Chapter 6 - First Game of the Season
The morning after me, Harry, Ron and Hermione were sat in the Great Hall for breakfast before the match. I'm fairly sure that I was paler than usual because I was definitely nervous. And so was Harry. We didn't really want to eat but Ron and Hermione dragged us down here.
"You have to eat." Hermione said pushing a plate of toast in front each of us.
"You'll need to keep your strength up." Ron added. I sighed, picked up a slice and started nibbling on it. Harry then did the same thing.
"Do you want to know what I think?" I asked the three of them and they nodded. "I reckon someone let the troll in as a diversion so they could get past that dog and get under the trap door." The three of them looked stunned.
"It makes sense." Hermione said slowly.
"But who?" Harry asked just as Snape walked up behind him.
"Good luck Potter, Hyde." Snape drawled in his bored tone. "Then again, after proving yourselves against a troll a game of Quidditch should be easy. Even if it is against Slytherin."
"Especially since it's against Slytherin. This game will be an easy win." I smiled at him. He grimaced slightly then limped off.
"Snape's limping." Harry stated. "I reckon it was him."
"Maybe." I replied as the morning owls came. I saw Dion and Hedwig, Harry's owl, flying towards us with broomstick shaped packages. I just stared until they landed in front of us. Me and Hermione pulled open mine while Ron and Harry pulled apart his. I was first to see the Nimbus 2000 logo and screamed.
"It's a broomstick." Harry said surprised.
"That's not just any broomstick. These are..." Ron started before I cut in.
"Nimbus 2000!" I screeched.
"You're too over-excitable when it comes to Quidditch." Hermione grumbled next to me. I looked up to see Dion and Hedwig on the staff table with Professor McGonagall. I looked back at Harry and we grinned at eachother then launched out of the room with our broomsticks.
-.-
By eleven o'clock me and Harry were changed and ready in the changing rooms getting ready to for Oliver Wood's speech.
Okay, men..." He started before Angelina cut in.
"And women." She said.
"And women." Wood agreed. "This is it."
"The big one." Fred said grinning.
"The one we've all been waiting for." George continued.
"We know Oliver's speech by heart." Fred told me and Harry. "We were in the team last year."
"Shut up you two." Oliver ordered. "This is the best team Gryffindor's had in years. We're going to win. I know it." He finished but with the look in his eye you could tell he meant 'or else'. "Right. It's time. Good luck, all of you." He said looking mainly at me and Harry. We marched out of the changing rooms and got into our positions on the pitch. Madam Hooch was refereeing the game.
"Now, I want a nice fair game, all of you." Madam Hooch ordered but I wasn't listening much as me and Marcus Flint were glaring at eachother. I looked to my right and smiled at Katie, she nodded, then looked at Angelina who grinned at me which made me feel a hell of a lot more confident. I could barely hear the din of Lee Jordan, a mate of Fred and George's doing the commentary as Madam Hooch released the bludgers, the snitch and then finally picked up the quaffel and threw it up into the air starting the game. Me, Angeline and Katie dived straight for the quaffel along with the three Slytherin chasers; Marcus Flint, Graham Montague and Adrian Pucey. Angelina got it first then started belting down the pitch with me close at her side. Angelina threw it to me as Montague got in front of her but Pucey decided to knock into my side, nearly throwing me off my broom, and taking the quaffel. I glared at him as he smirked at me and started chasing after him. He threw it to Flint who tried to score but was stopped by Wood. He passed it to Katie who dropped it after being hit in the back of the head by a bludger. Adrian Pucey got the quaffel and as I was about to dive into him and get the quaffel one of the twins hit him with a bludger so I just collected it from underneath him. I caught up to Angelina and passed it to her. She then scored as the keeper, Miles Bletchely, dived and missed.
"TEN POINTS TO GRYFFINDOR! GOAL FROM CHASER JOHNSON!" Lee Jordan shouted. The Gryffindor fans went wild. Angelina flew passed me and high-fived in celebration. I looked up and saw Harry doing some celebratory loop-the-loops. The keeper threw the quaffel to Montague who passed to Pucey but after both bludgers hit him from both twins, he dropped it giving it to Katie. Katie then passed to me and I scored for the first time ever in a proper game. "ANOTHER TEN POINTS TO GRYFFINDOR! THIS GOAL FROM THE NEWEST AND YOUNGEST CHASER ASH HYDE! HOLD ON A MINUTE, IS THAT THE SNITCH!" Lee announced to everyone meaning immediate cheering for me but everyone stared at Harry and the Slytherin seeker, Terence Higgs, go neck and neck for the snitch. No one was moving so the ball had stayed in the Slytherin keeper's hands. Harry sped up and his hands were mere millimetres away from the snitch when that damn, dirty, Slytherin captain Flint blocked Harry nearly sending him flying off his broom.
