CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
THE BADGER AND THE LION
Harry was awake early the next morning. The second match this year was to start in a few short hours. Hufflepuff had a new team and Gryffindor was to play against them today. Harry's first loss came two years ago when Cedric Diggory caught the snitch after Harry had fallen off of his broom because of a Dementor attack. Cedric died the next year at the hands of Voldemort through his servant Wormtail. Harry had brought his body back after the fight and flight from the Dark Lord but he didn't like to think about that time often.
Harry made his way down to the common room where Hermione had fallen asleep in her large Arithmancy book. Crookshanks was purring softly next to her in one of the chairs. He smiled at his girlfriend and shook her gently awake.
"Psst, hey, Hermione, why don't you go up to your room?" He whispered in her ear.
Hermione woke slowly and shook her head. "I should be studying. We've been in and out of school so much lately that we've both fallen behind."
"I'll be caught up tomorrow." He said with a wry grin. "Get some sleep so you'll have the strength to study later today."
She looked up at her boyfriend. "Wise words coming from someone who has a big match today." She said with a smile.
"I'll get some more sleep." Harry admitted. "I just got a bit hungry and thought that I'd head down to the kitchens for a bit to eat."
"You and Ron have been eating quite a bit recently." Hermione said after a moment. "Do you think that Ron could be an animagus too? He eats far more than you do and has been for a while."
"I don't know." Harry replied thoughtfully. "I mean, I know I'm an animagus now and I've eaten a lot before ... We could always ask Professor McGonagall to test him."
Hermione nodded.
"Is there anything you want me to bring up from the kitchens? Or would you rather accompany me?" Harry asked after a moment or two of silence.
"I'm fine, Harry." Hermione smiled as she stifled a yawn. "It's not even four yet, that gives me a couple hours to take your advice and get some more sleep."
Harry laughed. "You listened to me?" He gasped.
Hermione elbowed him as she got up. "I listen, you know." She said with a playful grin. "I'll see you at the match if I'm not up earlier, ok?"
Harry smiled. "That's fine." He took her in his arms and kissed her. She was so startled by the move that she let out a little squeak before she too had her arms around him. They both started laughing.
"Why must you do that?" She asked after a moment as she tried to catch her breath.
"I like to hear it." He said with a mischievous grin. "It keeps me entertained, you know?"
"Oh, go get something to eat!" She said with a playful dismissing motion with her hand. "Do you think I'm here to entertain you?"
"Not particularly." He said truthfully. "But it is a nice fringe benefit."
He didn't know what hit him. One moment he's chuckling and the next he's rolling on the floor laughing hysterically with Hermione on top of him tickling like there was no tomorrow. He tickled back and they found themselves in an uneasy truce. He looked up at his girlfriend, breathing hard as his laughter began to fade. She was looking down at him, also breathing hard, and her giggles were slowly fading as well. Suddenly everything became serious and they found themselves in the middle of a passionate kiss when someone at the girl's dormitory cleared their throat. They broke apart quickly, their faces laden with sweat and embarrassment.
"Could you guys get a room or something?" Ginny said as she burst into a fit of giggles. "Your laughing woke me up. You're just lucky that it wasn't Professor McGonagall who found you."
The couple smiled at each other sheepishly and got to their feet.
"Sorry we woke you." Harry stammered.
Hermione continued to blush as she gathered her books into her bag.
"It's ok." Ginny said after a moment. "I thought I'd get something to eat while I was up anyway."
Harry looked at Hermione for a moment. "I was just heading down there myself. Hermione's heading to bed, want to grab something?"
"Sure." Ginny said simply.
Harry gave his girlfriend a peck on the cheek and told her that he'd be back in a few minutes and if she wasn't there when he got back for her to have sweet dreams.
Harry and Ginny were soon walking down to the kitchens together, he fully dressed and she in a green robe. They had walked most of the way in silence until Ginny spoke.
"So how are things going with you and Hermione?" She asked quietly.
"They ... um ... They're going well." Harry replied nervously. Ginny hadn't said much to him since the night he told her that he loved Hermione.
"That's good, Harry." She said with a small smile. "She seems to be really happy with you."
"I'm sorry, Ginny." Harry blurted. "I'm really sorry that I did that to you."
Ginny laughed softly. "I'm alright, Harry. I hoped that I had been able to get you instead of Hermione, but I was wrong. I-I guess I'll be fine with us as friends."
