[falmouth] the seekers are the sought [alex/quinn]

Although he had made excuses for missing Quinn's games in the past, now that he had tickets for the rest of the home matches of the season, Elias had a hard time justifying missing the opportunity to see his friend play. Even if it meant he would have to take a few extra hours on Sunday to catch up on the work he was putting off, it was thrilling to be climbing ever higher in the Falcons' stands, looking for the seat that Quinn had chosen for him. As he approached the top level, it became clear that she had reserved a place for him in one of the highest boxes. It made sense that the Falcons' seeker should have access to tickets for some of the best seats in the stadium, but it still inflated his ego a bit as he sat down in one of the posh seats, feeling rather important to be sitting in a box reserved for guests of the players themselves.

Elias removed his jacket but kept the Falcons scarf that Quinn had given him at Christmas on, in case there was any doubt about which team he would be supporting. He flicked through the program that he had bought earlier, pausing to read the biographies of each of the players in turn. He smiled when he reached Quinn's, enjoying reading the list of her accomplishments. He really hoped to be able to see her play in a national match sometime soon.

He looked up when the players names were announced, and clapped enthusiastically as each of the Falcons emerged from their locker rooms, flying over the crowd and waving. He winked and waved at Quinn as she sped by, though wasn't sure she had seen him, being understandably focused on the match that was about to begin. As the players landed for their final pre-match talk, he looked around for the first time at the others who were seated in the box. The seats on either side of him were unoccupied, but a man was seated behind him, also alone, so Elias reached out and offered his hand. "A fellow Falcons fan?" he asked politely, perfectly comfortable introducing himself to a stranger. "I'm Elias Dörfler."


@Alex Regan

Alex climbed to the seat he’d been assigned near the top of the stands. He did it with a spring in his step. It was about time he’d made it out to support his sister, and he’d woken up that morning itching to do something. Breathing a little hard—goodness he was out of shape—he reached the top and sat in his seat, glancing around at some of the friends and relations he recognized as regulars.

It had been too long and he was ready. Quidditch matches weren’t usually a chore. As little as he actually followed the teams or the players, watching the sport played was fun. He relished the chance to throw his support behind something, get into it. Especially as meaningless as it all was. He was used to life and death in his line of work, winning and losing was a bit of a vacation.

Mildly disappointing, though, was the fact that Quinn didn’t happen to be playing against Oliver Wood this week, which he’d have actually paid to see. Nobody had gotten Quinn this flustered in a while. Alex had fluctuated from jealous to giddy and back and forth, but these days he was just interested to see how things turned out between them. He’d let it affect him later, when everything had run its course and she was ready to drink away his memory. Or when they were married.

He glanced over at the sound of footsteps: a tall man with a jawline so sharp it could cut glass had joined the occupants of the top box. Alex let his eyes linger until the man chose a seat directly in front of him and looked straight ahead, making checking him out impossible.

Settling back into his seat until the match started, Alex idly watched the opposing team and the rest of the Falcons whoosh by on their lap around the field. As Quinn passed them, he brought two fingers to his mouth for a loud, lazy whistle. At the same time he noticed the man in front of him wave. Alex raised his eyebrows. He’d never met this friend of Quinn’s before.

He was deciding how to introduce himself when the man started looking around and spotted him. Alex straightened up as he extended a hand and a question. “Oh, by association, I figure,” he said, firmly shaking the proffered hand and grinning broadly. “Alex Regan.” There was a shout from the pitch as the players took off, and he watched Elias’s eyes flick to Quinn again. “She’s my sister,” he said. “But I can’t figure out how she knows you.”

Elias laughed good-naturedly at Alex's introduction, and was pleased to see that the man he had chosen to introduce himself to seemed perfectly comfortable talking to him.

