Chapter 11
Harry slept deeply that night: images flashed through his heads, and he was sure that these showed events that he'd missed: at least he wouldn't feel like such an outside now. When he finally woke up, he found Ron up and fully dressed in quidditch robes, ready to go to breakfast.
"Crikey, mate! It's about time you woke up – we got to be on the pitch in half an hour!" Ron said, seeing Harry was awake. Harry looked very groggy, so Ron whipped his covers off, exposing him to the cold winter air.
"What time is it?" Harry asked, diving to hide beneath his covers.
"6:30pm, and it is a crisp December morning," Ron said, looking somewhat dignified in his uniform. "We're gonna crush those Slytherins at Quidditch!"
"Quidditch? How the hell am I supposed to play Quidditch?!" Harry said in surprise. When he left, he had been an inexperienced first year, and now, he had to play against a team of burly Slytherins with bad halitosis.
"Yes, you moron!" Ron said, a look of bemusement on his face. "You're our ticket to victory, I mean, I know you'll beat Malfoy to the snitch, anyway, you need to get ready, I'm going to have some food, and I'll meet you in the changing rooms in half an hour – be there!" Harry almost screamed out in frustration. However, he knew he must keep calm – it had been in his dreams, and thinking about it, he secretly yearned to get up on his firebolt and feel the cool air whip his face and hair.
He bolted out of bed and sure enough, found his quidditch robes on top of his trunk. He slipped them on, acknowledging that this was the first time he realised how tall he was getting. Looking around the room one last time, as if to find help, he ran down the staircase and out of the Gryffindor Common Room, slamming the fat lady's portrait behind him.
Before he could properly hear her insults, he was off, sliding down the banisters to the ground floor, only scaring a couple of first years.
"Sorry!" He shouted at a large gaggle of small girls who had screamed as he raced passed them. He was about to escape the entrance hall when someone shouted his name.
"Harry!" He spun around to see Tara running up to him. 'She looks stunning', he thought as he saw her wide, brown eyes full of concern for him coming closer and closer, until WALLOP! She ran straight into him. "I'm so sorry!" she said, her face glowing scarlet, as they stood themselves up. "I just can't get used to this new body, but at least I got these incredible-"
"Tara!" Harry shouted, knowing what Tara was about to say – he still felt it a taboo to talk about these things, despite being 17.
"Sorry, anyway, I can't believe you have to do this, but I'm sure you'll be fine – subconsciously, you know how to play quidditch, I'm sure."
"Thanks. Well, good luck!" Harry said, starting to walk off.
"Why are you wishing me good luck?" Tara asked, confused. She saw him realise his mistake and ran up to him, falling into a romantic kiss, ironically, below some Mistletoe that someone had hung on the ceiling.
"I need to go," said Harry, breaking apart from Tara gently. "See you!"
"Good luck!" Tara shouted after him.
Harry got down to the changing room with five minutes to spare, and according to Ron, he needed to discuss tactics with the team.
"Well," started Harry, who still couldn't remember much about quidditch. "Just try and get the balls and score, you know, before the Slytherins."
"Inspiring," said Ron. Harry wandered how Ron was so confident about quidditch – in his brief visions of it in his dream, Ron always looked downtrodden around quidditch season… "Anyway, we have to go out now – you know what this new headmaster is like – dad knows he's a Death Eater, but that still doesn't explain how he got into Hogwarts…" Ron looked slightly worried, but before Harry could question him further, Ron ushered him out into the Quidditch stadium. Harry was forced to lead his team into the immense arena, and cheers from supporting houses erupted out from the crowd, drowning out the Slytherin's boos. When he reached the middle of the pitch, Harry turned around to see Ron and Hermione stealing a quick kiss before the game, and then Ron running towards the rest of the team hurriedly.
"Please put your hands together for the great headmaster, Professor Marvollo!" Madam Hooch said, her voice magically magnified. The crowd erupted into applause, but Harry felt there was something artificial about it. From the entrance he and his team had just come in through, Harry saw a tall figure, which he presumed was the eponymous "Mavollo" walking out. He came out of the shade and rose his arms, clearly loving the fact everyone was applauding him.
He turned around so that Harry could see his face, and Harry almost fell to the ground: he was looking at a young man, with thick blond hair and a malicious grin, a tint of red- evil glinting in his slightly narrow eyes. He was walking towards Harry and his team. Without noticing, the Slytherin team had appeared next to the Gryffindors, and Marvollo walked towards the two captains, Harry and a very rough – looking boy with the physique of a mad body builder.
"Hello, Harry," Marvollo said, leaning forward slightly and speaking in a whisper.
Harry had had enough. "I'm ill," he said suddenly, and ran off the pitch. He could hear the crowd gasping as he ran towards the changing rooms.
"How can this be any worse?" he said out loud as he entered the changing room and slammed the door shut, his eyes tightly closed and his back sliding down the door.
"Harry!" said a shocked voice, suddenly. Harry opened his eyes to see Hermione, however, this wasn't the Hermione he knew. She looked as though she was just getting undressed, her clothes in a pile on the floor mingled with some other dark robes.
"Hermione!" Harry said, not knowing what he should do.
"Well, well, well, it's Potter time!" a smug voice said from round a corner. "Come to see why I wasn't playing today then?" Harry had forgotten that Malfoy was meant to be on the Slytherin team, and in the blur of going out onto the pitch, realised he hadn't seen him. What was worse, however, was that when Draco stepped round the corner, he too was almost fully undressed…
A/N I thought I should add in a new relationship, ou know, to spice things up a little. Also, I included Quidditch because I have yet to see a singly HArry POtter fanfic on here with Quidditch in it, although it is an essential part. Anyway, what do you think of HG/DM? How do you think Ron will react? What about Marvollo? Hit the go button and please tell me!
