Since the disastrous pixie incident Lockhart did not bring in live animals. He read passages from his books and re-enacted some bits. He always picked Harry to help him with the reconstructions; so far Harry had played a simple Transylvanian villager with the Babbling Curse, a yeti with a cold and a vampire who could only eat lettuce.
Today he was a werewolf. I was silently laughing throughout.
"Nice loud howl, Harry - exactly - and then, if you'll believe it, I pounced - like this - slammed him to the floor - thus - with one hand, managed to hold him down - with my other, I put my wand to his throat - I then screwed up my remaining strength and performed the immensely complex Homorphus Charm - he let out a piteous moan - go on, Harry - higher than that - good - the fur vanished - the fangs shrank - and he turned back into a man. Simple, yet effective - and another village will remember me forever as the hero who delivered them from the monthly terror of werewolf attacks."
The bell rang and Lockhart got to his feet.
"Homework: compose a poem about my defeat of the Wagga Wagga werewolf! Signed copies of Magical Me to the author of the best one!"
I left with Dean and Seamus who were very excited about the upcoming Quidditch match. Harry may not be in my good books but I gave him all my notes on Draco's flying.
"He stays up reading them you know." Dean chortled.
"Yeah, every night." Seamus said.
"Before we fall asleep you can see light coming from Harry's bed and he's muttering what your notes say." Dean said.
"Over and over and over." Seamus said.
After Herbology, break and Charms I rushed off during lunch to find Fred and George. My old broom arrived this morning. I found them with Lee.
"Okay, my old broom is a Comet 260, my current broom is the Cleansweep Seven. The Cleansweep is just as good as the Nimbus 2000 model. You can keep the Comet, but I'll need the Cleansweep back, you can borrow it for matches though. The match is on Saturday, that's the day after tomorrow." I said and passed each twin a broom.
"Nash, I don't think we can do this." Fred said.
"Of course you can, why wouldn't you?" I said confused.
"We never got that move right in practice, we perfected aspects of it but never did it fully." George said.
"You never picked up enough speed, you will with these." I said.
"But these are different brooms we haven't practiced with these." Fred said.
"I put into factor that you would be quicker on these brooms than in the practice - that's why you never got enough speed on the Cleansweep Five. These broom just have enough push to complete the moves." I explained.
"This girl's a genius." Lee muttered.
"Thanks. Remember to practice!" I grinned before dashing off to eat.
I heard George say in amazement "Wait, did she say that we could keep the Comet?"
I didn't sleep at all that night. What if Gryffindor lost and Oliver thought I gave them false information and was secretly helping Slytherin? What if everyone found out I was Gryffindor's Strategist? I could lose Blaise, Theo, Daphne and Tracey, but if I didn't help Gryffindor I could lose Seamus, Dean, Neville and Ginny, the entire Gryffindor Quidditch team, everyone.
I got changed into my Appleby jumper, snapback, boots, some jeans and my thickest, warmest coat. I went down to the kitchens and got eight pots of porridge and seven English breakfasts.
I met them all in the hall and made them eat it all. I just ate a bowl of porridge with a spoonful too much of treacle.
As eleven o'clock got closer I joined Gryffindor in the changing rooms.
Oliver began his usual pre-match pep talk. "Slytherin have better brooms than us, no point denying it. But we've got better people on our brooms. We've trained harder than they ever have, we've got better tactics han they have, we've been flying in all weathers -"
"Too true, I haven't been properly dry since August." George muttered.
"- and we're going to make them rue the day they let that little bit of slime, Malfoy, buy his way onto their team. No offense Nash."
He turned to Harry "It'll be down to you, Harry, to show them that a Seeker has to have something more than a rich father. Get to that Snitch before Malfoy or die trying, Harry, because we've got to win today, we've got to."
Fred winked "So no pressure, Harry."
As they walked onto the pitch I took to the stands, I seated myself next to Blaise and Theo, who may want Slytherin to win, but loved a well-played game more than anything.
I kept my eyes on Harry, he was the key part in this game. He flew higher and higher, Draco shot off underneath him. A Bludger pelted towards him, he only just avoided it.
George streaked past him and gave it a powerful whack towards Adrian Pucey, but it changed direction in mid-air and shot straight for Harry.
He dropped a few feet to avoid it and George hit it hard to my twin. Once again it swerved around and shot at Harry's head.
Harry zoomed to the other end of the pitch, the Bludger behind him. The Bludger must've been tampered with, they aren't supposed to concentrate on one player.
Fred knocked the Bludger off course but it pelted towards him again. It started to rain.
Lee commentated "Slytherin lead, sixty points to zero."
The twins were flying close to Harry, he wouldn't be able to catch the Snitch - let alone see it.
Madam Hooch's whistle rang and I ran to the ground. I only just made it before they got back in the air.
I tapped each player's face (on the Gryffindor team) with my wand, the rain was now repelling off their faces. The whistle blew again and I ran back through the rain to my seat. Harry climbed higher and higher, he looped and swooped, spiralled, zig-zagged and rolled. It was a miracle he stayed on his broom - and the Bludger hadn't hit him yet.
The Bludger almost got him near the goal-posts he sped in the opposite direction and twirled in the air. Then he just hung in mid-air.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HARRY? MOVE!" I shouted.
The Bludger whacked into him. He slid sideways on his broom, the Bludger came back. He dived at Draco.
"NOW IS NOT THE TIME - oh good lord." I said.
He was heading straight for the ground. I didn't see the rest as I was running at full speed to the pitch.
It was too late, Lockhart was leaning over him.
He said loudly "Doesn't know what he's saying." I bet he does, he doesn't want you to 'help' him.
"Not to worry, Harry. I'm about to fix your arm."
"No! I'll keep it like this, thanks..." said Harry.
"Colin, he doesn't want a picture of this." I said taking the camera off the eager little boy.
Lockhart tried to use it.
Harry said through clenched teeth "Why can't I just go to the Hospital Wing?"
"Professor, he should, really." I said.
A grinning Oliver said "Great capture, Harry, really spectacular, your best yet, I'd say."
Lockhart rolled up his sleeves "Stand back."
Harry weakly put up a fight but Lockhart twirled his wand and directed it at Harry's arm.
It then flopped to the ground. I thought I might vomit. It was, disgusting. Colin had taken back his camera and clicking madly. I wacked it to the ground.
Lockhart said "Ah, Yes. Well, that can sometimes happen. But the point is, the bones are no longer broken. That's the thing to hear in mind. So, Harry, just toddle up to the Hospital Wing - ah, someone can escort you - and Madam Pomfrey will be able to - er - tidy you up a bit."
As Ron and I carried him to the Hospital Wing I grumbled "No longer broken... There's no bones there!"
I left him with Hermione, Ron and Madam Pomfrey. I waved to Gryffindor Quidditch team as they went to visit Harry before going back outside to get my notes I left in the stands. I just hoped they weren't too... damp.
My hopes were shattered. I went to Myrtle's bathroom and tried to dry them out, what confused me was the cauldron in the room. Myrtle and I are quite friendly so I asked her.
"Myrtle, do you know what the cauldron's for?" I asked as I did a drying charm on each page.
She shot out of her cubicle and floated next to me. "Hermione Granger and that red-head, and Harry Potter are brewing something. They never talk to me though, they should - using my toilet." She moaned.
"Really?" I said with curiosity.
She nodded proudly. I finished up the rest of the pages and walked over to the cauldron.
I smelt it and took an extract, Sev had passed on the habit of carrying round potion vials.
"Well, see you soon Myrtle!" I waved and called to her before leaving.
I spent the night finding out that it was an unfinished Polyjuice potion...
