Violent encounters during a Quidditch match
Ron Weasley was not a boy that considered himself the sharpest tool in the shed, but he could see clear as day that his friend was starting to lose his patience.
The two had been eating breakfast without being disturbed by the rest, when Oliver Wood had come to them in a hurry.
Apparently Harry had decided to retire from the Quidditch team at the beginning of the year, and the Gryffindor's Team Quidditch captain had been informed by McGonagall about the news. The boy had tried to confront Potter about his decision a couple of times before to convince the famous wizard to change his mind and return to his position as Seeker.
That day was their first match of the year and the team had been waiting for Wood to make Harry return and help them win.
"C'mon Harry! We need you on the team! Please, come back!" Oliver argued. The captain had tried to recruit someone to fill the position and had found himself unhappy with the result" Your substitute is not as good as you. Sam has butter-fingers! You should see him in practice! You want Gryffindor to win the cup, right?".
The aforementioned boy glared at Oliver's words and Harry arched an eyebrow at the outburst from the captain. Smiling apologetically, the boy explained once more why he had decided to leave the team.
"Sorry Oliver. It was fun, but I'm not interested. I'm sure Sam will catch the Snitch without missing and none of you will notice my absence".
Grinning thankful for Harry's words, Samuel Kelly returned to his meal and gripped the broom beside him with newfound resolve. With a crestfallen expression, Oliver turned around and went to communicate his failed attempt to the rest of the team.
Ron glanced as his retreating figure while munching on a piece of toast. He had expected Harry's answer, but he also felt a little bit disappointed. Weasley knew his friend wasn't a very big fan of the sport, but he would be lying if he said Harry wasn't an awesome player. Last year Harry's reflexes, physical strength, even his ability to fly and manoeuvre in the air had made him an asset in the team. It was a waste to see him reject the opportunity to participate once more in Quidditch.
"He finally gave up, huh…?" The voice of Draco Malfoy filled their ears and the two turned around to see the boy had approached them while they were busy convincing Wood.
Ron watched as the boy sat beside them and marvelled at Harry's capability to befriend him.
The redhead had always found himself resenting the Slytherins since he had been little. Due to their reputation for being a House that was home to what would in the present be known as Death Eaters and evil wizards, Ron had found himself not trusting anyone associated with it.
But Harry had not cared about the bad reputation and rumours that surrounded them. Not only that, Malfoy had pledged himself to the boy as a loyal subordinate. Teaching him and his friends all he knew about the future and showing them the travellers of small size that had arrived in the present.
For what Ron could gather, Malfoy had chosen to learn about a god named Shtlaantesh or something. Weasley on the other hand, had found interesting the ork culture and thanks to Ghazghkull learn about the greatest gods to ever exist.
Gork and Mork sounded like such an awesome pair that he couldn't help but love to know more. The 'brutal an' kunnin' ways of the orks fascinated him. The loss of Harry's present had made him sad, but Ron had decided that if his parents were going to refuse to let him keep it, the redhead would build his own Choppa'.
"Yes. It's better this way. The idea of flying is incredible, but I prefer not to be restricted in where to go and the things I can do" Harry explained to his friends.
"Hmmm…" Ron hummed, lost in thought.
His favourite professional team were the Chudley Cannons, but due to their massive bad luck they had never won a game before. He had hoped that once he was an adult Ron would chose to become their coach, so he could shape them into the greatest team of all time like the boy knew they were meant to be.
Now, with all the new information Harry had provided him, Ron had decided that he would krump' the other professional teams and make the Chudley Cannons into such an orky team ,they would only be able to be distinguished from the real ones just because they didn't had green skin.
He snapped from his train of thought when he heard Harry and Draco getting up from the table after finishing their breakfast. Hurrying up, the redhead followed the two close behind. The gazes of some of the students followed them on their exit from the Great Hall, but they ignored the stares.
After a while, the three met with the rest of the group. Hermione and the twins were found talking about some of their assignments, while Lavender waved her hand at them.
