Special Delivery
Two days after Cho's visit, Harry was discharged. After Madam Pomfrey agreed to let him go, he raced up to the Gryffindor Tower, eager to see his friends.
"Griffin," he muttered to the Fat Lady. The portrait opened to reveal an empty common room. He stepped into the room, and gazed around.
"SURPRISE!" Harry leapt about two inches in the air when the entire Gryffindor house jumped on him, hugging him and praising him. Fred and George pulled a trolley full of food.
"Courtesy of Dobby and the Marauders," Fred whispered. Harry grinned. He then looked around.
"Where are Ron and Hermione?"
"Here!" Harry jumped again when Ron and Hermione shouted into his ears. Hermione jumped on him and gave him a bone-crushing hug. Harry choked slightly and she loosened her grip.
"Where's Alex?" Harry asked.
"She's helping the professors getting ready the Elixir for distributing. But she said she'll be here soon."
Harry nodded. For some reason, he felt his heart beating slightly faster than before.
"ALRIGHT! LET'S PARTY!" George yelled. The Gryffindors cheered and dug into the food. Harry grinned through mouthfuls of chicken and pumpkin juice.
"By the way, Professor Dumbledore awarded fifty points each to the four of us for the capture of the snakes. Another ten was awarded to Alex for her first aid skills," Hermione announced, biting gingerly into a chicken drumstick.
"Wow! That makes two hundred and ten points!" Harry beamed. The Gryffindors cheered even louder. Just then, the portrait opened, and Alex stepped in.
"Ah! The girl of the hour!" Lee Jordan yelled. Alex blushed. She held out a large box.
"Professor Dumbledore wants me to distribute these to you guys. five each."
"We can do that later. come, let's party!" Fred pulled Alex into a silly dance. The Gryffindors broke into hysterical laughter.
That night, the Gryffindors retreated with weary bodies, but happy moods. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Alex stayed beside the fire when the others headed back to their dormitories.
"Oh, I almost forgot, your present," Harry smacked his forehead. He waved his wand and Summoned a parcel from his dormitory. Hermione opened it, and gasped in surprise. Lying comfortably on pieces of tissue papers was a sapphire studded hair clip. It was a rose with platinum twines at the sides, with the sapphires on the petals.
"Harry. I can't. I can't." Hermione stuttered. Harry grinned.
"Yes, you can. You deserved it." Harry looked at Hermione straight in the eye. "Thanks for being my friend."
Hermione nodded and clipped her hair neatly. The sapphires looked especially dazzling on her chestnut brown hair. Harry glanced at Ron, who was biting his lips quietly. Harry smiled knowingly.
"Ron, what did you give Hermione?"
Ron blushed slightly. Alex answered for him. "A sapphire pendant shaped as a H."
Ron and Hermione flushed. "It. it. was." Ron stuttered.
"It must be even better than my gift, right?" Harry teased Hermione. She flushed even further, and looked away. Ron's face had disappeared under his red hair. They muttered an excuse about being tired and scampered away to their dormitories, leaving Alex and Harry by the fire alone. Harry threw a glance at Alex, who was looking at the fire thoughtfully. Her face reflected the glow from the fire, highlighting her features to perfection. Her long raven tresses framed her face and brought out the sparkle in her eyes. Harry's heart gave a bound as he stared at her.
Alex looked up, and smiled. Harry felt his face burned. "Is something wrong?"
Harry shook his head. "No. no."
"Are you feeling alright?" Alex asked, her voice concerned. Harry nodded. He could feel his face burning like the fire in front of him.
Harry nodded, not thrusting his mouth to talk. Alex glanced at him and Harry felt a pounding sensation in his heart.
"It's getting late. You better go back and take some rest. Here," Alex handed five bottles of clear blue solution to Harry. As Harry took the five bottles, his hand brushed past Alex's, and sent chills up his hand.
"Thanks," Harry muttered. Alex smiled in reply and put out the fire with a wave of her wand. The both of them walked up the steps quietly.
"Goodnight," she whispered as they reached the door to the girl's dormitory.
"Goodnight," Harry replied and turned to his left.
That night, Harry slept with a smile on his face.
* * *
The next morning was a cold one. Large droplets of rain accompanied by strong wind forced most of the Hogwarts students to put on their winter outfits as they headed for breakfast, even though it was barely autumn. Harry was glad for the comforting warmth of the Great Hall. It was then he finally knew how a frozen turkey felt when being thawed. He began to worry about Sirius.
'I wonder if this rain covered the area he is in. Does he have enough clothes? Does he have enough food. should I...'
"A penny for your thoughts," a soft voice whispered. Harry jumped slightly and turned to see a pair of sharp emerald eyes.
