The first week went by without any incident. Some of the Gryffindors were still on alert, suspecting that the Traitor of Gryffindor was merely biding their time; but James suspected that they were truly put off by Benedict's threat.
"They're finished" he told Bella and Darren confidently. "Breaking my broom is the last thing that idiot did."
With the Traitor of Gryffindor seemingly finished, the first years could return their worrying back to Transfiguration. Professor Thicknesse was quite angry to find that almost none of his students had completed his holiday homework.
"How dare you all act like a load of lazy sloths" he roared.
"Yes, how dare we treat the Christmas Holidays as a holiday, and not a Thickness work camp" Darren argued back.
"Detention Gorren, and the next person to answer back gets everyone else to join her."
Despite Thicknesse's threat, the entire class realised that he was essentially letting them off on not doing the homework. After the lesson ended, Jackson Lestrange vocalised his annoyance that he was included with everyone who didn't do anything. Travis Gant the sole Slytherin then spoke up, annoyed that the Gryffindors didn't tell him about their plan.
"Two hours a day I spent on that thing" he moaned. "That's two weeks I'm never getting back."
Bella returned from her detention at nine o'clock in the evening. She looked as contempt as she did with all the other detentions Thicknesse had given her.
"He had me write I must not disobey Professor Thicknesse over and over again" she explained.
"You're hand isn't hurting is it?" James asked worryingly, remembering a story is father told him when he was told to write lines.
"I wasn't using a blood quill James" Bella reassured him. "But my hand does hurt a lot now."
Over the next few weeks, James was focussed mainly on the quiditch match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. As their first game against Slytherin was so easy, and Silverstone McLaren wasn't providing proper training; it was very hard to determine how exactly the Ravenclaws were going to play.
"We're going to play them the same way we played Hufflepuff" Sebastian told the rest of the Gryffindor team. "We beat Hufflepuff, we can beat Ravenclaw."
"We only beat Hufflepuff because we got lucky with the snitch" protested Patricia.
"Speaking of the snitch, I haven't seen your new broom yet James" said Benedict.
"Trust me, I have it" replied James.
Silverstone McLaren bumped into him a few days ago to confirm that she had his replacement broom.
"I'll keep it until our big match" she reminded him. "Unfortunately this means that you can't practise with it."
"If it's the same broom as my last Nimbus, that shouldn't be a problem" James grinned.
Hufflepuff predictably won their match against Slytherin, but the result was surprisingly close. Travis Gant caught the snitch, though since the new keeper Oswald Cannon brought in to replace Kevin Bletchley was so bad, Hufflepuff had already scored one hundred and sixty points.
The wait for the Ravenclaw match felt a lot longer than the wait for Hufflepuff, probably because James was so anxious about getting his broom on time. On the night before the big game, Cameron Corner spiked Jackson's tea with an anti-snoring draft, so that he wouldn't wake up James in the middle of the night. After a better than expected sleep, James woke up, got dressed, and walked out of his dormitory. Before he could even leave the common room, he saw Sebastian and Benedict arguing near the fireplace.
"Sebastian this is ridiculous" Benedict protested.
"You're too much of a worrypuss" Sebastian grinned.
"What's going on?" asked James.
"We're once again playing without a substitute seeker" muttered Benedict. "If anything happens to you, we won't be able to put a substitute on to continue the game."
"Nothing is going to happen to James" Sebastian waved away Benedict's concerns. "And besides, the only other person who specialises in being a seeker is Jackson, and I'm not putting any fake Gryffindors on my team."
"Sebastian this is reckless" Benedict warned. "You're putting your own pride over what's best for the team."
"You don't need to worry about me" James replied. "I'll catch the snitch so quickly, we don't need to even think about a substitute."
"There you are" Sebastian remarked smugly.
"James, have you even got your broom yet?" Benedict asked worryingly.
"McLaren's got it" James replied.
"What?" Benedict gasped.
"She bought me a new one over Christmas, and she was going to look after it herself until today, so no one could break it like my last one."
"Well you better go and get it now then" commanded Benedict. "If she double crosses you, then you need to get a spare broom before the match starts."
James left the common room and made his way to the Great Hall. He was relieved to find that despite Benedict's concerns, Silverstone McLaren was waiting for him outside the entrance, carrying two brooms.
"Ready for our big match Potter?" she asked.
"Sure am" replied James confidently.
McLaren passed him over his new Nimbus Three Thousand. James examined it carefully, to make sure that it was indeed the real thing. Upon determing that it was, and McLaren wasn't trying to deceive him, he almost broke down in tears.
"McLaren, I don't know what to say."
