Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Harry Potter etc still belongs to JK Rowling, plot still belongs to me.

Author's Note: Right, this chapter's a bit like Chapter 5, a bridge. Oh well.

For the person who reviewed really recently (sorry, I forget the name), I was really surprised to see a new review on this. So hi, thanks, and I stopped writing this at about chapter 37 last summer, so there's plenty more if you want it.

The next Saturday dawned clear and bright; perfect Quidditch conditions. This alleviated Harry's nerves slightly, and he hoped fervently that Sunday would be the same. Anyway, it was encouraging to have this kind of weather for the Gryffindor team's final training session before the match.

The team met in the Gryffindor changing room, all holding their broomsticks, some yawning, but all looking wired up and ready for their last training session.

"So, are we ready?" Harry asked in what he hoped was a positive, cheery voice, as he looked around at his team. "Remember the plan we talked about on Tuesday and Thursday, and we'll be fine."

It was at this point that he realised how useful it was for the Captain to be playing Seeker. As his part in the game was not linked with everyone else's, he was able to look at their playing and suggest improvements.

This was exactly what Harry did at first, until the team were able to practise by themselves. Then he released the Snitch and began practising himself. When there was a lull in play, he noticed Euan Abercrombie watching him with admiration. Harry felt flattered by this, until he suddenly remembered Wormtail watching his father in exactly the same way, in the memory (Snape's memory, actually) he had seen last term. And, well… look how Wormtail had turned out. This was a disconcerting thought, and he was relieved when Euan caught the Quaffle, sped away and stopped watching him.

The team were looking good, Harry observed. He had been right in thinking that a little training would work wonders. The Chasers did not drop the Quaffle once, and the Beaters kept the Bludgers well away from them. Ron saved every goal that Ginny, Natalie and Euan tried to get past him, but it wasn't due to lack of skill on the Chasers' part. Harry's confidence in the team had grown with every training session, and now he was sure they could beat the living out of Slytherin on Sunday.

Harry's mood was bright when the team left the pitch and headed back up to the castle for breakfast, not least because Ron spent the whole walk talking to him very fast about their tactics and how they were going to totally flatten Slytherin, and how it was a good thing this wasn't a Hogsmeade weekend because no one with a hangover had a snowball's chance in hell of staying on their broom. The fact that Ron was talking to him, and not mentioning Hermione, was so brilliant that Ron could have been talking about the possibilities of breeding Crups with Kneazles and Harry would still have smiled and nodded.

The explanation for Ron and Hermione's behaviour came at breakfast. Harry was happily eating his bacon when he heard Ron give a loud, fake 'I want to say something' style cough. He looked up.

"Um, Harry, mate…" Ron began, then trailed off and looked helplessly at Hermione, who sighed in exasperation and carried on for him.

"Look, we're sorry if we've been ignoring you at all," she said in a businesslike tone. "We figured you might be a bit hacked off with us about us… getting together, and you've been a bit quiet. We know you've got a lot on your plate, now you're Captain of the Quidditch team and that, so we though we'd just give you some breathing space." She smiled apologetically. "I guess we screwed up a bit."

"It's fine," Harry told them earnestly. "I forgive you. At least now I know what's been going on. And of course I don't mind you two being a couple – you're still my friends."

Hermione and Ron both looked immensely relieved. At that point, Natalie McDonald came over.

"Hi," she said. "Have any of you seen Fuzzy? You know, my Puffskein? I can't find him anywhere!"

"No, I haven't seen him," Harry replied, looking round at Hermione and Ron, who both shook their heads. "Have you checked your broomtail?"

"I looked there first," Natalie said. "Can you just keep an eye out for him?"

They assured her that they would, and she left to sit with her friends, further down the table.

The day turned out to be a good one. Harry enjoyed it all the more because he did not see hide nor hair of Malfoy or Pansy all day. This officially made it a good day.

He spent the day sitting by the lake with Ron and Hermione, discussing Quidditch tactics and the team's chances against Slytherin. In the end, they concluded that their chances were actually damn good.

"I hear the Slytherin team are really weak this year," Hermione remarked. "They've lost Flint this year, and that's crippled them. They shouldn't have had him for as long as they did anyway, it's only because he was so thick he had to repeat his seventh year…"

"Do you know who's announcing for the matches this year?" Ron asked the other two, propping himself up on his elbow. "Now Lee Jordan's left, I mean. D'you reckon it'll be another Gryffindor?"

Harry groaned. "I just hope it's not a Slytherin. Anything but that."

Ron laughed. "Are you joking? None of the Slytherins can string two words together, they could never do the job."

This random bout of Slytherin bashing did not make Harry feel any better about the match, but much worse. He was most nervous about the fact that he would be playing against Malfoy. In fact, he would probably spend the whole match in close proximity to Malfoy, due to the usual Seeker tactic of trailing the other team's Seeker. He groaned inwardly. Damnit, why was life so hard? Just when you thought you were on the up, something had to go wrong. Harry silently promised that he would track down Malfoy – no, Draco – some time soon and tell him how he felt. He could turn this round. And even if he broke his promise, it would get him through the match.

That very night, Harry's resolution was broken. As he went to bed, he decided to have a glance at the Marauder's Map, just for the sheer hell of it. When he looked, he saw, in the Room of Requirement, two small dots that were very close together. The presence of people in the Room of Requirement caused him to do a slight double take, then as he read the names, his stomach did several backflips. The dots were labelled 'Draco Malfoy' and 'Pansy Parkinson'. As Harry watched, the dots moved closer together, until they were touching.

Harry wiped the map and ran to the bathroom. This time he really was sick.

Author's Note: It's time for a thank you. The thing about Flint is from something my beta and friend Rebecca pointed out, i.e. that Flint should actually have left Hogwarts by the time Harry was in fifth year. And incidentally, do you think JKR ever noticed the significant resemblance Puffskeins bear to those fluffy custard coloured things that were in Star Trek once?