Cursed Love: Fred Weasley (English)

Chapter three

06 October, Hogwarts

With her Silver Arrow in hand, Valentina stepped onto the pitch. Her friends had gifted her this rare racing broom for her last birthday; it was nearly impossible to find nowadays. During a trip to Germany, Angelina Johnson had hit upon it at a flea market and had suggested to her other Hufflepuff friends that they give it as a joint gift to Valentina for her 16th birthday. According to Madam Hooch, it was a fast, sturdy and particularly manoeuvrable broomstick, comparable to the Firebolt.

The roar of the crowd was deafening. From the Hufflepuff stands, Valentina could see Fenella accompanied by David Lloyd and Eddie Nash, brandishing a great banner that read: "Show them what you're capable of". The young witch chuckled. Although she knew her team wasn't bad, they had never won the Quidditch Cup since her debut in the team, even with Cedric on their side. But today was just a friendly match. The two team captains had asked Madame Hooch for permission to arrange it. Having no objection to it and thinking it would be a good practice for both teams, she had agreed. Friendly matches were rare at Hogwarts, and Valentina saw it as a great opportunity to train her new recruits. Their official match against Gryffindor wasn't until next February.

She reached the middle of the field at the same time as Angelina, whom she faced.

"Shake hands!" commanded Madam Hooch.

"Good luck, Val!" Angelina smiled.

"Good luck to you too Angie!"

"Nice broom you've got there," Angelina said, winking at her.

"I have good friends," answered Valentina, winking back at her.

"Yeah, I know..."

Valentina shook Angelina's hand and mounted her Silver Arrow. As the two team captains took off, the rest of their teams arrived on the pitch to the cheers of the crowd. The Quaffle was released and the match began. Valentina sped towards it, closely followed by Angelina. Despite the wind swishing in her ears, she could hear Lee Jordan's commentary and his remarks on the players. Valentina seized the Quaffle and dashed toward the opposing goalposts, with Angelina and the other Gryffindor chasers hot on her trail. She deftly dodged the keeper, who had been thrown off by a Bludger hit by Beetee Pelham and scored the first goal of the match to the roaring cheers of the Hufflepuff supporters.

"And Hufflepuff takes the lead thanks to their new captain Valentina O'Shea!" shouted Lee Jordan. "What a brilliant move, ladies and gentlemen! Will Gryffindor manage to strike back? The quaffle is now in the hands of Zacharias Smith and... oh yes! Alicia Spinet intercepts it and passes it to Angelina Johnson! By the way ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to point out that Angelina is an excellent player but she's also absolutely stunning! And this year I'm determined to convince her to go out with me and- "

"Jordan!" came a piercing voice through the speaker. "Focus on the match, will you?"

"Oh, er, yes, sorry Professor McGonagall... Ah! Valentina O'Shea is racing towards Angelina at full speed!"

Valentina could hear the roars of the Hufflepuffs, motivating her even more. She sped up, but then, Angelina scored the first goal for Gryffindor. The scarlet and gold stands erupted with joy, and Valentina rushed after the quaffle again. The two friends kept chasing each other, taking the Quaffle from one another in turn. Reclaiming the quaffle, Valentina propelled herself at her maximum speed towards the opposing goalposts. She raced ahead, unaware of the bludger closing dangerously in on her. Before she could react, the Bludger struck her right in the head, sending her crashing with incredible force against the goalposts before she fell heavily to the ground, unconscious, as the supporters' frightened cries echoed around her.