Chapter Thirty-Four: Break a Leg, or Broom
The cloudy sky hovered over the grounds as Damien made his way to… the Quidditch pitch. It was a popular sport, and his housemates were very enthusiastic about it. His head spun as Ron tried to explain the rules to him; all he gathered was that Harry was something called a 'Seeker,' so he was just going to keep an eye out for him.
"Hello, Damien," an airy voice reached his ears, causing him to turn and see the familiar form of Luna skipping towards him, a smile on her face.
"What's up?" Damien responded; his eyes glued to the game's pitch.
"There are many things above us. The most interesting is the Quidditch game," she replied, looking briefly down at a newspaper in her left hand, before turning her attention back to him.
"I thought you'd say something about some fanciful creature flying about," Damien replied, looking at her with a bit of shock.
"Oh Damien. They haven't used a Golden Snidget since the 13th century for Quidditch Games," Luna said, covering her lips as she giggled at the boy's reaction.
"Okay, two things: One, I don't know what that is. Muggle-born over here, remember? And two, so you know this game? Then tell me, do the three hoops have three different scores then?" Damien inquired.
"Did Harry teach you anything? He's one of Hogwarts' star players!" She asked with annoyance, her eyes locked onto him like a mouse.
"Dad doesn't like him talking about this place, and I get the feeling the Ravenclaws don't like me," Damien says with a shrug.
"Right. I will have to give you a crash course! I don't like having to do that, but it must be done!" Luna emphatically said, before grabbing him by the shoulders. "What is your cousin good for anyway?"
"Better than my brother. Though not as much of a gravitational field to him," Damien said, emphasizing his stomach to show how big his brother is.
"Speaking of that. Has he been eating much? I've heard rumors he's been zoning out in class and stuff," she said with her previously indignant face melting into a softer, more worried tone.
"Define your question because I am unsure if you mean here or back at my house," Damien inquired.
"Harry. Potter. NOT. Fat. Brother," Luna sternly said each word individually, determined to get the point across.
"I know. I mean, are you asking about back home or here?" Damien clarified.
Before Damien could even attempt to move or say anything else, Luna began to shake him dreadfully. "Here!!" She snapped, exasperation seeping into her voice.
"Oh, well, I don't know. I have been kind of keeping to myself if you didn't notice. That's fine and all, but I genuinely don't know," Damien said as Luna released him, eyes and head spinning to dispose of the Quaffle after a score properly expected shaking, his heart hammered in his chest from how soft her hands felt as they pressed down on his robes, despite the less than stellar circumstances as to why she was holding onto him.
"All right then. Well, let's get to the stands before we miss the start of the match," Luna sighed, moving a strand of hair away from her eyes, before starting to walk with the rest of the students.
"I mean, it's not that I don't want to watch out for him. I just have a lot on my mind," Damien commented as he followed her.
"So, where do you want to sit?" She asked as they walked ever closer to the stands and were confronted with a series of signs denoting house stands.
"Where? What does that mean?" Damien asked confused
"Well, most Houses sit with each other, although it isn't a requirement," Luna explained easily.
"So, do they segregate? Is Hogwarts racist?" Damien asked, confused, unbelievably.
"What? No, no, no. Is there anyone you want to sit with in particular?" She quickly replied.
"Well… you're the only Ravenclaw that likes me. And I do want to support my cousin. But I also don't know if the Gryffindors would want me." Damien said with a hint of indecisiveness in his voice.
To Damien's shock, Luna swiftly grabbed him by the sleeve and, with a mighty yank, began to pull him along the path to the Gryffindor stands. "Right, then we are off to join the Gryffindors to root for your cousin!!" She loudly proclaimed as she dragged him along.
As he was being dragged along, Damien's mind was thrown into an abyss of confusion. What was going on? Why was she so okay with sitting with a different House? Why did she care so much about his cousin? Is my hair changing color? By the time he could even start to unravel the situation in his head, he was being sat down in the midst of the Gryffindor stands, right next to his cousin's friends Ron, Hermione, and… Ginvera? Germany? Or was it Ginny? He couldn't keep track of which was the right one…
Out of the corner of his eye, he then noticed a Hufflepuff uniform. Turning his head to look, he was shocked to see two Hufflepuffs sitting in the stands near him.
