Potter Manor
When Harry and Susan returned to Potter Manor, the elves had finished preparations for the Samhain celebration. Samhain for wizards was the day when the veil between the astral planes was so thin that the dead could walk on this plane among the living. This was a day when they celebrated the dead.
Dobby reported to Harry, "Master, the altar be set in the woods and the bonfire is be made there. There are stones stacked beside the fire and kindling to go into it".
"Thank you Dobby".
Harry took Susan by her hand and they walked to the woods on the estate. There was an ancient altar in the woods which was a heap of stones, suffused with ambient magic. The elves had hung up lamps filled with bluebell flames with the traditional decorations of skeletons and ghosts around the bonfire giving it other-worldly appearance. It was believed that those who departed visit their descendants on this day and the decorations were mainly done to help them to blend in.
When Harry arrived, he found some incense sticks by the altar which Dobby had found somewhere and lit them. This was not part of the traditional wizarding celebrations but Rachael had taught him that the incense was welcoming to the spirits of those who had left us but never truly left. They remained in our hearts even after having been gone from this world. Susan followed his cue even if she had no idea what he was doing. After he lit the incense, he sat on his knees, feeling the magic in the air seeping into his bones.
After sometime, they stood up and walked around the edges of the woods until they found the bonfire which Dobby had gathered. He lit it with an incendio and when the fire was roaring, they went by the stack of stones which had been set. Dobby had laid down some mats for them to sit on. Harry took out a couple of pens which were used for carving runes and handed one of them to Susan. She of course knew this part and picking one of the stones, she wrote a name on it- Edgar Bones. The name on the second stone was Ellie Bones. A few more names went on different stones. Harry meanwhile had written names of James, Lily, Charlus, Dorea and a few more whose names he had learned from the family tree including Vincent Rosier and Emilia Weber. He might not have known them but they were his family.
After they were done writing, they carried the stones and dropped them into the fire. After doing that, they chose another stone on which they wrote their own names and dropped them in the middle of the fire. As they did that, they stood inhaling in the whiff emanating from the bonfire. After about a minute, they resumed sitting near the bonfire and watched it burn.
While they were keeping vigil over the fire, Fairies came drifting to the fire and danced around it in merriment which was very picturesque. Harry kept watching them and suddenly, he started crying. Perhaps it was his yearning for family or the fairies dance or dropping his name in the fire but he cried for 5 minutes without restraint. When he stopped crying he felt lighter than he had in a long time. Susan was no different from him and had been crying hard too. Her eyes were blotchy and she made no move to wipe her tears.
After the vigil was over and the fire was dying, Dobby popped in to tell them that food was ready and Harry asked him to serve them here, in the woods. He wanted to watch the last ember of the fire die out.
After they had dinner and were sitting comfortably, Susan said, "Harry, thank you for this. I have not celebrated Samhain for a long time since Auntie never had much time away from work. I never felt more alive than I do in this moment, sitting in this clearing with you and feeling at ease with the rest of the world. I do not have any memories of my parents so I never really realised what their loss meant to me. Auntie never let me feel that I am not her own and I was content but today, as I tossed those stones into the fire, I realised that I missed them my whole life but I never felt it. It was a burden which remained with me and I stopped feeling it. I have not felt more carefree in all these years than I do now".
Harry smiled lightly. "Sue, I know the feeling. I feel the same way. I have felt their loss acutely and have been burdened with it all these years. Now I feel liberated. I wish that I had been brought up in our traditions since I was a child. However as the muggles say, better late than never so I am glad that I know of our traditions now. What do you say about fishing the stones with our names out of the fire?"
She nodded and he just summoned those stones with the slightest movement of his wand and tossed her stone to her while he looked upon his. His was scorched in the centre but lightly burnt around the edges. Harry knew the stones were supposed to tell how the coming year would go for him but he could not make heads or tails of it. He needed a seer for that.
As they rose, Susan asked him to take a walk with her around the manor. The manor was silent but it was not an eerie silence. When they left the Fairies were still dancing in the clearing.
Sometime during the walk, Susan laced her fingers with him and they walked around hand in hand without saying anything. Sometimes silence can be more comfortable than a whole bunch of words and they were doing just that. Keeping silence and not making a sound. They were content to walk around the manor for a long time until it was nearing mid-night.
Harry escorted her to the room which she had chosen for herself and as she entered her room, she stood on tip-toe, gave him a peck on his cheek and whispered, "Good Night Harry", and was gone before Harry could say anything.
Hogwarts
While Harry had a good day with Susan, his friends did not. After sending away the students, Hermione had done what she knew best. She dragged Ron to the library to study however it was clear that her mind was not on it. Some students had asked her where Harry was and she told them that he was called to London last night on some house business which was the best excuse that they could find.
Professor Cassandra Lester had announced over breakfast that the school was hosting Samhain celebrations that night and those who felt like attending them were welcome. Most of the students cheered at her declaration and surprisingly it was not only Purebloods but muggle borns and half bloods as well. In the previous years, Samhain celebrations were more like private celebrations for the students who liked to honour their traditions but this year, things were changing. Most of the students understood why Dumbledore had started Wizarding Etiquette classes at Hogwarts this year. It was to teach the muggle borns the ways of wizards and to prepare them to be able to integrate themselves into wizarding society. The wizarding world would not survive without the muggle borns. As it was, very few muggle borns stayed away from her classes for they wanted to learn more about the Wizarding World.
Daphne had asked Hermione about Harry and was given the same answer with the hope that she would not pry further. Daphne knew a lie when she heard one. It was how she had been trained and Hermione was a terrible liar. Ronald made it worse by saying that she should not be concerned with where Harry was. Daphne had a good idea that none of them knew where he was and she had also not seen Bones this morning. This made her stomach churn even at the thought of them being together but as she saw it, there was no other plausible explanation for their absence at the same time. They were together.
She had asked Tracy for help during breakfast, which for a change they had at the Slytherin Table. Last night, Slytherin Captain Montague had requested that the house mates stay away from Gryffindor students till the next match and argued that if students were too friendly with each other, the element of rivalry will be absent and that would mean that the match would be boring. She had also heard some rumours from the Rumour Mill that Harry had said that he would let Malfoy catch the snitch this time, something which people did not want to believe but a lot of students had put their bets on Malfoy. Daphne knew it was the inner Slytherin of Harold Peverell at work. She had asked Tracy, "Trace, can you ask your red head and tell me where Harry is?"
Tracy shook her head, "he told me this morning that we are not talking until the match is over. He wants to pummel Slytherin in the upcoming match without thinking about how I would be affected. Besides, I do not think he really cares what happens in the castle unless someone wants to keep him in the loop. He already has his hands full with the contraption that Harry wants to be made and the joke shop they are planning to open well before the next school year starts".
Daphne snorted, "Joke shop?"
Tracy asked her indignantly, "And just what is wrong with a joke shop?"
"There is nothing wrong with a joke shop, Trace. What I meant is that they are obviously very gifted at magic and could make it big in the ministry. Why would they want to open a joke shop?"
