The Awakening Power

Chapter 15: Hermione's Soldiers

* * *

Harry limped slightly while walking down the corridor, his face set with a very hard look. Hermione kept glancing over to him with a worried expression, while Ron appeared that he was trying to avoid looking at either one of them.

"What?" Harry snapped at Hermione, irritated.

"Erm, shouldn't you go to the infirmary, Harry?" she asked nervously.

"I'm fine," he said shortly.

The three had just finished a rather tense Defense class. They had been practicing sweep spells, which caused a side-pulling force on the opponent's feet, causing them to trip. As was common these days, Snape had called Harry up to the front to demonstrate.

Harry blocked the first few spells Snape cast, but then Snape used an unusual variation Harry hadn't seen before, far more powerful than the usual sweeper. Snape invoked the sweep at almost floor level, causing Harry's ankle to bend. It had seemed all right in class, but was now beginning to flare with pain.

The only positive note was that when Snape demonstrated the defensive spell, Harry's sweeper had penetrated his shield, causing Snape to land with a loud crash. Harry smiled maliciously at the memory. Since Snape had used a powerful spell against Harry, he didn't feel particularly guilty about using one against him.

In fact, he was noticing that his spells were penetrating Snape's shields a fair amount of the time. Snape seemed to need to get them perfectly in-line to fully block Harry's spells. He'd also been noticing that few students in the class could block his spells, either.

They went back to the common room and sat down at a table to do homework. A short while later, Harry noticed his ankle was swelling considerably and didn't seem to be getting better. As much as he hated another trip to the infirmary, it looked like it was going to be necessary.

"My ankle's killing me. I guess I better go see Pomfrey," Harry grumbled.

"Do you need help?" Hermione asked, looking concerned.

"Nah, I'll be okay. I'll be back later," he said.

"See you later, mate," Ron said, barely looking up as he concentrated on his work. Harry gave him in odd glance; he wondered again why he seemed to be so enamored of school work lately.

Harry left the common room, limping down the corridor toward the infirmary, feeling hatred toward Snape. Although he was happy he was able to take Potions, he had to ask himself again what he'd done to Dumbledore to deserve Snape as Defense professor.

As he walked into the infirmary, he noticed Madam Pomfrey's desk was empty, so he walked into the examining room. He stopped dead in his tracks as he saw Snape sitting on a table, being attended to by Pomfrey. He had one very pale, skinny leg sticking out from his robes, lying on the table.

"Well, Mr. Potter. Back again, I see. Well, come on over and sit down, I just need to do a bit of work on Professor Snape, here," she said, gesturing to the table next to Snape's table.

"Erm, maybe I should come back later..." Harry said quickly.

"Don't be silly; I'll be with you in a minute. Sit!" Pomfrey said commandingly, pointing at the table.

As Harry reluctantly walked over, Snape stared straight ahead, his face a study in stone.

"Well then, Professor, you've made quite a mess of this knee. Several torn ligaments. How did you say this happened?" she said, waving her wand over the knee.

"It was... a small accident in class," Snape said smoothly, looking at Harry for the first time long enough to give him a cold warning glance. Harry didn't need the warning; as far as he was concerned, the less said the better.

Pomfrey waved her wand over the rest of his leg, which seemed to indicate something to her as she made a tutting sound.

"Well, not that small. I also see a small stress fracture in the tibia," she said, tapping her wand on his lower leg.

Snape glanced at Harry again, looking extremely annoyed, but trying to hide it. "You may... spare me the details, Madam."

Pomfrey appeared not to hear him as she walked over to a cabinet and brought back a few salves to apply. She rubbed them on Snape's leg and knee, and then waved her wand over them, casting a rather long spell.

"All right, Professor. You need to sit for a half-hour with no movement," she said. As Snape appeared about to open his mouth, Pomfrey cut him off curtly. "Half-hour. No. Movement."

Snape closed his mouth, giving a small, frustrated sigh as he stared straight ahead.