"Just make sure you put on a damn good show for the crowd" said McLaren.
After James had breakfast, he made his way to the quiditch changing rooms. He was the first one there, and he became quite impatient waiting for the rest of the team to arrive.
"Someone's eager to take to the skies" noticed Tulip.
"So McLaren actually did get you a new broom" Benedict said suspiciously.
"She's probably just playing up to her own ego, because James likes her" teased Patricia.
"That's not true" James protested, his face blushing red. "McLaren wanted to take a stand against the Traitor of Gryffindor."
"It doesn't matter why she did it" grinned Sebastian. "All that matters now is that we go out and beat her with it."
The Gryffindor team then walked out onto the pitch in front of the cheering crowd. James felt as nervous as he did against Hufflepuff; though given his feelings towards McLaren, he wondered if he was secretly even more nervous now.
"Captains, shake hands" ordered Montague, who was once again refereeing the match.
Sebastian and McLaren both shook hands, but James couldn't help but notice that the two Ravenclaw beaters Trask and Redding were both smirking to themselves.
"Mount your brooms" Montague commanded.
James did as he was told. He was ready to launch himself into the clouds at a moment's notice.
"And Montague has released the Quaffle" Hugh Jordan announced.
The match had started. James shot upwards in a way that should have made him reach the top of the pitch within seconds. But that did not happen at all. The broom stopped rising after he reached about six feet.
"What the…" James muttered.
He tried flying downwards as much as he could, then tried to surge upwards again; but the broom still wouldn't go above six feet in the air. James was confused as to why the Nimbus was behaving in such a manner, but then McLaren was flying slowly next to him.
"How's the new broom James?" she asked.
"Something's wrong with it" James replied. "It won't fly upwards."
"Oh dear" said McLaren. "That's a shame."
"And it looks like both the seekers plan on waiting for the snitch together" teased Hugh Jordan. "I've never heard of a romantic date during a quiditch match before, but I suppose there is a first time for everything."
"Don't worry James, I won't fly any higher than you today" McLaren shouted.
James then spent the next minute trying and failing to get the broom to fly upwards. McLaren stayed out in front of him, flying backwards as she watched him struggle to get the broom to work properly.
"Why isn't this broom working?" James demanded.
"Oh but it is" grinned McLaren.
"What?" gasped James.
"And Benedict Falcon scores for Gryffindor" Hugh Jordan commentated. "He wasn't too far off from a Bludger, but the Ravenclaw beaters have been passing the other Bludger to themselves."
"About time" McLaren spat.
"About time for what?" James demanded irritably.
"Look behind you" McLaren instructed in a sing song voice.
James turned his head round, and saw Trask and Redding passing the Bludger to one another with their bats. They were both descending, and catching up with James and McLaren.
"Did your daddy ever told you he broke his arm from a Bludger?" asked McLaren. "A rogue Bludger hit his arm, and broke it."
"I remember" James replied nervously, as the Ravenclaw beaters closed in on him.
"That was from one lucky strike" McLaren grinned. "Let's see how many of your bones a hundred Bludgers can break."
"No" James screamed.
But it was too late. Trask smashed the Bludger right into James' back. It felt like being punched very hard. The Bludger rebounded off his back, only for Redding to smash it back into it. Now James realised why the two of them were hitting the Bludger off the plank of wood during their training session. James tried to fly away, but with the inability to fly higher, and McLaren blocking him from the front, there was nothing James could do but take hit after hit from the Bludgers.
"Aim for his legs" McLaren ordered.
"Help me" James shouted, but the rest of the team were so much higher up for them to hear him.
"Now the arms" McLaren shouted gleefully, after James' legs got hit so many times by the Bludger.
"And whilst we were all distracted by Tulip's incredible goal, what's going on with the seekers?"
To James, his torment felt like it went on for minutes, but he guessed that it only lasted for one at most, as Hugh Jordan has only just realised what was going on.
"Ah" James cried out in pain.
The last Bludger hit had caused his left wrist to crack. His arm fell off the broom, he slowed down considerably, his body all battered, bruised and broken from the constant abuse from the Bludger.
"Finish him off" McLaren commanded.
James' head were the beaters' final target. The Bludger hit both sides of his face three times each before the last of James' strength gave in. He fell off the broom as if he was a lifeless sack of vegetables falling off a shelf. He landed on his back, staring up into the sky. Trask hit the Bludger directly into his nose as one last final assault.
"It's obvious to me why McLaren just did this, but that has got to be the dirtiest game plan in the history of Hogwarts Quiditch; quite possibly in professional quiditch too."
