Chapter 61: All Hail The Firebolt
I had nothing to say to Hermione Jean Granger. Nothing at all.
I was enraged at her. Hermione had never taken Crookshanks's attempts to eat Scabbers seriously, hadn't bothered to keep a close enough watch on him, and was still trying to pretend that Crookshanks was innocent by suggesting that I look for Scabbers under all the boys' beds.
Hermione, meanwhile, maintained fiercely that I had no proof that Crookshanks had eaten Scabbers, that the ginger hairs might have been there since Christmas, and that I had been prejudiced against her cat ever since Crookshanks had landed on my head in the Magical Menagerie.
I was angry. I was hurt. Angry that my best friend didn't seem to care enough about how I felt and how she was indeed wrong. Hurt, because I really did love Scabbers.
"Come on, Ron, you were always saying how boring Scabbers was," said Fred . "And he's been off-color for ages, he was wasting away. It was probably better for him to snuff it quickly - one swallow - he probably didn't feel a thing."
"Fred!" snapped Ginny.
"All he did was eat and sleep, Ron, you said it yourself." said George.
"He bit Goyle for us once!" I said miserably. "Remember, Harry?"
"Yeah, that's true," said Harry.
"His finest hour," said Fred, unable to keep a straight face. "Let the scar on Goyle's finger stand as a lasting tribute to his memory. Oh, come on, Ron, get yourself down to Hogsmeade and buy a new rat, what's the point of moaning?"
"No. I don't want another rat for Hermione's fucking cat to kill." I said.
Harry tried to cheer me up and let me ride the Firebolt around some. And while I felt like I was having the greatest thrill of my life, I still couldn't help but miss Scabbers.
He wasn't really much of a rat, but he was mine. After Percy of course. I took as great of care of him as I could. He didn't bite me, he didn't scurry around much, and he wasn't filthy. He was indeed a good rat.
After my flight, Madam Hooch asked to look at the broom, giving it her professional opinion.
"Look at the balance on it! If the Nimbus series has a fault, it's a slight list to the tail end - you often find they develop a drag after a few years. They've updated the handle too, a bit slimmer than the Cleansweeps, reminds me of the old Silver Arrows - a pity they've stopped making them. I learned to fly on one, and a very fine old broom it was too..."
She continued for some time, until Wood said, "Er - Madam Hooch? Is it okay if Harry has the Firebolt back? We need to practice..."
"Oh - right - here you are, then, Potter," said Madam Hooch. "I'll sit over here with Weasley..."
She and left the field to sit in the stadium, and the Gryffindor team gathered around Wood for his final instructions for tomorrow's match.
It was amazing watching Harry fly. He and the Firebolt moved as if they were one. His dives were perfect, the recovery was swift, and he looked like a Quidditch God soaring around in the sunlight.
"Harry, I'm letting the Snitch out!" I heard Wood called.
Harry caught it within ten seconds of its release. The team cheered madly. Harry let the Snitch go again, gave it a minute's head start, then tore after it, catching it elegantly near Katie's knee.
Wood looked like he was going to exploded with glee.
After practice, Harry let me ride it a few more times until nightfall. When I was done (and after he snatched it out of my hand for almost kissing it), Harry shouldered the Firebolt and he and I walked out of the shadowy stadium, discussing the Firebolt's superbly smooth action, its phenomenal acceleration, and its pinpoint turning. We were halfway toward the castle when Harry stopped and looked around as if he were paranoid.
"What's the matter?" I asked.
Harry pointed to a tree where a dark figure was sitting. I pulled out my wand and muttered, "Lumos!"
A beam of light fell across the grass, hit the bottom of a tree, and illuminated its branches; there, crouching among the budding leaves, was Crookshanks.
"Get out of here!" I roared, picking up a rock meaning to throw it at him, but before I could, Crookshanks had vanished with one swish of his long ginger tail.
"See?" I said furiously, chucking the rock down again. "She's still letting him wander about wherever he wants! Probably washing down Scabbers with a couple of birds now."
Harry didn't say anything. He still looked shaken.
Harry and I went down to breakfast the next morning with the rest of the boys in our dorm, all of whom seemed to think the Firebolt deserved a sort of guard of honor. As Harry entered the Great Hall, heads turned in the direction of the Firebolt, and there was a good deal of excited muttering. The Slytherin teams looked positively sick.
"Did you see his face?" I exclaimed gleefully, looking back at Malfoy. "He can't believe it! This is brilliant!"
Wood, too, was basking in the reflected glory of the Firebolt.
"Put it here, Harry," he said, laying the broom in the middle of the table and carefully turning it so that its name faced upward. People from the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables were soon coming over to look. Cedric Diggory came over to congratulate Harry on having acquired such a superb replacement for his Nimbus, and Percy's Ravenclaw girlfriend, Penelope, asked if she could actually hold the Firebolt.
"Now, now, Penny, no sabotage!" said Percy heartily as she examined the Firebolt closely. "Penelope and I have got a bet on," he told the team. "Ten Galleons on the outcome of the match!"
