Chapter 7

The Warning

"Malfoy, what are YOU doing here? Looking for your dear son? Do you know that it's suicide to come here?"

"Of course I know that, I merely am delivering something to you," replied Lucius Malfoy.

"Well, what is it? Why couldn't Voldemort send his one of the lesser servants than you. Or perhaps you are a lesser servant?" several people in the room gasped. Lucius glared at him, and dropped an object on the table next to Harry and took some floo powder from his pocket.

"Shut up Potter!" snarled Lucius, "Well, I'll be going," said Lucius, ready to say the destination. But Harry was faster than that who had shouted the binding charm. Lucius Malfoy fell to the ground with a thud, and groaned in pain.

"You're not going anywhere, someone go get either Professor Conan or McGonagall. Well, I suppose it IS suicide for you to come here. Hmm, I wonder how's Voldemort is doing?"

"You brat," snarled Lucius and the common room's portrait opened again and entered two people. Which revealed Headmitress McGonagall and Professor Conan, their new Head of House. They took one look at the man on the floor and to Harry who was standing over him.

"What's going on?" asked Professor McGonagall.

Then the Gryffindor exploded with loud talking and pointing at Lucius Malfoy and Harry. McGonagall raised her hand for everyone to be quiet.

"One at a time, what happened here Miss Granger?"

"Malfoy flooed in here and dropped that box over there on the table," she pointed to the said box. "And he was about to leave, Harry binded him, since he is a Death Eater. They also… exchanged a few things with each other, I mean, Harry and Malfoy."

"I see, thank you for telling us Granger, five points to Gryffindor," awarded Professor Conan. "Now, we'll take Mr. Malfoy from here," he levitated the body who was scowling madly at Harry who smirked back at him.

"He'll get you Potter!" yelled Mr. Malfoy as he drifted through the hole.

"Oh right, like Voldemort (whimpers and shivers went around in the common room) will ever get me," gibed Harry, shaking his head softly. The portrait closed the door with a soft click.

"Well, I suppose that is true, how many times have you escaped him already?" asked Mark, and murmur went around the room.

"Does that count the one down in the Chamber of Secrets?" wondered Harry. Several people laughed at this.

"Okay so that would be five times that I escaped him," everyone in earshot fell into awe. "Okay, this is becoming really annoying. Excuse me," Harry felt that he shared too much info with his counterparts in Gryffindor. He went up to the dormitory and sat down in his four-poster bed, and then buried his face into his hands.

'What have I become?' wondered Harry.

Then someone else entered the room and found out that it was Ron by his familiar foot steps. He mused that the temporary blindness had done him good. "Hello Ron."

"Mate! You scared me," exclaimed Ron.

"Well, what else can I do when I was in the hospital wing?" asked Harry, his hand still buried into his face. "So, what's up?"

"What's up? WHAT'S up? Mate, I think you hung with Mark a bit too much."

"Whatever Ron, just tell me why you're here?"

"Just checking to see if - "

" - I was fine?" finished Harry.

"Yeah, that," said Ron timidly.

"Do I look it?"

"No mate, you don't," said Ron finally. Harry exhaled, standing up to face Ron.

"Very good Ron. You make a wonderful observation. You should be an observer," said Harry with ridicule in his voice. Ron was taken aback from his attitude, mouthing wordlessly and trying to make a comeback but came up with none.

"Y-you don't have to bite my head off like that Harry," said Ron, getting dressed for bed. Then he asked another question.

"What about the box that Malfoy dropped off?" asked Ron.

"Oh, right, I forgot, er is Hermione still down there?" asked Harry, standing up from his bed.

"Last time I saw her, yeah, I'm coming too, what if it's a trap? Like last year… why didn't Professor McGonagall or Professor Conan pick it up?"

"I don't know," shrugged Harry, "c'mon Ron."

The two went down the stairs and back into the common room. Ron spotted Hermione by the fire and found that she was writing in columns of scribbling pictures. From this distance, Harry assumed that it was an essay for the Ancient Runes class. When they got to her, she looked up and rose her eyebrows, waiting for them to speak.

