"Why do we have the Dementors floating around if Sirius Black will just keep getting into the castle?" I whispered angrily.
Everyone was still in the Common Room, while the castle was being searched. We were told to go back to bed, but no one could sleep. After a couple of hours, McGonagall returned to tell us that Black had escaped.
The next day, security had been tightened greatly. I was truly glad that Sir Cadogan was gone, and the Fat Lady was back. However, now she was security too which meant that there were two trolls standing in front of her portrait. Apparently Ron was now becoming popular, with people from Ravenlcaw and Hufflepuff asking him to repeat his story.
Poor Neville had everything bad going on for him. He was detention, was banned from going to Hogsmeade, and wasn't allowed to know the password. He had to wait for someone to let him in. I made him tell me his entire schedule so that I could know when he would be returning to the Common Room so that I could let him in. Unfortunately, a few days later, he got a howler from his grandmother at breakfast.
"Run for it, Neville," Ron advised.
Neville didn't need telling twice. He seized the envelope, and holding it before him like a bomb, sprinted out of the hall, while the Slytherin table exploded with laughter at the sight of him. They heard the Howler go off in the entrance hall -- Neville's grandmother's voice, magically magnified to a hundred times its Usual volume, shrieking about how he had brought shame on the whole family.
Everyone was laughing and I stood up angrily.
"ALL OF YOU SHUT YOUR TRAPS BEFORE I MAKE YOU SHUT UP!"
The entire hall stopped laughing as I glared around before sitting back down.
IN DADA, Lupin called me back after class.
"Are you alright Miss. Finnigan? You still seem a bit shaky."
I shrugged. "M'alright, just a lot of stress. I wasn't expecting my last year at Hogwarts to be so chaotic."
"I understand, just..... let me know if you need to talk alright?"
I smiled and thanked him, before heading up to the Common Room.
The next day, after Care of Magical Creatures, Hagrid was walking everyone back to the castle.
I had just learned that he lost the case for Buckbeak, and that the hippogriff will now be executed.
He was blubbering and crying the whole time, while Ron tried to make him feel better. When we all got the castle, Hagrid blew into his handkerchief and turned back around.
"Poor Hagrid." I said sadly.
"Have you ever seen anything quite as pathetic?" said Malfoy. "And he's supposed to be our teacher!"
Harry, Ron and I made furious moves toward Malfoy, but Hermione got there first -- SMACK!
She had slapped Malfoy across the face with all the strength she could muster. Malfoy staggered. Harry, Ron, Crabbe, and Goyle stood flabbergasted as Hermione raised her hand again. "Don't you dare call Hagrid pathetic, you foul -- you evil --"
"Hermione!" said Ron weakly, and he tried to grab her hand as she swung it back.
"Get off, Ron!"
"Yeah Ron! Get off!" I said gleefully as I watched.
Hermione pulled out her wand, and Malfoy stepped away.
"Come on." he muttered to his friends and they all hurried away.
"Hermione!" Ron said again, sounding both stunned and impressed.
"Harry, you'd better beat him in the Quidditch final!" Hermione said shrilly. "You just better had, because I can't stand it if Slytherin wins!"
"Wow Hermione!" I said in awe. "I didn't know you had it in you!"
"I guess I learned from you." she said and I grinned proudly.
"We're due in Charms," said Ron, still goggling at Hermione. "We'd better go."
They waved to me before hurrying off to their class.
The Easter Holidays came quick, but it was no holiday at all. I was cramming all my work and was near tears as I tried to finish my essays, practice spells, and write essays.
"Call this a holiday!" Seamus roared at the common room one afternoon. "The exams are ages away, what're they playing at?"
"Just wait until your in N. E. W. T!" I yelled back, tears falling down my face as I wiped with angrily. "You're gonna wish you never got that Hogwarts letter!"
"Come now, let me help you." Percy calmed me down, as people in the Common Room stared at me.
And it didn't help that Ollie now had quidditch practices every single day, and our match with Slytherin was right after Easter Holidays. The tension between the two houses were high. Almost everyday, people from each house were going to the Hospital Wing, with warts all over, or growing wings.
The night before the match, I was studying in the library, I fell asleep. Ollie had left to fly around the pitch and Percy was off doing headboy duties with Penelope. I felt someone shake me awake. I looked up to see Lupin standing over me.
"It's past curfew," he whispered.
I looked around to see that I was all alone in the library.
"Madam Pince didn't wake me up." I said, rubbing my eyes.
"That's because I'm the one doing rounds tonight." he replied. "I'll walk you back to the Common Room, come on." he took my bag as I stumbled up, still tired. We walked through the dark empty halls.