"Garett? What are you doing here?" Damien asked, causing the pale Hufflepuff boy to turn to look at him.
"Oh, hallo!" He called out cheerfully, his walking stick resting comfortably on his lap as he waved. "Ich bin hier, um mir das Spiel anzusehen."
"Uhhhh…" Damien said nervously, confusion painted in his face as the Hufflepuff girl next to him leaned over.
"He said we're here to watch the match," she said with a warm smile.
"So, he didn't insult me in Russian," Damien commented
"Nein, ich bin Deutscher," Garrett explained with a proud smile.
"He said 'no, he's German.' Susan, by the way." The girl replied before offering her hand to Damien.
"Nice to meet you. Damien," he replied as he shook Susan's hand. As soon as the two finished, Damien noticed a look on Garrett's face as he watched the players assemble on the field. A look of longing mixed with a hint of jealousy. "Do you… not know how to fly?"
The innocent question seemed to catch Garrett a bit off guard, causing him to jump a bit in his seat.
"Oh… nei… no… I am… jealous... I wish to fly like them…" Garrett explained, his face warming in embarrassment.
"Oh. Well… you can always try out for the team next year," Damien said assumingly, giving the pale Hufflepuff a warm smile.
"Ja..." Garrett offered; voice coming out in a whisper.
Meanwhile: On the Quidditch Pitch with Harry
Harry let out an audible yawn as he ran out onto the pitch, covering his gaping mouth with his sleeve. He gripped his broom's handle firmly as he sloppily lined up in formation, waiting for the signal to get into the air. Part of him wished it were sunny this day. The sun always helps him wake up. Before he knew it, he felt his eyelids begin to get heavy again, and before he heard one of the upper-level students on the team call out.
"Alright, everyone! Mount up! It's almost time for the game!" The voice of Oliver Wood, the Gryffindor Quidditch team's captain, called out to them.
He looked up to see the rest of the team swiftly mounting their broomsticks and taking off. In that moment, he felt his heart begin to pump faster as the cheers from the crowd began to swell. Gripping the handle of his Nimbus 2000 broom, he rapidly mounted and took to the air. He had to push himself to catch up to the rest of his team during their formation lap. As he flew, feeling the crisp autumn air hit him, he felt his mind sharpen and clear up. He couldn't let his team down, his House down, himself down. He fought for this role and his place on this team. It didn't matter how tired he was; he was going to do this for the game he loved.
"Alright. Alright. We got this!" Harry said brashly, pounding his chest a bit to psyche himself up, and hopefully his teammates as well.
George and Fred grinned a bit at that. "Someone's excited for the match, isn't he, Fred?" George asked his twin playfully.
"Sure seems like it, George. Try to save some enthusiasm for the rest of us, Harry." Fred playfully said.
"Keep focused, lads! We're playing Ravenclaw today! They always have a plan, and they have the accuracy and technique to pull it off! Don't be afraid to get physical today!! And Fred and George, make sure to provide extra protection for Potter! He's been off in classes, and I don't want Ravenclaw taking advantage of that!" Oliver called out, his voice hitting them with a commanding, forceful tone.
"Aye, aye, captain!" The twins called out in unison, saluting their team captain.
"Harry! Keep your eyes out for the Snitch! I've got a bad feeling this is gonna be a close game!" Oliver yelled as he turned to look at Harry, his eyes looking straight at him.
Harry nodded in response before refocusing. Before them, the Ravenclaw team formed up, flying in with near-perfect coordination. Just as Oliver had feared, as they did, Snape made his way out onto the pitch before rising on his broom. Looking around, he put his wand to his own throat to amplify his voice with a spell.
"I want a nice, clean game. No cheap tricks. Understood?" Snape's monotone voice boomed out.
"Yes, Professor!" Everyone on the two teams called out in unison, nodding to show they understood.
"Good. Then let the first official Quidditch match of the year, Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw… BEGIN!" Snape announced with a monotone shout before firing up a shower of red and blue sparks into the air from his wand.
As soon as Snape said that Madam Hooch walked out with the box containing the balls in her hand. As soon as the sparks ended, she released the Bludgers and Snitch before tossing the Quaffle up high into the air. As soon as the Quaffle was released, the Chasers on both sides all took off for it. Harry and the Ravenclaw Seeker both backed off and took positions high above the pitch to keep their eyes open for the Snitch. In contrast, the Beaters kept their eyes open for the Bludgers going for any of their teammates, and the Keepers took their positions at the goal hoops.
