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The match today was between Gryffindor and Slytherin, and it was the most important game of the year.
Of course, every match was important, but this one would decide who wins the Quidditch Cup.
So it was- In James' not-so-humble opinion- the most important of the important matches of the year.
James bounced on the balls of his feet, shaking out his hands. He was nervous, they all were. But the thing about James? He had a habit of turning anxiety into excitement.
"Alright guys!" He cheered, waiting for them to huddle up, Marlene stood on his right, Sirius to his left, they were his seconds, the ones who would take over if he was unconscious.
James wrapped his arms around their shoulders, "We got this, okay? There is no game without our game. So keep your brooms straight and your heads locked in. You hear?"
"Hear." Their voices chorused back to him.
"Even me, captain?" Sirius teased, as he did every game. He flashed the rainbow pattern on his broom that proved to be very not straight. The rest of the team rolled their eyes.
"Especially you, Sirius." James replied, "No distractions. I don't care if your arse is on fire, you better be flying fast enough to put it out. Today we compete not only for ourselves, but for our team, for our house. For the Quidditch Cup!"
The team erupted into cheers and shouts of joy.
James smiled. A bright, goofy smile he always gave when he knew he was only minutes away from being up in the air,
"I want a fair game. I don't care what the Slytherins pull. We're not risking disqualification."
He turned, "Beaters, I need your eyes at all times, we can't slack today. Let's not let anyone lose their limbs until the end. Hear?"
"Hear."
He looked to Marlene and the third chaser, "We'll keep a tight formation, we can't leave any room to cut through. They play dirty, I know you've all seen it. Let's not give them the chance."
He looked to the keeper, "You've been playing great this season mate, keep it up and hopefully it'll all be worth it. The beaters will keep an eye on the bludgers, but Slytherin almost always targets the keepers first to knock them out of the game. Stay alert, even if you think you don't need to."
The keeper nodded.
James sighed, last but not least,
"You're the best seeker I've had. I know you can do this. You just gotta focus, alright? No matter what happens on the pitch, your eyes are on the snitch."
He smiled, giving James a curt nod.
"Win or lose, we're a team. No hanging your heads in shame, no matter the score. We are Gryffindors. Stay proud of what you've accomplished to get yourselves to the final round. Hear?"
"Hear!" They called, nervous energy and excitement building as James reached the end of his speech. He let out a slow breath,
"Alright guys, brooms in!" He lifted his broom up to the center, the other six followed suit. He could tell the morale was higher than ever.
"Gryffindor on me! Gryffindor on three!" Marlene shouted.
The rest of them joined in, "ONE! TWO! THREE! GRYFFINDOR!!"
And with that, they burst onto the field, mounting their brooms and sweeping low across the stands. They crowd broke into a wild applause.
As practiced, the Seeker went high into the air, the rest continued in a circle while their team was announced over the speaker.
They got into position once the crowd's cheers had died out. This was one of the biggest turnouts so far.
James waved a hand to the stands where he knew his friend were sitting, his eyes bright and his hair already windswept.
The audience grew quiet as the Slytherins were announced.
They took a while to come out to the pitch, there seemed to be some sort of issue with one of the players in the back. Two of the others kept needing to stop to make sure they were okay.
The player was unsteady on their broom as they flew straight up to meet the other seeker, one hand held against his eyes.
James and Sirius shared a look.
It was Regulus.
Madam Hooch walked out onto the pitch, doing her usual pre-game talk about the rules.
When the whistle blew, James let all other thoughts fall from his mind.
He had one job and one job only. Get the quaffle through the hoop.
He had a game to win.
A few plays in and they were already in the lead, James fist bumped the keeper,
"Nice job, mate!" He called, flying by.
The beaters were doing an excellent job keeping the bludgers from hitting anyone. Slytherin beaters were known to be ruthless, so James was glad his team was able to put up a decent fight.
After a near miss with a bludger just a few minutes later, James laughed internally when he realised he jinxed himself.
He looked around for Sirius, and found him off to the side of the pitch, he was usually good about keeping an eye on things, but he didn't seem to even noticed the close call.
"Sirius!" James called as he passed, "Head in the game, let's go!"
Sirius looked to him now, and James could instantly tell something was wrong.
"Marlene, take point for a sec. Fill the gaps." He called. She gave him a thumbs up, spacing herself evenly with the other chaser.
James broke formation and flew towards where Sirius hovered.
"What's up with you?" He muttered, pulling up in front of him.
Sirius pointed towards the seekers, where their own looked increasingly concerned for Regulus' well being, neither of them were looking for the snitch.
"Shit." James sighed, "I'll handle it, get your head right and go back in there, we can't afford any injuries, you need to watch our backs."
