Guts and Glory - Trouble with Twins, Book 2

The Quidditch Final

The time between the end of Easter break and our last match of the year was full of constant practices. Some days were left open for everyone, mostly owing to the fact that exams were rapidly coming up. Charlie struggled to decide which one he wanted to prioritize; his shot at the cup or his very important exams that impacted his future. As much as I loved Quidditch, I knew which one was more important. I reassured him in the weeks leading up to the match that we wouldn't be upset with him for whatever choices he made. 

"If it helps," I told him, as we lounged by the fireplace, "I'm sure both of our mums would be proud of you either way." He laughed.

"I reckon you're right. Don't think I'll be getting disowned anytime soon." 

And so the closer we got to the day of the match, the less practices we had every week. One week we had done one every day after dinner but that had proven too difficult, so Charlie eased up. The week before only had two.

During those practices we just reviewed everything we'd done in the season. Nothing new was added; Charlie was confident that what we had was good enough, and so was I. It wasn't the thought of facing Ravenclaw that worried us. They had the same record we had, having lost to Slytherin. The problem was how much we'd have to win by. The team discussed it in the tent after the second practice of the week. Slytherin had won both all three of their matches; two of which with an overwhelming lead. The cup was won by points, not wins. And unfortunately Slytherin was so far in the lead it would take a legendary game to pull off the victory. A week earlier they had beaten Hufflepuff 250-50. When added to their wins over us and Ravenclaw, they had accumulated 680 points. Our matches had earned us 360 points. The longer we discussed the odds, the more worried everyone's face became. Any chance of getting the cup rested on the Chasers doing a bloody good job.

The entire school was buzzing on the day of the match. Well, everyone except the Slytherins. I was reminded of the ban McGonagall had put on them, barring them from going today. They sulked at their table; missing out on the chance to get under our skin was clearly making them sad. It would be a much nicer environment without them there. I was excited at the prospect of playing a game of Quidditch that didn't result in me heading to the Hospital Wing. Charlie's pep talk was brief but quite inspiring. 

"This'll be my last match I ever play, and we've had a hell of a run. Let's show them how Gryffindors play." All of us cheered, and Charlie and Thomas shared a quick hug. Next year would be very strange without them. 

With the Slytherins absent from the stands both teams were greeted with raucous cheers from every single person in the stands. We were lucky to have the last match; everyone was more excited than normal. I suspected that all the students were looking for anything to distract themselves from the impending threat of exams. Charlie and the Ravenclaw captain kindly shook hands and Madam Hooch blew her whistle. We mounted our brooms and took flight. In the air, I bumped into Fred and George and shot them a grin. Another whistle signaled the Quaffle to be tossed into play and the Bludgers released. Lee's voice boomed over the stands.

"Welcome to the last match of the year, Ravenclaw versus Gryffindor!" The mentions of both teams solicited even louder cheers from their respective mobs of fans. 

Angelina gained quick possession of the Quaffle and we took off together, heading straight for the goal. All three of the Ravenclaw Chasers were close behind and Thomas had distanced himself from us in case we got cornered and Angelina had to get rid of the quaffle quickly. I positioned myself between her and our opponents. They would have a much harder time getting to her if they had to go through me first. She took off for the goalpost. Their Keeper was more than ready for the attempt. As soon as Angelina launched the Quaffle at the left most hoop, the Keeper moved and smacked it away towards their teammate. Cheers erupted from the spectators, as did groans from the Gryffindors.