"Well, I think we need to check the box," said Harry. "This time, we won't pick it up blindly. Like last time when I - you know."

"Of course," replied Hermione, setting her book down and the three cautiously walked over to the table. Most of the kids in the common room were already in their dormitories except for the boys from their sixth years and Mark was there as well. They too, were watching tentatively, waiting for something to happen. Harry proceeded with caution, with his wand in hand. He did a charm to levitate it and set it on the floor. Then Hermione cast a charm where the lids of the box would open.

The box were no bigger than a muggle shoe box, if Harry wasn't mistaken, it was smaller than that. Finally, Ron lit his wand with the Lumos charm. When the three peered in, and Hermione gasped and pulled away, holding her hand to her mouth. What Harry saw was someone's hand and that it was rotting badly. Harry felt sick to his stomach from the strong smell of death, and the two boys also pulled away from the box. Then Harry walked to the box again, holding his sleeves to his nose to smother the smell. When he looked in again, and found a note, he boldly picked the note out of the box and read:

Dear Potter,

This hand belonged to your former-Minister of Magic, Fudge. I do realize that he was one of our numbers. All these past tenses may make you think, yes he is dead. Why did Lucius deliver the hand? I just wanted to prove you that you are no longer safe at Hogwarts. So long Potter! Your days are numbered.

- Voldemort

Harry looked up from the note at his friends and including the other boys who were watching them. He realized that he was panting and sweating a little.

"What is it Harry?" asked Hermione, worried.

"Here," he handed the note to her and Ron read over Hermione's shoulder. Mark also looked over her arm on other side of the young woman, the trio that was reading the note paled with each sentence. When they finished reading, they looked up at Harry wide-eyed.

"What is it?" asked Dean, anxiously.

"Is it a threat?" asked Seamus.

"Well, I suppose you could, see that hand? That belonged to Minister - er - ex-Minister Fudge. He was a Death Eater," the two boys paled deathly white at this. "And that I'm no longer safe here," explained Harry glumly. "I guess I'll have to have more security around me," he spoke, scoffing

"But Harry, it's for your own good!" said Hermione vehemently.

"I'm sure from what you know, that I hate it," responded Harry, walking to the portrait, picking the box and the note up from the table.

"HARRY!" yelled the people in the common room.

"What is it now?" gibed Harry.

"This is exactly what you can't do, at least let at least two people with you while you're out of the Gryffindor Tower," said Hermione, and the others nodded in agreement. Harry sighed heavily, and feeling really annoyed.

"Fine, don't say that I agreed with this, but Hermione, Ron, you're coming with me. Mark, too," said Harry, rolling his eyes and went through the portrait. The others followed him out of the common room.

"But where do you want to go?" asked Hermione.

"To tell McGonagall of course, what else? Carry this box for a walk in dark corridors?"

"Sorry I asked," said Hermione with hurt in her voice. Then the group walked to the statue and Harry stood there, thinking. "What?"

"Um, usually the passwords would be of candy assorted, but now that it's Professor McGonagall…."

Everyone groaned at this. Harry sighed, wondering what to do next. Then the group of teenagers heard a familiar footsteps approaching them, and they all looked in the direction that was coming from. Then Harry realized that it was Professor Snape. Of all people that had to walk tonight.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? Gryffindors out of bed, and next to the Headmistress office at one in the morning?" asked Professor Snape smoothly.

"See Professor we - " Hermione began.

"No, I'll speak for myself. I'm glad that he's here, too," interrupted Harry and the others looked at him like he was nuts. "Professor, were you aware that Fudge was killed and that," he showed the box, "in here, is a hand that belonged to him?" The taller man scrutinized Harry with his dark beady eyes. Then he nodded in response and Hermione gasped.

"When then, Professor?" asked Harry. "When did he die?"

"Last night, and I was also informed that you would be getting a note. May I read it? Since the Dark Lord does not share what he writes with his . . . servants," he spat the last word. Harry opened the box, pulled it out and handed the note to Snape, who read it. Then he looked from the paper to Harry, calculating his thoughts.