"Harry, Ron, Draco! Over here!".
"Hey…" Ron grunted.
Once they were together, the group marched towards their first class while informing the girls about their encounter with the Quidditch captain.
XXX
While the group entered one of the classrooms, Luna Lovegood walked through the hallways of Hogwarts in search of her missing footwear. She had got up that morning with her shoes missing and the girl had tried to think where she could have misplaced them.
In the end the girl had to walk to her first class barefoot. The cold stone made her shiver slightly and she wriggled her toes in the vain attempt to prevent them from going numb.
After the class, Luna had gone outside so she could warm up in the sun when the girl finally found them. Resting at the entrance of the Forbidden Forest, they had been left inside a puddle of murky water and mud. Now, the shiny black shoes Luna had were wet and dirty.
"That's not very nice…" The blond girl said to no-one in particular.
The snickers and chuckles of her roommates she had heard this morning had been a clear giveaway of the culprit.
Grabbing her footwear, the girl wondered how she would clean them. Reaching for her wand that the girl had decided to hold atop her right ear, she untangled it from her messy hair and pointed it at her shoes.
"Aquanias…"Concentrating, the girl whispered a spell. The result was a small stream of water being generated from thin air that she used to try and wash off all the dirt.
The girl stopped after a while and revised her work. Most of the dirt, twigs, leaves and mud had been washed off. Nodding in satisfaction, Luna put her wand back atop her ear. It was not a perfect job, but the blonde was satisfied with the result.
Hopping back towards the castle, she felt the tickling sensation of the grass below her feet. The girl decided she would leave the shoes somewhere to dry out.
But this was not the last time her roommates would play nasty pranks on her as Luna would soon find out.
XXX
Hermione felt her face begin to redden due to embarrassment. After finishing their morning classes, Harry had grabbed her hand and asked the girl to follow him. Knowing the boy and being curious, Hermione had accepted his invitation.
The two walked towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest and the brunette frowned.
"Why are we going to the forest?" A slight panic in her voice made his head turn and he smiled in reassurance.
"I wanted to show you something" He said.
With a little bit of reluctance, Hermione watched as the two entered the canopy and looked back at the castle, fearing they could be discovered by the teachers.
The two walked through the forest, passing by the trees of twisted branches, the rocks covered in moss and a couple of puddles from the previous days of rain. No sound reached their ears and the girl wondered if there was any kind of animal that could possibly live there.
She didn't have to wait long to see their destination. Her breath caught in her throat when Hermione saw the car. The two approached the vehicle and she wondered how it was possible it could be there.
"How is that possible? There's no way a muggle car could…?" She turned her head towards him, and the boy grinned.
"It's what Ron and I used to come here. It belongs to his parents" Harry explained "He suggested it so we could arrive to Hogwarts in time when the gate to the platform was closed".
"How? It should be impossible for you to arrive in time. There's no way" She rebuked.
Harry looked at the girl and his breath formed small clouds in the air.
"It's been enchanted. Ron's father made it so it could fly".
Hermione's eyes widened and she looked at the vehicle.
"What?! But that-Shouldn't that be illegal? Wait. If you two came here flying… The muggles! You could have been seen!" The girl's tone of voice changed to one of panic at the danger that the possibility represented.
"Don't worry. Mister Weasley told us he had installed an invisibility charm that could be activated when pushing a button".
Hermione looked at the boy with eyes full of doubt. She thought the two boys had been incredibly reckless and wondered how Ron's parents hadn't realised yet that the car was missing.
The two came closer to the Ford Anglia and Hermione felt Harry bring her hand towards the metal frame of the vehicle. Resting the palm against the cold metal, the brunette closer he eyes.
The girl felt her necklace resting against her neck and began reciting one of the many prayers Harry had taught her during their time together. That helped the girl calm down.
"By the Omnissiah… The Machine Spirit be blessed. May it continue to service the Weasley family for many years. That its engine be free of rust, its cogs and screws are always well maintained..."
Brrrmmm!
