I've Been Living A Lie

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Chapter 8 ~ Quidditch Gone Wrong

Ron had stayed in the Gryffindor Common Room waiting for Harry, while everyone else had gone down to breakfast. He was getting rather impatient, and was about to leave, when Harry appeared at the base of the boys staircase. Ron looked relieved, and sighed heavily.

'There you are Harry, what took you so long?' Ron said exasperatedly. He walked over to the entrance, hoping to squeeze in a piece of toast and some bacon before the Quidditch Match started. Gryffindor was playing Ravenclaw.

'I was getting ready.' Harry explained bluntly. 'I couldn't find my Firebolt.' Ron looked at him in an uneasy fashion.

'It was on your bed Harry.' Ron frowned in suspicion. Harry smacked his head.

'Always the last place you look isn't it?' He said feebly. Ron shrugged, and led his best friend out of the Gryffindor Common Room, and down to breakfast.

When they got there, Harry noticed that Hermione was no where to be seen. He walked over to where Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown were sitting. They were giggling uncontrollably, and stopped suddenly when Harry arrived behind them.

'Harry.' Parvati said.

'What do you want?' Lavender said with a smirk on her face.

'Well, I WAS wondering if you knew where Hermione is, but now I'm wondering what you find that's so funny, and I can't be let in on it.' Harry said, putting his hand on Lavender's shoulder and squeezed it rather too harshly. Lavender flinched, and removed Harry's hand from her shoulder. Parvati coughed loudly.

'Sorry Harry, we don't know where your precious Hermione is, but if we see her, we shall be sure to let you know where she is.' Parvati smirked.

'Yeah, we all know how, protective you are of your dear, sweet Hermione.' Lavender added, putting emphasis on the words "protective" and "Hermione". Harry looked at her with curiosity.

'What do you mean by that Lavender?' He asked.

'Nothing, nothing, she doesn't mean anything by that.' Parvati said sarcastically. Harry, not trusting the two girls as far as he could throw them, left them alone, sniggering at him as he left.

'What was that all about?' Ron asked as Harry plopped down in the spare seat next to Ron at the Gryffindor table.

'I have no idea.' Harry said, 'But I think those two know more than they're saying.' Harry had lowered his voice to a whisper.

'What do you mean by that Harry?' Ron asked.

'I don't know.' Harry shook his head abruptly, and ate his breakfast.

'Never mind them, they've probably just spotted a hot guy running around the school or something like that.' Ron said carelessly. 'Come on Harry, we have to go to our game.' He bounded out the door, followed not-so-closely by Harry.

When Dolores Unbridge had been stripped from her position as Hogwarts High Inquisitor at the end of the previous year, the ban that said Harry couldn't play Quidditch had been lifted by none other than Professor McGonagall. Harry had been given his Firebolt back, and the trolls guarding it had been sent back to where they came from. No one was quite sure where this was though. . . Harry couldn't express his gratitude towards the witch, however, Ginny had been quite disappointed when she found out she would no longer be the Gryffindor Seeker.

The entire school was assembled in the Grand Stands surrounding the school's one and only Quidditch Pitch.

Harry and Ron joined their team mates in the change rooms. The Gryffindor captain was Katie Bell.

Harry could faintly hear the Slytherin's chanting "Weasley is our King" out in the stands.

'Weasley cannot save a thing,
He cannot block a single thing,
That's why Slytherin's all sing:
Weasley is our King.

'Weasley was born in a bin
He always lets the Quaffle in
Weasley will make sure we win
Weasley is our King.'

'Ignore them Ron, they're just mad that we beat them last year.' Harry urged Ron, but now the Slytherin's were singing with pride, and volume. . .

'Weasley is our King,
Weasley is our King,
He always lets the Quaffle in,
Weasley is our King.'

Ron's ears were turning a nice shade of magenta. Harry waved his hand over Ron's eyes, but Ron was staring into space, unaware of the game.

'Ron, RON! Don't let them get to you, remember, you stopped them from winning the Quidditch Cup last year, remember?' Harry urged. The two of them were ignoring Katie's speech.

'Weasley cannot save a thing,
He cannot block a single ring . . .'

Ron clenched his fists together and had a snarl plastered on his face.

'Weasley was born in a bin,
He always lets the Quaffle in . . .'

