The Secret Riddle {Wattys2017}

13: The Quidditch Match

~ Hermione ~

The next day was Saturday. Which meant the infamous Quidditch match was today. It's the first game of the season and Gryffindor versus Slytherin no less. Everyone in the whole school goes to the first game of the season and mostly everyone goes to the games when it's Gryffindor versus Slytherin.

I guess the other two houses find the rivalry humorous and entertaining. At least it entertains some people. It's childish and agrivating. And it causes a rift amongst students when instead we should just care about our own education instead of what house someone is in.

Since Harry, Ginny, and Ron are all on the team I make my way up the Quidditch Pitch by myself. Neville said he would save me a spot since he went up before me.

I arrive ten minutes before the game is scheduled to start. The stands are packed but luckily Neville did keep to his word and save me a place  next to him.

"Hey, Hermione" Neville says pleasantly.

"Hello Neville. How have you been?" I ask.

"I've been good. You?" He asks.

"I've also been good, thanks" I reply.

I smile at him before looking around the stands. The stands are relatively quiet since the match hasn't started yet but the volume is starting to slowly increase. The stands are packed, probably the most packed they've been in years.

Then the Quidditch players on the Slytherin team fly on to the field. I see Draco and we make brief eye contact. All of Slytherin house cheers and so do a few students from the other houses.

A few seconds later the players on the Gryffindor team fly over the field. He whole stadium erupts into cheers for the Gryffindor team.

"Let the game BEGIN!" Madam Hooch yells, starting the first Quidditch match of the season.

~~

The game lasted a whooping two and a half hours. Slytherin had 100 and Gryffindor had 90. Draco caught the snitch and I got weird looks from people in Gryffindor house, my own house, when I started to cheer for him.

After the game, I found myself walking back to the castle by myself. Neville had left the stadium earlier than me. I think he left to meet up with Dean and a few other friends. They're going to have to clean up the Gryffindor common room. They were expecting that the Gryffindor team would win so they had set up for the after game party they always had. I was fine walking the grounds alone anyways.

"Hey! Hermione!" I heard someone yell behind me.

I stop walking and spin around on the heel of my foot. The person that yelled was Draco. He was with Zabini and Parkinson.

"Hey guys" I said, giving them all a friendly smile.

"What? No congratulations?" Draco said, pretending as if his feelings were hurt.

"I'm sorry. Nice job winning the match, Draco" I replied.

"He did a good job, didn't he?" Parkinson said to no one in particular.

"Where are Potty and Weasel?" Zabini asks.

Even after I've told him and Parkinson not to use those immature nicknames, they still do. I think they do it to annoy me. Well if they are its definitely working.

"Sobbing over their loss with the rest of the team maybe?" Parkinson jokes.

"I don't know where they are" I replied, ignoring Parkinson's comment.

"Hermione!"

I look behind Draco, Parkinson, and Zabini to find who called my name. It was Harry and he's walking with Ron. They both have sour expressions on their faces; a result of them losing the game most likely.