Griffon⬆️

***

Rose silently chasted herself as she mixed the eggs, flour, and milk. Had she really thought that it would be a good idea to flirt with Scorpius, offer to help him find a house, and then proceed to invite him to the match?  Her boyfriend's match to be exact. Her boyfriend who would surely see him and not be pleased. Probably not. But something in her just couldn't stop. When he leaned in with those intense grey eyes, it was like they'd thrown a lasso around her. She hadn't even realized she was leaning in until Scorp was suddenly only a few inches away.

Not her finest moment. Despite their minor flirtatious mishap, it felt right to invite him. Quidditch was one of Scorpius' favorite hobbies. Back during school, he was an excellent chaser, even better than James. When he was on that pitch it was pure magic. Not that Hogwarts ever lacked in that, but there was something completely different about watching him play. He flew around so gracefully it was like he had been born to fly. Everyone thought he'd follow after James and go pro. Rose didn't share their opinion. Even before he told her about the job offer, she knew he wouldn't be a professional quidditch player. It just wasn't him. While James was anxious to join a team and greet the fame, Scorp wasn't. He'd once confessed that he had enough attention growing up with the last name Malfoy. The thought of living in the spotlight was unattractive to him. That still didn't mean he wouldn't like to watch. When Rose invited him, Scorp was a little hesitant to accept, but with some coaxing, he agreed and couldn't hide his eagerness. Rose gave him a spare ticket and told him to meet them at the pitch half an hour before the match.

Rose owled Griffon, who was at the pitch warming up, about the newest attendee. He hadn't yet owled her back, but Rose was hoping he had at least read it. That way he wouldn't be surprised seeing Scorpius at the game. If he didn't Rose was prepared to soften him up with his favorite cookies.

***

With a platter of cookies in hand, Rose offered one to the security guard, before heading down to the Canon's changing rooms. It was uncustomary for non-players to be down there before the games started but Rose could usually coax her in by offering up food. She'd done it a few times before and hadn't had any complaints yet.

"I hope you're all dressed," Rose yelled keeping her eyes firmly closed as she pushed aside the curtains. "I come bearing sweets."

Excited hums rang about and all at once everyone surged forward. Rose could feel them drawing closer and in seconds she was surrounded. The plate in her hand which was heavy with cookies now felt light and empty.

"Thanks, Rose!"

"You're the greatest Rose!"

Rose smiled and offered polite welcomes blindly.

A hand clamped down on her waist drawing her closer and the ever-familiar scent of sugar evaded her nose. "I'm assuming it is safe to open my eyes?"

Griffon's warm breath tickled her ear as he laughed. "Yes, you dork."

Rose opened her eyes hesitantly. The first time she walked into the Cannon's men's changing room unannounced she'd been unfortunate enough to run smack into James who was running around clad in only a towel. In his surprise, the towel dropped. Let's just say Rose hadn't been the same since and always made sure to enter the rooms with her eyes closed not wanting to take any chances.

The male players buzzed around excitedly preparing for their game. In total there were only five of them: Jack, the seeker; Uberto, one of their beaters; Gordon, an extra chaser, and of course James and Griffon. The rest of their team was made up of females and they had their own locker room to use.

Most of the boys were too busy munching away on her cookies and putting on the last bits of their gear (gloves, goggles, and boots) to pay her much attention as she cuddled into Griffon's side. She could feel the nervousness radiating off of him. James, on the other hand, waved at her with a cookie sprawled out in each one of his fingers and another three in his mouth. He looked carefree and relaxed as if he was not about to play one of the most important games of his career. Which he was. The Cannons had been struggling since the 1970s. Over the last few years, they had risen in the ranks yet again. This next game would either solidify their growing greatness or shoot them back to the bottom.

Rose was nervous enough for both of them as it was. They both worked so hard for this. Countless hours of rigorous training, early morning practices, bruises from rouge bludgers, and restless nights where they were too anxious to sleep. This game wasn't the one to win the championship cup but it was the one that would earn them the respect of the wizarding communities.

"Did you get my owl?" Rose asked meekly, daring to peek up at him.

"I did. Thanks for letting me know, but I don't think it was really necessary. He's your best mate. You should be able to invite him to games without having to worry about how it'll make me feel."