Sirius nodded but didn't move. James leaned forward and gripped his shoulder, forcing their eyes to meet,
"He's not our problem right now, Pads. Once this game ends we'll make sure he's alright. But he's got teammates for that. We can't lose on his account. I'm sorry."
And he meant it, he could see the frustration behind Sirius' eyes.
"I need my wingman back in play." James grinned. Sirius couldn't help but smile back,
"You fly, I'll make sure you don't die." He chuckled softly, "I got your back, Prongs."
James nodded, "Get in there, I'll handle the seeker. We can't end the game without him."
Sirius flew passed James towards the rest of the players again. James checked the score, they were still in the lead. Marlene seemed to be doing alright on point. Though, he already knew she would.
James flew up towards the seekers, calling his own to fly over to him, out of earshot from Regulus,
"What's wrong with him?" James asked quietly. He shrugged,
"I don't know. He looks sick."
"You wanna help him?"
He nodded.
"Start by winning the game. The longer this goes on the worse he's gonna get."
He tried to play it cold, so the kid would get the message and turn his attention back to the match.
But then Regulus made eye contact with him.
All of the feelings James had shoved down for years threatened to spill over. Regulus was shaking badly, his eyes unfocused.
"You okay?" The Gryffindor seeker asked James, looking between him and Regulus. James blinked a few times,
"Head in the game. Hear?" He said instead of answering.
The kid nodded, "Hear."
James pivoted and flew off again, angry at himself for letting his emotions slip and costing a few minutes of the game. He heard the announcer wonder aloud what could have pulled Captain Potter's focus. He ignored it.
Head in the game. He reminded himself. Head in the game.
Marlene saw him coming and moved back wordlessly, giving him room to join the formation.
James caught the quaffle where it had been mid pass between Slytherin chasers, spinning them back around to head towards the other goals.
The Gryffindor chasers moved into defensive position, flanking him on either side. The beaters stood at the ready, protecting him and sending stray bludgers towards the other chasers.
"AND POTTER SCORES. ANOTHER GOAL FOR GRYFFINDOR." The announcer called. The stands cheered.
"The Seekers have spotted the snitch! The race begins, Gryffindor's seeker has got quite the lead. Let's see what happens, folks."
And, rather idiotically, James looked.
He couldn't help himself, not when he knew something was wrong with Regulus.
"Oh Merlin! Slytherin Seeker, Regulus Black is down!"
James yanked his broom to a stop, causing a panic from Marlene, who sent him a wide eyed stare as the Slytherin chasers slipped through the gap.
"Slytherin scores!"
For the first time in his life, James couldn't care less. He looked to the other beater,
"Stop Sirius!" He shouted, "Don't let him leave the pitch!"
James turned his broom to the direction the seekers had disappeared.
He heard the confusion from the stands.
He sighed when he heard the sound of someone approaching behind him, obviously the other beater didn't stand much of a chance against Sirius' determination.
"Stay in the game!" James called to Sirius.
"I'm coming with you!"
"Slytherins play offense! We need both beaters! I'll be back once I make sure he's alright! Stay in the game!" He had to shout to be heard over the wind.
"That's my brother!" Sirius sped up to race along beside him, "I need to make sure he's alright."
"I'll get him safe, I promise. You know I care about him too."
Something about the way he said it, maybe it was the intensity in his eyes, or perhaps it was that he refused to slow down even for a second, he'd managed to convince him.
He sighed in relief when Sirius pulled off, whipping back around and heading towards the pitch again.
James dove low, searching. It didn't take long to find Regulus, he'd landed on top of a shed not far from where James hovered now, the green in his uniform standing out against the pale shingles on the roof.
James touched down, ignoring the way the wood creaked under his weight.
"Regulus!" He called, kneeling beside him, "Regulus!"
He leaned down to listen for his breathing, it was shallow, but it was there.
"Alright, come on, let's get you off this roof." He muttered, holding Regulus close to his chest and grabbing their brooms. He apparated to the ground in front of the shed, needing someplace more stable so he wouldn't have to worry about falling through.
When he laid Regulus down gently in the grass he checked him for any injuries. Other than some scrapes on his elbows he looked to be okay.
"Accio healing potion."
He knew it would take a while to get to him all the way from Hogwarts, so he didn't bother keeping his hand up.
"Regulus..." He tried again, "C'mon." He shook his shoulder, "You gotta wake up. Please, wake up."
The healing potion arrived a minute later, he held out a palm to catch it and opened it right away, lifting up Regulus' head so he wouldn't choke.
Regulus gasped once it worked into his system, coughing as he clutched his chest.
"Oh, thank gods." James sighed, hugging Regulus tightly. Regulus' breathing was quick and heavy,
"What happened?"
