Chapter 19 – Gryffindor v. Slytherin
The troll ordeal spread through the school like wildfire, and Lizzie was tired of being asked to tell the story. So tired in fact she was relieved when Oliver bypassed the recap and berated her for it at the pre-game practice because she could have been hurt right before the match.
"Why are you laughing?" He asked her indignantly.
"Hm? I'm not laughing," she said, trying to quickly toss the amusement away from her face. The twins had never liked her more, and Ron was enjoying the hero tale with exaggerated details. Lizzie didn't correct anything.
Hermione and Ron warmed up to one another and the three of them spent as much time together as he did with Seamus and the others. Things seemed harmonious in the week to follow until her nerves hit about the game.
"I'm going to check out a book on quidditch from the library," Lizzie declared when she felt certain she was going to play miserably due to her serious lack of knowledge about any quidditch related talk outside of Oliver's game plays they practiced.
"How is that going to help you fly?" Ron asked.
"I don't need help flying. Wood says I'm great at that. I don't want to get ousted over some rule or condition I have no knowledge of and am frankly too embarrassed to ask him or the rest of the team... so library, let's go," she insisted.
While there, Lizzie found a modern history book that had several chapters on Lord Voldemort and his downfall that she checked out as well. She decided to study it, so she didn't sound as pathetically ignorant to her own triumphs as she actually was. Lizzie was also uncharacteristically eager to know more about him, where he might be, and what he was capable of.
After the library, Lizzie took the books to the courtyard to continue reading. The air was super crisp and amazing in her opinion, but it was still cold, so Hermione lit a levitating fire.
Partway into the history book the flames went out and Lizzie looked up to see Snape stalking toward them. "Oh, here we go," Lizzie muttered under her breath and he definitely picked up on the annoyance in her eyes immediately.
"Magic isn't to be used in the corridors, especially by inexperienced students. That's five points from Gryffindor," he sneered.
"Alright, noted," Lizzie said but his eyes flashed mean. "...sir," she added, and his face relaxed into a bemused expression.
"What do you have here?" He asked, snatching the book. "Reading about... yourself... how unsurprising," he taunted.
"Last I checked I wasn't a dark lord, but yes you're right, my name is mentioned, right toward the end..." Lizzie said, testing the limits while Hermione shot her a look to stop. Something about not getting caned or hit for everything had definitely gone to her head. Authority needs to be earned, she thought. She didn't give much thought to questioning it before. If you didn't stay in line you suffered, if the suffering became bearable, they amplified it until it wasn't. Even she didn't realize the degree to which she was groomed to be insufferably meek. Lizzie knew she'd get three meals a day, that it would take a lot to get hit, and that detentions were relatively inconsequential in comparison to what she was used to. If she could avoid points lost... she'd be fine, didn't want to throw the house under the bus because the defiance felt like a much-needed anecdote to all the years of compliance.
"Library books aren't to be removed from the library..." he said slowly and kept the book. "What is this one?" He asked picking up the quidditch one. "Another library book, how shocking," he said.
Lizzie glared. "If I bring you a note from Madame Pince, can I have them back? Sir?" She asked.
"If you bother me with a note from Pince, Azalea, I will give you detention every night until Christmas," he jabbed. Lizzie rolled her eyes slightly. "Or through the end of next term if I ever see you roll your eyes again," he growled, and headed off inside the castle. Forgot to take points, she thought and laughed internally.
"He really hates you," Hermione said.
"Or really enjoys my company and doesn't want to admit it from the sound of it," Lizzie laughed.
It was bothering Lizzie not having the quidditch book and she resigned to go to his office to ask for it back despite his threat. Detentions seemed less bad than letting down the team. Lizzie knocked on the door of the Dungeons office and opened it to Snape and Quirrell whispering about something.
"Oh, Miss Potter, good evening," Quirrell said timidly. Lizzie half smiled back.
"What could you possibly be doing here, Potter?" Snape said sharply.
Lizzie exhaled the breath she was holding. "May I please have that book back, sir?" She asked quickly to get the words in the air before she could chicken out.
