The Girl Who Never Lived¹ | h. potter

💎Chapter 11💎

It was the first Saturday of November that the first Quidditch game was issued.

The weather was taking a turn for the worst; The mountains around the school became icy gray and the lake like chilled steel. Every morning the ground was covered in frost and Ciara often caught Hagrid wearing rabbit fur gloves and enormous beaver skin boots.

On the day of the first Quidditch game, Ciara kept glancing outside, wondering how Harry was going to play in the weather. It would be Harry's first match after training for weeks and, just his luck, it was Gryffindor v.s. Slytherin.

Hardly anyone had seen Harry play (not even Ciara, much to her annoyance) because Wood had decided that, as their secret weapon, Harry should be kept, well, secret. Despite the fact they tried to keep it quiet, the news that he was playing Seeker had leaked out somehow (Ciara put her money on Malfoy.)

Breakfast before the game was agony for Harry and everyone around him. It mainly consisted of Harry moving his food around and everyone else telling him to eat.

"You've got to eat some breakfast." Ron said hesitantly.

"I don't want anything."

"Just a bit of toast," wheedled Hermione.

"I'm not hungry." Harry said, causing Ciara to look up.

To put it simply, Harry looked terrible. His face was as pale as a ghost's and he kept wiping his palms on his pants, trying to rid them of their nervous sweats. Ciara's heart clenched in sympathy.

"Harry, you need your strength," said Seamus Finnigan with a mouth full of food. "Seekers are always the ones who get clobbered by the other team."

"Thanks, Seamus," Harry said dryly, watching Seamus pile ketchup on his sausages.

And Ciara had enough.

"Seamus, eat your food and stop talking, you're making it worse. Harry," she turned her steely gaze towards him, "you need to eat. If you don't you won't have enough energy to play Quidditch or find out what Professor Snape was doing around that three-headed-dog."

That was something the four Gryffindors had almost forgotten about. Apparently when Harry was going to retrieve Quidditch Through the Ages (a book Hermione had lended him) back from Professor Snape, he instead found Snape and Filch together, the latter handing the former bandages for his bloody and mangled leg, while the potions masters complained about the three-headed-dog.

"Ciara-"

She raised her eyebrows at Harry's retort, almost daring him to protest. Harry was only able to maintain eye contact for a few seconds before he looked down and started eating a piece of toast. Ciara hummed in satisfaction before going back to her own breakfast.

Neither of the two saw the look Ron and Hermione shared.

✨💎⚡

Ciara was sitting next to Ron and Hermione when the game started, anxiously biting her lip. Now that the game was only a few minutes away, Ciara could stop the worry that pooled in her stomach. She felt like if she sat still for another moment, she would get sick.

Hence, the squirming in her seat.

"You alright," Ron asked.

"Peachy," was her strained response.

Madam Hooch started speaking before he had a chance to question her, pulling both of their attention back toward the field.

"Now, I want a nice fair game, all of you," she spoke loudly, loud enough that everyone could hear her. She seemed to be speaking particularly to the Slytherin Captain, Marcus Flint, a fifth year. Ciara saw Harry peering up into the stands and she waved enthusiastically, catching his attention immediately. She was surprised he was looking at her and not the Potter for President sign someone had made for the game.