Chapter Twenty-nine: My First Quidditch Game

The next two weeks were amazing! The entire D.A. was on Cloud Nine as we went right under Umbridge's nose to learn how to protect ourselves magically. The first few lessons were mainly covering the basics, which was an excellent idea because most people didn't know how to do the basics property! Chang actually admitted out loud to Harry that she'd never Stunned anything before! Neville finally mastered the Disarming Charm against Hermione, which was a definite cause for celebration later on! Collin Creevey, a Gryffindor fourth-year who idolized Harry, got the hang of the Impediment Jinx after three lessons' hard effort! And Parvati Patil, the overly-girly and vivacious best friend of Lavender Brown, produced such an exquisite Reductor Curse that she'd reduced a table to dust!

Harry and I often traded secret grins at random moments throughout the day, absolutely ecstatic at how well everyone was doing. He, in particular, was over the moon with everything; he could even smile blandly at Umbridge as she passed him in the halls or in her classroom.

The only time he ever seemed to be pissed about something was whenever Anthony came around to talk to me. As I began to find out over the next two weeks after the D.A. got started, Anthony was a pretty nice guy! He was intelligent, gallant, and almost adorkably charming! The only thing that really gave me pause about him was the fact that he thought too much about things. I don't know if it was a Ravenclaw thing, but he would think and discuss a subject until there was nothing to be said and then keep going, even after he'd already reached a decision. It was his main problem with everything, really. He would over-think things until they were old and gray, and he still wouldn't take action! And as a girl of action myself, I would get so exasperated with him that I would find it hard to not lose my temper with him. There were many times that I ended a discussion by saying something along the lines of "this is how it is, and this is why – that's it!"

I don't know what Harry's problem with Anthony was, but it was clear to me after a few meet-ups with Anthony that Harry didn't like him at all. He would almost revert to his angry, hate-the-world self whenever Anthony came to discuss something with me, often finding some excuse or another to leave me alone with Anthony. I asked Hermione what Harry's problem was, but she kept telling me that Harry was jealous for some reason. I just scoffed when I heard that; as amazing as Harry was, we were just friends! He was all twitterpated about Chang (which still didn't sit well with me) and was not interested in having a relationship with me! Hermione actually got really frustrated with me, tugging on her hair as she groaned in exasperation while marching out of the room.

As annoying as Hermione's theory was, she redeemed herself when she announced that she'd created a method of communication so Malfoy wouldn't get suspicious about all the excess inter-House interaction. She brought in a basket of fake Galleons during our fourth meeting and explained the system.

"You see the numerals around the edge of the coins?" she asked. "On real Galleons, that's just a serial number referring to the goblin who cast the coin. On these fake coins, the numbers will change to reflect the time and date of the next meeting. The coins will grow hot when the date changes, so if you're carrying them in a pocket, you'll be able to feel them. We take one each, and when Harry sets the date of the next meeting, he'll change the numbers on his coin and, because I've put a Protean Charm on them, they'll all change to mimic his."

"That's brilliant, 'Mione!" I gasped, hurrying up to her to grab my own coin. "Even if Umbridge asks us to empty our pockets, she won't be able to nail us for carrying a Galleon!"

"Exactly!" she said, grinning at my enthusiasm.

"You can do a Protean Charm?!"

That had come from Terry Boot, a weedy-looking Ravenclaw boy who prided himself as knowing of more spells than anyone in the whole school.

"Yes," Hermione said, as if the Protean Charm was the easiest thing in the world.

"But that's … that's N.E.W.T. standard, that is," he said weakly.

I blinked over at him and said, "It's Hermione Granger, what'd you expect?"

That sent a ripple of appreciative chuckling and murmuring through the room, making Hermione blush.

In addition to the euphoria caused by the D.A., there was also the first Quidditch match of the season coming up on the second of November. The meetings were put on hold after our fourth meeting because Angelina kept insisting on daily practices. According to Ginny, whom I asked since Hermione couldn't give two craps about Quidditch, the House Quidditch Cup hadn't been played since Harry's third year because of the Triwizard Tournament last year, so everyone was extra-excited for a really good game. And the fact that it was Gryffindor versus Slytherin, the two biggest rival Houses that were practically mortal enemies, made it all the more tantalizing.

