Daphne walked the five minutes through the corridors and entered the dingy Slytherin Common room. It wasn't very late and as expected several students were still up. However it being Friday most of them were playing games or snogging.
Slytherin House was very different from the rest of the houses in the way that Snape dealt with physical attraction. He almost never intervened unless someone was getting seriously hurt, Daphne had on several occasions heard of some of the older boys "Taking care Of" some of the younger students.
Daphne was repulsed by this behavior however she knew it was suicide for her to do anything about it. It would only make her an even bigger target than she already was. Daphne was sure that tonights display would show Flint and Nott that Harry was not just hot air like they thought.
As she walked in she noticed Flint giving her a death glare while he was surrounded by a few other seventh year boys. Daphne's hand went to her wand just to make sure it was still there, she wasn't about to let him get the jump on her again.
She smoothly made her way to the sixth year girls dorm where she would be safe. Well… safe from the boys. She pushed the door open slowly knowing what would likley be waiting for her on the other side. As the door opened she saw her friend sitting on her bed with her legs crossed talking to Draco Malfoy.
"Daph." Tracy called with a smile as she stood and walked over to the door.
"What's HE doing here!?" Daphne exclaimed.
"Wait wait wait!" Tracy said as her smile faded and she stood between her best friend and Draco. Daphne had drawn her wand and was pointing it at the blonde.
Draco who was just smirking, You put on a good facade Greengrass, he thought to himself. He knew that Daphne wouldn't risk attacking him.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WAIT!" Daphne's voice rose and echoed through the chamber. Fortunately for them no one else was around to hear the exclimation.
"Daphne he has something he NEEDS to tell you." Tracy's eyes went wide and she gestured with her face that it was actually important. She prayed that her friend would get the hint.
Daphne's fake rage was allowed to quell for a moment, her brain was piecing together what was going on. "Ok, but if I don't like it im throwing him out of the dorm." Daphne lowered her wand just a few inches so it wasn't pointing at his chest.
"Greengrass, you put on a very good show. I dare say that your best friend was convinced." He chuckled to himself.
Tracy in the meantime whirled around and slapped the boy across the face, "What do you mean show?!" Tracy's eyes were narrowed and glaring death beams at the annoying ferret in front of her.
The two stared at each other for several moments before the moment was broken by Daphne giggling, which soon became a roaring laughter.
Tracy's shoulders dropped and she turned around slowly to see her best friend doubled over herself as she was laughing.
"You're weak Greengrass, she would have at least made a fool of herself." Draco too was not chuckling.
"What's going on!?" Tracy said as her anger switched from Draco to her blonde friend.
Daphne held up a hand hopefully to keep her friend at bay, "Look Trace, I can't go into a lot of details. Draco and I have an…" She stood up straight as she clutched her side from laughter.
"Arrangement." Draco finished for her.
Tracy looked back and forth between the two blondes looking for any sign of foul play. "What kind of arrangement?" She was now glaring at Daphne.
Draco kicked up off the dresser he was leaning against, "The kind where everyone goes home alive." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small yellow post-it note. He handed it to Daphne.
Don't be in Hogsmeade next weekend
Daphne nodded and allowed Tracy to read the note before Draco grabbed it back and lit it on fire.
"What does it mean?" Tracy asked in a softer voice her mind had begun spinning with ideas.
Daphne sighed and walked over to her bed. She began taking out her hair ties and removing her jewelery. "It means, there's going to be trouble."
Draco nodded, "Father doesn't usually give me details. He just tells me where to be, although I could give a Hippogriff's ass what he thinks."
"Troubles with Daddy?" Tracy joked, not quite privy to the same knowledge that Daphne and Harry had.
"Trace-" Daphne said sternly and with a glare that said she should drop it.
Tracy cowered back against her bed at her friend's harsh outburst. She figured that Daphne would tell her what she could later and that it was way bigger than just a school rivalry.
"Things are starting to get real…" Draco said as he walked towards the door. "Greengrass, Davis." He waved one hand over his shoulder and strutted out of the room.
As the door slowly closed both Daphne and Tracy sat down heavily on their respective beds. "What do we do now?" The brunette asked.
Daphne pulling her school robes off revealing her modest dark purple bra, "Well we need to talk to Hermione and Harry, but for now…" She said as she pulled out a white Greenday T-shirt and slipped it over her head. She reached into her nightstand and pulled out a plum purple bottle of nail polish. "I feel like Punishment Purple. You?" She grinned at her best friend who smiled.
"Sounds like a wonderful idea." Tracy jumped out of bed and quickly changed into her pajamas. She reached into her trunk and pulled out a small black handbag that contained all her nail polish.
The two of them stayed up till well past midnight chatting about nothing relevant. Eventually Pansy and Milicent came back in both looking a little tired but they eventually all settled in and began sharing their gossip.
While it was known outside of the sixth year girls dorm that Milicent and Pansy hated Tracy and Daphne. That was only a facade that they all agreed upon after their second year. Where it quickly became apparent that the four of them were smart enough to realize that Slytherin house was not a safe place to be a girl. They made a pact to watch out for each other and to share knowledge when it was important.
XXXXX
The next morning Daphne woke at eight when her wand began vibrating on her nightstand. Reaching out she grabbed her wand and pulled it under the covers of her bed and buried her face back into her pillow.
An hour later Daphne was woken up by Tracy who had gotten up a few minutes prior, "Wakie wakie sleepy head." Tracy teased.
"Shut it." Came the muffled response.
"Come on, let's go. We agreed to see Harry before breakfast." Tracy threw a pair of socks at Daphne's head. They both landed with a soft puff.
Daphne grumbled and pulled the pillow down off her head quickly and glared hard at her best friend. "You're worse than my mother."
Tracy raised her hands to her mouth and mocked Daphne, "You scadalize me!" Tracy exclaimed as she walked over to her trunk and went to apply the rest of her makeup.
Daphne meanwhile rolled out of bed her hair a mess clothes astrew. She looked at herself in the mirror. She smiled noticing the curves that had been slowly coming in over the summer had become more prominant. "Harry will like that…" Daphne said in a low voice as she spun slightly after taking off her nightshirt.
"Harry'll like what?" Tracy asked coming over holding a small backpack in front of her stuffing a dark purple jacket into it.