"I asked him and he said it is their biggest ambition. They have been developing products for ages. Last summer, they found a financer. They have even got premises in a prime location in Diagon Alley".
Daphne shrugged, "Well looks like they devoted a lot of time and energy to it and I have no doubt that they will make it big".
Hermione had spent the major portion of her day in the library, reading about Arithmancy while Ron was working on homework which had piled up knowing this was the last time this week that he would be able to work on it before the match. Hermione however had left the library after about 3 hours because she could not concentrate enough. Ronald had dutifully followed her and they had opted for a walk around the lake. They sat under a tree taking in the scene when Hermione asked him, "Where do you think he is Ron? I did not think that he would just take off like this. He should have at least told us".
Ron snorted, "Hermione, we are prefects and what he did was definitely breaking the rules. Do you really think he would come to you and tell you that he is going to break the rules?"
Hermione sighed, "I liked it better when he involved us in his adventures. We at least knew what was happening. I swear we will have to rein him in".
Ron grumbled, "Have you seen what he can do Hermione? What detention would hold him? That bloke disapparated from Gringotts and nobody can do that. Do you realise what that means? We do not even start to learn apparition till 6th year and he already knows it".
Hermione did a McGonagall and pursed her lips in disappointment.
Angelina was in frenzy and wanted to find Harry so that she could curse him herself. She was livid because he had left them again and disappeared. If there was anyone else who possessed the same talent as he did, she would have replaced the seeker but she knew they were up against Slytherin in the first match and Malfoy was too good for a seeker with limited talents.
Neville was with Hannah in the Mermaid's Sanctuary. There were only two other persons who knew about the existence of the place and both of them were taking a hike so they had no fear of being caught together.
Neville was grumbling, "That Harry does not even stop to ask his friends if they would like to be involved".
Hannah snorted, "Neville, think about it. Of all the people, those that he can really call his friends are you, Susan, me, Hermione, Ron, Ernie, Daphne Greengrass, Padma, Corner, Finnigan and I dare say Luna Lovegood. Of all these people me, Hermione, Ron, Ernie and Padma are prefects which leaves only you, Daphne, Corner, Finnigan, Luna and Susan. I do not think he would share any adventures with Finnigan because Finnigan can blurt out secrets and Corner comes as a package with Padma. You are currently dating me, a prefect so that leaves only Luna and Daphne and I do not think Luna would go somewhere unless she knew there were a chance that she could meet some of her exotic beasts that she keeps talking about. Daphne and Susan, in my mind at least, do not mix well together".
Great Hall
The house elves had outdone themselves this year for the Halloween feast and the decorations were amazing giving the Great Hall an eerie feeling. The Great hall was practically empty at dinner time because every student was walking down to the grounds to celebrate Samhain before they indulged in the feast. This was something they all wanted to participate in.
The Wizarding Etiquette teacher was conducting the celebration however there was no altar there but only bonfires in which the students chucked their names and the names of those they celebrated this day. Most of the teachers were also there except the defense professor. Albus had asked him if the mystics celebrated Samhain and Vikram had told him that they did but only tossed a single stone with their name on it. There was no one else in their life but the tribe. Students had seen Snape too, tossing a couple of stones into the fire. The headmaster himself had chucked a handful of stones in the fire. Samhain had not been celebrated in the traditional sense of the word for many years in the castle but Dumbledore had always participated in a celebration in any of the magical households where he was welcome to share their fire.
The bonfire at Hogwarts was different from the fire at Potter Manor. There were no fairies dancing around the bonfire nor were there decorations of ghosts and skeletons. All the Hogwarts ghosts though had attended the bonfire and participated in the celebration. There was nothing better for the celebration than to have real ghosts present there.
After the fire died down and the stones were collected, the feast began. Most of the students had been seen with red puffy eyes and smiles on their faces.
The next day
Harry knew that the next day would be hard for both of them because surely there would be consequences for their vanishing act.
He rose early in the morning and did his work-out without bothering to wake up Susan. There was no need to wake her up just yet. After he finished his exercises, he sent Kitty to wake up Susan. She arrived sleepy eyed and grumbling. Harry was seated at the table. She pecked him on the cheek before taking a seat to his left at the dining table.
"What is the plan for today, Harry?" she asked trying to fight her yawn.
"Yes, Sue, my brilliant plan. As soon as we are ready, we are going to floo to the Cottage on the Hill and then fly to Hogwarts to face the firing squad which I am sure has already lined up to take their shots. I can gleefully face all of them and live to tell the tale except Auntie. You will have to handle her yourself".
She gave him a look of mock-incredulity, "This was your idea Harry. Why would I have to face her?"
"Because she will go easy on you but I do not know what she would do to me".
She rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, "Coward".
Harry puffed up his chest with mock-indignation, "I will have you know Miss Bones that I am Gryffindor through and through but I draw the line where scary witches are concerned".
After an hour, they were ready to go back to the school.
Harry summoned Dobby, "Dobby, we are leaving for the school. In my absence, you are to stay here and supervise the other elves. I will shortly send my steward to manage this place and to give more instructions to you".
Dobby bobbed his head in agreement and Harry flooed to the Cottage on the Hill right after Susan. As they emerged out of the floo, Harry asked her, "My lady, what would you prefer- A broom or Hippogriff?"
She grinned, "Do you even have to ask? Of course I prefer Blackstorm".
Hogwarts
The hippogriff landed near Hagrid's Hut and startled the grounds keeper who was working on his garden. He turned around to find a Hippogriff landing and ran to it. As the hippogriff came to stand-still, he uncertainly asked, "Harry?"
Harry grinned, "Hi, Hagrid. Do you like my familiar?"
When Harry got a good look at Hagrid, he noticed that the half-giant was looking worse. His one eye was swollen shut and there were more injuries on his person. He said, "Hagrid, please go to Madam Pomfrey. She will fix you up in no time".
Hagrid, waved aside his concern, and was eyeing the hippogriff with interest. He had bred a lot of them and was proud of his herd but this one was better than any he had seen. It was taller and stronger than most of his own and exuded an aura which was entirely unfamiliar to Hagrid. Hagrid bowed to the Hippogriff before he approached it and started petting it. As Susan and Harry descended, he started to check the beast from the wingspan of its wings to its hoofs. The beast was magnificent and Hagrid felt that it was certainly a king of its kind and just about to enter adulthood meaning it was going to want to mate soon. That could be a problem if it challenged the dominant stallion for mating rights.
He asked Harry, "What have you named him, Harry?"
"His name is Blackstorm".
"Has he got a mate?"
Harry thought for a moment, "Not really. When I tamed him, he was leading a herd but I do not think he had a mate. Why?"
Hagrid said wistfully, "Do you know anything about mating? He is about the age of an adult and will be rutting soon. I can get him a mate, if you want".
Harry smiled, "You know better than I do, Hagrid. By all means, do as you see fit".
It was then that Hagrid remembered that Harry had been missing for the last day. He asked, "Where were you Harry? Dumbledore was angry. Ron and Hermione also were angry with you".