Alex smiled apologetically. "Did I scare you?"
Harry shook his head. He took off his thick winter robes and placed them neatly on his laps. "Cold morning huh?"
Alex nodded. "Even China wasn't that cold. My cousin would love this weather. he's always complaining that China is too warm."
"Your cousin would love this," Harry shivered. Alex smiled briefly. Her eyes were slightly sad at the mention of her family.
"Do you miss your family?" Harry asked quietly. Alex nodded.
"I missed my grandmother. She was my mother's mother, and a great witch. She had always been my mentor."
"Wait. I thought your family resented you?" The question blurted out of Harry's mouth before he could rephrase it. "I mean. erm."
"They resented me because I was a witch bearing my father's blood. in actual fact, they hated my father."
"Why?"
"He's a European. My mother's family thought it was unlucky for a Chinese to marry a European."
Harry's heart sank somewhat upon hearing that. "Oh. So, you are a pure- blood?"
"What's that?" Harry explained. Alex nodded. Just then, Ron and Hermione joined their table.
"Gosh. can you believe this weather? It could have been winter, and no one would notice the difference. How are we going to train in this?" Ron shivered slightly as he removed his robes.
"Hopefully, this is only temporary," Harry gestured to the ceiling, which was filled with dark grey clouds and illusionary rain falling on them. The ceiling had the ability to reflect whatever's on the sky outside of the walls. The rain was 'flying' in all direction, probably because of the wind, and the clouds were so thick and tight, that Harry was reminded of a kind of junk food he saw in Dudley's list of favourite snacks; cotton candy.
Alex looked at the sky thoughtfully. Ron and Harry were talking so intensely about the Quidditch, that only Hermione heard the one word Alex muttered at the sky.
* * *
The next afternoon, the Gryffindors trained for their first match with Slytherins, which was only a week away. Errol had sent Ron his Comet, which caused it to clash head-on into their soup. Errol was sent to the Owlery for a rest and a bath. However, Ron's Comet wasn't as good as Harry's Firebolt, and it kept tripping whenever Ron tried to turn sharply. This pulled the Gryffindors' morale greatly, and Harry himself was getting discouraged.
That following Sunday, the four friends were seated in the common room, among with all the other Gryffindors, watching Harry and Ron play wizard's chess.
"Why in the first place did I even agreed to play with you?" Harry sighed, as he watched his king being sliced into two by a pawn.
"That's because you are my friend, friend," Ron grinned. Harry sighed and grinned. He looked down at the chessboard and saw the white pawns dancing awkwardly at their victory. The remaining black pawns that were whole were kneeling and mourning for their king.
A familiar hoot echoed. None of Gryffindors thought it was weird for Hedwig to deliver a mail to Harry in the common room. They had seen queerer things than that.
"Who sent it?" Ron asked. "Is it."
Harry shook his head, knowing what Ron was going to say. He opened the folded parchment, and his eyes widened in shock.
"What is it?" Hermione asked.
Harry shook his head and whistled a casual tune. The Gryffindor Quidditch team immediately sat up and looked at him cautiously.
'Alex's idea was great,' Harry thought as he walked out of the room and up to the Owlery. Hedwig was perched on his shoulder, nipping his ear gently now and then. Ron muttered an apologetic excuse to Hermione, who glared at the boys before stomping off to the library, and followed Harry. In less than five minutes, the Quidditch were gathered in the Owlery.
"You guys would not believe this. Someone placed an order for five Firebolts for us, and it is due to arrive three hours later," Harry whispered. A loud gathered gasp was heard and a few owls opened one eye and hooted in protest.
"Dear Mr Potter, we are pleased to inform you that the five Firebolts are now ready for delivery. It should arrive three hours after this letter reaches you. Please be at the Owlery. They had all been paid for, and checked for any known jinxes and hexes thoroughly. Our management is very pleased with the payment, and we will be extremely pleased to continue supplying Firebolts for Hogwarts if required. Yours sincerely, Mr Edward O'Brien, Owner of Quality Quidditch Supplies."
Ron and the others were stunned. "Five Firebolts? For us?" Ron stammered.
Harry nodded stiffly, as though the news had numbed him. "It may be a prank letter. Let's wait and see if the brooms arrive. meanwhile, keep this within yourself. I don't want the other houses to know."
The team nodded, but the excitement of owning a Firebolt was too overwhelming. The team would not leave the Owlery for fear that their expressions may betray their feelings. Alex however, wore a shadowed expression upon hearing the news. Harry shrugged it off and fed Hedwig with pieces of Owl Snack from her tray.
Three long hours later, five owls were seen soaring in the air, each carrying a long parcel. The owls dropped their broomsticks at different hands, and soon, the Quidditch team laid their eyes on the best broom in the world. Ron fingered the handle lovingly.
