Thanks to Alex for being my beta reader.
I hope everyone enjoys this! This is my first HP fic, so please R&R. I'd appreciate it ^_^
Warning: This fic contains OOTP spoilers (and will probably not make much sense if you haven't read it)!
The first chapters of Black Soul, White Heart are exactly the same as those in For the Love of Quidditch. I WILL NOT BE CONTINUING TO POST CHAPTERS UNDER THE OLD NAME. So, if you want to finish reading the fic, please click on my username and follow the link to Black Soul, White Heart, and continue reading from wherever you left off in For the Love of Quidditch.
Thanks so much for all your understanding, positive reviews and support thus far. Now here's Chapter 7, the final chapter that will be posted under this name. Hope you enjoy it ^_^
For the Love of Quidditch
NOW "BLACK SOUL, WHITE HEART"
Chapter 7 - "Trap Doors and Triumphs"
***
"Hey Hermione." Harry smiled at his friend as she entered the sitting area of Sirius's room. The bushy haired girl smiled back at him. Harry peered around her and was disappointed to see her red-haired friend was not with her. "Where's Ginny?"
"You still fancy her, don't you?" Hermione asked, her eyes alight.
"I do not!" Harry retorted quickly, but he could feel his cheeks turning a deep red. His heart began to beat more quickly. Hermione stared at him for a moment, as if she were going to reprimand him for lying, and shook her head.
"Whatever you say." The corners of her mouth twitched into a lopsided grin, and she sat down next to him on the sofa. "Ginny is studying in her room. She's getting nervous about fifth year - you know, O.W.L.'s and all." Harry's interest peaked at the talk of Ginny and he closed the book that was open in his lap, setting it down beside him. Hermione picked it up and began flipping through the crisp pages, still speaking absently. "She keeps asking me to help her memorize the ingredients for the Draft of Peace. But I mean really, the ingredients aren't that complicated. It's the brewing process that's the tricky part. But even that isn't too hard."
"Speak for yourself." Harry groaned. Harry had found the Draft of Peace to be one of the most difficult potions he had ever attempted, made worse still by having Snape loom over him and criticize his work whenever possible. "Still, if I managed to get an O on my Potions O.W.L., it should be easy for Ginny."
"Don't you think it's good of her to be so involved in her studies?" Hermione pressed, looking up from her book and raising her eyebrows at him. Harry sighed.
"Yes, Hermione. I know Ron and I should spend more time studying. But we're not smart like you and Ginny." Harry confessed. He still thought anyone revising anything not required before school was absurd, but he supposed Hermione was right - Ginny's determination was admirable, as were her brains.
"That's rubbish. You and Ron are smart, you just need to apply yourself. Anyway - you should tell Ginny that."
"Tell her what? That I'm an imbecile?"
"No. That you think she's smart."
"Oh... well, I suppose I could." Harry furrowed his brow as his stomach flopped over at the thought. "Why exactly?"
"Honestly." Hermione rolled her eyes. "To show her you have confidence in her. Girls do like to be complimented every once in a while you know, especially when they like the person." Harry choked on his saliva as he swallowed. When he finished coughing, he turned to Hermione.
"But she doesn't like me... not as more than a friend, anyway." Harry said, confused, his brain working a mile a minute. She couldn't like him, could she?
"You and Ron really are thick." Hermione said tersely, shutting Harry's book in her lap with a loud thud. "Maybe if you actually paid attention to us you'd realize we-" She stopped and clasped her hands over her mouth, her eyes suddenly going wide. Harry was now even more confused. Pay more attention to them? Realize them? Him and Ron? Wait a minute. Wait a bloody minute! Harry smiled inwardly.
"What do you mean, to 'us'? What exactly should Ron realize?" Harry asked, his eyebrow raised in curiosity.
"N-Nothing!" Hermione stammered. "Just a slip of the tongue. I should go. I have - err - homework to do." She began to rise from her seat.
"Oh please, Hermione. You and I both know you've had your homework done since the first week of holidays." Harry grabbed Hermione's arm and she sat back down. "You fancy Ron, don't you?" Hermione's cheeks went from pink to scarlet. She looked down at her hands that were balled in her lap and began chewing her lip furiously.
"No. I just-" She said softly. Harry began to laugh - it was stupid, really, for them to have liked each other for so long and not told each other yet. "It's not funny!" Hermione shouted, glaring at him.
