We got back to school in time for quidditch practice, and no one noticed we were gone. Hermione was disappointed in the faculties observation skills. Ron's knew aggression that surfaced during his fight with Hermione had not gone away. Much to Harry's concern, it was affecting his Keeper Skills.
During Sunday's practice, Ron was playing terrible and acting terrible. Which wasn't great, because I was a Chaser. He kept glaring at me the whole week, muttering things about him missing because I had an unfair advantage. It wasn't just me he was being snarky with. He had practically shunned Hermione and was constantly getting into arguments with Ginny.
The Friday practice before Saturday's game, his anger peaked. Ron failed to save every single goal the Chasers aimed at him, but bellowed at everybody so much that he reduced Demelza Robins to tears.
"You shut up and leave her alone!" shouted Peakes, who was about two-thirds Ron's height, though admittedly carrying a heavy bat.
"ENOUGH!" bellowed Harry. "Peakes, go and pack up the Bludgers. Demelza, pull yourself together, you played really well today, Ron..." he waited until the rest of the team had left. I lingered, but Harry shook his head at me slightly, and I left.
That night, I was texting Peter and Shuri on a group chat I made about the events of practice and the game tomorrow. They found the whole Slytherin vs. Gryffindor rivalry absurd, but found magic to interesting to not care about quidditch. Eventually Peter and Shuri got into an unstoppable debate about how the brooms could scientifically stay in the air without use of an engine. I lost the heart to remind them it was magically so it didn't really matter, and went to sleep.
The next morning I went down to breakfast with Hermione. News had reached the Slytherins that I was the new Chaser, so upon entering the the Great Hall, I was met with boos from their table. I flipped them off and promptly sat down. The Gryffindor table cheered.
"I'm going to sit with Lavender," said Hermione. I nodded and did the same. No one but Harry wanted to be around Ron right now. I wasn't even sure if Harry wanted to.
Next in came Ron and Harry. They were met with the say greeting. However Lavender shouted a compliment at Ron. I gave her a look and she shrugged. Hermione's face suddenly became stoney.
"I think I'll go see how Harry is doing," said Hermione sharply.
"Why's she so cross?" asked Lav.
"She not upset with you," I said assuringly.
"Ron, I warn you, don't drink it!" Hermione said alarmed. My head whipped around and I turned to look down the table where Hermione was talking to Harry and Ron. Ron picked up the glass, drained it in one gulp.
"I'll be right back." I got hurried up as inconspicuously as possible.
"Stop bossing me around, Hermione."
"What's going on?" I asked once I reached them.
Hermione looked scandalized and turned towards me, then said in a urgent hiss. "Harry put some potion in Ron's drink. You can guess what for."
"Look who's talking," Harry whispered back. "Confunded anyone lately?"
Hermione stormed away from the table.
"Harry—" I said.
"Ron's finished. We don't want to be late for the game."
I glanced at Ron, who seemed to have newfound confidence. To bad it was fake. We walked to the quidditch lockers together and met the rest of the team. The weather was cold, but there wasn't a chance of rain.
Ginny and Demelza were already wearing their Quidditch robes and waiting in the changing room.
"Conditions look ideal," said Ginny, ignoring Ron. "And guess what? That Slytherin Chaser Vaisey — he took a Bludger in the head yesterday during their practice, and he's too sore to play! And even better than that — Malfoy's gone off sick too!"
"What?" said Harry, wheeling around to stare at her. "He's ill? What's wrong with him?"
"No idea, but it's great for us," said Ginny brightly. "They're playing Harper instead; he's in my year and he's an idiot."
Harry smiled back vaguely.
"That's too bad." I pulled the uniform over me head. "I was looking forward to knocking Malfoy off his broom."
We walked into the field, and the game started.
Well, there they go, and I think we're all surprised to see the team that Potter's put together this year. Many thought, given Ronald Weasley's patchy performance as Keeper last year, that he might be off the team, but of course, a close personal friendship with the Captain does help..."
These words were greeted with jeers and applause from the Slytherin end of the pitch. I craned around on my broom to look toward the commentator's podium. A tall, skinny blond boy with an upturned nose was standing there, talking into the magical megaphone that had once been Lee Jordan's place. I recognized Zacharias Smith, a Hufflepuff player.
Harry was soaring above us, keeping an eye out for the snitch. I zigzagged through the other players, changing the ball as it was passed back and forth. A Slytherin tried to pass a quaffle to his team mate, up I intercepted it. I though the ball into the Slytherin's hope, and scored.
"The first score of the game, made by Harry's newest Chaser!" announced Zacharias.
A Slytherin Chaser grabbed the quaffle and whizzed over my head. One of the other Chasers went after it. It was my job to stay in the middle and intercept anything before it even got to Ron.
"Oh, and here comes Slytherin's first attempt on goal, it's Urquhart streaking down the pitch and —"
"— Weasley saves it, well, he's bound to get lucky sometimes, I suppose..."
My heart stopped for a moment. Was that what Harry put in Ron's drink?
With half an hour of the game gone, Gryffindor were leading sixty points to zero, Ron having made some truly spectacular saves, some by the very tips of his gloves, and Ginny having scored six of Gryffindor's ten goals. I scored the other four. This effectively stopped Zacharias wondering loudly whether the two Weasleys were only there because Harry liked them, and he started on Peakes and Coote instead. He had tried it with me, but it was a lost cause.