James didn't understand what Jordan was on about in the obvious sense. All he knew is that McLaren had betrayed him. She tricked him into receiving a dud broomstick that didn't work as expected, so that both her beaters could cripple him. From what he could see above him, all of the members from both teams were flying down to see what had just happened. He could even hear his teammates arguing angrily with the Ravenclaws and Montague; however it was Silverstone McLaren who came to him first.
"No hard feelings Potter" she grinned, as she crouched down for her face to be closer to his.
"Why?" James croaked, as even talking was painful.
"That idiot Sebastian Gorren didn't have substitute seeker" explained McLaren. "With you out of the way, there is no possible way for Gryffindor to end the game."
"So that's what Jordan means by playing dirty" James muttered.
"Let me make it up to you" McLaren said teasingly.
She grabbed James' face, and forced it into her own. Before James could protest, McLaren pressed her lips to James' and began kissing him passionately. He tried to force her off, but since his arms and legs were so broken, he had no means of defending himself. The kissing finally stopped as McLaren was repelled backwards from some sort of spell.
"That's enough" Professor Longbottom declared angrily.
"No need to get so mean Neville" McLaren said back. "I was just showing my affection to my new boyfriend."
She grinned cruelly at James through the corner of her eye, then took a step backwards so that she was standing on his fingers. James screamed as loudly as he could; McLaren twisted the heel of her foot to make the pain as great as she could.
"Get off him" ordered Longbottom.
McLaren sighed, and stood away from James' body. James suddenly felt himself being lifted into the air; Professor Longbottom had cast a levitation spell.
"James" Patricia cried out.
"It's ok James" Professor Longbottom said softly. "I'm sending you to the Hospital Wing; you'll be fixed up in no time."
James occasionally had dreams about being sent off the pitch due to injury. In every one, he was protesting being sent off, claiming that he could still play; however when the reality came, he couldn't even think about playing. When he was confident that he was far from his classmates, he gave in and cried.
"It's five o'clock now" Bella said to Madame Pomfrey. "You said we could see him now."
"Yes, yes, I remember what I said" Madame Pomfrey scoffed. "But don't be in there too long, that boy needs rest."
"I thought you can mend broken bones in a second?" argued Patricia.
"Bones yes, but shock is an infliction that can never be overcome quickly" replied Madame Pomfrey.
"We appreciate allowing us to see him" said Benedict politely. "We won't overstress him, I promise."
Madame Pomfrey nodded, and moved aside allowing everyone in. The small crowd of Gryffindors that have come to see James consisted of Bella, Darren and with the exception of Sebastian, the Gryffindor quiditch team. James was lying on a hospital bed, still dressed in his quiditch robes. Even as everyone entered, he was just staring straight ahead of him.
"James" Bella said nervously.
"What" James murmured.
He shook his head, then looked to his right. He had only just realised he had guests.
"We thought we'd better check in on you" Darren explained.
"Where's Sebastian?" asked James, after realising he wasn't with the group.
"Sebastian's still on the quiditch pitch" replied Benedict. "He's trying to save what little points he can."
"The match hasn't ended yet?" gasped James.
"No, and it isn't going to end for some time" muttered Patricia. "As soon as you were taken here, McLaren substituted herself for a guy who can't even fly a broom in a straight line."
"Why would she do that?" asked James.
"It's not just you who was crushed by McLaren" answered Benedict. "Myself, Tulip and Sebastian were horrified about what happened. We were so worried about you, and to be more cynical, we had no way to end the game. It affected our performance badly; the Ravenclaws are just scoring goal after goal after goal."
"And McLaren is perfectly happy to wait" Bella elaborated. "Because Sebastian didn't have a substitute seeker, by the rules of quiditch, you can't be replaced."
"So McLaren is just going to score a load of goals until she gets bored and catches the snitch" James summarised.
"Exactly" a voice echoed from the Hospital Wing entrance. "You do catch on quick."
Everyone turned around to see Silverstone McLaren swagger towards them.
"You" Bella growled. "How dare you come here after what you did."
"Professor Longbottom has already given me a detention" muttered McLaren. "A bit unfair don't you think?"
"You lied to me, beat me up, you…"
"Kissed you" McLaren finished the sentence. "I've got to say Potter, you're a lousy kisser. Your future girlfriend better keep her expectations in check."
"You're so determined to win, that you were prepared to disregard your own morals" Benedict summarised.
"Yeah, I wanted to win" McLaren admitted. "I also want to win in car racing; but I ain't going to do that if I spend too much time training my team."
"So you planned to destroy your opponents from the inside" said Patricia angrily. "Instead of making your team better, you just made your opponents worse."
"Like when Kevin Bletchley threw the game for you" said Bella.
