Chapter 25: Help Wanted
To Miranda Cahill of Conte: Wow-you reviewed, like, super-fast! I can't wait either for fifth year! I've been looking forward to it FOREVER! Lupin is my favorite character to write-out of everyone-even my own characters! And thanks for reviewing! I was afraid I was going to be a little rusty for not having looked at this fanfic in a while. :)
"Hey Warren! You could at least pretend to pay attention!"
I grinned and closed my book, looking back again at the practice field. I was about to come up with a smart-alec reply (really I was) when something different caught my eye.
"Anderson! You idiot! That's the-!"
Thwack!
"Whomping Willow," I finished, groaning. The whole team turned to look at the crumpled heap of Joey Anderson. Oliver Wood flew forward, dodging the branches, and grabbed Anderson by his robes, dragging him away from the Willow.
This is all my fault. I'm the reason the Willow is there.
"Sam-get Madam Pomfrey!" Lee shouted as Fred and George wrestled to get the now-much-more-dangerous Bludgers into the case.
"What?" I said stupidly, and then shook my head. "Oh-on it!"
Leaping out of my seat and leaving my books on the stands (Hopefully it wouldn't randomly start raining-Madam Pomfrey would kill me if I ruined her precious books!) I ran as fast as I could. Fred, George, Lee, and I knew Hogwarts like the back of our hands-actually probably even better than the back of our hands. After all-when was the last time you looked at the back or your hand? We didn't even need to think when we were planning on going somewhere. Our feet just knew the way.
Thinking about all these things made me wonder what was going on. How could I be thinking about books and Hogwarts when someone had gotten "whomped" by the Willow?
I ended up at the Hospital Wing, gasping for breath and explaining the story. After telling Madam Pomfrey where to go, she instructed me to stay, and I was happy to oblige. My lungs couldn't get enough air and my heart was thudding painfully against my chest. "I hate being a werewolf!" I growled under my breath angrily, chest heaving.
Soon, Madam Pomfrey and the Quidditch team (And Lee) arrived. She sent them immediately out-including me, much to our objections-especially Wood's. He wasn't very smart about reminding her that the Quidditch Match was in three days. Madam Pomfrey took it that he cared more about the match than Anderson getting patched up.
Wood was pacing up and down, obviously making the rest of the team jumpy. George and Fred were attempting jokes, but even they looked anxious.
What if he can't play in the next match?
They would have to forfeit. With no Seeker, there'd be just no game. And Slytherin would win!
I sighed and summoned to me the books that I'd left in the field, else I'd forget about them later. However, I put them aside, suddenly no longer interested.
Finally, Madam Pomfrey came out to talk to them. "He is doing fine, but he is resting now."
"But will he be able to play Quidditch?" Katie Bell asked hesitantly.
"He should be resting for at least a week!" Madam Pomfrey said sharply. "Not flying around on a broomstick."
Oliver Wood kicked the wall when Madam Pomfrey left. "What the hell are we going to do?" he asked in frustration.
No one on their team answered.
I looked at my feet, and then looked up again. Fred and George were staring at me curiously.
"What?" I asked. Then it dawned on me. "No."
They just grinned.
"No-guys-" I objected.
"Hey Wood-" they called.
"Not happening!" I said through gritted teeth.
Fred went to catch up to the rest of the team, who had started to leave.
"Come on Sam!" George said. "Please! Just this once!"
"I can't!" I objected, and then dropped my voice to a whisper. "The match after that is the day after the full moon-they already decided it. I can't-"
"He'll be able to play in the match against Hufflepuff!" George told her. "Just not the one three days from now!"
"I've never played a real game," I said. "I've only ever played one on one, or with you guys, and that's usually bludger stuff."
"Sam-please!" George said. "Just this once!"
"Gryffindor needs you," Lee added.
I groaned, putting my head in my hands.
"Fine," I said, my voice muffled. "If Wood says yes-I'll do it."
"Nervous?" Fred asked, teasing. "It's only your first match."
"Oh-shut it," I said, hating that my voice quavered as I followed them out onto the field. "I'll poison you-you know I can do that."
Madam Hooch was refereeing, just like for the last match. She was standing in the middle, waiting for the teams with her broom in her hand.
"Now, I want a fair game-all of you," she told them, and I couldn't help but notice that she looked particularly at Marcus Flint. Maybe George was right about him being a cheater. "Mount your brooms please."
I jumped and mounted my Cleansweep 5. I hated the fact that my hands were trembling. Fred and George winked confidently at me. I resisted the urge to kick them.
Madam Hooch gave a loud blast on her silver whistle. All fifteen brooms rose up into the air, and they were off.
I tried to ignore Lee Jordan's loud voice. I was already developing a headache partly because of my nerves, and I felt a little sick with everyone at Hogwarts in the stands watching the match.
As the highest in the air, it was difficult to see the snitch, but much safer. I didn't want a bludger to the head while I was watching. Unfortunately, the Slytherin Seeker-Terence Higgs-had the same idea. That-or he was just going to wait for me to go after it. Smiling slightly, I darted forward and then pulled back, to see if he moved. He did. Idiot, I thought. Then looked back down.
Crap! The snitch was right there!
"Pay attention, Warren!" I heard Fred shout. The next second, a Bludger barely missed the Slytherin Seeker. I closed in, but the Snitch had gotten away. I breathed a sigh of relief. If Fred hadn't been watching… The thought made me sick.
