Snape and Lily's daughter

Storm

Today was to be the first Quidditch match of the year, Hufflepuff versus Gryffindor. Although the students from Slytherin and Ravenclaw weren't obliged to watch the match, most of them stayed and watched, to find out who won and which House would be a potential competitor in another match. Grace also wanted to watch the match for two reasons, Harry was the Gryffindor seeker and Grace, as a great sister, always liked to be there and watch her older brother play. The other reason Grace wanted to watch the match was that she had a crush on Cedric DIggory, the Hufflepuff seeker, and it wasn't just her, most of the girls her age did.

There weren't many students from Slytherin, there was the Quidditch team, who watched the games to see the tactics of the other teams, and Grace's friends. She and the girls sat down next to Hermione and Ron and watched the game that was about to start.

The game was going to be tense, there was a heavy storm, but that was no reason for the Quidditch matches to be cancelled. On one side entered the Gryffindor team, wearing a scarlet red uniform. On the opposite side came the Hufflepuff team, wearing canary yellow uniforms. The captains went to shake hands in the middle of the pitch, Wood and Diggory. Everyone got on their brooms and Madam Hooch blew the whistle to start.

Everyone watching the game realised how difficult it was for the players to move and see in all the rain and wind, which made Grace increasingly nervous and anxious for her first Quidditch match.

At some point, Harry and Cedric were both chasing the golden snitch when the two of them disappeared into the clouds. Everyone, apprehensive, started looking everywhere for the two. When Cedric returned, no one noticed him, as Harry was falling off his broom in the field. Dumbledore stood up and cast a spell to stop Harry from seriously injuring himself with the fall.

Grace, Hermione, Ron and the Gryffindor players rushed over to Harry, the teachers following close behind. Harry was unconscious. Hagrid promptly picked him up and carried him to the Hospital Wing so that Madam Pomfrey could examine him. Grace, Ron, Hermione and the Gryffindor quidditch team followed.

Once Harry was settled in bed and everyone was around him, he began to open his eyes.

"Lucky the ground was so soft." Ron said.

"I thought he was dead for sure." Fred said.

"But he didn't even break his glasses." George said.

"That was the scariest thing I've ever seen in my life." Grace said.

Then everyone noticed he was awake.

"Harry!" Fred spoke. "How're you feeling?"

"What happened?" Harry asked.

"You fell off," Fred told him. "Must've been — what — fifty feet?"

"We thought you'd died," Alicia Spinnet, another player for the Gryffindor Quidditch team, spoke.

Hermione and Grace's eyes were red.

"But the match," Harry said. "What happened? Are we doing a replay?"

No one said anything.

"We didn't — lose?"

"Diggory got the Snitch," George said. "Just after you fell. 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 rematch. But they won fair and square... even Wood admits it."

"Where is Wood?" Harry asked, realizing he wasn't there.

"Still in the showers," Fred said. "We think he's trying to drown himself."

Harry seemed mad with himself.

"C'mon, Harry, you've never missed the Snitch before." George comforted him, grabbing his shoulder.

"It's not over yet," Fred spoke. "We lost by a hundred points, right? So if Hufflepuff loses to Ravenclaw and we beat Ravenclaw and Slytherin..."

"It's a bit difficult now that we have a new chaser, isn't it, Grace?" Megan appeared in the Hospital Wing with the other girls.

"For you to win, Hufflepuff will have to lose by at least 200 points." Melia said.

"But if they beat Ravenclaw..." Fred said.

"No way, Ravenclaw is too good. The Slytherins don't want Hufflepuff to win either. It would be a disgrace to see the worst House in Hogwarts win the Quidditch House cup." Melia said.

"I thought the worst thing for you was to see Gryffindor win..." George said.

"It is, but it will be an even greater humiliation if Hufflepuff wins, it's the House of failures." Melia said.

Grace was realising that Melia was saying this because of the way she had been raised at home.

"And by what criteria do you define the House of Failures?" Hermione asked, irritated.

"I don't need much to say that. You see, Slytherin is for the ambitious, cunning and mostly pure-blooded. Gryffindor for the brave and Ravenclaw for the intelligent. Hufflepuff is just the rest of those who don't fit into any of the other three houses." Megan said.

Everyone was silent for a while. Especially Grace, Nymphadora was a Hufflepuff, but she wouldn't contradict her friends.

"We'll come and see you later," Fred was the first to speak. "Don't beat yourself up Harry, you're still the best Seeker we've ever had."

Everyone of the Gryffindor quidditch team left. Now Grace and her friends, Ron, Hermione, and Harry stayed.

"Dumbledore was really angry," Hermione said. "I've never seen him like that before. He ran onto the field as you fell, waved his wand, and you sort of slowed down before you hit the ground. Then he whirled his wand at the Dementors. Shot silver stuff at them. They left the stadium right away... He was furious they'd come onto the grounds. We heard him—"

"Did someone get my Nimbus?" Harry interrupted her.

Grace, Ron, and Hermione glared at each other.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Well... when you fell off, it got blown away," Grace said, hesitantly.

"And?"

"And it hit — it hit — oh, Harry — it hit the Whomping Willow." Ron said.

Hermione showed him the remains of his broom. He was silent.