26/1/24

Happy New Year!

Sorry this has come at the end of the month, but i was having trouble getting it just right - still a bit unsure, but i couldn't edit it any more than i have.

When Jack opened his eyes he felt groggy, pain everywhere, and felt if he moved too fast he would be sick.

Hearing noises of people talking – although he couldn't place voices to names just yet – he let out a groan.

"Jack!" what sounded like Elisa said quietly so not to make his headache feel worse.

"El?" Jack asked slowly looking around seeing white almost everywhere, scaring him a little, until beds formed and slowly his eyes found Bunny, in a seat nearby, asleep.

Moving from him, Jack then saw Baby Tooth on the bedside table curled up under a tissue blanket.

Finally on the other side of the bed, he saw Elisa who looked pleased to see Jack finally awake.

"What happened?" he asked in a groggy voice. "How long was I out this time? Where's Pettigrew and that man?"

"One question at a time love," Elisa said calming him down by placing a cool hand onto his forehead. "In order of delivery: We had just calmed Moony down and were about to get Nixon and Pettigrew when we were, shall we say, ambushed by a hoard of Dementors." she started. "You fell almost straight away, then Hermione, then Harry just before I did, although we were trying to cast Patronus' with me making one, just, when a doe, a cat and a phoenix one appeared to chase them monsters away, but I lost conscious after that.

'You have been here in the Hospital Wing for about 5 days since we brought you back to school. Harry, Hermione, and I woke up hours later but were told to stay here for a few days just to be sure." she added this part feeling Jack would ask later.

'And lastly we don't know where either of those men are, but there is talk among the grownups that there's a chance they'll be off to try and find Voldermort. But both are black listed now so if they try to leave the country hopefully the Aurors and the Ministry would be informed. So Moody has said." she finished smiling before wringing out a flannel from a wash basin and then putting on Jack's head. "Anything else?"

"If Harry and Hermione are awake..." Jack said slowly his mind not with it just yet. "Why aren't they here with you?"

"Um... Well I don't know about Hermione, but Harry's not here because at the moment he and the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team are playing against Slytherin, in the final match in hopes of winning the Quidditch Cup."

"He thinks a Quidditch match is more important than seeing his friend wake up?" Jack asked feeling a little hurt.

"I didn't say that," Elisa said rolling her eyes a little "Besides you know how he's like. And how Oliver Wood is like," she said before clearing her throat and saying "'I don't care how hurt he gets as long as he gets the snitch first'."

"You think we can go down and cheer them on?" Jack asked a glimmer of hope in his voice.

"Not really," Elisa said smiling back "Once Madam Pomfery finds out you're awake she'll be over you like a hawk checking you over and stuffing small boulders of chocolate down your throat."

Pouting Jack settled back down again and looked over to Bunny seeing his head free from Sandy's dream sand meaning he was pretending to be asleep.

Jack was about to say something about this, when Elisa said:

"I was starting to lose faith in the Guardians," she continued as a way to fill in the silence, making Jack turn to her with a questioning look. "But thinking over what you said when we planned Sirius' trial and remembering the stories that we were told, I worked it out. I am a Ravenclaw after all."

"And... you're ok with it?" Jack asked not sure what to say "With me?"

"The fact that my boyfriend is actually a 300 something year old, and yet still acts as a child?" Elisa asked a smile on her face "Or the fact that you didn't tell me the truth from the start?"

"It was meant to be an undercover thing," Jack said in his defence. "To watch over Harry and make sure he didn't get hurt or in trouble. Well more trouble than he can get in by himself."

"And yet it seems Harry, Neville, the Weasley Twins, and maybe Luna seem to know about you." Elisa said raising an eyebrow.

"Harry knows because he spent summer with us, Neville was told by me that night we had the fight with Sirius about what it means to be a big brother, the Twins almost right away – first week of first year. And Luna... Not sure about her, but I think she can just sense these things."

"Tell me some stories," Elisa said smiling a little.

"Stories?" Jack asked confused.

"Well if I am to become your queen someday," she began lifting the forever frost rose in its vase out of her bag as a reminder. "I want to know exactly what I'm getting myself into."

Smiling Jack shifted up a little and leaned back against the pillows.

After a moment of thinking he started.

"Once upon a time, in a far away land know as America, I was sitting in a tree watching the farmers harvest their crops..." Jack began.

As Jack was telling Elisa some of his 'Adventures' outside Harry and the rest of the team were working on getting the Quidditch cup.

The team were working extra hard to make up for Jack not being there – Not that Alicia Spinnet (being a stand in) wasn't a good Chaser, but she wasn't quite as good as Jack meaning the match was going on for longer, and therefore getting dirtier because the Slytherin's were doing all they could to stop the Gryff's from gaining those extra 50 points ahead Oliver made sure Harry understood over and over.

"So you must only catch the Snitch if we're more than 50 points ahead Harry. Or else we'll win the game but lose the Cup. You get that don't you? Only catch it when we are 50 –"

"I KNOW OLIVER!"

That had been a night or two before this match, and to be honest Harry was trying hard to do it.

He had seen the Snitch at least twice already, but they weren't 50 points ahead yet.