Harry smiled at her. "I'm still sorry." He repeated but his spirits had been lifted a bit. "It'll probably take some time to get somewhat back to normal. I'm just surprised that you didn't take it harder than this."
Ginny blushed and looked away just as they reached the portrait that concealed the kitchens. Harry didn't notice her move and reached up to tickle the pear. The portrait opened quietly and the two friends stepped into the kitchen.
"Harry Potter, sir!" Dobby said in reverence. "What brings you to the kitchen, sir?"
Harry smiled at his diminutive friend. "We were hungry and thought we'd pop in for a bit of a snack." He admitted.
Before the two of them knew what was going on, several House-Elves had already laid out platters and plates full of biscuits, rolls, and muffins along with a large bowl of assorted fruits.
"You guys sure do a good job." Ginny said as she walked over to the table.
"Thanks." Harry said as he clapped Dobby on the shoulder which caused the House-Elf to stumble forward a step. Dobby seemed to be overjoyed that a wizard treated him as if he were an equal and nearly fainted at what came next.
"Does anyone want to join us for a bit to eat?" Harry asked the assembled elves. "There's a lot of food here."
Dobby was the first to join him and tentatively took a muffin. "You are a great wizard, sir." Dobby said through the tears that were starting to form in his eyes. "No wizard has ever asked a House-Elf to sit down at the same table to eat, sir."
Harry smiled. "You're my friend, Dobby." He said and Dobby broke down in tears again. "Everyone else can join us if they want as well."
A few more House-Elves walked slowly to the table and sat down. With trembling hands, they each took something small to nibble on. Every one of them watched Harry's reaction with baited breath. When he smiled and encouraged them to enjoy themselves, they broke down in fits of tears.
"Harry Potter is a generous wizard!" One wailed as he wiped his tears away.
"Such a great and kind wizard!" Cried another.
After a few moments nearly the entire House-Elf staff was around the table thanking Harry for his generosity and selflessness. Harry was blushing profusely and Ginny was giggling at his reaction. After they all had at least one muffin, roll, or other morsel, another round was quickly set on the table.
Winky walked up to the table quietly, a look of shyness on her face.
"Hello, Winky." Harry said with a smile. "How have you been?"
The little Elf looked up at Harry and it looked as if she were going to cry. "Winky is doing fine, sir." She sniffled. "I still am missing my master but Professor Dumbledore is being a fine master too." She wiped away the tears that had started rolling down her cheeks.
Harry handed her a napkin. "I'm sorry that things ended up the way they did. I wish a lot of things hadn't happened the way they did." He put his hand on her shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Everything will be fine, Winky."
She burst into tears and blew her nose on the napkin Harry had handed her. "You is being a nice wizard, Harry Potter, sir. Thank you."
Harry smiled at her reassuringly then stifled a yawn. "I should be going back for some more sleep. I've got a big game later today."
"We is rooting for you, sir!" Dobby said with excitement in his voice.
"Thanks, but if you want to cheer me on, cheer on the entire team. I don't do it all on my own." Harry said with a laugh.
Dobby grinned and looked at the floor for a moment then back to Harry who was just getting to his feet with Ginny following behind him.
"Have a good night everyone, thanks for the food, it was very good as always." Harry said with a wave as he let Ginny out the door. He followed after a moment and they could hear the House-Elves all saying goodnight to him through the portrait.
"I think you're picking up a loyal following, Harry." Ginny giggled as they made their way back to the Gryffindor common room.
"Well, I'm just being polite." He said with a slight grin. "I'm not a great person or anything, just being nice to others."
Ginny shook her head but didn't say anything as they got to the portrait of the fat lady.
"MANDRAKE" Harry said to the dozing woman in the portrait. She opened one eye, yawned then rolled over as the portrait swung open. The two friends entered their common room and retreated to their respective rooms.
Ron shook his friend awake a few hours later. "Harry, we should get down to breakfast before we hit the pitch."
"Ok, ok, I'm getting up." Harry mumbled. He quickly dressed and made his way to the great hall to find the rest of the team had already started breakfast. Hermione waved him over to her and he took a seat next to his girlfriend.
"Did you get enough sleep?" She asked as she passed him the sausage.