Even the Heads of Houses were getting involved! McGonagall didn't give us homework for the week leading up to the match, actually telling Harry and Ron that she's grown accustomed to seeing the Quidditch Cup in her study and didn't want to hand it over to Snape, so they needed to use the extra time to practice. Snape was even nastier than normal, if that was even possible. He booked the field for the Slytherin team so often that Gryffindor had a hard time getting on it to play. He also kept blatantly ignoring reports of Slytherin attempts to hex the Gryffindor players, despite an almost obscene excess of eyewitnesses to the attacks.

What was worrying me, though, was the verbal attacks that were being launched at the team, the digs that were flung at them every minute of spare time the Slytherins had. Harry would generally laugh them off and throw some witty banter back to make the rest of us laugh, but poor Ron had never had to deal with this before. When asked if he'd booked a bed in the hospital wing, he turned a rather delicate shade of green, leaving me to throw back, "Yeah, it'll have a feather mattress, satin sheets, and your girlfriend waiting for him." I had never heard Harry laugh so hard before, and the Slytherin who had addressed Ron had to be held back by his entire posse to make sure I didn't get my face caved in. Malfoy didn't help matters either, choosing to mimic Ron dropping the Quaffle whenever they were within sight of each other; Ron would turn bright red and his hands would shake so badly that he would end up dropping whatever he was holding.

Halloween was spent with tensions high and anxiety over the match even higher. The Gryffindor team almost missed the Halloween feast entirely due to their practice going long, while the Slytherin team kept smirking over at us in their evil way. I couldn't help but notice, though, that Tracey wasn't participating in the verbal campaign against the Gryffindor team and had even woven interesting-looking beads into the ends of her corn-row braids – they were gold with faint red accents painted on the edges. It wouldn't be obvious unless it was pointed out, but in Slytherin-language, she was blatantly stating which team she was supporting and it was very encouraging for me to see. I sent her a thankful smile over dinner, to which she responded by raising her glass to me in a silent toast.

The day of the match dawned sunny and bitingly cold. After waiting for the rest of the girls to head out, I dressed in an outfit that I'd planned for the day – tights that made me look like I'd rubbed a glittery-gold tan onto my white legs, black pumps that I was comfortable standing around and walking in, and a killer red-leather sleeveless minidress. The high halter neckline left my shoulder blades bare for a very special surprise for the team, which I was keeping hidden with a black leather shrug until the big reveal. After applying smoky-colored makeup, I parted my hair over my left eye and swept the dark curls over my right shoulder. After glancing in the mirror one last time, I threw on my jacket and my sexiest smirk before strutting out the door.

I was pleasantly surprised by the reaction I got when the doors to the Great Hall opened. Everyone paused as I walked by, completely shocked that I would dress this way for a Quidditch match. The silence was broken by a few appreciative whistles from the older Gryffindor boys as I got to an utterly gobsmacked Harry and stopped next to him.

"Morning …" I said, sending my smirk over at them and trying to not burst into laughter when Harry blushed bright red.

"You look great, Reggie!" Angelina gushed, leaning over the table.

"Thanks, Angie!" I replied. I leaned over to her and said, "I've got a surprise for the team. Wanna see?"

Angelina blinked before nodding. Grinning widely in anticipation, I walked backward to the center of the aisle before pulling my shrug off. I didn't have to wait long before I heard gasps of astonishment and appreciation from the Ravenclaw table behind me. After basking in that for a moment, I turned around and displayed my newest tattoo: a colored picture on my left shoulder blade of a crowned lion chomping on a bloodied serpent. In homage to Harry defeating Voldemort, I had given the lion a black mane and green eyes while giving the serpent white scales and red eyes. The crown was gold with large red rubies on each point and studding the band, displaying Harry's Gryffindor loyalty. After a nerve-wrackingly long moment of having the entire Gryffindor table stare at my back, they all burst into riotous applause. I spun back around to grin at them and give them a cheeky bow.

As I sat back down, Harry leaned over and asked, "You got two more! On your arms!"

I grinned over at him, pleased beyond words that he'd actually noticed.

"Yeah," I said. "They're called ambigrams. You write one word in a way that it reads a different way upside down." I placed my hands on my head to reveal what was written on the underside of my upper arms: "courage" on my left arm and "strength" on my right.

"What do you think?" I asked.

Harry peered at them for a long moment before smiling confidently at me.

"They look great!" he said. "When did you get them?"