"FOUL!" I screeched as did all the Gryffindor players and fans. Oliver went down to yell at Flint as Madam Hooch did. We were given a penalty that was taken by Katie. She obviously scored. The keeper gave the quaffel to Flint so I dived above him then stole the quaffel off of him and headed straight for Slytherin. I was about to throw it to Katie when I got hit in the face with a bludger so I dropped it. Next thing I knew Slytherin had scored while I was rubbing my cheek. That's when I noticed Harry's broom going mad. I looked at Wood to see if I could go help and he nodded so I went sailing up there. "What's up with it?" I shouted when I got near him.
"I dunno, I'm not controlling it!" Harry yelled back. I looked at Hermione and Ron in the stands who were pointing their binoculars at the teachers stand. I looked and saw Snape doing a spell with his eyes on Harry's broom. I glared at him until he discretely pointed at Quirrel who was doing the same as him. I gasped. "What?" Harry asked me.
"Quirrel's jinking your broom! Snape's trying to counter it." I yelled back just as Harry's broom bucked nearly sending him completely off, he only had one hand on the broom while I grabbed his other arm. "Trade brooms!" I ordered. "Find the snitch!" Harry looked at me then nodded. We traded quickly so I could clamp onto the broom.
"Nice goal, by the way!" Harry yelled at me.
"Thanks now move your arse!" I yelled back. Harry flew down and did a quick ring of the pitch before he spotted the snitch and went sailing after it. I looked at over where Hermione and Ron was to see she wasn't there anymore. I looked over at Snape just as the broom bucked again and I was nearly off of it and holding on with one hand. "Shit!" I muttered as I almost completely fell off. I glared at Quirrel who just looked back with an evil grin on his face. That was until Snape stood up and knocked him backwards. I flew away from Quirrel while I could to see Flint with the Quaffle heading for the Gryffindor posts and I couldn't see Wood anywhere so I dived and crashed into Flint on purpose and stole the Quaffle.
"AND AN ALMOST SLYTHERIN GOAL IS STOPPED BY CHASER HYDE AS SHE STEALS THE QUAFFEL FROM CAPTAIN FLINT AND HEADS TOWARDS THE SLYTHERIN GOAL POSTS!" Lee Jordan announced getting the attention of Wood who smiled and nodded at me for doing his job. I then passed to Katie as Harry almost swallowed the snitch. Everyone froze as Harry stood on the pitch and spat the snitch into his hands. "HARRY POTTER CATCHES THE SNITCH EARNING GRYFFINDOR 150 POINTS AND ENDING THE GAME. THE FINAL SCORE IS GRYFFINDOR 180, SLYTHERIN 60!" Lee Jordan yelled as everyone cheered. The Gryffindor team circled around Harry clapping but he only grinned at me. I then heard Marcus Flint complaining to Madam Hooch.
"He didn't catch it! He nearly swallowed it." He howled. I just laughed at him. Twenty minutes later me, Harry, Ron and Hermione where in Hagrid's hut having a cup of tea.
"It was Snape. Hermione and I saw him. He was cursing your broomstick, muttering, he wouldn't take his eyes off you." Ron explained to Harry.
"No it wasn't. It was Quirrel. I looked him straight in the eyes and he grinned at me evilly. I don't know why but it was Quirrel and Snape was trying to counter it." I disagreed.
"Then how come when I lit Snape's coat on fire the broom went back to normal?" Hermione asked me.
"Because Snape stood up and knocked Quirrel backwards, breaking the eye contact. I saw everything up there, Hermione." I argued.
"Rubbish." Hagrid finally said. "Why would Snape or Quirrel do somethin' like that?" I nudged Harry to tell him.
"I don't know about Quirrel but I found something out about Snape. He tried to get past the three-headed dog on Halloween. It bit his leg. We think he was trying to steal whatever it's guarding." Harry explained then Hagrid dropped his teapot.
"How do you know about Fluffy?" Hagrid asked.
"Fluffy?" Ron and Hermione asked at the same time.
"That thing has a name?" I asked.
"O'course. He's mine. Bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las' year. I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the..." Hagrid then abruptly stopped.
"Yes?" Harry asked eagerly.
"Now, don't ask me anymore." Hagrid said gruffly. "That's top secret, that is."
"But Snape's trying to steal it!" Ron exclaimed.
"Rubbish." Hagrid said again. "Snape's a Hogwarts teacher, he'd do nothin' of the sort."
"So why did he just try and kill Harry and then Ash?" Hermione asked. "I know a jink when I see one, Hagrid. I've read all about them! You've got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn't blinking, I saw him!"
"It was Quirrel! I know jinks and counter-jink too and both of them were keeping eye contact with the broom." I yelled.
"I'm tellin' yeh, yer wrong!" Hagrid said hotly. "I don' know why Harry's broom acted but Snape nor Quirrel wouldn' try an' kill a student! Now, listen to me, all four of yeh - yer meddlin' in things that don' concern yeh. It's dangerous. You forget that dog, an' yeh forget what its gaurdin', that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicholas Flamel..." Hagrid again stopped abruptly realising he'd said too much.
"Hagrid, who's Nicholas Flamel?" I asked sweetly. Hagrid looked furious with himself.