Authors Notes
Please note that the song lyrics used in this chapter belong to Madonna's 'Take A Bow'. I lay no claim to them, I am only borrowing them and am obliged to return them when I'm finished.
Chapter Twelve; Halloween Hex
To celebrate the initiation of the new Gryffindor Quidditch team members, a party took place in the common room that night. Fred and George sneaked off to the kitchens and returned with plenty of cakes and drinks. Filibuster Fireworks were set off and everyone's hopes for the Quidditch cup were mounting, happily anticipating their first match of the season against Hufflepuff.
Harry hung back from the mini celebration party, hovering by the fireplace, thinking hard. He was glad that Hermione supported his view, that Professor Torr ought to be investigated, but he was at a loss for ideas as to how they could do it. Who could they ask without arousing suspicion? Where could they look?
They hadn't told Ron yet, knowing that he wouldn't appreciate them distracting him from his moment in the centre of everyone else's attention. Presently Ron was being bombarded with Butterbeer bottles and Honeydukes chocolate by the other team members and students. Hermione was hovering awkwardly by his side, smiling happily though she seemed to be at a loss for something to say to him.
Unfortunately, the most pressing problem was that they didn't seem to have any spare time at all. With their O.W.L exams coming, the fifth years had homework every single night to slog through. Quidditch was also becoming more demanding now that Harry was responsible for organising practise sessions and devising training programs in preparation for their first match.
Harry was also regretting that he'd remembered about making the photo album. Shortly after the Quidditch trials, Harry had approached Colin to ask for his assistance. Colin had been rendered unable to speak for several minutes at this request, although he did manage to emit a small squeak that sounded like 'Sure!' However, this had led to Colin tagging around after him, Ron and Hermione, taking photos at every opportunity. They hadn't really minded at first, choosing each location and posing for the camera, but as the days went by, Colin's perky attitude and constant clicking and flashing of his camera was starting to get on their nerves. Hermione did manage to get rid of him for a few days, insisting that he take lots of photos of the castle and grounds, leaving them to concentrate on their homework in peace.
A week before Halloween, Professor Dumbledore announced over breakfast that there would be a formal dance for the whole school on Halloween night. Harry had a mixed reaction to this news. On one hand, he really hadn't enjoyed the Yule Ball last year, but at least this time he wasn't specifically required to have a dance partner, so there was an immediate improvement.
Then again...
Well ... Harry wasn't exactly sure how he felt about Cho Chang anymore. Cho and Cedric and been seeing each other since the Yule Ball, until ... until Cedric had been murdered. His death had hit everyone hard. Cho, in particular, had been devastated. Harry had glimpsed Cho only a few times in the corridors since then. She seemed to be coping well enough but her eyes still had a haunted look about them. It was obvious that she missed Cedric a lot. Did Cho blame Harry for Cedric's death? That dismal thought had occurred on several occasions and Harry could hardly hold it against her if that was how she felt.
The hassle of the Yule Ball seemed to be weighing on Ron's mind as well and he made it clear that he wasn't bothered with trying to find someone to go with this time. Hermione took the same view, (probably because of Viktor, Harry privately thought) and suggested that the three of them just go together as a group. The vote was unanimous.
So when October 31st arrived, the majority of students eagerly prepared for the dance. Up in the dormitory Harry changed into the same bottle-green dress robes that he'd worn last year. Ron put on some very nice midnight blue robes, which he claimed were sent as a gift from some aunt of his. Harry made no further comment other than saying that they looked good on him. Later, he discreetly thanked Fred and George for doing him that favour.
Hermione met up with them in the common room. She'd altered her pale blue robes slightly by conjuring lots of tiny balls of sparkling white light and weaving them into the fabric. Her bushy hair was held back from her face with a fancy jewelled clip. She looked extremely pretty.
