Welcome, to the big, important, plotty chapter!! Here comes big stuff:

Chapter Three: Wronski Feint


Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, Harry Potter characters, Harry Potter stuff; anything here you recognize belongs to J.K. Rowling or (sniff) Warner Bros. Except my dog, Jacob.



Harry and his team marched proudly onto the field, brooms in hand, the reserve players trailing behind them.

"And now, Gryffindor team, in second place!" The crowds erupted. Harry recognized that voice. He saw the Weasleys waving proudly at him from the stands, waving little scarlet flags. "Sixth year captain Harry Potter, leading an almost totally remodeled team! Including two more Weasleys, and a keeper that looks a little hairy . . ." Harry now remembered who that voice belonged to. It was Lee Jordan, returning to commentate on the last match. "Harry Potter, seeker and two-year Captain, is considered to be one of the best Captains Hogwarts has seen, up there with Oliver Wood! And speaking of Wood, he's back —"

"Harry! How's it going?"

Harry spun around. Oliver Wood was jogging up to him, dressed in the striped referee's robes, and carrying a broom and a silver whistle. (Lee Jordan went on: "Oh, yeah . . . here are the Hufflepuffs, led by Sally-Ann Perks. Harry Potter's team also consists of . . . ")

"Oliver! What ARE you doing here?"

"I'm refereeing, Harry! And I'm Flying Master next year, too! Madam Hooch retired. I believe her exact reasons were, 'Students flying too high, and acting up all the time! In my generation, children listened to their elders!' I think her generation was about eighty years ago."

Harry had to laugh, but asked sternly, "You won't be too pro-Gryffindor, will you?"

"Not a chance in Muggle London. Dumbledore gave this huge talk —"

"OLIVER!" screeched Katie Bell, dashing over and gripping Wood in a giant's hug. "Where have you been?!" He struggled to make her let go.

"Well, I played for the Chudley Cannons for a while, then decided it was too hopeless a case. Ron glared at him. Harry noticed the Hufflepuffs' impatient glares, and pointed it out to Wood. He nodded, then blew his whistle shrilly.

"All right team, let's win this Cup! We can do it!" Harry leapt onto his broom, and the others followed suit.

"Yeah!"

"Let's get 'em!"

"Yahoo!"

"Woof!"

The game went smoothly. Gryffindor gained the lead early on, Katie scoring the most goals, being the most senior Chaser. Only three goals got through Jacob, two of them penalty shots. Harry and Sally-Ann Perks (on a Nimbus 1700) spotted the Snitch at the same moment twice, and Harry bumped her both times and gave the Hufflepuffs the penalty shots. (Sally-Ann was a ex-friend of Cho's, who, after Harry and Cho brief dating period, had convinced her to dump him.) The Gryffindor's noticed that the penalty whistle blasts always came a little late, as Wood was unwilling to the Hufflepuffs extra shots. Though, good as he was, Jacob couldn't beat their prime Chaser, but it hardly mattered. Right before the end of the game, Gryffidor was in the lead, 140-30.

Harry saw the Snitch, glittering at the end of the field where Sally-Ann was. She hadn't noticed it, though; she was aiding one of her teammates who had gotten mauled by a Bludger. While she was taken to Madam Pomfrey and a reserve Beater came on, Harry decided to once again make history. He would be the first Hogwarts student to perform the Wronski Feint.

He zipped around a little, to catch the opposing Seeker's attention, swooped and DOVE. Sally-Ann hurtled after him, matched his angle (Harry was going slower than he could have, so she could catch up), and neck in neck they plumeted, Harry's broom going one way and his stomach the other.

Fifty-forty-thirty feet, twenty - ~PULL UP NOW!!~ Harry screeched at himself. He got his broom handle up, then

WHAM! CRACK!

Sally-Ann had realized what Harry was doing, and pushed off of him, sending him faster than ever the the ground, where he now lay, his head at a strange angle.