"A week ago," I said, grinning back at him. "Tracey knew a guy in Slytherin who would do it right. It hurt like nothing else, but it was worth it!"

"Did he do the lion, too?" Harry asked.

"Yeah," I said. "He had to do two sessions for that one."

"Did that one hurt?" he asked hesitantly, as if not wanting to think about me being in pain.

"Yeah," I said nonchalantly, "it burned and pinched a bit, but like I said, worth it!"

"Hello," I heard a dreamy voice say behind me. I turned with a grin to see Luna but jumped a little at what she was wearing – a hat shaped like a life-size lion's head.

"I'm supporting Gryffindor," she said unnecessarily, pulling out her wand. "Look what it does …"

With a tap from Luna's wand, the lion opened its mouth wide and let out the most magnificently realistic roar I'd ever heard. Everyone in the room almost leapt out of their skins, and a few that were near us started applauding.

"It's good, isn't it?" Luna asked, grinning happily. "I wanted to have it chewing up a serpent to represent Slytherin, you know, but there wasn't time. Anyway … good luck, Ronald!"

I looked over at Ron and was immediately worried at how he looked. His face was almost gray as he stared into his soggy cereal like he was seriously considering drowning himself in it.

"What's with him?" I asked Harry, worried about saying something to shove Ron over the edge.

"Nerves," Harry said. "He can do well, he just needs to get his head in the game."

"He plays with his brothers at home, right?" I asked.

"Yeah," George said from down the table, giving Fred a significant look. "He does fine there, doesn't he, Fred?"

Fortunately, Fred was quick on the uptake.

"Yeah!" he said. "He's got good focus, great for a Keeper!"

To my delight, Ron looked up at Fred and George with a less morose expression and a bit more color in his cheeks.

"Yeah?" he asked hopefully. He looked so child-like that it almost broke my heart to realize that he'd rarely, if ever, heard any sort of validation from Fred and George. I got their attention from behind Ron and motioned frantically to them, telling them to keep going in hopes of at least getting Ron onto the field.

"Yeah, Ron!" George said, leaning forward to look Ron in the eye. "You remember when you caught that brilliant throw of Bill's last year after the Quidditch World Cup?"

"…Yeah," Ron said, seeming to gain a little confidence from the memory.

"You got what it takes," Fred said confidently. "You're a Weasley! Quidditch is in your blood!"

Ron visibly lightened up a little, but the topper was when Hermione came to sit down beside him and looked him straight in the eye and said, "You'll do brilliant, Ron!" before giving him a kiss on the cheek. He looked faintly puzzled but pleased nonetheless.

Ron was still visibly anxious, but due to the twins' validation and Hermione's kiss, at least he was willing to have some life in him as he walked down to the Quidditch field with the rest of the team, followed by tumultuous cheers from the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw tables. The Slytherins tried mightily to out-cheer us as their team walked down with the Gryffindor team; at best, they could only match us, but considering we were three Houses strong and they were only one, it was almost frighteningly impressive.

Almost on a whim, I got the idea to start up one of the most iconic rallying songs in sports history. I leaned over to Hermione and asked her if she knew the song. When she nodded, I told her to spread the word across the table and wait for my cue. I went over to the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables and told them the same thing. I was asked by Padma Patil of Ravenclaw and Hannah Abbot of Hufflepuff if they could sing the song with me. They agreed and that they would wait for my cue.

I waited until we got to the Quidditch pitch and found seats. Hermione and I were seated up at the center of the front row where I could be found easily for the cue to perform. Surprisingly, the Slytherins stood up as one and began to sing. It took a moment for me to realize what they were singing, but when I did, I was almost angry enough to breathe fire.

"Weasley cannot save a thing,

He cannot block a single ring.

That's why all Slytherins sing:

Weasley is our King!

Weasley was born in a bin,

He always lets the Quaffle in,

Weasley will make sure we win,

Weasley is our King!

Weasley is our King!

Weasley is our King!

He always lets the Quaffle in!

Weasley is our King!"

When they began to repeat the song, I knew that it was now or never. I stood up and glared straight at them before starting up the rhythm.

Stomp-stomp-clap!

Stomp-stomp-clap!

Stomp-stomp-clap!

It was the most thrilling thing as I heard the Gryffindors behind me stomping and clapping as loud as they could along with me. Then, the sound spread to the Hufflepuffs and then the Ravenclaws, and I actually got goosebumps!