The Great Hall was as stunning as ever, with great clouds of bats swooping overhead, giant pumpkins filled with glowing candles hovering around the many circular tables. An enchanted mist that glowed with its own pale blue-green light swirled around their feet and rose above their heads, giving the Hall a very spooky and mysterious atmosphere.
The mist seemed to remind Harry of something but he couldn't think what it was. He didn't think too much about it however, once the feast appeared.
The food was perfect. The house-elves were really working hard to produce such marvellous dishes and puddings. Hermione was half tempted to leave her pudding, 'It's like a little piece of art, I don't want to spoil it!' But of course, food is made to be eaten, and it wasn't long before all the plates were clear and the music began.
Several tables were magically removed from the centre of the Hall to create a dance floor. Many students moved out onto the dance floor but Harry, Ron and Hermione stayed together, watching from the side.
Harry scanned the dance floor and spotted Cho. She was dancing with a group of her friends, dressed in very fine oriental patterned robes, her long dark hair was held up with what Harry assumed were chopsticks.
She was beautiful.
Harry was just silently debating with himself as to whether or not he had the guts to ask Cho to dance, when a blinding flash went off in his face.
'Smile, Harry!'
Colin raised his camera and took another photo. Harry raised a hand to shield his eyes, blinking hard.
'Colin! Do you mind?'
Colin snapped a few more photos, stepping back to include Ron and Hermione in the shots.
Harry was racking his brain for some way to get rid of Colin when a storm of applause broke out. Colin lowered his camera as everyone turned to look.
At the top of the Great Hall, a small stage had appeared, lit up by levitating balls of light, the soft glow illuminating the swirling mist.
A beautiful young woman stepped up onto the stage. Thick, curly dark hair cascaded down her back, almost long enough to sit on. Her ruby-red robes looked so delicate and fragile they gave the impression that one wrong move might tear them to shreds. With catlike grace she stepped up to the microphone, floating at just the right height and specially modified with a Sonorus spell. Light from the nearest Glo-Globe lit up her face and Harry saw who it was.
Professor Torr.
Harry's stomach gave a weird, churning sensation that made him feel quite ill. He couldn't deny that she looked absolutely gorgeous but his initial reaction to her was just too strong to ignore.
The applause died away, a moments silence and then she began to sing.
'Take a bow,
The night is over,
This masquerade
Is getting older.
Lights are low,
The curtains down,
There's no-one here,
There's no one in the crowd.'
Couples on the dance floor swayed gently in time with the music, many more gliding like silent ghosts onto the floor to join them.
'Say your lines,
But do you feel them?
Do you mean what you say
When there's no one around?
Watching you, watching me.
One lonely star
You don't know who you are.'
Ron leaned forward, tapping Colin on the shoulder.
'Hey, Colin, do me a favour and get some photos of her, will you?' Noticing Harry's sour look he sheepishly added, 'For the album, of course.'
Harry turned away in disgust as Colin scampered away and bumped into Hermione as he passed. But she hardly seemed to notice him. She was focused on Professor Torr, but not with the same spellbound gaze like most people, Hermione looked thoughtful ... questioning ... as if she were studying something.
'I've always been in love with you,
I guess you've always known it's true.'
'Hermione?' asked Harry.
'Hmm?'
She looked around as if snapping out of a trance.
'You alright?'
'What? Oh, yeah, I'm okay.'
She turned back and watched Professor Torr more intently than before.
'You took my love for granted,
Why, oh, why?
The show is over, say goodbye.
Say goodbye, say goodbye.'
Hermione spun back round so suddenly she was lucky that she didn't overbalance.
'Either of you want to dance?' she asked, though she didn't seem to be directing the question in Harry's direction.
Ron looked deeply confused, as if Hermione had suddenly started speaking in Japanese.
'Dance?' he repeated stupidly. 'As in ... together?'
'Er … yes.' Hermione nodded, smiling nervously at him.
Ron stared blankly at her.
'Okay.' he squeaked.
Hermione grabbed his hand and dragged Ron onto the dance floor, disappearing into the crowd, heading in the direction of the stage.
