Author's Notes: Well, thank you to all my readers in the past week (I really can't keep track of how many hits my stories have garnered now). And a special thanks to all my reviewers.
ProfessorChris: Yeah, it was about time that Harry and Draco had a discussion about things without grabbing at each other's throats. And it was about time that Draco saw the real Harry Potter, and not the image that he had of him. As for the thing involving Ginny and Professor Slughorn, I thought it was more embarassing for Slughorn to ask that question of her than for her to answer it. I tried to show this with Slughorn's sttempts to dance around the words he wanted to say and Ginny's annoyance at this and just blatently saying it. I thought Ginny would look at this as more of an annoyance than anything else. She knows Professor Slughorn would never blackmail her or anything like that. Thanks for your support.
Okay, last chapter's Monty Python reference was Harry telling Draco to always look on the bright side of life. This comes from Monty Python's Life of Brian. "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" is probably the one thing everyone who watched that movie remembered the most about it.
Well, I got nothing else to say at the moment, so lets get back to the action.
Chapter 20: Hazan's Debut
"So, Hazan it is?" Ron asked.
The six Gryffindor Quidditch teammates who were still healthy to play gathered in the Gryffindor common room on Friday to discuss who would replace the injured Euan Abercrombie in tomorrow's match against Slytherin. However, there wasn't really much to discuss, as all the reports from the reserve team and everyone's observations at the first team tryouts pointed to one player being the best chaser on the reserve team.
"I'm just not sure," Jimmy Peakes began to voice his concern, "I mean, the tryouts were about a month ago, and Hazan has been playing keeper in the reserves, not chaser. He may have gotten a bit rusty at the position."
"Just because he plays keeper doesn't mean he's a terrible chaser," Ron reminded, "He's probably a damn good beater and an adequate seeker as well. He plays keeper because he's good at it and no one else on the reserve team is. The kid can fly."
"He did seem rather belligerent, though," Ginny pointed out.
"Only because he really wanted to make the team," Demelza Robins answered.
"I think we should let our chasers have the last word on this one," Ron said, bringing the debate to its final stage.
"We had never played with Mohammad before that tryout," Dean Thomas began, "But after the first few runs, we were moving and shooting as if he had played with us for years. I have no problems playing with him."
"My only concern is that his aggression might get him into trouble during the game," Demelza said, "That it may cause him to make bad judgements if he gets a little flustered. Slytherin can be especially good at doing that to him. If he fails the first few times, he might start forcing things he really shouldn't."
"But that can happen to any young player," Dean reminded, "And I'd like to see the Slytherin players bully him around. I'd like to see what Slytherin does when they get hit in the mouth for a change."
"So I take it you want Hazan to replace Abercrombie for this game?" Ron inquired.
"Absolutely," Dean replied immediately.
Demelza nodded. "He's the best we got in the reserves," she explained, "Though I would like some practice time with him before tomorrow's match."
"Agreed," Ginny said, "We have the pitch in an hour. If it's official, I'll go find Mohammad and tell him to report to practice."
Ron nodded. "Make sure he isn't a second late," he added, "See you all in an hour on the pitch."
And with that, the team went their separate ways, with Ginny heading down to the library. She knew exactly where Mohammad was right now.
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"That's ridiculous," Mohammad said.
"Shh," Henry hushed his friend's voice, "Not only are we in the library, but there's a spy nearby as well."
Mohammad snickered as he looked back across the room. Indeed, Megan was still there, reading her textbooks. While Henry and Megan were becoming best friends, when it came to Quidditch, they were still on opposite sides of the most heated rivalry in the school. And while Mohammad dismissed Henry's warning for being playfully paranoid, Megan was indeed trying to gain any knowledge about the Gryffindor reserve team's strategy for their upcoming match in a few weeks. She had been named the captain of the Slytherin reserve team, so she felt it was her responsibility to gain any kind of edge over her opponents. She hadn't been able to figure out anything new yet, but she was going to keep listening for words and watching for hand gestures that could give something away.
