𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅, george weasley

chapter 7 - quidditch season

The November weather made Hogwarts very cold. The mountains around the school turned icy white and the lake froze to a solid. Every morning the ground was covered in frost. Hagrid was seen defrosting broomsticks on the Quidditch pitch, bundled up in a mole-skin overcoat, rabbit-fur gloves and enormous beaver skin boots.

   The Quidditch season had begun. On Saturday, Harry would be playing his first match; Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. If Gryffindor won, they would move up into second place in the House Championship.

   Hermione had become a bit more relaxed about breaking rules since Harry, Ron, and Ileana had saved her from a mountain troll and much nicer too. Ileana was very glad for it.

   The next morning emerged very bright and chilly. The Great Hall was full of the delicious smell of sausages and the cheerful chatter of everyone looking forward to the Quidditch match.

   "You have to eat something." Ileana told Harry.

   "I don't want to."

   "Just a bit of toast." coaxed Hermione.

   "I'm not hungry."

   "Harry, you need your strength," said Seamus. "Seekers are always the ones who get nobbed up by the other team."

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

   Out of the blue, Snape came up behind Harry. He stared down at him with a cold expression that would impress the November weather.

   "Good luck today, Potter," Snape said. "Then again, now that you've proven yourself against a troll, a little game of Quidditch should be easy work for you...even if it is against Slytherin."

   Snape walked, or rather limped, up to the teacher's table.

   "That explains the blood." said Harry.

   "Blood?" Ileana asked.

   "Listen, last night, I'm guessing Snape let the troll in as a diversion so he could try and get past that three-headed dog. But, he got himself bitten, that's why he's limping."

   "But why would anyone go near that dog?" said Hermione.

   "The day I was at Gringotts, Hagrid took something out of one of the vaults. He said it was Hogwarts' business, very secret."

   "So you're saying..."

   "That's what the dog's guarding. That's what Snape wants." finished Harry.

   By eleven o'clock the entire school seemed to be out in the stands around the Quidditch pitch. Many students had binoculars. Now Ileana wished she had some, the seats were high but it was still difficult to see what was going on sometimes.

   Ron, Hermione, and Ileana joined Neville, Seamus, and Dean up in the top row. Their stand was chanting 'Gryffindor', 'Gryffindor', 'Gryffindor' while waving scarlet and gold flags.

   Then came in the teams, walking onto the pitch, uniformed and brooms in hand. Madam Hooch was refereeing. She stood in the middle, waiting for the two teams to arrive, her own broom in her hand.

   Both teams mounted their brooms, and Madam Hooch blew her whistle and the teams were off!

   "And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor — what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too—"

   "JORDAN!"

   "Sorry, Professor."

   Lee Jordan was doing the commentary for the match, closely watched by Professor McGonagall.