The next morning I sleep in late, only until Angelina and Katie come into the dormitory to shake me awake, shouting at me that I have only an hour before the game.

Groggily I take a short shower before I head out of the dormitory and down to the pitch without breakfast.

It's obvious that it was storming last night due to the soggy grass. The wind is howling though, with thunder still booming through the air, and the fog is thick. When I'm half-way down to the pitch, the rain starts again. I sigh, this game is going to be hard. Not to mention that Cedric is bigger than me, and not just because he is a boy.

I run faster and by the time I get to the Gryffindor change rooms, everyone is already changed into their scarlet robes.

"Where have you been, Sarah?" Wood scolds, as I enter the room.

"Well, I didn't realise the time when Angelina and Katie came and woke me up," I say angrily and I go and change into my own set of robes.

I grab my Nimbus 2000 as sit down next to Harry, waiting for Wood's usual, pre-game pep talk; but it doesn't come. So we sit, silently, waiting for our cue to move onto the pitch. I start to tap my knees, waiting to go. I don't know why I'm this nervous, it's just Hufflepuff. But I've never played in this harsh of weather. The most I can do is try.

The wind has become even stronger since ten minutes ago when I came down the the pitch. All seven of us stagger sideways onto the pitch, hearing the yells of the crowd, cheering for us.

The rain and fog are so dense now, that I can hardly see how I am going to find the snitch. I can hardly even see fifteen feet in front of me. The most I can see is the bright yellow robes of the Hufflepuff team coming onto the field from the other side of the pitch.

Maybe if I focus on the cheering of the crowd, instead of the loud roars of thunder, taking my mind off the game.

When both teams hit the centre of the pitch, Oliver and Cedric shake hands. Cedric smiles, but Oliver doesn't do anything, he just nods.

I look to Madam Hooch, who I can see mouth the words 'mount your brooms.'

I pull my right foot out of the mud and swing it over my Nimbus. I see Madam Hooch's whistle reach her lips, and when I hear nothing but the pounding in my ears, and see all the other players take off, I follow their lead.

As soon as I rise off the ground, my broom starts to swerve slightly with the wind. I try to steady it, but my hands shake from the cold and nerves.

I start to circle the pitch, trying to find the snitch. But I can hardly see through the fog. How am I going to find the tiny snitch that is the size of a golf ball in this?

I feel blind, without being able to see my teammates or the snitch. I can't even hear the commentary over the fierce winds and roaring thunder.

At times I feel like I have seen a flash of gold, but then it's gone. I can't keep playing like this.

When the first lightning strike hits, I hear Madam Hooch's whistle. I don't know how I heard it, but I shoot toward the ground.

I race over to the rest of the team who are now huddling under a large umbrella at the edge of the pitch.

"Under here, Sarah!" Wood shouts to me over the wind. "I called for time-out!"

I get under the umbrella, where Harry is furiously scrubbing at his glasses, and the others are shivering in the cold.

"What's the score?" I ask, folding my arms, shivering.

"We're fifty points up," Wood says. "But unless you catch the snitch, we'll be playing into the night."

"I'm trying, but it's even hard to see you guys up there, let alone the snitch," I say.

"I can't do anything with these on," Harry suddenly says. "I've dropped the quaffle four times now."

Isn't there a spell that can repel water? Improvise....Impervius!

"Harry, give me your glasses," I say quickly, snatching them out of his hands. "Impervius!"

I hand them back to him, beaming. "Here, they'll repel water now."

Looking amazed, he takes them and puts them back on.

"Brilliant!" Wood says to me, looking proud. "But Sarah, I need you to look harder."

"I'll try my best," I say, saluting him.

"Ok, let's go for it!" Wood says and we go back to the game.

After I take off the second time, I see the fog as thinned slightly. Smiling, I start to search more thoroughly.

Another clap of thunder is followed by forked lightning. Nope, this is getting more dangerous. I need to find this snitch quickly.

I turn around to go back to the centre of the pitch. At that moment, another flash of lightning illuminates the stands, and I see a silhouette. A big, shaggy black dog, sitting in the back of the stands. I gasp. Is that the Grim?

"Sarah!" I hear wood yell out from below. "Sarah, behind you!"

