He had no idea how long he'd been flying and searching for the snitch when he heard a shrill, amplified whistle pierce through the wind. He snapped his head around, his heart in his throat and he only relaxed when he realised that it was a call for a time out…Draco hadn't caught the snitch before him. Fuck, he'd never be able to live that down if Draco caught the snitch, especially not with Christmas just a few weeks away…the holiday that he'd be spending at Malfoy Manor. No, he had to win this game or he was going to have to spend Christmas locked away in solitude. He landed under the Gryffindor bleachers and looked at his wet, miserable little young ones. They were huddled together like the puppy pile he'd envisioned when talking to Draco. He couldn't help but smile as he cast a heating charm over them all.
"How are we all doing?" He asked.
"Urquhart called the time out, the sloth." Katie sighed ill-temperedly. "We're twenty points up, it's too close, Harry. We need the snitch."
"I'm working on it, I swear. Unless it flies up my sleeve though, it might be a long game, just hang in there guys….and girls." He added, remembering Oliver's ribbing when he'd forgotten the girls. "This rain can't last forever and we're ahead, let's keep it that way and try to survive this game. I think Pepper-Up potions all around after we're done here and hot chocolates, of course." He added with a grin. His two young Beaters slapped hands in a high five and Harry smiled at their antics.
"A spoonful of sugar and all that. Medicine first though." He said with a face.
"As long as you lead by example, Captain." Demelza teased him.
"You know I will. It just means that I'm the first to get my hot chocolate." He said with a laugh.
Madam Hooch approached them and Harry gave her the double thumbs up to indicate that he and his team were ready to get back into the air and back to the game. She nodded and Harry turned serious for a moment.
"Game faces now, people. Katie, you, Demelza, and Sarah keep up what you're doing. You'll be alright, I trust you."
"We trust you to catch that snitch too." Katie told him and Harry nodded. "Jimmy, Ritchie, you two are doing good too, I saw that bludger smash into one of Slytherin's Chasers."
"That was me!" Jimmy Peakes said excitedly.
"Keep up moves like that." Harry encouraged. "Try and take out the Keeper and the Seeker."
The two boys' faces fell. "But the Seeker is Malfoy, everyone knows that he's your brother now. So he's off-limits."
Harry laughed. "Do you think he's going easy on us because I'm his adopted brother? No, there is no mercy in Quidditch. He's my brother off of the pitch; on it, he's the opposition. You take him and the Keeper out."
His Beaters nodded their understanding and Harry nodded back curtly.
"Pauley, you're doing brilliantly." Harry told the young, sodden Keeper. "I'm letting too many in." He sniffled and Harry got a distinct feeling that it wasn't just raindrops wetting his face.
"You'll let even more in if you dwell on it." Harry told him seriously. "You're a second-year, Pauley. This is your first year on the team and your very first official game and you're facing older, larger people throwing quaffles at you and these are far from perfect conditions. Let it go and concentrate on saving the next throw. You're doing fine and it doesn't matter how many you let in as long as you're practising and trying out a few of those moves we made up. I told you, this team is in it for the long haul. In a few years, you'll all be world-class and ruling the inter-house matches, until then practice, practice, practice. Now, let's get back out there and give Gryffindor a brilliant Christmas present by smashing Slytherin to smithereens."
His team cheered and Harry quickly led them back out into the sleeting rain that seemed to be coming down harder than before. Harry cursed internally.
The game started off again and Harry searched harder when he saw Draco doing the same. He was at a huge disadvantage because he had glasses and Draco didn't need them. He had perfect vision without the help of glasses.
Harry dived several times, but Draco never fell for his bait and Harry calmed himself, if he got angry then he would miss something or he'd be too tense to fly on a hairpin.
As the game carried on, becoming more brutal as he lost poor Demelza to a bludger and almost had his own head taken off by another, Harry knew that he had to finish this game and soon. The sleet was getting heavier and harder and it was becoming more solid as it turned more to snow than rain, which was hindering everything from vision, to manoeuvers, goal shots and saves. Harry went higher and looked down at the match from his vantage point and he took a moment to breathe, the sleet driving into his back so that he wasn't inhaling water and partially-formed snow.
A flash of gold was all it took and Harry was there one moment and gone the next, following the snitch, getting a face and nose full of snow, the wet and the wind biting at his face, making his skin sting, but he ignored all of it as he chased after the tiny speck of colour in the otherwise grey background.
He dodged players and balls alike, he was joined moments later by Draco, who tried to barge him off course with his bigger, heavier, and broader body, but Harry urged his Firebolt faster and he laughed in joy as he closed in on the snitch, following it as it darted left and then dived down into a vertical rush of air that made Harry's eyes water. The snitch pulled up five feet from the ground and zig-zagged away, just under the playing level of the Chasers.
Harry dodged under Sarah and then went over Ritchie as he chased down the snitch, Draco dogging his heels all the way and Harry gritted his teeth as the wind turned violent, ripping at his Quidditch uniform as he turned against the wind. He wondered how the fuck the snitch was even able to fly in these conditions.
His heart was in his throat, his excitement and anticipation were ramped up and he threw himself after the snitch, putting his absolute all into catching that tiny golden ball. He was panting when his hand finally closed around it. He almost let it go again, the tiny ball was ice cold and the exposed tips of his fingers burnt and stung where they touched the ball, but he clamped it tight in his hand until the silver wings folded over and lay quiet.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you enjoy reading? Visit my site on Tiendup! There you will find the advanced chapter in PDF format, ready for your convenience.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
https://fictiontopia.tiendup.com/