QL, Round 5, Pride of Portree, Beater 2.

Theme: A corrupt person abusing their position in power.

Prompts: [word] unforgettable; [dialogue] "It isn't that simple.".

Word Count: 1550

Beta's: CupCakeyyy, Dina

Hermione felt her lips twitch into a smile as she worked on her homework essay in the library. She would show Professor McGonagall that she understood the work and had the ability to do well in Transfiguration, even though she wasn't born to magical parents.

Most people in this school had been extremely accepting, however, she noticed the small comments from others about having two muggle parents, how that could affect her knowledge. So, the eleven-year-old endeavoured to read even more to ensure she understood everything she could.

After she finished this assignment, she would have completed all of her current homework. While she would prefer to read up more about her subjects, there was one thing she still lacked an understanding of: Quidditch. Hermione had already selected a few books that explained the wizarding sport - and even if she didn't like it, she would finish them all. However, she didn't intend to let Ron know that; the last thing she wanted was to have a full-blown discussion about Quidditch with him.

Delight filled her eyes as her lips remained curled upwards when she read over her essay. It was perfect. Nearly. An idea popped into her head. She gently wrapped fingers around her quill, slowly dabbed it into the ink, and then wrote another paragraph to finish off her Transfiguration homework.

A satisfying sigh left her. It was replaced almost instantly by a determined look as she picked up the first book on Quidditch that she could reach.

"An unforgettable Quidditch match!" Ron exclaimed, still talking about Gryffindor's win. "Who catches a Snitch in their mouth?"

"It seemed dangerous to me," Hermione piped up. That caught the boys' attention for a split second. "That was a totally unnecessary risk."

Ron waved off her comment. "That's how Quidditch is played."

She pursed her lips. "Is it? It's in the rules that two students ending up in the hospital is okay? Oliver and Angela are up there now, both knocked out cold."

"It's Angelina Johnson," Ron corrected. "You don't even know the players, how can you know the game?"

"Just because I didn't know her name doesn't mean that I'm wrong about how dangerous it is!" Her eyes were narrowed as she looked between them. Harry looked intrigued but Ron was ready for a debate. "Harry dived to the ground! Even the other Seeker pulled up! He could have gotten seriously injured and be in the hospital with the other two Gryffindor players."

"It isn't that simple. It takes skill to do what Harry did, the other Seeker just isn't as talented! Harry is the top player, now! The one to beat! Tell her, Harry, that catch was unforgettable," the ginger-haired boy prompted.

Harry's eyes widened slightly at the comment. "Catching the Snitch was exhilarating, but I wouldn't know what to do without Oliver's coaching. He's a great Captain."

"Yeah! Fred and George say he's very different from how Charlie was. He's going to bring Gryffindor to victory!" Ron gushed.

Hermione frowned, it was somewhat useless talking to Ron about Quidditch. When she read the rule book, she didn't find anything on a player flying that close to the ground, but she firmly believed that Ron shouldn't be encouraging that kind of behaviour. Perhaps all Harry needed was some more practice to understand the limits and how to be truly safe. She didn't want her friend to be injured.

She zoned out the conversation as Ron continued talking about Quidditch and Harry started to be a contributing factor to the conversation about how Oliver coached the team. Instead, she decided to focus on getting ahead and a better understanding of her current subjects. She would use her time wisely. She didn't want to fall behind, after all.

Hermione was excited to watch the Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff game. It was the second match that Harry was playing in and she hoped he did well. Additionally, she wanted to analyse every aspect of it to gain a better understanding.

She knew that Slytherin didn't exactly abide by the rules in their match against Gryffindor, however, the Hufflepuff team was known for their honesty. They were trustworthy. Therefore, Hermione would be able to gain a better understanding by watching this match.

Keen to learn, she stood at the front as the game started.

Eyes darting all over the place, she watched as dashes of scarlet shot through the sky. Though, there weren't any dashes of canary yellow, just movements. It made it easier for Hermione to see the opposing team. But this was a big change to what she knew about Quidditch. Why wasn't the keeper blocking the Quaffle? He moved towards it but that miss seemed strange to her.

