Chapter 6

Draco felt sick as he made his way to the infirmary; Dumbledore had sent him there to get his bruises looked at. Harry and Ron came out of the infirmary and came running towards him angrily. Harry pushed him over and stood looming over him. However as he rose his hand Ron grabbed it "It looks like someone has beaten us to it Harry come on let's go he's not worth it." As Harry looked down at the muddy and bruised Draco he knew that Ron was right. As Harry walked away he tried to make sense of why Draco called Hermione a Mudblood after what he had said to Harry on the field. Ron and Harry walked into the unusually quiet common room to see the Gryffindor pupils preparing for a full-scale war with the Slytherins. Harry sank into the chair distracted from his thought only when Fred and George forced him up to bed so he could get some sleep for the game in the morning. When a beaten Draco reluctantly entered the Slytherin common room he was met with aloud cheer. "Should have known that it was just a prank Malfoy! You liking Granger now that was a good one and she believed you mind you it was a work of perfection. But I can't believe you didn't let us in on the joke we would have gone a little less hard on you but I guess you had to make it believable" Flint said leading him to a seat by the fire. Draco who was tired and felt sick with guilt, smiled weakly as everyone sat round the fire with him telling stories of his other pranks and how they didn't compare with this on. However he just made his excuses, went to his room and as he lay on his bed he thought about everything before this year and why everything had changed this year.

The Quidditch pitch was decorated in the team colours and as Draco zoomed around the pitch looking in the stands for Hermione, Harry was waiting for Sharlene and Diyan. Suddenly Cho appeared out of no where smiling at him and then she said "Good luck I just know you'll beat them and Harry I really haven't spoke to you this year but its not because …well it was because I wasn't sure whether you'd want to speak to me after last year" she blushed and he smiled "Well that's all I wanted to say, …well good luck!" They both laughed and he suddenly felt a surge of confidence and he said " Cho do you want to go to the Yule ball with me if there is one?" Her face lit up and she nodded as her friends pulled her off towards the stands. As she walked off he caught a glimpse of Hermione, "Hermione where are you going aren't you going to sit with the others?" Harry said out of guilt knowing she didn't come over because of Cho, making him get a sinking feeling that what Draco had said about Hermione was right. Before Hermione could answer she burst out laughing at Lee Jordan who was pulling faces behind Harry's back. I heard you and Sharlene are seeing each other?" Lee said in a questioning tone. "No we're not!" said Harry as Hermione shot him a look pleading for him to be tactful but it was too late. However lee's face lit up and he said bashfully "Harry you wouldn't mind if I asked Sharlene to the Yule ball?" Harry laughed and shook his head saying, "I'm taking Cho." Lee laughed and hugged a rather shocked Harry causing Hermione to laugh even louder and Hermione didn't stop laughing as a very nervous Lee practiced his speech with her.

When Sharlene and the others arrived they all went to their seats and as Lee and Sharlene flirted outrageously they all smiled. However Hermione soon stopped smiling when she saw a stressed out Draco flying over the stands as she tried not to be noticed she noticed some Slytherin girls pointing and laughing at her and she felt sick. In true Ron style he dashed to her rescue "Just ignore them Hermione something tells me by the look on Draco's face he's not feeling too good about last night." She smiled at Ron and he made her smile again by pointing out how well Sharlene was getting on with Lee and how Harry didn't stand a chance. Silence spread through the stands as the players got into their positions and the Quaffle was thrown into the air. "Angelina Johnson for Gryffindor has got the Quaffle and she is racing towards the goal the Slytherin Chasers hasn't got a chance! Both seeker are searching up above and YES it's an GOAL!!!"

The stadium went up as Angelina spun and through the Quaffle through the hoop for the first goal of the game. Flint bashed into her as she zoomed past "Surely that deserves a penalty but no the are cruelly deprived of one by the obviously blind referee" As Dumbledore laughed, Professor McGonagall covered the mike while she told Lee off. "Flint has now got the Quaffle and is now racing towards the goal, Jeeeees he's just been hit by a bludger good shot Fred is that George? Well good shot but it hasn't stopped him (Dam it!) and Slytherin has got it's first goal" The Slytherin supporters cheered rowdily as Flint made a victory loop the loop on his broom. "Gryffindor and Slytherin are drawing now with Gryffindor back in possession of the Quaffle. Jesus! Fred just hit the bludger before it hit Alicia Spinnet but she's in more trouble the Slytherin chasers are ganging up on her she's got Flint on one side Adrian Pucey on the other. What the..." Professor McGonagall shot Lee a look of contempt at him. "She has through the Quaffle backwards and Jeeeeees Angelina has now got possession no one saw that coming except them." She doges yet another bludger she's going for the next but Keeper Bletchley dives and blocks her. She passes to Spinnet and GOALLLLLLL!" The crowd's cheers were mixed now but the moaning and booing from the Slytherin pupils. "Gryffindor is 10 points up but it looks like in the celebrations Flints got possession and is heading towards the goal. Bloody hell will someone stop him Fred, George do something for gods sake!" Dumbledore laughed again as Professor McGonagall shouted "JORDAN!"

As Angelina and Alicia struggled to stop Flint scoring Harry and Draco circled the pitch barely making out the screams and shouts from down below. Suddenly Harry caught a glimpse of gold and as he sped down towards it Draco followed his lead. But suddenly Harry noticed that the snitch was coming towards him. Harry smiled but it soon faded as he realise that it was travelling too fast and it was aiming straight at him. Draco had also noticed and he was shouting at Harry to get out the way. On the ground Lee had notice what was happening above them and completely ignore the action in front of him and drew the audience's attention to the skies. "It looks like this games going to be over soon guys, Harry is closing on the snitch or is it closing on him either way it looks like the Slytherin seeker Draco Malfoy is pleading with Harry not to catch the snitch?" The stadium began laughing and only stopped when Lee shouted, "Bugger me! The snitch has just hit Harry and he's only just been able to stay on his broom it's now turned on Draco and he's trying to out run it!" Up above the stadium Harry watched helplessly and in pain as Draco tried to out run the thing, which was steadily gaining on him. As it hit Draco he cried out and fell of the broom only to catch it with one hand and swing back on. The stadium stared in silence at the drama above and Hermione and the other watched feeling sick hoping wishing it would just stop. Harry heard the now familiar whistling of the so-called snitch as it closed in on him. The crowd below watched unable to make a sound as Harry was knocked off his broom and plummeted towards them. The players below knew they couldn't catch Harry and everyone assumed that Draco was busy trying to save his own life but out of nowhere Draco was slowly gaining on Harry who was falling faster and faster. As the snitch gained on Draco he grabbed Harry and pulled him on to his now considerably slower broom and tried to out manoeuvre the snitch. Harry gasped for air loudly down his ear as Draco steered them towards the ground. In the stands Hagrid was trying to each Dumbledore through the crowds of pupils who were gathering near the edge of the stands to get a better look. "It's a Snigitch its feathers are unusually found on a snitch, Sir we've got to…" However Hagrid knew Dumbledore wouldn't hear him until it was till it was too late. Hagrid drew his large pink umbrella from under his large overcoat and whispered a few words for under his breath and pointed it at the bird, which was just about to strike. Suddenly the bird stopped in mid air and flew in the direction of the stands. The pupils screamed and tried to escape from the stands pushing younger and smaller pupils to the floor. Hagrid tried to stop them but failed but Hermione heard him shout and told the others. As the pupils got out of the stands Hermione and the other picked up the smaller students and helped them out. The teachers looked on as the Snigitch flew down and landed on Hagrid's shoulder. But before anything could be said or explained Draco landed his broom on the ground and collapsed.