remus sitting quietly beside Peter in the commentator's box.

Diana took her helmet out from under her arm and strapped it.

"I want a clean game. I know lately none of you has been each other's best friend, and I know there's high tensions  here today. But no funny business. If you don't play fair I'll have your broom for the year, is that understood?" There was a grumbling of agreements from both sides.

"Good, let's begin. Get in positions." Mme. Hooch said as she walked to the sidelines.

Diana mounted her broom, digging the balls of her feet into the ground, and readying to make a quick 90° turn to the hoops behind them.

Finally, she scanned the Slytherin team. The same team as last year. Lucinda, the Captain, Duncan Ashe from Potions, a chaser, Barty Crouch Jr, a beater. No one had graduated so she knew how they played.

Her jaw dropped. Regulus Black was sitting on his broom, black hair rippling in the wind, eyes on her. She wiped the look of surprise on her face. Of course, she thought to herself, how could she be so blind, Mulciber had been Seeker, now he was expelled they needed a replacement. But why hadn't he told her a few days ago in the classroom?

Diana shook her head quickly. Regulus was here but the game was no different, anyways the Keeper and the Seeker never even interacted. She'd have no need to even acknowledge his existence.

Mme. Hooch's whistle ringing throughout the stadium brought her out of her head and into the game. Immediately, she pushed off the ground and made a beeline to the hoops.

She watched intently as the Quaffle was thrown around by her teammates. James was heading straight for the Slytherin goals when he was intercepted by Lucinda.

For the next five minutes, the Quaffle came no where near Diana, as the chasers kept it away and scored a goal.

Diana intermittently watched out for Ginerva who was zooming around looking for the snitch. Eventually, she seemed to see movement and made a race towards it. Diana hadn't been the only one watching Ginerva, and Regulus dived after her. Both seekers were racing towards her and she saw that the snitch was coming in her direction.

Many things happened at once. James Potter scored a goal. Marlene hit the bludger towards Baz Gage, a chaser following James who was flying towards the Quaffle, which was intercepted by Pasley Leroy, a beater. The bludger flew towards the Gryffindor side of the pitch where Barty Crouch Jr, a wicked and spiteful boy saw his chance, and with all his might hit the bludger towards Ginerva, who was only feet away from the hoops. Without realizing what was occurring behind her back, following the snitch, she swooped up into the air, Regulus seconds behind her. And the bludger that was meant for Ginerva and her broom crushed right into Diana's chest, as she hovered over the middle hoop.

The pain was like no other. She could feel her ribs crumbling as she fell off her broom and towards the ground.

Bludgers didn't hurt as much when hit from far away, they often grazed or hit the player's broom. Never were they meant to hit a Keeper, dead on in the chest, at such close proximity.

Diana felt herself falling and saw her broom above, realising what was happening she began to scream. Suddenly two pairs of strong arms were gripping her and making a much slower and controlled descent to the ground.

Diana looked up to see Sirius and Marlene release her from their grip and lay her onto the ground. She groaned at even the light impact as they set her down. Marlene took Diana's helmet off slowly, "are you ok? Can you breathe?"

Diana took a shaky and painful shallow breath in and nodded.

She could hear a mixture of cheers and concern from the stands. Straining to see what was happening, Sirius gently pushed her shoulder back down and said "rest, Ginerva caught the snitch we won."

Her vision became blurrier and she could hear Ginerva rushing to her side, James yelling obscenities and threats at Barty, and Mme. Hooch trying to take control of the matter. And before the world got dark, she could hear a boy's dark voice screaming out her name.