"Professor Dumbledore, er." Harry couldn't think of what to say.
"My thoughts exactly." The Headmaster smiled. "Why don't I join the three of you for a little breakfast?"
There seemed to be no point in arguing in a situation like this so Harry retreated to the Gryffindor table. Hermione and Renata sat down on either side of him.
"May I be privileged to know what brings the three of you out this early on a Saturday?"
Renata answered before Harry could even open his mouth. "Harry wanted to get some flying in before the game started. We're here to make sure he doesn't hurt himself and that he ate properly."
She had opted to go with the truth. That was a first.
"I see. Harry, if it won't deter you too much from your extra, last minute, Quiditch practice, would you mind coming to talk with me for a moment?"
"Not at all."
"Excuse us." Dumbledore and Harry left the table. "Harry, did you know your father played Quiditch for Gryffindor?"
"Yes, sir."
"Were you aware that once, he became so absorbed in the game that he forgot about everything else? He didn't want to eat, or sleep, or do his homework. Where the team ranked was more important to him than anything else. Then he fainted in class one day. Lack of sleep and food had caught up with him. He was exhausted. He'd been going outside to fly in every spare moment. When he had to be indoors he was reading Quiditch magazines. It wasn't healthy, Harry. Do you understand?"
"I understand. Was he punished for the way he was acting?"
"He was suspended from the team for a month and we locked up his broom. Remember this Harry: Quiditch is fun, but it shouldn't be your life."
"Yes, sir."
"Although I daresay your friends would intervene before things got too serious."
"Yes. They would force me to eat and use potions to make me fall asleep before they let me become unhealthy."
"I suspected so, but all the same it's good to hear. I must be going now, I'm not supposed to take sides but, good luck today."
"Thank you."
At the table Hermione asked, "What was that all about?"
"Dumbledore was trying to scare me with the dangers of over-obsessing about Quiditch."
"Be warned, Harry. You're our friend we don't plan to let you get hurt or hurt yourself. So you can forget about becoming so obsessed with Quiditch that you forget about the world. 'Cause we'll let you turn into an overweight bookworm before we let that happen. 'Kay?"
He couldn't help grinning.
"Now, the game isn't until around eleven. It's six in the morning now and the three of us have been down here for almost an hour. You didn't go to sleep until two in the morning. I say we all go upstairs for a few more hours of rest."
"I don't want to."
"Harry."
"I don't want to."
It took a half an hour and more than a few threats to finally get Harry back in the common room where he was forced to take another sleeping draught.
The last thing he heard before he fell asleep was, "I hope we aren't causing brain damage here."

When Harry woke again it was nearly ten in the morning. Hermione was asleep in a chair nearby and Renata was leaning against the portrait hole door, snoring lightly. Harry shook his head and tried to remember where his broom was.
Where would Hermione have hidden it? Somewhere he either couldn't go to or wouldn't think to go. Where couldn't he go? Where was the one he couldn't and wouldn't go? Harry sighed. The girls' dormitory. No way to get the broom himself. He'd have to wake them up. Who first?
Harry crept up to Renata and shouted in her ear, "GET UP!"
She continued to snore. People were starting to come down from their dorms. Harry saw Parvati come down.
"Parvati?"
"What?"
"Er-could you do me a favor and see if Renata or Hermione by any chance hid my Firebolt in your room? They were playing a trick on me and I think that's where it is."
"Okay, I'll check." She disappeared up the stairs.
Ron came down and asked, "Where were you, Harry?"
"Long story."
"I didn't see it up there," Parvati told Harry, coming down the stairs.
"Thanks, anyway."
Ron gave Harry a questioning look.
"Oh, Renata and Hermione hid my broomstick and they gave me a sleeping potion so I wouldn't leave. I tried to wake them up but they didn't hear a word I said. And look, Renata's blocking the exit."
"So? We move her."
Harry and Ron dragged Renata off to the side so people could leave. Then they started shaking her until she woke up. Even when she was awake, she didn't seem to be hearing them.
She took her wand out and muttered something. "Sorry about that. It was a mute charm. I couldn't hear either of you."
"No time for that. Where's my broom?"
"I don't know. Hermione was in charge of hiding it."
They proceeded to wake Hermione. "I'll get it." She crossed the room and went to the window. She leaned out and after struggling for a moment came inside carrying the Firebolt.
"How'd you get it to stay?"
"Rubber cement. It's quarter after ten, just enough time for you to eat before the match."
"I'm not eating."
"Fine," Renata told him. "Then it's just enough time for us to shove something down your throat. Either way, you're not playing on an empty stomach."
Harry hadn't thought they would force-feed him, but he was wrong.
Down in the Great Hall Ron held his hands behind his back, Renata pinched his nose and Hermione shoveled food in his mouth. This didn't go on for too long because of course Harry realized how ridiculous he looked after two bites and he agreed to be a good boy and eat on his own. The truth about why he didn't want to eat was that he was afraid he would lose his breakfast allover the field, he was that nervous.
