"What do you mean, a week?" Ron asked in panic.

"I mean at least seven days, Mr. Weasley," Madame Pomfrey said.

"But that can't be right," Ron said. "I've been hurt loads of times, and it's never taken you that long to heal me."

"I don't recall you ever taking a blow to the head from a bludger," Pomfrey said. "Bloody fool game. Such a barbaric sport in this day and age. Why don't they teach children that here at Hogwarts?"

"But the match is in four days," Ron said ignoring her last statements. "How am I supposed to field a team without a chaser?"

"You should have thought of that before you allowed this to happen," Pomfrey said.

"It was an accident," Ron said a bit too loudly. "I was at the other end of the pitch."

"You are the captain, are you not?" Pomfrey asked. "You are the one who allowed them to practice with that bludger."

"Explain to me exactly how we have a quidditch practice without using one of the balls we'll face during the game," Ron challenged.

"I specialize in healing, Mr. Weasley," Pomfrey answered, "not lunacy."

Ron walked out of the hospital wing to find the rest of the team waiting to hear the news.

"Why do I get the feeling this isn't going to be good news?" Ginny asked as she read her brother's face.

"Seven days," Ron said. "He may not even be able to watch the match."

"What?" The team asked in unison.

"I know," Ron said, holding up his hand to stop the comments that he knew would be coming. "There isn't time to train a new chaser before the biggest match of the year."

"Maybe we can get Harlow back," Seamus suggested. "He is the alternate after all."

"I can't do that," Ron said with a surprised look. "He's at St. Mungo's with his dad. I can't call him away from his bedside for the match. Besides, he isn't that good. We still wouldn't stand a chance even if he was playing."

"What about Harry?" Seamus asked.

"He's in America this week," Ron said. "Bane sent him over there as a guest instructor to teach them all about magic circles. He won't be back until Saturday, just before the match."

"I'll talk to Professor Bane and ask him if we can get a message to Harry," Ginny said.

"What good will it do," Ron asked making no effort to hide the depression he was sinking into. "Even after I've reminded him on numerous occasions, he still hasn't ordered a new broom. If he had, it would have been here by now."

"Excuse me," Ginny said, "but I think you're forgetting that Harry has been just a tad busy over the last few weeks. Did you really expect that to be the first thing on his mind?"

"I guess you're right," Ron said. "It isn't his fault. The fates are just working overtime against us in this match."

Ginny knocked lightly on Professor Bane's office door, and his voice answered immediately and told her to come in. Taking the precaution to summon a shield charm, Ginny opened the door and walked inside.

"Have you got a minute?" Ginny asked.

"I might even have two," Bane said with a smile as he sat behind his desk. "What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if there was a way to get a message over to Harry," Ginny said.

"Do you miss him that much already?" Bane asked.

"Yes, actually," Ginny answered, "but that isn't why I need to get a message to him.

Ginny explained the problem to Bane, and Bane's brow furrowed in thought before he said, "That does present a bit of a problem. Ordinarily, it would be a simple thing. I could let you stick your head in the floo network and it would pop out of a fireplace at the school in Salem."

"Why can't we do that now?" Ginny asked.

"This is exam week in Salem," Bane explained. " It's like the O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. exams here. The floo network and all other instant communications systems have been disabled until the end of the exams. The students have been known to find unusual ways to attempt to cheat there. The only way to get a message to him now would be by owl. It may take an owl four days or more just to make the trip."

"That long?" Ginny asked desperately.

"Maybe less," Bane said hesitantly, "if it was a strong swift owl. Salem is a bit further away than London."

"Then there isn't any time to lose," Ginny said as she turned to leave. "Thanks, Professor."

"Good luck," Bane called before Ginny shut the door behind her.

Ginny headed straight to the owlery in a dead run. Once she arrived, she began to hurriedly jot down a note to Harry that said simply: Harry, Quidditch disaster imminent. Short one player. Please hurry back. Ginny

Ginny held up her arm and called Hedwig down. Hedwig dropped swiftly and landed on the small table in front of Ginny.

"I really need your help, Hedwig," Ginny said getting several soft hoots in response. "I have to get this note to Harry in America. I know it's a long trip, but this has to get to Harry as soon as possible."

Hedwig turned and stuck out a leg to allow Ginny to tie the message on. Once it was in place, Ginny ran her hand over Hedwig's feathers gently.

