"How long has it been?"

"Just about an hour or so."

"Wha-what happened? Where's Harry? HARRY!"

"SHHHHHH you'll wake him!"

Harry stirred weakly. Slowly, his eyes opened. Everything was blurry. He lifted himself up slightly and found his glasses. He put them on, and everything swam into focus. He was in the Hogwarts infirmary. Across the room from him, Hermione was sitting down in a chair. Ron was standing beside her, whispering quietly. Harry sat up, then wished he hadn't. He felt dizzy for a moment, but then it passed, and his head felt normal.

"Ron?" he said weakly.

"HARRY!" Ron shouted. "FINALLY! I was getting worried!"

"What happened?" Harry asked confusedly. "Weren't we in the forest…with the werewolf…LUPIN! And Hermione! WHERE'S LUPIN!"

"Harry, calm down!" Ron said. "We were in the forest. Do you remember that green flash?"

Harry's head started to clear.

"Yeah…that was the light I saw when I was trying to get on the Knight Bus! That's when I passed out…Is that what just happened?"

"I reckon so," Ron said seriously. Suddenly he paled.

"D'you think--D'you think You-Know-Who was there?"

"I dunno," Harry said nervously. Hermione spoke up.

"Did your scar hurt, Harry?"

"No…" he touched it lightly. "It doesn't hurt now, either. Anyway, what happened?"

"Well," Ron said. "I saw a bunch of green light, then I saw you faint, and that's when it suddenly stopped. You and Hermione were kinda lying there on the ground, very still. I panicked, especially with Lupin the werewolf there. But then a cloud must've covered the moon, or it wasn't a full moon or something, because he transformed back into himself. He saw you and Hermione there, and magicked you onto stretchers. He brought you into here, and Hermione came round right away. It's been an hour or so since you just did."

Harry's stomach lurched. Every time he had seen the green light he had fainted. And he also heard that same, evil, cackling laugh. Harry faced Ron. He felt stupid asking, but he had to know.

"When you saw the green flash," he said slowly, "Did you hear someone laughing as well?"

"No…" Ron looked at Harry strangely. "Are you sure you're all right?"

Hermione had gone white.

"Harry!" she said, "What if it's You-Know-Who? Oh Harry, was that the same thing with the Knight Bus?" Harry nodded grimly. Hermione looked panicked.

"You MUST tell Professor Dumbledore! If it's You-Know-Who…" she trailed off ominously.

"Yeah, you really should Harry, as soon as possible," Ron chipped in.

"I suppose so," Harry murmured. "I'll go tomorrow…and if not tomorrow, at least before the Quidditch Quest…" he frowned. "WHY does this keep on happening? My scar isn't hurting, and it just happens at random moments…is it a warning? A sign?"

Hermione was hovering anxiously near his bed.

"That's what you should ask Dumbledore, when you talk with him," she said pointedly.

"Right," Harry said, taking a deep breath. "Well then, I'll go right now."

"Oh, no you won't!" The door had swung open, and Madame Pomfrey, the school nurse, was swooping in, bending over Harry and taking his pulse.

"Have you any idea what time it is?"

She answered herself. "11:00! You should be in bed, sleeping already! Especially in your condition." She looked him over.

"I'm fine!" Harry insisted. "I feel perfectly normal!"

"That's what they all say," Madame Pomfrey said distractedly. "Off to bed now, you two! Shoo! Shoo! This boy needs rest! Be gone with you!"

Ron and Hermione left, waving goodbye over their shoulders.

Harry slipped back down into the blankets. Madame Pomfrey, who had disappeared momentarily, had come back. She had a smoking goblet held in her bony hand.

"Here, drink this," she ordered. "It will help you fall asleep much faster." Harry tentatively took a sip, and he instantly started to feel groggy. Remembering that he still had his glasses on, he took them off, and lay down to bed. Within seconds he was fast asleep.

Harry woke up the next morning to Madame Pomfrey peering over into his face. Stifling a yelp, Harry sat up quickly, clutching the blanket tightly.

"Ah, you're finally up," Madame Pomfrey remarked. She took his temperature quickly, and retreated when she saw that it was normal. Harry ate breakfast in the infirmary, and was allowed to leave afterward. He made his way up the spiral staircase into the Common Room. He spotted Hermione and Ron sitting on opposite sides of the room. It seemed they had only talked to each other in light of Harry. Now, it seemed, they were back to being mad at each other. Harry sighed. When were they going to come to their senses? He made his way to Hermione first. She had been studying, as usual.

The first thing she said to Harry was, "You'd better go on and tell Dumbledore now, Harry." Harry nodded, and made his way back out of the Common Room. He had just climbed out of the portrait hole when he heard a scuffling from behind him. He turned to see Ron climbing out also.

"I'm going to come with you, if you don't mind," Ron said. Of course, Harry didn't mind, so they made their way up to the statue of a stone gargoyle, where Dumbledore's office was situated.

