Chapter Seven
Of Quidditch and Love
" Is your father going to be annoyed with you now, Holly? " Shade asked at the Slytherin Table.
It was lunch time. Snape wasn't at the faculty table and Holly was growing worried for her life. She had never turned against her father with her potion and the thought never crossed her mind. Was he going to deliberately change her grades and fail her for her first year at Hogwarts? Was he going to secretly plot her demise? Did the Acceptabiliaserum have that much of an effect on him that it killed him? Many things she wondered while she stared at the blank spot at the table.
It was nearly the end of the year. There was one more game to be played(actually, two, but because a rumor floated that Hufflepuff was going to inevitably lose, nobody really counted it as a game.)And that game would surely help the team's house if they won.Shade was becoming uneasy at Holly's silence. She tried her best to cheer her up. " Well.At least there won't be that hard of a Quidditch game to play. You know Hufflepuff being your next challenger of course. " Holly's eyes turned and looked at the one speaking. She just stared at her. Shade grew even more uneasy. " What?! "
Holly looked around with boredom pushing the thoughts of her father out of her mind. Her glance turned to the Hufflepuff table where she looked around, trying to identify who exactly the seeker was. Flint who was at her side, turned and looked at the table. He then glanced at Holly and turned away, speaking into his goblet.
" If you're wondering who the seeker is, it's Cedric Diggory. He sits at the end near the double doors. Second year. "
She turned. " Are you a mind reader? "
" No. It's just common for players to try and identify each other. "
" ...Cedric..how well of a seeker is he? "
" Pretty good actually. Won't stand a chance against you though. Don't worry about the game though. It'll be faster than you and Malfoy's duel. " He as well as the other team stood. Holly being the last. " Time for practice. " The seven players left.
Cedric watched the Slytherin team leave. With Holly behind, he had a little time to guess what her position was. Though it wasn't hard. He knew a seeker when he saw one. The Diggory tapped Susan Bones, a first year Hufflepuff. He spoke quietly to her.
" Susan. You mind telling me, is that Slytherin's Seeker? "
She nodded. " Oh yes. She's absolutely amazing. I hope you do well while playing against her. She's a really really tough player."
" Yes. She wasn't messing around when it came to Ravenclaw's game.It should be quite a challenge. " He gave a small smile before drinking some juice. He was wondering a little more about her though. How come she was so old for a first year? How could she make the team at such an early year? He already knew Harry's story but knew for sure his potions professor didn't play Quidditch when he was younger. How could she be so good as Susan said?
Surely none of the Hufflepuffs would know the right information he wanted about this Slytherin girl. Asking another Slytherin would probably make him look like an idiot. A big one. He would need to ask her himself. But to do that without making Holly think he was a stalker or something. Who was he going to ask? Then it hit him. Jeremy Flamel. Lee commented on them being, "Hogwarts' Hottest Couple." It discouraged him at first, but it would really get rid of his biting curiosity. That settled it. During Dinner he would interrogate Jeremy about Holly.
Defence Against The Dark Arts arrived. Holly came in a little late and bruised up. She gave her note to stuttering Professor Quirrell from Madam Hooch and took her seat. She removed her book and opened it to a random page, grabbing her quill and drawing in her notebook. Defence Against The Dark Arts wasn't one of her strong points, but she was passing the rest of her classes so didn't really pay attention to poor Quirrell.
" N-n-now c-class. T-t-today I'll be giv-giving your te-tests from last w- week. "He began to pass back the quizzes. Holly got her quiz back and looked at the mark. Not very good or bad. She shrugged and placed it aside. Quirrell finished and stood back infront of the class.
" L-like I s-said, w-we aren't going t-to e-elaborate on m-m-m-much. " He continued with his mindless blather to some of the students. Holly's head lifted and looked at her teacher. " Th-there a-are things happening...h-h- here at Hogwarts..M-most of you d-don't know of...T-things some of your o- other t-teachers wo-won't t-talk to you about. O-Of course mo-most of you k- know what I-I'm talking about. " He looked over at Harry as he said this. Hermione's head lifted and she noticed Quirrell's glance.