Harry waved bye to him, "Good thing then that I am going to the head master right away, eh? See you later, Hagrid and take care of Blackstorm".
Great Hall
The students were in the Great Hall eating breakfast when the double doors opened without a sound and Harry entered with Susan on his arm, both of them grinning. All conversation in the Great Hall immediately went silent and everyone turned to look at them.
They were dressed in their uniform robes and walking imperiously towards the Gryffindor table when Dumbledore said, "Mr. Peverell and Miss Bones please report to my office immediately".
The head master's eyes were twinkling and a smile was tugging at the corner of his lips but most of the students thought they had imagined it because in the next moment, his expression was impassive and he looked stern. He turned to the teachers, "Pomona and Minerva, since they are from your houses I want you both in my office as soon as breakfast is over".
Harry and Susan obediently followed Dumbledore to his office and when they entered, he locked the door to his office with a locking charm and pointed them to two seats on the other side of the table. As they sat, he turned to the portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black, "Inform Sirius that Harold Peverell has been found and is in my office and tell him to inform the order".
He then made a floo call to Green Hues and the office of the Head of DMLE.
Harry was getting nervous, "Uh... Professor what are you doing?"
Dumbledore gave him a grin, "I am of course spreading the news that you have been found. I expect we will have company in a few minutes".
Harry paled, "You mean everyone you floo called will be here?"
"No Harry, not everyone but I suppose Amelia will be here at least. Molly wanted to come but Arthur asked her not to. I suppose Sirius and Remus knew about you though so they will not make an appearance. Andromeda maybe will have words with you when you return home for winter holidays".
As they were talking, Amelia stepped out of the floo and Susan gave a squeak and slid lower into her seat. Dumbledore chuckled, "Amelia, I leave these two to you however I am afraid that I cannot give you more than 10 minutes".
Amelia growled through her gritted teeth, "Oh I won't need even 10 minutes, Albus but thanks for being considerate".
As Albus was leaving, he said to her, "I would appreciate it if you would leave my office the way it is. It is bothersome to try to restore it after someone upends the tomes, destroys the furniture and damages the portraits".
As the door closed behind Dumbledore, Amelia took a seat and turned to Susan, "Explain".
Harry tried to say something but she cut him off, "You will get your chance to speak Harry. Right now I want answers from her".
Susan lowered her eyes and started speaking, "I am sorry Auntie but when he told me of his intention to leave the Castle for Samhain, I could not let him go off by himself. He was feeling very low and I wanted to be there for him. I apologise for this and I will accept any punishment you want to give to me. Harry is entirely blameless in this because I gave him no choice".
She turned to Harry, "What do you have to say about it, Harry?"
"I was feeling downcast and had no intention to participate in the Halloween feast so I decided to take a hike. I wanted to be alone and observe the rituals of Samhain by myself but Susan was insistent upon coming along. I should have refused or put her in a body-bind if she did not agree but a little part of me wanted her to come so I allowed her to. If anyone is responsible for it, it is me".
Amelia gave a small smile, "I can see that the two of you make a good team but both of you are responsible and both of you will be punished. I am furious that neither of you have any regard for rules. However, where have you both been that no one could find you?"
Harry replied, "As you probably already know, we visited my parent's grave in Godric's Hollow. We were going to visit the cottage too, but Remus and Sirius caught up to us there. We spent the rest of the time at one of my properties. Exactly where, I cannot tell you".
She mock-glared at Harry, "I hope you have treated her well but if you have not then I swear".
She could not finish her words because Susan said hastily, "He was the perfect gentleman, Auntie. You do not need to worry about it".
She was walking towards the floor and said above her shoulder, "Well then I will take your leave. For now, I will let the school deal with you as they see fit for being out of bounds without leave. I will deal personally with the both of you when you are home for the holidays. And Harry, Alice asked me to tell you that soon you and her wand are going to have a talk".
Harry cringed at that.
Susan asked him, "What's wrong?"
"It sounded so ominous, almost like a threat except that Godmother never really threatens anyone. She does what she promises".
Amelia left by the floo and at that moment, the door opened and Dumbledore entered followed by McGonagall and Sprout.
Dumbledore took his seat while the teachers took seats on both sides of them. Dumbledore started, "I have no doubt that Amelia made you realise the gravity of your act. I will only say that breaking rules with impunity is not tolerated at the school so you both need to be punished. Suitable punishment has been deliberated upon and your heads of house have agreed upon it. I will leave it up to them to award your punishment to you".
Professor McGonagall started first, "Mr. Peverell, you have been suspected of a lot of rule breaking this year but nothing could be proven so far and you escaped punishment for them. Need was felt to acquaint you with the gravity of your misdemeanours. There were talks of restraining you from the first Quidditch match of the season (Harry started to object but she silenced him with a look) however that punishment was abandoned and it has been agreed upon that your Hogsmeade weekend privileges shall be taken away for the rest of this term. If you continue in this vein, the punishment will extend to the rest of the year".
Harry hung his head in shame but inside he was relieved and was thinking it was not that big of a punishment because he could sneak out on those weekends. Then McGonagall resumed speaking, "And to ensure that you do not enter the village from any secret ways, Mr. Black and Mr. Lupin have agreed to be in the village and keep eyes open for you and Miss Bones".
Harry nodded reluctantly, "I accept the punishment, Professor".
Professor Sprout started then, "Miss Bones, I must say I am surprised that one of my badgers would be involved in such a blatant display of rule breaking. Since you broke the rules, you need to be punished. It should be equal if not more in proportion to the punishment awarded to him. Therefore, you are banned from Hogsmeade weekends for the rest of the term and if you are found involved in similar instances of rule-breaking, it will include every Hogsmeade weekend for the rest of the year".
After their punishments had been awarded, Dumbledore asked them, "Where were you two?"
"Professor, I went to Godric's Hollow to visit my parents. Something that nobody has done for me in the last 14 years. I tried to go alone but Susan insisted. She is entirely blameless in this episode".
Dumbledore sighed, "If I could, I would have cancelled the punishment but other teachers have been informed of your misdemeanours and cancelling your punishment now would bring allegations of favouritism and bias against me. I am glad that you did this, my boy and hope you will forgive me. I have made too many mistakes where you are concerned".
They both were let out before the classes started. Since they had most classes together that day, they sat with each other, ignoring glares from their friends. Harry had a fairly good idea that Hermione was just raring to go on a rant and the way Neville was eyeing them, it was clear that he too would have liked a go. Since there were too many people with too many questions, they decided to skip lunch in the Great Hall.
As they started toward the Great Hall, Harry pointed out to Susan, "Sue, you do realise that that our friends are inside waiting to pounce on us?"
"I know Harry. Why?"
"Because Sue, I do not want to face them right now".
"So what do you propose? Because I am very hungry and I would like to eat".
Harry in all seriousness said to her, "Susan Bones, would you accompany me on a lunch date to the kitchens?"
She eyed him, "Is Hogsmeade too far for you?"
He grinned, "No but I believe I have tested everyone's patience enough for now. Any more indiscretions and they might take me out of the Quidditch match and I wouldn't bet a brass knut on my chances for survival when the team hears about it".
