Chapter Text
Day 1: Other AUs - POTTER FALLS
Mabel licked her lips not once, but twice.
She tapped the sole of her sneaker onto the wooden floor and tilted her head from side to side.
It was a pre-game routine she'd invented since she'd picked up Quidditch the previous year. It helped ease her nerves, and boy, did the third year seeker need it.
The handle of her broom felt comforting in her grip, but her stomach was making it uncomfortable enough for her body to not cooperate. It felt like her abdomen was wriggling with anxiousness at the thought of the match to come.
Not only was it the the semi-finals, it was their last match with Slytherin. Normally she wouldn't care, she and the Slytherin seeker were enemies both on the field and out, but she'd heard that for once Pacifica's parents were attending the match.
Mabel didn't know much about the Northwests except from what she heard via word of mouth and their daughter. Though for them to be capable of raising such a terror, made it something to be wary about.
Since it seemed like the blonde always spent her time finding ways to get her in trouble, it was troubling to see Pacifica remain silent the entire week. Not once had she bothered to even glance at her and this actually bothered Mabel. To watch such a confident young lady, even if it was just to be a poop, suddenly fall quiet and drop her usual antics was terrifying. It made Mabel really wonder how bad her parents were.
"Ready... go... Mabel?"
At the sound of her name, the Gryffindor seeker looked up. Wendy, the team captain, was eyeing her worriedly.
"Uh, yeah. I'm good. Just finishing the ritual, you know," Mabel said, a weak smile replacing what she was sure had been a tense expression.
Wendy nodded and turned her attention back to the door that separated them from the stadium. Mabel followed after her team and took a deep breath.
Just treat it like a regular match, Mabel. There's no need to worry about it. It's not like they're your parents. She wrinkled her nose at the thought and took her place in line behind Nate and Lee.
The moment the door opened up, the roar of the stadium blasted its way in. Mabel rapped her fingers on the handle and grinned. Their entrance was well received and had at least half of the stadium cheering for them, while the other was filled with jeers and boos.
Mabel peered over at the other team. She had to admit that she loved their uniform, there was just something about the way the silver threads lining the green robes sparkled that made her wish she could put glitter on her own uniform.
There was a change in lighting as a cloud moved away from the sun, and she caught sight of her rival's shining blonde hair. In the sunlight, Pacifica looked radiant. Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail and she was wearing a pair of pearl earrings. Adding to that, the light made her uniform and hair glow which emphasized the clear blue and fear in her eyes.
...Wait, what?
Mabel peered away from Pacifica's face and took a look at her hand. It wasn't fairly obvious, but by looking at the top handle of the broom, she could tell that the other girl was trembling.
She frowned and took a look up at the stands. She had no idea what Pacifica's parents looked like, but she felt the hugest urge to go up to them and give them both a hard smack across the cheek.
"HELLO EVERYONE. WELCOME TO THE SEMI-FINALS OF THE HOGWARTS HOUSE CUP."
Her best friend Grenda's booming (amplified via magic) voice snapped Mabel out of her reverie. She adjusted her broomstick and prepared herself to mount it.
"TODAY'S MATCHUP IS SLYTHEEERINN VS. GRRRRYFFINDOOR!"
Mabel smiled to herself as raucous cheers boomed through the arena.
"BEFORE WE BEGIN TODAY, WE WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE SOME SPECIAL GUESTS. JOINING US ALL THE WAY FROM THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC IS THE MINISTER HIMSELF, PRESTON NORTHWEST, ACCOMPANIED BY HIS WIFE AND THE HEAD OF THE AUROR OFFICE, PRISCILLA."
On the large monitor that had been mounted on one of the stands, the screen flashed to show a well-dressed man and woman. Their facial expressions reflected ones that she'd seen Pacifica use in the past and she instantly recognized them as her parents.
Mabel's eyes widened, her head snapped back to where the Slytherins were and she not only saw that Pacifica's had hardened into a frown, but the girl was openly glaring at her. Mabel immediately looked away. As of now, Gryffindor had been the only house that the Slytherins had never beat. She always seemed to be a few paces quicker than the other seeker.
"MABEL!"
She looked back at her team, Wendy had apparently finished giving a pep speech and her lack of response led to her receiving that concerned look again. She nodded that she was alright and readied her legs for the kick off.
"Let's do this team! Just one more win and we go up against those stinking Ravenclaws!"
