The Temple of Le Fay

Chapter Thirteen: Gryffindor vs. Slytherin

To Hermione's fury and Harry's relief, the Ministry research team blocked all further access to the Arthurian texts. Harry privately thought that the ban was at least partly to spite Hermione, who glowered at the Ministry wizards whenever she was in the library.

Harry didn't have time to worry about the Temple, however. The opening match of the season, against Slytherin, was taking place in less than a week and Harry and Ron were insisting on regular practises to keep the team sharp. They practised every day except Friday, which they decided they would need off to prevent injuries and also to catch up on the backlog of work that had occurred that week. Harry sweated as he tried without much hope to get a head start on the Potions essay Snape had spitefully assigned everyone in the class. Mercifully, it was only a four foot piece, but it was so intricate, and the potions involved so varied, that Harry knew he was in trouble from the start.

"I thought he might go easy," he moaned to Hermione late on Friday night. "His team are playing tomorrow. Shouldn't he have gone lightly on us?"

"He hasn't been favouring Slytherin so much this year, has he?" Hermione mused. "Do you think Malfoy leaving has got him angry?"

"Who cares?" Ron sighed. "He's an evil git, it's as simple as that. When I finish here, the first thing I'm going to do is buy everything Fred and George have in their shop and set it got go off next time Snape opens his door. And I'll do it every week until he gives up and comes crawling to me, begging for forgiveness."

Harry laughed, and even Hermione smiled slightly.

"Hermione, do you know how to do this essay?" Harry asked ten minutes later.

"I think so," she replied slowly.

"Right. So it is possible?"

"Yes."

"Oh well. I was hoping we could just tell McGonagall it was impossible. She'd let us off doing it, right?"

Hermione smiled. "Yes, she would. But it's not impossible. Now, will you please be quiet for five minutes while I try and work this out."

"He was quiet for ten minutes," Ron muttered as he paged through a Potions text. "I was counting."

"Well, that's a very useful way of spending your time," Hermione huffed. "Are you two planning on doing any work tonight?"

"Well, not really," Harry admitted. "It's a match tomorrow, Hermione. You know I can't work properly the night before a match."

"You never work properly on any night, Harry," Hermione sighed. "You might as well go to bed, or spend some time with Ginny. Anything to stop you distracting me."

Harry was gone before she finished her sentence. She turned to Ron.

"I suppose you're going to run off as well?"

"Me? No. I can't ever sleep before a match. Might as well get some work done. Besides, I can work and spend time with you at the same time. Seems like a good deal to me."

Hermione looked quickly down at her parchment, which already had over eight inches of her tiny, precise handwriting on it. She blushed slightly, and Ron grinned at the top of her head before turning back to his own work.

Beneath the table, his foot brushed against hers. He let it rest there, the faint contact relaxing both of them as they struggled with the diabolical essay.

*

On the other side of the common room Harry found Dean, Vickie and Ginny playing Exploding Snap. He was dealt in on a new hand and soon forgot the Potions essay until Dean mentioned it nearly an hour later.

"I got about two inches done," Dean confessed. "Couldn't work tonight. Too nervous about tomorrow."

"What have you got to be nervous about?" Ginny asked. "You're not playing tomorrow."

"I will be if Seamus, oh I don't know, falls out of his bed during the night. Harry, what's that spell for making people fly?"

Harry grinned while Vickie and Ginny laughed. A short while later the game broke up when the deck exploded just as Dean was about to lay down his last card. He got away with singed hairs on the back of his hand, but had to plunge his hand into one of the jugs of water, sending water splashing over himself and his three opponents. The four of them laughed at the sight of each other sopping wet, and Ginny was nearly in hysterics when Dean realised the water jug had somehow become wedged on his hand.

Eventually Ron gave up on his essay -he'd managed about a foot and a half while Hermione was on her sixth foot and still going- and ordered the team to bed. Harry and Ginny lingered for one last kiss before heading up to their separate dormitories.