Susan chortled, "The mighty Harold Peverell who has slain a thousand year old basilisk, drove away a hundred dementors, duelled with Tom Riddle and is scared of a Quidditch team?"
Harry grumbled, "Yes. Because I am sure Professor McGonagall would be leading the mob of the Quidditch team and I for one do not want to provoke her". She chuckled at his antics.
He took her arm and they proceeded to the kitchens. As they opened the kitchen door, dozens of elves rushed to them bowing. One of them squeaked, "What can we do you for, Master and Miss?"
"Can you give us a table and some lunch?" Harry asked.
The elf happily led them to a table set up on one side of the kitchen. They took their seats and Harry ordered the elf to bring them something of everything that was being sent to the house tables in the Great Hall.
As lunch was served, Harry started talking, "Susan, what do you think about our life together after the war?"
Susan inwardly smiled. He was talking about them together which made her heart flutter. "It depends on what you want to do, Harry. I mean you have a lot of skills and have so many options and I have some. We will decide it together but as I told you earlier I would like to go to research in the DoM. They work on so many things there. It will lead to me having fixed hours of work and I can be home every day in the evening".
"That is very ambitious, Sue. Are you sure you are not secretly a Slytherin?"
She glared at him, "I will have you know that I am a Hufflepuff through and through and our houses do not define our qualities. They just point to the more prominent ones".
Harry chuckled at her outburst but sobered when she glared at him some more. Then he asked her, "Tell me about some accidental magic of yours".
She grinned, "Once Auntie had some guests from MACUSA and they were discussing something important. I was around 5 at that time and I wanted Auntie to tell me a story and tuck me in as I was sleepy. Since she was busy, she did not hear me. I got so angry at those guests that I vanished their clothes except the bare essentials. I had never seen Auntie looking so angry before then".
Harry started laughing as he was trying to imagine the scene in his mind of wizards dressed in suits and suddenly their suits vanished. She joined him after sometime.
Their date ended as lunch-time was over. They left reluctantly to go to the classes they had.
It was that evening just before the detention with Professor Sprout (which Vikram had given him) that Angelina got hold of him after the classes and shoved him into an unused classroom and entered the door behind him. She was glaring hard at him and he was looking imperiously at her. When Angelina did not speak for some time, he asked, "Do you have something to say or do you just want to glare at me?"
She was barely controlling her fury, "Are you so hard headed that you cannot understand how important the match is for us? I swear if there was someone who had your talents, I would have replaced you. I do not even know if I should hex you into tomorrow or rip your head off".
Harry adopted the scared demeanour, "Angelina, I am sorry. It will not happen again. Besides we had no practice yesterday so, no harm done. I promise that I will be there for team practice tomorrow morning. I trust that you have reserved the pitch?"
She said tiredly, "Harry, I really do want to win the cup. Yes, I have booked the pitch for tomorrow and I expect you there".
Great Hall
When Harry arrived for dinner in the Great Hall, he slipped into a seat besides Fred and George as he had realised that students were still sitting at their own House Tables.
Angelina was glaring at him intensely and he turned to George, "Mate, please tell your girl to avert her eyes or she will incinerate me on the spot".
Fred said, "And how unfortunate that would be?"
George added, "Imagine the newspaper headlines".
They both said, "The Boy-who-lived burned to cinders".
This had the desired effect and Angelina laughed despite her anger. "Harry, please do not do anything like that again. McGonagall told me that they were deliberating about banning you from Quidditch for the rest of the year".
George turned to him, shock written on his face, "Mate that would be cruel and unusual punishment".
Fred added, "Yeah imagine others flying and your best player is benched".
George added, "Oh the shame. Slytherin would win without having played".
"As much as Slytherin would love an easy win, I would rather rub it in your face after I have caught the Snitch right under your nose, Potter", sneered Malfoy who had just come up.
Harry laughed, "Maybe, if you weren't so busy looking down your nose at other people, you could look up and spot the Snitch every now and then".
Everyone around them laughed while Malfoy walked to Slytherin Table. Trash talk was common for Quidditch and Harry had kind of expected it. He was also expecting the Slytherins to attack the Gryffindors to sabotage the team as they had done previously and the lions would give as good as they would get.
Lion's den
Harry was finally cornered in the Lion's den. He had evaded his friends for long enough and now it was time to pay the piper. As he entered the Common Room just before Curfew, it was surprisingly deserted except for Ronald, Neville, Hermione, Ginny and the twins.
Ron pointed him to a chair near the fire-place, "Take a seat, Harry".
"I think I would rather remain standing. It will make it easier to make my escape if you start trading hexes with me, you know".
The twins cheered, "That is the marauder spirit. Way to go".
Hermione glared at them while Neville started, "Harry, we do not need to tell you what mistake you made. Now this was not our fault and I feel that we can chastise you for this. I do not know about these two but my complaint is that you left your god brother behind in your adventure. You should have taken me along. What if someone had attacked you or something happened to you? Did you even think about your friends once?"
Harry started to say something before Ron cut him off, "Don't speak but listen to us. You think you have become so mighty that we are beneath you? You do not make time for us anymore. You hardly sit with us in the common room and most of the time you are living by yourself doing who knows what".
Hermione started to speak, "Harry, why did you vanish like that? We were worried about you. Did you not think about us at all? Why did you do it? I wanted to hex you for being so careless. How can you be so reckless Harry? You were not here to conduct the morning training sessions either".
Harry looked at Ginny, "Do you have any complaints against me, Miss Weasley?"
She suppressed a giggle, then said, "No Harry. I have no complaints whatsoever against you but Hermione wanted me to be here to bolster the numbers".
Harry turned to the twins, "You two? You have any complaints?"
They bowed low to him, "We just wanted to congratulate you on the act, Prank Mage. It is true that your Hogsmeade privileges are revoked and that is painful but you are our hero".
Harry then turned to his three friends, "I realise you have some genuine complaints with me with the first being that I am not giving enough time to you but you have to realise that I am stretched too thin at the moment and I have too many obligations, none of which are indispensable. This year, I was determined to have more friends than just you three and so it is obvious that people would have claim on my time. Then there is Susan who needs equal time with me so that we can know each other. Then there is the war and Tom. Old Tom is up to who knows what and I realise that we do not really have much time before he will come out in the open, so, obviously I have to prepare myself to meet him when he comes. I also have to make sure that my friends can defend themselves or fight if war is on the door step. As for keeping you out of the pranks, I do not know if you people have realised it or not but two of you are prefects and the third is dating a prefect. You cannot jeopardise your posts for me. If I had told you that I was going to sneak out of the school to see where my parents are buried and to observe my traditions, would you have kept it secret? No, you would have gone running to Dumbledore or McGonagall which is your duty. So, to protect you and to be able to pull this off, I had to keep you all in the dark".
After that Harry nonchalantly walked up to the Dormitories and crashed in his bed as soon as he could change.
As Harry disappeared to the dormitories, Hermione muttered, "We forgot to tell him about the Halloween celebrations".
Everyone around her laughed.
