A Hogwarts Legend: Changing Paths [3]

Chapter Twenty Five

I spot Draco waiting in the Entrance Hall, and head towards him.

"Yo," I say and he looks up.

"I just wanted to wish you luck," he says grinning.

"You too," I smile.

We stay silent for a moment, then blurt out at the same time, "I hope you lose."

I begin to laugh, and soon he joins in.

"Well, I've got to go, just don't kill Harry, okay. I rather like having him around."

I join the rest of the team, heading down to the pitch.

"OK ... no wind to speak of ... sun's a bit bright, that could impair your vision, watch out for it ... ground's fairly hard, good, that'll give us a fast kick-off ..."

Wood pecs the pitch, staring around with the team behind him. Finally we see the front doors of the castle open in the distance, and the rest of the school spills onto the lawn.

"Changing rooms," says Wood tersely.

None of us speak as we change into our scarlet robes. In what seems like no time at all, Wood's saying, "Okay, it's time, let's go ..."

We walk out onto the pitch to a tidal wave of noise. Three-quarters of the crowd are wearing scarlet rosettes, waving scarlet flags with the Gryffindor lion upon them or brandishing banners with slogans such as "GO GRYFFINDOR!" and "LIONS FOR THE CUP!" Behind the Slytherin goalposts, however, two hundred people are wearing green; the silver serpent of Slytherin glitters on their flags, and Professor Snape sits in the very front row, wearing green like everyone else, and a very grim smile.

"And here are the Gryffindors!" yells Lee Jordan, who's acting as commentator as usual. "Potter, Bell, Johnson, Swift, Weasley, Weasley and Wood. Widely acknowledged as the best side Hogwarts has seen in a good few years -"

Lee's comments are drowned by a tide of "boos" from the Slytherin end.

"And here come the Slytherin team, led by captain Flint. He's made some changes in the line-up and seems to be going for size rather than skill -"

More boos from the Slytherin crowd. But I think Lee has a point. Draco is easily the smallest person on the Slytherin team; the rest of them are enormous.

"Captains, shake hands!" says Madam Hooch.

Flint and Wood approach each other and grasp each other's hands very tightly; it looks as though each is trying to break the other's fingers.

"Mount your brooms!" says Madam Hooch. "Three ... two ... one ..."

The sound of her whistle is lost in the roar from the crowd as fourteen brooks rise into the air.

"And it's Gryffindor in possession, Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor with the Quaffle, heading straight for the Slytherin goalposts, looking good, Angelina! Argh, no - Quaffle intercepted by Warrington, Warrington of Slytherin tearing up the pitch - WHAM! - nice Bludger work there by George Weasley, Warrington drops the Quaffle, it's caught by - Swift, Gryffindor back in possession, come on, Emily - nice swerve round Montague - duck, Emily, that's a Bludger! - SHE SCORES! TEN-ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!"