It was a few days before the big Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin, and Callidus was sitting at the breakfast table when the owl post arrived. A letter dropped towards him, bouncing off his cup of juice and landing on his food. He grimaced, wiping bits of tomato off the parchment, wondering how the post owl's aim could be so deplorable. Draco's eagle owl never dropped parcels or letters in his food. Of course, Draco's family had also paid a fortune for that eagle owl.

As Callidus looked down at the name on the letter, he was pleased to see that Wystan had finally replied to him. Harry peeked over towards the letter, and Callidus showed him Wystan's name. It wasn't that Harry was a snoop, but the raven-haired boy almost never received letters (except for the occasional one from Narcissa Malfoy - but even Callidus sometimes receive those, and all they said was that they were such good friends to Draco, and that they all needed to look out for one another, which Callidus assumed meant that she wanted them to look out for Draco.)

Draco was preoccupied with his own parcel from his parents, which included its usual abundance of expensive treats imported from all across Europe. Parkinson was giving him puppy-dog eyes, trying to convince Draco to give her the lavender-vanilla confection that burst into magical sweet sparkles when one bit into it. And Harry had looked over and was saying: "Oh! Give me all the ones you don't want," to which, Draco replied, "Naturally," causing Harry to give him a pleased grin.

It was a slow news day, so Callidus opened Wystan's letter and began to read. He grimaced at the usual lovey-dovey messages between Wystan and Calypso. Considering that Calypso seemed to interject in almost every one of Wystan's letters, Callidus had the impression that they were the sort of couple that did everything together. Personally, Callidus couldn't imagine anything more maddening than being stuck in someone's company all the time. Even when it came to Harry and Draco, Callidus still got breaks from them whenever they were at practice, or when he was busy in his lab.

He scanned through all the parts that he really didn't need to see, until he finally came to the paragraphs that interested him.

The research on studying the effects of magic on one's magical signature is going really well, Wystan wrote. We've been able to show that using any sort of magic, even once, leaves a mark on one's so-called 'magical signature.' It's fascinating to compare the difference of a toddler's signature before and after their first act of accidental magic. Of course, since accidental magic is typically neutral or Grey magic, the effects between all children are relatively similar. That said, it's important to note that people do have unique 'magical signatures.'

What we're trying to figure out now is whether these changes in a person's magical signature has any effect on who they are as a person. As you can imagine, it's exceedingly difficult to isolate cause and effect in our research. Plus, since most of our studies involve children, we have to be particularly careful with how we carry out our experiments. It wouldn't do to have a mob of irate parents wanting to tan our hides.

As far as measuring 'magical signatures' goes, we use certain measuring devices. Yes, I have heard of being able to see magic, but using potions and spells to try and discern magic tends to result in imprecise results. There are a lot of people hoping to make breakthroughs in that particular area, but so far, results haven't been impressive.

How goes your potions work? Vapourizing potions sounds like a fascinating project, but it seems like it could have dangerous implications if it ever fell into the wrong hands. Nonetheless, succeeding in that project would be amazing. Have you figured out how you'll make the container yet?

Ah, Calypso is demanding my attention. It's date night and we're going to be trying a new restaurant in Diagon Alley. Supposedly, everything is cooked using different types of magical heat sources, and their specialty is a magically bred beast that's a mix between wild boar and bicorns. Salivating yet?

Until next time,

Wystan.

Callidus folded up the letter, his expression thoughtful. He had considered that vapourizing potions had the potential to be very dangerous, but he had put it out of his mind. While the idea of publishing or monetizing his findings appealed to his ego, some part of him thought that putting out information about vapourizing potions could result in unintended consequences. After all, there was already so much conflict in the magical world; did he really want to do anything that would potentially inflame that conflict? Having Wystan confirm it only made Callidus feel more sure that he would keep his ideas to himself - at least for now. But of course, he was still planning on going forward with using it in pranks. There was no way he wanted to work so hard on a project, only to never use it. And either way, he knew that Slughorn would give him credit for the work he had done.

