"Blimey, Harry!" Ron exclaimed after he and Hermione had finished reading
the passage and looking at the picture of the Phoenix. "This is so cool! I
mean, after you take the potion, you could do a lot with this new power!
Fly, chase the Slytherins, defeat You-Know-Who, chase the Slytherins, heal
people, chase Slytherins, live forever, chase the-"
"Ron! He won't abuse the power by chasing Slytherins! Besides, you saw just as well as I do that they don't attack unless they're attacked first."
"Looks like now's the perfect opportunity to prove that," Harry muttered to his friends. Malfoy and his group of Slytherins were coming in their direction. From a ways down the hallway, they had recognized Harry, and their words could be heard faintly, drifting down the hall.
"Hey Potter, you're ugly, but what can you do? You really ought to be locked up in a zoo! If you looked in a mirror, it surely would crack! At least you look better than Sirius Black!" The whole group burst into laughter once they had stopped and were standing directly in front of the three Gryffindors. Normally, Harry would have felt slightly upset, knowing that what they said was true, for his former scars had always made him feel like a mutilated creature. After seeing the picture of the Arabic Phoenix, however, the words didn't bother him at all.
"What's the matter, Potter, have nothing to say to us?" Draco mocked in fake surprise.
"He could say plenty," Ron retorted. "He's just smart enough to know he doesn't need to sink to your level."
Draco and the other Slytherins scowled, while Crabbe and Goyle balled their fists, threateningly. "You're one to talk about sinking to a lower level, Weasel. You're as poor as dirt."
"Well, ferret, you and I clearly have different ideas on what poor is. I'd pity you if I didn't hate you so much."
"At least I don't have feathers growing out of my head," Draco laughed. "What happened, Potter? Did a charm backfire? Or is your hair so messy that a bird decided to make it its nest!" Draco and his cronies laughed at that, and before anyone could stop him, Ron had charged at the group and thrown himself on them. Immediately, a fight followed, which Hermione backed away from so she wouldn't get drawn in. Harry sighed and threw himself into the tangle of limbs to try to break up Malfoy and Ron. After a few moments, Harry stood again with a cut lip, dragging up Ron, who had a black eye.
"Come on, Ron, let's go back to our dormitory. We shouldn't waste our time on them," Harry said, softly. He and Hermione dragged Ron down the hallway and out of sight.
Draco stood up and felt his cheek where Ron had punched him. He then looked down at the ground and smirked when he saw three feathers on the floor, one black, one red, and one gold. He stooped low to pick them up and pulled an envelope out of his pocket. He sealed the three feathers in the envelope, which was addressed to his father, and made his way to the Owlery to send it on its way.
As Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered the Common Room, they noticed that no one else was around.
"Where did everyone go?" Harry asked, into the quietness of the room. Shortly after, he answered the question himself. "Oh no. . . the Quidditch match! I completely forgot!"
"Harry, we need to run if we're going to make it on time!" Ron said, urgently. All three of them took off at a run and split apart, Hermione running toward the Entrance Hall and Harry and Ron running to the changing rooms. He realized with a sinking heart that they'd never make it.
"Forget this," Harry hissed, under his breath. He stopped running next to a window and carefully unlatched it.
"Harry, what are you doing?" Ron whispered.
"Trust me. Just grab a hold of my shoulders." Ron looked quizzical, yet he complied. Making sure that no one else was in the hall, Harry rolled up his sleeves and effortlessly leapt out. He spread his arms out to let the wings catch the air and he slowly drifted down, seven stories, to the ground.
Ron grinned. "Nice work. We better get a move on, though." They immediately made a bee line for the changing rooms and skidded to a halt once they were inside. Fred, George, and Katie were pacing in agitation. Ginny, who had replaced Angelina after she graduated, was sitting on the bench, looking worried. She blushed when she saw Harry come in.
"There you two are! We were worried!" Katie exclaimed. "We thought we'd need to play without a seeker or a keeper!"
In the beginning of the year, try outs had been held for another chaser and a keeper. Ginny and Ron had gotten the positions with ease, making the team nearly entirely made up of Weasleys. Fred and George just boasted that it ran in their blood (though they explained off Percy as a fluke).
"Sorry," Harry apologized. "Just got held up a little." He and Ron changed into their Quidditch robes quickly before they met up with the rest of their team.
Fred grinned at Harry. "Honestly, Harry. It wouldn't look good if our captain didn't show up for his own game!" Harry grinned back, feeling proud again of his position. He doubted he'd ever be as great a captain as Wood was, but he always did his best.
The Gryffindor team marched out to the field, their brooms in their hands, and faced the Slytherin team. Harry double checked to make sure his sleeves were pulled down to completely cover his arms. Satisfied that they were fine, he turned to reluctantly shake hands with Draco, the new Slytherin Quidditch captain. At Madame Hooch's whistle, they mounted their broom sticks and hovered slightly above the ground. Once the balls were released, two more whistle blasts sounded and the game took off.
"Beautiful flying from Katie Bell as she swerves the pick block just there. She's nearing to score and. . . YES! Ten points for Gryffindor! Nott is in possession now, moving to the midway mark! A Bludger's coming at him, but Rosier blocks for him! Darn, it nearly would've knocked him off too. . ."