"I don't think it's funny that you like him, Hermione. I think it's funny that you both like each other but you're both too chicken to say anything." He smiled warmly.
"Oh. Well, now you know how I feel." Hermione said, smiling slightly, and Harry shook his head. If what Hermione was saying were true, then Ginny liked him - but that simply couldn't be. He'd been dreadful to her, and really, what was so great about him? He frowned. Glancing at Hermione, who was staring dreamily out the window, a dumb smile plastered on her face, Harry decided to ask her the question that had been bothering him for days.
"Hermione... what does it mean when a girl tells you to be more honest in the first place?"
"Did Ginny tell you that?" She asked absently. Harry nodded. "Oh... well I suspect it means just what she said. She wants you to tell her the truth right away. You know, be honest - don't lead her on with some made-up story." Harry leaned back into the sofa and thought. Don't lead her on. He hadn't, had he? Well, he supposed he had when he bought her the robes. So that's what she meant. Harry's contemplations were interrupted by Hermione speaking again. "Does Ron really like me?" She asked quietly.
"Yeah loads. You should have seen him the day before you came to the Burrow. We thought he'd gone mad!" Harry chuckled at the memory. "And you know how jealous he got over Viktor Krum." Hermione flushed and let out a short laugh.
"But that was so long ago... I thought maybe he'd stopped liking me since then." Harry shook his head and she laughed again. "Anyway, I really should go study." She stood up and made her way to the door. Before exiting, she turned to face Harry once more. "Thanks, Harry." She smiled. Harry smiled back.
"You're welcome. Thank you too." Harry leaned back into the sofa again and stared at the ceiling. The white paint was beginning to peel slightly in places, showing the plaster underneath. Harry made the ceiling blur, his eyes unfocussed, and breathed deeply, letting the air slowly exit his lungs. Ginny liked him? There was just no way... was there?
On the Quidditch pitch at the final practice, Harry circled wide, intent on finding the Snitch. The wind whistled in his ears as he glided easily through the warm air and the sun shone down, warming his back and casting long shadows across the thick grass below. He ducked as a Bludger soared towards his head. Other than that, he paid no attention to his teammates doing drills below him.
Then he saw it; the Snitch was hovering near the stands, its gold body glinting against the painted black beams. Harry leaned forward, urging his broomstick on; he flew across the pitch in a matter of seconds, and halted moments later with the Snitch struggling between his fingers. Mad-Eye Moody nodded to him approvingly, allowing the corners of his mouth to turn into a half smile.
"Good catch, Harry." He said.
"Thanks." Harry smiled at the Auror, then let the Snitch go and flew back to the middle of the field. Ginny was streaming along below him, shouting at Lucy Cabbot to speed up her passes as they zigzagged up the corridor towards the goal posts. The other chaser, Andrew Swift, caught the Quaffle, sped ahead and tried to score, but Kerr blocked the shot.
"Nice block, Alex!" Ginny yelled, and then flew over to Andrew. "Next time, fake to the left before you make the goal."
"Come on now, Ginny, I'm the coach here not you!" Coach Pilfick smiled at her warmly. Ginny scowled at him, but he didn't seem to notice. "Okay then, team, that's enough for today! I'll see you all on Sunday!"
Ginny flew up to where Harry was floating above the rest of the team. "You know, I wouldn't have to play coach if he did his job instead of sleeping all the time." She grumbled. Harry just chuckled and nodded.
While the other players collected the remaining balls and descended towards the ground, Harry and Ginny searched for the Snitch. They spotted it at the same time, both diving suddenly and racing each other for it. They lunged towards the grass at center field, bumping shoulders as they urged their brooms on. Harry felt Ginny's hand close around his just as his own encircled the golden Snitch. He froze at her touch, forgetting to steer his broom as his heart quickened in his chest. Ginny removed her hand quickly, but Harry was already spinning out of control, barreling towards the ground. He landed with a thud, and skidded to a stop.
"What was that?" Ginny questioned, hovering above him, trying to control her giggles while looking concerned. "Are you okay?"
"N-Nothing. I'm fine." Harry stammered, standing up suddenly and grimacing at his lack of control. Smooth, Potter, really smooth, he thought, and felt his face flush.
"Well, come on then or we'll be late." Moody called to them. Harry nodded and returned the Snitch to the box quickly before heading back to Ginny and Moody, who were waiting for him by the bleachers.