Daphne gave her a friend a playful look, "What my boyfriend and I do is none of your business." She stuck her tongue out
Harry awoke the morning of his first Quidditch match, suddenly. His scar was hurting slightly but his hand was hurting more. He untangled himself from his sheets and sat with his feet hanging over the edge of the bed.
He pulled on his glasses and examined his scarred hand, the tissue hadn't healed like Daphne thought it would and he could faintly make out 'I mustn't tell Lies.' Harry sighed to himself as he looked around his dorm.
Ron was still sleeping which was good, he really didn't feel like dealing with him after the two weeks of glares and silent treatment. Why he wouldn't get that Ginny was a better Keeper than him was obvious.
Harry's attention was drawn to the bathroom door as Seamus was walking out wearing his boxers and nothing else. He noticed Harry was awake and gave him a gentlemanly nod before beginning to rummage through his trunk to find clothes.
"You ready?" Seamus asked softly as he pulled a red Gryffindor shirt over his head.
"I guess…?" Harry shrugged. He'd been nervous all this past week once it came out that Cedric was in fact going to be their Seeker. He was very excited yet nervous about it. Cedric was the only Seeker to have beaten him to the snitch his entire career flying.
Seamus could read the black haired teens worried expression, "You'll do fine." His Irish accent bleeding through. "Just try not to fall off yer broom this time." Seamus finished putting on a pair of pants while Harry sat on his bed.
Seeing Seamus put on his clothes reminded Harry that he had to get ready. "We'll see, I mean as long as Dementors don't show up, I'll be fine." He replied a bit more smugly and with a smile.
Thirty minutes later Harry was walking down to the Common room dressed in his Quidditch robes and carrying a small sports bag over his shoulder that had his goggles and armguard that Daphne had given him for his birthday. He still hadn't worn it yet. Harry had stared at it for about thirty minutes the night before just admiring the work that went into making it and the thoughtfulness of Daphne's gift.
Thinking of the armguard reminded him of when he and Daphne shared the night of his birthday. It ranks in the top five of his life so far. This would be his first chance to wear it and represent the Greengrasses and the Potters.
He walked absentmindedly through the common room and down the Great Hall to eat. As he walked through the corridors he went over play after play in his head that the team had worked on these past two weeks.
As he walked into the entrance to the Great Hall, he saw Daphne wearing a Red and Green shirt standing next to her sister who was wearing the same thing. The shirt had the Greengrass Crest over her left breast and the Gryffindor Crest in the center of the shirt. On the two shoulders written in gold with silver trim was the number 7, which was Harry's number.
Harry walked over to girlfriend and stepsister. He could feel a small tear forming in his eye. "Heya Harry!" Astoria said as she bounded over to him. "Just wanted to say. Good Luck." She stood on her tip toes and barley reached his chin. Harry leaned over and received a quick kiss on his cheek before skipping off to sit with her friends in the Great Hall.
He noticed that the back of her shirt said, 'Potter' in the same gold and silver lettering. Harry just smiled, "Thanks Tori!" He shouted back at her as she bounded into the Hall.
Daphne stepped to the side to watch and make sure her sister sat with her friends. "How are you feeling?" Daphne said gathering Harry from his unguided thoughts.
"I feel fine." Harry turned happily to face Daphne. "Did you make this?" He asked much more excitedly than he had intended as he gently pulled at Daphne's shirt.
Daphne nodded, "Yeah, mom sent me the supplies when I owled her after the first week. She and Father are both going to be at the match. Father even took the entire day off." Daphne's eyes rolled at this.
Harry waited for her to stop talking and then leaned down and took her lips with his and pressed lightly. The familiar heat and sense of comfort that he had grown accustomed to returned and lightened his mood considerably. After a few seconds they broke apart. Harry licked his lips and tasted the fruity lip gloss that Daphne always wore. While Daphne was staring blankly at the ground and breathing a bit heavy.
She quickly regained her composure as the two walked into the Great Hall. Daphne guided them towards the rest of the Gryffindor team where Harry sat next to Katie Bell and across from Angelina. Both girls grinning wildly at their star Seeker.
"What?" Harry asked with a smirk.
George, who was sitting next to Angelina, "You look well rested." He commented after finishing a piece of toast.
"Rested indeed dear brother." Fred joined in as he sat down next to Alicia Snippet.
Harry picked up two pieces of toast and began to spread butter over them. "Harry?" Angelina posed after a bit of giggling.
"Hmm?"
"You look good." Angelina said sincerely. The past few weeks had really been rough for him. Most of his friends could sense it and only Daphne, Hermione, and Ginny knew what was going on.
Harry's face turned a light pink as he finished chewing. He looked across at the 'Flying Foxes' and they all were looking at him with warm smiles and comforting eyes. "Thanks." He said softly as he nodded.
Daphne took that moment as her chance to strike and grabbed him behind his head, spun his head to the side, and planted a wet and passionate kiss on his lips. As she took his mouth and she began prodding his lower lip with her tongue. Harry's face went from pink to bright red as his eyes closed and his shoulders dropped while he brought his hands to lightly rest on Daphne's shoulders.
Harry was unaware of the two catcalls from the twins and several 'Ohh's' and 'Aw's' from the rest of the team.
Hermione smiled warmly from a few seats down. She and Daphne had been trying for the past few days to find ways to cheer him up since the incidents with Umbridge.
After a solid minute Daphne pulled away from her boyfriend breathing heavily. Both wearing grins from ear to ear. Daphne gently licked her lips to taste the bit of Harry that was left. The two went back to eating and a few moments later normal conversation picked back up.
About twenty minutes later Ginny and Ron walked into the Great Hall they were arguing about the same thing over the past two weeks. As they approached Ron sat down with Dean and Seamus a ways down the table. Ginny, wearing her Quidditch robes for the first time sat next to Hermione.
"All Good?" Harry asked the redhead.
Ginny who had started devouring food looked up suddenly as if shocked by his question. Her face then dropped and she finished chewing. "It's nothing. Just Ron being a prat!"
Fred and George who were a few seats away glared hard at their younger brother. Ron seemed to feel the glare because he looked up a few seconds later to see almost every Gryffindor staring at him. He quickly turned his head away and stuffed his face.
Harry took a big swig from his water, "You nervous?"
Ginny kinda fidgeted with her fork and food a bit, "Kinda…?" She phrased it like a question. She had no idea what to feel, this was her first chance to show everyone that she was her own person and not just the daughter or sister of her family.
