Breaking Black (A Sirius Black Love Story)

Chapter 34

"Hello love, why don't you go back to painting your nails instead of trying to play beater? This isn't like playing jump rope, you know!" The two Hufflepuff beaters howled with laughter.

"Just ignore them." Robert hissed and grabbed my arm as I balled my fists and started towards them.

"You can show them how to hit like a girl when we're playing." Sirius growled, glaring at the Hufflepuff team. You'd think the beaters from Hufflepuff would be kind and accepting of a girl beater, but the whole school seemed against me. But nobody's seen me play yet...

Madam Hooch started relaying the rules as we lined up, with me facing one of the burly Hufflepuff beaters. He kept winking at me and pushing back his hair, but I kept my cold expression stone hard.

"Players, mount your brooms!" Madam Hooch finally instructed. I hopped on my Nimbus, still staring down the opposing beater, who was calmly twirling his bat around in his meaty fingers.

When the whistle screamed out the start of the match, I was one of the first players to kick off, eyeing the pitch for the two black bludgers. The commentators for the match were talking about me, I heard the name 'Stryker' boom from the stands. Drowning out the cheers of the students, I focused my mind on the match.

Everything was off to a great start. Sirius and I worked as a great team, each of us chasing one of the bludgers and hitting it away from our players and towards the Hufflepuff players. I was keeping a close eye on any bludgers coming near Robert. A bludger wasn't going to get near him, not if I could help it!

"Lexi!" Frank bellowed as one of the bludgers hit by the Hufflepuff team whizzed past his face. "Stop babysitting your boyfriend and start playing!"

"I think you're not ready to play with the big kids love!" The Hufflepuff beater cackled. Gryffindor was already starting to demolish Hufflepuff, but that beater was keeping his cocky attitude. Furiously, I clutched my bat and shot away from the Gryffindor goal posts, searching for a bludger.

Usually, it isn't strategy to hit a bludger right at another beater. That gives the other beater an easy shot to hit at one of your players. But I wasn't thinking. With all of my strength, I hit the snot out of that bludger and sent it spiraling at the Hufflepuff beater.

Grinning triumphantly when the bludger hit my target on the hand clutching his bat, I watched as some physics took over and the boy conked himself upside the head with his own bat. Luckily, he didn't fall off this broom (I would've felt bad if that happened), but he did drop his bat so he could clutch his injured hand.

"That's my girl!" I heard Robert call while victoriously throwing his fist in the air. Did... Did he just... Call me his girl?! Madam Hooch blew the whistle to stop the match as the Hufflepuff boy flew to the ground, gingerly holding his possibly broken hand.

"Nice one Vixen!" Sirius cheered and gave me a high five as he flew past me. Frank even gave me an approving nod. Madam Hooch announced that the boy's hand indeed seemed to be broken, and he had to be removed from the game. A scrawny second year Hufflepuff would fill in for the rest of the match. The new boy looked like he didn't know how to hold a beater's bat, let alone ride a broom. Snorting, I flew back into position as Madam Hooch blew her whistle, signifying to start again.

Everyone in the stands cheered for me whenever I hit a bludger, filling me with new energy. I wasn't just the pretty little girl who joined the quidditch team, I was a powerful beater. James, Brenda, and Frank worked together to score goal after goal. Sirius and I just flew around, hitting bludgers left and right. Although it messed up one of Gryffindor's plays, it was kind of funny when Sirius let a bludger 'slip by' and hit Brenda in the arm. I guess they didn't get along very well after the ball...