The lead Gryffindor Chaser got to the Garrette first and snatched it out of the air. Taking off at high speed for the goals, the crimson and gold-clad Chaser dodged and weaved past the Ravenclaws with deft accuracy and speed. Seeing a Bludger coming at them, hit at them by the Ravenclaw Beater, they dodged the hit and tossed the Quaffle to a fellow Chaser who took off with it.
Tossing it to the third Gryffindor Chaser when the Ravenclaw Chasers came barreling right at them, they dashed in the way when the Ravenclaws tried to change targets. Taking off like a missile towards the goals, the third Gryffindor Chaser stopped within throwing distance and tossed the Quaffle towards the middle hoop. The Ravenclaw Keeper tried to intercept but simply missed by mere millimeters, allowing Gryffindor to get the first score of the game.
"And the first goal goes to Gryffindor! With Ravenclaw being a hairpin away from a beautiful save!" The amplified voice of the commentator Lee Jordan boomed over the cheers of the crowd.
As the scoring Gryffindor Chaser passed one of his fellow Chasers, they high fived as they turned back. The Ravenclaw Keeper retrieved the Quaffle before tossing it back into play. Immediately, the lead Ravenclaw Chaser dove in and caught it, racing towards the Gryffindor goal hoops. The three Ravenclaw Chasers formed up as they raced as one towards the goal, the other two Chasers on either side blocking any attempts at a steal by the Gryffindors. When a Gryffindor Chaser flew in the way, the lead Ravenclaw Chaser subtly passed the Quaffle to their teammate on their left as the three broke their formation. The Ravenclaw Chaser with the Quaffle flew above the intercepting Gryffindor Chaser, who took off after the lead Chaser because of the ploy.
"And it was a bloody feint!! If Ravenclaw doesn't score after a maneuver like that, I'll eat my scarf!!" Lee Jordan cried out in amazement, his voice rippling across the stones of the towers.
Meanwhile: Gryffindor Stands
"Are clothes edible in the wizarding world?" Damien asked, confused at the commentary.
"Why yes, young Damien. Our scarves are," Ron answered with a big smile.
"Ron, don't tease him," Hermione sighed in frustration.
"It doesn't taste good," Damien said with his scarf in his mouth. Luna saw this and gently pulled the scarf out of Damien's mouth.
"Right, Damien. Remember what we told you?" Ron asked, putting his hands on his sides.
"Slytherins cheat," Damien said pointedly.
"Not that! About the rules of the game!" Hermione groaned in exasperation.
"Slytherins cheat… sometimes?" Damien's response came.
Ron quickly developed a big smile as he patted Damien firmly on the shoulder. "I'm so proud of you. We've trained you well," he said with pride in his voice.
Sighing, Hermione facepalmed. "I'll explain it again. Each team has three Chasers, two Beaters, one Keeper, and one Seeker. The Chasers go after the Quaffle, the largest ball in Quidditch, which they pass around and try to get to the opponent's goal side to throw through the hoops for a score. Like one of the Ravenclaw Chasers just did." She explained as Lee Jordan's voice spoke up.
"As a recap for those in the back and off getting snacks, here's the rundown! Following a beautiful feint, Ravenclaw rode that momentum to two scores for a total of twenty points, catching Gryffindor, who countered by corralling and stealing the Quaffle from a Ravenclaw Chaser for their own score. But a penalty has been called once play has restarted! What could this possibly be!?" Lee explained, his voice spiking as the audible sounds of hair pulling came through.
Snape, his voice amplification spell catching him clear his throat, finally spoke up. "There is a 10-point penalty for Gryffindor on account of failure to dispose of the Quaffle after a score properly!" He explained, causing boos to erupt from most of the stands, even from Slytherin.
"Ooh, a nasty and obscure penalty for Gryffindor! Will Professor McGonagall try to challenge it?!" Lee Jordan called out, the flinch heard in his tone.
From the pitch, a large red flare shot up, causing chants and cheers as Dumbledore stood up from his seat. With a wave of his wand, a charm caused a great shimmering to appear over the pitch, projecting the play in finer detail. However, despite the closeness of the Ravenclaws in the score attempt, everyone could clearly see that Gryffindor did not allow the ball to return to proper play fast enough.