"You'll do great Ginny." Daphne said encouragingly. "You are fantastic up there. Your passes are great you are able to read the ball really well. Just don't psych yourself out." Daphne smiled and finished her Pumpkin Juice.
Ginny blushed slightly, "Thanks Daphne, I just don't want to let you guys down." Ginny was looking around at her six other teammates.
Fred and George who had gotten up and walked behind their younger sister, "Sis, you can't ever let us down."
"Unless you become like Ron-"
"Or Percy." George finished for his twin.
Angelina followed her tall redheaded boyfriend, "Ginny you'll do great. I remember my first match, I had no idea who anyone was. I was scared out of mind, but Wood talked me down and come gametime, I was cool as ice." She slapped the girl hard in the center of her back and walked out followed by Alicia who was never one for many words.
"You gonna go with them?" Daphne turned to Harry assuming that he would leave with the team.
Harry looked over at Ginny and saw that she wasn't quite done eating yet. "Na, I'll go in a few minutes. "
Ginny smiled at him thanked him quietly. "You got a plan to stop Cedric?" Daphne asked as Hermione slid over to join the new quartet.
Harry sighed, "Not a good one." he turned and looked towards Hermione, "Ced tell you anything last night?"
Hermione blushed remembering the events of the night before, "Oh No you don't! You know I can't tell you that."
"Hermione…" Harry wined.
"HARRY!" Came her raised voice, to which Harry raised two hands in surrender. "Thank you. It's already going to be hard enough watching and cheering for both of you. One of you will lose and I don't want either of you to get hurt." She was beginning to get distraught.
A few minutes later Tracy ambled into Great Hall, and after a quick glancing around the room found her target and walked over to Daphne and Harry.
Daphne turned around, "Look who finally got out of bed today." Daphne said while wiggling her eyebrows.
Tracy shot her a death glare, her hair was slightly messy and her make up looked hastily put on. "Not another word Greengrass." Came a low cold voice.
Daphne and Hermione giggled while Harry and Ginny just shrugged. Harry heard the sound of silverware clattering and looked across to see Ginny finished eating. "Ready?" He asked.
Ginny wiped a bit of crumbs off her shirt and mouth and then stood up, "Yup."
Harry turned to face his girlfriend, "Time to go, I'll see you in a bit?
Daphne looked slightly disappointed but she knew he would have to leave, "Yeah, mum and dad want to see you before the game."
Harry checked the time and saw that they still had a few hours before the game started, "I'll see them after warmups." He leaned down and gave Daphne a quick kiss on the lips then left the Great Hall.
Ginny and Harry made their way out of the Great Hall and down towards the Quidditch pitch leaving the three girls to talk amongst themselves.
As Harry and Ginny walked outside, Ginny turned towards her friend. "You good?"
Harry sighed and nervously rubbed the back of his hand. "Yeah. We'll go with good." He tried to sound positive.
Ginny for the first time in two weeks notice the back of his right hand, "What is that?!" She jumped over and grabbed his wrist and read the words etched in scar tissue. Her face dropped and for a second before the anger at Umbridge welled up.
"Ginny!" Harry said more forceful. "I get this day and fucking night from Hermione and Daphne, please." He was clearly trying to keep his calm. The fights with his girlfriend and best friend were beginning to wear on him. "Can I just have this?" He almost pleaded as they began quickly stepping down the steps towards the locker room.
Ginny measured him carefully and after they finished the three flights of stairs and were now walking up on the Quidditch Pitch, "Fine, but I thought it was getting better." She grunted and straightened her shoulders.
Harry interrupted her by giving her a quick hug, "Thanks, it is getting better..." He said softly trying to ease the redheads anger.
Ginny hugged him back and they both walked into the Gryffindor locker room. The twins had hooked up a Wizarding Wireless and were blasting some heavy bass music.
Harry and Ginny walked over to their neighboring lockers and stored their bags and sat down on the wooden benches in front. Harry leaned back and his head hit against the metal locker behind him with a satisfying thud. He closed his eyes and tried to calm him breathing.
Ginny looked over and wondered what he was doing but quickly shrugged and went back to changing.
About ten minutes later Angelina walked up to Ginny who was putting a few red and white ribbons in her hair. "How you doing?"
Ginny jumped slightly as she hadn't seen Angelina walk up, "Uhh… I'm… I… I'm good." She said finally. Her voice betrayed her thought to remain strong and confidant.
Angelina sat down next to her and untied the back of her uniform so she could tighten it properly. "You'll be great. I've seen you fly."
"We picked you for a reason, Gin." Harry said with his eyes still closed.
Ginny shifted quickly looking between the two leaders of the team. "I just… I don't want to mess up." She looked down at the locker room floor.
"Don't worry about messing up." Angelina wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Just worry about stopping the Quaffle and getting it to one of us."
"Like that's simple..." Ginny mumbled.
Harry kicked up from his resting position on the locker. "Watch the Quaffle and forget everything else. Clear your mind and just enjoy the game. Ginny if you miss a goal or twenty you're still doing fine." Harry tried to cheer her up.
Fred and George must have sensed their sister's distress because they walked over wearing boxers and white undershirts.
"Of course it'd make it a lot better if you blocked the balls."
"These Badgers aren't that good." George grinned at his sister. Both of them earning a glare from Angelina.
Ginny just slumped further and leaned back and hit her head against the locker. The coldness felt good, 'Now I know why he did it.' "Thank you, but I'd like to be alone for a bit." Ginny returned as she closed her eyes.
Angelina nodded and the twins looked more concerned. They both respected Ginny above all others in their family, knowing how difficult it was for her being the only girl in a family of six brothers. They both turned and shared another one of their silent conversations and both agreed they would work the Bludgers as best they could to stay away from Ginny.
Harry leaned back against the locker much like Ginny and closed his eyes visualizing play after play in his head. Doing everything he could to keep his mind off the fact that he'd be playing against Cedric.
An hour later all seven members of the Gryffindor team were dressed. The locker room was now very quiet as everyone was getting ready for the game. Harry stood up suddenly causing most of the people in the room to jump.
"Alright." Harry walked into the center of the room while everyone else stood up and formed a loose circle around him.
"I am terrible at this shit so listen up." He turned towards his chasers. "Foxes?" The three of them nodded. "Pound them hard. Good passes. Be aggressive. Fleet's a new keeper, take him to town."
