An Unexpected Situation

The night before the match, the group of seven gathered in the Common Room to relax. Hermione even put away her homework to spend time with friends. She seemed to be getting on well with Luna, who had been invited in at Alex's request. Harry and Ron had gathered with Angelina and the rest of the team to go over last minute strategy. The rest were still talking about what Malfoy had done, as well as Alex's incredible save. Professor McGonagall's actions had their desired effect - not one Slytherin had bothered anyone on the Quidditch team. Someone even mentioned that Malfoy had been shunned by almost everyone in his house. It wasn't surprising, considering he had cost them 100 points in the past 2 months.

A few hours later, Hermione sent everyone to their dorms. Everyone in the fifth year dorm went to sleep immediately... except Harry and Alex. Harry laid back for a time, listening to everyone snore. After a few moments, he heard a door open and close. He sat up and looked around. Alex's bed was empty. He got up and went out the door, closing it softly behind him. Going down the stairs, he saw Alex curled up in one of the chairs by the fireplace. He was staring into the fire and seemed lost in thought.

"Can't sleep?" asked Harry.

Alex turned and smiled. "No. I see you can't, either."

"I know and I can't understand it. Usually I sleep pretty well the night before a match."

"I understand why," said Alex pointedly. "Malfoy."

Harry sat down opposite Alex. "Could be because he's going to try something tomorrow."

"I wouldn't put it past him," replied Alex in a serious tone. "After what happened a few days ago, nothing would surprise me anymore."

Harry looked confused. "I just don't understand what's gotten into him. I mean, he's always been a pain in the ass, but he's taken it to new heights this year. He has no more friends, he's lost trust with almost everyone in Slytherin house... it's like he wants to be on his own."

"It's probably because of his father," said Alex. "If he's as bad as you say he is, then that could be the cause. 'The apple doesn't fall far from the tree', as they say."

Harry and Alex sat and contemplated this until Hermione appeared through the portrait hole.

"What are you two doing up at this hour?" she asked.

"Interestingly enough, we're discussing Draco Malfoy," replied Harry.

Her face twisted in disgust. "Well I don't know why you'd talk about him. He's become very twisted."

"That's what we're discussing," said Alex, getting up and taking her hand. "Scared the crap out of me the other day. At least you're all right."

"I will be fine," said Hermione with a smile, "But I think you need to get back to bed before I start taking points."

"Oh, come now. You wouldn't do that to us, would you?" Alex grinned.

"Nice try, Alex," she said with a smile, "Back to bed."

"Yes, ma'am!" Hermione went to slug his shoulder, but he avoided it easily, running up the stairs. Harry smiled and followed.

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Harry was very nervous.

He always felt that way before a Quidditch match, but this time the feeling was stronger than ever before. He knew something unexpected would happen today. He didn't know exactly what, but he knew who would cause it - Malfoy.

He woke up 30 minutes before he wanted to and got dressed. He made his way to the Great Hall and tried to eat. Ron & Alex wandered in a few minutes later and sat next to him. Harry and Ron didn't eat much, but Alex was eating like there was no tomorrow. "I think I got the hunger you lost," he joked before they left the table and went down to the Quidditch pitch.

Harry and Ron walked with six Aurors to the field. It was the first time they had an armed escort... and they knew it would probably not be the last.

After changing into his Quidditch gear, Harry sat in the locker room as Ron and the others joined him. The silence was deafening. Angelina finally came out and stood facing the team.

"I don't need to tell you what's on the line. Slytherin has a good team, but we're better. We've trained harder and it shows. Ravenclaw may have thought they were doing us a favor by beating them, but it's made them hungry for more. They want to beat us badly. Let's show them we want it more."

Before they could leave, Harry stood up and whispered something to Angelina. She nodded and Harry turned to the rest of them.

"I want you to be prepared for anything," he said with extreme concern, "Malfoy has shown what he is capable of this week. I know that he can convince his team to do whatever he wants. So keep your eyes open."

They nodded and stood up. They went out the door and walked onto the pitch, taking in the huge roar of the crowd. They heard the boos and hisses of the Slytherins, but it seemed to increase when Malfoy stepped onto the field.

"WELCOME TO THE GAME WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR - GRYFFINDOR VS. SLYTHERIN!" announced Lee Jordan. Harry sighed. It would be Lee's last year commentating and he knew he would miss it.

Madam Hooch stepped onto the pitch and called the captains together. "I want a clean game from each of you! Now shake hands."

Angelina and the Slytherin Captain shook hands very briefly. "On my whistle... three... two... one..."

