A/N: Well here's your first quidditch game, I hope you like it! Oh yeah, and there's some fluff thrown in there as well…
*****
Chapter 34
Taking in a large sniff of the cool breeze that enveloped the quidditch stadium, Harry straddled his broom and kicked off towards the open skies. The crowd screamed in delight as the new announcer, Kerry Wood, the first-year brother of legendary Gryffindor Quidditch Captain Oliver Wood, announced the starting line-ups.
"And the biggest surprise today is that Harry Potter is no longer riding his faithful Firebolt, as it was destroyed last year by that frog-woman," Harry noted with a smile that McGonogall did not berate young Kerry for this snippet. At the surprised gasps heard from the crowd, Kerry continued with a grin.
"He will instead be riding a broom of his own creation - The Marauder! It's a true mystery how brilliant of a broom this will be but we will find out soon. Harry Potter has only lost but one game in all of his Hogwarts days, and it was an iffy loss as it was, Potter was unconscious on the ground when the snitch was caught by the late Cedric Diggory." He paused for a small moment of silence. Though they had a formal moment of silence at Hufflepuff's first game the year before, they still found it necessary to honor his name when necessary.
Kerry started talking again in a flash. "Harry has been the most successful seeker this school has ever seen, even Charlie Weasley has been quoted to saying that Potter is far better than he ever was. Also-"
"Kerry, would you kindly focus on maybe some of the other players biographies while we wait for the balls to be released?" McGonogall said, clicking her tongue impatiently.
Kerry cleared his voice and muttered, "Oh yeah…um…well, that Cho Chang is okay I suppose…" His eyes lit up and his voice got bigger. "But she sure is one of the best looking girls in the school!"
Most of the crowd either laughed or rolled their eyes, and before McGonogall could berate him further, Madam Hooch had come to the middle of the field. "Oh! And the chasers take their positions, as do the beaters - Gryffindor now boasting two new beaters - sixth years Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan - as replacements for the fabulous Weasley twins. Speaking of Weasley's - Ron is still strong between the hoops, and apparently Ginny is a very adept chaser, and along with veteran Katie Bell and the ever-energetic Colin Creevey, the Gryffindor's seem to once again be the team to beat this year."
"Kerry, could you at least pretend to not be completely biased in this game?"
The young Wood groaned. "But the Gryffindor's are so much more interesting - oh! Hooch has released the snitch, and now the bludgers, and finally the quaffle is up - and the game begins!"
Harry immediately took to flying over the field of play, watching intensely for the snitch, while listening to the young Gryffindor's surprisingly brilliant commentary. "The quaffle is taken by the veteran Bell in true Gryffindor fashion. She gives Ravenclaw captain Roger Davies a quick nip and tuck slip, and she's free heading towards the left hoop!"
The crowd roared as Katie streaked to the opposing team's hoops. "And here she comes, Ravenclaw keeper David James positioning himself securely in front of the left goal-hoop, Katie Bell streaks up - and she passes by! No! She hurls a backward pass to a speeding Ginny Weasley by the far right hoop, James has no chance - GOAL TO GRYFFINDOR!"
The Gryffindors all cheered and Harry did a quick fist pump before once again looking for the snitch. Cho was trailing him closely, but eventually she came up and flew next to him.
"So things with you and Hermone are quite good I hear?"
Harry was surprised not only at the question, but at the sincerity of her voice. Harry gave the only answer that he could. "Yes. I lover her and she loves me. That's all there is to it."
Cho sighed next to him. "I only wonder, had I not been so horrible last year, do you think we could have ever had that?"
Harry was taken by surprise again and looked at her questionably. "Honestly Cho, no, I don't. one way or another I was always going to end up with Hermione. I dunno how long I've lover her, it just took me till this summer to realize it."
Cho's face had reddened next to him. "So what are you saying? That I wasn't good enough for you? You honestly believe that ugly, pathetic perennial bookworm is better for you than me?"
Harry was shocked to say the least, he was about ready to give Cho a literal death stare when he held back, trying to keep his temper. "Goodbye Cho."
He dove away from her and into the fray of chasers. He couldn't retaliate on Cho illegally, so he sped in front of one of the Ravenclaw beaters, hoping to draw his attention.
Cho followed him of course, presumably trying to irk him more and improve her minute possibility of beating Harry to the snitch. What she didn't know was that while on a broom, Harry was an even quicker and more cunning thinker than Hermione. She also didn't know that Harry's broom was unbreakable.
Harry sped towards the ground, looking to the crowd like he was trying to shake Cho off, which he could have done easily, but he held back so that he could have a bludger hit towards him.
Harry grinned as his wish was granted. "Harry! Bludger on your left!" Screamed Colin Creevey from above him. Harry gave a wicked grin to the young chaser and waited…waited…Cho was still trailing him…finally the bludger was within ten feet, and gasps were heard throughout the crowd as Harry swung his legs off the broom and pulled his broom level, swinging it with all his might at the bludger.
His efforts paid off, and with a loud crack the bludger was sent flying at Cho. An even louder crack was heard when Cho's perfect little nose broke when the bludger came into contact with her face.
Harry immediately dove to catch her before she fell, succeeding before she hit the ground, and laying her down gently, he whispered, "Don't you ever speak ill of Hermione or any of my friends ever again."
He wasn't sure if she had heard him on the count of her being unconscious, but he was sure she got the message.
Over the loud speaker, Kerry was crying with mirth. "BLOODY BRILLIANT! THAT WAS THE MOST AMAZING TRICK I'VE EVER SEEN! INCREDABLE! DID YOU GET A PHOTO OF THAT DENNIS? THAT IS A PLAY THAT WE WILL BE SEEING OVER AND OVER FOR YEARS TO COME!"
