Dursley's Daughter (A Harry Potter Next Generation Fan Fic)

17. New Tactics

I leaned forward in my chair and glanced nervously at the rest of my team, sat in a line punctuated with Slytherins across Headmaster McGonagall's office. We were still clad in our yellow robes and Cassie's hands were clenched firmly around the snitch, so tightly that her knuckles were white. The atmosphere wasn't euphoric, however, but tense as we waited for the final verdict from the group of professors who had gathered in a room off of the main office. None of us spoke. Heather chewed her nails with anxiety, a Slytherin coughed, and I could feel Scorpius's eyes boring into the back of my head.

"Quite controversial," said one of the paintings above me. I couldn't recognize the Headmistress, but she had crammed herself into a frame with three other past headmasters of Hogwarts, and they were obviously discussing us. She opened her mouth to continue but one of the others clamped a hand over her mouth before us students could hear.

When the teachers walked back in, headed by McGonagall, we all straightened our backs simultaneously, and the quiet whisperings of the paintings above ceased at once.

"Now, while I tell you what we've decided, we don't want any interruptions," said McGonagall, clasping her hands in front of her as she looked down at us from behind her desk. "I want you to be aware that one team is going to leave this room very disappointed, and another very happy, but that I expect both to act with only the best sportsmanship."

There was a chorus of agreement from the two Quidditch teams.

McGonagall looked to Cassie. "You can relinquish the snitch, Ms. Klein."

She shook her head. "I never want to let it go. If that's okay with you, of course, Professor."

There were some sneers from the Slytherins in the room, but a curt glance from McGonagall quickly silenced them.

"I'll only be taking it for one moment," she said.

Cassie reluctantly handed over the snitch, and McGonagall passed it to Scorpius, who reached out and touched it. I held my breath, but the snitch did not react to him. When it was passed begrudgingly back to Cassie, however, the snitch unfolded its wings and struggled to escape Cassie's now-firm grasp.

"So there hasn't been a snitchnip," said Professor Longbottom.

I frowned at that. They're dubious that Cassie actually caught it?

He must've caught my look, because he clarified. "We wanted to make sure that with all the fouling that occured in that game, a snitchnip wasn't one of them."

Okay, I admitted. That's reasonable.

McGonagall took over again. "I never would've expected such a dirty match from students, especially not from Hufflepuffs. As you've surely guessed, we've been contemplating punishing the team for their brazen actions on the field today."

I hesitantly raised my hand, but was ignored as McGonagall pressed on. "We have done a careful evaluation of the match, however. Every foul was called and the penalties were given for each one."

This time it was Scorpius's hand that was ignored.

"The matter of the end of the match required further discussion, as you may have guessed. What looked to many of the spectators today like a blatant display of blocking required some evaluation. A penalty shot is normally awarded as a result of this foul, but as the snitch was caught by Ms. Klein before this could occur, ending the game, this left an unresolved foul that we have decided should cost the game."

The Slytherins moved to rejoice, while my team's hearts all sunk, Cassie's especially. McGonagall's steely look kept us quiet, however.

"However, as we all recounted our own tale of what occurred in those final few seconds, we came to realize that this was not a case of blocking as we assumed due to the high amount of fouls that had occurred throughout the match. Instead, Mr. Malfoy was circled by Hufflepuff players, as you are all aware, but they did not obstruct his path to the snitch. It was a bludger that ultimately knocked him from his broom and cost Slytherin the match, a perfectly legal, un-foulable event in a game of Quidditch."