Braving the Past

Chapter 26: Gone

The song above is Come Away to the Water by Maroon 5. I listened to it while writing the second half of this chapter, and thought it was perfect. Hope you like it!

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"How excited are you guys for this Quidditch match?" Angela squealed.

Hermione laughed at her exuberance. She, Angela and Jonathan were on their way to the Quidditch pitch for a game of Gryffindor against Ravenclaw. Phillip and Kim were particularly looking forward to beating them, as Ravenclaw's captain was one of the boys that continued to pelt them with snowballs every snowfall.

"I wouldn't mind it if the rain went away," Hermione admitted, folding her arms tightly in an attempt to keep some warmth in her bones.

"Are you kidding?" Angela began twirling in circles with her arms outstretched. "This is the best weather ever!" She held her tongue out to catch rain drops.

"Do you want my scarf?" Jonathan asked, beginning to take it off from around his neck.

"No, that's alright."

Jonathan, however, was having none of it. He wrapped it around Hermione's neck, tucking it inside her raincoat. His hands swiped some rain off her shoulders, then paused. He looked into her eyes and visibly swallowed.

Hermione coughed and stepped back, breaking eye contact. "Thanks, Jon," she said quietly. She hurried away to catch up to Angela who hadn't yet slowed her dancing in the rain.

Though the match was filled with cold wind, and rain slapping like icicles against anything that got caught in its way, it was quite enjoyable and reminded Hermione of all of Harry's matches. Neither team had a Seeker quite like him, but both were incredibly skilled in other areas. Ravenclaw had an amazing Keeper who had only let two goals get past her.

Phillip and Kim were also quite the team. While Kim dodged anyone who tried to take the Quaffle from her, Phillip would smack the Bludgers left and right, keeping the way clear for Kim to zip across the stadium quickly. If only Gryffindor had a better Keeper, they wouldn't currently be behind Ravenclaw.

Shaking her head to keep Ron from entering, she focused back on cheering for her House. A Bludger flew toward the Ravenclaw Keeper, causing her to move aside to dodge it. Kim then saw her chance and threw the Quaffle through the top hoop, pounding her fist in the air as the Gryffindors went wild. She and Phillip high fived as they passed.

"KIM WOOD SHOWS RAVENCLAW WHO'S BOSS AND GIVES GRYFFINDOR ANOTHER TEN POINTS!" the incredibly enthusiastic Hufflepuff commentator shouted. "Just one more goal to go and Gryffindor and Ravenclaw will be tied!"

The game went on for another thirty minutes, every player in the match drenched to the bone. It wasn't until the Gryffindor Seeker finally caught the Snitch that the game had ended. Gryffindor had won by twenty points.

Angela went wild, running out onto the pitch to give Kim and Phillip each large hugs. The Seeker was hefted into the air by his teammates, all screaming and shouting while he held the Golden Snitch aloft for all to see.

Everyone thankfully trudged inside, shaking their heads and squeezing water from their clothes. Mr. Godwin watched on as students and Professors alike trailed rain and mud throughout Hogwarts, his face turning purple. Poor man was going to have an aneurysm one of these days.

"GO, GO, GRYFFINDOR! GO, GO, GRYFFINDOR!" the House chorused as they all hopped their way up to Gryffindor Tower to celebrate. Though Hermione didn't participate much in the festivities, it was still nice to see her friends having such a good time.