*

"And here come the Slytherin team. Chasers Blaise Zabini, Adrian Pucey and third year debutante Joseph Arthur, Beaters Malcolm Baddock and fourth year Callum Williams, Keeper Graham Pritchard and captain and Seeker Terrence Higgs. I see that the team are all still flying the Nimbus 2010s purchased for the team by Lucius Malfoy, father of Ravenclaw's newest sixth year, Draco Malfoy. Well done whoever got him to sign them over to Slytherin house, excellent work."

Lee Jordan paused in the commentary box. Now that he was a member of the Hogwarts staff, Professor McGonagall no longer felt the need to watch over him while he commentated on the school Quidditch matches. He shook his head, wondering how long he could get away with abusing her trust in him. He'd had a small wager with Fred and George -who had made their way to Hogwarts for the day- that he could make it through the first match. They had said he wouldn't last ten minutes. Harry, on hearing of the bet that morning at breakfast, had taken the middle ground on the bet.

"I see movement in the player's tunnel. It's scarlet and gold, ladies and gentlemen a big hand for Gryffindor!

"And the new look Gryffindor team comes soaring out of the tunnel. Only two players with more than one season behind them this year, a very inexperienced team and not heavily backed among the house betting circles of which I, as a member of staff, know absolutely nothing."

Lee looked around. No response from Professor McGonagall, who was perfectly capable when it came to performing the Sonorus charm and could easily have screamed at him from where she was sitting on the far side of the stadium. Clearly she was granting him a certain amount of latitude.

I wonder just how much?

"This year's Gryffindor team: Keeper Ron Weasley, the co-captain of course, along with Seeker Harry Potter. Beaters Josh Cochran and Seamus Finnegan, fifth and sixth year debutantes respectively. And the magnificent Chasers, rarely has so much grace, so much style, so much beauty been combined in one team's offence-"

He paused. Still nothing.

"-Well, anyway, Ginny Weasley, Katie Bell, Vickie Boyd. Yeah. Can we play now?"

Harry laughed as he swept past the commentary box on his Firebolt. Lee looked downright disheartened at not having Professor McGonagall to tease. Then Lee perked up.

"Of course the Nimbus 2010, as flown by the entire Slytherin team, is a wonderful broom. And yet you can't help but think that the Nimbus manufacturers have failed to completely learn their lesson from the Firebolt. The Nimbus is edged out in every category by the older broom, as flown today by our very own Harry Potter. The Firebolt is renowned throughout the world as the best broom available. Pinpoint balance, precision breaking and simply unbeatable acceleration. A superb top speed that means a Firebolt rider can outpace anything else on the Quidditch pitch and most importantly the cushioning charm to protect the riders buttocks and priv-"

"JORDAN!"

"-and good morning to Professor McGonagall who will get to watch the match from the stands for the first time in seven years. Enjoy the match, Professor, although I do miss working with you.

"And here come the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw captains, Justin Finch-Fletchley and Cho Chang, carrying out the match balls. And look at that trunk rock! It looks like the Bludgers are especially eager for today's match. I wouldn't want to be out there today and good luck to all of our players. Here's to a great game."

Madam Hooch released the Snitch, which immediately flew out of sight by the player's tunnel. Next out were the Bludgers, which were indeed extremely frisky. They rocketed straight up, before spiralling outwards. Harry could see Josh and Seamus watching them warily as they spun around the pitch. Harry kept a close eye on them as well. He'd taken too many hits to entirely trust the belief that Bludgers were safe until the whistle was blown to start the match.

Then Madam Hooch blew her whistle as she released the Quaffle, and the match was on.

Listening to instinct, Harry immediately threw himself into a dive and felt rather than saw a Bludger pass just overhead. His hair swished as he sped through the air.

I need a trim,

he thought irrelevantly as he focussed automatically on the Quaffle. It was with Blaise Zabini, Ron's favourite Slytherin, who lobbed it forward to Joseph Arthur who flicked it cleanly on to Adrian Pucey. Harry scowled. In just two moves that Quaffle had moved from one end of the pitch to the other.

The Slytherins seemed to have decided on long passes that would move the Quaffle long distances quickly, but ran a higher chance of interception. It was a trade off that neither Oliver nor Harry and Ron had considered worth the risks involved, but with a skilful, fast team it could be very rewarding. Harry grimaced as he watched Pucey play a long pass over Katie's head and into the waiting hands of Zabini. They'd misjudged the Slytherins, it seemed.

