Friendless » Fred Weasley

lxxxi. another win

Ron was devastated after the death of his nasty rat Scabbers. Tori truly didn't see what there was to miss. She had always hated that rat. It looked at her oddly. It seemed to be the end of his and Hermione's friendship since they both stopped talking to each other.

Fred and George were trying to make Ron feel better. Keyword: trying.

"Come on, Ron, you were always saying how boring Scabbers was," Fred told him, bracingly. "And he's been off-color for ages, he was wasting away. It was probably better for him to snuff it quickly— one swallow— he probably didn't feel a thing."

"Fred!" Tori and Ginny shouted indignantly.

"All he did was eat and sleep, Ron, you said it yourself," George said. "He bit Goyle for us once!" Ron said miserably. "Remember, Harry?"

"Yeah, that's true," Harry admitted. "His finest hour," Fred said, unable to keep a straight face. "Let the scar on Goyle's finger stand as a lasting tribute to his memory. Oh, come on, Ron, get yourself down to Hogsmeade and buy a new rat, what's the point of moaning?"

✧    ✦    ✧

The Quidditch team's last practice before the match was fantastic. Harry caught the snitch within minutes after it being let out. He tore so quickly after it on his firebolt, that it made Tori jump up and scream when he passed her.

This was the first practice that Wood didn't have anything to say. George noted this, pointing it out several times during their breakfast the following day. The team was filled with confidence and glee for the match later.

Many people had came over to their table where the team all sat together. They stopped over to admire Harry's firebolt. Harry had let Tori try it after practice, and she had to admit, it was amazing. "Excellent, Harry. Excellent. Good luck in the match today." Cedric Diggory grinned at Tori, heading off to his own table after congratulating Harry on receiving one.

"Are you that nervous?" Fred chuckled, gesturing to Tori's near-empty plate. "Yes! It's been years since Gryffindor has won. I feel sick." She mumbled the last part, staring down her half-eaten muffin.

At a quarter to eleven, the Gryffindor team set off towards the locker rooms. The weather couldn't have been more different from their match against Hufflepuff. It was a clear, cool day with a very light breeze; there would be no visibility problems this time.

Tori changed out of her black school robes into her scarlet ones for Quidditch. She could hear Wood mumbling to himself. Angelina patted her and Katie on her back.

"We got this." She told them. "You've heard Wood. We're the best team in the whole school. And let's be honest, Chasers make up most of the team. There's three of us, so..."

Katie chuckled as she wrapped her arms around them. "Let's win this thing." Tori grinned at her friends. Wood cleared his throat, stepping on one of the benches to elevate himself.

"You know what we've got to do," He said, watching the team. "If we lose this match, we're out of the running. Just— just fly like you did yesterday, and we'll be okay!"

Fred grinned, standing up next to him and taking a hard punch to his arm. "Knock on wood." Oliver rolled his eyes, leading his team out into the pitch.

The pitch was filled to the brim with students, all cheering and screaming at the top of their lungs. Tori glanced at a few signs that students held in their hands.

"ROAR FOR GRYFFINDOR!"

"RAVENCLAW FOR THE WIN!!"

"Wood, Davies, shake hands..." Madam Hooch said briskly. Wood shook hands with Davies swiftly, neither of them smiling or showing any sort of friendliness. "Mount your brooms... on my whistle... three— two— one..."

Tori kicked off into the air, snatching the quaffle. She spun around, taking off and away towards the hoops. She could hear Lee Jordan's commentary about Harry's new firebolt. "They're off, and the big excitement this match is the Firebolt that Harry Potter is flying for Gryffindor. According to Which Broomstick, the Firebolt's going to be the broom of choice for this year's World Championship—"

"Jordan, would you mind telling us what's going on in the match?" McGonagall's voice interrupted. "Right you are, Professor— just giving a bit of background information— the Firebolt, incidentally, has a built-in auto-brake and—"

"Jordan!"

"Okay, okay, Gryffindor in possession, Katie Bell of Gryffindor heading for the goal... she passes to Angelina Johnson who shoots— scores! Beater Fred Weasley swiftly saves Tori Silvers from a bludger— Ravenclaw's in possession—"

Tori glanced over to the two girls next to her. Angelina nodded and they began surrounding the Ravenclaw Chasers like eagles. Tori took on Davies, who scowled at her as he tried to get in the way of a clear shot.

The quaffle was thrown but Tori managed to stop Davies from getting it. It began to fall towards the field, and both Davies and Tori zoomed down towards it. Tori mumbled to herself, "come on, come on..."

In a moment of panic, Davies pulled up to save himself from hitting the ground. Tori scooped the quaffle under her arm and soared upwards, sending it directly into the Raveclaw's goal.

"A brilliant play from Silvers! Gryffindor leads by eight points to zero, and look at that Firebolt go! Potter's really putting it through its paces now, see it turn! Chang's comet is just no match for it, the Firebolt's precision-balanced is really noticeable in these long—"

"JORDAN! ARE YOU BEING PAID TO ADVERTISE FIREBOLTS? GET ON WITH THE COMMENTARY!"

"Yes ma'am!"

Ravenclaw was pulling back; they now had scored three goals, which put Gryffindor only fifty points ahead. Tori was getting frustrated, swearing to herself every time they scored. According to Lee, Blair Goldberg was in possession of the quaffle. Tori circled the Gryffindor's hoops, turning around. She could hear Wood screaming at Harry to knock the Ravenclaw seeker, Cho Chang, off her broom is he had too.

Tori was head to head with Angelina when Angelina gasped. "Not again!" She was pointing to three dementors standing on the field, staring up at Harry. Tori quickly accelerated on her broom, trying to catch up in case the boy fell again.

He didn't, instead, he whipped out his wand and cast a silver-colored spell towards them. It was only seconds later that Harry stopped, holding the snitch in his hand.

Madam Hooch's whistle sounded. The entire team jumped onto him in a hug, screaming. "THAT'S MY BOY!" Wood roared, repeating it several times. Tori, Angelina, and Katie were so excited they all kissed Harry on the cheek before jumping around together. "WE'RE GOING TO WIN THE QUIDDITCH CUP!" Tori shouted, jumping into Fred and George's arms.

A large number of Gryffindor's supporters came running towards the field, all cheering. Tori jumped around in a circle with Alicia.

"WE'RE GOING TO THE QUIDDITCH CUP!"

why wasn't this in the movie