In Every Darkness

Chapter Seventy Nine: Second Match

27.1.1997

 The day of the match dawned, and Harry was utterly and completely ready for it. With Grypis back, and this new blessing, he was ready to face anything. Even had Voldemort appeared at the school during the course of the match, Harry felt that he would be ready to face him.

 "Hopefully, he will not," Grypis remarked. "I don't think that you are ready for him."

 "It was a manner of speech, or thought," Harry replied delicately, "I didn't actually mean it."

 "Good."

 Harry rolled his eyes. It was very early still, and he was practicing what he could with Tatsu gone. "How was your time away?"

 "It was well," Grypis replied calmly. "I met up with another of my kind, and many other magical creatures. I have made friends, and those friends will help you, should I ask them too."

 "That is good," Harry remarked. "We need more allies."

 "We do. And I will find more, if I leave here again. But I will not do that any time soon. I am needed here."

 "Harry? It's time for breakfast," Lily said from the doorway, smiling inside. "Oh! Gryphon has returned! Wonderful!"

 "She is happy to see me, our little wild child," Grypis remarked. "I like her. I met others like her while I was away. Some of them are nice, but they are also reclusive and shy."

 "Yeah, he's back," Harry agreed. He would ask Grypis about the other Wild Children later. "Let's get down to the hall – we have to eat if we're going to win this game."

 "Everyone else is down there already," she replied. "Except you and me – and Gryphon, of course."
 "Of course."

 Harry and Lily walked down to the Great Hall, with Grypis riding on Harry's shoulder, a familiar and welcome weight. Almost everyone on or around the Gryffindor table noted the return of the 'cat' that was Grypis, and most wanted to know where he'd been. Harry merely said that Grypis had been at his house, rather than Hogwarts, keeping Tatsu company.

 "Remind me to let Tatsu know about that story," Harry told Grypis, who purred agreement.

 Breakfast passed in a blur, most of Harry's friends, which meant the majority of the school, including most of the other teams, came over to wish them a good game, and assure that they'd be cheering.

 "Come on," Harry said to his team. "It's time to get out there and get ready. We're going to win," I hope, he added, silently.

 "Why hope? You will go out there, you will play to the best of your ability, and you will win." Grypis said.

 "We'll try to win," Harry agreed.

 "You will not try, you will succeed. Be positive and know what you want," Grypis told Harry firmly.

 "Of course," Harry replied. "Go to Hermione, you aren't allowed on the pitch."

 "I remember," Grypis assured him, and bounded off.

 "Where's he going?" Lily asked.

 "Hermione, she can take care of him during the match," Harry replied.

 "Sensible," Lily murmured.

 In the changing room, Harry looked around at his team. "Are you ready?" he asked them, green eyes flashing in challenge.

 "We are!" they replied as one, enthusiastic and ready to go.

 "Then let's go win!" Harry cried, and the team cheered, and headed out onto the Quidditch Pitch. Coming towards them were a group of seven older people, male and female, led by a rather pretty Beauxbatons girl. She wasn't as pretty as Gabrielle or Lily though, Harry thought.

 "Captains, shake hands," Hooch ordered, and Harry strode forward, gripping the other girls hand with a gentle, but firm, grip.

 "May the best team win," he said softly, and the other gave a sharp nod, stepping back to the ranks of her own team, as Harry did the same himself.

 "Mount your brooms!"

 Fourteen players mounted grimly, ready to begin what would be a battle every bit as meaningful to those involved as the battles fought by the Aurors against the Death Eaters.

 "On my whistle, three, two, ONE!" The whistle shrieked and fifteen brooms shot into the sky. Harry wove gracefully through the players from both teams, smiling to note that his team had the Quaffle first up, and then he was above the game in the freedom of the open sky.

 He noted the other team seeker, a Ravenclaw seventh year, was following him closely. Harry noted the other's position and started to look around for the Snitch, though for a long time he saw nothing.

 "And it's Unity with the Quaffle again! Lovegood passes to Weasley, passes to Lovegood, passes to –ooh, surprise there! Feints a pass to Weasley, throws to Delacour, Delacour SCORES! Fifty-thirty to Unity! Quaffle taken by Fay, passes to Stone, DID YOU SEE THAT? Quaffle knocked out of the way by a Bludger from Adams, caught by Weasley, pass to Lovegood, Lovegood shoots … and misses! Quaffle back to Fay!"