The Gryffindor's were all cheering hysterically while the Ravenclaws fumed in anger, most of it coming from the fact that they knew what Harry did was perfectly legal.
"And now after that incredible display of talent, back to the flow of play, where Gryffindor leads 40-10, Ravenclaw seeker Terry Boot was able to sneak one by the amazing Ron Weasley, who has already amounted twelve saves!"
Harry still had not spotted the snitch, but he flew back to his stationary position while Cho was taken care of down on the field. Ravenclaw had called a time-out, obviously, and Harry used that time to check for the snitch.
He only felt a slight twinge of guilt when Cho finally flew back onto the field - as far away from Harry as humanly possible - with a large brace on her nose. She was sporting a black eye as well.
"Okay, now that Cho knows who's boss-"
"Kerry!"
"Okay, sorry, jeez, anyways, Ginny Weasley on the quaffle. She ducks under Boot, gives a quick pass to Colin - that little mouse has some speed, let me tell ya! Creevey streaking towards the hoop, Davies closing in…Colin pulls a textbook corkscrew flip, he's behind the goal hoops now, he shoots through the right hoop and hurls it behind him, James no where in sight…GOAL TO GRYFFINDOR!"
Ten minutes later Harry still had yet to see the snitch, but he caught sight of a hint of gold and a blue robe on a broom behind it. "D*mn!" He yelled, and took off towards Cho and the snitch.
"Oh! And Cho is behind the snitch! Now we get to see the first true test of Harry's broom and - wow!" The crowd was in a stunned silence as Harry caught up to Cho in a matter of seconds.
"That is the fastest broom I have ever seen! Incredible! Harry Potter just pulled back 200 meters on Cho -who is riding a Comet 300, the newest line - in less than three seconds! And now he's pulled ahead! Cho looks on in disbelief as Potter closes in - YES! He's caught the snitch! Gryffindor wins 220-30!"
Harry immediately turned to the stands and spotted Hermione scurrying to the ground fighting the crowd, leaving many wincing people in her wake. Apparently she had developed one mean elbow over the years.
Harry saved her the trouble and flew straight to her, she saw him coming and grinned, and he picker up in his arms and circled the crowd.
"Hey you," Hermione said grinning, as she hugged him tightly.
"Hi, so do I get a celebratory snog?"
Hermione grinned and leaned in, stopping centimeters in front of his lips. She sniffed a few times and scrunched her face up in disgust, then pulled back with a smirk. "You're all stinky, I'm not kissing you until you get a shower."
"Aww, okay, but I dunno if I can wait that long. Care to join me?" He grinned at her as she made her traditional McGonogall face.
"I'm not that easy, Mr. Potter."
Harry pouted and stuck his tongue out at her playfully.
"Oh yeah, very mature Harry, sticking your tongue out and all."
He smirked at her and retorted with, "I didn't hear you complaining last time I stuck my tongue out at you." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and succeeded in making Hermione give a deep blush.
"Er…well, um…that was a er, different situation…"
"Ooh, nice save Scarlet."
She glared at him again, and he laughed before pressing his lips to hers. She resisted at first, but eventually she succumbed and returned the kiss with all the passion that she could, neither of them caring that the entire student body was watching them from below.
*****
The party in Gryffindor Tower that night was brilliant. Dennis had had the pictures from the match developed already, and Dean and Seamus had enlarged the one of Cho being bashed in the face to banner size while it was charmed to say different things, the favorite being (and Seamus was very proud of this discovery) 'Take that Cho the hoe!'
A few hours into the party, Dean and Seamus came into the common room (they had left unnoticed an hour earlier) with a crate of firewhiskey. "One each for everyone on the team!" Dean announced excitedly, throwing Harry the first bottle.
He popped the top off and was about to down a gulp when Hermione went to scary mode. "Harry Potter! If you think for one moment that I'm going to sit here and allow you to drink that UNDER AGE, IN SCHOOL, then you are sorely mistaken! Get rid of that right now Potter!"
Harry, who had faced Voldemort four times in his life, and come away from all of them alive, had never been so scared in all his life as he was at Hermione's glare at that moment.
He quietly shoved his bottle to an eager Parvati, while lowering his head. "Yes maam."
Dean and Seamus fell to the floor in laughter while Ron made loud whipping noises behind them. Hermione turned her glare to them.
"Well at least Harry has a girlfriend to be whipped by you insufferable gits!"
That shut them up, and it was Parvati, Lavender, and Ginny's turn to laugh uncontrollably.
Hermione rolled her eyes at all the antics and turned her attention back on her fiancée. "Come on Harry, let's go upstairs and away from this madness."
He quickly agreed and they started to ascend the stairs to the boy's dormitory when Neville, of all people, yelled after them, "You better make it a quickie cuz I'm tired and I wanna get to bed soon!"
The common room exploded, even more so when Dean added, "What? With Harry it's always a quickie!"
Hermione locked her jaw as she continued up the stairs, firmly grasping Harry's hand, while his other one, unbeknownst to her, was up in the air behind him, giving Dean and Neville a solid view of his middle finger.
Harry and Hermione finally reached Harry's dorm and collapsed on his bed. Hermione grinned mischievously at him as she crawled on top of him, playfully nipping at his ears and planting a few chaste kisses on his mouth.
"Now for that celebratory snog…"
*****
A/N: Well it was short, but I can't go on about quidditch forever, although I do promise that the next one'll be longer.