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"Another ten points for Hufflepuff!" Enthusiastic Gryffindor announcer Ernest Smith reached down and pushed the right side score button, receiving an equally enthusiastic response from the Hufflepuff supporters.
Chris clapped his hand over his eyes. "Do me a favour, all of you," he groaned, "Until this match is through, don't tell me the... "
"Just great, we're behind forty to sixty!" exclaimed Amanda Byrnes above all the noise. Chris flashed her an irritated look. "... score," he finished through gritted teeth.
Harry, standing next to Amanda, looked around. "Well, at least they're making good effort," he sighed, but his tone clearly betrayed his growing worries. "Yer tellin' me," nodded Hagrid, getting a good view from his trusty old binoculars. "They're really goin' downright mad!"
"Come on, Gryffindor," I whispered softly.
A long, pearly-white tail brushed against my nose for the third time. I swiped it away roughly and looked up. "Kientra!" I cried, "Get down here at once! We don't need tails as head-decorations!" Grumbling, she hovered lower until she was level with my shoulder. She had been complaining earlier on about being dragged to the Quidditch field, but after Harry threatened to put her in place of the Quaffle, there was less noise... especially after she discovered that the Quaffles get hit.
A loud cheer arose from the Hufflepuff side of the field. No doubt, something good had happened, but what?
"Blimey, what are they so happy about now?" Hagrid puzzled, searching the entire Quidditch field with his binoculars. The four of us craned our necks, trying to spot what all the fuss was about. I had hoped that my guess was wrong, but no...
"That!" I pointed, "Hufflepuff's seeker is after the Snitch!"
A few Gryffindors behind me gasped . "Where's our seeker, then?" someone cried. Hagrid grunted. "Hold yer horses, now," he said, "I'm lookin'!"
"Bernie's over there!" Amanda yelled, brown eyes wide, pointing to... the other side of the field?! Oh, great. Anyway, my worries were short-lived... for a while.
"He's spotted it!" hollered Chris excitedly, pumping his fist in the air (yes, we Hogwarts people really do love our Quidditch matches). All of us, even Kientra, watched, wide-eyed and leaning so far out we could've fallen, as Bernie Smith blazed across the field, dodging Bludgers and players left and right.
Hold on, I thought, Isn't that a...
"Bernie, watch out!" yelled Harry at the top of his lungs. So he'd spotted the speeding Bludger too! It was coming fast from behind Bernie, and judging by the speed of it, it was highly possible that there would be a very nasty collision soon.
It was impossible for Bernie to hear Harry, of course, but someone else did; Ferdania Ferbott, one of the Gryffindor beaters. "Don't worry," she cried, flying past us, "Freakin' Fantastic Ferdania's on it!" She flew off fast, dark ponytail streaming behind her. Chris coughed. "She'd better BE Freakin' Fantastic!"
Harry, Chris, Amanda, Kientra, Hagrid and I watched in suspense as Bernie flew straight on, determined to catch the Snitch... oblivious of the approaching Bludger! "HURRY, Ferdania!" Amanda shrieked. Hurry she did, waving wildly at the players to get out of her way. Never have I seen a Silver Arrow broomstick go that fast!
Kientra frowned and rolled her eyes. "I don't see what all this fuss is about... it's not like that thing is going to harm him."
"Oh, shut up!" said Amanda, not bothering to hide her dislike. Kientra's mouth dropped open.
Bernie was flying on...
The Bludger was flying closer...
"This is not good!" I cried. In my calculation, Ferdania might be too late; she was quite a distance away! But then...
"Yes!" Happy cries emerged from a few Gryffindors as Ferdania gave a burst of speed and made a rocket dive upwards behind Bernie, beating the yapping Bludger out of the way just in time! Alright then... I was wrong. But then again, I've never been good in Arithmancy...
"Talk about the last second!" clapped Harry. "Go, Gryffindor!" cheered Chris excitedly. Loud hoots and whistles emerged from us Gryffs as Ferdania waved her beater's bat in sweet triumph. Bernie, meanwhile, had turned around in surprise and now gave Ferdania an appreciative nod and a thumbs- up . Kientra merely rolled her eyes. "Anyone could have done that," she slurred.
