CHAPTER XLIV:
some quidditch match

( October 1995 )

      GINGER SAT, WELL MORE SO LIED DOWN, ON A SINGULAR BENCH IN THE CASTLE CORRIDORS. Her head swung low over the side of the bench while her feet were propped up against the wall in front of her bench with her ankles crossed over each other. Her quality alone time was much appreciated as she finally had time to finish reading The Lovers Under the Stars so that she could move on to the sequel George had bought her for her birthday.

      Just as she turned the three hundredth page, three pairs of feet appeared in front of her eyesight. Her eyes trailed up the connecting legs and fell upon three Gryffindors.

      "Hello, pretty lady," Lee grinned down at her as she swiveled in her seat to face upright while the blood in her head came rushing down.

      "To what do I owe the pleasure?" she placed her bookmark in between the pages of her book.

      "You see–"

      "We were wondering–"

      "If you'd like to–"

      "Go to your first Gryffindor quidditch match–"

      "Today?"

      Her eyes darted back and forth between the twins as they both spoke right after each other for such a simple sentence. "Isn't snowing?" she questioned. The boys shared looks before laughing lightly.

      "Lovely, snow is perfect weather to play in, and since when has a little snow hurt anyone?" Fred jested at the girl.

      "Have none of you ever heard of a blizzard? Hypothermia? Frostbite? Trench foot? Chilblains?" She listed off the endless things a little snow could actually hurt someone.

      "I'll take that as a yes," George grinned.

      "Merlin you're like a walking dictionary," Lee mumbled shaking his head.

     "...AND SLYTHERIN IS UP FORTY TO TEN. ALICIA WITH THE QUAFFLE!" Lee's voice boomed over the quidditch match that had been going on during what seemed to be the beginning of a blizzard. Ginger stood in the Gryffindor stands, though wearing her blue and black scarf around her neck, supporting all her favorite Gryffindors.

      Alica spun through the blizzard, trying desperately to see two shapes emerge from the snow. The shapes being Crabbe and Goyle,
the Slytherin Beaters. Both of them took deadly swings at her. She twisted completely around on her broom and the clubs swished harmlessly past. She pushed forward to the Slytherin goals and hurtled the quaffle only for it to be blocked by the Slytherin keeper.

      From the stands, Gryffindors groaned simultaneously while Slytherins cheered. They then began singing a tune that was, although very mean, slightly catchy.

      "Weasley is our king, Weasley is our king. He always lets the quaffle in, Weasley is our king!"

Several Slytherins, in possession of the quaffle, bear down on the Gryffindor goals. They then threw the quaffle. Ronald made an attempt to dive for it but missed terribly. A loud gong sound echoed over the match while the Gryffindor section groaned again.

"Another ten points to Slytherin.
The score is now fifty-ten in favor of Slytherin." Lee's voice droned in disappointment over the speakers.

Just then, the Snitch blasted past Draco Malfoy. He took off in
pursuit of it with Harry right on his tail at top speed ignoring the snow burning his face. Potter and Malfoy gave a chase for the Snitch, both following it at top speed. Malfoy was still far closer than Harry just before the snitch took a sharp turn. The boys took no time to turn and quickly follow right after the golden sphere with Harry now evenly matched with Draco.

      Ginger watched mesmerized cupping her hands around her mouth shouting, "Go, Harry!"

      Both boys became inches from the Snitch, reaching with all of their might.
Harry's hand became inches closer and closer in comparison to Draco and closed his gloved hand around the Snitch.

      The crowd went wild cheering for the boy. Harry straightened his back, triumphant of his victory. Behind him, without warning, Crabbe emerged from the blizzard and slammed Harry across the back of the head with his
Beater's club.

      Harry slumped forward, and nose-dived into the pitch, rolling
to a stop looking dazed. Gasps erupted from the scarlet section scrambling to make sure he was alright. Ginger had been one of the people who abandoned her spot in the stands to rush into the pit to make sure he was okay.

      Placing a hand on Harry's back, Ginger gently sat him up from his dazed state. "Harry are you alright?" she asked looking for any signs of bleeding or broken bones.

      He softly put his hands on her wrists to cease her searching, "I'm all right," he chuckled as she let out a sigh of relief.

      The twins descended down from their brooms and helped Harry up. "You did wonderfully," Ginger complimented the two of them. Fred grinned down at her while George did the same but with pinkish cheeks that could pass for being caused by the weather.

      "Bet you loved that, Potter! Saved
Weasley's neck, didn't you?" Draco descended acting like a child having a temper tantrum while the Gryffindors ignored him and Ginger rolled her eyes. "I've never seen a worse Keeper!
Maybe we should add some more verses to our little song. About his filthy mother!"

      Ginger gasped before George went to attack him but Fred and Harry held him back. "And his pathetic loser of a father too!" It was now Fred's turn to take a lunge at Draco but multiple Gryffindors rushed to hold him back.

      "Then again, you like the Weasleys, don't you? How can you stand the stink? I guess it reminds you of your own dear mother!" Gasps all around were heard while the twins and Harry huffed with anger. Harry turned and leapt at Malfoy whose face was then collided with Harry's fist knocking him to the ground.

      George broke out of the grasp of his teammates to begin hitting him too. Ginger stood shocked beside a shouting Angelina with the lower half of her face buried in her blue scarf watching the boys hit and kick at Draco. She knew she had the full willpower to put an end to it, her wand in a pocket in the inside of her coat, but she couldn't tear her eyes off the sight feeling as though Malfoy most likely deserved it after all the years of badmouthing Harry and the Weasley's.

      "Impedimenta!" A blast flared at the two boys knocking them off of the blonde. McGonagall stormed onto the pitch, Gryffindor scarf flapping
wildly in the wind. "What on earth do you two think you're doing?" She shouted at the two who still held a fit of anger towards the boy.

      Harry rolled to his feet and went for Malfoy again but Madam
Hooch stood between them, her wand pointed directly at Harry. "Don't make me stupify you, Potter!"

      Harry stopped, breathing hard, glaring daggers at Malfoy, who
is curling in a ball, bleeding and crying like an infant. McGonagall came right up to Harry and grabbed him hard by the elbow. He finally turned his attention to her while she stared pale and grim-faced. "My office. Now." She held her hand out to grip George's arm taking both boys away.

      Ginger pulled lightly at her scarf, "I come to one Gryffindor quidditch match and this happens," she mumbled shaking her head leaving towards the castle without any regard for the sobbing blonde boy.

NOTE. wishing rn they included this scene in the movies 💔 BUT WOAH LOOK AT ME UPDATING DURING SCHOOL 😧