Chapter Eight: Quidditch Match: Gryffindor Vs. Slytherin:

Harry finished putting on his uniform and grabbed his broom, he was looking forward to this match as he headed to the field and looked up to see a sea of Red and Gold with only two hundred or so supporters for Slytherin at the south end clad all in green. Of course that did include professor Severus Snape in regal robes of emerald green trimmed in the finest sliver braid. Surrounded like he was he looked like a nobleman from long ago as he surveyed the crowd and field. Even Lucius Malfoy could not pull off the haughty nobleman look like Severus and speaking of which Harry saw him sitting right by Severus. He ignored the man and walked onto the pitch right behind Angela the twins flanking him like bodyguards. Ron looked much better since Angela had talked to him getting him riled up so he would play a good game. The team captains shook hands and Madam Hooch blew her whistle and the teams took off into the sky and Harry started to look for the snitch right away.

"This should be a great match today." Came the slightly dreamy voice of Luna Lovegood, "bright sun could effect seeing the snitch, Quidditch is easer to play in the rain and such. Nice save by Ron Weasley and there are his brothers….Why you that was a foul you stinking…."

"Miss Lovegood!" McGonagall's voice came over the magical megaphone.

"Sorry professor but one of the twin trolls, that is Crabbe and Goyle, really ugly and stupid it's a wonder…."

"Miss Lovegood you get back to the game now!"

"Sorry professor oh my look at Draco Malfoy he has seen something as has Harry they are going into a dive and oh Draco may have it….no wow that was close to the ground my they are brave to fly like that! Then again they have the best brooms out there, Harry is flying the Firebolt and Draco had his Nimbus 2000, the Nimbus is a great broom but the Firebolt….:"

"Miss Lovegood we are not selling brooms here commentate the game please!" McGonagall snapped.

"Sorry professor, oh wow I think I see the snitch!"

Harry turned sharply and saw the snitch at the same time as Draco and they went for it at the same time. Unfortunately at this time a bludger came and smacked Draco right in the face. Harry turned from the snitch and saw Draco was about to faint, forgetting the snitch he caught Draco before he could fall and helped him to the ground. A roar came up from the crowd and Luna's "such chivalry" was barely heard. Harry didn't care what anyone thought of him after that, a game was not worth someone dying over. He flew back into the sky searching for the snitch while Draco was cleaned up and declared fit to fly. He got on his broom and took to the sky with a roar of approval from the south stands.

"Fell better?" Harry asked him grinning.

"Did until I saw your ugly face Potter." Draco shot at him.

"See you later then." Harry said taking off as he saw the snitch again Draco right behind him.

"Why did you save me?" Draco said as they lost sight of the snitch once more.

"It was the right thing to do." Harry said scanning for the snitch. "Besides the game would not have been any fun with out a challenge and you provide the challenge."

"So all for the challenge I provide in the game then is it?" Draco said.

"That is correct Malfoy, see you later!"

He went into a steep dive and Draco thinking he saw the snitch went after him. At the very last moment he knew Harry had not seen it and he pulled up sharp before he hit the ground. Harry was right he did want a challenge and he was going to get it. The game meantime had gotten very ugly. Flint had got a bludger to the face and was bleeding badly and both Fred and George had been battered about a bit. But that was nothing compared to Ron. He had been hit twice "accidentally" with a bludger and was bleeding and a bit dazed, however he was also very, very angry and one thing he was when he got this angry was very focused. He shook of his dazed state and continued to block the Quaffle, wiping blood out of his eyes as he did so.

"Ron Weasley is an amazing keeper." Severus said impressed at the state of the youngest Weasley boy.

"Yes how he can see that way is a mystery to me." Lucius added, "are you sure we were this violent when were in school?"

"Far worse, James would have let the other seeker fall forty feet, not young Harry Potter." Severus replied.

"He might as well be the poster child for Gryffindor." Lucius said, "he is brave to dare insinuate I am one of those people."

"That was more Rita Skeeter, he wants house unity." Severus said wincing as Crabbe took a bludger to the head. "Well at least it was only his head." He muttered.

"He would make a bloody good Political then." Lucius said.

"That he would and he means it, he has been trying to be nice to Draco." Severus said, "I think he gets Gryffindor house better than anyone I have ever seen."

"He is a Parseltongue though, how to do reconcile that?" Lucius asked.

"It's not an evil tongue, Tom Riddle just makes it seem that way." Severus replied quietly, the slight tremor in his good friend did not go unnoticed but he did not say a word about it.