"Now then, Mr. Potter, what do we have?"

"Uh, ankle," he said, gesturing at the swollen joint.

"I must say, both of you have been rather accident prone this year," she said as she waved her wand over Harry's ankle. Harry and Snape involuntarily glanced at each other, then both looked away quickly as they continued staring straight ahead.

"Not too bad, Mr. Potter. A bit of a bad sprain, I'd say. Easy enough to fix," she said, as she walked to her cabinet again. She brought back a greenish-looking substance that she rubbed into the swelling. To Harry's relief, the pain immediately vanished, although the remedy smelled like burning rubber.

"All right. Ten minutes should do the trick," Pomfrey said. "Then you may go."

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," said Harry.

"Not at all," she said briskly. "I'll be at my desk if either of you need me." Pomfrey walked out of the room, leaving Harry and Snape alone.

An incredibly thick tension descended on the room, as Harry and Snape were left sitting not six feet away from each other. Each minute ticked away like an eternity to Harry in the deafening silence between the two.

Harry's ear suddenly itched, but somehow he couldn't even bring himself to scratch it lest he break the oppressive silence. Snape seemed like a statue next to him, appearing to barely breath.

Five minutes went by, without a sound or a movement from either one. Finally Snape made a small throat-clearing sound. Harry flinched; the tiny sound felt like a gunshot in the taut atmosphere.

"Horse hair!" Snape said abruptly.

"W-what?" Harry said, blinking his eyes.

Snape looked annoyed. "Horse hair, Potter! Horse hair! Does Professor Melanadray use horse hair in her callus removal potion? Surely you've started medicinal skin potions by now?"

"Uh, yes, last week," Harry said, utterly confused.

"Well?" Snape said.

Harry paused. "Oh. Yes, she used horse hair in the potion," he said.

"Good," Snape said, nodding, apparently satisfied.

Harry felt a bit curious, since Snape brought up the subject of Melanadray.

"Um, sir, may I ask... why did you pick Professor Melanadray?" Harry asked tentatively.

Snape gave him a withering look. "Well, it wasn't because she was attractive, Potter."

"N-no, of course not, it's just..." Harry paused. The question of why Melanadray appeared to look at Harry so oddly seemed impossible to bring up with Snape.

"I picked her because she was the best, Potter. While you may have come to expect special treatment," Snape said with a sneer, "I assure you that I did not bestow any special treatment on who I recommended to Headmaster Dumbledore. She was the best Potions student I ever had."

Harry felt himself growing angry. "I don't expect special treatment," he said coldly.

"Don't you, Potter? Do I really need to run down the list of rule breaking during your first five years?" Snape said sarcastically.

As Harry felt himself getting close to saying something he would regret, he suddenly realized his ten minutes were up.

Without another word, he gingerly hopped off the table and stalked out of the infirmary.

* * *

"Did she tell you what she wanted?" Ron asked curiously.

"No, she just said she wanted to meet a bit early to show us something," Harry said.

They were on their way to the Room of Requirement for the weekend D.A. meeting. Crookshanks had walked up with a note in his teeth, giving it to Harry that morning. The note hadn't provided many details, but just said Hermione had something to show Ron and Harry, and they should come early.

When they arrived, they noticed Hermione busily casting some spells on some large, odd-looking dolls. They were life-sized, but crudely made of stitched white cloth, with lumpy limbs and featureless round heads. There were about ten of them, sitting on a line of chairs. Harry and Ron glanced at each other.

"Um, Hi, Hermione... what's this all about?" Harry asked curiously.

Hermione beamed at them proudly. "I made magic sparring partners! I call them 'golems.' Seeing you and Tonks duel gave me the idea, and then I started thinking about Muggle video games."

"Video games?" Ron said blankly.

Hermione waved her hand. "Never mind; it doesn't matter. Anyway, it was much harder than I thought. I couldn't find anything in the library on how to do something like this. I found some animation spells that cause dolls to dance and that sort of thing. But then I found the key in Dumbledore's library."

