May 25th, 1992
Quidditch Stadium
Last few months had quickly gone by. The classes continued, with breaks in the form of a Quidditch matches. Life at Hogwarts had weirdly gotten better for Harry after Christmas. The pranks had stopped, as had the whispers. People just ignored him now. That was something Harry was ok with. Even happy with. Afterall, he was used to being ignored for now. He had no choice but to get used to that, living with the Dursleys, that was the only way.
The classes had by now started getting bit more difficult as well, as the professors began focusing more on the practical aspects, especially in potions, where Snape was making them make new potions every class. Potions which couldn't be completed in one class would be continued in the next classes. Flitwick and McGonagall made them practice the spells until they got it working. Same was the case in the other classes, except History of Magic, which was still the class to go and sleep. If Binns hadn't changed for the past 200 or so years, he wasn't going to change now.
But as April ended and May started, the professors started handing out more homework to the students. In the beginning of the year, an 8-inch report used to be a rarity, but now not getting one was shocking and surprising. The professors said it was a way to make the students remember what they were taught in class and a way to prepare for the exams. And no believed this as strongly as Hermione did. Not even the Ravenclaws, who were supposed to be the smartest in Hogwarts, the bookworms, could beat Hermione. She had begun spending so much time in the library, studying everything and anything she could, that Madam Pince had to stop her and send her back to the Gryffindor Tower after she spent nearly the entire weekend at the library.
But she wasn't the only one feeling the pressure of exams. Other students too were studying and preparing for them. The 5th and 7th years, who would be writing their OWLs and NEWTs that years, were even worse than Hermione. Anywhere you go, be it the great hall, be it the courtyards or the grounds you would find them studying, revising potion recipes, practicing the transfiguration and charm spells, going over their notes on DADA, or in the greenhouses, studying Herbology.
In between all of this came the final quidditch match of the year as a break for every student. And it was the most awaited match of the year. Gryffindor vs Slytherin. Everyone had been hyped about it, waiting to see the rivalry play out again. Slytherin had been winning the house and quidditch cup for 3 years in a row. They had demolished the Gryffindors last time, winning by a margin of 300 points. Everyone was excited to see how the Gryffindor team would respond to their previous defeat. They had been the strongest team this year, and had won both matches against Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. So had Slytherin. But the points difference between them and Gryffindor was 100 points, meaning the Slytherin had to win by a margin of 100 points to get the cup.
The quidditch stadium was jam packed. Everyone had come to see the match. Harry and Neville were sitting at the same place they had sat on for the first quidditch match. But this time, Hermione was also with them. She was planning to stay back and study, but Neville convinced her to take a break and come to the match. So, she was sitting with both Harry and Neville.
Lee Jordan got the mic and said, "Welcome everyone to the most awaited match of the year. Gryffindor vs Slytherin, playing for the cup. Gryffindor has a lead of 100 points, so Slytherin will need a minimum 100-point lead to get the cup. And now the players come to the pitch. Starting with the Gryffindors. Oliver Wood as the keeper, Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet and Katie Bell as Chasers, the Weasley twins Fred and George as Beaters and Kenneth Towler as the seeker. For the Slytherins, Miles Bletchley as Keeper, Adrain Pucey, Marcus Flint and Graham Montague as the chasers, Peregrine Derrick and Lucian Bole as the beaters and Terrence Higgs as the seeker. It will be interesting to see who gets the snitch first, because we all know the Gryffindor chaser trio is better and they will score lot of goals." Lots of boos came from the Slytherin side while the Gryffindors cheered. Harry saw what looked like professor McGonagall scolding Lee for that comment. Even Hermione was saying, "Lee should be unbiased." Neville said, "Lee being biased makes his commentary fun Hermione." They saw Madam Hooch fly inside. The snitch was in her hand and she showed it to the crowd. After that, she released the snitch and blew her whistle. The match had begun.
Lee continued his commentary. "Angelina got the quaffle, snatching it before Flint could even try to get it. She throws it to Katie, who is already near the goal. And she throws it past Bletchley straight into the right goal post. And it's a GOAL. Gryffindor have already scored their first goal." Loud cheers filled the stadium, drowning Lee's voice in it.
The intensity of the match only grew after that point. Bludgers were constantly aimed at the chasers. Plays were being made by the chasers and saved by the keepers. Lee commentary was acting like fuel to the players. Whenever Fred made Pucey drop the quaffle, Lee said, "Eyes on Bludger, Pucey. You don't want to be hit by the twin's perfectly hit bludger." When Bole tried to hit Angelina and missed, he said, "Next time try aiming before aiming Bole. Even I could hit better than you." When Flint scored a brilliant goal after a very aggressive play, Lee said, "Lucky shot Flint. Oliver nearly got there." McGonagall scolded him for being biased, but Lee didn't care. This was the fiercest rivalry on the campus, and trash talking was a given.
It was only a matter of time before the fouls began. Slytherin made the first foul. Derrick aimed the bludger towards Alicia. Instead of hitting the quaffle, it hit her on the arm. Madam hooch stopped the play and immediately began scolding Derrick, all the while Lee shouted, "A blatant foul. Just because your team can't score and is 60-30 behind doesn't mean you hit other players. Try winning without cheating you snakes." Luckily, Alicia wasn't hit too hard and after some pain-numbing charms, could still play. Hooch awarded a penalty to Gryffindor, who scored. But that wasn't the last foul.
Fred and George began aiming at Bole and Derrick, hitting the Bludgers with full force. One of these shots hit Derrick's broom, destroying it completely. Madam Hooch again stopped the play and said to the twins, "If you aim anymore bludgers at the Slytherin beaters, I will remove you two from the play." Lee said, "Be happy it was the broom and not your arm Derrick. Cause unlike your weak shot, Fred's shot would have broken your arm."
This earned angry shouts and boos from the Slytherin stand. McGonagall took the mic from Lee and said to him, "Anymore lines like that and I will take the mic from you and make sure you never get it again Mr. Jordan. I will not warn you again."
The match continued. Lee was subdued for a moment but suddenly said, "Is that the snitch near the Hufflepuff stands? It is the snitch. Both Towler and Higgs are battling for it. The score is 100-50, if Higgs gets the snitch, he will win Slytherin the cup. But it looks like Towler is nearer. He just needs to delay Higgs from getting the snitch. Angelina, Alicia and Katie need to score more goals to increase the points gap. Slytherin can win the cup only if they are 100 points ahead of Gryffindor after the match ends."
Towler and Higgs flew after the snitch, all the while trying to distract the other. Slowly, they were inching closer to the snitch. All the while, Angelina, Katie and Alicia were trying their hardest to score against the Slytherins. Flint, Pucey and Montague got into defensive positions, focusing only on stopping the Gryffindors from scoring. And it was good, because even then, Gryffindor chasers were proving to be too good for them. Lee's statement at the beginning of the match was proving to be true.
Higgs and Towler continued fighting for the snitch. But Higgs was getting closer to the snitch and looked as if he was going to catch the snitch. He stretched his arm, trying his hardest to catch the snitch. Towler tried to push Higgs and grab the snitch himself. But Higgs broom was faster and he managed to grab the snitch just before Towler.
Lee said, "Higgs got the snitch. The final score is 140-210. Slytherin wins the match. But they don't win the cup. Gryffindor wins the House Cup." He shouted the last part, as everyone except the Slytherins had begun shouting and cheering. For Slytherin lost the cup for the first time in 3 years. Gryffindor had finally won the cup from Slytherin, avenging their defeat in the previous match.