The day passed by relatively quickly, and even Lockhart's classes were less of a chore than usual. The blond professor appeared to have been worn down by the trio's sporadic pranks, and was much less obnoxious now than he had been at the beginning of the year. Of course, Lockhart still had his moments of being flamboyantly self-aggrandizing, but the trio had developed an extensive enough repertoire of prank spells that it was easy to knock Lockhart down a few pegs if they felt they needed to. And through it all, Harry seemed to have no regrets about singling out the harebrained teacher. Lockhart managed to be annoying enough that it usually felt justifiable.

They were learning about ghouls that day, and as usual, Lockhart had some exaggerated story about his own personal encounters. While the trio found Lockhart's tales to be ridiculous (and sometimes riddled with contradictions), it was better than having to watch Lockhart perform his exploits as a skit (usually involving his more worshipful fans as volunteers.) And after the chaotic Cornish pixie encounter (in which the pixies completely destroyed the classroom, since none of the Slytherins bothered to clean up Lockhart's mess), Lockhart never followed up with another live encounter with magical creatures. There was one incident in which Lockhart tried to assign the class an assignment that involved writing a poem about his exploits - but after a series of humiliating pranks, Lockhart had never suggested a poem since then. Frankly, lessons were rather boring, since most of their education seemed to be based on following the textbook and Lockhart's rambling anecdotes.

Between classes, Callidus managed to write a reply to Wystan's letter and when classes were over, he decided to head towards the owlery to post his letter. Harry chose to join him, since he liked visiting Hedwig, but Draco had declared that the owlery was "soo far" and he didn't want to climb all the stairs.

As the two boys walked from their class towards the owlery, they began to discuss their ARMED progress.

"I hate not being able to practice spells," Harry groused. "I thought we'd find that secret chamber by now. Maybe we should just risk going back to the forest to practice again. Can't you just use those seed pods if anything happens again?"

"I only have a couple of them left. If there were more than two acromantulas, we'd be in trouble."

Harry pursed his lips, a look of contemplation on his face. "Can't you ask Caiside for more then?"

"Unless Caiside is growing deadly plants up in Gryffindor tower, I doubt that she has anymore seed pods on hand," Callidus pointed out.

Harry sighed heavily. "I hate Rowle. I wish we could use those Slytherin dueling chambers. I wonder if she was just making up that bit about having to be a pureblood?" Harry's voice turned bitter. "Seems like the sort of thing she would do."

"I'm surprised you haven't been plotting ways to make her life difficult," Callidus remarked.

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Like a prank? It's harder to get into pranks without Draco, and Draco is oblivious to how Rowle acts around anyone who isn't a pureblood."

"True, Draco has the most enthusiasm for creating trouble. But -" Callidus paused, "- he isn't necessary."

Harry's expression turned hopeful. "Are you saying that you would help me if I wanted to prank her?"

"To remove that smug look from Rowle's face? Yes."

Harry broke into a grin. "Awesome! What should we do? We should plan something right away. It's too bad that we can't enter the girls' dorms. I wonder if I could get Pansy or Millie to help us."

Callidus gazed upwards as he thought. "It should be both humiliating and relevant. What would upset her the most?"

"Something to do with muggles. It's too bad we don't know her class schedule. But we could get her during one of the meals or in the common room. Are there any potions you could vapourize other than the friendliness potion?"

A wicked gleam entered Callidus's eyes. "The friendliness potion is based off love potions. It's a matter of concentration."

A dark smile crossed Harry's face. "I like where this is going. But - the vapour bombs still aren't ready yet. There must be something we could do in the meantime." Harry tilted his head as he mused. "My spellcasting isn't good enough to get away with hexing her out in the open. And even if I give her a face full of boils, the girls all have expensive beauty potions to hide that kind of thing."

"Slytherin girls do. Somehow I can't imagine the girls from the Houses being quite as vain."

Harry smirked. "That's true. At least for Pansy, Daphne, and even Tracy. I don't think Millie cares though."

Callidus shrugged. "If anyone insulted her about her looks, she could just punch them anyways."

"Ha! She would too!" Harry grinned. "But that doesn't answer the question about Rowle. I should use that hex that would make her have musical flatulence. But if we did that, we'd have to get her in the hallways and then run away. Hmm." Suddenly, Harry's eyes lit up. "What about using the post? She'd never know it was us, and it would happen in full view of the school!"

"Are you suggesting sending her a howler?"