Ten minutes later, Harry knew that he was right. The long passes were finding their target time after time, and Gryffindor were finding it impossible to settle into a rhythm. The Slytherin Beaters, Baddock in particular, were incredibly good at disrupting the Gryffindor attacks, while the Chasers were disconcertingly accurate with their long passes. Harry watched in frustration as Ginny nearly flew into Seamus when they misjudged a Slytherin movement. Gryffindor were trailing by forty points already.

Harry looped around the pitch, trying to get some distance from the match and watch it as though he were a neutral.

What are their weaknesses? How do we break them down?

Harry watched for several seconds, in which time Ron was thoroughly torn by the three converging Seekers, Pucey slotting the Quaffle easily into the right hand goal. There was a collective groan from the Gryffindor crowd as the Slytherin players celebrated their fifty point lead. Gryffindor were still scoreless.

Ron swooped dispiritedly down to the ground to pick up the Quaffle, and Harry dropped down too.

"We," Ron said. "Are getting killed."

"Harry nodded. "Any ideas?"

"Yeah, take out their Beaters. They must still have Crabbe and Goyle as reserves, right? Other than that, I'm a bit busy just trying to stop them scoring, let alone come up with tactics."

"I think I have an idea," Harry said. "I'm not sure it's going to work, though."

"What's the idea?"

"I stop looking for the Snitch, and just try and interfere."

"That's risky," Ron said. "You'll be the number one target if you drop down to the same level as everyone else. The Beaters have to protect the Chasers, you know that."

"Then I'll have to make sure I don't get in their way," Harry said, sounding rather more confident than he felt. Ron nodded.

"Well, don't say I didn't warn you," he said as Madam Hooch flew over to them.

"When you're quite ready," she said coolly. Ron and Harry nodded sheepishly.

"Oh, and Ron?" Harry said as they rose back up level with the goalposts.

"Yeah?"

"Chuck the Quaffle at me. Let's see if we can't make a long pass of our own."

Ron grinned.

*

"And it's game on once again as Potter and Ron Weasley return from their brief captain's discussion. Slytherin Seeker Terence Higgs is high above us -give us a wave, Terence. Fine, be like that- while Gryffindor Seeker Harry Potter seems to be playing a different tactic than usual. He's staying low, mixing with the other Gryffindor players. Gryffindor Keeper Weasley plays the Quaffle out to Katie Bell, no, Potter is there and he flicks the Quaffle on with the tail of his Firebolt. I seem to remember him doing that last year, and so I can assure you that it's not actually illegal, just slightly dubious, but who cares when it's a Gryffindor doing it, right?"

"JORDAN!"

"Only joking Professor, only joking. Very naughty of you, Potter, don't do it again. I'll tell you what, though, it's let new Gryffindor Seeker Vickie Boyd in on goal, and the Slytherin Keeper is left completely out of position and Gryffindor get a goal back! Goal Gryffindor! That makes it fifty-ten to Slytherin, and could there be a comeback on the cards?"

It certainly seemed that way. Over the next ten minutes, Harry put the speed of the Firebolt to great use. Every Slytherin attack was blocked off, every pass intercepted as Harry appeared as if from nowhere. Before long, Josh and Seamus got the idea, and when Harry couldn't make it somewhere before the Quaffle did, one of them would appear, often just ducking out of the way before the other Beater sent a Bludger crashing through the space they'd just occupied. This seriously surprised whichever Slytherin Chaser was unfortunate enough to be in the Bludger's path.

It wasn't pretty. The match had degenerated into spoiler tactics that were turning a lot of the neutral supporters -and a few of the Slytherins and Gryffindors- against the teams. Harry decided that it was time to change tactics again.

"Back to plan A," he yelled as Ron easily saved a long range shot from Joseph Arthur.

The Gryffindor team moved into action like a well oiled machine. Josh and Seamus flanked the Chasers as Vickie, Ginny and Katie passed the Quaffle back and forth with consummate ease. Caught off guard, the Slytherins were soon trailing by twenty points.

