A cool morning gust parted around Harry's face, the splendid red and gold leaves on nearby trees bringing an unexpected lightness to the boy who lived's being. The Hufflepuff Quidditch team arose at first light, striding out on the field amid scattered mists as the grass shone a vivid green fresh from fall rains and dew. Tensions among the team from the presence of a new face were still present, to a degree, however Harry had successfully alleviated the team's skepticism, quickly catching the snitch roughly eighty percent of the time, most of the remaining times owning to Bludger injuries sustained during practice. Both teams were required to hit the locker rooms half an hour before students and teachers filed into the nearby stands. Following an incident earlier that month when Gryffindor replacement seeker Cormac McLaggen crashed during a dementor incursion, the staff recognized the need for defenses against the soul-sucking fiends. As such, the headmaster and teachers conjured a full-scale temporary plexiglass dome a quarter mile high laced with cushioning charms to prevent accidents or dementor attacks.
Harry waved in acknowledgement to Ernie, who frequently accompanied him on his runs most mornings, Susan, who had begun the groundwork for burying the hatchet over the stunning incident early term. The dark-haired teen had received a stilted, but sincerely wording apology from Madam Bones several weeks ago after her niece provided her with a full account of recent events, including Harry's lack of appropriate guardians. Bones had made a tentative offer to discuss possible guardianship before the winter holidays, although Harry had heard several rumors that Malfoy, Umbridge, and even McNair had applied as well.
Bad enough some of my worst enemies want me under their control, Harry brooded. But McNair! He's the type to sit me down to dinner and then chop my head off from behind; the teen shuddered in thought, recalling McNair's methodical attention to detail in sharping his axe during his last life.
Harry blinked away the tension as he approached the Ravenclaw team resplendent in a deep blue row of seven players.
"Captains shake hands," a yellow-eyed older woman barked to the respective teams. Bartlet exchanged a cool but cordial grip with a tall man with an elegant haircut.
A pretty Asian girl smiled in Harry's direction. Cho Chang, friend of the traitor Marietta Edgecombe, dislikes Hermione, Harry thought with an internal frown. But then again, it was up in the air as to whether he could trust Ron or Ginny, Neville, Luna, and Hagrid were his alledged future enemies, and he and Hermione weren't on speaking terms. He would reserve judgement for now, but be vigilant, he vowed.
"And they're off," a black student with a tenor voice intoned from the commenting stands. "Ravenclaw team: Davies, Fowler, Hall, Price, Young, Poole, and Chang!" Many blue-robed students clapped particularly hard at the last name. With Chang recently recovered from a practice injury, and with Ravenclaw taking a slight lead over Slytherin after the latter trounced the Gryffindors in the last match, many no doubt anticipated repeating their victory from two years ago. Owning to the basilisk attacks the year before, Ravenclaw had a strong chance to maintain the cup for the second year running.
"And the Hufflepuff team," the enthusiastic commentor continued, waving his arm to stir up the crowd. "Bartlet, Holt, Holt, Banks, Hayward, Abbott, and introducing Diggory's replacement … I give you the player you've all seen and appreciated the past two years," to resounding boos from several sections of the stadium "… Harry 'the Bumblebee' Potter!"
Cheers and scattered laughs echoed around the stadium. Harry's insides soared in exhilaration. Malfoy had made a lot of hay out of the news that Harry had switched houses, taunting him about his rift with Granger and his lack of house solidarity on many occasions. However, a growing number of students referred to the teen with a certain degree of affection, hopefully more after the match.
Just after the two teams rose into the air and split as they wove and ducked around the two Bludgers, a sharp catcall rang into the suddenly still air.
"Suck it like I know you can, Potter!" A frizzy haired Ravenclaw with blue eyes opened her outer jacket as he flew past, revealing a shirt titled Slytherins for the Cup. Harry felt sadness as he recognized LaRusso, then fury.