"Thanks, Hedwig," Ginny said. "Have a safe journey."

Hedwig flapped her wings as she flew out of the owlery and flew west away from the castle. All Ginny could do was wait. She was hopeful. She knew that, if any owl could get the message to Harry, Hedwig was the one.

Ron went to bed late Friday night in a foul temper. He had gotten worse with each day that passed. He had managed to fill the chaser position earlier that day. He felt that it was out of desperation more than anything else, and he still wasn't happy about it. It wasn't that Neville was a bad flyer, it was just that he hadn't had time to train with the team. It would be an impossible task for anyone to accomplish in one day.

Ron's dreams that night were fitful. He just couldn't get it out of his mind. Over and over again the match against Slytherin played in his head. He had to live through every mistake repeatedly as he let through more goals than he had the entire time he had been playing quidditch. Neville always spent the match looking for where he had misplaced his broom. Ginny, distraught that Harry hadn't made it back from America, stopped looking for the snitch and burst into tears for the entire match. For a quidditch game, things couldn't get much worse.

Ron began to tremble violently as he sat on his broom as if some unseen force was shaking him. He looked around to see who might be hexing him, and looked down on the field to see Harry yelling something to him that his mind couldn't quite make sense of.

"I can't hear you, Harry," Ron said as he began to talk in his sleep.

"I said wake up," Harry said as he shook Ron once more.

"What are you doing to me, Harry," Ron said still asleep. "I'll fall off of my broom."

"Fall out of bed more like it," Harry said.

"What?" Ron asked.

"Wake up," Harry said once again.

Something snapped in Ron's head, and he shot up in bed and looked with wide eyes at Harry sitting beside him. He blinked his eyes a few times to try to get them to refocus, but he was sure it was Harry.

"Harry," Ron said. "I was just dreaming…"

"So I gathered," Harry said.

"What are you doing here?" Ron asked as his mind began to clear.

"I got Ginny's note," Harry said. "I came back as soon as I could."

"What time is it?" Ron asked.

"Four in the morning," Harry said.

"Why did you wake me up?" Ron asked with a yawn.

"I have something I want to show you," Harry said with a smile.

"What is it?" Ron asked.

"I'll have to take you to see it," Harry said. "Hurry and get dressed."

"I guess I might as well," Ron said. "Anything would be better than going back to the dream I was having."

A few minutes later, Harry led Ron out of the castle, a
nd Ron asked, "Where are we going, Harry?"

"To Hagrid's," Harry said.

"Do you think he's up this early?" Ron asked.

"He's up," Harry said. "He always gets up by this time."

"How do you know?" Ron asked.

"I've come down to visit with him this early before," Harry said.

"How many times?" Ron asked.

"A few," Harry said.

Harry knocked on Hagrid's door, and only waited for a few seconds before it opened.

"'arry," Hagrid said. "When did ya get back?"

"Just a little while ago," Harry said as he stepped inside.

"'ello Ron," Hagrid said. "Didn' expect to see you 'ere so early."

"Harry said he had something he wanted to show me," Ron said.

"So, yer finally showin it to 'im, 'arry?" Hagrid asked.

"I think he's overdue for this surprise," Harry said as he placed his hand on a blanket that was covering something in the corner.

"What?" Ron asked just before Harry pulled the blanket off.

Once the surprise had been revealed, Ron just stood there with his mouth hanging open, unable to put what he was thinking into words.

"So, do you still need a player for quidditch?" Harry asked.

"Welcome back, Harry," Ron said as he continued to stare. "I can't tell you how thankful Neville is going to be. Wow."

It wasn't until half past seven before Harry and Ron walked back into the Gryffindor common room. As Ron walked through the portrait hole ahead of Harry, Hermione spotted him as she came down the stairs from the boy's dormitories.

"Where have you been?" Hermione asked. "I went to wake you up and… Harry!"

"Morning Hermione," Harry said.

"When did you get back?" Hermione asked as she walked over to give him a hug.

"Early this morning," Harry said as he hugged her back.

"How was America?" Hermione asked as she noticed that Harry was holding something covered with a large cloak.

"It was… different," Harry said. "Interesting, but different."

"Souvenir from America, Harry?" Hermione asked as she pointed to what he was holding.