"You fainted. I came to make sure you were alright." James replied.
"I fainted?" Regulus repeated, fingers pressed his temples, "Ah, shit. I thought it was just a headache."
"You thought what was just a headache?" James asked, helping Regulus stand. He swayed unsteadily on his feet,
"I forgot to eat today, I wasn't feeling amazing up in the air. I thought it was just my usual headache, not that I was about to pass out."
"Usual?" James caught the word quickly. He didn't like the way Regulus had worded that, he forgot to eat, "You look really pale. We should get you something."
"No, no really I'm fine. I'm just tired. I'll probably just drink some more energy potion after the match."
"How much energy potion have you had today?" James asked, he could feel Regulus trembling underneath his hand, where he held his shoulder to keep him from falling.
"Not much. Two, three cups." He replied, taking a rocky step towards his broom, "We should get back to the game-"
"Hey, stop." James kept him from walking any further, "You can't play like this. Sit down. I'll get you some food."
"I can play just fine, Potter." He replied, grunting and reaching up to hold his head again.
"You can't just go without eating all day, Regulus. For Merlin's sake." He pulled out his wand again, summoning food this time, "Too much energy potion on an empty stomach is really bad for you."
"Are you lecturing me on taking care of myself right now?" Regulus scoffed. James nodded,
"Yes. As a matter of fact, I am. Because someone has to do it. You aren't going back until I've seen you eat something."
Regulus scowled at him and made a move for his broom again, James stepped in front of him, hand moving to press against Regulus' chest,
"I'm serious. Sit down."
Neither of them made the joke, the tone in James' voice was too harsh to follow with humour.
Regulus finally did as he said, sitting back down on the grass. James sat in front of him.
While they waited for the food to arrive, Regulus picked at his fingernails,
"Why do you Gryffindors say hear all the time?" He asked suddenly.
James raised an eyebrow, but replied anyway, "So I know that they understood what I said."
"No, I get that. But where did it come from?" He asked, "Why 'hear'?"
James' laugh was full of nostalgia, "One of our chasers is half deaf. It started out as a joke because she would always tell me she couldn't hear me. Now we kinda just do it whenever."
Regulus smiled, "That's sweet."
James shrugged, "Yeah, I guess so." But he was smiling too.
The food flew to them, James caught it.
"What's in there?" Regulus asked, trying to peer into the paper bag.
"Sandwiches. Sirius and I sneak them from the kitchens before games so we can eat them afterwards." He handed one of the wrapped sandwiches to Regulus, "Don't worry, that ones turkey. I know you don't like ham."
Regulus' smile was softer now. James could see him swallow hard,
"Thank you." He whispered.
They ate in silence. James passed him water to wash down their make-shift lunch.
"Why'd you come after me?" Regulus asked. James frowned,
"Why wouldn't I?"
"You're like... really intense about quidditch. And you're the captain. You could have sent someone else..." He told him, his eyes searching.
"I didn't want to send anyone else." James replied, his voice was a whisper, "I hate seeing you like that. I needed to make sure you were okay."
Regulus was quiet for a while, "I'll slow down on the energy potions." He mumbled, "Sorry I made you worry so much."
James laughed, shaking his head, "I'll always worry about you, Regulus."
They met eyes again, there was something in Regulus' that made James' stomach twist with nerves.
"I care about you too." Regulus' voice was even quieter now, almost breathy.
James' heart skipped a beat.
Oh, gods. Not right now.
He had always been in love with Regulus, but he'd never felt like this before, like he needed to kiss Regulus more than he needed to breathe air.
"James..." Regulus whispered.
"Yeah?"
"I really want to kiss you right now."
Oh.
James' eyes dropped to Regulus' lips.
Before either of them could say anything else, James was pulling him into a long-awaited kiss.
It was... everything.
James leaned their foreheads together, "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that."
Regulus kissed him again, James could feel the hint of a smile on his lips,
"I think I've got a pretty good idea."
They stayed there for a few minutes, basking in the warmth of the sun and the feeling of each other's touch.
"James." Regulus said again.
James opened his eyes, "Yes?"
"The game-"
James suddenly jumped to his feet.
Shit.
He completely forgot about the quidditch match.
Regulus started to stand and head for his broom. James stopped him, noticing the slight tremor still present in his hands,
"I need to make sure you're okay to fly." He got out his wand again, using the light to check Regulus' dilation.
Regulus tried to push his hands away, "James, I'm fine. We need to get back to the pitch."
"Shh, I'm almost done." James' free hand moved to hold the side of Regulus' face, keeping him still.
Regulus' pupils got the slightest bit larger even under the light.
James smiled, then pulled him in for one last kiss,
"Thank you for letting me take care of you."
