Harry woke early the next morning. He woke up Neville, miming for him to be quiet as not to wake the others, and they got silently dressed before going down to breakfast. Only the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff Quidditch teams were in the Great Hall that early and Oliver Wood was hovering around the Gryffindor table, forcing the team to eat a good breakfast.
"For God's sake, Wood!" Fred Weasley cried after he'd been made to drink some more orange juice, "This is one thing about your captaincy that I won't miss!"
"Shut it, Weasley. Just eat a good breakfast, okay. I may have to be impartial, but I still want my Gryffindor's to do well!" Wood commanded, pulling a piece of greasy bacon from Neville's hand and replacing it with a protein-packed breakfast bar.
"At least if he's this eager for us to win, he might swing it our way." George said optimistically to Harry, as Wood turned to lecture Alicia Spinnet on her breakfast. Harry was hoping that they'd never even have to think about getting Wood to swing the match - he was determined they were going to win.
After a good breakfast overseen by Wood, the Gryffindor's went to get their brooms and kit before getting changed in the changing rooms. They passed Ron and Hermione, who were walking along in silence to breakfast, focusing on anything but each other, and Harry told them he'd see them after the match.
"So Harry," Fred said as they sat in the changing rooms, waiting for their signal to go outside on to the pitch, "any last words of encouragement for us?"
Harry grinned, "I've already said it countless times – we're going to win, okay, and just remember what we've been practicing and all the plays and tactics and we'll be fine."
"And you keep an eye out for that snitch!" George called.
"I will, I will!" Harry smiled. He turned to Neville, "You okay? You know what you're doing, don't you?"
Neville nodded, smiling slightly, "I'll be okay."
A few minutes later, Wood popped his head round the door, wishing them all good luck and telling them they had to go out on to the pitch. They all walked out, flanked by the Hufflepuff team, to the roar of the school sat waiting in the stands. Harry glanced over to the Hufflepuff's and was about to wave to Cho when he saw who she was talking to – Draco Malfoy. What was his problem? Cho wasn't into him was she?
Harry nodded at each of his team, who nodded back, before they jumped on their brooms and sped into the air, getting the game underway.
"Johnson… to Spinnet… back to Johnson… Angelina Johnson is looking on top form so – oh! And her shot is blocked by Hufflepuff keeper James Beckford…" Lee Jordan, the Weasley twin's friend and fellow Gryffindor, of course supplied a good source off commentary running that Harry was able to follow as he rose above the game, ever searching for the golden snitch.
The match was soon 40-30 to Gryffindor and Harry was getting anxious about the snitch. He hadn't so far seen any little glimpse of it, and was keeping one nervous eye on the Hufflepuff seeker as he also scoured the skies about 10 feet below Harry.
All of a sudden, someone zoomed towards him on a broom, skidding to a halt. It was Oliver Wood. Harry wondered what Wood was doing up so high when he should be in the thick of the action down below.
"Harry!" But it wasn't Oliver's voice that Harry heard. It was the same voice he'd heard coming from the Forbidden Forest, and the one that Seamus had used when he was taken over by something. The voice sent chills down Harry's spine, and it felt so loud in his ears that he was surprised that the rest of the stadium hadn't heard it.
"Harry!" Wood was coming closer, his eyes black and focused on Harry.
"Oliver?" Harry didn't know what to do. He backed up on his broom a little bit as Wood approached, wondering if he should dive down and try and get away from him.
"Harry!"
Just as Wood got so close he could almost touch him, Harry pulled his broom down and sped off through the air, coming to a halt about 15 feet below. The Hufflepuff seeker obviously thought that Harry had seen the snitch, and also dived with him before realising that the snitch was nowhere to be found. Wood was following Harry, hovering only slightly above him. Harry could still hear that cold, harsh voice echoing in his ears, and he panicked, speeding off over to the right.
"And what is going on in the Gryffindor team?" Lee Jordan's voice boomed round the stadium, "Harry Potter seems to have spotted the golden snitch… Oliver Wood, ex-Gryffindor keeper and captain, is refereeing this match very strangely – he seems to be keeping a very close eye on Potter!"
"Harry? What's wrong?"
Harry glanced down to see Neville just a few metres below him, so he dropped to the same level as him, "Something's wrong…"
"Wha –" Neville started, but was cut off as Oliver Wood appeared from nowhere, crashing through the middle of them. Neville's broom wobbled and swayed, causing him to slip off one of the sides.