I was watching the dear seeker so closely that I didn't realise something else had happened... something 'good'... something that made Ernest Smith holler into the mic, "Gryffindor scores! Ten points!" Surprised cheers, but cheers nonetheless, arose again, only to stop abruptly at Ernest's flustered words, "Sorry... sorry! I meant 'Hufflepuff'!" Hufflepuff's cries of protest quickly turned into happy ones, followed by loud groans from us. The score was now at a difficult forty to seventy.
"Blimey," muttered Hagrid, lowering his binoculars, "Ernest had better watch what he says, or there could be a real riot!" For a while, the five of us stared at the circle marks the binoculars had left on Hagrid's eyes. Think 'giant panda'...
Chris turned back to the field. A surprised look crossed his face. Straightening himself up, he nudged me. "What does Smith think he's doing?"
I shot a quick look. "Keeping score, like always."
"Not that Smith," Chris groaned. He grabbed my shoulder and turned me around "That one!" he pointed. "Oh," I said, and looked.
Indeed, what was Bernie doing? He had stopped in mid-air and was looking around frantically, a panicked expression on his face. It dawned on me then; That could only mean one thing. "I think he's lost the Hufflepuff seeker... AND the Snitch!" I cried.
"Damn you, Smith! He's near the hoops!" yelled ever-wild Amanda, pointing crazily and jumping up and down.
It might have been a miracle of some sort, but amazingly, Bernie seemed to hear, for he zoomed straight to the three tall hoops, where the other seeker was chasing the Snitch around and around the poles. He flew on faster, robe and blond hair streaming behind him, dodging the Quaffle, a player, the Snitch... hold on, the Snitch?!
"Damn you, Smith!" yelled Amanda again.
Hagrid gave a snort. "Ye might have thought that he had SEEN the other seeker flyin' toward 'im, but no... That boy needs glasses!"
Realising his mistake, Bernie made a speedy U-turn, his broom skidding sideways roughly from the sudden force. He just managed to brake to avoid smashing into some of the Professors in their seats (I saw Professor Sprout crossing her heart in shock). Regaining control of the broom, he flew out into the middle of the field and blazed on determinedly, eyes on the Snitch, wherever it was... I couldn't see it.
A slow feeling of despair crept into me as Johnny, the Huff's seeker, flew up behind Bernie and overtook him quite easily. Bernie wouldn't have it; he looked up, frowned, leaned further out and overtook Johnny impressively. Johnny wouldn't have it either; he sped on remarkably fast.
Overtake after overtake happened until Johnny finally got irritated and knocked Bernie hard to one side, sending his broomstick flying off and spinning in the air rather harshly. It must've been horrifying, especially since Bernie once had to bear with the name 'He-Who-Is-Scared-Of-Heights'.
Harry gasped and Hagrid looked through his binoculars again. "Alright now, it's slowin' down... " He peered anxiously into them. "Slowin'... ."
"Look; the seeker's going to fall!" I heard someone cry. Too true, he WAS going to fall, and very soon at that! The broom had been spinning in the air and was now slowing down... and finally coming to a halt. Bernie didn't look so good, though. He was swaying slightly, dazed, and his head was hung in dizziness . He put his hand to his head.
While the other players continued their jobs, Bernie's broomstick suddenly started to dip low, jerking and swaying dangerously. The poor boy's mouth dropped open and he hung on for dear life, desperately trying to control the broom. It didn't seem to work; the broom continued it's scary descent.
Kientra huffed. "Well, that's what comes of having nothing better to do than to chase a stupid golden ball." How heartless can you get?!
Down he went! "Seeker overboard!" yelled Harry, signalling wildly to someone on the field. That 'someone' was Kirk Crane, Gryffindor team captain, who was closest to us. With a nod, he sped off.
It was amazing; Kirk managed to fly halfway across the field in two seconds flat (Speed all around today!), zipping left and right, dodging the scattered players and balls expertly. Speeding, he made a diagonal dive downwards... just in time to catch the doomed youth on his broom! "An amazing rescue!" Ernest yelled, not caring if he made anyone deaf. "Let us all salute him!" Relieved eyes watched as Kirk brought a pale and shaking Bernie down to solid ground, while amazed cheers erupted from the enthralled audience.