I look behind myself to see a flash of gold and yellow zoom past me. Panicking, I streak after Cedric.

Zooming toward the snitch, now neck-and-neck with Diggory, something odd happens. The cheering from the stands begin to fade into an eerie silence. What's going on? Is someone hurt?

Then, a horribly familiar wave of cold sweeps over me and I look down to see something, moving on the pitch below. At least a hundred dementors, their hidden, cloaked faces staring up at me, are floating below.

The cold is getting even stronger, cutting at my insides. I slowly feel myself falling, the only thing I can hear is a woman's screaming...

"Please, please, don't hurt them. Not Harry or Sarah, please!

"Stand aside, you silly girl."

"Please. Please don't, take me instead. Anything but the children."

I can see nothing but swirling, with mist. What's happening? Why am I flying? I should be helping that woman, she's obviously in danger.

A voice I laughing coldly, and the woman is screaming even louder. Then, everything goes black.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"It's just lucky the ground was soft."

"I thought they'd be dead for sure."

"Harry didn't even break his glasses."

"When are they going to wake up?"

I can hear these voices, but they're making no sense whatsoever. Everything in my body is aching; my head, my legs, my arms...what happened?

Shaking...hooded black figures...cold...screaming...

My eyes snap open at the thought. I'm in the Hospital Wing. There is a crowd of people surrounding my bed and the bed next to me. The Gryffindor Quidditch Team is here, so are Ron, Hermione, Bonnie and Amy.

"Sarah!" Bonnie says, looking very pale. "How're you feeling?"

I see images flash past my eyes. The lightning...the Grim...the Snitch...the Dementors...

"W-what happened?" I ask, sitting up.

"You fell of your broom," Fred says. "Must've been - what - fifty feet?"

"We thought you'd died," Katie says, shaking.

"But the match," I say. "What happened? Are we having a replay? And where's Harry?"

"Harry's fine," Amy says. "He's just there." She points to the bed beside mine.

No ones says anything about the game, though. Then it sinks in.

"We didn't-lose?"

"Diggory got the Snitch," George says. "Just after you and Harry fell. He didn't realise what happened. When he looked down and saw you both on the ground, he tried to call it off. Wanted a re-match. But they won fair and square...even Wood admits it."

"Where is Wood, anyway?" I ask, wondering why he isn't here with the rest of the team.

"Still in the showers," Fred says. "We think he's trying to drown himself."

I sigh, running a hand through my hair. I've never missed a snitch before. How could I have missed it?

"C'mon, Sarah, don't worry about it," George says smiling sympathetically. "You've never missed the snitch before."

"There was bound to be one time you missed it," Angelina says.

I bite my lip. Feed and George then start talking about how we could still win the Cup after this if Hufflepuff lose by bah blah points and Ravenclaw win and whatever. I failed. I lost the game. All because of stupid Dementors.

I hear a groan from the bed beside, and I see Harry's eyes flicker open.

"Harry!" Hermione says, mimicking Bonnie. "Are you okay?"

"I-what happened?"

Hermione tells Harry the same story that the others told me. He doesn't look happy about losing, but at least he wasn't the cause of losing.

After ten minutes or so after they told Harry what happened, Madam Pomfrey came over to tell the team to leave because they were 'unsanitary' and for Harry and I to be in peace. Rude.

"We'll come and see you two later," Fred says. "Don't beat yourself up, Sarah, you're still the best Seeker we've ever had."

I smile a little as the team trudges out, trailing mud out on their way. Madam Pomfrey shuts the door behind them, looking disappr. Hermione, Ron, Bonnie and Amy come and sit on both Harry's and my beds.

"Malfoy was here," Amy says straight away, after Madam Pomfrey goes back into her office.

"What?" Harry and I exclaim at the same time. Why was Malfoy here?

"Yeah," Bonnie says. "We told him to bugger off before we hex him. I bet he was here to tease you both for falling off your brooms."

"That git," I mutter.

They all nod.

"Dumbledore was really angry, though," Hermione says, her voice quivering. "I've never seen him like it before."

"Yeah," Amy says. "He ran onto the pitch as you guys fell, waved his wand, and you slowed down before you hit the ground."

