The next morning Jane, Abby and I got to breakfast early and then headed towards the quidditch pitch in the hopes of getting good seats before everyone else showed up. Abby skipped across to the pitch in her home-made Gryffindor t-shirt and her face painted red and gold. She was trying to get us to sing along with her as she sang a song about Gryffindor, that she had written herself at breakfast. I hummed along to the song creating a bad instrumental. Jane was too busy trying multiple spells on her Gryffindor t-shirt (made by Abby). She was trying to stop the flashy red and gold light-show it was producing.

There weren't that many people in the stands at the quidditch pitch, only a few people had the idea to come early. We were about to climb up to Gryffindor stands when we heard loud sniggering behind us making us turn.

It was Percilla Goyle and her group of Slytherin friends. I hadn't seen her since the night we came to Hogwarts.

"Ignore them." said Jane shooting them a glare.

"What's your problem, Goyle?" I snapped. I really couldn't stand their sniggering.

"Control you temper, Rose." Jane said in a low whisper.

I took a deep breath. I knew now was not the time for a fight, but I could tell that they got under Jane's skin the same way they did mine.

"Weasley, my problem is that I'm seeing the ugliest things ever seen. Two filthy half-bloods and a mudblood with poor fashion sense."

The group burst out laughing. The three of us quickly pointed our wands at the group, who now looked less confident at the sight of our wand.

In a swift movement, Goyle threw something on the ground which immediately made our visions clouded with darkness.

"Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder." I said recognising it.

"What's that?" Abby asked through the blackness.

"It creates temporary darkness allowing the user to escape." I explained.

"What a coward." said Abby as the black cloud slowly cleared.

"We could've got in trouble for duelling anyway." Jane said reasonable.

"But we would've won and taught her a lesson." I said angrily. "What she said was mean and pathetic."

"Come on, you guys," Abby said beckoning us towards the stands. "Don't let her and her goons ruin a great day of quidditch. I see some free seats in the front row!"

Jane and I hurried after Abby climbing the stairs up to the Gryffindor stand. We took our seats in the front row.

"When is it going to start?" I asked Jane who had her watch on her wrist. The only thing worse than quidditch was having to wait for quidditch to start.

"About a half an hour." Jane sighed.

I moaned.

"We can do a countdown," Abby said excitedly. "29 minutes and 59 seconds. 29 minutes and 58 seconds-"

"No, we're not doing that." Jane said quickly. "Maybe we could… Rose, any ideas?"

"I suppose we could play Exploding Snap." I suggested really not wanting to do a countdown. "Don't you have a book in your bag we can lean on, Jane?"

"Yeah, sure." Jane said as she reached into her bag producing a book.

I divided the cards three ways and we spent the next half a hour having a laugh. I never thought Exploding Snap could be so fun, but when I played it with Abby and Jane some laugh-out-loud moments are bound to happen.

We hardly notice the rest of the students arriving and filling up the stand around us. Our game stop when Abby squealed out in excitement.

"It's happening!"

I turned my eyes to the pitch to see the Gryffindor and Slytherin players walking out onto the pitch their broom slung over their shoulders. James caught my eye and waved at me grinning. I waved back.

I noticed Albus coming from the opposite end of the pitch looking unfriendly at James. He then attempted to make me turn my attention to him by pulling a Cheshire cat like grin and waving broadly. I waved back.

Madam Hooch was standing at the centre of the pitch waiting for the two teams.

The teams finally met Madam Hooch in the centre of the pitch led by their captains, Danvers, who was the Gryffindor captain, a friendly boy in sixth year with an obsession for quidditch and Yaxley, who was the Slytherin captain, a giant troll.

"Shake hands, captains." I heard Madam Hooch order.

Danvers and Yaxley viciously shook each other's hands, but it was more like they were trying to pull each other's fingers off than anything.

"I want this to be a nice clean game." While saying this Madam Hooch was looking at Slytherin team with a stern eye as if she was looking for a criminal about to commit a crime.

"All of you, mount your brooms, please."

The players mounted their brooms then seconds later Madam Hooch released the balls after she threw the quaffle up in the air she blew her whistle. There was a quick blur of red and green, making Abby gasp on the edge of her seat and Jane yawn and open her book. I on the other hand felt in-between the two emotions, I watched along with the crowd, but I wasn't that excited or interested.

A voice filled the pitch informing everyone on the happenings of the match.

"The quaffle is grabbed by the beautiful, but feisty Dominque Weasley."

