Salvation | Severus Snape

Chapter 8 - Denying

As the time dated further into January, the Slytherins were seen chattering excitedly about their upcoming Quidditch match against Ravenclaw. The team was training especially hard this year, though this was a rescheduled competition as Draco Malfoy had a broken arm in the previous one, making it a Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff match instead. Severus hoped there wouldn't be another unexpected Dementor occurrence or anything else that would disrupt his house's game.

The anticipated day finally arrived. After making sure his team was good to go, he sat in the teacher's stand as usual. After the shrewd noise of Madam Hooch's whistle sounded, the players immediately shot off into the air, a flurry of dark green and blue mixing in the air. Adrian Pucey caught the Quaffle first, weaving right and left through the opposing team's defence. As the game took off, Severus felt a weight shift beside him. His mouth opened slightly when he realised who was next to him.

"What are you doing here?" he hissed.

"I just love how excited you are to see me, Severus!" Katherine uttered sarcastically, "I'm here to watch the game, genius."

She was met with an irritated glare. "I was under the impression that you wanted to stay hidden from everyone else," said Severus.

"Oh, I am. Nobody notices me in the stands, the fact that you've never seen me proves it. Honestly, you think I went all these years without attending a Quidditch match? Of course not, they're epic!" Boisterous cheers came from the Slytherin side as Marcus Flint flung the Quaffle into the hoop with a clean catapult. However, Randolph Burrows from the Ravenclaw team soon gained possession, zooming to the opposite side of the field. "Fifty-forty, huh... it's a close game today."

"Don't be daft, it'll be a definite win for Slytherin," he scoffed confidently, his obsidian eyes glued to the intense match. "Which team are you supporting anyway?"

"Neither..."

Severus turned his head to her. "So, not a Ravenclaw then? Not a shock considering how foolish you are." Not that he cared, he told himself.

She made to reply, but her voice was drowned by shrieks of fear as a Bludger narrowly missed the head of a Ravenclaw Seeker, who crashed into Adrian. They sent each other death stares before shoving one another and flying to catch the Quaffle, which had been intercepted by Roger Davis, the Ravenclaw Keeper.

"What?" he asked.

"Never mind," she said, shaking her head. They continued to watch the match unfold, Slytherin and Ravenclaw going head-to-head. Ravenclaw was now forty points ahead, but for a long while, none of the Chasers could get another goal in. The Beaters were smacking Bludgers frustratingly, especially the Slytherins, who were aggressively attempting to knock the other team off their brooms. However, Severus noticed that Draco appeared to be concentrating hard on something, his grey eyes squinting. Cho Chang was catching on, and sped off a second later, Draco hot on her trails. Both houses began to chant loudly, encouraging their respective teams.

The two Seekers flew side-by-side, trying to outspeed the other as they went after the Snitch. In the blink of an eye, Draco swooped upwards and jumped, snatching the golden ball. Cho, who had been reaching out for the Snitch right behind him, dropped her arm in defeat. When the audience had registered the sight of the Snitch fluttering furiously in his right hand, screams of victory rang from the Slytherin stands. Katherine heard Pansy's high pitched, "Go Draco! I knew you could do it!" and watched as scarves were thrown into the sky. Groans were heard from the Gryffindor side alongside the Ravenclaws as they realised they would be playing against Slytherin to win the House Cup.

"I told you," said Severus smugly, a hint of pride in his face as he stood to make his way to the field, where the players were beginning to descend. She climbed down as well, further behind him where the students wouldn't notice. Her eyes crinkled into a soft smile as she watched him congratulate the winning Quidditch team, then say something to Draco which made him grin and nod.