An odd match and a warm smile

“ing hell”

Kris looked outside the locker room and saw the awful day waiting for him: it was not only raining, the clouds had gone full on hysterical crying on them and it was pouring. The curtain of rain was so thick he could barely make out the shape of the rings up in the field.

His whole team was looking at him with the same expression he was sure to be sporting on his face, but he swallowed his fears and puffed out his chest. He had been elected Captain for a reason.

“Now, the weather could not be worse than this” he spotted a few heads nodding in agreement and tentatively smiled. “But! We are the strongest team and you know it. Hell, every house knows it, so we are going to go out there and kick their arses. Understood?”

An uproar of voices made the room shake in excitement and made Kris smile proudly. They had been training nonstop since the end of Christmas holiday and they were in top form. The first year, Chanyeol, still needed a little more practice and his seeker was nothing astounding, but what was lacking in experience was patched up with passion and desire to win.

He, on the other hand, had had plenty of experience and sure as hell he wasn’t going to become Tao’s slave for a day, not even in a million years. So he shot up his clenched hand to the ceiling and yelled:

“Gryffindors, let’s go and win this match!”

“YEAH!” followed the others.

And they all stepped into what was going to be remembered as January’s coldest, most tempestuous day of the year.

***

Madame Hooch had an umbrella. She was gingerly keeping the leather suitcase under her arm and with the other she was trying her best to remain dry, but the storm was something else. The professor had asked to suspend the match but both Kris and Tao had roared over the strong wind that it was just a light rain and that they were going through it, permission or not.

Kris had had the smart idea to cast an atmospheric charm on his team and Tao had instantly followed, but even as their clothes were dry they still couldn’t see beyond their noses. Gryffindor’s seeker was shivering in the cold and could barely keep his eyes open. Sehun on the other hand was focused: Luhan was still convinced he was better at flying than him and he was going to prove him wrong.

“Wu, Huang, shake hands”

Kris hastily offered his free hand. Tao took it and shook it, digging his nails into his flesh with a sly smile. The Gryffindor flinched but said nothing. He had never been the type to crack under pressure in a game.

The professor put down the leather bag and started fumbling with the straps keeping the Quaffle, Bludgers and golden Snitch in place.

“Okay, everybody on their brooms? Three… two… one… go”

She freed the balls which flew up in the air at the speed of sound, immediately followed by the players, each on their broom.

A high-pitched voice boomed in the field as the cheering students began screaming for their Houses.

“Test, test… does this thing even work? Okay, never mind, it works. Aaaannnnd Ladies and gentlemen the match has officially started!”

From his seat Kyungsoo shot a glance upward and saw Jongdae glued to the magical microphone keeping scores and cracking up every time someone made a mistake on the broom. Next to him sat a shivering Minseok, wrapped up in at least five scarves and positively blushing from Jongdae’s embarrassing remarks.

Kyungsoo concealed his laugh and turned back to the match in action. Protected by a wonkily enchanted umbrella (Baekhyun’s present) he was trying to see something over the grey drape of rain, keeping his eyes out for his team.

“Well, I can’t see a flying unicorn, but it looks like Gryffindor has possession of the ball and our lovely Kris is searching for the goal. And there he goes and… Ah, Slytherin took the Quaffle and now Han is aiming straight for Gryffindor’s captain.”

Up in the air, Luhan shot a smug look to the other team’s captain, swinging his bat in his direction, but Kris was far too experienced and avoided the collision with a pirouette, making the other drop his smile.

Few meters above the action, Sehun was trying to shield his eyes with a hand, while the other was busy hanging on his broom, searching for the Golden Snitch, but the little devil was nowhere to be found.

“Gryffindor finally scores. Ten to zero for Gryffindor. Sorry Luhan, better luck next time”

Sehun found himself grinning at Luhan’s failed attempts to derail the ball, but immediately shoved the thought to the side. They were on the same team and Tao had made very clear what would be the fate of the loosing team, so he resumed his search.

“Han takes the initiative again and goes for the Bludger while Tao and Kris are… well, they are either having and intense make-out on broom or they are fighting shoulder to shoulder for the Quaffle. God, this rain makes everything blurred”

A muffled cry broke in the near proximity of Jongdae and a couple of seconds later he could be seen rubbing a sore spot on his shoulder.

