The stands were already buzzing with excitement as students poured into the stadium under the bright morning sun. Ravenclaw banners shimmered blue and bronze under the light breeze, while puffs of yellow and black waved proudly from the opposite stands. Petunia Evans had taken her usual seat beside Pandora, Emmeline, and Andrew grinning in anticipation.
"I still say Hufflepuff's going to surprise everyone today," Pandora murmured, clutching a wool blanket around her knees. "They've been training harder than ever."
Emmeline raised a brow as she leaned forward, glancing at the yellow and black-clad players lining up on the pitch. "What house are you in again, Dora?" she teased. "Because it sounds like your loyalties are a bit fuzzy."
Petunia, sitting between them, chuckled . From the stands above, the wind carried the scent of grass and rain, and the roar of the crowd grew louder as the players rose into the sky.
Across the pitch, the Hufflepuff team looked fierce in gold robes trimmed with black. Gareth Woodcroft, their broad-shouldered captain, gave a rousing clap on the back to Amos Diggory, who rolled his shoulders and narrowed his eyes. Amos looked intense, determined.
"Welcome, students and staff, to the long-awaited Quidditch match between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff!" came the bright voice of Melanie Higgson, a sixth-year Hufflepuff, echoing magically across the stadium. "It's a cold one today, but the air's perfect for fast flying and sharper reflexes!
The crowd erupted in cheers.
"Captains, shake hands!" Madame Hooch called from the center of the pitch.
Gavin Whitthorne and Gareth Woodcroft stepped forward and shook with a firm grip that spoke of mutual respect—and challenge. Madame Hooch blew her whistle, and the players kicked off from the ground in a coordinated flurry of wings and wind.
"And they're off!"
The Quaffle was snapped up immediately by Raj Patel, who streaked down the left flank like a bolt of lightning. Felix and Celia flanked him expertly, forming a trident formation. The Hufflepuff Beaters, Toby Flume and Lenora Hobbs, tried to break the pattern, but Juno Hale and Theo Ashworth were quicker, intercepting the Bludgers mid-flight and hurling them back with practiced ease.
The stands were roaring already, banners flapping wildly as the Ravenclaw section chanted, "Wit beyond measure!" while Hufflepuff supporters clapped and stomped with relentless optimism.
Raj feinted left Nia Dobbins followed but then he swerved right at the last second, slipping past the yellow robes and passing the Quaffle neatly to Celia, who rolled in midair and hurled it straight through the left hoop before Isla Taylor could react.
"Score for Ravenclaw! That's 10–0!" announced Melanie Higgson, her voice magically amplified across the pitch. "Beautiful teamwork from the Ravenclaw Chasers!"
But Hufflepuff retaliated almost immediately. Gareth Woodcroft, captain and Chaser, caught the Quaffle on the rebound and tore through the center, dodging Theo's Bludger by inches. He ducked under Celia's block, passed to Miles Appleton, who spun in the air and—WHAM!—scored through the right hoop.
"Hufflepuff equalises! What a riposte!"
High above them, the Seekers were circling: Amos Diggory in golden robes, Severus Black in blue. Both rode with fluid grace, scanning the sky, diving occasionally just to throw the other off.
A glimmer near the Ravenclaw stands. A flash of gold.
Severus shot forward in a near-vertical dive, robes snapping behind him. Amos was right on his tail, leaning low over his broom, the crowd roaring at the sudden burst of speed.
Below, the Quaffle play all but stopped as players and spectators alike turned their eyes skyward. The Snitch zipped erratically between the goal hoops, forcing the Seekers into a dizzying spiral. Severus swerved hard, nearly colliding with a goalpost, but recovered instantly and banked left
The collision was almost deliberate. Severus's shoulder slammed into Amos's ribs with brutal force, sending the Hufflepuff Seeker reeling off course. Gasps echoed across the pitch as Amos spiraled down, barely regaining control before hitting the grass. He hovered shakily, clutching his side.
"Did you see that?" Petunia exclaimed, clutching the edge of her blanket. "That was intense! If I didn't know any better, I'd say Severus has a personal grudge against Diggory!"
Pandora nodded slowly, eyes still wide.
Emmeline added with a frown, "He's never that aggressive something's going on."
Andrew, sitting with his arms crossed and a wry grin on his face, let out a soft chuckle.
We all turned to look at him.
"Wait a minute," I said, narrowing my eyes. "Do you know if they've had some kind of fight?"
