The Cruel Fate Of The Innocent

It was a beautiful Monday night. The stars were out and the moon was bright and high. Students began to assemble in the stands around the Quidditch field; a Gryffindor-Slytherin match was soon to begin. Classes would be canceled the next day (much to the dismay of Professor McGonagall), so that all of the celebrating students wouldn't have to run on two hours of sleep-time the next day. This was no ordinary match anyway; it was the semi-final. What ever team that won that night would go to the final against Ravenclaw. The whole school had turned out: even the Hufflepuffs, who hadn't won a game that year. The bitter rivalry between the two teams was so strong that it was sure to be an action packed game. Though it was April, it was literally freezing outside--the spectators were all bundled up--and clouds were forming on the horizon.

It had been a strange season, seeing as how whenever a team would lose, it would win the next game (except for Hufflepuff) and vice versa. It was almost unheard of when the games dragged on. But that didn't matter now: now it was just Gryffindor and Slytherin.

After the audience had been seated, the two teams emerged from their locker rooms out onto the Quidditch pitch. There was a huge roar from the crowd as the fourteen players formed a circle around Madam Hooch and the box that contained the Quidditch balls. The two teams lifted off and hovered as Hooch released the Golden Snitch. Harry Potter, the fifth-year Gryffindor Seeker, watched it closely as it darted into the air. Draco Malfoy, the Slytherin's Seeker, also watched it rapidly fly away. Then Madame Hooch released the Quaffle and the Bludgers and the game was off.

Harry flew into the sky where he had last seen the Snitch go. He was soon flanked by Draco. A glint in the sky told Harry where the Snitch was, and he zoomed after it with Draco close behind.

Harry was inching towards the Snitch. He was less than a foot away when George came swooping in and hit the Snitch with his club, badly smashing it and sending it to the ground. A unison gasp came from the audience. Over the field, Lee Jordan's voice could be heard:

"Oh, the humanity!"

Madame Hooch blew her whistle and all of the players descended to the ground, shocked. Harry was the first to the scene: the Snitch was completely smashed: it would take its dental records to figure out what it was.

Soon, the whole crowd rushed the field to see the massacre. Harry could hear people in the crowd screaming. Angelina was the next player to make it to the awful scene. She gasped and feel on the ground, crying.

"Please don't leave me..." she whispered, kissing the shattered gold ball gently. She then broke into loud sobs as she lay on the cold grass.

George and Fred where their next. George looked utterly shocked at what he had done.

"I--I'm s--sorry..." he sputtered. He then also burst into tears, wailing, "I didn't know it was the Snitch! I thought it was a Bludger!" Fred tried to console his twin, but then Snape barged up.

"What the crap do you mean, Weasley?" Snape shouted, and inch from the weeping boy's face. "Does it look like a bloody Bludger to you?"

This only made George cry even louder. By this time, the entire school must've been crowded around the fallen Snitch. Ron and Hermione pushed to the middle of the crowd. Ron was speechless, and a silent tear rolled down Hermione's cheek.

Hagrid, who had thrown kids out of his way as he ran through the crowd, soon made it to the middle of the crowd. After seeing the destroyed Snitch, he fell down in woe, causing a small earthquake.

"Anythin' but the Snitch!" he wailed. "The poor little thing! I shouldn't have ever given it ter yeh, lettin' it out o' my care, ter play Quidditch!" He broke into extremely loud sobs.

Then Draco pushed his way into the confusion. He saw the Snitch, then looked down at Harry, who was on his knees staring silently at the demolished gold ball. Draco sank to his knees, looked into the sky, and shouted, "MY GOD, WHY MUST YOU DEAL SUCH A CRUEL FATE TO THE INNOCENT?" Draco then sat there, staring into the starlit sky, tears running out of his eyes.

Then Dumbledore strolled into the little circle in the middle of the crowd. He looked down at the Snitch and a look of grief overcame him. He tore his robes to show his sadness, then he too fell to his knees to grieve. Dumbledore, eyes full of dolor, looked up at George, who had somewhat stopped sobbing, and pointed at him.

"Why, George?" he asked with sorrow and disappointment in his voice.

George broke into more laments, screaming, "I didn't know!"

By now, the whole crowd was crying, except for Snape ("How the crap can you mix up a freaking Snitch and a freaking Bludger?!")

Then Fawkes, Dumbledore's pet phoenix, came through the crowd by violently pecking at everybody's legs. When he saw the sad scene, he laid his head upon the broken metal ball and cried. The tears from his sorrow landed upon the Snitch; then, by the grace of God and the work of the phoenix, the Snitch began to stir. The tears from a phoenix, Harry remembered, healed any wound. All of the sudden, the Snitch was good as new, and it started to fly around happily. Seeing this, the crowd began to cry tears of joy. Everyone started dancing and singing. The once-broken Snitch darted into the air, leaving the celebrating crowd.

Then, the mass of people went back into the stands and the game continued; however, Gryffindor was brutally crushed. After Draco had caught the Snitch, ending the game and winning it for Slytherin, he spiked the golden ball on the ground in jubilation, breaking it once more. Now the crowd, instead of wailing in sorrow again over the fallen Snitch, shouted in anger, and the whole school, including the other Slytherins, stormed the field and there was a big riot. And they all lived happily ever after; the end.