Letters From A Stranger || James and Lily ||

The Endgame

Disclaimer : For the 254565th time, I don't own Harry Potter. Title credits to Marvel Xd

Warning : Explicit language.

Happy new year everyone!!

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Chapter 36

Sirius squinted in the dark, looking at the stands. Lily and Remus seemed to be be having a heated debate about Merlin only knew what, Mary and Peter taking the sides of their respective friends. On the other side, James was hovering in the air on his broom, both hands off the handle and running through his hair. Marlene was nowhere to be seen.

It had been almost four hours since the game began. Gryffindor had managed to keep the lead in chasing but if they didn't catch the snitch soon, there was a high chance of them losing. Sirius didn't want to think about the humiliation or the smug look on Snape's face if Slytherin won. Moreover, if they didn't win the game, Marlene would blame herself for it and for reasons he didn't know, Sirius didn't want that to happen either.

He had almost given up hope and was preparing to accept defeat when he saw the commotion at the other side of the pitch. The onlookers were all crowded around the railing, pointing and cheering.

Before he could understand what was happening, he saw a blur shoot past his side. Startled, he turned to see Marlene's golden blonde hair whizzing in the air as she flew towards her target, which he finally realized was the golden snitch.

He looked around to see that the Slytherin seeker, his own brother, had also noticed the snitch and was chasing after Marlene towards the tiny ball that would decide the fate of the tournament.

Marlene and Regulus were now side by side, bolting towards the snitch, their hands outstretched. Sirius could see that Marlene had the advantage of being lighter so technically she would reach the snitch before Regulus. But Sirius noticed something else too. The tip of Marlene's broom was pointing downwards and with the speed which she was flying at, she would either have to change the angle as soon as she catches the snitch or crash.

His fear came true when he saw Marlene's broom reaching dangerously close to the ground. There was an ominous crash as she collided with the ground.

Sirius swore under his breath as he zoomed towards where she was lying face down on the ground. The other team members were doing the same but Sirius was the closest to where Marlene had crashed.

Without bothering to stop the broom, Sirius jumped off as it reached a few feet above the ground. He ran towards Marlene, turning her around by the shoulders. Her face was scrunched in pain and her forehead was grazed from the impact but she was still conscious.

"Are you okay?" he asked immediately, hating the way his voice shook.

Marlene nodded before holding her hand out and in her palm was the golden snitch. Cheers erupted from the stadium.

"And Gryffindor has won the Quidditch tournament of the year!"

But Sirius wasn't listening to any of that. His vision was blurred and his mind was clouded. He pulled her up, wrapping his arms around her in a hug. "Fuck, I was scared, Marlene."

He could feel her shock. He had called her Marlene. He never called her Marlene. It was always Mckinnon or some sarcastically sweet nickname. The last time he had called her Marlene was months ago, an incident which neither of them talked about. He wondered if she even remembered it or if it was forgotten like the countless other memories.