Chapter XXXVII — Quidditch Disaster
The DA continued to meet weekly whenever they could, but the meetings were moved around a lot due to Quidditch practices and other meetings or study groups. Harry figured that the more random the meetings the better it was anyway because Umbridge would have a less chance of suspecting them.
In the way of Umbridge, she continued to make things horrible for Harry but he managed to control his temper by thinking of Ginny. Thoughts of her beautiful red hair and her big brown eyes and her milkmaid skin, or that soft sprinkle of freckles over her nose that he loved, and the way that she smelt like spring and strawberries — those thoughts kept him sane as well as happy. Not to mention how happy he was when he was thinking about the DA and how they were breaking Umbridge's dumb rules from right under her nose.
Harry couldn't believe how well everyone was learning as well. They really listened to what he had to say and they really cared about learning how to do things right. Even the Slytherins wanted to learn which surprised him to no end. He couldn't believe that they were actually there and he hated himself for being suspicious of them just because of the house that they belonged to, not that he didn't have a reason, but that was beside the point.
Ted Nott had actually turned out to be a pretty great guy. He was smart and friendly and he was nothing like Malfoy. First of all, Ted hated Voldemort and he hated his father for becoming a Death Eater and following Voldemort. But most of all, he hated Voldemort for taking his father away from him.
Blaise Zabini was another huge surprise. He was madly in love with Daphne Greengrass who thought that Blaise was an arrogant self-centered prat (the entire scenario between the two of them reminded Harry strongly of the stories that he had heard of how his parents had gotten along at Hogwarts before they ended up together). Blaise would do anything for Daphne, he didn't care what it was — he was hopelessly in love with her. But the main thing about Blaise and Daphne was that they both couldn't stand Malfoy. Blaise had actually stated that Malfoy was a huge prat who was making all of Slytherin House look bad.
Tracy Davis was the most surprising Slytherin. Harry didn't know her too well as she tended to be very quiet and kept to herself a lot — other then when she was around Daphne, who was her best friend. It turned out that Tracy's father was a muggle and her mother had been a Death Eater in Voldemort's early years. However, Mrs. Davis had realized that being a Death Eater was not something that she wanted and when she tried to get out of her situation she had been murdered by her own cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange. Tracy had grown up with her muggle father hating Voldemort, Death Eaters, and anything else it stood for. And the weirdest part of the entire scenario, at least in Harry's opinion, was that Tracy seemed to have a massive crush on Anthony Goldstein. If Harry had been shocked to see Ted dating a Gryffindor, the idea of another Slytherin falling for a Ravenclaw seemed crazy. Slytherins always stuck with each other.
As for the two second years that had come to the DA on Ted's urging, they were anxious to learn defence. Apparently, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were only three of the many older students who picked on the younger ones using words, curses, or hexes. It really was a basic case of initiation. They looked up to Ted and Blaise and they were just as much in awe of Harry. Malcolm and Graham, as well as most of the other second years that didn't know Harry very well, were still young enough to look up at Harry and see a hero. This embarrassed Harry to no end as he still never saw himself as a hero.
Ginny only teased him about his embarrassment. She told him that she thought that it was cute the way that he was embarrassed to be a hero. She also made a point of telling him that he would have to get used to being a hero because he had already accomplished so many great things that it would only be a matter of time before he did more. When Harry had made a point of protesting this, Ginny had quickly and effectively climbed into his lap and silenced him with a kiss. All of his thoughts had then evaporated when he happily lost himself in Ginny.
Harry was also extremely busy every Sunday afternoon working at Grimmauld Place with James. His elemental powers had increased drastically and he now had a much larger scope of control on them. James had had him expand past the stage of simply getting them to fetch things for him and had then suggested having his elementals do his homework.
Harry had been thoroughly shocked at this. "I can make my elementals do my homework? How? Why? Isn't that cheating? How can they do it if they are just animals?"
James had only grinned at him. "Elementals can do anything and everything that you yourself can do. And no it's not cheating to get them to do your homework because for them to do so they are obtaining the knowledge from you. You just have to make sure that you instruct them to do it in your own writing. They will do it and they will do it with every ounce of knowledge that you possess on the subject."
"Wow! I'm going to try that right away!"
James laughed. "I figured you would."
Harry had tried it and it had indeed worked. He had read over all of the papers once they were finished and he was thoroughly surprised that the elementals had written them out, completely taken aback by the idea that all of that knowledge had been inside his own brain. He did still have to do some things by himself however, like reading the text book so that he could obtain the knowledge in his mind. But since he only had to read the books and then instruct his elementals to write the papers, he still saved a lot of time.
