I am so so so sorry for taking so long to get this chapter out. I have been very busy for school. I was planning to write another chapter before putting this one out, but it has been long enough—there could be no more waiting. Thank you for being patient and letting me finish other projects before completing this one.
In November, I participated in a project called NaNoWriMo. During the month of November, I wrote a 50,000-word novel. That took up a lot of my time, but it was very worth it and I love my fledgling novel. Before that I had after school practices and whatnot, so finally I have two and a half weeks of freedom to focus on this fic.
I hope that everyone has a Happy Holidays, no matter what you celebrate. And Happy New Years, since everyone can appreciate that.
Now, I am going to take the time to answer my wonderful reviewers:
Ellemorpheus Thanks for reading and your great comments. They are really helpful when I am trying to think of ideas. I will see you later in class.
beautyandbrainz101 Thank you for reviewing faithfully!
Majik Beaver Yo! Thanks for reading my fic and giving me a shout out on your fic. We will work on something together soon.
Lynx Black Here you go! I've finally updated, and I promise to update soon since I have much time off.
Supreme Neo slytherin Countess Thank you for your comment. I will update as fast as I can.
Pointed Tooth Fairy Thank you for the information. TBS is the most awesome band in the entire world!
princessangel-star Thank you for your constructive criticism. I have read over my fic, and I can see what you are saying. Hopefully my new chapters will not be so bad. The hardest part is that my fic is now going to be a string of incidents, tied together by the fact that the people are friends in the same school. I will try my hardest to keep it all coherent.
Kathe Thank you for your support!
The Chaser, Natalie, is a true Gryffindor. She was sorted in book four, and this is her third year. I try not to make up characters when I can.
Please, please, please review! You do not know how much it means to me to get your feedback. It is very important to a writer to get back constructive criticism. I love you all for every contribution you have made to this project!
Of course I do not own any of these characters. They belong to J.K. Rowling. Please do not get angry, oh goddess of the Harry Potter universe for the use of your characters!
And back to the show:
Harry wiped the sweat and rain from his eyes. The Gryffindor Quidditch team had been practicing every night in November in order to be ready for the match against Slytherin. Surprisingly, the new players adapted nicely. Harry and Ron felt their movements were in sync with the rest of the team.
Gryffindor beat Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw so badly that there was no hope for them to win the Quidditch Cup. It was down to Slytherin and Gryffindor.
Ron blew his whistle. "Enough!" Angrily, he threw down the Quaffle. "I want Chasers to my right and Beaters to my left. Beaters, you cannot hit your own Chasers! Oafs! They have…"
Harry stopped paying attention to Ron's lecture. Harry thought Ron was too hard on the others, but there was no way Ron was going to let Slytherin win the Cup. Harry caught the Snitch for the sixth time that night and hovered slowly back to Ron.
"Let's call it quits. It is raining too hard and we need some time off," Harry said.
Ron looked irritated. "Do you think so?"
Harry nodded.
"All right, mate." Ron blew the whistle for the last time. "Go get cleaned up. Go to dinner."
Harry could not stop feeling happy when he saw the excited faces of his teammates. Amidst the excited chatter, he headed for the locker room and the showers. Harry hissed when the hot water hit his scrapes. He toweled off and heated to the Great Hall.
"Ow!" Something ran into Harry. He turned around, rubbing his head. Ginny sat on the floor. She was flushed and her robes were askew.
"Ginny? Why aren't you in the Great Hall?"
Ginny stood up and brushed off her robes. She turned a deeper shade of red before replying that it was nothing. Without another word, she ran into the Great Hall.
Harry just shook his head and resumed his casual paces. There was an empty seat next to Hermione at the Gryffindor table.
"Ginny still isn't into me, is she?" Harry asked Hermione.
"No. She's moved on, from what she has told me. Why do you ask?"
He shrugged. "Don't know. She was just acting weird when I bumped into her a minute ago."
Hermione sat up straighter. "You noticed too? I mean…umm…"
"It's okay, you can tell me."
"You're right. Well, she has been late to dinner. She comes in flushed and out of breath. I'm worried."
"Sounds like she's shacking up," Dean cut in.
Seamus dropped his cup. Neville, choking on his water, spit it all over Lavender. She stood up indignantly, emptied the contents of her glass on Neville and ran out of the Great Hall.
Hermione glared at Harry. "See what happens when you start rumors?"
Professor Douglass walked up to the teacher's table. "Students, one of our biggest matches of the year is Slytherin vs. Gryffindor. Your professors and I ask that you refrain from hexing students in other houses. We understand you support your house, but do it in a productive way, please." He left as quickly as he came.
"That was strange," Harry said.
"You're right…"
Harry and Ron walked into the locker room before the big match. They could hear Seamus's booming voice over the loud speaker. Since Lee had graduated, there was a vacancy for a Quidditch announcer. Seamus had been playing since he was a tot, so Professor Dumbledore appointed him to the open position.
"Chins up," Ron said. He was trying to cheer the team up, but the quiver in his voice was not making matters better.
The members of the team were hushed. They were all concentrating for the biggest match of the year. Harry was particularly nervous because he would be facing his Quidditch rival that evening: Draco Malfoy. Since Draco was allowed to play Quidditch at Hogwarts, he spent most of his time antagonizing Harry. Though they were now friends, Harry was still nervous.
"We've been practicing for too long to let this slip through our fingers. Beaters, watch the bludgers like hawks. Do not allow our Chasers to be knocked off of their brooms. Everyone, do not wait for Harry to win this match for all of us. You did very well in the last few matches…"
"Our 300 to 10 score against Hufflepuff!" one of the teammates shouted.
Ron nodded. "Yes that's right. Now just treat Slytherin the same way."