"That's much more like it. I was frightened for a second that we were actually going to have a dull match on our hands. Go Gryffindor!"

"JORDAN! No favouritism!"

"They're the best team on the pitch, Professor. I'm supporting the beautiful game, not the beautiful team. Sorry, did I say that out loud? Hi Katie! Anyway, back to the game. Gryffindor back in possession and Slytherin are looking dangerous. Baddock is absolutely lethal with that club of his, a great young talent, and, I have to say, one I hope goes far in the sport.

"Potter interrupts the Slytherin attack. He really is trying to do everything today. A human Bludger, much like the dearly departed Weasley twins."

There was a great roar from the crowd at the mention of the much-missed Fred and George, who took the opportunity to stand up, wave and bow.

"Sit down lads. They were cheering the girls, not you. I assure you, not one person is interested in Fred and George Weasley."

Lee grinned as he taunted his long time friends from the very public, very safe commentator's position.

"Back to the match, then, and Gryffindor back in possession. Ginny Weasley cuts inside and shoots. . . No, Pritchard saves it. A very good save. Knocked forward to Pucey, who turns on a Knut and powers forward. The Nimbus 2010 may not be as quick as the Firebolt, but it's still pretty fast, and Pucey easily outstrips Cochran on the comparatively ancient Nimbus 2001. Pucey is making a beeline for the Gryffindor goal, he seems to have forgotten all about Zabini and Arthur, but he's surely remembered Weasley, yes, he dives under Weasley and tries to shoot upwards, very hard to do and. . . No, not quite Pucey, but a valiant effort. The Quaffle bounces off of the goalhoop and back into play with Ginny Weasley.

"And Weasley is out to show Higgs how it's done! She's going for all out attack on the Slytherins, streaking up the field on her Arrowhead which, I'm reliably informed, belonged to our own dearly departed Alicia Spinnet."

George, who was cheering Ginny on from his seat, faltered in mid-bellow, but quickly picked up steam again.

"A player of pedigree on a broom of pedigree, then, and she's really showing us all the skill one would expect of a great Chaser. She rounds Baddock, who seems to have forgotten what that club in his hand is for. That's okay, kid, just don't remember until your next match, alright?

"Weasley streaks onwards. She beats Callum Williams with ease and now she's just left with Graham Pritchard to beat. She jukes, she feints, she shoots, she scores! Gryffindor lead by one hundred points to sixty!"

Harry did a loop-the-loop to celebrate Ginny's first goal for the team. It was something he hadn't done since his first match, more than five years beforehand and he felt slightly embarrassed, but he felt much happier for Ginny. All the training she'd put in had paid off with that one goal. He saw echoes of her long hours in the orchard in the way she'd moved through the Slytherin players, and the way she'd tricked Pritchard before scoring showed off all the time she'd spent taking practise shots against Ron. He wanted to dive down and hug her, but he was wary of getting carried away. The Snitch had only appeared briefly so far, darting across the pitch and under the commentator's position almost before Harry could blink, and he wanted to be ready for it in case it appeared ag-

"The Snitch! There's the Snitch! Get after it, boys!"

The boys got after it. Terence and Harry flew side by side towards the Slytherin goal, arms outstretched as they sought to catch the Snitch. Harry was marginally in front, but Terence was slightly lighter. The two flyers were perfectly even.

Until a Bludger swung up from beneath them and slammed into their outstretched hands, completely throwing their concentration. They spiralled away from each other, searching for the Snitch, which had disappeared in the momentary loss of concentration. Harry glowered at Malcolm Baddock, who had sent the Bludger in front of them. The Slytherin Beater shrugged and laughed.

"Interesting play by the Slytherin Beater," Lee said. "Breaking up a very even fight for the Snitch, I suppose Baddock is gambling on Higgs having a clear run on the Snitch next time out. We'll have to see. For the record, my money is on the unbeatable Harry Potter-"

The rest of Lee's sentence was lost in a great storm of cheers and jeers from the Gryffindor and Slytherin supporters.

