— HARRY HAD LOCKED HIMSELF IN THE DORMITORY EVER SINCE THE HOGSMEADE TRIP. According to Ron, he barely even talked to them.
The only time where they talked properly was during Christmas— when Harry seemed to calm down.
Harry then told them what he had heard at the pub. Every single detail, making sure not to miss anything. Nicole felt quite sorry for him, understanding how hurt he must have felt.
Then, Nicole gave him a firebolt that she requested from her father, while Harry gave her a necklace with her initials on it. Ron and Hermoine were both quite annoyed at the fact that they got nothing, but Nicole assured them that she had something better planned for them on summer.
Because of this, the Gryffindor team was ecstatic, especially Oliver Wood. With two firebolts on the team, he was absolutely sure that they would win the Qudditch cup.
Everyone had given Harry the same attention they gave Nicole during her second year. Even people who weren't on the team were fascinated. The boys took turns holding his broom, while some of the girls held it too. Probably since Harry allowed people to touch his broomstick, unlike Nicole.
Aurora, found this quite annoying. Nicole made her swear to not tell her mom what had happened.
"What if I do tell her?" Aurora taunted with a smile. Her mood has been getting better lately due to her new friend Cedric.
"I will hex you."
Aurora laughed as if this was a joke.
"I'm being serious, Aurora." Nicole deadpanned. "I've been studying a lot this year. I was gifted a book of hexes by a fourth year friend, and I've already tested one out."
Aurora's eyes widened. "It was—"
"— me. Yes it was me. Pansy seemed to enjoy her boogies turning into bats. Do you want me to do that to you, too?"
Aurora decided to keep her mouth shut, remembering the agony Pansy Parkinson felt when bats would keep on coming out of her nose. She didn't want that to happen to her either.
The sisters spent more time together after that. Her mother, who only mailed Aurora, was talking about how worse her and her husband's relationship was becoming. To her mother, her family was everything, and the fact that her father still wasn't trusting them was hurting her.
Nicole, naturally, was on her dad's side. Aurora stopped trying to convince her that their mom was on the right and let her be on her own.
After the few weeks of classes, it was soon the morning for the match against Ravenclaw. When Nicole (who held her broom and was in her quidditch robes) and Hermoine walked to the great hall in the morning, loads of people from different houses were swarming around Harry.
Nicole giggled— they were admiring the firebolt she gave him.
"Is that a firebolt too?" Cedric Diggory questioned Nicole once she came into view holding her broom. "Woah! No matter you're amazing at the pitch!"
Nicole found herself getting a little red at the compliment. She still wasn't over her crush on Cedric Diggory.
Penelope Clearwater, Percy's girlfriend, asked if she could actually hold the broom. Just like she asked Nicole the other year, but she let out a flat out no.
"Now, now, Penny, no sabotage," Percy said, smiling at her. "Penelope and I have got a bet on," he told the team. "Ten Galleons to the outcome of the match!"
Penelope put the broom down, thanked him, and went to the Ravenclaw table.
"Sure you can manage that broom, Potter?" said a cold, drawling voice. Draco Malfoy had arrived for a closer look, Crabbe and Goyle right behind him.
"Yeah, reckon so," said Harry casually.
"Got plenty of special features, hasn't it?" said Malfoy, eyes glittering maliciously. "Shame it doesn't come with a parachute — in case you get too near a Dementor."
Crabbe and Goyle sniggered.
"Pity you can't attach an extra arm to yours, Malfoy," said Nicole, annoyed that Draco was out here tormenting him before the match. "Then it could catch the Snitch for you."
The Gryffindor team laughed loudly. Malfoy's pale eyes narrowed, and he stalked away. They watched him rejoin the rest of the Slytherin team, who put their heads together, no doubt asking Malfoy whether Harry's broom really was a Firebolt. Aurora, however, was looking at her sister knowingly.
Nicole decided to ignore her when she saw Cedric Diggory moving over to the table.
At a quarter to eleven, the Gryffindor team set off for the locker rooms. The weather couldn't have been more different from their match against Hufflepuff. It was a clear, cool day with a very light breeze; there would be no visibility problems this time, and Nicole, though nervous, was starting to feel the excitement only a Quidditch match could bring.
"Tape? What is tape?" Oliver asked Nicole, who dug the clear thing out of her pocket.
Before the quidditch match, Nicole was naturally really excited so she went and asked her dad for some tips and tricks. She mentioned that Harry wore glasses, and her dad sent her a package with something called tape in it, and gave Nicole instructions on how to use it so his glasses wont fall.
