4 years ago

It was a normal evening at Hogwarts.  The sun hung low in the sky, and the Slytherin Quidditch trials had just ceased. Two boys walked off the field confidently, each carrying their own broomstick of their choice. One was shorter, with pin straight, blonde hair that fell that below in his jaw line in a clean cut. His nose was sharp, and he had a pale skin complexion. His eyes were half closed, though whether it was from boredom or a complacent temper, one couldn't be sure. His green robes billowed out behind him as he walked with a quick pace, his slightly taller friend having no trouble keeping up.

His friend was slightly tanner than the blonde, with long, choppy, dark strawberry blonde hair, and blood red eyes. He donned a large smile, revealing rather sharp canines that resembled that of a vampire. He wore the same Quidditch uniform as his friend, save for the fact that he was a small black hat perched on the top of his head, green and silver ribbons bouncing slightly as he walked.

Waiting outside the field was a curly haired brunette, wearing a black robe, paired with a white shirt and blue tie underneath. She smirked at them, crossing her arms as she watched them approach with an expecting glint in her pale irises. Her skin was similar tone to the strawberry blonde's, but she seemed the same height as the blonde.

"So?" She inquired once they were close enough. "Positions? Upgrade from last year?"

The strawberry blonde shrugged. "I am still chaser. I am not minding. I very much prefer my position. Those big-headed Gryffindors have the hard time chasing me, yes?"

"From what I've seen." She laughed, before glancing at the blonde. "Feliks?"

He smiled, flipping his hair with one swaggering moment. "Meet the newest and bestest keeper of the Slytherin Quidditch team."

"You should have seen him, Shelby! I do not think one Quaffle get past him. He's lightning quick; I do not think even Wang Yào scored on him!" The other boy exclaimed. "Oh, I wish you were a Slytherin, Shelb." He sighed, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her closer as they walked back toward the castle that was Hogwarts. Feliks followed the gesture, wrapping his arm around the other side of Shelby and creating a link chain as they walked. "Then it would be a lot easier to hang."

"Forget Houses, why do you, like, not try out for Quidditch? I am totally sure Ravenclaw could use you." Feliks stated.

"My feet are not leaving this ground." Shelby said defiantly, glancing at him with an irritated expression, making it obvious that she had been asked that question a number of times. "I'm scared of heights. Remember when Vlad decided it was a good idea to drag me on his broom last year?"

Vladimir laughed at the memory. "HA! You were paler than Gilbert! That was way too funny." He stated, jostling her playfully.

Suddenly, a loud voice sounded were a few yard in front of them. "Well well well, if it isn't a couple of Slytherin snakes and a little birdie in between. How cute!" The explanation was followed by a loud, obnoxious laugh.

The trio looked up, glaring at the Gryffindor member in front of him. He had dusty blonde hair that was long in the front and chopped shorter in the back, with a cowlick right at the part. His eyes were a sparkling blue, hidden partially by a pair of specs, and his nose was button-like, the bridge curving in slightly. Under his black robe, a scarlet and gold striped tie was prominent. His name was Alfred F. Jones. And the group despised him.

Despite this, Feliks flashed a non-chalant smile. "Oh, hey Alfred. Looking for your boy toy?"

Vlad snickered. "Arthur is still on the field, my friend."

"What? Ew, no, dudes, that's freaking gross. I'm just here to check out the new Slytherin team. Gryffindor is really looking forward to pulverizing you bros." Alfred grinned widely, and Shelby huffed, pulling her friends along quickly as they pasted Alfred.

"Just ignore him, guys. Gryffindors are about as intelligent as a toad." She muttered, but it was loud enough for the blonde to hear.

He glared, "What? You think your so smart and stuff cause you belong to Ravenclaw?"

Shelby turned, glancing back at him with a harsh glare. "My house has nothing to do with being able to judge the character of the people I meet." She stated defiantly.

As she turned to lead her friends out, a low crash was heard above, and the Slytherins and Ravenclaw glanced up to see a piece of the tower hurdling towards them. Alfred, who had seen the building first, reacted the fastest, whipping out his wand.

"WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!" He shouted as swished his wand, and the stones and bricks stopped in their descent. This gave the trio enough time to scramble backwards before the heavier object came crashing down, blocking the doorway.

"You dudes can thank me later- first I want to know what in the world is going on?" He demanded, and his words were met with a earsplitting roar. All four pairs of eyes travelled upwards to the towers of Hogwarts, where a dark scaled creature weaved in and out of the towers, it's gleaming purple eyes visible even from a distance.

