InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Final Battle ❯ Nobody Likes a Snitch... ( Chapter 12 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

DISCLAIMER: Don’t ask, I don’t own ‘em.

RECAP: “Call me a wolf one more time.”

The danger in his words promptly silenced Ron, and Inu-Yasha set him down rigidly. The group continued, and Ron leaned over to whisper to Harry. “Do you think he was madder about the wolf- or the human-part?”

“I CAN STILL HEAR YOU!”




Chapter 12




The sky was a turbulent, yellow-mocha color, and the villainous collection of clouds did not bode well for the Quidditch game scheduled for that afternoon. Angry, swollen puffs of light purple cumulonimbus seemed about to burst in pouring release at any moment’s notice, and there was an ominous, crisp stillness that hung in the air like a suffocating blanket. Harry swung his Firebolt anxiously, and cursed.


“Of course, with everything else going so well, why should Quidditch be any different?”


“OY, HARRY!” Harry turned at the feminine voice, and smiled slightly to see Ginny Weasley running towards him, broomstick and a thermos containing hot chocolate in both of her gloved hands. Her pretty face was flushed from the chill in the air, and a pert, auburn ponytail swung spiritedly from beneath her woolen cap.


She panted slightly as she greeted him on the field. “What’s your call on the weather? Do you think it’ll hold up?”


Harry sighed forlornly, fiddling with his glasses. “I don’t know...it’s doubtful. I wish they’d let us call it off on account of the conditions; there’s no way it’d be fit to play in once the rain comes...”


“What’s the matter, Potter? You trying to get out of playing the game? Could it be that you’re afraid of the competition?” Harry grimaced as Draco’s voice whined in his ear, a loathsome, persistent, unswattable gnat.


“You wish, Malfoy.” Ginny fairly snarled at the Slytherin who dared offend her captain and friend. “It would a blessing for you to put off another agonizing defeat.”


Draco looked at her reproachfully. “I could be wrong, but I don’t think I was talking to you. No, in fact, I know I wasn’t...I try not to make it a habit of consorting with those who are beneath my...station.”


Another distasteful grunt was heard behind Malfoy, as Hermione, Kagome, Ron, and Inu-Yasha stepped onto the field. “I didn’t know there was a station so far down as to be below your’s, Malfoy.” Hermione quipped, dismissing him with a derisive snort. Malfoy’s eyes glinted at the new arrivals.


“Well, well...if it isn’t the little mudblood, come to defend the weak once more. How heroic...I’d start keeping an eye out for myself if I were you. We all know who the Dark Lord will go after first...after our dear lady priestess, of course.” Malfoy barely had a chance to laugh before he was hoisted up by the scruff of his neck, his shoes dangling a foot above the ground, fearful aqua eyes meeting bright, slightly golden, hazel eyes.


“Malfoy, is it? I don’t believe we’ve met. Oh, but there was that one time...weren’t you the one who brought Kagome to Naraku?” Inu-Yasha ran his tongue across an unforgiving pair of pearly white fangs. “And you, a human, insulting another on account of her blood? I suggest you apologize to both Hermione and Kagome. Or else, this ‘kid’s-itch’ game will be called, and not because of the weather.” Inu-Yasha’s eyes had begun to slip from their disguised hazel to a slightly scarlet hue, and his grip tightened on Malfoy’s constricting throat. He smirked, reveling in the boy’s pleasantly fragrant fear of him.


“Gaa-aack, cack, hic...le–et me...nghh...go...! Cack...” Malfoy began to choke and cough.


“Inu-Yasha, put him down! He’s just trying to be spiteful.” Kagome scolded, her eyes lighting up in warning.


Inu-Yasha ignored her. “Uh-uh-uh...I don’t think that sounded quite like an apology to me. Care to try again?” Inu-Yasha inhaled sharply as the scent of his captive’s blood spiked the air ever-so-slightly, the increased pressure of his fingers indenting Malfoy’s ivory flesh, his face quickly turning to a violet-blue.


“I–I’m----sor....nghh, hack...”