Harry stared dumbfounded after them.
What had just happened there?
Colin had suddenly materialised beside him again.
'Hiya Harry!' he chirped. 'I got some of Professor Torr ... really good close ups, too ... I'm nearly out of film though.' Harry gave a silent cheer. 'But don't worry Harry! I've got two spare rolls in my pocket!' Harry closed his eyes, groaning silently.
'Make them laugh,
It comes so easy
When you get to the part
Where you're breaking my heart.'
Professor Torr's voice filled the entire Hall. It was very strong but it fitted the song perfectly. Strange ... Harry could have sworn that her voice was softer than that ... during lessons she never spoke loudly or shouted, never raised her voice at all. It sounded so different now that Harry thought about it.
'You deserve an award
For the role that you played.
No more masquerade
Your role is done.
One lonely star-'
'AAAAAaaarrrroooo!'
Professor Torr tripped over the words and stopped as the microphone squealed loudly, the whole Hall went quiet, the music died, the dancing faltered.
'What was that?' someone piped up from across the room.
'OOOOOOOOooooooowwwwww-OOOOOOOooooowwwww!'
'Well, whatever that is, let's hope it's had lunch!' Fred Weasley called back from the other end. Some people laughed nervously.
Howling. Very close by.
Harry tilted his head back and looked up at the enchanted ceiling. Shining brightly through the mist was the glowing orb of the full moon. Several other people must have done the same.
'WEREWOLVES!'
'Oh, my gawd! What do we do!?' A group of squealing first year girls was bordering on hysterics.
'Can they get in?'
'How many are there?'
Students either raced for the windows or stayed rooted to the floor, looking Petrified. Some of the younger students looked like they were about to pass out from fright.
'Wow!' Colin's face lit up and he nearly dropped his camera. 'I wonder if I can get a picture-' He sped nimbly through the dithering students, tying to reach one of the windows.
Hermione came marching back, stuffing something into her pocket with one hand while the other was clamped firmly around Ron's wrist, who was stumbling along behind her.
'What do those two think they're doing?' she hissed to Harry in disbelief. No explanation of who 'they' were was needed.
'Oh, lay off, Hermione,' Ron said good-naturedly. 'So what if they're on the grounds?'
'Yeah, it's not like anyone's going to go out there to take a look,' Harry added.
Hermione didn't look entirely convinced.
'OOOOOoooowwwwww!'
'AAAAaaaarrrooo!'
This dance has finally become interesting, Harry thought with satisfaction as several of the professors tried to deter the students from the windows and get the music going again.
Hermione nudged Harry and pointed to the stage. Professor Torr looked extremely miffed that the howling had interrupted her song. Arms folded, lips pouting, she was glaring Snape-like in the general direction of the wild calls.
'OOOOOOOOwwwwwwww-OOOOOOOWWWWWwwwwww!'
For more than one reason, Harry smiled.
*
Harry sent a note to Sirius and Remus the following morning, insisting that their interruption of the dance was the most enjoyable part of the evening with perfect timing. He also mentioned the approaching Quidditch match, hinting that he really wanted both of them to come.
Hedwig returned that evening with a letter from Sirius. The tone was light and amused. Sirius recognised the hint and insisted that he'd sneak onto the grounds to watch. Unfortunately, Professor Dumbledore had sent Remus off to London that day (he refused to say what for) and even though he'd taken Buckbeak, he wouldn't be back in time for the match.
Nevertheless, Harry was thrilled that his godfather would be there to watch him play. The Gryffindor team had been training like mad, breaking in the new members and practising new moves.
Katie and Alicia had no trouble with getting Chris to fit in with the methods they'd used with Angelina. Fred and George were fooling around during practise as always, but Harry refused to give them a hard time about it like Oliver Wood used to, he trusted them to know what they were doing. They had also been spying on the Hufflepuff team, trying to find out about their training and members, at least until Harry had asked them to stop it. If they were going to win, then they would win fairly.
