AVDHP

Fun With Quidditch

Chapter 24

AN: It has been a year since I updated. I decided I would wait until I finished 1st year before posting again. First year is complete! Yea!
First Year will be posted Halloween evening, in its entirety. Here is a morsel to tide you over til the main meal.
Second and Third year will be shorter than First and Fourth, so I will finish both 2nd and 3rd and post them when they are completed. I have a couple of hard twists in mind for fourth year. I can't wait to write it!

AN: I will be fast and loose with dates and schedules as I desire; things like the order of the quidditch schedule, among other things. The Hufflepuff vs Slytherin game will be the last of the season.

Hufflepuff vs Slytherin

Slytherin Team

Captain: Marcus Flint

Beaters: Lucian Bole and Peregrine Derrick

Chasers: Graham Montague, Adrian Pucey, Marcus Flint

Keeper: Miles Bletchley

Seeker: Terence Higgs

Hufflepuff Team (using '93 team roster except for Capt/Keeper)

Captain: Agatha Fleet

Beaters: Maxine O'Flaherty, Anthony Rickett

Chasers: Malcolm Preece, Heidi Macavoy, Tamsin Applebee

Keeper: Agatha Fleet (Herbert's older sister)

Seeker: Cedric Diggory

Harry watched the game in fear and wonder. Being the reserve seeker as a first year was a huge honor but Harry knew he wouldn't be able to play for several years. Cedric was an incredible seeker. So, he watched Cedric's every move. That is why he saw the twin bludgers heading toward Cedric, having been knocked toward him at frightening speed by the Slytherin beaters, Lucian Dole and Peregrine Derrick.

The beaters had been targeting Cedric the entire match. Cedric's laughter and easy evasion of their shots seemed to infuriate them, and they continued to get more aggressive in their attempts to distract Hufflepuff's seeker.

Harry feared this time would be more than Cedric could avoid, with one bludger coming from directly behind him as the other approached from two o'clock high. Somehow Cedric was aware of both and rolled away from both trajectories. As he rolled, he discovered too late the air battle with the beaters had moved him lower than he realized. Rolling from the bludgers, he collided with one of Hufflepuff's chasers: Applebee's broom tip squarely impacting the middle of his right hand.

The sound was heard in the stands as the team captain, Agatha Fleet, immediately called a time out. Cedric drifted to the reserve benches holding his right hand against his chest as he guided the broom to a soft landing with his left.

Agatha looked questioningly at Cedric who shook his head.

"I can't play. I could catch the snitch, eventually, using just one hand, but their seeker will get it long before I do." Cedric lamented.

"Right. Potter, you're in." Fleet exclaimed with a sour look on her face. "Okay, we are up one hundred points, thanks to the beaters ignoring our chasers. All you have to do is catch the snitch before Higgs does and we win. We have a strong lead so they will be gunning for you. Keep your head moving, never sit still, and watch everything. If they knock you out of the game, we lose."

"No," Cedric interrupted. "I can go back in if needed."

"No, you can't," the captain replied angrily. "Once a player is healed during a game, they are benched for the rest of the game. You know that."

"So, I won't be healed until the game is over," Cedric smiled, though it looked more like a grimace.

"Your hand is broken, likely at least two bones with such a solid hit. You will be healed as soon as Pomfrey gets here."

"I'm here now," Madam Pomfrey said from behind them.

"Madam, the rules allow me to refuse healing until the game is completed, except in cases of life-threatening injuries. My hand is broken. It is not life-threatening. I refuse treatment until the game is complete." Cedric stated firmly, looking Pomfrey squarely in the eyes.

"Show me." Pomfrey stated forcefully.

Cedric slowly moved his right hand from his chest, extending it toward Madam Pomfrey. The hand was obviously broken, already swelling to nearly twice normal size. The blue of the bruise covering the entire back of his hand and extending up passed his wrist. Blood oozed from the laceration in the center of his hand.

"This is not life-threatening," Pomfrey announced. "But the damage will continue to accumulate as the bruising and swelling continues. The longer you go without treatment, the more it will hurt. Are you certain you want…"?

"TIME" Madam Hooch's amplified voice interrupted.

Madam Pomfrey was not best pleased at being interrupted. With a whispered sonorous, she turned and yelled at the field, "Medical Exception".

