The morning of the big match was filled with nerves. The Gryffindor team entered the Great Hall the next day to enormous applause. Tori couldn't help grinning broadly as she saw that both the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables were applauding them too. Cedric gave her a thumbs up from his side. The Slytherin table hissed loudly as they passed. Tori noticed that Avalon looked even paler than usual.

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

Tori couldn't help but grin as they left. She shot Cedric one last look before glancing behind her to see Ravenclaw's chaser Blair Goldberg place a kiss on Oliver's cheek. Fred and Tori shared a look of surprise, yet Oliver seemed to strive a little more boldly because of this. However, this boldness was short term and immediately faded the moment the arrived on the pitch.

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

Wood paced the field, staring around with the 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," Wood said tersely.

None of them spoke as they changed into their scarlet robes. Tori was pulled aside by Katie and Angelina who began whispering to each other. "Ready? This is our time." Angelina said quietly. "We've got this. Remember what Wood said, we can win. We are one of the best rudy teams in this school. We are the best chasers in this school!"

In what seemed like no time at all, Wood was saying, "Okay, it's time, let's go —"

"Wait! Knock on wood?" Tori asked him, a smile in her face. Wood sighed, lifting his hands up. "Alright. Knock on wood."

After about six punches they walked out onto the field to a tidal wave of noise. Threequarters 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 a very grim smile.

"And here are the Gryffindors!" Lee shouted, who was acting as commentator as usual. "Potter, Bell, Johnson, Silvers, 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. Tori, however, thought Lee had a point. Malfoy was easily the smallest person On the Slytherin team; the rest of them were enormous.

"Captains, shake hands!" Madam Hooch shouted. 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!" Madam Hooch shouted. "Three... two... one..."

The sound of her whistle was lost in the roar from the crowd as fourteen brooms rose into the air. "And it's Gryffindor in possession, Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor with the Quaffle, heading straight for the Slytherin goal posts, looking good, Angelina! 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— Silvers, Gryffindor back in possession, come on, Tori— nice swerve around Montague— duck, Tori, that's a Bludger!— SHE SCORES! TEN-ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!"

Tori punched the air as she soared around the end of the field; the sea of scarlet below was screaming its delight.

"OUCH!"

Tori was nearly thrown from her broom as Marcus Flint went smashing into her. She grabbed onto her broom tightly, hanging from the side of it. Her side was definitely going to bruise.

"Sorry!" Flint shouted as the crowd below booed. "Sorry, didn't see her!"

A moment later, Fred 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 then. "Penalty shot to Gryffindor for an unprovoked attack on their Chaser! Penalty shot to Slytherin for deliberate damage to their Chaser!"

"Come off it, Miss!" howled Fred, but Madam Hooch blew her whistle and Katie flew forward to take the penalty. "Come on, Katie!" Lee yelled into the silence that had descended on the crowd. "YES! SHE'S BEATEN THE KEEPER! TWENTY-ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!"

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

"Gryffindor in possession, no, Slytherin in possession— no! Gryffindor back in possession and it's Katie Bell, Katie Bell for Gryffindor with the Quaffle, she's streaking up the field— THAT WAS DELIBERATE!"

Montague, a Slytherin Chaser, had swerved in front of Katie, and instead of seizing the Quaffle had grabbed her head. Katie cart wheeled in the air, managed to stay on her broom, but dropped the Quaffle. Tori flew over, making sure she was okay.

Madam Hooch's whistle rang out again as she soared over to Montague and began shouting at him. A minute later, Katie had put another penalty past the Slytherin chaser.

"THIRTY-ZERO! TAKE THAT, YOU DIRTY, CHEATING—"

"Jordan, if you can't commentate in an unbiased way—"

"I'm telling it like it is, Professor!"

Tori flew through the field, stealing the quaffle away from Flint.

"Ah ha!" Lee screamed. "Too bad, boys! You'll need to get up earlier than that to beat a Firebolt. And it's Gryffindor in possession again, as Johnson takes the Quaffle— Flint alongside her— poke him in the eye, Angelina— it was a joke, Professor, it was a joke— oh no— Flint in possession, Flint flying toward the Gryffindor goal posts, come on now, Wood, save—!"

But Flint had scored; there was an eruption of cheers from the Slytherin end, and Lee swore so badly that Professor McGonagall tried to tug the magical megaphone away from him.