"Neville!" Harry cried, completely helpless as his friend plummeted to the ground below.
"Harry!" Wood was rounding on him, glaring at him with a sinister look in his new dark eyes.
"Oliver!" Harry called, attempting anything to get Wood to snap out of this trance.
"You can never escape!" Wood cried, and Harry was completely unready for the attack that soon followed. Wood dove at him, smacking in to the back of his broom. He then backed up, crashing again in to him.
"Oliver!" Harry shouted.
Lee Jordan was still jabbering excitedly at the commotion between Harry and Wood, "Something's going on between Potter and Wood! Now the Gryffindor beaters, Fred and George Weasley, are joining in… what is happening?!"
"Harry! What's happening?!" Fred echoed as he hovered behind Wood, joined by George.
"It's Oliver!" Harry cried, as Oliver crashed in to him again. It took all of his strength to hold on to his broom and not fall off like Neville did.
Fred and George swept in, grabbing on to Oliver to try and restrain him.
"Hufflepuff win thirty points while the Gryffindor team are distracted! What is happening up there?!" Lee Jordan shouted, "OH! And new Hufflepuff seeker Robert Blake has spotted the snitch!"
Harry looked round wildly at the mention of the snitch and could just make out Robert Blake chasing after the golden ball down below. Harry glanced back to Wood. The Weasley twins hadn't managed to hold him - he'd broken free and was coming straight at Harry!
Harry dived suddenly, leaving Wood confused before flying after him. Harry pelted down through the thick of the match, nearing up on Blake with Wood still tailing him. He could hear the wind whistling in his ears and the roar of the crowd as Blake reached out for the snitch, but couldn't quite reach it. Harry surged forwards, making his broom go faster and faster until he was level with Blake. They were both reaching out for the snitch, still hurtling towards the ground. Harry took his eyes off the ball for a split second to realise they were heading straight for the crowd. Right at the last moment, Harry swerved, just at the same time as the snitch also changed direction and sped upwards. Robert Blake was left crashing into a crowd of Slytherin's, who didn't look too happy to have a Hufflepuff falling on them. Harry carried on speeding upwards, following the snitch. He was hoping maybe Oliver had also crashed, but he was still following him.
"Potter!" Oliver caught up with him just as Harry clasped his hand around the Snitch, grabbing the back of his robes. They both went tumbling to the ground, Harry's hand still round the snitch, as the Gryffindor's went mad.
"We've won Harry! We've won!" Fred Weasley shouted to Harry just before he hit the ground and the world went black.
~*~*~*~
"What happened after that Professor?"
"Oliver Wood fainted and then came back as normal. Ronald Weasley told me all about it, said it had happened before to Seamus Finnigan but they didn't bother telling me about it."
Harry's eyes snapped open. At first everything was blurry but when he blinked a few times, everything came into focus. He was in Dumbledore's office and infront of him was Dumbledore himself and Professor's McGonagall and Snape.
"Why did he do it?" Harry asked, making the three Professor's jump. His voice was raspy as his throat was dry.
"Harry? Are you okay?" Dumbledore asked, looking at him with concern.
Harry sat up. "My head hurts a bit but I'm fine. We won didn't we? We won the game!" He beamed round at the three of them but none of them were smiling.
"You caught the Snitch but Hufflepuff received more points then you. This puts Gryffindor second and Hufflepuff first." Snape explained.
"It doesn't matter about the game Harry." Dumbledore said. It appeared to Harry that he was angry. Was he angry at him?
"What happened?" Harry asked, rubbing his eyes.
"What can you remember?" Dumbledore asked.
Professor McGonagall was twiddling with her thumbs and muttering something under her breath.
"Oliver was after me on his broom and he called my name but his voice was different. It wasn't Oliver, Professor, I swear it wasn't Oliver. It was if something had taken over his body. He told me that I can never escape him. It sounded just like the voice that Seamus had used when . . ."
"Yes, what happened with Seamus?" Dumbledore asked hastily.
"Well . . . his eyes rolled back and his expression was angry. Then he lunged at me and almost knocked me out. Then he just fainted. When he came back into consciousness he couldn't remember a thing." Harry explained.