Suddenly, a thought struck Harry. He didn't know the password! How could he have forgotten that? Ron was looking expectantly at him.

"Well then," he said, "What now?"

"I don't know the password," Harry said sheepishly. He cleared his throat.

"I can try to figure it out again. As far as I know, it's always been some kind of sweet." With that, they both started reciting the names of all the different kinds of sweets they knew.

"Lemon drop!"

"Pumpkin Pasty!"

"Chocolate Frog!"

"Bertie Bott's Ever Flavor Beans! Wait…I forgot, that probably wouldn't be it…"

"Licorice Wand!"

"Sugar Quill!"

"Cockroach Cluster!"

"Cauldron Cake!"

Harry had shouted the last one. Suddenly, the gargoyle sprang to life and jumped aside.

"Knew it would work," Harry said, grinning to Ron. They walked in through the gap in the walls and climbed up a spiral staircase. They came face to face with a closed oak door.

Harry thought he heard something, and motioned to Ron to be quiet. Voices were resounding though the door. It seemed to be Dumbledore and…Snape! They were in the middle of a heated conversation.

"Albus, he's here."

"In Hogwarts?"

"Nearby."

"Really, Severus, are you sure?"

"I heard him myself. I've been spying on him, like you instructed, Professor. His blundering servant almost caught me. The night of the Halloween feast, I had just barely escaped Wormtail."

"I see. Well it is rather fortunate you weren't caught. What have you learned, Severus?"

"The Knight Bus sir, did you hear that it was stolen?"

"Indeed, I did."

"It was You-Know-Who."

"Severus, fear of a name increases fear of the person himself. Really, I've been repeating that for years now, but does anyone listen?"

"Yes, sir."

"Anyway, why on Earth would he need the Knight Bus?"

"Just to stir things up. To alarm people, and keep them alert. You know the way he is."

"I supposed so…"

"Dumbledore, he's still after Potter"

"Not a surprise."

"Do you really think he'll be safe here?"

"I have my ways."

"Oh." Snape sounded a bit disappointed, if anything.

"I heard" There was a gulping noise. "Voldemort. He was planning something with Potter again. Another plan…he didn't say what, but he was sure it would work this time."

"Well, we'll have to put some more protection on Harry, then. Now, if that is all, I have an errand I need to finish. "

"Yes, of course, Headmaster."

"I trust you will be returning to teach Potions?"

"Of course."

"Excellent."

"Now, if you don't mind…"

The door handle jiggled. Harry stared at Ron, who looked quite panicked. In silent agreement, they tiptoed quietly down the stairs, and back into the empty corridor. They had just turned round the corner when they say Snape coming out of the concealed door. Looking down the corridor furtively, he swept off into the other direction, his black robes swishing quietly.

Harry and Ron ran quietly down the hallway, the mission they had had in mind completely forgotten. They burst into the Common Room, robes flying. Hermione was still sitting in the same corner, her brow furrowed in concentration at the book she was studying.

"Hermione," Ron blurted out, "You won't believe what Harry and I just heard."

Harry motioned to him to be quiet. The common room was filled with people. Signaling them to follow him, he climbed out of the portrait hole again, Ron and Hermione at his heels. He led them to the library, which was deserted.

Madame Pince peered suspiciously at them as they walked in. Nonchalantly, they settled themselves down at a table near the far back. After making sure that no one was around, Harry wasted no time in filling Hermione in on what they had just overheard.

"So…the Knight Bus was stolen by You-Know-Who," Hermione said in a hushed tone of voice.

"Apparently," Harry muttered.

Hermione wheeled around and to stare at Harry.

"Harry!" She shouted, as if she was just noticing he was there.

"Shhhhhh!" Harry mouthed. She ignored him.

"You'd better be careful! If You-Know-Who is still after you, and he's nearby…"

"Oh come on, Hermione," Ron said scathingly.

"Harry's been in this kind of a situation before! He knows how to take care of himself. In our second year--"

Hermione interrupted him. There were bright red patches of color on her cheeks, and she looked angry.

"Ron!" She began furiously, "You-Know-Who has come back. Harry hasn't been in this kind of a situation before! We can't even begin to fathom how much power he has! This isn't some fairy tale story, Harry could die if we're all not careful!"

Ron looked taken aback.

"You're right," he said quietly. "Sorry. I was just being stupid."

Harry sat there watching them. They were talking as if he wasn't in the room with them. He had a feeling they weren't quite talking about him either. It was like they were talking about him…but with some other kind of meaning to the words.

"Let's go back into the common room now, and see when the match against Slytherin is," He interrupted loudly.

"It's in a week," Ron snapped, looking annoyed at the interruption. He turned back to Hermione and they continued exchanging heartfelt apologies.

