Chapter 9 – The Match
"I need to talk to you about something, Ron," Harry whispered to his best friend the next Tuesday while they were changing into their Quidditch robes for the match against the Slytherins.
Harry watched Ron frown. "This isn't a good time," he whispered back. "We'll talk after the game."
Harry sighed in frustration. The week had proved eventless, though there was something in the air, like tranquility before a tempest. Something was charging the atmosphere. Harry was sure that if someone lit a match the entire school would blow up. Or maybe that's the way I feel …
Ever since their heated argument about the whole flying idea, Liliana Karkaroff acted as if Harry had some kind of plague. She would not stand less than ten feet away from him, and she hung around with Malfoy at all times. Her behavior had a terrible effect on Pansy Parkinson who was wild with anger most of the time and was making supplementary efforts to catch Malfoy's attention.
On the other hand, Harry had noticed that the self-proclaimed "Slytherin Prince" was very absent-minded most of the time. When Liliana and Draco had paired in Slughorn's class to make a Sleepless Draught, disaster had struck. Their cauldron had literally exploded, injuring the two or three students around them, and Slughorn had given them both detentions.
Harry had also noticed that the two Slytherins had scarcely showed up for dinner all week long. This was quite disturbing, and Harry almost thought about using Polyjuice potion to get into the Slytherin headquarters again to find out what was going on. But the incident that had taken place at the beginning of the year — when Draco had found Harry spying on him, Blaise, Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson in the Hogwarts Express — kept the Gryffindor from taking action again.
Never mind the Slytherins' strange behavior … Harry had his own issues to sort out. Though the pathetic excuse for a conversation he and Liliana had had the previous week was still bothering Harry, the fact that Dumbledore had literally told him that he needn't worry about Voldemort anymore was even more disturbing. And how could Harry even think about taking such an option, when Voldemort was still hunting him and would stop at nothing to hurt him and kill him? Moreover, how could Dumbledore consider such an idea when he knew about the connection between Voldemort and Harry?
Harry didn't know what to believe anymore. He was well aware that something big was going on, and he needed desperately to find out what it was. If others were planning to prevent Voldemort's rise to power, he needed to be a part of that. Harry hadn't lied to the headmaster when he had told him that he didn't care about the Prophecy. Not killing Voldemort after all the pain he had caused him, his family, and his friends was not an option for Harry anymore. He had thought about it all summer and had made the decision. And no matter what Dumbledore wanted – probably to shelter him from Voldemort – Harry was not going to obey the headmaster this time.
Times such as these called for drastic measures.
Harry had firstly played with the idea of cornering Malfoy and forcing him to spit out some truth for once. It was the most realistic option he had. Dumbledore seemed reluctant to talk to Harry again. Karkaroff would probably hex him if he approached her. As for Snape, he would be likely more willing to kiss a Blast-Ended Skrewt than share any of his thoughts with him.
But getting Malfoy alone proved to be an impossible task all week long. Every time Harry had seen Draco, he was either with his faithful companions – Crabbe and Goyle and mostly with Liliana — or with Snape. This detail had not escaped Harry, who was under the impression that Snape was for some reason spying on his favorite student. Harry had seen Snape watching Draco intently during their last DADA class and was wondering if Snape knew that young Malfoy had recently joined the Death Eaters.
Harry snapped out of his thoughts when Ron patted him on his arm impatiently.
"Time to go, Harry!"
He repressed a scowl and followed Ron to the entrance to the Quidditch pitch.
Harry heard Luna Lovegood announcing the two teams. Apparently, the Ravenclaw was the one commenting the game today. Madam Hooch was already sitting on her broom, hovering one meter or so above the ground, whistle in her right hand.
Harry glanced around the stands before kicking off when Luna called out his name. All teachers seemed to be present — probably because it had to be the most interesting match of the season.
As he circled the stadium, Harry heard Luna calling out the Slytherin players' names. A moment later, Malfoy gracefully swept past Harry on his Nimbus 2001 and then landed on the grass next to Madam Hooch. Harry followed him. The game was about to begin.
Liliana made her way to the Quidditch pitch at Draco Malfoy's side. She was wearing Slytherin Quidditch robes, but she wasn't carrying a broom. She shot Draco a furtive glance and noticed the boy was gripping his broom nervously.
"Relax, Draco!" she whispered to him.