"It's very nice to meet you, Alex," he replied promptly, offering a smile of his own in return. The players had kicked off, and Elias looked for a moment back out at the pitch, searching for Quinn. His eyes landed on his friend for a moment before flicking back to Alex. "Your sister?" he answered in surprise. Quinn had never mentioned having a brother, but he had no reason at all to doubt that the man was telling the truth. Now that he thought about it, he and Quinn spent most of their time talking about themselves and quidditch. That was just the nature of their friendship.

"We met a few years back at a pub, actually," Elias replied with a laugh. "A friend dared me to go ask for her autograph and we ended up becoming friends. I think she just keeps me around now so that she has someone to get inside information on the German team for her." He chuckled again at his lame joke and looked back out at the pitch. Quinn and the other seeker were circling above the action, searching for the snitch and making what he could only assume were snide remarks at one another every time they came within hearing range.

Just as he turned back to ask Alex a question, a loud mix of cheering and booing erupted from the stands around him. Elias whipped his head around in time to see one of the Falcons chasers waved in response to the noise, having just scored the first goal of the match. Elias clapped appreciatively, and laughed when he saw Quinn's triumphant expression.

"I've only seen her play a few times before, and this is the first time this season. It's hard to get away from work, especially this past year. You must see her fly a lot more, though, being her brother." Elias was looking back at him with interest again now that the excitement had passed. It was hard to imagine what growing up with Quinn would be like. He was the oldest of his siblings and had always been the example-setter, never worrying about being in a sibling's shadow. "Have you made it to a lot of matches?"

He chuckled as the game began. “You probably were on her good side from the start just for being a fan,” he said. Though his conceited streak was just as strong as his sister’s, it was hard to pass up the opportunity to mock her for it all the same. “Though a bit of information on the competition would certainly help endear her more. Do you play?” Alex grinned. “Forgive me if you’re famous. I don’t follow many players I’m not related to.”

A Falcons goal was announced, and his attention flicked back up to the pitch. He was supposed to be here for Quinn, and instead of watching her fly he was chatting up her cute friend. Managing to get in some clapping before the excitement died down, he decided to keep his eyes on the game more from now on.

“Oh, not as much as I should,” he said, searching for the number on the back of Quinn’s robes on one of the speeding players “Lately, anyway. I came a fair bit when she started with the Falcons, and a couple times when she was in Braga. But work, like you said.” The Hogwarts ordeal had no place in friendly quidditch match conversation, so he neglected to go into details.

He watched one of the Ballycastle chasers score, and another quickly after, placing them ahead. “I have heard their record hasn’t been great this season,” he said, turning back to Elias with a rueful laugh. “Thought I might be a good-luck charm, but we may be in for a really depressing match.”

He eyed the empty seats next to the other man. Carefully planning out the movement for a moment to avoid getting his foot stuck anywhere, Alex climbed down to sit at Elias’s left. “Hope you don’t mind,” he said cheerfully as he settled, and flashed him a smile. “It was a bit lonely back there.”

It wasn't often that Elias was mistaken for an international quidditch player, but he liked the feeling. He laughed and shook his head in mock sadness. "I wish," he replied. "but the closest I've gotten to playing for Germany was when I worked with the team back in Berlin, at the German Ministry. No, just a fan. Though I played in school, and still recreationally." Although he was far from a famous quidditch player himself, Elias drew some satisfaction from the fact that he interacted with the pros often: back in his days at the Department of Magical Games and Sports professionally and now, as a friend.

Elias nodded sympathetically at Alex's mention of work, trying to split his attention between watching Quinn fly and listen to his new friend talk about himself. These were crucial moments for making a good impression, the things that a new connection would remember in future encounters. It was a good thing he had woken up with plenty of time to magically trim his hair. All the same, he had a feeling Quinn would be displeased if he had used the ticket she had given him to focus on her brother instead of on her spectacular performance.

"It hasn't been their best season," he agreed sadly. It wasn't as if he were actually a huge Falcons fan himself, being much more interested in the Germanic league, but he was a fan of Quinn. Plus, when she did well, that meant they had a reason to celebrate. "She had a really spectacular catch a few games ago, but of course I missed it. I think I made it up to her, though," he added with a grin. He knew he couldn't disclose the full details of exactly what he had done for his friend, but it still felt good to have been of service.

