Chapter 18: To Fall
The school talked of nothing but Sirius Black for the next few days. The theories about how he had entered the castle became wilder and wilder.
The Fat Lady's ripped canvas had been taken off the wall and replaced with the portrait of Sir Cadogan and his fat gray pony. Nobody was very happy about this. Sir Cadogan spent half his time challenging people to duels, and the rest thinking up ridiculously complicated passwords, none of which after speaking to Dumbledore he used.
Dawn and Willow sighed as they found their fellow teachers watching Harry closely. One day Ron and Hermione came running up to them and told them that McGonagall had summoned Harry into her office.
They immediately opened a portal and stepped through.
"There's no point hiding it from you any longer, Potter," they heard McGonagall say.. "I know this will come as a shock to you, but Sirius Black—"
"He already knows," Dawn said as McGonagall looked up at her, not expecting to see her or Willow. "Willow and I told Harry that Black is after him."
"I see! Well, in that case, Potter, you'll understand why I don't think it's a good idea for you to be practicing Quidditch in the evenings. Out on the field with only your team members, it's very exposed, Potter—"
"Minerva," Willow said. "That really is not your call. That is ours. Dawn and I are his legal guardians after all. But if it will put your mind at ease. We'll attend each and every practice."
"Alright," McGonagall said with a sigh.
The weather worsened steadily as the first Quidditch match drew nearer. Undaunted, the Gryffindor team was training harder than ever under Dawn and Willow's gaze. Then, at their final training session before Saturday's match, Oliver Wood gave his team some unwelcome news.
"We're not playing Slytherin!" he told them, looking very angry. "Flint's just been to see me. We're playing Hufflepuff instead."
"Why?" chorused the rest of the team.
"Flint's excuse is that their Seeker's arm's still injured," said Wood, grinding his teeth furiously. "But it's obvious why they're doing it. Don't want to play in this weather. Think it'll damage their chances…"
There had been strong winds and heavy rain all day, and as Wood spoke, they heard a distant rumble of thunder.
"There's nothing wrong with Malfoy's arm!" said Harry furiously. "He's faking it!"
"I know that, but we can't prove it," said Wood bitterly. "And we've been practicing all those moves assuming we're playing Slytherin, and instead it's Hufflepuff, and their style's quite different. They've got a new Captain and Seeker, Cedric Diggory—"
Angelina, Alicia, and Katie suddenly giggled.
"What?" said Wood, frowning at this lighthearted behavior.
"He's that tall, good-looking one, isn't he?" said Angelina.
"Strong and silent," said Katie, and they started to giggle again.
"He's only silent because he's too thick to string two words together," said Fred impatiently. "I don't know why you're worried, Oliver, Hufflepuff is a pushover. Last time we played them, Harry caught the Snitch in about five minutes, remember?"
"We were playing in completely different conditions!" Wood shouted, his eyes bulging slightly. "Diggory's put a very strong side together! He's an excellent Seeker! I was afraid you'd take it like this! We mustn't relax! We must keep our focus! Slytherin is trying to wrong-foot us! We must win!"
"Everyone calm down," Willow said with a shake of her head. "You guys will win."
The day before the match, the winds reached howling point and the rain fell harder than ever. It was so dark inside the corridors and classrooms that extra torches and lanterns were lit.
The third time this happened, Wood talked for so long that Harry suddenly realized he was ten minutes late for Defense Against the Dark Arts, and set off at a run with Wood shouting after him, "Diggory's got a very fast swerve, Harry, so you might want to try looping him—"
Harry skidded to a halt outside the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, pulled the door open, and dashed inside.
"Sorry I'm late, Aunt Dawn, Aunt Willow."
"It's alright, Harry," Dawn said. "I know we said we were starting hinkypunks this week. But we were unable to get some for our lesson today. So we decided to do a refresher on werewolves. You all remember our friend Oz from last year. He has graciously agreed to pay us a return visit."
Oz stood from the chair behind the desk and walked around it. "Hi."
"Which of you can tell us how you distinguish between the werewolf and the true wolf?" said Willow.
Everyone sat in motionless silence; everyone except Hermione, whose hand, as it so often did, had shot straight into the air.
"Hermione," Dawn said.
"Werewolves tend to be slightly larger than normal wolves."
"That's correct," Willow said. "Is there a way to control the wolf?"
"Wolfsbane," Hermione said.
"Partially correct," Dawn said. "Wolfsbane does help to leave a werewolf with control. But it is not the only way. Oz."
"When Willow and I were in our first years of college," Oz said.
"A muggle place of education post school," Dawn explained.
"I went to Tibet where I learned a magical ability that allows me not only to stay in control as the wolf. But also not to be affected by the full moon," Oz continued.
"What Oz is saying is that during the full moon he can choose not to change," Willow said. "I myself witnessed it."
"Anger can trigger the transformation," Dawn said. "Regardless if Oz is in control. So I'd suggest you not make Oz angry."
"Not that is possible, I'm generally a happy person," Oz said.
The next morning Dawn and Willow met Harry on his way to breakfast.
"Excited?" Dawn asked.
"Probably nervous," Willow said.
"A little of both," Harry said as they walked into the Great Hall.
When everyone went out to the Quidditch field to watch the match they found it raining.
