Chapter 15 – Gryffindor Vs Slytherin
By 11am the next day the quidditch pitch was packed with every student at Hogwarts. They could hear the excited crowd from inside the Gryffindor locker room and all of them looked even more nervous than usual. 230 points, that's how much they had to win by. Even if he caught the snitch they would still have to be up by 80 points, and that seemed near impossible against a physical team like Slytherin. Faced with the task of leading them, Ron had tried to rise to the challenge as their captain. He had spent days on end with his strategic mind, honed from playing chess, devising highly unorthodox and risky tactics. They way he figured it; they would either give it everything they had, or at the least go down in flames of glory. Probably the latter, he thought, but he wanted to take the chance as much as anyone else. Slytherin, on the other hand, had forsaken its chances of winning the house cup and decided to play spoiler. With nothing to lose they were going to field the biggest and toughest team they could, planning to outmuscle and bruise their more skilled Gryffindor opponents. It was going to be a tough game, and everyone knew it.
'Right, I know you're all nervous -'
Ron's voice made them all look up and pay attention, as he did his best to inspire them.
'- but it's do or die. Our backs are against the wall, and it's time to show them, the whole school, what Gryffindors are really made of.'
'Hear hear!' Fiona shouted
'Now, are our three chasers ready to play physically? I don't want you –'
'We know Ron' Ginny sighed, 'the three of us are ready, trust me.'
Ron grinned at his sister before continuing
'And can I trust our beaters to dish out punishment?'
'You bet! We've been saving our most vicious moves for Slytherin' Dean said with a certain satisfaction.
'Yeah don't you worry about us, they're going to wish they'd never been born after this match.' Seamus added
'Right, that just leaves our seeker.'
'I'm ready Ron' he said with a smile 'I haven't lost against Malfoy yet have I?'
'Well I'm questioning your loyalties pal.'
The rest of the team looked shocked.
'What?'
'Do you want Ravenclaw to win because your girlfriend is on the team?'
'That's out of line Ron' Ginny said
'Harry wouldn't do that -' Seamus said in a shocked tone
'Oh you don't know Harry like I do, he's a real martyr you know, it wouldn't surprise me at all if he plans on letting her win.'
Harry got up and walked up to Ron, saying the words right to his face.
'I will never ever do that, and you've got a lot of nerve accusing me' he said in slow steady tones, the anger showing in his voice.'
Ron looked at him for a moment before breaking out in a grin
'Good, you're angry, that's what I want. I know you wouldn't do that, but you seemed a little more indifferent than the rest of us. I need you to kick some Slytherin butt Harry, and you can't do that if you're living in that happy dream land of yours.'
'You've got some nerve –'
'Save it for Slytherin, let's go'
Harry was still glaring at Ron as they put their hands together and yelled Gryffindor before running out on to the field.
'Here comes the Gryffindor team on the field now, do they look pumped up for the game! Gryffindor can still win the cup if they win by 230 points, a difficult but not impossible task. Some of the older students may remember that three years ago Gryffindor was in a similar situation and had to beat Slytherin by two hundred points, and they managed to pull it off then.
There were loud boos from the Slytherin end at the reminder of that humiliating loss, but it was quickly drowned out by the tide of cheering from Gryffindor and most of Hufflepuff house. Even some Ravenclaws were hoping that Gryffindor would win, though not by too much.
'And Madam Hooch has released the snitch, there it goes! It zooms away and disappears into the sky.'
They stood across from Slytherin now, as the captains shook hands. Malfoy was sneering at him, and making taunts in an attempt to throw him off his game.
'Did you tie yourself to your broomstick this time potter? You seem to fall off it a lot' he said malevolently
'Did you wash your hands Malfoy? Maybe the snitch keeps slipping out of your hands because you're too greasy.'
Malfoy was about to retort but at that moment the whistle blew and madam Hooch released the bludgers and quaffle.