"Henry, she's just studying," Mohammad pointed out quietly, "Your old man has a test in store for us next week, you know."
"Doesn't mean she can't spy on us in the meantime," Henry noted, "Now keep your mouth shut while we go over this."
However, before they could continue, they heard a familiar voice from the library doorway. "Mohammad? Can I speak with you for a moment?" Ginny inquired.
Mohammad looked over to the door. "Yeah, sure," he replied as he stood up and left the library. Henry followed him, but forgot to take his Quidditch notes with him.
"What do you want?" Mohammad asked.
"I want you to report to the Quidditch pitch in 55 minutes, and not a second later," Ginny answered, "You're going to be playing chaser tomorrow against Slytherin. You'll get your uniform and broom at practice. Remember, don't be late." She then walked away.
Mohammad just stood in place for a moment, the words not quite registering due to shock.
"Mohammad! You're gonna play tomorrow!" Henry shouted from behind him.
Mohammad turned around and smiled as this finally dawned on him. Henry walked toward Mohammad, his right hand extended out in front of him. Mohammad slapped his right hand with Henry's as they began walking back into the library.
"You think you're going to be ready for this?" Henry inquired quietly as he gathered up his diagrams.
"Of course I'm ready," Mohammad answered as he picked up his belongings, "They wouldn't have asked me if I wasn't."
"Fair point," Henry replied as they left the library and went back to the Gryffindor common room.
As they left, Megan began drawing out the diagrams of Henry's Quidditch plays that she could remember from her brief look at them while Henry was gone. And in the Gryffindor-Slytherin reserve team match later in November, she would become the first person to actually score a goal on Mohammad Hazan, doing it off a turnover on one of those plays she just drew. The achievement would win her 60 Galleons, courtesy of the other six players on the Gryffindor reserve team.
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"Mohammad, you're going to want to cut left in that situation," Ritchie Coote informed Hazan after he turned right to exit Ron's scoring area, "It's faster, you know."
Mohammad was a little annoyed by this comment, but he didn't show it. "Right," he called back. He knew he screwed up on that one. He had to be more aware of his surroundings now.
"It's okay, man, just be aware which side of the zone you're in," Ron reminded the first year player, "If the shot isn't there, distract, pass back, and get out as quickly as you can."
Hazan nodded in reply, though inside he felt that this play style was a little too complicated. It wasn't that he couldn't play the "Gryffindor way," it just didn't suit him. Which is why he liked playing keeper on the reserve team. At that position, he didn't have to worry about complicated plays or anything like that. All he needed to do was block shots in any way he was able to. Here, he had to fit into a system that was completely foreign to him. And after two hours of practice, he was only just starting to understand it.
"Alright everyone! Bring it in!" Ron called as the sun started to go below the horizon, signaling that it was time to end all outdoor activities for the day. Ron felt that the team would be fine tomorrow, but Hazan was definitely a weakness that needed to be overcome. He was good, but the lack of practice with the first team made him look very average.
"Very nice practice, everyone," Ginny called as they all gathered around the middle of the pitch, "Especially you, Mohammad."
"I was terrible," Hazan disagreed.
"Well, it was your first practice with us, mate," Dean pointed out, "You just need to get used to our play style and your position."
Mohammad nodded, knowing Dean was right. Henry would help him through the play book tonight before bed, anyway, so he'd be okay for tomorrow.
"Alright guys, Harry may not be here, but we're still the best damn team Hogwarts has ever seen!" Ron boasted. The other team members noted their agreement to this statement loudly.
"And tomorrow, Slytherin is going to be outplayed in every way you can possibly imagine," Ginny continued, "Our beaters are going to outhit theirs, our chasers are going to outscore theirs, our keeper is going to out save theirs, and I'm going to catch the Golden Snitch!"
Another round of loud cheering went up. "Study what we went over in practice tonight," Ron began to conclude, "Get a good night's sleep. Breakfast is tomorrow at 8:00 A.M., where we'll have our final team discussion before suiting up. Game starts at 11:00 A.M., but we'll be ready by 10:50. And then we will demolish our hated rival and begin our campaign for another Quidditch Cup!"