"Wow. am I dreaming? Harry, pinch me, quick!" Ron exclaimed. Harry pinched him hard on the shoulder, which he acknowledged with a loud 'yelp'.
"Oh my goodness!" Fred and George breathed at the same time. Harry grinned happily, but couldn't help noticing that Alex's face was downcast, again.
* * * The Gryffindor team had never been so excited about a match before in their lives. Each had polished their broom such that they could reflect their teeth. Harry saw Ron gripping his Firebolt so tightly, that his knuckles were turning white. The whistle went off, and they mount their brooms. Harry kicked off first, and he felt the warm sunlight pouring on him. He heard a fellow Gryffindor, Lee Jordan commenting with shock in his tone.
"From the Gryffindor team, we have. Oh. My. Good. Lord! Seven Firebolts in the team. - Oops Professor, ok, ok. I'll continue. - As I was saying, we have Potter, Weasley, Weasley, Weasley, Chang, Johnson, and Spinnet. All of them are riding on Firebolt! As all of you know, the Firebolt is THE best broom in the world, built in with. OUCH! Sorry Professor! Alright. And from the Slytherin team, we have Flint, Crabbe, Goyle, Malfoy, Montague, Prucey and Warrington. Refereeing this game would be Madam Hooch!"
Harry glared at Malfoy as they hovered in mid-air over the box that contains the balls. Madam Hooch let the Bludgers and Golden Snitch loose, and then threw the Quaffle. Harry saw a red blur snatching the red ball and speeding off to the Slytherin goal. A sharp whistle was heard, indicating a goal for Gryffindors. A loud, deafening cheer was heard from the Gryffindor stands.
"Goal for Gryffindor! Good lord, did any of you see Chang at all?" Another whistle. "There she goes again! Another goal for." Another whistle. "Gryffindor!"
Harry saw Alex zooming past the Slytherin Chasers, taking dangerous dives and scoring at what seemed like five goals per minute. The Slytherin Chasers had started to crowd around, her, but she reacted quickly by throwing the ball to Angelina and letting her score.
"Goodness gracious! Look at Chang go! She is certainly an all-rounder, being excellent in studies, the creator of Elixir of Chance, and not to mention very pretty as well.OUCH, Professor, I was only joking!" Another whistle. "And there she go! Her ninth goal!"
Alex, Angelina and Alicia pumped their fist in the air, and zoomed off to the other side. The Slytherin Beaters, Crabbe and Goyle were beginning to target at Alex. It had been more than five times since a Bludger had narrowly missed her head. However, Alex had quick reflexes, and always managed to dive or dodge in time. Harry hovered in mid-air, looking around for the Golden Snitch. He saw Malfoy staring at him. Harry dived very suddenly, and Malfoy followed, thinking that he had seen the Snitch. Harry pulled out of the dive suddenly, and circled harmlessly off, and saw Malfoy barely managing to pull out of the dive. He rolled on the pitch, sending laughter from the Gryffindor stands.
"Nice one Potter! But you should have gone harder.- Ouch! Sorry Professor. No! I'll comment.! - Great Wronski Feint Potter!" His voice was interrupted by another whistle. Harry grinned at Malfoy, who was shaking his fist angrily at him. Then, he saw it. He pressed himself entirely on the broomstick, the wind beating his face so hard that it hurt. The small walnut sized ball fled off, with Harry close on his heels. A sudden Bludger almost crash into his broomstick, and Harry managed to swerve just in time. Another Bludger cut his route, and he dived. But the Snitch is gone. Harry cursed, and saw Malfoy grinning at Crabbe and Goyle. He pulled upward saw Crabbe hitting the Bludger directly at Alex. Alex turned sharply, and she threw the ball to Angelina. Harry saw another Bludger heading for her back.
"Alex, behind you! Harry yelled. Alex turned backwards in mid-air and sped off in the opposite direction. Harry saw Crabbe close at her broom. Then he saw the Snitch again. It was twitching slightly near the ground. He dived, and the Snitch took flight. He chased the Snitch with Malfoy close behind. The Snitch pulled up and Harry followed. He reached out to grab the Snitch when a sudden gasp from the crowd made him look away. He saw Alex dodging two Bludgers at the same time. His heart was in his throat when he saw Alex made a ridiculously steep dive. The Bludgers followed her for a while, but they gave up, seeing the sharp dodges and turns she made.
"Excellent dodging, Chang!" Lee Jordan shouted. Another whistle went off. "That's a hundred and fifty to zero, Gryffindor in lead!"
