James could not remember ever being this nervous about a Quidditch match before. Even way back in his second year, when he had flown in his very first match, he had the utmost confidence in himself. He knew that he was an above average flier, and he had never failed to win for his team.
But today was different. He was facing Ravenclaw; their team wasn't as good as Gryffindor, but it wasn't the whole team he cared about. It was Aaron Anderson, their seeker. He wanted to beat him more than he had wanted to beat anyone in his entire life. It was one of those things that girls never understood about boys, it was a matter of pride. He absolutely had to win.
He clenched his broom and walked out onto the field with the rest of his team members, all dressed in scarlet and gold. The announcer called out their names, and when he shouted, "And Captain James Potter!" the sea of Gryffindor supporters erupted with the loudest welcoming for any of the players. This gave him a boost of confidence (as always) as he mounted and shook hands with Ravenclaw's captain. He glanced at Aaron in the back, who had a smug grin plastered across his chiseled face. James subconsciously took it out on the captain by accidentally giving him a handshake that made him clutch his hand in pain for a moment.
When the quaffle was released, James sped up into the air. It was a clear, sunny day- perfect playing conditions. James squinted around to see if he could find the Snitch. Aaron was on the other end of the pitch doing the exact same thing.
James spotted Lily. She was sitting with Alice in the Gryffindor stands, but her eyes were on Aaron. She was watching him in awe as he flew around, smiling.
“POTTER!” He heard Ophelia's voice yell at him.
James whipped around. He had been watching Lily for too long, and Aaron was in a dive. James sped up like a rocket and met up with him. Aaron looked over and smirked as he pulled up out of the dive- it was a trick.
But James was too smart for this- it was one of the oldest tricks in the book. He pulled up not a moment too soon, and rocketed gracefully back up to the sky. Aaron frowned at him and flew in the opposite direction. "Bastard," James thought angrily; he was even more determined now, and was willing to do anything to win.
Ravenclaw was ahead, but only by ten points. One more goal and they would be even, and if James caught the Snitch now, Gryffindor would win the match. He was desperate. He wanted more than anything to knock that smug look right off Aaron’s face.
Ophelia had scored a goal for Gryffindor, but a Ravenclaw chaser had rebutted with two goals of his own. James continued to soar around the stadium, but every time he thought he saw a glint of gold, it turned out to be someone’s wrist watch or glasses reflecting the sun.
And then, he saw it. Shimmery and gold, glinting in the sunlight. But he soon realized he wasn’t the only one; Aaron was soaring towards it. James was a little behind, but he was quicker and a lot smarter than Aaron. He sped up and began flying right alongside of Aaron, who refused to take his eyes off the snitch straight ahead to look at James. James, thinking quickly, used this to his advantage and cut Aaron off mid-flight, confusing him. As they both dove, he whipped around Aaron’s broom. Aaron was disoriented and lost his balance. He pulled away clumsily just as James clasped his hand around the tiny golden ball.
James threw his hands up into the air in triumph, his team zooming over to lift him up and do a victory lap. He had hardly remembered ever being this happy; not only had he secured his team a spot in the finals for the season, but he had humiliated Aaron Anderson, the dirty cheater that he was! Practically floating with excitement, James looked over at the stands where Lily was sitting, but she wasn't there. In fact, he noticed that half the crowd was on the pitch, running towards the middle.
Then, James saw it. When Aaron had pulled out of his dive, he had lost his balance and fallen. He was lying on the ground as teachers and students rushed to him.
James became light-headed and felt a deep twinge of guilt- he was the one who had made Aaron lose his balance, he was the one who had made him fall. He had wanted to beat him, not hurt him. He flew down, hoping that he was okay.
Through a sea of students, James could see Aaron’s lower half, lying in the grass. He could only hear whispers of broken sentences with words like "broken rib", "hospital" and "Madam Pomfrey".
James sighed. Aaron would be fine; James himself had suffered two broken ribs during his Quidditch career and was completely healed in less than twenty-four hours. He let relief sweep over him; until he saw Lily, that is. She was fawning over Aaron like he was an injured soldier.
“Oh, Aaron!” she was crying. “Are you okay, does it hurt an awful lot?”
Aaron winced. “I’ll be all right, don’t worry.”
Lily kissed his cheek as he was lifted to be taken to the hospital wing, then got up hurriedly to follow his magically levitating stretcher.
James couldn’t believe his luck. He had won, and Lily didn’t even care just because this prat had broken a stupid rib.
“Congratulations!” a Gryffindor boy yelled out enthusiastically at James as he made his way through the crowd. James only half- smiled.
All Right, Evans? by anglophile
Chapter Notes: Sorry that this is a bit short, but it's more of a continuation from last chapter... next chapter should be all long and proper though, so don't worry yourself (I realize that this chapter's length will cause many a sleepless night).