A/N: I do not own anything Harry Potter. Warning: some of the characters use foul language in this chapter (mostly used by Annie). Thank you to all that have reviewed and have added me to their Favorites/Alerts. I really hope you enjoy this chapter! Happy reading! XO

Chapter 58

"Where is Annie?" Hermione asked, as she looked to the entrance of the Great Hall where Fred and George had just walked in. "She said she was walking down with them."

Harry looked over at the boys and shrugged.

"Dunno. She'll turn up before the game though. She always does," he said, picking up a piece of toast and placing it on Ron's plate. "C'mon, mate, you've got to eat."

"Don't think I can," Ron said, shaking his head. He hadn't touched any bit of food since he sat down at the table and was looking rather pale. "I'm not ready for this. I should just go tell Angelina I quit."

"Oh, come on. You'll do fine. You're not backing out of this now. We need you," Harry said, giving up on getting Ron to eat and focusing on finishing his bowl of cereal. "Anyway, we should head down to the pitch. We'll see you guys after the game."

Harry and Ron got up from the table and Hermione came around to kiss them both on the cheek.

"Good luck out there," she said, sitting back down next to Ginny. "I'll tell Annie that you already went down if I see her."

"Yeah, see you, Hermione, Ginny," Harry said, nodding to both of the girls. As he gave Ron a slight push towards the door, he noticed a small smile on his face and shook his head. They made their way out into the entrance hall and Ron started to make for the front doors when Harry turned to the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Ron questioned, following Harry up to the first floor. "I thought you said we had to get down to the pitch."

"I'm going to get Annie," Harry said, turning down a corridor.

"I thought you didn't know where she was," Ron said as they stopped in front of the girl's bathroom.

"Nah, that's just what I told Hermione. She should be in here. Hey, Annie," Harry called, knocking on the door before opening it a crack. "You in here?"

"Yeah," a voice croaked from inside the bathroom. Harry sighed and walked into the bathroom, Ron following behind him. They heard the slide of a lock and Annie walked out of the end stall, wiping her mouth on the sleeve of her robe.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked when she walked over to the two boys.

"Yeah, I'm good," she answered, smiling weakly at Harry and Ron and leading them out of the bathroom. "Let's get down to the pitch. Angelina will kill us if we're late."

"Do you puke before every game?" Ron asked, looking at her with concern as they walked down the corridor.

"No, just before the first game of the season. Nerves, you know? Don't want to fuck up out there," she admitted sheepishly. "Don't tell anyone, okay? I've got a rep to protect."

"Yeah, sure."

They walked down to the quidditch pitch in silence. Harry tried to force some conversation but to no avail; Ron was too nervous and Annie was trying to get focused on the coming match. When they walked into the locker room, Annie took off her cloak and threw it on the bench in front of her locker. She pulled her quidditch robes over her head and looked around to see Katie helping Ron who seemed to have gotten stuck in his. She smiled and turned back to her locker and took out her gloves and broom. She threw her cloak inside the locker before shutting the door and sitting down on the bench to wait for Angelina's instructions.

"Alright team," Angelina said, emerging from the captain's office and standing in front of them, "This is the first game of the season and it's against Slytherin. We all know they've got something dirty up their sleeves. Fred and George," she addressed the twins who had been discreetly playing a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors, "Slytherin has two new beaters, Crabbe and Goyle."

Annie threw her head back and laughed.

"Montague has those two idiots as beaters?" she said as Ron and Harry joined in her laughter.

"Yeah, do you know them?" Angelina asked her, trying to get what was so funny.

"They're those two big guys that follow Malfoy around," Harry answered. "You'd probably have to make a trail of Pumpkin Pasties leading to the pitch for them to find it, they're that dumb."

Annie laughed again and gave Harry a high five.

"Alright, well just look out for those two, got it?" Angelina instructed and Fred and George saluted her.

"Ron," Angelina said turning to address the keeper, "some advice for you is to just pay attention to the game and keep an eye on the quaffle at all times." Ron nodded and Annie noticed some of the color in his face fade away.

"Harry, just do what you gotta do to catch the snitch. The sooner we can end this game, the better," Angelina continued.

"Right," Harry said, giving a nod.

"As for Katie, Annie, and myself, I want to play this game fair. As much as we would probably want to, we can't sink to their level," the two chasers nodded. "Annie, you can play rough, but don't go overboard. We can't afford to lose you and play man-down."

"Only aim my elbows at the face. Got it," Annie affirmed, giving her a thumbs up.

Angelina shook her head and picked up her broom.

