Chapter 112

The Final Quidditch

Note from J.M. Jackson: So, we come to Lily's final Quidditch game. Hopefully, I did it justice, I always wondered how Lily would handle this match, and with the differences from Canon, she'd definitely be there. Like I said before, a lot is changing now from Canon - kinda have to change them from how the books went because of how the story has gone so far.

With the sun shining down on the Quidditch pitch, Lily stood by the gate, wearing her kit, looking out at the pitch. The match wasn't due to start for two more hours, but she had wanted to get a look at the pitch, knowing it would be the last time she played there.

"Knut for your thoughts?" Ginny asked, as she came up behind Lily.

"Just thinking of a few last minute plays for today," Lily replied. "And how this is going to be the most important match I've ever played."

"Because it's your last?" Ginny asked. Lily nodded.

"I feel… I feel stronger, today, and ready to do anything," Lily admitted.

"That's because you've finally told that voice in the back of your head to do one, and now you're complete, with your friends by your side," Ginny told her. "We're all ready for this; not just the match, but everything else."

"You were always right, Ginny. I shouldn't have tried to hide my plans, or even think about doing this alone," Lily said, looking at her. "I guess last night was what I really needed."

"You're not wrong," Ginny agreed, smiling as Draco came round the corner.

"Lily, you ready for today?" Draco asked.

"I am," Lily said. "I need to talk to you about something, and I owe you and Pansy an apology."

"Oh, did you finally figure out we're not letting you go after Voldemort alone?" Draco asked, smirking.

Lily's eyes widened, before she sighed and shook her head. "If I didn't have a sign about how stupid a thought it was, keeping everything from my friends, then I do now. We've not been friends for that long, and you already know me all too well," she said.

"I just think of the dumbest, yet bravest thing that could be done, and I know that it's something you'll do," Draco teased, still smirking.

"He's not wrong, you know," Ginny chuckled. "We'll be planning more about everything tomorrow, after we've celebrated today's victory."

"At least you're confident," Draco complimented. "Though, to be fair, I can understand why. I've seen your practice; your team is the best Hogwarts has ever seen, and that's from all the research I've done. Let's face it Lily, the only match you ever lost was because of the bloody dementors in your third year. Even when… well, even when I tried to sabotage you, you managed to push past it and keep going."

"Thanks Draco. You've always been pretty decent at Quidditch," Lily told him.

"Maybe, but in our first game against each other, I had the snitch by my head and didn't notice. I'm not as good as you; once this is over, you'll likely have a chance to play for England, if you want it," Draco told her.

"That's a match I need to see," Ginny agreed. "You'll be brilliant."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence. I won't lie, the idea does appeal to me, especially after the times I've been able to train with Viktor. He told me I need to go pro when the war's over," Lily said.

"When pretty much the best player in the world tells you to go pro, you really should listen," Draco said. He chuckled. "I still can't believe you're friends with Viktor Krum sometimes. You really do know how to make friends with practically anyone, don't you?"

"Just lucky, I guess," Lily laughed softly. "But I'll consider it. I know Ginny wants to travel a bit first, and that's definitely something I want to do as well."

"You deserve it, after everything you've been through," Draco told her. "We'll all be cheering for you today."

"Thanks Draco," Lily smiled at her friend.

"Come on, let's get you ready for the match," Draco suggested, the three of them walking away.

It felt like the entire school had come out to see the Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw final match of the year. Lily could feel the excitement in the air, as if it were a physical thing that could be held onto. In the Gryffindor tent, Lily was looking at the team. Every one of them knew it was Lily's final match ever, even if they couldn't tell anyone else.

"Alright, so we know today's match is important. We need to win by at least two hundred points. Not an impossible amount. I've played with all of you, and with Katie back, and with the training we've been doing, we've got the strength, skill, and the heart to win," Lily said, smiling at them.