The team roared their approval, Mabel chuckling along with them. Wendy counted off and then they were all in the air, ready to take their positions. Wendy flew to the three rings to take her position as keeper, while Nate and Lee positioned themselves menacingly with their beater bats. The others mentally prepared themselves for the quaffle's appearance.
The four balls released into the air signaled the start of the match and then everyone was off. Mabel raised herself high above the rest of her teammates to get a better look at the field.
She glanced over just in time to see Lee knock a bludger into Robbie, Wendy's ex-boyfriend and one of the Slytherin chasers. Mabel grinned, the punk-haired emo boy had just started dating Wendy's best friend who Nate had a crush on and since he and Lee were good friends, she wasn't surprised at the tenacity.
When Nate flew over and gave him a high five, Mabel was so busy reveling the moment that she almost forgot about the situation at hand until she saw a flash of yellow to her right.
She immediately whirled around only to find Pacifica lined up beside her. The fear in her eyes was now gone and instead she looked positively angry... or excited, a weird mixture of the two.
It wasn't unusual for Pacifica to hang around her before they found the snitch. Usually the other girl would take the time to trash talk her, though this time she was silent so it was up to Mabel to initiate the conversation.
"So.. Those are your parents, huh?" Mabel weakly commented.
Pacifica glared at her and just nodded. Mabel licked her lips nervously and adjusted her grip on the handle of her broom. From what she recalled Candy and Grenda telling her, the Northwests never came to any events unless it elevated their social status.
She must be spooked then. I wonder why they're here.
"Are you excited? It must be nice to have your parents visit...I mean, since they can."
Pacifica flinched and it was after a few moments of silence that she spoke up.
"It's nothing. Just my stupid parents coming to oversee this stupid game."
Mabel looked back over at her, the tone in Pacifica's voice was a bit muffled, but her eyes showed her determination. Reflecting back on the fear she'd seen in them before, she knew that the other girl was hiding something.
Of course she'd never voice it out loud, but she wished she could help.
Oh, but I can. Mabel's eyes widened and she glanced down at her team. If they worked hard enough, they could win even without catching the snitch, right?
She nervously chewed her lip, a nasty habit she'd developed after years of braces. Her heart sank at the thought of letting her team down, but at the same time she knew that she was doing the right thing.
Her parents don't always come, after all.
With that thought in mind, Mabel knew what she had to do.
The snitch was released at least ten minutes after Mabel had made the decision to let Pacifica win the match.
She'd spotted it first, it was hovering over the rightmost ring of the opposing team's side. Though she had lagged enough to let Pacifica glance in the same direction and go.
Mabel followed after her a few seconds later since she knew that her teammates had noticed they'd moved.
"MABEL, DUCK!" She heard Lee shout.
A bludger flew past her head and knocked into the bristles of Pacifica's broom, the seeker veered off course and almost collided into her. Mabel regained her balance and looked at where the snitch had been.
She let her eyes roam the field until she saw it had gone by the Ravenclaw banner on the other side of the field. She launched herself forward on instinct, but suddenly halted when she remembered that she was going to let Pacifica win.
Mabel pretended that she was still looking for it. In the course of this, she caught a glimpse of Pacifica's face. She was about to do a double take before the other girl flew directly in front of her, her facial expression furious.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" She hissed.
Mabel shot her a confused look.
"Uh... Playing?"
Pacifica pinched the bridge of nose and exhaled in irritation.
"No, you're not. I know what you're doing and I don't need your pity." Mabel's heart sank. "If I beat you, it has to be fair and square otherwise there's no point of there even being a match."
"Yeah, but Pacifi-"
"No buts, Pines. You either try hard or neither of us are catching that snitch."
Mabel looked away from her opponent's face and up at the stand where the teachers and other authority figures sat. She spotted Pacifica's parents staring down at them with befuddled expressions on their faces.
It must have looked odd to everyone. Both seekers knew that the snitch was free and yet they were having an argument in the middle of the field.
"Everything alright over here, Mabel?" A deep voice boomed and she peered up to see Nate holding his bat tightly in his hands.
Mabel nodded and met Pacifica's eyes. "Yeah, everything's alright, Nate."
The three flew back over to the center of the field. Mabel scanned it as they approached the middle, it didn't look like it was among any of the players. There was a glint of gold in the sunlight up above and she knew that it was it.
Mabel shot upward and tried to leave behind her feelings of guilt. She knew it wasn't fair on Pacifica to go easy on her after what she'd said. Mabel reached out to grab the sphere, she fought back her hesitation and went to close her fingers around it.