"Easy for you to say. You're not playing in this match. At least my father is not here today to witness another defeat for my team!"
"This is not the attitude I would expect from a Malfoy," she replied.
"You have not seen Potter playing, Liliana. He is extremely good, and because of him, we've only won the cup one time in six years. And as you well know, I am very tired right now. But I'll do my best, I promise!"
"That's the spirit," she said, beaming at him.
After the Quidditch practice they had had the previous Tuesday, Draco had concluded that Liliana was suitable to take Goyle's place on the team as a Beater. They had decided that the match against the Gryffindors would be Goyle's last, and she would serve as a reserve until the next match. It was quite unusual for a team to have a reserve player at Hogwarts, mostly because of unhappy incidents over the years when the reserves had sabotaged the players to take their place on the team.
As Draco and the other Slytherin players took off to circle the stadium, Liliana watched them attentively. Draco was flying with such grace that it brought another smile to her face.
Then she looked around and saw that all stands were full of people encouraging their favorite team, the Gryffindors. Most of them were calling out Harry Potter's name, as he dived towards the referee. I guess the Slytherins don't really have too many fans outside their own house, she thought.
She put her omnioculars on and looked over to the teachers' stands, where Snape and Dumbledore seemed to be really entertaining themselves while encouraging different teams — Snape obviously rooting for the Slytherins and Dumbledore in a more discreet manner for the Gryffindors. So Dumbledore has returned, she mused.
She saw Snape giving an encouraging smile to Draco as the Slytherin captain swept past the stands.
When she took off her omnioculars, Draco and Harry were ten feet away from her, on the pitch, facing each other. Draco gestured to her, and she joined him a moment later.
"Madame Hooch, Miss Karkaroff will replace Mr. Goyle beginning with our next game," he said. "She will act as a reserve today."
"Very well, Mr. Malfoy," Madame Hooch said and shook Liliana's hand vigorously.
"Now get ready!"
Liliana turned to Draco, who looked very pale.
"Good luck, Draco," she muttered, her fingers briefly caressing his cheek in encouragement before returning to her place.
The two captains shook hands. A moment later, Madam Hootch released the Snitch, the Bludgers, and finally the Quaffle. The sound of her whistle marked the beginning of the match, and the players quickly took their positions. Liliana watched the two Seekers split the air as they moved towards the blue sky. The weather was fine, though quite chilly for October.
Harry reached his target first, a fine spot, situated mid-distance between the Slytherin and Gryffindor goals. It allowed him a clear view of the entire Quidditch pitch. Draco positioned himself a few meters away from him and carefully surveyed everything that was going on beneath them.
"When did you decide to replace Goyle?" Harry asked Draco loudly. He was still trying to regain his calm after seeing Liliana Karkaroff acting so tenderly towards Malfoy.
"It's not your damned business, Potter, what I do with my team," the answer came, rather predictably.
Draco had not even looked at his rival. He seemed very tired and was making visible efforts to stay focused on his search for the Snitch. "You better watch out for Dementors though," he mocked. "You remember what happened last time we played Quidditch."
Harry felt his anger mounting again, as Draco gave him his insufferable, disdainful smile.
"And Ginny scores for the Gryffindors, ladies and gentlemen," Luna Lovegood commented. "Isn't she the loveliest player you've ever seen? Ten points to the Gryffindors!"
"I don't understand who let Loony Luna comment on the game!" Draco said, as his smile faltered. "They must be just as insane as she is!"
"Shut up, Malfoy!" Harry shouted.
"Why, Potter, I forgot Loony is your girlfriend! So sorry!" Draco smirked.
Harry tried to ignore him, but he didn't manage, as he was trembling with suppressed anger. Therefore, he decided to play a little trick on Draco and suddenly dived towards the ground, plummeting through the centre of the Chasers. Malfoy instinctively followed him, convinced that Harry had spotted the Snitch. Harry's dive was pretty dangerous, but by now, he could execute a Wronski Feint perfectly. He pulled up a meter or so above the ground and spiraled away. When he turned his head to see what Draco had done, he saw the other boy had smashed into the ground. His broom was still in one piece, but Malfoy was lying on the grass. There was blood in his pale hair.
Madam Hooch called time out and hurried towards Draco, who had apparently fainted as a result of the impact.
Harry watched the Slytherin team gathering around them.
"He is unconscious!" Madame Hooch announced. "He should be taken to the Hospital Wing."