“Mm? What was that?” Inu-Yasha’s grin was evil, at the very least, and his sadistic pleasure was reflected quite devilishly on both Ron and Harry’s faces. “Would you mind repeating that?”


“Inu-Yasha, put him down!” Kagome’s face was angry, torn between the satisfaction of ‘sitting’ him, and the repercussions Malfoy would face as a result of his current position before Inu-Yasha’s body.


“Cack...I’m...I’m SORRY!”


With a less-than-delicate crash, Malfoy was sent to the ground in a clumsy plop. He clutched his throat, tiny rivulets of blood trickling from the shallow puncture marks on his neck where Inu-Yasha’s claws had been. Kagome moved to his side and patted his back soothingly as he coughed and sputtered, casting a scathing glance in Inu-Yasha’s direction. “What?” He shrugged, remorselessly. “He had the same annoying eyes as that mangy wolf...only this weakling’s not as fun to beat up.”


Collecting himself, Malfoy shoved Kagome away from him, and ran a fair distance away from the group. “You better watch yourself!” He shouted. “When my father hears about this...”


“Yeah, your mother!” Inu-Yasha cackled, giving a start as if to chase after the boy, who responded by high-tailing it right on off the field. Ron, Ginny, and Harry laughed merrily, and Hermione tried desperately to cover up the sheepish smile creeping across her face. Kagome glared at Inu-Yasha, but her eyes softened as he tossed her a disarming smile. She walked beside him, playfully punching his side.


The game was fairly uneventful in the beginning, but for Kagome and Inu-Yasha’s amazement at the players and strategies. For the two, it was refreshing to have an experience that was new for both of them, quite unlike the fright and surprise that often seized Kagome in feudal era, and the curious, often distrusting manner with which Inu-Yasha would respond in contemporary Japan.


For Hermione, it was amusing to see her two friends reduced to states of childlike awe, their eyes struggling to keep up with the whipping movements of several different balls.


“So, let me get this straight...” Kagome said, her eyes never leaving the players’ movements. “These guys have to get the ball in the other team’s hoop, right?”


“Correct.” Hermione said surely. To make up for her lack of finesse on the field, she had made quite sure to memorize every rule and guideline in the Quidditch manual.


“...And, those guys have to knock those floating bowling balls into the opponents, right?” Kagome asked, grimacing as one of the Slytherin players was socked in the gut by said bowling ball (and hissing at Inu-Yasha to stop cheering).


“Uh-huh...”


“Good. So, Harry–and Malfoy----have to go after that, um, what was it called?”


“The snitch–come on, you sunova–! He was open! He was open!!!” Inu-Yasha screamed madly at the players, answering for Hermione.


“Right, the snitch...and then, the game ends?” Hermione nodded, and Kagome bit her lip, once more devoting her full, undivided attention to the game.


Gryffindor was winning, as usual, but by a close amount of points. The Slytherin players had considerably gotten stronger, and had it not been for Ginny’s insurmountable agility, the Gryffindors might not have had so high a score. It was a tough match, and still, the snitch was nowhere to be found.


Harry floated listlessly in the air, the deep grey of the clouds making him drowsy. His eyes were constantly scanning the heavens for any flicker of gold, and he kept an alert lookout for Malfoy, and any unseemly actions he might take. But it seemed that not much of anything was going to happen at any time soon, and it was all Harry could do to keep from sinking into a fitful slumber atop his Firebolt. The snitch was taking an unusually long time to show itself, even in weather conditions such as these.


Suddenly, he saw it.


An unmistakable flash of metallic whirred around, just twenty feet below him, and far enough away from Malfoy that he had yet to spot it. With practiced ease, Harry sank into the air like a hot knife through butter, plummeting towards the squirming, yellow orb.


The snitch was very nearly in his gloved hand, when it whirred away, bobbing petulantly before him. Harry steadily moved after it, following it further out of the field, the ever-elusive snitch always hanging just out of reach.


Harry spotted movement out of the corner of his left eye, and saw that Malfoy had at last spotted the snitch. Almost responding to the other seeker’s notice, the snitch took flight, fleeing from both Harry and Draco.


