Chapter 21: Quidditch

It was the week before the end of term when a freshly showered Harry Potter bounced into the Hufflepuff common room, beaming from ear to ear. He dropped into the waiting empty seat between Susan and Hermione and bumped his arm against his best friend as she gave him a wry smile and shook her head.

"Practice went well then?"

"Amazing," Harry grinned. "I watched the team run through their gameplan for Saturday but afterwards Cedric introduced me to Derek and lent me his broom…" Harry trailed off with a wistful grin look on his face. A moment of silence passed before his friends became impatient.

"And…?" urged Ernie.

"He terrified Derek." The group swivelled round in their seats to see Cedric approaching, laughing as he did so. "I've never seen a Wronski Feint in real life – I thought Derek was going to pass out when Harry skimmed the grass as he pulled up from his dive."

"You can do a Wronski Feint?" Ernie said, looking at Harry in awe.

Susan snorted. "He's been doing them for years. The first time Sirius saw him do it though was this summer and he looked like he was going to be sick. I thought he was going to murder Harry but instead, he went right out and bought him a new broom – said that if he was going to pull stunts like that he'd prefer he do it on something more responsive than a Cleansweep Five."

"You did a Wronski Feint on a Cleansweep Five?" Ernie said incredulously. "Those have been around for decades!"

"Yeah," Harry said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck and looking a little embarrassed. "It was a little hairy… I ended up a touch closer to the ground than I meant to…"

Susan and Hannah burst out with laughter at that statement. "A touch closer?" Hannah giggled. "The tail of the broom was covered in grass cuttings."

Harry blushed as those who hadn't been there stared at him in disbelief.

"Sorry, I'm missing something here…" Justin said, looking baffled. "What's a 'wonky faint'?"

"A Wronski Feint," said Ernie, "is a dangerous and difficult Seeker move. Basically, the Seeker flies straight at the ground at high speed before pulling up at the last second. It's supposed to trick the opposing seeker into thinking the snitch has been spotted and make them follow. Unless they realise it's a bluff, it usually ends up with the opponent ploughing into the ground. Most professionals won't even try it – there's too much risk of injury."

"That wasn't what scared Derek the most though," Cedric chuckled. Harry felt Hermione stiffen next to him and he cringed as he knew he'd be hearing her thoughts on the matter later.

"Oh?" she said sweetly. "What did?"

Oblivious to the rising tension, Cedric continued. "He managed to pull off 'threading the needle'."

This time all the Quidditch fanatics in their group stared at him.

"And what," Hermione asked, a dangerous tone in her voice "is threading the needle?". Harry tried to make himself as small as possible, shrinking back into his seat but finding no escape from the impending arrival of Hurricane Hermione.

"Flying through one of the goal hoops!" Cedric said excitedly. "Harry must have been flat out as he went through, and he caught the snitch Derek had let loose whilst doing it!"

"HARRY JAMES POTTER!" Hermione roared as she leapt to her feet, fury etched on her face. "OF ALL THE STUPID… WHAT ON EARTH WERE YOU THINKING?"

"I was perfectly safe…" Harry muttered quietly, his previously exuberant mood now completely gone.

"Safe? SAFE?" Hermione raged. Suddenly she stilled and her expression turned cold. "I just... I'll speak to you later." With that, she turned and stormed off to her dormitory, slamming the door behind her as she disappeared from sight.

"What was that about?" Cedric asked, frowning.

Harry sat in shock. In all the years he'd known Hermione she'd never shouted at him like that before. Shakily he raised his head. "I don't know but I'm going to find out." He made his way across the common room and knocked on the first-year girls' dormitory door.

"Hermione?" he called timidly.

"Go away, Harry!"

He turned and glanced back at his friends who were watching curiously from the other side of the room. He looked at them beseechingly and they busied themselves in conversation, allowing Harry a modicum of privacy. "Hermione… please… talk to me…"

Harry heard her stomping footsteps coming towards the door. Hermione flung it open and grabbed him by the arm, dragging him inside before slamming the door shut again. She swiftly cast a silencing charm to ensure they wouldn't be overheard and glared at Harry. "How could you be so stupid?" she hissed vehemently. "What if you'd misjudged it and died? What would happen to everything we've planned? To getting rid of Voldemort? To changing Wizarding Britain? To stopping what Hugo became…" She froze, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes and lip trembling. Harry cautiously moved to stand in front of her before gently reaching out and placing a hand on her shoulder. As soon as he made contact she fell toward him, clinging to him as though afraid he might disappear, and began sobbing into his robes.

