moon-struck....harry james potter

3.4| turn to page 394

3.4| turn to page 394

“This is our last chance—my last chance—to win the Quidditch Cup" Oliver told them, striding up and down in front of them. “I’ll be leaving at the end of this year. I’ll never get another shot at it. "Gryffindor hasn’t won for seven years now. Okay, so we’ve had the worst luck in the world—injuries— then the tournament getting called off last year” Wood swallowed, as though the memory still brought a lump to his throat. “But we also know we’ve got the best— ruddy—team—in—the— school" he said, punching a fist into his other hand, the old manic glint back in his eye. “We’ve got three superb Chasers—yes Alex you're one of them, now sit back down—We’ve got two unbeatable Beaters—"

“Stop it, Oliver, you’re embarrassing us" said Fred and George Weasley together pretending to blush.

“And we’ve got a Seeker who has never failed to win us a match!” Wood rumbled, glaring at Harry with a kind of furious pride. “And me" he added as an afterthought.

“We think you’re very good too, Oliver” said George.

“Spanking good Keeper" Fred added.

“The point is” Wood went on, resuming his pacing, “the Quidditch Cup should have had our name on it these last two years. Ever since Alex and Harry joined the team, I’ve thought the thing was in the bag. But we haven’t got it, and this year’s the last chance we’ll—I'll get to finally see our name on the thing” Wood spoke so dejectedly that even Fred and George looked sympathetic.

"This year's our year, Oliver" Fred said.

"We will win the Quidditch cup this year!" Alex said with determination

"Definitely" Harry added. Full of determination, the team started training sessions, three evenings a week. The weather was getting colder and wetter, the nights darker, but no amount of mud, wind, or rain could tarnish their wonderful vision of finally winning the huge, silver Quidditch Cup.

_

"What's the matter Lavender?" Alex asked the sobbing girl.

“She got a letter from home this morning” Parvati whispered. “It’s her rabbit, Binky. He’s been killed by a fox"

“Oh" said Hermione.

"I’m sorry, Lavender" Alex said awkwardly.

"I should have known!” said Lavender tragically. “You know what day it is? The sixteenth of October! ‘That thing you’re dreading, it will happen on the sixteenth of October!’ Remember? She was right, she was right!” The whole class was gathered around Lavender now. Seamus shook his head seriously.

“You—you were dreading Binky being killed by a fox?” Hermione said.

"Well, not necessarily by a fox" said Lavender, looking up at Hermione with streaming eyes. “but I was obviously dreading him dying, wasn’t I?”

"Oh” said Hermione. She paused again. “Was Binky an old rabbit?”

“N—no!” sobbed Lavender. “H—he was only a baby!” Parvati tightened her arm around Lavender’s shoulders.

"But then, why would you dread him dying?” said Hermione. Parvati glared at her. “Well, look at it logically" said Hermione, turning to the rest of the group. “I mean, Binky didn’t even die today, did he? Lavender just got the news today—” Lavender wailed loudly. “–and she can’t have been dreading it, because it’s come as a real shock—”

“Don’t mind Hermione, Lavender" Ron said loudly, “she doesn’t think other people’s pets matter very much" he said refering to the rivalry her cat crookshanks and his rat scabbers have going on. Professor McGonagall opened the classroom door at that moment, which was perhaps lucky. Hermione and Ron were looking daggers at each other, and when they got into class, they seated themselves on either side of Harry and didn’t talk to each other for the whole class.