Necessary Monsters

Chapter 1

A/N: This is the sequel to my story, Dragonology 101, a Felix Rosier x MC fic that was 9/10ths dragons and 1/10th romance. This story will reverse that ratio. It should be understandable without reading the first, although you might miss a few references. It starts at the end of MC's 6th year and continues post-Hogwarts, making some plot points obviously "beyond canon" since those storylines haven't been released, so if some references to the cursed vault storyline seem vague, it's just me trying to keep it from being too AU.
Updates are weekly, and chapter count, while subject to change as I edit, currently stands at 15. Enjoy! (and let me know if you do)

Summary: His first instinct is to pull her flush against him, and his second is to push her away to disguise his desire for the first. Neither seem appropriate for the setting and Felix settles for reaching a single arm around her to pat her back carefully.

No one at Hogwarts, staff or student, can remember a more heated build-up to the Quidditch Cup. The final match may be between Slytherin and Gryffindor, but the tension has set the entire school on edge with even the professors playing sides. McGonagall has neglected to assign homework to Gryffindor the week leading up to the match, and there's even a rumour that Snape has excused the Slytherin team from Potions classes to fit in extra, secret trainings. When the long-anticipated day finally arrives, students begin filing into the stands before breakfast to ensure they have decent seats, and by mid-morning there isn't an empty space anywhere. The stadium itself seems to vibrate with the collective anticipation.

It does not escape the notice of the more observant older students and professors that the spectators seem to be evenly divided into crowds of red and green, with some people sporting both colours simultaneously. A match like this would usually show the rest of the school united against Slytherin, the seats filled with red and gold and roaring lions. But enthusiasm for Slytherin is at an all-time high, its Quidditch team enjoying a popularity the house has not seen since before the first Wizarding War. For once, the palpable tension has little to do with which houses are playing and more to do with the players themselves. Because it isn't just Gryffindor versus Slytherin, it's Weasley versus Windsong.

Both sixth years and captains of their respective teams. The former commonly believed to be the best Seeker ever trained at Hogwarts and the latter famous for her aerial acrobatics and ability to play any position on the pitch with ease. Efforts by the opposite houses to knock each out of the running has forced both to travel with an entourage for the last month. An entourage that more often than not includes each other as it's a well-known fact that Charlie Weasley and Juniper Windsong are not only Quidditch rivals, but close friends.

The teams walk onto the pitch to tumultuous applause, and the two captains face each other on either side of Madam Hooch. They're surprisingly close in height, and the grins they flash at each other, hidden from most of the surrounding Quidditch fans, are genuine, if competitive. They shake hands, and the teams mount their brooms. The sound of Madam Hooch's whistle is drowned out by the roar of the crowd as the players soar into the air.

-

The game begins, and Felix Rosier isn't sure he's ever been so nervous in his life. Which is ridiculous, he tells himself. He's faced down furious, fire-breathing dragons; why on earth should something as silly as a school Quidditch game have his heart thumping violently in his chest?

He grips his knees tightly as he watches the Slytherin Chaser identified as Skye Parkin by Quidditch Commentator Murphy McNully tear off down the field with the Quaffle. She performs a complicated little flying manouevre that confuses the Gryffindor Keeper and earns the first goal of the game. The stands erupt, and Felix realizes he's dizzy from holding his breath. He exhales forcefully and reminds himself that he's not invested in the outcome of this match.