That is, she would have if her broomstick hadn't suddenly decided to head right instead. As she tried to rectify her broomstick, Mabel watched the snitch fly lower. Pacifica had been right behind her and she was gaining distance on it.
It's now or never, Mabel!
She turned her broom downward and pushed it into a sharp dive. Her hand reached out for it once more while the other remain tightly clasped around the base to keep it from moving.
Before she even had the change to touch it, her broom jerked again and she had to steer it back. This action must have seemed like trolling because not long after, she heard Pacifica's irate voice.
"STOP PLAYING AROUND MABEL, IT ISN'T FUNNY SO KNOCK IT OFF."
"I'M TRYING!" She shouted back.
In the distance she could hear Wendy shout out a warning.
"MABEL, TO YOUR RIGHT."
Mabel turned her head quickly enough to spot a bludger rapidly making its way toward her. She swerved her broomstick to the right and just narrowly managed to avoid it. The only problem was that the second she did, her broom decided to take a sudden nosedive.
Having been caught completely off guard by the action, Mabel watched in horror as the broomstick flipped over. Luckily for her she'd instinctively wrapped her legs around it tighter, but her arms hadn't reacted as quickly and she found herself dangling from the broom with mere thigh strength.
As the blood began to rush into her ears, Mabel could hear the Gryffindor section of the stadium uproar and her teammates yelling at her to get her shit together. Pacifica hadn't noticed that she was struggling, which was good, because she didn't need the entire stadium turning against her.
Well, if I lose, at least it won't fully be my fault.
Mabel watched Pacifica pursue the snitch momentarily before she decided that she should try to climb back on. She curved up and reached up to try to grab onto the wood. It made no sense that her broom was acting up, this had never happened before.
She let out a sigh, her head was starting to hurt because of her current position and it felt like her heart was pounding in her ears. It was no wonder she hadn't heard Wendy scream out her name.
When Mabel had managed to grab onto the stick, she figured she was safe. The match should have been over.
But the next thing that entered her mind only followed after she heard a sickening crunch and a wave of pain. In the instant the bludger collided with her side and most likely fractured a rib or two, she'd been too focused on the pain to realize that she'd let go of the broom.
With the ground rapidly approaching and her broomstick too far for her to reach, Mabel instead curled up as best as she could. It wasn't like she could hear her teammates shouting since the intensity of the air blocked out all the sound.
I guess this is how I go. Trying to do a noble deed.
Just as she had resigned herself to her fate, Mabel felt her body hit something hard. Surprisingly she felt a lot less pain than she had thought she would. It wasn't until something wrapped itself around her waist that she opened her eyes to see what was up.
Huh?
Mabel glanced down, not only was she in the air, it was a green sleeve fastened around her waist instead of the red she was wearing. She turned around and froze up. Pacifica was examining her with an annoyed expression on her face, though something in Mabel's stomach wriggled when she saw the worry in her eyes.
"You need to be more careful. If I hadn't gone back to catch you, I don't think any of your teammates could have swooped down low enough to. Out of all the irresponsible things you've done, of course today is the day you just have to forget how to ride your broom-"
Mabel tuned out Pacifica's lecture in favor of trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. She was taking slow deep breaths when she noticed the snitch glide in front of them.
"Wait, Pacifica, stop."
"Mabel, I swear to God, if you cut me off in the middle of a sentence like that again, I will-"
"Pacifica look!"
She reached up and twisted the girl's face so she could see what she saw. The movement sent a pang through her side and she felt Pacifica's arm tighten in response to prevent her from falling.
"You should take it. Technically you won it fair and square by saving me."
Pacifica frowned and pursed her lips. "Well, technically you would have won if your broom hadn't acted up."
Mabel tightened her hold on her side momentarily and watched the slowly moving snitch. It hadn't flown away yet, but an idea was starting to form in her mind. An impish grin crept onto her cheeks and she laughed.
"Well, I'm not sure the rules don't say anything about both seekers grabbing it at the same time!"
Mabel peered over at Pacifica before she spoke again.
"When I count to three, we'll both grab it, alright?"
Pacifica nodded, her blue eyes focusing back on the snitch.
"One."
Mabel adjusted herself so her left arm was free to grab it since Pacifica's was wrapped around her.
"Two."
The blonde reached out with her right arm just so theirs were parallel.
"THREE!"
The two of them reached out and clasped their hands together, effectively trapping the golden ball in the process.
