Hair‐thickening.Charm.on.herself.and.refused.to.listen.to.the.fourteen.eye‐
witnesses.who.insisted.they.had.seen.the.Slytherin.Keeper,.Miles.Bletchley,.hit.her.from.behind.with.a.jinx.while.she.worked.in.the.library..
Harry.felt.optimistic.about.Gryffindor.s.chances;.they.had,.after.all,.never.lost.to.Malfoy.s.team..Admittedly,.Ron.was.still.not.performing.to.Wood.s.standard,.but.he.was.working.extremely.hard.to.improve..His.greatest.weakness.was.a.tendency.to.lose.confidence.after.he.d.made.a.blunder;.if.he.let.in.one.goal.he.became.flustered.and.was.therefore.likely.to.miss.more..On.the.other.hand,
.Harry.had.seen.Ron.make.some.truly.spectacular.saves.when.he.was.on.form;
.during.one.memorable.practice.he.had.hung.one‐handed.from.his.broom.and.kicked.the.Quaffle.so.hard.away.from.the.goalhoop.that.it.soared.the.length.of.the.pitch.and.through.he.centre.hoop.at.the.other.end;.the.rest.of.the.team.felt.this.save.compared.favourably.with.one.made.recently.by.Barry.Ryan,.the.Irish.International.Keeper,.against.Poland.s.top.Chaser,.Ladislaw.Zamojski..Even.Fred.had.said.that.Ron.might.yet.make.him.and.George.proud,.and.that.they.were.seriously.considering.admitting.he.was.related.to.them,.something.they.assured.him.they.had.been.trying.to.deny.for.four.years..
The.only.thing.really.worrying.Harry.was.how.much.Ron.was.allowing.the.tactics.of.the.Slytherin.team.to.upset.him.before.they.een.got.on.to.the.pitch.
.Harry,.of.course,.had.endured.their.snide.comments.for.over.four.years,.so.whispers.of,..Hey,.Potty,.I.heard.Warrington.s.sworn.to.knock.you.off.your.broom.on.Saturday.,.far.from.chilling.his.blood,.made.him.laugh...Warrington.s.aim.s.so.pathetic.I.d.be.more.worried.if.he.was.aiming.for.the.person.next.to.me,.
.he.retorted,.which.made.Ron.and.Hermione.laugh.and.wiped.the.smirk.off.Pansy.Parkinsons.face..
But.Ron.had.never.endured.a.relentless.campaign.of.insults,.jeers.and.intimidation..When.Slytherins,.some.of.them.seventh‐years.and.considerably.larger.than.he.was,.muttered.as.they.passed.in.the.corridors,..Got.your.bed.booked.in.the.hospital.wing,.Weasley?..he.didn.t.laugh,.but.turned.a.delicate.shade.of.green..When.Draco.Malfoy.imitated.Ron.dropping.the.Quaffle.(which.he.did.whenever.they.came.within.sight.of.each.other),.Ron.s.ears.glowed.red.and.his.hands.shook.so.badly.that.he.was.likely.to.drop.whatever.he.was.holding.at.the.time,.too..
October.extinguished.itself.in.a.rush.of.howling.winds.and.driving.rain.and.November.arrived,.cold.as.frozen.iron,.with.hard.irosts.every.morning.and.icy.draughts.that.bit.at.exposed.hands.and.faces..The.skies.and.the.ceiling.of.the.
Great.Hall.turned.a.pale,.pearly.grey,.the.mountains.around.Hogwarts.were.snowcapped,.and.the.temperature.in.the.castle.dropped.so.low.that.many.students.wore.their.thick.protective.dragonskin.gloves.in.the.corriors.between.lessons..
The.morning.of.the.match.dawned.bright.and.cold..When.Harry.awoke.he.looked.round.at.Ron.s.bed.and.saw.him.sitting.bolt.upright,.his.arms.around.his.knees,.staring.fixedly.into.space..