At this comment, the loudest cheer went up from the Gryffindor players. They were highly motivated to win, now more then ever. They had lost their best player because he needed to fulfill his destiny and defeat the face of an enemy more terrifying than any other their world had seen before. And they all knew the penalty if Harry Potter failed. As Professor Gryffindor had put it to Hermione before, this was a war they simply couldn't afford to lose. To the Gryffindor players, the Slytherin team tomorrow would be the embodiment of the evil schemes of Lord Voldemort and his followers. And Gryffindor would not fall to evil. Not now, not ever.
As the team departed from the Quidditch pitch, Professor Gryffindor was waiting behind the stands for Mohammad. He called for Hazan when he saw him.
"Professor Gryffindor?" Mohammad inquired.
"Mohammad, you did well out there today," Geoffrey assured the first year student, "You just need to stop trying so hard and let your body do what it needs to do. Don't try to control your actions, just let things happen. You'll be fine tomorrow, trust me."
Hazan nodded at this advice. "Thank you sir," he replied.
"One more thing," Geoff began, "Slytherin will want to push you around. Normally, Gryffindor players are more finesse players than rough players, but you're an exception. If Slytherin tries to push you around, you should push back. They may not be ready to be hit with their own medicine; Gryffindor has never done it before, if my memory serves me correctly."
"What will they try to do to me?" Mohammad asked, almost wanting some provocation to start letting the punches fly.
"Don't you go looking for a fight now, Mr. Hazan," Gryffindor warned him, "But the Slytherin beaters may say they mistook your head for a Bludger. Just be careful when you're flying near anyone wearing green for bats and elbows."
Mohammad nodded. "Thank you Professor Gryffindor," he said as he rejoined his team. He took the teacher's words to heart; he would let Slytherin know he was not to be fooled around with tomorrow morning.
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"Good morning, witches and wizards!" Henry Gryffindor called through his enchanted microphone on Saturday morning, "Welcome to Hogwarts Pitch. The weather is beautiful today, not a cloud in sight, as we get set to see the first team Eternal Rivalry this morning between Gryffindor and Slytherin. I'm Henry Gryffindor, commentating along with Megan Blaire."
"From what I understand Henry, these two teams really don't like each other," Megan commented.
"That's an understatement, Megan," Henry replied with a short chuckle, "These two teams absolutely hate each other, especially under the present circumstances. For Gryffindor, Chaser Euan Abercrombie is a scratch for today. He was seriously injured in potions class on Thursday and is being withheld from this game by Madam Pomfrey. Replacing him is first year Mohammad Hazan."
"You played with him on the reserve team," Megan pointed out, "How good is he?"
"Well, we actually had him playing Keeper, not Chaser," Henry answered, "But he's the best player on the Gryffindor reserve team, without a doubt. He'll be a starter next year. I'm sure of that."
"The Slytherin team today is missing none of their starters," Megan reported, "It will be Urquhart, the captain, at Keeper; Vaisley, Harper, and Pritchard as the Chasers; Crabbe and Goyle as the Beaters; and Baddock at Seeker. A highly experienced Slytherin team, with four seventh years playing today. And in a heated rivalry like this one, I say that experience will help Slytherin win today."
"Just a minute, Megan, the Gryffindor team has a lot of experience as well," Henry retorted, "With Ron Weasley, the captain, at Keeper; Thomas, Robins, and Hazan as the Chasers; Coote and Peakes as the Beaters; and Ginerva Weasley at Seeker. Two seventh year players on this team and they have the experience advantage where it counts most: Seeker. Weasley is a sixth year and has played on this level at Seeker before in the most crucial of situations. Malcolm Baddock is a fourth year student who has never played at this level before. Gryffindor definitely has the advantage at Seeker, so I am picking Gryffindor to win today."