Harry and Ron looked at each other again. "Erm, it's not dangerous, is it?" Harry asked nervously.

"No, no, no," Hermione said impatiently. "I adapted a restricted spell used for creating war machines. It's quite complicated, actually; you have to create a special potion that acts as sort of magic storage cell. Anyway, it's used in war to continuously launch spells at a rapid rate; a sort of magic machine gun."

"And that's not dangerous?" Ron asked incredulously.

"Well, if I'd made a full-scale one it'd be dangerous, but I made one that just launches more mild spells, such as Expelliarmus. I also added an auto-aiming spell, so that it tries to get through your defense. You can set the accuracy and firing rate, so that both beginners and more advanced people can use them."

"This is brilliant," Ron said, looking at Hermione admiringly, causing her to blush.

"How do you start it?" Harry asked, intrigued by the idea.

"Touch the golem with your wand and say, 'Augeo,' holding the wand on it for ten seconds. That will charge it up. Then back away and launch a spell at it. Whatever spell you launch will be the one it attacks you with. It will stop if you're disarmed, so just drop your wand or use Finite Incantatem," she said.

Harry walked over to the nearest golem and cast the spell. His wand glowed as he could see a sort of lava-like substance flow from his wand into the body of the doll. He counted to ten and pulled his wand back. The golem suddenly leaped to life, getting up off the chair and assuming a dueling stance.

"It was also a little tricky adapting the dancing spell to have them make dueling moves," Hermione said.

"What's that red circle above the golem's head?" Harry said.

"That's how many hits you score on it. It keeps track of how many spells touch it," Hermione explained.

Harry held his wand out, and shouted, "Expelliarmus!"

The spell appeared to sink into the golem, which then came to life, moving its feet gracefully. It launched a return spell, which Harry easily blocked. Harry launched a return spell, which the golem blocked as well.

"How do I speed it up?" Harry asked.

"Accelero," Hermione replied.

Harry invoked the spell, and the golem started launching spells a bit more rapidly. He played at that speed for a while until he got into a good rhythm, and then sped it up again. He seemed to forget where he was as he played the game, sweat breaking out on his forehead. He sped the golem up several more times until he could barely keep up with it.

A low murmuring in the room finally rose up in his consciousness, distracting him, and a spell finally slipped through his defenses, causing his wand to flip out of his hand.

"Damn!" he shouted, pounding his fist into his hand.

He turned around and noticed that many of the D.A. students had shown up while he was playing, and that most of the room was looking at him in shock. He saw Ginny in particular looking at him very oddly, causing him to blush in embarrassment, although he had an urge to play a bit more with her watching.

Tonks had also shown up and walked over to him, her mouth hanging open a bit. "Um, Harry, that was... impressive. We have regular dueling meets among the Aurors, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that I haven't seen too many that are faster than you. You could easily hold your own, and that you can at sixteen is..." she said, her voice trailing off.

She seemed to shake herself and walked over to examine the golem, who was still standing in a dueling pose. "This is amazing. I mean, something like this would be incredibly useful for Auror training; I wonder why we don't have anything like it?"

Harry looked at Ron and Hermione, who appeared to have the same thought. He felt like they probably shouldn't say that the golems used restricted magic. He shook his head slightly at them, and they nodded back.

"This is fantastic, Hermione. With enough practice against the golems, it ought to give us a big advantage in battle," Harry said, smiling at her.

Hermione beamed at him, and Harry chuckled as he couldn't help but notice her glancing at Ron shyly, who was giving her another admiring gaze.

Harry walked to the front of the room, watching more students walk in. He noticed with discomfort that as new students came in, the original students were whispering to them as they kept darting glances toward Harry.

Harry was about to get started when two more students walked in, looking a combination of surly and anxious.

Harry looked over at Ron, who narrowed his eyes. He recognized them as well: they were two Slytherin students. They walked over to Harry as Ron and Hermione came over as well.

