A/N: Thanks to HPAsherra, clare127, CyanideAndRazorblades, & SingrBear for following, & thanks to carrie76 & SingrBear for the reviews! You're the best, really.
May I present chapter 23 - the Quidditch final! Anything you recognize belongs to J.K. Rowling. Please R&R, & enjoy! :)
The remainder of February and most of March passed at an alarming rate – the seventh and eighth years were slowly realizing that their N.E.W.T.s were fast approaching, and if their ever-increasing workload was anything to go by, they'd be lucky to finish everything before the exams arrived. Mishaps in class were more frequent as the brain-fried, sleep-deprived students struggled to maintain their concentration, and they'd long ago come to terms with the fact that they wouldn't be getting to bed anytime before midnight between now and mid-June.
However, as was often the case at Hogwarts, the students had more than just academics on their minds. The attack on the castle caused many to renew their subscriptions to the Daily Prophet, and they kept a watchful eye out for anything suspicious. Thankfully, the Death Eaters who'd been captured at the school had been more than willing to supply names and other helpful information once they'd realized they wouldn't be getting away a second time, and the last of the Dark army had finally been captured just under two weeks ago. Relieved that the threat was finally gone, Hermione and her classmates had taken an afternoon off to enjoy some butterbeers at the Three Broomsticks and had wandered Hogsmeade afterward, taking advantage of the occasion to stock up on all their favorites the little village had to offer.
Their other biggest distracter, of course, was Quidditch – Phoenix Rising's previous victories had secured them a spot in the final in early April, and the whole school was in a frenzy over the upcoming match. The usual outward hostilities towards the participating players were absent, thanks to the teams' mix of students from all houses and years, and was instead replaced with a feeling of almost palpable excitement as the big day drew ever nearer. The Dragon Tamers, Captained by Paul Rogers, had proven themselves a formidable team over the course of the season – if nothing else, the game promised to be a good one. Hermione found herself spending a great deal of time in the common room in Draco's company as he and Lisa slogged through their homework after Ginny's increasingly grueling practice sessions – they hardly ever spoke to one another, the only noises the scratching of quills and the occasional rustle of pages as they double-checked information in their textbooks or notes, but doing homework together proved far better than attempting the formidable task alone. To Hermione's unending amusement, Crookshanks seemed to have grown rather attached to Draco – the ginger cat had established himself a seemingly permanent place beneath Draco's chair, and although Draco had been rather reluctant with the arrangement at first, Crookshanks had slowly but surely grown on him, and he often greeted the cat with a scratch behind the ears before turning his attention to his work.
The evening before the match, Draco threw down his quill around eleven o'clock, a sigh of frustration escaping his lips.
"I can't concentrate anymore," he said faintly, gesturing towards the pile of parchment before him. "I feel like my head's about to explode." Hermione chuckled softly before setting aside her own quill.
"I don't blame you," she said, "not with the big game tomorrow and all. And you're not the only one who's not working." She gestured towards the sofa, where Blaise and Lisa were bent over a large book, their heads close together. They were talking quietly, and although Draco couldn't hear the full extent of their conversation, he recognized the book as one of Quidditch tactics. It seemed that Blaise was trying to reassure his girlfriend that everything would be fine the next morning, but Draco couldn't tell if his friend was having any luck. Lisa was a fantastic Chaser, but she always came down with a bad case of pre-match nerves that refused to go away until the starting whistle blew. No one else was in the common room – Susan had already gone to bed, complaining of a headache, and Justin and Neville had gone to the greenhouses to check up on their joint Herbology project, having not had time to do so earlier in the day.
"Draco, go to bed," Hermione said quietly. He gave her a questioning look, and she continued, "You'll need your sleep for tomorrow. One night off studying won't kill you – it's almost the Easter holidays; you'll have plenty of time for work then."
"Hermione Granger is telling me to stop studying," he murmured softly, a small smile playing across his lips as he stroked Crookshanks, who'd crawled into his lap the instant he'd noticed they were no longer working. "How did the world end without me noticing?"
"Oh, hush," she replied. "I've just about had it as well. If I spend too much more time with those Rune diagrams I think I might go cross-eyed, and I've read more Potions definitions today than I can count. I'm going to bed." She began packing up her things and gave Draco a pointed look, at which he did the same.