A sudden cheer brought her out of her thoughts. With sharp movements, Hermione found the cause - Harry had caught the Snitch! She cheered along with everybody else and noticed that the Hufflepuff Seeker looked downtrodden. Harry must have been talented to catch the snitch that quickly in general. But something wasn't right. Hermione just had the feeling.

An unforgettable game for Gryffindor!

Harry Potter caught the Golden Snitch!

The shortest game this year!

Five minutes!

Is Harry Potter the next Quidditch Star?

Hermione looked out at the Hufflepuff team. They didn't look defeated. They looked as if it was inevitable. As if they hadn't been expecting to win to begin with.

Even only being introduced to this sport since starting Hogwarts, Hermione knew how important and competitive Quidditch was. So why did it appear that Hufflepuff didn't share that sentiment?

Something inside her compelled her to investigate this. She looked over to where Harry had been cheering alongside his team; he was gone. Ron had also left her side some time ago.

Almost hesitantly, she walked over to the Hufflepuff Keeper, feeling very out of place. "Excuse me?"

The older boy looked down at her but slowly offered a smile. "Congratulations on the win."

"About that," Hermione started and paused to consider her words. She took a breath and decided to simply be direct. "Why didn't you block the ball?"

"Quaffle," was his instant reply. The older boy let out a sigh. "I tried, but…"

Confusion filled her. "No, you didn't."

Another sigh. "It isn't that simple." He sounded so defeated.

Was he undermining her intelligence? No. But something was definitely wrong. "Simplify it, then."

The Hufflepuff Keeper looked her up and down, his lips parted in thought, and his hand playing with his broom that balanced against the floor. He pursed his lips before indicating for her to follow him.

Hermione looked around. This seemed to be bigger than she had imagined, but she couldn't figure out what it could be. She followed suit and sat down next to him. Even seated he was much taller than her.

"Oliver and I have known each other for years, even before starting Hogwarts. He asked me, as a personal favour, to forfeit the game, to let them win." He paused and looked at her when she gasped. "I said no."

"Then why did you…" she trailed off at the look on his face.

He looked devastated. "He knows something about my family that I don't want to get out."

"He blackmailed you."

A nod.

"That's illegal!"

A shrug.

"You have to tell a professor about this!"

"No! I can't. Oliver will tell everyone and then I'll be screwed."

Hermione frowned deeply, her eyebrows furrowing together. "It's still not right." She paused, realising she didn't know his name but didn't want to get sidetracked. She could ask him later. "It's not right at all."

"It isn't that simple."

"Yes, it is!" Her voice had raised slightly. "He cheated. Do you think it was just him? Your Seeker didn't even make an attempt for the Snitch!"

The Hufflepuff looked uncomfortable.

Hermione might have only been a first year, but she wasn't planning on letting this issue go. "Oliver is the Captain, the example! He should be a role model, but instead, he is abusing his position of power! Encouraging Harry to take big risks, blackmailing his friends to lose, and for what? A game! A dangerous game, at that! It's not right"

Hermione didn't know what to think. She wasn't close to Oliver; well, frankly speaking, she didn't know him at all, yet she felt like she did. Harry always kept going on about him - about him being an amazing Captain, just and kind, yet strict and determined. Harry's descriptions did not fit this new piece of information whatsoever, and Hermione doubted that she could ever see the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain in a good light again. "I don't think I'll ever forget this, will you?"

"Oliver's threat was unforgettable."

It truly was.

Hermione's voice lowered to a soft whisper. "Would he really reveal your family's secret?"

He nodded. "Yeah. But you're right. We should do what's right." He took a breath and stood up. "I'm Dan, by the way."

"Hermione."

"Let's go talk to Professor Dumbledore."

Hermione nodded and followed Dan into the castle. She was feeling proud that she had stood up to what was right, but nervous about what might occur. Thankfully, she had other things to occupy her mind now that this was resolved: Snape was still trying to steal the stone, after all.