6 – Quidditch Sneaker

The Quidditch season had just started and Harry was very much looking forward to playing again as his broomstick had been confiscated last year by Umbridge and he had been banned from playing Quidditch for life. Seeing as she no was no longer teaching at Hogwarts then he was entitled to play Quidditch again. He was very much looking forward to it. The first match was approaching fast and, surprise surprise, it was against Slytherin.

The morning of the match arrived and it was raining harder than Harry had ever known it to before. He performed the Impervius charm on his glasses so that he would be able to see and then he changed into his robes and the Gryffindor stepped out onto the pitch into a wave of tumultuous applause. The team mounted their brooms and kicked off from the ground. Madame Hooch's whistle sounded and the game began. Harry began searching the pitch for a tiny golden glimmer that would lead him to winning the game.

A cloaked figure moved silently amongst the spectators on the staff stalls. Snape saw it creeping along behind the teachers and up to the far end of the stalls before taking a seat next to Professor Sprout. He made a move to get up and speak with whoever it was but a loud groan from the Slytherins was heard as Gryffindor scored. He could hear it for only a moment before it was drowned by the cheers of the Gryffindors. He glanced smugly at Lupin who gave him a triumphant smirk in return to his scowl. Snape glared at him even harder but he just smiled and turned his attention back to the game. Snape suddenly remembered the person in the back row. He turned round to get another look at him. He craned his neck but the figure was no longer there and there was just an empty space instead.

Harry could see the faces of his fellow team-mates but couldn't see any of the opposition. Lee Jordan was commentating;

"HARRY POTTER LOOKS LIKE HE'S SEEN SOMETHING. OH NO! WATCH OUT HARRY! OOOHHH!!!! AN IMPRESSIVE DODGE OF A BLUDGER THERE BY HARRY POTTER! HANG ON! WHAT'S THIS? ANGELINA HAS THE QUAFFLE! SHE'S HEADING TOWARDS THE GOAL……COME ON ANGELINA! SHE SHOOTS…SHE – OOHHH! THAT WASN'T FAIR! WHERE'S THE WHISTLE! THAT NO GOOD OAFISH -"

"Jordan! Suitable commentary please!" McGonagall scolded but she was frowning all the same.

"SORRY PROFESSOR, BUT CRABBE SHOULD HAVE BEEN PENALISED!"

Harry was only half listening to the commentary. True, he had seen the golden snitch but had lost it when the Bludger had been hit at him. He swooped close to the ground on his Firebolt and caught sight of the small and sparkling golden snitch once more. He chased after it, swerving in and out of the other players on the pitch. He could hear Malfoy chasing after him and urged his broomstick on, willing it to go faster. A Bludger joined the chase and the stakes were upped. He was close enough to see every detail on the tiny golden ball. He reached out his hand and grasped the snitch. He veered upwards, his left arm still holding the broom, his right hand waving the snitch about. Madame Hooch's whistle had sounded again and the Gryffindor supporters swarmed onto the pitch to congratulate the team, who had all touched down, but Harry wasn't there. The staff began to crowd onto the pitch to look for him. They started taking brooms off of the team members and flying up in the air to search for the missing seeker. Lupin snatched Draco Malfoy's broom, simply because it was the fastest, and tore up into the leaden sky. The other teachers followed suit.

"Harry! Harry? Where are you?" Lupin called.

"POTTER! Stop fooling around and get yourself over here right now!" Snape decided that being pleasant was not a good approach when trying to find a miscreant like Potter.

The Hogwarts staff body was soaked from head to toe. Tonks had been watching the game and had joined her friends in the air as had McGonagall, the Weasleys, Madame Hooch and Madame Pomfrey. Mr. Weasley caught sight of the back of Harry's broom and zoomed after it on Ron's broom. The Firebolt turned sharply to face its pursuers. On the front of it was Harry and on the back of it, with one arm around Harry's neck, was Peter Pettigrew.

"Wormtail!" Lupin exclaimed as he came to a halt next to Snape.

"Very observant, Moony! I think that you should think twice before daring to confront me." Wormtail laughed chillingly.

"I don't need to think about it!" Lupin snarled, sounding very much like a wolf, and hurtling forward only to be pulled back by Snape.

"Don't be so stupid! Haven't you seen his arm?" Snape said through clenched teeth. Lupin looked at him, shocked, before turning to Pettigrew and looking at his arm. His eyes widened in horror. He had almost forgotten his last encounter with it.

"Silver." He croaked, his voice faltering and dying.

"That's right. My Lord could have given me an arm made of gold, platinum, titanium or any other metal but he chose silver. I'm sure you must have figured out why by now. Did Mr. Potter never tell you? It must've slipped his mind…pity. I have the advantage and believe me; it's not just against you. We have recruited many more Dark Creatures such as you…join us…you could have an advantage against the uselessness of the side you are on. You would be richly rewarded. Join us, Moony."

"Never."Lupin sneered.

"Fine. STUPEFY!" Pettigrew yelled. Lupin keeled over and fell off the side of the broom. McGonagall took one look at Snape, who nodded. He plummeted towards Lupin and, knowing he would not reach him in time, barked a spell to slow his fall so that he would land on the ground unharmed. He heard shouting behind him and turned back towards the conflict. He could see Pettigrew falling. He urged his broom onwards as fast as he could towards the treacherous rat, and was about to grab him, when another broomstick surged forward and grabbed Pettigrew, taking him out of sight. The rest of the company joined Snape and they touched down to cheering. The students received their brooms back and headed back to get some sleep. The entire search party was sent to the hospital wing and spent the night there to make sure they hadn't caught anything serious.

A/N: - Yes, I know that chapter was shorter! Sorry about that! But I hope you enjoyed it anyway! But my life is just so screwed up at the moment that I'm completely lost and don't know what to do any more! I'll try to keep updating but please don't get angry if I don't for a week or so.