"No," Harry said with a grin. "Just something I was anxious to get back to."

"You won't believe it," Ron said. "Go on, Harry. Show her."

Harry took off the cloak to reveal a crimson shaft of highly polished wood. Hermione's mouth fell open as she looked down the shaft to see a bundle of crimson and gold twigs that ended in a sharp point. She looked back up the shaft just as Harry spun it around to reveal the words, 'Spirit of Gryffindor' in fine gold script lettering.

"Harry," Hermione began, "where did you get that broom?"

"He didn't get it, Hermione," Ron said with a proud smile. "He made it."

"Made it?" Hermione asked not sure if she heard him correctly. "But how? When?"

"He's been working on it since he came back from St. Mungo's," Ron said. "He's had it hidden down at Hagrid's cabin. That was why he was sneaking off to go and see Hagrid all the time. I can't believe Ginny knew about it and she never told me."

"Does it fly?" Hermione asked. "Broom construction is a very complicated thing to get right."

"Oh, it flies all right," Ron said. "We've been testing it since five this morning."

"So, Neville is off the hook then?" Hermione asked. "Harry is going to play?"

"You got it," Ron said excitedly. "I can't wait to see the looks on the Slytherin faces when we walk out onto the pitch with Harry."

"Ron," Harry began, "you take the broom up to our room and let Neville know about the change."

"What are you going to do?" Ron asked.

"I'm going to say good morning to Ginny," Harry said with a smile.

"But, she hasn't woken up yet," Hermione said before she realized what Harry was going to try. "You'll never get up the stairs, Harry."

"Oh, really?" Harry asked as he walked to the base of the stairs.

Harry pulled out his wand, and an instant later, Hermione stood staring at herself dressed in Harry's clothes.

"You have got to be kidding," Hermione said. "Aside from the slightly embarrassing fact that you are now so intimately aquatinted with me, it will never work, Harry. Surely the person who originally put the alarm spell on those stairs would have planned for something like this."

"Don't worry," Harry said with Hermione's voice. "I'm not going to do anything inappropriate on the way there. I'll transform back into myself when I get inside the room."

"Well I should hope so," Hermione said. "Ginny would be fairly surprised to wake up to find me kissing her I would think."

Harry smiled as he turned and ran up two steps at a time. Ron and Hermione waited for the alarm they were expecting, but none ever came.

"Who would have guessed the answer was so simple," Ron said.

"Simple?" Hermione asked looking at him. "Do you know of any other student in the school who could have pulled off a transfiguration like that?"

"Now that you mention it," Ron began, "no. I just wish he had picked another girl to transfigure himself into. Now I'll have to make you prove who you are every time I want to kiss you."

"It kind of makes you wonder what other strange things Harry might be capable of," Hermione said.

"As much as I wanted to know all of his secrets before," Ron said, "now I'm just thinking it may be better if I don't ask."

Later that morning, having successfully smuggled Harry and his broom out of the castle, the Gryffindor team assembled in their dressing area for the quidditch match. Of course, they were all surprised to walk in and find Harry already there and dressed as if he was going to play. It didn't take long for everyone to notice Harry's broom leaning against the wall behind him. The broom got so much attention that Ron gave up on the idea of giving pre-match instructions.

"The Slytherin team is walking on to the field now," Ron said as he peeked out. "Remember, I want all of us to walk out first and let Harry stay behind for a few seconds. Once we've met the Slytherin team, and they think we're going to play one player short, Harry comes out."

"Are you sure that isn't just a bit too dramatic?" Ginny asked.

"There can't be enough drama today, Ginny," Ron said. "This is the last quidditch match I'll ever play in. The stands are overflowing with people who have come to the school to watch the match. The excitement surrounding this game is almost as strong as that for the quidditch world cup."

"That's certainly an exaggeration," Ginny said.

"I said almost," Ron said defensively. "The point is, they all came to see a good show. I'm just trying to start it off right."

"Fine," Ginny said.

Ron opened the door and the Gryffindor team, minus Harry walked out onto the field and stood matched up with their counterparts. The Slytherin team looked at the empty space in front of Draco and looked at Ginny confused.

"You aren't really going to play this game without a seeker, are you, Ron?" Draco asked. "Ginny would have to score more goals then she's likely to in order for you to win."

"Oh, we have a seeker," Ron said with a grin as he turned to look behind him.