Harry caught sight of Alex holding the Quaffle, and throwing it exactly the same instant when Flint dived towards her. The Quaffle slipped past Flint's hands and went into the hoop. The Gryffindors went ecstatic and Harry clapped. Alex dived downwards and pulled up just when a Bludger cut through the air her head was a few seconds before. She stopped hastily next to Harry.
"Be careful, I think the Bludgers had a weird longing for our necks," Alex whispered. no sooner had she said that, Harry heard the whizzing of a Bludger. Alex and Harry sped off in different directions, and the Bludger gave up. Instead, it resumed its usual job of trying to 'de-seat' everyone on the broom. The Slytherins had made it a habit of surrounding Alex whenever she had the Quaffle, and blocking her way as they sped to the Gryffindors' goals. However, Ron was there to defend all the goals. Harry was now worrying for two of his friends as the Bludgers found themselves a third target - Harry's best red-hair friend. He looked on anxiously and a flash caught his eye. Without thinking, he pushed himself on his broom and sped towards the Snitch. Malfoy followed closely on his broom. Harry pulled a series of dives to shake Malfoy off, but the latter proved to be a good pest.
'Not that that was news,' Harry thought in dismay. Suddenly, a red figure cut in between Malfoy and Harry, which threw Malfoy off. He spun around on his broom and was thrown off by the broom. Malfoy laid, dazed on the grass. Harry was about to thank the intruder when he saw the Snitch hovering above the fallen Malfoy, right under Harry's nose! He grabbed the Snitch and turned. Two whizzing Bludgers zipped past his eyes and hit the red figure that had cut in between Harry and Malfoy. A sickening thud was heard and Harry saw the red figure being smashed into one of the stands. His heart pounded painfully when he realized that the figure was none other than Alex! Harry sped towards the broken stand, along with Ron and the other Quidditch members. Harry jumped off his Firebolt and dashed to Alex's side. She was unconscious, a steady stream of blood trickling from her mouth. Her eyebrows were tightly knitted, indicating that she was feeling pain even in unconsciousness. Harry carried her up gently and requested for the crowd to give way.
Hermione squeezed through the crowd and did a simple Healing spell on Alex. Her brows loosened slightly.
"It will help to ease her pain temporarily. But we must get her to the hospital wing immediately." Harry nodded and climbed on his Firebolt. He wrapped his arms tightly around Alex's waist and kicked off. This was the first time he was riding his broom without his hands on the handle. And the broom itself seemed to know the urgency of the situation and sped off steadily to the hospital wing.
They arrived at the hospital wing, and Madam Pomfrey quickly gestured them to a bed. She pulled the screen across, and shooed Harry out. Harry was wringing his fingers till they hurt. The rest of the Quidditch team appeared at the entrance thereafter, and each were asking questions about Alex. Madam Pomfrey appeared behind the screen.
"Angelina! Alicia! Come in here!"
The two girls obeyed. Fred and George tried to cheer the atmosphere up by describing the game. Harry mustered a small smile, but his mind was still on Alex. Finally, a long half an hour later, Madam Pomfrey pulled back the screen. Harry hurried to her.
"She shattered her ribs. It'll take a long time for her to recover, especially since she had a weak physique in the first place. Professor McGonagall better know about this. She just woke up, but I gave her some Sleeping Draught. Now, the rest of you be quick. She can only talk for a short while."
The boys gathered around Alex, who was sitting up slightly. Her voice was laced with pain and almost inaudible. Harry felt a painful squeeze in his heart when he heard it. "What's the score?"
Fred and George grinned. "Three hundred and ten to nothing! We trashed the Slytherins!" Alex smiled weakly. She looked at Harry.
"How did I do, Cap?" Harry held her hand tightly.
"Great." He choked slightly. Hermione and Ron stared at him knowingly. Fred and George exchanged puzzled glances with the girls. Madam Pomfrey shooed them out, and Harry lingered behind, reluctant to let go of Alex's hand. Alex gave an assuring smile.
"I'll be up in no time. Get some presents ready," she joked. Harry mustered a weak smile and turned. He turned again at the entrance, only to see Alex sleeping peacefully. For some reason, his heart seemed to be racing, even as he stared at her from a distance. As a matter of fact, his heart had raced every time he saw Alex, ever since they met in the Flourish and Blotts.
'Why? Why do I feel that way? It's different from how I felt towards Cho, but yet, similar.'
Harry walked slowly up to the Gryffindor tower. 'Perhaps I should ask Snuffles about this." Harry nodded with his decision and gave the password to the Fat Lady, and entered into the Gryffindor Common room, only to be blasted off his feet by an extremely loud party, courtesy of the Weasley twins, and also featured a dancing Professor McGonagall, and a waltzing Ron and Hermione. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Please give comments!!!!!!!!! And how's the Quidditch match? Give comments on that too! Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!