"Normally I would but circumstances are a little different wouldn't you say?"

"I know they are, but I trust you Rose and I'm not going to stand in the way of your friendship with Scorpius. Even if I don't particularly like him." Griffon muttered.

Rose smiled at that and spun around to wrap her arms around his waist. "Thank you."  Rising on her tip-toes she gave him a quick peck on the mouth. Griffon's arms tightened around her waist preventing her from moving away. He deepened the kiss. She wasn't normally one for public affection, but she could tell he needed something to lessen his nervousness. It wasn't until James sacrificed one of his cookies to throw at the back of Griffon's head did they eventually separate.

"I see enough of that off the fields I don't need to see it now." He insisted glancing at them both disgustingly.

A few of the guys snickered at James' reply and joined him in sending jabs at the lovely couple. Rose laughed good-naturedly and just to piss James off gave Griffon a lingering kiss.

Griffon swayed a little as Rose pulled away.

"You gits can tease all you want but next time I bring treats you won't be getting any."

That shut the boys up quickly. Griffon grinned lopsidedly at her before turning smugly to his teammates.

Focusing her attention rightfully back on her boyfriend Rose grabbed hold of his quidditch robes, smoothing out the wrinkles and straightening the collar. His eyes tracked her every movement. "I better get going. The rest of the family will be here soon." Meeting his gaze head-on she grasped onto his hands, "You're going to do brilliantly." With one last reassuring squeeze of the hand, she left, throwing a "good luck" to the rest of the boys over her shoulder.

***

The match against Puddlemere was to start any second and the stadium was alive with energy. Players zoomed around the stadium tossing quaffles to one another. Fans burst into applause every time they spotted their favorite players. People chatted animatedly snacking on licorice wands and other assorted goodies being sold on the trollies that were enchanted to magically fly around sections of fans. 

Even with all the noise, no section was louder than the Weasley-Potter clan. The entire family had shown up, knowing the importance of the match, and were chatting away happily. Fred wore a brightly colored Puddlemere jersey with a banner longer than the tables in the great hall. Painted on the sign read the words, "POTTER STINKS" in changing colors as he shouted out crude things about his favorite cousin. He was a supportive best mate. 

Hugo, Alice, Harry, and Ginny wore matching Potter jerseys and were talking comfortably about the outcomes of the game. Hermione sat quietly reading a book, while Ron absent-mindedly played with her hair, as he watched the warm-ups. As they talked Rose half-heartedly listened. She was anxiously twisting the fabric of her shirt, her legs bouncy in anticipation against the wooden boards of the stadium. Scorp sat beside her smirking at the nervous energy coming off of Rose. He remembered she used to get the same way before his games, even going as far as throwing up before the championship match during their seventh year.

Knowing she needed a bit of extra reassurance, Scorp grabbed her hand, enclosed it in his own, and leaned over to her, "It is all going to be alright." He whispered in her ear.

Rose let out a shaky breath and nodded. Her heart rate suddenly increased at the touch. She pushed it down to nerves.

"She always gets like this." Albus chimed in, from Rose's other side, his eyes tracking an unusually attractive Puddlemere chaser.

"I'm glad you're sitting next to her," Lily added, flipping a piece of brilliant red hair over her shoulder. "Sitting next to her makes me anxious."

"I'm not that bad," Rose argued, taking her eyes off of the pitch.

Lily snorted, "Please when you aren't shaking with worry, you're either shouting like a crazed lunatic or moving around like a snitch. It is bloody annoying."

Scorpius laughed and flung a brotherly arm around Lily. They'd always been close. He considered her to be the little sister he never wanted. Since he got back they'd gone out to lunch a few times to catch up and reacquaint one another. 

"Aww Lils how I've missed you."

"She is! Honestly, she's almost as bad as she used to be at your matches," Lily muttered loud enough for Rose to hear, destroying that grin that had been on Scorp's face.

Rose paled, her knee ceasing to bounce. Remembering that they were holding hands, she dropped his like it had caught on fire and scooted closer to Al. Albus glared at his sister over Rose's head, but Lily seemed not to notice. She knew what she said and while Rose may not have wanted to hear it, it was the absolute truth and she refused to apologize or even feel guilty for it. At Scorp's games, Rose was ten times as anxious. She couldn't sit still for longer than five minutes and was louder than the entire Ravenclaw section put together. 

