A LONG WAY DOWN-004
"Harry. it's time to wake up." A sweet voice spoke making the boy open his eyes. Diana stood over him with a small beautiful smile on her face. "It's time for breakfast."
He stood up from the chair that he was sitting in and they both headed toward the portrait. Harry let Diana go first causing the girl to blush and hurry out of the portrait.
"Stand and fight, you many scallywags!" Sir Cadogan shouted, holding up his sword.
"Oh, shut up." Harry yawned and took Diana's hand in his as they headed towards the Great Hall.
Sitting on the empty side of the bench, Diana served them both a large helping of porridge and by the time they'd started on toast, the rest of the team had turned up. Fred sat on one side of Diana, and George wedged himself between her and Harry. Harry grumbled into his toast, but let it side when he saw Diana's face light up with happiness.
"It's going to be a tough one," Oliver said, who wasn't eating anything.
"Stop worrying, Oliver," Alicia said soothingly. "We don't mind a bit of rain."
It was more than a bit of rain. It was pouring, madly. Diana and the team ran towards the Quidditch pitch. She was curled in Harry's side as they shared his umbrella, due to hers being taken by the wind. Harry and Diana went to enter the locker room when they saw Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, laughing and pointing at them from the stadium. Diana sent them a look as she pushed Harry into the locker room.
The team changed into their scarlet robes and waited for Oliver's usual pre-match pep talk, but it didn't come. He tried to speak several times but it came out as a wheeze. The rain soaked Diana's hair making it stick to the back of her neck as they stood in the middle of the pitch. The Hufflepuffs were approaching from the opposite side of the pitch, wearing canary-yellow robes.
The captains walked up to each other and shook hands, Cedric smiled at Oliver but the captain of the Gryffindor had lockjaw and merely nodded.
"Mount your brooms!" Madam Hooch's mouth formed the words.
Diana pulled her right foot out of the mud with a squelch and swung it over her Nimbus Two Thousand. Madam Hooch put her whistle to her lips and gave it a blast that sounded shrill and they were off. Diana managed to grab the Quaffle and the three of them were off into their first play. She passed it to Angelina who managed to score and almost fell off her broom in the wind.
Within five minutes, the blonde was soaked and freezing as Alicia had the Quaffle and threw it to her. She caught it. The three of them headed toward the goals as Diana threw the Quaffle to Angelina, who scored. It went to like that until Oliver called for a timeout. Diana landed next to Harry with a splash. The seven of them huddled at the edge of the pitch under a large umbrella; Harry took off his glasses and wiped them hurriedly on his robes.
"What's the score?"
"We're fifty points up," Oliver said, "But unless we get the Snitch soon, we'll be playing into the night."
"I've got no chance with these on," Harry said exasperatedly, waving his glasses.
Diana quickly took out her wand and grabbed his glasses, tapping them with her wand. "Impervious!" she said, handing back his glasses. "They'll repel water."
Wood looked as though he wanted to kiss Diana. Harry grinned at her. "Brilliant! Thanks, Dia!"
Harry planted a kiss on the girl's cheek making her blush before they went back to the game.
Diana, Angelina, and Alicia successfully scored more points, for their team. The blonde-haired girl caught the Quaffle and soared towards the goal, throwing through the goal. The Hufflepuff Keeper didn't try to stop it as he was focused on something behind her. Diana looked over her shoulder and her eyes widened as Harry Potter fell from the sky.
Before she or anyone could do anything, Dumbledore had already cast a spell slowing him down. Diana didn't waste time, diving down at him and jumping off her broom before it could hit the ground. She ran towards him, falling to her knees.
"Harry!"
She held him to her chest, feeling that he was still breathing. The teachers ran through the pitch with Ron, Sammy, and Hermione in tow.
"Move out of the way, Miss Black," Dumbledore said, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Diana shook it off and refused to let Harry go. She let out a small yelp as a pair of arms lifted her causing her to let go of Harry. Fred held his little sister to his chest, she turned and buried her soaked face in his chest.