Pomfrey's booming voice echoed through the stands. Marcus Flint, the Slytherin captain immediately flew toward Hooch; his intention obvious.

"As I was saying," as Madam Pomfrey canceled the spell and turned back to Cedric. "Are you certain you want to refuse treatment?"

"Yes Ma'am"

"Very well, put ice in a towel and keep your hand as cold as you can stand it. It will help with the swelling. IMMEDIATELY after the game, you will be treated. No argument."

"Yes Ma'am."

Madam Hooch flew into the reserve benches, looking at Pomfrey. "Can he play?"

"Yes… barely. He has opted to refuse medical treatment as the injury is not life-threatening."

"Lord Potter will substitute for Diggory. Diggory will remain on the bench as a possible seeker until the game is completed." Captain Fleet stated quickly. Harry had given his teammates the option to call him Potter or Harry when in private, but not otherwise.

"Get in the air before I must penalize you for delay of play," Madam Hooch huffed before spinning and flying back to center field.

The team mounted their brooms and moved into positions.

As Harry moved to follow, Cedric caught his arm with his good hand.

"Harry, I want you to use my broom. It is faster and more maneuverable than your Cleansweep. They will try to hurt you. They think you are small, weak, and don't know how to fly. We both know you are better than they realize. You are better than I was at your age. I believe in you." Cedric said urgently.

Harry stood there stunned as he listened.

"And if you could catch the snitch sooner than later, that would be great," Cedric joked as he held up his hand.

"Hufflepuff penalized ten points for delay of play." Madam Hooch's voice rang out.

"Do your best." Cedric called to Harry's back as he zoomed away.

As Harry took position, the balls were already in motion.

Ten minutes later Harry felt very popular, at least with the Slytherin team. He had made a dive to the ground as he saw a glint of light, turned out to be a gum wrapper. How did that get on the field? As he dove for the gum wrapper, the Slytherin chasers abandoned their play to bang into him, trying to use their greater weight to knock him from his broom.

"Give up, kid," Marcus Flint yelled, as he rammed the bristles of Harry's broom.

Harry managed to clear the chaser's plane of play, returning to the standard Seeker position. Shortly after a bludger zipped passed his face. This got Harry's attention. He had not seen the bludger. The only reason he was still in the game was because the beater missed.

Harry's focus increased exponentially.

He managed to emulate Cedric, avoiding the bludgers with apparent ease. Only Harry knew how tense he felt. To everyone else, he seemed to fly effortlessly through the bludgers.

Realizing he was spending all his time focused on the bludgers and none looking for the snitch, Harry tried to look for the ever elusive, game ending ball.

Splitting his attention almost proved fatal.

Looking at the ground, Harry almost missed the bludger that would have taken his head off, ending his first quidditch game in a most gruesome manner. Instinctively, he jerked his head away. The bludger hit a glancing blow off his left cheek as it slid by. That glancing blow enough to almost unseat him, but also left him facing the direction that bludger traveled passed Harry, smacking into the knee of Malcolm Preece; a Hufflepuff chaser, first generation wizard, and one of Lord Potter's newest vassals. Harry clearly heard the bone crunching impact. He then turned to look at the beater who hit it. Derrick was laughing. Bole came by and gave him a high-five.

Harry looked back at the chaser. He noticed Preece shaking his head when the captain signed if he should forfeit. There were no reserve chasers. The chaser would continue to play with a broken leg or Hufflepuff would forfeit.

Harry hauled back on his broom, zooming into the sky before leveling out high above the pitch. He needed a moment to think.

Slytherin wasn't playing to prove they were the better team. They were playing to win by attrition. They wanted to hurt his teammates enough to force a forfeit.

Anger blossomed within him as he watched the beaters now targeting his injured teammate.

Harry smiled. No one could see him grin so high above the pitch. If they could the Slytherin captain might have forfeited. It was a most evil smile and boded ill for someone.

"Balls. They're just balls. Big and heavy, but just balls. I know what to do with balls."

Decision made, Harry laughed maniacally as he pushed the broom into a steep dive.

"Seeker, seeker, seeker, there you are!" Harry thought as he dove back into the mass of players.

Whistling loudly as he moved back into play, he signed the captain to put the beaters on chaser guard duty.

