The War Hammer of Hogwarts - Harry Potter

Harry's Broom Was Whomped by a Willow

Harry's eyes snapped open.  He was lying in the hospital wing.  The Gryffindor Quidditch team, spattered with mud from head to foot, was gathered around his bed.  Ron, Hermione, Falco, and Pieck were also here.  Everyone looked as though they'd just climbed out of a swimming pool.

George: Harry!  How're you feeling?

Harry sat up suddenly.

Harry: What happened?

Fred: You fell off.  Must've been... what... fifty feet?

Alicia: We thought you'd died

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

Harry: But the match.  What happened?  Are we doing a replay?

No one said anything.

Harry: We didn't... lose?

George: Diggory got the Snitch.  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.

Harry: Where is Wood?

YN: Still in the showers.  We think he's trying to drown himself.

Harry put his face to his knees, his hands gripping his hair.  Fred grabbed his shoulder and shook it roughly.

Fred: C'mon, Harry, you've never missed the Snitch before.

George: There had to be one time you didn't get it.

Fred: It's not over yet.  We lost by a hundred points, right?  So if Hufflepuff loses to Ravenclaw and we beat Ravenclaw and Slytherin...

George: Hufflepuff'll have to lose by at least two hundred points.  But if they beat Ravenclaw...

Fred: No way, Ravenclaw is too good.  But if Slytherin loses against Hufflepuff...

George: It all depends on the points, a margin of a hundred either way-

Harry lay there, not saying a word.  After ten minutes or so, Madam Pomfrey came over to tell us toleave him in peace.

George: We'll come and see you later.

Fred: Don't beat yourself up, Harry, you're still the best Seeker we've ever had.

The team left, trailing mud behind them.  Madam Pomfrey shut the door behind them, looking disapproving.  Ron, Hermione, Pieck, and I moved closer to Harry's bed.

Falco: Professor Dumbledore's pissed.  I've never seen him like that before.

Pieck: He ran onto the field as you fell, waved his wand, and you sort of slowed down before you hit the ground. Then he whirled his wand at the dementors.  Shot silver stuff at them.  They left the stadium right away... he was furious they'd come onto the grounds.  We heard him-

Ron: Then he magicked you onto a stretcher, and walked up to school with you floating on it.  Everyone thought you were...

His voice faded, but Harry looked like he was barely paying attention.

Harry: Did someone get my Nimbus?

We all looked at each other. I sighed.

Harry: What?

Hermione: Well... when you fell off, it got blown away.

Harry: And?

Hermione: And it hit... it hit...

YN: It hit the Whomping Willow.

Harry's face dropped.  The Whomping Willow was a very violent tree that stood alone in the middle of the grounds, that basically tries to beat the shit out of anything that came close with its branches.  Harry and Ron had already had a run in with in when they crashed Mr Weasley's car into it at the beginning of our second year.

Harry: And?

Ron: Well, you know the Whomping Willow... it doesn't like being hit.

Pieck: Professor Flitwick brought it back just before you came around

Slowly, Falco reached down for a bag at his feet, turned it upside down, and tipped a dozen bits of splintered wood and twig onto the bed, the only remains of Harry's faithful, finally beaten broomstick.

Madam Pomfrey insisted on keeping Harry in the hospital wing for the rest of the weekend.  Hagrid sent him a bunch of flowers that looked like yellow cabbages, and Ginny Weasley, blushing furiously, turned up with a get well card she had made herself, which sang shrilly unless Harry kept it shut under his bowl of fruit.  I joked that it had been a sequel to the dwarf she'd sent after Harry last valentines day, which got him to laugh.  The Gryffindor team visited again on Sunday morning, this time accompanied by Wood, who told Harry that he didn't blame him in the slightest.  Ron, Hermione, Falco, Pieck, and I left Harry's bedside only at night.  When Harry returned to classes on Monday, he seemed to be in a slightly better mood, even if he had deal with Malfoy's taunting.  Malfoy was almost beside himself with glee at Gryffindor's defeat.  He had finally taken off his bandages, and celebrated having the full use of both arms again by doing spirited imitations of Harry falling off his broom.  Malfoy spent much of our next Potions class doing dementor imitations across the dungeon.  Ron finally cracked and flung a large, slippery crocodile heart at Malfoy, which hit him in the face and caused Snape to take fifty points from Gryffindor.

YN: I swear, I'm gonna break both of Malfoy's arms.  Give him something to really complain about.

Pieck: He's not worth the effort, YN.

After lunch we made our way to Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Ron: If Snape's teaching again, I'm skiving off.  Check who's in there, Hermione.

Hermione peered around the classroom door, but I just walked in, knowing he'd be there.  I was right.  My godfather was back at work. It certainly looked as though he had been ill.  His old robes were hanging more loosely on him and there were dark shadows beneath his eyes.  Nevertheless, he smiled at the class as we took our seats, and we burst at once into an explosion of complaints about Snape's behavior while Lupin had been ill.

Seamus: It's not fair, he was only filling in, why should he give us homework-

Neville: We don't know anything about werewolves-

Dean: Two rolls of parchment!

Lupin: Did you tell Professor Snape we haven't covered them yet?

Seamus: Yes, but he said we were really behind-

Neville: He wouldn't listen-

Dean: Two rolls of parchment!

Professor Lupin smiled at the look of indignation on every face.

Lupin: Don't worry.  I'll speak to Professor Snape.  You don't have to do the essay.

Hermione: Oh no! I've already finished it!

We had a very enjoyable lesson.  Professor Lupin had brought along a glass box containing a hinkypunk, a little one legged creature who looked as though he were made of wisps of smoke, rather frail and harmless looking.

Lupin: Lures travelers into bogs.  You notice the lantern dangling from his hand? Hops ahead, people follow the light, then...

The hinkypunk made a horrible squelching noise against the glass.  When the bell rang, everyone gathered up their things and headed for the door.

Lupin: Wait a moment, Harry, YN.  I'd like a word.