The noise of the crowd echoed down the corridor to the changing rooms, but Harry failed to hear it. Instead, he and the other members of the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team were staring in shock at their captain.
"Please tell me you're kidding!" Cho Chang begged and Roger Davis shook his head.
"Nope, word's got out about our Keeper and the WWN has sent a reporter and an official commentator.
"Oh. Joy." Harry groaned, then he brightened. "Hey, I bet this will be the cleanest game the Snakes have ever played."
.
"Listen up!" Marcus Flint, the Captain of the Slytherin team growled. "I don't care how we normally do things, I don't give a shit about how we win by pounding the other side so they can't play or how we used to sabotage their brooms after stealing the access spell from our previous Head of House, this time we play by the rules!"
"Why?"
Marcus fixed the luckless Beater with a glare that was only a hair away from being a non-verbal AK.
"Because I said so!" He snarled. "And because it's not just the other Houses watching today, it's all of Wizarding England via the Wireless! If we even Blatch once, Slytherin won't be rumored to be the House of Cheats, it'll be known as the House of Cheats and you can all kiss goodbye to any career you may want once you graduate!"
"But… the bounty…" The Seeker started, only to cringe as Marcus turned his glare at him in turn.
"I know!" He stated through clenched teeth. "But if you really think that a hundred and forty Galleons will get you settled for life…?"
"The bounty was a Thousand if Potter was sent to the Infirmary…" The Seeker managed to point out.
"Divided seven ways?" Marcus prompted. "I did the maths. It works out at a hundred and forty-two Galleons, twelve sickles and four knuts each. Well?"
"You can't even buy a Nimbus 2000 for that!" One of the Chasers gasped and Flint nodded.
"Right. Less than a new Broomstick to hospitalize Potter or slightly more than enough to buy one if you kill him, but if you do, you won't be able to spend it because you'll be IN AZKABAN! So, keep it clean… or else!"
.
Harry finished tying up his boots, his mind racing as he thought about what he had overheard.
Who would pay two thousand Galleons to kill me… wait. Stupid question. Draco's dad, the one who tried to get Hermione kicked out. I'm going to have to consider this very carefully.
"Okay, people." Roger Davis said as he stood by the doorway that led towards the pitch. "Remember to stay safe out there. Chasers, your primary mission is evasion. Score if possible, but keep clear of their Beaters. Beaters, counter-attack. Target whichever Beater has acted worse and team up. If you can get them both down, it'll open up the field for the rest of us. Potter, we need your top game for this."
"You've got it." Harry nodded as he fastened the chest-straps of his robe over the protective pads he wore underneath.
"Cho, you did good locating the Snitch last time, see if you can get it fast."
"I'll keep an eye on Harry whenever I can't see the Snitch." Cho stated, then she looked round at the quizzical expressions most of the team had. "What, you weren't paying attention in our last match? He kept pointing it out to me."
"Huh…" Roger managed. "…good?"
.
"Luna!" Ginny Weasley almost squealed as her best friend skipped up to the door.
"Hello, Ginny." Luna Lovegood smiled. "Father's gone to Hogwarts to cover the Quidditch match."
"The one with Harry Potter?" Ginny asked and Luna nodded, her hair briefly forming a cloud around her head before she brushed it back.
"Hello, Luna." Molly greeted the new arrival. "I'm glad you could make it, I've made some snacks and moved the wireless onto the table so we can sit round and listen to it."
Ginny grabbed Luna's hand and almost dragged the slightly-smaller girl through to the dining room of the oddly-constructed house, her mother following with a gentle laugh. Within moments, they were all sat around the table, bowls of snack foods and small rolls spread in front of them and a large jug of iced water with slices of apple floating in it for flavour ready to fill their glasses. Reaching out, Molly tapped the wireless with her wand, causing it to spring into life.
"…and now the teams are coming out onto the field.
First it's the Slytherin team, led by their Captain and Chaser
Marcus Flint flanked by fellow-Chasers Adrian Pucey and…"
"This is going to be totally awesome!" Ginny whispered to Luna, who nodded in agreement.
"…as their Beaters. With Miles Bletchley acting as Keeper and
Terence Higgs as Seeker, they have a strong all-male line-up.
And now come the Ravenclaws, led by their Captain and also
Chaser Roger Davis, flanked by Anna Gedes and…"
"Do either of you want a drink yet?" Molly asked as she poured some of the chilled Apple-water into her own cup. Ginny shook her head, concentrating on the Wireless, but Luna passed her glass over with a smile.
"…and Harry Potter as Keeper! Although he's only eleven, he's
already gained the nickname Protego Potter as he's blocked
every shot in his previous match and in every training session!
Rounding out their team is Cho Chang in the position of Seeker.
The Captains have landed and are being joined by Hogwart's
own flying instructor and referee, retired from the professional
circuit, Madam Rolanda Hooch, carrying the box holding the balls
that are to be used. Apparently the Bludgers were cursed to attack
Potter in the previous game, so these ones are security-enhanced.
She's put down the box and the captains are shaking hands. Now
the teams are taking to the air with Potter flying to the Ravenclaw
Hoops without any acrobatics, but then again, he doesn't need them.
And the balls have been released!
The Bludgers are already in motion and the Snitch has vanished. The
Quaffle is in Hooch's hand… and she's thrown it! Pucey swoops in to
grab the Quaffle, but is beaten to it by Gedes, that girl can move! She
feints left, swerves right and… a perfect pass! A classic One-Two-Three
and she's got the Quaffle again and is arcing in! Bletchley looking very
nervous and… He deflected it! Just managed to reach out and hit it!