"I told you -" he sneered reproachfully.
"You said if I bothered you with a note from Pince... I happen not to have any notes from Pince," Lizzie explained.
"I don't have patience for this" Snape said shortly. "Didn't read enough about your legacy?" He sneered.
"No, not that one...I don't care about that one... the quidditch one... I sort of need it back...sir..." she said the last part slowly contemplating if she was going to admit she was on the team. Game is tomorrow, even he won't have time to get word out, she reasoned.
"Why?" He asked condescendingly.
"Because I'm playing tomorrow," she admitted. Snape laughed but it sounded like a foreign noise leaving his mouth.
"You're not allowed to, Azalea, don't be an idiot," he jabbed.
"No... I'm the seeker. Professor McGonagall put me on the team... ask her or Oliver Wood," Lizzie said. Snape frowned in disbelief and stood up to approach her.
He was limping, she was surprised she didn't notice earlier. "Your leg alright, sir?" She asked politely.
"Mind your own, Potter," he said reproachfully, holding the book in front of her face. He stared at her for a couple of long menacing moments but seemed unable to decide something.
"If this is a lie on your part, I can promise you'll be sorry," he warned and handed her over the book suspiciously. Lizzie tried not to smirk.
"If you are playing against Slytherin tomorrow, I hope for your sake you can actually fly and Gryffindor isn't just putting a name on the team, they haven't won in years," he hissed.
Lizzie pursed her lips but didn't say anything. "Thank you for the book back, professor. Goodnight," she said sweetly and left the office feeling victorious. She knew he was banking on her lying and she would be immensely satisfied when he found out she wasn't.
Lizzie woke up early the next day for the sole reason that she could not contain her nerves most of the night. The school didn't know she was seeker, if she made a fool of herself, it would be horrendous. She didn't want to let her team down, her house down, or most of all her dad down.
At breakfast the team was dressed in pullover quidditch sweaters with their names and numbers, but not Lizzie. Wood gave her a reassuring smile but didn't say anything. Ron looked sympathetic when she wouldn't eat anything and pushed over a fresh cup of coffee. Lizzie didn't take it.
"Oh, now I'm really worried. Are you feeling alright?" Ron asked. Lizzie stared down at her plate.
"Earth to Lizzie..." he said, trying to catch her eyes.
"Hermione, did she sleep?" He asked. Hermione shook her head.
"I've never been picked for a team," Lizzie muttered. "I'm going to let them down," she said.
"You will if you self-sabotage," Ron said, an echo of her own words.
"At least take coffee, I mean... hits better on an empty stomach?" he bargained, and Lizzie picked up the cup. He was right, it made things better.
When Lizzie made it to the locker rooms, Angelina, Alicia, and Katie were already in gear. Lizzie looked down at an A. POTTER - 7 sweater, trousers, knee pads, elbow pads, and gloves.
Angelina squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. Lizzie changed quickly and pulled her hair up into a high ponytail. Down at the entrance to the pitch she lined up next to Oliver.
"Maroon and gold suits you," he said.
"Can I get a sweater that says L. POTTER instead? My dad called me Lizzie and as far as I know this is all I'm sharing with him," she asked.
"We can manage that," he said. "You scared, Lizzie?" He asked.
"Is it that obvious?" She asked.
"Painfully obvious. We wouldn't have put you on the team if you weren't good. Remember that and play it out," Oliver encouraged. When they heard Lee Jordan announce the Gryffindor team, Lizzie and the others mounted their brooms and took off into the stadium to the center of the pitch to meet the Slytherin team for the quaffle toss.
"Here comes the Gryffindor Team. Oliver Wood, Keeper Captain, Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnett who played as reserve last year, and Katie Bell as new blood. The Weasley twins have made a comeback, no doubt, and we have Lizzie Potter as the youngest seeker to play on a house team in over a century. High hopes for that one," Lee announced and the Gryffindor side erupted in applause. "On the Slytherin side we have Marcus Flint, Chaser Captain, Adrian Pucey, and Jeremy Dawler making returns this season. Orion Hornby and Derek Midgen as beaters. Miles Blechley as the new Keeper, and the young Terence Higgs as Seeker," Lee rattled off.