Harry chuckled. "That would be funny. But we could do better. Besides, it's most important to embarrass her in front of the Slytherins. I don't think Rowle cares about what the rest of the school thinks."

"You have something in mind?" Callidus queried.

A slow smile stored spread across Harry's face. "We should send her something muggle."

Callidus arched his brow. "Something muggle? Clever - it's what she hates the most. It could damage her credibility in the eyes of the other purebloods."

"Exactly!" Harry agreed.

"What should we send? It shouldn't be something that is packaged in boxed, since no one would see it."

Harry hummed. "Not packaged -" he murmured. But then an idea crossed his mind. "Magazines!"

"Ah - yes, there's a lot of potential there. We just have to figure out which magazine. Unless you know any off the top of your head?"

"Not really," Harry confessed. "But my aunt used to get subscriptions for housekeeping magazines. I wasn't allowed to touch them though."

Callidus shook his head. "I'm glad you were able to get away from your relatives. They're terrible excuses for human beings."

Harry nodded in agreement, but then smiled anew. "It would be pretty funny to send Rowle a housekeeping magazine. And have you noticed how purebloods think that pictures that don't move are bizarre and unnerving?"

Callidus smirked. "Indeed. I can check the library to see if I can discover anything about muggle magazines, though it seems unlikely. Perhaps Hermione would know something."

Before long, they had arrived at the owlery. Callidus used one of the school owls to send his letter, while Harry called for Hedwig, and began to scratch her head. They fell into silence, listening to the soft rustling sound of the birds above them.

"I can't stand her. I just want her to be crushed," Harry muttered, causing Callidus to look towards him.

"Rowle?"

Harry nodded, with a hard look that made his green eyes look unusually cold.

"She hadn't targeted me personally, like Lockhart has - but she hates a whole group of people, which is honestly worse."

"You realize that you're describing a large portion of Slytherin?"

Harry huffed. "I guess. It's just so stupid!" He thinned his lips. "I wish I could just make them see that the way that they're looking at things is all wrong."

"I doubt you could just force others to change their views," Callidus mused.

"Why not?" Harry asked stubbornly. "With magic, there must be a way."

Callidus frowned. He happened to glance downwards and noticed the cord of the pendant around Harry's neck.

"You're still wearing that thing?"

"Huh?" Harry gave him a bemused look.

"That pendant."

Harry reached under his collar and pulled out the pendant. "Why wouldn't I? I like it."

Callidus shrugged. There was no point in trying to cajole Harry about it. He didn't even know for certain if there was anything wrong with it.

Once Hedwig had her fill of attention, the two boys left the owlery to return to the dungeons.

"Shall we try to look for your secret chamber this weekend?" Callidus questioned.

Harry nodded. "After the match on Saturday, we should have plenty of time." A look of anticipation crossed his face. "I can't wait for the game. It'll be my first real match!"

"You sound confident."

Harry's expression became mildly embarrassed. "It's not that. I just really like playing. And it'll be nice to have Flint lay off us for a while. He's been really harsh lately, or at least after that day we used the friendliness potion. It's like he's trying to make up for that moment." He chuckled. "I don't think he realized what happened though."

"Oh? I wonder if that's unique to Flint, or if that's an effect of the potion. Potions tend to have obvious effects. People can usually sense that there is something different about themselves."

Harry smiled and shrugged. "Well not Flint. When are you going to have a new batch of friendliness potion ready anyway? I thought we would never have to deal with that side of Flint again."

Callidus shrugged. "The shipment of ingredients was delayed. But I'll get started on those batches as soon as it arrives."

The remainder of the week passed by in a blur, and it was soon the Saturday of the Quidditch match. It was an overcast day, and Callidus hoped that it wouldn't rain, but most of the other students didn't seem bothered by the weather. Harry and Draco had been expected to get up early to prepare, which meant Callidus hardly saw them all morning.

All around him, the Slytherins were talking about how the Gryffindors were going to be crushed.

"They don't stand a chance!" He heard one fourth year proclaim. "Their seeker couldn't see the snitch even if it was an inch from their nose."

Callidus raised his eyebrows. How had the Gryffindors been so effective about keeping Ginny's role a secret? Of all the Houses, he wouldn't have figured the Gryffindors as being good secret keepers.

