Hufflepuff v Slytherin
The two weeks between games passed quickly for Liam. Once O.W.L.s were behind him, he scheduled a practise every afternoon before dinner. He egged his team to fly faster and to defend more aggressively than they ever had before. Slytherin scouts observed each session. Sometimes, he noted, Rhiannon MacDougal herself was watching them.
The morning of the game, as he sat with the other Hufflepuffs at breakfast, he noticed that Bell was quiet and not eating. He called out to her. “Hey kid,” he said tenderly. “Don’t worry, alright? You’re gonna do fine today.”
She looked wide-eyed at him. “But she scored ten goals against Ravenclaw!” Indeed, the Silver Serpents had routed Ravenclaw in their first game. Rhiannon had scored at will, and she harried the Eagles’ lead Chaser into several turnovers.
“Aye, she did,” said Liam. “We’re proud of Mac! I hear she’s already in the top 100 Chasers for goals scored, and she still has two plus seasons left to play!” He leaned forward, reached his hand across the table and set it on Bell’s shoulder. “Mac’s gonna get her goals today. We just need to keep the score close until Hark gets the Snitch.”
Liam took his team out for a quick flight after breakfast. The Slytherin team was on the pitch, so he led his team on a lap around the lake. Afterwards, he kept a light tone. “Just stay relaxed. I don’t want you to worry about the game. Enjoy your Saturday. We’ll meet back up at lunch.”
Only with Philip did he take a firm tone. The Badgers’ hopes for victory rested on the untested Seeker. “What are you going to do when the Slytherins get rough?” asked Liam.
Philip shook his head. “They can try. I’m not going to let them hit me. They won’t be fast enough.”
Liam nodded and offered his fist for a fist-bump. “That’s what I want to hear.”
The Badgers team sat together at lunch. They ate their meal in silence. Each player was focused on the task ahead. They returned to their dormitories to get their brooms, plus clothes to change into after the match.
When Liam returned to the Common Room, his Comet-R over his shoulder, Marty Remington was waiting for him. “Good luck today, Wren,” said Marty. The two boys shook hands. Marty shook hands with each member of the team as they came into the common room. “Go get ‘em, Badgers!” he said.
Carol gave Philip a hug. “Good luck, Hark! Watch out for Soulspring’s elbow.” The Slytherin Seeker, Anita Soulspring, had struck Carol during their match the previous season, giving Carol a black eye.
“I haven’t forgotten,” said Philip, sternly.
Liam led the Hufflepuffs out to the stadium. He and the team changed in the locker rooms into their uniforms, while the rest of their house went into the stadium. Once they were all in their uniforms, Liam gathered his team for one more pep-talk. “Go out there and fly fast,” he told them. “Go just like you have in practice. Play ‘em tight and clean. Don’t get caught up in their rough stuff. Make stops and get your goals. We’ll be alright.”
The Badgers walked towards the stadium entrance. Waiting by the gate were a few of Liam’s Gryffindor friends: Paul, Dave, Gillian and Alma, plus Patrick and his gang. Gillian called out, “Go Badgers!” She gave Liam a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek.
The Badgers took the air for their warm-up flight. The Hufflepuffs cheered loudly. The Gryffindors, too, were behind them. There was hope, for once, that the Badgers might just win. Ravenclaws were muted. They were no fans of the Badgers, who always played them tough, but the Slytherins’ drubbing had been so brutal, the Ravenclaws could not turn around and root for them, either. Their only hope was that the Badgers would suffer the same fate as their team.
The Slytherins, meanwhile, approached the game eagerly. They saw a Badgers team in turmoil, and they expected another easy win. Of the Serpents’ players, only Rhiannon understood what was coming.
Wren has turned this team around. They are going to play us tough, a lot tougher than Garrick and the others expect. The Badgers won’t be hoping to win. From the beginning, they will be playing for the upset. As she thought this, an eager grin crept up her face. I’m looking forward to the challenge.