Lizzie stared across at Terence, like Katie he was only a year older. He eyed her suspiciously and Marcus Flint scoffed. "Wood!" Marcus barked. "Potter on to scare us? Can she even fly?" He laughed and the others sniggered.
"Lightning fast, Flint. Bloody born for this," Oliver shot back in Lizzie's defense. This made her insides churn with anxiety.
Madam Hooch stepped out to the center of the field and released the bludgers. The snitch came next and danced around Lizzie's face for a moment. Hooch then launched the quaffle high into the air beginning the game. The chasers took off in an indistinguishable flurry and Lizzie did a fast circle of the stadium scanning for the snitch. She stopped at an angle she could see most of the stadium and narrowed her eyes around the field for flashes of gold. Terence continued to circle.
"Angelina Johnson scores! Ten points to Gryffindor!" Lee bellowed and applause erupted.
"Spinnett scores! Another ten points to Gryffindor!" He announced a minute later. Lizzie tried not to focus on how awful Slytherin's Keeper was as she looked for the snitch. Oliver blocked every throw on the Gryffindor side and Flint sent a bludger straight at Angelina, knocking her off her broom with a hard fall to the ground.
"Penalty!" Gryffindors shouted.
"Red card! Red card!" Dean screamed.
"What the bloody hell is a red card?" Ron asked.
"In soccer! Like a penalty," Dean explained.
"This is quidditch!" Ron yelled back and Seamus laughed. Neville was overly into the game and Hermione had her eyes fixed on Lizzie.
Slytherin took the opportunity to gain a twenty-point lead with a Gryffindor chaser down. Lizzie then caught sight of the golden ball several yards directly ahead and sped toward it. "Potter is off in pursuit!" Lee shouted.
With a sudden jerking motion, Lizzie's broom shot several yards to the side then back again. It threw off her sense of balance and before there was time to recover, the broom shot forward at an impossible speed, straight for the stands and then bucked back. She rolled several times before it became obvious, she'd lost control of the broom.
Lizzie tried to ground herself on it and steady, but it spun forward in a motion that bucked her off and had her dangling from the handle by one hand.
The stands were rather quiet watching. Lizzie flailed as the broom shot in wide motions in every direction. Lizzie thought about letting go because it wouldn't be a fatal fall, but the broom climbed, and she watched the ground grow more distant. She was certain she was as high as a high rise building and a fall would be the last thing she did.
Her heart was skipping every other beat as she looked down and held on with her tightest grip. There was a loud spark and burn under her hand and she impulsively let go because it burned clean through her glove. Lizzie grabbed the back end of the broom on the spindles for leg support and cried a loud gasp of pain when the end of it cut into her other palm. The crowd gasped at the near fall and stared fixated. The broom continued to climb and attempt to shake her off, but she couldn't let go.
Hermione used her binoculars to scan the stands and caught sight of Snape staring white-faced up at Lizzie, muttering something. "It's Snape, he's jinxing the broom!" Hermione whispered to Ron.
"What?! He can't want her dead!" Ron gaped, his mouth was dry, and he hadn't blinked since it started acting wild. Neville had hands over his eyes and Dean and Seamus started wide eyed up at Lizzie flailing around hundreds of feet in the sky.
Hermione quickly headed over to the teachers stands and claimed the stairwell underneath until she caught sight of the hem of Snape's black robes. "Incartum Inflamari," she whispered and set the corner ablaze before running off back to the others.
Lizzie noticed the broom had stopped moving, but she hung still for a moment to be sure. The moment was too long, a bludger shot toward her and she curled her body up to miss it, digging the end of the metal spore she was holding deeper into her hand. The snitch whipped past her face and Lizzie swung herself forward to wrap a leg around the broom handle and hoist her body up. The top half of her body fell back and dangled.