"We got a few new tricks for them." Katie Bell said as she grinned and got two bright smiles from her two fellow chasers.
Harry turned around and look at Fred and George. "Forge, Gred. Hit em hard. Focus on their chasers, they arent that strong offensively. Make your shifts and if you can take Fleet out of a play do it."
They just nodded silently and clinked their batts together. Harry then turned towards Ginny.
"Gin, just be you." He smiled warmly. "You got all the school watching, show them. Who. You. Are!" He said each word slowly, loudly and with purpose.
She nodded once and readjusted her robes. "We are Lions and Lions WHAT?!" Harry's voice echoed through the locker room.
"ROAR!" The six around him shouted and all marched out of the locker room grabbing their brooms as they went.
Ginny stayed behind a few steps to walk out with Harry who walked back to his locker to grab his armguard. She approached him from behind and looked over his shoulder at the beautiful work of craftsmanship.
"Woah! Where did you get that?" She took a few quick steps to be next to him.
"Daph." Harry said softly. "She gave it to me for my birthday."
Ginny couldn't read his expression but knew that he was anxious. "Harry, you'll do great. It's simple. Catch the Snitch. Win the game." She said with a grin.
Harry laughed loudly for a second, "It is that simple isn't it." He tightened the ruby and emerald armguard to his right arm and turned around.
Ginny punched him in the shoulder, "Yup!"
Harry's shoulder hardly moved at the force of her punch, and for the first time since the start of the year, Ginny realized how good a shape Harry was in. His shoulder was rock hard in fact her hand stung slightly from the recoil. They both smiled and walked towards their brooms.
Ginny reached in to grab one of the cleansweaps only to notice they were all gone. A panicked look appeared on her face. "Where's my broom?!"
Harry grinned from behind her, "I don't know." He grabbed his Thunderbolt and pulled it to his shoulder. Ginny meanwhile was frantically looking around the large closet for her cleansweep.
"Where is it? Where? Where….?" Ginny frantically checking the closet.
Harry waited a few moments, "Hey Gin?" He called out holding a brand new Nimbus 2001.
She turned around nervously and shouted, "WHAT?!" her eyes focused on the glistening new broom that Harry was holding. The red and black trimming of the Nimbus in his hands entranced her. There was a note stuck to the broom. 'Ginny'
She was speechless and just stared at the broom for a good twenty seconds. "Is...Who… Did… You… you didnt?!" She stammered out to him.
"Gin, you are one of my best friends and have always been there for me when I needed you. Please accept this gift as a token of my friendship." Harry said warmly handing the teen her new broom.
Grinny took the broom carefully and hesitantly looking up and down the broom. She ran her hand up and down the shaft making sure that it was real and that she wasn't dreaming it. The wood almost hummed in her fingers and radiated a warmth that sent tingles through her fingertips up her spine and throughout her body.
"Harry… I don't… I don't know what to say." She was baffled, confused, grateful, excited and nervous.
"You don't have to say anything, just go out there have a good time and show the school that your not the little sister that they think you are." Harry clasped her on the shoulder.
Ginny gave him a tight hug and held him for a solid thirty seconds. Then released and they both strode out of the locker room holding their brooms.
They walked side-by-side through the wooden hallway that lead to the pitch. As they entered the stadium a section of the crowd erupted with cheers as there was a large section of redheads that began cheering animatedly.
Harry and Ginny shared a look before mounting their brooms, "Give em hell Harry." She shot up into the sky putting her new broom through the paces.
"Thanks Gin." Harry said to himself as he pulled his goggles down and righted his robes. He mounted his Thunderbolt and he too shot up into the sky begin his warm up.
Daphne stood atop a set of bleachers with Daniel and Aurora talking about classes and informing her parents about mundane things. Aurora was first to notice Harry enter the stadium.
"Oh look!" she exclaimed as she pointed towards the two figures that had just walked out of the locker room.
Both Daniel and Daphne turned their attention towards the two Gryffindors, they both cheered loudly for Harry stopping after he blasted into the sky. Daniel watched with rapt attention as he began weaving through the rings with ever increasing speed.
"How's he doing?" Aurora asked her daughter.
Daphne's smile faded and she glared at her mother, "Mom, you have to ask him. You know I put family above all else, but it's his life. It's up to him to who it shares it with.
"Daphne Lenoire." Aurora scolded.
"No Mom! Listen if he feels that I can't keep his secrets he won't tell me anything. I can't betray his trust like that." She said a bit nervously. She was taking a page from Hermione's book.
Aurora flashed an angry face at her daughter before relaxing. "You're right." She sighed as she said it.
"Daph, who's that?" Daniel asked point towards the Hufflepuff Seeker.
Daphne stayed focused on her mother for a second before darting her eyes to where her father was pointing. "Cedic Diggory." Her eyes flicked back towards her mother.
"Diggory… Diggory… Why do I know that name?" Daniel asked as he began to lead his wife and daughter to their seats in the front row.
Daphne shook her head and a warm smile reappeared on her face, "He was the other Triwizard Champion last year, he's also Mad-Eye's assistant for the Muggleborn Protection Program."
Daniel pushed past a few sixth year Ravenclaws to get to their small box where they would be seated with other team parents. "Amos' son? Good chap. Didn't he graduate?"
Daphne moved to sit on the far side of her father giving her some space away from her mother. "He did, but he was allowed to participate because Quidditch was canceled last year and he's an Alumni. I also heard from Harry that the two of them are being scouted by several English teams today."
"Oh how exciting." Aurora chimed from her seat as she patted down her long green and gold dress.
"Should be a good match if they are both getting scouted. Cedric looks to have about fifty pounds on Harry." Daniel commented.
Daphne smirked and remained silent, she'd been working with him for the past week on agility on his broom. While Cedric may be physically stronger and bigger, Harry is much faster and able to take sharper turns.
About ten minutes before the start of the match, Harry flew over to where the Greengrass's were sitting and hovered a few feet over the stands. As he approached he was greeted by the roar of the crowd.
"Hey guys. Thanks so much for being here." He said loudly trying to speak over the crowd behind his parents.
Daniel stood up and motioned for Harry to come closer to which Harry hovered over. "Harry, I know you're going to do great. I am so excited to watch you fly for the first time. Give em' Hell." He finished loudly.