Two days after Cho's visit, Harry was discharged. After Madam Pomfrey agreed to let him go, he raced up to the Gryffindor Tower, eager to see his friends.
"Griffin," he muttered to the Fat Lady. The portrait opened to reveal an empty common room. He stepped into the room, and gazed around.
"SURPRISE!" Harry leapt about two inches in the air when the entire Gryffindor house jumped on him, hugging him and praising him. Fred and George pulled a trolley full of food.
"Courtesy of Dobby and the Marauders," Fred whispered. Harry grinned. He then looked around.
"Where are Ron and Hermione?"
"Here!" Harry jumped again when Ron and Hermione shouted into his ears. Hermione jumped on him and gave him a bone-crushing hug. Harry choked slightly and she loosened her grip.
"Where's Alex?" Harry asked.
"She's helping the professors getting ready the Elixir for distributing. But she said she'll be here soon."
Harry nodded. For some reason, he felt his heart beating slightly faster than before.
"ALRIGHT! LET'S PARTY!" George yelled. The Gryffindors cheered and dug into the food. Harry grinned through mouthfuls of chicken and pumpkin juice.
"By the way, Professor Dumbledore awarded fifty points each to the four of us for the capture of the snakes. Another ten was awarded to Alex for her first aid skills," Hermione announced, biting gingerly into a chicken drumstick.
"Wow! That makes two hundred and ten points!" Harry beamed. The Gryffindors cheered even louder. Just then, the portrait opened, and Alex stepped in.
"Ah! The girl of the hour!" Lee Jordan yelled. Alex blushed. She held out a large box.
"Professor Dumbledore wants me to distribute these to you guys. five each."
"We can do that later. come, let's party!" Fred pulled Alex into a silly dance. The Gryffindors broke into hysterical laughter.
That night, the Gryffindors retreated with weary bodies, but happy moods. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Alex stayed beside the fire when the others headed back to their dormitories.
"Oh, I almost forgot, your present," Harry smacked his forehead. He waved his wand and Summoned a parcel from his dormitory. Hermione opened it, and gasped in surprise. Lying comfortably on pieces of tissue papers was a sapphire studded hair clip. It was a rose with platinum twines at the sides, with the sapphires on the petals.
"Harry. I can't. I can't." Hermione stuttered. Harry grinned.
"Yes, you can. You deserved it." Harry looked at Hermione straight in the eye. "Thanks for being my friend."
Hermione nodded and clipped her hair neatly. The sapphires looked especially dazzling on her chestnut brown hair. Harry glanced at Ron, who was biting his lips quietly. Harry smiled knowingly.
"Ron, what did you give Hermione?"
Ron blushed slightly. Alex answered for him. "A sapphire pendant shaped as a H."
Ron and Hermione flushed. "It. it. was." Ron stuttered.
"It must be even better than my gift, right?" Harry teased Hermione. She flushed even further, and looked away. Ron's face had disappeared under his red hair. They muttered an excuse about being tired and scampered away to their dormitories, leaving Alex and Harry by the fire alone. Harry threw a glance at Alex, who was looking at the fire thoughtfully. Her face reflected the glow from the fire, highlighting her features to perfection. Her long raven tresses framed her face and brought out the sparkle in her eyes. Harry's heart gave a bound as he stared at her.
Alex looked up, and smiled. Harry felt his face burned. "Is something wrong?"
Harry shook his head. "No. no."
"Are you feeling alright?" Alex asked, her voice concerned. Harry nodded. He could feel his face burning like the fire in front of him.
Harry nodded, not thrusting his mouth to talk. Alex glanced at him and Harry felt a pounding sensation in his heart.
"It's getting late. You better go back and take some rest. Here," Alex handed five bottles of clear blue solution to Harry. As Harry took the five bottles, his hand brushed past Alex's, and sent chills up his hand.
"Thanks," Harry muttered. Alex smiled in reply and put out the fire with a wave of her wand. The both of them walked up the steps quietly.
"Goodnight," she whispered as they reached the door to the girl's dormitory.
"Goodnight," Harry replied and turned to his left.
That night, Harry slept with a smile on his face.
* * *
The next morning was a cold one. Large droplets of rain accompanied by strong wind forced most of the Hogwarts students to put on their winter outfits as they headed for breakfast, even though it was barely autumn. Harry was glad for the comforting warmth of the Great Hall. It was then he finally knew how a frozen turkey felt when being thawed. He began to worry about Sirius.
'I wonder if this rain covered the area he is in. Does he have enough clothes? Does he have enough food. should I...'
"A penny for your thoughts," a soft voice whispered. Harry jumped slightly and turned to see a pair of sharp emerald eyes.