"Is that..." Shelby couldn't even finish her sentence before the Gryffindor grabbed her wrist, racing forward towards the next set of doors.

"A Hebridean Black." Vladimir stated as he and Feliks raced after them. The other students who were outside, including all the Slytherin Quidditch team, and the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff captains, Cooper and Matthew, who had no doubt been scouting their competition, were also scrambling for the school. They raced towards the door, and the mass movement caught the dragon's attention. He roared again, shooting forward towards the crowd.

Some managed to dive out of view into the brush, but by the time the creature was upon them, it was too late for most. Alfred grabbed the two closest individuals, Shelby and Vlad, and pulled them into his chest, throwing himself over them and blocking them from the dragon as it loomed over them. The beating sound of the wings from so loud, it shook the ground underneath them, as well as their skeletons. Alfred let out a shout of pain, and there was a scream, and then the dragon took off again.

Alfred rolled off of Vlad and Shelby, groaning at he tried to reach over to his back. Vlad crawled over, turning the blonde over and turning pale. His back is cut deep.

Shelby's head was whirling. "Where's Feliks?"

Cooper, who was nearby, shaking, looked at Shelby wide green eyes. "The dragon." His voice was uneven. "The dragon just grabbed him."

Shelby's head snapped towards the sky, where the dragon was rising into the air. In his claws, she could see a figure in a green robe.

Her stomach dropped, and she whipped around to Vlad. "You know the freezing charm?" She demanded quickly.

He blinked. "Of course."

She stooped down, snatching up Feliks's broomstick, and mounted it quickly. "Immobilize that dragon." She directed, and in a second, she shot off, leaving Vladimir in utter shock and confusion.

Now, once she was in the air, her entire body seized stiff, and her breath ceased. The broom responded instantly, becoming unstable and dropping slightly in the air. She forced a deep breath, trying to stay calm. She could do this. Just don't look down. Don't look down.

Once she managed to relax slightly, the broom sped off even faster, zooming towards the dragon, where it was heading north, away from the school. She waited for the spell to come zooming past her and strike the dragon. Shelby positioned herself under the dragon, slightly behind it, and when the blue spell struck the creature, it's body completely frozen and it began to fall.

Feliks separated from the dragon, falling faster than the creature, and Shelby leaned forward, zipping towards him and grabbing his wrist. Luckily, the velocity of the broom was enough to keep the Slytherin from pulling all of them down. Still flying, she yanked a stunned Feliks up, who was frozen stiff- whether it was from the immobilization spell or from fear of the dragon, she had no clue.

With seconds, they were on the ground, and she laid Feliks on the ground, shaking off her robe and wrapping it around him, her face flushed from the rush. By this time, the teachers were rushing onto the field, many headed to tend to the paralyzed dragon on the school grounds.

Vlad stared at Shelby wide red eyes. "You... Flew." He whispered in complete surprise.

"She flew." Cooper echoed, a small smile on his face. "That was really good. Like- really good. That was your first time flying, right? You're fast for a first run- you're small enough-"

"Not the time, Ravenclaw." Alfred grumbled, trying to sit himself up. Vlad gave him a hand, and Shelby stood up, reaching out her hand to shake his.

"Thank you for saving me. That was... Really brave. You're a true Gryffindor." She stated simply.

Alfred's lips twitched in a small smile, raising a brow. "Does being a Gryffindor still mean being as smart as a toad?"

Shelby sighed. "Of course not. I'm sorry. My temper got-"

Suddenly, rather than a handshake, she was engulfed in his arms. She squirmed in an attempt to escape, but he had her locked in tight.

"Awwww, apology accepted! You're kinda small- and cuddly! You're like a little kitten!"

"I AM NOT A KITTEN!"

Feliks and Alfred were eventually escorted to the nurse's office, and Vlad glared off at them.

"I really don't like that Alfred. He's a little obnoxious, yes? Too much so." He stated. He glanced at Shelby, waiting for her to agree, but she didn't respond, only staring off after them.

Cooper placed a head on Shelby shoulder, and she turned in surprise. "Shelbs, really. Consider coming to our Quidditch trials. We could really use a Seeker as fast as you."

She frowned. "Maybe. But no promises."

He nodded, slightly smiling slight as he began into the school. "Of course. See you in the common room, then."

That left Vlad and Shelby alone. "Are you really going to try out?"

Shelby frowned, glancing at him. "That's not really my concern. My concern is why there was a Hebridean Black at the school. They don't leave their territory in Scotland, right?"

Vlad nodded. "Someone must have brought it here on purpose."

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That ended up being longer than intended and less well written than intended. Sorry dudes.