Artemis Hexley and the Portrait of the Vault

Chapter 17: A Wild Ghost Chase

The day of the Hufflepuff-Gryffindor match had arrived, and the Hufflepuff team were gathered in the changing tent, ready for Orion's vivification. First, though, he wanted to discuss strategy, their plan for the game having changed somewhat now that Gryffindor's best player wouldn't be participating in the match.

Charlie's ankle had been quite badly broken by the Red Cap, and although Madam Pomfrey had been able to fix it, she had also forbade him from flying for a month, as the newly healed bone needed time to strengthen. Artemis felt awful about it; even though Charlie told her it wasn't her fault, she felt like she was to blame, and from the sound of it, so did Skye Parkin.

"Aye, well done, Hexley," she said, clapping Artemis on the back. "We're bound tae win now that Weasley's out of the game."

"It was an accident. Charlie wasn't supposed to break his leg," she said, telling herself as much as Skye.

"It is strange, how the alignment of the stars can appear different according to the position of the one gazing," Orion pressed his fingertips together in front of his chest. "While we cannot celebrate the misfortune that has befallen Weasley-"

"An' his leg an' aw."

"- I cannot deny that the timing of this mishap has been fortunate for us as a team. Still, we cannot allow ourselves to be complacent. Gryffindor's star player may be out of the match, but the rest of their team remains in the sky."

"Aye, because they're on broomsticks," Skye interjected. Orion looked at her wearily before addressing the rest of the team again.

"We need to discuss our strategy for the match. The change in dynamic of our opponent's team will necessitate a small change in approach. The Gryffindors have a reserve Seeker, but they are currently an unknown variable. We don't know their strengths or weaknesses. Chasers, our goal will remain the same as planned, and, you two," here, Orion indicated to Bean and Willows, the Beaters, "I want you to send as many Bludgers their way as possible. Hexley, you need to put them off their game, too. Keep blocking them, take a few false dives, lead them on a wild ghost chase. I want the three of you to really-"

"Throw them off balance," Artemis finished Orion's sentence for him, and he nodded sagely.

"Precisely. They may be the lions, but today we are the ones hunting, and we shall deny them their pride."

There was no time for more vivification than that. The match was due to start at any moment. As the team walked out onto the pitch, and Orion shook hands with the Gryffindor captain, Artemis took the measure of her new rival: a skinny boy with shoulder-length blond hair, who she recognised from her Charms and History of Magic classes, but whose name she had never bothered to learn. She kept her eyes firmly on him as Madam Hooch released the Snitch, and when he made eye contact with her, flashed him a mischievous smile that left him looking thoroughly confused. Good, she'd unbalanced him already.

"Madam Hooch has the Quaffle," Murphy's voice echoed across the pitch, "and she releases it! The game begins!"

Artemis immediately flew to the Gryffindor Seeker's side, ducked under his broomstick, lifted up on the other side and barrel rolled in the air above his head, reaching down to ruffle his hair as she did so. He stopped abruptly and stared at her, and she flew away, laughing. Behind her, she felt a rush of air that could only come from a Bludger soaring at speed, and she turned back to see the new Seeker duck out of the Bludger's path at the very last moment. He barely had time to recover himself before Artemis also flew straight at him, pulling away just before she knocked him off his broomstick.

It was a fun game, distracting the other Seeker, but she had a Snitch to find. She kept the blond boy in her sight as she flew higher above the pitch to get a good vantage point. Below her, she saw Skye knock the Quaffle out of a Gryffindor Chaser's hands, and Lizzie caught it, and passed it to Orion, who was closer to the goalposts than she was, and he stood on his broom to catch it and surfed towards the stands and...