I look like a bloody trapeze, she thought. Literally... she looked at her blood-soaked left hand and a burned right one. She coiled herself to grab the broom handle in her arms and rolled into an upright position in the most uncomfortable way possible. She looked like she was hugging it because her hands couldn't grip the wooden handle. Always the hands, like an Achilles Heel, she thought bitterly and with gritted teeth she grabbed the broom as tightly as they would let her.
She looked down and noticed a flash of gold much closer to the floor of pitch. With a spin and a dive, Lizzie bolted after it. Once it was in reach, with Higgs on tail, Lizzie dove faster, but knew she couldn't straighten herself before hitting the ground and catch the tiny ball with hands that were starting to go numb and unresponsive with pain. Lizzie reached forward with a slight lunge and appeared to smack her own face, then pulled up hard on the broom, grazing the ground and dropping hard to the grass with several rolls.
The crowd gasped as she propped herself up onto her elbows and appeared to choke slightly. Her face was scathed but she didn't think anything was broken. Lizzie got up onto her knees and then her feet slowly as Wood called for a pause. He landed down in front of her as she undid the gloves on her shaking hands. The spindle had dug almost all the way through her left one, and the right one was black and bright red.
"Lizzie? You alright?" Wood asked coming toward her. The team was hovering overhead. Lizzie wanted to smile but couldn't, so she reached into her mouth and pulled out a tiny gold ball with two fingers and held it out in front of her with a fixed gaze on Oliver who couldn't contain the look of pure joy and pride on his face.
"She caught it!" He yelled.
"Lizzie Potter caught the snitch! 150 points to Gryffindor!" Lee screamed and the crowd erupted. Lizzie laughed and Hooch yelled "Gryffindor wins!"
Oliver hugged her around the head, then pointed up to the spot she was suspended in.
"I think it was jinxed," she said, still coming down from the panic. He looked down at her hands and winced.
"Hospital wing..." he said and pushed her toward the professors who were coming down to ask what happened.
McGonagall grabbed her face and looked ready to kiss her but didn't. "Congratulations, honey. But what in heavens?!" She asked.
"It was jinxed," Flitwick said. "Held on for dear life there, Potter," he commended.
"Oh my, Lizzie your hands! Come with me," McGonagall ushered. The team was still shouting praise after her. Lizzie caught eyes with Snape who in her opinion looked more flushed than angry. Hermione and Ron ran up after them to follow her to the hospital wing. Once there, most of the team and several house mates stopped by briefly to offer congratulations. Wood stuck by to ask McGonagall about why her broom was jinxed but she had no answers.
Pomphrey eventually shooed everybody out in annoyance and gave Lizzie a reproving look. "I told you..." she said.
"Not my fault," Lizzie giggled.
"What was my dad's worst quidditch injury?" Lizzie asked curiously. Pomphrey seemed to think for a moment as though debating the various severities of many injuries.
"Sixth year as captain, he blocked a bludger deliberately shot at the other Seeker. Shattered his hip. I was surprised I could get him to walk normal again, but he was fine. He'd already caught the snitch... but was livid with his beater. Tossed him from the team," Pomphrey explained.
"Why would he take a bludger for the other Seeker?" Lizzie asked frowning.
"Well, your dad was righteous to a fault," Poppy explained. "Your mum brought him Bertie Botts most days he was here and ate out all the bad ones first...selfless to a fault," she chuckled.
"Who was the other seeker?" Lizzie asked.
"I don't recall if it was the Hufflepuff or Slytherin game," Poppy admitted.
"Well surely not Slytherin..." Lizzie said.
"No, no... I wouldn't be so sure. The Slytherin seeker was his best friend's brother. But come to think if it I remember it as the Hufflepuff seeker. What was his name...? Creswell or Creswind, I think," Poppy mused.
"Dirk Creswell?" Lizzie asked.
"Yes! That's it! He came in here to thank him. That bludger would've shattered his skull..." Poppy said.
"You can go back up in an hour or two, sweetheart. The burn will heal quickly but the cut is deep, so it'll take a little longer to seal if you want the nerve endings to stay intact," she explained. Lizzie nodded in understanding. So, he did know my dad... who tipped him off that I'd be left on the side of the bloody road though? Lizzie thought.