The Falcons scored again, bringing it back to a tie score. "This might turn out to be a really close match," he mused as a Ballycastle chaser shot and missed, having been distracted by a bludger flying by. Elias was on the verge of getting totally absorbed into the game again when Alex climbed into the seat next to him. "Not at all!" he answered, returning the smile. "Easier to focus on you without Quinn noticing this way." It was a joke, of course; he knew Quinn was more focused on the snitch than on watching the movements of two fans in a mostly-full stadium.

"So you said you don't see her play often, but do you get to see her much at all? I know she has a busy schedule, but I'm guessing she can fit her brother in, at least once in a while."

“You sound like quite the professional,” said Alex, eyeing Elias approvingly. “What brings you so far from home?” His only real traveling had been because some relative or another lived someplace; he couldn’t imagine living and working in a foreign country without a similar reason. “Picturesque landscapes? Handsome populace?”

Elias mentioned a high point of the season, and Alex gave him an amused grin. “I just heard about the bludger to the face. She was in a right state after that one.” His companion’s next words, however, were dripping with some kind of juicy story. “Mm?” He’d have assumed it was a sex thing if not for his sister’s recent Oliver Wood preoccupation. “Well, now I’m curious,” he said. “It takes some creativity to get yourself back in her good books.”

In his new seat, Alex glanced down coyly as he laughed. If that remark hadn’t been flirty he’d eat his hat. “That was a bit of it, yeah,” he admitted with a small smirk. “If she thinks I’d rather talk to you than watch her fly, I’m in for it.” He leaned in a little closer, lowering his voice. “I’ll take the risk.”

The other man asked about his relationship with Quinn then, and he swelled a little with pride. “Oh, whenever I can,” he replied, again omitting his lackluster performance as a brother post-dome. “She’ll never tell, but I’m her favorite.”

Elias smiled at the flattery, glad he had been able to make a good impression despite the fact that he was dividing his attention between two siblings. "I used to work in Berlin, for the German Ministry, but I applied to be transferred to London. I guess after being at Hogwarts for a year, I was eager to come back." It wasn't the total truth -- Elias had been getting no where with his colleagues in Berlin, and he had been eager for a restart. All the same, he had made quite a few friends during his year studying abroad and it had been wonderful to settle back into things. Plus he was unique here, foreign; different from back home where he was associated with his father all the time instead of recognized for his own work.

"Er, yes," Elias replied awkwardly. "Fortunately, I missed that match as well. I don't think she would have been pleased if either of us had witnessed that oarticular defeat." He completely sympathized with Quinn in that regard; making mistakes was horrible enough without it being in public. "I think she's determined to win this one, though. So I'm guessing she won't be too upset with us for attending and witnessing a spectacular catch."

Alex's reaction to his comment about making it up to Quinn had him immediately regretting bringing it up. His new friend was clearly intrigued by his comment and, truth be told, he was eager to talk about it, feeling that he hadn't really received the proper thanks from either Oliver or Quinn for setting them up in the first place. He could tell Alex would be impressed with the story, but he had promised not to say anything. "If I could tell you, I would," he told him seriously. "But I have a feeling Quinn would kill me." He decided to leave it at that, and let her brother's imagination run wild. He'd just have to tell someone who neither player and didn't care in the least about Quidditch so he could be recognized for his job well done. Maybe his mother.

Elias eyed the other man as he leaned in a bit closer, as though he were letting him in on some secret. He laughed lightly even though he didn't quite get the joke, but certainly could understand his hesitation at being found out: Quinn had been gracious enough to give them the tickets, and he was sure she would have some choice words (and hexes) for them, should she notice they had spent the game chatting and networking rather than watching her fly.