"Ron, you've proven you're an amazing Keeper, and you've scored from the goal area, so I know you have this down. Katie, we've missed you with us, and we're glad you're back," Lily said. "Ginny, you know how amazing you are, as are you Demelza, and the three of you are perhaps the three best chasers I've ever seen. Cormac, you and Dean are on par with Fred and George, and I can't give any higher praise than that," Lily told them.

"And let's not forget the keeper that's never lost a single fair game," Cormac added.

"He says fair because the Dementor issue wasn't fair," Ginny added, grinning.

"Yes, well, Dementor's aside, and thankfully we don't have to deal with them, we're going to have a hell of a match. I have confidence in all of you," Lily told them. "And yes, we know this is my last ever match. Having all of your support… it's meant a lot to me over the last few years, and we've become closer than other teams would. We're like… well, you're family to me, and I love and appreciate all of you."

"And you mean the same to us," Cormac said. "Trust me, we're not gonna let this match end in defeat, not when we've got so much on the line."

"Next year, Cormac, I've already spoken to Professor Dumbledore, and asked him to name you Team Captain," Lily said. "I think you'll do brilliantly."

"Seriously? Me?" Cormac asked, his eyes widening. "Lily… I…" he began, then smiled. "I won't let you down."

"I know. I believe in you," Lily said. "Now, let's win this for Gryffindor."

"For Gryffindor!"

As the match started, Lily sat on her broom just above the match, watching everything happening, including the way Ginny, Katie, and Demelza were flying in perfect sync with one another, looping around the Ravenclaw players, and quickly scoring four goals in quick succession, to the cheers of practically everyone spectating.

Lily noticed that there weren't any Slytherin's in the crowd, but she didn't really care. She knew they wouldn't be there, but she also had a few of her friends nearby, watching out for any of them trying to sabotage the match. She did notice Crabbe skulking near the edge of the Quidditch field, so she was able to silently send a message to Ernie Macmillan, who Lily noticed quickly drove him off.

That meant she was able to focus on the match, and cheered as Ron deflected an attempt at goal, though there were two let in. Lily called out to Ron, making sure to assure him it was okay; every goalie couldn't keep every single goal out.

Lily kept watching for the Snitch, but also keeping an eye on the score. It was 60-20, so Lily couldn't get the Snitch at that moment, so she was hoping the snitch would stay hidden for a while.

Lily quickly ducked to avoid a bludger that flew towards her. She hated how the Bludgers would randomly pick on someone, but she was able to quickly avoid being hit. She warned Cormac and Dean about the Bludgers, making sure they kept their eyes open.

She smiled as she watched Ginny and Katie literally fly circles around Demelza, giving her a guard to get her to the Ravenclaw goal, throwing it perfectly into the goal.

Lily smiled at Cho, who was the Ravenclaw Captain, as she sat on her broom, not too far from Lily. "It's getting exciting, isn't it?" Cho asked.

"It usually is," Lily replied. "You've trained them brilliantly."

"Thanks Lily," Cho replied gratefully. "I suspect you'll win, but I won't stop fighting to win."

"Wouldn't expect anything less," Lily said, with a chuckle. "I'm glad this is our last match together."

"Likewise. I've been training hard with racing," Cho warned her.

"Good, I love a challenge," Lily replied. She checked the score board.

70-30.

"Damn," Lily muttered, before she spotted that flash of gold ahead of her. She quickly sped off after it as Cho also spotted it, the two of them flying side by side.

Lily saw the snitch fly downwards towards the stands, and the lower part where they had been constructed, flying between the scaffolding, Cho close behind her. She heard another cheer, and the announcement that Gryffindor had scored.

80-30.

If she got the snitch now, they'd be equal. That couldn't be the case; Lily needed to delay the match, so she slowed down slightly, just enough to let the snitch fly off, but to stop Cho from flying past her. As the snitch disappeared, Cho chuckled.

"Nicely played," Cho complimented, as they two of them flew back up above the pitch.