Harry gripped his broom fervently and chased after the snitch, which was slowly disappearing in the horizon. He looked to his left as Malfoy came up on his rear, gaining on his speed.


“Thought you could outfly me, eh, Potter?” Malfoy snickered, coming up to meet his side. “Well, let’s see if your Firebolt can top my Nimbus Platinum!” Malfoy sped up, slightly passing Harry. Harry tightened his hold, and increased his speed so that he was flying just two feet ahead of Malfoy. The Firebolt still had quite enough horsepower so that it could tap into speeds that bridged on breaking the sound barrier, but Harry wasn’t sure if he wanted to test his piloting prowess at that time.


In another few minutes, maybe.


Both Harry and Malfoy were already soaring at a breakneck pace, trailing just behind the snitch and leaving the field far off in the distance, when the orb suddenly zoomed off ahead, leaving a trail of gold dust in its wake.


Neither of them wanted to go further, but they didn’t dare back down. Harry pressed forth hard, the Firebolt blazing magnificently through the sky, and Malfoy struggled to keep his Nimbus Platinum under control. He started gaining a few feet ahead of Harry, who in turn, took to the air like a comet, reaching just ahead of the Nimbus. Countless minutes of unmatched speed passed by the two, and it had been around twenty-five minutes of non-stop racing before either notices that they were far away from the green fields that surrounded Hogwarts.


Once more, that fleeting gold flicker caught Harry’s eye.


Clenching his teeth and holding onto the Firebolt for dear life, Harry zipped away, finally leaving a panting, furious Malfoy behind, screaming madly at his broomstick.


“Heh...” Harry chuckled, glad to have ditched the blonde wizard. He resumed his focus on the snitch, and took care to follow it closely, chasing after it through the clouds.


Without warning, the snitch slowed to a halt, nearly sending Harry off his broomstick. Harry whipped around, his hand reaching out and immediately closing his fingers around his golden prize.


Smiling contentedly, Harry was about to return to the field when he noticed a distant blur out of the corner of his eye.


But as soon as he turned around to face the blur, his world went dark.




_____________________________________________ ________________________________________




“Kag ome, can you see Harry?” Hermione squinted, searching through the light drizzle that had begun to pepper the field. “He’s been gone for quite a while.”


Kagome looked around. “No, I don’t remember seeing him around...” Her grey-blue eyes scanned the area closely, trying to locate the familiar thatch of ebony hair and glasses. “Malfoy’s gone, too.”


“Well, that can’t be good,” Hermione huffed.


“They’re both gone.” Inu-Yasha said, his nostrils twitching. “The rain’s making it too hard to smell for sure, but I haven’t been able to detect either of their scents for over an hour...and I’ve got a pretty good sniff range.”


“AND, SLYTHERIN SCORES AGAIN, RACING AHEAD OF GRYFFINDOR BY A SOLID 24 POINTS!” The crowd surrounding Hermione, Inu-Yasha, and Kagome groaned in frustration. The match had been neck-and-neck for almost three hours, and both sides were growing more exhausted with every minute that passed. The spectators murmured curiously, wondering to where the seekers had flown off.


“Say, you don’t think...” Kagome began worriedly. “...That maybe Malfoy tried to start something with Harry, out-of-range?”


Hermione bit her lip pensively.


“He can try all he wants, doesn’t mean he’s gonna get anywhere.” Inu-Yasha frowned, his nostrils flaring. “You said the kid survived one of Naraku’s attacks, right? Well, if he’s as strong as everybody says he is, then that wimp can’t do too much damage. Still,” Inu-Yasha began to sniff the air in earnest. “They’ve been gone for a while.”

Kagome looked at him apprehensively. “Do you think we should go after them?”