"Let's get out there then," she said as the team made to follow her to the tunnel. They stopped in the entrance and Angelina turned around to make sure she had the whole team with her. Her eyes paused on Annie as she took her place in line behind Katie.

"Annie, where is your helmet?" she asked her fellow chaser.

"Oh come on!" Annie groaned. "Do I really have to wear it? Why am I the only one who has to wear a helmet? Nobody else on the team, but Ron, is wearing one."

"Because you're a liability," Fred joked, knocking her lightly on the head with his knuckles.

"Madame Hooch's, Madame Pomfrey's, Professor McGonagall's, and Professor Dumbledore's orders," Angelina explained, turning Annie around and pushing her lightly towards the locker room. "Now go get it or we won't be allowed to play."

Annie rolled her eyes and stomped off to the locker room to retrieve her helmet. She jogged back a few seconds later and took her place in line just as the Slytherin's came out of their locker room. Madame Hooch took her place in front of the two teams, mounted her broom, and kicked off from the ground, leading them into the air to tumultuous applause. Lee Jordan announced the players on each team as they flew off to take their positions. Madame Hooch blew the whistle and threw the quaffle in the air. Annie grabbed the ball and started to make a beeline for the Slytherin goal hoops. She made a pass to Katie and swerved out of the way of a bludger aimed for her head. As one of the Slytherin chasers intercepted Katie's pass to Angelina, Annie heard the chant coming from green-clad supporters below.

"Just ignore them, Ron!" she shouted to her teammate as he went to retrieve the quaffle that had sailed through the Gryffindor goal hoops.

"And how do you suggest I do that?" he asked, angrily tossing her the quaffle as the Weasley is Our King chant grew louder.

"Sing a Celestina Warbeck song in your head. Probably better than this shit," Annie shouted as she sped away.

The match wasn't going as terribly as Annie had thought it might have gone. Gryffindor was still leading by ten points, but Ron had let in four goals. Out of the corner of her eye, Annie had seen Harry darting around the pitch looking for the snitch. Annie caught a pass from Angelina and barrel-rolled out of a Slytherin chaser's way. She swung around the back of the hoops and tossed the quaffle easily into the hoops. She heard the Gryffindors below give an almighty roar that grew louder when she turned around. Harry was flying over to her with the snitch clutched in his raised fist. Annie raised both her hands and cheered in triumph but gasped suddenly as she watched Harry get hit in the back by a bludger.

"Oi!" she yelled, gesturing to Crabbe and trying to get Madame Hooch's attention. Madame Hooch blew her whistle and flew over to the cackling boy. Annie landed on the ground next to Harry and helped him to his feet.

"You alright?" she asked, giving him a high five.

"Yeah, thanks," he assured her as the rest of the team ran over to them.

As the team congratulated each other on their win, and Madame Hooch yelled at Crabbe, Malfoy hurled insults aimed at the Weasley family.

"Hey!" Angelina yelled as she grabbed Fred by the shoulder. "He's not worth it. Just ignore him."

Harry grabbed George and held him back as he tried to break free to attack Malfoy. Katie sensed that Angelina could use some help with Fred and grabbed him by the other shoulder. Annie stepped in front of George and tried to calm him down.

"Come on, George," she begged. "He's just trying to get a rise out of you guys."

"Yeah, but he's a piece of shit," he said through gritted teeth as he struggled to break free of Harry's grasp. "I want to shut him up."

"Let's not forget your filthy mudblood mother, Potter," Malfoy spat at the boys. "Does your house stink as bad as Weasley's?"

Annie was suddenly knocked over and fell hard on the ground as Harry and George rushed past her. She turned around and saw Harry land a fist in Malfoy's stomach. Annie cheered but stopped when she noticed Madame Hooch running over to them. She flourished her wand and the two boys flew back.

"You two," Madame Hooch yelled at Harry and George, "go to your head of house's office immediately!"

Annie watched them stalk off the pitch without a word and matching scowls on their faces. She felt herself being lifted off the ground and set on her feet. She looked up at Fred who tilted his head toward the locker room. Annie followed behind the team into the locker room and changed back into her normal clothes. Hermione and Ginny were waiting for Annie outside the locker room and the three girls walked back to the castle.

"Where's Ron?" Ginny asked as they walked up the last staircase leading to Gryffindor tower.

"No idea. He wasn't in the locker room," Annie answered before giving the Fat Lady the password.

"I hope he's okay," Hermione said.

"Mmhm," Annie nodded.

"Annie, your hair is so knotted. Don't you ever brush it?" Angelina asked her teammate. Annie was seated at Angelina's feet with her back up against the couch as Angelina brushed out her wet hair.

