first match
Saturday 11th November
When he had gotten word of madam Hooch, she had confirmed that he was allowed to join the team. The next few weeks consisted of classes and training in his free time.
Today would be the first match, Slytherin- Hufflepuff.
Hufflepuffs were often underestimated when it came to Quidditch, the game was known to get a bit brutal from time to time, and hufflepuffs were known as the sweet caring people.
But one of the most important parts of quidditch was the bond with other team members, something hufflepuff has plenty, and Slytherin lacks.
Slytherins on the other hand don't easily give up on things, which has proven to be usefull.
Though he felt like they had a good chance of winning, hufflepuffs were an opponent to look out for. Just like the other houses really.
It was lunch time, in three hours the match would start.
He was so lost in his mind that he hadn't seen Sirius walking over to him, Potter stood beside him.
“You're a first year.”
“Oh really I hadn't noticed.” Regulus replied, trying to stay calm. It was the first time he had talked to Sirius in two and a half months.
“You're a first year, they don’t let first years on the quidditch team.”
“Always a first for everything, right?” he said forsing himself not to start grinning.
“Your parents were a part of this right? Using their power.” Sirius questioned. "You really have to be better than me in everything? Making sure our dear mommy still loves you most.”
“I didn't ask for the spot they offered me it. And our parents have nothing to do with this.” he started felling the anger rising. He continued raising his voice, “You're the one testing your limits, not me. you're the one who makes our parents angry, not me. it's your decision to do that, not mine. They don’t get angry at you for not being me. They get angry at you for being you. Why don't you get that?"
He stood up feeling his anger rising as he stood up and spoke louder again,
"I didn’t do anything wrong! So don't act like everything's my fault when you're annoyed because she doesn't fucking love you!”
A deafening silence. Sirius's eyes widened. A realization. “Sirius.”
Some people had turned around to see what was going on. Regulus wanted to leave.
“I'm your brother. Reg.”
“don't call me that.”
“Why didn't you tell me about the team?”
“Would you have cared?” Regulus spoke coldly looking Sirius right in the eye.
Sirius seemed to have no reply to that. Good. Let him think about that.
“You think I don’t care?” Sirius spoke with a small voice.
That was not what regulus expected.
Sirius spoke again “you really do. Don’t you? Did they tell you that?”
“who? Our parents? You really think they had to?”
Sirius looked genually hurt, Regulus didn't like it.
“Regulus.”
“no Sirius. If you cared you woud've asked how I was doing. When you came back. You came back, but you never came home. Did you?
Sirius opened his mouth, just to close it again. Processing everything.
Regulus turned on his feet, and walked away.
His team flew to their position, getting ready for the match.
In the beginning it sarted slow, Hooch blew on her wistle throwing the quaffle up.
Regulus felt the rest of the world fall away, looking around for the snitch.
Hufflepuff scored first, then Slytherin.
Ten points per time you scored. So it was 10-10.
When slytherin scored a second time something in the atmosphere changed.
The hufflepuffs moving quickly, cooperating like it was the easiest task in the world. They scored again, and again.
The other slytherins got stressed, it only worked against them, they got sloppier. Trying so hard to pay attention to everyting that they couldn't keep up.
The hufflepuffs took advantage of every opportunity they saw.
They were ruthless.
Regulus spotted a hint of gold when the score was 140-10.
How were they this much behind?! He had to catch the snitch now, when he did he would earn the team 150 points, still enough to win the game. If he was quick.
The seeker from hufflepuff had not yet noticed it.
So, Regulus gained speed and got close to the little ball.
He heard the commenter, “ Black seems to have spotted the snitch! Slytherin still has the chance to win! If he's fast, because Hufflepuff has scored again!”
The hufflepuff seeker closed in on him, stretching his arm. But Regulus was faster. Just a little bit. He had to win, he had to show Sirius that he had talent. That it wasn't because of his parents that he made the team.