 Harry stopped paying attention to the commentary – Unity was still ahead, that was what mattered. He just wished he'd seen the Snitch.

 Looking over the pitch, his eyes beginning to hurt from the constant surveillance, Harry again came up with nothing, and neither, it appeared, had the other Seeker, Frank Evans.

 Something prompted Harry to look away from the pitch, down toward the forest, and there he nearly gasped, seeing the white wolf-cub creature from the day before, the one which had gifted him with fearlessness.

 It turned suddenly and disappeared back into the forest, and Harry felt something disturb the air beside his head. Absently, he reached up a hand, to check if anything was there, and if there was, swipe it away, but his fingers closed straight around the little golden Snitch.

 Harry turned to the ball in his hand and gaped. The crowd was cheering – had they seen him? No, Ginny had just scored. He thrust his hand into the air, and the cheering started anew, as everyone saw the golden ball in Harry's hand.

 As Harry's teams supporters swept onto the field, Harry somehow managed to extract himself from the crowd and head over to the place where he thought he'd seen the white wolf cub. He was wondering if it had been something he'd imagined, because it had been there are gone so fast.

 But no, there on the ground, just where he'd seen the creature standing, was a rapidly fading paw print, outlined in silver. As Harry watched, the silver dimmed to nothingness, and the print faded away completely.

 Harry blinked, then turned and slipped back into the crowd, searching for Hermione, or, more correctly, Grypis. He wanted to tell the griffin about this, because he really didn't get it.

 There was a sudden patter of feet as he joined the flow of people back up to the castle, and suddenly Grypis leapt to his shoulder, landing gracefully. "I saw that dog again," Harry told Grypis.

 "Where? When?" Grypis demanded.

 Harry explained what had happened to Grypis, while graciously accepting the congratulations of his friends in the student body. "Humph. I've never heard of this happening," Grypis thought to Harry. "Then again, very little is known about those creatures, or what they do. They do not speak any language that other beasts or beings can discern. Still, I'll try and find something, later tonight."

 "Thanks," Harry replied, breaking off the conversation as he joined the rest of Unity. "Well played," Harry smiled at his team.

 "Thanks Harry," everyone chorused back.

 "So ecstatic to receive such praise from famous captain?" a voice drawled. "How touching. Even your own team is in awe of you, Potter."

 "Shove off, Malfoy," Harry replied, angry that the Slytherin boy should chose now to try and bait him, just after he'd won a Quidditch match and didn't want to think about his rivalries with Malfoy.

 With an unpleasant snicker, to the surprise of everyone around, Malfoy did just that, disappearing back into the crowd.

 Why did I do that? Draco wondered to himself. Habit, he was realising, was hard to break. He'd been trying to stay away from Potter and his friends, and if he was near by, to try and ignore them, but he'd been surprised when he'd stumbled out of the main stream of students and just within ear-shot of Potter and his team.

 When he'd heard what they'd been saying, he hadn't been able to help jibing at them, and so he'd quickly gone away.

 He hated this sudden self-doubt that he was experiencing – had been experiencing, more and more, since his father had been put into Azkaban at the end of last year, and the Dark Lord hadn't managed to find what he was looking for.

 How could the Dark Lord fail? Again? Draco almost groaned aloud as the oft-repeated questions made their way around his head. He still had no answers, except that the Dark Lord wasn't what his father had always made him out to be.

 "Draco!" a now hated, purring voice came out of the crowd as Pansy Parkinson slipped up to him, weaving herself into his arms, and slipping her own around him. "Soo well done, getting at that Potter," she spat the name, "just when he thinks he's king of the world and undefeatable. We'll show him, won't we Draco? We'll show him that the Dark Lord will always win in the end, won't we?"

 "Of course," Draco replied, his as firm and decided as his thoughts were the opposite. "Without Dumbledore, Potter's nothing."

 Sometimes he wished that he could believe that, as he had the year before. But he couldn't now, he just couldn't bring himself to accept this simple fact.

 Managing to untangle himself from Pansy's embrace, and regretting ever getting involved with her, not matter what reasons had made her an obvious choice at the time (well, she had been a pure-blood, happy to idolise him and never ask questions, from a family who had money, everything that Draco, and his father, might have wanted in a bride).

