Chapter 33 Flight of the Firebolts

This time, Harry and I were the mediators between Ron and Hermione. He was upset that Hermione and I hadn't taken him seriously with Crookshanks having it out for Scabbers, but he got over it when I said that I thought Ariel was keeping him out of trouble. He was still mad at Hermione though, she wasn't apologizing for the situation.

Hermione snapped at Harry though. She was on the defense since she told McGonagall about the broom and now Scabbers has died, and she was swamped with work, she had every right to snap. So I took to Hermione mostly while Harry and Ron hung out most of the time.

To cheer Ron up, and to make good on my promise with Ginny. Harry and I had invited them to the last practice of the week. Word had gotten out that I had a Firebolt as well as Harry so other students from the other houses were watching us practice.

Wood told me that Angelina was going to sit this game out so that I could play as chaser, so I was mostly following her around to make sure I knew her part of the game plays. Though, I also tailed Wood, the Weasley's and Harry around the pitch so that I knew what my broom felt like if I did have to take up those positions at a later time.

Madam Hooch, who was still overseeing Gryffindor practices, was impressed with both Firebolts just as everyone had been. She inspected both of them and gave us both her professional opinion on them.

"Look at the balance on it! If the Nimbus series has a fault, it's a slight list to the tail end - you often find they develop a drag after a few years. They've updated the handle too, a bit slimmer than the Cleansweeps, reminds me of the time of the old Silver Arrows - a pity they've stopped making them. I learned to fly on one, and a very fine old broom it was too…"

I was giggling because she kept hold of Harry's broom and Wood had to ask her to give it back.

Harry rolled his eyes at me but we shared a smile when we both got on our brooms.

"Ready!" Fred shouted behind us.

I crouched low while Harry shook his head but started to laugh.

"Set!" George shouted as well.

The Gryffindor team had made a half circle around us.

"GO!" The team shouted.

I kicked off and it only took Harry two seconds to catch up. My Firebolt was reacting to just the thought of I wanted. I wanted to dive, I would. I wanted to go straight up? Up I went. Harry and I raced around the whole Quidditch pitch. We were both small and thin people, but he just had that extra boost and was ahead of me by two inches. When we stopped above the team we gave a high five to each other.

"Good job!" I told him.

"You were right on my tail though." Harry's grin was contagious.

"You're just faster than I am. It's gotta be because you're a seeker." My face was hurting.

"Harry! Cassie! I'm releasing the Snitch. I want you two to race for it first. You're both going to need the training, and Cassie, when you're done shadow Fred!" Wood shouted to us.

We both nodded and we went our separate ways to search for the snitch. Harry caught it in the first two times and taught me how to look for it. He had better perception than I did so he taught me a trick to see it and I improved vastly.

After I caught it three times in a row Harry let me go and I dropped down to the ground to grab a beater bat and joined Fred and George's game of hit the bludger. Now that was a lot of fun. I had to get used to sharp turns and riding around with one arm. It was good practice for the Quaffle.

The twins and I were racing to hit the bludger to the other person, and they were better than me, but I was able to dodge the bludger when I couldn't hit it back. After a bit of doing that, I went over to Angelina and shadowed her for a bit, learning the moves they were doing. Then I took the Quaffle and they had to try to get it from me. But I was able to dodge all of them so we switched it so that I would have to intercept the Quaffle from them.

Then I took over Wood's position as Keeper, and I had to make sure they didn't get past me. Once I had proven that I could handle those positions with the Firebolt, and Wood thought we were out there long enough, he called practice off and when we hit the ground he didn't have a single criticism to say about practice.

"I can't see what's going to stop us tomorrow!" Wood said, a grin on his face. "Cassie, Angelina has decided to sit this game out so that you can play."

"Really? Thank you!" I smiled at her.

She grinned and balled her hand into a fist and nudged my chin.

"And Harry, you've sorted out your dementor problem, haven't you?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded, looking at me.

I knew we were both thinking of his feeble Patronus.