"Well of course you'd pick Gryffindor to win," Megan said, "But here come the players onto the pitch now."
While they were watching the players come out onto the pitch, Megan decided to engage in some small talk with her co-announcer. "This is actually quite exciting," she stated, "It's not much different from going to a football match."
Henry chuckled. "It seems pathetic, but there are more people here right now than I have ever seen at any of my local club's games," he admitted.
Megan looked at Henry, surprised that he watched Muggle sports. "You watch football?" she inquired.
Henry nodded. "Go Bloaters," he said.
"Who?" Megan asked. She had never heard of a football club named "Bloaters."
"The Great Yarmouth Town Football Club Bloaters," Henry explained, "They play in the Eastern Counties Football League."
"What step in the system is that?" she inquired.
"Uh, levels nine and ten, if I remember correctly," he answered.
"What about a team that is more well known?" Megan asked.
"You mean in the Premiership?" Henry inquired.
"Not necessarily the Premiership, but a team that people outside your local community would know about," she explained.
Henry sat back in his seat and thought about that for a moment. "I guess I'll go with Norwich City," Henry replied after a few seconds, "They're in Division One right now. Who do you cheer for?"
"Well, I'm from Manchester, so . . . ," Megan began.
"You cheer for Manchester City, then?" Henry asked.
Megan looked at Henry as if he had just grown another two heads. "Why would I waste my time with those losers?" she asked hypothetically.
"Don't tell me you cheer for Man U," Henry declared.
"Go Red Devils," she said simply with a smile.
"Oh, give me a break," he muttered, "No one in Manchester cheers for Manchester United."
"My family has always been Manchester United fans," she defended.
"What's the point in being a fan when you know your team is going to win?" Henry asked, more to himself than anyone else. Megan also thought he muttered something about David Beckham, but she wasn't certain of that.
"We have a packed house here at Hogwarts," Henry announced to the crowd as the players began to take their places to begin the game, "The stands are filled with red, gold, green and silver as we get ready for this match."
"I can feel the intensity in the stands, and it is awesome!" Megan commented, "Lets get this one going!"
Right on cue, Madam Hooch blew her whistle and released all four balls into play. The game had begun.
"And it's Thomas who grabs the Quaffle and he starts to move it up field," Henry announced as the action progressed, "He passes it to Robins, now back to Thomas, who ducks to avoid a Bludger from Goyle. Passes it to Hazan. And . . . oh, that had to hurt! And Madam Hooch will call a foul on Mohammad Hazan for cobbing, and I have to admit that was the right call there."
"I agree, it was the right call, but Hazan was elbowed first by Pritchard," Megan pointed out, "Hazan was just defending himself."
"What Hazan did there was retaliation, I think," Henry informed, "Perhaps also setting a tone for this match that Gryffindor won't get pushed around like they usually are by Slytherin. That was a pretty hard elbow thrown by Hazan, much harder than it needed to be."
"And now it's Vaisley with the Quaffle, moving toward the far side of the pitch," Megan announced, "And he's being harassed by Thomas and passes it to Pritchard and Hazan is all over him immediately. Someone has to help him; both of the other Slytherin Chasers are up-field from him right now! Come on! Help him!"
"Pritchard passes up-field from him, but it's a blind pass for Harper," Henry called, "And it's PICKED OFF by Robins! And she is all alone, heading for the Slytherin goals! None of the Slytherin Chasers can catch her and the Gryffindor Beaters have the Bludgers, so it's her against Urquhart! Here she goes, enters the scoring area. She breaks left and . . . GOAL FOR GRYFFINDOR! She threw it into the right hoop as Urquhart broke to the same side as her and Gryffindor leads 10 to nil!"
"Where was the safe outlet pass there?" Megan complained, "It's like all the Slytherin Chasers just want all the glory for themselves. You have to play as a team if you want to win."
"Well said, Megan, but that is Gryffindor's game there," Henry replied, "You cannot let them go on the fast break like that. If you do, well, you just saw what the result will be."
