Chasing Time (Seamus Finnigan)

twenty-one

In the changing room Angelique explained the tactics again and again. Fred and George were just joking around a bit, Ron was sitting there with a pale face, and the rest of us tried to pay attention.

After half an hour, the students were arriving and Lee Jordan started commenting.
'Welcome. Today's the first match for the House Cup. Slythering against Gryffindor! Who will win this match? Will it be Gry-'
'Mister Jordan, start the match,' McGonagalls voice said, sounding slightly irritated.
'Alright, professor. Let's begin! On the left side, Slytherin! Right side Gryffindor!'
We entered the pitch. It had never been so busy on the tribunes. The audience was just a wave from two colours: the biggest part red, the rest green. I noticed there was a hard wind coming up, I just hoped it wouldn't blow me of my broom.

'Captains, greet eachother.'
Angelique walked towards Marcus Flint and she shook his hand firmly. It looked like they already wanted to break eachothers fingers.

'Teams, mount your brooms. Let the game begin in three... two... one... The game has begun!'

We all mounted our brooms and kicked of hard from the ground. Angelique had the Quaffle. I flew forward quickly, past several Slytherins and she trew thr Quaffle to me. I dived, then pulled up fast and... Scored!'

'Yaxley scores! Ten-zero for Gryffindor!' Lee commented excited as I flew a bit backwards to catch the Quaffle again. Angelique seemed to be dealing with a Bludger and two Slytherins who were trying to block me from passing to her, what ended with one of the Slytherins falling down, but I flew in the other direction and quickly passed the Quaffle to Katie, who scored again.

I tried to catch sight of Harry, but I didn't see him or Draco anywhere, so I supposed they had seen the Snitch and gone after it.

I had just received the Quaffle again as two Slytherins flew towards me and encountered me. 'What the hell are you doing?' I yelled as I hit one of them in the face and dived, before passing the Quaffle to Angelique, who lost it and then Slytherin had the Quaffle.

Katie and I immediately changed direction, trying to stop them from scoring.

The Slytherin Chaser lost course and had to turn around to try again. In the meanwhile Katie had blocked him and had regained the Quaffle. At full speed she flew towards the goalpoasts. But a Slytherin Beater had beated a Bludger in her direction, and I thought she hadn't see that, so I shouted at her, 'Katie watch out!' She dived just in time and the Bludger hit a Slytherin, who fell down.

Katie scored again. Then it started raining, harder and harder whilst we were trying to see where we were flying and where the Quaffle was. That was a bit hard, I noticed, when I hit the goalpoasts at full speed when I scored. Luckily I didn't fall of my broom, but my nose was only bleeding.

My robes were drenched with blood and as Angelique flew beside me she yelled, 'Are you okay? Need a time-out?!'

'I'm fine!' I yelled back at her, although my nose was hurting like hell and I certainly thought it was broken, but I wanted us to win this game so much I just didn't think about it anymore and went for it.

After that I scored three times and the Slytherins four times. We were now only ten points ahead. Harry came in sight again and started cirkling around the pitch again. Angelique had seen that too and became a bit nervous. 'Harry, get that damn Snitch!' she shouted at him.

At that moment a Bludger she hadn't seen coming hit her leg and she screamed out of pain. 'Angelique! Are you okay?' George yelled as he flew towards her.

'Think it's broken, but I'll play!' Angelique replied, crying. I knew Angelique would play Quidditch with every injury possible. George tried to stop her from playing and ask for a time-out, but she flew away and Katie passed the Quaffle to her.