✔️ 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐆𝐎 → ℎ. 𝑝𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑤𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦

16 | B R E A K I N G

   WITH A SMIRK on her face, Ember watched Harry struggling to get his new Keeper under control. Sitting on the stands, she would have felt pity for her brother having to argue with this idiot McLaggen every two minutes, but floating on her broom right above their heads, as the big bully seventh year tried to tell Gryffindors' Chasers what to do, she couldn't help but feel satisfied about the fact that Harry did get that much distracted, he had not the tiniest chance to find the snitch. With Luna commenting the match in the most hilarious way possible, it was hard not to laugh.

   "And Harry Potter's now having an argument with his Keeper", said Luna serenely, while both Hufflepuffs and Slytherins below in the crowd cheered and jeered. "I don't think that'll help him find the Snitch, but maybe it's a clever ruse ..." 

   Cackling quietly, Ember let her eyes scan the sky. The sun was blinding, but that would make it easier to find the Snitch, as it would reflect the sun with its shiny golden surface. In no time, Hufflepuff got the lead with seventy to forty, and Ember felt the excitement of a chance to win this match rushing through her synapses.

   And there it was; a blink of gold caught her eye, and obviously did remain unnoticed by Harry, so she turned her broom and shot towards the tiny golden ball glimming right next to the highest of Hufflepuffs' goal rings.

   "Oh, look! The Gryffindor Keeper's got hold of one of the Beater's bats", she heard Luna speaking, and Ember snorted.

   Her hand closed around the Snitch, her fist bumping into the sky, as a shriek of thousands tore the air. But it wasn't the Hufflepuffs cheering. It was a scream of shock, and Ember twirled around just in time to see Harry falling from his broom, and her stomach fell as well, as her blood turned to ice the moment Harry hit the ground with a thud.

   McLaggen had the Beater's bat raised in his hands, his eyes widened several meters above Harry.

   The rest of the Gryffindor team was already rushing towards Harry, but Ember tucked her wand out of her uniform, shooting across the whole pitch towards McLaggen, wrath boiling under her skin like she hadn't felt it in a long time. The Snitch in her other hand she had already forgotten.

   "Ember, wait!", she heard Cadwaller, her Beater, yell, but she ignored him.

   "You insufferable moron!", she yelled at McLaggen, who still glared at the bat in shock, before he turned to Ember, his eyes widening a bit more as he noticed the wand in her hand and the fury on her face. "Arrogant asshole! I swear, if he's one scratch, I'll beat your bloody arse up with my bare hands, I wouldn't even need this —" She wildly swayed the wand in her hands, a spray of red sparks shot out of its tip and McLagged backed away.

   "He was supposed to get the Snitch!", the guy tried to defend himself. "He should have minded his own business!"

   "Like you, you mean?", Ember hissed, minoring the gap between them. "I swear to Merlin, if there wasn't the whole school watching, you'd be already dead." 

   "Of course I would", he snarled, rolling his eyes. "Go celebrate your victory, little girl, even though it was nothing but luck. If your brother —"

   "If my brother hadn't been knocked out by you, you wanted to say?", Ember spat, black shadows rimming her eyesight. Her wand started to tremble in her hand, every fibre in her body ready to strike. It would be just too easy to hex him. A simple stunning spell and he would fall four meters deep, hitting the ground just like Harry did before — Harry!

   She shook her head as if she wanted to get rid of a nasty fly, her vision cleared and hastily she put the wand down, almost wrenching her neck as she jerked around to the point where Harry had been lying just two minutes ago. But he was already gone.

   "Emmie, c'mon!", she heard Ginny called her name. The youngest Weasley was standing by the pitch's exit, looking all pale and worried. "Let's see how he is."

    "Listen to your friend", McLaggen snorted, and something like an electric shock was pulsing through her muscles; before she knew, she heard a crack, and blood stained her canary yellow Quidditch tricot, as her fist slammed into McLaggens nose.

   "Potter!"

   Her hand was aching from the impact with the Gryffindor's face, but she ignored it, growling a sigh as she turned to face a visibly furious Professor McGonagall.

   "Down! Now!", the Transfiguration teacher yelled, her eyebrows furrowed, her lips so thin they almost seemed vanished. Ember ignored McLaggen's lamenting, floating back to the ground. Whatever detention was awaiting her now, it was totally worth it.

   She caught Ginny's glance, seeing the ginger smirking fully satisfied at Ember behind McGonagall's back.

   "Miss Potter, w—"

   "He hit Harry!", Ember pressed through gritted teeth, cutting her teacher off.

   "And you thought you could make it undone with your self-righteous revenge?", McGonagall spat, her nostrils vibrating in anger.

   "No, but for sure he now has learned a lesson, hadn't he?"

   "It's not up to you to punish students misbehaviour, Miss Potter." She straightened her hat. "Detention. For the whole next week."

   "But —"

   "You'll clean the bedpans in the hospital wing", the professor added. "Now go and look for your brother."

   With boiling blood, Ember walked over to Ginny, stomping her feet into the grass.

   "You know it's not really a punishment, do you?", Ginny said, the corners of her mouth still twitching.

   "Oh yes, cleaning bedpans sounds like the fulfillment of all of my deepest wet dreams", Ember snorted, giving her hazel eyes a roll.

   "Okay, that's an unpleasant side effect", Ginny snickered. "But don't you realise? McGonagall is giving you the chance to stay with Harry after curfew for the rest of the week. And we both know that Madame Pomfrey will keep him in there for a full week."

   Ember blinked, throwing a look back at Professor McGonagall, who's face had softened as she walked Ember leaving the pitch, and the girl knew Ginny was right. She could stay around Harry for half through the nights, make sure he was alright.

   And Ron ...

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