Disclaimer: I own nothing, it all belongs to J.K.Rowling. I’m just borrowing the characters to play with for a while. This is for pleasure only, no profit is being made and no copyright infringement is intended.

Harry awoke to Ron tugging on his arm and shaking him into awareness. Groggily looking around the room and taking in the dim light, he realized it was morning, very early morning. He was disoriented and shook his head to try and clear it. He had never woken up again after lying down yesterday afternoon and slept right through the night. After sleeping in his clothes he had that rough, slightly unclean feeling of sleeping uncomfortably. Blearily he looked at Ron in confusion and realized his friend was holding his glasses out to him.

"You must have been really wiped out. McGonagall told us not to disturb you but I thought for sure that you’d be up by now. Sorry to wake you but the team is meeting for an early breakfast before heading to the pitch," Ron explained.

He didn’t tell Harry about his annoyance on learning that Harry had a bad reaction to his Occlumency. Ron couldn’t understand what Dumbledore was thinking putting Harry through the ringer the day before a Quidditch match. Hermione lit into him for that comment and refused to speak to him for most of the night over his insinuation that Quidditch was more important than keeping Voldemort out of Harry’s mind. Ron didn’t think that really, he knew the importance of Harry mastering Occlumency. Still, he didn’t think moving the lesson one day up or back would have been a bad idea either! This was the first match of the season after all!

"McGonagall told you not to disturb me?" Harry asked, still struggling to piece together what had happened.

"Yeah. She said Dumbledore told her you’d had a hard time with Occlumency. Sorry mate, it must have been bad to lay you out like that. You okay?"

Harry nodded absently, obviously they had to cover the fact Harry had been with Moony. His friends were still unaware of Harry’s extra defense lessons.

"Jump in the shower and meet me downstairs. The team is all going down together. Show of solidarity and all that."

Harry could almost hear Ron’s annoyance over what condition he was in, so he quickly showered and joined the rest of the team in the Common Room. The shower had perked him up and the idea of playing in a game was pushing all thoughts of what happened the previous day from his mind. He could find out what Dumbledore had to say about it later. He was excited and eager to play. After missing dinner last night, he was starving and didn’t think he’d have his usual problem with pre-game jitters today. He loaded his plate with flapjacks and bacon and began to devour it ravenously. Ginny shook her head at seeing Harry’s appetite nearly rivaling Ron’s. Hermione joined them not long after they’d started and the rest of Great Hall was beginning to fill up with other students. Neville walked in with Luna, each dressed in their own House colors. Neville joined him at the table, "Morning! Luna is going to sit with us at the match Hermione, okay?"

"Of course Neville. Doesn’t she want to sit with her own House today though, since it is Ravenclaw we’re playing?"

"Nah, she doesn’t get on with them very well. They aren’t very nice to her."

Harry remembered the end of last term when Luna’s "friends" had hidden her things and he felt a surge of annoyance at the Ravenclaws. It made him really want to beat them today. Before Hermione could respond, however, two large barn owls swooped in carrying a long, thin package between them. It was quite obviously a broom. The owls swooped down and landed right in front of Ginny.

Her eyes flew open wide in shock and she gently took the package with trembling hands. She looked up in confusion at Ron who was looking just as surprised back at her. Harry and Hermione had equally puzzled expressions on their faces.

"Well don’t just sit there, open it!" Ron shouted, never being one to show restraint when it came to either presents or Quidditch.

Ginny pulled the card and began to read,

Ginny tore the paper off a brand new Cleansweep; it was just like Ron’s broom. She ran her hands lovingly over the handle and squealed in delight, "My very own broom! I’ve got my very own broom and it’s not even a hand-me-down!"

"We are going to be unstoppable, there is no way we won’t beat Ravenclaw today!" Ron exclaimed, "When I sent Mum that letter I never expected this!"

"What letter?" Ginny asked sharply.

"Just my regular note to Mum. You know I’m fine/we’re eating/Harry’s still not sleeping well letters. I happened to mention that you were using a school broom and it was rubbish. I was worried about it hurting our chances."

"What do you mean hurting our chances?"

"What do you mean Harry’s still not sleeping well?" both Ginny and Harry yelled in indignation at the same time.