"DANIEL!" Aurora scolded.
Daniel waved his hand at his wife. "Don't mind her, she is just nervous. You should have heard her this morning." He whispered in his ear.
Harry chuckled. "Thanks Dad."
Daphne stood up and walked over to the railing and leaned over it to whisper in his ear. "Go get em. Eyes up, broom down, tuck in... "
"Fly straight." they both finished. Daphne smiled and locked eyes with her boyfriend who did the same. Daphne saw the bright flame flaring to life behind his green eyes. She knew at that moment he was ready if nothing else it was going to be a good match.
Harry nodded at her a few seconds later. "Good luck." She said so only he could hear. They kissed very briefly and then Harry was gone.
When Daphne turned around her parents were both grinning wildly at her. Daphne blushed, "Not a word." She said coldly which caused her parents to giggle.
Madam Hooch blew her whistle to signal the beginning of the match. The teams circled around her with Harry and Cedric meeting here in the center.
"All Right Ladies and Gentleman, I want a clean game. No time limit. Each Team gets one timeout. Any Questions?" Both Harry and Cedric shook their heads. "Good. Shake hands and we'll get this party started."
Harry flew over to be next to Cedric they clasped hands, "Good Luck Ced."
Cedric's face remained stoic and focused. "You too Potter." And with a nod both Seekers flew back to their teams.
The seven Gryffindors huddled floating in a small sphere. "Ok ladies, you all know what to do." Harry commanded with force. "Lions WHAT?!"
The seven of them channeled a bit of magic into their chant. The result was an incredibly loud roar that silenced the crowd as the sound waves exploded out from the center of the pitch.
As the roar faded the team sped off to their starting position leaving Harry and Ginny floating on their end of the stadium a nod and they both turned to face the center of the pitch.
The bludgers were already released and Madam Hooch was holding the Quaffle. She held it just above her head for a second before tossing it fifty feet into the air, and just like that the flyers were off like lightning.
"Spinett gets the tip off. She dives low under the Preece's tackle. Quick pass to Johnson who pumps once to the high hoop and a quick pass to Bell and she BURIES it 10 - Nill Gryffindor!" The excited voice of Lee Jordan resonated through the stadium.
"Macavory gets the rebound and the Badgers are off driving the Quaffle with all three chasers in formation. It's worked well for them in past years. Macavory passes to Applebee who takes a quick release shot against the lower hoop. OHHH Weasley barely manages to get a finger on it deflecting it to Preece who launches it to the surging Macavory. ONE -TWO - BOOM, we got a TIE GAME!" The stadium erupts in a loud cheer for the Badgers.
Ginny cursed outwardly as she moved to get the Quaffle where she was joined by Angelina, "Don't worry about it. Great Save." Was all the Head Girl was able to get out before she took the quaffle from Ginny.
Ginny didn't quite think so but hey at least she got a finger on it. She positioned herself back in the center of all three hopes.
Harry and Cedric took the same approach to this game by flying over the other team's goals. As Angelina took the Quaffle and headed towards the Hufflepuff goals Harry called out, "PURPLE! PURPLE!"
Angelina glanced up at Harry as to register his call and she accelerated her Nimbus 1000 to a blistering 80 Miles per hour. Swerving, ducking, and maneuvering around bludgers and other players, she quickly evaded all obstacles and as she approached, Fleet moved to intercept any shot she could take.
'Gotcha.` Angelina said to herself as she reared back to shoot and let the Quaffle roll off her fingers where it floated five feet above her. Fleet watched as Angelina roared by him as he tried to pull his broom up fast enough. He wasn't quite able to turn to get back into position as Alicia was diving and with a difficult spin redirected the floating ball into the left most hoop.
"WHAT AN ASSIST! Johnson lets it ride to Spinet who buries the second Goal for Gryffindor. Fleet inbounds to Macavory. STOLEN BY BELL SHOT- BOOM! 30-10 LIONS!"
The southern section of the stadium exploded in cheers for the Gryffindor team.
Daphne and Daniel were both still fairly quiet as they were trying to look for the snitch as was the game they usually played. Knowing that this game would come down to the two star Seekers.
"ORANGE ORANGE!" Harry called out from above which drew Fleets attention. He saw the three chasers retreating back as the Hufflepuff keeper gathered the Quaffle and passed it to Macavory.
Daniel watched as Cedric dove straight through the pitch in between his chasers and the four of them drove towards the rings.
Harry instantly tucked in and drove a line to cut Cedric off. He had a twenty foot headstart but Harry was faster.
"Diggory drives the play. The Quartet that has been nigh unstoppable the past two years making a strong push against these fast Lions." Lee's voice spurred people into a loud cheer.
Both Daniel and Daphne stood as the two seekers got into the game.
"Macavory passes to Applebee who swings wide, fakes a shot pulling Weasley towards the near goal while Applebee rainbows the quaffle to Diggory who dives and spins upside down whipping the ball to Macavory who LETS IT GO TO PREECE, QUICK RELEASE BOOM! 30-20."
As the Quaffle went through the goal Harry spotted a glint of gold and as quick as he pointed his broom down and tucked in.
"He's got it" Daphne said loudly as she leaned against the railing. She had seen how his entire face jerked suddenly.
"LETS GO HARRY!" Came the booming voice of Daniel Greengrass as he watched the Hufflepuff Seeker blazing by on a good line to beat Harry to the snitch.
"SEEKERS HAVE ZONED THE SNITCH!" Lee called out with excitement.
The majority of the stadium swivelled to look at the dueling Seekers as they raced towards the back of the Gryffindor goals.
Harry was a few feet behind the snitch as it took a steep dive, Harry forced his broom straight down into a vertical dive. The Thunderbolt began to kick into gear as his speeds reached 90 miles per hour. Harry was diving straight at the ground following the speeding golden ball.
Daphne began to worry as he approached the ground. At that speed any impact would be devastating. She watched nervously as her boyfriend careened towards the ground with reckless abandon.
A few feet before the ground the snitch leveled out forcing Harry to pull his broom up and as he did he spun slightly to the left allowing his rotation to pull his broom upwards allowing him to maintain as much speed as he could. His shoulder grazed the grass of the pitch.
Harry winced slightly as his focus was pulled away from the racing golden ball. As his eyes locked back onto the ball, 'CRACK!' followed by another 'CRACK!' as two bludgers both connected, one in his chest, the other in his shoulder.