The Serpents began on offence. Team Captain Garrick Cole was at Center Chaser. To his right was his best friend, Tom Castle, and to his left, the star of the team, Rhiannon MacDougal. Cole drove up field and then passed the Quaffle to Rhiannon. Rhiannon shot past Bell and flew hard towards the left hoop.
In response, the Badgers instituted The Berlin Wall. Stephanie moved to the center, covering Cole, while Stacy flew alongside Rhiannon. Castle was left unguarded on the far side of the pitch. As Rhiannon crossed the quarter-pitch flag, Liam charged towards her. Feeling the defence tightening around her, Rhiannon reared up to pass the ball back to Cole.
Just before her arm started forward, however, the Quaffle tumbled from her hand. Bell was flying as fast as her Falcon would carry her, trying to keep pace with Rhiannon’s Firebolt. When Rhiannon paused and set up for the pass, Bell closed the gap. She reached out her hand and grazed the ball with her fingertips, knocking it out of Rhiannon’s hand. Stacy recovered it and flew off in the opposite direction. The Badger’s first attempt at the Berlin Wall was successful.
Rhiannon gave Bell an angry glare, but inside, she was impressed by the young girl playing with such spunk against older and larger opponents. She jetted back on defence.
The Serpents were able to get the Quaffle back without the Badgers scoring. Cole brought the ball up. This time, he fired the ball to Castle. The Badgers did not overweight their defence this time, but played one-on-one, with Stepanie covering Castle and Stacy covering Cole. Castle sped up field and fired a shot at the right hoop. Liam, waiting halfway between the right and center hoops, shot forward and made the save.
The Serpents’ third possession went much like their second, with Liam making another save, this time in front of the center hoop. Cole called timeout, and the Serpent Chasers huddled at the center of the pitch.
Tom Castle was clearly frustrated. “I thought you said this was Wren’s first time in goal! He’s making saves like an old pro!”
The comment was directed at Garrick Cole as much as Rhiannon, but Rhiannon took it as a personal attack. “Wren’s been a keeper in football! He’s been coached by Brian Roycester. He’s watching your broomstick tip and making the right move. I told you not to underestimate him!”
“Do you think you can score a goal against him?” asked Cole.
“Yes, but I’ll have to fight through the double-team. Let’s do a give and go.” Cole nodded.
The Badgers made another attack, but again they came away empty-handed. The score was still 0-0. Cole brought the Quaffle up field. He tossed the ball to Rhiannon. She let the defense shift in her direction before passing the ball back to Cole.
As soon as she let go of the Quaffle, Rhiannon shot forward, leaving both Stacy and Bell behind her. Cole heaved the ball in her direction. Rhiannon gathered it in and shifted her focus to Liam Wren. He was waiting, shaded towards the center, watching her. She made a sharp turn to the left. Liam responded with a burst of speed towards the left hoop.
Rhiannon had made only a feint, however. As soon as Liam committed, she yanked on her broom, pulled a sharp 180 degree turn and fired the Quaffle into the empty center hoop. 10-0, Serpents.
Liam responded with a time out of his own. “We’re still in this game,” he told his team. To Stacy, he said, “We’ve got to watch for the give-and-go. Next time, let’s intercept that pass.” To Bell, he said, “When I’m in the center, cover the left hoop. When I’m leaning left, Stacy, you’ve got to cover center. Steph, when Mac has the ball, stay on Cole and try to intercept the Quaffle.”
“What about Castle?” asked Stephanie.
“Leave Castle to me. Now, go out there and score a goal!”
Stacy brought the ball across the center line. She tossed the Quaffle to Stephanie and then shot up field. Stephanie dodged a bludger and then hurled the ball back to Stacy. Cole closed in on Stacy from one side and Rhiannon from the other. Bell, trailing behind and to her right, called out. “Stace, I’m open!”