"Yes, we should go and see the Headmistress, Ton Tongue Toffee," the kids were surprised at the choice of password, but Mark was however confused. Harry laughed a little, remembering the incident with Dudley. The statue jumped out of the way. Then the five people stepped on the moving staircase upwards.

"What was so funny?" asked Mark, waiting for the stairs to stop revolving. Ron and Harry snickered, but Hermione was trying to resist a smile, but managing a frown on her face.

"I'll tell you later," said Harry, sneaking a look at Professor Snape. Then he knocked on the door when the stairs stopped moving and heard voices inside the office. Harry and the others heard a 'come in', and Severus Snape pushed the door open and walked in.

"Severus what's - oh, the others are here?" she asked, looking at the kids.

"Yes, they have something to share with you," said Severus, stepping aside for Harry to walk to her. He saw that Arthur Weasley was there as well as Kingsley and few other unknown faces but with unmistakable badges of Aurors. Then on the floor lay Lucius and had to bite his tongue from laughing.

"Ah, yes, well," began Mr. Weasley, "what is it?"

"They forgot to take the box and… well, knowing us, we looked inside the box. With caution of course," said Harry quickly, seeing the horrified look on their faces. "And… er, it was a - a hand."

"A hand? Who's, do you know?" asked Mr. Weasley tentatively.

"Fudge, the former Minister," replied Harry and everyone in the room who didn't know that information paled slightly. "And Voldemort (most people in the room shivered and some whimpered), sent a note as well. Saying that I'm no longer safe at Hogwarts."

"But you are Harry," said Professor McGonagall at once. "Everyone knows that you're a top target."

"Ha, well, that's not going to prevent him from trying to kill me would he?" Harry ridiculed.

"For goodness sake Harry, stop acting like this!" said Hermione exasperatedly.

"Excuse me, it looks like there's nothing else to discuss, I'm going to bed now," said Harry suddenly, walking to the door but Severus stood in the way. "Sir?"

"No, there's more to discuss, such as - "

"No there isn't. Good. Night," he shoved him out of the way and down the spiraling staircase. Before the door closed behind him, he heard loud murmuring and shook his head, feeling defeated. He was also glad that no one was after him to walk back to the Tower. He knew he had to control his satire attitude, or he'll be a different person by Christmas time. At this rate, Voldemort and Harry would be so intertwined that he was sure that they could switch souls in each other bodies for a moment or even a day or more.

He shuddered at the thought of that, and kept walking. He wasn't paying attention to where he was going and realized that he ended up in the dungeons. Of all places, he had subconsciously walked down to the dungeons. He continued walking, not caring that he could have the possibility of seeing Mr. Filch or that wrenched cat, Mrs. Norris. Why he named the cat Mrs. Norris, Harry will never know. Then he stopped in the middle of the corridor, and walked sideways to the wall of the dungeon. None of the torches were lit, and he was simply walking in the dark without any guide.

'Let other people worry about me, for all I know - wait, damn you, stop thinking like this! Get back into the Tower. Nevertheless, I need to be alone for awhile, just leaning against the wall here…' Harry reasoned with himself. 'But I do need to get back in the Tower, they'll lecture me anyways. So Why bother going back now? Oh wait, they have the Marauder's map. No wonder how they found me on the first night back here… Fine, fine,' Harry gave in to his conscience and started walking back to the Tower but bumped into someone.

"Ow! Lumos!" said a familiar voice, the one he dreaded the most. The light revealed no other than Malfoy himself. "What're you doing here? I'm a prefect and you're not, so - "

"I would shut up right now if I were you Malfoy, I know that no prefects are to walk after three in the morning and before five thirty. Plus, we have your precious . . . father up in the office. Did you know that - "

"Incendio!" snarled Malfoy, and Harry's robes caught on fire and Harry was trying to put the fire out but Malfoy didn't leave him much time. "Crudus!" Harry's face began to bleed, then he threw another curse. "Everte Statum!" Harry went spinning out of control into the air and crashed into the wall twice more force than a single spell. Harry let out a groan as he fell to the floor after the initial crash. "How does it feel like to be the man down?" sneered Malfoy.

