Twice Chosen | Esmerelda Potter

16. The Quidditch Match

November was a chilly month, the cold air blowing through the library where Neville and I were studying History of Magic. We quickly gave up on our own notes, since both of us had nothing useful. We brought some books to the table about the 572 goblin rebellion, and after an hour, we actually seemed to be making some progress, although we kept getting distracted giggling about Seamus's mishap in Charms again.

Neville was someone good to study with. Harry and Ron were, great, but they didn't care as much about getting Outstanding and Exceeds Expectation marks as I did. Frankly, Hermione sometimes drove me bloody insane with her dedication to her subjects. Neville was somewhere in the middle, like me, and really was helping me out. 

"Are you ready for the Quidditch match in three days?" Neville asks. 

I sigh. "Not at all! We're having practice tomorrow after Charms to, y'know, practice, but there's no way I'm ready! I barely know how to play!"

"Well, you'll do better than I would do, that's for sure," Neville says. "I'm lucky that it was only a broken wrist. I could have been out of class for a week, Madam Pomfrey said!" 

Suddenly, Seamus bursts into the library doors, spots Neville, and sits on top of our table. 

"Neville, you forgot your Remembrall again!" Seamus says sing-songingly. 

"Not again!" Neville sighs.

With Seamus trying to study with us, we're getting nothing done. So after ten minutes, Neville and I decide to finish studying. 

"Close enough," I say. "Maybe it will be an easy test."

"Doubtful," Seamus says, walking with us back to the common room. "I got a Dreadful on the last one."

"That's because you're never awake for that class," Neville jokes. Seamus elbows him, still smiling. 

==========

Today is the day of the first Quidditch match. I'm so bloody nervous. Even though we had a whole-team practice two days ago and a few private lessons, I'm still really feeling unsettled.

Katie Bell, one of the other Chasers, sits beside me at lunch and assures me than I'm going to be fine.

"You're really good!" she says. "I've seen you play! I'm sure you'll do just fine. Now if you excuse me, I have to eat." Katie rises up and moves farther down the table.

I play with my food, with no intention of eating it. I glance up at Harry, who's not eating either.

"C'mon guys! You need your strength!" Ron assures.

"I can't!" I say. "I'm just too nervous! I'll eat after." I flip through a Quidditch instruction book that I took from the library this morning. Harry is reading it next to me. I hope that I will get some useful strategies out of it. As a Chaser, I am the busybody of the Quidditch Pitch.

"Look, Snape's limping!" Harry points out. Sure enough, Professor Snape limps across the Great Hall, his glare deeper than usual. 

"I bet Snape let the troll in to distract everyone so he could get past that three-headed dog!" Harry says. "It must have bit him bad, and that's why he's limping."

I pause for a moment. "You're right!" I say. "That explains why he wasn't in the dungeons on Halloween, and why he was running up to the third corridor!"

"Remember that package Hagrid took out of the vault in Gringotts? Said it was Hogwarts business?" Harry says, looking at me. "I think it's what Snape's after. It seems important."

I think back to the bulky package that Hagrid took out of the vault. Hagrid did mention it being powerful. Harry might be right. 

We have a lead.