Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own any of J.K. Rowling's characters, places, items, ect.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 31 – The Party

Harry awoke with an excited feeling in the pit of his stomach. He jumped out of bed and hit Ron firmly on the head with his pillow.

"Geroff," Ron muttered.

"Fine, but you'll miss the game against Slytherin," Harry replied as he pulled on his clothes.

Ron's eyes sprung open and he sat up. "The game's today!" he yelled.

"I'm going to shove the Snitch in Malfoy's face," Harry declared.

Ron sniggered. "As long as Silver doesn't knock him out with a Bludger first," he answered.

Harry waited for Ron to get dressed, which was surprisingly fast for Ron, and the two went downstairs. Silver and Hermione were already down there, as was most of the Quidditch team. Harry grinned as they all stopped their conversation to look up at him.

"Today's the day we're going to wipe the ground with those Slytherin slimeballs!" he exclaimed.

The whole room seemed to burst into applause. Harry grinned as he sat down beside Silver. She was smiling.

"Ugh, I can't wait to wipe that nasty smile off of Malfoy's face," she declared, "I'm going to hit him so hard he won't remember his own name!"

This was met by more applause and a kiss from Harry. The entire Quidditch team plus Hermione and Charisma made their way down to the Great Hall in a general uproar. Breakfast was hurried, nobody ate much of anything. Harry glanced down and noticed that Charisma was beginning to get cramped under the table.

"Uh, Silver," he said, "Do you think Charisma's getting a little...big?"

"Yes," Silver replied proudly, petting her, "She grows about two to four inches a night."

Harry nearly spit his breakfast out. "Two to four inches a night?" he echoed.

She nodded. Harry decided that right before the Quidditch match was not the time to bring up the fact that Charisma would soon not be allowed in the castle any more, so he was silent. He soon forgot about Charisma as they headed out onto the Quidditch field. They headed into the locker rooms to change into their Quidditch robes and grab their brooms. Harry's Firebolt was trembling as he reached for it – it seemed to know what was coming. The team then gathered for Harry's pep talk, which, he realized, he had not even thought of until then.

"Well," he said, "This game decides who gets the cup. It's gonna be us."

The team roared their approval and mounted their brooms. Madam Hooch and the Slytherin team were already in their positions on the field. Harry tried listened as a seventh year by the name of Devin Carver introduced the team, but his mind was already focused on the game. Both Gryffindor and Slytherin were undefeated, meaning that this match would either win or lose them the cup. He knew that they could win, but he had a nervous feeling in his stomach all the same.

At the sound of Madam Hooch's whistle, fourteen brooms soared into the air. He flew high over the game, searching for a hint of gold, and saw that Malfoy was following him closely. Grinning, he flew downwards, and Malfoy, thinking that he had seen something, tailed him. Harry flew in front of Silver, who took the opportunity to knock not one, but three Bludgers in succession at Malfoy, causing him to lose his balance and yelp as he struggled to stay on his broom. Chuckling, Harry rose up high once more to search for the elusive Snitch.

"Spinnet passes to Johnson," Carver's voice yelled, "Who shoots and...SCORES! That's ten-zero, in favor of Gryffindor!"

Harry began to get restless as he soared over the field. He hadn't seen so much as a glimmer of gold the entire time. Malfoy was now on the other end of the field, and Harry was beginning to get uneasy. If the Snitch was there, then Malfoy would catch it, and Slytherin would win. He listened for Carver's voice, telling them the current score.

"-and SCORES!"

Who scored? Harry wondered.

"That leaves us with a tie of fourty-fourty!"

The scores began to rise, Gryffindor always keeping a ten-point lead, with no sightings of the Snitch that Harry knew of. He flew around, eyes searching the ground, but saw nothing.

Harry suddenly saw Malfoy shoot off in the other direction. He had to do something, and fast. It only took a moment for him to decide what to do. He dived towards the ground as fast as he could, and, to his surprise and pleasure, it worked.

"Potter's seen the Snitch!" Carver roared, "Potter's seen the Snitch!"

