The events of Halloween night were quickly forgotten the next week, fading away in the much awaited furor of the first Quidditch match of the year, Gryffindor against Slytherin. Harry had scheduled four Quidditch practices a week in preparation, giving the Weasley twins reason to complain that Harry was turning into Oliver Wood. Harry didn't care though. He'd just found out Draco Malfoy had been appointed the Slytherin Captain. Harry wondered to himself what Lucius Malfoy had bought the Slytherin team this time.
The night before the Quidditch match Harry couldn't sleep. He polished his top of the line Firebolt so many times that Ron complained it was blinding his eyes. The only two times Harry had played Malfoy, Harry had definitely come off better. But this time … what if Harry screwed up and called the wrong moves? It made him sick, thinking of a Slytherin victory, Malfoy's face smirking at him. Harry sank into a sleep full of dreams about laughing Slytherins and broken broomsticks.
The next morning Natalie came up to Harry. "I don't think I'll be able to do it," she squeaked nervously. "What if I'm bad? What if I let Slytherin score?"
Her face looked as horrible as Harry felt. "It's okay," Harry said, trying to act as if the Quidditch match was just a card game.
The Gryffindor team barely ate breakfast that morning, except for Fred and George who seemed to take out stress by acting more exuberant than ever. When it was finally time to get changed and go out onto the field, Harry felt as though Gryffindor had already lost the match.
"All right," breathed Harry, as the team sat around him. It felt very weird to be the one talking, instead of the one being talked to. "We've just got to play our hardest and everything will be all right. You remember that move Natalie?"
Natalie nodded grimly. "Double eight loop."
"That'll be good since you're relying on speed, not size. And Fred, George, don't try to foul us up, OK?"
Fred put on a façade of innocence, "Us? Fouls? Never!"
"If you feel the urge to punch Malfoy in the face just try to wait until after the game."
Harry looked at his fellow team members. He felt his breakfast churning in his stomach. "Right then, let's go."
And, led by Harry, the Gryffindor team walked out onto the field. The Slytherins were already out there. Harry noticed that their Nimbus 2001's had been replaced by the new model, Nimbus 3000. Hary clenched his own Firebolt in his hands and took a deep breath.
"Malfoy, Potter, shake hands," Madam Hooch said briskly. Harry looked Malfoy in the eye, and held out a stiff hand. Malfoy shook it reluctantly, with a sneer on his face, and let go as soon as he could.
"Mount your brooms…on my whistle…three-two-one!"
Harry kicked off into the air feeling the wind, sweeping through his hair. His confidence now felt restored as he scanned the area looking for the snitch. He could hear Lee Jordan, commentating.
"Quaffle taken immediately by Alicia Spinnet of Gryffindor-nice reverse pass to Bell of Gryffindor, heading toward the goal…come on Katie…YES! Gryffindor scores!" Katie grinned and did a loop in the air. Harry took his attention away from the scoring areas and began to search for the Snitch. He had to get it before Malfoy… Harry swooped down, near the Gryffindor goal posts.
"All right Natalie?" he called to a very pale looking Natalie.
"Oh....yes," she called back. She didn't look all right-she looked as though she might throw up at any moment. Harry could see Malfoy nearer to the ground searching for the Snitch. The new Slytherin brooms were obviously good--much better than Fred and George's, but still no match for a Firebolt. Harry turned his attention back to the commentary.
"-Gryffindor in possession---Spinnet heading toward the-YOU CHEATING BASTARDS---,"
Bole and Derrick, the two enormous Slytherin beaters had zoomed at Alicia; Bole knocking her on the head, Derrick in the stomach. With an "oof" Alicia dropped the Quaffle, picked up quickly by Warrington, a Slytherin chaser.
A whistle blast through the stadium. "You are not to hit any player with anything but the Bludger-and both of you at once! These are disgusting tactics! Penalty shot to Gryffindor!"
Katie was able to tuck the Quaffle in easily making the score twenty to zero and still no signs of the Snitch. Harry zoomed up, and swerved around the goal posts. He noticed that Natalie looked slightly sick.
"What's wrong Potter?" Malfoy called out from below him. "Why can't you find the Snitch? Or is your scar hurting again?"
Harry resisted the temptation to punch Malfoy himself and instead forced his Firebolt up higher, scanning the grounds for the faintest trace of the Snitch.
"Gryffindor still in possession," Harry heard Lee saying. "Looks like the Slytherin's new brooms aren't making up for their lack of talent!"
"Jordan!" Harry heard McGonagoll say.
"Well it's true! Oh fine! Anyway-Bell of Gryffindor makes a neat pass to Spinnet, nice use of Woollongong Shimmy-ooh! Attempt at Porskoff Ploy-Hunter intercepts the Quaffle-new team member, fourth year, I'm surprised he even knows what a Quaffle is--thick as two planks, he is."
"Jordan, if you can't commentate in an unbias manner-,"
"I was just adding my opinion! Hunter zooming up the field, oh, no....passes to Montague-YES! I can't believe she did it! McDonald catches the Quaffle-," Two hundred Gryffindor's burst into ear splitting roars. Harry hardly had anytime to feel happy for Natalie. He had just spotted a glimmer of gold sparkling near the bottom of the Gryffindor goal posts.....