Class ended. Everyone collected their things, Holly being the slowest one and waited for everyone to clear out, then making her way out with a slight limp. But she heard something. It wasn't a typical sound of footsteps, but a small conversation. Only one side of it. She turned and saw Quirrell touching his turban and cowering in a corner and sounding as if he were whimpering. She quickly limped out and to Herbology.
It was odd. What Holly saw yesterday. Quirrell whimpering? What was with the one sided conversation? The voice definitely didn't sound like her Professors...It wasn't natural. She saw her father wandering outside. He had obviously gotten better and was looking for her. He found her.
" Holly. " He looked at her. She looked up back at him and found he wasn't angry as she feared.
" Yes? "
" Even? " He held out his hand.
" Even. " She nodded and shook his hand firmly. " Um. Can I ask you something about Professor Quirrell? "
" Is he willing to give up his job finally? " He sat with her and took out his grade book and a packet of tests.
She watched briefly and quietly before continuing. " No. I...I heard a...a sort of whimpering or whatever from him..and..he was clutching his turban...and there was a bit of a conversation but it didn't sound like something ...he would say.."
Severus looked at his daughter. " Holly,..Quirrell is..well...a lunatic. "
" Is that all you have to tell me? Come on don't sugar coat it!! Gimme details!! I must knoooow. " She impatiently bounced.
" Don't you have something to begin getting ready for? " He stared at her. She immediately jumped up and ran back inside.
Holly ran all the way to the locker rooms and pushed through the players, going to her locker and changing into her uniform as the others had done. She grabbed her broom and headed out to the field, standing and looking around. One by one the players followed her after they finished dressing. Nathan spoke. "Normally it should be our last game of the year..." She nodded. He put his arm around her shoulder. " You have six more years to enjoy this place. Six more years to play Quidditch and six more years to hopefully expand your relationship with that Ravenclaw boy. "
" I hope you won't try and smack any bludgers to hit Cedric. You know what happened last time. " She spoke, leaning against him and her broom. They both smiled and headed to the tent to get the game plan.
The crowd poured in. Gryffindors cheering their heads off for Hufflepuff. Slytherins obviously for their house. Lee Jordan having planned a cheer for Slytherin when they won against Hufflepuff to put players down. Severus having no anxiety for this game, grading papers. The teams were called out. Glances and words exchanged and the game began.
About an hour passed in the game. Hufflepuff was taking an incredible lead. Slytherins flabbergasted. Snape on the edge of his seat, forgetting all about his papers. The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws in the audience were screaming all for Hufflepuff this time. All but Jeremy who was wondering what the hell was happening with Holly. The snitch had flown past her several times and she hadn't caught it. Neither did Cedric. Lee Jordan going nuts over the microphone at this game's unexpected turn.
Flint drew the team in for a time out. " What is going on with you all out there!! We're going to be beaten by a bunch of stupid badgers!! Holly! Where is your head? You never even came close to grabbing the snitch during the times it's passed you. " Holly didn't speak a word and kept her eyes on the neck of her broom. He shook his head. " Well. I guess I'll let your father scold you. Lets get back out there and keep out Slytherin name. " Everyone nodded and Holly hissed, flying with her team in V formation across the field.
" Slytherin has come back into the game. Hufflepuff leads 100 points to 50! Wow. Usually that would be the other way around. I wonder what Professor Snape has to say to his daughter. It's mainly her fault for this inevitable loss." Lee turned and looked at Snape who was giving him a death glare. Lee backed down. "...Obviously he has nothing to say! "
Holly stared at the ground. She was out of it for some reason today. She was going to fly off but then Cedric hovered over to her. He gave her a small smile. She pushed her hair from her eyes and sighed. " Guess you guys are having all the fun this time, huh? " She faintly smiled at him and sighed.
