The weather was perfect for the Quidditch final. No wind and perfect sunshine.

Actually Mina thought that the sunshine would make it harder for her to see the snitch, but that was a disadvantage that Malfoy had as well. He was visibly uncomfortable when he saw her on the pitch with the firebolt.

The whistle blew and they were off. Mina climbed high above the game, the firebolt letting her reach the altitude she wanted before anyone had gotten the quaffle.

Malfoy sped up behind her and began to mark her movements, obviously trying to make sure that she didn't get the snitch before Slytherin was enough in the lead that he could afford to catch it himself.

And Slytherin did take an early lead. They scored three goals within the first five minutes and another two before Diggory scored his first.

The moment after Diggory had scored the Slytherin captain, Flint, crashed into him at nearly full speed, an incident the announcer for the game, a cursing Griffindor named Lee Jordan, assured the crowd was deliberate. Madam Hooch awarded a penalty shot to Hufflepuff and Diggory scored again.

It was the pattern the game would fall into. The Slytherins were the dirtiest players Mina had ever seen. One of them actually grabbed the small second year by the head. Each instance was followed by a penalty shot for Hufflepuff, keeping the game relatively close. In that way the Slytherin team shot themselves in the foot.

Mina was so distracted by the Slytherin tactics that she almost forgot about the snitch. When she finally did see it, she hesitated and stared at it a few seconds too long, giving one of the Slytherin beaters a chance to target her.

She accelerated towards the snitch a few seconds before the bludger hit her in the back. She flipped over with the firebolt and struggled to right it. When she did the snitch had disappeared.

She rubbed her back. It didn't hurt that much. She wondered if she should thank Artemis for teaching her to take a hit or some law of physics for the hit not being as hard as it could have been since she was flying in the same direction as the bludger.

She did a few loops just to show she was all right. The Slytherin beater and Malfoy looked at her in partial shock at how easily she shrugged off being hit by a bludger.

Now she turned her attention entirely to the snitch. After a few minutes she spotted it again near the Gryffindor stands. She again accelerated, but the firebolt only went a few feet before being jerked to a stop almost throwing her of the broom. She looked behind her and became enraged.

Malfoy had grabbed hold of the firebolt and stopped it. He was panting from the effort, but his eyes gleamed with satisfaction.

Mina would have kicked him as hard as she could if she could reach. So would most of the rest of the school. The boos for Mlafoy were deafening, but they were drowned out by the curses Lee Jordan was shouting into his substitute for a microphone and the screams of Professor McGonagall, who was standing beside him pointing angrily at Malfoy.

"Penalty!" Madam Hooch screamed. "I've never seen such tactics!"

Mina flew over to Madam Hooch as Hufflepuff took the penalty. "Maybe they should forfeit if Malfoy does that again."

"Yes." Madam Hooch agreed. She blew her whistle and flew to the middle of the pitch.

"The next person who grabs another person's broom or body part will lose the game for their team!"

There was another eruption of boos, this time from the Slytherin stands. There were many screams from the other stands as well.

"Kick them out now!"

Mina smirked at Malfoy, who looked like Christmas had been cancelled.

The game resumed with the Slytherin team more subdued. They still out-flew the Hufflepuffs for the most part, but they lost much of their swagger when they could not resort to the same sort of bullying.

And the third time Mina spotted the snitch there was nothing to stop her from accelerating to full speed and easily overtaking Malfoy to catch it.

The crowd roared. A Slytherin beater hit a bludger at her, but she dodged it easier. He would receive a detention later. The Hufflepuff team swarmed her, all jubilant that they had won the Quidditch cup for Hufflepuff for the first time in recent memory.

Mina could not decide what her favorite moment was that day. Dumbledore presenting the cup to Hufflepuff team. Hagrid patting her on the back (which hurt much more than the bludger had). Or when Harry Potter returned her hug when she gave him back the firebolt./

"Congratulations. That was some game." Artemis said, smiling.

"Thanks."

"So are you done with that Malfoy boy now?"

"I guess." Mina thought of Hagrid. "But it doesn't really help Buckbeak at all, does it?"

"No. I will admit that I find it satisfying though."

"Then it's not enough." She gave Artemis a hard look.

"Oh no, Mina. What are you thinking now?"

I'm not going to let them kill Buckbeak."