A/N: Just a brief chapter to keep the story flowing and give a little suspence..
A bitterly cold wind blew outside of Hogwarts castle, the sky was a dark blue and the ground between the quidditch pitch and the castle was only illuminated by the tiny stars speckled across the sky. They always seemed to shine brighter here than anywhere else in the world in Harry's opinion. Harry cut across the ground whilst always watching his footing and reached the quidditch pitch, accompanied by his firebolt broomstick, a gift from his god father Sirius whom he had lost at the Ministry at the end of the last school year, the thought made an icy cold feeling strangle around Harry's heart.
Wrapped up in the warmth of the changing room Harry felt like he did not want to leave and enter the quidditch pitch for the first time in a long while, he was desperate for warmth and ever since his lips had parted from Ginny's there was a cold feeling that hung over him that he couldn't quite understand. Not even the thought of racing his firebolt around the pitch eagerly and as fast as he could seemed to be able to lift his spirits. The muttering stopped abruptly and an apprehensive silence settled over the changing rooms, causing Harry to look up from the floor he had his eyes so intently set upon. Stood at the doorway were too pale figures. One with windswept, messy ginger hair and a lanky build which had, to anyone observing, improved since his time on the quidditch team, and another with soft hazel eyes and her hair neatly tied up.
Harry tried to avoid Ginny and Ron's direct gaze as he addressed the team, which was now complete.
"Right, so we're all here then? Good." Harry started.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron snapped back.
"It doesn't mean anything, Ron." Ginny snapped as she looked up at her older brother.
"Anyway, this is just a routine practise to keep us all in shape ready for the next match after the holidays as a few members of our team won't be able to practise over Christmas." Harry started. "We'll be against the Slytherins, so obviously we need to be at the top of our game, they're the main people to beat. Block out the slytherin supporters whilst we're playing and concentrate on the game, we need all the confidence we can gather for that match."
"Aiming that at anyone in particular?" Ron muttered just loud enough for Harry to hear.
"Ron, I'm trying to just make sure everyone's as prepared as possible." Harry replied trying to keep cool, it wasn't often it took as much effort to do this with Ron as it did with Malfoy..
"Anyway, we'll go through the routine properly when everyone's returned, but basically we know what the Slytherin team are like. We know how they're going to try to win and we know they're willing to play dirty to do it." Harry begun. "So as long as we're confident, aware of what's going on and keep ourselves calm we'll be fine. We've got a well set up team and the talent we have could outstrip Malfoy's lot any day." He looked around at the determined faces looking up at him. "Any questions? No? Good, come on."
Out on the pitch the visibility was poor. The stadium lights were barely providing any light at the very centre of the pitch and with the blistering winds that forced people to squint anyway it was difficult to see. After about fifteen minutes Harry called everyone in.
"Right, this isn't going to work. We're going to go off into pairs and take it in turns to try and stop the person we're working with from fulfilling what they're supposed to do. If you're with a chaser, you stop them from getting the quaffle and so on.. Try and use techniques the Slytherins are going to use to make our lives difficult. Try and keep moving too, the cold won't get to you as much."
Everyone teamed up, Ron and Ginny we're together as expected and as there was an uneven number of players on a quidditch team Harry decided to just encourage the others and help them.
"Good! Good! Nice one Katie!" Harry called.
Suddenly a gust of wind rippled over the stadium with such force that Harry slipped almost off his broom and as he glanced around to check if everyone was okay the figure of a delicate looking girl falling to the ground caught his eye as Harry heard Ron's shouting and he followed the red haired boy down to the ground to the limp figure of Ginny Weasley that was sprawled out on the muddy grass.
As soon as he touched the ground Harry leapt off his broom and sprinted across the pitch whilst mud flecked into the air from his boots. Ron was kneeling down cautiously over Ginny and the rest of the team was flooding in towards them.
"Ginny! A-are you alright! Ron kept muttering, shaking her delicately in the hope she would become conscious once more.
"I.. I don't understand. She could stay on a broom like she was glued to it.." Harry muttered as he checked her pulse.
"Does that bloody well matter!" Ron snapped.
Harry rolled her eyes and went to lift up Ginny.
"Don't. Touch. Her." Ron snapped.
"What!" Harry muttered.
"I said, Don't touch her. I don't want you running your hands all over my sister!"
"You've got to be joking! You are joking, right? She's unconscious, Ron!" Harry snapped. "And if you bloody well want her sorted out as much as I do then you'll let me take her up to the hospital wing for Pomfrey!"
"And what do you want me to do!" Ron muttered as Harry delicately placed Ginny over his shoulder, she wasn't particularly heavy but she was tall and it was difficult to support an unconscious person over your shoulder carefully.
"Get in, make sure everyone gets changed and get up to the hospital wing! We can't all go, if we get a speck of mud on the floor Mrs Norris'll be trotting off to tell."
"I'm her brother!"
"And you're not going to be in Filch's good books if you get mud everywhere, you'll automatically get into more trouble than me because of Fred and George!"
"I.. err. Right. Thanks, mate."
