Regrets and Quidditch
Grey spent the next few weeks much more subdued than usual. He worked extra hard in his classes, ignored the varying looks of concern, disappointment, and hatred from the people around him, and most of all, he kept to himself whenever a migraine surfaced.
Thankfully, there had been no other strange visions, so Grey was able to convince himself there truly was nothing going on. The only people he let himself relax around remained to be Richard and Derric. Grey truly treasured the time they spent together. He was sure they were suspicious of his behaviour over the last few weeks but Grey had a wonderful talent for lying and changing the subject. Maybe he didn't want to worry them, or maybe he was just selfish. Grey often wondered where his intentions lay on that scale.
A month and a half since the beginning of term, the first frosts befell the castle. As the forbidden forest was brushed with fading bronze, the excitement of the quidditch season hung in the air. The first match, Hufflepuff vs Gryffindor was to be held the next weekend and it was all Derric could talk about. Grey and Richard had to assure him many times that they would be supporting Hufflepuff and yes, they'd go to the match with him. It was sweet and Grey was pleased that Richard had finally met his match in quidditch enthusiasm.
The Friday before the match, Grey and Richard were strolling to lunch from potions, looking forward to more quidditch facts from their Hufflepuff friend. However, Derric was nowhere to be found in the great hall. Both boys took their seats and waited for his arrival. Grey began picking at his sandwich when Richard smacked his forehead to get his attention.
"Isn't that Derric's classmate?" He asked, pointing to a Hufflepuff that had entered.
Grey frowned, nodding.
"Where's Derric then?"
"I'll go ask," Grey suggested.
His heart warmed as Richard sent him a grateful smile. Rising from his seat, Grey scanned the great hall one last time before making his way over to the Hufflepuff girl.
"Excuse me." He began with a polite smile, "Are you in Derric Diggory's class?"
The girl glanced over at the staring form of Richard and then back to Grey, recognition in her hazel eyes.
"Yeah, why?" She asked hastily.
"Do you know where he is?"
"Sulking near the lake I think." She shrugged, hurrying over to her friends.
Grey's brows furrowed. Why would Derric miss lunch to be at the lake? He hated the cold and loved food. Perplexed, he stalked back over to his friend.
"She says he's by the lake," Grey mumbled, not bothering to sit down.
"I wonder why?" Richard pondered, taking a swig of his drink.
Grey grabbed his sandwich and shouldered his bag.
"Dunno," He shrugged, "I'll go find him."
"Want me to come?"
Grey shook his head and exited the hall. A nervous feeling was settling in his stomach. Somehow, he knew something was wrong with Derric and he didn't want Richard to fuss.
Leaving the castle, Grey drew his cloak tighter around himself. The sky was overcast and a chilly breeze bent the grass towards the lake. He sped up, hoping his haste would help to warm him, all the while trying not to catastrophize the situation.
His heart leapt when he noticed a familiar figure perched on a rock by the shore of the lake. Hurrying over, Grey sat down beside his friend. Derric was shivering but his expression was blank as he stared out across the rippling water.
"Why are you out here, it's bloody freezing?" Grey asked, nudging the boy's shoulder.
Derric's expression didn't shift.
"Why did you lie to me about thestrals?" He inquired, his voice cracking slightly.
Grey's stomach dropped, a lump forming in his throat. In an instant, Derric's eyes met his and Grey saw they were swimming with tears.
"You said you didn't know why we could see them, but you were lying weren't you?"
Swallowing thickly, Grey stared at the sandy bank below them. He began to dig his nails into his palms again. The healed scar had been split mere days after Dumbledore's treatment.
"I'm sorry Derric," Grey mumbled.
He felt guilty and he was sure he knew what would come next. But instead, he watched as tears started to stream down his friend's face and the young boy slumped sideways to lean on Grey. After getting over his initial shock, Grey didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around Derric.
