Chapter 23: Panics and Parties
Harry woke from a restless sleep early on Saturday morning, nervously but eagerly anticipating the match against Hufflepuff later that day. Those were not the only concerns gracing his slumber though; Sirius was still acting oddly, vanishing all the time, avoiding questions about where he vanished to, and was increasingly stressed. It wouldn't bother Harry too much if only he knew what was going on, but he didn't and he felt like Sirius didn't trust him enough to let him in on the secret.
Realising he wasn't likely to get any more sleep he decided to get up and go for a fly, get some extra practice in before the match. He hauled on some clothes, grabbed his Firebolt and made his way out to the pitch.
Walking across the grass, the rising sun casting a hazy light on the grounds, Harry meet Remus, who was conducting a security check, something the Defence Team did a few times every day, with Voldemort's strength building at the rate it was they couldn't afford to take any chances.
"Morning Harry" he called out amicably,
"Hey Remus" Harry replied,
"How come you're out here so early?"
"Couldn't sleep…figured I'd get some extra practice in…"
Remus smiled wryly, "I wish your dad had the sense to do that, whenever he was nervous about a match he thought the best solution was to keep all of us awake along with him, chattering away to himself…Sirius was always on hand with the silencing charm though…you know, I'm not sure James even realised he wasn't making any noise…"
Harry chuckled, but his expression grew serious again quite quickly at the mention of Sirius, "It's not just the match…it's Sirius…he keeps vanishing, and he refuses to tell me where he's going…I mean, I know he doesn't have to tell me everything but this is all the time…he won't even tell me why he can't tell me"
To Harry's surprise Remus simply smiled, "it's nothing to worry about"
"You mean you know?" Harry demanded indignantly,
"Yes" replied Remus, "I've even went with him once or twice"
"then you can tell me where he's going!"
"No"
"But…"
"Harry, trust me, it's fine, it's something of a surprise…you'll find out soon enough"
The statement did nothing to allay Harry's concerns, merely aroused his curiosity even more.
"Fine, don't tell me" Harry snapped and turned to go,
"Harry…don't….it's not a big deal…Sirius just wants to do something for you…and have it be a surprise…you'll like it, honestly…just – just let him do this." Remus pleaded, "Because though he doesn't realise it, he needs this just as much as you do"
"Need what?" asked Harry hopefully,
"Nice try Harry" smiled Remus, "now weren't you going to practice?"
"Yes," Harry conceded reluctantly, realising that Remus was going to be no help whatsoever.
"See you later" Remus called after him, "Good luck with the match"
"Thanks" Harry shouted back as he climbed onto his broom and took off, leaving
all his worries on the ground behind him. The elation he felt whenever he flew
was beyond comparison, the sky was an alternate world, one where there were no
cares or responsibilities, no worries or fears, only the primal adrenaline rush
he felt as the wind pressed against him harshly yet comfortingly.
The sun was rising, though it took Harry an age to notice, the clouds cluttering the sky excluded the newly formed light from notice, and slowly but surely he saw others making their way to the pitch. Ron, Hermione, Dean, Ginny and Ali were meandering happily towards the pitch, chatting cheerfully among themselves; Ron looking only slightly nervous. Harry imagined he'd be much worse before the match commenced.
At the other end of the pitch Harry noticed the Hufflepuff team congregating outside their dressing room, most of them looked pretty confident in themselves, which did nothing to aid Harry's mounting concerns in the slightest.
He flew down to greet the Griffindor team were they had assembled and surveyed the team critically, a few of them cringing under his unusually analytical gaze. He ushered them inside the dressing room, reluctant for anyone to get wind of their strategies before the match. Chris and Ginny thought he was over-reacting slightly, but the looks the rest of the team shot them when they voiced those opinions were more than enough to silence them.
Harry occupied himself with getting changed, and polishing the Firebolt,
when he was finally ready the rest of the team were too, and they gathered
round him, avidly listening, desperate to do him proud. They trusted what he
had to say, more so than even he did.
"Ok guys, I don't really have a big speech prepared…it's not like I need to
tell you all what to do anyway, you're talented enough to figure that out for
yourself. Don't underestimate Hufflepuff, they've got a reformed team and we
don't know exactly what we're up against, so you have to be prepared. Prepare
yourself to fight the hardest match of your live and whatever follows is only
going to be easier. You all know what we have to do today; win!"
