~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sunlight landed on the Gryffindor team as they flew out onto the pitch, Harry in the lead. The crowd exploded with applause, but like always, there were boos and hisses sprinkled in as well. Today Harry noticed them even more than usual, feeling like they were all meant for him. Well, he'd show them today if he deserved them or not. He'd show himself if he was meant to be captain.
The crowd erupted in noise once again as the Ravenclaw team came flying out of their locker room. Harry caught a flash of Cho before he had flown past her. Suddenly his heart started racing, and his mind just kept screaming, over and over again "Cho, Cho, Cho, Cho." He couldn't do this, couldn't face her again. "But there's no turning back now" he said to himself. "It's no big deal. She's just a girl, just the Ravenclaw captain."
He landed nimbly on the ground and started towards Madam Hooch, who was carrying the box of quidditch balls toward the center of the pitch. Cho was walking towards Hooch from the opposite direction, so that she and Harry were facing each other. "Just keep your cool. It's just Cho. Cho Chang. Beautiful, tortured Cho Chang. God, she probably hates me. She's always hated me, and then I lived when Cedric. Does she think it's my fault? I gotta get away from here. Do I have to sweat now? Oh man, she'll notice! I can't act like this." From high above, Harry could hear Lee Jordan's magically magnified voice, but he couldn't concentrate on the words.
He wiped the sweat from his brow and tried to mimic the blank, determined expression Cho was wearing. "Captains." Hooch said, nodding to both of them. "Shake hands." Harry extended his hand quickly, and after what seemed like an eternity, Cho eventually shook it. They stood staring at each other for a moment, and deep down, Harry wanted the moment to last forever but at the same time to be over quickly. He was sure he could see the beginnings of a smile on Cho's face, but then she let go of his hand and it was gone. He could feel the sweat sliding down his face, but he also felt sweet relief. In a few seconds, he would be back in the air, the only place he truly belonged.
"Mount your brooms." Harry saw Cho's eyes flit to the words Firebolt on his broom. Cho flew a Comet260. No match for a Firebolt, but Cho was an excellent flier, and could compensate for any disadvantages of having a slower broom. Harry concentrated on the crate of balls in front of him, and was up in the air the minute the balls were released. The match was under way.
Angelina swooped in and grabbed the Quaffle right before Kevin Entwhistle, a Ravenclaw chaser, could get to it. She flew in a tight circle before passing the quaffle along to Seamus. He was on the far right of the pitch, and caught the ball with one hand, almost dropping it while dodging a bludger, sent his way by McDougal, a Ravenclaw beater.
Meanwhile, Harry was flying up as high as he could go and still be able to see the game clearly. He scanned the area below him, searching for any sign of the snitch, but he came up empty. He heard someone flying up next to him, and spun around to see who it was. It was Cho, doing the same thing he was. Before she could look up to see him, he flew across to the other side. His eyes scanned the area around him, while he mentally kicked himself for avoiding her even now. "I can't let this control me. We've got to win."
The crowd exploded with cheers, as Lee Jordan shouted out that Seamus had scored, giving Gryffindor an early lead. Despite himself, Harry smiled. He had known Seamus would do well. "I'm NOT a bad captain, I'm not a bad captain." he chanted to himself, trying to relax. He knew he could relax and get into the game if he tried hard enough. After all, the match was far from over.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ I'm not done writing the match, but I don't want this chapter to get too long. Please review!