“Okay, Minseok here confirms that they’re not making out. Happy now?”

Apparently many professors had decided to leave Minseok the hard job to keep his partner’s boisterous personality under control, but the stern look on the Ravenclaw wizard said it all.

Gryffindor’s side of the stadium broke into loud cheer as their team scored again and again. Kyungsoo tried to wave at Chanyeol but the rain was keeping him hidden to the view. So far they were doing an excellent job at keeping the Slytherin’s attacks at bay. Strangely enough, as Tao was growing angrier, Kris had not once smiled since the start of the game, too concentrated on outmatching the other’s every movement.

Kyungsoo’s eyes were fixed (as much as the rain allowed) on the captain’s movement: his broom was tattered and old-looking, but Kris’ movements were sharps and extremely fast, breaking into pirouettes and impossibly angled turns.

Everything was going smoothly (not counting Jongdae’s dreadful commentary) when suddenly something changed. Kyungsoo felt a shiver down his bones but shook it off as the piercing cold of the day. However, if he had dared to look around, he would have noticed he hadn’t been the only one to notice the strange shifting in the atmosphere.

Near the center of the stadium Chanyeol finally took his chance and managed to steal the Quaffle from one of Slytherin’s chasers and started approaching the rings at the speed of lighting. He was sure to bring another ten points to the team, seeing how the keeper was now distracted by a persistent Bludger and, prompted by Baekhyun’s cries of victory behind him, he flew closer and aimed.

But at the very last second something odd happened: the Quaffle, the only inanimate ball of the trio suddenly flew away from his hands and started charging towards his face, almost making him fall of the broom.

“WHAT IN THE NAME OF MERLIN ARE YOU DOING?!” came Baekhyun’s angry yell as the Gryffindor descended to help him.

“I swear, it was not me!” whined Chanyeol, his vision spinning as he sat up on his Comet “The Quaffle is possessed or something”

“Yeah, right. Chan, if you are not taking this seriously…” but he was interrupted as the crazy Quaffle came crashing into him, leaving him in free fall until the inevitable “thump” on the ground, alongside his Cleansweep.

From the speaker came Jongdae’s roaring laugh.

“I have no idea what has happened but Byun just fell from his broom and if this is not called sweet revenge I don’t know what it is. What? Sorry professor Park, can’t hear you over the sound of karma finally giving Byun Baekhyun what he deserves.”

Kyungsoo smacked his head against his palm: Jongdae’s commentary was going to get him in deep, deep trouble.

As Baekhyun immediately stood up and flew back to his position, holding his right shoulder with his other hand, Kris had already understood what was going on: trickery. Some Slytherin had probably jinxed the balls.

He tried to warn his teammates but the sound of the rain covered his vain shouts. He could barely see where he was, let alone what all the others were doing. With an exasperated sigh he turned, facing a weirdly amused Tao.

“Really funny Huang, can’t you ever play fair?” he roared.

Tao merely raised and eyebrow, scanning the air for a potential Quaffle.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I only play fair. Always. You should know that: a victory without honor is not a victory.”

“Yeah, like honor and Slytherin have ever rhymed”

“Hey!” Tao growled, now positively irritated “This is plain offensive. If you are so concerned about my team not playing fair how about owning up to your title and helping your teammates, Mr. Perfect-Golden-Gryffindor?”

That said, Tao flew into the mist and disappeared, leaving Kris as confused and angry as ever.

Adrenaline had gone to his head and he wasn’t thinking straight. He shouldn’t have said those things to Tao, he knew it was a touchy subject for all Slytherins after what had happened with Lord Voldemort, giving them all a bad name for something they had had no control over, but right now he couldn’t let those thoughts guilt trap him: he had a match to win.

***

“Gryffindor leads eighty to fifty as Kris… well, he’s chasing the Quaffle? Not entirely sure what that means but whatever, the show must go on. Higher up we can see a helpless Oh Sehun searching for the Sneaky Snitch, not really doing anything”

“Hey!” Sehun shouted, but his cry was covered by the cheer of his House when Tao managed to score another ten points.