On his way to the locker room Hermione said to Harry, "You'll do fine. Trust the team."
"Nnnnng."
Ron gave it a try. "Harry, you're a good Seeker, right?"
"I'm okay, I guess."
"Alright, and Renata is a good Keeper."
"Yeah."
"So, if she doesn't let anybody on the other team score and you get the Snitch then you guys automatically win no matter how bad the rest of the team is."
It made sense.
Hermione put her arm around Harry, "And don't forget, we'll be in the stands cheering for you. Good luck."
"Yeah, good luck, Harry."
Harry was only feeling slightly better as he entered the locker room to give his pre-game speech. "Okay, team. We've got our first game ahead of us. I know that for most of you this will be your first match. It's okay. You'll be fine. Just get out there and do your best." He muttered, "And I hope it's good enough."
Renata was nearest to him and she frowned, "What Mr. Captain here means is that this is Ravenclaw: they are smart and they're a good team, but the thing is we're smart, we're a good team, we've been training hard, and we're not afraid. We can do it! Repeat after me: we can do it!" No one answered, she repeated, "We can do it!"
There was weak agreement.
"Alright then," said Renata. "Let's go win!"
They trudged out onto the field. He asked Renata, "Are you a Quiditch player or a cheerleader?"
"Both. Still designing the cheer outfit. Good luck, and don't worry."
Harry went and shook hands with Cho Chang, the Ravenclaw captain.
"Good luck, Harry," she smiled, obviously full of confidence in her team but at the same time, sincere about wishing him luck.
"You, too," he said half-heartedly.
Madam Hooch said, "Are you all ready? Three.two.one!" The game started.
"And, look! There they go! Ginny Weasly passes the ball to Dennis Creevy, my brother, and.no! The pass misses? The Quaffle is caught by Dave Reynolds of Ravenclaw. It's a nice clean pass and.Ravenclaw sc- no! Wow! That was a terrific block by Renata Delano! Did you guys see that? Awesome! I mean, that was just incredible! Renata passes to Jeffery Brown and.he misses. Ravenclaw has the ball again. They attempt to score and.again! Another excellent block by Renata Delano. No one seems to have seen the Snitch yet but both Harry Potter and Cho Chang seem to be searching in earnest." Collin Creevy, after not making the team, had applied for the position of running the commentary during the matches.
Harry looked around and couldn't find the Snitch, the problem was he couldn't concentrate. Thanks to Renata, Ravenclaw hadn't scored yet; but thanks to the Gryffindor Chasers, neither had the Gryffindors.
Harry tried to concentrate on looking for the Snitch but he found he couldn't. He kept getting distracted by watching his own team. He kept muttering, "How did she miss that one? Good, he caught it, now the pass.no! Oh, how did Daphne miss that Bludger? It hit Ginny and messed up her shot!" Harry switched directions angrily and nearly collided with the very Bludger that had just hit Ginny that came hurling at him at a great speed. "Watch it!" he yelled at Claire.
"Sorry!"
Harry continued to look for the Snitch. He knew that it was their only shot at winning. Renata was doing well enough and hadn't let the Ravenclaws score yet but there was only so long that she could keep it up.
"And there seems to have bee no sign of the Snitch, yet. But wait a minute! It looks like Cho Chang of Ravenclaw sees it! She is going after it. She's now only yards away. Where's Harry Potter? Does anyone see him? There he is! Harry Potter is all the way on the other side of the field! Cho is closing in on the Snitch. Harry's trying to catch up. Does anybody think he can get there in time? He's catching up but Cho is just a few yards away from the Golden Snitch and.she cuts him off! He tried to pass her and she cut him off!"
Harry swore silently. He blew it. There was no way he'd be able to catch up now but he had to try.
"And Cho Chang catches the Golden Snitch! The game is over! Ravenclaw wins 150 points to-wait a second! Oh no! It looks like.yes.Harry Potter has just collided with a Bludger. Can anyone see if he's all right?"
Harry clutched his stomach and tried to land. He landed, and lost his breakfast on the field. "Argh." So there he was, the great Harry Potter, bent double on the Quiditch field. And on top of that he'd just lost a Quiditch game. It was humiliating.
As the fans left the stands Harry thought he heard Draco Malfoy laughing, but he didn't see him anywhere and even if he did it would have been impossible to distinguish his voice through the crowd.
Hermione and Ron came and helped Harry up. "Are you all right, Harry?"
"No, I'm not alright! We just lost."
"Harry," Hermione said gently, "that's not important. Physically, are you all right? Those Bludgers are rough."
"I'm fine," he said shortly, clutching his stomach. "I can't believe it. Gryffindor has always been a good team, until this year. These kids can't play Quiditch! They're just no good at it."