He spotted a perfect white flower growing on the ground just below him, and aimed for it. He stretched out his hand, and heard the gasps of the people in the stands, thinking he was a few seconds away from catching the snitch. He swooped down and plucked the flower without a decrease in speed, and raised the flower into the air, looking in Malfoy's direction. Malfoy was still flying towards something at a terribly fast speed...Harry could only hope that he wasn't close enough to catch it.

"POTTER'S GOT THE SNITCH!" Carver yelled, "GRYFFINDOR W-".

Malfoy spun his broom around, looking confused.

"Wait!" Carver said suddenly, sounding confused, "Potter hasn't got the Snitch – but he's got...a flower?"

Suddenly Carver burst into laughter. "Potter's got a flower! It was a diversion! He distracted Malfoy from catching the Sn...Snitch!"

By the end of his sentence, Carver was laughing so hard he could hardly finish it. Malfoy looked angrier than Harry had ever seen him, and was calling a time-out to talk to Madam Hooch, with the rest of the Slytherin team supporting him. Harry looked at the flower in his hand – it was a perfect white lily. He knew just what to do with it.

Ron flew up to him, laughing his head off. "That was bloody brilliant, Harry!" Ron gasped between bursts of laughter, "Bloody brilliant!"

"Madam Hooch has decided that there is nothing in the rules saying that players can't use a flower as a diversion tactic, so the game will continue!" Carver announced.

Madam Hooch blew her whistle, and the game burst into action once more. The Gryffindors all congratulated Harry, while the Slytherins shot him dirty looks and muttered obscenities under their breaths. Harry flew up to Silver, who looked at him with surprise.

"Harry," she said, smiling, "That was so-"

She stopped mid-sentence as Harry held the lily out towards her. A smile spread over her face, and her heart began to beat faster as it hovered next to her right ear. Wait, Harry thought, Her heart doesn't belong next to her ear – that's the Snitch! Sure enough, the small golden Snitch was hovering right next to Silver's head. It was staying still longer than Harry had ever seen it do so before. As she took the flower from him, he reached out slowly and closed his hand over the Snitch. Not realizing what had just happened, she looked up at him, her eyes still bright with gratitude from the flower. He raised his Snitch-laden hand into the air as he leaned forward and kissed her, and he vaguely heard Carver's words.

"POTTER'S GOT THE KISS! I MEAN, POTTER'S GOT THE SNITCH! POTTER'S GOT A KISS AND A SNITCH!"

He heard the silence of the crowd as they all turned to see if Carver was correct. He drew away from Silver, grinning, and showed her the golden Snitch, which was beating it's wings uselessly against his hand. She beamed at him, and they both began to laugh just as the crowd burst into ear-deafening applause.

Harry landed only to be pelted with hugs.

"We've won the cup!" Ron was yelling, "We've won the cup!"

Ron began randomly hugging every person he could reach, but Silver jumped away from him.

"Stop it, you'll crush my flower!" she chided.

Harry grinned as he fought his way past the ecstatic crowd towards Silver.

"It's just a flower," Ron was saying.

"It is not!" she protested, "Harry gave it to me!"

"Yeah, Ron," Harry chimed in as he reached them, tucking an arm around Silver.

Rolling his eyes, Ron turned around and walked off in another direction. Harry looked down at Silver, whose eyes were dancing happily as they looked up into his.

"You were brilliant, Harry," she told him.

"I wouldn't have gotten the Snitch if it weren't for you," he replied, smiling.

"Sure you would have," she replied confidently, "Just not as fast."

Smiling, he placed a kiss on top of her head. She smiled up at him, but that was the end of any time they had alone, for some very rowdy Gryffindors, including Ron, Seamus, and Dean, were literally pushing them towards the castle. They were soon being escorted into the castle, and towards the common room. Halfway there, Silver stopped. Harry doubled back to meet her.

"What?" he asked.

"Um, Harry, I know we're probably going to have a party and everything, but I'm going to be a little late, okay?" she asked.