Regulus groaned, "You didn't give me a choice in the matter, actually."
"That's because I love you." He paused, waiting for Regulus' reaction.
"You do?" He sounded hopeful.
James nodded, "And I won't sit there and watch you destroy yourself."
Regulus' awestruck expression was replaced with a playful scowl,
"Well, then love is stupid." He muttered.
James laughed, leaning back to brush the hair from Regulus' eyes, "I'll love you stupid any day you let me."
They kissed, James swears this one really was the last time, and walked over to mount their brooms.
"Be prepared to have your arse handed to you." James called as they took off.
"I bet you'd enjoy that, wouldn't you, Potter?" Regulus taunted back.
They made it to pitch, flying into their positions and returning to the game with vigour.
"Chaser James Potter and Seeker Regulus Black are back in the match!" The announcer called, "With Gryffindor's Seeker already after the snitch, and Slytherin chasers up by three goals, let's see how this affects the ending of the game."
James got into position, ignoring the looks he was receiving from his teammates. He was only gone a few minutes, but minutes were always crucial in this game.
Minutes could determine who wins and who loses.
And that's what James was counting on now.
They raced up and down the pitch, Gryffindor scoring again and again.
At some point, he let Marlene take point, flying on her left and playing the support role.
James had always known Marlene to put her entire self into the position, so he figured she would be better suited than him to gets these final points for the game.
"Gryffindor takes the lead once more! What an incredible recovery tonight, folks!"
The Seekers were still flying after the snitch, it had gone underneath the stadium, making it take much longer than usual to retrieve it.
James purposefully kept his mind away from them, not wanting to fall into thoughts of Regulus again.
They scored again and again, doubling what the Slytherins had managed to get in James' absence.
The audience were on their feet, the very air around them intense.
Gryffindor was one goal away from gaining victory by points.
If they made this and kept Slytherin from scoring, it wouldn't matter who caught the snitch.
Marlene doubled down, flying faster than James had ever seen her. She shot around players so quickly even James struggled to keep up with her.
Marlene passed the quaffle to James, much to his surprise, right as they were nearing the posts for the final shot.
All of the Slytherin chasers were still trying to catch up behind them.
It was just James and the keeper.
If he made this. They would win the game.
James threw the quaffle, harder than he'd ever thrown before.
"JAMES POTTER SCORES!" The announcer shouted, "Seekers are still neck and neck for the snitch, it's right within their reach and-"
James felt his breath catch.
Regulus, all lean muscles and a look of fiery passion, hand outstretched for the snitch, Merlin was he a sight to see.
"REGULUS BLACK CATCHES THE GOLDEN SNITCH!"
There was a roar of chaos from the stands.
"GRYFFINDOR WINS THE QUIDDITCH CUP!"
A victorious laugh tore through James, he leaned back in relief, tears swimming in his eyes.
All of his teammates flew to him, crushing him into a group hug in the middle of the air.
"Happy last game, you big idiot!" Marlene called.
James' grin was huge, he couldn't get his heart to stop pounding.
It was their final game at Hogwarts.
And they just won the Quidditch Cup.
James let Sirius pull him into a bear hug, nearly knocking him off his broom with the force of it,
"Can't believe it's over!" He was shouting over the noise, "We did it, mate!"
James ruffled his hair, even though he knows Sirius hates it,
"Happy last game." He called back, then turned to the rest of the group, "I love you guys."
Another group hug smashed him into the centre. James had tears streaking down his face as he landed on the grass.
He looked around for his friends, Lily, Remus, and Peter were rushing over to him. Mary, Dorcas, and Alice had already tackled Marlene to the grass excitedly.
They all gave them congratulations, Remus kissed Sirius with a grin on his face.
Suddenly, as if James' world had exploded into pure light, he remembered Regulus.
He whipped around to find him, currently on the shoulders of Barty and Evan, who were parading him around chanting "Number One Seeker!" over and over.
James ignored the confused calls of his friends as he ran towards Regulus.
He didn't want to waste another moment.
They had just set him down onto the grass again when James reached him.
Regulus' eyes went wide for a fraction of a second before he was pulled into a crushing kiss, right there in front of the entire school.
They broke apart, neither of them stepped away.
"Congrats on your big catch." James beamed at him. Regulus exhaled a laugh,
"Congrats on your big win." He was smiling too.
James didn't give anyone else a chance to come between them, and he kissed him again.
The next time they broke apart, it was while they were ignoring the loud confusion of all of their friends,
"I'll love you stupid any day you let me, Potter." Regulus whispered, repeating his words from earlier.
"Maybe we can start sooner than later." James offered.
Regulus nodded, "Agreed."
And James found he won more than just the Quidditch Cup that day.
He won everything.