"Um, Potter, I'm Simon Silsbee," he said.

"Richard Kelly," his partner said.

"Look, can we talk to you alone?" Silsbee said.

Harry looked over to Ron and Hermione. Hermione looked curious, while Ron had his arms crossed and looked like he wanted to kick them out personally.

"All right, but whatever you want to tell me, you can tell Ron and Hermione, too," said Harry.

Kelly and Silsbee looked at each other and nodded.

Harry looked around for a good spot and noticed a door in a wall he hadn't noticed before. He walked over and it opened to a small anteroom with a long, tall bar table and some stools. They all entered the room and Hermione closed the door. Harry waited for them to speak.

"Look, Potter, we want to join the D.A.," said Silsbee.

Harry looked at Ron and Hermione and then back to Silsbee.

"Er, why?" Harry asked.

"Let me be straight with you," said Silsbee. "I know that you lot think that Slytherins are all a bunch of You-Know-Who supporters, and maybe a lot of us are, but not all of us. Some of us see what's coming down the pike. I don't want to get killed when the war comes."

"So it's all about you, is it?" Ron said sarcastically.

Silsbee glared at him. "Just because I don't want to get my arse killed doesn't make me a bloody traitor."

"What do the - others - think of you being here?" asked Hermione tentatively.

For the first time, Silsbee looked hesitant as he glanced at Kelly.

"Sod it," said Kelly. "Listen, you don't know what it's like down there these days. Malfoy struts around like he owns the place. He never comes out and makes direct threats, but we all know what his father's into, along with those idiots Crabbe and Goyle. We told him that we're coming here to spy on you, to find out what you're up to. We're supposed to give him regular reports. We don't know who he reports to."

Silsbee had been nodding through Kelly's speech. "But what we told him was rubbish. We're here for the reason we told you - to practice defense."

"How do we know you're not lying?" Ron said rudely.

Silsbee gave him a withering look. "What other reason would I be here? I'm already telling you up front that that I have to report to Malfoy."

"Right then, why don't you two wait outside and we'll talk for a minute," said Harry quietly.

Silsbee and Kelly nodded as they left the room, closing the door behind them.

"What do you think?" Harry asked.

"I don't trust them," Ron said firmly. "They're bloody Slytherins, for Merlin's sake!"

"Well, I'm not certain I trust them, either, but it does sound like they were being honest with us," Hermione said. "Remember what the sorting hat said... we might find potential allies anywhere. And should we really turn people away who want to learn, just because of what house they're in?"

Ron looked like he wanted to turn them away for exactly that reason, but said no more as he looked at Harry.

"Well, I think we should probably give them a chance," Harry said, a bit reluctantly. "Maybe they'll even give us some information about what's happening with Malfoy. I wouldn't mind hearing a bit more about what's going on down there."

They walked back into the main room where the Silsbee and Kelly were waiting.

"All right, you can stay," Harry said simply.

They nodded and walked to a corner of the room, where many of the students gave them some wary glances, particularly the Gryffindors.

* * *

Hermione looked over at Joseph as he busily worked on an essay. Although she still wasn't certain if she was as interested in him as he seemed to be in her, it was certainly fun studying with him. She had a sudden thought; Ron, Harry and Ginny were all playing in the Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff Quidditch match the next day, so she had no one to sit with. She wondered if perhaps Joseph was going to the game. It might be fun to do something with him outside of studying.

"Are you going to the match tomorrow?" Hermione asked brightly.

Joseph looked at her blankly. "The what?"

"Well, the Quidditch match... I mean, I know Ravenclaw isn't playing..." she said uncertainly.

"Oh, Quidditch," he said, rolling his eyes a bit. "I never go to the games. I have no idea when they're played."

"Never?" Hermione said.

"You mean, you like Quidditch?" he said incredulously.

"Oh, well, I'm not as into it as some, but..." she said, trailing off.