Harry swung lazily over the pitch, watching the match unfold still further beneath him. The Slytherin's earlier game plan had been abandoned due, Harry felt, to a loss of confidence in themselves on the part of the players. Gryffindor had shown their ability to intercept the long passes, so Slytherin had returned to a more traditional way of play. The crowd were eating it up, cheering lustily every short pass, every Bludger that tore through the late morning air, every shot on goal. Graham Pritchard and Ron were playing superbly, saving everything that came their way. The Chasers reacted by turning up the level of trickery they displayed. When Blaise Zabini finished off a move that saw the Quaffle change hands eighteen times in eleven seconds, even the Gryffindors rose to their feet and applauded. Even Harry had to stifle a smile at the move, which brought the Slytherin team within thirty points of Gryffindor. Clearly the game would be decided by whoever caught the Snitch. Neither team was going to allow the other to open up a one hundred and fifty point lead.

Harry chuckled slightly as he realised that the entire school was, once more, looking to him. Looking over at Terence Higgs, Harry felt grateful that he would be sharing the burden for once.

And then, between Terence and Harry, it appeared.

"The Snitch, the Snitch, the Snitch!" Lee yelled. Harry was already on his way, Terence as well. The two accelerated forward, and Harry knew within a second that he had the game won.

Terence Higgs had been a second year when Harry started at Hogwarts, and had made it onto the Slytherin team through pure skill. Even Marcus Flint had abandoned the traditional 'bigger-is-better' mentality to bring Higgs into the team. All that had counted for nothing the next year, of course, when Malfoy had show up with his Nimbus 2001 collection. Higgs had been unceremoniously dumped into the Reserves, and then made a triumphant return the previous year as a Chaser for the team after, it was rumoured, training so hard he'd broken two of the Slytherin brooms, which had prompted the bringing in of the 2010s.

As good a Seeker as he may once have been, however, Harry knew that Higgs had forgotten a key point. The Snitch moves unpredictably.

Hovering as it was now above the centre circle, it must have looked for all of the world like a Quaffle awaiting capture to Higgs. To Harry, it was a bird in flight, hovering momentarily, but ready to flash away at a moments notice.

Higgs hand closed on open air, and he shot past Harry as Harry urged the Firebolt onwards, chasing after the suddenly mobile Snitch. He flashed past Josh Cochran, between Ginny and Katie and ducked under Seamus as the Snitch flew over his friend. It dropped downwards, almost seeming to aim itself at Harry's hand as he brought it up, clenching his fingers tightly and quickly to make sure that-

"He's done it again! Harry Potter catches the Golden Snitch! Can anyone beat the Gryffindors?"

*

A Quidditch victory was always a reason for a party. A Quidditch victory over Slytherin -for the fifth season in a row, Lee pointed out, even with the Twiwizard tournament interrupting things- was even more reason to celebrate.

Some people were easy to get in the mood.

"Bring on the Butterbeers!" Seamus roared as he was carried through the portrait hole by a crowd of third years.

Some weren't.

"Hermione, if you don't put that book down then I swear I'm going to hex off every hair on your head."

"Ron, you don't even know the potion for baldness, let alone the hex for it. Now leave me alone. I'm very glad we won, but I want to read this."

"It's not even a homework book, Hermione, it's just another flaming book on King Arthur. For heavens sake come and have some fun."

"I am having fun. Fun does not automatically mean noise. Fun can often be quiet, silent even."

"Her-miiiii-one!"

"No, Ron. Go and pester Harry and Ginny. They're being quiet too."

"What? They can forget that, for a start."

Hermione smiled quietly to herself as Ron dashed off. Taking a sip of pineapple juice, she turned the page.

*

Harry and Ginny were dragged from a private replay of the match into the middle of the room where Lee Jordan was compering an impromptu discussion on the respective merits of the male Quidditch players. The Gryffindor girls were cheering loudly as each of the players were pulled up on a table and subjected to criticism by Lee and Katie.

"Harry Potter!"

"So much promise," Katie sighed theatrically. "So many dreams shattered and hearts broken. No, just go away Harry. I can't even bear to look at you. Do you realise how many girls cry themselves to sleep at night, knowing you're off the market?"