"Well, here comes Madam Hooch to put the Quaffle back in play for Slytherin," Megan announced.
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"Gryffindor up 20 to nil now, 15 minutes into this match," Henry announced, "And Robins has the Quaffle handed to her by Madam Hooch for a Slytherin Stooging foul."
"That was just a lack of focus by Pritchard," Megan added, "I'm sure he'll learn better than to do that."
"It should already be drilled into you by this point," Henry countered, "But Robins passes it up to Hazan. Hazan moves it up the pitch, now on the Slytherin side of the field. Pritchard is all over him now. Hazan dumps it back to Robins, who is moving up the pitch against Vaisley. She passes forward to Thomas through an opening in the defense, and Thomas is heading for the scoring area, though Harper is staying with him. This would be a difficult goal for Thomas to score without any help. Hazan is coming up behind him as Thomas enters the scoring area and shoots . . . NO! It's a fake shot!"
The roar of the Gryffindor supporters drowned out the commentary for a few seconds.
"Thomas drew both Harper and Urquhart toward the left-hand goal, then made a motion as if he were trying to score a goal. But he didn't release the Quaffle until it was literally completely below him and Hazan was waiting for it. The right-hand goal was wide open and Hazan just threw it in from about 10 meters out," Henry explained.
"That was a perfectly executed sequence there by Gryffindor," Megan agreed, "But Hazan is still celebrating like he just won a championship or something. He'd better knock that off before someone gets upset with him."
Right on cue, as Mohammad was flying near Crabbe and still celebrating his first goal by banging on his chest with his left fist, Crabbe took his bat and whacked Mohammad's head with it, silencing the cheers from the crowd and earning Madam Hooch's attention.
"Oh, that was uncalled for!" Megan shouted after a few seconds, "Just because I said it was going to happen doesn't mean it's right!"
"Crabbe is being called for a flagrant Whacking foul against Hazan, and that should really be an intentional foul," Henry claimed, "Crabbe deliberately smashed Hazan with his bat."
"What's the difference?" Megan inquired.
"Crabbe gets to stay in the game now, but he would have been ejected if it were an intentional foul," Henry explained, "Also, if it were called intentional, Gryffindor's best Chaser, Robins, would be allowed to take the penalty shot. Instead, Hazan has to take it. That is, assuming he can recover from that blow to the back of the head."
Mohammad was lying on the ground for about 30 seconds while the two teams came down to the ground, with Crabbe staying unusually close to the downed Gryffindor player.
"I'm telling you, there is a lot of tension in the air here," Megan commented, "I can feel it, and it is really uncomfortable at this point."
"I hear that," Henry agreed, "There's always tension between Gryffindor and Slytherin, but this is over the top. The spectators could start brawling at any moment, I think."
However, it wasn't the stands where the brawl would occur. Down on the pitch, Mohammad suddenly sat up, rubbing the back of his head. He couldn't hear anything; what had just happened made his mind shut out most of his senses, save for his vision. And once he saw Crabbe standing nearby with his bat, he had just one thing in mind.
"Well, Mohammad has gotten up and is walking," Henry announced with relief, "It looks like he's okay."
"No he isn't, he walking right into another beating!" Megan objected, "He's walking right toward Crabbe!"
"You're right Megan, and . . . OH MY GOODNESS! A FIGHT HAS BROKEN OUT! Hazan knocked the bat out of Crabbe's hand and they grabbed each others' uniforms and are now taking swings at each other!" Henry exclaimed.
"Wow! This is amazing!" Megan shouted over the roar of the crowd.
"This is terrible!" Henry replied.
"Shut your bloody gob!" Megan shouted back, "I'm enjoying this. OH, THAT WAS UNCALLED FOR!"
"Before Madam Hooch could get the situation under control, Goyle came over to the fight and whacked Hazan over the head with his bat, and that one was intentional," Henry commented, "This game has gotten completely out of control! And Hazan is down on the ground again."
It took about a minute for Mohammad to regain his bearings this time. However, his teammates grabbed him the moment he stood up to prevent him from starting another fight.