The whistle blew and everyone soared into the air. Harry went higher than everyone else. Malfoy was right with him. Harry was surprised that he made no comment toward him.

The Quaffle was flung into the air and the game began. From Harry's vantage point, the action was very intense. The roars of the crowd drowned out everything else. The Beaters played with an intensity never before seen, hitting Bludgers at Chasers violently. The Chasers were running into the others, stealing the Quaffle at every opportunity and avoiding approaching Bludgers.

In the meantime, Harry watched for the Snitch while keeping an eye on Malfoy. He hadn't moved an inch since he got there and was being strangely quiet. He wondered what Malfoy was up to.

The game went on for almost two hours. No one was able to score. Ron was doing an exceptional job, as was the Slytherin Keeper. Fatigue was beginning to set in. The sky clouded over and a cold drizzle began to come down. Harry was relieved that he remembered the spell Hermione used a few years ago to repel water from his glasses. As he turned his head toward the end of the pitch, a gleam of gold caught his eye. He saw the Snitch, hovering a few feet below the goalposts on the Gryffindor end. He went into a dive and went after the Snitch. Malfoy was right behind him and gaining. He felt brooms zooming over his head as he went along. Apparently, Malfoy was putting his strategy into work. He saw Bludgers flying everywhere, being knocked toward and away from him.

He knew he needed to end it soon. It was getting too dangerous. Malfoy caught up and they were side by side, circling the stadium. Suddenly, the Snitch flew straight up and they immediately turned to follow. They seemed to get higher and higher. Harry glanced at Malfoy from the corner of his eye as his arm reached for the Snitch. Draco gave Harry a small wink then started to slow. Harry shrugged it off and reached out. Soon, he felt the familiar sensation of wings between his fingers.

He slowed and turned. He could not believe what he saw. Malfoy looked like he had totally lost control of his broom. He was spinning dangerously toward the ground. At the last moment, he pulled up and came to a stop. Harry flew down, holding the Snitch in his hand. The whistle blew and the Gryffindors cheered. The Slytherin team was at Malfoy's side. As Harry landed, he was surrounded by his teammates. Soon Ginny and Hermione appeared and hugged him tightly. Luna even came down and hugged him, offering congratulations on a job well done. The cheers were deafening. Alex appeared at his side and gave him a manly hug. Then Alex saw Malfoy out of the corner of his eye. Draco looked at Harry with a smile and walked off the pitch.

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When they got back to Gryffindor Tower, a party was in full swing. There were several bottles of butterbeer and many treats from Hogsmeade. Hermione was dumbfounded.

"Where did all this come from?" she asked Fred, who was passing by.

"Dumbledore," Fred replied with a smile. "He seemed to think that we needed to celebrate. McGonagall argued, but he overruled her."

"How do you know he authorized this?" asked Alex.

"He sent George and me into Hogsmeade with an escort and a bag full of Galleons," he replied, chugging his butterbeer.

Hermione shrugged, smiled and joined the party, which lasted several hours. Alex was sitting with Luna when he noticed. There sat Neville Longbottom with Ginny Weasley in his lap. They were snogging in a way that was almost obscene. Hermione went to stop them, but Alex stopped her.

"Leave 'em alone," he said as he looked into her eyes, "Neville deserves a good snog after what Malfoy did to him.

She thought for a second then nodded in agreement. She smiled, then went back to where Harry and Ron were sitting.

Eventually, McGonagall came in and broke up the party. Only Harry, Ron, Ginny, Neville, Luna and Alex remained while Hermione saw that everyone else was in their dorms. After a few minutes, she joined the others around the fireplace.

"If you ask me, I think the end of the match today was a bit odd," said Luna.

"I know," replied Harry. "It was almost as if Malfoy wanted me to win."

"No way," said Ron, "The way he had the Slytherin Beaters trying to get you. He wanted you to get hurt."

"I thought that too," Alex said, "Until I saw Draco as he left the field. He was smiling at you, Harry. Like he was thinking that his plan worked."

Harry sat back, lost in thought. He just didn't know what to think anymore. Suddenly, Luna spoke up.

"Wait a second. I think I have something." She looked through her satchel and looked up holding a piece of parchment. "This fell out of Draco's bag a few days ago. I don't know why I saved it, but I'm glad I did."

She handed the note to Harry.

Draco,

Everything is prepared. Our master will be ready for your arrival in a few days. If something should go wrong, I will contact you and give you further instructions.