Daphne gasped loudly as the entire Gryffindor side of the stadium fell silent. Harry was thrown from his broom and landed on his back. He bounced a foot off the ground when he landed.
"UHHHHGGG" Harry's body went limp for a few seconds as the stadium was eerily quiet.
Daphne was gripping the railing with white knuckles as she held the shallow breath in her lungs hoping beyond hope that he was alright.
Seconds later Harry pulled his left knee up and pushed himself off the ground. Daphne released her breath and sighed very loudly. "COME ON HARRY GET BACK TO IT!" She shouted.
Harry pulled himself up off the ground coughing and spitting up blood, while Angelina came over to check on him. "You ok Cap."
Harry grimace as he tried to role his shoulder. "I think its dislocated."
Angelina landed on top of him and pulled him up by his other hand. "Let me." She squared him up and moved behind him. "Its gonna hurt…" She said apologetically.
"Just do it." he grumbled as he scowled and bit his robes in preparation for what she was about to do.
Angelina forcefully relocated Harry's shoulder with a loud scream of pain that echoed throughout this end of the stadium. Daphne closed her eyes and winced.
As his voice died down, he looked at Angelina, "Better?" She asked.
"Loads, get up there and keep the pressure up."
She grinned and mounted her broom and rocketing back up towards her teammates.
"Seems Potter is back looks like his shoulder was relocated by Johnson. Gryffindor is down 50-30 due to Potter and Johnson being out of the play for a few minutes."
Harry floated slowly back up to his position above the Hufflepuff goals. God his shoulder hurt, not as bad as it was a few seconds ago but it definitely would be sore for a while. He took in the surroundings of the game and saw that Hufflepuff had the ball and were pushing along the left side.
"GOLD GOLD GOLD" Harry called to Fred and George who both flew off towards the opposite end of the pitch.
Macavory driving the quaffle towards Angelina who tried to punch the Quaffle out missing, but forcing Macavory into the bludger that Fred hit. The ball popped out and Preece made an attempt to field the wild ball but it went just over his fingertips.
"BELL picks up the loose ball. GO HONEY!" Jordan called out.
"Mr. Jordan." McGonagall's voice from behind him.
"Sorry, Bell pushes the pace, taking advantage of the two vs one vs Applebee. Bell passes, Spinet receives and draws Applebee to block. She passes back to Bell on the far side of the rings. She catches the ball and rears to fire into the open top Ring and release a STRIKE. FLEET SAVES! Deflected! RIGHT INTO JOHNSON CATCH GOAL! 50-40 Hufflepuff."
The next hour the game progressed much like that with both team's Chasers playing amazing offense. As Harry looked up at the game clock and it read 1 hour forty-five minutes the score was 140-170 Hufflepuff.
This was going to be one of the highest scoring games of his career. He needed to focus on finding the snitch. He'd seen it an hour ago and then neither seeker had found it since. The sky was beginning to cloud over as it appeared to be getting ready to rain. 'Need to finish this quickly.'
Harry tucked down into his broom and pointed himself towards his goal as the Hufflepuff chasers were mounting another full attack. He noticed that no one was looking at him as Cedric was floating in front of him watching the play.
Harry dove straight at Macavory who didn't have the ball at the time but was positioned to take an open shot against the high hoop.
"Preece pushes the Quaffle, DUCKS UNDER WEASLEYS BLUDGER. OH WHAT A MOVE SPINS and climbs drawing Spinet out of position. Preece passes to Applebee who crosses in front of Weasley, who tracks expertly. Applebee flips down OPEN SHOT, FIRES, BLOCKED BY WEASLEY! Deflected TO MACAVORY! POTTER PUNCHES THE BALL OUT. What a save by Potter! Macavory had a wide open shot against the right ring."
Harry winced as he punched the quaffle the impact rang through his shoulder and he gritted his teeth. He leveled back out getting an appreciative nod from Ginny who collected the ball.
"He's hurt." Daphne said to no one in particular.
Daniel focused on his son and saw the grimaced look on his face and that his arm was loosely bent unlike before where it was tucked nicely into his broom. "Harry's strong. He'll fight through it." Both the girls next to him had worried looks on their faces.
"GREEN GREEN!" Harry called as he extended his hand to Ginny. She passed him the Quaffle Seekers were allowed to handle the Quaffle but for no longer than 10 seconds at a time.
"See he's fine." Daniel said with a fake smile earning a glare from his daughter.
"Interesting Potter takes the Quaffle. Spinnet and Johnson cross behind him and Bell soars into the sky. The Quartet clearly have a plan. Potter to Johnson who slows the play down allowing Potter and Bell to surge ahead. Johnson swings wide following behind Bell. Macavory tries to intercept, DODGED. RICKETT sends a Bludger at Johnson forcing the pass to Spinnet who is Immediately doubled by Preece and Applebee. LOOSE BALL. Scoped by Potter who cocks his arm and launches."
A loud scream echoed through the stadium as the ball rocketed out of his arm, drawing the attention of everyone on the pitch. Harry slumped over his broom with the force of his throw.
Daphne jumped up and almost over the railing, she was caught fortunately by Daniels quick reflexes. "HARRY!" She shouted into the loud stadium.
"Bell receives the pass upside down and spins up."
Katie one hands the ball and using the momentum spins upright. She curls the ball around her neck releasing it backhanded.
The Quaffle curves towards the left ring.
"WHAT A MOVE! FLEET TRIES OH LOOK AT THAT SPIN! GOAL! 150-170! These chasers are putting on a show today folks." Lee was unaware of the fact that Harry's arm was now hanging motionless over the side of his broom.
"Time out!" Harry called towards Hooch.
The Official blew her whistle twice signalling the stop of play. "Two minutes, Gryffindor!"
"That's not good…" Aurora said as she too was now standing. "Daniel…" She said trying to get her husband to do something.
"There's nothing we can do. I trust Harry to know what he's doing." Daniel said to his panicstricken wife. Daphne quickly turned back around and stared stiffly at Harry.
The six of them flew quickly over to Harry. "Harry you look like shit." Angelina commented with a grin.
"Yeeeaeah… Let's not talk about it. Look I don't know how much I'll be able to do. I can barely use my right arm." he winced as she tried to close his hand into a fist.