"And Madam Hooch is now distributing the fouls," Henry informed the crowd which had so much tension running through it, "First, an intentional foul on Mohammad Hazan of Gryffindor for Fighting. That means Hazan will be ejected from the game and that the penalty shot he would have had for Crabbe's Whacking foul is forfeited, along with the fact that Slytherin will have Vaisley going for a penalty shot, and he's pretty good at those."
"We also have an intentional foul on Goyle for Whacking, which means he is ejected from the game as well," Megan continued, "And Gryffindor gets to have a penalty shot as well."
Vaisley would score on his opportunity, while Robins would have her shot blocked at the very last moment. Gryffindor still led 30 to 10, but they were down a Chaser, which would hurt their offense for the rest of the game.
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"We are now 30 minutes into this match, and Slytherin has just taken the lead, 40-30, on a goal by Harper," Megan announced to a stunned crowd.
"I hate to admit it, but that was a great goal by Harper," Henry acknowledged reluctantly, "Completely faked out Weasley to gain the lead for Slytherin. And Thomas will start with the Quaffle here as play resumes. Slytherin on a bit of an unexpected run right now, I have to say."
Suddenly, Ginny Weasley and Baddock both began flying toward each other at top speed. Both Henry and Megan saw it and knew what it meant.
"That burst of speed from both Seekers can only mean one thing," Henry claimed, "And that is that the Golden Snitch has just appeared and they are going after it with all they have."
"If they aren't careful, they're going to skewer each other with those broomsticks," Megan said, "But I feel that this game is about to come to an end, one way or another now."
As Ginny and Baddock came together, the Snitch flew away down the pitch, with both Seekers catching up to it. Ginny kept looking around her quickly to make sure there weren't any Bludgers coming for her. Baddock forgot to do this, as the whole of his concentration was on the Golden Snitch that was only feet in front of him.
"And Baddock appears to be gaining the edge," Henry noted, "He's moving forward on his broom, trying to grab the Snitch now."
"LOOK OUT!" Megan shouted in alarm.
Henry only realized what she had screamed about after the fact. "BADDOCK IS DOWN!" he yelled after Baddock got hit by the Bludger launched at Ginny by Crabbe, "Crabbe was trying hit Weasley off her broom, but she saw it coming and moved to the other side of Baddock as quickly as she could. And before Baddock even noticed that, the Bludger completely blind-sided him! Weasley is all alone now, and she reaches for it . . . SHE'S GOT THE SNITCH! THE GAME IS OVER!"
Ginny threw her arms up in victory as her teammates swarmed over her. Madam Hooch blew her whistle and waved her arms, signaling the end of the match.
"And Gryffindor wins the match, 180-40, with Ginny Weasley's capture of the Golden Snitch," Megan announced, "I have to say, this was quite entertaining, even though my side lost."
"A great, albeit violent, match between Gryffindor and Slytherin," Henry replied, "But when these two teams get together, it's never clean. Despite losing a chaser halfway through, Gryffindor wins and picks up 180 points in the Hogwarts Quidditch standings, while Slytherin gets 40 points. Witches and wizards, thank you for joining us today and please stick around for today's afternoon game between the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff reserve teams."
And with that, Henry and Megan left the commentators' box. Henry went off to cheer and celebrate with his fellow house mates, while Megan joined her Slytherin house mates in mourning their loss to hated Gryffindor.
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Author's Notes: Originally, I was also going to have the Gryffindor-Ravenclaw Quidditch match in the story as well, but I decided to cut it out when I saw it just wouldn't fit into the plotline. To that end, Gryffindor would demolish Hufflepuff 420-60 and then beat Ravenclaw 270-100, winning the Quidditch House Cup for Gryffindor, beating out Slytherin by almost 300 points in the final standings.
Yes, I know David Beckham doesn't play for Manchester United anymore. He did play for them back in the 1997-98 season, though.
Well, that's about all for now, so until next week, enjoy.