The noise from the crowd rose to a deafening level the instant Harry stepped out onto the pitch. The boy who lived, the defeater of the Dark Lord, and most importantly, the best seeker ever to play at Hogwarts was certainly a crowd favorite.

"Welcome back, Harry," Draco said as Harry took his place in front of him.

"Thanks, Draco," Harry said as he brought his broom into view.

"Nice broom," Draco said as he studied it.

"Thanks," Harry said as he turned the handle so Draco could read it.

"I should have guessed it," Draco said. "Is it fast?"

"We'll find out," Harry said with a grin.

"Mount your brooms," Madam Hooch said as everyone instantly got ready to fly. "Alright, into the air with you."

Harry took off into the sky like a rifle shot as the others followed behind him. Harry leveled out high above the pitch to wait for the snitch to be released. Draco leveled out beside him just a few seconds later.

"Well, I guess that answers my question," Draco said. "I'll have to keep my eyes sharp today."

"Well, I haven't played in quite a while," Harry said. "I may be a little rusty."

"If only I were that lucky," Draco laughed as he flew off to patrol a different area.

The balls were released, and the final quidditch match of the year began. Ginny caught the quaffle first and raced for the Slytherin goal. The Slytherin keeper bit on Ginny's fake and she was able to toss the quaffle through the right hoop.

Slytherin took possession of the quaffle, and raced for the Gryffindor goals in a hammer formation. It was named the hammer formation because the chaser with the quaffle flew with the other chaser protecting his rear and the two beaters flying in front to hammer through anyone who stood in their way. Ron stood his ground as they approached, and at the last second the beaters split off and the quaffle was already flying toward his left goal. Ron was facing in the wrong direction, so he leaned all the way back on his broom and caught the quaffle just in time between his outstretched hands.

Ron sat up and threw the quaffle as far as he could straight down the field. The Slytherin players were still trying to get back into position, but the Gryffindor chasers that had stayed behind for just such a possibility caught the quaffle when they were already in a dead sprint to the Slytherin goals. Ginny held the quaffle and made the same fake move she had the last time, and the Slytherin keeper guarded his right goal. Unfortunately for him, Ginny had passed the quaffle to Dennis Creevey, who stuffed it directly through the center hoop.

Unfortunately for the Slytherin team, things didn't get much better as the game went on. Ginny and Dennis went on to score three more goals, while the Slytherin efforts had been thwarted by Ron as he caught everything sent his way.

Down five goals to none, it was little wonder that the frustration of the Slytherin might drive them to do something drastic. The Slytherin beaters batted the bludger between them as they hung behind while the rest of their team was following the charging Gryffindor chasers. One of the beaters hit the bludger as hard as he could, but it was not in the direction of play as would have been expected.

Ron caught sight of the bludger, but it was too late. He took the force of the blow directly in his midsection as all of the air left his body. He was propelled backward into the center goal and crashed into it hard with his back. Ron doubled over his broom and held on for all he was worth. He knew what was about to happen, so he aimed his broom at the ground and prayed. He completely blacked out just two meters from the ground and fell off of his broom.

Unlike many other games, in quidditch play never stops unless the captain calls a time out. Unfortunately for the Gryffindors, their captain was laying sprawled out on the ground with nurses rushing out to check on him. So, after the Slytherin keeper finally managed to block one of the Gryffindor shots, the Slytherin had a wide open shot at the Gryffindor hoops. The Slytherin beater who hit the bludger had to land to be given a stiff warning, but the damage had already been done.

One of the Gryffindor beaters tried to guard the goals, but that took her out of play to protect her chasers. The Slytherin managed to steal the quaffle away from Dennis and bring it back up the field to score another easy goal.

Suddenly the tide had turned in the game, as the Slytherin team scored four more easy goals to take the lead in the game. Ron had finally been revived down on the field, and practically pushed the nurse off of him to mount his broom and rocket back up to his keeper position. His temper was on fire, and his determination had never been higher. He would have pulled out his wand and hexed the entire Slytherin team if he had thought he wouldn't be thrown out of the game for it.

Ginny fought her way through the rough Slytherin defense, and managed to stuff the quaffle just through the left hoop. The Slytherin took possession of the quaffle, and began their run when they noticed that Ron was back in front of the goals. They could also see that the look in his eye was daring one of them to try for a goal.