Hermione made a little jump, startled. The sudden roar of the engine surprised her.
"Woah!" She exclaimed. Harry chuckled and the girl glared at him.
"It seems the Machine Spirit likes you" Harry smiled fondly at the girl, and she blushed in embarrassment.
Hermione wondered why Harry had shown her the car and the reason it was hidden inside the forest.
"It came here to stay hidden from Hogwarts staff. I was hoping to ask for your help in maintaining it" He answered her unspoken question "Would you like that?".
Hermione's heart skipped a beat at his suggestion. She had never been asked for help before. Due to her personality and attitude towards other kids her age, Hermione had never had many friends. The idea of being invited to do anything with other people that required intellectual activity had not been something that many proposed to Hermione outside of studying for exams.
She could say with confidence that helping Harry in something she was interested in was a wonderful idea. The girl wondered how it was possible to find somebody that shared her interests even if she had been introduced to them by the boy not too long ago.
"I would love that".
XXX
Once the classes had ended for the day, the students went to the Quidditch pitch to watch the match. Harry and his friends sat in one of the many balconies carrying an assortment of snacks to eat.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to today's match of Quidditch!" The announcer's voice echoed through the pitch, reaching the spectator's ears "Today we have a very special battle! Gryffindor vs Slytherin! The brave lions against the traitorous snakes! Who will be victorious? What kind of feats of awesome broom techniques will we see today?".
The roars of the students cheering for the teams almost drowned the announcer's voice. Ron sat eating popcorn and drinking pumpkin juice while Parvati waved a flag with Gryffindor's colours painted on its surface. Lavender and Hermione talked to each other about something, and Draco sneered at some of the Gryffindor students with disgust.
The members of the two competing teams exited their tents and walked towards the middle of the pitch. Some of the students in the stadium began chanting the names of the squad members.
Harry watched his surroundings with a little bit of amusement. He was always surprised at the enthusiasm sports could bring. He took notice of his substitute and saw that Sam looked a little bit nervous.
Madam Hooch walked toward the middle of the field where the case inside which the various balls rested had been put. The referee crouched a little and brought her hand towards the locks. Oliver and the Slytherin captain approached her, and Harry saw them glare at each other.
Hooch said something to the two boys, and they nodded. Satisfied with their answer, the woman opened the trunk.
In an instant, Harry watched as the Snitch flew out of her restrictions and made itself invisible to the eyes of the spectators. The emerald-eyed boy watched as the incredible speed of the Snitch's wings almost made him lose sight of it too.
The members of the two teams began flying in their brooms and get into position. The referee unlocked the Bludgers' restraints and the two balls launched themselves in the air. Once finished, Hooch brought her whistle to her lips and grabbed the Quaffle.
She threw the ball in the air and blew the whistle. The signal for the beginning of the match had been made. In an instant, the two teams began playing the game and launched themselves towards the Quaffle.
One of the Slytherin players grabbed the Quaffle. She flew toward the goalpost of the enemy team and dodged a Bludger the Gryffindor's Beaters had thrown at him.
Her teammates flanked her in an attempt to stop the other team member from taking the ball away. Harry and the rest of the students watched as they approached the goalposts and wondered if the first point would go to Slytherin or not.
"Alice Montblanc has the Quaffle! Her teammates flank her. Slytherin is coming in hot! Will Gryffindor be able to stop them?! She dodges! George Weasley throws her one of the Bludgers, but she is too fast!"
The girl reached a good distance and threw the ball with her left arm. They watched as the Quaffle approached the goalpost, but the Gryffindor's Keeper blocked the ball with his hand and caught it.
The Slytherin students cheering for their team groaned in disappointment while Gryffindor's cheered.
"And Oliver Wood stops it! Ladies and gentlemen! This is what I call an awesome Keeper! When it comes to Quidditch, accept no substitutes!" The announcer declared
Harry and his friends watched the action with interest. He hugged Lavender that had snuggled close to him and the two continued watching the match while eating candy and popcorn.
