CUPID➝ J. POTTER

TWO .

The roar of the crowd was almost deafening as Gwen stepped out of the locker room, beater stick in hand. She walked with the rest of the Hufflepuff team, next to Edgar Bones, who was the other beater. Carter Higgs, the seeker, led them out onto the pitch with Vivian in the back.

The three Chasers were in front of Edgar and Gwen; Anita Abbott, Lorraine Collingwood, and Douglas St. John. Gwen felt a grin grow on her face as she spotted the stand full of students. She searched for Amos with a quick glance, but couldn't find him.

Madame Hooch stood in the middle of the pitch, waving over the captains to come forward. The Gryffindor team stood opposite of the Hufflepuffs, each of them ready to mount their brooms. Gryffindor and Hufflepuff weren't exactly rivals, but Gwen felt her competitive side begin to grow.

The Kingsley boy Vivian had been talking about was recognizable immediately. He was much larger than Black had been, but probably wasn't as nimble. The Gryffindor captain, Ian Boothman, stepped forward.

Vivian shook his hand quickly, and rose into the air, heading for the goal hoops. Gwen kicked up, pausing her broomstick in midair, her grip on the beater stick tightened as she spotted James Potter. He sat casually on his broom, his messy hair looking even worse as they wind ruffled it. Hooch's whistle suddenly sounded and the balls were released.

Gwen was vaguely aware of Lorraine flying past her to get the quaffle. The Tatum girl had her eyes set on a bludger, Edgar going after the other. The wind blew her curls out of her face, and she sped faster on her broom.

She caught up with the temperamental ball at last, and began searching for somewhere to aim it. Her eyes skimmed the pitch, and soon she spotted Ian going after the quaffle. Gwen whacked the bludger with all her might, sending the ball at Boothman's arm.

Miraculously, the Gryffindor boy swerved just in time, but on the other hand, James Potter was not so lucky. The Chaser turned forward at the worst possible time and bludger hit him straight in the-

"Oh my!" the Quidditch commentator, Marlene McKinnon, exclamimed, "And after an extremely unsportsmanlike bludger hit from the Hufflepuff beater, Potter manages to stay on his broom."

Gwen's mouth fell open in shock, her? Unsportsmanlike? It was an accident!

"Tatum!" she heard Vivian bellow, "Go help Carter, would you?"

Gwen looked up, alarmed, to see their seeker Carter Higgs being chased by a bludger. She felt her heart sink, this was not how the game was supposed to be going. She began to fly upwards but nearly fell off her broom as Edgar sped past her.

"Sorry!" he called back, "And don't worry about Higgs, I got it!"

Gwen turned her broom around, rather too quickly, and nearly slid off. She tried in vain to regain control of the broomstick and search for the bludger that had hit Potter in a most unfornate spot. But her broom just was not cooperating at all, she leaned forward, yanking it, and finally got steering control of it again. She begin to pick up speed, heading for the bludger.

Then, all of a sudden, someone rammed into her head-on. She heard the loud sound of broomsticks banging together and feared for a fleeting moment she was going to fall right off.

Gwen gripped her broomstick tighter, accidentally dropping her beater stick in the process. She look up to see the worried face of James Potter, trying frantically to get control of his broom as well.

"...bit of a technical issue with the broomsticks over there, Tatum? Potter?" Gwen heard Marlene saying.

The Hufflepuff girl gritted her teeth and was about to steer away with all her might when not one, but two bludgers came flying at the two of them. One hit James's broomstick, sending him spiraling to the ground. The other hit Gwen in the side, knocking her off her broom.

The two of them fell in a heap on the ground, and nearly knocking Gwen unconscious. She groaned in pain, clutching her side. She heard a muffled noise of pain and noticed she had unfortunately landed directly on top of the Gryffindor Chaser. She rolled over, still clutching her ribs.

She heard shouting and was vaguely aware of Hooch arriving on the scene, demanding they be taken to Madame Pomfrey. The next thing she knew she was floating to the infirmary with an unconscious James Potter right next to her.

"Miss Tatum?"

Gwen lifted her head weakly and saw Madame Pomfrey standing over her. She glanced around and saw Potter in the bed to her left.

"You had about two broken ribs from the bludger hit, and internal bleeding from the fall. Nothing to worry about, however, all your bones are mended. You can return to your common room whenever you feel comfortable. You are excused from classes today."

Gwen nodded, running a hand over her side where she had broken her ribs. She flinched slightly at her own touch, her side still feeling a bit sore.

"Alright," a voice said and Gwen turned around a little too quickly, her side searing with pain.

James was sitting up, looking annoyed.

"What?" Gwen asked, her tone equally annoyed. What was his problem? Did he actually think this was her fault?

"Well what the hell was that? First you hit a bludger at my-" he began to say, but Gwen interrupted.

"First of all," she said, glaring at him, "that was an accident. I wasn't even aiming at you, the bludger was directed at Ian but he dodged it. You just got in the way."

James scoffed, "I got in the way? That's an excuse. But what about when my broom malfunctioned? Huh?"

"You think that was my fault?!" Gwen said, her voice getting louder, "At least you didn't fall off your fucking broom!"

James muttered something inaudible, and turned away.

"What was that, Potter?" Gwen demanded, her fists clenched under the covers.

"I said, at least you didn't break your arm!" James shot back, looking mutinous.

Gwen through up her hands in exasperation, "I broke two ribs! What is this? A competition?"

Jame turned back around to glare at her, "Maybe so! Because at least I didn't fall on top of you!"

"Well at least you didn't get hit but a bludger!"

"My broomstick did!"

"What the hell does that have to do-"

Madame Pomfrey suddenly reappeared and Gwen's retort died in her throat. Their yelling immediately stopped and they stared at each other silently. She left again and the two of them returned to normal tones.

"Who won the bloody game anyway?" James asked irritably.

"Hufflepuff," Gwen said, without missing a beat.

James turned to her shock before slowing coming to a realization, "You're just saying that."

The Hufflepuff girl shrugged, "Maybe so, but I'm sure we won."

"Well I'm sure Gryffindor won!" James protested.

"Sh!" Gwen said harshly, hearing Madame Pomfrey's footsteps.

They stayed silent a moment, waiting for the footsteps to disappear again.

"Do you know what Madame Pomfrey told me?" Gwen asked softly.

James shook his head in response looking to her curiously.

"We're excused from classes today," she said simply, and a grin began to grow on the Potter boy's face and hers.

"You just may not be the goody-two shoes Hufflepuff I thought you were, Tatum."

Gwen just continued to grin and slipped out from under the covers, heading for the infirmary exit.