Jenny, who over the months had identified herself as the font of endless enthusiasm and team spirit, lead the others in a deafening whoop of excitement as they made their way out to the pitch where their cheer was lost amongst the astounding voice of the crowd.
The team assembled in the centre of the pitch and Harry stepped forward to shake hands with Hufflepuff's captain Lucy Jones. Lucy was a dark haired seventh year who Harry hadn't really heard much about before she made captain. She was a chaser on the Hufflepuff team, but her talent had never been exceptional. She was, well, ordinary. Ordinary looking, not pretty, but by no means ugly, she had ordinary friends, ordinary hobbies, ordinary grades. There wasn't a single thing that could be described as even slightly remarkable about her.
Even her handshake is bland, Harry thought to himself as she shook his hand, and moved back towards her team, offering them a few last minute pieces of advice. Harry merely grinned at his team, who smiled eagerly back at him desperate for the match to begin.
And it did. Madam Hooch blew her whistle as she released the balls and for a few seconds no-one could see a thing. The chasers sped towards the Quaffle, the keepers retreating to protect their hoops, the beaters cannoning around recklessly and getting the bludgers to do the same, and the seekers were merely trying to get out of the way long enough to stand a chance of even seeing the snitch.
Harry took this ideal opportunity to study his rival. Cilice Moore. She was a new addition to the team; Harry was almost certain she was only a second year. She did look very small, and quite scared. Her look, a combination of fear and determination, reminded Harry of his first few quidditch games, his instant love of the game, the determination to succeed, and the overwhelming fear of failing.
A bludger was headed straight towards her, sent by the one and only Jenny who was grinning broadly at Harry, there was almost no way Cilice could escape.
"And with magnificent aim, Taylor fires a bludger towards Hufflepuff seeker Moore, this is going to be difficult to avoid if not impos-"Dean stopped his commentary mid sentence, shocked, as was everyone else. Moore had noticed the bludger only seconds before it would have impacted, and with an amazing exhibition of control spun underneath her broom and flew easily out of the way upside down. No-one had been expecting such an imaginative display of skill, and the overwhelming cheer from the Hufflepuff stands ensured she knew that they were proud of her.
She acknowledged the cheers briefly but quickly returned her focus to the game, and the search for the golden snitch. Harry was dumbfounded. All his worry about the team underestimating their opponents and it seemed like he was the guiltiest of that very offence. He immediately turned his full attention to the game, realising, for the first time, that she could be a threat to him.
"And Vilene passes to Weasley, back to Vilene, to Scott and he scores! Ten – zero to Griffindor!" Dean was always slightly more enthusiastic talking about Griffindor than Hufflepuff, but not enough to force McGonagall to interfere.
"And Scott goes for a victory loop –no! he's swooping back down – I don't believe it, he's got the Quaffle from Jones and is way too close to that hoop for Hufflepuff's comfort. He scores again! Twenty – zero to Griffindor! An ingenious move by Scott there, making his opponents think he was merely celebrating, and then swooping in when they were lax! Amazing!"
Hufflepuff fans clearly disagreed with Dean's analysis of what had just taken place, but their boos and indignant shouts were wholly drowned out by Griffindor's fanatical cheers.
Both teams were very skilled, and as a result not many points were being scored, they were tied at 50 each when a delighted Harry spotted the snitch at the base of the Hufflepuff goal post. He threw his broom into a dive, and saw, out of the corner of his eye, Cilice do the same. He was dismayed to note that she was slightly closer, and so had the advantage. Another bludger, this time sent by Chris, ensured that she wouldn't reach it though, as it appeared right in her path and forced her to swerve off. Harry looked away from the snitch for the briefest of seconds while this was going on, but those few seconds were enough for the snitch to make itself scarce.
Harry could feel the frustration building inside of him, he had been so close. He pulled out of the dive and began to circle the pitch, more determined than ever to catch it first.
"Jones sweeps past Vilene, under Weasley, and scores!" Sixty – Fifty to Hufflepuff" Dean's tone was slightly bored, and it was obvious this was not what he had been hoping for.
Then suddenly Harry saw it, the snitch, and it was close. He urged the Firebolt forwards, blocking out everything else that was going on, not wanting to be distracted. The snitch was almost within his grasp. He reached out, but just as his fingers were closing over the fluttering wings, a bludger, sent by a Hufflepuff beater taking a leave out of Jenny's book, collided with his head.