XXX
It hadn't been even twenty minutes into the match when the problems began.
Fred Weasley had been about to hit the ball with his bat when it suddenly jerked away from him and stopped in mid-air.
"Wha-?" He didn't have time to wonder the ball's strange attitude for long.
The Bludger jerked downwards, making the bat miss it. The redhead found himself momentarily dumbfounded and the ball used the opportunity to launch itself towards the people that were seated in the benches.´
"What's this? George Weasley missed hitting the Bludger! The ball is coming this way! And it's getting closer!" The announcer declared with a tone of surprise.
The Bludger veered out of the way of the rest of the players. It became clear that the ball had selected an objective. And it planned to hurt it.
"Oh Merlin!" One boy yelled.
"No!" Another crouched behind the benches, trying to not get hit.
"Aaaaah!" A girl screamed in fear.
The spectators ran below the , and some jumped towards the exit when they saw it getting closer. Harry saw the ball approach him and grinned ferally.
BAAAAAAAAAM!
Using a strength and speed almost superhuman, the boy punched the ball. The Bludger bounced backwards, but it was determined to continue its assault.
BAAAAM!
The students and teachers watched incredulously as Harry repeated his actions and made the possessed ball stagger backwards once more.
"What the bloody hell is happening?!" Ron asked to no-one in particular.
"Somebody jinxed it!" Hermione declared, finally comprehending what was happening.
BAAAAAM! BAAAAAAM! BAAAAAAAM!
Harry continued punching the Bludger. Again, and again. The ball tried more than once to hit the boy unsuccessfully. Lavender, Draco, and Ron watched with mouths agape the display of skill and strength, wondering if that was humanly possible.
Hagrid ran in search of the professors so they could stop that madness.
BAAM! BAAAAAAAAM! BAAAAAAM! BAAAAAAAM!
Harry felt his knuckles starting to sting. The ball was mad of iron and punching it away had begun to hurt like crazy. He didn't know for how long he would be able to continue, but Harry would be damned if he was going to be outlasted in a contest of endurance with a fancy lump of metal.
"I'm gonna krump ya'" He whispered.
BAAAAAM! BAAAAM! BAAAAAAAAAAAM!
The raven-haired boy felt the bones in his hand beginning to crack and decided to change tactics. Concentrating the most he could, Harry shaped his power as a psyker. The boy felt his mental strength being drained by it while continuing to punch the ball away from him.
He moved one feet behind the other and clenched his fist. Harry put himself into position and watched as the Bludger gained momentum by moving backwards in the air. The boy's fingers crackled with warp energy, giving him the power necessary to blast the metallic sphere and maybe destroy it.
"Harry!" Draco noticed the boy's change of posture and yelled his name.
But the famous boy would not be able to act his new plan. He heard the students being moved aside and their voices calling happily the name of one of the teachers.
Minerva McGonagall approached Harry while moving away the students that were blocking her path.
"Mister Potter!" She drew her wand and pointed it at the Bludger.
Harry turned his head to look at her and nodded. The woman waited for the boy to punch the ball one more time and gripped her wand tightly.
BAAAAAAAM!
The Bludger collided with Harry's fist and staggered backwards a good five meters away. McGonagall used the distance to launch her spell.
"Bombarda!" A bolt of magic exited the tip of her wand and hit the Bludger.
The iron ball exploded instantly and fragments of it dispersed in the air. The people gattered sighed in relief knowing the event had ended. Harry massaged his right hand and flinched a little when he felt the cracked bones.
"Harry! Are you okay?" Hermione hurried to his side and took the boy's hand in hers.
"Yeah…" He smiled with a grimace "I think the Bludger has broken my hand form all that punching, but I'm fine".
Lavender, Parvati, and Padma hugged him and kissed his cheeks. The blonde examined her boyfriend's hand and caressed it. The rest of the people around them murmured and whispered their surprise and admiration for the boy's act of courage.
Draco, Crabbe and Goyle walked towards them, moving away some of their classmates with the intention of reuniting with Harry and the rest.