"It was my mum." Derric sniffed "She had cancer they think. I was sitting with her when she-"
Grey held him tighter. He didn't say anything, what could you say to that? So he just held him and let him cry. Several minutes of quiet sobs passed and Grey resorted to gently stroking Derric's messy hair, hoping it would calm him. He'd seen one of the matrons do it at the orphanage.
Eventually, the boy calmed, pulling away from Grey. He wiped his face on his robes and sniffed.
"Who was it for you?" He asked suddenly.
Grey tensed but replied calmly, "A boy from the orphanage, I saw him fall down the stairs."
It didn't matter that it was a lie, Grey thought. He still saw thestrals and Derric knew what that meant. That was enough. Thankfully, Derric didn't seem to catch on to his lie.
"It's not fair." He sniffed
"No, it's not." Grey rested a hand on his shoulder. "Let's go back inside Derric, It's freezing." He muttered, standing up.
"Grey?"
He glanced at Derric inquiringly.
"Please don't lie to me again."The boy asked with desperation.
"I won't," Grey said with a small smile of reassurance.
"Promise me."
Grey clenched his nails into his palms. "I promise."
Guilt twisted in his gut, knowing that even agreeing, he had already broken his promise. The boys made their way back to the castle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The whole castle seemed to buzz with energy the next day. An awkward Grey and Richard found themselves sat stiffly at the Hufflepuff table, decked out in black and yellow scarves and flags. Derric was chattering at them from the opposite side of the table while the two older boys nodded periodically.
Grey had made sure to give Richard a basic rundown of yesterday's events, he didn't want to keep him in the dark when it came to their new friend.
At a quarter to eleven, the school made its way down to the quidditch pitch. As they took their seats, Derric was struggling to stay still. He kept rambling about perfect conditions and he was right. A light frost coated everything but not enough to cause glare (according to Derric).
Grey was grateful for the heaps of Hufflepuff-themed clothes he was forced into because they provided an excellent barrier from the freezing temperatures. With a shrill whistle, the game began. Grey noticed the wide smile on Richard's face and grinned to himself, burying his nose in his scarf.
Suddenly, there was a cry of outrage from the stands and Grey watched Richard's face screw up in frustration.
"That was a rotten move!" Derric yelled over the shouting.
"What happened?" Grey asked, unfazed that they'd know he wasn't really paying attention.
"Mclaggen grabbed the beaters bat and whacked a bludger at Abbot. That has to be a foul, he's a Keeper for Merlin's sake!!"
Grey nodded at Derric's angered explanation, smirking as Richard stood up, yelling at the referee with the other Hufflepuffs. The game went on without Mclaggen being reprimanded. But retribution came in the form of a bludger to the knee ten minutes later.
"That's definitely shattered." Richard laughed, nudging Grey with a sly grin.
Twenty minutes in and Gryffindor were up fifty to forty. There was still no sign of the snitch either. Hufflepuff scored another goal earning a cry of triumph from their stands. Ten minutes later, Derric was slapping Grey's arm and pointing at the opposite side of the pitch.
"Look!" He shouted.
Grey followed his finger and saw the two seekers, neck and neck, chasing an unperceivable object. It had to be the snitch. Suddenly, without warning, they shot towards the stands as the snitch passed right over their heads.
Everyone in their row and the rows behind had to duck to avoid getting a broom to the head. With so many people shifting at once, Grey found himself falling backwards off his seat as others followed.
Someone landed right on top of him and he opened his eyes to see the flushed face of Richard right above him. Heat rose involuntarily to his cheeks as he awkwardly averted his gaze. At that moment there was a loud cheer from their stands.
"I think Hufflepuff won," Richard muttered breathlessly.
"Oh, yeah, good." Grey stuttered.
He could almost hear his friend smile due to the proximity. One eternal second later, Richard heaved himself up only to be engulfed in an excited hug from Derric. As Grey got up as well, he noticed Richard subtly glancing at him. He grinned into his scarf just as Derric came and hugged him too.
Quidditch was definitely growing on him.