On arrival back at Grimmauld Place, the trio was met by a strained Mrs. Weasley and a very ill-tempered Ron.
"Ron, we've been through this before! You are too young!" Mrs. Weasley was shouting, face red and puffy, as the trio appeared in the room.
"Fine!" Ron shouted back, and stormed out of the room. Mrs. Weasley turned towards the arrivals and smiled apologetically.
"Sorry dears. Hello, Moody. You'll be staying for dinner, I assume?" Moody bowed his head slightly and walked over to the table, where he sat on one of the worn old chairs. "Ginny dear, go get your brother and tell him dinner is ready. Harry, would you help me bring in a few extra chairs from the sitting room?" Harry nodded and did as he was asked. While he was maneuvering a particularly awkward chair into place at the kitchen table, there was a loud pop, and a group of red-heads appeared in the center of the room.
"Hello Mr. Weasley, Fred, George, Bill." Harry greeted them, nodding to each in turn.
"Hello! Sit down, supper's almost ready." Mrs. Weasley welcomed her family as she continued bustling around the kitchen.
Eventually seven Weasley's, Hermione, Harry, and Moody were seated around the table enjoying their supper. It was a somewhat hurried affair, since the Order of the Phoenix was scheduled to have a meeting shortly afterwards. When they were finished, Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny were shooed from the room. They could hear the popping sounds of people apparating into the kitchen as they left. Ron tried to persuade Fred and George into telling them about the meeting afterwards.
"Sorry, brother. We've been sworn to secrecy." Fred apologized.
"But we can't stop you if you accidentally hear something." George winked and pressed a set of Extendable Ears into Ron's hand.
As they were making their way to the balcony, where they could best deploy the Extendable Ears, Lupin came in through the front door. Harry had not seen him in over a month, and he looked even more ragged than before. His eyes were underlined with dark circles, his hair was a mess, and his robes were shabbier than ever. He smiled at the group in greeting before silenty making his way down the hallway, but Harry saw a hollowness in his eyes that betrayed the expression of his mouth.
"He looks bad, doesn't he?" Hermione whispered to him as they made their way up the stairs, her mouth turned in to a frown.
"Yeah." Harry mumbled.
"Come on, you two! The meeting must be started now." Ron hurried them upstairs, and hastily lowered the ears towards the kitchen door. Harry shoved away the ball of worry that was beginning to form in his gut for his old professor, and joined Ron on the balcony.
"Can you hear anything?" Ginny whispered to Ron.
"No. They must have put an Imperturbable Charm on the room. I'm getting nothing!" Ron tried to move the ears to see if that would remedy the problem.
"That or your brother's gave you a faulty set of Extendable Ears." Hermione said.
"Oh forget it, let's go upstairs." Ron said crossly and shoved the Ears in his pocket. Together the foursome disappointedly trudged up the stairs to Sirius's room. As the others sat themselves in the seats around the fireplace, Harry went into his trunk and pulled out some Laughing Lollies.
"Anyone want one?" He asked his friends.
"No, I don't want any more of their garbage." Ron said bitterly. Harry knew Ron didn't really mean it, so sat down without complaint. Ginny and Hermione refused as well.
The lollipops looked harmless enough, much like normal Muggle ones - coloured candy on top of a plain white stick. Harry chose a light green and orange one from his pile and tore off the wrapper. He took a tentative lick; it tasted like melon. He thought it too was a dud, but then he felt a great surge of laughter build within him, and before he knew it he was doubled over on the sofa, absolutely howling. Ginny, Ron and Hermione stared at him with wide eyes.
"Harry, are you okay?" Ginny asked.
"I think - HAHAHAHAHA - I got - HAHA - got a hy - HAHAHAHAHA - hysterical honeydew!" And then he fell onto the floor in another fit of laughter. The others were laughing as well now, but not because of the lollipops.
"Those are fantastic! Imagine giving one of those to someone - they'd think they'd gone mad!" Ron guffawed.
"We'll have to give one to Snape!" Ginny giggled, her eyes glittering mischievously.
"Imagine seeing him rolling around on the floor in hysterics!" Ron said, and although the Laughing Lolly had worn off, Harry burst out laughing again. He didn't think Snape was capable of smiling, let alone laughing.
When he finally finished his lollipop, Harry found himself lying on the floor in front of the fireplace, staring into the hearth. He lay there for a moment, catching his breath. Then he saw something; sticking out behind the grate only two or three centimeters, was a tiny, dull brass hoop. Harry blinked a few times incase he was seeing things, but it remained.