As the students made their way towards the Quidditch pitch, Callidus meet up with Hermione and Caiside near one of the castle exits.

"Hello Callidus," Hermione greeted.

"Looking forward to seeing Slytherins being destroyed in the upcoming match?" Caiside playfully taunted.

Callidus smirked. "You lions always were known for your reckless confidence."

"You might not be worried now, but you will be," Caiside retorted. "It's not too late to change sides!"

"Caiside!" Hermione admonished. "Callidus is going to support his friends! Besides, it's just a game. There's no reason to get so riled up about it "

"Think of it as part of the wizarding culture," Caiside replied. "It's part of our identity."

"So are pointy hats and you don't see me wearing one of those," Hermione answered tartly.

Caiside snorted. "My mother calls it a classic look."

"Now that you mention it, I've never seen you wearing a witches' hat," Callidus observed.

"Yeah, well you learn to hate those things when your childhood is a series of traumatic incidents that involve being forced to wear the wretched things. Ugh - I don't want to relive the horror of it all. Let's just go -"

"Wait just a moment -" Callidus interjected. "I'm interested in hearing more about these childhood moments of yours."

"Noo!" Caiside pleaded. "Come on Hermione, let's go."

"You're awfully confident about the Gryffindors' chances. Why don't we make a bet, to make things more interesting. If Slytherin wins, then you have to wear a witches' hat for at least a full day."

"No!" Caiside vehemently declared.

"Ah, so you aren't so confident about the Gryffindors' abilities."

"I am! Fine!" Caiside huffed with annoyance. "But you know what? If the Gryffindors do win, then you'll be the one wearing the wretched hat."

Callidus narrow his eyes. Pointy hats were usually only worn by starry-eyed first years or particularly old-fashioned witches and wizards. It would be a bit embarrassing but Slytherin house had enough stuffy purebloods that several students regularly wore hats. Besides, Caiside had made such a big deal of the whole matter that he really wanted to see her in a witches hat.

"All right," he agreed. "We have a bet."

Hermione rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Honestly," she muttered.

As they neared the stands, they split ways, but not before Caiside called out: "Better dust off your hat!"

Callidus raised his eyebrows and a slow smile crossed his face. "Better steel yourself to relive some childhood trauma."

"This is ridiculous!" Hermione opined. "Come on Caiside. Let's go and support our friends."

Caiside shrugged and let Hermione pull her away Following the crowd of students, Callidus climbed the stairs of the Slytherin portion of the stands, and found a seat next to Parkinson and Zabini.

"Cal!" Parkinson greeted when she saw him. "Isn't this just exciting? Harry and Drakey's first match."

Callidus's lips lifted in amusement. "Indeed."

"It's just a shame that Gryffindors are so brash about the whole matter. How you manage to endure their presence, I'll never understand."

"With patience," Callidus drawled. "The same skill required to endure Slytherins."

Parkinson cackled with mirth. "Well said."

It was noisy enough that Callidus didn't feel like trying to talk over the crowds so instead of trying to maintain any semblance of conversation with Parkinson, he decided to watch the on-goings of the crowd instead. The Quidditch stands were filling up rapidly. Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs had come out in large numbers, and it was immediately obvious that neither of the other houses were siding with the Slytherins. Of course, the Slytherins were determined to make themselves heard; they had a lot of pride in their team, and didn't hesitate to show it.

The feeling of anticipation gave the air an electric feel. People on each side knew that their own team had secrets, and although many Slytherins were confident that the Gryffindors would be destroyed, they could sense the optimism of the other side, and it made them uneasy. Would this be a quick and brutal match? Or would the results surprise everyone?

There was a momentary lull as the Quidditch players emerged onto the pitch, but that soon turned into an enthusiastic roar as the students cheered for their side. All around him, Callidus heard gasps and exclamations.

"Are they holding brand new Nimbus 2001s?" an awed first year Slytherin asked of the Slytherin team.

"The whole team?" another Slytherin remarked. "Merlin, it's true! All of them have one?"

"It was a donation from one of the chasers - Malfoy," a Slytherin smugly informed.

"The Malfoy's are insanely rich! Powerful too!"

"Wait - who's that, that they've got as their seeker?"