And the game has started! The chasers fly into the air after the quaffle, and Slytherin gains possession! The chaser moves up the field, flanked by the two Slytherin beaters, who are clearing the path for him. Oh, and one of the beaters has just been hit in the arm with a bludger.
Dean was grinning like a maniac after hitting the bludger and now rammed into the side of the Slytherin chaser.
Ouch! That HAD to hurt! Gryffindor are in possession now, all the chasers are flying in close formation as the beaters hit the bludgers to clear the way. She's got some moves that one! And she scores! 10-0 for Gryffindor.
Harry looked over at Malfoy who was scanning around for the snitch. He was going for the quickest win possible, as a win now would assure them of second place. The rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor was so heated that either team would rather see Ravenclaw win than each other. He looked over at Ron who caught his eye and nodded at him. It was time for one of those risky moves that they had talked about.
'And Slytherin is in possession again, using their size to knock their opponents out of the way. OH BUT LOOK AT THE GRYFFINDOR SEEKER!'
The whole crowd let out a stunned note of shock now, as Harry sped across the field.
Harry Potter is playing as a chaser! This is extremely unorthodox folks, and risky too! Gryffindor are now playing with four chasers leaving Malfoy to catch the snitch alone. And they storm up the field! Ginny passes to Fiona, Fiona to Harry, what a swerve! He passed the quaffle back to Fiona and she scores! 20-0 for Gryffindor!
The Slytherin team was in shock. He looked up at Malfoy who had been watching the play instead of searching for the snitch. They exchanged glances before Malfoy resumed his search.
'Slytherin in possession, they attack. Oh they're going to have to do better than that, it seems as if their entire team has collapsed, they're playing without any kind of set play. Gryffindor regains the quaffle, and go on the attack. Here come the four chasers again, and Slytherin is simply outmatched! 30-0 for Gryffindor!
The Slytherin team looked livid now, they were down by thirty points and the game had hardly started. Their captain shouted some instructions to the rest of the team as they regrouped and made another run.
'Here comes Slytherin again, using the hawkshead formation to attack. Gryffindor sends a bludger flying at the chaser holding the quaffle, but he managed to pass it to a team member who flies down the pitch. He's making his final scoring run now, OH MY! Two of the Gryffindor chasers have just sandwiched him! He looks dazed now, barely hanging on to his broom as Gryffindor regains possessions of the quaffle. This isn't looking good for Slytherin; they may be down by two chasers now, as the Slytherin player seems to have no idea where he is anymore. And here comes Ginny Weasley on the attack again, flanked by two other chasers. A backwards pass to Mandy who takes a shot and scores! 40-0 for Gryffindor! This game is turning into a clobbering folks; it might start to get dirty now. And the Slytherin captain has called a time-out! There's going to be a three minute time out folks, in which Slytherin will try to regroup and make a comeback.
Harry flew over to Ron who was grinning like crazy. By now the Gryffindor fans had gone absolutely crazy; they were drowning out all the other houses in a feverous show of support for their team.
'Brilliant Harry' Ron grinned, 'but be careful, we don't want Malfoy to catch the snitch.'
The other members of their team flew over to Ron and Harry too, and he started reminding them of the task they still had to accomplish.
'We still have to get 40 more points, and then catch the snitch. You can bet your life that Slytherin are going to play extremely dirty now, so watch yourselves. We can't afford for any of us to get injured!'
They all nodded their understanding and resumed their positions.
Ginny was giggling now, and they looked at what she was laughing at. She pointed her finger down at the Slytherin team, where their captain was yelling at Malfoy for not getting the snitch yet. Malfoy looked thoroughly furious; he had had almost ten minutes alone but had never come close to catching the snitch.
'And madam Hooch has whistled signaling the game will resume. The teams take their positions and Slytherin retains possession. And there goes the whistle! Slytherin on the attack again … oh and it seems Harry Potter has resumed his regular duty as seeker, he's now flying next to Malfoy and they're both looking for the snitch. The Slytherin chasers go on the attack, and one of them has broken through the defense. He takes a shot, but the keeper has saved it! Hard to believe that was only the first shot of the game for Slytherin, it seems their time out has really helped them get it together. Gryffindor now has possession, and Ginny Weasley is on the attack. OH MY, that's a foul!