Ron ignored them both, "Where do you suppose these ‘extra funds’ came from? Do you think it has anything to do with the Order?"

Harry, who knew perfectly well where the funds came from but didn’t want to get into it with Ron, jumped up from his seat, "No time for that now, the team is leaving. Let’s go, games’ on!"

Harry had quickly changed into his scarlet Quidditch robes and was peering out at the crowd before Ron called the team together for his pre-game pep talk. In the rapidly filling stands, he could see not only Fred and George, but Mr. and Mrs. Weasley as well. In fact, there were so many red heads in that particular section Harry wouldn’t be surprised if the whole Weasley family had come for the match. Harry suddenly found himself very nervous. He didn’t want to let Ron or Ginny down in front of their family, he hoped he hadn’t lost his touch in his long absence from playing.

Squinting to try and make out the faces, he realized Moony and Tonks were also there and seated with the Weasleys. Harry felt a surge of warmth flood his veins. They had come to see him play! He knew that although all the Weasleys would cheer him on, they had really come to see Ginny’s first match as Chaser and Ron’s first match as captain. That was how it should be. Moony and Tonks, however, probably had come for him. Harry remembered how touched he’d been when Mrs. Weasley and Bill and come to represent a family for him during the Third Task of the TriWizard tournament. He’d been so grateful to them for that. This was a similar kind of feeling now.

As a kid, Harry was never allowed to attend Dudley’s football matches, he’d really had no particular desire to anyway other than curiosity about the sport. The Dursleys always left him with Mrs. Figg or locked in his cupboard. He always enjoyed watching the other families as they arrived either before or after a game though. Aunt Petunia would set up little finger sandwiches and snacks as the families of Dudley’s mates gathered around and swapped stories of the game.

Watching them had always left Harry with an odd, empty sort of feeling and a strong longing for something he couldn’t name. Looking out now and seeing the faces of all those people he knew and cared for filled him with an intense joy and an overwhelming desire to win this game. This is what it was like for Dudley and his friends to have family come and route for them. It felt good!

"Oi Harry, over here!" he heard Ron call and forced his mind out of the past and onto the present. Harry made his way over and sat on the bench between Ginny and Jack Sloper with the rest of the team.

"Gather round team, this is how it’s going to be." Ron seemed to be a natural standing up there in front of his team. He strode back and forth with a confidence he didn’t usually possess. Ron was in his element when it came to Quidditch and Harry was forcibly reminded he’d made the right decision in refusing the captain spot. Ron was much better at this than Harry ever would have been. He could never have gotten up there and given this speech Harry thought, not even considering the fact he had been doing the same thing with the D.A. for over a year now.

"Here’s how it is," Ron was saying, "we’ve got great conditions out there. Not a cloud in the sky and the temperature is chilly without being uncomfortable. You know what you have to do. Go out there and fly just like we’ve been doing in practice. I don’t need to tell you we need to hold on to that Quidditch Cup. We don’t want to have to face McGonagall if she doesn’t get to keep it in her office next year. This is game one; it sets the tone for the year. Andrew, Jack, wallop those Bludgers into anything that moves. Katie, Ginny, Holly, score a lot. As many goals and as often as you can. Harry, catch the snitch," at this point Ron flashed Harry a sly grin, "or die trying."

Harry grinned in return. The last person to say that to him was Oliver Wood, the teams former captain and Quidditch fanatic. Harry and ended up in the Hospital Wing missing all the bones in his arm. He hoped this game would have a less painful ending.

As they made their way onto the pitch, Harry could see the blue of the Ravenclaw robes already lined up. He heard the tail end of the announcement for the Gryffindor lineup, "Bell, Kirke, Potter, Proctor, Sloper, Weasley and Weasley!"

He took his place opposite Cho, who flashed him a huge smile. He nodded and gave a small smile in return.

Madam Hooch had Ron and Roger Davies, the captain of the Ravenclaw team, shake hands then she yelled, "Mount your brooms!" As she blew her whistle, Harry kicked off the ground and rose like a shot into the air. He soared back and forth the length of the pitch as the other players got into place. Squinting against the glaring sun, he began his search of the snitch.

Luke Donovan, a Hufflepuff 4th year had taken over the commentary for Lee Jordan, who had graduated with the twin’s class the year before. Harry missed Lee’s often biased but always-colorful descriptions of the play. Luke was more fair, but duller and his voice tended to sound more like a drone.

