Fellowship & Fairydust

The next two weeks went by quickly and Harry found himself in a familiar routine of going to class, studying with Alex and Severus, and secretly practising Quidditch. He did really well in his classes and improved on the broom, as well. It was nice not having to play dumb and, for once, he got to see how smart he actually was.

The first Quidditch match was tomorrow, and Harry felt quite nervous. “What if I lose?” he asked Severus. He didn’t want to let down Slytherin, especially to Gryffindor. The last thing that house needed was a boost to their ever-growing ego. Sometimes Harry wondered how the Gryffindors fit their monster-sized egos through the doors. Maybe that was why the doors were all so large.

“I’m sure you’ll be fine. You’ve been training hard, and Michael says you caught the snitch five times in one evening!” Severus told Harry, who was lounging in the common room before he went to bed.

“Besides, it’s your first match; putting too much pressure on yourself won’t help,” Alex said. “Just relax and go into the same frame of mind you use when training. Ignore the audience, ignore the other players, and just focus on the snitch.”

* * *

As Harry warmed up with the Slytherin team before the match, the seventh-year keeper, Narcissa Black, approached him with a serious look on her face. Harry tensed as he tried to figure out what she might want. Narcissa had a reputation for being a bit scary at times, and he did not want to wind up on her bad side.

“I heard good things about you, kid. I hope you lead us to victory,” she said as she mounted her broom.

Harry heard the threat in her tone, and gulped. She was clearly demanding a win, and he did not need this added pressure. Following her lead, he waited to start the match. The Gryffindor team was announced, and he began doing deep breathing to calm his nerves and brace for the rush of noise and adrenaline that was about to come. The last thing he needed was pass out in the middle of the match.

When the Slytherins were announced, Harry flew out with the rest of the team; the crowd went wild as they flew out in their green and silver quidditch robes. Slytherins all clapped while the Gryffindor house booed loudly.

Harry flew across the pitch and stopped in front of James, just as he had been instructed.

James gawked at Harry for a few seconds before regaining the ability to talk. “What are you doing here? First-years don’t play quidditch for their house teams!” 

Harry smirked to himself and decided to take advantage of this. “And yet, here I am. Are you afraid to lose to a first-year?” he taunted, watching as James’ face turned pink with anger.

“Don’t think I’ll be going easy on you, just because you’re younger,” James sneered as Madam Hooch blew her whistle.

Harry rolled his eyes at James’ attempt to get under his skin. Then the game began. Following Alex’s advice really helped. Harry managed to ignore how James constantly bumped into him and the various cries from the audience, and was able to catch the snitch in fifteen minutes. The Slytherin house went completely wild in the stands as Harry held up the snitch and flew proudly around the pitch.

Though James Potter glared with a reddened face, Harry simply waved at him. James turned around and stomped off the Quidditch pitch.

Later that evening, in the Slytherin common room, Narcissa informed Harry that he had broken a school record. “Up until today, the fastest catch was twenty minutes!” Harry could see the thrill of a victory in her eyes—an emotion the entire team shared. “Actually,” she added, “it was my boyfriend who set the record last year.”

Harry had heard plenty about Lucius Malfoy, who had graduated the previous year and already landed a high-end job within his family’s firm. Narcissa was known for constantly bragging about how smart, talented, and amazing he was.

“Man, Harry! First, you become Hogwarts’ youngest seeker, and then you break a school record! You are on fire!” Alex said when he found Harry talking to Narcissa.

“He sure is! Keep playing like you did today, and the house cup will be ours!” Narcissa said, before going to get some dinner.

“You were brilliant, Harry,” Severus said as he approached Harry with a plate of food. “Mum said to make sure you eat a healthy meal after the match.”

Harry took the food, followed Severus and Alex to one of the couches, and sat down. Harry began eating the grilled chicken and veggies while he told Severus and Alex all about what James had said before the match.

“And you should have seen his face when he realised I caught the snitch. I thought he was going to cry,” Harry said, laughing at the memory. He wondered how the game would have gone if he hadn’t accidentally sent himself back in time. Would Gryffindor have won or would Slytherin have still crushed them like bugs?

“It’s about time somebody brought that boy’s ego down a bit! He was getting too full of himself,” Severus said.

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