"Then he whirled his wand at the Dementors. Shot silver stuff at them," Hermione continues. "It looked like the same spell Professor Lupin shot at the Dementor on the train. Hey left the stadium straight away...he was furious they'd come onto the grounds, we heard him-"

"Then he magicked you both onto stretchers," Ron says. "And walked up to school with you guys floating on them. Everyone thought you were..."

He stops talking. People thought we were dead? Jeez, we just fell off our brooms, not a hundred foot tall building.

"Did someone get out brooms?" I ask, wondering about my Nimbus. I hope it's ok.

They all look at each other.

"What?" Harry asks, looking at each of them, wanting an answer.

"What happened to our brooms, guys?" I ask.

"Well...when you fell off, they got blown away," Bonnie says hesitantly

"They hit-they hit-oh Harry, Sarah-they hit the Whomping Willow," Hermione says.

The Whomping Willow is a very violent tree that stands alone on the grounds. Harry and Ron flew Ron's Dad's car into it. That's when they were almost expelled.

"And?" Harry asks.

"Well, you know the Whomoing Willow," Ron says. "It-it doesn't like being hit."

"Professor Flitwick brought them back just before you both came around," Hermione says in a small voice.

Bonnie and Amy reach down behind my and pick up two bags. They slowly turn them upside down and tip a couple dozen bits of splintered wood and twig onto both beds.

I gasp. It's the remains of my faithful, finally beaten Nimbus 2000.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Madam Pomfrey has insisted that Harry and I stay in the Hospital Wing for the rest of the weekend. Well, Harry gets to leave tomorrow morning while I have to wait until tomorrow evening because I sprained my wrist. But, I'm not complaining, at least I don't have to go to Snape's detention until Monday.

Harry and I have both refused to let Madam Pomfrey throw away the remnants of our broomsticks. I know it's stupid, I lost a broomstick back when I was seven and it crashed into a brick building. I was upset for weeks until Mum and Dad bought me a new one. But this broomstick is different. It helped me win every match since first year-except for the last match of course.

We've had a lot of visitors though. Hagrid came in with two bunches of ear wiggy flowers that look like cabbages from his garden. But we accept those with love, anyway. Ginny also came in with 'get well' cards, in which Harry's sings in a shrill voice every time he opens it. He keeps it shut under neath a fruit bowl. I can't help but laugh at how much Ginny likes him.

The Gryffindor Team visited again this morning and Wood was with them. He told Harry and I in a hollow, dead sort of voice that he doesn't blame us the slightest. I think he might just a little bit. Hermione, Ron, Bonnie and Amy only leave at night when Madam Pomfrey shoos them out.

When Harry left this morning with the Quidditch Team and Ron, I couldn't help but feel alone. Even though I still had Hermione, Amy and Bonnie, only he knew what I saw. I told him how I saw the Grim, and he said he saw it too. We promised not to tell Hermione, Ron, Amy or Bonnie because we knew that Amy, Ron and Bonnie would only worry and Hermione would just scoff. The thing that remains though is that we've seen it twice now, and both were followed by near-death accidents; the first time, we were almost run over by the Knight Bus, and the second time we fell fifty-feet from out broomsticks. At first I didn't think anything of it, but this can't be a coincidence. Is the Grim going to haunt us until we actually die?

There's also the Dementors worrying me. Everyone says they're horrible, but no one else other than Harry faints every time they see one, do they? They don't hear their mothers screaming either. Harry heard the screaming too, and together we figured out it was our mother. When the Dementors approach us, we both hear the dying word of our mother. Her attempts to save us, from Voldemort, before he killed her.

Finally, at seven o'clock, Madam Pomfrey lets me out. I walk slowly back to the common room, mulling over these recent events.

As I walk down the marble steps, I see the flash of a silhouette on the wall. Then another flash of the all-too familiar black, shaggy dog. No, no, not the Grim again.

I stop quickly, my mind a whirl and my palms beginning to sweat. I feel nausea rush through me in quick, pulsing waves, and I lunge forward on the stairs, landing on my knees and pulling myself together, except not pulling myself together, because that would imply I am fine, and I am most definitely not fine.

My jaw begins to shake, and so my teeth chatter, but I'm not cold. What's happening?

I try to focus on getting back to the Common Room, but my mind begins to rush over everything else. What if I die this time? What if I can't get back to the common room and I'm left here alone?