Flint takes possession and manages to avoid a rising intercept, rolls to
dodge and swerves left to go diagonally… wait, what are the Slytherin
Beaters doing? They've corralled the Bludgers and are… They've just
delivered matched smashes and the Bludgers have whipped past Flint
heading straight for Potter! The Ravenclaw Beaters are out of position,
what will Potter do? Flint coming in using the Bludgers as a screen to open
the Ravenclaw hoops and… By Merlin's Beard! Potter rolls out to dodge the
first and grabs the second, redirecting it to intercept the Quaffle! He's used
the Bludger to block the shot! Davis grabs the Quaffle and dives through…"
"EEEEEEEE!" Ginny squealed. "He used a Bludger to block the shot? That's awesome!"
"I think that the twins'll be staring in shock at him by now." Molly joked as she helped herself to a small roll with a sausage baked into it.
"…and Chang dives! She's spotted the Snitch near the far side of the pitch
and it looks like Higgs thought she was trying to fake him out! He dives as
well, but Chang's in the lead and is closing in on the… OOH! She manages to
just dodge a Bludger sent her way, but it's cost her! The Snitch has vanished
once again and… the Ravenclaw Chasers used her dive as a distraction and
Bletchley's out of position! Score! First goal to Ravenclaw! Ten points to zero!
"Hah!" Ginny snorted. "Higgs isn't as good as Potter!"
"Which Potter?" Luna asked, earning quizzical looks from the two Weasley females. "The one we're hearing about now or the one in your old books?"
Ginny froze, unable to give an answer, but then her attention was dragged back to the radio.
"…and Potter dives off his broom! No, he's still holding onto it as he kicks the
Quaffle away and what a kick! Pucey unable to intercept as Ravenclaw take
control of the match again! The Ravenclaws are doing a complex weave as
they approach the Slytherin hoops and… Bletchley guesses wrong! He blocks
the middle hoop, but he should have blocked the right! Twenty – zero and now
Slytherin take back control of the Quaffle… Ooouch, Pucey hit by a bludger and
drops the Quaffle… Davis rises to the occasion and does a textbook Rising Hawk,
bypassing Bletchley and scoring again! That has to have hit the Slytherin team
straight in their ego! That's thirty points to Ravenclaw and zero to Slytherin.
Flint takes possession, brushes close to Pucey and then charges down the left
flank… dodges both Bludgers but the Ravenclaw Chasers are closing in on him
as he… it was a decoy! Pucey has the Quaffle and he loops round to take the
shot… What a save! Harry leaps off his broom, grabs the top of the right Hoop
and uses it to swing round and kick the Quaffle straight into the hands of the
Ravenclaw Chasers! But without his broom, can he… Oh my word! Potter just
launched himself into the air and… he's grabbed his broom! He's back on as if
he never dismounted! He's going to be getting job offers from every Quidditch
team in the country at this rate! What a daring player he is!"
"Go Potter! Go Potter! Go Potter!" Ginny and Luna chanted. Molly laughed, then joined in before they all broke off in giggles.
"…and again Bletchley is caught flat-footed as the Ravenclaw Chasers blast
past his defense like he isn't even there! I guess that after training against
Potter, all the other Keepers may as well not bother to show up… and Chang
accelerates towards the Ravenclaw poles where the Snitch has appeared!
Once again, Higgs is in completely the wrong place and… Oooh! Chang takes
a glancing blow from a Bludger and almost spins out, but recovers. The Snitch
is gone, though, but once again the 'claws used her dash as a distraction! One
well-timed over-and-round and the score is sixty to zero! Chang dives straight
down and this time Higgs is in position to follow! They're heading straight for
the middle of the pitch with Chang jinking, but there's no sign of the Snitch…
Chang pulls out in a textbook Wronski Feint, clearing the pitch by only three
feet but Higgs doesn't react in time and although he tries to pull out, he hits
the grass and goes tumbling! Chang pulls up and Higgs is still mobile, but he
still needs to get back into the air before Chang spots the Snitch once again."
Ginny reached out for a snack, only to find that Luna was reaching for the same thing she was. The two girls looked at their entwined hands, then giggled as they scooped up some of the preserved and sweetened apple segments.
"…another goal from Ravenclaw and Bletchley looking furious at how he was
suckered out of position! Whoever came up with the Ravenclaw's Playbook
will find themselves in high demand from the professionals. It seems to be a
very one-sided match and… both Bludgers fired at Chang but the Ravenclaw
Beaters seem to come out of nowhere and smash both Bludgers straight
at Bletchley, clearing the way for another goal! If Ravenclaw continue at
this rate, the Snitch won't matter and… and it doesn't matter as Chang has
caught the Snitch! She's caught it and the match is over! The Slytherins did
not even get a single goal and the final score is two-hundred and thirty to
Ravenclaw while the Slytherins got zero points! What a beat-down by the
Ravens! Flint looking like he's about to explode, but the match is over and
Ravenclaw have won! I repeat, Ravenclaw have won!"
Molly leaned back and smiled as her daughter and her daughter's best friend held hands and danced around the dining room, cheering and celebrating.
.
"Gred?"
"Yes, Forge?"
"Potter is totally insane, isn't he?"
"Quite possibly, my dear brother."