Chapter Seven: Mayhem at the Quidditch Game

The second Quidditch game was to be held on this coming Saturday, and Haley hardly had any time for Alex, Sherry, and Marina, due to homework and practice.

"Now, Haley, remember that the Mathoy twins are on a restraint, they cant harm you in any way possible," the Captain of the Ravenclaw team, 6th year Andy Bitters was explaining to her at the Teusday night practice.

"I get it, Andy. Besides, I'll be fine. As long as I can knock Daniel Mathoy off of his broom," she said, but, seeing Andy's look, added a bit to it. "Not that I can, because I'll be too busy looking for the snitch to notice a little prat like him."

"Good. Now let's get started before Haley makes any more threats!" he shouted to the rest of the team, who was already out of the Locker Room and on the field.

After practice, Halia trudged back up into the Ravenclaw common room, where Alex was waiting for her at the fire.

"You alright, Hal?" he asked. She just plopped down next to him on the same chair and rested her head on his shoulder. Closing her eyes, she shook her head.

"Andy made us do fifteen laps around the field." She sighed.

"That's not too bad!" he exclaimed. She opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"Without brooms," she said shortly. He frowned.

"Maybe I should go beat him up! Fifteen laps, that's nuts!"

"You'd think…but he just kept making us run. But I don't want you beating him up, Alex, I want to stay on the team."

The next day, Haley was sitting with Sherry and Marina at break in the Courtyard, finishing her Potions homework.

"I feel bad for you, Hail. You have to finish your homework earlier than we do," Marina commented.

"Thanks, Mars that makes me feel so much better."

"It should" she smart-mouthed back. Haley stared at her.

At dinner, Halia had to eat quickly, because practice was scheduled for right afterwards. She could already see Arena Harris, one of the chasers, getting up to go. She gulped down the rest of her juice, kissed Alex goodbye and waved at the other two, and caught up with Arena to leave.

After having a tight schedule all week, Haley was glad for Saturday's match. She woke up to the sun at eight in the morning, put her robes in her backpack, and walked down to breakfast, letting Marina sleep, since the match didn't start until later that morning.

When she got down there, there was only some of the Ravenclaw team on the Ravenclaw table, and mostly all of the Slytherin team, including Mathoy, at the Slytherin table. Daniel sneered loathingly at Haley as she took a seat next to Arena. She happily sneered back.

"Ready to lose, Granger?" he shouted at her from the other side of the Great Hall.

"No, actually, I'm ready for you to lose, not me," she yelled back.

"Too bad Elizabeth stepped on your arm last year, I'm sure she'd be glad to step on your face this time instead…" He yelled, standing up.

"DANIEL MATHOY," came the voice of Professor McGonagall, who had entered the Hall at the time Mathoy had said 'glad to step on your face this time instead'. "If I hear Muggle threats once more from your mouth, its detention for both you and your sister. Ten points from Slytherin!" she exclaimed. Haley grinned to herself as Mathoy sat back down, his face fallen.

"Mount your brooms!" Madam Hooch shouted. Haley, who was standing across from Daniel Mathoy, swung her leg over her Firebolt. Madam Hooch blew her whistle, and the two teams were off. Haley started looking for any flash of gold. She saw a little of it hovering over Alyssa Hiker, one of the beater's, head. She immediately swerved a bludger and put full speed towards Alyssa. Mathoy, though thick headed and blonde as he was, followed her. Haley's eyes were still on the Snitch, which was going super fast towards the stands.

She was inches from it when she heard a crash from behind her; she quickly turned to see what it was. But a second wait told her that it was just Mathoy trying to divert her attention, for he was speeding past her, wand raised, smirking.

"You little son of a-" she stopped herself and went forward under the stands. He went out, and Haley took the chance to get ahead of him. She started going back and forth, up and down. She turned to him, and he was looking at her like she was nuts. She grinned and stopped suddenly. Just as she thought he would, Mathoy was lurched off of his broom and was now hanging off of it by two hands. She went forward, spotted the snitch, and zoomed toward it.

"Oh, nice knock off from Granger, that's Halia Granger as the seeker, third year, rather hot girl, might I mention-"

"EDGECOMBE!" McGonagall scolded Alex, who was commentating.

"Sorry M'amm. Anyway, Mathoy is trying to get back on his broom, that'd be Daniel Mathoy of Slytherin, third year seeker, a freak blonde son of a bitch, as my wonderful girlfriend Haley describes him as…"

"ALEXANDER EDGECOMBE, GIVE ME THAT MICROPHONE!"

Haley quit her search for the snitch and looked over at the Commentating stand. Professor McGonagall was fighting Alex for the Megaphone. Alex was still holding it. He was looking at Haley and grinning. Haley smiled at him and resumed her searching. She could hear Alex still trying to commentate even though the old teacher was almost attacking him.

"And-Alyssa, that's Alyssa of Ravenclaw-has-accidentally-hit the Quaffle-Professor McGonagall, I said I'm sorry-ouch, that's my foot!-into the Slytherin goal posts,-that's an extra point for Slytherin-I swear that's wrong-aw, crap, I think I broke a rib…"

Haley was inches away from the snitch now; if she reached a bit further, Ravenclaw would win. Her fingers closed over the cold gold of the snitch. She brought it into the air, where she was greeted by the screams from Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff, and the mixed boo's and cusses from Slytherin.