Harry tried to stay focused on what he was supposed to be doing. Knowing that Ron was back in the air made that much easier. Harry was still circling high above the pitch when he saw it. The snitch was on the move against the edge of the pitch not more than a foot off of the ground. Harry put his broom into a steep dive, but he could see that Draco had seen it as well, and even with a faster broom Harry would be hard pressed to reach it before Draco did.

Harry willed all the speed he could get out of his broom, and the gap closed quickly. He watched Draco reach out his hand in order to grab the snitch.

The snitch was within reach. Draco was just about to clamp his hand down on it when Harry suddenly appeared at his side with his own hand at the ready to make the grab.

"I don't believe it!" the announcer exclaimed. "Draco Malfoy has caught the snitch, but so has Harry Potter! An amazing development ladies and gentlemen! They both caught it! That means that one hundred and fifty points will be awarded to Slytherin. It also means that one hundred and fifty points will be awarded to Gryffindor. Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a tie!"

"I thought I had you that time," Draco said as he held on to half of the snitch.

"So did I," Harry said as he held on to the other half.

"So, what do they do in the case of a tie anyway?" Draco asked.

"I'm not sure," Harry said. "Something tells me they won't just let it end though."

It took Madam Hooch nearly fifteen minutes to consult with Professor Dumbledore and the other teachers before one of them was able to find the page in the rulebook that discussed ties. As one might expect, they were a rare occurrence.

"Six shots," Madam Hooch told Ron and Rayburn the Slytherin captain. "One for every member of the team. Each member of the team may take the shot themselves, or elect one person to take all of the shots. Only the keeper for the other team will be allowed in the air during the shots. No other balls may be brought into play other than the quaffle. If, after each team has taken all shots, there is still a tie, the snitch will be released again. Each team will then be required to select one member of their team who did not play as their seeker to attempt to catch it."

"I'll take all of the shots myself," the Slytherin captain, Rayburn said.

"I'll talk to my team and let you know," Ron said.

"I say Ginny should do it," Dennis said after Ron had explained everything to them.

"But, you've played chaser all year, Dennis," Ginny said. "You deserve it more."

"But, you're a better chaser than I am," Dennis said. "I want you to do it for the team."

All of the other team members agreed, and Ron informed Madam Hooch. Slytherin was to take their shots first.

Ron mounted his broom and flew into position in front of the Gryffindor goals. He looked to the other end of the pitch where the Slytherin captain was already waiting to begin his first run as some of his previous anger began to return. The whistle blew, and the charge began.

The burly Slytherin didn't try anything fancy on his first run. He shot in a straight line toward Ron. Ron saw the look in his eye and knew that he wasn't planning to swerve or pull up short. Ron braced himself for the impact without taking his eyes off of the quaffle.

By the time Rayburn had reached him, Ron had moved three meters away from the goal hoops. The impact could be heard on the other end of the pitch. Ron was pushed back toward the goals, and as Rayburn extended his arm to make a try with the quaffle, Ron reached up with his own hand and took the quaffle away from him. One shot had been blocked.

Rayburn gave Ron a nasty look as he took back the quaffle and sped to the other end of the pitch for another shot. Once again he came straight on and slammed into Ron. Again he tried for a shot as he pushed Ron back, and Ron contorted himself around and swiped the quaffle just before it crossed the threshold of the center hoop. Two shots blocked.

On the next run, Rayburn made it look as though he was going to slam into Ron again, but swerved at the last minute in an attempt to finesse one past him. Ron was ready for a fake though, and he caught the quaffle well short of the left hoop. Three shots blocked.

Rayburn was getting increasingly frustrated, and Ron knew it. So, it was no surprise to him when he went back to ramming into Ron on the very next play. Once again, Ron was able to stretch out and grab the quaffle just as it left Rayburn's hand. Four down, two to go.

As if he hadn't been before, Ron was getting angrier and angrier with every scoring run. Rayburn was trying to beat him to a pulp so he wouldn't be able to defend against a shot. Ron wanted to send his own message to Rayburn though, and as soon as he started another run, Ron sped out from his position in front of the goals and sped head to head for Rayburn.

