Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
The next few weeks passed without incident, although Harry noticed that Ron was asking quite a few questions about the Muggle world.
"Ron, you should have taken Muggle studies" sighed Hermione when Ron asked her what lawnmowers were for. Ron looked horrified at the thought of having to do extra work. "Quidditch match tomorrow" he said changing the subject. "I thought I might go and watch it. What about you two?"
"I'll come" said Hermione "What about you, Harry?"
"I don't know" said Harry "It's not the same watching from the stands"
"Oh go on, Harry" said Ron "You haven't been to a game for ages"
"And Gryffindor have got a pretty good team" said Hermione. "It won't be like last time when..." Hermione stopped as she saw the look on Ron's face. "Oh, Ron, I'm sorry. I didn't mean..."
"Forget it" said Ron "You're right. We were hopeless. Well not all of us. Just me and Kirke and Sloper"
"Now that you mention it, it does seem odd that J.K Rowling didn't make you a better player to begin with, Ron" said Hermione thoughtfully.
"Well she had to find an excuse for Malfoy to have a go at me, didn't she?" said Ron. "But she was totally out of order banning you, Harry"
"I think she did that for a reason" said Hermione. "But I'm not sure what"
Harry thought for a moment.
"Well if I was playing last year, we wouldn't have met Grawp. That must be it."
"That makes sense" said Hermione "So will you come to the match, Harry?"
"Yes alright then"
By the next morning Harry was really looking forward to the match. He joined Ron, Hermione, Neville and Luna Lovegood in the stands. Luna was wearing the ridiculous lion hat that she had made last year.
"Here they come!" said Hermione as the Gryffindor team marched onto the pitch. Ginny was easily visible because of her bright red hair. Harry didn't know who any of the new players were. The Hufflepuff team was approaching from the other side of the stadium. Katie Bell shook hands with Zacharias Smith and Madam Hooch released the balls.
"Hufflepuff in possession. Smith with the Quaffle, Bludger from Bailey..."
"Who's doing the commentary?" asked Harry.
"Stewart Ackerley" said Luna "He's in Ravenclaw"
"Gryffindor in possession. Bell passes to...Quaffle intercepted by Connor . Hufflepuff in possession. Connor to Smith. Smith headed for..."
"GINNY'S SEEN THE SNITCH!" shouted Neville causing everyone around him to jump. Ginny was flying full speed towards the Hufflepuff goal posts.
"COME ON, GINNY!" bellowed Ron.
The Gryffindors in the crowd were on their feet cheering Ginny, but one of the Hufflepuff Chasers swerved in front of her, forcing her to change course. In those few seconds the Snitch had disappeared. "YOU SCUM!" yelled Ron shaking his fist at the Hufflepuff Chaser. Ron was even more irate when he found out that Zacharias Smith had scored.
"Hufflepuff leads ten points to zero" said Ackerley "Gryffindor in possession. Jefferies passes to Bell, back to Jefferies. Jefferies hit by a Bludger from Verloc, drops the Quaffle and it's caught by Connor of Hufflepuff. Connor passes to Smith, Bell intercepts. Gryffindor in possession. Here comes a Bludger, Bell dodges, heading for goal. She scores!"
Ackerley's next words were drowned out by the Gryffindors around Harry screaming and stamping their feet and a loud roar from Luna's hat. Gryffindor scored twice more. Ginny and the Hufflepuff Seeker, Summerby were both circling the pitch searching for the tiny Snitch. Katie dropped the Quaffle when Bailey hit a Bludger towards her. Smith caught it and passed it to one of his fellow Chasers, who scored.
"Gryffindor leads thirty points to twenty" called Ackerley.
In the stands Harry was also looking for the Snitch. There had been no sign of it since Ginny had first seen it. Gryffindor had pulled ahead by three more goals, but if Summerby caught the Snitch Hufflepuff would win.
"Smith going for goal" said Ackerley "Kirby saves. Look at Summerby!"
Summerby was diving, but Harry couldn't see any glint of gold near the ground.
"HE'S FEINTING!" roared Harry "GINNY! DON'T FOLLOW HIM!"
Someone sitting behind Harry tapped him on the shoulder.
"What?" he asked turning around to face Lavender Brown.
"Is that the Snitch?" she asked "There, in front of Gryffindor's left goal post?"
Harry looked at where Lavender was pointing.
"That's it!" he said excitedly.
Ginny had seen it too. She shot towards the Gryffindor goals, a few seconds later she raised one fist in the air in triumph.
"She caught it!" shouted Harry.
"WELL DONE, GINNY!" bellowed Ron over the cheering crowd and the roar from Luna's hat.
"Gryffindor win two hundred and ten points to twenty!" shouted Ackerley as the rest of the Gryffindor team converged on Ginny.
"Let's nick some stuff from the kitchens and have a party tonight" suggested Ron.