Badger's Hole
In the same moment, Susan was being interrogated by her friends in the fifth year dormitories though the line of questioning was different. Her year mates had surrounded her and everyone was looking at her with such eager anticipation on their faces that she had to laugh.
Hannah asked, "What did you and Harry get up to, Bones?"
"What do you mean, Abbott?"
Sally Anne-Perks said impatiently, "Come off it, Susan. You know what she meant. You and he were out of the castle, alone and nobody knew where. Please tell us that you at least kissed him",
Susan scowled, "Just because your mind is in the gutter does not mean others are like you".
Sally Smith said, "Don't pretend to be so high and mighty, Bones. He is so gorgeous that anyone can hardly resist kissing him. I would have snogged his brains out, if I were you".
Susan glared at her, "Are you eyeing my man? Do you really want to die that badly, Sally?"
Hannah pacified her, "Calm down Sue. She is just yanking your wand. She has had her eye on Summerby for a long time now though I would not deny that if he was not yours, I would have tried to make a move".
Susan said in a sing-song voice, "Do you want me to tell this little detail to Neville?"
"Neville!" she gasped and stuttered, "Do... Don't... you dare!"
"Or what Abbott? You will stutter at me?"
Megan who had been sitting quietly said, "Enough of avoiding the topic, Bones. Tell us the details".
Susan shrugged, "You can stop drooling. Nothing really happened between us. We had a tiring day so we did not get up to any shenanigans at all. The only thing which happened was that I pecked him on his cheek a couple of times".
Saturday, the same week Rosier Estate, Dorset
This month's trials were at an end with the full moon being tonight. If things went well this night, Remus planned to ask Ted to obtain the patent as soon as it was possible. It would be another week before Harry would receive the patent for the improved potion and they would start mass production. Things were good in the meanwhile except for Nymphadora Tonks who had started to openly show her affections towards him.
He wanted to discourage her but she was not deterred. Sirius had figured out that something was going on and had asked Remus. Remus had stonewalled him a lot of times until Sirius had made him confess that Nymphadora had feelings for him and he did not know if he was good enough for her nor did he want to ruin her life. Sirius told him that he was an idiot to think that way.
He also knew that Sirius was up to something behind his back but had no idea about what it was. He was only determined to not to give in to her attempts. He was not about to condemn someone else to the life he had.
Hogwarts
Today was the day of the match. Harry had managed to avoid getting any more detentions. Not that he had stayed out of the hexing, just that he had been careful about who was around when he did it. The upcoming match was Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Hexing the opposing team wasn't just fun, it was a moral imperative.
Gryffindor had the advantage here. They had backup players on their squad which Slytherin did not and they always went everywhere in pairs. Every player was fair game but it looked like some sort of line had been drawn when it came to the Gryffindor team. For example no one tried to hex the twins because they were the embodiment of chaos. Messing with one meant messing with both and nobody was crazy enough to try and fight with them. Another player declared out of bounds was Harold Peverell due to his prowess with the wand. Everyone knew that he had an expansive repertoire of spells, he was notoriously hard to sneak up on and nobody wanted to be at the wrong end of his wand. Other than those three, every player had been hexed or attempted to be hexed at least once.
Angelina had been hexed when she was returning from classes and her eye-brows had grown until they covered her face and she could not see. She had to visit Madam Pomfrey to get it undone.
Ronald had been hexed returning from classes and he had to go to the medi-witch for boils on places which people generally do not show in public. Hermione prowled the corridors for hours afterwards trying to find the perpetrators.
Someone tried to hex Katie with a knee reversal, but was saved by George who was nearby and deflected the hex.
Someone else attempted a stickfast on Fay Dunbar but she deflected it with quick reflexes before replying with a hex of her own. Ginny Weasley sent a couple of Slytherins to the Hospital wing with the bat-bogey hex.
Demelza Robins had been stalked for an opportunity but she had taken to walking with her friends and was always in a group. The final back-up player Jack Sloper had not been attacked or hexed for similar reasons.
The Slytherins had got as good as they had given. The captain Graham Montague had been hit with Twitching Ears hex when he was returning from the library. It was not just a single hex but more like someone had peppered him with hexes and he had to see Madam Pomfrey to counter the hex. Harry and Neville claimed the credit for that in the Gryffindor Common Room to high applause. Ron had grumbled that he missed most of the fun but Harry had reminded him that as the prefect, he was supposed to stop him.
Malfoy had been hit with the tail-growing hex and had been sporting one for a few hours before the medi-witch was able to remove that. That had led to him being laughed at in the Great Hall. The twins had claimed the credit for that one.
The beaters Crabbe and Goyle had been sent to the hospital wing with the Horn-growing hex and the Horn-tongue hex courtesy of the three Gryffindor chasers.
Miles Bletchley had been carried to the Hospital wing after Fay Dunbar had hit him with the scalping hex in retaliation for the stickfast hex.
Cassius Warrington never went anywhere without people around for the fear of being hit. He and a couple of his friends had been found petrified and left in an unused corridor where they had remained for hours.
The only player who had been declared out of bounds was Adrian Pucey because he was the only decent player on the Slytherin team. He always played fair and did not involve himself in any of the cheating.
Practices had been brutal in the meanwhile. Angelina had acted on his advice and booked the pitch in the mornings. Harry had told the students that he would not be participating in the morning runs until the match. Since he and Ron were both tied up, Neville and Hermione had started to give practice to others. Angelina ran them ragged making them practice until the last moment she could manage. Fred and George had once complained that their boils had ruptured which made it hard for them to sit on a broom. When Harry questioned them about it, they told him that it was due to a product they were developing and had tested on themselves. Harry had not practiced any of his new moves during the morning sessions because he feared players from other teams would notice. He wanted them to be a surprise.
Things were good with Susan. They were still eating at their own house tables but otherwise spent every spare moment together. They would often go on a walk around the lake, making small talk with each other, or would organise an impromptu date on the grounds where Dobby would bring them refreshments while they talked. Sometimes they were joined by Neville, Hannah, Ron and Hermione. Harry however remembered Ron's complaint and made time for his friends in the tower. As a rule, he would sit with them and finish the homework or sometimes when he was feeling daring enough, he would challenge Ron to a game of chess where Ron would easily defeat him. Sometimes, he would teach the younger years who had doubts regarding the practical application of something they had read or the theory of the subjects.
He was also planning a major prank for the school but had not yet acted on it because he knew that getting caught in any misdemeanour would mean he would have to sit out of the match which was something he did not want to do. He had made plans, found the people who could help and now was waiting for the perfect time to execute it.
He visited Hagrid a couple of times and the half-giant looked worse for wear every time. He had still not resumed his duties as the Care of Magical Creatures professor but Harry hoped he would take up his position soon. Hagrid often talked to him about beasts and Harry indulged him.
Another thing Hagrid had been puzzled about was his friends and had asked him when he was in the grounds walking with Susan. Hagrid at that time was grooming Blackstorm and Harry could swear that the hippogriff was enjoying all the attention which was given to him. Hagrid had made a separate paddock for him and asked Harry to fix it with warming charms so the Hippogriff would not be cold during the night. Other than that, Hagrid spent a considerable time with the hippogriff except when he was going into the forbidden forest.
