Forbidden [d.m.] || rewritten

chapter 6

Crowds of students and staff made their way over to the Quidditch Pitch this afternoon, piling in for the first Gryffindor-Slytherin match of the season. Those were always the more rough games, if you will. All of the players were always at each other's throats. Gryffindor-Slytherin games had a tinge more brutality to them than others did. Bets were placed weeks prior to the game and tickets sold out fast.

Seeing as Hermione was petrified, I stood between Ron and Neville, bundled up head to toe in red and yellow winter gear. This is the first game Slytherin has with their new seeker and surely enough, it was the blonde git Draco Malfoy. This meant he was head-to-head with my brother, something that brought out the worst in both of them. Malfoy didn't like to lose, but Harry couldn't stand it.

In fact, the entire Gryffindor team was horrible to deal with when they lost. All Captain Oliver Wood cared about was Quidditch. I remember Harry told me last year that after they lost to Hufflepuff by ten, he didn't leave his room for five days.

Gryffindor was down by twenty points within the first fifteen minutes. I had to admit, this game was already a lot more interesting than last year's. My eyes didn't leave Harry since the start of the game. It was instinctual for me to look after him. After all, the worst that could happen was he could fall nearly one hundred feet and snap his neck. Christ, no wonder I was a mess.

I had plenty belief in Harry, but Malfoy was ruthless. Slytherin had a reputation of playing dirty and Malfoy had a reputation of... well, being a sly little minx. The crowd gasped as the two boys flew by the stands, nearly knocking into one of the pillars.

"Bloody hell. If Malfoy catches the snitch, we'll never hear the end of it." Ron muttered and I cringed at the thought of the arrogance he would carry with him for weeks.

"He won't." I heard Neville speak from beside me. "Harry's got more talent in a finger than Malfoy has on that whole scrawny body of his."

I gave Neville a nudge with my elbow and let a smirk wipe its way onto my face. Cheers erupted in the Gryffindor stands when Katie Bell shot our first goal in after a while.

"What's the score now?" Neville asked.

"It's 70-40. Slytherin's got a good lead," I informed him.

My eyes glued back onto Malfoy and Harry as they competed to catch the snitch. "Ron." I tapped his shoulder repeatedly. "Ron, can I have your binoculars?"

He nodded and as soon as he took them off, I put them up to my eyes. "Aha!" Through the lenses, I got a clear sight of an object soaring behind Harry's broom.

"That's not fair game! Harry's got a rogue bludger after him!"

"I'll stop it..." Ron drew his wand from his pocket and raised it in the air.

"No! Ron, you can't cast a spell out onto the field! You could hit Harry!" I shoved his hand down and darted my eyes back to Harry.

My eyes followed his red Quidditch robes intently as he swerved around on his broom to get the bludger off his tail. I suspect Malfoy was behind this whole thing. While I was busy watching Harry try to get control of his broom, Slytherin's lead went up exponentially, along with the noise coming from their stands.

"Harry, you better catch that bloody snitch," I seethed in my head. If only I knew how to communicate non-verbally into someone's head.

Malfoy and Harry were getting closer to the ground now as their brawl become more intense. The little golden ball was well within their reach, just inches from their fingertips. Sounds of the spectators drawing in their breath resonated throughout the stadium once the two boys collided and Malfoy was sent hurdling to the ground.