A bewildered voice questioned: "The Gryffindors have a new seeker? I thought they were playing what's-his-face again -"

"Who is their seeker?"

"The Gryffindors don't stand a chance! Not against a team where everyone has the new Nimbus."

"Does anyone recognize that new Gryffindor seeker?"

"It's a Weasley!" a loud voice called out.

"Yeah! Their seeker is a Weasley! Can't you tell by the hair and the hand-me-down robes?"

There was a burst of laughter in the Slytherin stands.

"Is that how desperate they are?" a Slytherin mocked. "Using a muggle-loving blood traitor pauper as their seeker?"

Though Callidus sided with the Slytherins, he felt his blood begin to boil. Ginny didn't deserve to be spoken of that way. As he looked down at the pitch, he could tell that it took a lot of courage for Ginny to be able to stand tall in front of the entire student body. Yet again, he was suddenly reminded of Lily, but the moment passed as quickly as it arrived. It occurred to him that he almost thought of Ginny (and Caiside) as his friends. He shook his head. Who was kidding? Callidus realized then that he did think of Ginny and Caiside as his friends. They might have spent a great deal of time mocking each other, but there was no malice behind it.

Callidus might not have been the most vocal of Slytherins, but before he knew it, he called out: "Let's just see how she plays, before making foolish assumptions." His words went unheard, and Callidus shook his head again. Next to him, Parkinson raised her eyebrows before giving him a knowing smile. Callidus chose to ignore her.

The two Quidditch teams gathered in the middle of the green around Madam Hooch. She was probably giving them some sort of lecture about fairness, and it was evident, even all way from the stands, that the focus of her attention was Marcus Flint. The captains of the Quidditch teams then shook hands and all of them mounted their brooms.

The shrill of Madam Hooch's whistle sliced through the noise of the crowd, and seconds later, the players shot up into the air, with Harry and Ginny rising highest of all so that they had a good position from which to survey the pitch for the golden snitch. Around him, the thunder of the crowd was so noisy that it almost hurt Callidus's ears to listen to. It was unquestionably aggravating to have people whooping and waving their arms all around him.

The Quidditch announcer was a friend of the Weasley twins, named Lee Jordan. Jordan was very obviously biased towards the Gryffindors, but it was difficult to tune out his voice. Using the sonorus charm, his voice could be heard ringing across the stands, as the Quidditch players weaved back and forth, trying to maintain their practiced formations.

"And after brutally cutting off the lovely and attractive Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor -" Jordan announced, interrupted by Professor McGonagall scolding: "Jordan!"

Jordan continued: "- erm - sorry - the Quaffle has been seized by Slytherin Captain Marcus Flint. Flint zooms past Gryffindor chaser Katie Bell - Merlin, are those Nimbus Two-thousand-and-ones ever fast! The new brooms certainly give the Slytherins a major advantage. You practically don't even need to have talent, if you have one of those!"

"Jordan…" McGonagall all but growled.

Jordan gave the professor a sheepish look before returning to his announcing. "Flint passes the Quaffle to Adrian Pucey and - Ooh! Pucey barely manages to duck from a Bludger sent his way by Fred or George Weasley - sorry can't tell which is which - Pucey easily dodges Gryffindor's Alicia Spinnet - sharp turn to the left - throws - Keeper Oliver Wood dives - SAVE! Amazing save by Wood! The crowd cheers! And Gryffindors have possession of the Quaffle! Spinnet is off! Passes the Quaffle to Johnson - Intercepted by Pucey and the Slytherins have possession again! Pucey passes to Slytherin's new chaser Draco Malfoy - rumour has it that it was the Malfoys who donated the new brooms - guess life really is easier when you're rich, yeah?"

McGonagall glared at Jordan, but let the comment slide.

"Malfoy flies past Spinnet - Flint is waving for Malfoy to pass - Looks like Malfoy is going to ignore him - he's going for it - throws - and Keeper Wood moves and stops the goal. Excellent move, Wood! The Gryffindors have taken the Quaffle - Oh, Ouch! - Johnson's taken a Bludger, right in the shoulder - she loses the Quaffle, and Slytherins have possession again. Pucey has the Quaffle - zips around Bell - reverse passes to Flint - what a show off! Flint feints - Wood dives - misses - Slytherins Score!"