Dawn and Willow sat in the teacher's box next to Dumbledore. They watched as the Gryffindors and the Hufflepuffs approached each other. The Captains walked up to each other and shook hands. If it hadn't been for Dawn's Slayer hearing she would never have heard Madam Hooch say, "Mount your brooms." The wind and rain drowned out most everything else.
Madam Hooch put her whistle to her lips and gave it a blast that sounded shrill and distant—they were off.
Harry rose fast, but his Nimbus was swerving slightly with the wind. He held it as steady as he could and turned, squinting into the rain. Harry flew backward and forward across the field. Twice Harry came very close to being unseated by a Bludger.
"This is ridiculous," Willow said. "Back in the U.S. we postpone sporting events due to the weather. Why wasn't this postponed?"
"In a game such as this," Dumbledore said. "The wind and rain add in a challenging aspect. Even in the professional matches, they are not called off due to weather."
"How are they even able to see each other?" Willow asked. "I can barely see Madam Hooch who is ten feet in front of us. It is a wonder no one has collided with one another."
"Harry has come close twice," Dawn said as Willow looked at her. "Slayer, remember? While I am still having trouble I can see slightly better than you, Will."
"Right," Willow said as it was announced that Gryffindor had scored their fifth goal..
With the first flash of lightning came the sound of Madam Hooch's whistle and the teams flew to the ground. They huddled at the edge of the field under a large umbrella.
They saw Hermione leave her box and head down to the Gryffindors. After Hermione had done something the match was back on.
There was another clap of thunder, followed immediately by forked lightning. This was getting more and more dangerous.
Another flash of lightning illuminated the stands, and Dawn saw the silhouette of an enormous shaggy black dog, clearly imprinted against the sky, motionless in the topmost, empty row of seats. Dawn's attention was brought back to the match as Harry threw himself flat to the broom-handle and zoomed toward the Snitch.
But something odd was happening. An eerie silence was falling across the stadium. Dawn and Willow looked at each other and then at the hundred dementors that swarmed the field.
And then Harry fell from his boom.
Dawn remembered the spell that Lupin had performed on the train. She hoped it would work without a wand. "Expecto Patronum!" She glowed silver for a moment and then the silver pulled away from her form and coalesced into a tiger. It flew out from her body chasing the dementors away.
Willow opened a portal beneath Harry and he fell into it.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Willow had sent Harry straight to the hospital wing. Where she, Dawn, Ron, Hermione and the entire Gryffindor Quidditch team gathered around his bed after the match had been cancelled.
"Harry!" said Fred when he noticed Harry's eyes open. "How're you feeling?"
"What happened?" Harry said, sitting up so suddenly they all gasped.
"You fell off," said Fred. "If it hadn't been for Dawn you would have feel—what—fifty feet?"
Hermione made a small, squeaky noise. Her eyes were extremely bloodshot.
"But the match," said Harry. "What happened? Are we doing a replay?"
No one said anything. The horrible truth sank into Harry like a stone.
"We didn't—lose?"
"Diggory got the Snitch," said Willow. "Just after you fell. He didn't realize what had happened. When he looked back and saw you falling into my portal, he tried to call it off."
"He wanted a rematch," George added. "But they won fair and square … even Wood admits it."
"Where is Wood?" said Harry, suddenly realizing he wasn't there.
"Still in the showers," said Fred. "We think he's trying to drown himself."
Harry put his face to his knees, his hands gripping his hair.
"It'll be alright, Harry," Dawn said.
"She's right, Harry. It's not over yet," said Fred. "We lost by a hundred points, right? So if Hufflepuff loses to Ravenclaw and we beat Ravenclaw and Slytherin…"
"Hufflepuff'll have to lose by at least two hundred points," said George.
"But if they beat Ravenclaw…"
"No way, Ravenclaw is too good. But if Slytherin loses against Hufflepuff…"
"It all depends on the points—a margin of a hundred either way—"
Harry lay there, not saying a word.
After ten minutes or so, Madam Pomfrey came over to tell the team, Ron and Hermione to leave Harry in peace.
"We'll come and see you later," Fred told him. "Don't beat yourself up, Harry, you're still the best Seeker we've ever had."
The team, Ron and Hermione trooped out, trailing mud behind them. Madam Pomfrey shut the door behind them, looking disapproving. Dawn and WIllow moved nearer to Harry's bed.
"Dumbledore's angry," Willow said in a quaking voice. "And you know what I don't blame him."
"What happened?" Harry asked.
"I used a spell the spell that Professor Lupin used on the train and drove the dementors off," Dawn said. "And Willow opened a portal beneath you and deposited you here."
"Did someone get my Nimbus?"
Dawn and Willow looked quickly at each other.
"Er—"
"What?" said Harry, looking from one to the other.
"Well… when you fell off, it got blown away," said Dawn hesitantly.
"And?"
"And it hit—it hit—oh, Harry—it hit the Whomping Willow," Willow added.
"And?" he said, dreading the answer.
"Well, you know the Whomping Willow," said Dawn. "It—it doesn't like being hit."
"Professor Flitwick brought it back just before you came around," said Willow in a very small voice.
Slowly, she reached down for a bag at her feet, turned it upside down, and tipped a dozen bits of splintered wood and twig onto the bed, the only remains of Harry's faithful, finally beaten broomstick.