He had hailed Harry as they were taking a walk around, "Harry, so good to see yeh. Where are Ron and Hermione?"
"I don't know Hagrid. They are Prefects now so they have some other obligations as well".
"Come in for a cuppa?" Hagrid asked.
Susan replied before Harry could. "We would be delighted Hagrid".
When they entered his hut, Hagrid asked Susan, "Sorry, but I do not remember yer name. Yeh are Edgar's kid, aren't yeh? You are not in me class, are you?"
She smiled, "yes, I am his daughter and my name is Susan Bones. And no, I took Runes and Arithmancy".
Hagrid asked Harry, "Are you two seeing each other?"
Harry delightfully replied, "Oh yes, we are seeing each other".
"Blimey! How soon things change. Before this year, there was only you three and now you have a bunch of students around you".
"Times change, Hagrid. Will you tell us how your trip to the Giants was?"
"Ruddy bunch, they are. Me and Olympe had almost convinced the last Gurg to remain neutral but he was murdered by one of the other giants and now they are all coming to support you-know-who".
"Hagrid, if you cannot speak his name then call him Tom Riddle".
"Tom Riddle?" Hagrid asked, confusion written on his face, "the same Tom who framed me?"
"The very same, Hagrid but I thought you already knew that".
"No Harry, I did not. Tom disappeared soon after he left school and when he re-emerged, he looked nothing like his younger self".
"Oh. So Hagrid, what are you planning to show us for your first class this year?"
Hagrid had a big grin adorning his face, "I have a surprise that you will all like".
Harry slightly shuddered, "Please tell me that it is not another Blast Ended Skrewt".
Hagrid guffawed, "Come now Harry, they weren't all that bad".
Harry mumbled to himself, "May be not to you. They were nothing less than a total nightmare for us".
Harry hauled Parvati aside in the common room one day when she was talking with Lavender Brown.
"Parvati, can I have a word with you?"
She gave him a radiant smile while Brown was saying something to her in hushed whispers and giggling at the same time. "Yes Harry, what can I do for you?"
"I wanted to talk to you, in private if you will".
She followed her out of the common room to a classroom. After he had locked the room, she asked him with a raised eye-brow, "What is it you want to talk about?"
"Parvati, first of all let me apologise for the way I treated you at the Yule Ball. It is not how one should treat a lady when he is escorting her".
"Harry that is an old story and I forgave you long ago. Is there anything else you want to talk about?"
He fished out the stone he had collected from the bonfire, "I want you to read this stone for me".
She eyed him inquisitively, "As far as I remember Harry, you were not present at the Samhain celebrations. How did you get this?"
Harry had heard how Dumbledore had Samhain celebrated with all pomp and grandeur. "I had my private celebrations. I cannot read this so I am asking you".
"Why me?" she asked. "I am not the divination teacher".
Harry internally cringed at the thought of going to Trelawney for getting his stone read. He gave a brightening smile to her, "You and I both know that she is not a true seer. There are only three seers in the school and I know them personally. Happily, none of them are named Trelawney".
She took the stone and turned it in her hands, inspecting it for a long time. "Harry, it shows that in the coming year, you will have a lot of troubles but there will be moments of happiness and rejoicing in between. By the time next Samhain arrives, the final battle would have been fought and wizarding Britain would be liberated of the yoke of the oppression of Voldemort".
Harry was impressed with the way she had called him by his name and did not flinch or shudder or gasp at it.
Gryffindor Fifth Year Dormitory, the Next Morning
When Harry woke up the next morning, he was feeling pumped. The match between Gryffindor and Slytherin was the moment the whole school was waiting for and Harry felt like he could flatten the Snakes single-handed if he had to.
Ron, however did not seem to share Harry's confidence. Although Ron was the best at the try-outs, which is why he was the new Keeper, and he did well at practice when he was on form, he did not stand up well to the trash talk from the other team. This morning, he was looking a bit peaky and pale. Of course, the previous Keeper had been Oliver Wood, the team captain. Those were big shoes to fill especially when Wood was a professional player now.
Harry knew that Ron had been getting peppered from shots by his older brothers in his back yard since he was old enough to sit on a broom. He was the best instinctive keeper Harry had seen yet, when he relaxed and trusted his feelings. Harry knew that his friend just needed a confidence boost and that he should have seen to it earlier, but he had been too busy to do so. Now, all he could do was tell his friend that he was the best they had.
Great Hall
The Quidditch team got ready with firm determination. When they started to march down to the Great Hall, the entire house fell into step behind them. It made quite a display as the entire house marched into the Great Hall clad in their house colours and took their places at the Gryffindor table. The Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables erupted in tumultuous applause and cheers. The Gryffindor Quidditch team took a moment to stand and take their bows before taking their seats.
Harry glanced over at the Slytherin table and saw that they seemed to be scattered, not all present and that there were a few worried faces on the other team. All well and good, but, when he looked at Ron, he could see that Ron was feeling worse, not better. Pre-game jitters were normal for some people and for Harry, that all went away the moment he was on his broom, but it was total bane for Ron.
As breakfast went on, and the usual pre-game trash-talk went back and forth, Ron looked even worse. If Harry didn't do something soon, they would have to put McLaggen in as keeper and he was not a team player.
By the time breakfast was ending, Ron was looking green and it looked like he would be sick. Harry had not realised that pre-game jitters could be this bad. He took his leave of his house mates for a few moments and went outside the hall to summon Dobby, "Dobby, get me a vial of Calming Draught mixed in a glass of pumpkin juice. Do not bring it up yourself but ask the elves to send it up to Ron at the Gryffindor table".
Dobby popped away and he returned to his table. He watched for when the draught was delivered and coaxed his friend to drink it. Ron, as he expected, had calmed down considerably by the time the team had started to march to the Quidditch stadium.
Susan caught up to them on the way and asked, "How do you like my robes, Harry?"
Harry had been marching side-by-side with Ron, making sure that his friend was feeling better. He had not looked properly at Susan until she asked. When he did, his mouth dropped open in surprise. She was dressed in Gryffindor Quidditch robes, which had been carefully tailored to flatter her figure, and she was carrying a Gryffindor flag with her.
She closed his mouth and said coyly, "Stop drooling, Harry".
Ron had to drag him away because he was sure that he did not know what was going on at that moment. Soon the team was huddled in the team lockers. Angelina was getting started, "So, we are up against Slytherin. Some of them may have better brooms but we have the skill. We have been practicing hard for this match and we will yet again make them eat our dust. Every one of you, remember your roles and fly like you have been doing".
Angelina kept going on and on while Fred muttered to Harry, "Thanks to her, we have not been properly dry this season. Thankfully we discovered the cure for our boils or we would have had to put in substitutes for this match".
Harry grinned back at them, "I have a few moves that I haven't been showing off in practice. And", he said, rolling up one sleeve to show them that he was wearing fore-arm guards, "I have a few other surprises up my sleeve if a Bludger happens to come my way".
