The Silver Duo

Chapter Seven

About three weeks of school at Hogwarts were by far the best time of their lives. Even better, they heard that the first Quidditch match of the season was happening the next week.

"What do you think it's gonna be like, Quidditch?" Anna thought out loud in the library one day to Kane.

"If it's anything like out flying lessons, it's not going to be that interesting," he replied. "Remember that Neville kid? I hate to say it, but that almost made me laugh. But I heard Harry Potter's on the team."

"Yeah, he's the Seeker. The youngest one in a century. And..." she begins nervously. "And... you know that thing with Neville?" she whispers.

"Yeah..." he says absentmindedly while flipping a page in Quidditch Through the Ages.

"Well... it was me."

"What?!" he almost shouts. He snaps his head toward her. "You? But that's.... impossible! You can't jinx a broomstick..."

"I didn't mean to," she says like it's obvious. "I was trying to jinx Malfoy's broom because he was making me mad. But... I replaced one of the brooms with a normal broom that was jinxed, and I made sure that Malfoy got it, but... Neville got it instead."

He groans.

"That's too bad. I would've loved it if I saw Malfoy jerking around on a broomstick and almost dying."

"Yeah, me too. That's why I did it," she adds.

"So, why didn't you tell me?"

"Because... it was a sort of last minute thing, and it's not something you really tell many people about," she adds, whispering.

"Yeah, I get it. Look at this," he adds, handing her the book on the page explaining the Players and Balls.

"Quaffle.... Bludgers.... Snitch..." she mutters as she reads.

"Oh, look at this," he says excitedly, handing her another book. In it was moving pictures of people actually playing.

"Wow, that looks really fun— wait, the Bludger just hit her in the head!" she shrieks, looking closer at the picture. "That could've killed her! Oh, she keeps going.... there must be some sort of Softening Charm... ow, that's a bloody nose, maybe not..."

The rest of the week they spent trying to find out as much about Quidditch as possible, until the match finally came.

Everyone at Hogwarts almost ran down onto the grounds and into the Quidditch pitch. It resembled a soccer stadium, except there were three high hoops on each side. They chose seats and waited with excitement as the other students came. Both were wearing Gryffindor badges, even though Gryffindor was playing Slytherin.

Finally, the flow of kids stopped and the players stepped out onto the field in Quidditch robes, holding brooms over their shoulders. When Gryffindor came they cheered as loud as they could along with the others.

Madam Hooch brought a box onto the center circle of the field, opened it, and the two Bludgers and a flash of gold flew out. She blew her whistle, the players kicked off the ground, and she threw the Quaffle up.

It was even more amazing than pictures.

A Gryffindor Chaser gets the Quaffle and speeds toward the scoring hoops with the other two. The Slytherin Keeper hovers closer to them, but they still score. They hear a boy's voice over the speaker.

"Ten points to Gryffindor! Alicia Spinnet scores! A great Chaser, and rather attractive— "

They hear McGonagall's voice.

"Sorry, Professor."

They look around the sky and find Harry a little above everyone else, staring around. Anna taps him.

"Kane," she mutters under her breath.

"Yeah?" he says, trying to find the Snitch.

"Look at who's sitting right in front of us."

"Wha— " he looks down. He sees the top of ginger hair and bright red. Hermione. "Oh," he says casually and continues searching for the Snitch.

Then she taps him again.

"She knows about the dog," she whispers.

"Oh..." he never thought about it. "Do you think they've told anyone?"

"Probably not."

"Should we ask her?"

"That's what I was thinking."

"Um..." he looks at Hermione and the red haired boy, both watching Harry. "Maybe some other time..."

"Okay," she agrees.

They return to watching the game. Gryffindor scores twice again, but then gasps and pointing make them look above at Harry.

Something was happening. He seemed to be doing tricks on his broom, swirling and jerking. But then they noticed that he wasn't controlling himself. Hermione let's out almost a squeal. Her and the red haired boy talk urgently in quiet words and she walks off. They follow where she's going and see the place where the Professors sit, where most of them also had their eyes on Harry.

"Doesn't she know they already know?" she points out, thinking she went to inform them.

But instead of going through the front, she goes behind the seats.

"What's she doing..."

Then Anna gasps.

"Look at Quirrell!"

He follows her finger and see's Professor quirrell, looking especially anxious. He seemed extremely concentrated on Harry, staring at him intently, his face twisted.

"A Hurling Hex!" she hisses.

"We have to go."

But before they could do anything they saw blue flame erupt somewhere in the rows in front of Professor. They looked down and saw Professor Snape's robes catch fire quickly. They look up and see with satisfaction that Quirrell was knocked over and Harry was back to normal.

Not long after, they see him speed straight toward the ground. They look down and see a gold blur, the Snitch. Harry lifts his froom and becomes level with the ground. He jumps forward and rolls over on the grass. He stands up and something gold pops out of his mouth.

"GRYFFINDOR WINS!" Lee Jordan screams louder than ever.

The Gryffindors and most of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff got up and jumped up and down, screaming and crying.

"Wow, everyone does hate Slytherin," Kane laughs.

Hermione had come back and was cheering with the rest of them, putting a bottle full of blue flames back in her robes. They looked over at Professor Quirrel, who had a furious face.

When they were making their way back to the castle, the sun was almost setting.

"Maybe we should try out for Quidditch next year," she sighed.

"And what would we do?" he laughed.

"Well, I don't think you'd be going anywhere with Quidditch— "

"Excuse me?"

"— but I think I would make an amazing Chaser."

"With Slytherin?"

"No, of course not!" she says, hitting him. "For the Holyhead Harpies."

"You're planning to be in the Holyhead Harpies when you're twelve? Ha!"

"It's okay, I think you'd be able to get on the team too."

"But that team's just for girls," he said matter— of— factly.

"Exactly!" she laughs, and she runs the rest of the way to the castle.