Rayburn got a smile on his face as he saw what he had driven Ron to. He was by far the bigger and beefier of the two, and he was sure Ron would be knocked out by a head on collision with him. What he wasn't prepared for though was for Ron to swerve slightly just before they would have collided. He also wasn't prepared when Ron grabbed the front of his broom and gave it a tug as he passed, sending him into a nasty spin. Having to use both hands to keep from being slung off of his own broom, Rayburn dropped the quaffle. Before it could hit the ground, Ron had made the turn and dived for the ground. He caught the quaffle as his feet skimmed the grass. One shot to go.

Once Rayburn had managed to steady himself, he had to go down to retrieve the quaffle from the ground in the center of the pitch where Ron had left it. He only had one shot left. This one had to count.

Ron moved a safe distance away from the goals as Rayburn started his last run. He knew that what he had done during the last play had probably made Rayburn even more intent on killing him, but he was just as determined that nothing get past him.

The impact made many of those watching cringe. When they smashed together, Rayburn put a hand out and caught Ron under his chin and whipped his head back. At the same time, Ron closed both of his hands on the quaffle and ripped it up and out of Rayburn's hands as he was bent backwards by the hand under his chin.

Rayburn kept pushing him with everything he had. Ron could tell that they had enough momentum built up to take them to the center goal hoop. In fact, Ron was fairly sure that Rayburn intended to stuff him through the hoop along with the quaffle.

Having his head pushed back, Ron found it easy to keep track of how close he was getting to the hoop. He was lined up perfectly, and as his head reached the hoop, he tossed the quaffle up and back so that it flew over the top of the hoop even as he was pushed through it.

A loud roar went up from the crowd, and a whistle was blowing somewhere in the distance. Ron didn't have time to worry about those. The thing he was most worried about was Rayburn's fist as it pounded into his face repeatedly.

The next thing Ron was aware of was opening his eyes and looking up into the face of Madam Pomfrey as she was saying, "…barbaric students. It's a wonder they don't all end up like this."

"How are you feeling, Ron?" Harry asked as he looked down at him.

"Like Grawp just stepped on me," Ron managed to say in spite of his swollen lip.

"If it's any consolation," Harry began with a grin, "you look worse."

"Thanks, Harry," Ron said. "Now I feel loads better."

"No problem," Harry said.

"I don't know," Ginny said as she came into Ron's limited view. "I think it might be an improvement."

"I love you too," Ron said with as much humor as he could muster.

"It would help if you didn't talk right now," Madam Pomfrey said.

"Who won?" Ron asked.

"I said don't talk," Madam Pomfrey repeated.

"It isn't over yet," Harry said. "Ginny hasn't taken her shots. We thought we'd wait for you."

Ten minutes later, Madam Pomfrey gave up on trying to convince Ron to go to the Hospital wing. He was refusing as strongly as possible even though his left eye was nearly swollen shut, and he had lost most of the feeling in is lower lip. He insisted that they prop him up where he was so that he could watch Ginny. He was wondering if it was worth ignoring Pomfrey's warnings as they sat him up and the added weight on his face made it feel as if it would slide clear off his body.

Ginny took to the air seconds later and waited for the Slytherin keeper to get into position. She knew that Ron had stopped all of the Slytherin shots. All she had to do was score one goal and Gryffindor would win. She knew right away, that she would not employ the same strategy Rayburn had. Otherwise, she and Ron would be carried to the hospital wing together.

Ginny waited a few seconds after the keeper was in position before she began to speed around the outside perimeter of the pitch. Rayburn had been bent on direct confrontation. Ginny decided to try to attack from the flank. Ginny came even with the Slytherin goals and pulled left so she would pass in front of all three goals. She knew it wouldn't be an easy shot. The severe angle, and the high speed she was carrying would make it difficult to line up a shot even if there were no keeper defending the hoops. The crowd took a collective breath as Ginny tossed the quaffle at the far hoop. It was an amazing shot, but the Slytherin keeper was able to get just enough of a finger on it to redirect the quaffle's flight, sending it just wide of the hoop.

Ginny gathered the quaffle and sped back to the other end of the pitch. This time she didn't pause to see if the keeper was ready. She got to the Gryffindor end of the pitch and immediately turned and headed straight down the middle of the pitch just as Rayburn had done. When she got in range, she performed a double dipping triple fake that nearly made the Slytherin keeper fall off of his broom trying to keep up with it. Unfortunately, even though the quaffle passed by the keeper untouched, it was just slightly low as it hit the lower part of the hoop and rebounded off into the keeper's arms.