"Strange." He said.
"Yeah, those lollipops are weird!" Ron agreed.
"No, no. There's something here. I'm not sure what it is." Harry got up on his hands and knees, and leaned forward into the fireplace to get a closer look. Ginny came up behind him and peered over his shoulder.
"What is it?" She asked, and Harry pointed to the ring. "Do you think it has something to do with ventilation?" She suggested.
"I'm not sure." Harry touched his finger to it. The metal was rough and surprisingly cold.
"Well, go on, pull it," said Ron. Harry shrugged and tugged on the small hoop. It made a soft creaking noise, as if it hadn't been used in a very long time. Then they heard a much louder noise, a scraping of stone against stone; the floor of the fireplace was moving.
Harry quickly stepped out of the hearth. When the noise stopped, he looked again. The bottom of the fireplace was now a three foot wide hole, leading into darkness.
"I wonder what's down there." Ginny voiced everyone's thoughts. Harry felt her shudder slightly where she was pressed against his side.
"Someone get me a candle or a torch." Harry said. Hermione handed him one of the torches from the wall. Grasping firmly to the side of the grate, Harry lowered the light into the darkness.
"There's a ladder! And..." He lowered the torch a bit more. "It looks like some sort of storeroom." He said finally.
"That's all?" Ron asked.
"Yeah, I think so. Take a look." Harry backed away so the others could look for themselves.
"What a relief!" Hermione breathed and Ginny nodded in agreement.
"So, who's coming down with me?" Harry said with a grin on his face. While the thought of a secret storeroom in Sirius' bedroom was somewhat worrisome, it was also quite exciting, and Harry wouldn't dare pass up the chance to explore.
"I'm not sure that's such a good idea, Harry." Hermione said, her voice serious.
"Oh come on, it's just a storeroom."
"I'll go." Ginny said determinedly. Harry smiled.
"Great. Ginny and I will go down. Hermione, Ron, you two stay up here and keep watch." Hermione and Ron nodded in agreement, looking slightly relieved to be leaving the exploration to Harry and Ginny.
Harry went down first, slowly climbing down the ladder. It was a short climb - two or three meters and he was at the bottom. Harry looked up and called for Ginny to come down. She ascended the ladder quickly, and before long was standing next to him. Only when he was sure she was safe did Harry dare to look around the room.
It was a small, rectangular room, approximately three meters wide and four across. Along the walls, interspersed between large, wooden floor to ceiling shelves, were unlit torches in ornate cast iron holders in the shape of snakes. Next to the ladder was an empty fixture, into which Harry put the torch he was holding; suddenly the other ten torches around the room burst to life, flooding the room with a fiery orange glow. Now Harry could see the dark ebony bookcases clearly, each packed with ancient looking texts and scrolls. In the center of the room was a lone table, etched with long, deep cuts and inky black marks.
"It's a library of some sort!" He called up to the others. Ginny was scanning the lines of books, being careful not to disturb anything.
"Mastering Dark Beasts, Spells for the Power Hungry, Kill Thine Enemy." Ginny read allowed. "Harry, these are all Dark Arts books."
"They are?" Harry swallowed. Why would Sirius keep a library of the Dark Arts in a secret room in his bedroom? He looked at the books. Indeed they were all on the topic of Dark Arts. Some of them looked hundreds and even thousands of years old, bound in worn leather with gold lettering and Latin titles that Harry couldn't even begin to translate. He scanned the shelf behind the ladder and began to read the titles: A Curse for Every Issue, Dark Casting, and one that looked very old indeed, its black leather binding worn beyond repair and the tiny silver letters barely readable, entitled Niger Animus. Despite his inability to understand the title, this book, more than any of the others, intrigued him. Gently Harry lifted the dusty text off the shelf and placed it on the table in the middle of the room. There he flipped it open. Many of the thin yellow parchment pages were torn. Large, swooping black letters lined every page, and some even had pictures. The first, which had the title in thick, inky letters at the top, contained an image of a wizard in a long black cloak and robes, his hood pulled over his head so it concealed his face in darkness. In his right hand he held a wand; sitting close to his left, with his long, gnarled fingers entwined in its thick fur, was a large black dog which Harry instantly recognized as a Grim.