What treachery is this, Harry thought as he initially avoided her gaze, trying to concentrate on the game. When the Slytherins began chanting then singing the phrase in the background, testing out various accompanying lyrics, until McGonagall ordered them to desist, taking five points in punishment, Harry knew that he had to take action. Harry flew up to the suddenly panicked girl, arguing with a dozen of her house mates as he approached.
"Belt it, LaRusso," Harry snapped as he took a deep breath. "I know me being the Hufflepuff seeker isn't the most popular …"
"It wasn't me," the girl insisted, sincerity and fear radiating from her eyes and posture. Suddenly a flash of red crossed his vision, as a student yelled in the background as he collided with something invisible. A light-gray cloak with a flickering disillusionment charm slumped to the ground as LaRusso's doppleganger bearing a now-Gryffindor mark shrugged off the cloak. Suddenly Harry's memory flashed with several inconsistencies. The slightly lower tone of Sam's voice. The tilt of her head. The firmly set chin. Hermione used Polyjuice to sabotage me, Harry thought with a mix of indignation and reluctant approval at his ex-friend's brilliant intellect.
"I never took you for a Slytherin!" Harry mouthed in Granger's direction, flying off as she opened her mouth to retort, before huffing and vanishing in the excitement.
"Keep your head in the game, Potter," Bartlet coolly remarked, half-turning for a second as she dodged around three Ravenclaws, who collided, two of them spinning out of control, before throwing the Quaffle through the center hoop.
"60 – 50 to Ravenclaw," Jordan exclaimed from the commentator's stand as fans hissed and cheered in the background "Things are heating up, folks!"
Like last time, Chang closely marked Harry throughout the game as she continued her search for the golden snitch, occasionally making contact as they danced and darted through the crisp sky. Harry felt nothing as he grappled with his opponent other than a slight regret.
He hoped that he could keep Cedric from being killed this time, then he and Cho could get married as originally intended, and not cry or ignore his shoulder, Harry reflected as he did a loop to shake Cho on another pass. Cho suddenly gripped her broom and darted towards the Ravenclaw goalposts, where a fast-moving ball hovered and shimmered.
No, not going to be a gentlemen this time, Harry thought as he bolted for Chang, ramming her broom from behind and beneath her. Just as he made to seize the ball, Chang screamed as her broom broke in two, hurtling forward in a freefall as the pieces of the worn-looking Comet 260 also fell to earth. Harry drew his wand.
"Accio! Arresto Momentum! Mollaire!"
Cho's descent halted, then reversed in Harry's direction as he grasped her before making a controlled descent to the ground. Harry released her as they reached the ground, the dark-haired girl brushing her uniform, slowly breathing out.
"You alright?" the teen asked with some degree of trepidation, wondering if he'd made yet another enemy.
"Part of the game, right," Cho retorted with a light laugh as she walked over to Madame Hooch, preparing to return with the replacement broom. "Just try to avoid killing the competition next time," she finished with a touch of wry humor, ascending as she resumed her search alone this time.
Harry resorted to wild twists and turns as he struggled to avoid the Ravenclaw Bludgers, one of which clipped his left elbow, which had since gone numb. In the end, Harry had seized the snitch after it darted over a Ravenclaw chaser's head, the annoying ball nearly taking an eye out with its wing before the seeker gripped it. Hufflepuff had won, 200 to 170. A storm of applause and feet stamping resounded from the Hufflepuff stands as the boy descended to the ground in triumph, each team member shaking his hand.
Suddenly a red jet of light shot past Harry's ear, colliding with one of the Ravenclaw's, who broke into a wild dance, trampling several of his fellow players, causing outraged cries as Hooch blew her whistle struggling to maintain order.
Harry threw himself backwards just in time to avoid a second silverly spell, which collided with Poole, a short teen with silver eyes, who gurgled and turned into a goblet, tumbling aimlessly across the grass.
A short but determined blonde marched across the stunned onlookers, aiming her wand at Harry's gut.
"Drop dead, Potter!" Lovegood yelled, normally vacant or thoughtful gaze burning with calculation and quiet menace. "You could have killed her with that stunt," her feet tensed as she advanced, wand remaining fixed in Harry's direction. "What do you have to say for yourself?"