Goyle had just hit Ginny on the head with his bat, causing her to drop the quaffle and nearly fall of her broom. Madam hooch was livid, screaming at Goyle for such a flagrant foul. Ron was fuming as he flew down to Madam Hooch to vent his displeasure, but at that moment Dean flew up behind Goyle and smashed him over the head as hard as he could with his bat.
'THAT'S ENOUGH!' Madam Hooch screamed. She had taken out her wand and was pointing it at them. 'There will be a penalty to each of the teams, and if I see anymore of this unsportsmanlike behavior - any at all – I will kick that player out of the game!'
Mandy took the first foul for Gryffindor, and her accurate shot easily beat the keeper. Unfortunately Ron was still furious about his sister getting hit and missed the shot by Slytherin.
'And play has resumed, let's hope we'll see no more of that! Gryffindor is in possession now, and they speed down the pitch towards the Slytherin end. Oh that was a close bludger! And she's dropped the quaffle which was intercepted by a Slytherin player, who turns around and zig zags over the field, trying to dodge bludgers. He takes a shot and scores! It's now 50-20, and Gryffindor can't be happy about this.
There it was. The snitch was in the corner of the pitch, and they both spotted it at the same time.
'There go the seekers! But Gryffindor can't catch it yet, they're only up by thirty points, unless they're happy to settle for second place. They're neck in neck now, and Harry Potter slams into Draco Malfoy, but they both remain on course. Harry has a slight lead now, thanks to his firebolt, and he suddenly swerves to try and block Malfoy. Oh no, the Slytherin seeker anticipated and managed to dodge, and now he's got a clear path to the snitch. The Gryffindor seeker has no chance of catching him, and it looks like Gryffindor's luck may just have run out. He's only three meters away from it now, and inching closer. He's almost got his hands over it now, and OH! He didn't see that coming! He just took a bludger to the head and it looks like he's down for the count! Yes, he's trying to get up but it looks like he got knocked into yesterday! And Gryffindor have taken this moment of confusion to score! 60-20!
Harry was grinning now, his heart pumping like crazy. They had almost lost, but instead Malfoy was on the ground shaking cobwebs out of his head. With renewed hope he pushed his firebolt to the limit and charged at the Slytherin beaters.
'It seems Gryffindor have gone back to their first tactic, and are using their seeker as an extra chaser. With the extra attacker Slytherin will have a tough time matching them, they'd better hope their seeker can start flying again soon. And Ron Weasley had no problem stopping that easy shot! Gryffindor are now in possession, and they're zooming down the field. Mandy passes to Fiona, while Ginny flanks them. Fiona is blocked by the Slytherin Chaser, but she manages to pass to Ginny. Ginny now speeds down the field, and there's a bludger flying for her. Oh but they've left Harry all alone, and he scores with the quaffle! Are you watching this? The Gryffindor seeker has just scored! That hasn't happened since the game in '82 between England and Germany! It's now 70-20, and the end of the game is nowhere in sight. It looks like the Slytherin seeker is getting back on his broom now and slowly flying upwards.'
Harry cursed under his breath as he saw Malfoy searching for the snitch again. He decided to make one more attack with the chasers before he would return to seeking. He urged his broom to fly across the pitch as they tried to regain possession.
The Gryffindor seeker is playing with fire now! He's still risking losing the game by allowing the other seeker to search for the snitch freely. Oh there's a collision at the center of the field, as the Gryffindor beater and Slytherin chaser ran into each other. Ginny grabs the quaffle and speeds across the field. She passes to Fiona, but there's a bludger heading for her! Harry Potter has blocked the bludger, it looks like he's hurt his arm but Gryffindor score! It's now 80-20, but will he be able to catch that snitch now?
