The Younger Potter

8

The school talked of nothing but Sirius Black for the next few days. The theories about how he had entered the castle became wilder and wilder.

The Fat Lady's ripped canvas had been taken off the wall and replaced with the portrait of Sir Cadogan and his fat gray pony. Nobody was very happy about this. Sir Cadogan spent half his time challenging people to duels, and the rest thinking up ridiculously complicated passwords, which he changed at least twice a day.

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It was the day of the quidditch match and I finally got to watch my brother play. The whole school was going, running down the lawns toward the Quidditch field, heads bowed against the ferocious wind, umbrellas being whipped out of their hands as they went.

The teams walked out of the changing rooms, Hufflepuff on one side, Gryffindor on the other. Madam Hook blew the whistle and they were off.

I kept my eye on Harry the whole time, but every now and then, glancing away from him, to watch what was happening with the rest of the games.

Suddenly, with the first flash of lightning, the Gryffindor team was on the ground, for a time-out. Hermione quickly ran away, wand in hand and Ron looked after her questionably.

A few moments later, the team was in the air again and Hermione was back in the stands, cheering next to me.

There was another clap of thunder, followed immediately by forked lightning.   This game was getting more and more dangerous.

Suddenly, moments after Harry had rushed after Cedric Diggory, racing for the snitch, I saw him falling.

"Harry!" I screamed in fright, gathering people's attention as they started pointing.

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"Lucky the ground was so soft."

" I thought he was dead for sure."

"But he didn't even break his glasses."

"I'm sure he'll be fine, Charlotte." Ron said to me. I was sitting in the Hospital wing, right next to Harry, with my head in my hands, tears dripping down my face, shaking.

"That was the scariest thing I've ever seen in my life."

Suddenly Harry's eyes snapped open.

"Harry!" said Fred, who looked extremely white underneath, the mud. "How're you feeling?"

"What happened?" Harry asked, sitting up so suddenly they all gasped.

"You fell off," said Fred. "Must've been what, fifty feet?"

"We thought you'd died," said Alicia, who was also shaking.

Hermione made a small squeaky noise. Her eyes were bloodshot.

"But the match," said Harry. "What happened? Are we doing a replay?"

No one said anything.

"We didn't...lose?"

"Diggory got the snitch," said George. "Just after you fell. He didn't realize what had happened. When he looked back and saw you on the ground, he tried to call it off. Wanted a rematch. But they won fair and square...even Wood admits it."

"Where is Wood?" asked Harry.

"Still in the showers," said Fred. "We think he's trying to drown himself.