Andrew raised his hands defensively, still smirking. "I don't know anything, I swear."
"I don't believe you," Petunia muttered, squinting at him.
Just then, a deafening cheer erupted from the Ravenclaw section.
Severus was climbing—no, rocketing—through the air again, Snitch in his sights. The tiny golden ball darted near the commentator's tower, then zigzagged toward the north goalpost. Amos tried to intercept, but the earlier blow had cost him precious momentum.
Severus stretched out one gloved hand, body parallel with his broom.
SNAP.
His fingers closed around the Snitch just as Amos veered too sharply, his broom spiraling out from under him. The Hufflepuff Seeker tumbled to the grass in a hard, skidding crash, sending up a spray of turf.
"RAVENCLAW WINS!" boomed the announcer's voice over the stadium, barely heard over the explosion of cheers from the blue and bronze stands.
Severus descended slowly, clutching the Snitch The wind tousled his hair, but his posture was calm even regal as if nothing about that chase had been extraordinary.
The Ravenclaw section erupted like a storm breaking free from the clouds students were jumping, scarves waving wildly in the air, blue and bronze banners fluttering with pride. Felix and Celia whooped as they flew victory laps overhead, while Theo and Juno thumped their Beater bats together with fierce grins. The entire team converged near the ground in a rush of exhilarated adrenaline.
As we descended the stands, pushing through the celebrating crowd, my heart was pounding just as fiercely as when the Snitch had first appeared. I barely noticed Pandora shouting something gleeful behind me, or Emmeline nearly tripping over a set of stairs. All I saw was Severus, standing alone by the edge of the pitch
I didn't stop. I ran straight to him, arms thrown wide, and when I reached him, I hugged him tightly.
"You really did your best," I murmured breathlessly into his shoulder, feeling the pounding of his heart beneath his robes.
He smirked, that crooked, knowing sort of smirk that always made me want to roll my eyes and laugh at the same time. "Of course I did."
I pulled back just enough to swat his arm playfully, laughing despite myself. "You could at least pretend to be modest.
"Why?" he said with a glint in his eyes. "I won, didn't I?"
"Yeah, you did," I said, smiling up at him, breathless from the lingering excitement. "That was bloody brilliant."
His smirk deepened, just slightly. "Of course it was."
Before I could reply, Andrew bounded up beside us, beaming. "That was insane! You looked like you were about to murder Diggory up there
Pandora grinned. "You made it look effortless. Honestly, if I didn't know better, I'd think you had a personal vendetta against him."
"I was just saying that!" I added quickly, eyes still locked on Severus. "That whole Snitch chase it looked personal."
Emmeline nodded in agreement, her golden curls bouncing with the motion. "You practically body slammed him out of the sky. It was a little terrifying, Sev."
We all turned toward Andrew then, curious. "Do you know if they've ever fought?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Did something happen between him and Amos?"
Before Andrew could answer, Severus spoke up.
"It was just part of the game," he said coolly, his voice calm and composed. "No personal reason for that." His eyes flicked briefly toward me, amused. "Though I appreciate the dramatic assumptions."
I opened my mouth to respond probably with something sarcastic but the sudden gust of wind made me shiver, and a strand of hair blew across my face. Before I could brush it away, Severus reached out with one gloved hand and gently tucked the loose strand behind my ear, his fingers lingering for a second too long against my cheek.
The touch was featherlight, but it burned warmly against my skin in contrast to the biting November wind.
"There," he murmured, almost absentmindedly, before dropping his hand back to his side.
My words caught in my throat for a moment. I managed a small smile. "Thanks."
His eyes lingered on mine for a heartbeat longer, something unreadable flickering there—something warm, maybe even tender
"HELLO?" came Felix's unmistakable voice as he jogged over to us, eyes wide and arms flailing dramatically. "I won too, you know! Why is no one congratulating me?"
We all burst out laughing.
"Oh, of course you did," Pandora said, grinning as she ruffled his hair. "Well done, star Chaser!"
Emmeline clapped him on the shoulder. "Five goals, wasn't it? You were amazing out there."
"I thought the same!" Andrew chimed in.
Felix puffed up, clearly enjoying the praise. "Thank you, thank you. Took years of hard work and unmatched natural talent."
"Mostly the second one," Severus said dryly.
"Oi!" Felix pointed at him. "I'll let that slide since you caught the Snitch."
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