Chapter 10

It was two weeks since the incident with Liam. Jude had told Emma and James about it when the other boy had gotten back from his family. Emma told him he might've just been embarrassed and blushing while James said Liam might be someone evil. He explained on how his father had troubles with his scar because he was a horcrux.

Jude also told them how much of a Voldemort fanatic he was which really set the two off. James ranted on how no one should be a fanatic of the dark lord while Emma grimaced at the name of said dark lord.

Jude didn't know what to think of it. All he knew was that there was some higher power in the workings and he was most likely going to be caught in the middle of it.

Now he sat on his broom in his second quidditch match. Gryffindor was against Hufflepuff and they were in the lead 90-30. He needed to find the snitch quickly because he knew how fast the Hufflepuff seeker was. Not as fast as him, but still pretty fast.

He folded his arms over his broom and laid his head on his forearms. He ignored the calls from the spectators. He'd catch the snitch when the time came.

Right now, his mind was in a whirlwind. He really didn't know what he signed up for when he stepped foot in the Wizarding world. He hoped to Merlin that Liam Lazarus didn't turn into the Voldemort to his Harry Potter.

He blinked back to reality when he saw the snitch buzzing by one of the Hufflepuff beaters. He shot off on his broom, his arm outstretched.

"Porter has found the snitch!" The commentator-a 6th year Ravenclaw girl- exclaimed excitedly. "The only question is, can he beat his opponent? Beckett is known for being one of the fastest seekers. Will this 5th year's pride get crushed by this 1st year's quick thinking?"

Jude paid no heed to Beckett and charged onwards towards the snitch. His fingers brushed against the wings of the snitch before he grabbed it. He didn't even get to gloat in his mind about it when something hard slammed into his temple and he was plunged into darkness.

…

"It's okay, Jude. Daddy's got you. You're okay. You're okay. Nothing's gonna get you as long as I'm here."

"Daddy. Daddy. Daddy…"

…

Jude fluttered his eyes open, staring at the unfamiliar, blurry ceiling. Where was he? All he remembered was going after the snitch before he was thrown into nothingness. Who was that in his dream? He had never heard that voice before.

"Jude?" He heard James whisper beside him.

He turned his head, wincing at the sharp pain that went through his neck to his head. He blinked at James' blurry face. He couldn't see the faces of his teammates, but he could tell who they were by their bright uniforms. He could also make out Emma's red hair next to James.

"W-w-what happened?" He muttered, choking a bit when his brain took a spin in his head.

James sighed in relief when he spoke, "You got hit with a rogue bludger. You fell off your broom from a pretty high up distance but your broom helped cushion your fall a bit. You still hit the floor. You got a concussion from the hit."

Jude blinked once more, trying not to move his head so much, "Did we win?"

The blurs chuckled before Olivia's face came into view. She was smiling widely, but he could partially see the sympathy in her eyes. Not because she didn't feel sorry for him, he just didn't have his glasses on to see clearly. "We won, Jude. You caught the snitch before the bludger hit you. Hufflepuff is actually disqualified the rest of the year because Beckett tried to take the snitch from your hand as you were falling."

"You held it in a vice grip, mate," Fred's voice sounded from one of the blurs.

"That's good," Jude mumbled. He shifted his body on the stiff bed under him. "Can someone hand me my glasses, please?"

Emma's blur shifted to the drawer by his bedside and put the thick, black frames on his face. The blue eyed boy sighed in relief when he could see clearly again. He smiled at Emma gratefully before turning to his teammates, "I'm glad we won. I thought for sure I wouldn't have been able to get the snitch with how fast Stephenson was."

Roxanne ruffled his hair gently so as not to harm him anymore. "You're a great deal better than any seeker, Jude. That's a fact."

Jude smiled lightly, feeling his grogginess come back. He closed his eyes, "Thanks, guys."

"Get well soon, Jude," Niall smiled back, patting the boy's hand. "We're gonna need your greatness at our next game."

Madam Pomfrey came out, shooing everyone, "Visiting time is over. Leave the poor boy to his rest. Quidditch should be the last thing on his mind."

Fred grinned, giving the bedridden boy a thumbs up, "Get better and we'll have our victory party for you."

Roxanne smacked his hand as the team walked out, "You just want to have another party again, Fred."

"The lad deserves it," Fred retorted. "Getting hit with a bludger but still keeping his mind on the game. Boy's the greatest thing to happen to this quidditch team."

Emma turned her attention back to Jude, "Are you feeling any better?"

Jude resisted the urge to shake his head and hummed softly, "Just a bit tired." He tugged on James' robe. "How bad is it, mate?"

James smiled a bit, "How bad does it feel?"

"Like bloody hell."

James chuckled, "You've got a few bruises and a concussion, but other than that, you're fine."

"I'm fine?" Jude sighed, shifting on the bed to help the pain in his neck. "I don't feel fine. That must've been some bludger."

"It was rogue," Emma commented. She frowned, fidgeting with her hands. "The only thing is; I don't think it was a complete accident."

James furrowed his brow confusedly. He put his hand on Jude's forehead so he wouldn't do the same thing. "What do you mean?"

Emma inhaled deeply, almost as if she was preparing herself. "I think someone tampered with the bludger on purpose to take Jude out."