SALEM ᵈ ᵐᵃˡᶠᵒʸ

viii. Quidditch Victories and Romantic Let-Downs

NOTHING excites me more than the feel of the air in the mornings whenever there was a Quidditch match. A buzz of anticipation; the bottled up exhilaration everyone possessed that would finally explode when the game starts.

The Great Hall was the usual cheer during this time around. It was always so different than normal mornings with lessons. Every single table, no matter what house would be playing, was always energetic and filled with excited chatter.

Glancing up at the ceiling, I smiled. Even the weather was perfect for a match today, the sky was blue and clear with no cloud in sight despite it being in the middle of winter.

Somewhere down along the table, I could hear multiple people place bets on who would win or lose. No doubt it was happening in the rest of the houses too.

"Gryffindor, no doubt," Ruby scoffed to herself after hearing a fourth-year ask his group who was going to win the match. "When has Slytherin ever won against Gryffindor?" she said a little louder.

I giggled into my drink as I watched Ruby flick her hair over her shoulder after seeing the murderous glares the Slytherins sent her way.

"You girls ready to go?" Ernie pulled his gloves on.

Ruby and I nodded in unison, following his lead and walking out of the Great Hall towards the Quidditch pitch.

The snow coated grass crunched beneath my boots, sounding satisfying to my ears. The way the sun shone down made the grass look littered with tiny shards of crystals, making the grounds look even prettier against the blue sky.

Thankfully it wasn't too cold and there were no winds that made me shiver violently so I didn't have to put a warming charm around myself. The climate was the most perfect it will ever be — until winter ends, at least.

When we finally reached the stadium and took our seats, we didn't have to wait very long to start cheering. Ruby and I jumped in placed, rooting for Gryffindor by screaming at the top of our lungs. Ernie stood in between us, clapping his hands ecstatically once the players finally entered the pitch.

The captains shook hands, the whistle sounded, and the game began.

"Well, there they go, and I think we're all surprised to see the team Potter's put together this year. . ."

Ruby groaned loud enough to catch my attention.

"Don't tell me the announcer is who I think it is. . ." she said with irritation.

"Why?" I asked. "Who is it?"

"It's Smith," Ernie replied with distaste, staring at the teacher's stands with a scowl so deep it surprised me how his face didn't hurt.

The game continued smoothly with no dirty tricks coming from the Slytherins, which probably made it a whole lot easier — at least, for the Gryffindors. About half an hour in, they already managed to lead the game by sixty to zero, most of the goals being scored by Ginny which made me immensely proud and earned her multiple screams from me.

Ron was saving goals left and right, nonstop. Soon enough, what used to be the insults the Slytherins made a year ago became his one and only theme song. He flew down one of the hoops and managed to save one goal, kicking the Quaffle back for Ginny to shoot.

"YES RON!" I screeched. "WEASLEY IS OUR KING! WEASLEY IS OUR KING!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Harry racing no doubt towards the snitch.

"Harry's found it!" I yelled to my friends excitedly and clasped Ruby's hands with anticipation.

A pause, then slowly gliding up for everyone to see, Harry held his hand out with a triumphant smile. Instantly, the crowd erupted into cheers that blocked the sound of groans of defeat. Madam Hooch sounded her whistle, signaling the end of the game.