Harry grimaced at the pain. It wasn't broken but the pain definitely stopped him from moving it too much. How foolish of him to try and block that bludger with his body. He flew back to the top of the field and searched for the snitch, trying to block out the pain in his arm.
'That looks like it hurt scarhead' Malfoy's drawling voice sniggered at him.
'Were you born this annoying Malfoy, or did you go to slimy git school before you came to Hogwarts?'
Malfoy gave him an angry look, but stayed focused on trying to find the snitch.
'90-20! What a beautiful play that was! It's only her second year on the team but Ginny Weasley has clearly become one of the best chasers at Hogwarts! Quidditch skill definitely runs in that family, as five out of six of her brothers played for Gryffindor…
There it was. The golden snitch. If he caught it now Ravenclaw and Gryffindor would be tied for points, and Ravenclaw would win by default. He chased down the snitch while trying to listen to the announcer. If he heard that Gryffindor scored again he would catch it, if not he would still have a head start on Malfoy making it easier to block him.
'There goes the Gryffindor seeker! Draco Malfoy was caught by surprise and he's now playing catch-up to the firebolt! They weave through the field; oh that was a close bludger! The Gryffindor seeker had to swerve aside and as a result he's now parallel to the Slytherin seeker. They bang against each other as they try to catch up to the snitch. Meanwhile Ronald Weasley has just made an amazing save! How on earth did he stop that one?
Harry slammed against Malfoy, who returned the favor, but neither of them was giving an inch in this furious race. The snitch was twenty meters ahead of them now, but still speeding along making it hard to catch up to it. Suddenly the snitch changed directions and headed downwards. They both followed it and plunged towards the ground, still neck in neck as they were only ten meters away from it now.
Gryffindor scores again! It's now 100-20!!! THIS IS IT FOLKS; THIS SEEKER BATTLE WILL DECIDE WHO WINS THE CUP!
Something clicked in Harry's mind. It was as if time slowed down, and his heart had stopped beating. Every movement seemed to take seconds. He had to do something to outmaneuver Malfoy and it was as if someone else was controlling his movements now. He pulled up his broom slightly allowing Malfoy to go ahead of him. Malfoy was now level with the snitch and barely two meters away from it, while Harry was about a meter above Malfoy and further away from the snitch. They raced along the ground, closing in, when Harry suddenly brought his broom down on Malfoy's head, causing him to get flattened against the ground. Suddenly the slow-motion seemed to stop and he found himself racing for the snitch at breakneck speeds. Closer … closer … He had caught it.
'150 points for Gryffindor as Harry Potter has caught the snitch! But what's this? Madam Hooch is blowing the whistle? Is that allowed when the match is over?'
The stadium was completely silent. There had never been such a large group of people who weren't saying anything.
'That was a foul!' Madam Hooch yelled.
They had all landed now and were running towards her for an explanation.
'But he caught the snitch before you blew the whistle! You can't take that back …. Can you?' Ron said; his eyes open wide with fear.
'No I can't, but the rules WILL allow me to grant a penalty shot, and that was clearly a foul!'
'A penalty shot?!'
This couldn't be happening. They had won the game by 230 points, if Slytherin were allowed a penalty shot now it would lose them the cup.
'You can't be serious' Ron stammered.
'I'm dead serious' she snapped, 'there will be one penalty shot against Gryffindor and it will be taken NOW.'
Ron was clearly flustered, and he didn't know what to do.
'Can we call a time-out' Harry said, trying to buy some time for his keeper.
'Very well, you have three minutes.'
He walked over to Ron and grabbed him by the shoulders.
'RON! Look at me. You can do this; you can win the game for us. Block out the crowd, block out all the other players, just focus on the quaffle, focus on stopping it.'
'Right … right Harry.'
He was looking at Harry now, his determination and confidence returning. His eyes became more focused and he got back on his broom and did a few loops around the posts to calm his nerves.
'Can you believe this folks? This shot will determine the winner of the cup! We're making history here; this game will be remembered and talked about for generations. It looks like Graham Pritchard will be taking the shot for Slytherin … The Gryffindor keeper must be under an enormous amount of pressure, he could win or lose the cup based on this one save!'