"I thought I would but I feel drained." He admitted to her. He looked down the table to Ginny who seemed to be going through the same thing. "I guess Ginny and I were in the kitchens later than we planned." He yawned.
Hermione nodded. "She told me about how you treated the House-Elves, Harry." She beamed at him. "Do you think that they want their freedom yet?"
Harry shook his head. "I think that they're happy where they are." He told her truthfully. "I know you don't like how they're kept in slavery, but somehow I don't think they view it that way." He glanced at her and noted that she wasn't looking happy.
"Dobby loves being free though." She started. "Why do the others not see that and want to join him?"
Harry thought for a few moments. "Maybe they are happy in their own way." He offered. "You have to admit, they are treated rather well here. Dobby had to deal with the Malfoys. I think that if the others had to go through that, they would want freedom too. Look at Winky; she's still upset about not being with the Crouches." He paused and looked at his girlfriend. She was listening to everything he said. "I'm sure you can guess that they rather enjoy working here." He finished.
Hermione looked at her plate and Harry knew she was considering what he'd said. "I still think it's wrong to imprison or enslave them." She said after a few moments. "And I still want to help them to get freedom."
Harry laughed. "I know." He said. "There's still a place for S.P.E.W. I think you should let them have some time to think about it first and not try to push it on them."
She smiled. "I did get a little pushy when I started, didn't I?" She said with a laugh. "I did learn how to knit after working on all those hats though."
Harry laughed. "They're doing some good. Dobby must have the warmest head of all the Elves."
Hermione laughed aloud and the two worked on their breakfast.
"It's time we head down to the locker rooms." Ron said from the other side of the table. "Let's see what Hufflepuff is made of."
The Gryffindor team got to their feet and made their way across the school grounds to the Quidditch pitch. Harry was feeling more nervous than usual. This is the first time I've played against Hufflepuff since Cedric was captain ... He thought glumly to himself. "I wonder how Justin is as seeker ..." He said aloud.
"Well," Ron started in a conspiratorial fashion. "I hear that he's not too bad. Not as good as you, of course, he's stuck with a school broom and he hasn't got the experience." Ron put in quickly. "To tell you the truth, I'm not sure what to expect from them, nearly the entire team is new."
Harry nodded. "Well, I guess that's good news. I was just thinking that it's been a while since I've played against the Hufflepuff team. With my ban last year, I didn't get the chance."
"They're not too bad." Ron admitted. "We did win against them last year but just barely. It would have been better with you on the team."
Harry smiled. "I'm here now, aren't I?"
"Oh, and watch out for bludgers this time, won't you Harry?" Ginny put in with a giggle.
"Oh, I don't think I have to worry about that with Hufflepuff, but I will keep an eye open this time." Harry replied with a grin.
The banter was interrupted by the shuffling of hundreds of feet in the stands above them and the tuning of the announcer's megaphone.
"Testing, testing ... It's working. Welcome to the second match of Hogwarts Quidditch season!" Lee boomed from the announcer's box.
"Alright, we're better than these guys." Ron said as they made their way to the pitch entrance. "If you can get the snitch as quick as you can, Harry, we'll be a shoe-in!"
"Today we have Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff!"
Harry nodded as the door to the pitch opened and they all mounted their brooms.
"As always, the fabulous Gryffindors are: Weasley, Weasley, Potter, Hooper, McDonald, Kirke, and Sloper! They have one of the best seekers the school has seen in a long time! Nice catch last time, Potter!" Lee said in his usual non-biased way. "And here comes Hufflepuff: Smith, Cauldwell, Macmillan, Whitby, Branstone, Madley, and a new seeker Finch-Fletchley!"
Both teams soared over the roaring crowds. The Slytherins were booing the Gryffindors as always and some were even cheering the Hufflepuffs. A lion's roar came from the Ravenclaw stands.
"The teams take their positions as Madam Hooch enters the pitch!"
"I want a nice clean game up there today!" The referee said. "Captains, shake hands!"
Ron and Smith shook hands and returned to their positions.
"There go the bludgers and the snitch! And the Quaffle has been released!"
Harry zoomed as high as he could and began scanning the pitch for the snitch. He saw Finch-Fletchley do the same. I wonder if he's going to tail me like Malfoy does. Harry thought. Let's test him. Harry shot off in a random direction and looked back to see Justin hot on his tail but then his pursuer did something unexpected, he veered off to the right. Harry looked and saw the snitch and Justin was heading right for it.
