As eleven o'clock approached on the following Saturday, the whole school started to makeits way down to the Quidditch stadium. It was a muggy sort of day with a hint of thunder in the air. Me,Ron and Hermione came hurrying over to wish Harry good luck as he entered the locker rooms. As the Team walked out onto the field, a roar of noise greeted them;mainly cheers, because Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were anxious tosee Slytherin beaten, but the Slytherins in the crowd made theirboos and hisses heard, too. Madam Hooch, the Quidditch teacher,asked Flint and Wood to shake hands, which they did, giving eachother threatening stares and gripping rather harder than was necessary."On my whistle," said Madam Hooch. "Three . . . two . . .one . . ."With a roar from the crowd to speed them upward, the fourteenplayers rose toward the leaden sky. Harry flew higher than any ofthem, squinting around for the Snitch.

As soon as he was up a heavy blackBludger came pelting toward him; he avoided it so narrowly thathe felt it ruffle his hair as it passed."Close one, Harry!" I heard George say, streaking past him with hisclub in his hand, ready to knock the Bludger back toward a Slytherin. Harry saw George give the Bludger a powerful whack in thedirection of Adrian Pucey, but the Bludger changed direction inmidair and shot straight for Harry again.Harry dropped quickly to avoid it, and George managed to hitit hard toward Malfoy. Once again, the Bludger swerved like aboomerang and shot at Harry's head.Harry put on a burst of speed and zoomed toward the other endof the field. He could hear the Bludger whistling along behindhim. What was going on? Bludgers never concentrated on oneplayer like this; it was their job to try and unseat as many people aspossible. . . .Fred was waiting for the Bludger at the other end.Harry ducked as Fred swung at the Bludger with all his might; theBludger was knocked off course."Gotcha!" Fred yelled happily, but he was wrong; as though itwas magnetically attracted to Harry, the Bludger pelted after himonce more and Harry was forced to fly off at full speed.It had started to rain; Harry felt heavy drops fall onto his face,splattering onto his glasses. He didn't have a clue what was goingon in the rest of the game until he heard Lee Jordan, who was commentating, say, "Slytherin lead, sixty points to zero —"

"What?" I whispered, following the lead of not my brother but the buldger. "That buldger" I whispered, nudging Ron and Hermione "someone's tampered with it."

Gryffindor called for a time out then.

"Do you think Slytherin did it?" asked Hermione. 

"I don't know-"

"I think so. Look, Emma don't bite my head off but, who else could've done it?"

I shrug "anyone, I mean half the school thinks we're the heirs of slytherin."

Then another blow of the whistle and they were up again. 

The rain was falling more heavily now. On Madam Hooch'swhistle, Harry kicked hard into the air and heard the telltale whooshof the Bludger behind him. Higher and higher Harry climbed; helooped and swooped, spiraled, zigzagged, and rolled. Slightly dizzy,he nevertheless kept his eyes wide open, rain was speckling hisglasses and ran up his nostrils as he hung upside down, avoidinganother fierce dive from the Bludger. He could hear laughter fromthe crowd; he knew he must look very stupid, but the rogueBludger was heavy and couldn't change direction as quickly asHarry could; he began a kind of roller-coaster ride around the 

"Come on, Harry" I whispered. "Come on."

Around 20 minutes later, I saw a horrifying sight, Harry With a splattering thud he hit the mud and rolled off hisbroom. His arm was hanging at a very strange angle; riddledwith pain, he heard, as though from a distance, a good deal ofwhistling and shouting. He focused on the Snitch clutched in hisgood hand.