Harry had the sudden urge to close the book, put it back on the shelf and erase the ghastly image from his mind. He didn't know how or why, perhaps it was the black dog in the picture that reminded him of Sirius, but something stopped him. Harry closed it, tucked it under his arm, and crossed the room to where Ginny was standing, silently reading a long roll of parchment. She jumped as he put his hand on her shoulder.
"This is really creepy Harry. These are detailed descriptions of testing the spells in these books." She said, her voice quivering slightly.
"Does it say who wrote them?" Harry asked, hoping that Sirius's name was not there.
"It just says 'R.B.'" She said. "The 'B' must stand for Black. But what about the 'R'?"
"Regulus. It's Sirius's brother." Harry said, remembering the family tree Sirius had shown him the last time he was at Grimmauld Place. He also remembered that Regulus had been a Death Eater. He shuddered to think that one so closely related to Sirius could be so evil, but he supposed he shouldn't really be surprised considering the portrait of Mrs. Black downstairs and the rest of his relatives; in all honesty, it was Sirius who was the black sheep of the family.
"So then Voldemort and his Death Eaters were trying out these spells," said Harry, astonished.
"Yeah it looks like it. But from these logs it doesn't look like they were having much luck." Ginny said, her voice sounding slightly relieved. She shuddered and put the scroll back onto the shelf. "Let's go back up. This place is creeping me out."
"Me too. Come on." Carefully, the two teens climbed back up the ladder and out of the hole. They were greeted by a very pensive looking Ron and Hermione.
"What's down there?" Hermione was the first to speak.
"It's a Dark Arts library. There's got to be hundreds of books down there." Harry explained.
"Sirius?" Hermione questioned.
"No. His brother. Sirius must have not known about it, or if he did he thought they would be safe here."
"Yeah. I wouldn't want all those getting into the wrong hands, though it looks like they were once." Ginny said, her voice low and distant.
"What's that under your arm, Harry?" Ron asked.
"It's a book." He laid it on the floor so the others could get a good look at it.
"'Black Soul'." Hermione translated.
"I didn't know you knew Latin," said Harry.
"Only a little." Hermione admitted, puffing her chest out slightly. "I taught myself a few summers ago since that's what our spells are based on." Somehow this was not at all surprising to Harry, nor, it seemed, to Ron or Ginny. The group sat in silence for a few moments before Ron spoke.
"Well, I'm going to bed." He announced.
"I think I will too. Coming, Ginny?" Hermione stood and brushed off her jeans.
"No, I think I'm going to stay here for a minute. I'll be down in a little bit." Ginny replied.
"Okay, well, goodnight."
"Goodnight." Harry watched his friends exit the room, and then turned to Ginny. She looked slightly pale, her eyes unfocussed and staring intently at the book on the floor. Harry swallowed, unsure of what exactly he should say, but feeling he should say something. "Are - are you okay?" He asked finally.
"Yeah. I'm fine." She smiled weakly. "It's just, well... seeing the hole and all that stuff just reminded me of my first year" She... trailed off. Harry hadn't realized she was still affected by her experience with the Chamber of Secrets, but he supposed it wasn't really all that surprising.
Silence came between the two again. Harry glanced at Ginny, who was staring at the floor. He shifted uncomfortably. "Er - why did you go down there, if it reminded you of T- of your first year?" Harry stuttered, anxious to break the silence. Ginny looked up at him suddenly, her brown eyes intent and piercing. Harry swallowed; she'd never looked at him like that before.
"Not just my first year, Harry... the Department of Mysteries too... and what it's like to feel Dark Magic." She said, her voice low and steady. Then her eyes softened, her face relaxed, and she ran her fingers through her hair. "I suppose I went down there just to see if I could." Ginny said thoughtfully, her eyes still focused on him. "I know it sounds silly, but I wanted to make sure I still had control of myself, to make sure I'm still me."
"I don't think it's silly." Harry said seriously, unsure of what else to say. The truth was he didn't think it was silly. He didn't think Ginny could ever be silly, not in a bad way, and certainly not tonight.
"Well, I should get to bed." Ginny said, rising to her feet. Harry stood up after her, and walked her to the door. She stopped in the doorway before exiting, turned, and smiled warmly at him. "Thanks, Harry." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and then stepped swiftly through the door, down the hall and out of Harry's sight.