The situation was odd to say the least: on one side there were Kris and Tao, desperately following the Quaffle which was targeting a Gryffindor chaser and a beater for no apparent reason, on the other he could see Luhan battling alongside his team the relentless attack of the remaining Bludgers which had also gone crazy and were flying all over the place trying to smash some bones. And the golden Snitch was still nowhere to be found.

“Ah-ha. Lee apparently is doing a greater job than our friend Oh here”

Sehun’s head snapped back down were Gryffindor’s seeker Lee was.. was he being attacked by the Golden Snitch? Normally it would have been him chasing after the little golden globe but now it was positively the other way aroun: Lee screaming like a banshee with a blooming black eye trapped under his shaking fingers.

What in the name of Merlin’s beard was going on that day?

Sehun looked around and found every other player, Gryffindor and Slytherin, having technical problems with either the Quaffle, now seeking the blood of the redhead chaser, or the two Bludgers, on a mission to break Luhan’s neck.

When he had sworn he would become a great Quidditch player, despite his father’s commands, he hadn’t really thought of a full on Battle Royale. He sighed, only now registering how his fingers were turning blue from the prickling cold: he needed to move. Tilting the edge of his Silver Arrow he flew to Lee’s side, shielding him from the mad chase of the Snitch.

Sure enough the little golden orb found a more interesting target in the nearer Sehun than the further away Lee and began his new assault on the poor Slytherin.

“Hell to the no.” whispered the seeker “If I’m going down you’re going down with me”

“Well, well. This is the greatest game I’ve ever seen.” Jongdae’s laugh echoed in the stadium amidst the professor’s frowns. They were all chanting their spells, trying to find what was wrong with the three balls but were finding nothing.

“Now recapping for all who were sleeping: Gryffindor’s leading a hundred and twenty over ninety and there are less than ten minutes until the match’s over. The Quaffle is now in no one’s possession and trying to decapitate Park Chanyeol, one Bludger is glued to Han’s and the other to his face and Oh Sehun is now fighting the Golden Snitch which apparently has taken out its teeth. What a game, ladies and gentlemen, what a bloody game!”

Kyungsoo stood with bated breath alongside all the students on the stalls as on the filed the players were now recreating a full-on battle against the three magical balls and still trying to push the game forward, all beaded with sweat, tears and possibly some blood. No one wanted to give up, encouraged by their captain’s battle cries.

This was not a Quidditch game anymore, this was war.

“Five minutes left and Kris is shielding Park’s head with Byun’s bat while the Slytherin team is now trying to capture one of the Bludgers with a surrounding maneuver. Maybe they can… wait, is that Oh Sehun on the ground?”

In the heat of the final moments nobody had seen the seeker’s body coming to a halt on the hard ground below , drenched in rain as the atmospheric spell had vanished, clutching his stomach.

Immediately the fist-aid team went out in the field, wand raised, but as the lanky Slytherin stood up and shot a hand upward, cheers of victory erupted from the stalls, deafening every other sound: trapped in Sehun’s bloodied fingers, was the golden Snitch.

Slytherin had won.

And as all his teammates came down to hug him and Jongdae’s voice read the final score, he felt his feet tripping and suddenly all began spinning, until the blackness swallowed him whole.

***

Kyungsoo was back in the common room, wrapped in the thickest blanket he could found. Chanyeol was fast asleep with his head on his lap, white bandages hiding the bruises on his forehead. On the other side of the room, Baekhyun was playing chess with another student, waiting for the bone-healing potion to work under the loose binds on his arm.

Nobody was talking, not only because of Slytherin’s victory, but because they were all tired to the bone. Their muscles were frozen and their minds fuzzy with fatigue, but no one dared to get up before Kris.

He sat on one of the armchairs with an ice bag hovering above his legs and an enchanted hand-warmer between his fingers. Junmyeon had come to the common room earlier that evening to give it to him, worried about his condition. But just as Kris as murmured, physically he was fine.

It was not his tattered body he was worried about, that would eventually heal; it was the implication of the loss: he had not only lost the match, but also his bet with Tao. Which meant being his slave for a day.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a long sigh. He was so not ready for tomorrow.