After a few moments, she calmed down enough to take a few shaky breaths and looked up at him with tear tracks running down her face. "I've told you before Harry, I can't do this without you. Last time around you had no-one... Professor McGonagall didn't give you an option to play, she just told you that you were on the team… You were so eager to please, so eager to be liked and accepted, that you did whatever you could to grab that, regardless of what it would do to you. I lost count of the hours I sat beside your bed in the hospital wing, wondering when something would happen that Madam Pomfrey couldn't fix…" Hermione lifted his chin, which had slowly dropped toward his chest, so he was looking into her eyes. "You don't have to do that this time. You have friends! You have a family! Sirius… Severus… Andi, Ted, and Dora… Not to mention Neville, Susan, Hannah, and Daphne…"

"And you?" Harry whispered.

"Of course me, you idiot!"

"I'm sorry Hermione… I wasn't thinking. I just got caught up in the moment." He hugged her tightly. "I promise I'll be more careful."

"Please… I need you to take care of yourself. You're going to be in enough danger over the next few years without bringing more on yourself."

"I know. I really am sorry…"

Hermione wiped her cheeks and grasped Harry's hand. They just stood like that for a moment, gathering themselves and their thoughts when Hermione winced. "Oh Merlin, I feel like such an idiot," she exclaimed. "How am I going to explain that outburst to the others?"

Harry pursed his lips and thought hard. "Well…" he said slowly. "Remember third-year? When the Dementors made me fall from my broom?" Hermione nodded. "Tell them you had a friend that almost died doing something dangerous while playing a sport. It may not have been my fault at the time but it doesn't change the fact that I wouldn't have survived if Dumbledore hadn't slowed my fall."

Hermione nodded once more, took a deep breath, and cancelled the silencing charm. She squeezed Harry's hand once more just as there was a gentle knock at the door.

"Ermmm… guys?" Cedric called from the hallway. "Are you almost done? Boys aren't supposed to be in the girls' dorm…"

"Yeah, we're coming Cedric," Harry called, placing his hand on the small of her back and guiding her to the door. "Are you ready to go back out there?" he asked Hermione softly.

She adjusted her robes and wiped her cheeks once more. She gave Harry a small smile and nodded then, together, they stepped back out into the Hufflepuff common room.

Saturday morning dawned clear and crisp and there was a palpable sense of excitement in Hufflepuff house. Their first match of the Quidditch season – Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw – was only a few short hours away and it seemed every member of the house was doing their best to show their pride, festooned in yellow and black scarves and many sporting painted faces as they looked forward to the game. The players were cheered loudly by their housemates when they made their appearance and en masse, they made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast where the atmosphere of friendly rivalry between the two competing teams was in stark contrast to the undercurrent of tension that had permeated the hall on the day of the Gryffindor versus Slytherin match.

As breakfast finished the two captains called their teams together to make their way down to the Quidditch pitch. A roar of excitement from the watching students accompanied them as they left the hall with Harry and his friends cheering along. Harry thought back to his first game and remembered how nervous he was on the day, but how easily that feeling had dissipated once he was in the air.

As the group of first-year Hufflepuffs settled into their seats high in the stands, they were joined by Neville, Daphne, and Tracey, each of whom had managed to borrow a Hufflepuff scarf for the day. Whilst it was odd seeing their friends wearing their house colours instead of the red and gold of Gryffindor or the silver and green of Slytherin, the effort was appreciated nonetheless.

"Welcome everyone to the second match of the Hogwarts Quidditch season – Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw!" Lee Jordan's sonorous enhanced voice boomed out around the stadium and was swiftly followed by cheers from the packed stands. Harry grinned as he remembered Professor McGonagall's repeated interruptions in Lee's commentary due to off-colour or inappropriate remarks and wondered if they'd hear any of that today. "Please welcome first, the team from Ravenclaw! Keeper Page, Beaters Samuels and Inglebee, Chasers Burrow, Stretton and Davies, and Seeker Hilliard!" The crowd packed into the Ravenclaw section of the stands cheered loudly as their team took to the field.