"Of course, Coote isn't really the usual build for a Beater," said Zacharias loftily, "they've generally got a bit more muscle —"
"Hit a Bludger at him!" Harry called to Coote as he zoomed past, but Coote, grinning broadly, chose to aim the next Bludger at Harper instead, who was just passing Harry in the opposite direction. I was pleased to hear the dull thunk that meant the Bludger had found its mark.
"That Kendra Barton looks a bit heavy to be a Chaser," mused Zacharias.
"Harry, can I kill him?" I called through the air.
Harry whizzed past my head. "Can you make it look like an accident?"
It seemed as though Gryffindor was incapable of making a mistake. Again and again we scored, and again and again, at the other end of the pitch, Ron saved goals with apparent ease. He was actually smiling now, and when the crowd greeted a particularly good save with a rousing chorus of the old favorite "Weasley Is Our King," he pretended to conduct them from on high.
A Slytherin, I think it was Harper, was speeding towards Harry. He collided, but Madam Hooch's back was turned.
And I think Harper of Slytherin's seen the Snitch!" said Zacharias Smith through his megaphone. "Yes, he's certainly seen something Potter hasn't!"
Hardy shouted something at him, and Harper fumbled the snitch. Harry caught it, and the game was won. We all landed on the ground. I landed with Ginny, or I would have if she wasn't amazing.
"Ginny, where're you going?" yelled Harry, who had found him self trapped in the midst of a mass midair hug with the rest of the team, but Ginny sped right on past them until, with an almighty crash, she collided with the commentators podium. As the crowd shrieked and laughed, the Gryffindor team landed beside the wreckage of wood under which Zacharias was feebly stirring; I Ginny saying blithely to an irate Grandmother, "Forgot to brake, Professor, sorry."
Harry broke free from the team and hugged Ginny. I smiled at them, then realized something with a start. Was everyone coupling up?
The atmosphere in the changing room was jubilant. "Party up in the common room, Seamus said!" yelled Dean exuberantly. "C'mon, Ginny, Demelza!"
"Let's go, Kendra," laughed Ginny. All the team swarmed out of the locker room, whooping and cheering.
Suddenly I was yanked by the arm out of the group.
"Hermione," I said. "Whats going on?"
"Did you see how Ron played out there?" hissed Hermione. "Harry cheated and you know it!"
"Hermione just let it go," I said. "Let's just go to the party."
"No!" yelled Hermione. "How can you celebrate a game you didn't really win?"
I watched the team go longingly. It was a stressful week and I really just wanted to go dance to really loud music and eat sugar with my other friends. I would never hear the end of it if I did though. Hermione was on a war path.
Hermione dragged me through the locker room doors. Ron and Harry were the only ones there.
"I want a word with you, Harry." She took a deep breath. "You shouldn't have done it. You heard Slughorn, its illegal."
"What are you going to do, turn us in?" demanded Ron.
"What are you two talking about?" asked Harry, turning away to hang up his robes.
"I'm just along for the ride," I said.
"You know perfectly well what we're talking about!" said Hermione shrilly. "You spiked Ron's juice with lucky potion at breakfast! Felix Felicis!"
"No, I didn't," said Harry, turning back to face us.
"Sure you didn't," I drawled.
"Yes you did, Harry, and that's why everything went right, there were Slytherin players missing and Ron saved everything!"
"I didn't put it in!" said Harry, grinning broadly. He slipped his hand inside his jacket pocket and drew out the tiny bottle that Hermione had seen in his hand that morning. It was full of golden potion and the cork was still tightly sealed with wax. "I wanted Ron to think I'd done it, so I faked it when I knew you were looking." He looked at Ron. "You saved everything because you felt lucky. You did it all yourself."
"Nice," I said high giving Harry. "Look how far your critical thinking skills have come."
He pocketed the potion again.
"There really wasn't anything in my pumpkin juice?" Ron said, astounded. "But the weather's good... and Vaisey couldn't play... I honestly haven't been given lucky potion?"
Harry shook his head. Ron gaped at him for a moment, then rounded on Hermione, imitating her voice. "You added Felix Felicis to Ron's juice this morning, that's why he saved everything! See! I can save goals without help, Hermione!"
"I never said you couldn't — Ron, you thought you'd been given it too!"
But Ron had already strode past her out of the door with his broomstick over his shoulder.
"Er," said Harry into the sudden silence "shall... shall we go up to the party, then?"
"Please," I said.
"You go!" said Hermione, blinking back tears. "I'm sick of Ron at the moment, I don't know what I'm supposed to have done..."
And she stormed out of the changing room too. I turned to Harry.
"I should go after her. Party enough for the both of us, okay?"
"Sure," said Harry looking a little stunned by everything.
"Wait—" said Harry as I turned around.
I paused. "Yeah?"
"Er, she is probably in the castle by now anyway."
"So, I still need to find her."
"Maybe we should check the party together to see if she is there."
I looked at Harry for a moment. "You don't like big parties, huh?"
"We need to find Ron too," he said.
"Okay, we can go to the party, then find Hermione."
That settles it.
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Hey Everyone,
How has seen the Captain Marvel movie? No spoilers, but was it good?
Forever and Always,
Me.