The Slytherins were cheering, moving in a green and silver wave-manner. Twenty to ten for Gryffindor.
At this moment, Alexandra realised like the entire audience something was dreadfully wrong with Neville Longbottom and his broom. Instead of searching the Snitch, the first-year Gryffindor was doing zig-zags and violent movements who were on the verge of unseating him.
Hermione had noticed it too.
"What is he doing?"
"It looks like he's losing control of his own broom." Replied Alexandra worried. As arrogant and an pompous that Neville was, Alexandra did not want to see Longbottom fall from his broom. Seeing Alex Sykes die last week had given her a very bad view how horrible a death could be."Maybe something broke when Flint slammed in it?" She asked Hermione. Many professors and older students all around the Pitch were drawing their wands, in the likely case they needed to save the Gryffindor Seeker if he fell.
"Is it possible? I mean the brooms are protected by a lot of enchantments. They are always locked away in the dormitories, so I can't be sure but..."
Alexandra touched Hermione's arm, interrupting her and showed her the teachers stands."Don't bother." Sure enough, not one but two teachers, Senior Professors Snape and Quirell no less, were muttering something under their breath. At this distance, Alexandra couldn't hear anything, but she was ready to bet the source of Longbottom problems was there.
"The question is," Alexandra told Hermione "Who is cursing the broom and who is trying to save Longbottom's skin."
"What should we do?" Asked Hermione, looking more and more agitated by the second.
"Nothing. Look." Said Alexandra, showing Hermione Leo Black running towards the teachers stands, the Black Heir having reached the same conclusion as her with far more alacrity.
Before she could say another word, the whole population of Hogwarts was on their feet, watching, terrified, as the Weasleys flew up to try and pull Longbottom safely on to one of their brooms, but it was no good – every time they got near him, the broom would jump higher still. A few seconds of futile efforts later, the two Gryffindor Beaters dropped lower and circled beneath him, obviously hoping to catch him if he fell.
Marcus Flint, in good Slytherin, profited from the fact no one had any attention left for the match to seize the Quaffle and scored six times without Wood moving to stop him.
"Come on, Leo," Alexandra heard Ron Weasley grumbled desperately.
As Alexandra watched the teacher stand, she stood corrected. Leo Black had not reached the same conclusion as her. The black-haired Gryffindor had ran his way across the teacher stand and did not bat an eye when he knocked a muttering Professor Quirell headfirst. Reaching Snape, he crouched down and threw a sort of acid spell on the Potion Masters robes.
It took less than ten seconds for Flitwick next to Snape to realise the Potions Master was in danger, and the shout of the Charms Master broke Snape attention from the game.
Looking back to the game, Alexandra saw Neville Longbottom clamber back on his broom. So Snape or Quirell had definitely been cursing the broom of the Boy-Who-Lived, Alexandra mused. One more assassination attempt at Hogwarts, and they were not even to December. Ron Weasley, as subtle as ever, was shouting "YES!YES!" with the same terrifying enthusiasm he ate his food at dinner. With the agitation in the stand of the professors, Leo Black had profited from the occasion to discreetly escape, although by the anger showed by the different professors who had been in the middle of the acid spell, the Heir of the Black Family was going to receive a few more detentions if the teachers realised he was the culprit.
Neville Longbottom was now speeding towards the ground with his Nimbus 2000, and Alexandra watched him, wondering why the Boy-Who-Lived had his hand to his mouth like he was about to vomit. Air sick maybe? Anyway, Longbottom hit the pitch on all fours, his speed having fortunately diminished and the ground being enchanted with Cushioning Charms. On his knees, the Gryffindor Seeker coughed, coughed again, and something gold fell from his mouth into his hands.
"I've got the Snitch!" Neville Longbottom shouted, waving it above his head like a trophy. "I've got the Snitch!"
All the Gryffindors in the stands rose like one person and began to shout, cheer, applaud and threw red sparks with their wands, creating a monstrous cacophony able to wake up every person in a circle of several miles.
"Neville Longbottom has caught the Snitch!" Screamed Lee Jordan, who had apparently been as stunned as everyone by the turn taken by the match."One hundred and fifty points for Gryffindor! GRYFFINDOR WINS!"
Looking at the score panel, Alexandra saw: GRYFFINDOR: 170. SLYTHERIN: 70.
Alexandra groaned and almost took her head into her hands, before remembering she was in a Gryffindor stand and thinking it would not be a good way to antagonise the Lions. Still, the astounding capture of the Snitch had pulled off was unlikely to teach him humility and safety. Next to her, Hermione and Nigel looked happy but without looking truly delirious: both of them, for not the same reasons, did not really put their life and sanity in the balance of this Quidditch match. Unlike Ron Weasley, who on the opposite side of the stand, was showing tears of joy and jumping in place with a large banner of Gryffindor shouting "WE WON! WE WON!"
The rest of his year-mates looked like they had also lost a few brain cells in this event. Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas were singing a drinking hymn with a red and gold lion mascot in their arms. Lavender Brown was crying in one of the Gryffindor banners. The rest of the Lions were even more demonstrative.
"Well, that was an interesting match" The Potter Heiress said to Hermione with an ironic smirk." Who do you think was trying to kill Longbottom? Snape or Quirell?"
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