Chapter 17: Quidditch

November 7, 1992

Buffy woke early on Saturday morning and lay for a while thinking about the coming Quidditch match. She was nervous, mainly at the thought of this being her first match, she hoped she didn't let them down today. After half an hour of lying there with her insides churning, she got up, dressed, and went down to breakfast early, where she found the rest of the Gryffindor team huddled at the long, empty table, all looking uptight and not speaking much. She spotted Harry and smiled, he waved and she sat down next to him.

As eleven o'clock approached, the whole school started to make its way down to the Quidditch stadium. It was a muggy sort of day with a hint of thunder in the air. Ron, Hermione, Willow and Dawn came hurrying over to wish Harry and Buffy good luck as they entered the locker rooms. The team pulled on their scarlet Gryffindor robes, then sat down to listen to Wood's usual pre-match pep talk.

"Slytherin has better brooms than us," Oliver began. "No point denying it. But we've got better people on our brooms. We've trained harder than they have, we've been flying in all weathers…"

"Too true," muttered George Weasley. "I haven't been properly dry since August"

"And we're going to make them rue the day they let that little bit of slime, Malfoy, buy his way onto their team." Chest heaving with emotion, Wood turned to Harry and Buffy. "It'll be down to you, Harry, to show them that a Seeker has to have something more than a rich father. Get to that Snitch before Malfoy or die trying, Harry, because we've got to win today, we've got to. And Buffy do what you've been doing in practice and we will be sure to win."

"So, no pressure, Harry… Buffy." said Fred, winking at them.

As they walked out onto the pitch, a roar of noise greeted them; mainly cheers.

Madam Hooch, the Quidditch teacher, asked Flint and Wood to shake hands, which they did, giving each other threatening stares and gripping rather harder than was necessary.

"On my whistle," said Madam Hooch. "Three…two…one…"

With a roar from the crowd to speed them upward, the fourteen players rose toward the leaden sky.

Buffy watched Harry fly up above the rest of them. She turned her attention to the game. Moments later she was heading towards the goal with the quaffle when she saw a bludger heading towards Harry. "Harry watch out." She yelled.

Harry avoided it so narrowly that he felt it ruffle his hair as it passed.

"Close one, Harry!" said George, streaking past him with his club in his hand, ready to knock the Bludger back toward a Slytherin.

George gave the Bludger a powerful whack in the direction of Adrian Pucey, but the Bludger changed direction in midair and shot straight for Harry again. Harry dropped quickly to avoid it, and George managed to hit it hard toward Malfoy. Once again, the Bludger swerved like a boomerang and shot at Harry's head.

Harry put on a burst of speed and zoomed toward the other end of the pitch past Buffy.

Buffy watched the Bludger whistled along behind her brother. "That's been tampered with. There is no way it could do that otherwise," she said as it began to rain.

Fred Weasley was waiting for the Bludger at the other end. Harry ducked as Fred swung at the Bludger with all his might; the Bludger was knocked off course.

"Gotcha!" Fred yelled happily, but he was wrong; as though it was magnetically attracted to Harry, the Bludger pelted after him once more and Harry was forced to fly off at full speed.

Buffy was worried about Harry so much that Slytherin had got the jump on them, soon Slytherin was leading sixty points to ten. The only goal that had been scored was hers. "Wood… we need a time out," she yelled as she tried to signal Wood.

"I have to agree with Buffy," yelled George, trying to signal to Wood also and stop the Bludger breaking Harry's nose at the same time.

Wood had obviously got the message. Madam Hooch's whistle rang out and Harry, Buffy, Fred, and George dived for the ground, still trying to avoid the mad Bludger.

"What's going on?" said Wood as the Gryffindor team huddled together, while Slytherins in the crowd jeered. "We're being flattened. Fred, George, where were you when that Bludger stopped Angelina scoring? Buffy where were you also?"

"We were twenty feet above her, stopping the other Bludger from murdering Harry, Oliver," said

George angrily. "Someone's fixed it — it won't leave Harry alone. It hasn't gone for anyone else all game. The Slytherins must have done something to it."

"I was watching Harry," Buffy said. "Watching as that Bludger headed for him time after time. I was worried about him, that's my only excuse for not scoring anymore. Somehow that bludger has been tampered with."

"But the Bludgers have been locked in Madam Hooch's office since our last practice, and there was nothing wrong with them then…" said Wood, anxiously.

Madam Hooch was walking toward them. Over her shoulder, Buffy could see the Slytherin team jeering and pointing in Harry's direction.

"Listen," said Harry as she came nearer and nearer, "with you two flying around me all the time the only way I'm going to catch the Snitch is if it flies up my sleeve. Go back to the rest of the team and let me deal with the rogue one."