Got it! Was the last thing he thought as he slipped into unconsciousness and off of his broom. The crowd fell silent; no-one knew what to do about the falling boy. No-one except Chris. Chris threw his broom forwards, and managed to position himself between Harry and the ground, catching him, though only barely.
A relieved cheer was issued from the crowd when they saw Harry was safe and several people rushed onto the pitch to make sure he was okay, Sirius leading the charge. Chris flew quickly to the ground taking care not to drop Harry and was surrounded as soon as he touched down.
"Harry? Harry, are you okay? Can you hear me?" Sirius asked desperately, cradling Harry's head in his arms, studying his face for any signs of life. There were none. Remus, ever calm and sensible, searched for a pulse and was most relieved to find a steady one. Madam Hooch was on scene within seconds and took control of the situation sending Sirius up to the hospital wing with Harry, and the players into the changing rooms to get showered and changed.
Hermione, who had been fighting her way through the gathered crowd much less efficiently than either Sirius or Remus had, due to her distinctly smaller stature and lack of authority- during such events 'Prefect' meant nothing to anxious students, and they dismissed her demands of "I am a Prefect, now could you please get out of the way" within seconds of hearing them - was rushing after Sirius, praying that she'd be allowed to see Harry.
Meanwhile in the changing rooms, Ron, Ali and Ginny were outraged at the fact they couldn't go along, and were getting changed quicker than they would've imagined possible. A flurry of clothes and limbs ensued, and in only a minute or two they were clean(ish) fully clothed, and running over to the hospital wing.
Sirius moved as quickly as he dared and Hermione had some trouble catching up, when she eventually did though, it didn't make her feel any better, as she had hoped it would, Harry looked worse up close than he did from a distance. There was a swollen lump on the side of his head, with some blood oozing slowly from the wound. His glasses were skewed, and broken. They marched in silence for a few minutes, when eventually Hermione disturbed the awkward atmosphere by muttering oculus reparo, and fixing Harry's glasses as she had all those years ago on the Hogwarts Express.
Sirius gave her a half smile and moved the newly fixed glasses into their proper position on his face. After what seemed like an eternity they reached the hospital wing, and were met by a flustered looking Madam Pomfrey.
"What has he been doing now?" she muttered upon seeing who it was, her keen eyes assessing the situation as she spoke, "bludger?" she enquired gently,
Sirius simply nodded.
"Come on, put him down on the bed here, he'll be just fine once he gets a few potions inside him." She continued, guiding Sirius arms to an empty bed, her confidence reassuring him. Hermione too felt relieved at the nurses' confidence that Harry would be fine.
Just then the door burst open, and three exhausted quidditch players fell into the ward, "Is…he…." Ron was out of breath,
"Okay?" finished Ali quietly,
"He will be just fine, if could get the chance to work on him" declared Madam Pomfrey, clearly unhappy about the disturbance to her ward, "Now, all of you out"
"But…" protested Sirius, though after a sharp glare from Pomfrey he thought better of it and shut up, ushering the others outside as he went,
"Will he really be alright?" asked Ginny hopefully as they left, with a few last desperate glances back towards their friend.
"I think so" said Sirius determinedly, "Pomfrey's healed far worse in her time,
he's in excellent hands. The statement didn't do much to put them at ease
though.
They hung around outside the hospital wing for what seemed like an eternity, an overbearing silence thickening the air, no-one daring to speak, no-one knowing what to say.
After about half an hour, Madam Pomfrey came out to see them all. "He's awake right now, but in a bit of pain, I'm about to give him a sleeping draught but I thought I'd get rather more peace over the course of the night if I were to let you see him for a few minutes just now, and I mean a few minutes. And not all at once mind, two at a time at most."
They nodded quickly in agreement, and Sirius stepped forward to go in first, glancing backwards for confirmation that it was okay, the others nodded and he hurried in.
"Harry" he said quietly, sitting down beside the bed. "Are you okay?"
Harry smiled, though it came out as more of a wince when he realised his facial muscles were a little tense. Sirius grinned back at him, "you had me worried there kid,"
"I'm fine" Harry croaked, his throat dry after drinking the vile
potions,
"Right, I'd better go and let the others in then," said Sirius, though it was clear he was reluctant to leave Harry's side,
Harry nodded, "Hermione's probably having a nervous breakdown, she's always said quidditch was too dangerous" he added with a weak laugh,
"okay then, I'll be back to see you tomorrow okay?"