While all this was going on, what else had been happening? Well, guess for yourself...
"He's got it!" Ernest shrieked.
Heads turned in his direction. Even Kirk and Bernie looked up, surprised, Bernie growing paler for some reason. "Eh?" Hagrid looked confused. "Who's got what? Who's got what?" His question was soon answered by our overly- excited announcer. "Johnny Erlong catches the Snitch, scoring 150 points for Hufflefupp... I mean, Hufflepuff! This match is over!"
What?
What?!
A shrill whistle blew. "Hufflepuff wins!" Screams of joy were heard from the Huffs as they jumped up and down happily, waving their house flags and hugging each other . On the field, Johnny Erlong's back was being patted sore.
It was no question that Gryffindor was disappointed; shoulders sagged and heavy sighs emerged . Amanda clapped Harry's shoulder (this she had to stand on tiptoe to do) and gave him a reassuring smile . "Don't worry, coach," she grinned, "Gryffindor's teamwork will always be a million times better than Hufflepuff's guts... or Slytherin and Ravenclaw, at that. We all know that." She grinned again, braces showing, and clapped his back again.
"That's right, Harry," nodded Hagrid affectionately. "Teamwork's a lot more important than winnin'... " He flashed Chris, who was teasing Kientra, a look, since Chris had bet someone two Knuts that Gryffindor would win, "... and I bet ye can drill that into 'em even more." He patted Harry's shoulder. "Just ye... uh, remember that now, eh?" he winked . "Now come one." He lumbered off.
Following Hagrid down the wooden steps, I nudged Harry. "You seem to be proud of yourself... coach." I grinned.
He shook his head. "No... I'm just glad that Bernie wasn't hurt. And besides," he added, "I'm proud of them, not of myself."
Chris grinned and turned to Kientra, who was looking sulky as usual. "And you," he said, "should remember that no matter what you say, the spirit of Quidditch can never be dampened. Now," he laughed, "Let's go see that unfortunate seeker of a Smith."
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"Another ten points for Hufflepuff!" Enthusiastic Gryffindor announcer Ernest Smith reached down and pushed the right side score button, receiving an equally enthusiastic response from the Hufflepuff supporters.
Chris clapped his hand over his eyes. "Do me a favour, all of you," he groaned, "Until this match is through, don't tell me the... "
"Just great, we're behind forty to sixty!" exclaimed Amanda Byrnes above all the noise. Chris flashed her an irritated look. "... score," he finished through gritted teeth.
Harry, standing next to Amanda, looked around. "Well, at least they're making good effort," he sighed, but his tone clearly betrayed his growing worries. "Yer tellin' me," nodded Hagrid, getting a good view from his trusty old binoculars. "They're really goin' downright mad!"
"Come on, Gryffindor," I whispered softly.
A long, pearly-white tail brushed against my nose for the third time. I swiped it away roughly and looked up. "Kientra!" I cried, "Get down here at once! We don't need tails as head-decorations!" Grumbling, she hovered lower until she was level with my shoulder. She had been complaining earlier on about being dragged to the Quidditch field, but after Harry threatened to put her in place of the Quaffle, there was less noise... especially after she discovered that the Quaffles get hit.
A loud cheer arose from the Hufflepuff side of the field. No doubt, something good had happened, but what?
"Blimey, what are they so happy about now?" Hagrid puzzled, searching the entire Quidditch field with his binoculars. The four of us craned our necks, trying to spot what all the fuss was about. I had hoped that my guess was wrong, but no...
"That!" I pointed, "Hufflepuff's seeker is after the Snitch!"
A few Gryffindors behind me gasped . "Where's our seeker, then?" someone cried. Hagrid grunted. "Hold yer horses, now," he said, "I'm lookin'!"
"Bernie's over there!" Amanda yelled, brown eyes wide, pointing to... the other side of the field?! Oh, great. Anyway, my worries were short-lived... for a while.
"He's spotted it!" hollered Chris excitedly, pumping his fist in the air (yes, we Hogwarts people really do love our Quidditch matches). All of us, even Kientra, watched, wide-eyed and leaning so far out we could've fallen, as Bernie Smith blazed across the field, dodging Bludgers and players left and right.