I cheered on Dominque, but that probably couldn't be heard over Abby next to me screaming at the top of her lungs. "GO, GO GRYFFINDOR! LION PRIIDDDDEEEEE!" Actually I think the crowds own cheers couldn't be heard over it.

"Oh no, Slytherin chaser Pucey comes out of nowhere and tries to take the quaffle from- YES, YOU GO GIRL! Weasley gives that prick a nasty kick in the crotch! And down he goes. Weasley scores for Gryffindor!"

James took a moment out from snitch-seeking-patrol (I swear to Merlin that's what he calls it) to give a high-five Dominque and perform a couple tricks on his broom for the Gryffindor spectators. Earning him more cheering.

I laughed at the performance. "What a show-off!" I commented amusedly.

"NO, THAT'S PURE BRILLIANCE, ROSE!" Abby replied her voice still in screaming mode. "GRYFFINDOR!"

I could see Albus high above James ignoring his antics, looking from the snitch. Even though he was a far away I could still read his state of mind 'losing is not an option!' it screamed at me.

Albus was always competitive when it came to games like quidditch. I remember having family get-togethers at the Burrow and having family quidditch matches. I never saw Albus' full wrath of competitiveness, Uncle Harry would call Albus down when he started to look bloodthirsty. Uncle Harry would then give him a talk about how it was only a game and how in the Hogwarts quidditch matches Slytherins only played by cheating and knocking people off their brooms.

But Albus was a Slytherin now.

As I thought this I started to worry. I started dreaming up crazy scenarios in my head, but my Ravenclaw logical thinking knocked some sense into my head. I was being ridiculous. Albus is a nice guy who plays within the rules and wouldn't do anything dangerous to win. I dismissed my crazy thoughts and tried to focus on the game.

I was bored. It was the 2014 quidditch world cup all over again. I couldn't get into the cheering of the crowd, everything was happening so fast and I ended up cheering at all the wrong moments. Abby seem to be leading the cheering and doing all sorts of crazy dance moves too, when the chasers earned points or the beaters knocked a Slytherin off their broom.

Across the way in the Slytherin stand, Malfoy and his gang were sitting in the front row cheering on Albus. Their faces were painted green. Malfoy held up a green sign covered in silver glitter that said "SNITCHING POTTER!"

I quickly elbowed Jane and pointed it out to her.

"Oh dear, Merlin! Someone get Malfoy a dictionary!" Jane said laughing loudly over the crowd.

"And I thought Abby's light show t-shirts were unnecessary." I said laughing.

I found myself drifting off into thought, thinking about under what circumstance did Malfoy think that up. Was his mind bursting with writers block? Did he eat a funny sweet from Uncle George's shop? Did he have his mind switched with a four year old's?

But I was knocked out of my thoughts of Malfoy (ewww. That's sounds wrong). When the crowd erupted in cheers of excitement and Abby began to scream in my ear. "THE SNITCH HAS BEEN SIGHTED, IT'S BEEN SIGHTED!"

It clapped my hands over my ears (sore ears) and looked to the pitch. James and Albus were neck and neck high up in the air, almost in the clouds, chasing after the snitch.

"Gryffindor Potter and Slytherin Potter are racing for the snitch." The commentator's voice rang out. "Who will win? Big brother or little brother?"

Snitch suddenly started to quickly descend towards the ground, like a speeding bullet. James reacted quickly and expertly went into a dive after it. Albus was a little startled by the change in direction, it took him a second longer to react. Albus dived, but James was still ahead. James began to reach out for the snitch. They were still diving, but had a few seconds before they reached the ground. Albus sped up and attempted to hit James. Desperation was pouring from his face as well as sweat.

James didn't react to Albus he only stretched farther for the snitch, but then suddenly Albus did something that I was more like something I had dreamt up in my moment of worry. He leaped off his broom onto James' back attempting to wrestle him by the neck to the ground. I screamed, Albus' attempt had worked, they tumbled to the ground. It took James a moment to realise what had happened. They were in a pile on the ground. Albus was still wrestling James. James punched Albus in the face, making Albus immediately let go of James. Albus grabbed his nose in pain.

James stood up, mixed emotions were on his face. He held up his hand, in the palm of it laid the golden snitch. Everyone (except the Slytherins, of course, and me) burst into cheers.

"WE WON, WE WON!" screamed Abby jumping up and down next to me trying to get me to join in with her.

But I was silent I was still trying to piece together what I had just seen.