The Hufflepuff quidditch team had not been as good as they were then in over twenty years.
And even then they were painfully clumsy in Oliver Wood's opinion.
Oliver had been cleaning up after their intense practice. ("No, Angie, no! Dodge right, deek around that bludger, yes! That's better! Good shot, Katie! George! Don't bat that thing at Alicia! Char, you need to catch that damn snitch! Keep an eye on it! Willie! Get that quaffle, don't let it in. No! DON'T LET IT IN!). It had taken their reserve seeker at least two hours to catch the snitch. Catching the bludgers was never easy, but the Weasley twins made it seem easy, and the quaffle had been quite easy, as it didn't run off on it's own.
God! They needed Harry back in shape for the next practice. Just two days before, they had been facing the Hufflepuff team, the group who was then flying above.
Oliver groaned softly as he finally shut the chest filled with all seven of the quidditch balls. He lay his head on the top, exhausted. Being the captain of the Gryffindor team was not easy.
Expectations were high; Oliver was expected to push his team extremely hard, as they were the only team who could ever beat Slytherin. If they didn't beat Slytherin, then Slytherin would win again.
"Watcha doin'?" Asked a relaxed voice from above. Oliver almost jumped, but then looked up to see the Hufflepuff seeker and captain, a fifth year boy named Cedric Diggory.
"Wondering how I'll ever manage to beat Slytherin or get the Cup." Oliver yawned sleepily. It was only three in the afternoon, but he felt as though it were three in the morning.
Cedric smiled an easy grin. "Relax, Wood. You've got a good chance. Ravenclaw and Slytherin are easy, and my lot can't beat either of them."
Oliver just laughed. "Oh, please. If you can beat Harry, the other teams are in trouble. Your the first to do so."
Cedric smiled. "That was bad luck on my part." He glanced around, seeing if anyone was watching. "I spoke to him in the Infirmary after the game. Told me he saw a grim."
Gawking, Oliver stared at Cedric in horror. Why hadn't Harry told him! "When I get my hands on him... Why didn't he tell me when I went by! No offense, Diggory, but I'm his captain! I care about him! He's my seeker! Best seeker in Hogwarts history, I say! Best flier in the school, too!"
Cedric just laughed. "Wood, I'm a 'Puff. We're good listeners, and aren't going to tell anyone that their doomed or anything. What Potter needs, essentially, is a friend who can listen to what he has to say, and find a way to make him feel better. Think about it, Wood! Have you ever seen the boy? He's stick thin, dreads the summer holidays, heck! I bet he dumbs down his work, too! That limp? Wouldn't be there unless he shattered every bone in his foot. Even muggle methods are better than that. The chances of Potter shattering his foot a nil."
Oliver considered that. It was true. Harry rarely spoke to anyone on the team. The only conversation among the team was stradegy. They weren't really a comforting group. Yes was the answer to, the other questions; Harry was extremely skinny, he hated the holidays and was always limping everywhere.
"You have a good point, Diggory. I'll speak to him."
"Now come one, Wood- Oliver. If your going to be here, might as well have some fun. Join our game of tag. I'm not going to take a no, Oliver."
One of the chasers, a second year girl, a chaser, flew low and grinned at Oliver. "Ced's got a point, lion. Your here, might as well have fun. Certainly something your team doesn't do."
Oliver sighed. "I would, but this isn't my team to practice with, and I'm exhausted."
Cedric smiled. "Have it your way, Oliver. Come easily or we will take you by force." He sounded quite serious, but he had a mischevious grin. "No, seriously. You look wary, and we're Hufflepuff's. It's our duty to cheer you up."
"Fine," Oliver huffed, mounting his broom.
"Essentially we're just having a game of tag." Grinned a beater who had swooped down, before heading off.
The game was fun, and Oliver considered sending his team to play once in a while.
Soon, Oliver had discovered why the Hufflepuff team was always so cheerful after a long practice. They were all laugh and shouting cheerfully, complaining cheerfully when they were tagged. Much to Oliver's surprise, they were quick and really good at the game. Oliver was easily it the most; the chasers were really quick, the keeper had excellent reflexes, easily as good as Oliver's, and the beaters were quick and had good reflexes. And Cedric? Cedric was fast, with good reflexes, a big smile, and the best jokes on the team.
It was an amusing game, and after, Oliver refused staying any longer, giving the team a great big smile before leaving.
Oliver immediately headed to the Infirmary where Harry was twitching in one of the beds. "Hey, Harry. Diggory tells me you saw a grim before we called a timeout. Why didn't you tell one of us. We would have done something. Can't be playing with a grim around! Tell me, kiddo, have you seen it before?"
Harry's shoulders slumped miserably. "I- I know you would have done something, but I don't think anyone would have been able to find it. That was the second time I saw it, and in under three months, two."
"Harry," Oliver said gently. "Next time something like that happens, you need to say something."
Harry shook his head. "Hermione didn't believe me when I told her and Ron about it. Said it was just a stray. I figured it was best not to mention it."
"It's always best to tell someone when your scared, kid."
"Okay, Oliver. Next time. I promise."
Oliver left, realizing that Cedric had been right. Harry really did need someone just to be able to talk to.
That was how Oliver learned that Hufflepuff's really were great.