Orphic » Sirius Black

Chapter 16 - A Game Of Winners And Losers

With Remus and Sirius talking again, it all seemed to be getting back to normal. Mornings were as boisterous as they always had been, people had started to walk around with fear of falling into one of the Marauder's famous pranks, and the professors were having quite a time giving different kinds of detention to the four boys. But not even the upcoming O.W.L.s could remove the silly smiles from their faces, especially Sirius's.

Since the day Sirius kissed her again, Juniper couldn't help but let her eyes wander around him every chance she got. His gorgeous grin appeared in her mind at the most inopportune moments, leaving her drowning in the sensation his lips left in her mouth and the sweet sound of his laugh that warmed her heart. Juniper still felt she had to push all her feelings aside, for what he had done to Remus left a big scar, unseen yet painful. But Remus was starting to forgive, so why shouldn't she do the same?

In a way, it was nice to have a distraction from the stress studying had brought her. Seeing Sirius smile turned out to be quite comforting now that he did it more often, mostly when it was addressed in her direction. She couldn't wait to be done with the exams; the only thing that intervened between Sirius and her at the moment. That, and the Quidditch rivalry Maverick made sure to remind them every day.

The final Quidditch match of the season was to be held on the third Saturday of May. The expectations were high, and everyone at the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor Towers were starting to lose their minds. Both houses craved to win the Cup as desperately as the other.

Ravenclaw had only won during Maverick's second year, when he got selected to be the Seeker of the team. After that, they had been close, but never got to take the trophy again. Gryffindor, on the other hand, had gotten used to being in second place. The teams were functional, but after the change of Captains, the improvement was such that it was difficult to see which one would win.

That morning, at breakfast, Maverick was on edge. His Quidditch robes flew behind him as he strutted back and forth next to the Ravenclaw table, his broom taking most of its space as it laid almost on top of Judson's food. After five minutes, Maverick sat down, his feet tapping uncontrollably on the floor underneath. He kept on biting his already short nails until Judson yanked his hand off.

"Stop that!" he said, making Maverick turn his worried gaze to him. "I know you're stressed—"

"That's an understatement."

Judson rolled his eyes. "Calm down, Mav. It'll be an excellent match. You're a great captain."

"If I'm such a great captain, where the fuck is the rest of my team?"

As the last word left his mouth, four players of the Ravenclaw team entered the Hall, all with a mix of fear and excitement on their faces. Maverick shot up from his seat, bumping Judson on the arm and spilling his tea in the process. He walked around the group as they sat down and hyped them up before the big game.

"Where's Boot?"

"Here!" the blonde cheered, plopping down next to Maude Hyslop, one of the Beaters, and munching on a pumpkin pie. "Relax, Mav! We've got this. The Cup will be ours in no time."

Maverick took a deep breath and sat next to Juniper. In front of them, James and Sirius were eating their breakfast in between murmurs. The cracker Maverick had just taken in his hand dissolved as his fingers clenched on a fist.

"We are winning today," he said through gritted teeth.

"That's the spirit!" Juniper exclaimed, but Maverick's jaw clenched.

"Why is Potter smiling like that? Is he so confident he'll win?"

"Stop with the negative attitude. You should be positive that—"