As she was saying these words, Draco opened his eyes and looked at her, puzzled. "What happened?" he inquired.
"You just smashed into the ground, Malfoy," Goyle readily informed him.
He tried to get up, but a moment later he realized he had probably hurt his right leg, because he couldn't move it.
"I think something's broken," he said, panic rising up in his chest.
"You'll be fine," a familiar voice said and Draco felt Liliana's arm around his waist. "Let me help you."
"No, we'll take him to the Hospital Wing!" Madam Hooch intervened.
"What?" Draco cried. "There's no way I'm going there. We're going to lose the game!"
"No, we won't," Liliana said tensely. "Lie down!"
"But Liliana," he pleaded.
"Listen to me," she ordered in the same tone.
He obeyed and sat back on the grass, stretching his leg. He winced when Liliana kneeled beside him and took her wand out.
"What do you think you're doing?" he hissed.
She checked his leg and seemed relieved.
"There's no broken bone," she said. "I'll make the pain go away for a while so you can continue to play."
"What do you mean for a while?" he inquired roughly.
"I mean it will come back in an hour or two, perhaps stronger, and then you will have to see Madam Pomfrey."
He nodded silently.
"This has already broken my concentration. Damn it!"
"I'll be there for you. We are going to do this together, ok?" she muttered. She smiled encouragingly before bowing over his leg and using her wand to alleviate his pain. A few incantations later, he felt better. A bit lightheaded, but better. Liliana looked at the cut in his hair and frowned.
"This looks worse, but it will heal," she whispered more to herself and pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket to press it to Draco's head.
"Hold on to this. The blood will stop soon."
"What did you mean when you said that we will do this together?" Draco demanded, pressing the handkerchief to his wound.
"Exactly that," she grinned sheepishly and turned to glimpse at Madam Hooch.
"Madam Hooch?" Liliana asked, over her shoulder. "Draco believes that I should replace Goyle immediately."
"You're a reserve in this game, Miss Karkaroff, but if it is the captain's will …"
Draco nodded.
"Fine," Madame Hooch said. "Everyone get back on their brooms. You too, Mr. Potter!"
With a sharp blast of her whistle, she set off. Harry lingered for just a second, enough to meet Liliana's chilling eyes. He felt like recoiling when he did. It was obvious that she was holding him responsible for what had happened to Malfoy. Her eyes seemed to throw daggers at him.
Furiously, he turned on his heals and grabbed his broom. It would be a tough game.
Liliana summoned Goyle's broom and bat with a swift move of her hand and kicked off furiously. Images of Potter tricking Draco into follow him, probably hoping that the latter would never be able to pull out of the dive in time, kept flashing before her eyes.
She circled the pitch twice, trying more to retrieve calm. Draco was at her side, much more confident now than before. Then they moved at top speed towards the sky, where Potter was hovering eighty feet above the ground.
"And there's been some change in the Slytherin team," Luna announced cheerfully. "Reserve player Liliana Karkaroff is going to replace Gregory Goyle. I don't understand how she will be able to team up with Crabbe though …"
She stopped her considerations because the Ron had managed to block the Quaffle and sent it to Ginny.
"And Ginny Weasley is in possession of the Quaffle again. Oh, no, Urquhart's got it! The Slytherins gain ten points."
Liliana heard cheers from the Slytherin stands as she stopped abruptly in front of Potter.
"I see you've finally got yourself a broom, Karkaroff," he mocked. "Will you please move. You're blocking my view!"
"Damn you, Potter!" she said angrily. "You pulled that on Draco on purpose!"
"So what if I did?" Harry challenged, eagerly surveying the pitch. "You Slytherins are going to lose the match again … no big news here!"
"Not this time," she said with a sneer and took off.
Harry noticed that she abruptly stopped near Malfoy to whisper something curtly in his ear, before she moved lower, opposite Crabbe.
Malfoy smirked knowingly in Harry's direction before turning his attention to the pitch again.
Both of them watched the Slytherin team making tremendous efforts to gain more points. They were playing aggressively, as always. Urquhart and Crabbe almost crushed Ginny between them, but they managed to get off unpunished. Karkaroff sent a Bludger in Ron's direction that almost destroyed his broom, while he was trying to stop a Slytherin Chaser from scoring. The Slytherins scored four times and the Gryffindors only once. Apparently, with Malfoy back on the team, the Slytherins were getting more confident.
