Chapter Sixteen: Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw

The rest of the holiday passed the same way, with snowball fighting even managing to take priority over work for Hermione, although she and Ron did go back to the library near the end of the holiday. It seemed that everyone had had a good Christmas, even though Neville had managed to set his Uncle Algernon's moustache on fire with only a wizard cracker. Dumbledore had been as good as his word, and so when the other Gryffindors returned to their rooms, no one noticed any evidence of the destructive charms.

With the return of the rest of the Quidditch team, they began discussing the upcoming game against Ravenclaw, and once again Harry found himself tiring emotionally. He hadn't realised the effects that his last year would continually have on him would be this bad. He found it difficult to concentrate through team meetings, and also through his classes as well as he thought ahead to the match.

The night before he found he couldn't sleep and once more went down to the common room to lounge in a chair. Surprisingly, it was deserted. An hour before he'd been surrounded by the rest of Gryffindor tower as they all gathered around the team. Sinking down into an armchair, he pulled out the Liefgema Ginny had given him and stared at the gem as colours swirled within the tear.

With a start he flinched as another tear swung into view, he looked up to see Ginny dangling the red gem in front of his face. 'Can you see what lies within?' she whispered, and Harry saw orange and reds whirling with yellow in the stone.

In a blink of his eyes the gem was gone, and so was Ginny. Sitting up in the chair, Harry looked around the room - there was no sign of her. Sitting back, he stared at the blue gem again and the patterns inside it, azure streaks calmly mixing with dashes of white.

'What lies within.' he whispered, then fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

'Wake up you lazy git!' Ron shouted indignantly, waving a plate of bacon under Harry's nose. 'There isn't a reserve Seeker you know.' Muttering vaguely, Harry accepted the plate and tucked into the bacon with a vengeance. 'You okay? You look really tired or something.'

'Memories,' Harry replied, turning a piece of bacon thoughtfully on his fork. 'Happened last time, can't wait to see how I react to the match against Slytherin,' he added wryly.

'By kicking them back down the hole they came from,' Ron replied. 'Stupid gits.'

Angelina poked her head through the portrait hole before Harry could reply. 'Oi! Seeker! We've got a game you know.' With a weary grin to Ron, Harry pulled himself up and trotted after her, arriving in the team's room as people began to filter down from the school.

Changing into his robes, Harry felt his stomach twitch as it had before, but grabbed his broomstick and marched out with the rest of the team, determined not to let it show. Lining up as the captains met, Harry saw Cho, in the Seeker's position on the other side, she chose that moment to catch his eye as well. In that moment he could see that she was experiencing the same discomfort as him, could imagine the awkward smile on his face mirroring hers.

Then the whistle blew and they shot off the ground, spiralling upwards until they were above the scrum of Chasers going after the Quaffle. Looking backwards, Harry saw Cho was using her normal tactic of tailing him, waiting to swoop forwards and block him if he made to go after the Snitch. A small grin tugging at his face, Harry pulled a dive with the Firebolt, soaring out in front of her before she could react. Passing through the crowd of players, he pulled up again to hover on the opposite side of the field to her.

Beneath him he saw Angelina, Katie and Alicia weaving back and forth, throwing the Quaffle in a flurry of moves that the Ravenclaw Keeper was trying to follow. He failed miserably and with a resounding cheer the Quaffle shot through one of the hoops, and Lee Jordan yelled in delight as Gryffindor went up by ten points.

The Ravenclaw Chasers led a quick counterattack, they were going so fast that disaster struck when Fred sent a Bludger at their leader but incorrectly guessed where they were going. A few seconds after Dean caught the Quaffle, he was knocked flying from his broom when the Bludger struck him in the head. Frozen, Harry and the other players could only watch as he fell to the ground, only to stop as if on an invisible cushion a few feet from the floor. Looking around, Harry saw Madam Hooch directing her wand at that spot.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Harry applauded with the other Gryffindors as she levitated him off the pitch, then called Angelina over for a word. A few minutes later, his pale face standing out against his red hair, Ron swooped into the air, heading for the Gryffindor goalposts. The cheer he received was tumultuous from the Gryffindor end, with some scattered applause elsewhere in the stands, and the usual boos from the Slytherin crowd.

Grinning, Harry looped by the goalposts as he searched for the Snitch. 'I hope you haven't upset Fred or George recently,' he called, a large grin on his face.

'I'm not worried,' Ron shouted back as Harry flew onwards. 'Mum would kill them if that happened to me!'

Laughing, Harry flew onwards, twirling around a Ravenclaw Beater who was trying to direct a Bludger at Angelina but found himself ducking instead as Harry's movement disguised its approach. Climbing back up to the top of the stadium, Harry saw Cho on a parallel path again, before she abruptly dived towards a patch of gold in the air.

Cursing himself silently, Harry shot after her like an arrow from a bow, lying flat against the broom to streamline himself. By the time he reached her he was going twice as fast, and aware that he was also approaching the stadium grandstand very quickly. Seeing the Snitch, he pulled up on his Firebolt so that he went from lying horizontally to an upright. As the broomstick groaned with the sudden change of direction, Harry grabbed the Snitch from the air, then shot upwards as the broom finally reoriented itself.

Slowing down, he shook his head to clear his vision, only to be mugged by Fred and George, then Ron and the girls. Through the crowd of red and gold robes, he picked out Cho's face, she wore the same sad smile as before, but nodded once to him before descending with her team. As Harry was congratulated he once more felt part of himself heal emotionally, and so surrounded by his team he began to celebrate as well.

* * *

The party was one of the best that Harry could remember, everyone seemed to be cheering whenever someone walked through the portrait hole. First of all there had been one massive shout when the team had returned, then more as Fred and George continually returned with more and more food, and another loud cheer when Dean showed up, his head swathed in a large bandage. 'No Quidditch for the rest of the year,' he told Harry, but he was smiling nonetheless, he'd managed to stop all the Ravenclaw shots before he'd been knocked out.

The celebrations continued long into the night, despite the fact that Professor McGonagall came in to stop it twice. Even Hermione didn't seem to mind that they were all breaking most of the school rules, but then again she was breaking a few herself. It was only a few minutes beyond midnight that most of the first years left though, and they were soon followed by the rest of the younger Gryffindor students.

The rest of the students finally broke up into their respective years and headed to bed an hour later, with Seamus and Neville supporting Dean, who was still suffering some effects of the Bludger. Most of the time during the party he'd been given more and more food by Fred by way of an apology, so it was no wonder he was still feeling ill.

That night Harry slept contentedly, not even worrying about the Slytherin match as he though he would, not caring about having to face Malfoy again. His dreams were a blur of mixed images, but none of the Cambirer disturbed him. Instead he saw himself flying after the Snitch, which resolved itself into the red Liefgema again.

Can you see what lies within?