"I'm sorry but this has got to be said, you insensitive jerk! Those kids were out there giving it their all! And you just walk away! You cannot just turn your back on them. If you're going to do that then this team needs somebody else in charge because you're just not fit to run it!" Renata started walking away and then came back. She pointed her wand at her throat and said, "Sonoris." She took a deep breath, and then her voice became so loud. She stared coldly at him as she shouted, "ATTENTION ALL MEMBERS OF THE GRYFFINDOR QUIDITCH TEAM! THERE WILL BE AN EMERGENCY MEETING IN THE LOOKER ROOM! NOW! REPEAT! MEETING IN THE LOCKER ROOM, NOW!"
Harry watched in disgust and went to the locker room. The team came and so did Ron and Hermione. Harry found Renata standing where he'd planned to be.
"Good, everyone is here. I have a suggestion. I think we need, at least temporarily, a new captain."
The team just moaned, but it was a positive one, they agreed with Renata.
"Now, wait just a second, I-" Harry started.
Ginny looked him in the eye, "Harry, did you think we'd win today?"
He didn't answer.
"Did you?"
"No! I didn't think so. And I was obviously right!"
"Harry," said Dennis, "when the guy who led our practices and taught us how to play, doesn't think we have a chance, what's the point of trying? We knew you didn't think we'd win. But we tried to try."
"No, you didn't. I was the only one out there today who-"
"Harry!" said Ron, suddenly. "What about Renata? Not a single time did the Quaffle get passed her today, not once! Did you get the Snitch?"
"No, but-"
"But nothing! That was your job, Harry. Get the Snitch. You didn't do your job either, okay? So just shut-up and let Renata talk!" Ron yelled.
A shocked silence began and Renata started. "Does anyone remember the basics of Quiditch? There are four positions: Chaser, Beater, Keeper, and Seeker." She ticked the numbers off on her fingers and shot Harry a look of disgust when she got to Seeker. "The Chasers deal with the Quaffle, just the Quaffle. They pass it back and forward and try to get it through one of the hoops; there are three of them. They have got to communicate. They have got to plan. They have got to think, 'If I throw the Quaffle now, Ginny will be there so I throw, now!' But that doesn't work if she doesn't know you're going to throw it, or if she knows you're throwing it but you don't get it in the right place. And Beaters, you deal with the Bludgers, there are two of them and all you have to do is make sure they don't hit anyone on our team. If possible make them hit the other team, but at least keep them away from our team. Now the Keeper, she deals with the Quaffle too. She makes sure that nothing gets through the hoop; Chasers, outsmart the other team's Keeper. Now, Mr. Seeker over there," she jerked her head at Harry and gave him a nasty glare. "All he had to do was find the Snitch and get it before Cho. Didn't work, did it? I asked a question."
Harry mumbled something.
"Did anyone else see when the Snitch was behind Harry's head? Right behind his head, and he didn't know it? I did."
"Then why didn't you say something?" he asked angrily.
"Because, that wasn't my job. I'm the Keeper, remember? I say we take a vote. All in favor of a new Captain?"
Harry looked around the room. Renata's hand shot up as soon as the words were out of her mouth; Claire's hand went up; Ginny's was soon in the air; the rest followed. Even Ron and Hermione raised their hands.
"You two are against me, too? You're my best friends."
"That's why we have to do this, Harry."
"You can't vote! You're not on the team."
"You're still outnumbered."
"Fine! I quit!" Harry stormed out of the room, half-hoping someone would try to stop so he'd have an excuse to snap back at them. No one stopped him. Good, he thought, I don't want to talk to anyone anyway.
Harry went to the Great Hall to get something to eat. He didn't speak to anyone. That night, Harry left the common room early. He lay awake for a long time, unable to stop the thoughts going around and around his head.

In the morning at breakfast, which Harry ate alone at one end of the Gryffindor table. He received an owl that he was most certainly not in the mood for.

Harry,
It's Oliver Wood. I got someone to send me the schedule of when
Gryffindor plays. I couldn't make yesterday's match, sorry about
that. But I will be there for the last one. How did yesterday's
go?
Oliver Wood

He started to crumple the page. If this were last year, Harry would have been thrilled. Last year he had a great team with nobody new to the game, everybody knew how to play right and they did it. This year.well, it was the complete opposite. Oliver Wood was a great Keeper, Renata was only just barely his equal, if she was. He'd been the captain of the Gryffindor team before Harry had been. He was a Quiditch fanatic. He had the team up at dawn practicing on Saturdays.
Wood had been great. He and Charlie Weasly were probably the most memorable players from Gryffindor any of the students could think of. Although, Harry was near the top of the list, too. He was the most recent first year to have made a house team in a century.
Harry knew Wood would be disappointed if he'd seen the game today. But it wasn't my fault! Harry thought. Harry didn't see Ron, Hermione, or Renata at all that day.