Harry sped down quickly, but Malfoy had spotted Harry and was closing in. The two were hurtling towards the ground-head to head-Harry was getting closer-he felt his hands grasp around the fluttering Snitch. He pulled out of the dive just in time to see Malfoy hitting the ground. If anything could put a seal on the Gryffindor victory it was this. Harry held the Snitch up as he did a lap around the field-he could hear Natalie shouting, "You did it! You did it!" and Fred and George laughing as Dumbledore conjured a stretcher for Malfoy. Finally Harry sank to the ground, feeling as though he'd never worried about the match at all.
"170 to 0!" Ron shouted as he came charging towards Harry. "You were brilliant!"
"You got that move from Viktor, didn't you?" Hermione said to Harry. "But I really saw the Snitch. It's not my fault Malfoy was stupid enough to crash."
Ron laughed, and to Harry's surprise, so did Hermione.
"I can't believe it," Harry heard Natalie breathing by his side. "I blocked the Quaffle. Did you see me Harry?" she looked up at him from under her long bangs.
"You were great Natalie. Wood couldn't have even done that." Natalie grinned.
"Hey, Harry!" Harry heard one of the Weasley twins shout. "Party in Gryffindor tower-we've got two reasons to celebrate-we won and Malfoy's out cold!"
Harry had attended quite a few post-Quidditch parties, but hardly any were as loud nor raucous as this one. Maybe it had something to do with Malfoy being unconscious or maybe it had something to do with the fact that Slytherin didn't score one single point. Either way people kept coming up to all the Gryffindor players and congratulating them, particularly Fred and George who had, for the first time, not committed a single foul.
Natalie for once, seemed to be the center of attention.
"Wood never blocked every single Quaffle except for that time against Hufflepuff...and that shouldn't really count!" a sixth year said excitedly to Natalie, as she bit into a Pumpkin Pasty (courtesy of Fred and George who'd snuck off to the kitchens).
"Well I only had one chance,' said Natalie modestly.
Harry was very glad about this. Natalie looked as though she needed some attention now and then.
The Gryffindors must've partied for ages. Dean, who was a good artist, had drawn several posters, mostly with Gryffindor lions, or broomsticks, but a good few with Malfoy twitching on the ground. Finally, when Hermione gasped that it was three in the morning.
"It's far too late!" she said. "Come on, you need your sleep."
Harry who'd been feeling a bit sleepy anyway, did not argue. "Night Hermione," he yawned, as he walked up the stairs to his dorm room, followed closely by Ron.
"Good job Harry," said Ron, half awake. "That'll be up on the top favorite moments of my lives-Malfoy and the Wronski Feint."
The night before the Quidditch match Harry couldn't sleep. He polished his top of the line Firebolt so many times that Ron complained it was blinding his eyes. The only two times Harry had played Malfoy, Harry had definitely come off better. But this time … what if Harry screwed up and called the wrong moves? It made him sick, thinking of a Slytherin victory, Malfoy's face smirking at him. Harry sank into a sleep full of dreams about laughing Slytherins and broken broomsticks.
The next morning Natalie came up to Harry. "I don't think I'll be able to do it," she squeaked nervously. "What if I'm bad? What if I let Slytherin score?"
Her face looked as horrible as Harry felt. "It's okay," Harry said, trying to act as if the Quidditch match was just a card game.
The Gryffindor team barely ate breakfast that morning, except for Fred and George who seemed to take out stress by acting more exuberant than ever. When it was finally time to get changed and go out onto the field, Harry felt as though Gryffindor had already lost the match.
"All right," breathed Harry, as the team sat around him. It felt very weird to be the one talking, instead of the one being talked to. "We've just got to play our hardest and everything will be all right. You remember that move Natalie?"
Natalie nodded grimly. "Double eight loop."
"That'll be good since you're relying on speed, not size. And Fred, George, don't try to foul us up, OK?"
Fred put on a façade of innocence, "Us? Fouls? Never!"
"If you feel the urge to punch Malfoy in the face just try to wait until after the game."
Harry looked at his fellow team members. He felt his breakfast churning in his stomach. "Right then, let's go."
And, led by Harry, the Gryffindor team walked out onto the field. The Slytherins were already out there. Harry noticed that their Nimbus 2001's had been replaced by the new model, Nimbus 3000. Hary clenched his own Firebolt in his hands and took a deep breath.
"Malfoy, Potter, shake hands," Madam Hooch said briskly. Harry looked Malfoy in the eye, and held out a stiff hand. Malfoy shook it reluctantly, with a sneer on his face, and let go as soon as he could.
"Mount your brooms…on my whistle…three-two-one!"
Harry kicked off into the air feeling the wind, sweeping through his hair. His confidence now felt restored as he scanned the area looking for the snitch. He could hear Lee Jordan, commentating.