"Ah, I believe it," Elias agreed. He could picture Quinn and Alex together easily now that he knew they were siblings: they both seemed quite social and fun, and though he didn't know any of her other siblings, it was easy to imagine them being close. "I have two younger sisters, though they both live in Germany. We hardly ever seen one another," he added sadly. It must be nice for Alex to be able to check in on his sister whenever he wanted. Elias had to rely on letters most of the time when it came to Maja, and updates from his parents about Lea, who essentially never wrote.

“Oh, were you there for the Tournament?” asked Alex. “I’m glad we didn’t spend all year on our best behavior for nothing.” He’d never imagined any foreigner who witnessed the end of that year would ever be in a hurry to come back. “Beauxbatons or Durmstrang?” he asked over fresh cheers from the opponent’s side of the stands. He really had no idea where Germans got sent. Either way, he was wondering how he’d managed to overlook Elias that year. That had been when he’d started to really take note of his handsomer peers. Maybe Elias had looked quite different in school.

Despite the Bats’ last score, the Falcons were pulling ahead. Quinn, however, was still circling, and so was the other seeker, no sign of the snitch so far. Alex watched her drift for a few seconds. He’d never understood how she could want to spend her life searching for balls the size of walnuts, but that was her business. “Yeah,” he said with a laugh. “The more she loses, the angrier she gets and the harder she tries. I’m sure she’ll give us something to see.” In response to his curiosity, though, Elias gave no hints. “Ah, a secret,” Alex laughed. “Hate those.”

Elias only responded to his overture with a small laugh, nothing to indicate any mutuality to the flirtation, so he pulled back, disappointedly forgoing anything even less subtle. “We’ve got five other siblings,” he said. “And cousins coming out of our ears besides. Half the people you’ll meet on the street are probably related to us somehow.” He smiled sympathetically. “Now that Quinn’s back in the country, I’m glad I get to keep tabs on everyone pretty easily. Especially because most of them are still at Hogwarts—I’m sure you heard what happened there this year.” He was hoping they wouldn’t get too deeply into it. They were at a quidditch match, after all.

"Yes, I stayed through the end of the second task," he replied, delicately avoiding the awkward subject of the Hogwarts champion's death that had occurred at the end of the year. "I decided to return to Durmstrang after Easter to prepare for my exams," he explained, answering both the direct question and that which he expected would follow. Thankfully, the sticky subject was easily put aside when a new wave of cheers erupted from the stands. He was glad of the distraction, though unhappy to see that it was not the Falcons who had scored. He really wasn't keeping up well with the match.

Elias laughed too, smiling again at Alex. He was glad that Alex seemed to have a knack for keeping the conversation light and cheery, a trait he really appreciated in others. There were times when it was nice to sit with a friend and discuss something serious over a beer, but most of the time he really preferred to just get along and focus on the easier things. "Me too," he agreed heartily. He really did wish he could tell Alex about Oliver; it would be nice to have someone to discuss it with. Partly because he wanted someone to congratulate him on his excellent match-making, and partly because it would be convenient to have a friend whose apartment he could escape to without explanation whenever Quinn was walking around pants-less in his apartment.

"Ah," he replied sympathetically to Alex's comment about being related to almost everyone he met. "I luckily escaped that problem when I left the continent. It's nice not to have to worry if I'm distantly related to someone I meet." He knew how awkward it could be to introduce yourself to someone new, only to find out they were a third cousin once removed or some other impossible-to-keep-track-of relative who had known you since birth.

He nodded seriously when Alex brought up the dome, glad that another score and more applause gave him a chance to think carefully of his answer. "Yes, she mentioned that she went up to visit her family as soon as the dome came down. I had no family trapped, of course, but several friends. I was lucky they all made it out alright, in the end." The finer details could be left out of the conversation. "It was a nightmare for us at the Ministry, though it was nothing, I'm sure, compared to what everyone trapped at the school had to deal with. I'm just relieved the school is closer to safe again." Surely nothing there could be interpreted as insensitive? He wasn't sure exactly what Quinn and Alex's family situation was in regards to the dome; only that they had now both mentioned having several relatives stuck inside.