"Don't stress, stay out of the play try and find that fucking Snitch." Alicia said earning a few shocked looks from the twins.
"Yeah, Harry take it easy. Try and recover. Forge, Gred keep those bludgers away from Harry." Angelina commanded.
"Yes Ma'am!" They both echoed.
The three chasers took back off as the twins floated to opposite ends of the field. Leaving Harry and Ginny to fly back to their goals.
"Harry?" Ginny called out.
"Hmm?" He turned his head to face her.
"Try not to fall off your broom…. Again." She teased causing him to smile. He turned back around.
"Thanks Gin, Keep up the good work. You're doing Great!" Harry took his spot above his goal as Madam Hooch tossed the ball the Fleet.
"A Quick timeout and it seems Potter is back on his broom. It seems his shoulder hadn't quite healed from before." Jordans voice spurred crowd back into the game. "Fleet takes the ball and passes to Diggory. Seems Hufflepuff want to take advantage of Potter's injury."
This spurred a series of boos and shouts from the Gryffindor side of the stadium.
"Diggory tosses to Macavory who passes to Preece. QUICK SHOT, WEASLEYS THERE. OH She's hit with a bludger and doubles over as the Quaffle goes through. GOAL HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Ohhh." Daphne winced and turned her head away from the resulting bludger hit in Ginny's stomach.
The Hufflepuff chasers quickly regroup at midfield with spattering of high fives. Meanwhile in front of the Gryffindor rings. Ginny leaned over her broom and threw up. She righted herself and coughed several times.
"COME ON GINNY!" Came a call from the parent sections as Mrs. Weasley stood enthusiastically cheered her youngest one.
Ginny wiped some spit and blood off her chin and righted herself on her broom. As she went to look for the Quaffle she saw Angelina toss it to Alicia. "You good?"
Ginny grimaced as she feared that she might have a broken rib. "Ya im good." At that a crack of lightning raced across the darkening sky and a light misting of water began to engulf the pitch.
"Just what we needed…" Angelina said as she sped off to meet her fellow chasers.
Harry floated about ten feet away from Cedric looking scanning for the snitch. He knew that he needed to end this game quickly. It was approaching the two hour mark and the score was 200-160 Hufflepuff. If things kept up, it wouldn't matter if he caught the snitch. Something had to change.
"PURPLE! BLUE!" He called down to Alicia and Katie, who had the ball around midfield. Katie started a quick dive while Alica passed the ball to the fast brunette.
"WHAT A PASS from Spinet to a streaking Bell. She's one on one with Fleet. Bell cocks OH ITS A FAKE! PASS to Alicia behind the rings who CANNONS It to a SURGING JOHNSON BOOM 200-170! Fleet had no chance what Coordination from the Flying Foxes."
Macavory grabs the free ball and grimaces as the ball almost slips out of her grip. She calls out some animal that Harry is not able to make out but clearly calling a play.
"BLUE BLUE" Harry calls forcing Alicia and Bell to drop back leaving Angelina to one on one Macavory.
"Macavory drives along the weak side. Johnson hot on her trail. They are neck and neck." Macavory throws an elbow into the chest of Angelina.
"WHAT A MOVE, NO FOUL" Jordan calls his voice slightly warped because of the rain.
Angelina winces as she recovers while diving down and tucks into Macavory slip stream.
Harry sees that she's beat and with Katie and Alicia covering Preece and Applebee it's up to Ginny.
CRACK
As he's thinking that, a bolt of Lightning cackles down through the stadium and connect with the Snitch about fifty feet from Harry.
Harry tucks in allowing his injured arm to curl into his body.
Daphne stood up quickly her hands sweaty and twitching nervously. "He's got it again!"
Daniel squinted to try and see the golden ball against the grey backdrop. "It's gonna be a tough catch in this rain and one handed." He said in a controlled voice. He was anxious for his son. "Come on Harry." He said under his breath as his knuckles curled tightly around the railing.
"He can do it!" Daphne said as her vision was locked on her boyfriend. "He has to…" she said to herself.
Cedric was a bit slow to react due to the lightning strike and he was caught up in the play as Macavory scores on Ginny. As he looked up to see if Harry was still floating, instead he spotted him streaking like a madman up into the sky.
"Fuck! BIRD BIRD BIRD!" Cedric called out as the two Hufflepuff beaters spun around and locked eyes on Harry.
He was pushing his broom as fast as he could, following the tiny golden ball. He was gaining on it but the rain was getting harder and it was slowing him down. Suddenly the Snitch reversed flying right past his face. He tried to snatch it with his left hand but lost his balance and almost fell off his broom.
Daphne and those around her gasped as he almost fell. "Potters found the Snitch for the second time this game. OH HE SLIPS."
Harry cursed out loud as his eyes stayed focused on the golden ball as it plunged back towards the stadium. He flipped his broom backwards and into a steep nose dive. The Thunderbolt responding like it was designed reaching a blistering speed of 120 miles per hour. There were two streams of white following behind Harry as the air and water formed a twenty foot tail behind him.
Cedric was able to take advantage of his slip and was essentially neck and neck with Harry.
Harry was tucked as aerodynamic as he could get, pushing his broom as fast it would take him. The snitch quickly righted itself and began weaving through the game. Harry ducked and swerved around Angelina and Preece forcing Angelina to lose the quaffle.
"POTTER! POTTER! POTTER!" Came a chant from the stands as by now every person in the stadium was watching the black haired teen streaking across the stadium, Cedric not two feet behind him.
The Snitch was heading towards the Hufflepuff rings as Cedric caught up to him as he was able to take advantage of his slipstream.
Harry's vision was beginning to blur as his speed increased and the rain got harder. His goggles were the only reason he could make out the golden glint. There was a crack of thunder as the stadium lit up light Christmas. He was a few feet behind the Snitch as it zigged and zagged through all of the players of the game.
"POTTER, DIGGORY are going neck and neck after the snitch! These two seekers putting on a show! Preece scores in the chaos!" Lee exclaimed as another bolt of lightning cackled through the stadium.
Suddenly the Snitch dove down to the ground level and both Seekers reacted on instinct.
Daphne squinted to see Harry and Cedric as they were on the opposite side of the stadium. "COME ON HARRY!" She shouted as she slapped her hands against the metal railing.
"Macavory Scores on Weasley." Punctuated the stadium but no one seemed to care.