Once again there was complete silence. You could have heard a pin drop as every student and teacher in Hogwarts was glued to the shot. This was it. Their hopes and dreams would be saved or dashed.
'He takes the shot … SAVED!!! SAVED!! Gryffindor wins the house cup for the third year in a row!! The final score is 250 to 20! Oh my, what a game!
The Gryffindor students were pouring onto the field now, running to their quidditch team to congratulate them. The Ravenclaw stands on the other hand were filled with shock; they still couldn't believe what had happened. The Hufflepuffs had all stood up and were now clapping, a sign of respect for this amazing game. Harry looked around for Cho in the crowd, but couldn't find her anywhere. The crowd of Gryffindors had now enveloped him and carried him back to their common room before he could find her, and it was futile to resist.
Huge banners were hanging from the ceilings, a tribute to their entire team for winning three times in a row. People he had never even met were trying to get autographs from him as well as the rest of the team. Ron was glowing brighter than a Christmas tree, reveling in the attention some young fourth year girls were giving him, while Ginny was crying tears of joy as Dean retold the game for the tenth time.
It was nine o'clock before he could get away from the party in their dorm, and he immediately set out to find Cho. He took out the marauders map, looking for her name, and located her sitting by the lake alone. In all the excitement and confusion his guard had forgotten to follow him and he was walking alone down the corridors. It was refreshing to be alone, as he had been surrounded by at least a dozen people since the start of the game and it was tiring him out. He quickly walked out the main gate and headed towards the Lake while scanning the map. No one was around, there were no names on the map aside from his and hers, so what was the danger? As he got closer to where she was, thoughts were running through his mind. Was she mad at him for losing the cup? He felt a twang of guilt, this was her last year after all, and the last chance she ever had at winning the cup. To him it was number three, and he could win it again next year.
'Cho?'
'Harry! How did you find me?'
'Oh, I used the marauders map. Err, are you ok?'
She was sitting by the lake against the log they had sat by earlier in the year, and he could see she had been crying.
'I … I'm just disappointed that's all.'
'Oh, right. I'm sorry …'
'No, don't be sorry. You gave it everything you had and you won fair and square, I'm just being a crybaby…'
He sat down next to her and put his arm around her, it made him feel awful to see her cry like this.
'Is there anything I can do?'
'No … yes … Harry, what is it you like about me?'
'What do you mean?' he said confused, 'what don't I like about you?'
She hiccupped and smiled briefly, but still looked sad.
'I just want you to tell me, I want to hear it in your words.'
'Well, Uh, I mean you're really good looking …'
He cringed at that one, realizing his stupidity as he saw the expression on her face, and quickly tried to think of other things.
'You're smart too…. And uh… very popular'
She buried her face in her hands and started crying again, making him feel completely flustered.
'Cho? Err…'
'Is that all I am to you? A trophy?'
'What? Of course not! Cho …'
'I just want to be alone now, sorry' and she got up and ran away leaving Harry feeling completely speechless.
Women he thought to himself, what on earth is going through their heads. How could she possible think of herself as a trophy? He just couldn't think of the words, he was a quidditch player not a bloody poet.
He unfolded the map again and saw that she had run up to the Ravenclaw dorm where he couldn't follow her. Hermione! He needed Hermione; she would know what to do. He scanned for her name in the Gryffindor dorm but it wasn't there, instead he found it in the library. Why wasn't she at the celebrations? Even she wasn't that much of a bookworm he thought, as he headed to meet her.
'Hermione?'
She looked up from her book and gave him a watery smile.
'Oh hello Harry, what are you doing here?'
'I need your help' he said with exasperation, 'Cho's mad about something, I think it was something I said.'
'Well at least you noticed; which is more than I can say for Ron. He's too busy impressing fourth year bimbos to even notice I'm gone' she said, a note of bitterness evident in her voice
'Err is everything ok between you two?'