Madam Hooch knocked on the door. "The game is about to begin!"
The Gryffindors in their garnet robes shuffled out of the door. Harry and Ron were last.
Ron clapped Harry on the shoulder. "Just catch that snitch early on, okay. I cannot stand another game like last year."
Harry laughed and started singing "Weasley is our King."
They walked to the middle of the Quidditch pitch on the outskirts of the Hogwarts school grounds. The stands were filled with students wearing green and burgundy. There were more students wearing Gryffindor colors since Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students were rooting for Gryffindor to win.
Before Harry had started school at Hogwarts, Slytherin won the Quidditch Cup every year. When Harry joined the Gryffindor team, Slytherin had a turn of luck. Gryffindor had won the Quidditch Cup four out of the five past years—and one of those five years, there was no Quidditch due to the Triwizard Tournament.
Madam Hooch held the quaffle in one hand and rested one foot on the box with the bludgers and the snitch. "Now I want a clean game from all of you. There, there; shake hands."
The opposing teams traded handshakes. The fourteen players straddled their brooms and got ready to kick off.
Madam Hooch blew her whistle and tossed the quaffle into the air. Chasers leapt for that ball while the Keepers flew at breakneck speeds for their goals. The Beaters were already trying to manipulate the heavy bludgers into knocking Chasers off of their broomsticks. Harry and Draco, however, had not leapt into action.
Harry watched as the snitch disappeared into the darkness. He rose slowly into the air, watching out for stray Chasers or bludgers.
The quaffle went back and forth between the two teams. As soon as Slytherin would score, Gryffindor wound turn right back around and score on Slytherin. Harry never caught a glimpse of the snitch. Wherever it had found to hide was a great hiding place.
Getting bored, Harry lowered the nose of his broomstick. He drifted downwards, hoping to find the golden snitch hiding with one of the Chasers or the Keeper.
Harry watched as Ron fended off one—two—three!—attempts on his goal. The Slytherin Chasers were relentless. As time dragged on, the Slytherin team grew in fierceness. The younger Gryffindor players had to resort to their nimbleness to keep the quaffle from the Slytherin team.
Pass. Pass. Duck. Feint. The Gryffindors were using every play in the playbook.
"Having fun, Potter." Draco let out one of his evil laughs and continued to fly around the field.
Harry heard a whistle and saw Ron fly toward the ground. The teams each went to their own end of the field.
"Harry! What do you think you are doing? We are being beat down by the Slytherin team. We are barely able to keep up," Ron yelled.
Harry looked at the scoreboard. It was 250 to 200, Slytherin.
"Harry, we need you to get the snitch now while we are not too far behind. We need the lead so that way we win the Quidditch Cup."
Harry nodded and remounted his broom. Madam Hooch blew her whistle and the players flew up into the air.
Harry scanned the horizon. There was no snitch anywhere to be found. Harry flew circles around the field.
Suddenly he spotted it. It was under the Slytherin goals.
Harry flew to a waiting Gryffindor Chaser. "I have a plan…"
Harry took no more than thirty seconds to explain his idea to Natalie.
Natalie saw her chance and got ready to receive a pass from one of the other Chasers. Harry started to fly in her tailwind. They made their way up the field. Two Slytherin Chasers met them, but Harry had it covered. He flew in front of Natalie and flew as hard as he could toward the Slytherins. At the last minute, they ducked out of the way. Natalie pulled the nose of her broomstick up and out of the way of the Chasers.
By this time, the Gryffindor beaters had a monopoly on the bludgers. They took out one of the Slytherin Chasers and preoccupied another.
Seamus's voice boomed over the field. "It is unbelievable! The Gryffindor Seeker and one of the Chasers look like they are trying to form their own version of the Hawkshead Attacking Formation. It has scared off Slytherin Chasers already. Now, it looks like the Slytherin Keeper is nervous. He is flying back and forth between his goals.
"Wait! Harry has disappeared under the goal. Natalie shoots. She misses! There's Potter again, but over the goal posts. He is diving for the ground! What do I see? Is that the snitch?
"The game is over! Gryffindor won! Potter saves the day with a loop-the-loop!"
The fans poured into the field to congratulate the winning team. Draco shook Harry's hand and headed for the showers. Harry grinned and held the snitch above his head.
The crowd cheered and joined in a round of "Weasley is our King." Others were trying to write a song for Harry, but they could not think of anything that rhymed with Potter besides rotter.
The common room had quieted down and everyone was in his or her dorm except for Hermione, Harry and Ron.
"That was a great match," Hermione said. She gave them both a hug and then took a swig of her butterbeer. The house elves had made a huge feast for the celebrating Gryffindors.
"You know, it was great. The Slytherins weren't trying to do me in for once. Draco even congratulated me." Harry's glasses were askew on his face and he wore a contented, though somewhat sloppy, grin.
"Well, Draco has changed," Hermione added.
They heard a soft "Oh" and looked toward the girl's dormitory.
Ginny was standing on the stairs, eyes wide opened. She was wearing a white sweater and blue jeans. Her hair was done and Hermione thought she saw a little make-up on the girl.
Ginny shuffled and folded her hands. "I thought that you guys were asleep."
Ron jumped onto his feet. "You were not going to meet someone were you? It had better not be a Hufflepuff! Do you know what comes out of their lot? You should be dating a respectable Gryffindor!"
Hermione got up. She patted Ron's shoulder before adding, "Do you know what time it is, Ron dear?" She turned to Ginny. "Who would you be seeing this late? You could get in so much trouble from the prefects and the teachers making their rounds. Ginny, as your prefect, I forbid you from going."
Ginny nodded and shuffled back up the steps.
Harry scratched his head. "That was a little odd."