I take a deep, nervous breath, trying to keep in oxygen before I lose it all to my inevitable panic attack.

Warm, fast-paced tears race down my cold cheeks, stinging my skin with their salt. It's dark now, and this angers me somehow. I need light, light makes everything okay and it signifies hope.

My mouth suddenly becomes very dry, and I tell myself I needed water. I need to make it back to either my bed or the bathroom.

I use the railing to try and stand up, but I've reached the point of no return. My strugglesome breaths become short, sharp, and forced. I can't pull in enough oxygen to allow my limbs to move, so I sit down there on the staircase, in the darkness of the night, shaking and sobbing.

Footsteps become audible behind me, and I try to stifle my already stifled breaths and pretend I am asleep. It doesn't come of much use. The nausea has kicked in at full-strength, forcing my eyes closed as I clutch my throbbing head. No, no, this can't be happening to me, not here, not now, everything is so wrong.

Whoever had been behind me is now sat beside me, and I fear looking up in case it is someone I know, which is more than likely. He clears his throat and immediately I know who it is.

"Go away, Harry," I mumble hoarsely.

"Harry's not here."

I cock my head so that, from the corner of my eye, I can catch sight of platinum blond hair and a smug face.

This makes me shake even more, and I know I shouldn't be afraid of Malfoy, but I am afraid of everything right now, including myself.

"Sarah, please calm down," He sounds genuinely concerned. I bring a shaky hand to my face and tuck a few stray wisps of hair behind my ear, sobbing just a little louder.

"I c-can't calm down, I can't breathe..." I whisper, but it comes out as half a choke.

"What?" He asks, clearly unable to hear me.

"I said I can't bloody breathe, Malfoy. Leave me alone!" I scream at him, though I'm not too sure why, and lean against the staircase, heaving breaths and begging myself to let me absorb oxygen.

I grip the railing so tight my knuckles turn white.

"Please, let me try to help," I stiffen at his use of the word please, but don't say anything, "Sarah, I'm going to touch your arm, is that okay?"

I nod slowly, still wrecked with tears and shaking.

His right hand lands on my shoulder.

"Now I'm going to touch your other arm," He says, and he slowly snakes his arm around me, so that I am in a side-hug.

"Now I'm going to hug you," He whispers into my ear, pulling me into him, "And tell you that everything will be okay."

"But, it's not okay," I whisper.

He shushes me, as he holds me. I feel almost comfortable at his touch. This is confusing. Why is Malfoy helping me, he hates me and the feeling is mutual.

After about twenty minutes of Malfoy holding me, my breathing goes back to normal, but I can still feel myself shaking under his tight grip.

I take a deep breath. "Why are you helping me?" I ask, my voice slightly shaking.

"I was out walking," he says. "I needed some air. I got into a fight with Blaise, so I left. I heard sobbing, so I came over and saw it was you."

I look up at him. He has a solemn look etched on his face. He's not lying.

"You came to the Hospital Wing after I fell," I state, looking into his grey eyes.

"Yeah, I wanted to see if you were okay."

"Why?"

He sighs. "I wanted to tell you that I was sorry for what I've done to you these past two years. I was jealous that you were getting everything and I was getting nothing. Then, you got petrified last year and your brother got all the credit for saving your sister and that Weasley girl-"

"He did save them though," I say, peeling away from his grip.

"Yeah, but he also got most of the credit from first year-"

"We both got an equal amount of credit, Malfoy," I say angrily.

"He also got all the credit for defeating the Dark Lord when you were babies," I retaliates. "You got no credit. It's like you didn't exist. All I heard as a child was about 'Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived'. I heard nothing about 'Sarah Potter, the Girl Who Lived'. It was all him, and he shouldn't have all the credit. You were there too."

I stare at him.

"And like I said I was jealous of him, the 'Boy Who Lived' who got everything. I couldn't have been jealous of you. Yeah, you had some fame and attention, but he got the spotlight. I grew up in a family where all they care about is wealth, loyalty and keeping the family name. I was taught to hate muggles and mud - muggle-borns - and get into Slytherin. I was also taught to hate you and your brother because you both defeated the Dark Lord," he sighs again. "I just wanted to say I was sorry for treating you the way I did."