"HARRY!" I yelled, jumping up and pushing past people. I ran to his side, "Harry, how the hell-" "Move aside ms. Potter!" Lockhart was striding in, Wearing robes of jade green. "Oh, no, not you," harry moaned."Doesn't know what he's saying," said Lockhart loudly to theanxious crowd of Gryffindors pressing around us. "Not toworry, Harry. I'm about to fix your arm.""No!"I cried, and  Harry said "I'll keep it like this, thanks. . . ."He tried to sit up

"Lie back, Harry," said Lockhart soothingly. "It's a simple charmI've used countless times —""Why can't I just go to the hospital wing?" said Harry throughclenched teeth."He should really, Professor," said a muddy Wood, who couldn'thelp grinning even though his Seeker was injured. "Great capture,Harry, really spectacular, your best yet, I'd say —" "Shut up, Wood" I snarled, "Professor, the hospital wing is best-". 

"Stand back," said Lockhart, who was rolling up his jade-greensleeves.

 "No — don't —" said Harry weakly, but Lockhart was twirlinghis wand and a second later had directed it straight at Harry's arm. "Oh my god" I whispered "what did you-" "Ah," said Lockhart. "Yes. Well, that can sometimes happen. Butthe point is, the bones are no longer broken. That's the thing tobear in mind. So, Harry, just toddle up to the hospital wing — ah,Ms. Potter Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, would you escort him? — and MadamPomfrey will be able to — er — tidy you up a bit."As Harry got to his feet, he felt strangely lopsided. Taking a deepbreath he looked down at his right side. "What did he do?" he croaked.

"He didn't fix your bones" I growled, "being the git he is he's removed them."

Madam Pomfrey wasn't at all pleased."You should have come straight to me!" she raged, holding upthe sad, limp remainder of what, half an hour before, had been aworking arm. "I can mend bones in a second — but growing themback —"

 "You will be able to, won't you?" said Harry desperately.

 "I'll be able to, certainly, but it will be painful," said MadamPomfrey grimly, throwing Harry a pair of pajamas. "You'll have tostay the night. . . ."Hermione and I waited outside the curtain drawn around Harry's bedwhile Ron helped him into his pajamas.

 It took a while to stuff therubbery, boneless arm into a sleeve."How can you stick up for Lockhart now, Hermione, eh?" Roncalled through the curta "If Harry had wanted deboning he would haveasked.""Anyone can make a mistake," said Hermione. "And it doesn'thurt anymore, does it, Harry?""No," said Harry, getting into bed. "But it doesn't do anythingelse either." "Honestly, Hermione" I said rolling my eyes "if you could try and see past the idiots, smile and rugged jaw, you may admit he is an idiot.

 As harry swung himself onto the bed, his arm flapped pointlessly.Hermione, Me and Madam Pomfrey came around the curtain.Madam Pomfrey was holding a large bottle of something labeledSkele-Gro."You're in for a rough night," she said, pouring out a steamingbeakerful and handing it to him. "Regrowing bones is a nasty business."So was taking the Skele-Gro, from the look on my brother's face. "We won, though," said Ron, a grin breaking across his face."That was some catch you made. Malfoy's face . . . he looked readyto kill. . . ." 

"I want to know how he fixed that Bludger," said Hermionedarkly. I growled a little "how do you know he did it? I've heard of a spell like that, it's also in the restricted section. What's more, even Lockhart doesn't like him. So, no teacher would've given him permission."

 The door of the hospital wing burst open at that moment. Filthyand soaking wet, the rest of the Gryffindor team had arrived to seeHarry. I slipped away, Draco may not have done it. But the Slytherin team could've, I thought as I walked sharply to my common room, I wasn't looking where I was going and bumped into someone.

 "Ouch" I said, rubbing my back from my position in the floor.

 "Oh, I am so sorry!"

 I looked up to see, a girl with dark purple hair and light blue eyes, I've seen Hagrid so the hair didn't bother me that much. She was in Slytherin from what I could see on her badge, I wished I had that badge. 

"It's alright" I say with a smile taking her offered hand. 

"I'm-Oh."She caught my staring at her badge "Right." she said sadly "I'll just-"

 'No!" I said "I'm sorry. I-I don't think Slytherin's are bad. I have a friend who's a slytherin."

