Friar's Cap
Nuzzler
Floo Ferret
Greater Love“…scores! That was some move by Jarvis, and it puts Slytherin up by 40! At the end of the second hour of play, the score is Slytherin 220, Gryffindor 180. Potter has the quaffle – oh my, Halifax takes a bludger to the face, as Potter rolls left, over Black, and passes back to …”
Remus let Norman’s voice fade into the background as he watched the game, letting the sounds and smells wash over him. The elegant scent of Lily Evans’ perfume danced on the late spring breeze; essence of peach, hyacinth, and raspberry rode high on a base of sandalwood, punctuated by the subtle, sensual tang of orchid, jasmine, and narcissus. “
First, by Van Cleef,” she had answered, in response to a question three days earlier. “My mum sent me a bottle; it just came out. Like it?” He had mumbled a response, excused himself, and then left, unable to explain his sudden interest, to tell her his change to werewolf was incipient, and his senses accordingly heightened. She now sat two rows behind and above him, talking with several younger Gryffindor girls, all of whom seemed to have a crush on James.
Smiling wryly, Remus winced at the sharp stab of pain in his left side, a reminder of his alter ego, earned during last night’s fading gasp, as James and Sirius herded him back to Hogsmeade in the predawn fog, away from the early rising farmer whose acquaintance he had wanted to make.
Got to remember to remind James those antlers are sharp! Lost in his memory of last night’s exploits, he missed the next goal, but was rudely brought back to the game by the collective groan from the Gryffindor stands.
“…most egregious display of cheating ever seen on this pitch! Certainly the ref – wait, Jarvis has the quaffle, and is streaking towards the Gryffindor goal, flanked by Black and Black, two of the three Slytherin cousins. A well-aimed bludger from Watson makes Jarvis slow, a pass to Black, back to Jarvis, to Black, to Black, and back to the younger Black once again! Danforth Lager feints at Regulus, leaving the goal unguarded, pass to Jarvis, to Black, Lager moves back to position – too late! Bellatrix Black scores, her tenth of the game. Well she warned everyone…”
“James’ game is certainly off today.” Accompanied by a gentle touch on his arm, the quiet voice in his ear pulled Remus’ attention back to his surroundings. Little fifth year Io Everard had pushed Sirius to the side; cascading him into Peter. Both of them looked at Remus; Sirius’ smirk and broad wink went unnoticed by Io, as she settled on the bench next to him. “He acts like he didn’t sleep at all last night, but I’m sure he knows how important this game is…”
Her chatter was like a tonic to his system.
Looks like he didn’t sleep last night, does he? Well it’s no wonder, since we spent the entire night exploring the Forbidden Forest. Lost in his reverie he almost missed her quiet declaration. “What did you say?” he blurted.
“Not so loud, unless you want me to broadcast it to the entire school. Perhaps I could just tell Norman, and have
him make the announcement –“ Panic-stricken, Remus shushed her, uncertainty tugged at his mind, and despair crushed him as she repeated her question. “You’re a werewolf, aren’t you?”
“Wh-why do you say that?” he stammered, “I-I mean –“
“Of course you are,” she continued soothingly. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of, after all, it’s nothing you can control, or stop, or…” Her voice trailed off wistfully, her left hand remained on his forearm, resting there softly. “It’s just so obvious, if you know what to look for.”
“And you j-just happen to know what to l-l-look for, and I, I j-just happen to meet your requirements!” Remus snapped, angry at his reaction to her announcement, and even more furious at his stutter. That hadn’t happened in a very long time.
“My older brother was bitten by a werewolf.” She picked up where she had left off, as if he hadn’t spoken, looking into his eyes searchingly. “He was bitten when he was sixteen. Our father – well our father didn’t understand.”
Her wistful expression had returned, accompanied by a dreamy, far-away gaze that seemed to look right through him. Remus shivered, struck by a deep chill that raced through his body, and pushed out the warmth of the spring sun.
“SLYTHERIN!!!!” The roar from the green and silver decorated stands swelled and crashed against the Gryffindor fans, accompanied by a painful groan from Sirius, as Regulus hurled the quaffle past Gryffindor’s diving keeper. A last minute move by Mortimer Plaget, the larger of Slytherin’s beaters, hid the bludger, smashed by his partner Robert Toms, from Lager, who took the blow full in the face, knocking him off his broom.
“He killed him the first time he changed, six years ago – said the world would be better off with one less freak of nature.”
“Remus! Look at James go!” Peter’s voice, magnified in the still world in which Remus found himself, failed to drown the chilling words with which Io finished her revelation. Around him the Gryffindor fans were standing, screaming at the referee, the Slytherin team, and the Slytherin fans.
“Killed him!” Remus stunned voice was a mere hoarse whisper.
“Penalty to Gryffindor! Potter takes the quaffle for the penalty! Look at that boy fly! He’s not been playing well today, totally uncharacteristic, but he looks like he’s finally got his…” Once again Remus tuned out Norman’s amplified voice.
“Why are you telling me this?”
Io just looked at him for a long minute, and then removed her hand from his arm. “I thought it necessary that you know you are not alone. Oh, I am aware,” she held up her hand as he opened his mouth to protest, “you have your friends, and they would do almost anything for you. I know they already have done things, illegal things, but it is you who will bear the guilt if the four of you make a mistake.” She stopped, and looked at him earnestly.