"And now, representing the Badgers! Keeper Fleet, Beaters Rickett and O'Flaherty, Chasers Alderton, Preece and Macavoy, and Seeker Diggory!" This time the Hufflepuff stands erupted with Harry joining in and cheering as loudly as he could. This was how he'd hoped his school years would be – surrounded by friends and enjoying his time at Hogwarts, rather than living in ever-increasing fear for his life. He'd watched closely as the Professors had taken their seats before the game and was pleased to see there was no sign of Quirrell, giving him hope that he could simply sit back and enjoy the game.

The two captains met in the centre of the pitch and shook hands before mounting their brooms and kicking off into the sky. Madam Hooch released the snitch and bludgers before tossing the quaffle high in the air and getting the game underway. The game itself began cagily with few scoring opportunities; as Slytherin had only beaten Gryffindor by 10 points, neither team wanted to expose themselves too much and the lack of action was causing some restlessness in the crowd. After 20 minutes, with Ravenclaw leading narrowly by 60 points to 50, Harry glanced over at the Professors once more and was dismayed to see Quirrell had joined his colleagues in the stands. Harry nudged Hermione and pointed him out. She looked worriedly at Harry and watched the possessed Professor as he seemed to stare at the crowds in the Hufflepuff section rather than observe the game being played out before him.

Abruptly, Quirrell stopped his examination of the Hufflepuff students and stepped back into the shadows of the stands where he was obscured from vision. Harry and Hermione glanced at each other nervously. They peered intently at the spot he'd concealed himself in and missed Malcolm Preece score an equalising goal for Hufflepuff before his broom jerked suddenly as he wheeled away in celebration. Preece hung in midair, looking concerned as he examined his recently purchased Comet 260, attempting to understand why it had reacted seemingly of its own accord. Finding no obvious problem he shrugged and tried to rejoin the field of play when the broom lurched again more violently and almost threw his from his seat.

Now completely out of his control, Preece was helpless as the broom rotated until it was pointed at the stand that housed the Hufflepuff students, and accelerated to its top speed, bolting towards the section where Harry and his friends were sat. His unexpected cry of terror swiftly drew the attention of the players on the pitch who could only watch in horror as he bore down on the helpless students. Those watching in the stands added their screams to that of their Chaser as he tore towards them, and clambered over the seats in an attempt to escape the inevitable impact.

Preece flung himself from his broom just as it passed above the first row of seats and landed hard, the crack made by the bones in his legs fracturing as he fell heavily upon them was audible above the noise of the crowd, as was the piercing scream he let out as the pain of his injuries hit. The loss of his weight on the broom caused it to climb sharply and Harry turned quickly, watching as the now riderless Comet crashed into the empty seats, six rows above where he was sitting. The force of the impact was clear to see as only half of the handle remained visible from where he sat, the other half was embedded firmly in the seat and the wooden structure behind it. Shuddering at the thought of what it would have done if it had made contact with a body, Harry looked down the stands to where his injured housemate lay. Preece had passed out from pain and was being gently supported by two Prefects who were looking around anxiously for help from one of the Professors and Harry could feel Hermione's tight grip on his arm as they peered once more at the gloom where Quirrell had hidden, hoping that the danger had now passed.

Far below on the pitch, one of the bludgers that had fallen still at Madam Hooch's command twitched suddenly and rose silently into the air.

The bludger was only 20 feet away when the crowd realised something else was wrong. A cry of horror from Susan saw Harry's attention snap back to the pitch and, seeing the iron ball hurtling straight at him, he pushed Susan away from his side and towards Hannah while he threw himself in the opposite direction and onto Hermione, pulling her to the floor and attempting to shield her with his body. A second later the bludger struck the place where Harry had been located only a moment before, shattering the seat and sending splintered wood in all directions. Students scrambled over one another in an attempt to move away from the gaping hole in the structure as the bludger reversed its course, appearing through the hole it had just created and flying back out to the middle of the pitch. The bludger paused for a moment, hanging still in the air. Harry could hear the shrill, piercing sound of Madam Hooch's whistle and the screams of terror from his housemates, growing louder as the bludger accelerated once more and shot directly at him as he lay on the floor of the stand, Hermione beneath him. Eyes wide, Harry struggled to his feet, pulling Hermione to hers at the same time. Pushing her in front of him the pair tried to flee, only to be held up in the crush of students attempting the same.