"Gryffindor in possession, new Chaser Holly Proctor heading for goal…"

Harry noticed that Cho was using her usual game strategy of tailing him rather than looking for the snitch herself. Putting on a burst of speed, he decided to at least make her work for it!

He dodged a Bludger that went speeding past him, then swerved out of the way of Andrew Kirke, who was chasing it. From the corner of his eye he saw Cho diving towards the ground. He searched frantically for the elusive Golden Snitch but couldn’t see it. He suspected Cho was having him on but was afraid to blow it in front of all the Weasleys. He followed Cho in her dive but then decided to follow his own instincts and pulled out, shooting for the opposite end of the pitch.

Sure enough, when Cho thought he’d spotted the Snitch, she dropped her ruse and sped after him. Harry dived sharply towards the ground, hearing the startled gasps from the crowd. He pulled out of the dive at the last second. Cho hadn’t been as lucky and struggled desperately to control her broom. She hit the ground with a thud but quickly remounted and got back in the air. The smile was gone from her face as she glared at Harry and rose up to continue her search.

"An excellent Wronski Feint pulled off by Potter of the Gryffindor team," he heard the monotone voice of Luke Donovan announce.

"Nice one Harry!" Katie yelled, speeding past him with the Quaffle clutched tightly in her arm.

The morning moved into afternoon and still the game went on. The score of the game was fairly even, mostly due to the excellent work by the Keepers on each team, keeping the scores fairly low.

As time moved into late afternoon, all the players were beginning to show signs of fatigue, with still no sign of the Snitch. Harry was frustrated but tried to keep his focus on finding the Snitch, not on the ache in his lower back.

Ginny, Katie, and Holly all looked a bit worn. They’d been playing hard with little payoff and everyone was getting a little sloppy.

Harry watched as Ginny caught the Quaffle from Holly and raced towards the Ravenclaw hoops. Her brow was furrowed; she was concentrating intently on getting past their excellent Keeper and didn’t notice the zooming Bludger one of the Ravenclaw Beaters had sent directly for her.

Without thinking, Harry launched his broom into the path of the oncoming Bludger and stuck out his arm trying to divert it from hitting her. A Bludger is much bigger and heavier than the Snitch, however, and the force of it sent Harry spinning in a 180 degree angle as he felt a searing pain shoot up his arm.

In the meantime, Ginny had managed to score and was still unaware of the commotion going on behind her. Ron went to call a time-out but Harry waved letting him know he was all right. In truth, he waved with his left arm because he didn’t think he could lift the right. Clenching his teeth against the agony pulsing up his wrist, arm and into his shoulder, he continued searching for the little flutter of gold.

The afternoon wore on; the game had gone past lunch, past afternoon tea and was now encroaching on the dinner hour. It was the longest game Hogwarts had seen in some time. The autumn sky was growing darker and the air much cooler than it had been during mid-afternoon.

Harry’s wrist had settled into a dull throb and had eventually gone numb. It would remain that way unless he tried to move it. Each subtle movement would send a new wave of agony cascading over him. Harry quickly decided it was better not to move it and his arm hung limp across his broom. This left him only one good arm to fly with and catch the snitch.

As his eyes scanned the darkening pitch once more, he saw it! A tiny glimmer of gold lying on the sidelines not far from where he was flying. Trying not to arouse Cho’s awareness, he floated gently towards the ground, keeping his eyes sharply focused on the prize. When he was near enough and Cho still hadn’t followed, he launched himself towards the Snitch and reached out his left hand, balancing with only his legs.

He grabbed the Snitch before Cho had even realized it had been seen. Being nearly on the ground when he’d captured it, and unable to fly and hold it in the air anyway, he jumped off his broom and shot his fist with the clenched Snitch into the air.

"Harry Potter’s got the Snitch! Gryffindor wins!"

The stands erupted with a roar and his teammates swooped down to congratulate him. Harry could see Cho Chang glaring venomously at him, her eyes glaring with none of the sweetness she’d shown at the beginning of the match. It was only as Katie threw herself on him and he flinched in pain that his teammates realized he was really hurt.