" Of course it doesn't have to be that way. What's wrong? " They both ducked a bludger and a chaser, followed by beaters.
" I don't know actually. Tired...nervous..." She yawned abit.
" Could be tired. I've gotten that way abit during my games as well. " The snitch came in-between them and stopped. Their eyes widened. " May the best team win! " He dove after it with Holly in a glare, following.
" YES!! AT LAST!!! SLYTHERIN'S SEEKER HAS WOKEN UP AND IS NOW PURSUING THE SNITCH!!!! CEDRIC DIGGORY IS CLOSE TO GRABBING IT!!! " Lee was now on his toes, bouncing like a maniac. There was always excitement when the seekers went after the snitch. It was incredible to see two players go after something that is claimed hard to see by those who are not made for the position.
Snape and Diggory still in pursuit of the snitch. Diving and zigzagging in and out of the field. Avoiding players and pulling out of crashes. They weren't going to let it get away at all. A bludger came by and smacked into Cedric who crashed into Holly and they both fell onto the ground.
" Oohh.. A bad crash for the seekers. Luckily they weren't far from the ground."
Holly got up and punched Cedric in the shoulder. She sat on her knees and grabbed her broom, rubbing her head. Cedric looked up at her. " Sorry...Bludger..you know..." He picked up his broom and helped her up. She took her arm away from him and mounted, gliding off. Cedric mounted his broom but felt something in the sleeve of his shirt. He froze and dug around. A pause. He grabbed hold of something. Pulling it out.
The snitch.
" LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!!! HUFFLEPUFF WINS WITH 270 POINTS!! Cedric Diggory has caught the snitch using the rare move called the Plumpton Pass!! A seemingly careless swerve that scoops the Snitch up one's sleeve!!! " Lee stood up and cheered with Professor Sprout head of Hufflepuff's house. Severus stood and gathered the papers. He shook his head and left the teacher's box.
Of Quidditch and Love
" Is your father going to be annoyed with you now, Holly? " Shade asked at the Slytherin Table.
It was lunch time. Snape wasn't at the faculty table and Holly was growing worried for her life. She had never turned against her father with her potion and the thought never crossed her mind. Was he going to deliberately change her grades and fail her for her first year at Hogwarts? Was he going to secretly plot her demise? Did the Acceptabiliaserum have that much of an effect on him that it killed him? Many things she wondered while she stared at the blank spot at the table.
It was nearly the end of the year. There was one more game to be played(actually, two, but because a rumor floated that Hufflepuff was going to inevitably lose, nobody really counted it as a game.)And that game would surely help the team's house if they won.Shade was becoming uneasy at Holly's silence. She tried her best to cheer her up. " Well.At least there won't be that hard of a Quidditch game to play. You know Hufflepuff being your next challenger of course. " Holly's eyes turned and looked at the one speaking. She just stared at her. Shade grew even more uneasy. " What?! "
Holly looked around with boredom pushing the thoughts of her father out of her mind. Her glance turned to the Hufflepuff table where she looked around, trying to identify who exactly the seeker was. Flint who was at her side, turned and looked at the table. He then glanced at Holly and turned away, speaking into his goblet.
" If you're wondering who the seeker is, it's Cedric Diggory. He sits at the end near the double doors. Second year. "
She turned. " Are you a mind reader? "
" No. It's just common for players to try and identify each other. "
" ...Cedric..how well of a seeker is he? "
" Pretty good actually. Won't stand a chance against you though. Don't worry about the game though. It'll be faster than you and Malfoy's duel. " He as well as the other team stood. Holly being the last. " Time for practice. " The seven players left.
Cedric watched the Slytherin team leave. With Holly behind, he had a little time to guess what her position was. Though it wasn't hard. He knew a seeker when he saw one. The Diggory tapped Susan Bones, a first year Hufflepuff. He spoke quietly to her.