Penelope put the Firebolt down again, thanked Harry, and went back to her table.
"Sure you can manage that broom, Potter?" said a cold, drawling voice.
Malfoy had arrived for a closer look, Crabbe and Goyle right behind him.
"Yeah, reckon so." said Harry casually.
"Just like he can manage your mum." I said, in a right giddy mood.
"Got plenty of special features, hasn't it?" said Malfoy, ignoring me. "Shame it doesn't come with a parachute - in case you get too near a Dementor."
Crabbe and Goyle sniggered.
"Pity you can't attach an extra arm to yours, Malfoy," said Harry. "Then it could catch the Snitch for you."
The Gryffindor team laughed loudly. Malfoy's pale eyes narrowed, and he stalked away. We watched him rejoin the rest of the Slytherin team, who put their heads together, no doubt asking Malfoy whether Harry's broom really was a Firebolt.
At a quarter to eleven, the Gryffindor team set off for the locker rooms. The weather was nice and sunny, the wind was hardly blowing, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. All was right in the world.
I walked down with Dean, Seamus, and Neville. All of us were talking about how exciting and how quick this game would be. I looked over and seen Hermione walking by herself with a book in her hand.
We sat in the stands, Neville's face painted with Gryffindor colors. The team walked out onto the field to deafening applause. The Ravenclaw team, dressed in blue, were already standing in the middle of the field. Their Seeker, this okay looking girl named Cho Chang, was the only girl on their team. Harry and her seemed to exchange looks before they mounted their brooms. The whistle sounded, and they were off. Harry took off like those muggle things called rockets as we listened to the commentary by Lee Jordan.
"They're off, and the big excitement this match is the Firebolt that Harry Potter is flying for Gryffindor. According to Which Broomstick, the Firebolt's going to be the broom of choice for the national teams at this year's World Championship -"
"Jordan, would you mind telling us what's going on in the match?" interrupted Professor McGonagall's voice.
"Right you are, Professor - just giving a bit of background information - the Firebolt, incidentally, has a built-in auto-brake and -"
"Jordan!"
"Okay, okay, Gryffindor in possession, Katie Bell of Gryffindor, heading for goal..."
Harry streaked past Katie in the opposite direction, gazing around for a glint of gold and noticing that Cho Chang was tailing him closely. She was good. Very very good.
Harry stayed looking for the snitch with Cho on his tail.
"Gryffindor leads by eighty points to zero, and look at that Firebolt go! Potter's really putting it through its paces now, see it turn - Chang's Comet is just no match for it, the Firebolt's precision - balance is really noticeable in these long -"
"JORDAN! ARE YOU BEING PAID TO ADVERTISE FIREBOLTS? GET ON WITH THE COMMENTARY!"
Ravenclaw was pulling back; they had now scored three goals, which put Gryffindor only fifty points ahead. If Cho got the Snitch before him, Ravenclaw would win. Harry looked like he was dropping lower, narrowly avoiding a Ravenclaw Chaser as he looked for the snitch.
Harry accelerated towards the goal post where he had spotted the snitch, but out of nowhere, Cho appeared out of thin air, blocking him.
"HARRY, THIS IS NO TIME TO BE A GENTLEMAN!" I heard Wood roar as Harry swerved to avoid a collision. "KNOCK HER OFF HER BROOM IF YOU HAVE TO!"
He spied the snitch again and was soaring towards it, Cho not too far behind.
"Ron, look!" yelled Seamus, pointing to the ground.
Three Dementors were on the field. It looked creepy as hell, but I didn't feel the familiar cold sensation as I did last game when they showed up. And why would they be walking?
"Something's not-"
"Expecto patronum!" I heard Harry yell. I looked up and seen he had his wand out. Something silver-white, something enormous, erupted from the end of his wand. It has hit the dementors, who oddly screamed and ran off the pitch
And in the process of all of that, Harry had caught the Snitch.
The crowd went wild. I all but jumped down out of the stands. I ran down quickly to the field, where the the had already ambushed Harry with cheers and hugs
"That's my boy!" Wood kept yelling.
"Yes!" I yelled, yanking Harry's arm into the air. "Yes! Yes!"
"Well done, Harry!" said Percy, looking delighted. "Ten Galleons to me! Must find Penelope, excuse me!"
"Good for you, Harry!" roared Seamus.
"Ruddy brilliant!" boomed Hagrid over the heads of the milling Gryffindors.
"That was quite some Patronus." said Lupin.
Harry turned around to see Professor Lupin, who looked both shaken and pleased.
"The Dementors didn't affect me at all!" Harry said excitedly. "I didn't feel a thing!"
"That would be because they - er - weren't Dementors," said Professor Lupin. "Come and see - "
He led Harry out of the crowd. I tried to follow, but there was too much going on.
When I finally made it through the crowd and to Harry, I found out that the dementors were actually Malfoy and his cronies. They lost 50 points for Slytherin, and got detentions.
"Come on, Harry!" said George, fighting his way over. "Party! Gryffindor common room, now!"