Hiraeth | Regulus Black

Chapter Fifty Four

"Why do quidditch matches always take place in the worst weather?" Esme yelled over the roaring wind and howling rain. Water lashed down from the black, swirling clouds above, viciously striking their red cheeks.

"See the Ravenclaw Seeker anywhere?" Piper called out, one hand cupping round her mouth and the other feebly attempting to hold her hood up.

Esme had completely abandoned her coat at this point, as her limp, wet hair clung to the sides of her face. It was so dark they could barely make out a single player in the air - let alone identify who was who.

"I can't see anyone!" Esme complained, though she could barely hear her own words, "Can you see Regulus?"
Piper scoffed, wiping droplets of rain off her brow (though they were in immediately replaced by more cold water), "Forget about the Slytherins; we're here for Ravenclaw!"

"If we can't see the players, how do we know when this is over?" Esme cried, but her words were drowned by a sudden clap of thunder.
Almost as if it couldn't get any worse, the crowd fell silent for a moment.

But only for a moment.
Then Esme felt her blood run cold as all of the stands shook - the students shrieking with horror.
"Wh-what's going on?" Esme gripped onto Piper's arm. She had a bad, very bad, terrible feeling.

Piper gasped, clasping a hand over her mouth as she pointed out towards the pitch, "There!"
She had to squint to see, but when she did, Esme felt sick.
There was a figure, wrapped in dark robes, tumbling through the air towards the ground. Somehow, the player was still gripping onto their broom. Gasps and cries shook the stands as the vicious wind seemed to knock the falling player about like a rag doll.

"Is that a Ravenclaw player?" Esme shouted, "Is it our Seeker?"

Then... The announcement.

"The Ravenclaw Seeker has caught the snitch! There they are flying in now!" The commentator's voice boomed around the stadium.

"Piper-Piper!" Esme grasped tightly onto the girl beside her. They were so high up and at the back of the stands, they couldn't see what was happening down on the ground as the falling player vanished out of sight.

Regulus Black could not possibly have been having a worse day.

Once he'd woken up in the Hospital Wing, but before his eyes had even fully opened, Esme was already yelling at him.
"I can't believe you!" Esme snapped, "If you dare get hurt out there, I'll kill you!"

"Yeah... That seems fair." Regulus grumbled with a croaky voice as he struggled to sit up in his bed. Upon opening his eyes, he was temporarily blinded by the bright lights of the Hospital Wing.
Esme folded her arms and pursed her lips, "Lie back down."

"What?"
"Madam Pomfrey will go mad."
"What?"
"She told me not to let you sit up."
"So you'd tell on me?"
"Absolutely."

He let out a long, extended sigh as he slumped back down in his seat. Regulus didn't really have much of a memory of the match after the bludger had smashed into his side and knocked him off his broom.
Thankfully though, he couldn't feel a thing.

Regulus' eyes shot open as he pushed himself up again, "I can't feel my body." He panicked, patting over his chest and stomach.

"Do you think you lost a kidney or something?" Esme sat down in the chair beside the bed, "Madam Pomfrey gave you some numbing potion when you first came in. You were kind of mumbling nonsense at the time."

"What... Er, what happened?" He held his hands over his eyes and sank back down in the bed.
She sighed softly, "Well... Apparently you were chasing the little gold thing and then one of the Bludgers knocked you off your broom. You... fell through the air and Madam Hooch had to cast a charm to catch you."