Across the Quidditch Pitch

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Chapter Fourteen: The Quidditch Final


The Great Hall was ablaze with shards of morning light speckling like wand sparks from the arched windows above. On one side streamed russet coloured red with golden yellow. And across the hall, at another table was sparkling silver and gleaming hues of green.

But Severus Snape was paying the atmosphere no mind. He hadn’t even touched his breakfast.

“What? Why aren’t you having the bacon and toast?” said Avery. Mulciber watched Snape beadily. “Can’t catch your tongue?” said Avery again.

“I’ve got things on my mind,” murmured Snape.

“Yeah, right,” said Mulciber with a gruff sardonic tone. “You don’t play. So what the deuce is eating you?”

Snape shrugged and forced himself to take a stab at an egg lying in a golden cup beside him.

But his hands went back underneath the table. He was gripping a flagon, a vat of some kind. Snape had not told anybody what he was doing. For the contents inside the container ashamed him deeply.

He eyed Lily Evans and her friends across the Great Hall. Turning her back in another direction, she started a conversation with some of her Hufflepuff acquaintances.

Snape rose rigidly from his seat at the benches. He kept his eyes fixated on Lily.

Before Mulciber or Avery could so much as ask a question, Snape had swept to the other side of the Great Hall. He pushed his way through a crowd of excited Gryffindors until he got near enough to Lily.

Snape looked around very stealthily with a shifty glance. Nobody was looking at him except Mulciber and Avery. And the Marauders weren’t in their usual places. As for the rest of them, it simply appeared that he was waiting for Lily to finish talking to the Hufflepuffs. It was now or never.

So Snape sat down at the Gryffindor table and pretended to help himself to some pumpkin juice. Next he took out the container he had hiding. It looked to be just another jug of Pumpkin Juice, as that was what the label said on it. He poured the liquid into Lily’s goblet. Smiling with a smug countenance, he would now simply wait for her to take another swig.

Loud laughter erupted right behind him. The Marauders had come sauntering in from the teacher’s entrance for Merlin only knows what reason. Snape assumed they were in trouble for another of their petty pranks.

Snape unfortunately had not anticipated them spying his deed from that direction. The Marauders came closer and Snape’s face only frowned deeper, so much so that he looked like his sallow skin had somehow bourne wrinkles. There was still the hope that they hadn’t seen him do it.

At the unmistakable sounds of Pettigrew’s watery squeals, Sirius’s roaring chuckles, and James’s arrogant banter, Lily turned around hastily.

“Hello, boys. Ready to play today, James?”

“Sure we are, Evans!”

“Good,” said Lily. Her finely manicured hands clasped around her golden goblet to take a sip of pumpkin juice. But James suddenly screamed in a panic, “Don’t drink it, Evans!”

“What?” said Lily.

“Snape slipped something into your drink. It happened just a second before we arrived.”

Lily looked at Snape, whose face was still in a dark frown. He couldn’t lie to Lily. “No…Even Snape wouldn’t do that. You’re lying!”

Snape almost smiled to hear Lily come to his defence again even if it was only indirectly. After all that had happened between them, it was wonderful to sense that their friendship might somehow be rekindled.

Remus put his hands on the goblet and peered down into it, looking thoughtful. He sniffed it, and then prodded his wand with it.

At Lupin’s spell, the pumpkin juice was simmering. The potion had been curdled underneath, now rose up to the surface. Spiraling shapes of fluffy white smoke rose in the air, like cirrus clouds, and the mixture turned a pearl-coloured sheen.

“I don’t believe it,” marveled Lupin, his eyes popping. “I don’t believe it! Severus put a love potion in your drink. It’s Amortentia.”

James's face quickly comprehended his pal's exclamations and his face clouded with dark anger. James looked positively dangerous. "You should be punished for this!"

Lupin intervened quickly. "I think Dumbledore is watching, yes." Lupin looked over his shoulder quickly. "He is....You know, he caned Sirius a few weeks ago for the Whomping Willow debacle...It looks like it's Snape's turn to feel the sting of the cane."

Everybody turned towards the staff table. Dumbledore was on his feet, no longer sitting in his reserved seat, looking sharp. It was plain that he was watching directly and catching onto the scene. Meanwhile, other students were discussing Snape and the connection with slipping Lily Evans a love potion. Or had he actually done it and Lily was under one already? Wild remours, mostly untrue began to circulate the hall.

Snape’s face went red with the pain of embarrassment and shame. James was laughing cruelly now. He had the nerve to sidle up to Snape, and sit at his side. “Not so subtle anymore are you Snivellus? Lost your touch? I’m actually surprised by you.”

