Later this afternoon, many of the students met on the pitch to play Quidditch. Some arrived in teams, some alone, some only to watch. Harry came together with Ron and Hermione. He would play in the Gryffindor House Team, as usual. The three friends watched how the Ravenclaw House Team (or at least those of it who where present) flattened a team consisting of Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Pansy Parkinson and three others in about ten minutes, then how the team of Hufflepuff lost against the teachers' team. This teachers' team was better than Harry had expected; Madame Hooch, Professor McGonagall and a rather wind-beaten Remus played Chaser, Professor Sinistra Keeper, Sirius and Severus were a team of dangerously powerful Beaters, and tiny Professor Flitwick played Seeker for them. Dumbledore himself refereed this match, but they all played quite fair (except Sirius, who accidently knocked Cedric Diggory unconscious with his club), so there were hardly any penalties. Hufflepuff lost 30:200. Cedric woke just in time to see Flitwick wave his fist clutching the Snitch triumphantly.

Then, after a short break in which two first-years' teams competed against each other, it was the Gryffindor Team's turn with playing against the adults. The twins promised each other: "We'll beat Snape!", both weighing their clubs in their hands. Oliver Wood, now a reserve player for Puddlemere United already, told them not to falter when meeting a teacher just in order not to get bad marks. ("Very funny!" said Alicia Spinnet. "We're still at school. You're not.") Then they entered the pitch.

"Here they come!" the twins' friend Lee Jordan (again being commentator) shouted. "The glorious team of Gryffindor! I give you Wood! Johnson! Bell! Spinnet! Weasley! Weasley! Aaand - Potter!" The audience applauded as Lee announced them just as he had heard from Ludo Bagman at the World Cup. To make it easier to know who played which position, Lee always started with the Keeper, let the Chasers follow, then the Beater, and in the end (as it should be) the Seeker. "And here their successful opponents - until now! I give you Sinistra! McGonagall! Flitwick! ("What?" one of the twins hissed. "Why now?") Hooch! Black! Lupin! ("Lost his senses", the other twin - it seemed to be Fred - commented.) Aaand - Snape!"

Harry was the first to understand. "No! This can't be! He's playing Seeker!" he gasped. "I can't play Seeker against him!"

"Of course you can!" Oliver said. "You're simply the best!"

"Thanks, Oliver, but just try to imagine what dirty tricks he might use!" Harry looked over towards the other end of the pitch, where Severus was circling the goalposts on his Nimbus 1700 together with Professors Flitwick and McGonagall. A Nimbus 1700 against a Firebolt... "Alright, I'll do it", he said.

There wasn't much more time for talking. Shrilly the whistle rang over the pitch. The team captains, Oliver and Professor McGonagall, shook hands, then mounted their brooms again. A second piercing blast, and Cedric Diggory released the balls. Alicia could barely duck as a Bludger soared towards her, missing her only by inches. "Gryffindor in possession!" Lee's voice boomed over the pitch. "Bell! Johnson! Bell again! Oh no, the Quaffle is intercepted by Hooch! They're starting their counterstrike! It's still Hooch, swerving over the pitch with incredulous speed! She recently acquired a Nimbus 2001 instead of her old Tinderblast - or was it a Comet? Who cares! The Quaffle passes on to Flitwick - he's getting ready to throw it - Wood saved! Bravo, Oliver! Gryffindor in possession again -"

Harry wasn't really listening. While circling the pitch in search of the Golden Snitch, he was carefully watching Severus, and it seemed to him Severus was doing just the same. But he kept at some distance from Harry, on a search of his own, unlike Draco Malfoy, who always trailed Harry like a faithful dog.

"There she goes!" an enthusiastic Lee shouted. "Three cheers for Spinnet! Watch it, Alicia, Black's Bludgers are hard -" He groaned as Alicia was hit on the shoulder violently by a Bludger Sirius had aimed on her. "Foul!" he shouted. "Foul!" it echoed from the stands. But Dumbledore had already blown his whistle, and Alicia was ready for taking the penalty.

"See how she flies! There comes Sinistra to meet her! And she gets past her! Fantastic! SHE SCORES! 10:0 for Gryffindor!" There was applause from the audience, and Harry mentally congratulated Alicia.