Ron was nothing but a bag of nerves the night before the match. Harry could remember how he'd felt the night before his very first match and did his best to distract Ron by challenging him to a game of wizard chess (and losing). Hermione even brewed a mild sleeping potion to ensure that Ron didn't sit up all night worrying necessary.
'Come on, Ron. There's nothing to worry about. You'll be fine!'
'Uh huh,' grunted Ron, staring blankly at the wall.
'Just try not to think about it.' Hermione advised him while the rest of the Gryffindors' in the common room were loudly discussing Quidditch from every corner.
'It's only pre-match nerves, Ron. Soon as you're up in the air, you'll forget about what you're worrying about. Just get a good nights sleep and try to eat something at breakfast,' said Harry, remembering Wood's general advise to his team. To make his point, Harry stood up and shouted for his team's attention, ordering them to bed. To his surprise, all of them obeyed, Fred and George seizing Ron by the arms and leading him up the stairs to the dormitory, Harry behind them.
*
'And here come the Gryffindor team!'
The crowd clapped and cheered enthusiastically as Harry strode out onto the pitch, broomstick in hand and his team right behind him.
It wasn't until that moment, the first step into the stadium that Harry realised how different he felt. Leading the team ... his team ... over to greet the opposing team in the centre of the field ... he had never felt such a rush of indescribable emotions overtake him before.
Pride ... there was definitely pride; he couldn't stop smiling. The familiar buzz of excitement he'd always felt right before takeoff...
'Captained by none other than Harry Potter himself, I think we can guarantee a fantastic match from the Gryffindor team! Please welcome their newest members – Chaser Chris Butler and Keeper Ron Weasley!'
Shoulder to shoulder, the Gryffindors faced the Hufflepuffs and shook hands with their opposite number. Fourth year Robin Corey was the Hufflepuff's new Captain and Seeker. She didn't smile as she shook Harry's hand, her steely grey eyes looking Harry up and down. From what Fred and George knew of her, she wasn't above bending the rules if it meant getting her own way.
'Mount your brooms, please,' Madam Hooch called and raised a whistle to her lips.
Harry straddled his Firebolt and prepared to takeoff.
'Three ... two ... one...'
The whistle sounded and all fourteen players shot up into the air, accompanied by the roar of the crowd.
'And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Ann Hollow of Hufflepuff - smooth pass to Benson and back to - no! Quaffle intercepted by Butler of Gryffindor! Excellent catch!'
Lee Jordan was commentating as always. But being of Gryffindor house, he couldn't help being a tad bias with his commentary.
'Neat pass to Bell - to Spinnet - back to Bell - ouch! Quaffle knocked out of Bell's hand by a Bludger! Where on earth did that come from? Hufflepuff in possession, look at Benson go! Heading for the goals and - oh - what a shame, hit with both Bludgers simultaneously! Nice work from the Gryffindor Beaters and Gryffindor regain the Quaffle-'
Harry circled above the game, eyes scanning the stadium for the Snitch. Robin was flittering down the other end, weaving among the other players on her Nimbus 2000. Harry was just wondering how she expected to be able to concentrate on finding the Snitch when Robin suddenly shot up from beneath Alicia, throwing her off balance and narrowly missing a pass from Chris as a result.
Harry was half tempted to call timeout but realised that Madam Hooch already had an eye on her. Well, if Robin was so determined to harass his team, Harry had better end the game quickly, before Hufflepuff could pull ahead on points.
'Hufflepuff score!' Jordan shouted much to the delight of the crowd. '10-0 to Hufflepuff and Gryffindor seize the Quaffle-'
Harry sped up and down, trying to spot the tiny Snitch. He could see Hermione in the crowd, waving a Gryffindor banner and cheering from the topmost row. Sat beside her was the welcoming sight of a large jet-black dog with a red Gryffindor scarf tied around its neck, tail wagging non-stop, eyes on Harry. Guiding the Firebolt down, Harry shot over their heads, waving happily. The dog gave a joyous bark that was muffled by the cheers of the crowd.