"My Lord! That was so awesome!" The blonde "I can't believe you could do something like that!"
"Hmmm… Most impressive Mister Potter. But it seems you must go to see Madame Pomfrey. I'm sure she'll get you fixed in no time…" McGonagall stern voice snapped the group from their happy reunion and Harry nodded at the woman.
"Thank you Professor. I wouldn't have been able to stop the ball if it wasn't fo-".
"Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!" An annoying voice stopped Harry in his tracks, and everybody turned around to see Lockhart approaching them with a shit-eating grin on his face. The man strutted towards them and continued talking "Just what I expected from my pupil! Truly, if it wasn't for the many times I have taught you privately, you would be most certainly dead!".
Harry felt irritation at the man's ramblings but abstained from saying anything.
McGonagall and the rest watched as the famous man drew his wand and came closer to the injured boy.
"Now, let's heal that pesky broken hand, shall we?".
Harry felt a sense of dread and reacted the only way he could. He punched the man square in the face.
BAAAAAAAM!
Ron and the rest watched as Harry's fist impacted with Lockhart's nose, filling the air with a cracking sound and the man's body tumbling backwards to the wooden floor. McGonagall blinked in incredulity and looked down to the extravagant man. She found him with his eyes closed and blood dripping from his nose.
Gilderoy Lockhart had lost consciousness and she looked at Harry with reproach.
"Mister Potter! What in Merlin's name do you think you're doing, assaulting a professor?!".
Harry cringed mentally at her tone of voice and admonished himself for acting so rashly.
"Sorry, Professor. It was an involuntary reaction".
The woman scowled and turned around. She began shooing away the students that were still around and ordered a couple of prefects to carry Lockhart out of there.
Ron approached his friends with a grin on his face and eyes full of admiration for Harry.
"Merlin! That was wicked! You should have seen yourself! Punching that stupid ball and decking Lockhart in the face!".
"Ronald! Don't say that!" Hermione admonished the redhead and turned towards Harry "C'mon. Let's get you to the Hospital Wing".
Harry smiled at the brunette and linked arms with Lavender. Taking one last glance at the unconscious man, the group went on their way to their destination.
Meanwhile, a certain black-haired Slytherin girl watched them lost in her own thoughts, digesting the new information from the event, and that it was making her more and more curious about Harry James Potter.
XXX
Ginny had never seen anything like what had transpired during the Quidditch match before. Harry's ability to react to the violent enchanted ball had been surprising, and if she was honest with herself a little bit hot.
Now, her crush rested inside the Hospital Wing inside the castle, hoping to heal his broken bones. The girl bit her lip and wondered how he was doing.
She wondered why the Bludger had reacted that way. She remembered last year and the incident with the broom. Twice something had occurred that involved an assault to the famous boy's life and she doubted it could be a coincidence.
"Hahahaha!" A voice echoing through the walls snapped Ginny from her thoughts and she looked around.
Further down the hallway, a couple of Ravenclaw boys were laughing at a blonde girl that was trying to pick up her thing from the floor.
Ginny recognized her as Luna. The two had been friends for a long time and seeing her being picked on by those boys made her furious.
The redhead felt her anger flare up when she saw what was happening. She ran towards her friend and drew her wand.
"Hey!" The redhead yelled at them.
The boys turned around and their eyes widened. They scrambled and ran away from the girl with a murderous gaze, hoping to not be caught by her spells.
"Morgana's shaggy tits! Cowards!" She turned around and crouched "Are you alright, Luna?".
The blonde looked at Ginny and smiled.
"Thanks Ginny! I'm fine. Those poor boys have a serious case of Hungfy Poetros. Don't hold it against them".
Ginny huffed. Luna's habit of blaming her bullying to imaginary creatures was something she had always been concerned about, but the redhead decided to pay it no mind. Helping Luna pick up her things from the floor, Ginny made the blonde stand up and linked arms with the girl.
"C'mon, Luna! Let's go somewhere else".