"She doesn't. She comes out of the bathroom, shakes out her hair, and then goes about her business without brushing it," Fred answered, his eyes closed and his head thrown back against the couch. He was seated next to Angelina and had his arm resting behind her on the back of the couch.

"How do you know this?" Angelina asked, ceasing the brushing and glaring at her boyfriend.

"Because she's stayed at my house before and I've seen her do it," Fred answered, picking his head up off the couch and giving Annie a light kick in the knee. "She's a fucking puppy, I swear."

"Hey!" she whined, sticking out her tongue at him.

"You are though," Fred countered, kicking her again.

"You're a dog," Annie said, childishly.

"Your dad's a dog," Fred retorted.

Annie cocked an eyebrow at him and laughed.

"My dad is a dog, idiot," she said. Fred looked at her questioningly until the fact clicked in his mind and he laughed.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," he said.

Angelina shook her head at the exchange and went back to brushing Annie's hair. The three Gryffindor chasers, Fred, Hermione, Ginny, and Lee were all sitting in the common room waiting for Harry and George to return from Professor McGonagall's office. There had been no sign of Ron after the match, but they were all hoping he was okay and wasn't going too hard on himself.

"Seriously," Annie said after a while as Angelina started braiding her hair, "how long does it take to give a week's detention and take off fifty points from Gryffindor? Professor McGonagall does it to me in, like, ten seconds."

"Yeah, but there's two of them so it should take twenty seconds, I reckon," Fred said sarcastically. He was back to his half-nap stage, but this time he was lying on the couch with his head resting on Angelina's thigh and his feet propped up on the arm of the couch.

"I reckon you might be right," Annie said, completely missing the sarcasm in her friend's voice. "Twenty seconds. It should sound something like this: 'Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, muggle fighting is wrong and distasteful at Hogwarts. You two are goddamn wizards. Use your fucking wands. Put the little shit in a leg-locker curse or something. But even if you did use your wands, I would still take fifty points from Gryffindor and give you a week's detention which is what I'm doing now. Now, get out of my office so I can write to your parents about how stupid you are.' That's what she would say, I'm telling you."

"Really? Is that what she'll say? Exactly what you just said?" Lee asked, as everyone but Hermione started laughing.

"I may have embellished a little, but you guys get the point," she replied. "Something doesn't seem right. I wonder what's- Oh, hey! We were just talking about you guys."

Harry and George had just come through the portrait hole and were making their way over to their group of friends. Both boys looked extremely pissed off as they sat down, Harry on the arm of Ginny's chair and George next to Annie on the floor.

"Come on, guys, cheer up," Annie said, punching George lightly in the arm to make him smile. "A week's worth of detention isn't that bad. I've been there before."

"I wish it was that," Harry spat. "Umbridge gave us a lifetime ban from quidditch. Fred too."

"What?" Angelina, Katie, Lee, and Ginny all chorused.

"What the hell did I do?" Fred asked sitting up, alarmed and looking angry.

"Umbridge?" Hermione questioned, looking alarmed. "What was she doing there? She can't do that."

"She doesn't have the power to do that," Annie added, looking to George for answers.

"She does now," he said, glumly. "According to Educational Decree Number whatever, she gets to have input on punishments making her more powerful than a 'regular professor' as she puts it. Stupid bitch."

"But why am I banned?" Fred repeated, looking between his brother and Harry for answers.

"Umbridge said it was because of your behavior while Angelina and Katie held you back," Harry answered. "She's taking all of our brooms and locking them up."

"That stupid bitch," Fred spat, scowling as he laid back down on the couch.

The group sat in silence for a few minutes, stewing in the unfortunate news. Annie rested her head on George's shoulder as he stared into the fire. Harry and Ginny picked at the fuzz on the armchair and Hermione looked tapped her fingers on the book on her lap.

"Hey, Angelina?" Annie said, breaking the silence and tilting her head back to look at her captain. "What's going to happen now?"

Angelina sighed.

"I guess we're going to have try-outs again," she answered, looking down at her boyfriend, George and Harry.

"Great," Annie groaned, setting her head back on George's shoulder again and closing her eyes.

After a minute of more silence, Angelina and Fred got up from the couch and went over to another part of the common room. Lee and Katie followed suit, and Ginny went off to talk to some friends, leaving Harry, Hermione, Annie, and George to wait for Ron to tell him the bad news. Annie stood up from the floor and told the others she would be back before running up to her room to get a blanket. When she returned, George was sitting on the couch with his head resting on the arm and his eyes closed. He threw an arm around her shoulders as she curled up next to him and closed her eyes to take a nap, hoping this day would turn out to be a horrible nightmare and she would wake up to find that they hadn't played yet.