Harry wanted to eliminate the seeker, Terence Higgs, with the bludgers, but they just wouldn't position for him, so he decided to go with plan B. Knowing the Slytherins were playing to seriously injure his team, he started a long sweep of the field for the snitch, making sure he went much faster than was safe. Just as expected, Higgs marked him, drawing abreast then using his superior mass to try to drive Harry into the stand supports. Harry fought back, pushing as hard as he could to avoid the support beams. The Slytherin seeker saw his opportunity as the next vertical support came up. Accelerating to get slightly ahead of Harry's body, Terence pulled hard into the stands, hoping to drive Harry into the thick post.

Unfortunately for Terence Higgs, this is just what Harry was waiting for.

Braking hard, as soon as the tip of his broom was clear of Higgs' body, Harry rolled up and away from the stands. Terence, not meeting the expected resistance of Harry's body, wasn't able to avoid the highspeed collision with the support.

Play was stopped as Madam Pomfrey came onto the field. The seeker had managed to jerk his head away from the collision, but his right shoulder was a bloody mess with his arm missing. A few minutes of searching found the arm, which was laid beside his body on the stretcher.

While this was going on, Harry flew over to talk to Malcolm.

"Can you hold on for a bit more? They need to learn a lesson." Harry asked quietly.

He nodded, obviously in pain, but wondering what Harry had in mind.

"They only have three on their bench. All three are big bruisers and now one of them will have to play seeker."

Harry laughed at the thought of one of those three big boys on the bench playing effectively as a seeker.

The chaser shuddered at Harry's grin, looking away momentarily. When he looked back, Harry was gone.

Flying over to Cedric, Harry asked the same question and received the same answer.

The Slytherin seeker was being taken from the field by stretcher as Harry flew passed Marcus Flint.

"Ready to forfeit?" Harry asked. "After all, you don't have a seeker now."

"We have a seeker," the captain said, pointing to the hulking boy moving into position.

"That? That is your reserve seeker? He looks like a refrigerator on a broom. You should concede before he embarrasses you."

"We have two more on the bench. You don't have any. We'll see who forfeits."

"As you wish," Harry said with a grin, pulling away at top speed.

"CONTINUE PLAY", Hooch boomed.

'Oh yes, we will continue to play, but I think I will be the only one having any fun', Harry thought darkly.

The next hour was a frightening display of a very annoyed seeker using the rules to tear apart the Slytherin team.

"Keeper, keeper, keeper," Harry mutter to himself as he positioned himself to take out the Slytherin keeper, Miles Bletchley. Harry had one bludger chasing him as he went just fast enough to keep it from catching him. He wanted the other bludger too.

Finally, the second bludger headed his way, fast, accurate and with a deliciously perfect spin. Waiting until the last instant performed a complete roll without changing altitude. A sharp kick to the incoming bludger and Harry had the one bludger orbiting the other as it chased him. Laughing hysterically, Harry plummeted toward the Slytherin keeper. He couldn't wait to tell Merlin about this game!

Play stopped as everyone, including the players watched what was happening.

Harry corkscrewed toward the keeper, his cloak billowing out from the force of his movement, hiding the bludgers following close on.

Miles stood his ground. If Harry deliberately ran into him at speed, Hufflepuff would be forced to forfeit for unsportsman-like behavior and lose all points from this game toward the Quidditch cup. Closing his eyes, he waited to take the hit that would win Slytherin the game.

Harry missed Bletchley by less than an inch, veering hard right to place the keeper's body between himself and the tandem bludgers.

Harry didn't see the collision and could only imagine the damage to the keeper from the groans of the crowd. He did see the snitch, right in front of him and had another evil idea. Grabbing the snitch, he shoved it down his neckline, trapping it in his undershirt. Harry waited to see if anyone noticed, if the game would end. But everyone was looking at Bletchley hanging limply from Slytherin's left ring.

Another stretcher assisted exit from the pitch for the keeper and another large boy on a broom substituted in.

"You would think his size would help him as a keeper, but his broom is shaking. So, either the broom sucks, he is too heavy for that broom, or he is too scared to be effective. Either way, our chasers should not have a problem," Harry thought. "Two more to go…"

"Continue Play" sounded once more as Harry went looking for his next 'accident'.