After she was done with her ten minute long speech, she ordered her team to get ready.
Harry cornered Ron, "Mate, there is something that I have to tell you".
Ron said uncertainly, "Yeah? What is it?"
"Slytherin have no idea of your abilities and they are scared because you are much better than Oliver was. Just trust your feelings. You have to play your natural game and you will be unstoppable. You have played against your brothers and kept goal against them since you were too young to remember. I do not think anyone on their team possesses more talent than your brothers. This is your moment to show that you are something more than any of them. What do you say mate?"
Ron excitedly said, "Let's show them, Harry". The Quidditch team flew out of the lockers to the field.
The stadium was full by the time the teams arrived at the pitch and like every year, three fourth of the school was wearing Crimson and Gold and were chanting for Gryffindor. Lee Jordan was on the mike.
"Welcome to the second and most anticipated match of the season. I give you the Slytherins!" The Slytherins flew into the stadium in a line.
"Montague, Warrington, Pucey, Crabbe, Goyle, Bletchley anddd Malfoy! The serpents are ready for another pummeling at the hands of the lions".
"Jordan!" exclaimed Professor McGonagall.
"Sorry Professor. As I was saying, we haven't seen much of the Slytherin seeker this year. There are two new Beaters on the team which seem to be built along the same lines as the old ones. We'll have to wait and see how they do.
"Here come the Gryffindors!"
The crowd went wild as they entered in formation. The Chasers with Johnson flanked by Bell on her right and Spinet on her left in the lead, followed by Fred and George with their bats resting on their shoulders and Ron tucked in behind. Harry came streaking out from behind then pulled up to fly just above Fred and George.
"Angelina, Katie, Alicia, Fred, George, Ronald aaand HAROLDDD PEVERELLL!"
The stadium was drowned in deafening noises.
Lee continued, "This year Angelina has put together a strong team and they look unbeatable. They look fit, disciplined and hungry. Angelina has continued the legacy of Oliver Wood well and she has grown to be more amazing than previous years but she still won't go out with m..."
"JORDAN!", Professor McGonagall shrieked.
The teams landed and dismounted in lines facing each other at centre field.
"Sorry Professor. As I was saying, this is a fantastic team. Madam Hooch will be officiating today. She has arrived with the balls and the captains are shaking hands with each other".
Harry observed the hand-shake carefully. Angelina was not a skinny, wimpy girl, nor was she timid, but Montague was a guerrilla. Harry knew that he would try to intimidate his captain, injure her if he could. A non-verbal strengthening charm was easy enough to pull off and he did it.
Lee continued, "It looks like Montague will be clutching his hand throughout the match. Aaand they're off!"
The teams and Madame Hooch rose into the air on their brooms. She tossed the Quaffle into the air and gave a single blast on her whistle.
Harry took off with the team with the wind rustling through his hair, adrenaline pumping in his veins. He started searching the skies for a sign of the golden ball while keeping an eye on the game and ears on the commentary.
"Angelina has the Quaffle. Pass to Alicia. Pass to Katie. And back to Angelina. Feint to the right and Bletchley falls for it! Score Angelina Johnson! It's 10 to zero for Gryffindor!"
Harry spotted the Snitch while Madame Hooch brought the Quaffle out to center field to resume play. But it was far too early in the game and Malfoy clearly had no clue as to where the Snitch was. Harry decided to have some fun and flew in opposite direction with Malfoy following and when he was sure that the golden ball was lost again, he returned back to prowling the skies for the snitch.
Lee picked up the commentary again, "Pucey has the Quaffle, flanked by Crabbe and Warrington. Ouch! That will leave a bruise. Pucey did not see the back swing from his own beater and it hit him in the ribs making him drop the Quaffle. Katie for Gryffindor picks it up and she is charging the Slytherin end. She dodges Montague, a Bludger from Goyle , passes to Angelina! There's Warrington and Pucey. It looks like they're trying Parkin's Pincer".
Just then, Harry dived through the middle of the formation, scattering the Slytherin chasers and giving Angelina a clear path to the goal posts.
"Peverell comes out of nowhere and breaks up the defence! Pass to Katie. She takes her shot… Bletchley makes the save! Pass back out to Warrington. Dodges a Bludger and a Weasley. Crabbe blocks a Bludger from George. Pass to Pucey. Back to Warrington. This is the first test of the new keeper Weasley. Ron charges out from the goal! It looks like a Transylvanian tackle! Warrington flinches and drops the Quaffle! Picked up by Ron. Passed back out to Katie. Pass to Angelina. Reverse pass to Alicia. Alicia is in trouble as Pucey and Montague are closing in on both sides of her while Warrington is zooming towards her. The twins have done a Dopplebeater defense targeting Montague who could not dodge in time and Alicia has escaped. Pass to Katie. She dodges a clear attempt at cobbing by Bletchley. And she has scored again! Gryffindor leads 20to 0".
Harry had been listening to the commentary while he kept track of the golden ball and Malfoy. He was also listening to the score since he wanted to win the match when they had amassed enough points.
"Pucey has the Quaffle. He dodges Bell, Spinnet and Johnson! There's a Bludger from the twins. He dodges that too! It's all up to the Keeper now. He fakes left! Weasley goes for it. Shot on center! There's no way to save that! And Wow? Weasley saves it with a Starfish and Stick by the skin of his fingernails! I have to say that the new keeper is as good as Wood was. Angelina has the Quaffle. She looks determined to evade the opposing chasers but Goyle has smacked the Quaffle into the crowd".
Now Lee almost shrieked, "That's a foul, referee!"
There was a double blast on the whistle as Madame Hooch called a penalty against Goyle. Someone in the crowd passed the Quaffle back out to her while she warned Goyle, "That is mis-use of your bat. One more like that and you will be watching the rest of the game from the locker-room. Penalty against Slytherin. Johnson for Gryffindor will take the penalty shot".
Lee picked up the commentary, "Angelina has the Quaffle. She's going for the left, the right, shot on center and… Bletchley blocks it!"
The crowd groaned with disappointment.
Harry spotted the snitch dancing towards the Gryffindor end of the field but he had no intention to catch it just yet. Malfoy was tailing him closely. It was time to have some fun. Making a big show of spotting something at the Slytherin end, he abruptly turned his broom and raced in the opposite direction with Malfoy following, being very careful not to outstrip the speed of Malfoy's Nimbus 2001 by too much.
Lee continued, "Peverell has seen the snitch! Malfoy is racing him for it! They're diving in the Slytherin end. Peverell pulls up. It's a Wronski Feint!"
The Crowd uttered an, "ooo!", as Malfoy went tumbling between the goal posts, unable to pull up in time. There was a double blast from Madame Hooch's whistle as Montague called for a time-out and Madame Pomfrey charged out to the field.
Lee picked up the commentary, "It looks like Malfoy got plowed. I don't think that Slytherin has a back-up Seeker. If this is bad, it could be all over for Slytherin".
