Slytherin Roar: Through the Maze || Tom Riddle's Era

Chapter 6 || Flight Delays

"I don't get you," I said, rubbing my eyes. Yawning, I rested my fist on my cheekbone and watched Abraxas adjust his uniform.

Abraxas' crisp new quidditch robe was deep moss green with stripes lining down, while the gears on his arms and legs were dark brown and were still stiff from being unused. The broom that was leaned on the table was shining with natural sunlight; the handle was jet black and the twigs of the broom were unnaturally smooth and groomed with no hint of branches sticking out.

"Of course you don't."

I frowned as I watched his hands shake slightly when he lifted his book from the library oak table. His skin was glowing white and it was hard not to feel a sense of pity as he tried to read a scrap of sentences from the page.

Tom also looked at him, concerned. "Are you absolutely certain you want to do this?"

"Yes," Abraxas snapped sharply.

Tom and I glanced at each other. It was four in the afternoon and the quidditch tryout was starting in about half an hour. Despite that, we all decided to head to the library to do our homework, but mainly to distract Abraxas from his nerves that were starting to crumble.

"I never expected you to actually join the quidditch team," I said.

"I was actually expecting you to join," remarked Tom, glancing at me.

"Why?"

He shrugged. "You just seem like it."

"Well, I don't want to die from falling off a broom ten metres high," I retorted, keeping my voice steady. "And I prefer to stay alive until sixteen."

Both Tom and Abraxas raised one of their brows and I smiled, slightly crooked.

"Don't worry. For now."

"We're going back to that later," Tom said.

"Okay." I turned back to Abraxas. "Just so you know, we'll be in the quidditch field if you want some comfort."

"I'm not really sure I want comfort from you," I heard Abraxas mumble to himself.

Scowling, I kicked him on the shin from underneath the table, hard enough to cause someone to fall on the ground. My toe stabbed against the hard and stiff surface of the shin protector he wore on his leg and I winced slightly. Abraxas just smiled triumphantly and didn't say anything.

»»»»»

The wind flattered my long down coat and I pursed my lips, trying to hold it in place. Tom just laughed, watching me fail to try to fight against the wind while his robes were completely intact, almost as if Zeus himself was parting the wind away from him, as he walked leisurely. I squinted my eyes to see through the clouds and saw Abraxas was already high up in the sky, looking around nervously as the quaffles and the other balls flew around him when other players threw them to each other.

When another howl of wind swept past us, I crossed my arms and rounded my shoulders to defend myself from the cold.

"I should've just left Abraxas alone to do his thing."

"Now Vivienne, we wouldn't want to leave Abraxas on his own, do we?" Tom chided with a smile.

Sighing, I rushed towards the stairs to start climbing up to the audience seats. Many Slytherin students were already seated, many older females cheering for the male players as they flew past them. Tom and I sat in the middle of the benches, excluding ourselves from the others.

"In all honesty, I don't really get quidditch, or any sport for that matter," Tom admitted. He looked at the students flying with a blank stare.

Abraxas halted skillfully above us and we smiled widely. I gave him a thumbs up and he smiled weakly, still nervous, and flew another way.