Weasley Twins - A Fate You Can't Escape

Chapter 63 - Brooms and Bludgers

I sit in the locker rooms in an unfamiliar stadium.  I can hear the crowds above chanting loudly for the team that isn't mine.  Today is the match with the Chudley Cannons, and my first "away" game.  I wouldn't have the support of fans in the stands.  We were the invaders, the enemy.  

I wipe my sweaty hands on the pants of my uniform before strapping on my gloves.  I add a little powder to make sure they stay dry.  I can't have the bat slipping from my grip because of nerves.  A few feet away, I can hear Alex muttering to himself, most likely giving a very inspirational speech to boost morale.  Only now the words were for him alone.

As the minutes countdown until the start of the match, I find myself wondering if anyone out there is supporting me.  Did any of my friends come?  Merlin knows I don't expect, or frankly want, my family here.  But is Mia out there in blue, cheering for me?  Is Celeste somewhere in the mess of people, waiting for me to come out with the team?

I hope so.  But I don't get my hopes up.  Things haven't exactly been going in my favor recently, and there is no reason why it would change today.  But regardless, I square my shoulders, fall in line behind Martian, and march out onto the field with my team.  

I had been expecting there not to be cheering.  But this, I am not prepared for.  The whole stadium goes up in a ruckus of boos and jeers.  Someone throws a soda can down at the pitch, but it harmlessly bounces off an invisible barrier.

"And I thought the Slytherins were tough," Alex whispers in my ear from behind me.  I just shake my head in shock.  I try not to take it personally, but someone does yell some my name followed by some very choice words.  I know I shouldn't, but I turn to look.  What I see makes me break into a grin.

Fred Weasley stands there, decked out in blue, grinning like the idiot he is.  Next to him, frantically trying to get him to stop yelling obscenities, are Mia and Celeste.  They are a speck of blue in a sea of orange, but that speck means the world to me.

Vivian and the Cannon's captain solemnly shakes hands, and the ref says some things that I can hear none of over the crowd.  I glance over to where my friends sit and give them a little wave.  They all excitedly jump up, flailing their arms about.  Laughing at their antics, I turn to face forward, bending my knees or kickoff.

The whistle pierces the air and the game begins!

I kick off the ground, quickly circling around to prepare for the arrival of the bludgers.  Bat in hand, I swoop low to get the first hit.  The quaffle is already in the hands of one of the cannon's chasers.  Predicting where he would be flying next, I send the bludger perfectly in his direction.  In his dodge attempt, he drops the quaffle which is quickly scooped up by Vivian.  The crowd starts booing as the first goal of the game goes to Puddlemere.

Martian grins at my excellent bat work, preparing for a good hit himself.  I keep an eye up in the sky.  The two seekers methodically peruse above, keeping their eyes sharp for a glimpse of gold.  I watch as the Cannon chasers toss the quaffle back and forth, making it past our chasers' interference attempts.  Just as one tosses the quaffle, my bat connects with a bludger, sending it at the perfect angle.  The crowd roars as my well aimed shot knocks the quaffle out of the air, sending it careening down and straight into the arms of our chasers. 

The game wears on, the scores of both teams quickly changing.  After nearly two hours of rigorous flying, the heavens open up.  A time out is called and both teams land to regroup.  I look over at the scoreboard as my feet hit the ground.  Two hundred and forty to one hundred and ten in our favor.  

"We're thirty points shy of making the snitch a non issue."  Vivian says to us, rain hitting her face.  She doesn't even seem to notice.  "However if we could have both, that kind of lead would boost us in the league."

"Got it captain."  Our seeker nodded, swiping the rain off of his nose.

"I'll work on keeping the cannon's seeker distracted."  I offer.  The only way we could lose at this point is if they caught the snitch before we could get that last thirty points.

"Martin, you protect our chasers then."  Vivian agrees to the plan just as the whistle blows for the end of time out.  We return to the sky, quickly falling into familiar patterns.  It's incredibly heard to see in the downpour, but it's nothing we haven't practiced for.

I give my bat a kiss for good luck and hone in on the seekers above.  Our seeker is flying in sporadic, twisting patterns.  This causes the cannon seeker to follow for a moment, thinking they've spotted the snitch, but quickly gives up.  I grin as the cannon's seeker is lured into a false sense of security.  Now when the snitch is spotted, it will give us a few extra seconds before he realizes.

I spot my bludger and grin.  Time to win.

I swoop around behind it, easily calculating angles in my head.  I send it flying to at the orange blob high in the sky.  Satisfaction fills me as the seeker has to dip drastically to avoid it.

The crowd boos as Vivian scores another goal.  As the other seeker recovers, I am already lining up the next shot.  The crowd yells at me, realizing what I'm doing.  I narrow my eyes, trying to see properly in this cursed rain.  I swing, sending it off just as a blue clad figure turns sharply, and zips off.  

The cannon seeker notices, but before he is able to pursue, has to dodge my assault.  This gives us an extra two seconds.  And while two seconds might not seem like a lot, in this moment, it's more than plenty.

A loud horn sounds, signaling the end of the match.  The crowds moan in disappointment as Puddlemere United gets another win under our belt.  

I fly to the ground, nearly crashing from excitement.  I run to Martian who scoops me up like I'm nothing.

"We did it!"  He yells, hoisting me onto his shoulders.  

The rest of the team lands, boots splashing mud all over our soaked uniforms.  Faintly, over the sounds of the grumbling crowd, I hear a few voices cheering.  My grin widens, picturing my friends cheering in the rain along with us.

"PUDDLEMERE UNITED TAKES THE VICTORY!  WITH A DRASTIC WIN WITH FINALS SCORES OF FOUR HUNDRED EVEN TO THE CANNONS' ONE HUNDRED AND TEN!" The announcer's voice booms over the stadium causing the crowd to boo again.  

"The Cannon's are trash!  Suck it!"  One lone voice, who I very easily recognize as Fred Weasley shouts.

"Your boyfriend's gonna get himself hexed."  Martin laughs below me.

"That's Fred.  The identical twin of my now, ex-boyfriend."  I tell him.  "And put me down!"

"You are a cracked beater, but girl, you've got some issues."  Martin sets me down directly in a mud puddle.  My boots fail to find traction is the slippery mess, and I fall on my butt.

"I put the Puddle in Puddlemere."  I shrug as my partner offers a hand to me.

"Issues!  Again I say issues."  The man yanks me up easily,. setting my boots on the semi solid ground.  "Now let's go celebrate!"

The rest of the team cheers at this and we head to the locker rooms to clean up.  My friends meet me at the pub to celebrate.  We drink long into the night, enjoying the carefree moment.  We don't get many days where we can pretend the war doesn't exist.  But in this moment, this little bubble, everything is fine.

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