Lysander glanced at Lily out of the corner of his eye but said nothing. He'd been with her long enough to know that Lily would give nothing but the truth. When they first started going out it was kind of annoying but now he was appreciative of her unabashed ways. It kept him on his toes.

"So who is who?" Scorpius asked, desperate to change the topic. "I know James is a chaser and Griffon a keeper but what about the rest? That number nine looks like she's fast but I've got this feeling that she's a beater."

Albus took the reins of conversation and filled Scorp in on the players and their positions. Albus was no fan of quidditch but he'd been drug to enough of James' games by Rose and his parents to know as much as everyone else. As they conversed,  Rose sat there distraught over the honesty brought forth by Lily's comment and the sight of the referees walking onto the pitch.

"It's starting," She breathed out, leaning forward in her seat. Her hand found Scorp's knee as her eyes zeroed in on the wooden box containing the bludgers and quaffles. The players took their positions hovering over the wooden box, which shook violently as though the nasty bludger realized it was just seconds away from freedom.

Scorp glanced down at Rose's hand and said nothing. 

The two captains flew forward and shook hands, their eyes steely, showing no signs of mercy or kindness. It was pure competition flowing through their locked gazes. Griffon and Puddlemere's keepers rose and took their places guarding the hoops. Even from her seat, Rose could see his light eyes had darkened into an intense sapphire blue, like the way they often did during a match.

The referee raised her wand to her lips, "Wizards and Witches welcome to tonight's match with Puddlemere United versus the Chudley Cannons! Let the match begin!" With that, she opened the box releasing the bludgers and snitch. With one last pointed look at the two teams, she tossed the quaffle high into the air. 

In her lifetime Rose had been to hundreds of matches but never once had she described one as a bloodbath before. At least not until this moment. As soon as the quaffle was in the air nobody was safe anymore. Chasers dove in after one another deliberately throwing elbows and looking to knock players off their brooms. It was going to be a dirty match.

"This is going to be brilliant." Scorp chuckled, his eyes wide and never leaving the field.

"Brilliant or bloody?" She asked turning back to watch as Constance, a Cannon's chaser, stole the quaffle right out from under a Puddlemere chaser. She zipped down the pitch, expertly dodging the Puddlemere's fable attempts to get the quaffle back in their possession. 

Scorp turned towards her and grinned, "What's the difference?"

She shoved him away playfully, "For my sanity, I hope there is a differe- YES!!!!" Rose hopped up from her seat, pumping her fists in the air as Constance scored the first goal.

"AND TEN POINTS TO THE CANNONS COURTESY OF THE LOVELY CONSTANCE JORDAN!!!"

The crowd reflected her excitement and joined in on celebratory high-fives and hugs. Rose hugged Albus and without thinking pulled Scorpius in for a brief hug. Before she was even aware she'd done it, she'd let go and gone back to cheering.

The next few hours were more nerve-wracking then anyone cared to acknowledge. The score bobbled back and forth. Puddlemere never stayed ahead for long but neither did the Cannons. It was an endless battle. Griffon played wonderfully despite letting in a few shots. It still wasn't enough to lessen Rose's anxiety. The brutality of the game even reached him when a beater smashed a bludger right into his shoulder, leaving Griffon to play one-armed for the rest of the game. He refused to come out even though he was injured. 

"Jack's seen something!" Lily pointed out after nearly four hours. Rose followed her finger to where Jack had tilted his broomstick upwards, chasing after the snitch that skyrocketed higher than the stands.

She gripped Scorp's arm tightly and watched until Jack and the Puddlemere's seekers disappeared into the clouds.

"Oh, Merlin." She said more to herself than anybody. The entire stadium stood at a standstill, all eyes trained up into the sky. Even the players halted for a moment, desperate to see which one of their seekers would emerge victoriously.

What felt like an eternity later Jack came down from the clouds, pumping a fist in the air, while the other proudly held up the snitch.

For a few seconds, nobody reacted, and then all at once, the stadium erupted in cheers. Rose was jumping up and down, screaming and hugging everyone around her. They'd done it.

The players flew down and shook hands good-naturedly before celebrating with their team. Rose switched her eyes from Griffon and James and couldn't help but grin at the brilliant smiles they wore.