Stacy tossed the ball back to Bell. Bell darted around Rhiannon and shot towards the center hoop. She drew the defence towards her and then veered to the right. Rhiannon swept towards the right hoop to cut her off.
Then, to the amazement of the Serpent’s defence, and to everyone in the stadium for that matter, Bell yanked her broom around in a quick 180 and fired the Quaffle side-arm right through the open Center hoop, exactly as Rhiannon had done just a few minutes before. The score was now 10-10.
Castle was eager to test Liam again, so Cole fed him the Quaffle. At least this way they were facing a more traditional defence. Castle dodged the Bludger from Fortney and fired a shot at the right hoop. Liam was already moving that way, however, and easily gathered up the ball. On the next possession, Castle feinted towards the right and fired at the center hoop. His feint was half-hearted, and Liam, though still new to Quidditch, was not new to goalkeeping. Liam saw through the feint and made the save once more.
The Serpents were aggressive in their defence. Now that Bell had proven herself, Rhiannon played her much more closely. Rhiannon’s arms were longer than Bell’s and her broom was much quicker. Any passes Bell’s way, Rhiannon intercepted.
With Castle stymied and the score knotted at 10-10, it was up to Rhiannon to score again. This time, she didn’t give the ball to Cole at the start. She kept it herself and drove straight at the Badgers’ Berlin Wall.
Rhiannon watched the Badgers set their defence. Bell was trailing her and keeping to the outside, ready to cover the left hoop. Stacy was to Rhiannon’s right, while Stephanie stuck to Cole. The Badgers continued to ignore Castle.
Rhiannon crossed the quarter-pitch flag. She was now in the scoring area, though no one shot from this far out. She needed to get closer to be sure to get it past Liam. Stacy was closing in on her right. As Rhiannon expected, Bell headed for the left hoop, ready for Rhiannon’s next 180-degree turn.
Rhiannon saw Liam waiting for her at the center hoop, making a steady up and down motion with the tip of his broom. This was another tip from Brian Roycester, a way to eliminate the “turbo-lag” of the Comet-R. Liam’s broom still lacked the agility of Bell’s Falcon or Rhiannon’s Fireboldt, but its straight-ahead speed was lightning fast.
How fast is your broom, Wren? Rhiannon wondered. Let’s find out.
She quickly flipped the Quaffle from her left hand to her right. This made it vulnerable to a strip from Stacy, who was closing in from Rhiannon’s right side. For Liam, it was the biggest of tells. Rhiannon was going to try for the open right hoop.
When attacking the right hoop from the center of the pitch, the shot is far easier right-handed than left. Rhiannon had taken practice shots right-handed, but had never tried it in a game. Never against a keeper with House pride on the line.
Stacy was nearly even with Rhiannon when Rhiannon suddenly darted in front of her. Stacy let out a shriek and pulled up to avoid a collision. As soon as Rhiannon made her move, Liam leaned forward and sped towards the right hoop. Rhiannon was only a half-second ahead of him. Rhiannon had the faster broom, but Liam had the shorter distance to cover. She had only the briefest of windows to get off her shot before Liam would be in position to make the save.
Still flying at full speed, she reared up and launched the Quaffle, right-handed, at the hoop. Liam, at the very edge of his broom, his arm fully outstretched, grazed the Quaffle with his fingertips as it crossed in front of him. He tipped the ball off course, but it banged into the hoop and went through anyway. 20-10, Serpents.
With the score so close, and the teams locked in a defensive struggle, it would be up to the Seekers to win the game. Anita Soulspring had the edge in experience; a Seventh Year, this was her third year as a starter. Philip’s only advantage was his broom. Almost everyone assumed his broom with the black and yellow stripes was a run-of-the-mill Nimbus 550. Among the Silver Serpents, only Rhiannon knew the truth: Philip flew on a pro-level Nimbus 850 XF.