The next morning was a sharp contrast to that of Phoenix Rising's previous match – the sky was overcast, but it was infinitely warmer, and the rain that had been pounding the castle on and off for the last week had finally stopped. Ginny practically forced her team to eat second helpings of everything at breakfast while touching very little herself – Hermione was distinctly reminded of Oliver Wood's behavior in their third year – and the redhead hauled her team off to the locker rooms long before the match was scheduled to begin. At a quarter to eleven, Hermione, Blaise, Justin, Susan, and Neville headed down to the stadium, taking up their customary seats in the top row. They'd created a special banner just for the occasion, not unlike the ones the Gryffindors had made in previous years, and they busied themselves setting it up on two large poles behind the seats before the game began.
If Draco and the others had thought Ginny determined during her last pep talk, it was nothing to her behavior now. Her eyes gleamed with pure passion, and her body language was not unlike that of someone preparing for war. She stood as tall as her petite frame would allow, her stance bold and her face radiating her resolve to win. Her red hair flowed in a thick braid down her back, and her Captain's badge gleamed brightly on her chest.
"This is it," she said, her voice the strongest they'd ever heard from her, "our last chance to get out there and show our stuff. Rogers has a great squad – we'll be greater. His team flies fast – we'll fly faster. And at the end of the day, we'll come out on top, because when a phoenix is reborn, there's nowhere for it to go but up. Phoenix flames may be gold, but today, I want to see some silver, because I want to win that Quidditch Cup! Who's with me?" She was practically shouting by the end of her little speech, her excitement infectious as her team threw their hands in for their customary pre-game chant. With a last exchange of smiles and nods, they took to the field.
The roar of the crowd as they reached the pitch was phenomenal – the Quidditch final hadn't been so highly anticipated since Gryffindor had won the Cup in Draco's third year, and as such, the whole school had turned out in full force. A huge block of Phoenix Rising supporters all sat together, making it look as though the stands were on fire from the various bright colors of their outerwear, and the team could faintly make out the large banner rippling over the heads of the eighth years. Draco squinted up at it and grinned when he realized what it said. He nudged Sam's arm to get her attention and gestured towards the banner, and soon, the entire team had seen the message their friends had created:
For the Phoenix, Fly!
The navy banner matched their robes, and the fiery letters seemed to dance under a spell that Draco was sure was Hermione's doing. It was a beautiful piece of work, and the sight of the blinding message lifted their spirits even more as they took their pre-takeoff stances. Ginny shook hands with Paul, and Madam Hooch blew her whistle. The Quidditch final had begun.
The spectators had anticipated an excellent match, and they weren't disappointed. Lee Jordan was kept busy as both teams' Chasers flipped the Quaffle back and forth with amazing speed, and the Beaters put all their strength into every hit. As he rose above the game to circle the field, Draco couldn't help but feel more than a little pleased at the thought that a large portion of the crowd actually wanted his team to win – it was a refreshing change from being in the minority when it came to supporters. He wasn't the only one who wanted to win, of course, but he couldn't deny it would be a fantastic way to finish off his Quidditch career, and as more than half his team faced similar ends, he resolved to throw himself into this final like never before. Sam made a spectacular save just then, and as she tossed the Quaffle to her brother, she caught sight of Draco and grinned, the same determination to see victory sparkling in her eyes.
After an hour, the Snitch had yet to make an appearance, and the game was starting to get physical. More than once, both sides' Chasers were forced to abandon their initial strategies as Quaffle passes were intercepted by Bludgers or the opposing Chasers, and several players sustained minor injuries from successful Bludger hits. The Keepers were both brilliant, each making one hair-raising save after another as the Chasers launched wave after wave of brutal assaults on the goal hoops.