"Oh," she smiled, "I'm Zoe. Zoe Anderson."

 "I'm Emma, I say, shaking her hand "Emma Potter." Her eyes widened, then she shook herself. "Do you-" I said awkwardly "maybe want to be friends" her eyes lit up "I'd love to" she smiled.

"Great!" I said, "well, I'll see you then!"

"Bye!" she called. 

Then I bumped into a green little someone. "Dobby!" I yelled The house-elf's goggling tennis ball eyes were peering at me. A single tear was running down his long,pointed nose."Harry and Emma Potter came back to school," he whispered miserably."Dobby warned and warned Harry and Emma Potter. Ah madame, why didn't youheed Dobby? Why didn't Harry Potter go back home when hemissed the train?" I stared "What're you doing here?" I said. "And how did you know Harry missed the train?"Dobby's lip trembled and I was seized by a sudden suspicion."It was you!" I said slowly. "You stopped the barrier from letting Themthrough!""Indeed yes, madame" said Dobby, nodding his head vigorously, earsflapping. "Dobby hid and watched for Harry Potter and sealed thegateway and Dobby had to iron his hands afterward" — he showedHarry ten long, bandaged fingers — "but Dobby didn't care, sir,for he thought Harry Potter was safe, And he was going to think of another way to stop Emma Potter.and never did Dobby dreamthat Harry Potter would get to school another way!"He was rocking backward and forward, shaking his ugly head."Dobby was so shocked when he heard Harry Potter was back atHogwarts, he let his master's dinner burn! Such a flogging Dobbynever had, madame...""You nearly got Ron and him expelled," Isaid fiercely. "You'dbetter get lost before my brother's bones come back, Dobby, or hemightstrangle you."Dobby smiled weakly."Dobby is used to death threats, madameDobby gets them five timesa day at home." 

He blew his nose on a corner of the filthy pillowcase he wore,looking so pathetic that I felt my anger ebb away in spite ofmyelf."Why d'you wear that thing, Dobby?" I asked curiously."This?" said Dobby, plucking at the pillowcase. " 'Tis a markof the house-elf's enslavement. Dobby can only be freed if hismasters present him with clothes, sir. The family is careful not topass Dobby even a sock, sir, for then he would be free to leave theirhouse forever."Dobby mopped his bulging eyes and said suddenly, "Harry and Emma Potter must go home! Dobby thought his Bludger would be enough tomake —""Your Bludger?"Isaid, anger rising once more. "Whatd'you mean, your Bludger? You made that Bludger try and kill my brother?"

"Not kill him, never kill him!" said Dobby, shocked. "Dobbywants to save Harry and Emma

 Potter's life! Better sent home, grievously injured, than remain here, madame

! Dobby only wanted Harry Potter hurtenough to be sent home!""Oh, is that all?" I said 

 angrily. "I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you wanted us sent home in pieces?""Ah, if Emma Potter only knew!" Dobby groaned, more tearsdripping onto his ragged pillowcase. "Ifshe new what she means to us, to the lowly, the enslaved, we dregs of the magical world!Dobby remembers how it was when He-Who-Must-Not-BeNamed was at the height of his powers, We house-elves weretreated like vermin, sir! Of course, Dobby is still treated like that, ," he admitted, drying his face on the pillowcase. "But mostly, madame,life has improved for my kind since you triumphed over HeWho-Must-Not-Be-Named. Harry and Emma Potter survived, and the DarkLord's power was broken, and it was a new dawn, sir, and Harry and EmmaPotter shone like a beacon of hope for those of us who thoughtthe Dark days would never end, sir. . . . And now, at Hogwarts,terrible things are to happen, are perhaps happening already, andDobby cannot let Harry Or EmmaPotter stay here now that history is torepeat itself, now that the Chamber of Secrets is open oncemore —"

Then with a howl of "BAD DOBBY" and a snap. 

Then he was gone.