Y/N's POV

Me and the rest of the Gryffindor team entered the Great Hall the next day to enormous applause. I couldn't help but grin broadly as I saw that both the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables were applauding us too. The Slytherin table hissed loudly as we passed.

Wood spent the whole of breakfast urging his team to eat while touching nothing himself. Then he hurried us off to the field before anyone else had finished, so we could get an idea of the conditions. As we left the Great Hall, everyone applauded again.

"Okay, no wind to speak of, sun's a bit bright, that could impair your vision, watch out for it, the ground's fairly hard, good, that'll give us a fast kickoff-"

Wood paced the field, staring around with the whole team behind him. Finally, they saw the front doors of the castle open in the distance and the rest of the school spilling onto the lawn.

"Locker rooms," said Wood.

None of us spoke as we changed into our scarlet robes. In what seemed like no time at all, Wood was saying. "Okay, it's time, let's go-"

We walked out onto the field to a tidal wave of noise. Three-quarters of the crowd was wearing scarlet rosettes, waving scarlet flags with the Gryffindor lion upon them, or brandishing banners with slogans like 'GO GRYFFINDOR!' and 'LIONS FOR THE CUP'. Behind the Slytherin goal posts, however, two hundred people were wearing green, the silver serpent of Slytherin glittered on their flags, and Professor Snape sat in the very front row, wearing green like everyone else.

"And here are the Gryffindors!" yelled Lee Jordan, who was acting as commentator as usual. "L/N, L/N, Johnson, Bell, Weasley, Weasley, and Wood. Widely acknowledged as the best team Hogwarts has seen in a good few years-"

Lee's comments were drowned by a tide of 'boos' from the Slytherin end.

"And here come the Slytherin team, led by Captain Flint. He's made some changes in the lineup and seems to be going for size rather than skill-"

More boos from the Slytherin crowd. I thought Lee had a point. Malfoy was easily the smallest person on the Slytherin team, the rest of them were enormous.

"Captains, shake hands!" said Madam Hooch.

Flint and Wood approached each other and grasped each other's hand very tightly, it looked as though each was trying to break the other's fingers.

"Mount your brooms!" said Madam Hooch. "Three...two...one..."

The sound of her whistle was lost in the roar from the crowd as fourteen brooms rose into the air. I felt the air rush past my H/C hair as I rose up into the air on my Firebolt and sped off in search of the Snitch, Malfoy following behind.

"And it's Gryffindor in possession, Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor with the Quaffle, heading straight for the Slytherin goal posts. Argh, no, Quaffle intercepted by Warrington, Warrington of Slytherin tearing up the field, WHAM! nice Bludger work there by George Weasley, Warrington drops the Quaffle, it's caught by L/N, Gryffindor back in possession, come on, Issac, nice swerve around Montague. Duck, Issac, that's a Bludger! AND HE SCORES! TEN-ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!"

Issac punched the air as he soared around the end of the field, the sea of scarlet below was screaming in delight

"OUCH!"

Issac was nearly thrown from his broom as Marcus Flint went smashing into him.

"Sorry!" said Flint as the crowd below booed. "Sorry, didn't see him!"

A moment later, Fred Weasley chucked his Beater's club at the back of Flint's head. Flint's nose smashed into the handle of his broom and began to bleed.

"That will do!" shrieked Madam Hooch, zooming between them. "Penalty shot to Gryffindor for an unprovoked attack on their chaser! Penalty shot to Slytherin for deliberate damage to their chaser!"

Issac flew forward to take the penalty.

"Come on, Issac!" yelled Lee into the silence that had descended on the crowd. "YES! HE'S BEATEN THE KEEPER! TWENTY-ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!"

I turned the Firebolt sharply to watch Flint, still bleeding freely, fly forward to take the Slytherin penalty. Wood was hovering in front of the Gryffindor goal posts, his jaw clenched.

"'Course, Wood's a superb keeper!" Lee Jordan told the crowd as Flint waited for Madam Hooch's whistle. "Superb! Very difficult to pass. YES! I DON'T BELIEVE IT! HE'S SAVED IT!"

Relieved, I zoomed away, gazing around for the Snitch, but still making sure I caught every word of Lee's commentary. It was essential that I hold Malfoy off the Snitch until Gryffindor was more than fifty points up.

