Harry Potter & the other characters and places in this story belong to JK Rowling.
Chapter Seven - Gryffindor vs. RavenclawIt was early in October, and it was the morning of their first Quidditch game of the year. Harry had managed to avoid going to the tower room. It haunted him to know that Ginny went there every night. But he realized how wrong it was to follow her. However, the nightmares had returned.
Luckily Quidditch practices had kept him occupied the past few weeks. Angelina was working the team very hard. On days when the Quidditch pitch was booked by other teams, she would arrange meetings after class to discuss tactics. Every Monday was the now infamous run around the lake. But they had to admit, their fitness was improving. It would give them much-needed endurance if the matches happened to take longer than usual.
Angelina had dragged the team out of bed early to get a good breakfast and talk about some last minute strategies before the game. The team was very excited, but also very nervous. According to Dean and Seamus' scouting reports, Ravenclaw was going to be a difficult opponent. They had lots of speed and lots of talent. After breakfast, they made their way out to the Quidditch pitch and into the changing rooms. Harry could sense Ron's nervousness as the noise level from outside began to increase as students started to arrive.
Angelina was giving an inspirational speech similar to those which Oliver Wood had given them in previous years. "We can do this! We've trained way harder than Ravenclaw. Just remember our main strategy is for us Chasers to keep the Quaffle moving, and make them wonder where we're going to throw it next. That means that you Beaters will have to keep those Bludgers away from us. Ron and Harry, you know your jobs. Let's go!"
The Gryffindor team walked out of the changing rooms and onto the field. They could hear the roar of the crowd and see the coloured flags and scarves waving. The Ravenclaw team emerged moments later. Angelina walked over and shook Cho's hand. Cho was now the captain of the Ravenclaw team, and seemed to have regained some of the spirit she had lost over the summer. The teams took their positions and waited for Madam Hooch's whistle. Harry glanced over at Ginny. She had that determined, competitive look on her face again. So different from when she played the piano...
"Concentrate, Harry, concentrate on the game," he whispered to himself and forced his eyes towards Madam Hooch. "Constant vigilance!"
Madam Hooch blew her whistle and released the Quidditch balls. The teams took off. Harry kept his eye out for the Snitch as he listened to the commentary. Joseph Carey, Ron's opponent in the shoot-out, was doing a fine job of announcing the plays:
"And they're off. The Gryffindor team has some new faces this year... Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan are the new Beaters. Ron Weasley is Keeper, and his sister Ginny is a Chaser. The Ravenclaw team is nearly the same as two years ago, with the exception of Padma Patil, who is the new Keeper."
Harry flew high above the stands, looking for the Snitch. Cho was at the other end of the field, also circling and watching. The Gryffindor Chasers' strategy of keeping the Quaffle moving seemed to be working well. They scored three unanswered goals for a lead of thirty points. Then the Ravenclaw team called a time-out and regrouped. After that, they began to intercept more passes, and went on the attack. Ron made several spectacular saves, but finally, they sent two Bludgers his way, and at the same time, all three Chasers flew swiftly towards the goal posts. In the confusion, Ravenclaw scored.
Then Harry caught sight of the Snitch. Cho hadn't seen it yet. He casually flew towards it, but just before he reached out his hand, the Snitch disappeared again. Harry had to suddenly dive to avoid a Bludger heading his way, but Dean Thomas quickly arrived and sent it hurtling back towards a Ravenclaw Chaser. He looked at the score board. Ravenclaw had scored twice more and the game was now tied at thirty points each. Ravenclaw seemed to be on a roll. Harry saw Angelina fly towards Ron and give him some words of encouragement. Harry realized that if Ravenclaw kept scoring, he had to get to the Snitch quickly. He began to search more thoroughly.
Gryffindor regrouped and Katie Bell scored a goal on a last-minute pass from Ginny Weasley. Next, Angelina Johnson intercepted a pass between two Ravenclaw Chasers, and she scored again. The crowd was cheering madly. Hermione was sitting next to Hagrid holding a large banner that said, "Ron Rules!"
Harry once again saw the Snitch. It was hovering high above the centre of the field. Cho had seen it too. They sprinted towards the golden ball. Cho got there first, and reached out her hand, but it was too far away for her to grasp. She tried doubling back, but Harry was already there and had the Snitch in his hand. Madam Hooch blew her whistle. The Gryffindor team raced towards Harry and he nearly fell off his Firebolt when they collided with him in a mid-air team hug. They slowly made their way back towards the ground. Angelina was shouting, "You were amazing – all of you were great! We won!".
When they reached the ground, the team fell into a large maroon heap. They were soon attacked by rejoicing students. Hermione gave Ron a hug, and quickly reached up and kissed him on the cheek. Ron went bright red. Hagrid gave Harry a pat on the back which sent him flying several feet. Professor McGonagall clapped politely from a distance, but it was obvious she was extremely happy.
"Great job, Harry," said a voice from behind him. Harry whirled around and saw Ginny standing there smiling.
"You too, Ginny," he replied. She stood there looking at him for a second with an amused expression on her face. Harry panicked. Did she want him to hug her or something? But just then Ron came up and hugged both of them at once.
+ + +
Gryffindor didn't have any more Quidditch matches until after the Christmas holidays, so Angelina gave them a week off after their win over Ravenclaw. At the insistence of Hermione, Ron and Harry used the week to catch up on their homework. They had four essays due the next week: Potions, Transfiguration, History of Magic, and Care of Magical Creatures. Hagrid had given them an essay on how to care for young dragons. Then there was the Arithmancy homework. Ron and Hermione understood the material easily, but Harry had to work at it a bit more. He kept reminding himself that it was better than Divination. Apparently Dean Thomas had been selected by Professor Trelawney as Harry's replacement – she had predicted Dean's death three times already this year.
Harry was still preoccupied with Ginny's music. More than anything, he wanted to hear it again. But he knew it was wrong to follow her while he was invisible. Several weeks after the Quidditch match, he realized that there was only one thing he could do. He had to talk to her about it. He had to admit his mistake, and hope that she forgave him. For some reason, the thought of talking to Ginny about this made him extremely nervous. He had never really had a serious discussion with her before. But he knew it was the right thing to do, and he waited for an opportunity.
To be continued…