Harry suppressed a smirk. As long as he played Seeker, Malfoy would never catch the Snitch again, even if Karkaroff was at his side. As he was admiring Ginny's dive to avoid another of Liliana's Bludgers, he spotted the Snitch not far away from the Slytherin goal poles. His eyes darted from the small golden devil to Malfoy, who was looking in the opposite direction.
Without hesitation, Harry dived at full speed towards the Slytherin goal poles. There was no way he would let the other team win.
"And the Snitch has been spotted, Ladies and Gentlemen! Potter is on its tail!" Luna Lovegood commented heatedly.
Harry could feel the wind blowing through his hair and his heart pounding furiously in his chest, as he hurried towards the target. The public was cheering him and the Gryffindor team, and Harry felt that well-known rush of blood through his veins. Gripping the broom with renewed force, he closed in the distance to the golden Snitch. Still the little devil did not seem eager to be caught. Harry had to circle half the pitch before it was in his immediate reach. Soon enough he felt Malfoy on his tail. The Slytherin was getting better as a Seeker, there was no doubt about it.
He stretched his hand further, almost feeling the flutter of the little Devil's wings. Malfoys was now almost shoulder to shoulder with him, and Harry swore loudly. He was almost there...
Just then his world blackened brusquely and he swayed unsurely, closing his eyes. A Bludger had just hit him in the back of his head. It was like the world was coming to an end, but Harry was still Harry, he could not just give up. He ignored the raging pain in his head, securely locking it for later, and forced his eyes open. The light hurt his eyes, but the Snitch was still there, in front of him.
Harry ignored gravitation, pain, everything and stood on his broom, stretching his hand further.
But it was the wrong thing to do, as a second Bludger smashed in his stomach knocking him violently off his broom.
He could not see or feel anything, but somehow he heard the Slytherins going crazy. They were cheering Malfoy. He had caught the Snitch.
Instinctively, Harry managed to grab the handle of his broom at the last second. His arm was trembling violently, and he knew he would not hold on for long, but a moment later, he felt another arm around his waist helping him back on the broom. Then Ron's worried voice was in his ear, coaxing a reaction of him: "Harry, are you alright?"
He managed to grunt something, absently pressing his stomach area. It seemed to burn from the pain. He regretted having breakfast that morning.
When he finally opened his eyes, it seemed like he was seeing through some kind of mist. Everything hurt, from his head to his stomach.
"Yes, I guess. So, we lost, or what?" he replied in a weak voice.
"Yes, it's not your fault Harry. You tried your best, but there's nothing you could do against such an attack. What a bitch!" Ron said angrily.
"What?" Harry managed, feeling the fuzziness and the pain slowly dispersing.
"Karkaroff, that bitch," Ron continued tersely. "Didn't you wonder where those Bludgers came from?"
Harry felt his blood going cold. He tried to focus on Ron's face.
"Liliana sent these at me? On purpose?"
"Of course it was on purpose," Ron replied seething. "The moment you and Malfoy moved into position, she was on your tail. And then she started to send Bludgers at you like she was trying to finish you off or something. When she got you with the first one, I got a very bad feeling she would not give up. I left the goal posts. I knew this would end badly. She is deranged, I swear."
Harry tried to process the information from Ron, but he did not want to believe it. But after the altercation at the beginning of the game, what Ron was saying seemed perfectly logical. The hits had been too precise to be sent by Crabbe, and the two Bludgers certainly couldn't have hit him twice by accident in a matter of seconds.
He tried to focus, bringing his attention to the Slytherins. Madam Hooch had just proclaimed their triumph, and Malfoy's team was doing a victory lap. When they finally stopped a few minutes later, Malfoy's hand was still gripping the Snitch. Not far from him, Karkaroff was watching him, a smile playing on her lips.
Harry felt his temper rising, as Malfoy called her to give him five. She flew to his side and smacked her hand over his open palm cheerfully. Then, the Slytherin Seeker held the other hand in which he had the Snitch and passed it to her, grinning. She intertwined her fingers with his so that the small golden ball would not get away. Malfoy then dived off towards the ground with the other players, leaving Karkaroff alone.
A second later she turned around and met his gaze. The look in her eyes was defiant in spite of Harry angry stare. She held the Snitch towards him, as if she was daring him to go after the Snitch and Harry unconsciously leaned forward, his eyes fixed on Karkaroff's smirking face.