"Don't be thick," said Fred. "It'll take your head off."

Buffy shook her head, "Harry, no. Hand me a bludger. I will keep it off Harry."

Harry shook his head, "No, Bells. Between you and Angelina you're one of our best chances of scoring."

Wood was looking from Harry to Buffy to the Weasleys.

"Oliver, this is insane," said Alicia Spinner angrily. "You can't let Harry deal with that thing on his own. Let's ask for an inquiry…"

"If we stop now, we'll have to forfeit the match!" said Harry. "And we're not losing to Slytherin just because of a crazy Bludger! Come on, Oliver, tell them to leave me alone!"

"This is all your fault," George said angrily to Wood. "`Get the Snitch or die trying,' what a stupid thing to tell him —"

Buffy sighed, "Don't blame this on Wood. Blame it on whoever tampered with that bludger."

Madam Hooch had joined them. "Ready to resume play?" she asked Wood.

Wood looked at the determined look on Harry's face. "All right," he said. "Fred, George, Buffy, you heard Harry — leave him alone and let him deal with the Bludger on his own. Buffy a moment…" Buffy nodded as the others flew up. "Do you think you can do this? He is your brother after all, I know you're going to be worrying about him."

Buffy sighed and nodded, "Yeah, I think I can do it."

Wood nodded and they flew up and joined the rest of the team.

Buffy looked at Harry and quietly muttered, "I hope," she said as she watched the Bludger zoom past Harry's ear. She watched as he turned right over and sped in the opposite direction.

"Training for the ballet, Potter?" yelled Malfoy as Harry was forced to do a stupid kind of twirl in midair to dodge the Bludger, and he fled, the Bludger trailing a few feet behind him; and then, glaring back at Malfoy in hatred, he saw it — the Golden Snitch. It was hovering inches above Malfoy's left ear — and Malfoy, busy laughing at Harry, hadn't seen it.

For an agonizing moment, Harry hung in midair, not daring to speed toward Malfoy in case he looked up and saw the Snitch.

WHAM.

He had stayed still a second too long. The Bludger had hit him at last, smashed into his elbow, and Harry felt his arm break.

Buffy's Slayer senses suddenly began screaming at her. She looked around and spotted Harry holding his arm. "Dang," she muttered. She quickly turned and headed for Harry, "You okay?"

Harry nodded, "Get back down there. the quicker we win this the better. I'm ok, Bells, I swear."

Buffy sighed. "You die, I'm telling," she said as she flew back down to the level of the game.

Through a haze of rain and pain Harry dived for the shimmering, sneering face below him and saw its eyes widen with fear: Malfoy thought Harry was attacking him.

"What the —" he gasped, careening out of Harry's way.

Harry took his remaining hand off his broom and made a wild snatch; he felt his fingers close on the cold Snitch but was now only gripping the broom with his legs, and there was a yell from the crowd below as he headed straight for the ground, trying hard not to pass out.

With a splattering thud he hit the mud and rolled off his broom. His arm was hanging at a very strange angle; riddled with pain, he heard, as though from a distance, a good deal of whistling and shouting. He focused on the Snitch clutched in his good hand.

Lee Jordan yelled out, "Harry Potter has caught the Snitch… Gryffindor Wins."

As soon as Buffy heard that she dove for Harry fast, she jumped off her broom moments before she got to the ground. She ran quickly to Harry's side to find Harry was unconscious.

Hermione, Ron, Willow and Dawn came running on to the pitch as Hermione pointed her wand at the rogue bludger, "Finite incantatem!" And the bludger exploded.

Harry opened his eyes and saw Buffy and Dawn kneeling next to him. Then he spotted Lockhart rushing over to him, "Bells! Dawn!"

Dawn and Buffy followed Harry's gaze and stood up right in Lockhart's way.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked Buffy as she glared at Lockhart.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked Harry.

Harry shakes his head, "No, I think my- I think my arm's broken."

Lockhart looked past Buffy and tried to move around her, "Not to worry, Harry. I will fix that arm of yours straight away."

Buffy shook her head, "I don't think so, Professor. You will leave my brother alone."

Lockhart looked to Buffy and shook his head, "Dear girl, I am a professor and know how to do this sort of thing."

Buffy frowned, "I don't give a rats rear about what you want. I am a Slayer, remember? You will leave my brother alone, or you will end up next to him in the hospital wing."

Dumbledore stepped up next to Buffy, "That will be enough, Ms. Potter. Madame Pomfrey is here now and will take Harry to the hospital wing. Why don't you and Dawn accompany him?"

Buffy nodded and motioned for Dawn to follow her as they along with Harry and Madame Pomfrey head towards the castle.