"This is nothing, considering to the Department of Mysteries last year Malfoy, this is hardly anything," said Harry, being very slanderous licking the blood off his lips, wincing at the pain on his face and his back. Draco Malfoy growled and rose his wand again. But Harry was faster than that and yelled.

"Petrificus Totalius!" And then he heard a body thud on the stone floor. Then Harry heard scurry steps running towards him and Harry sighed, knowing what was in store for him.

"Harry!" said Hermione, casting light on the torch as she went, and saw that Severus and Ron was with her as well. "Oh my god, your face! On the map we - "

"You don't look good mate," said Ron, who had looked at Harry. He realized that he had a busted lip, bloody nose as well as the rest of his face, and a few bruises on his back which he was limping slightly from.

"I'm sure you saw Malfoy's name on the map, did you not?" asked Harry wearily, and the two nodded, while Professor Snape was examining the scene and released Malfoy of the hex.

"Professor I - " Malfoy began.

"This calls for doubling the detentions you two have just got earlier today. This is getting ridiculous; you two are sixteen year old boys. Twenty points off Gryffindor, and five points off Slytherin."

"But sir -!" Harry began.

"You walked away from me when I asked you to remain where you are!" snapped Severus, but Harry glared back at him and leered at Malfoy. "Mr. Malfoy, please go back to dormitories and you two will have two weeks worth of detention. One more of this fighting, you two will share detention for a month." With that, Malfoy left them in the corridors back to his common room. Few minutes of intense silence, Severus Snape spoke finally.

"When I mean that we were not finished talking, we still have some things to discuss. You are to be in company of at least two people at all times and please, for the last time, for the good of us all. Stop getting into fights with Mr. Malfoy."

"But sir, he keeps attacking ME," said Harry, defending himself. "He came to the library and attacked me, and did again tonight."

"It makes two to make trouble Harry," said Hermione, frowning slightly. "But I agree with Professor, you shouldn't be alone, at least not out in the corridors or on the grounds."

"So, where the hell am I supposed to have my privacy then!? Don't you know how frustrating it is when - when," said Harry, wanting to burst everything about how he felt and how he couldn't control his temper.

"When what Harry?" pressed Hermione.

"When I couldn't control my temper, I try so hard not to, and as I have said, Vold-Voldemort's stirring inside of me," said Harry finally. "I'm just afraid that one day that I would do something that I will regret. But don't worry Professor, I still practice my Occulemency so I haven't got any dreams since I remembered how to," assured Harry.

"Very well, you three should go back to the tower. If Mr. Filch catches you, well, it's not my fault," Snape half-taunted, but Harry knew better. The three turned and started walking back to the Gryffindor tower. They also did not speak, and only heard the ragged breaths of Harry's, the foot falls on the stones and on some stairs.

Luckily for them, they didn't run into Mr. Filch or Mrs. Norris. Once they said the password, (Malfoy's a git) and went through, with Harry making a small chuckle about the choice of passwords. When they approached to where Hermione and the two boys would go separate ways.

"Night Harry, Ron. You really need to clean up the mess on your face before you go to sleep," said Hermione, and the two bid her night to her as well. Harry and Ron climbed up the stairs and into the dormitory. Harry felt an odd sense of loss in the room and looked around for something that didn't quite fit.

"What is it mate?" asked Ron, dressed in his PJs. Harry shook his head in answer, but still unable to shake off of what was missing.

"I don't know, something's not right," replied Harry.

"Is it Voldemort?" asked Ron in a whisper, but he shook his head again.

"No, it's in this room, I don't know what it is… well, night Ron," intending to sleep in his uniform.

"But mate, you aren't - you know, dressed…" said Ron, worried for his friend.

"Is that a rule too?" asked Harry sarcastically, going into the bathroom to wash his face.

"No, no, 'course not," replied Ron alarmed, and pulled the curtains close and Harry, after coming out of the bathroom, closed his. "Night mate."