Harry sighed, a slight smile on his face as he watched them. In a minute, it had lost his attention, so he cleared his throat loudly, and announced,

"I'll see you in a bit. I'm going back to the common room." With that, he turned and walked out. Once he was out of their view, he turned back and peered through a bookcase at them.

They were hugging. Harry turned back, a bit embarrassed at witnessing that. He walked out of the library, and back into the common room. He walked out of the library, and back into the common room. He flopped down into a huge red armchair that was set next to the roaring fire. He stared at it for a minute or two. Its bright orange flames transfixed his gaze onto it. The flames looked like they were dancing this way and that. Harry had a sudden memory. Last year, after his name had come out of the Goblet of Fire, he had had a talk with Sirius. Sirius had made his head appear in the flames, and they had talked that way. Thinking of Sirius, Harry thought he might want to hear about the Knight Bus.

He made his way up the spiral staircase and into the boys' dorm, so that he could grab a quill and some parchment from his bag. Settling himself back in the same armchair, he started to write.

15 minutes later, he put down his quill and looked over his letter.

Dear Sirius,

Thanks for your last letter. I've been doing pretty good…Only there's one thing…over the summer, Hermione called, to ask me to stay. I tried to use the Knight Bus to get to her house, but it didn't come. Instead, there was this blinding flash of green light and I fainted. The same thing happened recently. I had ran after Hermione in the forest

Harry had thought it was best not to add that it was the Forbidden Forest.

And I saw that flash of light again. I passed out again. The second time Ron had been with me, and he saw the light too. But both times I also heard this high, evil laughter before I fainted. Ron said he didn't hear anything. I don't know what it's from; maybe you'll have a clue. I'm sure I didn't imagine it either.

Also, I was on my way to tell Dumbledore the other day, when I overheard him talking with Snape. Snape was saying that he had been spying on Voldemort, and that it was him who had stolen the Knight Bus. I don't know whether you've heard or not that it was stolen.

For the Quidditch Quest, Gryffindor beat Ravenclaw in the first match for determining the champion for Hogwarts. We have a match against Slytherin in a few days. Wish me luck!

-Harry

It was a rather hurried letter, but it was good enough. He didn't write all about the green flashes, he didn't want to make it seem like he was too worried. Harry got up and made his way up to the Owlery to have Hedwig deliver the letter.

He pulled open the door, and walked inside. It was rather drafty, and the floor was covered with droppings. Harry pinched his nose as he walked inside. He spotted Hedwig, perched on a windowsill.

"Hedwig," he said, his voice coming out all high and squeaky.

"I need you to take this letter to Sirius." Hedwig hooted softly, and fluttered onto his shoulder. Harry folded up the letter and tied it to her leg.

"See you later," He said to Hedwig, watching her soar out the open window. Harry watched her until she was a dot on the darkening horizon.

He made his way back into the common room. This time, Ron and Hermione were already there. Hermione seemed to have finally succeeded in getting Ron to buckle down and study. She was quizzing him on their Potions notes. As Snape was going to start teaching again, they needed to make sure they knew everything and not give Snape any chances to take points from Gryffindor. Harry sat down next to Hermione, and looked over her shoulder at her notes. They were written neatly in perfect handwriting. The paper was perfectly smooth, without a crease or even a pencil smudge. No doodles littered the corners like in Harry's. He gulped as he read the notes. He didn't know any of this very well, and had a nasty feeling Snape would be asking him questions on it. He dragged another armchair, and sat down across from both of them.

For the remainder of the afternoon, Hermione quizzed Harry and Ron. Though they both complained loudly, and whined the whole afternoon, she just kept on going. Harry went to bed that night feeling like his brain had gotten bigger with all the information he had absorbed. He fell asleep feeling satisfied. At least now, Snape wouldn't have any excuses to give him detention or take points off…

The next morning, Harry woke before anyone else. Harry yawned and sat up, shivering. The days were progressively getting colder, though inside, it looked perfectly warm. A bird chirped very loudly from Harry's window, and Harry nearly fell out of bed in surprise. Suddenly he jumped.

"THE MATCH AGAINST SLYTHERIN IS TOMORROW!" he shouted, forgetting that everyone else was still asleep.

"Everything all right, Harry?" Came Dean's sleepy voice. A second later, a loud snort told Harry he had fallen back asleep. Harry got up quietly, and changed into his robes. There was still an hour or two before classes started. He scuffled down to the Great Hall. There were only one or two other people in there, sleepily poking at their toast or scrambled eggs. Harry chose a seat near the corner, and sat down.

Harry just sat there, thinking for a moment. The match against Slytherin was tomorrow. He had almost totally forgotten. Well, he had remembered, but it had never really sunk in. They had had Quidditch practice the last several days, but Harry didn't really think of the match against Slytherin, he just thought of it as…practice. Harry smiled. At least Ron had a better broom now. Since Wood wasn't playing Quidditch for Puddlemere United anymore, he was letting Ron use his broom, which flew a lot better then the old school brooms.