James had then proceeded to teach him how to obtain knowledge from his mind in the case of tests or for any other reason using his elementals. By calling forth the elementals wordlessly they would still come but now James wanted him to learn how to call them forth in his mind. By this he meant that instead of the elementals appearing beside him they would instead appear in his mind and they would somehow be able to gather the information that he was looking for and bring it to the front of his brain where his thoughts dribbled down to. He could then use this knowledge as he wished.
It was hard work to only use his mind this way and James wasn't sure how well it would work what with his weird Voldemort vibes going on ('weird Voldemort vibes' was the name that the Marauders had given to Harry's scar problem — it never failed to make him laugh). Harry did have trouble controlling it at first but after a few attempts he quickly managed to obtain the information while still keeping a tight control on his elementals. He also had to remember to dismiss them from his mind when he was finished because the ancient magic was very powerful and the last thing that he needed was for his elementals to have a free reign in his mind — not that they would to anything but it was better safe then sorry.
His animagus lessons with McGonagall were mostly for precaution now. He just had to make sure that if something went wrong he had someone nearby to help him change back. His wolf form was finally beginning to take form. The only thing that he had left to work on was the full transformation. McGonagall was extremely impressed. As to the animagus lessons with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, only Ginny had managed to do anything. During their last lesson she had successfully managed to change her left hand into a white fox paw with reddish fur along the cuff of her wrist. She had been jumping with excitement. Harry had been impressed as she had only taken four months to obtain it. He told Ron and Hermione not to give up.
As the end of November kicked in, Gryffindor was ready to play in their first match of the season which luckily enough was against Slytherin. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff had already played, Ravenclaw winning, 180 to 30. Harry had his Quidditch bag slung over one shoulder and his Firebolt over the other as he headed through the halls towards the Quidditch pitch. He was a little nervous about the first game of the season and he was anxious to play again. He had really missed Quidditch the year before when it had been cancelled due to the Tri-Wizard Tournament.
He grinned when he felt a small hand slip into his and he turned to smile at Ginny. "And what are you doing down here this early?"
Ginny grinned up at him. "I came by to give my boyfriend a kiss before the game."
Harry smirked. "Well, I hope it's for luck."
Ginny shook her head no as she stopped him in the hall. "Oh no. It's purely for my own selfish pleasure." She replied as she slipped her arms around his neck.
Harry grinned as he put his bag and broom down so that his arms could encircle her waist. "Well, if you must, you must."
She grinned and brought her lips softly to his. "Oh, I must."
She nibbled lightly on his bottom lip and he grinned, waiting for her to take what she had dubbed her selfish pleasure. She continued to nibble lightly, her fingertips gliding over the back of his neck and sending a tingling sensation down his spine. She gently grazed his jaw line and then slid her tongue over his bottom lip and he trembled.
Ginny smiled smugly. "Oh, to make my man want me."
Harry laughed and pulled her closer. "I want you."
He tried to kiss her but she slid away from him, instead pressing her lips to his throat. Harry groaned as her tongue slid over his Adam's apple, sucking gently and causing his pulse to speed up. Her hands slid up his jumper, running softly over the smooth skin of his back and he moaned. His hand moved up to her chin, tilting her head up so that he could look into her eyes and then he crushed his mouth to hers.
Ginny moaned this time when she felt him press her back up against the cold stone wall of the castle. His hand glided up her jumper, his fingers dancing along her rib cage and making the knots in her stomach jump and tremble with excitement. Her hands fisted in that thick mess of black hair to pull him closer and Harry's hands began to glide down the thick braid that held her hair in.
He deepened the kiss, thrusting his tongue in her mouth, desperate for her taste. "Ginny," he moaned as he continued to nibble at her lips.
"Mmm," she moaned back as she slid her mouth over to his ear.
"Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley, don't you two have other places to be at the moment?" Professor O'Bryan asked from behind them.
They jumped apart and turned around to look at her. She was wearing a Gryffindor scarf and had a slightly amused smirk on her face.
"Sorry, Professor."
O'Bryan grinned. "Hmm, yeah you look real sorry, Mr. Potter, and you both look pretty damn pleased with yourselves at the moment. Try to control your urges a little better. Oh, and Harry?"
"Yeah?"
"Tell your godfather that when flowers aren't wearing a woman down, you don't send her a puppy."
Harry grinned. "Uncle Sirius sent you a puppy?"