Harry was now only a foot behind the Snitch and he thought he might be able to grab it. He reached out with his left hand using his right shoulder and forearm to hold him steady on his Thunderbolt. As he felt the wings pushing the air around his hand, his eye caught a flash of brown and he reacted as quick as he could. His fingers grazing the edge of the Bludger that would surely have broken his arm had he tried to reach for the Snitch.
As a result Harry lost a few feet falling right under Cedric who swerved to avoid the Bludger hit by Fred. Both seekers eyes remained locked on the golden ball that was heading straight towards the ring poles.
"Dammit! He had it!" Daniel said as he too stood up. A flash of lightning streaked across the sky.
"Daniel!" Aurora shouted nervously as Daphne's fingers began to turn white against the railing.
As the Snitch reached the rings it began spiraling up the center pole with Harry and Cedric right behind it.
Harry curled himself to the side of his broom as he pushed the centrifugal force upward as his broom accelerated through the turn.
"Come on Harry, tuck in keep your broom tip down…" Daphne said quietly. Her father looked over at her and saw just how nervous she was for him. It made him smile for a moment before another bolt of lightning drew his attention back to the game.
Cedric not being as agile and bit bigger was forced to take a wider turn losing a foot as the Snitch darted through the center ring and into the open grey sky.
Harry shot through the left hoop as he finished his circle and Cedric went through the right hoop. As the Snitch streaked upward into the clouds Harry heard more cheering from the Hufflepuff side of the stadium, 'They must be scoring. Focus Potter' he said to himself.
His vision narrowed as he was gaining on the Snitch and he was jostled when Cedric slammed right into his hurt shoulder. Harry let out a very wolf like howl as pain shot through his nervous system and he felt his bicep cramp and his arm went numb.
They had gone into a thick bank of clouds as Daphne's ears perked up hearing the same animalistic call that she had only head a few times. She knew that it was Harry. "Something's wrong"
Daniel turned towards her as she was staring where Harry and Cedric had just disappeared. "What do you mean?" He was now beginning to panic.
"Harry's hurt." Daphne returned as she stared searchingly at the darkening sky.
Daniel turned back and shared a look with his wife, who was shaking nervously in her chair.
Cedric used the opportunity to push further and went past Harry. He smiled for half a second before his face returned to its determined look chasing after the tiny golden ball.
They were now almost six hundred feet above the stadium and well into the clouds. Harry could see lightning buzzing across the upper cloud system almost bouncing off the clouds. It was a miracle that neither of them had been struck yet.
As Harry was thinking and trying to get a better line on Cedric the Snitch switch direction and headed back down towards the Gryffindor rings.
Both Cedric and Harry missed their grabs as the elusive ball zig zagged through them. They both turned around taking different directions. Harry pushed his broom as fast as he could given the dead weight that his arm was. Normally Harry's Thunderbolt would have no problem catching up to Cedrics Nimbus but since his arm was creating much undue wind resistance Harry was barely able to keep up.
"ANOTHER GOAL FOR MACAVORY! 330-180 Hufflepuff!
'FUCK' Harry said to himself as he tucked in right behind Cedric, drafting as much as he could. He pulled his arm into his chest and held his broom one handed to gain a bit of speed. He regained all the lost time in about fifty feet. They were still several hundred feet off the ground and heading towards the goals.
As they breached the bottom layer of clouds the Stadium sound came roaring back into earshot. All the players were down at the Hufflepuff goals. The Snitch two feet in front of Cedric and few inches more in front of Harry.
"There!" Daphne exclaimed pointing towards where Harry and Cedric were blazing a path following the Snitch. Her leg was twitching violently.
"WHAT A SAVE FROM FLEET! MACAVORY HAS THE QUAFFLE! SHE ONE ON ONE WITH WEASLEY!"
'Shit if she scores and I catch the snitch we lose.' Harry said to himself. Just as that thought crossed his mind he was thrown from his Thunderbolt as a bolt of lightning struck his tail bristles and threw him from the broom. He was thrown in front of Cedric, two hundred feet from the ground.
His eyes, never losing track of where the Snitch was, he noticed that he was now only a few inches from the Snitch. The ground quickly approaching and forced with a choice he tucked his arms against his body and plummeted face first towards the snitch.
Time seemed to stop for Daphne as she saw the streak of light. "No" Daphne whispered. "HARRY!" Daphne cried as she leapt over the railing and landed on the walkway twenty feet below her with a wince and a likely broken ankle.
Daniel had pulled out his wand and was trying to line it up with Harry in order to catch his fall. "Arresto Momentum!" he called as a sphere of silver shot out and flew just above Harry's head. "Damit!" He exclaimed as he fired two more spheres both of which missed by inches.
Daphne jumped over the railing and grabbed the red and gold tapestry that loosely rested against the stands. She rode the edge of it down to the pitch as she watched Harry plumet closer and closer to the ground.
Harry still fixated on the Snitch reached out with his right arm and he could feel the fluttering of wings against his tips and he clenched his hand into a fist, he let out a loud scream of pain as his fist engulfed the golden ball.
'Gotcha.` Harry thought to himself. His eyes relaxed and he saw the ground only twenty feet below him. He braced himself for what would be a very serious impact. When all of a sudden he felt a hand on his right shoulder and he screamed out in pain.
Cedric with as firm a grip on his shoulder as he could, pulled his broom up with his left arm letting out his own scream of pain. The resulting torque launched his broom out from under him as the two seekers careened into the ground and skidded forty or fifty feet against the grass.
Harry rolled about a hundred feet and finally he landed on his back his body lay sprawled out on the pitch.
Several minutes later Harry awoke surrounded by Daphne, Ginny, Katie, Alicia, Angelina, Fred, George, McGonagall and Cedric.
His eyes fluttered open as the rain pelted him from above. "HARRY!" came a resounding cry from all those around.
"I think thats me…" he mumbled as he spit up some blood.
Several sighs and looks of horror and shock faded as the twins giggled slightly.
"Did we win?" Harry asked groggily while not moving.
"Tied?" Fred asked Angelina who had been arguing with Madam Hooch before coming over to check on Harry.
"Tied." Angelina said with a bit of relief.
Harry closed his eyes again, "Good… Night." His face slumped to the side as all of his willpower to stay awake consumed.
The game went into the books as the most contested game in the past fifty years 330-330.