The Keeper

Chapter 50

I listened to Put Your Dukes Up John by the Arctic Monkeys, Going Underground by The Jam and Stole The Show by Kygo.

1. A reminder that this takes place before Harry, Ron and Hermione find the Philosopher's Stone, so Gryffindor is still very much in last place.

2. I've changed the actual canon storyline a little to suit my plot.

3. This is partly based on an absolutely fantastic one-shot I read a while ago. It's M18, so if you want the link, send me a message.

Also, we finally reached 50 chapters! That's a lot longer than I ever envisioned this book becoming so I'm very happy :) And on top of that, we hit 20,000 reads! So to celebrate the double whammy, I decided to not procrastinate for once and write a longer chapter.

Please vote and comment <3

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Luckily Oliver listened to Professor McGonagall's advice. He really whipped the team into shape and took great care to consistently remind them that this was it: the last game of the season. Even though a win wouldn't even bump them into third place, Oliver was determined to have any victory against Slytherin he could. He'd forbidden me from attending any team meetings or practices he had. "You're a distraction, Y/N," Oliver had told me. "In the nicest way possible."

So all that considered, I was especially nervous as I took my seat in the Ravenclaw stand. I was wearing Oliver's Gryffindor scarf, ignoring the lighthearted teasing from my friends, even though it was safe to say that all of us wanted a Gryffindor victory. It's not that I hated Slytherin (lots of the stereotypes are unfair), it's just that I knew how much Oliver wanted, needed, a win.

Lee Jordan's announcement snapped me back to reality. I screamed as loud as I could as the teams both flew onto the pitch. Oliver briefly made eye contact with me and his smile made me melt a little. Sasha rubbed my shoulder and giggled. I was going to turn around to whisper some snide comment but was interrupted by Madam Hooch blowing the whistle.

The stands erupted into a cacophony of shouting, cheering, screaming. The occasional booing, too. Every time one of the Gryffindor chasers managed to get the ball through the hoop, I automatically stood up in delight. But whenever, albeit rarely, Oliver let a ball slip past him, I swore loudly.

The game was picking up the pace and the score was 150-90 to Gryffindor. While we were winning so far, I knew that the team, especially Oliver, would not be satisfied until they caught the snitch and secured a victory. And it showed in their gameplay. More passes were made, the Weasleys scared the Slytherin chasers, Harry darted around more. And Oliver looked more determined than ever. I could see his mouth moving rapidly, barking instructions at his teammates.

I didn't know what he was saying but knew it worked when Harry dived towards the ground. The Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students all stood up simultaneously as the eyes of the entire school went to Harry.

And then it was over. He caught the snitch.

I was screaming quite loudly already, but I risked the permanent ruin of my vocal chords by screaming even louder. I didn't pay any attention to anyone except Oliver at that moment. His face lit up with absolute joy and my chest filled with pride.

"Gryffindor wins!" came Lee's announcement, and the cheers continued. "With a damn excellent game, too. And people are coming on to the pitch to congratulate the team!"

They most certainly were. With me at the front. Charging towards the team, I saw Oliver before he saw me and leapt onto his back. It took him by surprise but he soon worked out who I was.