"Come on!" Lily shouted reaching over to grab Rose's hand, as she drug her down the stadium steps towards the pitch. The rest of the family formed a trail behind them and together they eagerly raced down to congratulate the team.

The pitch was a zoo. Everywhere Rose turned she bumped into overly excited fans and even a few sobered Puddlemere supporters, whose heads hung in disappointment. Rose ignored them and followed after Lily, who showed no mercy as she elbowed and shoved her way towards the Cannons.

This was all so familiar. It reminded her of the time Gryffindor won the house cup during their seventh year. It was just like any other quidditch game. Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff. The odds were in Hufflepuff's corner. Gryffindor, having previously lost to Ravenclaw brutally in the last match, needed to win by 310 points to claim the Quidditch Cup. As the quidditch captain, Scorp agonized over the game for weeks. As a supportive girlfriend, Rose fretted over the outcome. The weeks leading up to the game were some of the most stressful of her life. Not only did she have exams coming up, but she couldn't stop worrying about the match. The day of the game, her anxiety got the better of her and she threw up outside of the castle. Despite, all the nerves it was a wonderful day.

Rose gripped onto Hugo's arm so tightly her nails ripped into his skin. He yelped and shook her off, spitting curses under his breath, as he glared at his sister. Rose didn't appear to notice him. All her attention was fixated on Scorpius who had the quaffle tucked under his arm and was zipping toward the golden hoops. She held her breath, as he cocked back his arm and tossed the quaffle. It soared flawlessly past the Hufflepuff keeper's desperate fingers.

The crowd erupted with shouts of joy from the Gryffindor side, which drowned out the boos from the sour Hufflepuffs.

"TEN POINTS TO GRYFFINDOR!" Griffin Bones shouted into his megaphone wand. "That makes it Malfoy's twelfth goal of the day and brings the score to a whopping 330-140. For those folks who aren't aware Gryffindor needs 310 points to win-"

Rose disregarded the rest of what Griffin had to say. None of it was new information. She knew what Scorpius and the rest of the team had to do to win. It was going to be a long shot but right now they were beating all the odds. If only Peter Howard (the Gryffindor seeker) would catch the snitch now, but he was still circling the pitch, his eyes darting all over. 

"You need to calm down," Hugo demanded next to her, rubbing the dots of blood off of his arm. "We're ahead by 190 points and if we get the snitch now, we'll win by 30. If Scorp keeps playing like he is, we'll have that cup in no time."

"Please don't say that. You'll jinx him." Rose begged, twisting Scorp's old quidditch jumper between her shaking hands. Since third year, she always wore one of his jumpers to the games at his request. He insisted that they brought him good luck. She was hoping that luck would be with them. Quidditch wasn't all about luck. It involved a lot of strategic planning, but Rose wasn't going to turn down any bouts of luck.

Hugo rolled his eyes, shooting Lily an entertained look. She glanced at Rose and giggled. The entire Weasley-Potter clan banded together on the Gryffindor side (save for Louis and Lucy who were supporting their respective house) to cheer on Scorpius. They were all a tiny bit anxious about the game. They too wanted their friend to win, but they managed to watch the game without shaking hands and tight grips, unlike Rose. 

Albus attempted to offer more supportive remarks. She waved him off, keeping all of her focus on the game. The quaffle was currently in possession of the Hufflepuff's chaser. Scorp and the other two Griffyndor chasers were trailing behind him attempting to gain the quaffle back into their possession. Right as the Hufflepuff chaser moved her arm to score, a bludger was hit her way courtesy of one of the Gryffindor beaters. The bludger hit her directly in the wrist, knocking the quaffle from her arm and earning a round of boos from the Hufflepuff supporters. 

"WHAT A NASTY SHOT FROM GRYFFINDOR BEATER, SEELEY O'CONNORS! THAT'S GOTTA BE A FOUL!" Griffin howled.

The boos didn't distract Scorp, who dove for the quaffle, before tossing it to one of his teammates, Mary Anne Stewart. Rose cheered loud enough to cover up the Hufflepuffs' calls for a foul. 

"Gryffindor is back in possession--Malfoy passes to Stewart--who passes back to Malfoy--and that's a bludger to the back!"

Rose gasped in horror, covering her mouth, as a