"JORDAN!" McGonagall could be heard yelling, shortly afterward.
Harry wasn't as concerned about what was going on around him. Malfoy was tailing him steadily, watching him for any sign of the snitch. Harry tried to block him out, searching for the little streak of gold. Suddenly, he saw it and dove for it. Malfoy followed quickly as they both dove for it. Harry broke ahead and reached out. He felt a grin plaster itself across his face as his fingers closed over it.
"YES! Gryffindor wins! This will go down in the school's history as the shortest game ever played!"
Harry grinned as he opened his hand to see the snitch, but his smile was immediately replaced with a look of shock and confusion. In his hand was something that looked an awful lot like a snitch, but it was. . .well. . . alive. A little, round, pudgy, golden bird with a long beak and black eyes stared up at him. Its little wings, which had been beating like a humming bird, were tucked against its body as it cocked its head to the side and looked up at Harry.
"What the. . ." Harry murmured softly, as he looked at the tiny creature.
"There seems to be some sort of confusion," Lee's voice boomed over the crowd. "Madame Hooch is flying up to see what the problem is."
"Mr. Potter, what is the problem?" Hooch said, once she had pulled level with Harry. Harry simply held out his hand with the tiny bird. "My goodness. . ." Hooch gasped as she looked at the bird. "That's a Golden Snidget!"
Draco nearly fell off his broom in shock. "A Snidget! How did he find a Snidget?!"
"I officially award Gryffindor the game and thirty points to their house!" Hooch declared. The crowd's cheering out weighed the Slytherin's booing.
As Harry touched down, Hermione broke out of the crowd to meet him. "Hermione, what's going on?"
Hermione grinned at him. "Harry, you caught a Snidget! A real live Snidget!"
"So?" Harry asked, confused, "What's so great about that?"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Harry, it says in chapter four of Quidditch Through the Ages that the Snidget is what the Snitch was modeled after! In the twelfth century, the Snidget was added to the game and seekers would seek it out to catch it. Whichever team caught the Snidget was given the win and 150 galleons at the end of the game (the galleons became points later on). The problem was that most of the time, the Snidget would get crushed and killed in the hand of the seeker and eventually, Snidgets became endangered. Bowman Wright invented the Snitch to be like a Snidget, so Snidgets were left alone and the Golden Snitch was created. Harry, you're holding a very rare and endangered bird!"
Harry looked down at the Snidget that was looking up at him with curious eyes. It cooed softly and nipped at his fingers genty with it's long, hummingbird like beak.
"I think we better go see Hagrid about it," Harry said, cupping it protectively in his hands. "I wouldn't want Hedwig to eat it. . ."
"Ron! He won't abuse the power by chasing Slytherins! Besides, you saw just as well as I do that they don't attack unless they're attacked first."
"Looks like now's the perfect opportunity to prove that," Harry muttered to his friends. Malfoy and his group of Slytherins were coming in their direction. From a ways down the hallway, they had recognized Harry, and their words could be heard faintly, drifting down the hall.
"Hey Potter, you're ugly, but what can you do? You really ought to be locked up in a zoo! If you looked in a mirror, it surely would crack! At least you look better than Sirius Black!" The whole group burst into laughter once they had stopped and were standing directly in front of the three Gryffindors. Normally, Harry would have felt slightly upset, knowing that what they said was true, for his former scars had always made him feel like a mutilated creature. After seeing the picture of the Arabic Phoenix, however, the words didn't bother him at all.
"What's the matter, Potter, have nothing to say to us?" Draco mocked in fake surprise.
"He could say plenty," Ron retorted. "He's just smart enough to know he doesn't need to sink to your level."
Draco and the other Slytherins scowled, while Crabbe and Goyle balled their fists, threateningly. "You're one to talk about sinking to a lower level, Weasel. You're as poor as dirt."
"Well, ferret, you and I clearly have different ideas on what poor is. I'd pity you if I didn't hate you so much."
"At least I don't have feathers growing out of my head," Draco laughed. "What happened, Potter? Did a charm backfire? Or is your hair so messy that a bird decided to make it its nest!" Draco and his cronies laughed at that, and before anyone could stop him, Ron had charged at the group and thrown himself on them. Immediately, a fight followed, which Hermione backed away from so she wouldn't get drawn in. Harry sighed and threw himself into the tangle of limbs to try to break up Malfoy and Ron. After a few moments, Harry stood again with a cut lip, dragging up Ron, who had a black eye.
"Come on, Ron, let's go back to our dormitory. We shouldn't waste our time on them," Harry said, softly. He and Hermione dragged Ron down the hallway and out of sight.
Draco stood up and felt his cheek where Ron had punched him. He then looked down at the ground and smirked when he saw three feathers on the floor, one black, one red, and one gold. He stooped low to pick them up and pulled an envelope out of his pocket. He sealed the three feathers in the envelope, which was addressed to his father, and made his way to the Owlery to send it on its way.
As Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered the Common Room, they noticed that no one else was around.