Harry looked around wildly, seeing Professors rushing out of their seats in an attempt to reach and help their students but the bludger continued its unwavering path towards Harry – 30 feet, 20 feet, 10. He pulled his best friend into what could be a final hug. Squeezing his eyes tight he flung her away from him, hoping to protect her one last time, and waited for the crushing blow. Hermione screamed his name… but the expected impact never came.

The unmistakable crack of iron on wood filled the air and Harry spun on the spot, eyes wide once more, to find two Beaters – one wearing the blue and bronze of Ravenclaw, the other the yellow and black of Hufflepuff - defending the students. Suddenly the bludger dropped out of the air, thudding into the pitch far below and creating a small crater as it landed. The second bludger had remained motionless on the far side of the pitch and Madam Hooch flew down to secure both balls, preventing either of them from causing any further mayhem or destruction.

The Professors had, at long last, managed to reach the stand and were in the process of calming the frantic students when Severus approached Harry. Hermione fought her way back to Harry and threw herself into his arms where he held her tightly. Seeing Susan and Hannah trying to make their way over, alongside Neville, Daphne, and Tracey, Severus spoke quickly in a low voice. "Are you two OK?"

"Just about," replied Harry unevenly. "We saw Quirrell looking over here but he backed away just before the bludger struck. Did you see what happened?"

"He was knocked off his feet by Professor Sprout as she left the stand and was caught in the stampede of people trying to get over here to help. The last I saw, he was headed back up to the castle." Harry nodded in thanks and Severus turned to address Harry's friends who had just arrived. "Mr Longbottom, Miss Greengrass, Davis, Abbott, and Bones– are you injured at all?"

"N-no Sir." Hannah spluttered, "Just…" Her eyes began to fill with tears.

"All of you, make your way out of the stand. Madam Pomfrey is on the ground with calming draughts, I suggest you all take one." He nodded to Harry once more and moved off to speak with another group of students, still trembling in their seats, afraid to move.

Harry moved unsteadily to the exit, Hermione still clinging to his side and only releasing him once they reached the stairs. He made his way slowly down, keeping an eye on his friends behind him as they all tottered on wobbly legs down the steep wooden steps. Once clear of the structure the group collapsed to the ground in stunned silence only moving when Madam Pomfrey approached them, placing a calming draught in each of their hands and directing them to drink immediately.

The friends sat, allowing the potion to take effect. "Harry?" Susan was the first to break the silence. Harry lifted his head to look over at his friend. "Thank you for pushing me out of the way."

Harry attempted to wave off her thanks but suddenly found his arms full and his vision distorted by the red hair of Susan Bones. He rubbed her back consolingly, murmuring calming words until she sniffed and pulled away, smiling shyly at him. He smiled back and turned, only to find his arms immediately filled again and his vision blocked once more, this time by bushy brown hair. A familiar and welcome scent filled his nostrils and he squeezed Hermione tightly.

"I'll be honest," Harry whispered, "I was expecting an earful for almost dying, even though it wasn't my fault this time."

"How can I tell you off you noble idiot? We could have both died if that bludger hit us and you pushing me away wouldn't be the first time you'd have saved my life. I'm just glad you're still here."

Hermione moved back slightly and tilted her head up so she could look straight into the emerald eyes of her best friend. Harry gazed back, feeling his heart beating rapidly in his chest he replayed Sirius' frequently teasing words in his mind – why hadn't he asked Hermione out before? She was, without a doubt, his best friend and had stood by him throughout all their trials and tribulations. He knew he'd been much more demonstrative with his affection for her since their reunion – was he subconsciously recognising that he did want something more?

A gentle cough from his side broke Harry's train of thought and the pair quickly stepped apart. He looked around to find all their friends watching them, amused expressions on their faces, and both he, and Hermione, flushed a deep shade of red. Disregarding the embarrassment he felt, Harry noted thankfully that his friends were able to find something to smile about, despite the horrific situation they had all been caught up in shortly before.