"Sorry, Professor, sorry! It won't happen again!
So, Gryffindor in the lead, thirty points to ten, and Gryffindor in possession—"

It was turning into the dirtiest game Tori had ever played in. Enraged that Gryffindor had taken such an early lead, the Slytherins were rapidly resorting to any means to take the Quaffle. Bole hit Angelina with his club and tried to say he'd thought she was a Bludger. George Weasley elbowed Bole in the face in retaliation.

Tori got her robe pulled backwards by her brother, who claimed it got caught in his hand. She held her throat, trying to be able to catch her breath again. Fred was flying next to her, swearing loudly at Avalon. Madam Hooch awarded both teams penalties, and Wood pulled off another spectacular save, making the score forty-ten to Gryffindor.

Gryffindor was fifty points ahead—
Katie scored. Fred and George Weasley were swooping around her, clubs raised, in case any of the Slytherins were thinking of revenge. Bole and Derrick took advantage of Fred's and George's absence to aim both Bludgers at Wood; they caught him in the stomach, one after the other, and he rolled over in the air, clutching his broom, completely winded.

Madam Hooch was beside herself with rage. "YOU DO NOT ATTACK THE KEEPER UNLESS THE QUAFFLE IS WITHIN THE SCORING AREA!" She shrieked at Bole and Derrick. "Gryffindor penalty!"

And Angelina scored. Moments later, Fred pelted a Bludger at Warrington, knocking the Quaffle out of his hands; Tori seized it and put it through the Slytherin goal.

The Gryffindor crowd below was screaming itself hoarse— Gryffindor was sixty points in the lead, and if Harry caught the Snitch now, the Cup was theirs. The boy was swarming around with Malfoy.

Harry put on a huge burst of speed, but Malfoy had thrown himself forward, grabbed hold of the Firebolt's tail, and was pulling it back.

"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 was howling into the megaphone, dancing out of Professor McGonagall's reach. "YOU FILTHY, CHEATING B—"

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

Tori took Gryffindor's penalty, but she was so angry she missed by several feet. The Gryffindor team was losing concentration.
"Slytherin in possession, Slytherin heading for goal— Montague scores—" Lee groaned. "Seventy—twenty to Gryffindor... Angelina Johnson gets the Quaffle for Gryffindor, come on, Angelina, COME ON!"

Every single Slytherin player apart from Malfoy was streaking up the pitch toward Angelina, including the Slytherin Keeper— they were all going to block her—

Tori screamed out a few not so nice things, watching Harry wheeled the Firebolt around, bent so low he was lying flat along the handle, and kicked it forward. Like a bullet, he shot toward the Slytherins.

"AAAAAAARRRGH!"

They scattered as the Firebolt zoomed toward them; Angelina's way was clear.

"SHE SCORES! SHE SCORES! Gryffindor leads by eighty Points to twenty!"

Tori took the quaffle. She passed to Katie, watching Harry zoom downwards towards the snitch. He pulled up next to Malfoy, his hand stretched out.

It seemed as if the entire field held it's breath. The Gryffindor team landed, staring at their seeker. Harry slowly raised his hand up, he golden snitch in sight.

Tori threw herself into the nearest arms, which happened to be Fred's. He cheered loudly, spinning her around. Tori was filled with thrill she lodged a big kiss on his cheek before running across the field towards Angelina and Katie.

The three girls threw themselves into a huge hug screaming, "We've won the cup! We've won the cup!" Wood was sobbing with glee as the team rushed towards him. Tangled together in a many-armed hug, the Gryffindor team sank, yelling hoarsely, back to earth.

Wave upon wave of crimson supporters was pouring over the barriers onto the field. Hands were raining down on their backs. The team, was hoisted onto the shoulders of the crowd. Tori grinned down to see Cedric and Lee. Tori cheered loudly, giving a high five to Alicia. She could see almost the entire field on their shoulders.

There was Percy, jumping up and down like a maniac, all dignity forgotten. Professor McGonagall was sobbing harder even than Wood, wiping her eyes with an enormous Gryffindor flag.

The team all stared at each other as Dumbledore handed them the silver cup. Wide smiles were on each of everyone of their faces. Words failed them. They had won.

wood is so pure and happy in this chapter and it makes me happy

he's sobbing over the fact they won 🥺