Philip ignored the progress of the game. He scanned the stadium for the tiny Golden Snitch while keeping Soulspring in his peripheral vision. Anita enjoyed toying with the other Seeker. She would make sudden sharp turns, left or right, as if she had spotted something. In the previous game, the over-eager Ravenclaw Seeker had been repeatedly fooled, bolting ahead of Anita each time she made a feint. When she finally spotted the Snitch, to her right, she darted left, sending the Eagle swooping in the wrong direction, before turning right and making an easy capture.
To her rising frustration, Anita’s feints were not having the same effect on Philip. She would dart, first left and then right, and each time, Philip would be gliding beside her, six metres away. Whether she went fast or slow, he matched her pace with an effortlessness that was unnerving.
Anita spotted the Snitch before Philip did. It was 50 metres ahead and to their left. Philip was on her right, so she was slightly closer to it. She made no feint this time but shot towards it with all the speed she could muster.
Philip closed the gap between them in a flash, so that they were flying side by side. He followed Anita’s gaze and finally spotted the fluttering golden ball. 40 metres. 30 metres. Time to be the hero, thought Philip. He leaned forward, and the Nimbus accelerated.
Anita lashed out with her elbow, but instead of hitting Philip’s face, she struck his shoe. The blow knocked Philip’s left shoe off his foot. It spiraled down onto the grass below. Philip was now heading for the Snitch at a speed faster than he had ever traveled. He reached out to grab the little ball and missed. It slammed into his chest. He brought his broom to a gut-wrenching halt. Anita shot past him, and with a sharp turn, came back around, desperately hoping it was not too late.
The golden ball shook and fluttered erratically. One wing had been crushed by the collision. Philip gathered himself and with a swipe of his hand, snapped the ball out of the air while Anita was still several feet from him. He held his fist aloft. The whistle blew, and for the first time in the game, he heard the roar of the crowd. He had won the game for Hufflepuff.
Philip eased his broom down to the level of the grass. Michael was the first Badger to reach him. “Where’s your shoe, mate?” he asked, laughing.
“Oh! I didn’t realize it had fallen off. I guess I should tie it tighter next time.”
“You can go without shoes if you’d like,” suggested Michael, “so long as you got the Snitch.”
Liam flew up to Philip and gave him a bear hug. “I knew you could do it! I knew that broom was fast!”
Stacy flew up to the boys, holding Philip’s shoe. “Do you want me to put this on for you?”
“I can manage. I just don’t want to let go of the Snitch quite yet.”
“Keep it,” said Stacy. “It’s yours forever.” To Liam, she said, “Could you see Bell out there? She was so awesome!”
“I saw her knock the ball out of Mac’s hand.”
“She did a 180 at the other end, just like Rhiannon did!”
Bell was nearby, blushing. “I figured, if she could do it, so could I.”
Liam gave her a hug. “I knew you had it in you. From the day I first saw you with your broom, I knew you were a winner.”
The Slytherins were retreating to the locker room. Only Rhiannon had stayed behind to congratulate the Badgers on their win. Liam flew up to her and extended a hand. “Great game today, Mac. You made some amazing shots.”
Her handshake was as firm as any boys. “Congratulations on your win,” she said. “You nearly got to that second goal.”
Rhiannon extended a hand to Bell. “You had a fine game, Took. That flip you pulled caught us all off guard.”
Bell shook Rhiannon’s hand and then gave the older girl a hug. “I only tried it ‘cause I saw you do it. You’re my hero. I try to do as good as you do.”
This brought a bright blush to Rhiannon’s face. She gave Bell an awkward smile and nodded.
Philip was hovering nearby, still holding onto his Snitch, his shoe in his lap. The Hufflepuffs were streaming out of the stands towards the flyers. Rhiannon gave him a hug and said into his ear, “I’m so glad you got that Snitch. Next time, catch it cleanly.” She flew off without another word.
There were handshakes and hugs all around. The Badgers sang their House song all the way from the pitch to the Den. For the first time in anyone’s memory, Hufflepuff had beaten Slytherin in Quidditch.