Alex nodded, a sympathetic smile on his face. “Good timing.” That was the only concession to seriousness he was willing to make. He smiled more earnestly then. “Most of the year was great fun, wasn’t it? Of course, Quinn couldn’t stand for no quidditch, so I don’t think she had as good a time, but I enjoyed it.” There was a small part of him that was fond of pomp and circumstance. And a larger one very fond of dancing.

He pulled his eyes from Quinn at Elias’s laugh. Despite his companion’s apparent lack of interest, Alex was finding it difficult not to respond to him flirtatiously. “Well,” he said with a wink, “I’m an excellent secret-keeper, if you’re ever inclined.” It was a mild exaggeration, but at this point he was curious enough to say anything. The more resolutely Elias remained tight-lipped, the more his expectations grew about the juiciness of the thing. Though perhaps that was the fun of it, he considered. Surely by this point the reveal would be nothing but disappointing. He liked that something secret hung between them, some cheeky mystery.

“I can’t say I’ve ever really worried about it in that way,” replied Alex, wrinkling his nose then laughing. “I’ll have to start checking family trees before I get my trousers off for anyone now.” Leaning over his seat’s armrest with his chin rested rakishly in one hand, he glanced up at Quinn again and gave a faux-wistful sigh. “Suppose that’s life when you’re pureblood, isn’t it.”

Alex kept his eyes away as Elias replied to his comment about Hogwarts. “Yeah,” he said. “It wasn’t that bad, until the last month, but that felt like a year unto itself.” He realized then that he’d never implicated himself in the dome debacle. He was so used to everyone who brought up the subject knowing everything already. “I’m an auror, see,” he said, turning back in Eli’s direction but not meeting his eyes. “When I heard about the fire, well, half my family’s there, I had to go. Stayed on to help manage things, and then it was too late, of course.”

He was saved from trying to bridge the gap back into cheerful conversation when the announcer said something about seeker Regan. Looking up to search for Quinn, he found her in some kind of an argument with another player, gesturing angrily from her broom. “Oh, hell,” he said, amusement creeping back into his tone. “What’s she done now?”

Quinn Regan hated to lose, but damn, if losing wasn't some of the greatest motivation there was. The bludger to the face in her last match and subsequent forfeiture due to unconsciousness was right near the top of the list of great motivators and she was ready to put those extra hours of training to good use. She was focused, anxious, and more than ready to catch the snitch as soon as the match started.

The Bats' seeker started circling in the opposite direction, and neither seeker failed to lob insults at each other whenever they were close enough. With each pass, he got just a bit closer, always managing to match her elevation, no matter how much she was varying it. It was the ninth or tenth time around when he was flying straight towards her. Neither of them wanted to move out of the way for the other. And why should she? This was her pitch, damn it.

But she ducked out of the way at the last second, not wanting to have a repeat of the last match and end up unconscious on the ground. Her elbow caught what was hopefully his face but was more likely his shoulder and a blissful second went by before she heard the shrill cry of the whistle. She barely heard the announced words of "Foul" and "Regan" over her own cries of protest, aimed at anyone within earshot.

"Oi he came at me first! I was just defending myself!" she yelled at the referee, her accent getting thicker the angrier she got. But the referee either didn't hear her over the roar of the crowd or he didn't care; he signaled for a penalty shot for the Bats. Quinn hurled a string of Irish expletives at the other seeker who was looking quite smug, being sure to include curses for every single member of his family. Northern trash. She didn't pay attention to the chaser that took the shot, rather holding her broom still, yelling at the other seeker, and still looking around for the snitch, which definitely did not stop flying around when a penalty shot was underway.

She was off again as soon as she heard the next whistle, resuming her search for that spot of gold. She was going to catch this snitch and then she was going to shove it in that seeker's face. Literally.