Joseph's face scrunched up, as if he were trying to remember an unimportant detail. "Oh yes, Potter plays on the team, doesn't he? I suppose you have to go, since your friend is playing."

"Well, actually, three of my friends are playing; Harry, Ron and Ron's sister Ginny are on the team... but... don't you think the games are rather exciting sometimes?"

Joseph looked at Hermione liked she had just suggested slugs might make an appetizing meal. "Exciting? Most of the lot who play Quidditch are a bunch of idiots who wouldn't know a severing spell from an engraving charm," he said, a bit arrogantly. He suddenly looked bashful. "Er, well, not that your friends are necessarily like that..."

Hermione looked at him hesitantly. "You don't care if Ravenclaw wins?"

"What difference does it make to me? Really, how does it affect me one way or the other? I'm not on the field playing, not that I ever would play," he said. "And have you ever noticed how much the players are worshipped? I mean, they're treated as if they're special just because they can ride a broom better than anyone."

"Well, yes, I suppose you're right that Quidditch players get a lot of attention," Hermione said. "When I went to the Ball with Viktor Krum, I couldn't believe the amount of attention he got."

Joseph looked stunned. "You went to the Ball with Viktor Krum? I mean, I know nothing about Quidditch, but even I know who he is. I didn't go to the Ball, so I didn't know," he said, a bit shyly.

"Oh! Er, I'm sorry, I guess I thought everyone knew," Hermione said, blushing.

"Erm, do you still see him?" Joseph said, looking a bit insecure.

"No, we used to keep in touch by writing, but he lives in Bulgaria. He is also older than I am," Hermione said.

Joseph nodded, looking relieved. "But still, why should he get so much attention? Why about people like us, people who are smart? The players strut around like they own the world. I know a girl in Ravenclaw who actually did this Slytherin's homework, just because he was on the team, and she thought he was sooo wonderful..." he said, looking like he wanted to gag. "Of course, he didn't give her the time of day, but it didn't stop him from letting her do his homework."

Hermione felt conflicted. Although she saw Joseph's point to some degree, she wasn't certain he was being entirely fair. Viktor never appeared entirely comfortable with all the attention; Harry certainly wasn't. She had to admit that Ron appeared to enjoy the attention, but he didn't strut excessively around the school.

"I agree they get a lot of attention, but I don't think they're all like that," Hermione said cautiously.

"All right," Joseph, apparently trying to be fair. "Ninety percent of them, seems like to me."

Hermione didn't think that sounded quite fair, either, but decided to let it go.

"Hey! Why don't you skip the match tomorrow, and we can study some more?" Joseph said. "I know your friends are playing, but surely they don't need you to watch them constantly."

"Well, thanks, but I feel like I should be there to support them," Hermione said.

Joseph shrugged his shoulders, looking a bit put out. "Suit yourself, then."

* * *

Harry walked down the corridor of Hogwarts, heading back to his dormitory. He slowed as he spotted Snape talking to Professor Melanadray, the sight of the two of them talking together feeling altogether too bizarre. He was just thinking of turning around and using another route when Melanadray called out to him.

"Mr. Potter! Come here a moment," she said brightly.

Harry glanced at Snape, who wore a frozen expression on his face as Harry walked up to the two of them.

"I just wanted to tell you that you received a perfect mark on that Potions exam," she said, looking at him a bit proudly. "Isn't he a fantastic student, Severus?"

Snape gritted his teeth, looking like he was biting back some sarcastic response. "Potter occasionally seems to perform... adequately."

"Oh, Severus," she said, laughing, as she playfully hit his shoulder. Harry just stared in astonishment at the sight. "Always the man of understatement. Mr. Potter is one of my top students in the class. I'm certain you saw the same sort of Potions talent when you were teaching."

"Er, perhaps," Snape said, looking as flustered as Harry had ever seen him. Harry fought back the urge to give him a smug look.