Grenda then took the opportunity to speak up on what had happened.
"WELL, WELL, WELL, ISN'T THIS A SURPRISE! I DONT THINK IVE EVER SEEN THIS HAPPEN IN MY LIFE. HAVE YOU, PROFESSOR MANLY?"
"Grunt"
"I THOUGHT SO TOO, BUT WELL, WITH THE ADDITION OF THE GOLDEN SNITCH, SLYTHERIN AND GRYFFINDOR HAVE TIED WITH A SCORE OF 400 AND WHAT A GAME THAT WAS."
Grenda's voice was replaced by that of Wendy's father, Manly Dan, the Head of Gryffindor, his tone was brusque which made it evident that he was upset.
"TALLYING UP THE SCORE, WITH A 30 POINT BONUS DUE TO THEIR LAST MATCH, SLYTHERIN WILL BE MOVING UP TO THE NEXT ROUND AND WILL GO UP AGAINST RAVENCLAW FOR THE FINALS."
Mabel beamed at Pacifica who seemed to be in utter shock. It seemed that she hadn't needed to lose unfairly after all.
"MABEL!"
"Mabel, are you alright?!"
Mabel looked up and watched some of her teammates fly down toward them.
"We'll take her from here, Northwest." Wendy said.
Lee and Nate reached over to try to hoist her between their broomsticks. Mabel tried not to hiss in pain at the jostle of her uniform against her ribs.
"You alright, Mabel?" Wendy asked, but her question was overshadowed by Nate and Lee's commentary.
"That was hella sick dude!"
"Yeah, you were like dangling from your broom and then you took that bludger like a boss!"
"Don't worry, Wendy. Nothing a visit to the nurse can't fix," Mabel said in response since the two beaters were too busy remarking about how cool she'd looked for her to want to bother trying to interject.
When they got to the field ground, Mabel's broomstick was recovered, though Wendy ordered her to go to the Hospital wing before taking it to the flying instructor to see what had caused it to go haywire.
On her way up, Mabel was tackled by her brother, Grenda, and Candy who had been waiting to ambush her with details. Though they'd caused more pain than anything and she had passed out not long after.
When she woke up, the sun had started to set and she was lying in an unfamiliar bed. Lazy Susan had checked up on her and given her medicine to help mend her bones. Though she said that she'd be knocked out soon and wouldn't have to feel the pain of them mending.
As Mabel tread the line of consciousness, she found herself with an unexpected visitor.
"Pacifica, what're you doing here?"
The blonde fidgeted, she glanced around the room before making her way toward the bed.
"I just... I came in to say that I was sorry."
Mabel slowly blinked twice.
"Sorry for what? It's not your fault that I'm here."
There was a fidget again.
"Actually, it was..." Pacifica said, but just as quickly spoke again. "N-not directly though!"
Mabel frowned, her eyes were starting to close and though she was pushing herself to stay awake, she knew she was failing.
"Whadda ya mean?"
"My parents.. They came because they heard Slytherin has been on a losing streak when it comes to Gryffindor so they... They were controlling your broom and then the bludger and I -"
"Whoa, Pacifica, slooooow down," Mabel slurred, she shook her head to try to regain focus and frowned. "So your parents tried to rig it so you would win?"
"Yes, and I am so sorry. If I had known they'd do it, I would have tried to stop them, but I couldn't and now you're here because of me and-"
"Paficica, look, no one died. So it's alright. If there wasn't any hot dogs, we wouldn't have pork chops, right?"
Pacifica shot her a confused look.
"Right..?" She agreed hesitantly.
Mabel cheerily grinned and flashed her a thumbs up.
"Seeee, then we're gooaaahhd. Though I suggest you sleep now before I leafffe," Mabel yawned.
"Right... Well, enjoy your nap."
Mabel adjusted her bed covers and nodded. Her eyelids no longer wanting to stay open, she mumbled instead.
"Mmm, night, Pacifier."
Pacifica stopped at the foot of her bed and peered back. She hesitated momentarily as if contemplating something and spoke up again.
"And Mabel, thank you for doing what you did... It meant a lot."
The words were sincere, and reflected a side of Pacifica that Mabel had never seen before, unfortunately she had already passed out once they had been uttered. It didn't matter anyway, since she had been too half-asleep the entire time to fully remember their encounter.
Though starting the next day, the blonde had been considerably nicer. So it maybe it hadn't all been a dream after all.