𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℙ𝕠𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕋𝕨𝕚𝕟𝕤||𝔻𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕠 𝕄𝕒𝕝𝕗𝕠𝕪 [𝟛]

Hufflepuff vs. Gryffindor

(A/N: As you can see in the title, it's HUFFLEPUFF versus GRYFFINDOR. So, Anna will not be in this match, as she is in Slytherin.)

It was raining hard outside on the Quidditch Pitch, but the crowd was still big, even if we were all wearing raincoats and holding onto umbrellas. Everyone cheered loudly, despite the weather, as the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff teams appeared and shot into the air. 

I watched my twin rising higher into the mist, his robes flapping in the wind. Beaters flew near him, suddenly, a bludger whizzed by. Then, a second one followed. Harry ducked, just in time, and then I saw the bludger collide with a Hufflepuff beater's broom. The beater spun in a spiral and then fell.

Suddenly, a stitch of lightning strikes the tip of Angelina Johnson's broom. It burst into flames and then she plummeted towards the ground. 

(Harry's P.O.V.)

I flew around, searching for the Snitch as bludgers swished above me, and as the Chasers flitted in and out of view from below. Just then, a girl from the Ravenclaw stands accidentally let go of her black umbrella. I watched as it sailed away. Then, something glimmered and caught my attention. The Snitch. Instantly, I took off after it, closing in on the tiny ball. I chased through clouds, until I flew into an opening with no clouds. I had lost sight of the Snitch. Angrily, I whipped my Nimbus back around, searching the sky, when I saw something. In the stadium's highest tower, something enormous flickered briefly, then disappeared by a veil of mist. I turned and my eyes shifted to something glittering. The Snitch shimmered brightly. I began to go when the veil of mist shrouding the high tower shifts and a dog was revealed. As this mist closed, I frowned and flew off. As I flew after the Snitch, the crowd rose to their feet with a roar.

"Come on, faster!" I urged my broom. I reached out to the Snitch, which was just a few yards away from my hand. I was about to catch it, when a thin glaze of ice clouded my glasses. I wiped at them, but it was no use. The rain was turning into needles of ice. I glanced at the handle of my broomstick. The water sluicing through the grain was freezing and vapor streamed from my mouth and nose.

A dark shadow passed on my right. I turned. A similar looking shadow passed on my left. I saw neither and looked down. The layers of mist were parting below. Lightning strikes and an army of dark shapes drifted onto the pitch. 

Dementors. I thought.

I heard a distant whistle in the wind. Then I realized. It wasn't a whistle, but a scream. A woman screaming. I felt my eyes flutter, and wisps of silvery light floated from my mouth. My glasses glazed over completely. My fingers were rigid and I couldn't hold onto the broom. I felt myself fall from maybe fifty feet.

"No!" Hermione screamed. 

I heard a girl's shrill voice, "Arresto Momentum!"

All was black.

𓅓𓆙𓅓𓆙𓅓𓆙

"Looks a bit peaky, doesn't he?" came a voice.

"Peaky? What d'you expect him to look like? He fell fifty feet." another voice chimed in.

"Yeah, c'mon, Ron. We'll walk you off the Astronomy Tower and see how you come out looking." 

"Probably a right sight better than he normally does." I croaked as I opened my eyes.

 Anna, Ron, Fred, George, and Hermione were all standing around me.

"Harry!" Hermione smiled with relief.

"How're you feeling?" Anna asked.

"Brilliant." I replied sarcastically. 

As Anna rolled her eyes, Fred (or George) said, "Gave us a right good scare, mate."

"What happened?" I wondered.

"You fell off your broom." Ron said simply.

"I-I meant the match. Who won?" I already had a feeling we lost, mainly because of the uncomfortable glances exchanged. 

"No one blames you, Harry. The Dementors aren't meant to come on the grounds. Dumbledore was furious. After Ann saved you, he sent them straight off." Hermione said cautiously.

I nodded grimly.

"There's something else you should know, Harry. Your Nimbus--when it blew away?--it sort of landed in the Whomping Willow. And well..." Ron poured pieces of broken wood onto the bed.

My Nimbus 2000 had taken its last ride.

𓅓𓆙𓅓𓆙𓅓𓆙

"I'm sorry about your broom, Harry. There's no chance of fixing it?" Lupin asked me.

He, Anna, and I sitting near the Black Lake. To the professor's question, I shook my head. "Why do they affect me so, Professor? I mean, more than everyone else, even my sister..." I asked, glancing at Ann. She shook her head. "I did feel a bit dizzy once the Dementors were there, but not enough to faint."

"Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They feed on every good feeling, every happy memory, until a person is left with nothing but his worst experiences. You're not weak, Harry, and neither is your twin. The Dementors affect you most, because there are true horrors in your past. Of course, perhaps your sister just pushed her memories away. Horrors your classmates can scarcely imagine. You have nothing to be ashamed of." Lupin smiled.

"I'm scared, Professor." I admitted.

"I'd consider you a fool if you weren't." Lupin chuckled.

"I need to learn how to fight them. You could teach us, Professor. You made that Dementor on the train go away..." I said.

"There was only one that night..." Lupin looked uncertain.

"But you made it go away." Anna said.

"I don't pretend to be an expert, Harry, Anna. But yes, I can teach you two. Perhaps after the holiday. For now, though, I need to rest. I'm feeling... tired." Lupin walked away.

As he did, I saw Anna stare after him with both suspicion and curiosity. 

A/N ~

Sorry for not updating in a few days, I was busy with school, hw, etc. 

xxxPrincessss

Word count: 978