The Slytherins around Callidus burst into boisterous cheers and hollers. The Gryffindors clearly looked dismayed and booed loudly. It was evident to anyone with even a passing knowledge of Quidditch that the new brooms were an immense advantage. Even the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs looked unhappy. Callidus searched the pitch and spotted Harry and Ginny. Both of them wore similar looks of concentration as they scanned for the snitch. It was early yet, and both seekers were untested. Would Ginny be as good as Caiside and Hermione claimed?

Jordan's words broke into his train of thoughts. "Gryffindor's chaser Bell hands the Quaffle to Spinnet - Spinnet ducks away from Pucey - passes to Johnson - Ooh! And Malfoy swoops right in and takes the Quaffle. Bludger coming his way courtesy of Fred or George Weasley - Malfoy swoops down and dodges! The field is clear - he's flying ahead - throws - and Slytherins Score Again!"

The Slytherins broke into more cheers and this time, Callidus joined them, more out of pride that his friend had scored his first goal against the Gryffindors. Draco seemed like a bit of a selfish player who didn't want to pass the Quaffle, but apparently, he wasn't too bad of an athlete.

The next score was made by the Gryffindors, but that was followed by three consecutive goals by the Slytherins. The Slytherin team, with their new brooms, were badly thrashing the Gryffindors. As the game progressed, the Slytherins became increasingly smug, scoring more and more goals. At this point, it was obvious that the only way the Gryffindors would win was if their seeker caught the snitch, and none of them thought that Ginny Weasley had a chance. Even though Harry was untried and untested, the Slytherins were convinced that the Nimbus 2001 gave him enough of an advantage to beat Ginny (unless he made an unfathomably stupid move.) Thus, even though the chasers and beaters continued to give the game their all, attention started to turn towards the two seekers.

As though realizing that the game depended on the seekers, the beaters changed the direction of their focus. Rather than attempting to protect their chasers from the Bludgers, or aiming the Bludgers at the chasers, they started aiming the Bludgers at the seekers. Once one of the seekers were taken out, they knew the game would be done. But the situation had become difficult for the seekers because raindrops were starting to fall from the heavy clouds above their heads.

"And up goes the Bludger!" Jordan proclaimed. "Oh, close one! Harry Potter, the Slytherin's new seeker, barely escapes! Looks like the Bludger took a few bristles off the end of his broom!"

"It's nothing personal, Harry!" one of the Weasley twins called out.

"It's taking any advantage we can!" the other Weasley twin finished, shooting him one of the Weasley's signature mischievous grins.

But if the Gryffindor beaters could be ruthless, the Slytherin beaters could be far worse. The Slytherins didn't care if Slytherin's seeker was just a slip of a first-year girl. What was important was completely eliminating the Gryffindor's chances.

"The Bludger flies towards Ginny Weasley - Oh, Ouch!" Jordan winced. "Did it get her? We're losing visibility because of all this rain. Oh nope! Looks like it just caught the edge of her robes. Good thing! Gryffindor's new seeker has a lot of potential! Johnson has the Quaffle - is she going to make it? Fantastic maneuver as she avoids Malfoy - look at that grace! Gorgeous! - erm - I meant her flying was gorgeous, Professor - er - She angles upwards - feints - hits the edge of the hoop, and She Scores! That brings Gryffindor up to thirty against Slytherin's lead of eighty points!"

The Gryffindors may have been far behind, but they loyally cheered for their team, feeling like every goal was well deserved. In contrast, the Slytherins mocked and jeered. But suddenly, the seeker's movements seemed to change. Ginny's posture became straighter, like a hunting dog that had caught on to a scent, and seconds later, Harry too, had leaned forward on his broom, ready for a chase. Harry and Ginny finally had their chance to show their worth.

Knowing that the game might be drawing to a close, the beaters on both teams became even more aggressive. With the cold downpour, both teams wanted to win and get out of their wet robes. Both Slytherins and Gryffindors watched with rapt fascination as the two seekers zoomed around the iron Bludgers, executing impressively agile moves as they both chased the tiny golden snitch. In that moment, Callidus couldn't deny that Ginny actually was a good flyer. But then again, so too was Harry. Callidus had a feeling that even without the new broom, Harry would be an amazing flyer - as Callidus watched, it was almost as if Harry was one with his broom.

