An account of the Quidditch finals...and exams...and the End of Term Feast...Lyra's last days...
"Hello there, and welcome to the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup Final! I'm Alison Smith! Today's final is Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff! And here come the teams!"
Moving forwards, I shook hands with the Hufflepuff Captain. As I turned to walk back to my team, I studied them all: Chasers Ginny Weasley, Dean Thomas, and Demelza Robins, Keeper Fiona Cooper, Seeker Adele Grey, and Beater Seamus Finnigan. I felt a lump come into my throat.
"No matter what happens," I said as I joined my team, "I'm proud of all of you. Now let's win this thing, just like we've practiced."
I heard my team murmur in agreement as I turned to face forwards again. "Mount your brooms," I called clearly. My team obeyed. As I waited with bated breath for the whistle, I realised something funny: I'd missed this.
At the shill noise we erupted as one into the sky.
"And the Quaffle is taken by Thomas of Gryffindor, then to Robins-oooh, a nice loop around a Bludger there!"
I ignored the rest of the commentary as I pelted my first Bludger towards the Hufflepuff Chaser aiming for a tackle. The third-year rolled, and I resumed my hunt for targets.
"Robins to Thomas to Weasley-Weasley scores! 10 points to Gryffindor!"
I heard a roar of appreciation, but ignored that too: Teams don't win matches by stopping to celebrate.
"A good attempt by Thomas but a nice save by the Hufflepuff Keeper. Quaffle to Fletcher, to Wendell-ouch! That must've hurt!" I grinned as my Bludger found its mark. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Adele whip past, her eyes flicking over the pitch. At her very first trial flight I had noticed she'd had an uncanny awareness of everything on the pitch. I'd put that to use, hoping she would notice the small details that we sometimes missed.
She did. I saw her suddenly whip to the left and go into a steep dive.
"And the Gryffindor Seeker appears to have spotted the Snitch! There she goes-oh no!"
Adele looped sideways, barely dodging a Bludger, but in that moment the Snitch was gone. A great groan rose up from the Gryffindor stands, while Hufflepuff students cheered. She paused, shaking her head in admiration-the Hufflepuff Beaters this year had really improved.
The game continued in this fashion for a time, made of lightning-fast decisions and equally fast manoeuvres. Several times I sent Bludgers towards targets only to have them come flying back at me. The Hufflepuff team definitely wants to win! I thought, smacking a Bludger at the Keeper. They were forced to dodge it, allowing Dean to score again.
"Oh!"
At the commentator's voice, I turned, scanning the pitch. At last I saw it-Adele and Elwood, the Hufflepuff Seeker, arrowing towards the Hufflepuff side of the pitch. A Bludger was closing in on me.
I made a split-second decision. The field of view narrowed down to those two figures-one yellow, the other red. I drew back my arm (I was still using George's old bat), and let fly. I was so focused on the image that I didn't see the other danger.
WHAM.
I woke in the hospital wing. "What happened?" I muttered, blinking. My whole body ached.
"You hit Elwood. Adele caught the Snitch," replied a familiar voice. I looked over. Ginny was sitting in the chair, a bright grin on her face.
"Adele…caught-" I was still too groggy to come up with full sentences.
"Yes, didn't you hear me?" demanded Ginny, her smile widening. "We won!"
I stared at her. Ginny sighed, and gestured to people outside my vision. They came forward, crowding around the bed: our Quidditch team. Dean and Seamus, grinning, carried the silver trophy between them. I carefully sat up for a closer look. Sure enough, our house was engraved neatly at the bottom of the list.
"Why-" I coughed "-am I here?"
Ginny snorted. "You took a Bludger to the stomach because you weren't paying attention, then fell off your broom. Luckily you didn't fall too far."
"We won," I repeated, in a sort of daze. "I'm Captain of this year's Quidditch Champions?"
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Finally! She gets it," she sighed.
A bright grin broke out on my face.
"Oh," added Adele, "this is for you too." She lifted a plaque onto the bed. On it was engraved the names of our team. "Professors McGonagall and Weasley insisted to take this up to the hospital wing for you. Said you'd appreciate it." I gazed at it, my eyes springing immediately to my name. Captain was next to it in brackets. I felt tears spring to my eyes.
"You guys," I finally managed to say, "this is the best way to end the year. Thanks for everything. I just hope that you can keep the Quidditch Cup for…another century, hopefully." I was met with laughs as they, depending on their natures, clasped my hand or clapped my on my shoulders. Ginny just met my eyes with a very broad grin.
I was out by the end of the next day, just in time for my first N.E.W.T. exam: Charms. I didn't do as well as I thought-I lost control of my teacup, which danced off the desk, and then floundered for a whole minute while trying to remember the spell to make the new one start dancing again. Thankfully, the rest of the examination went smoothly.
That wasn't the only mistake I made-During my Muggle Studies exam I also got mixed up between a toaster and a microwave, something I didn't realise until after I left the examination room. At least I wasn't going to tell Hermione-she'd never let me hear the end of it.
My other exams were: Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Herbology, Potions (which I was doing very well in ever since Snape had stopped teaching the subject), Astronomy, and Care of Magical Creatures. I had the practical Transfiguration exam tomorrow, with the practical D.A.D.A exam in the evening. The rest of my practical exams were over the course of the week (I had one each day), while Astronomy had been scheduled for Saturday night. The rest of my theory exams were scheduled over the following week, with my last two (Potions theory and Transfiguration theory) being on next. As I plowed through the fortnight, I began to dream of the End of Term Feast and wonder why on earth I had been so insane as to come back.
"Another year gone, and another year wiser! Well, at least some of you."
Laughter rippled through the crowd. I sat at the Gryffindor table, my eyes fixed on Professor McGonagall.
"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for…the House Cup results. In fourth place, with three hundred and eighty one points, Ravenclaw!" Polite clapping sounded throughout the Great Hall. "In third place, with three hundred and ninety six, Slytherin!"
Ginny and I exchanged looks of surprise-it had been a long time since Slytherin hadn't been on the top two.
The Headmistress waited, drawing out the moment while students whispered and fidgeted. Finally, she spoke.
"In a very close second, on four hundred and twelve points, Hufflepuff!" She waited for the eruption of applause to die down, before speaking again, smiling broadly now. "And, in first place, this year's House Cup recipients…Gryffindor, with four hundred and fourteen points!"
As the Great Hall erupted, a memory sparked in my mind-three tables, screaming and cheering as a fourth sat in fury and disgust. But this time, as I scanned the huge room, hearing cheering ring off the roof, I saw something that made my heart swell with pride and joy: every student was upright, cheering. And I knew that we as a school were together again. United.
And all was as it should be.
Yes, I know, I put familiar faces into our Quidditch team...and made up a few too. But that's how I wanted it. I wanted to include Seamus, it only seems fair as he seems to do everything with Dean, his best friend :D
I thought it might be funny to have Lyra take Muggle Studies as a class, and get something wrong. Who mixes up toasters and microwaves, honestly? A wizard/witch, that's who! xD I also thought it might be nice to put Hufflepuff in second place-they never got much of a mention at all, did they? But they are a truly wonderful bunch :)
~ MagicalLeaves