Next day came, and the new-foursome group walked down to the Great Hall to eat some breakfast. Mark walked alongside Harry, Ron on the other side of him, and Hermione walked next to Ron.

"So Mark, when do you have your flying lessons?" asked Harry.

"On Tuesday," replied Mark.

"Hey, do you think we can practice our Quidditch after breakfast?" asked Ron.

"No Ron, not after wha -" Hermione began, scowling.

"'Course mate, let's fly," smirked Harry. "Sorry Hermione, but flying's the only thing that helps getting rid of any… grudges I have or anger. You know," explained Harry.

Hermione sighed and nodded reluctantly. "Okay Harry, this time, don't do it like the last time!"

"Hermione, that happened because you guys came unexpectedly, and screamed. So I naturally lost my concentration."

"Oh, so it's my fault!"

"I'm not saying it is," said Harry.

"Oh so you do admit that it's my fault," said Hermione, picking up her pace to the Great Hall.

"Hermi - ugh, you'd think that we would argue less for all the things we've been through," said Harry, sighing. Ron patted him on the left shoulder.

"Well, can't blame you mate. But you need to stop -"

"Ron," Harry interrupted him. "I told you last night, I'm trying really, really hard to control this… whatever it is! Temper if you want. Ron, let's just skip breakfast and just go flying -"

"Are you mad? I can't skip breakfast!"

"Fine, Mark, want to come along?"

"Of course, Ron, you'll bring some food for me right?" asked Mark. "Please?"

"Bu -But mate, you need -"

"Fine! . . . Hey Ginny!"

"Yes Harry?" she stopped at the door to the Great Hall, and looked over to him.

"Er, I need to be in the company of at least two people and I'm one person short and…."

"Oh, but what about Ron?"

"He wants to eat, and I want to fly right now," replied Harry.

"Oh, understandable. He never skips any meals if his life depended on it," and the three laughed, and Ron frowned a little but went into the Great Hall without another word. The three went through Entrance Hall, and down the stairs toward Quidditch pitch. Harry rose his wand.

"Accio Firebolt!" Few moments later, Harry's broom came zooming to him and stopped in front of Harry. "Thought I should put my experiences into use. You two will be needing a broom?"

"Oh I have one, it's Sweeps 85, better than Ron's, he's so jealous. But since I got Prefect, so…" Ginny giggled. "You think you could call my broom?"

"I'll try, Accio Sweeps 85!" The wait was longer than it did for Harry's broom. The three nearly gave up waiting for Ginny's broom to come. But then Ginny spotted it coming and sailed right in front of Harry. He handed the broom over to Ginny and turned to Mark. "Do you want to fly?"

"Sure!" replied Mark, excited.

"Okay, but you'll have to do with one of the school's broom," Harry walked over to the Broom shack, and looked inside for a decent broom and found Cleansweeps 42. "Here, this'll have to do, you can exchange for a different broom if this acts too weird."

Mark accepted the broomstick, looking very excited and thrilled to ride on it. He looked up to Harry, waiting for the next instructions.

"Okay, put the broom on the ground next to you," Mark did as he said. "I'm just going to teach you as Madam Hooch did to me. Now put your hand over the broom and say up."

"Up!" The broom immediately went into Mark's arm, and he looked daze. "Whoa, this is wicked! What next Harry?"

"Okay, mount your broom, and lightly, very lightly, kick off the ground," Mark mounted his broom, and with a soft flail, levitated several feet into the air. "Excellent, I never got to see this part in my lessons in broomstick flying," said Harry, laughing at the memory.

"Huh, why?" asked Mark.

"Before anyone of us could even pushed off the ground, Neville," he gulped in large amount of air. Trying as much as he could not to lose his cool. "He was one of our classmates, he took off by accident, and he was flying out of control. Then he fell off the broom, which must have been fifty foot drop and broke his wrist. When he had gone to the Wing, Malfoy took one of his things. Of course, I went after him when I said to give the item back. So, we both mounted the brooms, although Madam Hooch said we'd be expelled if we rode the brooms against her warning. She wasn't there by the way. Anyways, I insulted Malfoy about not being protected by his usual cronies. He threw the item upwards and fell towards the ground. I raced to get it before it broke. I made it, and I was only one foot away from crashing into the ground."