Ginny took the quaffle to the other end of the pitch and sat there for several seconds deciding on a strategy. She took off with the quaffle back up the middle of the pitch just as she had before, but less than five seconds later she dived for the ground. Ginny leveled off just above the ground and sped straight toward the base of the Slytherin center hoop. Just a few meters before she would have crashed into the center pole, the crowd winced as they watched her pull up sharply into a vertical climb. She was headed straight for the underside of the Slytherin keeper. He braced himself, not liking the thought of what a broom handle to his backside would do. All he could do was place himself in her way though.

Just before Ginny reached the Slytherin keeper, she performed a fantastic spinning swerve maneuver that made her pass by the keeper on his left side. As she passed by, Ginny tossed the quaffle as hard as she could.

"Gryffindor wins!" The announcer screamed as thunderous cheers erupted from the crowd. "Ginny Weasley has done it! What a fantastic scoring run! I wouldn't be surprised if they name that one after her!"

An hour later, Harry and Ginny walked into the hospital wing to find Hermione sitting at Ron's bedside.

"Well," Harry said, "he certainly looks better."

"Madam Pomfrey gave him a potion that took most of the swelling down," Hermione said. "She wants to keep him overnight to make sure he doesn't have any more serious head injuries."

"I'm alright," Ron said.

"Sure you are," Harry said. "Do you feel up to talking to someone? There's a guy outside that wanted to see you."

"Who is it?" Ron asked.

"I don't know," Harry said. "He said his name was Sherwood. Came up after the match and said he just had to meet you. I didn't think you would want to miss the chance to talk to a fan."

Ron laughed and then cringed from the pain of it as he said, "Sure. Let him in."

Harry walked back outside and brought in a tall man with broad shoulders and short red hair.

"Mr. Weasley, my name is Tobias Sherwood," Sherwood said. "I just wanted to tell you, that was some of the most amazing keeper work I've seen in a long time. I think you have some real promise."

"Thanks," Ron said, "but this was my last match. I'll be graduating in a few days. Then I'm planning on becoming an auror."

"Oh," Sherwood said looking a bit disappointed. "That is too bad. I had thought that perhaps you would wish to continue playing quidditch."

"What do you mean continue?" Ron asked confused.

"Professionally," Sherwood said.

"Sure," Ron said. "That would be my dream job, but in reality I don't have a chance."

"Don't be too sure," Sherwood said with a grin. "Quite frankly, I came here today just to try to get an autograph from Harry. I wasn't expecting to have you fall into my lap."

"What?" Ron asked more confused than before.

"Are you familiar with the Chuddley Cannons, Mr. Weasley?" Sherwood asked.

"Of course I am," Ron said. "They're only the best team in history."

"I work for the Cannons, Mr. Weasley," Sherwood said. "I scout new talent to fill vacancies. As of right now we have a vacancy for an alternate keeper. Interested?"

"In what?" Ron asked not letting himself believe what he was hearing.

"A job, Mr. Weasley," Sherwood said. "I want you to come and play for the Cannons."

Ron's mouth fell open as he just stared back at Sherwood tying to form a response in his head.

"He'll take it," Hermione said.

"Are you sure?" Sherwood asked. "He said he wanted to be an auror."

"He'll take it," Hermione said. "I'll see to that."

"Are you a relation of Mr. Weasley?" Sherwood asked.

"I will be soon enough," Hermione said. "I'm his fiancée."

"When do I start?" Ron asked still wondering if he was dreaming.

"As soon as you're recovered and up to it," Sherwood said. "We have a practice scrimmage against Puddlmeare United in three weeks. We think this is our year to get back to the world cup."

"I wouldn't miss it," Ron said with a smile. "I'll be there."

"Terrific," Sherwood said. "I'll contact you after graduation with more information."

"Thanks," Ron said as Sherwood turned to go.

"Congratulations, Ron," Ginny said.

"Thanks," Ron said. "I guess this means you'll have to go to the auror training without me, Harry."

"That's okay," Harry said.

Ginny looked into Harry's eyes and saw something she hadn't expected. It wasn't the look of disappointment she had expected. It was the look he always got when he was holding something back. Harry had another secret. She would have to remember to ask him about it later.