"It looks like an early sighting of the snitch by the Hufflepuff seeker!" Lee shouted excitedly over the roar of the crowd.
Harry turned his Firebolt immediately and shot like a bullet after the golden orb.
BING!
"Gryffindor scores! That's ten-zero to Gryffindor!"
Harry was now neck and neck with Justin. The Hufflepuff seeker seemed to get suddenly nervous and put on more speed when he saw that Harry was going to get there first.
"Hufflepuff scores ten points to tie the game!" Lee shouted. "The seekers are neck and neck! Who's going to win this match?"
A bludger shot between the snitch and the seekers and they lost sight of the elusive ball.
"SORRY HARRY!" Jack Sloper called as the bludger turned and barely missed one of the Hufflepuff chasers.
Harry just waved to him showing he was alright and looked around for the snitch again.
"Good control with that bludger, Sloper! That's let Weasley score another goal! Gryffindor twenty, Hufflepuff ten!"
Harry was watching Justin as much as he was watching for the snitch. He's pretty good. Harry thought to himself. He decided he'd give the other team's seeker a harder time finding the snitch and started blocking him whenever he started forward.
"Nice block by Weasley! Who knew you could use a Sloth Grip that way!"
Harry looked over at Ron and saw the glint of gold dead center of one of the goal hoops. Without a second thought, he shot off.
"The Gryffindor seeker seems to have found the snitch! This match is almost over!"
Harry could feel that Justin was right behind him again.
"Good shot by Macmillan! Hufflepuff ties with Gryffindor!"
The snitch shot to the ground and Harry followed like a guided missile. Fletchley pulled up along side him.
"The seekers are neck and neck again! How's Fletchley keeping up with that Firebolt?"
Harry reached for the small golden orb at the same time that Justin did and the whistle blew!
"Game over!" Madam Hooch Cried.
The crowd sounded confused.
"Who Won?" Someone shouted from the Hufflepuff stands.
Everyone waited with baited breath as the two seekers set down in the middle of the pitch right in front of the referee. She examined the hold on the snitch and scratched her head.
"The game has tied!" She shouted.
"INCREDIBLE!" Lee shouted over the renewed roar of the crowd. "This is the first time that a Quidditch match has tied at Hogwarts! To break the tie, one of the seekers has to score a goal with the Quaffle!"
Harry shook Justin's hand. "Good catch, Justin!" He smiled.
"Thanks, Harry, same to you!" Justin smiled back and they both mounted their brooms.
"The seekers will have to avoid the bludgers and make it past the other team's keeper! This will be taken in turn until there is a scoring shot!"
Finch-Fletchley went first. He evaded the bludgers with ease and tried a double-feint on Ron. Ron, who had been practicing with Hooper saw it coming and blocked the shot without breaking a sweat.
"Denied! Good move there, Weasley!" Lee shouted as Harry took his place. There was a characteristic lion roar in the Ravenclaw stands and Harry had to laugh.
Harry was passed the Quaffle and he shot to the Hufflepuff goals. Right before he got to the bludger attack area, he went into a steep and sudden dive.
"What's up with Potter?"
The crowed gasped as Harry pulled out of the dive and shot into the goal area at the last minute, completely avoiding the bludgers and to everyone's cheers, the Hufflepuff keeper as well.
"Potter has scored! BRILLIANT MOVE! Gryffindor wins the match!"
Harry made his way to the center of the pitch where Ron, Ginny, and the others collided with him in a massive group hug.
"Brilliant move, Harry!" Natalie shouted over the rest of the cheers as the team descended to the ground.
"Maybe we should move you to chaser!" Ron shouted in a laugh. The whole of their house spilled into the pitch and surrounded their team as they landed.
Harry turned around and caught Hermione in a big hug and twirled around laughing. He stopped and looked at Ron with a confused look.
"What is it?" Hermione asked with a laugh.
Harry pointed at his red-haired friend and Hermione turned to look. She gasped. Ron had been holding Luna in the air and brought her down into a huge hug and kiss; his friends staring at him with their mouths agape. Ron looked up and saw them then broke away from Luna with a face as red as his hair and a sheepish grin playing under his freckled nose. Luna blushed lightly but didn't let go of her boyfriend.