Hey everyone! Just wanted to let you know that I've reached 10,000 Hits! And I want to say thank you to all of you for reading this story and I hope you are enjoying it!

A specially big thank you to those who have reviewed because I also have 70 reviews to date! I want to make a thank you picture and put it up on DeviantArt for you all so I'll tell you when I have it! I don't know what it will be of so if you want to make a suggestion that would be great!

In the meantime - Enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 38

Finders, Keepers, Losers and Weepers

James looked around the pitch with a sick feeling in his stomach but a determined flame in his heart.

"We can win this, we can win this, we can win this," He repeated over and over in his head.

The empty dead feeling of earlier was gone and it had been replaced by determination... and nerves.

Molly strode boldly to the center of the pitch where she met Leopold Rankin now in his blue and bronze Quiditch robes. He held out his hand smugly for Molly to shake. Molly took his hand but glared incessantly at him all the while. Leopold Rankin however smirked back with an air of careless teasing.

"Mount you're brooms!" Demanded Flint holding the Quaffle under one arm and holding a whistle in the other hand.

James mounted, the feeling of his broom beneath him made him feel charged with energy. All his nervousness was evaporating fast. Flint blew the whistle and the two teams took of.

"Hey Al! Phil!" Paul was running towards them along the stands much to many other spectators' annoyance.

Albus made room for him as he reached them. He smiled gratefully and sat down next to him.

"Hey, I didn't know if you were gonna come!" Grinned Albus.

"Yeah sorry about that, how's the match going?" He said sounding slightly out of breath.

"Only just started."

A loud roar from the spectators burst through the air and he heard Milo Peabody's voice shouting loud over the racket,

"And the first goal goes to Ravenclaw! Well done to Leopold Rankin!"

Albus groaned.

The match continued. Albus looked at Philip and found him staring desperately at the open goals. Gryffindor were playing well but with no one to guard the posts and they were struggling.

A mass of players darted past James sending a strong gust of wind and ruffling his hair and Quiditch robes. He rose higher into the air, his eyes darting all around him looking for the snitch. A glint of a watch in the stands caught his attention for a moment and a Bludger flew straight by his left ear.

"Whatchit James!" Yelled Molly from behind him whacking the Bludger towards a Ravenclaw chaser, Áine Logan. Logan was hit hard on the shoulder and dropped the Quaffle as she struggled not to lose her balance.

"Weasley with the Quaffle, passes to Hyde, dodges past Hayden Smart." Commented Belenus Cabbell.

"Aw! Would'ja lookit tha'! Spectacular tackle by Áine Logan!" Blurted Milo excitably.

Molly darted away from him again to send another stray Bludger Logan's way.

He flew higher again and looked down at the match below him, Ravenclaw had the Quaffle again and were going for goal but as Hayden Smart threw the ball towards the left ring Molly dove in front of it and blocked.

"HEY! The Beater just saved a GOAL!" Laughed Milo sounding surprised and impressed.

"Wait isn't that a foul?" Demanded Cabbell his Ravenclaw bias showing just a little bit.

"Nope - She didn't catch it, all she did was block it, that's not against the rules." Replied Milo smartly.

Flint didn't blow his whistle but it was obvious from the look on his face that he wanted to. James ginned and cheered his cousin with the rest of the Gryffindor crowd.

"James, stop cheering and look for the snitch!" Shouted Molly from beside the goals but she looked pleased with herself at the same time.

James immediately went back to scouting around for the snitch, it wasn't long before Ravenclaw tried to get another goal and Molly blocked it again.

James was getting worried - he had thought that Ravenclaw would be worse than this but they had seemed to get a confidence boost from the news about Rangi and it was showing. Meanwhile Gryffindor's confidence had been seriously knocked.

"Do you think Molly's gonna stay and guard the goals?" Philip asked Albus.

It had been about five minutes since Molly had saved the first goal, "Nah, I don't reckon so, just while the Quaffle's up our end."

Sure enough as Paddy Hyde took possession and dodged his way up into the Ravenclaw's half Molly left her stationary position and started firing Bludgers at the Ravenclaw's again.

"Gryffindor score!" Shouted Milo loudly as the Quaffle flew through the left ring.

Philip, Albus, Paul, Rose, Amanda, Isaac, Emerson and Godric jumped into the air cheering and whooping with joy.

The change had come fast from Gryffindor being low on confidence and struggling frustratedly against a team that was clearly so much worse than their usual standard, to being hopeful and confident and ready to win! The Ravenclaw side was starting to worry, their initial advantage gone.

The whole match had a different energy, charged with energy and life and even some desperation. The players flew up and down the pitch incredibly fast in a fight for possession.

"Another goal for Gryffindor, scored by Fred Weasley!"

More cheering and then very soon later,

"Goal to Ravenclaw!"

Molly had been too late this time, she couldn't play Keeper and Beater, she had missed the Quaffle and it had shot through the hoop with a tremulous roar from the Ravenclaw side.

Another circuit, still no sign of the snitch.

