Emma Potter

36: Dobby "saves" us again

As eleven o'clock approached on the following Saturday, the whole school started to makeits way down to the Quidditch stadium. It was a muggy sort of day with a hint of thunder in the air. Me,Ron and Hermione came hurrying over to wish Harry good luck as he entered the locker rooms. As the Team walked out onto the field, a roar of noise greeted them;mainly cheers, because Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were anxious tosee Slytherin beaten, but the Slytherins in the crowd made theirboos and hisses heard, too. Madam Hooch, the Quidditch teacher,asked Flint and Wood to shake hands, which they did, giving eachother threatening stares and gripping rather harder than was necessary."On my whistle," said Madam Hooch. "Three . . . two . . .one . . ."With a roar from the crowd to speed them upward, the fourteenplayers rose toward the leaden sky. Harry flew higher than any ofthem, squinting around for the Snitch.

As soon as he was up a heavy blackBludger came pelting toward him; he avoided it so narrowly thathe felt it ruffle his hair as it passed."Close one, Harry!" I heard George say, streaking past him with hisclub in his hand, ready to knock the Bludger back toward a Slytherin. Harry saw George give the Bludger a powerful whack in thedirection of Adrian Pucey, but the Bludger changed direction inmidair and shot straight for Harry again.Harry dropped quickly to avoid it, and George managed to hitit hard toward Malfoy. Once again, the Bludger swerved like aboomerang and shot at Harry's head.Harry put on a burst of speed and zoomed toward the other endof the field. He could hear the Bludger whistling along behindhim. What was going on? Bludgers never concentrated on oneplayer like this; it was their job to try and unseat as many people aspossible. . . .Fred was waiting for the Bludger at the other end.Harry ducked as Fred swung at the Bludger with all his might; theBludger was knocked off course."Gotcha!" Fred yelled happily, but he was wrong; as though itwas magnetically attracted to Harry, the Bludger pelted after himonce more and Harry was forced to fly off at full speed.It had started to rain; Harry felt heavy drops fall onto his face,splattering onto his glasses. He didn't have a clue what was goingon in the rest of the game until he heard Lee Jordan, who was commentating, say, "Slytherin lead, sixty points to zero —"

"What?" I whispered, following the lead of not my brother but the buldger. "That buldger" I whispered, nudging Ron and Hermione "someone's tampered with it."

Gryffindor called for a time out then.

"Do you think Slytherin did it?" asked Hermione. 

"I don't know-"

"I think so. Look, Emma don't bite my head off but, who else could've done it?"

I shrug "anyone, I mean half the school thinks we're the heirs of slytherin."

Then another blow of the whistle and they were up again. 

The rain was falling more heavily now. On Madam Hooch'swhistle, Harry kicked hard into the air and heard the telltale whooshof the Bludger behind him. Higher and higher Harry climbed; helooped and swooped, spiraled, zigzagged, and rolled. Slightly dizzy,he nevertheless kept his eyes wide open, rain was speckling hisglasses and ran up his nostrils as he hung upside down, avoidinganother fierce dive from the Bludger. He could hear laughter fromthe crowd; he knew he must look very stupid, but the rogueBludger was heavy and couldn't change direction as quickly asHarry could; he began a kind of roller-coaster ride around the 

"Come on, Harry" I whispered. "Come on."

Around 20 minutes later, I saw a horrifying sight, Harry With a splattering thud he hit the mud and rolled off hisbroom. His arm was hanging at a very strange angle; riddledwith pain, he heard, as though from a distance, a good deal ofwhistling and shouting. He focused on the Snitch clutched in hisgood hand.

"HARRY!" I yelled, jumping up and pushing past people. I ran to his side, "Harry, how the hell-" "Move aside ms. Potter!" Lockhart was striding in, Wearing robes of jade green. "Oh, no, not you," harry moaned."Doesn't know what he's saying," said Lockhart loudly to theanxious crowd of Gryffindors pressing around us. "Not toworry, Harry. I'm about to fix your arm.""No!"I cried, and  Harry said "I'll keep it like this, thanks. . . ."He tried to sit up