All throughout the match, the Slytherin team were cheating and playing dirty which resulted in Gryffindor getting penalties, all of which we scored.

"YOU DO NOT ATTACK THE KEEPER UNLESS THE QUAFFLE IS WITHIN THE SCORING AREA!" Hooch shrieked at the Slytherin players. "Gryffindor penalty!"

Issac scored. Sixty-ten. Moments later, Fred Weasley pelted a Bludger at Warrington, knocking the Quaffle out of his hands; Angelina seized it and put it through the Slytherin goal, seventy-ten.

Gryffindor was sixty points in the lead, and if I caught the Snitch now, the Cup was ours. I could almost feel hundreds of eyes following me as I soared around the field, high above the rest of the game, with Malfoy speeding along behind me.

And then I saw it. The Snitch was sparkling twenty feet above me.

I put on a huge burst of speed, the wind was roaring in my ears, I stretched out my hand, but suddenly, the Firebolt was slowing down...

Horrified, I looked around. Malfoy had thrown himself forward, grabbed hold of the Firebolt's tail, and was pulling it back.

"You-"

I was angry enough to hit Malfoy, but couldn't reach, Malfoy was panting with the effort of holding onto the Firebolt, but his eyes were sparkling maliciously. He had achieved what he'd wanted to do, the Snitch had disappeared again.

"Penalty! Penalty to Gryffindor! I've never seen such tactics." Madam Hooch screeched, shooting up to where Malfoy was sliding back onto his Nimbus Two Thousand and One.

"YOU CHEATING SCUM!" Lee Jordan was howling into the megaphone. "YOU FILTHY, CHEATING B-"

Professor McGonagall didn't even bother to tell him off. She was actually shaking her finger in Malfoy's direction, her hat had fallen off, and she too was shouting furiously.

Angelina took Gryffindor's penalty, but she was so angry she missed by several feet. The Gryffindor team were losing concentration and the Slytherins, delighted by Malfoy's foul on me, were being spurred on to greater heights.

"Slytherin in possession, Slytherin heading for goal, Montague scores-" Lee groaned. "Seventy-twenty to Gryffindor."

I was now marking Malfoy so closely. I wasn't going to let Malfoy anywhere near the Snitch...

"Get out of it, L/N!" Malfoy yelled in frustration as he tried to turn and found me blocking him.

"Issac L/N gets the Quaffle for Gryffindor, come on, Issac, COME ON!"

I looked around. Every single Slytherin player apart from Malfoy was zooming up the pitch toward Issac, including the Slytherin Keeper, they were all going to block him, I wheeled the Firebolt around, bent so low I was lying flat along the handle and kicked it forward. Like a bullet, I shot toward the Slytherins.

"AAAAAAARRRGH!"

They scattered as the Firebolt zoomed toward them, Issac's way was clear.

"HE SCORES! HE SCORES! Gryffindor leads by eighty points to twenty!"

I had almost gone so fast that I nearly crashed into the stands. I skidded to a halt in midair, reversed, and zoomed back into the middle of the field.

And then I saw something. Malfoy was diving, a look of triumph on his face, there, a few feet above the grass below, was a tiny, golden glimmer.

I urged the Firebolt downward, but Malfoy was miles ahead.

I was gaining on Malfoy, I flattened myself to the broom handle as a Slytherin beater sent a Bludger at me.

I threw myself forward, took both hands off my broom. I knocked Malfoy's arm out of the way and...

"YES!"

I pulled out of my dive, my hand in the air, and the stadium exploded. I soared above the crowd. The tiny golden ball was held tight in my fist.

Then Wood was speeding toward him, sobbing. I could hear Fred, George, Issac, Angelina and Katie's voices. "We've won the Cup! We've won the Cup!"

Then there was a wave of Gryffindor students rushing towards me. When I saw Harry, Ron and Hermione I rushed towards all three of them, celebrating with them and hugging Hermione.

Professor McGonagall was sobbing harder even than Wood, wiping her eyes with an enormous Gryffindor flag. We were then lead to where Dumbledore stood waiting with the enormous Quidditch Cup.

As a sobbing Wood passed me the Cup, I lifted it high in the air, Hermione at the side of me. Without even thinking I turned, faced her and kissed her.