That night Harry lay in bed thinking not of Sirius as he usually did; not of Lupin and his tired, sad eyes; not of Death Eaters and Dark spells; not of the ancient black book which now lay in his trunk, but of a red-haired, creamy-skinned beauty, leaning over him in a sunlit orchard.
The next day was perhaps the most exciting, and indeed the most nerve-wracking, day of summer holidays for Harry. It was also his last. Instead of being spent packing his trunk, or relaxing with his friends for a final time in the comfy velvet couches in front of the fireplace, it was spent flying high on a broomstick, playing in the final match for the Youth Quidditch League Cup.
He awoke early Sunday morning to dim slits of light streaking through the curtains around his four-poster bed. He yawned and put on his glasses, stretching slightly before pushing the curtains aside and rolling out of bed. After sleepily pulling on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, he padded over to the large expanse of windows overlooking the street.
The sky was overcast and grey - not abnormal for England, even in summer. Beyond the quiet street, the sprawl of London extended to the horizon.
Harry brushed his hand through his mess of black hair and sighed. This would be the last day, the second to last morning, he would wake at Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Tomorrow he would be off to Hogwarts. As glad as he was to be going back to school, a small part of him felt remorse at having to leave the walls of the great old house, even if they were cold and unwelcoming.
Later, while eating a steaming bowl of porridge, Harry wondered if any of his friends felt the same way. No, he thought, they are probably relieved to be leaving; they probably wish they'd never had to come here in the first place. And a month ago, Harry would have felt the same way.
"Are you going to eat that, or just stare at it all morning?" Ron interrupted Harry's thoughts, smiling cheekily. Harry smirked at his friend and spooned some of the milky oatmeal into his mouth. "I hope you're that out of it during the game, that way we'll win for sure!" Ron chuckled.
Ginny glared at her brother. "Don't listen to him, Harry. We're going to kick his butt!"
"You won't be able to get anywhere near our butts!" Ron bellowed at his sister, thumping his fist down on the table so hard it caused the plates to bounce and clatter.
"Which is a very good thing from the smell of things." Hermione said, wrinkling up her nose. Ron's ears turned noticeably red. Harry stifled a laugh and continued eating, while Ginny grinned across the table at Ron triumphantly.
It was in the changing room where his nerves finally caught up with him. Hearing the loud cheers and stomping feet above him, Harry truly comprehended the weight of this match. The outcome of the game would decide who won the League Cup, and he would be playing against his best friend. Butterflies flapped furiously in his gut. Despite his opponents, he had to win. If not for himself (and he really would like to win) then for his team, for Ginny; he'd watched her practice tirelessly all summer, and he wouldn't let all she'd worked for go to waste. With that in mind, Harry tucked his good luck charm into his robes, grabbed his Firebolt and strode out to join his teammates. He hoped Ron wouldn't take the loss too hard.
The roars from the crowd as the two teams walked out onto the pitch were deafening. Harry and Ginny nodded to each other as they took their positions, both too nervous to speak. Ginny's eyes were knit in concentration as she met Zacharias Smith in the center of the pitch; they shook hands brusquely. Coach Pilfick stepped up to meet them with the Quaffle. Harry mounted his broom and prepared to push off. He could see Ron across the line, staring determinedly at the back of Smith's head.
"Both teams ready?" Coach Pilfick asked. Ginny and Smith nodded shortly. "Okay then. Have a good game!" The whistle sounded and Ginny swept off with the Quaffle.
Harry flew up above the pitch to begin his search. He circled it slowly, one eye on the game below, and one constantly searching for that flicker of gold and silver that would end the game.
He'd never seen Ginny fly quite so fiercely as this. Harry could see her entire focus was on getting the Quaffle through the hoops, as she dodged Bludgers and flew past the other players. Ron looked terrified as his sister careened towards him, her jaw set and hair flying behind her, looking like a green and black banshee.
An hour into the game and the Opaleyes were 150 points ahead. However the Vipertooths were just starting to gain their edge, and began fighting back against the chaser's attacks. Harry heard the mix of cheering and booing as the announcer called out a score for the Vipertooths, but his concentration was focused entirely on finding the Snitch. If he didn't catch it now, the opposing team could win.
"Swift with the Quaffle - passes to Cabbot - and it's intercepted by Smith! Vipertooths in possession! Smith shoots - and a nice save by Kerr!" The announcer called beneath him. Harry ducked a Bludger that was headed his way, and sped around to the other side of the pitch. He could see Cho searching close by, keeping a close eye on him. He glided across the field, Cho not far behind. If he could just lose her...