Professor McGonagall was whimpering now. "Is it You-Know-Who, Professor?" She asked, clutching her hands to her face.
Dumbledore shook his head sadly. "I wish I cold tell you Minerva. It seems someone or something is trying to send a message to Harry – a very violent one so it seems. It wouldn't surprise me if this was to do with Voldemort." He sighed loudly and then asked Professor McGonagall to go and fetch Ron.
When she was gone Dumbledore immediately switched the subject to Sirius. "Have you heard from him at all?" Dumbledore asked.
Harry nodded. "Yeah, I've received a couple of letters. He was just saying how important my safety is."
"Don't worry Harry; he's at Lupin's which isn't that far away. Still, we need him closer. I will send a letter to him, asking him to come closer to Hogwarts with Lupin. If disguised, Sirius could stay at The Leaky Cauldron." Dumbledore said. He seemed to be talking to himself now; looking at neither Harry nor Snape. When he finally turned to Harry he looked at him with a serious expression. "Harry, you can go now. Promise me you won't go out of the common room tonight. Professor McGonagall is bringing Ron up to meet you here so you can go back to the common room together."
Harry stood up and headed for the door. But as he opened it, he turned back to Dumbledore. "Professor, is Wood alright?"
"Yes but it took him an hour or two to come back to consciousness. I assume the longer the host is in the body, the longer the body will stay unconscious for." Dumbledore explained.
"What about Neville?" Harry asked, remembering Wood had knocked Neville flying off his broom.
"I do not know. I haven't had time to go to the hospital wing and check." Dumbledore said.
"Professor, can me and Ron have permission to go down to the hospital wing now, just to see how he is?" Harry asked. It wasn't really Neville he wanted to see, but he knew Oliver would be there.
Dumbledore took a long time to answer. "If you're quick. But I want you straight back in the common room, Harry." He ordered.
Harry nodded and found Ron and Professor McGonagall waiting for him outside. Professor McGonagall went back into Dumbledore's office while Harry and Ron went down the staircase.
"We're going to the hospital wing to see Oliver." Harry explained as Ron tried hard to keep up with him.
"Are you okay Harry. I saw what happened earlier. Hermione was practically having a fit!" Ron told him.
"Yeah, don't worry about me I'm fine." Harry said as he pushed the door open to the hospital wing.
Madam Pomfrey nervously glanced at them as the entered. "What do you want?" She asked them.
"Erm . . . can we visit Oliver Wood?" Harry asked tentatively.
Madam Pomfrey looked half annoyed, half nervous. Harry guessed she was scared of what happened earlier. Everyone was scared nowadays, now they knew Voldemort was back. "I suppose so. But be quick." She gestured to a drawn curtain and Harry and Ron drew it back to see Oliver in a bed, reading a Quidditch book.
"Ah . . . Harry." He said when he saw him. "I'm really sorry about what happened earlier. You might've missed the Snitch!"
"Or I might've plummeted to the ground and broke a few bones, but the Snitch seems just a bit more important." Harry grinned, despite what he had been through. He knew how much Oliver loved Quidditch.
"Puddlemere will drop me now." Oliver said sadly. "They'll think I'm some kind of lunatic, chasing after people in the middle of a match."
Harry gave him a warm smile. "Can you remember seeing anything before you attacked me?"
Oliver looked fazed for a moment but then he shook his head. "No, nothing really. Only a flash of movement and then I blacked out. Cost me my job that thing did, if it wasn't for you two then Dumbledore would probably have fired me."
"Dumbledore knew that it wasn't you that attacked me." Harry said.
"Attacking Harry Potter, it'll be on the front page of the Daily Prophet tomorrow and then bam, there goes playing for Scotland." Oliver sighed.
"Oliver, no one will be worrying about dropping you at the moment. Everyone's biggest concern is Voldemort." Harry said. "They're all scared of him, even Madam Pomfrey is shaking like a leaf out there."
This seemed to cheer Oliver up a bit.
Madam Pomfrey entered. She had most probably heard what Harry had just said. "Come on now, Oliver needs some rest."
Just as they were about to go Oliver stopped them and turned to Ron.
"Oh by the way, you're in luck . . . Neville broke his leg in three places and it's too much for Madam Pomfrey to mend at the moment. Looks like you're playing the next match and guess what – it's against Slytherin." Wood smiled as Harry and Ron left.
