Normally I answer reviews here, but I didn't get any last chapter. Therefore, without further ado, the next installment!

(Does this count as an installment? Oh well.)

As November approached, it brought with it chilly winds, and washed out greys. However, it also brought the start of something else. As of Saturday, Hogwarts' Quidditch season would officially commence. Unfortunately, this meant that the entire school was gearing up for the first game of the year. Wylie wasn't sure what was worse, the fact that Hogwarts seemed to be supremely bad at keeping secrets, or the fact that it thought she was destined to fail. In all honesty, it was most likely the latter, seeing as Gryffindor's newest Seeker had finally begun to realize that joining a sport in which she was supposed to fly a broom had, perhaps, not been her greatest idea. Between Wood ramping up Quidditch practices and the unrelenting homework, Hermione Granger had truly been a godsend. Through the other girl, Wylie had learned there were seven hundred ways of committing a Quidditch foul and that all of them had happened during a World Cup match in 1473; that Seekers were usually the smallest and fastest players, and that most serious Quidditch accidents seemed to happen to them; and that although people rarely died playing Quidditch, referees had been known to vanish and turn up months later in the Sahara Desert. Unfortunately, this all seemed to vanish from her mind the minute she sat down to breakfast the morning of the game.

"You've got to eat some breakfast." Lee told her.

"I don't want anything."

"Just a bit of toast," wheedled Hermione.

"I'm not hungry."

"Harry, you need your strength," said Seamus Finnigan. "Seekers are always the ones who get clobbered by the other team."

"Thanks, Seamus," Wylie responded, watching Seamus pile ketchup on his sausages.

"Way to give her confidence," Ron said, shaking his head.

Wylie thought her knees were going to give out underneath her. Both teams had gathered around Madam Hooch and the box of Quidditch supplies.

"I want a nice fair game from all of you…." Madam Hooch had begun to speak, but Wylie was distracted by the sight of something in the edge of her vision. Glancing to her left, Wylie suppressed a smile. A large banner fluttered high above the field, flashing her name for the whole stadium to see. Her heart skipped a beat. She felt a little braver.

Madam Hooch's whistle blared loudly. They were off.

"And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor — what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too —"

"JORDAN!"

"Sorry, Professor."

Wylie almost fell off her broom with laughter. She was going to kill Lee for not telling her he was commentating.

"And she's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Alicia Spinnet, a good find of Oliver Wood's, last year only a reserve — back to Johnson and — no, the Slytherins have taken the Quaffle, Slytherin Captain Marcus Flint gains the Quaffle and off he goes — Flint flying like an eagle up there — he's going to — no, stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor Keeper Wood and the Gryffindors take the Quaffle — that's Chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint, off up the field and — OUCH — that must have hurt, hit in the back of the head by a Bludger — Quaffle taken by the Slytherins — that's Adrian Pucey speeding off toward the goal posts, but he's blocked by a second Bludger — sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can't tell which — nice play by the Gryffindor Beater, anyway, and Johnson back in possession of the Quaffle, a clear field ahead and off she goes — she's really flying — dodges a speeding Bludger — the goal posts are ahead — come on, now, Angelina — Keeper Bletchley dives — misses — GRYFFINDORS SCORE!"

Wylie felt herself go spiraling through the air. The stadium blurred into colors and muffled sounds behind the wind. Even as she righted herself, it took a moment to figure out what exactly had happened.

"So — after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating —"

"Jordan!" growled Professor McGonagall.

"I mean, after that open and revolting foul…"

"Jordan, I'm warning you—"

"All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure, so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinner, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession." Ah. Slytherin's captain must have fouled her while she was going after the Snitch. That, at least, explained the outrage that seemed to be going on in the stands. Madam Hooch didn't seem too pleased either, though. However, it was as the Bludgers went spinning over Wylie's head that things began to take a turn for the worse.

Her broom gave a sudden, frightening lurch underneath her. For a moment, she could've sworn she was going to fall. It didn't take long for it to happen again. It was as though the broom was trying to buck him off. But she was fairly certain that a Nimbus Two Thousand did not suddenly decide to buck its rider off, and it definitely was not supposed to zigzag through the air without direction while doing so.

"Did something happen to it when Flint blocked him?" Seamus whispered.

"Can't have," Hagrid said, his voice shaking. "Can't nothing interfere with a broomstick except powerful Dark magic — no kid could do that to a Nimbus Two Thousand."

At these words, Hermione seized Hagrid's binoculars, but instead of looking up at, she started looking frantically at the crowd.

"What are you doing?" moaned Ron, gray-faced.

"I knew it," Hermione gasped, "Snape — look."

Ron grabbed the binoculars. Snape was in the middle of the stands opposite them. He had his eyes fixed on Harry and was muttering nonstop under his breath.

"He's doing something — jinxing the broom," said Hermione.

"What should we do?"

"Leave it to me."

Wylie let out a small shriek as the broom lurched higher, dragging her out of George's reach again. She squeezed her eyes closed, clutching the one hand still on the broomstick tighter. She could hear the screams from the stands, and they weren't helping, only serving to remind her just how very high up she was. She knew that if she lost her grip from up here, the fall would be devastating.

Suddenly, it stopped. Gasping for air, Wylie clambered back up onto the broom, and headed for the ground.

Although, Flint's apoplexy and Lee's resultant triumph over her nearly swallowing the Snitch was almost worth it.

This was not my best work.

Anyway. I know not much changed from canon in this chapter, but it was actually pretty important plot wise, so I decided to include it. I skipped some scenes though, for sake of the chapter length. I hope you enjoyed!