"My dad said his muggle friend told him about it." Nicole explained, taking Harry's hand. "Just watch me." she told Oliver, taking a bit of the tape just like her mom taught her and taped it to the side of Harry's head.
Harry felt a bit flustered as Nicole was too close to his face, but the girl was concentrated on taping the glasses to his face. After she finished the second one, Nicole smiled confidently and showed it to her other teammates, who looked at her in awe.
"You know what tape is, but not a hair tie?" Harry asked sarcastically, which made Nicole hit him hard.
She rolled her eyes. "A thank you would be nice, Potter."
"Thanks for taping my glasses to my head, Nic." Harry said sarcastically, testing out to see if it would move at all. Luckily, it did not.
"No problem. I'm killing you if you don't catch that snitch first, though." Nicole joked, but paused when she noticed how Harry tensed at her words. She quickly patted his shoulders and let out a soft laugh. "I'm joking, Harry."
Time came by and they had to leave the locker room. Wood was still nervous, but Nicole assured him that they would "kick Ravenclaw's arses".
They walked out onto the field to tumultuous applause. The Ravenclaw team, dressed in blue, were already standing in the middle of the field. Their Seeker, Cho Chang, was the only girl on their team.
She was a friend of Nicole. The two of them shared the same height, and Nicole gave her a high five as she passed by. Harry, however, seemed to be a bit red at the sight of the pretty girl.
"Wood, Davies, shake hands," Madam Hooch said briskly, and Oliver shook hands with the Ravenclaw Captain.
"Mount your brooms... on my whistle... three — two — one —"
Nicole mounted her brooms with the rest of the team. Her and Harry stood above everyone else, and Nicole couldn't help but feel excited.
"They're off, and the big excitement this match is the Firebolt that Nicole Hwang and Harry Potter is flying for Gryffindor. According to my dear friend Nicole, her father said that the Firebolt's going to be the broom of choice for the national teams at this year's World Championship —"
Nicole giggled, showing him a thumbs up.
After that, Nicole zoned out of the commentary. She flew away and grabbed the quaffle when Madam Hooch threw it into the air, and as usual— scored the first post.
During matches, the beaters tended to focus on her. Two bludgers made their way towards her direction and she narrowly avoided them. Nicole thought this strategy was stupid— they should've focused on Harry instead of her.
The Ravenclaw chaser scored, and Katie quickly stole it away and made her way towards the hoops. Nicole, who was trailing behind her teammate, was cornered by two Ravenclaws. She immediately pointed her broom to the ground, which made them hit each other and lose their focus.
Katie was being chased by the last chaser, so she quickly passed it to Angelina. Angelina then rushed towards the lowest hoop and scored another.
In the field, Nicole was known for being an expert in stealing the quaffle. The girl had managed to steal it five times from their chasers, and passed it to her teammates. Angelina scored twice; Katie thrice; and Nicole twice.
Eventually, Ravenclaw pulled back. Nicole was hit in the shoulder once by a bludger, and was told to retreat from the game. The girl was stubborn, however. But with an injured shoulder, her skills weren't as amazing as they first were.
"HARRY, THIS IS NO TIME TO BE A GENTLEMAN!" Wood roared as Harry swerved to avoid a collision. "KNOCK HER OFF HER BROOM IF YOU HAVE TO!"
Nicole looked over her best friend, who was head to head with Cho Chang.
Because of her distraction, another bludger came zooming in her way. Nicole rushed away just in time for Angelina to pass her the quaffle— which she then shot into the highest hoop.
A roar of applause came from the Gryffindor stands. Nicole smiled and gave them a wave— they started to clap harder.
"HARRY POTTER CATCHES THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WINS!"
Nicole zoomed down, throwing her broom away as she engulfed Harry in a huge hug. Then another person joined. Then another. Then another. Soon, the team was in a huge group hug and the Gryffindor stands roared in delight.
"That's my boy!" Wood kept yelling. Angelina and Katie had both kissed Harry; Fred had him in a grip so tight Harry felt as though his head would come off. Nicole kept on hugging him tight, ignoring the pain in her shoulder.
"Aren't you going to give me a kiss too?" Harry joked, tapping his cheek when Nicole kept on hugging him. He knew Nicole was too proud of herself to do something such as kissing his cheek after a game; but it was worth a try.
The girl let out a laugh, looking around her to see if anyone was staring— and when the coast was clear, she kissed him in the cheek. The girl didn't know why. Maybe it was because of the euphoria of winning, or maybe she was high on happiness, nevertheless, it caught Harry by surprise.
He turned bright red.