“Shut-up Potter. I would curse you, if I knew I wouldn't be breaking more rules.” Snape was not going to take their insults lying down, even if he had been caught doing something foolish!

Sirius joined in, sitting next to Snape on the other side.

Wormtail was still standing behind them all, watching the scene with amusement.

“Have a look,” said Remus and he handed the goblet to Lily. As she was a dab hand at Potions, she was sure it was Amortentia once she observed the physical characteristics.

She handed the goblet back to Lupin. The Prefect took it and said nonchalantly, “Love potions are against the rules.” And Lupin siphoned the mixture away with his wand.

Lily had not said anything, but was merely staring at Snape with mute disgust. Lupin asked musingly as if Snape wasn’t even present, “But what would drive him do it?”

Peter spoke up first. “Ah, it’s simple. He’s desperate. There isn’t a girl who would willingly go with Snivellus to the dance…. So he thought he’d try love potions!”

“I think you’re right, Peter,” said Sirius, nodding in agreement. Peter smiled ingratiatingly at Sirius.

And Snape retorted, instantly on the defensive. “I don’t care for any of the girls you go out with, Black! Lily’s the best girl…But she won’t date any of you either!”

And for the first time ever Lily stooped low enough to join in with the taunting of Snape or what was now perhaps Snivellus even to her. It was the ultimate sign that she forever wanted him out of her life. And yet all she did was laugh and spitefully said, “Too late, Snape. I’ve already got a date.”

After experiencing a pang of jealously for whatever bloke was taking Lily, Snape bolted up to make his escape. But somebody else was swaggering over to the group: Mulciber. Snape decided to wait and see what he would do.

Mulciber had heard what had occurred. He nodded affably at Snape. But then diverted the attention away from him. He maneuvered his way closest to Mary. His face was painted green for Slytherin. It made Mulciber look more monstrous than ever. “Hope you fall off your broom today! You dirty whore. Maybe you can use your wiles to win the match.”

Mary’s brow furrowed in confusion. She didn’t understand why he couldn’t leave her alone; it didn’t seem like mere house rivalry, although it was true that Mary was a Chaser for the Gryffindor team. “Go away! You nasty boy. You’re the disgusting one!”

Sirius sprung towards Mulciber and grabbed the collar of his crisp linen shirt, underneath Mulciber’s robes. “You touch her again, Mulciber and I’ll-I’ll kill you!”

Mulciber laughed humorlessly. But he was merely concealing his fear. Truth was something about Black’s threat seemed too genuine to dismiss.

James went up behind Sirius. “Don’t worry. I’m backing you, mate.” At these words Snape was reminded of Mulciber’s complete lack of solidarity when he had wanted to duel Regulus. It made him resentful to see that James and Sirius had a stronger friendship than he had Mulciber.

Sirius finally relinquished his hold on Mulciber’s straining throat. Mulciber looked fit to bursting with rage but would do nothing when it was he versus at least four of them.

“Get away from our table! You fag!” snarled Sirius. And now at Sirius’s outburst most of the Great Hall was staring at them all. As a final farewell, Sirius spat at Mulciber’s feet.

Snape and Mulciber stole away from them and within a few seconds everybody else went back to their meal. Snape distinctly heard Lily’s tinkling laugh and her commenting, “Really! He should be expelled for trying that on me! I’d never of thought it of Severus.” Lily saw it as the final gesture, a gauche attempt to woo her. It was pathetic and even droll.

Snape hated to hear this. He’d rather have Lily complain about it in a heated confrontation. It was worse how she was so unfazed that she was taking it as a laugh, and thus reducing Snape to someone to ignore.

Snape who could detect a person’s glare from all the way across a room, felt somebody’s piercing gaze on his back. He turned and looked up.

The headmaster was looking straight at him. Snape could not tell if he was angry, but he looked to say the least, cold and disapproving. No doubt he listened to the spectacle, it had certainly drawn attention. Snape was sure Dumbledore would learn later of what he’d attempted to give to to Lily. Snape was certain he’d be punished for it during Dumbledore’s detention. He assumed he’d be getting caned again. Brewing a love potion was a serious disregard for the rules.

Resignedly, Snape turned to his blank piles of parchment. With quill and ink he started on a picture of a snake. It looked like the serpent worn by those with the Dark Mark on their forearms. From across the table he occasionally looked up and stared at Lily.

Several minutes later breakfast ended. The throng of students and staff left the Great Hall. The crowd teemed down the front steps and then proceeded to march onto the field. There was something feverish about the crowd’s mentality today. It wasn’t going to be an ordinary game.


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