"Had to do something," Lily commented, letting out a sigh of relief. "But I doubt I'll get away with that again."

"Oh no, not now I know it," Cho agreed, grinning.

Lily watched as Cormac and Dean struck the Bludgers towards the Ravenclaw chasers, who were forced to scatter, letting Ginny through, who immediately scored a goal.

90-30

That was enough! Lily wanted a better score, but she kept an eye out for the snitch. If they could keep the score as it was, it would be enough to win. She grimaced, however, as Ravenclaw were able to score again.

90-40.

It was enough for a tie, but that would lead to extra time, and she knew that would be a risk of losing. They needed to get one more goal, but unfortunately, that was when she saw the snitch.

She couldn't let it go again, so she flew after the snitch, this time around the pitch, diving and dodging between Bludgers and players, barely avoiding being hit by a Bludger. Cho was right beside her, and as the two of them flew side by side, Lily smiled at Cho, knowing this was going to be it.

She neared the snitch and reached out, pushing forward, her hand just about to grasp it, when a cheer when up. She couldn't stop herself to check who had scored as she grabbed the snitch, both of them pulling up. It was clear that Cho hadn't seen who had scored. If Ravenclaw had scored, then Gryffindor would win the match, but not the cup. If Gryffindor had scored, then the cup belonged to Gryffindor.

"Did you hear who?" Lily asked.

"No," Cho replied. The crowd was cheering, as was everyone there. Who had won.

"AND GRYFFINDOR WIN THE MATCH!" came the voice of the commentator of the match, Susan Bones. Lily suspected she knew about their question, but the answer then came.

"WITH THE FINAL GOAL OF THE MATCH BY… GINNY WEASLEY!"

Lily let out a roar of happiness as she held up the snitch, with Cho looking defeated, but smiling as they both flew up. Lily flew over to Ginny and kissed her happily.

"I had no idea who had scored that goal just before I got the snitch," Lily said.

"Yeah, I saw the look on your face," Ginny replied, chuckling. "But no, I just about managed to get there in time."

"This cup belongs to you, Ginny," Lily said, grinning happily as the teams gathered together, doing a lap around the pitch.

As the cup ceremony began, Lily felt tears welling up, grateful to her teammates for winning this match, and for giving her a fantastic final match. She'd be celebrating tonight with the team, that was for sure, and as Dumbledore handed her the cup, she held it up to the roaring crowd.

She even noticed that Draco and Pansy were celebrating, wearing Gryffindor colours, as the team did another lap around the pitch. It was a good feeling for her; for that moment, she felt normal, like nothing bad could happen, and as though everything was normal.

Even as the team got back to the dorm room, with food and celebrations beginning, Lily felt normal for once, without a threat of war, and the Quidditch cup on a pedestal in the common room, with everyone praising both Lily and Ginny.

"You managed to stall Cho perfectly that first time," Hermione complimented. "We saw the playthrough as the match went on, and honestly, it was perfect."

"Thanks Hermione. Honestly, when the cheer went up for scoring, my heart stopped because I couldn't stop myself from grabbing the snitch, and for a moment, I was afraid I'd just lost us the cup," Lily said.

"I saw you flying towards the snitch, so I grabbed the Quaffle, and sped for the goal. I knew it was a risk, but I had to do something," Ginny said.

"I'm proud of you love; you're brilliant, you really are. If I ever make it to a professional level, you'll have to be by my side," Lily told her.

"Always," Ginny promised, smiling. "You deserve this victory."

"No, this is on you, love. You managed it, and had you not, we wouldn't have won the cup," Lily told her.

"TO LILY AND GINNY!" Cormac called out, with the common room cheering and celebrating, joining the chant.

Lily knew the feeling wouldn't last, but for that night, the celebration of her final quidditch match at Hogwarts, she'd celebrate with her friends, and ignore the problems of the world, and of the war, and of the upcoming danger.