Harry saw that she was looking in the direction of the dungeons. Snape, he thought bitterly. He was about to protest, when he caught sight of her silver locket hanging around her neck. He thought about the memories that he had seen of her home life, none of which were pleasant in the least. And, as much as he hated to admit it, she probably needed to see Snape, who was sadly the closest thing she had ever had to a parent. Stupid git, Harry thought idly, Why did she have to go and pick a fun-sucking leech like him?

"Harry?" she asked hesitantly.

"Oh, sorry," he said, "Yeah, sure, go ahead."

"Thanks," she said softly, "I know you don't like him, Harry, but..."

"I know," he cut off, "I'll see you when you get back."

She smiled her thanks and set off towards the dungeons. He watched as she broke into a run going around the corner. He sighed and shook his head. He then headed towards the common room. When he arrived, he was hauled in, and nearly yelped when he saw what was in front of him.

"Heya, Harry," George greeted.

"How are you tonight?" Fred furthered.

"What are you two doing here?" Harry replied.

"Nice to see you, too," George said sarcastically, "We're all waiting for you so we can go to the party."

"Go?" Harry repeated dumbly.

"Yep," Fred replied proudly, "Lee Jordan's having a party in your honor...well, okay, not in your honor, but we can pretend! We're taking a few of these other kids with us, but anyway, come on!"

"Wait, I can't!" Harry protested as they pushed him out of the portrait hole, "I have to wait for Silver."

"Well where is she?" Ron asked, as he, the Quidditch team, Hermione, Dean, Seamus, Lavender, and Parvati filed out behind them.

"She's with Snape, I think," Harry replied, "But she said she'd be back."

Ron snorted. "If she wants to waste her time with that git, then let her, but come on."

"Yeah," Dean echoed, "I've never been to a make-out party before!"

Lavender and Parvati began to giggle.

"A make-out party?" Harry asked, "Well why would I want to go, then?"

"You don't actually have to snog, Harry," George said, "You can just hang out, drink butterbeer, that sort of thing."

Harry couldn't help but notice the evil glint in his eye, however.

"No, I don't want to go," he protested, but he was hauled bodily through the secret passageway to Hogsmeade.

As they set off towards the Three Broomsticks (which Lee had apparently booked), Harry couldn't help but have a good time. Everyone was filling Fred and George in on his 'diversion', and he was beginning to feel a bit proud of himself. When they arrived, however, it was a different story. Everyone was in either in couples, or entering their names in "The Snog Bowls" – where random names were called out for two people to snog in a closet for five minutes.

"Come on, Harry, want me to put your name in?" Fred prodded.

"No," Harry replied, shooting him a dirty look, "I have a girlfriend, remember?"

And I hope she's not too mad at me for coming, he added silently, Not that I really had a choice...

He still felt guilty, though, without really knowing why. He was bored out of his mind as he sat at a table, stirring his butterbeer and wishing that he had forced everyone to wait for Silver. He missed the mischievous looks Fred and George were throwing in his direction. Ron and Hermione were too busy speaking mush to pay much attention to him, so he was left to his own thoughts. Suddenly, Fred came over and grabbed him by the arm.

"Ouch, what're you-"Harry began, but Fred silenced him.

"Okay," George was announcing, "Who will be the next lucky two to enter the closet?"

Murmurs of excitement passed around the room. Pathetic, Harry thought, Who would be so desperate that they would put their name in a bowl in hopes of...

"Harry Potter!" George suddenly cried, faking surprise.

Harry was yanked out of his thoughts with shock. For a moment, he just stared dumbly at George, who grinned and stuck his hand in the girl's "Snog Bowl" and fished around.

"And..." he said dramatically as he unfolded the piece of paper that he had extracted.

Harry watched as his eyes widened, and then he looked up at Harry with a smile on his face. He opened his mouth to say something, but then the smile faded, and it snapped shut.

"Silver Riddle," he finished lamely.