Harry flew forward and then feinted. He dove as fast as he could, and was pleased to hear the whooshing of Cho's broom behind him. At the last second he pulled out of the dive, his toes scraping the grass, and then quickly soared back into the air and away from Cho. Harry smiled as he continued his search, pleased with himself.
But it didn't last long.
Cho was speeding across the pitch in the opposite direction. She'd seen the Snitch. Harry noticed it suddenly, hovering above the goalposts. His heart leapt; they were only 140 points ahead, if he didn't get the Snitch, the Opaleyes would lose.
Harry leaned forward and shot off in pursuit, urging his broom forward with all his strength. He was gaining on her, a little further and he would pass her. He was going to do it.
And then it hit him.
Harry only felt the pain as the Bludger connected with his shoulder, knocking him sideways and off his broom. He scrambled to hang on, but felt his fingers slip. He fell in slow motion, his green and black robes billowing around him as he stared at the bleak grey clouds.
I lost the game, he thought as a steak of green and black blurred across the sky. I ruined all Ginny's hard work...
He hit the ground with a loud thud that knocked the wind out of him. His vision blurred, but he could hear cheers and screams around him. And then...
"OPALEYES WIN! CHANG CATCHES THE SNITCH, BUT OPALEYES WIN! SPECTACULAR FLYING BY GINNY WEASLEY, WHOSE LAST MINUTE GOALS WIN THE GAME!"
They'd won? Ginny had scored two goals and won. She'd won! He hadn't ruined everything! And in contrast to his descent, his vision suddenly came into sharp focus. Hermione, Ron and the rest of the Weasley's were standing over him, worried expressions on their faces. To the left Harry could see his teammates cheering, lifting Ginny up onto their shoulders. She was smiling brightly, holding the League Cup high above her head, hair flying behind her.
"Harry, are you okay?" Hermione asked him as she crouched over him. Harry nodded dumbly, his eyes not leaving Ginny's form as she laughed and cheered. He stood up slowly, stumbling slightly, but caught himself. Pain was shooting through his shoulder, but he ignored it. His teammates parted to let him through as he made his way towards Ginny. She saw him, and, still smiling, gracefully leapt off the shoulders of Andrew and Alexander to stand in front of him.
"Harry! Are you all right?" She asked, her luscious brown eyes tinged with concern. Harry nodded. Ginny was still breathing heavily, worn out from her flying. Harry felt himself drowning in her eyes. He wanted to thank her, congratulate her, but his throat wouldn't work. He opened and closed his mouth, but no sound escaped. "Harry?" Ginny questioned, stepping closer to him. Harry reached out and brushed away a stray piece of hair that had fallen from her ponytail. His lips suddenly felt very dry, so he licked them, moistening them with his saliva. But her eyes, her eyes... Harry felt them pulling him, and followed. Very slowly, he leaned forward and kissed her.
A/N: A huge thanks goes to my beta Alex for both her beta of this chapter, and her help with the final Quidditch match (the chapter would have taken MUCH longer to complete and probably wouldn't have been as good without her!). Also thanks to all my readers for being patient during the long wait for this chapter. I had a writer's block and then Christmas came, and then my e-mail got screwed up... but finally it's finished and I'm pleased with how it came out. So thanks very much for waiting, everyone! Of course, reviews are always wanted and appreciated!
If you haven't already, it is extremely important to read below:
*********************EXTREMELY IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE, PLEASE READ************************* This fic has grown tremendously since I first began it in the summer of last year, and the plot has expanded more than I'd originally planned (I originally had 6 chapters planned... now there are 20!). With this expansion has come the realization that the title, For the Love of Quidditch, while not only being cheesy and stupid in hindsight, also no longer fits the story I am writing. For that reason, I am changing the title to Black Soul, White Heart. Thanks so much to all my readers who have followed this fic thus far under its original title, and I really hope you will continue to read it under the new title.
The first chapters of Black Soul, White Heart are exactly the same as those in For the Love of Quidditch. I WILL NOT BE CONTINUING TO POST CHAPTERS UNDER THE OLD NAME. So, if you want to finish reading the fic, please click on my username and follow the link to Black Soul, White Heart, and continue reading from wherever you left off in For the Love of Quidditch.
Thanks so much for all your understanding, positive reviews and support thus far.