"I-" I stutter. "If you're toying with me Malfoy, I swear-"

"I'm not. I truly am sorry. Not for your brother though, I still hate him."

"Apology unaccepted," I say, grabbing the railing again to heave myself up. My legs start to wobble so I sit back down, groaning.

"You okay?" He asks.

I just glare at him. "Don't try to help. You only want me to be nice to you so you get more popular. Well sorry, not going to happen."

"Sarah," he says pleadingly. "I really am sorry and I don't want to be friends with you for popularity. I actually like your personality. I want to be happy all the time like you, but I can't."

"Ugh, don't you get it, Malfoy?" I snap. "I'm not always happy. I'm not satisfied with my life like everyone thinks. Everyone says 'fame is happiness' but it's not. Not when you're famous for defeating the person who killed your parents. I have to deal with the loss of my fake-mother everyday, and people talking about me behind my back. That put on top of the loss of both my real parents and fame. It's a hard life. I'm not 'happy all the time' like you think."

"I-" Malfoy murmurs. "I didn't realise...what I meant was, you have a great personality-not because you're always happy and bubbly. You're smart, you're funny, and I've seen you comfort people just like I did for you. I admire that about you."

I bite my lip. This could still be a trap. He might be tricking me into trusting him so he can hurt me...no, I don't think that's the case. I think he genuinely means it.

"Okay," I say. "I'll try and be friends with you, only on one condition: you lay off Harry. I'm not asking you to be buddies with him, just leave him alone."

Malfoy nods. "I'll try."

I let out a small smile. "I'm not going to tell Harry any of this, he'll murder me if he finds out I'm being friendly with you."

He lets out a laugh. "We'd better not tell him."

We sit in silence for a moment, all worry from before lost. I don't know why, but I'm comfortable about Malfoy. Maybe it's because I know he won't hurt me.

"Sarah?" He says suddenly.

"Hm?"

"Can you call me Draco? Not Malfoy..."

I let out a laugh, "Of course...Draco."

Together we sit in silence for a while, before I realise that the others will,be wondering where I am.

"Mal-Draco, the others will be wondering where I am," I say, grabbing the railing for the third time, hopefully getting up with success.

"Oh, uh, yeah," he says, helping me up as he gets up himself. "My friends will be wondering too. I mean, it's been a while."

"Yeah, well, see you, Draco," I say, before walking away back up to the common room.

Once I get up there, Bonnie and Amy come running to me, crashing into hugs.

"Sarah!" Amy says. "What took you so long?"

Stumbling back, I say, "I-I had a panic attack. I didn't know what to do so I just sat there."

Bonnie grabs me and bring me over to one of the couches in front of the fire and sits me down. "You need to rest. Do you know why you might have had a panic attack?"

I bite my lip. "I saw the Grim again. I was just walking back from the Hospital Wing, then I saw the Grim. Next thing I know I'm on the floor, shaking and sobbing."

"Oh my gosh," Amy says, clapping a hand to her mouth. "And you were alone?"

I nod and start to shake again.

"I'm going to get you a glass of water, okay?" Bonnie says and runs up to the dormitory. She comes back down a minute later with a glass of water in her hands.

"Bonnie, have you been teaching yourself medicine and stuff?" I ask as she hands me the glass.

"Uh, maybe..." She says, smiling to herself.

I shake my head and take a few sips of the water. It makes me feel better already.

"Did you put something in this?" I ask.

"No, why?"

"I just feel a load better," I say, putting the glass down on the table. "So, where're Harry, Ron and Hermione?"

"Bed," Amy says.

"Oh," I say. "Well, I'm going up to bed too, night guys."

"Night, Sarah," they say in sync as I head up to the dormitory.

I climb into my four-poster bed thinking about tonight's events.

I still can't believe that Draco Malfoy actually helped me and was kind, not the horrible guy who made stupid jokes about Harry and I.

I guess people can change in the blink of an eye.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N

Hey there, so another update in like 3 days, be happy :)

So, what do you guys think of Sarah befriending Draco?

Also, a HUGE shoutout to Prettylittlekisses for helping me so much while writing this. I had no idea how to write a panic attack, I couldn't convey it right, and she helped me loads. So thanks :)

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter :)

Peace out guys, love ya!

~Elise