"So, Mr. Potter, I would imagine that you are quite eager for the Quidditch match tomorrow. I must say, I've heard so much about your Quidditch skills that I'm excited to see you in action, not that I'm supposed to take sides as a teacher," she said, laughing. She turned to Snape. "Is he as good as they say, Severus?"

Harry turned to Snape, his eyebrows raised, trying desperately to keep his face straight, and not break out in a smirk.

Snape looked at Melanadray, then at Harry, then back again. "He... he... is an adequate Seeker of perhaps some moderate talent."

Melanadray laughed again; Harry finding that he quite enjoyed the sound of her laugh, before he shook himself.

Harry knew he shouldn't press his luck, but he couldn't resist some sort of comment. "Thanks, Professor Snape. That's nice of you to say," Harry said, with a dead straight face.

Snape pursed his lips tightly, appearing like he wanted to send a poisoned look at Harry, but glancing at Melanadray, he just gave him a nod. "Well, good day, Potter," Snape said, dismissing him.

"Good luck, Mr. Potter," Melanadray said, giving him a warm smile.

Harry walked away, trying not to burst out laughing.

* * *

Ron looked into his bathroom mirror, trying to calm the butterflies in his stomach. He ran his fingers through his wet hair, trying not think about the fact that the first game of the year was about to be played.

Why did I take the captain job? he thought morosely. True, he had done well in the final game of last year. They had won the cup. Shouldn't that be enough to give him some confidence? Yet, he felt like something terrible was about to happen.

Practice appeared to have been going well lately. Sam, their new Chaser, was raw, but had a lot of natural talent. But there was no substitute for experience, and Ron had to hope that Sam's ability in practice translated well to the field.

He sighed. At least the Slytherins hadn't been singing Weasley is our King constantly this year, since that seemed to have backfired at the end of last year.

He quickly dressed and entered into the common room, where he saw Harry and Hermione. She gave him an encouraging smile, which Ron returned weakly.

"Good morning, Ron!" she said brightly. "Looks like perfect Quidditch weather today."

"Yeah," Ron grunted, feeling too nervous to even talk about the weather as they exited through the portrait hole.

Walking into the Great Hall, Malfoy met at them at the door, apparently waiting for them.
"Weasley is our King, he always lets the Quaffle in..." he sang.

Ron glared at Malfoy. "Don't you have any new material, Malfoy? Or didn't Crabbe and Goyle write some down for you?"

Crabbe and Goyle looked confused, as if they were wondering what they had forgotten to give to Malfoy.

"So, Weasley, you're the captain, eh? That's a lot of pressure, I'd say," Malfoy said smoothly.

"Sod off, Malfoy," Ron said, irritated.

"All those expectations... after all, you won the cup last year. And let's face it... you had one lucky game. It'd be a shame if you reverted... well, back to form," Malfoy drawled, smirking. "Everyone will be watching today, watching to see if it was all a fluke last year."

"It wasn't a fluke!" Hermione said, looking angry. Ron and Harry glanced at her, eyebrows raised. "You know, your track record in Quidditch isn't exactly stellar, Malfoy."

"Watch your mouth, mudblood," Malfoy said coldly, looking very angry.

Ron suddenly lunged at Malfoy, grabbing him by the neck and pulling his fist back. Harry grabbed his arm, keeping him from delivering the blow. Malfoy tried to back away, an unmistakable look of fear in his eye.

"Ron, no!" Harry said. "We need you on the team. Don't get suspended now... he's not worth it... it's what he wants!"

Ron struggled for a second, then turned away angrily and stalked off. Harry and Hermione followed him quickly to the Gryffindor table as he furiously sat down.

Ron looked down at the table, hands rubbing his temples as he tried to bring himself back under control. Sodding Malfoy, he thought. And the worst part is that he's right. Everyone will be watching to see if I make a mess of it. Ron kept his head down for a minute, trying to calm himself down.

"Ron...?" Hermione said tentatively.