Alex smiled apologetically. "Did I scare you?"
Harry shook his head. He took off his thick winter robes and placed them neatly on his laps. "Cold morning huh?"
Alex nodded. "Even China wasn't that cold. My cousin would love this weather. he's always complaining that China is too warm."
"Your cousin would love this," Harry shivered. Alex smiled briefly. Her eyes were slightly sad at the mention of her family.
"Do you miss your family?" Harry asked quietly. Alex nodded.
"I missed my grandmother. She was my mother's mother, and a great witch. She had always been my mentor."
"Wait. I thought your family resented you?" The question blurted out of Harry's mouth before he could rephrase it. "I mean. erm."
"They resented me because I was a witch bearing my father's blood. in actual fact, they hated my father."
"Why?"
"He's a European. My mother's family thought it was unlucky for a Chinese to marry a European."
Harry's heart sank somewhat upon hearing that. "Oh. So, you are a pure- blood?"
"What's that?" Harry explained. Alex nodded. Just then, Ron and Hermione joined their table.
"Gosh. can you believe this weather? It could have been winter, and no one would notice the difference. How are we going to train in this?" Ron shivered slightly as he removed his robes.
"Hopefully, this is only temporary," Harry gestured to the ceiling, which was filled with dark grey clouds and illusionary rain falling on them. The ceiling had the ability to reflect whatever's on the sky outside of the walls. The rain was 'flying' in all direction, probably because of the wind, and the clouds were so thick and tight, that Harry was reminded of a kind of junk food he saw in Dudley's list of favourite snacks; cotton candy.
Alex looked at the sky thoughtfully. Ron and Harry were talking so intensely about the Quidditch, that only Hermione heard the one word Alex muttered at the sky.
* * *
The next afternoon, the Gryffindors trained for their first match with Slytherins, which was only a week away. Errol had sent Ron his Comet, which caused it to clash head-on into their soup. Errol was sent to the Owlery for a rest and a bath. However, Ron's Comet wasn't as good as Harry's Firebolt, and it kept tripping whenever Ron tried to turn sharply. This pulled the Gryffindors' morale greatly, and Harry himself was getting discouraged.
That following Sunday, the four friends were seated in the common room, among with all the other Gryffindors, watching Harry and Ron play wizard's chess.
"Why in the first place did I even agreed to play with you?" Harry sighed, as he watched his king being sliced into two by a pawn.
"That's because you are my friend, friend," Ron grinned. Harry sighed and grinned. He looked down at the chessboard and saw the white pawns dancing awkwardly at their victory. The remaining black pawns that were whole were kneeling and mourning for their king.
A familiar hoot echoed. None of Gryffindors thought it was weird for Hedwig to deliver a mail to Harry in the common room. They had seen queerer things than that.
"Who sent it?" Ron asked. "Is it."
Harry shook his head, knowing what Ron was going to say. He opened the folded parchment, and his eyes widened in shock.
"What is it?" Hermione asked.
Harry shook his head and whistled a casual tune. The Gryffindor Quidditch team immediately sat up and looked at him cautiously.
'Alex's idea was great,' Harry thought as he walked out of the room and up to the Owlery. Hedwig was perched on his shoulder, nipping his ear gently now and then. Ron muttered an apologetic excuse to Hermione, who glared at the boys before stomping off to the library, and followed Harry. In less than five minutes, the Quidditch were gathered in the Owlery.
"You guys would not believe this. Someone placed an order for five Firebolts for us, and it is due to arrive three hours later," Harry whispered. A loud gathered gasp was heard and a few owls opened one eye and hooted in protest.
"Dear Mr Potter, we are pleased to inform you that the five Firebolts are now ready for delivery. It should arrive three hours after this letter reaches you. Please be at the Owlery. They had all been paid for, and checked for any known jinxes and hexes thoroughly. Our management is very pleased with the payment, and we will be extremely pleased to continue supplying Firebolts for Hogwarts if required. Yours sincerely, Mr Edward O'Brien, Owner of Quality Quidditch Supplies."
Ron and the others were stunned. "Five Firebolts? For us?" Ron stammered.
Harry nodded stiffly, as though the news had numbed him. "It may be a prank letter. Let's wait and see if the brooms arrive. meanwhile, keep this within yourself. I don't want the other houses to know."
The team nodded, but the excitement of owning a Firebolt was too overwhelming. The team would not leave the Owlery for fear that their expressions may betray their feelings. Alex however, wore a shadowed expression upon hearing the news. Harry shrugged it off and fed Hedwig with pieces of Owl Snack from her tray.
Three long hours later, five owls were seen soaring in the air, each carrying a long parcel. The owls dropped their broomsticks at different hands, and soon, the Quidditch team laid their eyes on the best broom in the world. Ron fingered the handle lovingly.
