"Professor Fidel left a positive report. Though that's not saying much," Snape greeted the Slytherins and Gryffindors on his first day back. "I doubt one of you could produce a worthy Love Potion. However, we shall see just how much you learned for your O.W.L's. In the meantime I will be instructing you on Memory Potions."
Harry gritted his teeth as he picked two Jobberknoll feathers.
"Memory Potions," hissed Ron. "They're even harder than Love Potions."
Harry noticed that Snape was already praising Malfoy, though his cauldron hadn't even begun to simmer.
The teachers began adding to the workload, which was already very large. Professor Sinistra, the Astronomy teacher, had them studying the Andromeda Galaxy, and Professor Trelawney was making them learn more about oracle bones than they ever wanted to. McGonagoll, already a very difficult teacher, was trying to teach them beginning human transfiguration, but the only person who succeeded in turning her hand into a hook, was Hermione. Even Hagrid was making the class write extensive essays on the care of Crups.
Harry had more to do than even Hermione, who was taking an extra class. As captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team he had to arrange practices. They were up against Ravenclaw, one of the best teams, but still Alicia, Angelina, and Katie hadn't gotten the Parkin's Pincer down. Fred and George spent half their time trying to curse the Ravenclaw's broomsticks in the broom shed. Only Natalie ever wanted to work.
"Would you stop it?" Harry shouted one evening when Fred and George had been tossing Bludgers toward the castle.
"You're sounding like Oliver, Harry!" warned Fred, as he beat a Bludger toward the Astronomy tower.
"Tomorrow we've got to overtake Ravenclaw if we want to get to the Quidditch final."
"It's all right Harry, we're doing really well," Natalie said quietly. "And I've been working really hard on my Double Eight Loop."
Harry had to smile, "It was already perfect."
Natalie blushed and looked into her lap.
The next morning Harry went out to the field feeling rather queasy in his stomach. Fred and George were too busy trying to sell FGAE's to notice how green Harry was.
"It's all right," Natalie was next to Harry. "We'll do great."
They walked out on the field, Fred and George still seemed keen on making money. "We're lowering the price to ten sickles!" Fred yelled out to the crowd.
"Potter, Davies shake hands," Madam Hooch said, eyeing Fred and George suspiciously.
Harry shook Roger Davies, the Ravenclaw captain's, hand. It struck him how very tall he was. Cho Chang was behind Roger, she smiled widely at Harry who gave her a tight lipped smile. It was strange how his stomach didn't do flip flops anymore.
They took off from the ground, and Harry soared high above the rest of the field looking for the snitch, feeling the wind rush through his hair. He could hear Lee Jordan commentating-
"Johnson in possession of the Quaffle-nice pass to Spinnet-speeding towards the goals-score for Gryffindor! YESSS!"
A red mass of people broke into cheers. Alicia did a quick lap around the field grinning broadly.
"Harry!"
Harry looked down. It was Cho, riding on her broomstick.
"What?" Harry squinted his eyes looking for the Snitch.
"I-I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry about last year, and all that stuff." Cho flew up so that she was level with him.
"Oh-oh yeah, all right then."
"And I wanted to know if you'd like to meet me at Hogsmeade next visit-that's next
week."
"Um." Harry felt himself going red. He would have given anything for this last year, anything. So why did he feel so different now. "I-I can't."
"Oh. Why?"
"Well…" Harry searched for an answer. "I have a lot of stuff to do. I really need to get
ready for the O.W.L's."
Now Cho was red. "Okay then. Well good luck Harry." And she swooped down near the Gryffindor goal post.
Harry felt very odd. Why did he say no?
"-McDonald blocks the Quaffle-great find of Potters. Small but quick." Harry continued looking for the Snitch.
"-score is 30-0 Gryffindor."
Harry smiled to himself. He felt oddly reassured.
A Bludger rushed past him, grazing his ear, but shaking all romantic thoughts from him. Fred immediately flew up and hit it towards Cho.
"Watch out," Fred said, and then flew off to block the other Quaffle from attacking Angelina.
Then Harry saw it, a glimmer of gold right next to Katie Johnson. He sped downward, knocked into Katie, and caught it in his fist.
Katie screamed, at first out of shock then happiness. She rushed to him and hugged him. Harry couldn't see much; Angelina, Katie, and Alicia were all hugging him now, Natalie was zooming around him saying, "We did it! We did it!" Out of the corner of his eye Harry could see Fred and George making rude gestures at the Ravenclaws.
They fell to the ground, Harry feeling as if Christmas had come early.
"Good job Cho," he said weakly as Cho passed him.
"Yeah," she said. She looked very red and Harry began to feel as if he'd made a mistake.
"We didn't even have to curse their broomsticks," George whispered in Harry's ear.
"But we put about a dozen FGAE's in their locker room," Fred added, grinning wickedly.
"You do realize that we'll be playing against Hufflepuff for the Cup," George said in the common room that night. He and Fred had immediately thrown a party, with help from Lee Jordan.
"We're going to win, aren't we?" Angelina said. "Second time in a row. Ooh I'd love to win in my last year here."
"Last game we played to Hufflepuff we lost," Katie reminded them.
Harry bit his lip, remembering Cedric. "Yeah, " he said quietly.