Callidus wasn't the only one impressed with Harry's skills.

"Flint found a really good one," he heard Slytherin girl observe. "Who would have thought that Harry Potter would be that good of a flyer? I heard he wasn't even raised in the magical world!"

"Yeah, Potter's got talent," another Slytherin interjected. "I thought Flint put him on the team because of his fame, but I guess he's got skill after all."

"Potter and Weasley are both reaching for the snitch - and -" Jordan gasped. "Foul! What a dirty, Slytherin trick - Potter tries to knock Weasley off her broom!"

Callidus raised his eyebrows. He didn't think Harry would be that sort of player - but then again, Harry had developed a dark streak lately.

"Oh Merlin!" Jordan exclaimed. "She elbows him right back! Did you see that everyone! Way to go Ginny! Gryffindors can play dirty too! Did you see that?!"

By this time, Madam Hooch was furiously blowing her whistle because both the Slytherins and Gryffindors had committed fouls. The interruption was enough to snap Harry out of his aggression, and Callidus noticed the sheepish look that crossed his face. Even from a distance, Callidus saw Harry's mouth form the words: "sorry" to Ginny, who nodded with embarrassment, and apologized right back.

The fouls meant that the seekers had both lost sight of the snitch, and everyone returned their attention from the seekers to the chasers. With the torrent of rain, some of the less enthusiastic fans started to worry about how long the game would extend, but it wasn't long before the seekers caught sight of the snitch again. This time, it was Harry who spotted it first. The two of them raced for the golden ball, managing to keep their plays legal as they flew with remarkable agility.

Harry and Ginny were almost neck-to-neck, though Harry was just a bit closer. It looked like a sure thing, but then one of the Weasley twins cracked their bat against a Bludger, and the iron ball soared straight towards Harry.

The Slytherins, who were watching with rapt attention cried out in dismay. True, the Slytherins were already ahead, but if the Gryffindors caught the snitch, it would mean that they had lost. Harry appeared to have noticed the Bludger, flying straight at him. Instinctively, he knew that trying to fly out of the way would give Ginny the edge she needed to catch the snitch. He acted without thinking. Instead of guiding his broom out of the way, he changed his grip until he was hanging upside-down on his broom as the Bludger whooshed past him.

"Potter executes the sloth grip roll to avoid the Bludger!" Jordan proclaim. "Is this really his first game? And both seekers are reaching for the snitch - who will get it first? What's this?! They've both made a grab for it -"

The crowds leaned forward, or zoomed in with their omnioculars, trying to understand what had happened. Both Harry and Ginny appeared to be holding onto the snitch - but how could that be?

"Un-bee-lee-vable!" Jordan cried. "The seekers have each got the snitch by a wing! Omniocular replays confirm that Potter and Weasley caught the snitch at the same time! Has this ever happened in the history of Quidditch here at Hogwarts?"

The Slytherins seemed to realize the implication of this, because they had already erupted in wild cheers. If the seekers had indeed tied for the catch, it meant Slytherins had won, by virtue of their higher score. The Gryffindors were clearly conflicted. On one hand, they were proud of their seeker. On the other hand, they had lost.

The players all descended down to the green, and Madam Hooch made them all shake hands. All the Slytherins did so with ill grace, behaving like insufferably smug winners, except Harry, who had developed a great deal of respect for his opponent's flying. Harry knew how much of an advantage their brooms had provided, and he saw no reason to rub in the Gryffindor's loss. Plus, he was still embarrassed by how aggressive he had gotten earlier, wondering what had come over him.

Callidus couldn't help noticing the way Ginny's face turned rather shockingly red as Harry shook her hand and congratulated her. He must have had a lot of positive things to say, because she looked like she was simultaneously about to burst from happiness, as well as die on the spot. An amused smile pulled at Callidus's lips. He followed the crowd of Slytherins down the stairs, and headed towards the green to personally congratulate his brothers/friends. As he looked towards the Gryffindor side of the stand, he couldn't help feeling absurdly amused by how Caiside's face must look, as she realized that she would have to wear a pointy hat for an entire day.

A/N: I don't even know if it's really possible to catch the snitch by its wings but... *shrugs* why not...