O'Bryan blushed. "Yes, well … it was hardly appropriate. He's adorable of course and I couldn't give him away. He's a little black ball of fur, a lab actually." She sighed. "Apparently his name is Padfoot."
Harry grinned. "Padfoot?"
O'Bryan nodded. "Well, I didn't name him. Besides it's a silly name anyway. And he is not going to wear me down by sending me a puppy! That's ridiculous by the way, sending me a puppy! So just … just tell him to stop or give up or something."
Harry continued to grin at her. "He won't listen, but I'll tell him. Oh, and Professor?"
"Yes?"
"I think that he's wearing you down."
O'Bryan sighed. "I won't let him wear me down. Now you better head down to the Quidditch pitch before Miss Johnson calls out a man hunt. And next time that the two of you are interested in such an intense snog session I suggest that you find a more private place. Good luck in the game."
She hurried away and Ginny turned to Harry with a sappy grin on her face. "He bought her a puppy?"
Harry grinned. "And named him Padfoot. She's wearing down, slowly."
Ginny laughed. "I never knew that Sirius Black could be so sweet."
Harry grinned. "Hey, I can be sweet too!"
Ginny smiled and kissed him softly. "The sweetest. Now hurry up and get down to the Quidditch locker rooms. I bet Ron is still super nervous. You probably need to give him a pep talk."
Harry sighed. "I'm no good at pep talks."
"Go!" Ginny replied.
Harry grinned as he picked up his broom and Quidditch bag. "Hey Gin?"
"Yeah?"
"Remember how you said that you were going to kiss me purely for your own selfish pleasure?"
Ginny nodded. "Yeah?"
He grinned. "You lied. I enjoyed it too."
Ginny laughed and slapped him playfully on the arm. "Prat! Now go play Quidditch and win that first match for Gryffindor."
"Aye, aye Captain!"
He could hear Ginny laughing as he headed down to the Quidditch pitch. When he walked into the locker room and headed over to his spot to change, he noticed Ron sitting in his Quidditch robes and staring into space. Harry quickly changed into his robes and then took a seat next to his best friend.
"Hey mate, how are you holding up?"
Ron blinked and slowly turned to look at Harry. "What am I doing here? I can't play Quidditch! I'm rubbish!"
Harry sighed. "Ron, you're a great Quidditch player when you put your mind to it! You just have to concentrate on the game and ignore the taunts from the Slytherins. I know that you can do it!"
Ron nodded; a small glint of confidence coming into his voice. "I can do it!"
Harry smiled. "Yes, you can! Now just keep that confidence. Let's go out there and kick Slytherin's arse!"
Ron nodded. "Okay."
Harry went over to grab his broom and Alicia placed a hand on his arm. "Harry, we need Ron confident for the game today; so whatever you do, don't let him see the badges that the Slytherins are wearing."
"What are they?"
Alicia shook her head. "Just don't let him see them."
They headed out onto the pitch and Angelina and Warrington shook hands. That was when Harry noticed the badge that Malfoy was wearing on his robes. It said: Weasley is Our King. The game began and Harry could only groan when Ron let in the first quaffle and the Slytherins began to sing:
Weasley cannot save a thing,
He cannot block a single ring,
That's why Slytherins all 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.
"Like the lyrics, Potter?" Malfoy drawled. "I wrote them myself."
"Yeah, real witty, Malfoy." Harry replied, making sure that he had made a point of rolling his eyes.
The game only got worse as it wore on. Ron had lost all of his confidence by now and was letting in goal after goal. Harry finally managed to snag the snitch from right under Malfoy's nose and won the match for Gryffindor.
But that was when the trouble had started.
Malfoy had begun to taunt Harry about his mother and then he had proceeded to insult Mrs. Weasley. He was saying something along the lines that Harry enjoyed his time at the Burrow with the Weasleys because the stink reminded him of his dead muggleborn mother. He had tried to ignore it, he really had, but when Malfoy had started going on about Mrs. Weasley being plump he had simply lost his temper and punched Malfoy in the nose. He was extremely satisfied to see the blood spurting from his nose when Alicia had grabbed him and pulled him back.
By this time, Fred and George had realized what Malfoy was saying and had dived in his direction. Angelina grabbed Fred and Katie had grabbed George, doing their best to hold them back. But George and Harry managed to break away again almost at the same time and they both punched Malfoy again.
They expected the lecture from McGonagall and they expected the loss of points with a promise of detention but what they hadn't expected was Umbridge.