He looked up and Hermione bashfully passed him a plate, loaded up with his favorite breakfast items. Ron swallowed, feeling a bit moved by the gesture. He smiled at her and took the plate.

"Thanks... just what I need," he said.

"Well, the Gryffindor captain needs a good breakfast, right?" she said, smiling back.

"Right," Ron said, digging in. He knew it was silly, but somehow the food tasted better when given to him by Hermione.

* * *

Ron began pacing in front of the team, his hands clasped tensely behind his back

"All right, it's the first game of the season," Ron said in a low voice. "We are the best team at Hogwarts, there's no question about it, and we've been practicing hard."

"Now!" he suddenly shouted, making everyone flinch. "I've been saying this for a week, and I'll say it again today. You may think that Hufflepuff is going to be a pushover, but I'm telling you that this team is dangerous! The rumors surrounding this new Keeper and the new Chaser are worrying me. They're supposed to be good... very good. This could be one of the best Hufflepuff teams in years."

He paused, looking down the line at his teammates, letting the speech sink in.

"It's going to take a team effort today. Quidditch offense begins with defense; I want to see tight Chaser defense," Ron said, looking at the three Chasers, "as well as precision Beater play," he finished, looking at Kirke and Sloper. "It's critical that we shut down their passing game."

Ron glanced at Harry. "Their Seeker is the same one as last year. Not bad, competent, but nowhere near Harry, so we have no worries on that score. I want to try and score as many points as possible before he catches it, though, so we need to play hard."

"Katie, since you have the most experience, I want you to defend their new Chaser, Jackson. Ginny, you'll take Donnelly, and Sam, you'll take Francis," Ron said. The three Chasers nodded at their defensive assignments, Sam looking a bit nervous.

"Who are we?" Ron shouted.

"Gryffindor!" The team yelled back.

"Let's Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!" Ron yelled, running toward the door as the rest of the team leapt up and followed him toward the entry gates.

As they enthusiastically jogged along the corridor, Ron came up alongside Sam.

"All right, Sam?" he asked.

"Y-yes, I'm ready. I think," he said, trying to hide his anxiousness.

Ron clapped him on the shoulder. "Look, you did great in practice. The first game is always the hardest, but just think about doing your job. That's all that matters... doing your job, doing your best. If you do that, everything else will follow."

Sam nodded, and blew out a deep breath, looking a bit more solid.

Right, Weasley, now remember your own advice. Remember the last game last year. Just do your job, Ron thought, trying to pump himself up.

They ran onto the field, the cheers of the Gryffindors deafening in the stadium. Ron moved to the center of the field and shook hands with the Hufflepuff captain.

"All right, I want a nice clean game," said Madam Hooch warningly. She opened the box and released the Snitch, which fluttered up next to Ron's ear for a split second and then flew away. She then released the Bludgers, and finally took out the Quaffle. She blew her silver whistle and threw the ball into the air as both teams mounted their brooms and flew off.

Ron flew over to the Gryffindor goal, feeling nervous about the first game. Easy, Weasley, easy. His eyes searched the stands, until he finally saw Hermione sitting at the front of the Gryffindor section, waving to him energetically.

Gryffindor had the Quaffle and immediately began running a pattern they had been drilling recently. He felt proud as he watched them crisply passing the Quaffle back and forth.

He saw Ginny pass to Katie, who threw a shot at goal, only to have it caught by the Hufflepuff's new Keeper. Ron swore under his breath; it was an excellent catch.

He began to get ready as the Hufflepuffs ran it back down the field. Ginny's new broom was working excellently; she was staying with Donnelly like a glove, making it difficult for him to receive passes.

He noticed that Jackson was as good as rumored; Katie was having a very hard time defending him. He suddenly caught the ball and made a dive directly at Ron. Jackson faked to his left and threw right, catching Ron off guard, and Hufflepuff made the first goal.

"Bloody hell!" Ron said, angry with himself for falling for the fake. He started to feel a seed of self-doubt, but shook himself as he concentrated on the field again.