Harry heard voices, and looked toward the entrance. Ron and Hermione were making their way though the tables to the corner where Harry was sitting. Ron threw his bag down on the table.

"Potions, first thing," he said irritably. "Then we have Defense against the Dark Arts, and double Herbology after lunch."

Harry groaned loudly. Potions with Snape wasn't going to be fun. Though Harry ate his breakfast as slowly as he could, Potions class still came extremely quickly. It seemed in no time at all that Harry was trudging slowly down the hallway toward the dungeons, where Potions was held.

"Harry, Ron," Hermione hissed. "We don't want to be late!"

"True," Ron said. With that that, he started sprinting down the hallway. Harry followed, thinking that at least he knew his notes extremely well.

They arrived panting and slightly red-faced at Potions. They were the first people there. Snape wasn't even there yet…or, at least, he wasn't in sight. Nervously, they took their usual seat in the back of the room. They sat there silently, shooting apprehensive glances at one another for a minute or two.

Fortunately, soon after, the door swung open, and most of the class came thundering in. Draco Malfoy and Crabbe and Goyle came in with the rest of them. He leered at Harry as they crossed the room. Everyone seated themselves at the tables, and pulled out some parchment and a quill, sitting quietly. It seemed that no one wanted to get Snape in a bad mood. The bell rang, signaling the beginning of thew first class. Snape swished in, robes fluttering. He stood in front of the class glaring at them all.

"I have consulted Professor Lupin, and he has informed me you have studied about memory potions and charms," he hissed, getting started right away.

"Pointless, simple, wand waving spells. In my classroom, that sort of rubbish is not tolerated." He stared impressively around at them all

"We will be concocting a healing potion for today's lesson. I will split you up into pairs, and I will write the necessary ingredients on the board. Then we'll get started." He looked around again, with a trace of his evil smile on his lips.

"Malfoy and…" he looked around the room. "Granger."

"Potter…" his lips curved into a sneer, as they always did at the mention of Harry's name. "Finnigan."

It wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. At least he hadn't gotten paired up with Malfoy. Harry glanced at Ron. He was looking at Neville and pretending to gag himself, as he had gotten paired up with Goyle. Snape had his back to the class, and was now writing the ingredients on the board. Harry, Seamus, Ron and Goyle were working at one table together.

Harry started unpacking his ingredients, setting them neatly up on the table.

"Too bad Malfoy's back," Harry whispered to Ron.

"Yeah. I wonder why he came back anyway…" Ron said. Seamus interrupted them.

"You mean you haven't heard?" He said, looking surprised.

Ron and Harry shook their heads. Seamus smiled satisfactorily. He beckoned Harry closer and whispered in his ear.

"I heard Durmstrang was too difficult for him. He's not used to actually working for a change. Always slacks off, doesn't he?"

Harry glanced over at Hermione and Draco. Draco was sitting there lazily, while Hermione was bustling around unpacking everything.

"Quite true," Ron remarked. He had turned to look at Draco also. Seamus continued.

"Well, I heard that once they had their first exam he failed miserably. His dad and mum sent him back here. Besides, at Durmstrang the teachers don't show any favoritism. Unlike Snape"

Ron was restraining back a laugh.

"You mean," he choked, "Draco came back because he wasn't smart enough?"

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Seamus said, also grinning.

"haHA!" Ron crowed. "The little git--" He stopped abruptly. Snape turned around, black eyes glittering dangerously. He looked around, trying to see who had spoken. Everyone else had instantly stopped talking, and now they busied themselves with setting up their ingredients. Snape's eyes fell on Ron, and he narrowed his eyes. Ron had an innocent look on his face as he started skinning his Traikrea Root. Snape turned back around, and continued writing directions on the board. Ron dropped the angelic look, and started to mash his beetles with a vengeance.

Harry turned to Seamus, and they started to mix their potion.

"At least now we know why he came back," Harry laughed, as he added the Fungiless Fig to their potion. He watched it bubble in the cauldron for a moment, then started talking again, this time to Ron.

"So," he said, "The match against Slytherin is tomorrow." Ron grimaced.

"Don't remind me," he muttered darkly.

"At least you have a better broom," Harry remarked. Ron brightened a bit.

"Yeah! Have you ever been on a Firebo-oh, wait, I forgot, you own one. But the speed! And the precise turning!" Ron went on ranting about the Firebolt's excellent brakes and speed. He had just gotten started on

"And the look of it! The handle is so smooth…"

Snape appeared out of nowhere.
"Talking about Quidditch in my classroom? 10 points from Gryffindor." He moved closer to Harry, and hissed,

"I'm watching you, Potter…" Harry stared stonily ahead, pretending Snape wasn't there. Snape appeared a bit disappointed with his reaction, and swept off to his desk at the front of the room.