"The teachers attacking again! Flitwick, Flitwick, on to Hooch - Well aimed, George, but it missed! Teachers still in possession - no, intercepted by Johnson - Hooch conquers it back, heading for the goalposts! Careful, Oliver!" Oliver prepared for a dive at her, but she dodged him easily - "The teachers score! 10:10! This is going to be a really exciting game!"

So it seemed to Harry on his Firebolt. Severus now started to circle him and distract him. It was difficult to concentrate with his Potions master close beside him, bearing a rather grim look.

During the next quarter of an hour, the teachers scored once and the Gryffindor team three times, changing the score to 40:20. "Catch the Snitch! Catch the Snitch!" the twins kept hissing at Harry whenever he came close to them. "I haven't seen it yet", always was Harry's answer.

Just as the twins really began to get on his nerves, he suddenly saw a glitter of gold close to the ground. Severus was dangerously close to it, but he was scanning the ground on the other side. Harry knew he had to hurry now. Urging his broom forward violently, he dived to the ground, past Severus, who realized too late what was happening. He didn't even waste time for rotating his broom into the right direction; with a spectacular kind of backward somersault he raced towards the crowd, knocking the Firebolt's tail aside. Harry tried hard to regain his balance as the Nimbus 1700 hit him. Nonetheless he was pushed about three feet away from the Snitch. He stretched out his hand, groping for it, but Severus roughly brushed it aside, without holding on to the handle of his broom anymore grabbed it by one of its tiny wings - and lost it again. It went soaring straight towards the stands and pivoted back from the lowest rail.

"Oh dear, the Snitch doesn't want to be caught", Lee commented. "Potter coming after it - WATCH OUT!" Just in time Harry could press himself down to the Firebolt's handle as one of Remus's bludgers streaked past him. "Lupin is doing his job quite well", he could hear Lee say. "Gryffindor in possession, by the way, Katie Bell of Gryffindor - oh no, she drops the Quaffle! Hooch gets it! On to Flitwick! In the meantime the hunt for the Snitch continues..."

Hunt was a much to mild expression; Harry would rather have called it a fight. Both Seekers were racing after the Snitch, close behind it. Harry thought he had it, but the next moment a Bludger aimed at him, by Sirius this time, whooshed past and he nearly collided with Severus. Desperately he tried to regain his balance. Seeing his chance, Severus urged his Nimbus 1700 forward, accelerated as he dived for the tiny golden ball - and then saw the Bludger George had smashed in his direction. It was too late to pull off. With an acrobatic skill Harry would have never thought he possessed he swung down under his broomstick and came up on the other side again, but the broom was completely out of balance, and spinning wildly he crashed into the wall beneath the front row.

"Uh-oh", Lee said. "Snape just hit the wall! McGonagall and Hooch calling for a timeout; we'll see what the referee says. What does he say?"

But Dumbledore didn't need to decide about that. Severus was already back in the air again. Harry could see a trickle of blood running down his temple as the wind brushed back his greasy black hair, but else he seemed to be in a good condition, though it wasn't difficult to tell from his expression he was in pain.

Sirius flew over to him, and the wind carried his words over to Harry: "You okay, Sev? Watch where you're going, or else you'll end up as a spot on a wall some day."

Harry was sure they would start quarrelling now, but Dumbledore blew his whistle and the game continued.

And the Snitch was out of sight again.

"There goes McGonagall on her Shooting Star", Lee told the spectators through his big megaphone. "No, it's Snape's, actually, she only borrowed it from him. Dirty thing to do, giving a lady a Shooting Star, especially because everybody knows a Shooting Star might well lose height and speed and not be very reliable when getting older. In my opinion, he should have-"

But right then McGonagall herself came soaring towards him. "I ASKED HIM FOR THAT SHOOTING STAR!" she shouted. "YOU GO ON COMMENTING THE GAME, NOT WHICH BROOMSTICK BELONGS TO WHO!"

"Sorry, Professor", Lee hastily said. "Teachers in possession, Hooch heading for the goal! Passes on to Flitwick, Flitwick back to Hooch - and she scores! What a goal! 40:30 for Gryffindor! Come on, you'll make it!"

With disappointment, Harry noticed how quickly Severus recovered. He was soaring over the pitch again and looking for the Snitch, which had escaped him.

"Bell narrowly avoiding a crash with Lupin, drops the Quaffle - and Johnson has it! Fantastic, Angelina! Johnson to Spinnet, Spinnet to Bell, back to Spinnet! Intercepted by Hooch! Hooch to McGonagall! Nice work, Fred, but a miss! Hey, what's that? Black attacking Bell? Foul, Professor Dumbledore!"

