The Dementors' Kiss

"Bell, Spinnet, Johnson, Weasley, Weasley, Weasley, and Potter! I give you... Gryffindor!!!"

Lee Jordan's amplified voice echoed over the Quidditch pitch as the team kicked off and up into the air. Harry circled slowly, watching for Madam Hooch to walk out into the middle of the pitch.

After a couple of crowd-pleasing laps from the team, the Quidditch teacher appeared, striding purposefully toward the kick off point. As the non-competing captains, Roger Davies and Malfoy were carrying the trunk with the Quidditch balls in it, a new idea of Madam Hooch's. Harry leant forward, forcing his Firebolt into a steep dive that he brought to a belated end bare inches from the ground.

"Captains, shake hands!" With those words, Harry, Ron and Justin Finch-Fletchley smiled grimly at one another, their hands clenching briefly before they sped back up into the air. Harry passed the three Chasers on their way down, pleased to note they were maintaining a strict arrowhead formation that he knew would soon turn into an out-and-back as soon as one of them had the Quaffle.

The whistle blew, and the match was on.

"Bell with the Quaffle... Nice Bludger work from Abbot of Hufflepuff. Back to Spinnet... and onto Johnson. McMillan with a thunderous shot, and the Quaffle is loose! Great catch by Bones! And now Susan Bones streaking up the field! She ducks one Bludger, two, she shoots... That's a fantastic save! Ron Weasley with as good a save as you'll see this year."

"JORDAN! No favouritism."

"Sorry, Professor McGonagall... It's true though. And now Gryffindor are back in possession, and Potter dives forward to break up the concerted efforts being made by the Hufflepuff Beaters. Potter's really putting his Firebolt through its paces, although really he shouldn't interfere in such a way. However, it's all very exciting, and that's why we love the sport! Johnson now with the Quaffle, passes it on to Bell, back to Johnson, sorry, Abbott, but you'll have to be quicker than that. Johnson shoots! Goal Gryffindor! Ten-nil!"

The match raged back and forth for nearly an hour. Every time Gryffindor got near the goal, the ferocious Hufflepuff Beaters would put a Bludger right in their path. Harry had to admire their accuracy, if not the way they were stifling his team's attack. He could tell Ron was getting frustrated, and one shot he should have saved easily sailed right through his hands, giving Hufflepuff a 30-20 lead. Harry quickly signalled for time out.

"Where... the bloody... hell's the... Snitch?" Ron gasped, as he sank gratefully to the ground. Fred and George were bent double, George frantically trying to rub some feeling back into his shoulder where one of the Bludgers had hit him. Alicia was probing the area with her long, slim fingers, and George was grimacing.

"Can you play on?" Harry asked. George tried to lift his arm, but winced in pain.

Alicia shook her head, "No way, Harry. No, George, listen to me for once."

"We'll have to sub you, George," Harry said, through gritted teeth. The Weasley twins' near telepathic understanding of one another had always been one of the team's strengths, and now they were going to lose that. He signalled to Madam Hooch.

"George's injured," he said. "We have to bring on a sub."

"Very well," she replied. "Your reserve Beater is ready, I suppose?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded. Ron had gone to fetch Seamus, who had been waiting on the sidelines since George had taken the hit. The two returned together, Seamus carrying his Nimbus 2000, which he'd bought second hand. Mounting up, he took George's club and smiled infectiously.

"Are we gonna show these eedjits how to play?" Ron grinned at his friend.

"Too bloody right. And if you want to knock one of those Bludgers at their Keeper, go ahead."

The team grinned at one another, and sped up into the air.

*

"And after nearly three hours, this match is finely poised. Hufflepuff leads Gryffindor by 80 points to 60, and so far, there's been no sign of the Snitch! Hufflepuff Seeker Finch-Fletchley did make a dive about forty minutes ago, but it turned out to be Professor Dumbledore's glasses he saw."

"JORDAN! I told you to stop mentioning it."

"It's human interest, Professor. Maybe he wanted to borrow- Oh! Potter has gone into a steep dive. I see the Snitch! It's speeding for the Hufflepuff end! Great Beater work by Finnigan there puts Bell through as Potter closes on the Snitch. Bell to Johnson, and Johnson scores as Potter scatters the Hufflepuff defence! Eighty to seventy now and Finch-Fletchley is trailing by a mile... Potter gets it! He's done it again! Gryffindor have beaten Hufflepuff, 220 points to 80! Next week's match will decide the Quidditch Cup!"

*

Celebrations in Gryffindor Tower went on for a long time, and the Gryffindor players were once more the toast of the common room. Seamus found himself being hoisted on the team's shoulders and raced around the room, having proven himself a more than capable replacement should either of the twins be injured again. George's return from the hospital wing got its own cheer, and he celebrated with a very bad attempt at a cartwheel which somehow landed him in Alicia's lap.

The party went on for several hours, and it was approaching midnight by the time it started to wind down. Harry was once more looking in Ginny's direction as the crowds around the team started to thin, but Fred and George once more pulled him toward them.

"About Tuesday," Fred said. "Still up for it?"

"Yeah," Harry said, suddenly struck by an idea. "Definitely," he said firmly. Looking around, he saw that Ginny was just on her way up to bed, and looked back with a frown. "I'm going to feel pretty stupid, but, yeah, definitely," he repeated.