"Needless to say, Professor McGonagall saw me flying. We all thought that I was going to be expelled and that I had only lasted here at Hogwarts for a week. Then it turns out that she wanted me to be on the team for Quidditch. They don't allow first years to play on the team and I was the youngest Seeker in about a century. Not to get your hopes up Mark. This sort of thing is pretty rare, so don't expect to do some amazing feat and be suddenly on the team as I did."

"That's… amazing Harry," said Mark, somewhat awestruck. "Well, let's fly!" said Mark, still on his broom with few inches off the ground. Ginny and Harry grinned and mounted their brooms and took off. "Hey! How do you fly thi - nevermind!" exclaimed Mark, and soon he was flying to his new friends.

"And tell me, how did you know?" asked Harry.

"I just leaned forward and I started moving," replied Mark.

"That's what I did, and it was my first time flying. My dad was a Quidditch player himself. You could say that he was one of the best flyers at Hogwarts. There's even a trophy to his name while playing Quidditch. It's in my blood as Sirius, Remus, Hermione and Professor McGonagall said," said Harry shrugging.

"Oh, and how do you play Quidditch?" asked Mark, and Harry looked over to Ginny.

"You'll have to help me explain, okay, there's four balls, and seven players on each team. There's a Quaffle, the size of basketball, but it's red."

"What's a basketball?" asked Ginny, curious.

"Muggle game," replied Harry. "And there's three players that are called Chasers. See the hoops on each end? The Chaser's job is to score as many times as they can. Just like in basketball. Except there's a Keeper, another player, whose job is to prevent the Quaffle from going through. Like in Soccer (football), Ginny is going to be a Chaser, right?"

"Yeah, I'm definitely not a Seeker's material. You are," replied Ginny. "And Ron's our Keeper."

"Yes, and there's another ball, two of them, which are called Bludgers. If you get hit by one of them, then you might end up in Hospital Wing. But that's what Beaters are for, there's two of them, protecting our team, and knocking the ball away from our team players into another team player. Got that so far Mark?"

"Yeah, I do," replied Mark. "Three Chasers scores with a Quaffle, and the Keeper protects the hoops. Two Beaters beat other team with Bludgers. Wait how many points do we get with a Quaffle and how do Beaters hit the balls into other direction?"

"Ah, I forgot that part," said Harry.

"Quaffle gets us ten points for every time we score through the hoops. As for the Beaters, there's a bat that knocks away the Bludgers," said Ginny.

"Yeah, like Baseball," explained Harry.

"Oh, I see, okay, so that's three Chasers, one Keeper, and two Beaters. What do you play?"

"I haven't told everything just yet, the most important part in the game, which is also the most dangerous job of all. Seeing that they are the ones usually end up in the Hospital Wing. The player is Seeker, and their job is to catch the Snitch. Very hard to find, since the Snitch is very small and fast. Hard to look for. The game can't end without finding the Snitch. Which is worth 150 points. Most of the time, whoever catches the snitch, is the winner."

"Oh, and that's you, the Seeker?" assumed Mark.

"Yeah, that's me, I can't count how many times I've ended up in the Wing though," said Harry.

"Oh but you ended at the Wing two times so far," said Ginny.

"Oh, right, a Bludger was set out to attack me, literally. And another time, it was because of Dementors," said Harry. "But that's besides the point. Plus everyone plays outright dirty against the Seekers, on other teams of course."

"Okay, I understand, three hoops, three Chasers, one Keeper for the Quaffle, two Beaters with two Bludgers, and a Seeker that seeks out to find a Snitch. Got it, race you Harry!" He took off toward the other end of the pitch. Harry grinned at Ginny.