For a moment Harry was confused, but then he realized that George was staring guiltily at a something behind his back. He could only hope it wasn't the something he thought it was. He felt someone grab his robes and lead him towards the closet. He chanced a glance to the side, and his heart dropped to his toes. It was Silver. George caught up with them as Silver shoved him into the closet.

"Um, well, you have five minutes," he was saying cheerfully.

Silver turned to him, her eyes flashing with anger. "If anybody opens this door I will hex them so badly they won't get out of the hospital wing for a week," she hissed.

The entire Three Broomsticks seemed to be watching in silence as Silver shut the door, leaving her and Harry in darkness. Harry felt more nervous than he ever had in his life. Silver didn't say anything for what seemed like hours. The silence was tearing him up as he wondered how mad she really was. When she finally spoke, he wished for the silence once more.

"How could you, Harry?" she choked.

He couldn't see her, but he could hear the hurt in her voice.

"I didn't," he said quickly, "I didn't even-"

"Oh, you didn't, did you?" she asked, her voice cutting.

"No," he said, "They made me come, and I told them not to put my name in the bowl!"

"You knew when you came that they would," she accused, "You know Fred and George!"

He realized with a sinking feeling that she was right. He had known, somewhere in his subconscious, but was he actually going to go through with it? No, of course not. He could never hurt Silver like that.

"But I wasn't going to actually go in the closet," he protested.

"Oh yeah?" she asked angrily, "Can you prove it?"

He felt as if she had slapped him. "Silver, I would never-"

"Yes, you would," she replied, her voice rising with every word, "Because you came. You came when you knew they were going to do that! You just admitted it without even knowing it!"

He didn't reply. "I didn't want to hurt you," he finally said.

"OH, SO MAKING OUT WITH ANOTHER GIRL WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HURT ME?!" she exploded, "WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT, YOU'D BETTER THANK FRED AND GEORGE FOR PUTTING YOUR NAME IN THAT BOWL, BECAUSE I WON'T BE KISSING YOU EVER AGAIN!"

She flung open the closet door and began to leave. Harry's thoughts flew madly around his head. He leaped out after her and grabbed her wrist. She spun around and slapped him passionately.

"DON'T YOU TOUCH ME, HARRY POTTER!" she spat, saying his name with disgust.

Harry felt her wrist slip out of his fingers, and he watched, dumbfounded, as she ran out of the Three Broomsticks. Every eye in the room was on him, and he silently willed himself not to give in to the nausea in his stomach.

"Mate?" Ron asked quietly, walking up slowly.

Harry stared at the door where Silver had just left silently and unblinkingly. Ron took his arm and began to lead him towards it. Hermione came on his other side and put her hand on his shoulder. They walked out of the bar, Harry's head spinning the entire time. She left me, he finally realized as they made their way outside, She left me. He dashed out of Ron's grasp as his stomach gave a final sickening lurch. He vomited into a bush, unable to escape the reality of what had just happened. When he had stopped, Hermione magically appeared with a glass of water and some napkins. Harry used the water to rinse out his mouth, and the napkins to wipe it.

"She hates me," he said finally, each word coming out slowly and painfully.

"No, Harry," Hermione said gently, "She's just hurt right now, that's all. She'll realize that you were never going to do it, Harry, she will."

"No," he croaked, "She...she really left."

"No, mate," Ron said quietly, taking a hold of his arm.

Harry allowed himself to be led back to the castle, ignoring Ron and Hermione's comforting words. He felt numb, and it wasn't until he walked into the common room that the pain hit him hard. He barely made it to his bed before he felt his knees give way. Hermione had followed them into the boys' dorms, and was still murmuring nonsense comfort to him. Finally, she and Ron were silent, and they sat on the edge of Harry's bed. Harry re- played the day's events in his head over and over, each time feeling more and more nauseated.

"Bucket," he finally croaked.

Ron dashed for the cupboards in the back of the room and returned just in time. Harry wretched into it, although he had no idea how – he had hardly eaten anything that day to begin with. Hermione soothed his head back onto the pillow, and he had no idea how long it was she and Ron stayed there with him until he fell into a restless sleep, still in his Quidditch Robes.