" Susan. You mind telling me, is that Slytherin's Seeker? "
She nodded. " Oh yes. She's absolutely amazing. I hope you do well while playing against her. She's a really really tough player."
" Yes. She wasn't messing around when it came to Ravenclaw's game.It should be quite a challenge. " He gave a small smile before drinking some juice. He was wondering a little more about her though. How come she was so old for a first year? How could she make the team at such an early year? He already knew Harry's story but knew for sure his potions professor didn't play Quidditch when he was younger. How could she be so good as Susan said?
Surely none of the Hufflepuffs would know the right information he wanted about this Slytherin girl. Asking another Slytherin would probably make him look like an idiot. A big one. He would need to ask her himself. But to do that without making Holly think he was a stalker or something. Who was he going to ask? Then it hit him. Jeremy Flamel. Lee commented on them being, "Hogwarts' Hottest Couple." It discouraged him at first, but it would really get rid of his biting curiosity. That settled it. During Dinner he would interrogate Jeremy about Holly.
Defence Against The Dark Arts arrived. Holly came in a little late and bruised up. She gave her note to stuttering Professor Quirrell from Madam Hooch and took her seat. She removed her book and opened it to a random page, grabbing her quill and drawing in her notebook. Defence Against The Dark Arts wasn't one of her strong points, but she was passing the rest of her classes so didn't really pay attention to poor Quirrell.
" N-n-now c-class. T-t-today I'll be giv-giving your te-tests from last w- week. "He began to pass back the quizzes. Holly got her quiz back and looked at the mark. Not very good or bad. She shrugged and placed it aside. Quirrell finished and stood back infront of the class.
" L-like I s-said, w-we aren't going t-to e-elaborate on m-m-m-much. " He continued with his mindless blather to some of the students. Holly's head lifted and looked at her teacher. " Th-there a-are things happening...h-h- here at Hogwarts..M-most of you d-don't know of...T-things some of your o- other t-teachers wo-won't t-talk to you about. O-Of course mo-most of you k- know what I-I'm talking about. " He looked over at Harry as he said this. Hermione's head lifted and she noticed Quirrell's glance.
Class ended. Everyone collected their things, Holly being the slowest one and waited for everyone to clear out, then making her way out with a slight limp. But she heard something. It wasn't a typical sound of footsteps, but a small conversation. Only one side of it. She turned and saw Quirrell touching his turban and cowering in a corner and sounding as if he were whimpering. She quickly limped out and to Herbology.
It was odd. What Holly saw yesterday. Quirrell whimpering? What was with the one sided conversation? The voice definitely didn't sound like her Professors...It wasn't natural. She saw her father wandering outside. He had obviously gotten better and was looking for her. He found her.
" Holly. " He looked at her. She looked up back at him and found he wasn't angry as she feared.
" Yes? "
" Even? " He held out his hand.
" Even. " She nodded and shook his hand firmly. " Um. Can I ask you something about Professor Quirrell? "
" Is he willing to give up his job finally? " He sat with her and took out his grade book and a packet of tests.
She watched briefly and quietly before continuing. " No. I...I heard a...a sort of whimpering or whatever from him..and..he was clutching his turban...and there was a bit of a conversation but it didn't sound like something ...he would say.."
Severus looked at his daughter. " Holly,..Quirrell is..well...a lunatic. "
" Is that all you have to tell me? Come on don't sugar coat it!! Gimme details!! I must knoooow. " She impatiently bounced.
" Don't you have something to begin getting ready for? " He stared at her. She immediately jumped up and ran back inside.
Holly ran all the way to the locker rooms and pushed through the players, going to her locker and changing into her uniform as the others had done. She grabbed her broom and headed out to the field, standing and looking around. One by one the players followed her after they finished dressing. Nathan spoke. "Normally it should be our last game of the year..." She nodded. He put his arm around her shoulder. " You have six more years to enjoy this place. Six more years to play Quidditch and six more years to hopefully expand your relationship with that Ravenclaw boy. "
" I hope you won't try and smack any bludgers to hit Cedric. You know what happened last time. " She spoke, leaning against him and her broom. They both smiled and headed to the tent to get the game plan.