"But without Cedric they're awful!" George said tactlessly.
Fred took a bit into a pumpkin pasty, "This is brilliant!" he said delightedly. "Wood would be proud."
Harry gritted his teeth as he picked two Jobberknoll feathers.
"Memory Potions," hissed Ron. "They're even harder than Love Potions."
Harry noticed that Snape was already praising Malfoy, though his cauldron hadn't even begun to simmer.
The teachers began adding to the workload, which was already very large. Professor Sinistra, the Astronomy teacher, had them studying the Andromeda Galaxy, and Professor Trelawney was making them learn more about oracle bones than they ever wanted to. McGonagoll, already a very difficult teacher, was trying to teach them beginning human transfiguration, but the only person who succeeded in turning her hand into a hook, was Hermione. Even Hagrid was making the class write extensive essays on the care of Crups.
Harry had more to do than even Hermione, who was taking an extra class. As captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team he had to arrange practices. They were up against Ravenclaw, one of the best teams, but still Alicia, Angelina, and Katie hadn't gotten the Parkin's Pincer down. Fred and George spent half their time trying to curse the Ravenclaw's broomsticks in the broom shed. Only Natalie ever wanted to work.
"Would you stop it?" Harry shouted one evening when Fred and George had been tossing Bludgers toward the castle.
"You're sounding like Oliver, Harry!" warned Fred, as he beat a Bludger toward the Astronomy tower.
"Tomorrow we've got to overtake Ravenclaw if we want to get to the Quidditch final."
"It's all right Harry, we're doing really well," Natalie said quietly. "And I've been working really hard on my Double Eight Loop."
Harry had to smile, "It was already perfect."
Natalie blushed and looked into her lap.
The next morning Harry went out to the field feeling rather queasy in his stomach. Fred and George were too busy trying to sell FGAE's to notice how green Harry was.
"It's all right," Natalie was next to Harry. "We'll do great."
They walked out on the field, Fred and George still seemed keen on making money. "We're lowering the price to ten sickles!" Fred yelled out to the crowd.
"Potter, Davies shake hands," Madam Hooch said, eyeing Fred and George suspiciously.
Harry shook Roger Davies, the Ravenclaw captain's, hand. It struck him how very tall he was. Cho Chang was behind Roger, she smiled widely at Harry who gave her a tight lipped smile. It was strange how his stomach didn't do flip flops anymore.
They took off from the ground, and Harry soared high above the rest of the field looking for the snitch, feeling the wind rush through his hair. He could hear Lee Jordan commentating-
"Johnson in possession of the Quaffle-nice pass to Spinnet-speeding towards the goals-score for Gryffindor! YESSS!"
A red mass of people broke into cheers. Alicia did a quick lap around the field grinning broadly.
"Harry!"
Harry looked down. It was Cho, riding on her broomstick.
"What?" Harry squinted his eyes looking for the Snitch.
"I-I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry about last year, and all that stuff." Cho flew up so that she was level with him.
"Oh-oh yeah, all right then."
"And I wanted to know if you'd like to meet me at Hogsmeade next visit-that's next
week."
"Um." Harry felt himself going red. He would have given anything for this last year, anything. So why did he feel so different now. "I-I can't."
"Oh. Why?"
"Well…" Harry searched for an answer. "I have a lot of stuff to do. I really need to get
ready for the O.W.L's."
Now Cho was red. "Okay then. Well good luck Harry." And she swooped down near the Gryffindor goal post.
Harry felt very odd. Why did he say no?
"-McDonald blocks the Quaffle-great find of Potters. Small but quick." Harry continued looking for the Snitch.
"-score is 30-0 Gryffindor."
Harry smiled to himself. He felt oddly reassured.
A Bludger rushed past him, grazing his ear, but shaking all romantic thoughts from him. Fred immediately flew up and hit it towards Cho.
"Watch out," Fred said, and then flew off to block the other Quaffle from attacking Angelina.
Then Harry saw it, a glimmer of gold right next to Katie Johnson. He sped downward, knocked into Katie, and caught it in his fist.
Katie screamed, at first out of shock then happiness. She rushed to him and hugged him. Harry couldn't see much; Angelina, Katie, and Alicia were all hugging him now, Natalie was zooming around him saying, "We did it! We did it!" Out of the corner of his eye Harry could see Fred and George making rude gestures at the Ravenclaws.
They fell to the ground, Harry feeling as if Christmas had come early.
"Good job Cho," he said weakly as Cho passed him.
"Yeah," she said. She looked very red and Harry began to feel as if he'd made a mistake.
"We didn't even have to curse their broomsticks," George whispered in Harry's ear.
"But we put about a dozen FGAE's in their locker room," Fred added, grinning wickedly.
"You do realize that we'll be playing against Hufflepuff for the Cup," George said in the common room that night. He and Fred had immediately thrown a party, with help from Lee Jordan.
"We're going to win, aren't we?" Angelina said. "Second time in a row. Ooh I'd love to win in my last year here."
"Last game we played to Hufflepuff we lost," Katie reminded them.
Harry bit his lip, remembering Cedric. "Yeah, " he said quietly.
"But without Cedric they're awful!" George said tactlessly.
Fred took a bit into a pumpkin pasty, "This is brilliant!" he said delightedly. "Wood would be proud."