"No fair!" pouted Ginny, because she knew that Harry's broom was no match for her or Mark's broom. Harry gave thirty seconds headstart and when he saw Mark look back. Wondering why Harry wasn't going after him. Then Harry took off really fast, going at 100 miles an hour, with Mark's being at 50, and climbing. Mark's eye widened, realizing that he has the faster broom, and urging his own to go faster. But, unfortunately, Harry reached the hoops before Mark was even within the Chaser's scoring area.

Once Mark caught up with Harry and went around the hoops and back to Harry. They were waiting for Ginny to catch up to the them, whom was going at her own pace. When she finally arrived where the boys were waiting, Mark spoke up.

"How come you didn't tell me that yours was fast!?"

"I was going to," replied Harry.

"Oh, that you're the owner of the fastest broom or something? Yeah right," joked Mark but Harry and Ginny looked at each other and back at Mark. "I - I mean, that's not true is it?"

"Yeah, he's the owner of the best broom there is, fastest broom in the world. International Standard, and it goes up to 150 miles an hour in 10 seconds flat. Sirius gave the broom to Harry back in his third year," said Ginny, obviously jealous.

"But Seekers do need the fastest broom on the team, because the Snitch is really fast and hard to see, and it's basically a race," explained Harry.

"Wow…" said Mark softly. "Oh, can I have a go on it?" asked Mark, fully knowing that this broom wasn't anything as ordinary as he had thought.

"Sure, after doing some loops," said Harry, grinning.

"But that's not right, you -"

"I can do twice as far as you two would. How's that fair? The winner would have a go on this broom, if I win, then the second winner gets it."

Mark and Ginny stared at each other, and grinned evilly.

"You're on!" said the two.

"Ready, set - oh I don't believe it," said Harry, seeing someone else walking on the pitch. Harry saw Malfoy mounting his broom and started flying towards them. "Let's go!" And they were off, "we'll do five loops, ten for me!" With that, he took off ahead, going at hundred-fifty miles an hour, leaving the two in the dust. But soon, Malfoy joined in on the little race, but before long, he caught up with Harry. He soon realized that he got Firebolt as he had. Harry grinned and urged his broom to go faster.

But Malfoy matched the same speed as Harry was going, and was in finger-to-finger, their knees and elbows were touching. Malfoy was struggling to knock him off the broom, but Harry had a death grip on the broom ever since he saw Malfoy coming on the pitch. They were on their third loop, with Mark and Ginny close to second loop.

"Shove off Malfoy!" yelled Harry, getting pissed at his efforts to try and knock him off the broom.

"Shut up you Potter! I'll get you for landing my father in Azkaban! You will regret it one day!"

"Yeah, not today, Malfoy!" He went head-to-head, with Harry mostly in lead. With struggling to stay on broom, and fending off Malfoy, they reach the seventh loop. With Mark and Ginny on the halfway through the fourth loop, who were really worried for Harry but kept racing. What Harry saw, and it was too late to act anything. He yelled a hex with his wand at Harry, and he went flying off the broom and falling towards the ground with of hundred feet off the ground.

'Oh great, this must be it…' he heard screams of other kids. Ginny and Mark he assumed. He didn't even open his mouth to scream to his death. He won't give Malfoy the satisfaction of his last moments. Within ten feet off the ground, he felt the slow of his body coming toward the ground. Then he crashed and knew no more. All he felt was nothingness and silence was the only thing he heard. Then he felt weird and light, then he saw red and then felt solid and heavy. He heard indistinct voices. 'Was someone arguing?' He couldn't make out the noises at all, but the pain in his body was too much to take.

Then his hearing improved, and heard familiar voices of Malfoy and Hagrid. 'Why was Hagrid arguing? Oh right, I fell off the broom because of Malfoy hexing me.'

"Yeh ruddy kid! Yer gettn' detention fer attackin' anoth'r student!" bellowed Hagrid. "An' a detention fer 'Arry too," he said. "Fer fighting Malfoy."

'Huh? That doesn't sound right at all…'

Then Harry felt being lifted off the ground. He then sensed that Hagrid was carrying him and walking, which he assumed, to the Wing. 'Oh brother, another stay at the Hospital Wing,' then he fell asleep, since there was so much pain to take in.