"See you then"
"Have a nice sleep" Sirius called back as he went to the door. Ali and Ginny were the next ones to go in, and Harry's face lit up at the sight of Ali rushing over to his bed,
"Harry, how could you do that to me? I've been so worried, and they wouldn't let us come up with you, no, we had to get changed, then we had to wait outside, and oh, I just…I just couldn't bare for you to be hurt" she hugged him gingerly, not wanting to hurt him,
"Hey, hey," he said, stroking her face, which now had tears flowing freely down it, "I'm fine, okay? No need to worry, you'll see, I'll be up and about by tomorrow"
she sniffed, "I know, I know, just…don't ever do that again, okay?"
"I'll try" he said with a grin, that faltered for a second, "Did…did we win?"
"Yes, you idiot" muttered Ginny, I remember Fred and George telling me about how Oliver once told you to get the snitch or die trying…you really took that advice to heart didn't you?"
Harry shrugged, grinning softly,
"Right," said Ail, "we'd better go or Ron and Hermione will kill us for not leaving them enough time to see you", she leaned closer to him, "I love you, get better soon okay?"
"Mmm hmm" he replied grinning stupidly as she gave him a quick kiss,
"Oh come on" muttered Ginny with a smirk pulling Ali away, "I don't need to see that"
"Fine" said Ali, following, "see you later Harry"
"Bye" he tried to call after her though it was more of a croak.
Ron and Hermione were at the bedside within seconds, concern obvious on their faces,
"Harry James Potter" began Hermione, as Ron cringed beside her, "Don't you ever do anything like that again, have you any idea what it felt like to be in the stand watching you fall but being completely unable to do anything about it? I've always said Quidditch was too dangerous, I'm going to see about having more rules put in place and –" Ron's hand over her mouth stopped her from saying any more,
"Hermione" he said exasperatedly, "at least leave this till tomorrow when we have more than two minutes"
She blushed slightly and nodded, "so Harry are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine" he replied,
"Really?" asked Ron with a raised eyebrow,
"Well, maybe not quite, my head is a little sore, but I will be"
Hermione let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding, "good, now I don't feel so bad about scolding you"
Harry looked over at them almost nervously, "so, uh, what actually happened? Who, um, saved me?"
"Well," began Ron, "after the bludger hit you, you fell off your broom, and Chris managed to get under you and he caught you on the way down"
"Right, uh, tell him thanks from me will you?" asked Harry awkwardly,
"Of course" replied Hermione, smiling warmly,
"Right" came a sharp voice from the corner, "you" it continued "drink this". It was Madam Pomfrey with Harry's potion, "and you" she continued turning to Ron and Hermione, "out"
"Okay, okay, we're going" muttered Ron, as he took Hermione's arm and led her out, "See you soon Harry"
Harry tried to reply but found his mouth full of a foul smelling potion. It did the job though, as after only seconds he felt himself drifting off to sleep.
It was Friday, and the Yule Ball was starting in an hour or two. The girls were all off getting ready and Harry, Ron, Dean and Neville were all lounging around in the common room trying to think of something to do.
"So…who's going home for the holidays then?" asked Neville, trying for a conversation,
holidays did start tomorrow after all.
"I am" said Dean,
"So am I" replied Ron, "and Harry's coming to the Burrow, aren't you Harry?"
"Yup" Harry replied cheerfully, trying to imagine a Christmas that wasn't at Hogwarts, but at the burrow where mayhem and chaos were sure to ensue. "You going to your grans Neville?"
"Yeah and I, uh, I'm going to Luna's on Boxing Day…"
"Luna's?" asked Ron curiously,
"We've um…kind of being seeing each other…" stammered Neville, blushing furiously
"Way to go Neville" said Dean, chuckling good naturedly,
"How's she doing anyway? After, well, you know…" Harry trailed off,
"Not too bad…she can't remember much though…just some Death Eaters surrounding her, throwing curses…"
An awkward silence befell the common room, broken by some shouts from the girls dorms,
"Has anyone seen my robes?" called Ali, causing Harry to redden slightly at the thought of his girlfriend without her robes,
"They're here!" shouted back Hermione, "but what about my shoes?"