"I'm watching you, Potter," Ron mimicked, in a exaggeratedly evil tone of voice. Harry and Seamus snorted with laughter. Harry looked around the room. Goyle was stupidly trying to mix the potion on his own, and Draco was lazily watching Hermione stir in the ingredients. Harry turned back to his own table. Ron and Seamus were having a hearty laugh over Draco.

"Probably didn't know how to do anything."

"Can you imagine him without Snape there to tell him he's doing everything perfect, and never punishing him?"

"I bet he ran home crying to his daddy."

A silky voice broke in on their conversation.

"Talking when you're supposed to be quiet? Not doing any work again? A further 10 points from Gryffindor. And if I have to talk to you again it'll be 50 points." Snape had crept behind them without them noticing. Harry took his wooden spoon and stirred in the mashed beetles. He stirred the potion around and around, pretending Snape's face was in it. Speaking of Snape, he has just walked to the center of the room, and in front of Neville and Dean's table.

"I will break this plant in half. If the potion was mixed correctly, as I doubt it has, the plant should instantaneously grow back the half that I have broken off. If not, it will most likely wither and die."

With a nasty smile, he took up a ladle full of Neville and Dean's potion. He tipped it so that a few drops splashed onto the flower whose stem he just ripped. Harry watched in fascination as it regrew the broken part of the stem. Snape, with a sour look on his face, pushed the flower back at Dean, who was grinning happily.

"Everyone, test your potion now. I will be coming around later to check your results." He smiled nastily at Harry then looked back down at the papers on his desk. Determined to get this right, Harry and Seamus poured a few drops of their potion on the flower. Nothing happened.

"Harry we're such idiots--"

"Not as much as Malfoy," Ron snickered.

"—We didn't break the stem."

"Oh, right." Harry snapped the bottom part of the stem off and then they poured the potion onto it. Once again, the plant regrew the bottom part of its stem.

"Good, it works," Harry said with evident relief. He was afraid it wouldn't work, then Snape would come over and take another 50 points off, or something like that. Just then, Snape came around, and started checking everyone's flowers. When he came to Harry and Seamus, and he looked at their plant, he saw it had regrown its stem, and a rather disappointed look came over his face.

"He probably thought ours wouldn't work, and then he would get to give us detention or something," Harry muttered to Seamus, after Snape had gone to check on Draco and Hermione's. Fortunately, the bell rang.

"Homework!" Snape snarled over the bell, "Write an essay on the history of the Healing Potion. I will be collecting and grading it tomorrow."

"Evil, he is," Ron groaned. "A whole essay? In one day? And he doesn't give you the least bit of credit unless it's over 3 feet long!"

They were trudging along the hallway, and into History of Magic, which was easily the most boring class. Today's lesson was no exception. Harry and Ron sank into a stupor as Professor Binns, the only teacher who was a ghost, droned on and on in a monotonous voice about the breeding of dragons being outlawed. By the time class was over, Harry had gotten a good nap in, and he walked off to lunch feeling much more alert.

When lunch was over, they returned right back to classes. Harry had Double Divination next. Harry fell asleep once more in the class, though only for a short time. The perfumed air and warm room always made him feel a bit sleepy. Luckily, today's lesson was just Professor Trelawney droning on and on about the angles and planets. He watched the minute hand of the clock move so slowly, he could have sworn it had stopped moving altogether. He glanced at Ron. Ron's eyes were closed, and his head kept on drooping toward his desk. Harry wondered if Hermione had done the smart thing in taking Arithmancy instead of Divination.

Well, he thought lazily, you probably have to do real work in Arithmancy.

Finally, the bell rang, signaling the end of classes for the day. Harry and Ron rushed off to Quidditch practice for the last time before their next match.

Unlike Divination, Quidditch practice passed extremely quickly. Practice was tense. Everyone was obviously nervous over the upcoming match. Harry left practice feeling nervous, but satisfied all the same. Practice had gone well, and Harry felt that they were well prepared for tomorrow. As they walked back into the Hogwarts, the sun was already starting to set. Harry and Ron hurried into the Great Hall just in time fore dinner. Hermione, as usual, was poring over a large book. Harry and Ron ate while excitedly discussing strategies for the upcoming match.

That night, Harry went to bed extra early, to be sure that he would be well rested for the match tomorrow. Maybe because he had gotten plenty of sleep in his classes this morning, or maybe because of his nerves, Harry wasn't able to fall asleep for a while. Everyone else had already shuffled in and fell asleep, and still, Harry lay awake, tossing and turning. It was very late indeed when he finally fallen asleep.