This was the one Harry was waiting for. Payback for breaking Preece's knee. All he needed was for the beaters to be separated enough to assure Derrick got to the bludger first. Harry wanted to make sure the right person payed the price for annoying him. It was only fair.

In a scene eerily reminiscent of the previous 'accident', Harry had one bludger chasing him. Well, Harry was actually leading it around the field. Not needing to find the snitch liberated his focus for a more elegant path to his desired outcome.

Again, the second bludger was aimed at Harry, coming right at him front and center and most importantly, no spin. The beaters were so angry they were just hitting the ball at him with no attempt at subtlety.

At the last moment, Harry barrel rolled and using both feet imparted a very specific spin to the bludger as it passed by. The other ball continued to follow Harry closely as Harry righted himself and headed for the reserve Slytherin Keeper. But no one really noticed that.

The bludger Harry had narrowly missed, the same bludger he had spun with his feet, just as he knew to spin juggling balls to ignore certain laws of physics, was slowing down at an unnatural rate.

Then it stopped and just hung in the air, spinning.

The beater Harry wanted to teach a lesson was the closest to the spinning ball. Derrick moved toward it at his broom's top speed, leaning way back on his broom, twisting his body to get maximum force on the bludger before slamming into it with all his mass, muscle, and momentum behind it. It was a perfect shot. The ball would smash into Harry's back, as this ball would move much faster than the one tailing him. Harry was moving in a straight line. No one could miss. All these thoughts and more passed through the beater's mind as the bat made contact.

And then…

Pain.

The beater's world dissolved into pain. Unimaginable pain…

And then…

Nothing.

The spectators saw the beater wind up for a crushing hit. The type you read about in quidditch magazines where the bludger must be recovered from being buried into the ground or had led to a career ending injury for the hapless target.

Then the beater hit it.

His bat shattered.

His armed flopped limply, obviously broken.

Peregrine Derrick fell.

And the bludger didn't move.

No one was watching as Harry pulled the other bludger along to smash into the new keeper. Even the keeper didn't notice. Later he would recall he saw Peregrine hit the bludger. The bludger not move. Peregrine fall. Then he woke up in the hospital wing.

Two more injuries, only one more reserve player. Slytherin would have to forfeit.

Harry smiled as he drew the snitch from his shirt and held it up triumphantly.

After all, a forfeit is nice, but 150 points is hard to pass up.

Great Hall Breakfast Next Morning

"Quidditch is a rough game. Accidents happen. Isn't that want you told Gryffindor last month?" Harry said calmly.

Marcus Flint was fit to be tied, which Harry was beginning to consider a good idea.

"You deliberately targeted my players. You deliberately injured them."

"As you did mine."

"So, you admit it!" Snape yelled from the head table. "One Hundred points from Gryffindor!"

Harry turned to face Snape fully and raised an eyebrow.

And waited.

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat rather loudly as Professor Sprout giggled at Snape.

"Lord Potter is not in my house, Professor. Point deduction revoked," she said slowly.

"Headmaster?" Snape looked to Dumbledore for support.

"Not my circus. Not my monkeys." Dumbledore laughed as he held his hands up in surrender.

"Potter! Did you target my players with the intent to injure them? Yes or No?" Snape snapped.

"That is Lord Potter to you, Professor. And yes, I intentionally injured your players." Harry replied calmly.

"I will see you expelled for this!" Snape turned again to Dumbledore who shook his head at the implied question.

"Why the Hell not?" Professor snap yelled.

"Because you are asking the wrong questions, Professor," Harry responded.

"You…. You… "

"Yes, me, me, me, but that is not a question," Harry snarked.

"What is the right question then?" Snape snarked back.

"Did I break any rules?"

Snape glared angrily at Potter.

"That was not a rhetorical question," Harry continued. "Have I broken any rules?"

"You deliberately injured students! Of course, you have broken the rules!" Snape growled.

"No, he hasn't," Madam Hooch's voice unexpectedly interrupted. "His behavior is well within the rules. Rules YOU required we adopt when you became Head of House for Slytherin. Your exact words were, and I quote, 'Some students will wish to pursue professional quidditch careers. To give them their best chance at success, we must use the same rules professionals use.' End quote. The Headmaster supported your position and the rules were changed to the code of conduct for professional quidditch games. Had that not occurred, I doubt there would be a single game Slytherin has played since, where at least one Slytherin player would not be permanently removed from the team for behavior unbecoming. Lord Potter played within the rules YOU insisted be implemented!"