"Upon review, the penalty stands!" The headmaster's voice boomed. "Resume play!!"
"BBBOOOOO!!!" Most of the crowd cried out.
"What in the name of marshmallow fluff was that?" Damien asked, cocking his head to the side like an owl in confusion.
Hermione and Ron sighed. "It was a penalty. Ravenclaw tricked Gryffindor into making an illegal move and got us penalized for it." Ron reluctantly explained.
"Unfortunately, such behavior is not illegal. For Ravenclaw, technically, didn't do anything wrong." Luna chipped in, sighing and shaking her head at that.
"Okay," Damien said, eyes glued to the game.
Back on the Pitch with Harry
Harry gritted his teeth in frustration at the clever move from Ravenclaw. However, refocusing, he kept his eyes open for the Snitch. Any sign of it at all. Soon, he saw a blurry glint of gold zipped by near the stands. Realizing it was the Snitch, he took off for it like a rocket.
Seeing this, the Ravenclaw Seeker, a blonde, blue-eyed Seventh Year, took off after Harry. Determined to head him off. Looking at the Beaters, Jacob signaled the Beaters. It was time to implement the next phase of the plan.
Nodding, the Beaters rushed towards the Bludgers. Swinging with all their might, they hit the Bludgers, sending them flying towards Harry. Catching sight of the Bludgers in his line of sight, he was forced to dodge to avoid being hit, losing sight of the Snitch as Jacob flew past him towards the Snitch. Turning back in, Harry took off after the Ravenclaw Seeker to try to catch up.
Soon, the two Seekers were neck-and-neck. Trying desperately to reach the Snitch first. The two bumped into each other to try to force their opponent off course and gain a lead.
"And the two Seekers are neck-and-neck, fighting for a lead to catch the Snitch! Who will be the one to get it first?!" Lee Jordan called out in excitement.
Back in the Gryffindor Stands
"What's Potter doing!? Knock him out of the way!!" Albert cried out, hopping up and down the best he could on his short legs to be able to see.
"Why doesn't a Beater knock a Bludger at him while the other dive bombs them to give Harry a better shot? The defense seems air-tight at the goal," Damien pointed out.
"Knowing what Ravenclaw's got cooked up, it's likely that penalty has gotten in their heads. If they try, who's to say that that isn't part of the plan?" Ron explained, growling it out in frustration.
"But with the 150 points catching the Snitch would give you, wouldn't the risk be worth it in the long run?" Damien pointed out, weighing the options.
Ron smiled, impressed. "You've got a good head for Quidditch strategy, Damien. Yes, it would. I just hope that the team can right themselves and come up with the same plan…" He said as they looked back down at the game.
Meanwhile: In the Air Above the Pitch
Harry gritted his teeth as he tried to get past the Ravenclaw Seeker. However, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something. Wood was signaling something to Fred and George from the Gryffindor goal hoops. As if they understood immediately, Fred split off from George and flew upward. With a swing of his Beater's bat, George sent a Bludger flying in the direction of the Seekers while Fred came diving down.
With a smirk, Harry caught onto the plan. Changing course, he swerved away just as Fred came down, positioning himself where he had just been. As if they saw it coming, the Ravenclaw Seeker - who Harry recalled was named Jacob Knight - flew up out of the path of the Bludger. Knight smirked at Harry and George.
"Is that the best plan you can come up with, Gryffindor?!" The boy called out tauntingly.
Harry's smirk grew as he pointed behind the opposing Seeker. "No. That is." Harry replied gleefully.
The Ravenclaw boy raised an eyebrow in confusion. However, what he didn't see coming was Fred hitting the Bludger up at him from behind. The Bludger shot through the air at him like a bullet fired from a gun as it slammed into the side of his stomach. The force of the impact knocked him off course as he cried out, spinning out of control as Harry took back off for the Snitch.
"Oooh, and a spectacular move by Potter and the Weasley twins! Knight is definitely going to feel that in the morning," Lee Jordan called out, his voice laced with sympathy at the mention of the disoriented Seeker.