The crowd poured in. Gryffindors cheering their heads off for Hufflepuff. Slytherins obviously for their house. Lee Jordan having planned a cheer for Slytherin when they won against Hufflepuff to put players down. Severus having no anxiety for this game, grading papers. The teams were called out. Glances and words exchanged and the game began.
About an hour passed in the game. Hufflepuff was taking an incredible lead. Slytherins flabbergasted. Snape on the edge of his seat, forgetting all about his papers. The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws in the audience were screaming all for Hufflepuff this time. All but Jeremy who was wondering what the hell was happening with Holly. The snitch had flown past her several times and she hadn't caught it. Neither did Cedric. Lee Jordan going nuts over the microphone at this game's unexpected turn.
Flint drew the team in for a time out. " What is going on with you all out there!! We're going to be beaten by a bunch of stupid badgers!! Holly! Where is your head? You never even came close to grabbing the snitch during the times it's passed you. " Holly didn't speak a word and kept her eyes on the neck of her broom. He shook his head. " Well. I guess I'll let your father scold you. Lets get back out there and keep out Slytherin name. " Everyone nodded and Holly hissed, flying with her team in V formation across the field.
" Slytherin has come back into the game. Hufflepuff leads 100 points to 50! Wow. Usually that would be the other way around. I wonder what Professor Snape has to say to his daughter. It's mainly her fault for this inevitable loss." Lee turned and looked at Snape who was giving him a death glare. Lee backed down. "...Obviously he has nothing to say! "
Holly stared at the ground. She was out of it for some reason today. She was going to fly off but then Cedric hovered over to her. He gave her a small smile. She pushed her hair from her eyes and sighed. " Guess you guys are having all the fun this time, huh? " She faintly smiled at him and sighed.
" Of course it doesn't have to be that way. What's wrong? " They both ducked a bludger and a chaser, followed by beaters.
" I don't know actually. Tired...nervous..." She yawned abit.
" Could be tired. I've gotten that way abit during my games as well. " The snitch came in-between them and stopped. Their eyes widened. " May the best team win! " He dove after it with Holly in a glare, following.
" YES!! AT LAST!!! SLYTHERIN'S SEEKER HAS WOKEN UP AND IS NOW PURSUING THE SNITCH!!!! CEDRIC DIGGORY IS CLOSE TO GRABBING IT!!! " Lee was now on his toes, bouncing like a maniac. There was always excitement when the seekers went after the snitch. It was incredible to see two players go after something that is claimed hard to see by those who are not made for the position.
Snape and Diggory still in pursuit of the snitch. Diving and zigzagging in and out of the field. Avoiding players and pulling out of crashes. They weren't going to let it get away at all. A bludger came by and smacked into Cedric who crashed into Holly and they both fell onto the ground.
" Oohh.. A bad crash for the seekers. Luckily they weren't far from the ground."
Holly got up and punched Cedric in the shoulder. She sat on her knees and grabbed her broom, rubbing her head. Cedric looked up at her. " Sorry...Bludger..you know..." He picked up his broom and helped her up. She took her arm away from him and mounted, gliding off. Cedric mounted his broom but felt something in the sleeve of his shirt. He froze and dug around. A pause. He grabbed hold of something. Pulling it out.
The snitch.
" LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!!! HUFFLEPUFF WINS WITH 270 POINTS!! Cedric Diggory has caught the snitch using the rare move called the Plumpton Pass!! A seemingly careless swerve that scoops the Snitch up one's sleeve!!! " Lee stood up and cheered with Professor Sprout head of Hufflepuff's house. Severus stood and gathered the papers. He shook his head and left the teacher's box.