"He's going to be okay, love. " He whispered as Harry was lifted into the air by Dumbledore.
***
Diana had calmed down, her head laying on Harry's leg as she held his hand tightly. Her eyes were closed, she had fallen asleep, waiting for him to wake up. Her hair was blonde with a few strands of yellow.
"I thought he was dead for sure."
"But he didn't even break his glasses."
"That was the scariest thing I've seen in my life."
Harry could hear the voices whispering, but they made no sense whatsoever. But he did feel soft wet hair brushing against his skin, a small weight on his leg, and a soft familiar hand in his. It was Diana. Harry snapped his eyes open and looked around. His glasses were placed on his face, and the faces of his friends became clear.
"Harry!" Fred said, who was looking very white underneath all the mud. "How're you feeling?"
"What happened?" He asked, trying to sit up but layed back down when he saw a blonde and yellow head on his leg. He smiled fondly and stroked her hair. "What happened to her?"
"Nothing. Just exhausted herself worrying over you." Sam answered, standing behind his sleeping sister.
Harry nodded, not taking his eyes off the girl. "So what happened?"
"You fell off," Fred said. "Must've been—what—fifty feet?"
"We thought you'd died," Alicia said, who was shaking.
Harry looked up when Hermione let out a small, squeaky noise and her eyes were bloodshot from crying. "But the match. What happened? Are we having a replay?" When no one spoke up, the realization hit him. "We didn't...lose?"
"Diggory got the Snitch," Diana spoke, sitting up. Harry's hand fell off her head and into his lap. She rubbed her bloodshot eyes as Harry stared at her.
"Just after you fell," George said, taking over for his sister. "He didn't realize what had happened. When he looked back and saw you on the ground, he tried to call it off. Wanted a re-match. But they won fair and square...even Wood admits it."
"Where is Wood?" Harry said, breaking his gaze from Diana to look around for their captain.
"Still in the showers," Fred replied. "We think he's trying to drown himself."
Harry put his face to his knees, his hands gripping his hair. Fred grabbed his shoulders and shook him roughly. "C'mon, Harry, you've never missed the Snitch before."
"There had to be on time you didn't get it," George added.
"It's not over yet," Diana said, pulling Harry's hands away from his hair. "We lost by a hundred points, right? So if Hufflepuff loses to Ravenclaw and we beat Ravenclaw and Slytherin..."
"Hufflepuff'll have to lose by a least two hundred points," George said.
"But if they beat Ravenclaw.." Fred trailed off.
"No way," George argued back. "Ravenclaw is too good—no offense Koda—but if Slytherin loses against Hufflepuff..."
"None taken." Koda waved him off.
"It all depends on the points--a margin of a hundred either way..."
Then Madam Pomfrey came over to tell the team to leave. "We'll come and see you later," Fred said. "Don't beat yourself up, Harry, you're still the best Seeker we've ever had."
The team trooper out, trailing mud behind them. Madam Pomfrey shut the door behind them, looking disapproving as Hermione, Ron, Sammy, and Kodaline moved closer to Harry.
"Dumbledore was angry," Hermione told Harry in a quaking voice. "I've never seen him like that before. He magicked you onto a stretcher and walked to the school with you floating on it. Everyone thought you were..." she trailed off, causing fear to flood them all.
"Did someone get my Nimbus?"
All five of them looked at each other and then back to Harry.
"Er..." Ron started but snapped his mouth as he looked over to his friends for help.
"What?" Harry said, looking at the five of them.
"Well...when you fell off," Kodaline said hesitating, only brave one to speak. "It got blown away and—and it hit the Whomping Willow."
"Well, you know the Whomping Willow," Ron piped in, scratching his neck. "It—it doesn't like being hit."
"Professor Flitwick brought it back just before you came around," Hermione said in a small voice.
Slowly, Diana reached for the bag at her feet, turned it upside-down, and tipped a dozen of splintered wood and twigs onto the bed, the only remains of Harry's beloved broom.
"I'm sorry, Harry."