Sirius had swerved around Katie so closely she had nearly fallen off her broom. The shrill blast of Dumbledore's whistle rang out, and Katie shot for the goalposts with the Quaffle. Again Professor Sinistra was a little bit too slow, and Katie was able to score another goal for Gryffindor.

"50:30 for Gryffindor!" Lee shouted. "Hurray for Gryffindor!" There was much applause from the stands.

And just then, Severus went into a spectacular dive. Immediately Harry pulled his broomstick around and raced after him, down to the ground, but Severus shot upwards again in the very last second, now heading steadily for the other end of the pitch. It had only been a Wronski Feint. And now he was obviously trying to bluff again.

But what was that? A golden glitter up ahead, nearly invisible against the sun...

Harry kicked his broom forward hard. He had to be there first! The wind whipped at him as he soared after Severus, coming closer, ever closer, only a broomstick's length away now, only a half, side to side with his opponent. He reached out for the Snitch blinking alluringly over him while Severus's shoulder hit his so hard he nearly fell off his Firebolt. Already he felt the cool metal of the Snitch in his finger, the tiny, fluttering wings -

Strong, clawlike fingers slipped under his, tearing the Snitch from his grasp. Lee's frustrated howl filled the stadium, and with him howled many of the students. "THAT'S UNFAIR! POTTER HAD IT FIRST!" Lee roared. "TELL SNAPE HE'S CHEATING, PROFESSOR DUMBLEDORE!"

Three sharp blasts made the noise die down rather quickly. "I should say now 180:50 for the teachers", Dumbledore slowly said. "As you see, Mr Jordan, Professor Snape does have the Snitch. But", he continued before Lee could protest, "to me it really looked like a little fight. Severus, come and tell me who had the Snitch first. You too, Mr Potter."

"I had it, headmaster", Severus answered with a malevolent sideward glance at Harry. "Potter touched it before me maybe, but I had my fingers under his, so it was I who caught it." He held out his clenched fist. Between his fingers, the small wings beat the air uselessly.

Harry wasn't really sure what to say. "I nearly had it, but he took it from me."

"Nearly having it doesn't count, Potter", Severus said coldly, a rather evil grin spreading on his face. "Maybe you should be simply faster the next time."

"That's enough", Dumbledore said strictly. "No sneering, Severus. He really was very close to catch it. Did you hurt him?"

"Headmaster, I was faster, that's all. I didn't hit him or pinch him or scratch him or anything like that."

"Please show me your hand, Mr Potter", demanded Dumbledore calmly.

Harry held it out for him. Only now he noticed the three thin red lines on his palm. "I'm sorry, Severus, but this really looks like your fingernails", the old wizard said.

"I certainly didn't do it on purpose. It doesn't look like it hurts, though." Severus's cold black eyes were fixed on Harry's hand as if he were about to tear it off. "Things like that just happen to a Quidditch player. Does it hurt you so much, Potter? That little -"

"Severus!" Dumbledore said sternly. "It really looked quite brutal to me. We should count it as a foul."

"Of what use should a penalty be now, sir?" Severus called out. "It was I who caught the Snitch, anyway."

"No", Dumbledore told the assembled players. "Of course I wasn't talking about that. Owing to the fact that you were rather rough with the boy, Severus, and that you are the much more experienced flyer, we'll let the two teams share the points."

"WHAT?" Severus nearly howled, wiping the blood from his face. "You really mean to take away -"

"Silence!" Dumbledore commanded, his eyes ablaze. "I have to decide on this matter, my young friend. There are 150 points to share. Let's say, Gryffindor get 70, the other team 80. So much for crashing into a smaller player and scratch his hand. And that means, Mr Jordan?"

Lee understood immediately. "120:110 FOR GRYFFINDOR!" he yelled. "GRYFFINDOR WIN!"

The stands erupted in cheers, while a certain Seeker's face looked like he was quite capable of murder. Luckily Professor McGonagall took him by the shoulder and whispered something to him, which seemed to calm him a bit. He even allowed her and Remus to lead him off to the changing rooms.

"Superb!" Ron told Harry as soon as he had arrived back in the stands at his friends' places. "Too bad you haven't got much of a chance of doing things like that at school."

"This was enough for me", Harry sighed, but it was a very contented sigh.