James glanced at the Ravenclaw Seeker, she looked clueless too, "Good." that was the way James wanted it to stay, if he couldn't spot the snitch then at least neither could the other Seeker.

He neared the Gryffindor goals; Molly was staying stationed at the center ring. He knew she wanted to leave and go hit some Bludgers but Ravenclaw were fighting hard and if she left they might get the Quaffle back up there before she could get back herself. She was issuing instructions to the other players on the pitch,

"Astra, aim that Bludger at Rankin, QUICK! Fred pass the Quaffle before Logan can get a tackle in - Paddy's free!"

"It's a wonder she hasn't gone hoarse!" Thought James.

"Whatch'it Astra! That Bludgers gonna hit-"

Too late. The Bludger had not been stopped before it hit Paddy Hyde in the chest and he fell backwards off his broom. Molly yelled some very rude things about Neil Filmour, the Ravenclaw Beater who had hit the ball, as Madame Cogas and few teachers hurried onto the pitch to help Paddy.

James was horrified but they had very little time to think about it, Ravenclaw was in possession again and they weren't about to stop and check to see if Paddy was okay, they were flying towards the Gryffindor goal. Molly was nervously alert and James could see the perspiration on her forehead.

He tried to look for the snitch again but the Ravenclaw chasers were drawing nearer and they were very distracting.

"PING!"

The Quaffle hit the side of the metal hoop and went in.

James swore under his breath, Molly swore very loudly indeed.

James flew higher and took off for another circuit around the pitch.

The wind picked up, James couldn't hear the commentary anymore but he would hear the crowd if another goal was scored, there was one point where the Gryffindor side all stood up in excitement but soon they 'awwed' and sat back down indicating that the shot had been saved.

He was back to Molly now and he descended back to her height. She was watching earnestly as Astra battled against the two Ravenclaw beaters to hit the opposing team. But then something dreadful happened; the Ravenclaw beaters each aimed a hard, black Bludger at Astra.

James felt the impact without even being near, flipping in the air yet another Gryffindor player fell to the hard earth below.

That was it, Molly took off from the goals at full speed, "James - you keep! We need a Beater! I'm gonna make those Ravenclaws pay."

James stared after her, 'James - you keep' that's what she had said - but how was he supposed to keep? He was the Seeker, he had to find the snitch! One half of him was screaming at him to move in front of the goals but the other was trying to escape and search some more for the tiny golden ball.

"JAMES KEEP THE GOAL!" Molly yelled from halfway up the pitch seeing him and realizing that he still hadn't moved.

How much longer could he wait there, "MOVE IT JAMES THEY'RE COMING!"

James suddenly noticed two Ravenclaws charging towards the goal. Fred tackled them but failed to get the Quaffle as they passed it between them. Nothing left between them and the goal now except himself, James, one tiny person.

The girl called Áine threw the Quaffle towards the right hoop, James sped over reaching out both hands to try and catch it and clamping his knees on the broom so as not to lose his balance. His hand made the slightest of contact but he didn't catch it. Clumsily he knocked it off course and by a miracle it missed the ring by half a foot.

Gryffindor side cheered but James didn't have the chance to celebrate.

His hands instinctively grabbed onto his broomstick and he wobbled as he tried to find his balance again. It was then that he noticed a small crack forming in the wood of his broom.

What was that? His broomstick couldn't be cracking, that only happened with really old broomsticks! He would have to leave it for now, the match was still going on all around him and he had to get back in front of the goals.

He flew back and forward across the three goals roaming the pitch with his eyes but keeping the Quaffle in sight too. Gyffindor was in possession and Molly was determinedly knocking back any Ravenclaws who posed a danger. Rankin reached out to try and tackle the Quaffle from Benito but he was hit with a particularly hard Quaffle from Molly, now it was his turn to swear. James grinned.

It wasn't long until Gryffindor got a goal.

"Three all! Though game!" Milo commented happily, "Can't wait to see how the rest of the match plays out! No sign of the snitch yet though, Bel, you seen anything?"

Bellanus Cabbell gave him a look that clearly said, "Do you really think I've been looking for the snitch this whole time?"

James was still looking all around for the snitch, there was one point where he thought he had seen something hovering around the bottom of one of his rings but when he looked properly he couldn't see anything.

"Uh-oh, Ravenclaw are in possession and coming back up the pitch."

It was in that moment that it happened, James was peering up the pitch at the approaching Ravenclaws when all of a sudden the crowd started babbling excitedly and he saw out of the corner of his eye the Ravenclaw seeker - diving.

James took of darting downwards towards the spot where the Ravenclaw Seeker was speeding. But where was the snitch? His eyes were jumping around double time, he was right beside the Ravenclaw Seeker now; they were flying towards some Gryffindor supporters. James was starting to wish that the Gryffindor colours weren't red and gold! What was that? Oh, just another flag - a lion - a scarf blowing in the wind. Thoughts were rushing across his brain faster than he could've even thought possible. In the distance he could vaguely hear Molly yelling his name over and over.