Back on the Quidditch field the violence was getting to a fever pitch. Both sides had racked up some impressive penalties and the game had to be stopped to tend to the wounded, Ron was forced to come down when Ginny told him she would tell their mother and get patched up. Still there were several black eyes and cuts to deal with and the game just got worse as the score racked up on each side. Fred and George were just as destructive as Crabbe and Goyle and even Ginny did not back down from violence and got a penalty for elbowing Flint nearly knocking him off his broom. He retaliated a few minutes later by sending a bludger straight at Ron breaking his nose. Ron roared in pain and swore violently at Flint who grinned nastily at him and went back to the game. He got a penalty but did not care it had been worth it, until Ginny called him something she never would have if her mother had been there.

"I have never seen such destruction!" Luna said over the battle over her head, "such brutal force…Marcus Flint that was a stinking low down rotten thing you don't hurt Ginny!" Luna screamed as Ginny got "accidentally" hit in the shoulder with a bat.

"Miss Lovegood I am warning you!" McGonagall said.

"A yes Madam Hooch saw that." Luna said much quieter. "Take that you great cheating baboon's…"

"Miss Lovegood!!"

"Sorry professor, ah I think Harry has seen, yes he has seen the snitch!"

It was true, far below him Harry saw the tell tale sign of gold and he went into a dive, Draco saw this at the same time and he was diving for it. The boys were neck and neck and the ground and snitch were getting closer. Each reached out a hand, Harry willed his broom to go that much faster and his hand closed on the snitch and he pulled up just in time as did Draco. He held up the snitch a grin spreading across his face and SIX blurs descended on him catching him in an embrace. Laughing and whooping they landed patting Harry on the back and grinning as they did so.

"So you managed to win, pure luck that." Flint said and the team turned.

"Let me take care of this." Harry said to his team mates and he walked up his hand out. "Great game Flint, we need to do that again."

"What so you can loose?" Flint shot back.

"Well that was really close, tied until Harry caught the snitch." Ginny said, "it was a fun game, want to play again sometime?"

"Let's go." Flint said.

"Really Mr. Flint that last bludger to the head must have addled you, wanting to play more." Poppy said coming up. "All of you what am I to do with you?"

The fourteen teens were about to say something but they saw Snape and McGonagall walking down to the pitch. Both had realized that the violence of the game could extend to after the game and were going to stop it now. Harry grinned and looked at Severus and McGonagall and then at the Slytherins, Fred and George had already got the idea and the Slytherins did too. However so did Severus and he narrowed his eyes and drew his wand lazily twirling it between long slender fingers.

"It would be most beneficial to your health if you refrain from any activity you were planning." Severus said silkily.

"Um we wanted to show inner house cooperation sir?" Harry said innocently.

"Mr. Potter would like me to turn all of you to toads and starting with you use your internal organs in my potions?"

"No sir not really sir." Harry said grinning he turned to McGonagall.

"Do not even think of it or Aberforth will have fourteen new goats!" She said primly.

"Ah professor Umbridge!" Harry said brightening up as he saw Umbridge coming to the pitch to see what was going on. "I love you, you are brilliant!"

"In fact I think." Fred added,

"This calls for" George chimed in.

"Group…."

"If you even dare try that dear children I will string you up in the dungeons by your thumbs." She said sweetly.

"I have just the one you can borrow." Severus said nearly giving McGonagall a heart attack that he was agreeing with the pink clad horror. "Back to your common rooms and stay out of trouble."

"Yes professor." They all said.

Harry was trying not to laugh as he walked by quietly, Umbridge was very serious about her threat, McGonagall and Severus would just make them scrub cauldrons or do lines but Umbridge really would string them up by their thumbs. They entered the common room to a roar of approval and the party began in earnest. Fred and George borrowed Harry's cloak and came back with food and drink for every one. The party lasted well into the night when McGonagall came and ordered everyone to bed.

The next weeks passed quickly for Harry and he found with all the homework, Quidditch practice and Umbridge trying to get him to slip up he was always busy. Umbridge it turned out was not just a teacher here, she was here to undermine the authority of the headmaster and bring the school under ministry control. Though The Quibbler was banned and Harry was carefully watched on his Hogsmead trips (as he was a model student Umbridge could not even ban him from Hogsmead) somehow howlers kept coming to Umbridge in her office every day as parents were not happy she had tried to sack Hagrid (even though his classes were of the best quality) threatening the venerable head of Ravenclaw with probation and calling Severus Snape on more than one occasion a death eater.

"Mr. Potter." Umbridge said one day as Harry was on his way to potions.

"Yes professor Umbridge?" Harry said forcing himself to smile sweetly at her though he wanted to reach for his wand and blast her off the planet, one thing he was learning this year was how to be a great actor. "What can I do for you ma'am?"