With Knight out of the way, Harry set himself hot on the trail of the Golden Snitch. Catching sight of it again, he pushed his trusty Nimbus 2000 as far as it could, trying his best to catch up. Desperately, the Ravenclaw Beaters tried to hit the Bludgers at Harry, attempting to knock him off course and keep him away from the Snitch. Catching sight of the approaching Bludgers out of the corner of his eye, Harry prepared to swerve aside only for Fred and George to come up behind him and hit the Bludgers away.
The twin impacts sent the Bludgers slamming into two of the Ravenclaw Chasers, knocking the wind out of them as Fred and George looked back at Harry with twin grins and nods. Grinning back over his shoulder, Harry sped back up and closed in on the Snitch.
"Ohhh! That had to hurt! In a stunning move, the Ravenclaw Beaters try to take Potter out of the game, only for the Weasley twins to pull off a marvelous interception and turn the move against Ravenclaw's Chasers! Is this it? Can Potter grab the Snitch before something else happens?!" Lee Jordan announced with a mix of excitement at the maneuver and sympathy for the two Ravenclaw Chasers.
A smile on his face, Harry kept up the chase as he followed the Snitch. Soon, as it began coming within his range, he reached out and tried to grab the Snitch. As it got closer, Harry could practically taste the sweet flavor of a Gryffindor victory on his tongue.
Meanwhile: Back in the Stands
"Genius! Damien, they didn't just follow your plan! They added to it!" Ron called out excitedly.
Luna smiled a bit. "And now Harry is about to win the game for Gryffindor." She said with a touch of joy.
"Good job, guys! Now bring it on home!" Damien called out, surprising the others with his uncharacteristic enthusiasm as he noticed their looks and blushed. "I mean… go, Ravenclaw…?"
Back in the Air Above the Pitch
Harry went into a dive as the Snitch dove down to escape him. Letting the speed of his broom and the force of gravity carry him, he finally grabbed the Snitch and pulled up out of his dive. Flying above the grass of the pitch, he flew back up, raising the Snitch high. Gryffindor had won.
"He's done it! Harry Potter has caught the Golden Snitch! In a stunning one-sided victory, Gryffindor has won the first Hogwarts Quidditch game of the year!" Lee Jordan announced excitedly.
A roar of cheers erupted from the crowd as they applauded the Gryffindor team, especially their star Seeker. Even some Slytherins reluctantly joined in on the applause, if only to look good in front of the other Houses and the staff. Cheers of "Go, go, Gryffindor!" could be heard from the crowd as Jacob Knight flew up to meet Harry, clutching his stomach.
"That was… an amazing move, Potter. You and the Weasleys really got us with that one." Knight replied, extending his hand out while sitting atop his broom.
Looking down at the respectful gesture from his opponent, Harry smiled and took Knight's hand. Shaking it, the two Seekers ended the game on a show of respect.
In the Stands
"We won!" Ron cheered happily.
"Still, it wasn't easy. Ravenclaw had a good strategy." Hermione replied with a smile, looking at Luna and Damien.
"YEAH, WE DID! … I'm cheering for the wrong team, aren't I?" Damien added sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.
Luna giggled. "Yes. Yes, you are. I take it you like Quidditch?" She replied.
"It's basically flying dodgeball with extreme rules. So yeah, it seems fun," Damien replied with a weird mix of excitement and composure.
Later: After the Game
"Hmm," the noise came out of Damien's mouth as he stared at a broom that was left lying on the pitch after the game, thoughts running through his head.
His mind was still reeling from the game. That was the happiest he had seen his cousin in months. The freest. As if the troubles of his life had been left on the ground while he soared through the air like a bird, as untamed as the wind.
From watching the game for himself, he finally got it. Why flying appealed to his cousin so much. But it demanded something. An emotional steadiness, trust, and inner peace, an internal quiet that Damien himself didn't know if he had. He could tell that Harry already did, though… and part of Damien envied that.
Looking at the broom before him, he grasped it and looked it over. Giving a smile, he shook his head and put it away. As he did, he walked past his cousin as Harry walked back with the Gryffindor team, now in his school uniform robes and obviously looking to meet up with his friends. Giving a smile at Harry as his cousin talked and joked with the rest of the Gryffindor team, Damien could already tell that Harry would be sleeping well tonight, the shadows of nightmares held at bay for now.
Looking down at the broom, Damien mounted it and flew low towards the supply shed as he went to make sure it was locked up. Calming down and settling his mind, he had made his choice. Next year would be his year, not as an escape… but for the love of the game.