Harry cleared his throat.

"Yes, Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry raised an eyebrow and smirked … and waited.

"Excuse me, Lord Potter, did you have something to add," Dumbledore queried gently.

"Yes, Headmaster."

Looking around the great hall, the head table, the length of Hufflepuff, and ending with Flint, Harry asked, "Perhaps you should ask why I injured your players?"

"What? I know why you hurt my players, to win the damn game!" the captain growled.

Harry laughed, drawing concerned looks from everyone, even Hufflepuff.

"No. I don't care about the game. I don't care about the house cup. I don't care about the quidditch cup. I was there to show my support for my house. I love to fly. It is one of the greatest feelings in the world! The freedom, the wind," Harry paused and drew a deep breath, smiling. "There is nothing like it. I wish I could fly without a broom. Maybe one day…"

"But then your team," Harry pointed toward the Slytherin table, "and by extension YOU, decided to hurt my teammates, my housemates, my friends, but most importantly my vassal, Malcolm Preece."

"Mr. Diggory's injury might be labeled a game related accident, except for your beaters targeting him to the point of ignoring the Hufflepuff chasers. Accidents happen. It is a rough game. But it seemed you were deliberately targeting the seeker to end the game in forfeit."

"So, I went in as the reserve seeker, to play the game. Nothing more."

"But you continued to target the seeker. It became obvious you were planning to win the game through a forfeit, instead of proving you were the better team that day."

"And still I played. I played as the Hufflepuff I am, in the spirit of the game."

"Then you 'accidentally' broke my vassal's knee, while targeting me. Had your beaters made any show of contrition, I might have let it go. But they laughed and congratulated each other."

"I am a Hufflepuff and played as a Hufflepuff, until that point. "

"But first I am Lord Potter. You attracted the attention of Lord Potter harming my vassal and I decided you needed to learn a lesson."

"You put four of my team in the hospital because you got mad?" the Flint yelled.

"Oh no." Harry laughed, "I was never mad. I was mildly annoyed… vaguely irritated. Nothing more. You interrupted my enjoyment of watching the game. If I were angry, I would not injure your players."

Harry looked at the Slytherin table, specifically catching the eye of most of the purebloods of note.

"I would break their Houses, withdraw myself and all my allies from their Houses and all allies of their Houses. Their House's allies would abandon them. No one would ever speak to them in public again. Their own Houses would disown them as unsalvageable, hopeless causes, anchors dragging down the House, gangrenous limbs to be sacrificed for the continued survival of the whole… acceptable losses."

Returning his gaze to the Slytherin captain, "Any who would deal with them would know they had no allies left and nowhere to turn. They would be taken advantage of by all who would deign to notice their existence."

"That is what I would do, if I decided to deal with it myself. I am not as subtle as my wife. Since subtlety is her area, instead of dealing with it myself, I would ask if she would. And if she agreed…"

Lord Potter turned his head to smile at his wife before looking back at the Slytherin captain and continuing, "Then I would request Lady Potter get creative."

The captain looked at Daphne, horrified at the look of pleasure on her face.

"Husband, you give me the sweetest gifts." She purred.

Harry was a bit taken aback by the look in his wife's eyes. It struck a chord within him that made him tingle all over. A very unfamiliar, yet pleasant feeling.

"Just wait for next Yule," Harry said with a mischievous smile.

Turning back to the captain, "I hope I have made myself clear. I don't want to play Quidditch. I want to sit on the bench and cheer for my House. In case of accident, I will play. But in case of players targeting my teammates for serious injury, I will leave the bench once more and I will teach you another lesson. A much harsher lesson… and all within the rules. "

Taking Daphne's offered hand, Lord and Lady Potter left the Great Hall to complete silence.

AN: I needed the Hufflepuff/Slytherin game to be late in the school year. So, I made it so, even though this is usually the first game for Hufflepuff (according to the web site I checked).

AN: I am certain some of you have been wondering when Harry's sex drive would kick in. The 'tingles' he got while looking at his wife are the beginning. It won't be over night. Over the next two years it will gradually increase to what we would consider normal in his fourth year.