" Know you are behind what is going on with the Quibbler." She said all trace of niceness gone from her voice.

"I swear under oath I do not know what you mean." Harry said and that was partly true.

"How is she getting in?" Umbridge demanded.

"Who ma'am?" Harry asked.

"Rita Skeeter I know she is getting in, you supplying Polyjuice potion, glamours how are you doing it boy?"

"I am sorry professor but I do not know what you mean." Harry said, "if you will excuse me but if I am late to professor Snape's class he will string me up in the most dark foul dungeon here."

He left his anger had turned to mirth as he headed to the dungeons and took a seat. Severus raised an eyebrow as he walked by and Harry forced himself to sober and ironically he saw they were making a calming drought. Harry set to work carefully making his potion and getting a very slight almost unnoticeable smile from Severus. Harry was advancing by leaps and bounds so much so he helped the younger students with potions and was shaping up to be nearly as good as his mother in potions.

Little Hangleton:

Aberforth shivered as he made his way to the old shack that looked as if it would fall down at any moment. It had taken him years to find out exactly where his daft brother had found the ring as his brother had not been very talkative in that other time line. Aberforth took out the charmed cloth from the pockets of his robes and walked into the ruins of the hovel and with his wand found the ring. Carefully, making sure that the ring was well wrapped he put it into a small box and headed out of the house. Once this was destroyed that would be three down and two more to go. Then Harry or Neville or both could take out Voldemort, either one would be more than ready.

Nine months ago he had visited Grimmauld place stating he wanted to help Sirius with the house. Once in the house he had sat down with Kreacher and told him he knew a little about the locket and that Regulus had died to destroy it. The poor elf had sobbed out his story and once done Aberforth had managed to open the locket (being friends with the head of Slytherin and getting said friend drunk enough to teach one word of Parseltongue had paid off after all). Kreacher had used the goblin made dagger to destroy the Horcrux. Aberforth all but ordered Sirius to be nice to Kreacher but he needn't have worried. Sirius had learned how to be nice to elves due to his outstanding treatment of Dora.

"Tom you wicked boy why did you do this?" Aberforth muttered to himself and hid as he saw two death eaters heading to the manor so close to this hovel.

"You hear something?" One clearly Lucius asked his compatriot.

"Probably Nagini on a hunt." The other man said.

"Wonder if she would rid us of a certain rat." Lucius said.

"Nah the dark lord has his uses for him, worthless as he is he is the only potions maker he could find as Snape never took the mark."

"No he did not, but then again he has always wished to make money and he is very rich now." Lucius said.

"Yea he is that but rumor has it he joined Dumbledore's Order." The other said, "and that the brat-who-lived well he is close to him."

"Not from what I saw at the match, though Severus did let him get away with a bit of cheek though professor McGonagall was there." Lucius replied.

"He still wants him, you know that, it would put us in good standing if we got him for the dark lord."

"He will not join." Lucius said.

"Everyone has their price."

The men walked on and Aberforth crept away quietly until he was out of range of the mens hearing and Apparate away. His first stop was Bill Weasley, one of the best curse breakers he had ever come across. Bill looked at the ring carefully with dragonskin gloves enforced with charms and wards against any evil magic. It took him only fifteen minutes to break the charms and destroy the Horcrux within. He tossed the now safe ring to Aberforth free of any dark magic.

"What next cow tipping?" Bill said then he grinned. "Thought you said you had a challenge."

"You show off, I will get you back for that." Aberforth growled.

"What the rack?"

"No I will tell your mother you are mean to me."

"Now that is evil and you know it!" Bill said.

"I know, oh and thank you for your help." Aberforth said.

"You gonna ever tell your brother?" Bill asked.

"After I destroy them all, all the prophecy says is Harry has to kill Voldemort, he cannot do that if these things are around. I still don't know how may he made though but I am willing to bet it was six, once he killed Harry that would have been seven but I don't know. You find professor Slughorn?"

"No sorry the goblins are keeping me so busy even here in England ."

"Sure it is not Fleur?" Aberforth shot back at him.

"Get out of here you dirty old man!" Bill countered.

"Sure, owl me when you have word on anything."

Aberforth left with the now destroyed ring to add to his small collection. His brother had said something to him in the other time line and he was trying to recall it. Something about the holy grail, no that was not right, cup, cup Hufflepuff cup! Yes that made since but where would that be kept? Aberforth recalled a conversation held with Harry (or would have been held) and he knew where it was. This time he had to get that cup without destroying Gringotts this time around…

I did not forget about Aberforth, just had him working in the background a bit there. As for Quidditch I just had to add more here as it is fun to see Harry and Draco play and of course it can be an ugly game and dangerous.