So among listening to the commentary, keeping an eye on Malfoy so he didn't go after the snitch first, feeling bad that Jack wasn't here, and a hint of embarrassment when he heard/saw Sirius and Lupin (mostly Sirius) hollering out the chant 'GO GO GRIFFINDOR!' while his face was painted to match the house's colours...

Harry was just a bit stressed with a hint of jealousy that the roles couldn't be reversed, and he be the one stuck in bed and Jack playing Seeker instead.

The score was 30 -10 to Gryffindor at the moment, however enraged that the red team had taken such an early lead, the green team were resorting to the rule 'Take the Quaffle by any means necessary' (ie by cheating).

One example of that was that one of the Beaters had hit Alicia around the head with his bat saying he thought she was a Bludger. George Weasley in retaliation elbowed the same Beater in the face. Making it so both teams got a penalty with Wood pulling off another save and Alicia scoring.

40 -10.

Having seen how good Harry was at spotting the Snitch, Malfoy was sticking close to him.

Katie just scored.

50 -10.

Fred and George were hanging around her for a bit in case the Slytherin's wanted revenge – which they did, as seen when both green Beaters hit both Bludgers at Wood nearly making him fall off his broom.

o0o

While Madam Hooch was beside herself and crying out for penalties, Sirius asked Harry's friend's if this was how the Gryffindor – Slytherin match usually was.

"While they still try to cheat, no. The matches are not quite as bad as this," Hermione answered.

"But they have had longer to build up rivalry this year," Ginny – who was sitting next to Ron – said. "All because they were too scared to play in a storm."

"But surly you remember how bad the Lion v Snake matches can get Sirius," Lupin said as both Angelina and Alicia scored making it now 70 -10. "Wasn't it during one back when we were in school when you got a Bludger to the face by Radolphus Lestrange to stop you hitting the other one at Regulus – who you were focusing on – and not protecting the others on your team?"

"They were 60 points ahead," Sirius defended "I was trying to take out their main Chaser."

"Sure you were," Lupin said rolling his eyes looking up when rounds of booing were heard and he saw Malfoy sliding back onto his broom after grabbing onto Harry's to stop him catching the Snitch.

o0o

"Penalty! Penalty to Gryffindor! I've never seen such tactics!" Madam Hooch screeched as she came over to the Seekers.

"YOU CHEATING SCUM!" Lee Jordon howled into the megaphone trying to keep it away from Professor McGonagall. "YOU FILTHY, CHEATING –"

But it seemed she agreed with him as she didn't do anything to silence him. In fact she was screaming her own words at the blonde haired boy.

o0o

"That boy is setting a bad repetition to the family!" Sirius said growling a little. "Blacks are supposed to play fair when it comes to Quidditch."

"But... he's a Malfoy," Hermione said confused.

"Draco's mother is a cousin to Sirius," Lupin explained while the other man was yelling words of dishonour at the green Seeker.

o0o

Alicia took the penalty, but because of the rage building inside her, she missed by several feet. The Gryffindor team were losing focus, and the Slytherin's, pleased by Malfoy's foul, were gaining points.

"Slytherin in possession, Slytherin heading for goal – Montauge scores – "Lee Jordon groaned. "70 – 20 to Gryffindor."

Harry was now sticking so close to Malfoy their knees kept hitting each other. Harry wasn't going to let him catch the Snitch...

"Get out of it Potter!" Malfoy yelled in frustration, as he tried to turn and found Harry blocking him.

"Angelina Johnson gets the Quaffle and is heading for goal, come on, Angilena, COME ON!"

Harry looked around and saw every Slytherin player except Malfoy making their way towards Angelina to try and block her.

Turning around, lying flat along his broom, Harry shot towards them making them cry out and scatter, making Angelina's way clear.

"SHE SCORES! SHE SCORES! Gryffindor lead 80 – 20!"

Harry who almost collided with the stands, pulled up at the last second and flew back to the middle of the pitch, searching for the Snitch.

And then he saw something that made his heart stop. Malfoy diving with a triumphant look on his face – there just above the grass was a glimmer of gold.

Harry pointed the Firebolt in the same direction and shot off in the same direction, urging the broom on as Malfoy was closer.

"Go! Go! Go!" he said hoping to encourage the broom. He was almost there. He flattened himself against the broom to minimize wind-resist – and to avoid a Bludger from Bole. He was at Malfoy's ankles... he was level...

Harry reached out, throwing himself forward taking both hands off the broom, knocked Malfoy out of the way and managed to cup the Snitch in both hands.

"YES!"

As Harry pulled out of the dive, hand in the air, the stadium exploded.

o0o

"THAT'S MY BOY!" Sirius cried out proudly, blowing a loud trumpet making everyone close by wince, but let him have it.

"Just because he's your godson, doesn't make him yours, Sirius," Lupin said rolling his eyes, and rubbing his ear gently as swarms of crimson supporters swarmed the pitch, lifting Harry and the rest of the team into their shoulders as they went over to the commentary box to get the Quidditch Cup.

"Lily and James made me his guardian should anything happen to them," Sirius reminded his friend, meaning now that they're... well, gone, He is now my son. Besides," he said beaming "He's related to me anyway. Through Euphemia remember? Who along with Fleamont took me as their own after I left home."

"Yes, yes," Lupin said rolling his eyes and getting up "Come on lets go and tell Jack how this match has turned out."

They head back to the school while the parade went on around the pitch and the red team did a victory lap.