After casting a quick Sonorus on myself, I pointed my index fingers up at the Slytherins and growled out, "We Will, We Will Rock You!"

With that, the three Houses began to sing Queen's classic along with Padma, Hannah, and me, spreading the message that we will always beat the Slytherins back if they continue to mess with us. I was almost savagely pleased to see how frightened the Slytherins looked as they continued their song, albeit a bit weaker than before.

We repeated the song over and over throughout the entire game, having a battle with our voices while our respective teams battled it out in the air. Ron made a few saves, but the others were almost pathetically painful to watch. I refused to give up, though, singing at the top of my lungs to keep him going. Beside me, Hermione stomped and clapped so hard, I was amazed her hands and feet didn't fall off!

Finally, four goals in, Harry finally noticed the Snitch and dived for it, Malfoy hot on his tail. We all stopped singing to watch the catch, holding our breath as Harry and Malfoy reached for it and cheering wildly when Harry pulled up victorious, the golden ball struggling madly in his fist.

WHAM!

A Bludger had come out of nowhere and slammed straight into the small of Harry's back, knocking him off of his Firebolt. Thankfully, he'd only been five or six feet off the ground, having dived so low to get the Snitch, but it still nearly gave me a heart attack to see him tumble onto his back. I quickly grabbed Hermione's hand and dragged her through the crowd, hoping to get down to the field to check on Harry.

By the time we got down there, it looked like it was about to get very ugly. Harry was holding onto George while all three Chasers were clinging onto Fred, keeping them from pummeling Malfoy, who was screaming at them the most ridiculous things.

"Maybe you remember what your mother's house stank like, Potter, and Weasley's pigsty reminds you of it!"

Obviously, that had been the worst in a chain of insults, because Harry finally released George and both of them attacked Malfoy at once, driving their fists into every part of Malfoy they could reach.

"Grab George!" I screamed at Hermione, racing on my heels towards Harry and praying I wouldn't turn an ankle on the way there. When I got to Harry, I grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked backward while simultaneously wrapping my right arm around Harry's neck. I managed to get him in a simple choke and pull him backwards a bit before Hermione cast an Impediment Jinx on George to knock him off, which was smart, considering George had at least half-a-foot on her.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Madame Hooch, the flying teacher and Quidditch coach, screamed as she landed nearby. "I've never seen behavior like it – back up to the castle, both of you, and straight to your Head of House's office! Go! Now!"

I quickly released Harry and forcibly turned him around before shoving him in that direction, knowing he would be too angry to listen properly at the moment. When he looked back at me, I stomped threateningly in his direction, at which he jumped and hurried after George, who was being ushered by the rest of the team.

"Couldn't resist coming to my aid, could you, Dolan?" I heard Malfoy leer thickly behind me.

Not willing to deal with his bull-crap one minute longer, I wheeled around and pimp-slapped him right across the mouth.

"One more word, cousin," I sneered in his bloodied, flabbergasted face, "and I hit you again!"

Malfoy stared at me in shock for a moment before trying to rally back.

"M-My father will he–"

This time, I slapped his other cheek, making sure to scratch it with my nails.

"Go ahead," I said coolly. "Tell him! But you will stop compensating for your lack of balls by attacking Harry and his friends, or I will make your life a living hell! Do you understand?!"

"You can't –"

He was swiftly silenced by a punch to the mouth, which split his lip.

"Do you … understand?" I asked, glaring savagely at him as Hermione and the Chasers stood behind me.

This time, Malfoy wisely kept his mouth shut as he scrambled back across the field toward his teammates. I spun on my heel and marched off towards the castle, furious at Malfoy for provoking Harry and George and furious at Harry and George for getting so worked up. I knew Malfoy was a jumped-up little piece of crap, but the team could have easily walked away from him! Instead, they stayed and listened to it! I knew I couldn't really talk after what I'd just done, but normally, I try to fight back with my words before striking with my fists. I'd worked for ages to control my temper after getting into fight after fight during my first three years at Ilvermorny, but Malfoy seemed determined to destroy all that hard work because he couldn't gain respect in his own right. He had to tear Harry, me, and everyone else around him down to make himself feel better about himself, and that made me so unbelievably angry!

I really hoped Malfoy would smarten up after this, because if I had to spend another six months with him and his smart mouth, I would likely end up murdering him and feeding the body to the Giant Squid, cousin or not.