Chapter 12 - Gryffindor Vs Hufflepuff

Our adventures during the night had taken a toll on us, as Harry and I looked like zombies before the match. Ginny looked nervous as it was her first time playing for the team, and as a replacement too, so there was a certain inexplicable weight on her shoulders to do well and to perhaps not let me down. All I could do was repeat her words of reassurance back at her, which lightened the mood a little bit.

The walk down to the pitch did wonders to lift the mood, the snow had gone and it was just boxing day, but England was somehow in the middle of a massive heatwave, it was 22 degrees Celsius just after Christmas. As bonkers as it sounds, the conditions were completely clear for Quidditch. 

We greeted Hagrid who went to the stands with Hermione and Ron, we watched as they waved at us as we filed out onto the pitch in our crimson robes. I kissed Ginny, fist-bumped Harry and the rest of the team, and mounted my broom, holding my bat at the ready. Diggory and Wood shook their hands, much more civil than what it was like with Marcus Flint. Diggory shot Harry a smirk before backing off to mount his broom. Within seconds Madam Hooch blew her whistle, let out the balls and the match commenced.

Immediately the bludgers chased the newest member of the team, but Fred and I smashed them out of Ginny's way who snatched the quaffle the next second and assisted Angelina Johnson who put it in the net, Ginny was a natural. Diggory and Harry were locked in furious combat, and the opposing beater, Malcolm Preece sent the bludger rocketing towards Harry. I went into a dive and before the bludger found Harry my bat did, sending it flying towards Preece again, knocking him off his broom, Hufflepuff was a player down. "Good one Potter!" I could hear McGonnagall in the crowd. 

It was so sudden and out of the ordinary that at first, I couldn't notice it. We were up 70 points and Hufflepuff was on 10 when Harry's broom began violently shaking, he was clutching onto it for dear life. The spasms grew stronger and Harry began to slide off the broom but a strong vice-like hold on the broom kept him on the broom, but he couldn't help but hang when the broom suddenly tipped him upside down, his hands holding on barely to the handles of the broom.

I looked at Free, he understood the message so did, Ginny and Angelina, they circled below Harry to catch him if he fell, it was obvious, only a curse or jinx could do this and I saw Harry practice yesterday so it isn't a jinx the broom was fine, that's when I saw it. Quirrel and Snape were both looking at Harry with their eyes not blinking, muttering something, One of them was cursing the other was counter-cursing, I didn't care, I needed to save Harry. 

Hufflepuff had scored 50 points in our absence, and that's when I noticed the bludger zooming around, I aimed, holding my bat aloft, and aimed for the stand where Quirrel and Snape stood, the bludger tore into it dropping the few spectators to the ground and the curse was broken. I don't care who it was but it was stopped and Harry was back on his broom. 

It made me angry to see that somebody tried hurting my brother, I shot bludgers everywhere, and soon the Hufflepuff Team was down a chaser and a beater, Wood kept on shouting praises at my performance, and a few minutes later, Harry had the snitch sitting comfortably in his hands.

I received a handshake from Professor McGonagall. I had decided to go to Hagrid's today, and the whole group decided to come along, soon we were all sitting cozily in Hagrid's hut sipping hot cocoa from his giant mugs and we told him about Quirrel and Snape as Ginny, Hermione, and Ron had also seen what they were doing in the stands, but Hagrid waved us off, "Snape and Quirrel are not killing Harry, they're bloodeh professors, Johan, there is no way!" 

We left feeling distraught despite the victory, I spoke up, "Hagrid is right about one thing, it's not Snape and Quirrel, it's Snape or Quirrel!"