Katie led the Gryffindor team out onto the Quidditch Pitch. Harry saw the Ravenclaw team zooming out on their brooms from the other side of the pitch. The normal circle formed in the middle of the pitch, with the two seekers, Harry and Cho, above their teams. Madam Hooch threw the Quaffle into the air, and Katie grabbed it immediately.

The new commentator, appointed by Professor McGonagall herself, was none other than Miranda Durshwood. She was watching the Gryffindor team's Seekers with interest.

'Miss Durshwood, are you just going to stand there and watch, or actually do what you're appointed to do, and commentate the match.' McGonagall said sternly.

'Sonorus.' Miranda mumbled, her wand pointing at her throat, causing her voice to magnify.

'KATIE BELL HAS THE QUAFFLE - CUTTING IT CLOSE BETWEEN THAT BLUDGER AND BRETT YOUNG.' Miranda said, commentating the match.

Harry zoomed around in circles, looking not for the Snitch, but for Hermione. She had never missed one of Harry's matches, but now. . .

Come on Hermione, where are you? Harry silently urged.

'GRYFFINDOR SCORE! TEN NIL TO GRYFFINDOR. HARDY HAS THE QUAFFLE, AS RAVENCLAW TRY TO GET A GOAL. . .'

'Weasley is our King,
Weasley was born in a bin,
He cannot save a single thing
That's why all we Slytherin's sing:
Weasley is our King!'

Sung the Slytherin's.

'HARDY PASSES TO WILKINSON, WILKINSON GOES FOR THE MIDDLE RING, WEASLEY BLOCKS - WEASLEY DOESN'T BLOCK. . . RAVENCLAW SCORE, TEN ALL.'

Harry dipped and dived around the stadium, trying desperately to find Hermione's smiling face in the mass of students.

'WEASLEY IS OUR KING,
WEASLEY IS OUR KING . . .'

Harry could hear the Slytherin's as they bellowed out their song. He looked frantically at the Gryffindor section of the stands, searching for Hermione's bushy hair. The Gryffindor's started cheering, a song to match the Slytherin's.

'Weasley saves everything,
He never leaves a single ring,
That's why we Gryffindor's all sing:
Weasley is our King!'

There was a moment of silence in Harry's brain when he spied the Snitch, lingering near Ron's goal posts. He dove, not seeing anything but the Snitch. Harry was sure that Cho was hot on his tail, but he couldn't be worried about her now, not with the Golden Snitch just another few hundred meters . . .

'AND BEATER ALICE GARCIA FROM RAVENCLAW KNOCKS BLUDGER TOWARDS WEASLEY! WEASLEY AVOIDS BLUDGER, BUT, OH NO! POTTER AND CHANG ARE AFTER THE SNITCH! WATCH OUT -'

Harry heard nothing, but instead, he saw Hermione, standing on the ground outside the stadium. He looked back for just a second to see where he was going. Harry felt a sudden force against his face, a bludger. He had just enough time left to see a large smile on Cho's face, Snitch in her hand.

~***~

Harry woke in the Hospital Wing. He heard some voices coming from outside his curtain. Fumbling for his glasses, Harry overheard what the voices were saying. He recognised one as Miranda's, one as Dumbledore's, one as Hermione's, and the other was Ron.

'Professor, I tried to warn him, but he just kept flying, as if he didn't hear me, and then, I think he looked over somewhere to the right of the stands, and -' Miranda was saying, but she was cut off by Dumbledore.

'Miss Durshwood, I strongly advise you to go back to your common room, and wait there for further notice. Professor McGonagall will inform you of the next Quidditch Match you are to commentate. Thank-you.' Dumbledore finnished, and Harry heard footsteps leave the Hospital Wing.

'Ron? Hermione? Professor Dumbledore?' Harry called out weakly. In an instant, the three of them were at his bedside.

'Oh Harry, thank gosh you're awake! You had us all worried there for a minute, but I knew you'd pull through.' Ron grinned at Harry.

'W - What happened?'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

~* Sorry guys! I'm terrible, well, at least you know what happened! And if you don't . . . mua ha ha ha ha! Hope you liked the chapter, I figured I'd leave Miranda a mystery for a few more chapters ;) he he he! I'm so evil! Don't forget to review, and check out my other stories if you like, they're on my profile. *~

~Gryffindor Gal~