The next morning Harry woke feeling very alert, and well rested, despite the fact that he had fallen asleep quite late at night. The first thing he did after he got dressed in his robes was look out the window. Fortunately, it was perfect Quidditch conditions. The sky was a clear, azure blue, with only a small hint of a breeze. Here and there, puffy white clouds dotted the sky. Harry went down into the Great Hall to find that everyone else on the Quidditch team was already gathered around a table. No one seemed to be eating. If they all felt as Harry did at the moment, he could see why. Though he was very excited, he still felt very jittery. His stomach seemed full of fluttery butterflies, and if he ate anything…well…. The team just sat silently for a moment, with someone attempting to take a bite of toast, or a spoonful of porridge. Soon enough, the Slytherin team walked into the hall, already clad in their green and silver robes. Wood, who had joined the team at breakfast, looked distastefully at them.

"This is our chance," he said glancing over at the Slytherins, "To show them once and for all who's better. Everyone, just don't worry, and have fun. Whether we win or lose, it doesn't matter,"

It seemed to take a lot of effort for Wood to say that.

" Remember, this is just a Quidditch match," He seemed to be resisting the urge to stop talking, and contradict himself,

"Above all else, just remember to have fun." Whether or not Wood actually meant those words, they lifted Harry's spirits slightly. By now, the rest of the school had already come down for breakfast.

"Let's go." The team followed Wood out the door amid thunderous applause. Harry couldn't help the huge grin that broke across his face as he saw that everyone except for the Slytherins were clapping for them. They walked outside. Wood started to mutter to himself about the conditions while pacing up and down the field.

"Sun's not completely up yet, shouldn't be a problem. Not too many clouds, light breeze, not bad."

The team watched him pace up and down, muttering all the while. Then, the doors opened and the rest of the school came thundering out of the Great Hall, and moving into the stands.

"Locker room," Wood said tersely No one spoke as they all changed into their scarlet Quidditch robes. They walked back onto the field to loud applause. Harry looked into the stands, and smiled. Most of the stadium was clad in gold and scarlet, as a sign of support for Gryffindor. There were banners and flags being waved with Gryffindor colors.

"This is it," Wood said to the team before they got into position. "You can do this." With that, they got into their positions. Harry walked forth and shook hands with the Slytherin captain very quickly.

Madame Hooch was referring as usual. "Mount your brooms. On my whistle, now. Three...two…one!" She blew a short, sharp blast on her whistle.

"And they're off! I'm your commentator, Lee Jordan. This match will be determining the team that represents Hogwarts in the Quidditch Quest. We have Gryffindor," the roar of support shook the stadium,

"And Slytherin." Mostly boos and jeers.

Harry had flown high above the game to keep out of trouble. He mustn't catch the Snitch until they were 30 points up or more, so he kept an ear out for Lee's commentary.

"And it's Angelina Johnson with the Quaffle. She's flying into the scoring zone--passes to Katie Bell…SCORE! Gryffindor scores the first goal of the game, 10-0, to Gryffindor! Now it's Montague with the Quaffle. OH! Nice Bludger work there, done by Fred Weasley. Drops the Quaffle, and it's caught by Spinnet. Dodges a speeding Bludger, heading for the goal! SHE SCORES! Gryffindor in the lead, 20-0!" Excited shouts and yells filled the air.

"C'mon…" Harry said tensely, "10 more points…" He looked to the side, and saw Draco hovering in the air to his right, smirking at him.

"Keeping out of trouble, eh Potter?" He drawled. Harry chose to ignore him and sped off toward the other side of the field.

"And it's now Gryffindor back in possession of the Quaffle. And it's Bell heading toward the goal baskets once more! She shoots-AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!" Harry jumped slightly as Lee gave a roar of rage.

"THE SLYTHERIN SEEKER HAS SPOTTED THE SNITCH!" Harry's heart started pounding in his chest as he turned and started speeding toward Draco. A golden glimmer of wings could be seen circling a goal basket. Draco was starting to dive, a look of triumph on his rat face. Harry's eyes widened as he shot through the air toward Draco. Harry started to dive after him, his face twisted in anguish. How could he have been so stupid as to forget that just because he wasn't supposed to catch the Snitch until they were 30 points up, didn't mean Draco couldn't!

Out of nowhere a Bludger flew past his face. Harry pulled back just in time to keep it from smashing into his face.

"Sorry about that, Harry," George yelled. He had a mischievous smile lurking on his face. Harry glanced back at the Bludger.

It was now speeding toward Draco.

"GO, GO!" Harry shouted to the Bludger. His knuckles had turned white from clutching his broom so hard. The Bludger was pelting toward Draco's face. At the last second, he spotted it. Harry saw his eyes widen in fear as he pulled out of its way. It was the Bludger made Draco lose track of the Snitch. George was grinning as if he knew that was going to happen all along.

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Lee Jordan was yelling, "EXCELLENT MOVE THERE BY GRYFFINDOR BEATER GEORGE WEASLEY. SLYTHERIN SEEKER DRACO MALFOY LOSES TRACK OF THE SNITCH, THE GAME RESUMES WITH GRYFFINDOR IN THE LEAD STILL, 20-0!" The crowd was shouting and shrieking themselves hoarse.

