Aria Black and the Prisoner of Azkaban *Re-Write*

Long Live the Fudging Lions

The next few weeks consist of loneliness and Quidditch practice. Our next match is at the end of May, and we are constantly practicing. We train harder and more persistently than ever.

Katie gets out of the hospital at the beginning of April. She is back together with McLaggen like nothing ever happened. Every time I try to talk to her she ignores me.

The Easter holidays are spent studying for my exams. I've all but forgotten about them when they are only a month and a half away. Remus brings me tea when he can and we sit up in his office, studying for my OWLS. He's very good at helping me study. Tonks has become my bodyguard again, and she isn't so bubbly anymore. She's very worried about my safety, and she sleeps in our dorm now.

By the middle of May, even the twins are getting worried for OWLS. It doesn't help that the match against Slytherin looms so closely over our heads. We can only catch the Snitch if we are more than 50 points ahead, which is additionally stressful. We need to not only win the match, but the Cup too.

The night before the match, everyone in the common room is beside themselves. People have been so excited about the possibility of Gryffindor winning the Cup that they cannot contain it. No one is doing homework. Everyone is jittery with excitement.

Fred, George and Lee are laughing and talking, surrounded by a huge crowd. The team has become celebrities, except for me, of course. Angelina and Alicia are squished in the middle of the crowd, while I sit with Tonks in the corner. Oliver is nervously going over plays for tomorrow on a small model of a Quidditch pitch.

"I'm sure that you'll be fine." Tonks says. "Really I am. You've been working hard on this."

I groan. "I can't even focus on anything!" I cry. "We could win the Quidditch Cup tomorrow for the first time in years! That depends on me too. It depends on all of us."

"Team!" Oliver yells. "Bed!"

Tonks follows me upstairs, and so do Ange and Alicia. Both of my friends are nervous and quiet.

I sleep horribly. I have dreams of me failing at Quidditch and Sirius Black coming to get me. Angelina and Alicia are not sleeping either. The three of us go down into the common room and talk. By the time eight o'clock comes, the entire Gryffindor Quidditch Team is down here with us. No one is talking.

We go down to the Great Hall for breakfast at eight thirty, and everyone is shouting and applauding us. The Slytherins boo from their table, but most Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs are on our side.

Oliver tells us to eat, but he's eating nothing himself. Ironically, after he tells us to eat, he whisks us away to the Quidditch Pitch. People applaud us on the way out too.

Oliver begins to pace back and forth in front of us. We still haven't changed because he wants to go over the conditions.

"Okay," he says. "no wind to speak of... sun's a bit bright, that could impair your vision, watch out for it..... ground's fairly hard, good, that'll give us a fast kickoff..." He muses.

When the rest of the students arrive, we head to the locker room. Everyone is pale, and I'm shaking with nerves. I put on my robes and do my hair in a high ponytail. This is really happening.

People cheer yet again as we come onto the pitch. Most students are wearing Gryffindor colors. Some wave flags in the air with our lion on it. There's been a giant banner hung behind our goalposts that says, 'GRYFFINDOR FOR THE CUP'. On the opposite side are the Slytherins, who are also waving flags. Snape is wearing a color other than black for the occasion-green. He sits in the front row.