W

Harry dropped the note like it was on fire. His eyes were wide.

"What's wrong, Harry?" asked Alex.

Harry pointed at the note. Alex took it and read it. He then passed it to everyone else. Hermione's mouth dropped open when she read it.

"That no good son of a... he's in league with him!"

"What makes you think that?"

"See the W?" asked Harry. "There's only one person I know whose name starts with a W. Voldemort's servant... the man that betrayed my parents."

Alex's face looked grim. "Now what do we do?"

Harry thought a moment. "Let's keep an eye on him... and on the news. He's waiting for a signal. Maybe we can stop him before he does something stupid... AHHH!"

Harry's hands flew to his head. His scar was hurting painfully.

"Harry!" yelled Neville. He was at his side immediately, as was Hermione and Ron. Harry put his hand in his mouth and bit down to stifle a scream. His entire body went limp and his eyes rolled up into his head. Ginny started crying.

"Come on," said Ron, "We need to get him to Dumbledore right away."

Ron and Alex pulled him up and carried him on each side. Hermione opened the portrait and they all stepped out. They had only walked a short distance when they saw who they looking for.

"Professor Dumbledore!" yelled Ron in desperation. "It's Harry!"

The old wizard approached silently but quickly. He looked at Harry with great concern. "What happened?"

"We were talking when he grabbed his scar," said Ginny, "He was in terrible pain."

Dumbledore took this all in then stood up. He pulled out his wand and conjured a stretcher out of thin air. He levitated Harry onto it. The others turned to leave.

"I would like you all to come with me," said Dumbledore, "You as well, Ms. Lovegood."

Luna's look never changed as they walked to Dumbledore's office. Once inside, he conjured up enough chairs and told them to sit. He put Harry in the chair across from his desk. Fawkes flew over and landed on Harry's knee. The bird let out a low cry that strengthened everyone in the room. Harry's eyes fluttered and soon opened. He looked around, shaking the cobwebs from his head.

"What happened? How did I get here?"

"Apparently," replied the Headmaster, "Your scar began to hurt and you passed out. Your friends decided to bring you to me. And I am grateful that they did."

Harry sat in silence as he tried to remember what had happened. As everything came back to him, he looked at Dumbledore.

"It means he's angry, doesn't it?" he asked.

"Yes it does," replied Dumbledore, "It is obvious that you didn't see anything. You would have told me already. I am sorry that you had to go through such pain, but in this case I have a very good reason. You see, I received information this morning about an impending attack by Voldemort's followers. He is angry because it seems that the steps I took to prevent the attack worked. Otherwise, the effect on you would have been very different."

The look on Harry's face changed to one of frustration. "I hate this!" he spat, "I hate being used to see if plans are working or if he's up to something. I want to help out, but if I have to go through this pain, I'd rather not be involved."

"I understand, Harry," said the old man with a touch of sadness, "I knew that you would eventually feel this way. I have spoken to Madam Pomfrey. She is currently working with Professor Sprout on a draught that could block the effects that he has on you."

He looked around the room. "I would like each of you to keep an eye on Harry when you can... especially Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger. I know of your attachment to each other. You can help Harry in ways the others cannot. Love is a magic that is superior to all others. Use it well."

The others looked at Dumbledore like he had grown a second head. "What exactly do you mean by attachment, Professor?" asked Neville.

Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at each other. Hermione smiled and nodded "Well Neville... it's like this..."

For the next few minutes, she explained to the others about their relationship. How the love they felt for one another made them stronger, and how being together simply felt right. When she was finished, silence fell across the room.

"You know," said Alex finally, "I can see why this happened. The three of you have been friends since you started here. In my opinion... it's only natural that you're together."

"Yet," said Dumbledore, "You must promise to tell no one of this. The other students here will not understand. And we must do nothing to break the unity of the houses."

Ginny, Neville, Alex and Luna agreed without any hesitation, swearing to the Trio that their secret was safe with them.

"Now I think we should all get some sleep. It has been a long evening."

"One more thing, Professor," said Alex, "Luna found this in the hallway the other day. It fell out of Draco Malfoy's bag."

He handed Dumbledore the note. The Professor read it and disappointment spread on his face.

"It seems my suspicion has been correct all along. I had hoped that young Mr. Malfoy would not be like his father. But it seems that I have asked for too much. Mr. Latham, I would like you to keep an eye on Mr. Malfoy for the next few days. And report to me if he does anything beyond the rules of this school."

But how..." Alex trailed off then turned to Harry. "Can I borrow that cloak of yours for a few days?"