SABAISM | H. POTTER

TWELVE. | ANNUAL INJURY

ADRENALINE FURIOUSLY PUMPED THROUGH GEMINI'S VEINS; FOR IT WAS THE FIRST QUIDDITCH MATCH OF THE SEASON. The youngest two of the team stood, in apprehension, beside one another. Watching Wood sternly grasp Flint's hand; Gemini turned to Harry and winked, "Best of luck, Love." The trill of the whistle sounded out.

Antecedent to Harry's response, the girl of his dreams streaked off in a blur of crimson and gold. Her laughter carried out as she surged up into the sky; she regularly felt the upmost sense of freedom in this state. Harry cherished being allowed to see her so contented. He hastily set off into the air, sparing Malfoy a dirty look, and zoomed about in search of the snitch. The crowd let out a loud roar; as they watched the Slytherin Chasers bend over their new brooms, and jet past the overmatched Gryffindor's. Gemini, despite fuming from their unnecessary gloating, hurtled a quaffle through the hoops. Slytherin's boastfulness truly helped out occasionally. She snickered at their ignorance, "Broom's don't make you any better, Flint." The opposing captain rewarded her with a, barely concealed, embarrassed sneer. All the Gryffindor's in attendance cheered in retaliation of her actions. The girl would be damned if she let them win; they didn't need anything else to add on to their egos.

A little bit later on; Harry, who circled high above the pitch, cheered boisterously for the many points Gemini brought to their team. Even though he was still in search of the golden ball; he couldn't help but be in awe of the pure talent she encompassed. This only furthered the depth of the adoration he held for her. Suddenly, Malfoy streaked up overhead; joining Harry in the sky. "Alright there, Scarhead?," he mockingly queried. Harry twisted to bestow upon his nemesis a malevolent stare, but his eye caught a bludger barreling in the direction of his head. "Harry! Watch out!," George instructed in a panic. Harry wheeled about and at the last possible moment...slipped the whistling bludger. Malfoy, meanwhile, flew downwards in fear. A vociferous crack boomed throughout the pitch as George roughly batted the ball aside. The green-eyed boy watched it fly away from them; only to blink in disbelief when it streaked right back towards him. The Boy Who lived hurriedly dashed off.

The stadium gawked incredulously. "Blimey," Hagrid started out, "Harry's got 'imself a rouge bludger." Ron and Hermione, who were sat beside the generously sized man, inquiringly looked up at him. "Rouge Bludger?," Ron questioned. Hagrid offered the ginger his binoculars, "Look fer yerself! It's bin' tampered with!" Upon peering through the metal device; Ron could see Harry execute a series of zigs, zags, loops and rolls...all in an attempt to shake off the temperamental ball. The bludger deemed itself relentless, though. Ron instinctively drew his wand and pointed it towards Harry. Just as he was about to perform a spell...Hermione's hand interceded the action. She glanced knowingly at the fractured wand he brandished, "You're joking, right? Besides, even with a proper wand, it's too risky. You could hit Harry."

As Harry frantically dipped and dove, Malfoy haughtily cruised back by. "Training for the ballet, Potter?," he sneered. Harry took in Malfoy's derisive face, and saw; buzzing inches from the blonde's left ear, the golden snitch. Reflexes kicked in and he charged forwards; whilst Malfoy gulped, believing the boy'd finally been pushed too far. Draco swung clear of assumed advances...only to see Harry rocket past where he had previously been. Harry chased the plummeting snitch and Malfoy followed in hot pursuit. It was already bad enough that he hadn't caught it when it was in his vicinity; he repudiated the idea of Harry actually ensnaring it. He would hear no end of that humiliation, always the one to flee and never to fight. The future jeers could already be heard.

They both raced downwards; trailing the hissing snitch deep into the trench that circled the pitch. Shoulder to shoulder...they raced madly; dodging the wooden support beams that crisscrossed their path. Directly behind them, the bludger followed and shattered the beams in its pursuit of Harry. Seeing that Potter was edging closer to the snitch, Malfoy kicked at him...forcing his opponent to the edge of the trench. The bespectacled boy brushed the wall, and immediately battled for control in the situation. Malfoy chuckled when viewing his enemy's predicament, but found himself alarmed when he had turned back around. Unbeknownst to him, he'd allowed himself to become distracted at the most crucial time, and it cost him to smack into a wooden beam. The impact sent Malfoy to spiral out of the trench, and thump flat on his back in the middle of the field.