"How do you feel about tomorrow?" he asked.
"I'm really nervous." I admitted. "So nervous I fear I might throw up. Sorry that was too much information."
Lupin just chuckled. "It's normal to feel like that. I mean, it's the last match. And, between us, I really want Gryffindor to win."
We reached the Common Room, and he handed me my bag back. "Make me proud tomorrow!" He called, walking away. I blushed a little at that comment.
After saying the password, I was let into the Common Room.
The Common Room was madness. Fred and George were being louder than usual, Ollie was in a corner crouched over a model of a Quidditch field in the corner, prodding little figures across it with his wand and muttering to himself. Angelina and Alicia were also being loud, by laughing at the twins jokes, and Harry was sitting staring at nothing.
I decided that the twins and chasers were too loud for my liking, Ollie looked like he should be put in a mental asylum, and Harry probably wouldn't talk, and Percy was nowhere to be found. I went to sit next to Seamus and Dean.
"How do you feel?" asked Shay.
I curled up up next to him and put my head on his shoulder, as he put his arm around me.
"I'm really terrified." I said softly.
Dean sat on my other side, leaning against me. "Oh don't worry Sara."
"Yeah, you'll do great!" Shay said, patting my back.
The next morning at breakfast, Ollie tried to make everyone eat, but he ate nothing himself.
"I can't eat Ollie." I said.
He held out a piece of toast to me. "Just one bite. Please."
I took a small bite and pushed his arm away.
As we left the hall, everyone, including Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, were cheering loudly.
"Okay -- no wind to speak of -- sun's a bit bright, that could impairyour vision, watch out for it -- ground's fairly hard, good, that'll give us a fast kickoff --" Ollie said, pacing around the field.
Finally, we saw saw the front doors of the castle open in the distance and the rest of the school spilling onto the lawn.
"Lockers." Ollie said.
After getting changed, we walked out onto the pitch.
"And here are the Gryffindor's!" yelled Lee Jordan, who was acting as commentator as usual. "Potter, Finnigan, Johnson, Spinnet, Weasley, Weasley, and Wood. Widely acknowledged as the best team Hogwarts has seen in a good few years --"
Lee's comments were 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 lineup and seems to be going for size rather than skill--"
More boos from the Slytherin crowd.
Soon, we rose up.
"And it's Gryffindor in possession, Alicia Spinner of Gryffindor with the Quaffle, heading straight for the Slytherin goal posts, looking good, Alicia! Argh, no -- Quaffle intercepted by Warrington, Warrington of Slytherin tearing UP the field -- WHAM! -- nice Bludger work there byGeorge Weasley, Warrington drops the Quaffle, it's caught by -- Johnson, Gryffindor back in possession, come on, Angelina -- nice swerve around Montague -- duck, Angelina, that's a Bludger!- SHE SCORES! TEN-ZERO TOGRYFFINDOR!"
"Yeah Angelina!" I cheered as I passed her.
Angelina grinned at me. But suddenly, Flint went barreling right into her.
"Sorry! Didn't see her there!" Flint said, as Angelina caught herself from falling.
A moment later, Fred chucked his Beater's club at the back of Flint's head. Flint's nose smashed into the handle of his broom and began to bleed.
"That will do!" shrieked Madam Hooch, zooming between then. "Penalty shot to Gryffindor for an unprovoked attack on their Chaser! Penalty shot to Slytherin for deliberate damage to their Chaser!"
"Come off it, Miss!" howled Fred, but Madam Hooch blew her whistle and Alicia flew forward to take the penalty.
"Come on, Alicia!" yelled Lee into the silence that had descended on the crowd. "YES! SHE'S BEATEN THE KEEPER! TWENTY-ZERO TOGRYFFINDOR!"
The Flint went to take his turn for the penalty.
"'Course, Wood's a superb Keeper!" Lee Jordan told the crowd as Flint waited for Madam Hooch's whistle. "Superb! Very difficult to pass --very difficult indeed -- YES! I DON'T BELIEVE IT! HE'S SAVED IT!"
"Yes Ollie.' I muttered to myself.
The game was intense. I scored a few times while Lee was swearing loudly and cheering.
I suddenly felt someone crash into me so hard I fell off my broom. People in the stands started screaming but I caught my broom with the tips of my fingers. I was hanging on for dear life as Flint flew around me.
"Told you you'd regret cursing me with those warts." he whispered, before kicking my stomach, hard.
I gasped for breath as I held on. Gryffindor's were booing and yelling out, but by the time Madam Hooch had turned around, Flint was gone. I managed to pull myself back onto my broom, clutching my stomach.