Kyungsoo, on the other hand, had different thoughts racing though his mind: what had really happened that afternoon on that field? Had someone really pulled a mere prank and rigged the game? But who would do something so dangerous and harmful to both the team in question?

He had so many questions but little answers. When he had asked the professors, right after the game, they had dismissed him with a meek smile saying they would soon catch the culprit and that there was nothing to be worried about, but as soon as they had gotten back to their dormitory, an announcement had shaken the hallways of the castle:

“Attention all students, professor Park speaking. For security reasons, until we find the culprit of today’s vandal act, you are from now on required to never be alone in the hallways and it will be strictly forbidden to be out of bed after ten p.m.

If you hear, see or even feel something out of the ordinary, please warn the nearest teacher or prefect and leave it to us. Never act alone or without a teacher, understood? I wish you a pleasant night”

As Kyungsoo gently Chanyeol cheek, wrapping a lock of his hair around his finger, he wondered if it really had been a good idea coming to Hogwarts. Were happenings like those something ordinary for wizards? But as soon as the thought formed in his mind, Chanyeol slowly opened his eyes and turned his face to him with a sleepy smile, still dazed from the weird potion he had taken for the bruises.

“Hi Soo” he croaked, burying his face in his friend’s stomach “I feel kind of wobbly. Can you carry me to bed?”

Kyungsoo broke into a laugh, finally stuffing away all those bad thoughts. 

“Yeol, you are twice as tall as me. Do you really think I could carry you anywhere?”

Chanyeol followed his laugh and wrapped his hands around his waist.

“You could try” his voice suddenly dropped to a murmur “Hey, do you think Baekhyun is mad at me?”

Kyungsoo shot a glance at said Gryffindor who was now yawning loudly in his seat, pouting over the loss of his Bishop.

“Why do you ask?”

“Well, he’s really passionate about Quidditch and I wanted to impress him but I only made a mess. He yelled at me and we haven’t talked since. I… What do I do now, Soo?”

Kyungsoo smoothed his friends worry with his fingers, gently massaging his scalp.

“Don’t worry. It wasn’t your fault at all and he knows it. I’m sure he’s just very tired. Plus, you’re on my lap and not his, I would be jealous” he added with a smirk.

“Soo!” Chanyeol squealed, hitting him lightly with his hand, but a smile was back on his lips. “I’ll talk to him tomorrow, right now the only thing I crave is my bed”

A loud noise cracked the silence of the room, capturing everyone’s attention: Kris had gotten up, eyes focused on his team.

“Guys, today we lost, but we all know something was going on. The game was rigged and I promise you as your captain, a prefect, and just as a Gryffindor that I’m going to get to the bottom of this.” weak applause filled the common room, making Kris smile softly “Now sleep well, tomorrow morning we all still have practice”

Amidst the team’s moans and whines, Kris walked away to his room, leaving a trail of worried looks behind him.

“Something is wrong with him” murmured Chanyeol, trying to stay awake.

“Jongdae says he heard someone talking about a bet with Tao, but I don’t know for sure.”

“If Tao’s involved, be sure Kris is not going to sleep tonight”

Kyungsoo was tired. After all that cheering and being out in the cold outside he felt his body growing heavier and heavier. His eyes were starting to close on their own, his hands slowly halting among his friend’s curls.

“I’m just going to nap for a few minutes, then I’ll help Chanyeol to his room” he thought.

Next thing he knew he was in his bed, neatly tucked in his covers, and smiled. A friend like Chanyeol came once in a lifetime.

That night, he dreamt of wildflowers.

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Hi everyone, long time no seee! I'm finally on Uni break, well, sort of... Still dying, just a little less. But I'll try to write another chapter before the end of the month with maybe something Valentines themed coughs*I miss Kaisoo in my story *coughs. 

Anyway, I hope you like the new chapter. I'll try to edit it later so sorry if there are any errors or repetitions as I currently not have a Beta aside from my three a.m. self.

If you like the story so far and maybe you're intrigued to know what the hell is happening stay tuned peeps and await another intense Quidditch match and some more lovely Baek's pouts. (And maybe some more Jongdae, you never know).

Let me know what you think in the comments (Suggestions are highly encouraged) ^__^