𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 | 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿

Cheers & Tears

CHAPTER TEN:

Third Person P.O.V.:

In an attempt to not get too worried over Trelawney's prediction, Harry put all of his focus into the last Quidditch match of the season. The Gryffindor vs. Slytherin match would take place on the first Saturday after the Easter holidays.

Slytherin was leading the tournament by exactly two hundred points. This meant that Gryffindor needed to win the match by more than that amount to win the Cup. It also meant that the burden of winning fell largely on Harry. Charlie would help by scoring as many points as he could, of course, but ultimately it would come down to Harry catching the Snitch.

The whole of Gryffindor House was obsessed with the idea of winning the match. Gryffindor hadn't won the Quidditch Cup since the legendary Jack Weasley, Ron's second oldest brother, had been Seeker. So naturally, the enmity between Malfoy versus Charlie and Harry, was at an all time high.

Never, in anyone's memory, had a match approached in such a highly charged atmosphere. By the time the holidays were over, tension between the two teams and their Houses was at the breaking point. A number of small scuffles broke out in the corridors, resulting in a nasty incident in which a Gryffindor fourth year and a Slytherin sixth year ended up in the hospital wing with leeks sprouting out of their ears.

Charlie or Harry couldn't walk to class without Slytherins sticking out their legs and trying to trip them; Crabbe and Goyle kept popping up wherever they went, and slouching away looking disappointed when they saw them surrounded by people.

All usual pursuits were abandoned in the Gryffindor common room the night before the match. Even Hermione had put down her books.

"I can't work, I can't concentrate," she said nervously.

There was a great deal of noise. Fred and George Weasley were dealing with the pressure by being louder and more exuberant than ever. Oliver Wood was crouched over a model of a Quidditch field in the corner, prodding little figures across it with his wand and muttering to himself, Angelina and Katie were laughing at Fred's and George's jokes. Charlie was sitting with Harry, Ron and Hermione, removed from the center of things, trying not to think about the next day, because he didn't want to get too in his head about the whole thing.

"You're going to be fine, you know," Hermione told him, noticing the boy's trouble state while he was sat in the chair next to her.

Charlie looked up to her and smiled slightly, unaware of what to respond with. He looked to Harry and could practically see the boy's stomach writhing.

"We've got this," Charlie muttered, loud enough for his friends to hear, but he didn't know if he was saying it for them or himself.

Harry nodded, convincingly, "Yeah..."

It came as a relief when Wood suddenly stood up and yelled, "Team! Bed!"

After getting a good night's sleep for the first time in ages, Charlie awoke the next morning feeling ready for the match than he had ever been. He quickly got ready before waking up Harry.

Harry, Charlie and the rest of the Gryffindor team entered the Great Hall that day to enormous applause. Charlie couldn't help grinning broadly as he saw that both the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables were applauding them too. The Slytherin table hissed loudly as they passed. The brown eyed boy also noticed that Malfoy looked even paler than usual.

Wood spent the whole of breakfast urging his team to eat, while touching nothing himself. Then he hurried them off to the field before anyone else had finished, so they could get an idea of the conditions.