Harry swooped down, nearer the game to check on Ron. Ron was a lot calmer now that he was actually in the match. He kept his eyes on the Quaffle as it passed between the teams and was weaving back and forth in front of the goal hoops, determined not to let the ball pass him again.
Just then - a flash of gold - the Golden Snitch! Harry threw himself flat onto the handle of his broom and shot like a bullet up the pitch after it.
'And it looks like Potter has seen the Snitch! But look out! Here comes Corey!'
Refusing to take his eyes off the Snitch, Harry flew as fast as he could, gaining on the Snitch and reached for it -
SMACK!
Harry yelped in pain as a Bludger smashed into his open palm, knocking his hand aside, Robin flashed past and -
Madam Hooch blew her whistle hard, calling a halt to the game. Steering with only one hand, Harry dove for the ground where Madam Pomfrey had appeared.
The Hufflepuffs were cheering for the quick actions of their Beater although heartily disappointed that Robin had just lost sight of the Snitch. The game wasn't over yet, much to the relief of the Gryffindor supporters.
Landing with a thud, Harry barely had time to steady himself before Madam Pomfrey started examining his hand. Ron was beside him in a matter of seconds.
'Jeez, that must have hurt! You okay, Harry?'
Harry nodded, biting his tongue and trying to ignore the throbbing pain now spreading up his wrist and arm as Madam Pomfrey carefully moved his fingers back and forth.
'You're lucky ... nothing broken ... just hold still...'
Madam Pomfrey gently rubbed a strange jelly-like gel onto his hand that seeped into the skin at astonishing speed, numbing the pain. Flexing his fingers, Harry had never failed to be impressed with magical healing methods.
'Ready to resume play?' Madam Hooch asked Harry as Pomfrey left the pitch.
'Ready.' said Harry, swinging a leg over his broom once more.
The crowd cheered, very much relieved as Harry rose from the pitch and soared back above the game once more.
The game continued with Gryffindor scoring three times and Hufflepuff once. Ron pulled off a spectacular save as Hufflepuff tried to score a third time, managing to bat the Quaffle back up the pitch using the tail of his broom, much to the delight of the crowd and team.
Harry kept away from the main goings on down below him. Robin seemed to have tired of distracting the others and was now concentrating on buzzing around Harry like an irritating mosquito.
With a jolt of his heart, Harry spotted the Snitch for the second time, circling the Gryffindor goal hoops. Fast as lightning, he was off! Too late, Robin followed. But there was no chance of her catching up.
Harry rocketed up the pitch, swerving round the Chasers, ducking under the Weasley twins as they knocked an oncoming Bludger out of his way and straight for the Snitch. Miniature wings humming, the Snitch zigzagged between the hoops, Harry in hot pursuit. Almost ... almost ... Harry leaned forward ... reached out and ...
His hand snagged the little golden ball out of the air.
Next moment, Ron collided with him, screaming with delight, the crowd was on their feet shouting and stamping. Harry could just make out Hermione in the distance, hugging Sirius in celebration whose barking was lost in the noise of the crowd.
Robin caught up and, to Harry's surprise, extended a hand.
'Good game, Potter.' She smiled, sincerely this time.
Harry shook her hand and grinned back.
'You too, Corey.'
She turned to look at Ron. 'Nice save back there, Weasley.'
Ron blushed. 'Uh, thanks.'
Head held high, Robin glided back down to her team. Harry turned to Ron.
'Well, she wasn't as bad as Fred and George made out, was she?'
'She's all right,' Ron admitted. 'Still had to beat her, you know.'
'Shame,' Harry muttered under his breath, noticing the coy smile Robin gave him over her shoulder as she landed on the pitch.
