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

11. Hufflepuff vs Slytherin

"Before we start practice today, I have something I need to tell all of you."

Geronimo raised his eyebrows. "That doesn't sound too good."

"Shut up," I told him. "It's good news, I promise. As you all know, we have another Quidditch match coming up soon. We'll be playing against Slytherin -"

"And we're going to lose against Slytherin," Mona muttered.

I gave her a sharp look. "Not if my plan works. I know how we can win."

The team was silent at once.

"Okay," I said, taking a deep breath. I hadn't posed my idea to anybody yet, and I was nervous to see how they would take it, especially Cassie. And their unblinking eyes weren't helping settle my stomach. "Are you all familiar with Viktor Krum and his career for the Bulgarian national team?"

They all nodded, in unison.

"That's when Krum caught the snitch but Ireland still won," Hugo said. He thought it through, and then his eyes went wide. "You don't mean for us to -"

"That's exactly what I mean."

Posie raised her hand. "Could you explain in a little more detail what we're supposed to be doing? If it's what I think it is, well, it seems a bit...outlandish."

"We're going to win by scoring enough points that when the snitch is caught, regardless of who catches it, we will still win," I said. "Like what happened in the World Cup, when Bulgaria played Ireland."

Geronimo looked suspicious. "Do you really think it will work?"

"Yes. It might be difficult to do on purpose, but I'm sure it can be done," I said. And it might be our only hope. "Mona, Oliver, Hugo, as chasers you're going to be extremely important if this is to work. Not that anybody isn't important. Everybody has to work hard to keep the Slytherins from scoring, and to keep Scorpius from catching the snitch before we have enough points for a victory."

Everybody started talking at once, but I raised my hand for silence and looked to Cassie, who had remained silent.

"Oh," she said, looking around at the eight curious faces watching her. "What do I have to do?"

"Try and throw off Scorpius," I said. This part was a bit more difficult, because Scorpius knew from what I had told him that Cassie was a bad seeker, and he might not be swayed by her suddenly flying towards an imaginary snitch, but I had hope.

Cassie still hadn't said anything. "What do you think?" Hugo prompted.

"I think it could work," she said, shrugging.

~~~

"And Weasley takes the quaffle once again, passing quickly to Dunlop. The Hufflepuff chasers have been especially feisty today. Not that they haven't always been on top of their game, of course, it's just that Slytherin's have barely had a touch of the quaffle yet, and it's ten minutes into the match."

Rehmat's commentary was sounding pretty sweet to me, and when I glanced up and saw Scorpius hovering above me in his emerald robes, I gave him a sly smile. Mona had already scored twice, and the beaters had been successful so far in keeping the Slytherins from getting too close to my own goal posts. It was much too early in the match for anything to be decisive, but the Hufflepuffs in the stands were clapping and chanting enthusiastically, and I couldn't help but get my hopes up.

But then there was a scare with Scorpius diving suddenly, arm outstretched to catch the snitch. If Heather hadn't placed a bludger just so, we would've been lost for good. Scorpius pulled out of the way just in time and lost sight of the snitch, but my nerves were beginning to fray. There was a second scare, and then Slytherin scored, and my nerves were shot.