An excellent secret-keeper? Elias was tempted, easily charmed by Alex's easy-going manner and the idea of finally getting the matter off of his chest. He really hadn't had anyone to talk with it about; the only two in on the secret were Quinn and Oliver themselves, and they were both too busy spending time with one another to be discussing their relationship with him. Besides, he would probably end up unearthing some unsavory details about how they spent the majority of their time, and he was perfectly fine leaving that particular door shut.

But his loyalty won out in the end, and he merely smiled at Alex. "I'm sure Quinn won't be able to keep it to herself for long, anyway," he pointed out, hoping this would be enough. Maybe Alex would redirect his attempts to uncover the information toward Quinn and let Elias keep his own conscience clear.

He shuddered slightly at the way Alex had interpreted his comment about purebloods. He definitely had not meant it in that way, though of course his new friend was absolutely right. The idea made him recognize suddenly that he was perhaps luckier than he had thought to have had a future fiancee hand-picked for him by his parents; at least this way, he could be sure that the family tree homework had all been done well ahead of time. "I suppose so," he agreed, glad to have found a positive way to look at his situation. "I guess this is why they put so much thought into pairing us all up." Now that he had shared the news with someone after months of keeping it to himself, it was getting easier to talk about.

But apparently Elias wasn't the only one hinting at oddly personal subjects. He noticed the way Alex failed to make eye contact as he spoke, and realized how universally difficult a subject it was for those who had been in the dome. Well, that certainly explained Quinn's relief after the fact; she had multiple siblings trapped there, and some of them even there for the express purpose of standing between the students and their attackers.

"I can only imagine how horrible it must have been," he replied honestly. Though he was curious, everyone he knew was reluctant to talk about the details of their time at Hogwarts. "At least you can look back and know you did the right thing, were there for your family and the students." Elias could hardly say as much for himself. Though he was lucky not to have lost family or friends from the ordeal, he was often bothered now by how he had stood by and allowed others to suffer without even really attempting to help.

Thankfully, Elias' attention was drawn away from the unpleasant subject by the announcement of a foul on Quinn. He looked up in surprise, feeling guilty for being more interested in the conversation than the match he had been personally invited to attend. It seemed that whatever had happened between Quinn and the other seeker, she was convinced of her innocence.

Elias let out a groan as the chaser for the Bats came forward to take a penalty shot and scored. "That can't be good for her temper," he commented as Quinn flew off again, still in search of the snitch. He loved quidditch, but was not a fan of dirty games like some of the other fans he knew. He really preferred to watch the players for their skill and the competition of it, not for whatever nasty moves they could get away with when the referee was looking the other way.

“Thank goodness my parents were never the type to try that sort of thing,” said Alex, sincerely grateful. His parents were fairly relaxed, as far as pureblood parents went, and generally let them make their own life decisions, which he, personally, appreciated very much. The look on Elias’s face, though, was much less thankful. Alex’s eyes widened as it dawned on him. “Oh, wow,” he said, careful not to be insensitive. This sort of thing was a touchy subject, especially across cultural borders. “I can’t even imagine.” He was terribly curious, to know what Elias thought about the situation, about whoever he’d been paired off with. But not everyone was as open as he could be. They weren’t close enough friends for that. Yet.

Elias soon got to return the sentiment. “I guess you’re right,” said Alex. Doing the right thing was a small comfort when it led him to bad things, but it was a comfort nonetheless. “I don’t know what I’d have done if I hadn’t been there.” He looked down at his knee, not really wanting to explore the subject any further. Alex wasn’t any more comfortable with his own emotions than with anyone else’s.

He was saved by the announcement of a foul. They both looked up to where his sister was hovering. Quinn appeared to be fuming, and to his amusement Alex caught a couple rude Irish words over the wind. Quidditch was always better when the players got angry. “Now she’ll have to beat him,” he said, flashing Elias an grin. “This’ll be good.”

There. The snitch was hovering just above the heads of a group of visiting spectators. Quinn's gaze hardened as she leaned into her broom, flattening herself to it as much as possible. She wasn't about to risk looking behind her to gauge the whereabouts of that other friendly seeker, assuming he was still following close behind her like he had been since their collision earlier. The bludgers were no longer her responsibility to dodge, there was only the snitch.