"The dementors won't turn up again, Oliver. Dumbledore'd go ballistic," Fred threw his arm over my shoulders and gave me a hearty shake.

"Well, let's hope not," Wood said. "Anyway - good work, everyone. Let's get back to the tower… turn in early -"

"We're staying out for a bit; Ron and Ginny want a go on the Firebolt's." Harry told Wood as the rest of the team headed back towards the castle.

Ron and Ginny vaulted over the barrier of the stands and met us halfway. I noticed Madam Hooch had fallen asleep where she was sitting.

"Here you go," Harry said, handing his broom to Ron.

I handed Ginny my broom.

I didn't get a chance to see her face. She and Ron had taken off and were doing laps and racing each other.

Night fell and Madam Hooch woke up with a start and started yelling at us for not waking her up sooner. So, Ron and Ginny came down and I walked ahead with Ginny.

She was gushing about how the Firebolt felt and how much better she thought it was. We walked to the common room I walked over to Hermione who was looking stressed out.

"Hey, why don't you take a break?" I asked, putting my hand on her shoulder.

"I need to read this book before Monday." Hermione said, tears in her eyes.

"Then read it in the bathtub. Come on, I'll make it warm for you and I'll use the rose scented bubbles. I even have some candles I got that I can light for a more relaxing time. And all you can focus on is that book." I said, pushing her homework away and grabbing her book.

"But -"

"You are doing too much. Come take a break." I pulled her out of her seat.

"Okay." She said, looking at her homework with a stressful look.

I got her up the stairs and told her to wait on her bed while I showered real quick. When I got out of the bathroom was steamy from the tub filling up with bubbly water, rose scented bubbles followed me out.

"Now it's your turn." I said, gesturing to her to get into the bathroom.

"Thank you, Cas." Hermione gave me a tired grin and walked into the bathroom.

The next morning, Hermione and I walked down to breakfast together. I had put my wand in my bra next to my ribcage, and I hoped it wouldn't break during the game. Hermione wasn't going to come to the game, but I convinced her to come down and eat before going back and doing her homework.

We walked into the Great Hall and Wood waved me over.

"Where's Harry?" He asked.

"He's coming, we went on ahead." I said, sitting next to him.

"Okay, put your broom here." Wood picked up my broom and placed it on the table.

I started to eat when Harry joined us, and he also got the looks and whispers that I didn't notice had followed me.

"Put it here, Harry." Wood gestured for Harry to put his broom next to mine.

Breakfast was full of people from the other houses coming to our table and admiring the brooms.

"Sure you can manage that broom, Potter?" Draco's voice drawled.

"Yeah, reckon so," Harry said casually.

"Got plenty of special features, hasn't it?" Draco avoided my look. "Shame it doesn't come with a parachute incase you get too near a dementor."

Crabbe and Goyle sniggered at that comment.

"Pity you can't attach an extra arm to yours, Malfoy." Harry grinned. "Then it could catch the Snitch for you."

I howled with laughter with the rest of the team. Draco slunked away with his friends. When he got back to the Slytherin table, he and the team put their heads together.

At a quarter to eleven, Hermione went up to the common room and I walked down to the pitch with my team.

"How are you feeling?" I asked Harry.

"Nervous, but I'm starting to get excited." Harry answered.

"The conditions are so much better than the match against Hufflepuff." I said.

Harry nodded and looked up to the clear blue sky. We made it to the changing rooms and I showed Harry that I had my wand and he showed me he had his.

"You know what we've got to do," Wood said as we prepared to leave the locker room. "IF we lose this match, we're out of the running. Just - just fly like you did in practice yesterday, and we'll be okay!"

We walked out onto the field to the applause from the crowd that had shown up. The Ravenclaw team was dressed in blue, and were already standing in the middle of the pitch, waiting for us.

"Wood, Davies, shake hands." Madam Hooch said briskly.

"Mount your brooms… on my whistle… three - two - one -"

I was off in the air. And I did a warm up lap around the pitch. I had two of the Ravenclaw chasers attempt to follow me, but I managed to lose them when I did a sudden nose dive and switched directions.