"I can't find my hairbrush" called Lavender desperately,
"My make-up bag is gone!" screamed Parvati
"I think I saw it in the common room" replied Lavender, "actually Hermione I think your shoes were there too"
"Right" muttered Hermione, "Ron Weasley you had better not be in the common room when I get there, I don't want you seeing me before I'm ready" she shouted
Ron tried to act cool and stayed lounging in his seat, at which all the guys burst out laughing, "away you go Ron" said Harry, "you know you don't want to be on her bad side"
Ron blushed, held an internal debate and eventually lept
up and headed for the boy's dorms, at which all the guys burst out laughing
again, "You, mate, are whipped" called Dean between laughs,
"What?" demanded Ron, "I need to get ready anyway!" he finished indignantly, which ceased the laughter,
"You know he does have a point" said Harry, and with that they all vacated the common room and went to get themselves ready.
An hour later the boys were once again gathered in the common room, looking slightly flushed after the pillow fight that had been the result of some friendly teasing. Now though, they were all dressed and ready to go, eagerly anticipating the arrival of the girls.
Parvati and Lavender were the first to arrive downstairs as they had to go and meet their dates, both were looking pretty, Parvati in pale pink and Lavender in silver. Neville also decided to go, he had to meet Luna, though he promised to see them all later. Ginny was the first down the stairs in a black dress that fitted loosely, clinging in all the right places, finishing just above the knee. Her hair was down, and a mass of loose curls, that rested on her shoulders. Dean was speechless, and Ron looked as though he was going to have a coronary. Harry luckily saved the day by elbowing Ron in the side and directing his attention to the stairs which Hermione was now descending.
She looked amazing in her red dress, and Ron was dumbstruck. Her hair was tied up in a loose ponytail, calmed with another dose of potion. The little make up that she was wearing accentuated her features and complimented her outfit well.
Harry couldn't concentrate on any of the other girls though. His attention was firmly stuck on the stairs, awaiting Ali, and he was completely breathless when he saw her. She was wearing a dark violet dress that emphasized her eyes marvellously, it was floor length, but with a slit that went part way up her thigh. The back was low-cut, so much so it was almost backless, and it had a V neck that stopped just before revealing anything, but that was low enough to entice interest and it certainly enticed Harry's interest. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her, from her silky black curls, to her perfect eyes and lips, to her magnificent figure, to that ingenious slit. She looked amazing, and he hastened to tell her so.
She grinned, and blushed prettily at the compliment. "You don't look so bad yourself you know" she replied looking him up and down appreciatively. And he didn't. Hermione had picked out robes a similar colour to his old ones, as according to her they had suited him nicely, but she had gotten a much more sophisticated and grown up style.
"Shall we go to the ball then my lady?" Harry asked courteously, offering her his arm,
"Most defiantly" she replied, kissing him lightly before taking his arm and following the others to the great hall.
Most people were in the hall when they got there, the atmosphere happy and relaxed. Neville and Luna called the group over to a table and they happily obliged.
The band were not particularly well known, but were good all the same, and the food, as always, was superb.
Everyone danced, laughed, joked, and generally had a good time.
All the members of the Defence Team were there at some point, though they were on shifts as they didn't want to leave the castle undefended. Remus and Caighlynne enjoyed a good few dances. Tonks and her rather odd Auror friend Trisana danced with almost every guy in the hall at least once, much to the delight of the male students, though Trisana danced with Charlie more than a few times. Sirius ensured the female half of the student body was also happy by dancing with most of them, as well as with McGonagall much to everyone's amusement.
The night ended on a high note, though Harry supposed it wouldn't have if any of the staff realised that the students had managed to accumulate a substantial amount of alcohol, and were planning on continuing the party in the common rooms well into the morning. Ah well, what they don't know won't hurt them! He thought with a grin as he headed back to the common room with the rest of the Griffindor's and Luna, who had been invited along to join their little soiree.
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Darling Readers!
And so ends the latest chapter. As always I hope you all enjoyed it! This would've been out sooner, except for work (god! weekend jobs are the worst!), Christmas shopping – which I've finally finished! - and going to see Madness, who were pretty damn good!
Anyhow, I doubt any of you really care about my personal life, and I really doubt many of you are even reading this so I'll leave you here!
What was so wrong with the last chapter? Only two reviews last time! I feel so unwanted! Nah not really…just review this time okay?
Athenakitty – So many questions, which you'll be glad to know, are all answered! Thanks for taking the time to review and I hope you like the rest!
Anna L.Black – I know you want to know what's up with Sirius, and you're probably disappointed this wasn't the chapter to reveal his secret, well, don't fret, next chapter all is revealed! Hope to hear from you again soon, thanks for all the lovely encouragement!