As if it sensed her looking at it, the snitch took off again, but Quinn was quick to follow its change in direction. She leaned into her turn, gaining on the snitch with every passing second. She tuned out the noise of the crowd, the sounds coming from Byrne behind her (mostly sub-par insults, anyway), anything but the sound of the wind rushing past her ears. The last she had looked at the score, the Falcons were up by thirty points. This was the time to catch it. Byrne was too far behind her to be a threat.

Ten feet away, dive, eight feet, right turn, six feet, back up, four feet, Quinn outstretched her hand like she had done countless times before, willing her fingers to lengthen even the tiniest bit. Her chin was nearly resting on her broom handle, her upper body a finely tuned straight line.

She didn't know if she lost the feeling in her fingers before or after it happened. The tip of her middle finger had been inches from the snitch when suddenly, it wasn't there anymore. Not the snitch, but her finger. All her fingers, her entire hand, weren't hers any longer. She saw long, black fur and untrimmed nails, nothing like what she had entered the quidditch pitch with. Before she could draw any sort of conclusion about what was happening, the woman -- dog -- felt herself slipping from her broom, first to the right, then sliding off the back. Paws outstretched to grasp onto the twigs of her broom's tail, but the lack of opposable thumbs were quite the inconvenience. There was no use trying to grab her wand; all she could do was fall.

And fall she did. As the new Irish setter fell through the air, the Bats' seeker swooped in to grab the snitch, though somewhere in the back of her mind Quinn was hoping that whistle signaling the end of the match was actually the whistle of a spell aimed towards her to help her. But as she met the ground with a sickening crunch and blinding pain, all bets were off. She tried to roll over, to pick herself up at all, but her limbs were in all the wrong places.

She yelled at the first person she saw, someone in robes in Bats' colors running towards her, but all she could manage were some menacing sounding barks and a nip before thankfully passing out.

Despite Alex's obvious curiosity about the subject, Elias could do little more than nod. The subject wasn't one he brought up often. Though he was getting more used to mentioning it out loud and mastering the casual tone it required to bring up such a subject without raising suspicion, he still felt the tight feeling in his stomach and tension in his shoulders that accompanied the topic. It was harder than ever to convince himself that he was fine with the arrangement, but he was still holding on to the hope that when things finally moved forward and he met the girl, it would be much better than he had been imagining.

Quinn was obviously furious with the other seeker, the referee, and any of the other players nearby, but Elias couldn't quite bring himself to feel too sorry for her. The foul had been a welcome interruption from their overly-serious conversation and, as Alex pointed out, the game was likely to have more action now that the Falcons' seeker was out to get her revenge. Elias was hardly going to root for a dirty game, but he wanted to see Quinn do well and he certainly didn't want her to lose simply because the other seeker wasn't playing fairly.

When play resumed, Quinn was off again, hunting determinedly for the snitch. Hardly a few moments had passed -- not even enough time for the chasers to make an attempt on the goal hoops -- when Quinn suddenly flattened herself on her broom, hurtling toward the stands. The announcer was shouting excitedly over the screams of the crowd, and Elias stood up with the others in the box to get the best view of the game's most exciting moment.

But as Quinn's hand reached out toward the snitch, Elias' excitement and pride had transformed into confusion and horror. Moments before, where his friend had been, there was now the form of a black, long-haired creature. Elias stepped forward instinctively so that he was pressed up against the front edge of the box, but even though he was in one of the best and highest seats in the stand he was unable to make out the details of what had happened. He drew his wand at once, but before he had time to think of what spell might be helpful in this situation, the creature was hurtling toward the earth below. He let out a cry as she hit the ground seconds later, horrified.

"Where did she go? What happened?" His panicked questions were lost among the yells of the others in the box, the roar of the crowd, and the confused and amplified narration of the announcer.