Remus looked back with apprehension, troubled eyes staring into calm eyes, pitying eyes. “What is it you want?” he asked quietly. “How do you know these things?”
“I see things,” Io hesitated. “I
know things.”
“You’re a divination student?” Remus questioned skeptically.
Again, her gentle smile reassured him. “No, I don’t read tea leaves, gaze into crystal balls, or consult the stars.” Her laughter was the brittle tinkle of ice shattering in bitter cold. “I just know things, things I’ve never learned, things I have no way of knowing.”
“For example, I know you and your friends were out last night; that’s why James is so tired, that’s why Peter and Sirius are unable to concentrate on the game.”
Remus hurriedly interrupted. “All right, let’s assume you see things. I’ll give you a chance to prove yourself. Who’ll win this game?”
Got her!“You think it’s that easy, a gift to be used to predict the outcome of a sporting event!” The wistful, elfish look was back, an expression that appealed to his protective instincts. She stared at him another long minute, then sighed deeply. “You don’t know what to do about her, do you?”
He looked at her, bewildered; the sudden subject change caught him off guard, and left him feeling vulnerable.
“Lily, Remus. You don’t know what you feel about her, but you do know that James wants her.”
Io’s statement rocked him back, brought his surroundings into focus. Once again he could sense Lily’s scent, hear her comments.
If James wants Lily, he’s got a lot to overcome! But is Io right?“-now stands at Slytherin 310, Gryffindor 240-“ Norman’s voice was dispirited. Gryffindor only needed to beat Slytherin by 60 points to win the Quidditch Cup, but the inexorable increase in Slytherin’s lead made the potential of that outcome look very bleak. Gryffindor was now relying on Court Percy to find and capture the snitch; he was a good seeker, but evenly matched to Slytherin’s Raynor.
“Let me ask you a question, Remus. What do you feel are my responsibilities to the knowledge I have? Suspend your disbelief for a minute, and assume I do know things. Must I act on what I know?”
She knows about me, and James, and Peter, and Sirius! She’s offering me the opportunity to tell her whether I think she should report them – us! Remus hesitated, gathering his thoughts before he answered. “I guess it would depend-“
“Exactly! So let’s say I know that if Peter dies, Sirius lives; but if Sirius lives, Hogwarts will be destroyed in nineteen years. Do I tell Peter about his impending doom, and enable him to escape it, and in doing so eventually destroy Hogwarts; or do I hold my counsel, and let Peter die, thereby ensuring Hogwarts’ survival?”
Remus stared at her, letting the background noise of the game in; at a subconscious level he heard the commotion as Slytherin scored once again, putting them 80 points ahead of Gryffindor, making it necessary for Percy to end the game immediately in order to win the Cup. Io’s question disturbed him, its implications went deeper than his own philosophical struggle with the actions of his friends.
“Never mind, Remus, it was only a rhetorical question.” Io’s hand was once again on his arm, the soft touch soothing and equally disturbing. “You know, even I am captivated by his charm.” Again, her sudden switch of topic unnerved him. He followed her eyes to James, speeding down the pitch with the quaffle.
She removed her hand, suddenly all business. “In answer to your previous question, Gryffindor will win by 80 points. James is going to score now, and Court will catch the snitch almost immediately afterwards.”
Remus stared at her in unbelief. To answer who would win was one thing, to predict an exact sequence was another.
“- POTTER SCORES! The margin is now 70 points. This has been a long – wait! Percy has gone into a steep dive, but short, and comes up with – THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WINS –“
As the stands erupted into a tumultuous celebration, Sirius pushed Io against Remus as he and Peter tried to jump through her to pound Remus on the back; he watched Court Percy holding the snitch high, as the rest of the team rocketed towards him. Putting his arms around Io, he kept her from falling, as he did so, he felt her lips next to his ear, and heard her soft whisper. “Let her go Remus; she’s for James! I only wish it were otherwise.”
Authors Note: Separated in the crush of the celebration, Remus had no chance to speak to her the rest of the term. The final game was in May, in 1976, and their OWLS occupied the balance of the year. Io Everard did not return to Hogwarts for her sixth year. On September 10, 1976, the collision of British Airways Flight 476 over Zagreb, Yugoslavia killed 176 people. Lily Evans told her friends that she and her family would have been on that flight, but were unable to obtain tickets. Io Everard was listed on the manifest.
I will reveal to you a love potion, without medicine, without herbs, without any witch’s magic; if you want to be loved, then love. - Hecaton of Rhodes
Round Four - The Quidditch Match, Short Story Challenge
evlpez Round Four - The Quidditch Match Oct 23 2004, 01:45 AM
Oct 23 2004, 01:45 AM
Unlike Round 3 (The Magic Box Challenge), the submissions for this challenge do not make a continuing story. Each submission must stand alone as a short story.
Note to ferrets: Remember that you are writing fan fiction as though you are the Floo-Between user you've chosen. This means that if you've chosen Snape, you are writing as though Snape is writing fan fiction, not as though he is a part of the story. Each character may write as many submissions as they wish for this challenge, as long as each submission is significantly different from their others. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday December 1st.
