The Girl Who Lived

Quidditch Chaos

That night, she was a bundle of nerves. Harriet had gone to bed at the same time as the other girls, only to lie there for hours, staring at her canopy.

When she did finally fall asleep, she dreamed of a young man: a teenager with the deepest blue eyes she had ever seen. They were a dark colour, almost purple-black in their intensity. He was sitting in an empty Slytherin Common Room, reading out of one book and writing in another. He smirked and sneered and occasionally gave a true smile as he worked, but every now and then, he sat back and read through what he had written, absentmindedly twirling his wand.

The following morning, Harriet pondered the dream as she dressed, wondering who the boy was and, more importantly, why she was dreaming about him. But for the life of her, she couldn't remember ever meeting someone who looked like that, so she dismissed it as simply her imagination run amuck.

A short time later, Harriet sat down to breakfast at the Gryffindore table, flanked on all sides by her classmates, only to have a look at Draco and his cronies. While she did notice their behaviour, the girl didn't make a comment on it; she was far too nervous about the upcoming Quidditch match to think about anything else. Harriet simply sat quietly and poked at her plateful of toast, not really eating anything, despite Blaise's unhappy glances.

The other Gryffindors repeatedly exchanged knowing looks and tried to engage her in conversation or attempted to make her actually eat. However, it wasn't until Dean, Ron, and Hermione started a discussion on Gringotts that Harriet actually joined in. Ron said that rumor of Draco as the Slytherin seeker was actually fake, and Harriet was a bit relieved on hearing this.

The conversation dwindled then, each of the students returning to their own meals and thinking over the implications. The only interruptions were the occasionally murmurs between the children and when Milly, Blaise and Alle stopped by very briefly to wish Harriet luck. Milly once more asserting that he hoped she did well but didn't catch the Snitch.

Around ten-thirty, Harriet and the rest of the team headed down to the Quidditch pitch and into the Gryffindore changing room. There, they received a pep talk from Oliver Wood, the captain.

"Okay, men and women," he began, looking at the six other players. "I know you've probably heard this before but… play your best and your hardest. We want to win. But if we don't, at least give Slytherin a go for their Galleons." He smirked then, face filled with anticipation.

Oliver turned to the two other Chasers. "Liam, Shacklebolt, I want you to do what you did last year. Pass a lot," he emphasised the sentence. "Remember that Flint is partially colour blind, so if you keep the Quaffle close to your body, he might not be able to tell that it's there."

Wood looked to the Beaters. "Fred and George, try to keep the Bludgers away from Bole and Derrick. The Maker knows that they're tough." He looked at the rather large boy and girl intently. "Keep them from hitting our Seeker."

The captain finally moved to Harriet. "Potter, just try to catch the Snitch. The Slytherin Seeker is near-sighted and won't admit it. He doesn't even wear glasses. If the Snitch is far away, he might not notice it immediately."

Oliver smiled with anticipation, surveying his team. "Right, people; let's move out."

The Gryffindore team went out on the field to the triumphant cheer of their House and a few Ravenclaws like Gavin. They mounted their brooms, watching as Flint and Wood shook hands with hawk-eyed Madam Hooch looking on. The two boys shook fiercely, and it seemed as though Flint was trying to break Wood's fingers, but Harriet could understand the reasoning behind the action.