A bright bolt of lightning struck the ground just outside the field, causing a collective jump from those in the stands. A booming bullhorn sounded, signaling a break in the game, as the rain began to come down with the force of a waterfall. “THE QUIDDITCH GAME HAS HEREBY BEEN CANCELLED! IT WILL BE RESUMED ON A LATER DATE; WILL ALL STUDENTS AND FACULTY PLEASE GO BACK INSIDE THE SCHOOL AT ONCE. I REPEAT; WILL ALL STUDENTS AND FACULTY PLEASE GO BACK INSIDE THE SCHOOL!” The speaker needn’t have made the demand twice, students and faculty alike were rushing ardently to the security of the warmth that lay inside the building.


Kagome touched Inu-Yasha’s shoulder. “Inu-Yasha, something’s wrong...I can feel it!”


“Oy, you guys seen Harry anywhere?!” Hermione looked to her left at Ron and Ginny, hovering on their broomsticks high above the stands.


“No! He hasn’t even been in the game for over an hour!” Hermione wrung her hands in anxiety. The five were nearly alone in the stands, the other players and spectators already having made their way to dry safety. “Malfoy, too! I don’t want to leave Harry alone, when we don’t even know what happened...”


Inu-Yasha, meanwhile, had doffed the wig and outermost garments of his disguise, shaking his hair out and rolling up his sleeves, taking a few buttons off in the process. He bent down slightly before Kagome. “Get on.”


The others watched as Inu-Yasha held firmly onto Kagome’s legs as they wrapped around his waist, her arms reaching over his shoulders in their comfortable piggy-back position. “You’re not–you don’t actually plan on going out there, do you?” Ron asked incredulously.


Hermione frowned likewise. “You said it was raining too hard for you to smell anything! How can you hope to find him?”


“Keh,” Inu-Yasha snorted arrogantly. “I never said I couldn’t smell anything, I said it was difficult. That’s a big enough difference for me. There’s something wrong here, and I’m not about to get surprised by it later on.” He was about to take Kagome down the long flight of stands, when Hermione stopped him.


“Wait,” she said, and she gestured for Ron to move closer. “We’re going with you.”


Ron looked at the determined witch with bulbous eyes. “W-what?!”


Hermione frowned as she put her foot over his broomstick, taking a seat behind him and wrapping her arms gently (if not a little boldly) around his waist. “Our best friend’s out there, Ron, and you’re honestly thinking of leaving him without knowing how he is?!”


“That’s not what I meant!” Ron’s face lit up in a brilliant magenta blush, noting the closeness of him and Hermione. “It’s just...you, my broomstick...why don’t you go with Ginny?”


Hermione’s eyes glowed irately, and faded slightly in masked pain. She gritted her teeth, and relaxed her grip on his waist slightly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know it offended you so much to have to share a broom with me!”


Ron shook his head fervently. “NO! Arg...that’s not what I meant, Hermione...” If it were possible, Ron’s face became even redder. “It’s just...it’s hard enough for me to concentrate with the rain...now that you’re right be–“ Hermione stared at him, the realization of his words’ meaning causing a slow blush to warm her soft face. She contained a shy smile, and looked down, embarrassed. An awkward silence lay thick around the group.


“Oh, why don’t you two just share a hard snog and get it over with?” Ginny said in exasperation. “I swear, the sexual tension between you two has been brewing a tempest for the past seven years...you’re going to explode if you try to hold your feelings in any longer!”


“G-GINNY!” Ron sputtered, his entire head and neck a bright fuschia.


“WELL. Sorry to interrupt your little love-fest,” Inu-Yasha snickered slightly. “But we’ve got a job to do. You coming along?” He looked expectantly at Ginny, who nodded. “Alright then.”


Scaring the wits out of his other companions (but for Kagome), Inu-Yasha leapt down from the stands to the ground. The two broomsticks sank down to a lower altitude, watching as the hanyou strained to sort out the muddled scents in the rain-washed air. After a minute, demon and priestess set off, their three companions close behind, in determined search for their lost friend.




___________________________________________ _________________________________________

Ooo...what fate awaits this beloved main character? Well, he hasn’t been sold to a prostitution ring where they specialize in fine young quidditch-players with bright green eyes and lightning-bolt shaped scars on their foreheads, so you can release that breath you’ve been holding. Go ahead. - Kapitan Nemo :D