Hold on, I thought, Isn't that a...
"Bernie, watch out!" yelled Harry at the top of his lungs. So he'd spotted the speeding Bludger too! It was coming fast from behind Bernie, and judging by the speed of it, it was highly possible that there would be a very nasty collision soon.
It was impossible for Bernie to hear Harry, of course, but someone else did; Ferdania Ferbott, one of the Gryffindor beaters. "Don't worry," she cried, flying past us, "Freakin' Fantastic Ferdania's on it!" She flew off fast, dark ponytail streaming behind her. Chris coughed. "She'd better BE Freakin' Fantastic!"
Harry, Chris, Amanda, Kientra, Hagrid and I watched in suspense as Bernie flew straight on, determined to catch the Snitch... oblivious of the approaching Bludger! "HURRY, Ferdania!" Amanda shrieked. Hurry she did, waving wildly at the players to get out of her way. Never have I seen a Silver Arrow broomstick go that fast!
Kientra frowned and rolled her eyes. "I don't see what all this fuss is about... it's not like that thing is going to harm him."
"Oh, shut up!" said Amanda, not bothering to hide her dislike. Kientra's mouth dropped open.
Bernie was flying on...
The Bludger was flying closer...
"This is not good!" I cried. In my calculation, Ferdania might be too late; she was quite a distance away! But then...
"Yes!" Happy cries emerged from a few Gryffindors as Ferdania gave a burst of speed and made a rocket dive upwards behind Bernie, beating the yapping Bludger out of the way just in time! Alright then... I was wrong. But then again, I've never been good in Arithmancy...
"Talk about the last second!" clapped Harry. "Go, Gryffindor!" cheered Chris excitedly. Loud hoots and whistles emerged from us Gryffs as Ferdania waved her beater's bat in sweet triumph. Bernie, meanwhile, had turned around in surprise and now gave Ferdania an appreciative nod and a thumbs- up . Kientra merely rolled her eyes. "Anyone could have done that," she slurred.
I was watching the dear seeker so closely that I didn't realise something else had happened... something 'good'... something that made Ernest Smith holler into the mic, "Gryffindor scores! Ten points!" Surprised cheers, but cheers nonetheless, arose again, only to stop abruptly at Ernest's flustered words, "Sorry... sorry! I meant 'Hufflepuff'!" Hufflepuff's cries of protest quickly turned into happy ones, followed by loud groans from us. The score was now at a difficult forty to seventy.
"Blimey," muttered Hagrid, lowering his binoculars, "Ernest had better watch what he says, or there could be a real riot!" For a while, the five of us stared at the circle marks the binoculars had left on Hagrid's eyes. Think 'giant panda'...
Chris turned back to the field. A surprised look crossed his face. Straightening himself up, he nudged me. "What does Smith think he's doing?"
I shot a quick look. "Keeping score, like always."
"Not that Smith," Chris groaned. He grabbed my shoulder and turned me around "That one!" he pointed. "Oh," I said, and looked.
Indeed, what was Bernie doing? He had stopped in mid-air and was looking around frantically, a panicked expression on his face. It dawned on me then; That could only mean one thing. "I think he's lost the Hufflepuff seeker... AND the Snitch!" I cried.
"Damn you, Smith! He's near the hoops!" yelled ever-wild Amanda, pointing crazily and jumping up and down.
It might have been a miracle of some sort, but amazingly, Bernie seemed to hear, for he zoomed straight to the three tall hoops, where the other seeker was chasing the Snitch around and around the poles. He flew on faster, robe and blond hair streaming behind him, dodging the Quaffle, a player, the Snitch... hold on, the Snitch?!
"Damn you, Smith!" yelled Amanda again.
Hagrid gave a snort. "Ye might have thought that he had SEEN the other seeker flyin' toward 'im, but no... That boy needs glasses!"
Realising his mistake, Bernie made a speedy U-turn, his broom skidding sideways roughly from the sudden force. He just managed to brake to avoid smashing into some of the Professors in their seats (I saw Professor Sprout crossing her heart in shock). Regaining control of the broom, he flew out into the middle of the field and blazed on determinedly, eyes on the Snitch, wherever it was... I couldn't see it.
