Ch 6

After making this decision, I saw Chloe Gordon racing down the other end of the field near the stands. As the wind cut through my hair, I remembered a tactic which I always wanted to try on the practice grounds.

Twisting and turning out of the other players way, I could just make out the hazel glint of Gordon's plaits while the enthusiastic crowd below yelled in excitement.

I was just within 15 inches of her position, and I could see the snitch fluttering just out of her grasp. Sidling from her left , I gripped the broomstick once more between the legs.

Then preparing my arms for the rehearsed tactic, I guided the broom to sweep directly under the Gryffindor seeker.

Momentarily startled by the sudden movement, Gordon looked down and stared dumbly back at me. It was just what I expected and I used the moment to give myself a sudden thrust, just enough to grab the snitch from under her nose while she was thus distracted. My arm shot out, where I could just about feel the beating of wings against my fingertips.

This proved too much for Gordon.

She swerved and screamed as she rolled in the air, her legs losing grip on the underside of the broomstick and flopped upside down, just barely holding on to the handle.

Rolling rather clumsily back into an upright position, I turned the broom around and

flew once again under the panic stricken girl and gave her a leg-up before reason caught up with me. She's a Seeker, for crying out loud!

It was too late. I heard rather than saw the wings of the snitch beat before it zoomed off again.

A loud "Awww" mingled with roars of fury from the Slytherin supporters.

'Why did I do that?' I asked myself over and over as I sped hopelessly towards the general direction of the vanished snitch.

The girl could easily have righted herself, and now I let the whole team down by missing the snitch...wait, was that 'regret' that I just felt? For them ?

My head swam a bit as it tried to digest this new inconveniently placed insight.

'It's supposed to 'Us versus Them'.... So who is Us? Am I finally accepting the fact that I belong to an 'Us'? if I've accepted being a witch, am I also taking those – those 'people' as my team mates....WHOAH!'

I tugged the broom just in time and avoided the collision with our beater Sispyrus Clay. 'Slytherin's', I corrected myself, not our..

When I happened to look down though, I saw the fair head of Trent among the excitable crowd.

As I was turning the broom around, he was already cupping his hands to his mouth and shouting something which sounded to me like the familiar topic of the torture chambers.

It took a certain amount of struggle not to throw Clay's Beater at him as the redoubtable Kane had done earlier.

The commentator continued his remarks;

"..and that was an altogether unexpected (a few random cheers from the crowd affirmed this) move by Slytherin's Tabitha Meadowes against Gryffindor's Chloe Gordon. Unfortunately, it also lost them the Snitch.. well.. the chasers have not been idle though. The points stand at 130 ...No! 140 to Gryffindor ! Good work, Pater! that's the stuff we like to see, isn't that right everyone? (the crowd cheered through the commentary but it seemed to give O'Reilly a boost regardless) yeah! yeah! yeah! here we go, here we go-oo I said here we go, here we go, here we go-ooo!.."

I took on another burst of speed, partly out of frustration and anger and in doing so nearly sped past the snitch again.

It was hovering near the Commentary box and Gordon (evidently still recovering from shock) hadn't noticed it yet. Not caring what happened next, I flew straight and true towards the glittering globe and when it was an arm's length away, I did the half body thrust again.

Only it wasn't half.