Ron was practically bouncing up and down with excitement when they told Hermione back in the common room. "And against Slytherin! Ha! I'd like to see Draco Malfoy laugh at me when he sees how good I am!" Ron said arrogantly.
"Poor Neville." Hermione said.
Harry smiled at Hermione. "I'm sure he'll be fine."
Hermione smiled back at him as Fred, George and Lee came through the portrait hole.
Ron grinned. "I'm gonna tell Fred and George. I can't wait to see their faces! Won't be teasing me anymore, will they?"
Harry watched Ron rush off and then turned to Hermione. "So, did you enjoy the match?" He asked with a laugh.
"It was kind of exciting. It was amazing how you managed to avoid Oliver when he was chasing you and keep your eye on the Snitch at the same time. I admire your bravery, Harry." Hermione said.
Harry shrugged, embarrassed. "I wouldn't exactly call it bravery . . ."
"I don't know how to say this Harry . . ." Hermione started. "When I first met you in our first year I was sort of intrigued by you, because you were famous and everything. At the end of the year you were like a hero and I've liked you ever since."
"Well I've liked you too Hermione, you've always been a great friend for . . ."
"No, not just as a friend." Hermione replied. "I like you more than a friend, Harry, and I thought you would've noticed by now. Anyway, I was going to ask if . . . if . . . would you go to the ball with me?"
Harry was stunned by this question. He had never thought of Hermione as more than a friend and he didn't know how to answer this question. He didn't want to hurt Hermione's feelings but he knew that he didn't like her. He knew who he liked and that was Cho and Cho only. Hermione was just a friend, a really good friend.
"Hermione, I don't know what to say." Harry said truthfully.
"You don't have to answer tonight, I can give you some time, I'll wait a while . . ."
Harry shook his head at her. "Hermione, you are one of my best friends and you will be forever. I hadn't even thought about becoming more than friends. And I also know that Ron likes you, I couldn't do that to him."
Hermione nodded and then suddenly her eyes went dark. She bared her teeth and suddenly lunged at him, knocking a passing third-year to the floor. She wrestled Harry to the floor with tremendous strength and scratched him across the face, drawing blood. Harry cried out as she grabbed his neck, throttling him with a strong grip. The other Gryffindor's got the message and pulled Hermione off Harry.
"The night will come when Voldemort will be back, Harry Potter!" Hermione said in a different voice, her eyes rolling in their sockets.
Her head drooped and Harry realised she had fainted. Harry felt his cheek where Hermione had scratched him. Drops of blood were dripping onto the floor now as Ron ran over, a shocked expression on his face.
"Get Dumbledore!" Harry cried to a Gryffindor second-year. "Tell him we'll be at the hospital wing!"
Him and Ron carried Hermione to the Hospital wing and Harry noticed Ron was close to tears.
"You can't keep away can you?!" Madam Pomfrey said when they pushed open the doors to the Hospital wing.
Harry would've smiled if he hadn't a big gash across one cheek and Hermione wasn't unconscious.
"Good god, what happened to her?" Madam Pomfrey asked, laying Hermione on a bed immediately.
"Same thing that happened to Oliver." Harry muttered.
"Here," Madam Pomfrey said, magicking a tissue for Harry to wipe the blood off his face.
"Harry," Dumbledore came bursting through the doors. He took one glance at Hermione and said, "It's happened to Miss Granger too, hasn't it?"
Harry nodded. Dumbledore looked upset, the twinkle that could usually be found in his eyes was gone.
"Will she be okay?" Ron asked frantically. Harry could see he was clutching on to Hermione's hand, so he put a hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah Ron, she'll be fine… just look at Oliver." Harry replied. Ron tore an eye away from Hermione for a second to glance at Oliver in the next bed, sitting up and looking curiously at what was happening.
"Harry," Dumbledore spoke, "Snuffles, as I think you've been calling him, has just arrived and is waiting for you in my office. I think it would be best if you went now, as he will be returning back with Remus soon." The twinkle reappeared slightly for a second as Dumbledore glanced at Madam Pomfrey, who was looking thoroughly confused.
"Oh, okay. Ron, I'll be back soon." Harry replied. He quickly swept past everyone and out of the infirmary, heading towards Dumbledore's office, where he gave the statue the password (Chocolate Frogs) and jumped on to the moving stairs.