Another time, I saw a glint of gold and bolted forward, but came back disappointed-it had been someone's watch or something-I hadn't really seen it other than out of the corner of my eye.
Then I saw it-low to the ground, but definitely there. Apparently, Higgs didn't trust me after the last time I darted forward and it was nothing. By the time he had spotted the snitch, I already had a head start.
Wind rushed through my ears. My heart pounded in my chest. The adrenaline was fantastic. I loved flying, so much. I wished I could do it forever. I'd be perfectly happy never to have my feet touch the ground again. Troubles didn't exist in the air.
Thwack!
I gasped for breath as the air was knocked out of me by a rib-breaking bludger. Then growled in frustration. Marcus Flint was a Chaser not a Beater. The Snitch was gone. I was so close. I wanted to clobber that ruddy cheater!
"Marcus Flint-you are going to die," I muttered darkly as I circled once more for the Snitch. George and I locked eyes. I grinned malevolently, nodding slightly before I took back to scouring for the Snitch.
I heard Lee say something about Flint getting a bludger to the face and grinned, not taking my eyes off the scene-looking for anything shiny.
It was right after I had closed my eyes to make them relax that I spotted the sun making the Golden Snitch light up. I raced off, narrowly dodging a bludger as Fred raced after it. I could feel Higgs gaining on me as I chased the snitch further and further away. The snitch was low to the ground. Higgs pulled upward. I kept diving and-
Thud!
The edge of my broomstick wedged itself in the ground. I flew off my broom. Startled, I tried to raise my hands up to catch it.
They only caught air before I landed oddly about a few feet from my broom. My only consolation was that Higgs had lost it again.
Standing hurt, and most of my weight was on my left leg. I was sure I had broken, or at least sprained, my right ankle. Growling in frustration, I limped to my broom and picked it up. Luckily, it was undamaged. I breathed a sigh of relief. If the handle had snapped…
Mounting my broom awkwardly, I kicked off sideways with my right leg not working properly. I rose into the air, each movement of the broomstick making me grit my teeth in pain from my ankle moving.
Wood hollered-asked me if I was alright. I yelled I was fine, and continued upward, searching for the snitch.
But before I got back to my place, I spotted it again. Victory seizing up my chest again, I ignored my throbbing ankle and soared after it. I was getting closer and closer-
I ducked a Slytherin Chaser in my way and almost lost it, but found it again quickly. Higgs was trying to catch up, but with little success. I stretched my hand out, getting closer and closer…
"Got it!" I yelled, my fingers closing on top of the object.
I landed my broom and fell on my butt, but didn't let go of the Snitch. I could hear Lee Jordan shouting happily the results of the game-190 to 70.
The end to the perfect night:
Hobbling up to the Hospital Wing
Insisting that I was fine to Madam Pomfrey
Nicking some sweets from the kitchens
And then what? Sneaking to Hogsmeade for some butterbeer, of course!
"Four butterbeers, please," Lee ordered, grinning.
"Guys, I don't know…" I said. "I'm supposed to be thirteen…"
"Come on Sam! We just got a victory for Gryffindor! You have to try some!" Fred coaxed.
"And then we'll plot to get Marcus Flint back so bad!" George added.
I sighed in defeat as the mugs of butterbeer were delivered to the table.
"To Gryffindor!" Lee said.
"To Gryffindor," we chorused back at him. I hesitated only a second before taking a sip.
It was warm. It seemed to make her feel warmer inside. It was almost as good as her mother's hot chocolate.
"See?" Lee asked, taking another large gulp. "Delicious!"
"You're right," I admitted. "So-about Flint…"
"A Bludger just isn't going to cover it," George said.
"Mind you-we did get him into a lot of trouble," Fred said thoughtfully.
"But that was because he was a Slytherin. Now it's personal," George countered.
"But what can we do that we haven't already?" I asked, taking another sip of the butterbeer.
We shot down several ideas-locking him in the Room of Requirement, tell Filch he is ordering dung bombs, charming the school doughnuts to chase him all day, charming his hair pink, ect.
By the time we were done with the Three Broomsticks, I was getting a little bored of thinking up pranks.
"Come on guys-let's just leave it alone," I said, yawning. "I'm bored."
"We could lock him in the room of requirement, and when he comes out, charm his hair pink and send the doughnuts after him."
"Sure," I said indifferently. "We got him back-the Bludger, remember? Leave it alone. We still won, didn't we?"
"Someone has to teach that cheater a lesson," Lee grumbled. We drained the last of our butterbeer and silently decided to leave.
"Then win the cup," I said. "You just can't lose to Hufflepuff."
The thought of Hufflepuff brought thoughts of Nicholas to my head, and I suddenly (and regretfully) realized we'd left him behind.
"We'll think of something," Fred said as we crawled through the tunnels back to Hogwarts.
"We always do," George added.
"Even if we just go with the doughnuts," Lee said.
"Fine," I said. "As long as you don't ruin the chocolate ones-those are the best."
A little short, but-hey-what can I do? Next will be what is going to happen to the DADA professor whose name I've forgotten. (I'll look it up later.) lol-anyways-I updated TWICE and I'll try to update again soon.
Thanks to the super-fast reviewer-lol:
Miranda Cahill of Conte