"They're off, and the big excitement this match is the two Firebolts that Harry Potter and Cassie Zwart are flying for Gryffindor. According to Witch Broomstick, the Firebolt is going to be the broom of choice for the nation teams at this year's World Championship -"

"Jordan, would you mind telling us what's going on in the match?" McGonagall interrupted.

"Right you are, Professor - just giving a bit of background information - the Firebolt, incidentally, has a built- in auto-brake and - "

"Jordan!" McGonagall reprimanded.

I laughed and shook my head and went for the quaffle. Alicia passed it to me and with the wind in my ears, I got lost in the game. Katie, Alicia and I were a bit choppy at first. They were used to playing with Angelina and even though we had been practicing all week, it was still an adjustment. But soon we were eighty points to zero because Ravenclaw couldn't hold onto the quaffle. Not with me zooming around and taking it out from their hands.

Something shifted in the crowd, and I looked around. Harry and Cho Chang, the Ravenclaw seeker, were close to me and Chang was pointing down.

I noticed the three dark dementors and pulled out my wand.

"Expecto Patronum!" Harry and I both shouted.

Huge silver shapes burst out of our wands and soared towards the dementors. I looked over to Harry and he was racing for the Snitch.

The whistle sounded and I raced towards Harry with the rest of the team.

"That's my boy!" Wood was shouting.

Alicia, and Katie kissed Harry and I gave him a hug before placing a kiss on his cheek too. We managed to get to the ground and the Gryffindor supporters were racing towards us, Ron in the lead.

"Yes!" Ron shouted, yanking Harry's arm into the air. "Yes! Yes!"

Angelina came and placed a kiss on Harry's cheek too and joined Alicia and Katie with their cheering.

"Those were quite some Patronus you and Harry cast." Lupin's voice was in my ear.

I turned to see Lupin standing there, looking shaken.

"I was just so happy in that moment. To be playing Quidditch with my best friend. And then we saw the dementors and I couldn't leave him alone." I tried to explain over the noise.

He grinned at me and walked over to Harry and said something in his ear.

"The dementors didn't affect me at all!" Harry was saying excitedly, "I didn't feel a thing!"

"That would be because they - er - weren't dementors." Lupin said, "come and see -"

He lead Harry out of the crowd and I followed closely behind, curious.

"You gave Mr. Malfoy quite a fright," Lupin had a grin on his face.

McGonagall was shouting at Draco, Crabbe, Goyle, and Marcus Flint, the Slytherin team captain. Harry looked back at me and I just shook my head while laughing at them.

"An unworthy trick!" McGonagall shouted. "A low and cowardly attempt to sabotage the Gryffindor Seeker! Detention for all of you, and fifty points from Slytherin! I shall be speaking to Professor Dumbledore about this, make no mistake! Ah, here he comes now!"

"Another sweet victory!" I said into Harry's ear.

He laughed and nodded in agreement.

Ron had found us and was laughing at the Slytherin predicament with us.

"Come on, Harry!" George said behind us.

He had fought his way over to us.

"Party! Gryffindor common room, now!"

"Let's go!" I said, pulling on Harry's arm.

"Right." He nodded.

We lead the way to the common room, still in our Quidditch robes.

Happy Holidays to you! Though I should have said that last week.

Shout out to titclem for adding the Treasured Chamber of Secrets to your favorites list!

Shout out to ProudSlytherin04 for following and favoriting me, adding this story to your favorites and following list!

Shout out to HedwigFan101 for adding this story to your favorites list!

Shout out to Awritingbookworm, ProudSlytherin04, and Pamela Hutchins for leaving a review!

Awritingbookworm: Thank you! And I spent a good three hours researching for Sirius's patronus and then I spent another hour talking to both my boyfriend and to my best friend about if I should just do it or not LOL.

ProudSlytherin04: You are sweet! Thank you so much for your glowing review!

Pamela Hutchins: Right? That chapter actually hurt me to write but in the end I really did love it.