Madam Hooch pulled him from the crowd and looked him over, "You need to see Madam Pomfrey, Potter." Harry nodded his agreement and tried to quietly slip away, not wanting to ruin the victory moment for Ron.

Ron had worked hard for this and he deserved the time to lap up the praise and admiration from his family. Harry quietly made his way off the pitch smiling at the nods and acknowledgements he received as he went.

Madam Pomfrey set his broken wrist, relieving the pain instantly but told him he had to stay in a bed for an hour until the potion was finished it’s healing. He felt dirty and sweaty; not to mention he was starving, but knew there was no use arguing with the woman. He plopped himself down on an empty bed and shut his eyes, allowing the adrenaline to drain from his system.

He’d been there for about a half-hour when the door burst open and all the Weasleys, Hermione, Moony and Tonks bustled in.

"Harry," Mrs. Weasley began fussing with the bed covers, "Are you all right dear? Madam Hooch said you were injured."

"I’m fine Mrs. Weasley, just a broken wrist. Madam Pomfrey already set it."

"You broke your wrist!" Ginny exclaimed. "And you continued playing all that time? What were you thinking Harry?"

Ron, who was obviously still basking in the glory of the win, cast an amused yet incredulous glance at his friend. "Did you actually think you could just catch it?" he asked sarcastically.

"It was aiming right for you and you were about to score," Harry said to Ginny, "you didn’t see it!"

"So why didn’t you just shout at me to look out?"

Harry opened his mouth to retort but was stumped. Why didn’t he just tell her to watch out? Because it never occurred to him, that’s why! He saw the Bludger and he acted! He felt the color rise to his face, this was his ‘love of playing the hero’ rising up again. At least this time no one was hurt.

Ginny noticed the bewildered look on his face and knew what was going on his head. Shaking her head she grinned at him, it was so typically Harry!

"Nice game anyway Harry," Moony said smiling and trying to rescue Harry from his discomfort. "I thought we’d be here well into the night at the rate things were going."

"Wotcher Harry," Tonks grinned, "Catching the Bludger in your hand. That’s a new one on me!"

Fred and George were bouncing around the Hospital Wing unable to contain their enthusiasm; "Great catch Harry! Cho never even saw you going for it," George exclaimed. "She was right ticked off about it too!"

"Angelina is here too, she went up to the Common Room with Katie," Fred added.

"I have to stay for another twenty minutes, than I can join you up there," Harry told them.

Mrs. Weasley leaned over and kissed him on the head, "We have to get back Harry, you do what Madam Pomfrey tells you and take care of yourself."

She turned to kiss Ron and Ginny goodbye as Mr. Weasley, Moony and Tonks all shook Harry’s hand and said their good-byes.

Fred leaned over Harry conspiratorially; "George, Ang and I are staying for the victory celebration. We’ve brought some things to get the party started off right!"

Harry grinned and nodded at Fred, than schooled his features noticing the suspicious glances coming from Hermione.

"We’ll see you upstairs Harry!" yelled George as he and Fred followed the adults from the Hospital Wing.

"We’d better go too Ron," Hermione said, "I want to keep an eye on those brothers of yours!"

Ron shrugged, "You’ll be okay?"

Harry nodded, "Yeah, I’ll be up shortly."

Ginny gave him a small smile and mouthed, "Thanks Harry," as she followed Ron and Hermione from the room.

Harry leaned back on his pillows and grinned broadly, this party was looking to be a good one.

A/N: Thank you all so much for all the reviews! I really appreciate all the continued support! Please keep R/R!

My son has been very taken with the Playstation game Quidditch World Cup (which he gave me for my birthday). He’s really interested in Quidditch and I’ve been getting such a kick listening to him. He knows so much about it, it’s scary. In the game, Oliver Wood is still captain but I told him next book, either Ron, Harry or maybe Katie Bell would be the new captain and why I thought it would be Ron. You know what he said? He said, yeah, Harry is too busy. He has a lot of jobs like catching the Snitch and beating Voldemort! He said it in that order too! Poor Harry!

Reporter: Thanks so much for clarifying the Ginny Patronus thing! I suspected it might be from another fic. Some of the fics are so good I get confused too with what is real and what isn’t! According to JKR, a Patronus has to be an animal, so I’m forced to change some things, I’m working on it! Thanks.