Harry nodded in agreement. So Harry, Ron and Hermione made their way out of the stadium before anyone else and went down to the kitchens where the house elves were busy preparing dinner.
"Harry Potter!" shouted Dobby flinging himself at Harry.
"Hi, Dobby" said Harry "How are you?"
"Dobby is fine, Harry Potter sir" squeaked Dobby "But Dobby is wishing that J.K Rowling is not writing him to be so annoying, so that more people would be liking him, sir"
"Dobby, there are lots of people who like you" said Hermione earnestly.
"Yeah loads" said Harry although he was not sure if this was true.
"Harry Potter is too kind" said Dobby "Can Dobby get something for Harry Potter?"
"Yeah we're having a party" said Harry. "We were wondering if you could give us some food"
"Of course, Harry Potter sir!" squeaked Dobby.
Harry, Ron and Hermione left the kitchens ten minutes later carrying huge amounts of food and drink.
"I'm sure this will be enough" said Hermione when they had put it all down in the Gryffindor common room "I don't like the house elves having to do extra work"
"I thought you gave up on that spew stuff" said Ron.
"It's not spew, Ron"said Hermione Just because the house elves don't want clothes, it doesn't mean.."
"Hermione, if you keep this spew stuff up they're going to start some kind of rebellion against you, and in a hundred years from now Binns will be giving lectures about it in History of Magic" said Ron. Professor Binns was the only ghost teacher at Hogwarts. His class was easily the most boring and most students used it to catch up on sleep.
Hermione appeared to be quite insulted by Ron's remark, for she suddenly declared she needed to go to the library.
"Do you reckon we've got enough food?" said Ron.
"Yeah I think so" said Harry "It'd be good if we could get some butterbeer though, but we'd have to sneak into Hogsmeade to get it"
"We could do it" said Ron. "Sneak into Hogsmeade, I mean. Fred and George did it all the time. And we've got the map and the invisibility cloak"
"Let's do it" said Harry.
Harry and Ron ran upstairs. Harry searched through his trunk for the Marauders Map and his invisibility cloak. He took some money out of his bag too"
"OK let's go" said Harry. They went back downstairs and, after making sure no one was watching them, climbed out of the portrait hole. Harry pulled the map out of his pocket and tapped it with his wand.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good" he whispered.
The Hogwarts castle and grounds showed up on the aged piece of parchment. Tiny dots showed people moving around.
"Where's Filch?" asked Ron
"Near Binns' classroom" said Harry. "Mrs Norris is outside the library"
Harry checked the map at every corner on the way to the statue of the humpbacked witch on the third floor.
"Dissendium" whispered Harry tapping the hump with his wand. Harry climbed through the narrow opening first. About half a minute later Ron landed beside him with a thud. Harry wiped the map and the two of them ran along the passage. Ron had never used it before, but Harry had in his third year when he did not have permission to visit Hogsmeade. They put the cloak on just before they climbed through the trapdoor at Honeydukes. There were a few people in the shop, but it was nowhere near as busy as it was when Hogwarts students visited. Harry and Ron followed a stooped grey haired wizard and a small girl out of the shop. They had almost reached The Three Broomsticks when Ron nudged Harry in the ribs.
"What?" he hissed.
"Go around the back" hissed Ron "Might be someone out there to give it to us"
Ron was right, a young wizard with a shaved head was sweeping a back room.
"I'd better stay under the cloak" whispered Harry "If anyone sees me they'll know who I am"
Ron nodded and stepped out from under the cloak
"Oi" he said tapping on the door.
"Yeah" said the wizard.
"Could we...er could I get six cases of butterbeer?" said Ron.
"Hang on" said the wizard lazily. He took five wooden crates down from a nearby shelf.
"Sixteen Galleons, eight Sickles" he said stacking the crates in front of Ron who handed over some gold. As soon as the wizard's back was turned, Harry and Ron used a charm to make the crates lighter. They each picked up three crates and Ron stepped under the cloak again. They had walk more carefully, but they managed to get back into the passage without anyone bumping into them. Harry got the map out again just before they climbed through the witch's hump. They didn't meet anyone on their way to the Gryffindor common room. Harry and Ron put the butterbeer with the food they had taken from the kitchens. The portrait hole opened and Hermione walked in.
"Where did you get those from?" she asked suspiciously pointing to the cases of butterbeer.
"Hogsmeade" said Ron casually. "We went out through that passage that goes to Honeydukes"
"What?" shouted Hermione "Are you telling me you snuck out of school..."
"Relax, Hermione, we paid for them" said Harry.
"That's not the point!" said Hermione angrily "Do you know how dangerous that was? Did it occur to either of you that Voldemort might know about that passage by now?"
"Come off it, Hermione" said Ron exasperatedly "It's too early for something like that to happen"
"What do you mean, too early?" snapped Hermione.
"Well" said Ron imitating Hermione's isn't-it-obvious voice "normally that's the sort of thing that happens after our exams"