Harry flew with renewed hope as the game continued. Only one more goal and he would be free to try and catch the Snitch as soon as possible.

"Slytherins in possession. Montague passes to Pucey…nearing the scoring area. C'mon Ron, you can do it! OH, too bad, Keeper dives and misses. Score is now 20-10 in favor of Gryffindor. Gryffindor in possession now, no Slytherin--back to Gryffindor! Johnson with the Quaffle. Passes to Spinnet, back to Johnson. DUCK ANGELINA, IT'S A BLUDGER! Ooooooooooooh, close one that was. Quaffle was dropped, but Bell catches it. Passes it to Spinnet…back to Johnson…and YES! SCORE! 30-10!"

Harry felt the thrill of excitement only a Quidditch match could bring. If he caught the Snitch now, they could win the match. He could feel the hundreds and hundreds of eyes following him. He scanned the sky, searching for the Snitch. It was nowhere in sight. Harry dived lower a bit, until he was in the midst of the game. Draco was on the other side of the field. Harry could see him squinting everywhere, looking for signs of the Snitch. Katie zoomed past him with the Quaffle.

"And it's Bell with the Quaffle! OH THAT WAS NO MISTAKE!" Bole, one of the Slytherin beaters had just attempted to swing his Beater's bat at Katie's head. Luckily, he had missed by a fraction of an inch, but he was insisting it was a mistake. Only problem was, no one bought it because there wasn't a Bludger anywhere near him….Madame Hooch awarded Gryffindor the penalty shot. Katie flew forward to take it. She got it past the Slytherin Keeper, Bletchley, easily.

"TAKE THAT!" she shrieked at the Slytherins.

Harry zoomed out of the way as another Bludger came pelting toward him. He felt his hair being ruffled by the breeze it had created. Thinking that maybe it was better for him to be above the game, Harry rose high into the air, still looking all around for any sign of the Golden Snitch while still listening to Lee commentating.

"And it's now Slytherin in possession. Montague with the Quaffle…now within scoring range. OH! Superb block by the new Gryffindor Keeper, Ron Weasley," Harry could see Ron's brilliantly pink face all the way from across the field.

"Play resumes. Gryffindor in possession--Oh wait, interception by Slytherin Chaser . Heading back toward the goal posts…he shoots…Keeper Weasley dives, misses, too bad. Gryffindor still in the lead, though the score is now 40-20." There was a mixture of boos and shouts from the crowd.

"And Slytherin is back in possession of the Quaffle…Montague passes to Pucey…heading for the goal hoops…AND HERE COMES A BLUDGER! OUCH THAT MUST HAVE HURT! Hits Pucey in the stomach. Drops the Quaffle, but caught by Montague. Still heading toward the goal…he shoots…oh no, Slytherin goal. The score is now 40-30."

Urgently Harry rose even higher above the game. He was turning in circles, trying to find the Snitch. He had to catch it soon!

"Spinnet throws the Quaffle to Johnson, intercepted by Montague. He's heading toward the goals! Dodges two Bludgers…two Weasleys…Gryffindor Chaser Katie Bell…shoots…score. THE SCORE IS NOW TIED 40-40!"

Harry was scanning the sky even more urgently now. He had to find the Snitch! Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a flutter of wings.

"Fred Weasley sends a Bludger toward Malfoy, he ducks--WAIT A MOMENT, IS THAT THE SNITCH?"

Malfoy had also seen it. In a rush of excitement, Harry dove back down into the game to get the Snitch. Draco was speeding toward it also, and he was closer. But Harry was faster. He urged his broom faster and faster toward the Snitch and flattened himself down on his broom so he was going bullet fast. He and Malfoy raced once around the stadium in pursuit of the Snitch, not letting it out of their sight.

The rest of the players had all stopped playing to watch them chase the Snitch. Harry accelerated and pulled ahead of Malfoy. He was within a foot of the Snitch! He reached out an arm and tried to snatch the Snitch up. It was just out of range. Malfoy was even with Harry now. Harry took both hands of the broom and tried once more to catch it. Malfoy was now falling slightly behind again. Harry urged his broom faster. He reached out with his hand and stretched as far as he could. It was now within catching distance!

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Draco yelled from behind. His eyes were sparkling maliciously. He took out his wand, which he had hidden underneath his Quidditch robes.

"ACCIO SNITCH!!" Before Harry could do anything, the Snitch zoomed from his outstretched fingers and into Draco's hand.

Madame Hooch's whistle sounded. Lee Jordan sounded stunned.

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT, MALFOY CATCHES THE SNITCH, SLYTHERIN WINS 190-40!"

Harry had landed and started yelling furiously.