"What's the matter, Potter? Finding it hard to lose the game?" Liliana challenged. "You were so sure of yourself only half an hour ago. I bet you couldn't catch this even if you were alone on the pitch." She raised the hand holding the Snitch.
Ron grabbed Harry's arm, as he felt the tension rising.
"Malfoy would have never caught the Snitch if you had not attacked me," Harry said, a sharp edge to his voice.
"Maybe yes, maybe not" she replied lazily. "But you see Potter, it is called team work. I did my job, and Draco did his."
"What you did went far beyond team work, Karkaroff. You nearly had Harry killed," Ron intervened against his better will.
The other Gryffindors were gathering menacingly behind Harry. Karkaroff did not seem bothered.
"As I said, I don't believe your little Quidditch star can catch the Snitch. As a matter of fact, I bet he can't catch it now, if I release it."
Several people laughed loudly. Harry himself chuckled, his hold on the broom handle relaxing.
"I bet I can catch the Snitch against you or Malfoy anytime," he said confidently.
"Well, let's just find out Potter," she said. "How about I raise that challenge right now?"
"Fine," Harry snapped, ripping his arm from Ron's grasp.
People around them dispersed in a large circle to make room for them. In the stands, most of the spectators remained on the spot, their eyes glued to the upcoming confrontation.
Karkaroff gazed meaningfully at Harry and released the Snitch.
It sprung to life at once. Harry dived after it just as quickly without lingering to wonder why his adversary had not moved an inch. Far away he heard Luna's voice: "It looks like there will be trouble. Potter and the new girl Karkaroff are having some sort of private match. Madam Hooch, please return on the pitch to stop this nonsense."
Both players ignored the annoying voice.
Liliana was leaning on the broomstick, watching Potter circling the pitch with narrowed eyes. She hadn't moved an inch since she had released the Snitch. She made her calculations quickly, before turning her broom to the left, in a certain angle and prepared to take her dive. Yes, Potter, bring it closer … good boy.
She could feel that familiar wave of excitement take over her, but she managed to stay cool a few more seconds, until the right moment, when she propelled herself into the almost impossible race.
And suddenly the whole stadium seemed to draw in a breath, because there was a moment of complete silence, before hell burst over and everyone started shouting. They watched Liliana fall from the sky like an arrow, completely aligned with the broom, so that she seemed to fly by herself, rather than attached to a flying object. And she was flying on a certain course. Fifty feet below, Harry Potter was chasing after the Snitch.
"She'll crush into him!" Luna Lovegood commented, agape.
He was almost there; Harry was so close that he nearly felt the fluttering of the Snitch's small wings. He was so focused that he could not hear anything around him. He stretched further and caught one of the wings between two fingers, but at the same moment the Snitch was almost snatched from him. Karkaroff had also taken hold of the Snitch. Harry had not seen her following him, and he realized that she had come from above. He fought desperately to keep his grip on the Snitch, as Karkaroff took him in a forceful flight towards the ground.
"Let go, Potter!" she shouted, trying to force the Snitch out of Harry's hand.
They were facing each other in a parallel flight now, the Snitch between them. For the first time Harry noticed how compact the material of which the little devil was made. It was a miracle it was still in one piece.
Harry's eyes left the Snitch to lock gazes with Liliana. He found nothing but a dreadful sort of determination in those fierce eyes.
"There's no way I am going to let go of it," he said resolutely, his fist closing around the small wing of the Snitch with all his force.
"Then you'll smash into the ground, Potter!" she hissed back, looking down to prepare for the inevitable crush.
They were merely ten feet away from what appeared to be an imminent disaster, since neither of them was fancying the option of pulling up or giving up on the Snitch. Harry was wondering why he was acting so foolishly, but he already knew the answer. There was no way he would step back from Karkaroff's dare.
"And you'll go down with me, Karkaroff!" he replied, his eyes on the ground now, searching desperately for a solution.
"Oh, no, poor Harry, he's really in trouble now," Luna Lovegood was crying into the microphone, as the whole pitch was holding its breath.
They watched in horror as Harry and Liliana, still struggling for the Snitch smashed into the ground.
A/N: I would like to thank everyone who reviewed the story so far, especially the last chapter. It's good to know that I am on the right track from your reactions! Cheers!