"Besides, girls, his lady is a mean one with a scalping charm," Lee chipped in as Harry was booed laughingly off of the table. Josh Cochran was called up next.

"My, you're a tall one," Lee said. "And an American too. What's the best thing about being here in Hogwarts, my trans-Atlantic cousin?"

"Here in Britain," the American said with a distinctive Texan twang. "Here in Britain, the girls are so much less self-obsessed."

"Canned answer," Katie objected. "But it was better than 'Gee, yur soooo purty,' I guess."

Lee laughed. "Wasn't that how I got you to go out with me?"

"No, I just liked your hair."

Lee tossed his dreadlocks extravagantly. "As our dear Professor Lockhart once wrote -or claimed to write- 'Take care of your hair, and let enemies beware.' Now, I don't have a clue what that means, but it fills a little time while Katie decides how handsome Josh is."

"I couldn't decide. It's too far up to his face," Katie said. "The clouds get in the way. Off you go, Tex."

Seamus was summoned next, and traded banter effectively with Lee while Katie sized him up.

"Nah, he's taken too. Besides, I never did like blondes," she decided.

"What about a redhead?" Lee asked, dragging Ron up on the table. Ron sniggered as Lee talked about memories of Fred and George, who were very much in evidence in the crowd. The twins catcalled everything Lee said about Ron, good or bad, and when Katie said that he was more manly than both of them put together they faked fainting fits that even had Lee laughing.

"Sadly, he's taken too," Katie said in the end. "Alas, there is no one among the boys who rise to my high standards."

"Which, apparently, are single, not blonde and not too tall," Lee said. "Don't I feel special?"

"What about the reserves?" Seamus called out. Lee grinned.

"A very good question," he said, searching for Dean, Dennis Creevey and James Staunton. James was otherwise occupied, kissing Orla Quirke enthusiastically by the fireplace.

"Well, two out of three ain't bad," Lee sighed. Dean and Dennis mounted the table, Dean looking a little anxious while Dennis seemed to be taking the whole thing in good spirits.

"Now, my sweet, what about these two fine specimens of manhood."

"A definite improvement," Katie drawled. "And were I in the mood for a younger model, then I might consider trading you in for Mr.. Thomas. Alas, his hair is much too short," she sighed, as she ran a finger over Dean's nearly clean shaven scalp. "Sorry Dean, even though I love your fencing classes, and any man that nimble is probably a great dancer, unlike our friend here," -she pointed at Lee- "who is all talk."

She turned to Dennis.

"Finally," she said. "The man of my dreams. The right height, the right hair, no female companion that I know of. Dennis, you're just perfect."

There was a great cheer as Katie kissed Dennis on the cheek. Dennis grinned widely, then jumped up in the air, raising his arms high above his head as he capered on the table. Lee laughed as Dennis jumped off the table and was instantly surrounded by several girls, all of whom seemed most interested in getting to know him.

"Wonderful, clearly my girlfriend has great taste in men. Not that I didn't know that already, of course. Right, folks, on with the party. . ."

*

The party finally came to an end at around two in the morning when McGonagall appeared for the second time and started taking away five points for every thirty seconds that people were still in the common room.

The last one into the boy's dormitory was Harry, who had escaped increasing the total to twenty points lost by the skin of his teeth. He stood breathless on the stairs, the remains of Ginny's lip gloss still glistening on his own lips. Dean and Seamus had their ears to the door to the common room.

"No good," Seamus said resignedly. "She's settled in. She'll probably be there all night."

"Nah, not all night," Ron said. "But the girls are probably all asleep already."

"And a party's no fun without girls?" Dean asked seriously. Neville sniggered.

"Well? It's not," Ron said. "And if you reckon otherwise, Thomas, you're a bigger liar then Trelawney."

"You know what, Ron? I think I just figured out who that friend I'm going to betray is," Dean said good-naturedly.

A promising scuffle between the two friends was broken up by McGonagall banging the door open and glaring at them. Harry didn't feel too bad as they made their way up to their room. Ten extra points lost wasn't that much between the five of them.

To be continued. . .