 Draco headed for the Slytherin common room, along with his 'gang' of Slytherins, not hanging around to watch Potter and his friends celebrate. Friends, Draco thought. It would be nice to have a friend.

 Harry watched with relief as Draco disappeared down towards the dungeons with the rest of his gang – no one to spoil the fun of the evening, the joy of the win.

 Even the other team, named Magic Flowers by the Beauxbatons leader, were joining in, celebrating a game well played, even if they hadn't been victorious.

 Look at him, Severus growled to himself, even though he knew that Lupin would hear him, so high and mighty, just because he won a game of Quidditch.

 And you claim that Malfoy, if he was still on the team, wouldn't be acting twice as bad? Lupin demanded annoyingly. Face it Severus, you're a biased prig and wouldn't know the meaning of fair if it bit you on the nose!

 I do too! Severus snapped back, cursing himself for involving himself in this argument all over again. I'm not biased. I just make sure that no one gets 'too big for their boots'.

 Unless said person happened to be from Slytherin, Lupin pointed out.

 That's as much to keep up my role as a double agent as anything else, Severus replied delicately. I am expected by my fellow Death Eaters to treat their children – not that I know who their children might be – with respect and ignore any wrong doing. As most Death Eater children end up in Slytherin, I must show favour to all Slytherin students, so that the other Death Eaters will know that I am loyal.

 You just keep deluding yourself, Lupin replied annoyingly, but didn't press the argument, and Severus made no attempt at all to continue it.

 Tonks, at the other end of the table, thank the powers that be, was looking rather pleased that a team with one of her students as captain had managed to win the first Quidditch match since she assumed the role of Head of Gryffindor House.

 She has every right. You used to act three times as bad whenever your students managed to win, I remember from when I was teaching here, Lupin pointed out.

 Shut up Lupin! Let me sulk in private!

 Oh fine! I'll find someone more interesting to talk to then. Maybe Professor Binns.

 He is not more interesting than I am! Even a flobberworm is more interesting that Binns, and I am a lot more interesting than a flobberworm is, Severus said, stung.

 You just keep deluding yourself Severus.

***

There you go! A reappeared of white friend, and Sev-Remus argument (don't just love them) and Draco getting even more better than before!! Yayness!
Thanks:

Kraeg001, ladyhawk, shdurrani, misty43, Lord of Darkness13, Xyverz, Songbreeze Swifteye, GoldenGirl2, Wynjara, Nphipps, solar, Hermionegreen, cantfindagoodname, athenakitty, torifire126, TuxedoMac, MikiBaby, gaul1, Romm, Clare, Clare, Mike Potter 2002, MiakaChan5, FairyDust29, Kelei, Musicstarlover, Nasser Himura, Dumbledave, PhoenixPadfoot89, PhoenixTearsp322, Jen, Eowyen lady of horses1361, jbfritz, steven, Goddess of Fear, Ainsley Haynes, ILOVETOWRITE456, The Lady Reaper of the Shadows, AnnabelleLeigh, Sirius Crazy, Shannon Snape, Shannon Snape, AnimeGurl, harryluvzginny, Falen, eloisamuggle, Jaded Angel8, fcuking cathy, wajeena, Sirius24, dnd4ever, Prongs4, hpfunkypunk, Evil Anti-Patriotic Elf Named Cin, BerryRed, uNoeWho, Haunting Darkness, ~glitter gurl~, error!!!, TopQuark, Mikito, Raphaelle, Kate, SWAC, kate, BeepBeep, Silver Scale Serpent, Charmed88, Kia, Kelzery, Kelei, Luny, Charmed88, Demon woman 2004.

Torifire126: Grypis was outside, getting to know other creatures and how to live in the wild – he doesn't want to become some sort of pampered house-pet or something.

Clare: I think I've seen the Never Ending Story, but I don't really remember. I think the creature you're talking about was called Lucky or something … But the dog isn't modelled on that, at least, not consciously.

Falene: No, I meant to put Philosopher's Stone – I read the British version of the books, and the actual legend does refer to the Philosopher's Stone (a legendary substance that can turn any metal to pure gold, and produce an elixir of everlasting life).