"Quaffle taken immediately by Alicia Spinnet of Gryffindor-nice reverse pass to Bell of Gryffindor, heading toward the goal…come on Katie…YES! Gryffindor scores!" Katie grinned and did a loop in the air. Harry took his attention away from the scoring areas and began to search for the Snitch. He had to get it before Malfoy… Harry swooped down, near the Gryffindor goal posts.
"All right Natalie?" he called to a very pale looking Natalie.
"Oh....yes," she called back. She didn't look all right-she looked as though she might throw up at any moment. Harry could see Malfoy nearer to the ground searching for the Snitch. The new Slytherin brooms were obviously good--much better than Fred and George's, but still no match for a Firebolt. Harry turned his attention back to the commentary.
"-Gryffindor in possession---Spinnet heading toward the-YOU CHEATING BASTARDS---,"
Bole and Derrick, the two enormous Slytherin beaters had zoomed at Alicia; Bole knocking her on the head, Derrick in the stomach. With an "oof" Alicia dropped the Quaffle, picked up quickly by Warrington, a Slytherin chaser.
A whistle blast through the stadium. "You are not to hit any player with anything but the Bludger-and both of you at once! These are disgusting tactics! Penalty shot to Gryffindor!"
Katie was able to tuck the Quaffle in easily making the score twenty to zero and still no signs of the Snitch. Harry zoomed up, and swerved around the goal posts. He noticed that Natalie looked slightly sick.
"What's wrong Potter?" Malfoy called out from below him. "Why can't you find the Snitch? Or is your scar hurting again?"
Harry resisted the temptation to punch Malfoy himself and instead forced his Firebolt up higher, scanning the grounds for the faintest trace of the Snitch.
"Gryffindor still in possession," Harry heard Lee saying. "Looks like the Slytherin's new brooms aren't making up for their lack of talent!"
"Jordan!" Harry heard McGonagoll say.
"Well it's true! Oh fine! Anyway-Bell of Gryffindor makes a neat pass to Spinnet, nice use of Woollongong Shimmy-ooh! Attempt at Porskoff Ploy-Hunter intercepts the Quaffle-new team member, fourth year, I'm surprised he even knows what a Quaffle is--thick as two planks, he is."
"Jordan, if you can't commentate in an unbias manner-,"
"I was just adding my opinion! Hunter zooming up the field, oh, no....passes to Montague-YES! I can't believe she did it! McDonald catches the Quaffle-," Two hundred Gryffindor's burst into ear splitting roars. Harry hardly had anytime to feel happy for Natalie. He had just spotted a glimmer of gold sparkling near the bottom of the Gryffindor goal posts.....
Harry sped down quickly, but Malfoy had spotted Harry and was closing in. The two were hurtling towards the ground-head to head-Harry was getting closer-he felt his hands grasp around the fluttering Snitch. He pulled out of the dive just in time to see Malfoy hitting the ground. If anything could put a seal on the Gryffindor victory it was this. Harry held the Snitch up as he did a lap around the field-he could hear Natalie shouting, "You did it! You did it!" and Fred and George laughing as Dumbledore conjured a stretcher for Malfoy. Finally Harry sank to the ground, feeling as though he'd never worried about the match at all.
"170 to 0!" Ron shouted as he came charging towards Harry. "You were brilliant!"
"You got that move from Viktor, didn't you?" Hermione said to Harry. "But I really saw the Snitch. It's not my fault Malfoy was stupid enough to crash."
Ron laughed, and to Harry's surprise, so did Hermione.
"I can't believe it," Harry heard Natalie breathing by his side. "I blocked the Quaffle. Did you see me Harry?" she looked up at him from under her long bangs.
"You were great Natalie. Wood couldn't have even done that." Natalie grinned.
"Hey, Harry!" Harry heard one of the Weasley twins shout. "Party in Gryffindor tower-we've got two reasons to celebrate-we won and Malfoy's out cold!"
Harry had attended quite a few post-Quidditch parties, but hardly any were as loud nor raucous as this one. Maybe it had something to do with Malfoy being unconscious or maybe it had something to do with the fact that Slytherin didn't score one single point. Either way people kept coming up to all the Gryffindor players and congratulating them, particularly Fred and George who had, for the first time, not committed a single foul.
Natalie for once, seemed to be the center of attention.
"Wood never blocked every single Quaffle except for that time against Hufflepuff...and that shouldn't really count!" a sixth year said excitedly to Natalie, as she bit into a Pumpkin Pasty (courtesy of Fred and George who'd snuck off to the kitchens).
"Well I only had one chance,' said Natalie modestly.
Harry was very glad about this. Natalie looked as though she needed some attention now and then.
The Gryffindors must've partied for ages. Dean, who was a good artist, had drawn several posters, mostly with Gryffindor lions, or broomsticks, but a good few with Malfoy twitching on the ground. Finally, when Hermione gasped that it was three in the morning.
"It's far too late!" she said. "Come on, you need your sleep."
Harry who'd been feeling a bit sleepy anyway, did not argue. "Night Hermione," he yawned, as he walked up the stairs to his dorm room, followed closely by Ron.
"Good job Harry," said Ron, half awake. "That'll be up on the top favorite moments of my lives-Malfoy and the Wronski Feint."