The Wolf and the Raven

Ch 30 - Happy Birthday Moony

The day of the match was foggy; water droplets clung to every surface, soaking cloaks and mittens with an icy chill. At times the fog condensed into rain, adding to the cold and the low visibility on the pitch. If they had been playing Slytherin, Gryffindor would have had to worry about a clean game, but fair-play was a known quality of Hufflepuff, and the two houses nearly always got along. Everyone in the stands could expect an honest duel between two capable teams.

Dorcas Meadowes, the Hufflepuff Seeker, was in Branwen's year and they shook hands with a smile as the teams lined up down the middle of the pitch. When Madam Hooch blew her whistle and released the balls, Branwen and Dorcas flew up with their teams.

Hufflepuff was also the team with the only female beater of that season. Seventh-year Candace Monroe and sixth-year Xavier Donello easily held their own with Sirius and Kingsley, matching them Bludger for Bludger. Gryffindor Keeper Alex Jordan struggled to keep out Hufflepuff Chasers, Nina Cromwell, Caspar Montgomery, and Tilden Toots, but James and the others were scoring just as easily on Keeper Oberon Brewster, so the points climbed quickly. Two hours into the game, the teams were tied 100-100, and the Snitch had yet to be seen.

Branwen and Dorcas sailed about almost lazily. They knew it would be a waste of energy to zip about too quickly; in the grey haze they could easily race an inch past the golden orb and never know it was there. There was no way it could leave the pitch anyway, so they cruised around, nosing into the dark corners of the stands, then soaring high above for a bird's eye view (such as it was).

At last, Gryffindor Chaser Edgar Bones paused in mid-air to wipe his fogged up goggles with his robe sleeves. Branwen squinted down at him, then saw a flash of light beneath his shadow. She grinned and angled her broom downward. Edgar started, nearly slipping off his broom when he saw his teammate diving straight for him.

The Snitch was up for a chase. Before Branwen could reach Edgar, it took off and she veered away to follow it. The sudden movement caught the eye of Dorcas and the audience. A resounding cheer rose up as they realised the end was drawing near.

Branwen and Dorcas raced each other neck-in-neck in a sweeping loop of the pitch. Both girls were around the same size; the slight, agile build of a capable Seeker allowed them to corner sharply when the Snitch took off straight into the air, then circle back as it dove toward the stands.

For several minutes, it was a game of speed, keeping up with the orb, determined not to lose sight and have to start again. Then, as if fixed on shaking them, the Snitch took it up a notch and Branwen's talent came out to shine. First, it zigged, then it zagged. weaving around the Gryffindor goalposts in spiralling circles. Then it shot across the pitch in a direct line for the Hufflepuff goals, where James was poised for another score.

James practised a similar Quidditch strategy as his sister; when he was playing, he focused on his own objectives and no one else's. So, with the chase for the Snitch in his peripheral, he focused on intercepting the Quaffle from Cromwell and throwing it for one of the smaller side hoops, out of Brewster's reach.

As soon as the Quaffle left his hand, the Snitch soared over his shoulder.

Less than a second later, his sister followed.

Then Dorcas.

The Quaffle, the Snitch, and the two girls were barrelling toward the hoop. Would they all fit?

Dorcas decided at the last moment not to risk it. So Branwen, crouched low over her broom, hurtled through the hoop at the same time as the Quaffle, her fingers closing around the Snitch a moment later.

Then her world erupted. There was a thundering in her ears, a combination of cheers roaring from the crowd and blood coursing through her brain. The next thing she knew, she was being tackled. It hurt a lot less than Sirius' Bludger, but it was still nearly enough to knock her from her broom. Then she was hit again and again. When the ringing in her ears subsided, she realised that the slams were from her teammates who were piling on top of her. Their weight combined, they slowly descended to the pitch where they continued to slap her on the back.