Mathoy came flying by her, and next thing she knew he had kicked the end of her broomstick, and she was the one hanging from it by one hand, because she had the snitch in the other. She glared at him. There was no way to get down, and he realized this, for he sped off towards where his sister and girlfriend were standing, waiting for him.

"Hey, Hail, get down!" Sherry was shouting from below her. She looked down at her; she was about fifteen feet away from her.

"Um, Sher, I can't get down without letting the snitch get away." She heard a scream; she looked towards where it sounded from, and was surprised to see Alex and Daniel Mathoy in a bare-handed Muggle fight. She took the chance to jump down from her broom, and landed hard on her ankle, but ignored the pain and ran towards her boyfriend and rival. She saw her broom falling down towards the ground and Marina running towards it, but she could see no more as Elizabeth Mathoy had jumped on her and was pinning her to the ground.

More screams erupted as Haley threw Elizabeth off of her, so she was on the ground instead. Someone from the crowd around them was whistling while another one shouted "Cat fight!" Elizabeth jumped on Haley again, but she pushed her back and scratched Elizabeth's cheek. Now there were two pairs fighting, Alex and Daniel on one side and Elizabeth and Haley next to them. Haley felt a crack on her ankle; Elizabeth was kicking it, hard, as Haley had her pinned to the ground.

"You broke my ankle!" screamed Haley as she let go of Elizabeth's shoulders. Alex threw a last punch at Daniel and ran to Haley's aide. McGonagall was rushing towards them, looking furious.

"A disgrace! Muggle fighting! Haven't seen that since Potter and Malfoy got in that fight five years ago!" But Haley hadn't heard any of the rest of this, for there was a sharp pain on her head, and she conked out.

"Miss Granger, how did your ankle break?" Madam Pomfrey was saying ten minutes later, as she opened her eyes.

"Well, I feel from my broom after the game, and twisted it, and, m'amm, when I was in that fight with Elizabeth, she kicked it."

"She broke your ankle? If I recall, Miss Granger, she broke your arm last year?"

"Yes, m'amm."

"What is wrong with these students? Nuts, nuts…" the nurse muttered, and walked away. Haley had time to look up and see everyone around her.

Elizabeth was sitting on a bed next to her, looking over her brother; Alex was laying in the bed next to her, clearly knocked out. It was only when someone sat at the end of her bed did she realize the throbbing pain in her ankle. She turned to see who it was. It was only Sherry.

"Hi," she said gloomily.

"Hey…" Sherry said. "Good fight you put up over there, Hal."

"Thanks. What happened to Alex?"

"He was…hit with a spell of some kind. Madam Pomfrey says it was a bad one." She explained, hanging her head. Haley's filled with tears and she put her head down on her bed's pillow.

"She…said that he'll be out for a few weeks. Until Christmas, at least." Sherry said. "I'm…so sorry."

"That's okay, as long as he's not" Haley sniffed "dead."

"I'll go write Harry and Hermione about this...bye Hail," Sherry whispered, and walked away. Haley wiped the tears from her eyes as Madam Pomfrey came bustling over, holding a goblet of some steaming potion.

"Take this. It'll fix that bone up by tomorrow afternoon," she said. Haley took the goblet, sat up, and sipped the potion little by little. It tasted like moldy cheese, but she sipped it anyway. Haley handed it back with a sour face. Madam Pomfrey shook her head and bustled over to Alex, who was stirring in his sleep.

The next morning, Haley was allowed to go to breakfast in the great hall, but she had crutches with her. She sat by Marina, who had a rather bitter look on her face.

"Hey, Haley, nice fight!" Jason Barnes, a 5th year Gryffindor, told her as he passed to get to his table.

"Thanks."

"Hey, Halia, good job!" Jaycee Pearson, who was in her dorm, said to her as she sat down across.

"Thank you," was Haley's reply. The owl post came flying in, and Haley watched as a white snowy owl with a red envelope in her beck land on the Corn Flakes. Haley reconginized the owl as Harry's. She dropped the envelope and flew off. Haley gaped as the envelope opened to form a type of mouth.

"HALIA ISABELLA GRANGER!" it was Hermione's voice. Marina's eyes grew wide.

"My God, Haley, that's a howler!"

"YOU SET A DISGRACE UPON THAT SCHOOL! YOU DARED TO FIGHT SOMEONE, WITHOUT WANDS? EVEN SO, A FIGHT AT THAT? MUM AND DAD WILL HEAR ABOUT THIS, YES THEY WILL!" with that, the envelope ate it self up and burst into flames.

Marina let the fire out with the tip of her wand. The three girls, Jaycee, Haley, and Marina sat there, staring at it.

"Well. That was different. I've got to meet someone, talk to you guys later…" Jaycee said, got up, and walked out.

Professor McGonagall came into the hall, spotted Haley, and walked over.

"Miss Granger, you, Miss Mathoy and Mr. Mathoy all have detention for the next two months every night. Your first one is tonight, be there at my office at six with your wand," without waiting for a reply, she went over to the Slytherin table.

Haley sighed. "Oh, great. My life keeps getting better and better…"