"How can you guys support the enemy?" Levi complained as the group walked away from the castle and towards the quidditch stands.

It was the first match of the season: Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Nearly all of the students and teachers were going down to watch the game as there was much anticipation for a close result as both teams had new, highly competitive captains.

"I think you'll find you're the enemy today, Rogers." Esme reminded the boy, and she was very happy that she'd persuaded Piper and Dirk to come down in support of Regulus as well, despite all of their reservations about the rest of the Slytherin house.

Levi scoffed, "Can't believe you're supporting a team with Selwyn on it. Selwyn! Of all people. You do remember when we pranked him last year?"

Piper laughed, "Oh that was fantastic!"

"Of course." Esme nodded, "But we're not supporting him. Honestly, I couldn't name half of the members of the Slytherin team."

"I can't believe this is what my life had become." Dirk hopelessly shook his head, still confused as to how Esme had convinced him to support Slytherin.

Esme laughed and nudged him playfully with her elbow, "You're very welcome."

As they arrived at the stands, Levi went one way towards the Gryffindor seats and the Ravenclaw students turned the other way. It was a little peculiar, sitting in the Slytherin seats. Many of the students decked out in green and silver knew that the three teenagers didn't belong to their house, as most of the other houses banded together against Slytherin.

Ignatius claimed it was because they were jealous that Slytherin won so much.

Regulus claimed it was because most Slytherins were so rude to everyone else.

Esme knew who she agreed with.

"This is a fairly good view." Dirk admitted as they took their seats in the stands.

Piper scoffed, "Just wait till they're flying round. It'll be a challenge to see who's who."

"I just don't understand how this is entertaining." Dirk sighed.

Esme agreed, sitting between him and Piper, "I think it's a result of less intelligent hobbies."

"Merlin, you two are so boring. It's just a laugh, isn't it? Not everything has to be meaningful and life changing." Piper raised her eyebrows.

"Whatever."

Then, as the game began, the stands burst alive with the roar of students chanting and cheering. As the clouds opened up above them and torrential rain fell from the sky, the players shot up into the sky and the game began.

Esme cupped her hands around her eyes, trying to spot the Slytherin Seeker amidst the chaos of players hurtling through the wind, but it was impossible.

The Gryffindor stands chanted loudly above all the others as one of their Chasers caught the quaffle and was desperately barrelling towards the Slytherin goalposts.

As the player in red got closer and close, the calls and yells from the Slytherins grew in volume.

Then the bludger struck.

The Chaser was sent spiralling down to the ground, fast, on their splintered broomstick. Out of the blue, the bludger had smashed into the handle of the player's broomstick and the quaffle had been dropped - swiftly captured by a Slytherin player who was ready below.

"What the hell?" Dirk cried, "How can that be allowed? Isn't that some sort of foul? Red card!"

Piper squealed, "That's the whole point of bludgers! Wow, that was something!"

"I think you mean that was brutal." Dirk complained, wiping the rain off his face.

The Gryffindor students booed, the sound bouncing around the whole pitch as the wooden stands shook beneath them. Quickly, this was drowned out by the Slytherins cheers as the quaffle was finally out through the Gryffindor central goal.

"Yes! Do we get a point?" Esme cheered.

Piper's jaw dropped open and for a moment she just stared at the girl in shock before finally laughing, "You two are hopeless. That's ten points!"

Esme was about to argue how stupid the rules of the barbaric game were when she sharply yelped, "There he is! Regulus!"

All of the students, even the teachers too, craned their necks as they watched two players disappear up into the clouds. First was the player cloaked in green, and tight on his tale was the Gryffindor Seeker.

They all peered up, shielding their eyes from the rain, in the hopes that something would happen. But it didn't.

It was almost as if the game below slowed as the players themselves waited for someone two return with the golden snitch in their grasp.

"What-what's going on?" Dirk asked Piper.

She shrugged, "We wait and see."

Esme stood, perfectly still and completely silent, watching the clouds and patiently waiting for Regulus to return into view.

But he didn't.

The other players had resumed their competitive play, assuming that perhaps the Seekers had lost sight of the snitch but didn't want to come down empty-handed.

As time progressed, the scores between the two teams was undoubtedly close - each score put the alternative team in the lead, over and over and over.

"This can't be good..." Esme fretted as it had been nearly twenty minutes and there was still no sign of either of the Seekers.

The rain was easing off and the sky growing lighter, but still nothing.