"HE HAD HIS WAND HIDDEN UP HIS SLEEVE!" Harry roared, "DIDN'T ANYONE SEE HIM??!!! HE USED A SUMMONING SPELL TO CATCH IT!!!"

Wood has approached Harry. He was ghostly pale.

"He caught it himself, Harry. I'm disappointed also, but there's no need to make excuses--"

"HE USED HIS WAND!! DIDN'T ANYONE SEE??" Harry bellowed, absolutely spitting with rage. "I'M NOT MAKING EXCUSES! HE USED MAGIC TO CATCH THE SNITCH! I'M TELLING YOU OLIVER!" Wood looked slightly hopeful, but then shook his head dejectedly.

"We lost, Harry. We'll just have to come to terms with it."

Harry couldn't believe this. NO ONE had seen Draco cheat? He looked at Draco now. He was being lifted upon the shoulders of the Slytherin team. The Gryffindor supporters in the crowd were all looking mutinous as the Slytherin supporter cheered their brains out. Harry turned away; he couldn't bear to watch. Draco had cheated. Harry was sure of that. But no one would believe him! He looked around. The rest of the team had trudged inside already, and besides the crowd and the Slytherin team, no one was left outside. Harry turned to walk inside and found himself smacking into Albus Dumbledore.

"Professor!" Harry yelped, "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there!"

"Quite all right, Harry," Dumbledore said with a crooked smile. "Now, I have been hearing some strange things. Mr. Wood has told me that you have said Draco was cheating?"

Harry blushed slightly, although he knew it was true. He hoped Dumbledore didn't think he was just making excuses.

"Er, yes," Harry said nervously. "I saw him use a summoning spell to catch the Snitch."

"Well," Dumbledore said thoughtfully, "I have not known you to lie under these kind of circumstances, so I will take your word for it. However, there is a certain spell one can use to test this….It is called Prior Incantato."

Harry vaguely remembered hearing something like that. It was at the Quidditch World Cup last year, and Winky, a house elf had been found holding a wand. Accused of conjuring the dark mark, Mr. Diggory had used Prior Incantato to see what spell the wand had last performed. Harry's hopes started to rise. If Dumbledore performed the spell, they would know Malfoy had cheated for sure!

"Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore was calling over the shouts of the crowd. "Could you come here for a moment? Bring your wand."

It was then that the rest of the Gryffindor team came thundering out of the locker room.

"Oh Harry, we're so sorry, we've been acting like it was all your fault, but it isn't. You've practically never lost us a match before, and the one time you do we--" Angelina stopped dead as he saw Dumbledore there. She stopped talking and looked curiously back and forth between the scowling Draco, Harry, and Dumbledore.

"I will be testing Mr. Malfoy's wand to see if what Harry has been saying is true," Dumbledore explained calmly. Draco had turned ghostly white.

"He's lying!" Draco spat, pointing at Harry, "He just can't accept that Slytherin has a better Quidditch team than Gryffindor!"

Oliver's face purpled at these words, but he restrained himself from saying anything.

"Well, we'll see," Dumbledore said smoothly. "Please hand me your wand, Mr. Malfoy." Draco, now looking extremely frightened, handed over his wand very reluctantly at Dumbledore's kind, but firm insistence.

Dumbledore took out his own wand, and placed it tip to tip with Draco. Harry saw Draco's eyes widen with fear as he realized he was about to get caught.

"Prior Incantato," Dumbledore muttered.

He pointed Draco's wand at a large acorn resting nearby on the ground. It shot from the grass and zoomed into Dumbledore's outstretched hand.

Draco's eyes were now darting anywhere but at Dumbledore.

"I think this proves that you did not catch the Snitch of your own accord," Dumbledore said, eyes flashing. "For this heinous act of cheating, Slytherin forfeits the match. Gryffindor is now rightfully the House team that will represent Hogwarts in the Quidditch Quest." Dumbledore smiled at the Gryffindor team.

For a moment there was a stunned silence. The crowd had not left the stadium yet, and it sounded like some kind of jet revving up slowly. The cheering grew louder and louder until it erupted into full-blown shrieks and screams. Wood, who has been looking temporarily speechless, now threw himself into Harry, sobbing loudly.

"I KNEW YOU WERE TELLING THE TRUTH HARRY, I DIDN'T DOUBT YOU FOR A MINUTE!" He choked.

Hermione, who had come down from the stands after the announcement was made, rolled her eyes. She smiled happily as she saw Ron and Harry, along with the rest of the Gryffindor team, being lifted onto the shoulders of the chanting crowd. Harry and Ron just grinned widely back at her, temporarily speechless.

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Draco looking as vindictive as ever. The rest of the Slytherin team had left in disgust, and he alone remained in the middle of the field, looking furious as he kicked angrily at a rock on the ground. For a moment Harry felt sorry for him. Just for a moment. For now, he wanted to just bathe in the limelight of getting to represent Gryffindor in the Quidditch Quest.