Madame Pomfrey gave him a careful examination. The concussion he suffered earlier in the term was her main concern. As it turned out, the worst injury he received was some grass stains on his robes. Other than his rage at Harry, he was quite alright. The Medi-Witch cleared him to play after about a minute. He re-mounted his broom and shook his fist at Peverell, swearing revenge.
Harry smiled and waved in return while shouting, "Glad to see you're all right!"
With a blast of the whistle and the Quaffle tossed into the air, play resumed.
Lee continued, "Looks like Malfoy is good to go. Better luck next time".
"Jordan!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed.
Lee chortled, "I mean, good to see a fair match. It's Johnson with the Quaffle and Warrington moves in to intercept. Ouch! It's a collision!"
There was a double blast from Madame Hooch and another penalty shot was awarded to Gryffindor. Angelina was feeling sore from a collision with a guy that was twice her size so Katie took the shot.
"It's bell with the Quaffle. She's charging the center hoop. Bletchley drifts to the right. She swerves left. The shot… And it's through the left hoop! 30 to 0 for Gryffindor!"
The crowd went wild while Madame Hooch carried the Quaffle out to center field to resume play.
"Warrington comes up with the Quaffle. Pass to Pucey. Pass to Montague. Goyle pelts a Bludger at Peverell well away from the Play! What's he doing? He's charging the Bludger! Peverell nearly knocks Montague off his broom with a Bludger off his forearm! Montague takes his shot! It passes cleanly through the left hoop. The score is 30 to 10 for Gryffindor".
Loud cheering erupted from the Slytherin side while polite applause came from the rest of the stadium.
As the game progressed, it got more physical. The Slytherin players, with the exception of Malfoy were all large, heavy guys. Montague was built along the lines of Harry's muggle uncle. Since this was supposed to be a non-contact sport with the exception of the Bludgers, that meant that their larger size made their better brooms a moot point. But they were perfectly happy to use their greater size and mass to intimidate and if at all possible, flatten the Lion's chasers and Keeper. Harry, Fred and George had little to worry about. Of course, Fred and George were practically human Bludgers themselves while Crabbe and Goyle were so inept that they were as likely to hit their own team members instead of the Bludgers. Harry spotted the Snitch repeatedly and faked Malfoy out every time as the score piled up.
Then it happened that Goyle got a lucky hit with a Bludger and knocked Alicia right off of her broom. Harry had been busy at the other end, distracting Malfoy when it happened.
Lee announced, "Spinnet takes a hit with a Bludger from Goyle! She's off her broom! It Looks bad!"
Lee caught Harry's attention. His cushioning charm and Madame Hooch's hit at about the same time, but it wasn't quite enough and Alicia broke her arm in the fall. There was a double blast from Madame Hooch and the play stopped as Angelina called for a time-out. Madame Pomfrey rushed out onto the field and looked her over. Harry knew that he could have fixed her up in a minute, but he also knew that the first Substitute Chaser was Ginny and besides, he did not want to show off his healing in front of the whole school. Madame Pomfrey conjured a stretcher and carried her off to the infirmary. Angelina gave Ginny the high-sign and she mounted her broom with a grin of fierce determination. Fred and George seeing the look on her face, thought that the Slytherins were going to regret taking Alicia out of the game.
Lee picked up the commentary, "Madame Pomfrey is taking Alicia Spinnet out of the game. Don't worry folks, she'll be alright. Substituting for Alicia is new-comer Ginny Weasley!"
The crowd gave her a cheer as she took up her position and waved at them.
"With what we've seen, I expect great things from another one of the red-head clan.".
With a single blast of the Whistle, the Quaffle sored into the air again.
Lee picked up the commentary, "It's Ginny with the Quaffle! Wow! She's really going for it!" Ginny's light frame with her new Nimbus 2001 made for a dynamite combination. The only thing more nimble than her on the pitch was Harry.
"She's past the Chasers. Good Bludger by Crabbe. She's dodged it. It's all up to Bletchley now. She fakes him out of his socks! It's 60 to 10 for Gryffindor!"
As Madame Hooch carried the Quaffle back to Center field, Fred turned to George and asked, "Where did she learn to fly like that?"
George answered, "Beats me. I'm just glad she's on our side".
After that, Slytherin tightened up their defences. There were two more penalties against Slytherin, one for flacking and another one for cobbing. Angelina and Katie each turned them into goals. With the score at 80 to 10 for Gryffindor, Harry thought it was time to end the game. Crabbe sent another Bludger at him which Harry dodged with a barrel-roll making the black ball miss his ear by inches.
Then Malfoy flew up to him sneering, "What's the matter, Scar-head, scared?"
Harry chuckled, "Of what? You or your beaters who can't hit a Bludger straight?"
Meanwhile Slytherin was given a penalty for stooging and Pucey was taking it. Harry was worried that Ron might fold under pressure and would lose it but Ron started doing the Double Eight loop and Pucey failed to score. Harry noticed the snitch flying near the Slytherin end. He made a feint toward the Gryffindor end. Once Malfoy started to follow him, he performed a reverse Immelmann and doubled back to the Slytherin end. Although the firebolt was faster than the Nimbus 2001, Harry was definitely heavier than Malfoy now and the difference was not that great. Malfoy was right behind him and he was pushing his broom for all it was worth. The snitch did a nose dive and Harry was plunging after it. Goyle hit a Bludger at him. Harry used his forearm guard to send the black ball back the way it came but it cost him precious momentum. He dived and followed the golden ball. Pulling out of the dive, he brought it level to the ground and the chase was on. Malfoy had narrowly avoided getting plowed again when Harry pulled out of his dive but he was still close behind him and Harry willed his broom to go faster. The snitch was flying just inches off the ground. It could not possibly make another dive.
Lee announced, "Are my eyes deceiving me or has he touched another level altogether? Harold Peverell is dangling upside down from his broom by his ankle. Malfoy is close behind him. The snitch has changed course and is climbing but Harold Peverell has flipped back on top of his broom and performed a perfect Plumpton Pass. He has scooped the snitch in his sleeve! That's it! It's all over folks! GRYFFINDOR wins over Slytherin! THE final score is Gryffindor 230, Slytherin 10". Harry's teammates had descended to the ground and every one had piled up on him, shouting and celebrating. The Lions did a victory lap around the pitch. While the rest of the team descended, Harry flew to the stands, standing on top of his broom, holding the Snitch aloft.
"Harold Peverell is flying to the Hufflepuff stands towards Susan Bones who, I should tell the viewers, is wearing Gryffindor Quidditch robes, and he has offered the snitch to her. Blushing, she has accepted the snitch. That's my boy... that's my boy". Lee was dancing on the spot with the mike, "Ladies and Gentlemen that is how you do it".
Harry had just done something which he was sure would be talked about for years to come, if not decades.
A/N- Hello folks, I am over-whelmed with the last chapter and I love you all. The reviews were great and I hope this chapter was up to your liking. I tried to make it as much entertaining as possible.
I know some of you would be thinking of the asterisks I used and they are to indicate a scene break or that a different things starts from there so as to make it comfortable to read.
Awaiting your lovely reviews.