My thanks again for the comment on the last chapter. And if anyone's reading this who recently left a comment on The Resurrection Movement, thanks for that as well.

CHAPTER SEVEN: Playing the Game

Harry and Hermione were surrounded by Gryffindor students. It was the first match of the Hogwarts Quidditch season, Gryffindor v Slytherin. Neville had invited them to join him and their old house to view the game, so they were standing with him near the front of the stand, with Rose, Lily and Hugo lined up in front of them. "I'm surprised you didn't try out,"Harry remarked to his daughter. "You're allowed your own broom now you're a second year."

"I did,"Lily answered. "Damon made me reserve Seeker, like you and Mum. So if Albus gets injured, I'm in the team."

"I tried out for Keeper,"Hugo interjected. "Dad's old position. Damon said I was too small and I should try again when I got older. He's made me a reserve Chaser, though."

"Perhaps you shouldn't have tried out for the captain's own position,"Hermione suggested with a smile. But like Harry, she felt slightly disappointed the children hadn't shared this information with them before.

Neville nodded towards the pitch. "They're about to start."

The Gryffindor team was unchanged from the previous year, with the oldest member of the team, Timothy Wood, now in his seventh year. James, Martin and Albus lined up with the rest of their team as Damon shook hands with the Slytherin captain, Matthew Stone. Then Damon flew back into his position as Keeper, the Quaffle was hurled into the air and the game began.

Harry stole a glance over at the Slytherin supporters. He had been hoping to catch a glimpse of the new head of the house but curiously there didn't seem to be any sign of her. The only teacher in the Slytherin stand was Slughorn, whose position as headmaster didn't stop him cheering on his old house.

Natalie Ellis had the Quaffle for Gryffindor and passed it to Timothy, who passed it to Angela Barnes. She was about to take a shot when a Bludger, apparently redirected by one of the Slytherin Beaters, went flying in her direction. She ducked with a yelp and the ball fell out of her hands. Apollo Zabini swooped under her and caught it for Slytherin. Martin aimed a Bludger at him, which wasn't enough to make him drop the ball but did mean he had to change direction away from the goal to avoid it.

"Don't hover there watching the game, James!"Damon shouted. "That's what you should be doing!"

Stung by the criticism, James flew towards the nearest Bludger and swung his bat at it, aiming it at Apollo, who managed to hurl the Quaffle to Jessica Pucey, the youngest and only female member of the Slytherin team, who was a third year like Natalie. James recalled how Damon had chastised him the previous year for being too much of a gentleman to aim a Bludger at Emily during the match with Ravenclaw. No-one had seemed to realise it was more to do with it being Emily than being a girl. He aimed a Quaffle at her but Matthias Jackson, one of the Slytherin Beaters, intercepted it, sending it shooting towards Angela, who had to duck quickly.

Albus and Scorpius, the opposing teams' Seekers, had played little part in the action up until now, being busy scanning the pitch for the Snitch. Albus caught a glimpse of movement in the air and focused on the spot. Yes, it was definitely the Snitch. He glanced at the scoreboard. Gryffindor were ahead 60-30. Either team would win if they caught the Snitch and Scorpius was closer to it than him. If he made a dive for it, his opponent would probably do the same.

Albus began gently floating in the right direction, hoping not to be too obvious. Scorpius looked at him, looked at the Snitch… and as if realising it was the centre of attention, the Snitch shot upwards. Albus and Scorpius both shot after it, until they were almost flying side by side, hands outstretched, finger tips scrambling to touch it… and then Scorpius managed to reach just that bit further forward, grasping the Snitch in his hand.

The referee's whistle blew. The Slytherin stand erupted in cheering. The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs acknowledged the victory with polite applause.

"Yes, great catch, Scorpius!"Rose cheered. Every other pair of eyes in the otherwise silent Gryffindor stand stared at her. "You've got to admit, that was a good catch,"she amended lamely.

Neville grinned at Harry and Hermione. "And I get strange looks when I cheer for Emily in Ravenclaw."

Harry was about to answer when his attention was drawn to a black-haired woman running across the pitch towards the Slytherin stand. She made for Slughorn and began a conversation that, although inaudible from where they were sitting, seemed rather urgent.

"That's the new Head of Slytherin,"Neville explained.

Slughorn and Melinda were now hurrying back in the direction Melinda had come from, towards the castle. Harry, Hermione and Neville bounded down the steps, pushing through the crowd of students, and intercepted them at the edge of the pitch. "What's going on?"Harry asked.

"It's Professor Macmillan,"Melinda replied. "He's been attacked."

Madame Pomfrey was in the middle of treating a wound to Ernie's head as Harry, Hermione, Neville, Slughorn, Melinda and Flitwick all crowded around him. "Just tell us slowly what happened,"Harry suggested.

Ernie sighed. "I've already explained all this to Melinda when she found me and to Madame Pomfrey when she asked how I did this."

"Just do it again,"Harry persisted.

"I was going to check on the Transfiguration classroom before going to watch the game. I heard someone inside and I went in. And that's when he turned and hit me with a Stunning Spell."

"He?"Slughorn asked. "It was definitely a man?"

Ernie hesitated. "He definitely looked like a man,"he offered.

"Why do you doubt it?"Flitwick asked.

"Well… because he looked like Neville."

Everyone else in the room looked at Neville. "Me?"he asked. "But I was watching the Quidditch!"

"Neville's been with us for the past hour,"Hermione interjected. "It couldn't be him."

Ernie shrugged. "That's what I thought."

Harry turned to Melinda. "What can you tell us, Professor Havelock?"

"Very little. I'd been cleaning up in the Potions classroom, I was coming past here and I found Professor Macmillan on the floor."

"You must be sorry you missed the game,"Hermione suggested with a touch of ice to her tone.

Melinda shrugged. "I was never that interested in Quidditch. Did we win?"

"Why, yes,"Slughorn confirmed. "Young Malfoy made a marvellous play to get the Snitch and Miss Pucey scored a couple of splendid goals…"

Seeing the other teachers were distracted for a moment, Harry drew Hermione and Neville aside. "Does all this remind you of something?"

Hermione bit her lip slightly. "You mean when I was attacked by someone who looked like Parvati?"

Harry nodded. "This can't just be a coincidence. There's something going on."

"But what can we do about it?"Neville asked.

Harry looked over his shoulder to make sure no-one else was listening. "Whatever we do, I don't think we can do it alone."