She had told them that it had been a disgusting show of poor sportsmanship and that as a punishment, since she was High Inquisitor and she had the powers to do so, she was giving all three of them a life long ban on Quidditch. Fred was involved in the ban because even though he hadn't actually done anything, he would have if Angelina and Katie hadn't held him back once George and Harry had escaped. She had then taken away their brooms and chained them in her office.
When the three of them had returned to the Gryffindor common room where people were celebrating the victory they did not feel like they had won the match. Harry sat down in his favourite armchair and when Ginny slid into his lap, two butterbeers in her hands, he could only sigh.
"What happened?" She asked. "You and the twins look like someone died."
Harry gulped. "Umbridge."
Ginny sat the butterbeers on the end table next to the chair. "What did Umbitch do now?"
"She gave Fred, George, and I a life long ban on Quidditch and locked up our brooms."
Ginny stared at Harry in shock for a full minute. "She can't!"
Harry nodded solemnly. "She can and she did." He looked up at Angelina when she appeared next to them. "Sorry, Angie."
"What the hell am I going to do with a Quidditch team that has no beaters and no seeker?"
Harry sighed. "No clue. Find replacements I guess."
Angelina sighed. "This bites! Notice how Malfoy started the entire thing and he didn't even lose house points!"
Harry nodded. "Yeah, I noticed."
Ginny snuggled closer to Harry as Angelina headed over to Fred and George. "I'm sorry, baby; I know how much you love Quidditch! No one in Gryffindor even compares to you in seeking skills. What is the team going to do?"
Harry shrugged. "I have no idea maybe they can … Ginny."
"Huh?"
"You can be seeker! You're really good."
Ginny blushed. "Thanks Harry, but I'm more of a chaser girl myself."
Harry shrugged. "That doesn't mean anything. You're a good seeker; I think that you should try out for the team." When she looked a little hesitant he pouted, "Please, for me?"
Ginny smiled and kissed his cheek. "Of course. Where's Ron anyway?"
"I think that he's trying to drown himself in the showers. He was a disaster."
Ginny nodded. "He lost his confidence is all. As soon as that first goal went in he was screwed."
"I know." He laid his head closer to hers and kissed her softly. "I'm so pissed at Umbridge."
"So am I! She's a stupid cow! It's not like you beat Malfoy over the head with broomsticks so why the hell do you have a life long ban on Quidditch?"
Harry grinned. "You know McGonagall said something very close to that. I think she's doing it because she knows it would make me unhappy. She hates me."
Ginny sighed and kissed him. "But I like you."
He laughed. "Good. I like you too."
Ginny grinned and was just about to kiss him again when they saw Ron come into the portrait hole. "He looks miserable."
Harry nodded. "Yeah he does. Hey mate, come here!" Harry called out.
Ron headed over in their direction, nodding at Hermione when she fell in step beside him. He fell into the nearby chair, his ears burning red. "I told you that I was rubbish!"
"Ron, for the last time you're a good Quidditch player when you put your mind to it! You just have to concentrate more on what you're doing and try not to lose confidence when you fail to catch a quaffle!" Harry exclaimed. He was frustrated with Ron and he was frustrated that he could no longer play Quidditch.
Ron sighed. "But that's the problem, Harry! I can't keep my confidence up! It would be better for everyone if I just resigned!"
Harry shook his head. "You can't resign! Besides then Gryffindor would only have three chasers for a Quidditch team!"
"What do you mean?" Ron asked quizzically.
Ginny sighed as she grabbed Harry's arms and carefully wrapped them around her waist. "At the end of the game, Malfoy was taunting Harry, Fred, and George and they punched him. Then Umbitch gave Harry, Fred, and George a life long ban on Quidditch and locked up their brooms! They've been kicked off the team."
Ron goggled at them. "No way! She can't do that, right?"
Harry nodded. "She can and she did. Which is why you can't resign, it's bad enough that our team is minus a seeker and two beaters. I told Gin to try out for the seeker though; I think that she would be brilliant."
Ron nodded. "She would be brilliant, do it, Gin."
Ginny grinned. "I will." She reached up to kiss Harry softly.
"Oy! Come on now, I don't need to see that!" Ron protested.
Ginny shrugged. "Too bad. Harry had a bad day and I think snogging him senseless would improve it wonderfully."
Harry grinned. "It most certainly would." He unbraided her hair and let his fingers slide through it before he brought his lips to hers.
Ron rolled his eyes — hey, whatever worked, right? But he needed someone to help him get over his bad day. His eyes drifted towards Hermione and then he promptly shut off his mind from that direction. It would never happen. And that was the end of that.