Luna nodded and the two walked through the hallways of Hogwarts with the intention of going somewhere where they could talk about today's events.
XXX
It had been several hours since Harry had eating dinner. The boy looked at his bandaged hand and frowned. The Bludger's behaviour had been very odd. It was clear somebody had tampered with it. He didn't know who had done such a thing and why, but the boy was happy that his friends hadn't been hurt in the ball's strange and violent movements.
Crrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaacccck!
A sudden noise filled the air that echoed through the walls of the Hospital Wing. Harry recognized the sound and looked in front of him to find the house-elf Dobby standing atop his bed.
The creature trembled and fidgeted with his spindly hands. The house-elf's eyes were filled with tears and his lip quivered like Dobby was about to cry.
"Dobby? What are you doing here?".
"Oh, Dobby is so sorry, Great and Strong Harry Potter! He hoped Harry Sir would not come to Hogwarts he wouldn't! Dobby has been such a bad elf he has!" The creature apologized with a quivering and high-pitched voice.
Harry rested his hand on the house-elf shoulders and tried to calm him down.
"Stop Dobby. Calm down. If you don't I can't make sense of what you're saying…" Harry said gently.
The elf's floppy ears flapped a couple of times to indicate his happiness at Harry's words.
"Oh, Great Harry Potter sir! He is so generous to somebody like Dobby he is!".
Waiting for the house-elf to continue talking, Harry noticed that Dobby stole a couple of glances towards his injured hand.
"Dobby was not able to make Harry Potter not go to Hogwarts he didn't! Dobby is so sorry for your hand he is!".
Harry realised what Dobby meant instantly.
"You blocked the train station's doorway?" Dobby nodded and Harry continued "And you changed the Bludger's behaviour so it would try to kill me?".
"Kill you?! No sir, Dobby didn't want to kill The Great and Powerful Harry Potter, sir! Dobby only wanted to maim, or seriously injure sir!".
Harry chuckled at his words.
"Well, it seems you were halfway there…" He frowned and looked at the elf in the eyes "But why?".
The creature opened his mouth and closed it again. Trembling slightly, Dobby resumed talking.
"Dobby has discovered a terrible plan this year will be he has! A horrid and awful year this will be! Master-!" At the mention of the person that owned the house-elf, Dobby yelped and began punching himself in the head.
"Stop it!" Harry grabbed his hands and prevented Dobby from continuing.
"Dobby is a bad elf! He shouldn't have said nothing! Please, Harry Potter! Go back to home you have! Please! Terrible things in Hogwarts are going to happen!".
Harry frowned. Dobby had repeated the same story over and over, but the boy wasn't sure he could do anything until the house-elf could be more clear in his statements. Ominous warnings without explaining them was not helping the boy in any case.
"Dobby has warned the Wonderful and Strong Harry James Potter! If Harry Potter sir does not listen, Dobby will have to do something himself!".
"Stop" Harry said with a tone of authority. Dobby looked at the boy with eyes wide open and mentally prepared himself to be punished like his master always did when he was displeased "I forbid you from doing anything else. If you will not make yourself clear and help me, go back to your master's side. I appreciate the sentiment, but you are getting in the way. It's better if you leave me to dealt with this myself".
The boy's firm tone of voice finally placated the house-elf and the magical creature steeled himself with a look of determination.
"Understood, Harry Potter sir. Dobby will not continue trying to make Great Harry Potter go back to muggle London. Please be careful, Harry Potter sir. Dobby will go back to master. Dobby thanks Harry Potter for his generosity".
"Wait I nee-".
Ccccrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaacccccccccccck!
Harry didn't have time to ask anything else. Instantly, Dobby disappeared once more. Leaving the boy with more questions than answers.
Laying down in the bed, Harry massaged his temple and sighed. Closing his eyes, the boy went to sleep and wondered what kind of danger Dobby was so afraid of as to try to injure him and make him leave Hogwarts.
Meanwhile, below the castle, a beast opened its eyes in more than fifty years of slumber.