Ron looked over at Harry, who was flying a search pattern, looking for the Snitch. The Hufflepuff Seeker seemed satisfied to follow Harry's pattern for now, as he flew closely behind.

Ron started to worry as the game progressed. He was having a very difficult time catching shots from the new Hufflepuff Chaser, who was exceptionally quick. He was saving more often than not, but the score on the Hufflepuff side was slowly creeping up. It was obvious the Hufflepuff's strategy was to win based on goals; they were clearly trying to score as many as possible before Harry caught the Snitch.

Ron could also tell his Chasers were growing frustrated trying to get it past the Hufflepuff Keeper. The score was now 140 to 50 in favor of Hufflepuff, and Ron was getting worried that if things kept up the way they were going, they might lose even if they caught the Snitch.

Bloody hell, this was a huge mistake to make me captain. I'm a bloody useless Keeper as well, he thought, starting to panic a bit.

He looked over at the stands where Hermione was sitting. He could see her looking worried, but somehow seeing her there calmed him a bit. She saw him looking at her and waved at him.

All right, Weasley. You want to show her what you're made of, right? Well, now's your chance, he thought. Quidditch is a team game. Use your teammates.

Ron had been watching the Hufflepuff Keeper closely, and he thought he might have seen a weakness. When Gryffindor next had the Quaffle, he called a time-out. Katie, Ginny and Sam came over, followed by Kirke and Sloper. He noticed that they all appeared very frustrated and despondent.

"All right, team, time to adjust our strategy a bit. First of all, Jackson is killing us. We need to shut him down. Ginny, I want you and Katie to defensively double him up; both of you stick to him like glue. Sam, that means you need to play a zone defense between Donnelly and Francis. Stay between them and Jackson. Make certain Jackson can't get the Quaffle! Andrew, Jack - I want you two to constantly send the Bludger at Jackson. If Hufflepuff is going to beat us, force them to use Donnelly and Francis.

"The second thing is their Keeper is obviously good. But I think he has some trouble defending below left. I want you to come up from below and concentrate on his left side. Mix it up a bit so it's not obvious, but pound that lower left. Four of our five goals have come from that spot."

"All right?" Ron said.

"No worries, captain," Ginny said, giving him a salute and a smile. You know, sometimes my little sister isn't so bad, Ron thought.

After they flew away and the game resumed, Ron began to see an immediate change in the complexion of the game. He could see Jackson growing frustrated as Katie and Ginny stuck to him, making it impossible for him to receive the Quaffle. Kirke and Sloper were beating the Bludger at him mercilessly.

As Donnelly and Francis realized that the scoring burden was all on them, they began to show signs of strain from the pressure. Their passing and shot selection grew sloppy, and Ron was able to easily intercept their shots.

Meanwhile, Gryffindor's Chasers also started having some slow, but sure, success as they relentlessly hit the lower left corner of the Keeper's defensive zone. Ron noted with satisfaction that their Keeper was growing noticeably agitated as they scored several quick goals.

Gradually the score evened out until Gryffindor surged ahead, 150 to 140, causing the stands to roar with excitement.

Suddenly Ron heard the crowd give another excited roar and saw Harry diving toward the ground. Go, go, Ron thought, hoping Harry had a line on the Snitch. The Hufflepuff Seeker followed Harry immediately after, but pulled out of the dive as Harry made a reckless recovery, just grazing the ground. Harry grabbed the Snitch out of the air and held it up victoriously. Madam Hooch blew the whistle, ending the game with a final score of 300 to 140.

The Gryffindor stands erupted in pandemonium, cheering the players. Ron looked over at the stands and swelled with pride as he saw Hermione jumping up and down with excitement.

He looked back over to Harry and saw that he and Ginny were embracing excitedly. Ron's face took on a smirk as he noticed that the embrace seemed to go on much longer than was strictly necessary, and then he flew to join his excited teammates.