"Wow. am I dreaming? Harry, pinch me, quick!" Ron exclaimed. Harry pinched him hard on the shoulder, which he acknowledged with a loud 'yelp'.
"Oh my goodness!" Fred and George breathed at the same time. Harry grinned happily, but couldn't help noticing that Alex's face was downcast, again.
* * * The Gryffindor team had never been so excited about a match before in their lives. Each had polished their broom such that they could reflect their teeth. Harry saw Ron gripping his Firebolt so tightly, that his knuckles were turning white. The whistle went off, and they mount their brooms. Harry kicked off first, and he felt the warm sunlight pouring on him. He heard a fellow Gryffindor, Lee Jordan commenting with shock in his tone.
"From the Gryffindor team, we have. Oh. My. Good. Lord! Seven Firebolts in the team. - Oops Professor, ok, ok. I'll continue. - As I was saying, we have Potter, Weasley, Weasley, Weasley, Chang, Johnson, and Spinnet. All of them are riding on Firebolt! As all of you know, the Firebolt is THE best broom in the world, built in with. OUCH! Sorry Professor! Alright. And from the Slytherin team, we have Flint, Crabbe, Goyle, Malfoy, Montague, Prucey and Warrington. Refereeing this game would be Madam Hooch!"
Harry glared at Malfoy as they hovered in mid-air over the box that contains the balls. Madam Hooch let the Bludgers and Golden Snitch loose, and then threw the Quaffle. Harry saw a red blur snatching the red ball and speeding off to the Slytherin goal. A sharp whistle was heard, indicating a goal for Gryffindors. A loud, deafening cheer was heard from the Gryffindor stands.
"Goal for Gryffindor! Good lord, did any of you see Chang at all?" Another whistle. "There she goes again! Another goal for." Another whistle. "Gryffindor!"
Harry saw Alex zooming past the Slytherin Chasers, taking dangerous dives and scoring at what seemed like five goals per minute. The Slytherin Chasers had started to crowd around, her, but she reacted quickly by throwing the ball to Angelina and letting her score.
"Goodness gracious! Look at Chang go! She is certainly an all-rounder, being excellent in studies, the creator of Elixir of Chance, and not to mention very pretty as well.OUCH, Professor, I was only joking!" Another whistle. "And there she go! Her ninth goal!"
Alex, Angelina and Alicia pumped their fist in the air, and zoomed off to the other side. The Slytherin Beaters, Crabbe and Goyle were beginning to target at Alex. It had been more than five times since a Bludger had narrowly missed her head. However, Alex had quick reflexes, and always managed to dive or dodge in time. Harry hovered in mid-air, looking around for the Golden Snitch. He saw Malfoy staring at him. Harry dived very suddenly, and Malfoy followed, thinking that he had seen the Snitch. Harry pulled out of the dive suddenly, and circled harmlessly off, and saw Malfoy barely managing to pull out of the dive. He rolled on the pitch, sending laughter from the Gryffindor stands.
"Nice one Potter! But you should have gone harder.- Ouch! Sorry Professor. No! I'll comment.! - Great Wronski Feint Potter!" His voice was interrupted by another whistle. Harry grinned at Malfoy, who was shaking his fist angrily at him. Then, he saw it. He pressed himself entirely on the broomstick, the wind beating his face so hard that it hurt. The small walnut sized ball fled off, with Harry close on his heels. A sudden Bludger almost crash into his broomstick, and Harry managed to swerve just in time. Another Bludger cut his route, and he dived. But the Snitch is gone. Harry cursed, and saw Malfoy grinning at Crabbe and Goyle. He pulled upward saw Crabbe hitting the Bludger directly at Alex. Alex turned sharply, and she threw the ball to Angelina. Harry saw another Bludger heading for her back.
"Alex, behind you! Harry yelled. Alex turned backwards in mid-air and sped off in the opposite direction. Harry saw Crabbe close at her broom. Then he saw the Snitch again. It was twitching slightly near the ground. He dived, and the Snitch took flight. He chased the Snitch with Malfoy close behind. The Snitch pulled up and Harry followed. He reached out to grab the Snitch when a sudden gasp from the crowd made him look away. He saw Alex dodging two Bludgers at the same time. His heart was in his throat when he saw Alex made a ridiculously steep dive. The Bludgers followed her for a while, but they gave up, seeing the sharp dodges and turns she made.
"Excellent dodging, Chang!" Lee Jordan shouted. Another whistle went off. "That's a hundred and fifty to zero, Gryffindor in lead!"