"And it's the Dragon Tamers with the lead, 70-60, but it's Lisa Turpin of Phoenix Rising with the Quaffle…"
The game continued much in this fashion for nearly another hour – the Snitch made a brief appearance about halfway through this second hour, but both Seekers had merely a fleeting glimpse of the elusive ball before a rogue Bludger forced them both to scatter. By the time the Bludger had changed course, the Snitch had disappeared. Neither team seemed able to hold an advantage scoring-wise, and the goals were becoming fewer and farther between as the players began to tire. After another ten minutes, Paul called time-out, and the fourteen players gratefully accepted the short break. Draco kept one eye on the skies as Ginny gave them all a quick pep talk, but the only sparkling thing he saw was the banner still fluttering behind his friends.
At Madam Hooch's whistle, the game resumed once more. It was obvious everyone was getting tired, as the fancier moves both teams favored gradually began to disappear in favor of more straightforward tactics. Unfortunately, this made the Beaters' job much easier, and not five minutes later, Draco heard a sickening crack and turned just in time to see a Bludger connect with Ginny's left ankle. She spun slightly and winced at the obvious pain, but she waved off Madam Hooch and stubbornly continued to fly. Her broken ankle didn't keep her from flying properly, and there was no way in hell she was leaving the pitch before the match ended.
Draco shook his head slightly at Ginny's stubbornness – she'd be hurting like hell until they could get her to Madam Pomphrey – and a sight just to the left of his Captain made his heart drop into his stomach. Paul Rogers was rocketing upward with a determined look on his face, gaining on the fluttering speck just above him. Draco's broom was fast, but Paul was light years closer – without a miracle, there was no way Draco would catch the Snitch.
Just then, a well-timed Bludger from Rose zipped straight into Paul's path – with a yell, he veered sideways to avoid it. Draco, who was still racing towards Paul, looked around frantically – where the bloody hell had the Snitch gone? Then, he saw it – the Bludger must have caused the little ball to change direction, because the Snitch was suddenly flying right towards him. Extending his arm with a shout, Draco closed his fingers over the Snitch, its silver wings beating gently against his palm.
It took the crowd a minute to figure out what had happened – they thought the Snitch had disappeared again when the Bludger arrived – but when the eighth years caught sight of Draco shooting towards the ground, grinning from ear to ear with his fist raised high over his head, they knew it was over. Hermione screamed and Blaise let out a shout of delight as the gathered students cheered until they were hoarse. The players themselves seemed to be in a state of shock as they made their way back to the ground – Sam was sobbing unabashedly into her twin's shoulder, and Ginny promptly threw her arms around Draco's neck and kissed his cheek the instant they'd both landed. She nearly collapsed when she tried to put weight on her injured ankle, but she shot Draco a look that said quite clearly, 'Make me try to leave this early, and I'll hex you,' so he instead wrapped one arm around her shoulders to help her stand. Lisa and Rose were jumping up and down, shrieking, "We did it! We won!" and Carter was trying to look dignified but failing miserably, eventually giving up and joining in the girls' victory dance.
The eighth years were right behind Professor McGonagall as she presented the enormous Quidditch Cup to Ginny, and Hermione couldn't hold back her tears as her best girlfriend hoisted the silver trophy high above her head. Thinking quickly, she focused the small camera she'd brought to the match and snapped several photos as the Cup was passed from player to player.
"Think I can come out now?" asked a voice at her shoulder. She laughed quietly.
"Yes, I think you can. You'll get trampled if you stay under there too much longer."
Ginny caught Hermione's eye and smiled broadly, but her smile turned to shock as she registered who was standing next to her friend.
"HARRY!" Ignoring her throbbing ankle, Ginny tore away from Draco's stabilizing hold and launched herself into her boyfriend's arms, kissing him soundly.
"What are you doing here?" she asked breathlessly once they'd broken apart.
"I came to watch you play," Harry answered, grinning down at her. "I didn't tell you because I wanted it to be a surprise." At this, Ginny promptly burst into tears, burying her face in Harry's shoulder.
"We need a team picture with the Cup!" Blaise called, breaking the moment. Harry helped Ginny back to the podium, where she quickly dried her eyes before squeezing his hand and taking her place in the center of the group. She raised the Cup once more as Hermione snapped several pictures of the team, every one of them smiling like they'd never done before.
"Party in our common room!" Susan shouted. Several cheers met her announcement, and the group raced off across the grounds – the team on their broomsticks, their friends running beneath them – to celebrate the Phoenix's rising.