"I'm sorry to interrupt Mr Potter," Professor Sprout spoke from behind him. He jumped at the sound of her voice, having not realised she was there. Turning to look at his head of house he could see her countenance change from amusement to concern. "I wanted to make sure you were all OK, and to let you know that if any of you feel like you want to talk about what happened today, my door is always open to you." She nodded at the non-Hufflepuffs in attendance. "That goes for three you too – you may not be members of my house but I'm always happy to speak with you."

"Thank you, Professor," chorused the group of first-years. As she moved on to make sure the next group of students were OK she congratulated herself on getting her bet in early. If what she had just witnessed was any indication of the future, she was looking forward to the Galleons that would be coming her way when Mr Potter and Miss Granger admitted their feelings for each other.

That night, a still shaken Harry pulled the curtains shut around his bed and put up a silencing charm before retrieving his communication mirror and whispering Padfoot's name. He filled Sirius in on the day's events and only knowing there were plans already in place to deal with him stopped an enraged Sirius from charging up to Hogwarts and confronting Quirrell for attempting to harm his adopted son. Eventually, Harry managed to calm the Marauder down enough to have him pass on some good news.

"We had our final meeting today ahead of the Wizengamot. Everyone is on board." Sirius said cheerfully. "We'll go over the formalities when you're home so you know what to do and say when you're called but we're looking good."

"Amazing work Padfoot!" Harry grinned happily. "Thanks for running with this. We couldn't have got here without you."

"Well," Sirius sniffed imperiously and adopted a suitably pompous expression. "Sometimes older and wiser heads are needed to show you whippersnappers how things are done."

"I know you cover the requirement for 'older' in this timeline," Harry smirked, "but who's picking up the 'wiser' side of things?"

Sirius chose to take the mature approach and responded by flicking two fingers at Harry before replying. "That'd be Bonesy."

"Bonesy…? Wait. Amelia?"

"Yep!"

"And she allows you to call her 'Bonesy'?"

"Absolutely not." Sirius smiled widely. A hint of a wistfulness crossed his face so quickly Harry almost missed it.

"Sirius?"

"Hmmm?"

"Is there anything you want to tell me?"

"About what?"

Harry grinned. "Amelia's a fine looking woman, Sirius."

"Yes…?"

"Do you want some help?"

"With what?"

"She's a fine looking woman."

"I know! Stop saying that!"

"All I'm saying is that I'm here for you if you need any help."

"I'll have you know Sirius Black is irresistible to the ladies. What makes you think I'd need your help anyway?"

"She's a fine looking woman…"

"The next time I see you, you're going to get pranked horribly."

Harry laughed and smiled down at Sirius' image. "In all seriousness though, if you think it would make you both happy, you should go for it. Susan told me once she very rarely goes out on dates. I can't imagine there are many men that don't find Amelia intimidating - Regent to a Noble and Most Ancient House and Head of the DMLE? The job alone would scare most people off…"

Harry could see that Sirius was thinking this over and, checking his watch, realised they'd been talking for hours. "Merlin, it's gone midnight – I need to go. Just think about it OK? It could be good for you both."

Sirius nodded but before he could say goodnight, Harry spoke again. "And for the rest of us too. If I walk in on you as Padfoot once more…"

"I told you I was just seeing if I could do it! Not that I actually would!"

"Goodnight Sirius!" Harry called, shutting off the mirror and chuckling at the final flustered image of his father's best friend.

After the events of the day, Harry had known he'd have trouble sleeping but had chosen to decline the offer of a Dreamless Sleep potion from Poppy nevertheless. The teasing nature of his conversation with Sirius, along with the knowledge that he would soon be seeing him again, was a comfort to Harry and slowly, he managed to slip off into a restful sleep.

A/N: What is happening?! Two chapters in a reasonable amount of time?!

The "fine looking woman" conversation is paraphrased from an episode of The West Wing - 'Mandatory Minimums'. I love Aaron Sorkin's writing and when I saw the opportunity to use this here I couldn't help myself!

The next chapter will include the Wizengamot session - something I'm really looking forward to getting my teeth into!