"I only dated Bletchley for that reason" remarked McLaren. "Went out for him for a bit, then told him I wouldn't snog him again unless he helped me out. Sometimes I am surprised just how stupid boys can be around a pretty girl."
"And you did it again today, when you gave James that stupid broom" Bella roared.
"She did more than that Bella" James concluded.
"She did?" Bella gasped.
"I doubt McLaren left all this up to chance" James muttered. "You snapped my broom in half, didn't you."
The rest of the crowd of Gryffindors stared at McLaren not in anger, but in shock.
"I don't know what you're talking about" McLaren replied sarcastically.
"You're plan wouldn't have worked, unless my main broom wasn't busted first" James deduced.
"But the handwriting on the note attached to your present matched the notes the Traitor of Gryffindor was lying around" Benedict said aghast.
"Are you really accusing a Ravenclaw of being the Traitor of Gryffindor" McLaren said mockingly.
"Yes I am" James shouted. "You snapped my broom, you poisoned Bella and you took all the Dream-o-graphs."
"I did not break your Nimbus at all" McLaren protested. "Nor did I poison the little girl."
"Why should I believe you?" Bella screamed.
"Because unless you've forgotten, I was away on a race weekend the day you started vomiting" McLaren refuted. "Are you accusing me of being in two places at once. All the Time Turners are destroyed, so I don't know how that's possible now."
"You haven't denied sending the Dream-o-graphs" Patricia argued.
"That's because I actually did take those" McLaren sneered.
"What?" gasped Corner. "But how did a Ravenclaw get inside the Gryffindor Common Room."
"It's really not that difficult" chuckled McLaren. "Daddy Potter used Polyjuice Potion to disguise himself as a Slytherin. I just relied on my partner to tell me where the common room was, and whenever the Fat Lady changed the passwords."
"So it was you who snuck into the dormitories when we were all asleep" James confirmed. "But it wasn't you who did everything else."
"Not exactly" grinned McLaren. "You wrote all the letters and howlers you all received; even the one where I called Professor McGonagall a bitch. I came up with the plans for the traitor to do, and chose their targets."
"So you did poison me" Bella screamed. "You sent me in the Hospital Wing in pain for two weeks."
"She must have felt bad about it afterwards" Darren murmured. "Otherwise she wouldn't have given you that book."
"Ah yes, that large comic collection" McLaren sniggered. "And do you know where I went shortly afterwards? Professor Thicknesse. He was very displeased to see his most hated pupil slacking off in bed reading comics instead of a textbook."
"But you're denying being the Traitor of Gryffindor personally?" asked Benedict.
"Yes" replied McLaren. "I merely found out who it was before any of you; and helped him cause more chaos."
"So the Traitor of Gryffindor is a boy" deduced Bella.
"That's what the house elf said when they received the poison bottle" said James.
"Who is it?" demanded Patricia. "Who's the Traitor of Gryffindor?"
"Your buddy already knows" McLaren grinned, nodding at Benedict. "He was quite angry when he told me that he found out about Michael."
"I'm sick and tired of people knowing who this guy is, and not saying anything" lambasted James.
"Well you're going to have to wait a bit longer then" McLaren snarled.
"In the meantime, you can enjoy more detentions" added Professor Longbottom, who had only just turned the corner.
"You've heard everything Neville?" asked McLaren sweetly.
"Yes" replied Longbottom. "Three hundred points from Ravenclaw, and detention for you every day of the year. You should feel ashamed of yourself; Ravenclaw were in the lead of the House Cup, only for your antics to put them in last place."
"I don't care about the House Cup" McLaren shrugged. "The House Cup I have to share with god knows how many other students; the Quiditch Cup I can take all the credit for."
"We'll see how far you go in life with that sort of attitude" said Longbottom sternly. "You can start your new string of detentions tonight."
"Two detentions in one day; lucky me" McLaren sighed, as she left the Hospital Wing.
"How are you feeling James?" asked Longbottom.
"She will pay for this" James snarled.
"She already has" Longbottom replied. "Don't go down to her level, and do something you'll regret."
"She's not worth it James" Bella told him. "But who is worth it is the Traitor of Gryffindor."
"But we don't know who it is, and everyone who does won't tell us" argued Darren.
"McLaren worked it out before she started sending those letters" James explained. "The first one came about a day after the Transfiguration classroom got trashed, so somehow she knew who it was from that alone."
"Benedict, just tell us who it is" demanded Patricia.
"I'm sorry…" muttered Benedict.
Everyone looked up at Benedict with dismay; all of them wanting to know who the Traitor of Gryffindor is.