The crowd ahead was looking alarmed as he sped towards them, he could see Albus's face clearly in the crowd, he was shaking his head. They were really close now, too close; there was nothing between them, no tiny golden ball. It registered in James thoughts just like all the other thoughts only this one stayed he looked at the Seeker beside him, she was grinning and she had stopped.

It was a feint.

He had been tricked, "Damn Ravenclaw and their cunning trickery!"

He had to pull up quickly before he crashed straight into the crowd.

"WHA' -" Yelped James as his broomstick cracked cleanly in two and he jerked backwards.

Clamping his broomstick with his knees he managed not to fall. The shiny piece of wood was clenched in his hands completely separate from the back of the broom on which he sat.

The crowd around him was groaning and it took him a minute to realize why - Ravenclaw had scored again.

"JAMES GET BACK TO THOSE GOALS!" Shouted Molly ignoring the fact that he was now balancing on half a broom.

"Catch this!" James yelled at the top of his voice and threw the front of the severed broomstick in Albus's direction.

He didn't even wait to see if Albus had caught it, he sped off back to the goals adjusting his grip on the couple of feet of broomstick he had left.

He didn't know why he wanted to keep the second part of the broom, he knew the broomstick was beyond repair, but he didn't just want to drop and let it splinter on the ground beneath him.

Molly had flown off, most likely to bash some Ravenclaw skulls in, the Gyffindor was in possession again and Fred, Benito and Paddy were fighting their way down the pitch.

"Ooh, that was a close one, nearly another Gryffindor goal there but saved by the Ravenclaw Keeper, Holden Kemp." Milo shouted into the microphone.

"It's hard to see what was going on at the top of the pitch from way back here." Thought James sourly.

"Ravenclaw in possession, Hayden Smart with the Quaffle." Benelus Cabbell noted informatively.

James's heart sank; Ravenclaw coming back up this end of the pitch was the last thing he wanted.

"A very impressive tackle there by Fred Weasley! Oh - What's this? -"

James couldn't see what Milo was referring to, he had seen Fred go in for the tackle but he could not tell who had the Quaffle now. Neither it seemed could Milo or Cabbell.

"It looks like both Fred Weasley and Leopold Rankin are holding onto the Quaffle!" Milo exclaimed.

And so they were. Fred had tried to tackle Rankin and now they were left wobbling on their broomsticks with both hands on the Quaffle. Flint blew his whistle.

"Free to Ravenclaw!" He bellowed.

All the Gryffindors booed loudly but Fred let go. Rankin passed to Logan, Logan was now flying down the pitch towards James. Benito tackled her but she passed to Smart; they were still only about half way down the pitch.

That was when James saw it, again. The Ravenclaw Seeker had taken off once again speeding suddenly upwards. An excited whisper rippled around, all the other players looked up, all except for Hayden Smart. James didn't know what to do, was it another feint, he scanned the sky but all the time Smart was flying towards him, closer and closer. The sky was thick with overcast cloud and James's eyes were darting across it hoping against hope there was nothing there, but sure enough he spotted a tiny, round circle of gold.

He took off - leaving the goals wide open, it was not a hard decision, save ten points or earn a hundred and fifty, even with Ravenclaws head start he still had a chance.

"Ravenclaw score!" Shouted Belenus Cabbell, even the grumpy commentator was swept up in the excitement. Though if excited was what Cabbell was feeling it was nothing in comparison to Milo. He was bouncing up and down in the air, mouth open shouting, eyeballs popping.

James was speeding along behind the Ravenclaw Seeker, a girl called Rachel Barret, the same girl who had tricked him earlier.

Even with his broken broomstick he was managing to keep up with her but would he be able to pass her out? Well that was a different question. They were in the low clouds now, the cold droplets sticking to his skin and his hair as it was blown on end by the strong wind.

He tried with all his might to put on another spurt of speed and pass out Rachel. She was drawing nearer to the snitch. He was at her elbow. She reached out her hand but she needed both hands to stay balanced on the broomstick while they were fighting against this wind. She wobbled and quickly withdrew her arm, the snitch darted off slightly to her right - closer to James. This was his chance, he turned and Rachel turned with him, he could see the frustration on her face.

She was still ahead of him but only by an inch or two. James reached out is hand this time, scraping at the air trying to reach the tiny snitch as it darted just out of his reach, but his broom was complaining now, he could feel it groaning with the effort as it tried to battle with only one half. They were so far up now James couldn't see the pitch bellow, he didn't want to think about what would happen if he fell.

He watched his hand gaining on the tiny ball, it was so close to his fingertips he could practically feel it's cold mettle body against his fingers but he knew it was just his imagination. He could see each and every tiny raindrop clinging to it. He was - so close - one more inch. Another hand entered his line of vision, Rachel's hand. It closed around the golden ball and at once it stopped moving. James had lost.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed that Chapter, I hope you found it exciting! Just thought I'd let you know, I have loads of new art for this fanfiction on my DeviantArt page, ( under AnimagusSugarGlider or search The Secret Treasure of Hogwarts) if you want to take a look! :)

Sorry but I can't put any links here, I will try on my profile.