'Forget it, let's talk about you? What happened?'
He explained everything that had happened, and when he told her what he had said to her she rolled her eyes at him and let out a sigh.
'Oh Harry, she feels like she's not good enough for you, don't you see?'
'That's ridiculous, I'm crazy about her!'
'Yes I know that, but she's feeling a little insecure and she wanted you to tell her how you felt.'
'But … I told her she was intelligent and pretty'
Hermione seemed to be trying to control her eyes from rolling again, as her lips mouthed the word men.
'No need to be like that' he scowled, 'I came to you for help not to be patronized.'
'Well she wants to be more than a beautiful and intelligent girl to you; she wants you to love her for who she is.'
'But I do … I'm just not very good with words you know, especially when she's crying right in front of me.'
'Why don't you write her a letter then? It might be easier to say it in words.'
He thought about this before nodding his agreement.
'Alright then, I'll give it a shot. You can read it before I send it, make sure I don't say anything really dumb.'
'Here, take this piece of parchment and you can borrow my quill.'
He thought about what to write. 'Dear Cho,' … but his mind kept drawing blanks after that.
'How about some help Hermione?'
'I am not going to write your love letter for you.' She snapped, 'just write how you really feel, it doesn't have to be fancy.'
He started writing whatever came in his head, crossing out entire parts and sometimes starting again from scratch, until he had finally written what he thought was the best description of his feelings.
Dear Cho,
Words can't possibly describe how I feel about you. Throughout my life, I've never felt like this before. It's how you make me feel, and how you make me forget all the pain I carry. I love the way you bring out the best in me, the way I could never be sad as long as I know you care for me. An hour spent without you feels like a day, and a day with you feels like an hour. When I look in your eyes, I want to grow old with you. It hurts me to see you sad, and I don't ever want to be without you. I wish you would realize how much I love you.
Harry
'So what do you think? He said, trying not to die of embarrassment as she read it. She seemed impressed though, her eyebrows raised with mild surprise.
'Well I would be flattered if a guy sent me a letter like this, you have my seal of approval. Why don't you ask her to join you by the lake as a postscript?'
'Right' he grinned and scribbled it down, 'Thanks Hermione, you're the best.'
'And somehow I got stuck with the most insensitive pig at Hogwarts.'
'Eh? You sure you're ok?'
'Yes, I'm fine. Go send your letter before it's too dark. Oh and leave me the map, if you're going to be wandering around by yourself without a guard I want to keep an eye out for you. I can watch the map to make sure nobody comes near you; you've got your charmed sickle right?'
'Yes in my pocket, thanks!' and he gave her an appreciative hug before running to his dorm.
'Harry! Come and have a butterbeer with us!' Ron yelled as he walked back in the common room.
'Ron, you insensitive wart, haven't you wondered where Hermione is?'
'Oh, she said she had to study or something. Why?'
'I think you'd better go see to her you prat, she's in the library.'
Ron frowned at him but nodded and walked out, to the dismay of the girls he was chatting with.
He ran up to his room and found Hedwig, and tied the letter to her leg.
'Right Hedwig, I want you to deliver this right away, and make sure she gets it! Peck her or break the glass, whatever it takes, but don't let her ignore you!'
His owl hooted her agreement and flew out of the window. He then headed back downstairs and made his way to the lake again. It was getting colder outside now, and he took his invisibility cloak with him. Turned inside out it didn't make him invisible but it did keep him warm, and it had proven handy in the past. He arrived at the same log and sat down, watching the ripples in the water.
There was a sound behind him, and he saw Cho standing there, tears in her eyes and the letter in her hand.
'Cho …'
But he never finished what he was going to say. She ran up to him and flung her arms around him, her lips not allowing him to say anything. It was more passionate than he had ever experienced, both of their emotions running rampant. She pulled him down on the ground and held him tightly, their bodies intertwined, his hand running through her hair. She began kissing his neck and briefly whispered in his ear.
'I want to grow old with you too Harry'