Both teams returned to the ground. Hufflepuff were taking their defeat very well, but the Gryffindors, on the other hand, stayed up until two in the morning celebrating their win and their mounting hopes for the Quidditch cup.
*
To Be Continued
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Please review
All comments and constructive criticism are appreciated.
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Author's Notes
Right, due to fanfiction.net being in 'read-only' mode over the weekend, I obviously missed my last post-date; but hey, stuff happens. *mutters to self* I just knew I'd jinxed it earlier …
Elbereth94 – Ah, my wonderful Beta isn't about at the moment, I can tell all!! Bwha-ha-ha! *whispers* Okay, the deal with Professor Torr is … hey, what do you think you're – ouch! Let go! Get off me! *Little brother leaps on Voltora; furious scuffle ensues with poor Voltora ending up gagged* Mmmhh-muuh! MMhhrrr-mhh?! (Translation 'This isn't fair! What did Lil pay you?!')
Lil Lupin – *Quails under stern glare* Sorry! Please don't tell the doctor – he won't let me talk to the Voices if you do! *pleading gaze* Ah, Lockhart's hair – very stylish, wouldn't you agree? I'm waiting for the hysterical laughter of the bathroom mirror. ^_^
Corrie – Ah, thank you. Sorry, I have people lurking – er, watching over me like hawks – okay, kindly making sure that I don't spill the beans on 'what happens next'. *grumbles but shuts up as Voltora is threatened with the gag again*
Evol norgara – Cameras *shudder* I do not photograph well – if at all! The last decent one of me is one taken when I was about seven! And I only like it because I happen to have a barn owl on my shoulder and I look cute! Yep, vast majority of cameras are evil – they make you look silly on purpose! Pie deprived, huh? Sorry, the rule on the Farm is no pies in the dining hall – they're just asking to be thrown and since they ask so nicely, well, majority of us tend to oblige!
Christy – Took me a while to figure out how she was going to fall on to Harry's 'suspicious character' list. Took me even longer to figure out which Quidditch terms to use! My copy of Quidditch Through the Ages is all worn out.
Evil spapple pie – You can play the flute!? Cool. I took a peak at some music books for the flute and had a similar reaction. I can't read music very well but I've been trying to teach myself how to play some songs on my keyboard; currently attempting Dido's 'Thank You' … and failing miserably! Ah, well, at least I'm giving it a go. Harry? Paranoid? What ever gave you that idea? ^_^
MorganD – Damn the Annoying Typo-Catcher! *sighs* Yes, I missed a 'had'; that missing apostrophe ran off and hid in that other sentence with the Weasleys *scolds the disobedient punctuation mark*; 'Spilt' should be 'split' and I have no idea were that 'to' came from! Just out of curiosity, do you do this with every fic you read, or am I just the lucky one? ^_^
Annoying for no reason? Why would you want to do that? There's got to be a reason for everything! Even if it's only because you can't resist. ^_^ Nope, they haven't learnt the Sonorus Charm yet. Besides, can you image how sore Harry's throat would be if he kept switching between magical amplification and normal voice? Not good. Sure, the megaphone does other stuff – I believe that one edits any rude words the user speaks into it. Professor McGonagall felt it might be a good investment after having Lee Jordan commentate.
Harry did make his own comments in my original draft; I just didn't include every single snippet of conversation. I just tried to keep it to the important bits. Nepotism? That's such a great word! (I figured I knew what you meant but I did look it up in a dictionary just to be sure.) True, but then again Fred and George know you have to be good to be on the team and they were objective. Besides, Ron's good at Quidditch!
Oh yeah, sorry, that little bit with the Creeveys had to be cut out I'm afraid; didn't quite fit in properly this time. Which is a shame because I liked it too.
*Looks back over reply* Do you realise that you keep getting the longest reply to your review comments? Every time! This one is about as long as all the others put together! At this rate I may end up with the Author's Notes section being longer than the chapter! Not that that would be a bad thing of course … ^_^