Harry caught sight of Alex holding the Quaffle, and throwing it exactly the same instant when Flint dived towards her. The Quaffle slipped past Flint's hands and went into the hoop. The Gryffindors went ecstatic and Harry clapped. Alex dived downwards and pulled up just when a Bludger cut through the air her head was a few seconds before. She stopped hastily next to Harry.
"Be careful, I think the Bludgers had a weird longing for our necks," Alex whispered. no sooner had she said that, Harry heard the whizzing of a Bludger. Alex and Harry sped off in different directions, and the Bludger gave up. Instead, it resumed its usual job of trying to 'de-seat' everyone on the broom. The Slytherins had made it a habit of surrounding Alex whenever she had the Quaffle, and blocking her way as they sped to the Gryffindors' goals. However, Ron was there to defend all the goals. Harry was now worrying for two of his friends as the Bludgers found themselves a third target - Harry's best red-hair friend. He looked on anxiously and a flash caught his eye. Without thinking, he pushed himself on his broom and sped towards the Snitch. Malfoy followed closely on his broom. Harry pulled a series of dives to shake Malfoy off, but the latter proved to be a good pest.
'Not that that was news,' Harry thought in dismay. Suddenly, a red figure cut in between Malfoy and Harry, which threw Malfoy off. He spun around on his broom and was thrown off by the broom. Malfoy laid, dazed on the grass. Harry was about to thank the intruder when he saw the Snitch hovering above the fallen Malfoy, right under Harry's nose! He grabbed the Snitch and turned. Two whizzing Bludgers zipped past his eyes and hit the red figure that had cut in between Harry and Malfoy. A sickening thud was heard and Harry saw the red figure being smashed into one of the stands. His heart pounded painfully when he realized that the figure was none other than Alex! Harry sped towards the broken stand, along with Ron and the other Quidditch members. Harry jumped off his Firebolt and dashed to Alex's side. She was unconscious, a steady stream of blood trickling from her mouth. Her eyebrows were tightly knitted, indicating that she was feeling pain even in unconsciousness. Harry carried her up gently and requested for the crowd to give way.
Hermione squeezed through the crowd and did a simple Healing spell on Alex. Her brows loosened slightly.
"It will help to ease her pain temporarily. But we must get her to the hospital wing immediately." Harry nodded and climbed on his Firebolt. He wrapped his arms tightly around Alex's waist and kicked off. This was the first time he was riding his broom without his hands on the handle. And the broom itself seemed to know the urgency of the situation and sped off steadily to the hospital wing.
They arrived at the hospital wing, and Madam Pomfrey quickly gestured them to a bed. She pulled the screen across, and shooed Harry out. Harry was wringing his fingers till they hurt. The rest of the Quidditch team appeared at the entrance thereafter, and each were asking questions about Alex. Madam Pomfrey appeared behind the screen.
"Angelina! Alicia! Come in here!"
The two girls obeyed. Fred and George tried to cheer the atmosphere up by describing the game. Harry mustered a small smile, but his mind was still on Alex. Finally, a long half an hour later, Madam Pomfrey pulled back the screen. Harry hurried to her.
"She shattered her ribs. It'll take a long time for her to recover, especially since she had a weak physique in the first place. Professor McGonagall better know about this. She just woke up, but I gave her some Sleeping Draught. Now, the rest of you be quick. She can only talk for a short while."
The boys gathered around Alex, who was sitting up slightly. Her voice was laced with pain and almost inaudible. Harry felt a painful squeeze in his heart when he heard it. "What's the score?"
Fred and George grinned. "Three hundred and ten to nothing! We trashed the Slytherins!" Alex smiled weakly. She looked at Harry.
"How did I do, Cap?" Harry held her hand tightly.
"Great." He choked slightly. Hermione and Ron stared at him knowingly. Fred and George exchanged puzzled glances with the girls. Madam Pomfrey shooed them out, and Harry lingered behind, reluctant to let go of Alex's hand. Alex gave an assuring smile.
"I'll be up in no time. Get some presents ready," she joked. Harry mustered a weak smile and turned. He turned again at the entrance, only to see Alex sleeping peacefully. For some reason, his heart seemed to be racing, even as he stared at her from a distance. As a matter of fact, his heart had raced every time he saw Alex, ever since they met in the Flourish and Blotts.
'Why? Why do I feel that way? It's different from how I felt towards Cho, but yet, similar.'
Harry walked slowly up to the Gryffindor tower. 'Perhaps I should ask Snuffles about this." Harry nodded with his decision and gave the password to the Fat Lady, and entered into the Gryffindor Common room, only to be blasted off his feet by an extremely loud party, courtesy of the Weasley twins, and also featured a dancing Professor McGonagall, and a waltzing Ron and Hermione. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Please give comments!!!!!!!!! And how's the Quidditch match? Give comments on that too! Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!