Why was Sirius so important still? hadn't he just astablished he doesn’t care?
He felt the golden ball brush his fingertip.
He gained the little bit of extra speend he needed. When his hand closed around the orb it stopped flapping its wings. The world around him slowly came back to him.
People were cheering. His team mates came running to him.
“Regulus Black has caught the snitch! Slytherin wins”
He had won the game.
When he was walking back to the castle Pandora caught up on him.
“Regulus!”
“Oh, hey Pandora.”
“Why didn't you tell me you were on the quidditch team? You were amazing! I understand why they accepted you to join the team as a first year.”
“Why?”
Pandora looked shocked, “You don't understand how cool that was, do you? I haven't seen anyone fly like you. You can litterally see the concentration on your face, it's incredible!”
Regulus smiled at her.
“Oh regulus, you have to learn to acknowledge your worth.” after a second of thinking she added, “ Acknowledge yourself.”
She linked their arms walking back with him. They talked more about quidditch, they came to the conclusion that their opinions were almost exactly corresponded.
“I have to go, study some more. I hope I can see you more often, Regulus, I really miss you.”
"Same here Pandora.”
Barty and Evan came waling up to him as Pandora left.
“Who's that?” Barty asked.
“Pandora, she's one of the friends I made at the party.” regulus replied.
“You actually made friends? I thought you were making that up.”
“Why would I do that?”
“I don't know, you tell us.”
The three of them walked back to their dorm.
Coincidentally, dorcas was sitting on the couch in the common room.
“Hey Reggie!”
“Hey Dorcas.”
Barty stood there with wide eyes, as Evan spoke “How many friends did you make at that party?!”
But Dorcas replied for him “Oh, only twenty or so, nothing much.”
“Twenty!” Barty exlaimed.
“Wat can I say? Regulus is too amazing fo you two, so we had to do something about it.”
Regulus was laughing, barely getting any air.
“We're all cooler than you.” Dorcas added,which did not help with Regulus's lack of oxygen.
Regulus was about to die because of the face Barty pulled, he looked so offended.
“Don't worry Barty, I won't abandon you.” Evan said. He was always better at knowing when something was a joke.
“You better not.” Barty replied.
“Guys, this is dorcas, the only other person I talked to at the party.”
“Wait you didn't make twenty new friends?”
“No I didn't, and that means that there are eighteen people less that are cooler than you, than you thought a minute ago.”
“Oh, I didn't believe that in the first place, no one is cooler than me. Wait. Did you just call Dorcas and Pandora cooler than me?”
“I did.”
He got a pillow thrown at his head for that response.
Sunday 17th december
A little over a month had passed, not much had happened.
There was another quidditch house match a day ago, Gryffindor-Ravenclaw.
It had been a good game, not as exciting as the Slytherin- Hufflepuff one though.
Now he had to quickly pack his bags as the train leves at 9 o'clock.
Evan was organized like him, but Barty was running around trying to find anything at all.
It really was a show.
After Regulus had finished he decided to help barty, which earned him a “Thanks mate, I owe you.”
Which he never held himself to, but that was just Barty.
The train ride was long, but at least he could sit with Barty, Evan, Pandora and Dorcas.
He thought back to the first time on the hogwarts express, he was scared of everything.
And now, now he had friends. And he was a seeker. Three moths and he had everything under control.
Now he had to survive one holiday. Just until the first week of january, and then he'd be back at school.
He smiled at the thought. He was here, with his friends.
Barty nodged Evan “Look, our Reggie is smiling for the first time! They grow up so fast.”
Evan chuckled.
“Fuck off”
“Oh no, bad Reggie. You should not be saying any bad words.” Pandora said turning to Barty and Evan, “Honestly, I expected better parenting from you two”
“You really wouldn't tho.”Barty commented.
“No, definitely not.” Pandora laughed.
That was when the train stopped.
Time to go home.