"Where did everyone go?" Harry asked, into the quietness of the room. Shortly after, he answered the question himself. "Oh no. . . the Quidditch match! I completely forgot!"
"Harry, we need to run if we're going to make it on time!" Ron said, urgently. All three of them took off at a run and split apart, Hermione running toward the Entrance Hall and Harry and Ron running to the changing rooms. He realized with a sinking heart that they'd never make it.
"Forget this," Harry hissed, under his breath. He stopped running next to a window and carefully unlatched it.
"Harry, what are you doing?" Ron whispered.
"Trust me. Just grab a hold of my shoulders." Ron looked quizzical, yet he complied. Making sure that no one else was in the hall, Harry rolled up his sleeves and effortlessly leapt out. He spread his arms out to let the wings catch the air and he slowly drifted down, seven stories, to the ground.
Ron grinned. "Nice work. We better get a move on, though." They immediately made a bee line for the changing rooms and skidded to a halt once they were inside. Fred, George, and Katie were pacing in agitation. Ginny, who had replaced Angelina after she graduated, was sitting on the bench, looking worried. She blushed when she saw Harry come in.
"There you two are! We were worried!" Katie exclaimed. "We thought we'd need to play without a seeker or a keeper!"
In the beginning of the year, try outs had been held for another chaser and a keeper. Ginny and Ron had gotten the positions with ease, making the team nearly entirely made up of Weasleys. Fred and George just boasted that it ran in their blood (though they explained off Percy as a fluke).
"Sorry," Harry apologized. "Just got held up a little." He and Ron changed into their Quidditch robes quickly before they met up with the rest of their team.
Fred grinned at Harry. "Honestly, Harry. It wouldn't look good if our captain didn't show up for his own game!" Harry grinned back, feeling proud again of his position. He doubted he'd ever be as great a captain as Wood was, but he always did his best.
The Gryffindor team marched out to the field, their brooms in their hands, and faced the Slytherin team. Harry double checked to make sure his sleeves were pulled down to completely cover his arms. Satisfied that they were fine, he turned to reluctantly shake hands with Draco, the new Slytherin Quidditch captain. At Madame Hooch's whistle, they mounted their broom sticks and hovered slightly above the ground. Once the balls were released, two more whistle blasts sounded and the game took off.
"Beautiful flying from Katie Bell as she swerves the pick block just there. She's nearing to score and. . . YES! Ten points for Gryffindor! Nott is in possession now, moving to the midway mark! A Bludger's coming at him, but Rosier blocks for him! Darn, it nearly would've knocked him off too. . ."
"JORDAN!" McGonagall could be heard yelling, shortly afterward.
Harry wasn't as concerned about what was going on around him. Malfoy was tailing him steadily, watching him for any sign of the snitch. Harry tried to block him out, searching for the little streak of gold. Suddenly, he saw it and dove for it. Malfoy followed quickly as they both dove for it. Harry broke ahead and reached out. He felt a grin plaster itself across his face as his fingers closed over it.
"YES! Gryffindor wins! This will go down in the school's history as the shortest game ever played!"
Harry grinned as he opened his hand to see the snitch, but his smile was immediately replaced with a look of shock and confusion. In his hand was something that looked an awful lot like a snitch, but it was. . .well. . . alive. A little, round, pudgy, golden bird with a long beak and black eyes stared up at him. Its little wings, which had been beating like a humming bird, were tucked against its body as it cocked its head to the side and looked up at Harry.
"What the. . ." Harry murmured softly, as he looked at the tiny creature.
"There seems to be some sort of confusion," Lee's voice boomed over the crowd. "Madame Hooch is flying up to see what the problem is."
"Mr. Potter, what is the problem?" Hooch said, once she had pulled level with Harry. Harry simply held out his hand with the tiny bird. "My goodness. . ." Hooch gasped as she looked at the bird. "That's a Golden Snidget!"
Draco nearly fell off his broom in shock. "A Snidget! How did he find a Snidget?!"
"I officially award Gryffindor the game and thirty points to their house!" Hooch declared. The crowd's cheering out weighed the Slytherin's booing.
As Harry touched down, Hermione broke out of the crowd to meet him. "Hermione, what's going on?"
Hermione grinned at him. "Harry, you caught a Snidget! A real live Snidget!"
"So?" Harry asked, confused, "What's so great about that?"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Harry, it says in chapter four of Quidditch Through the Ages that the Snidget is what the Snitch was modeled after! In the twelfth century, the Snidget was added to the game and seekers would seek it out to catch it. Whichever team caught the Snidget was given the win and 150 galleons at the end of the game (the galleons became points later on). The problem was that most of the time, the Snidget would get crushed and killed in the hand of the seeker and eventually, Snidgets became endangered. Bowman Wright invented the Snitch to be like a Snidget, so Snidgets were left alone and the Golden Snitch was created. Harry, you're holding a very rare and endangered bird!"
Harry looked down at the Snidget that was looking up at him with curious eyes. It cooed softly and nipped at his fingers genty with it's long, hummingbird like beak.
"I think we better go see Hagrid about it," Harry said, cupping it protectively in his hands. "I wouldn't want Hedwig to eat it. . ."