Ollie noticed me struggling to breath and called for a time out.
Angelina helped me to the ground. I collapsed on my back and took a few deep breaths. Breathing hurt like a bitch.
"Sara, are you alright?" asked Ollie.
Alicia lifted my shirt to look at my abdomen. "Oh Merlin, you're bruised! I think he broke your rib."
"Continue the game." I said quietly.
"What?"
"Help me up. Continue the game." I was speaking in short sentences because talking hurt so freaking much.
"No!" Fred said angrily. "You're rib is broken!"
"I don't fucking care." I spat.
I struggled back onto my broom, putting my arm around myself as I rose back up. My head was light and my eyes were blurry from the pain, but I was fucking going to win this match.
Just as Harry had almost caught the snitch, Malfoy literally grabbed the back of Harry's broom to prevent him from going forward.
"Lee started swearing. "YOU FLITHY CHEATER. YOU FUCKING SCUMBAG. YOU SON OF A BITCH!"
McGonagall started yelling angrily too.
"Penalty! Penalty to Gryffindor! I've never seen such tactics." Madam Hooch screeched,
Alicia took Gryffindor's penalty, but she was so angry she missed by several feet.
"Slytherin in possession, Slytherin heading for goal -- Montague scores--" Lee groaned. "Seventy- twenty to Gryffindor..."
"Angelina Johnson gets the Quaffle for Gryffindor, come on, Angelina, COME ON!"
"SHE SCORES! SHE SCORES! Gryffindor leads by eighty Points to twenty!"
And then.
"HARRY CAUGHT THE SNITCH!"
Everyone flew straight to Harry. I even dragged myself over, almost blind with pain. Ollie was sobbing into Harry's shoulder as everyone crowded around him. I started crying too. Not just from the pain.
"We did it Harry!" I gasped out.
I felt faint so I quickly flew down towards the ground. When I got there, I curled myself into a little ball on the grass, panting. I glanced out onto the stands. Percy was jumping up and down and screaming "YESSSS SARA AND OLLIE WHOOOO!" having forgotten all his dignity. McGonagall was crying into her hands.
Ollie rushed over to help me up as we held the cup before handing it to Harry.
The rest of the team lifted Harry into the air as I watched with a grin on my face.
As everyone celebrated, I felt someone lean over me. "Let me take you to the hospital wing."
It was Lupin. He gingerly picked me up and started walking off the pitch, holding me securely in his arms. I rested my head against the crook of his neck.
"Congratulations." he said softly. "You made me proud."
I grinned tiredly. "The hard work paid off didn't it."
"I saw Flint kick you." he said. "I'll give him detention for that."
When we got to the Hospital Wing, Madam Pomfrey took one look at me in Lupin's arms and her face turned into a scowl. "Always getting yourself hurt in that stupid game!" she said, tutting. "Remus, please put her on a bed.
Lupin put me softly on a bed and Pomfrey quickly mended my rib with her wand, before giving me a potion. "Stay overnight, you'll be find by tomorrow."
She glanced between me and Lupin, made another tutting sound, and left.
Before Lupin could even open his mouth, the entire Quidditch team, plus Seamus, Percy, Dean, Neville, Ron, Hermione and Ginny burst into the Hospital Wing.
Ollie ran over to me and all but threw himself on top of me, crying as he hugged me.
"HE WON THE CUP SARA. WE DID IT!" he sobbed into my neck.
I hugged him tightly. "Yes we did Ollie."
Lupin smiled at the scene and waved goodbye to me before he left, leaving me with my friends.
Ollie pulled away as Percy came and hugged me too. "Really wonderful Sara!"
I noticed Shay. "SHAY!"
Seamus kissed my temple. "I told you you could do it!" he cried.
Harry walked forward, holding the cup. He handed it to me. "Thought you might want to hold it."
I took his and stared at it in awe. "Wow. I can't believe this. Five years of quidditch and we finally got the cup."
I looked up at everyone. "You guys made my quidditch days were unforgettable."
"Awe don't make us cry." Fred said.
"I wasn't talking about you."
"I'm hurt."
I gave Harry a hug. "And you! Couldn't have done it without our talented Seeker!"
"Yeah Harry!" Ollie cried.
"OKAY EVERYBODY OUT!" Pomfrey screamed. "OUT!"
Everyone shuffled out and Pomfrey fixed my bed for me. "I was right."
"About what?" I asked.
"You and Remus."
"No you weren't."
She eyed me. "Just you wait. I'm never wrong."