A slow feeling of despair crept into me as Johnny, the Huff's seeker, flew up behind Bernie and overtook him quite easily. Bernie wouldn't have it; he looked up, frowned, leaned further out and overtook Johnny impressively. Johnny wouldn't have it either; he sped on remarkably fast.
Overtake after overtake happened until Johnny finally got irritated and knocked Bernie hard to one side, sending his broomstick flying off and spinning in the air rather harshly. It must've been horrifying, especially since Bernie once had to bear with the name 'He-Who-Is-Scared-Of-Heights'.
Harry gasped and Hagrid looked through his binoculars again. "Alright now, it's slowin' down... " He peered anxiously into them. "Slowin'... ."
"Look; the seeker's going to fall!" I heard someone cry. Too true, he WAS going to fall, and very soon at that! The broom had been spinning in the air and was now slowing down... and finally coming to a halt. Bernie didn't look so good, though. He was swaying slightly, dazed, and his head was hung in dizziness . He put his hand to his head.
While the other players continued their jobs, Bernie's broomstick suddenly started to dip low, jerking and swaying dangerously. The poor boy's mouth dropped open and he hung on for dear life, desperately trying to control the broom. It didn't seem to work; the broom continued it's scary descent.
Kientra huffed. "Well, that's what comes of having nothing better to do than to chase a stupid golden ball." How heartless can you get?!
Down he went! "Seeker overboard!" yelled Harry, signalling wildly to someone on the field. That 'someone' was Kirk Crane, Gryffindor team captain, who was closest to us. With a nod, he sped off.
It was amazing; Kirk managed to fly halfway across the field in two seconds flat (Speed all around today!), zipping left and right, dodging the scattered players and balls expertly. Speeding, he made a diagonal dive downwards... just in time to catch the doomed youth on his broom! "An amazing rescue!" Ernest yelled, not caring if he made anyone deaf. "Let us all salute him!" Relieved eyes watched as Kirk brought a pale and shaking Bernie down to solid ground, while amazed cheers erupted from the enthralled audience.
While all this was going on, what else had been happening? Well, guess for yourself...
"He's got it!" Ernest shrieked.
Heads turned in his direction. Even Kirk and Bernie looked up, surprised, Bernie growing paler for some reason. "Eh?" Hagrid looked confused. "Who's got what? Who's got what?" His question was soon answered by our overly- excited announcer. "Johnny Erlong catches the Snitch, scoring 150 points for Hufflefupp... I mean, Hufflepuff! This match is over!"
What?
What?!
A shrill whistle blew. "Hufflepuff wins!" Screams of joy were heard from the Huffs as they jumped up and down happily, waving their house flags and hugging each other . On the field, Johnny Erlong's back was being patted sore.
It was no question that Gryffindor was disappointed; shoulders sagged and heavy sighs emerged . Amanda clapped Harry's shoulder (this she had to stand on tiptoe to do) and gave him a reassuring smile . "Don't worry, coach," she grinned, "Gryffindor's teamwork will always be a million times better than Hufflepuff's guts... or Slytherin and Ravenclaw, at that. We all know that." She grinned again, braces showing, and clapped his back again.
"That's right, Harry," nodded Hagrid affectionately. "Teamwork's a lot more important than winnin'... " He flashed Chris, who was teasing Kientra, a look, since Chris had bet someone two Knuts that Gryffindor would win, "... and I bet ye can drill that into 'em even more." He patted Harry's shoulder. "Just ye... uh, remember that now, eh?" he winked . "Now come one." He lumbered off.
Following Hagrid down the wooden steps, I nudged Harry. "You seem to be proud of yourself... coach." I grinned.
He shook his head. "No... I'm just glad that Bernie wasn't hurt. And besides," he added, "I'm proud of them, not of myself."
Chris grinned and turned to Kientra, who was looking sulky as usual. "And you," he said, "should remember that no matter what you say, the spirit of Quidditch can never be dampened. Now," he laughed, "Let's go see that unfortunate seeker of a Smith."
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