"Don't worry. This happens loads." Piper attempted to comfort the girl to not avail.

Then finally, they appeared.

Just as they had disappeared: Regulus leading the way down with the Gryffindor close behind.

Esme squinted, peering up at them as she tried to see what-

"THE SLYTHERIN SEEKER HAD CAUGHT THE SNITCH! TWO HUNDRED AND NINTEY TO ONE HUNDRED AND FOURTY! SLYTHERIN WINS!" The commentator's voice boomed out over the pitch as the students in the Slytherin stands roared and cheered and whooped and cried.

"He did it!" Esme clapped, turning to Dirk and Piper as they all laughed with a mixture of relief and celebration.

It took far too long to get out of the stands as the students were far to ecstatic to care about wasting time.

The Ravenclaws reunited with Levi as they got back to solid ground, and wasted to time in making fun of the boy.

"Go go Gryffindor! Go and lose again!" Piper laughed, slinging her arms around Levi and Dirk's shoulders as they walked together with her in the middle.

Levi grumbled an inaudible insult under his breath, tugging his burgundy scarf off and ramming it into his pocket so it was out of sight.

"Come on, Esmerelda said her brother was having a party to celebrate. Let's go, and we won't rub it in about you losing." Piper offered with a grin.

Levi rolled his eyes and looked over at Dirk, "Are you seriously going to party with the Slytherins?"

"Oh, no." Dirk chuckled, "I'm going to sit and watch them embarrass themselves."

"Sounds like a plan I get can behind." Levi agreed.

By this point, the three students were already halfway up the hill back towards the castle and hadn't realised Esme wasn't with them.

She was waiting down by the quidditch stands, for Regulus to come out.

They had both lingered behind to avoid the boisterous crowds after the match had finished.

"I'm still not at all happy about your plan. There's got to be a safer idea." Regulus urged as Esme handed his broom back to him and they started their ascent back up to the castle.

"Reg..." Esme sighed, "This is the only thing I can do."

"You've thought it through? All possible outcomes?"

"What other outcomes are there?"

"I don't know." He exclaimed, "Ones where we all die horrible deaths? Esme, you can't half-ass this."

"Don't-don't worry about it. I've got it sorted. It's handled." She insisted.

Regulus continued to disagree, "It's not though, is it? You're going against the most powerful wizard to ever exist. Anybody would worry about this."

"It's just... I've found a way to make this all worthwhile. If I don't do something, if I don't fight back, and I just runaway... Then he wins. You're the one who said to make light of this, and I can - by saving lives." Esme explained.

"You're right..." He nodded slowly, "Okay then, you've got to tell me everything. I need to know it all."

"What? No."

"You're not doing this without me."

"Reg-"

"Esme."

"All right! Dear God!" She gave in.

Despite the tremendous fear that she was putting Regulus in harm's way, it was nice to have someone on her side - someone to fight with.

"So... You said the Dark Lord is a Legilimens? How do we protect ourselves from that?" Regulus inquired.

"Listen, there's plenty of time for that." Esme snaked her arm around his shoulders, "I really think we should be celebrating your big win, rather than worrying."

For as long as she could, she would avoid implicating Regulus any further than he needed to be. Esme was hoping she could distract him from needing to get too involved. Perhaps that way she could at least keep him a little further from danger.

If only for a short while - until he pestered her for answers again.

After all, it was no use Esme lying to the boy; he could see right through her.

"I should have caught it faster. I didn't play very well at all." Regulus huffed.

"Didn't play well? You won the game for your team! Did someone modify your memory?" Esme came to a halt, grabbing onto his hands and spinning him around to face her.

He chuckled, "I was excited - distracted - by the fact that you were watching. It slowed me down."

"Oh. So I'm to blame?" She raised an eyebrow.

Regulus grinned, "Absolutely your fault."

"There's no way you could even see me from up on your broom." Esme dropped his hands and folded her arms, flashing her lopsided smirk.

He placed his hands on her hips and replied, "Of course I could. You stand out from a mile away."

"You're a real sweet talker, Regulus Black." Esme raised her hands to his shoulders, running her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck.

"Besides..." Regulus lowered his face towards her, "I heard you yell that our Chaser had scored one point."

Esme blushed, "Well it's only because you're terrible at teaching me the rules of the stupid game. I'll just have to keep coming to matches and eventually I'll make sense of it."

"Sounds good." He hummed, lowering his lips to meet her own.