In Chapter 13, we mourn the loss of Scabbers the Rat, enjoy a VERY exciting Quidditch match where the Firebolt makes its debut, and a nightmare of Ron’s turns out to be frighteningly real. Let’s go!

This Scabbers thing, I tell you. What can you do about it? Ron is very upset that Scabbers is gone and Hermione won’t apologize. She also thinks Harry is siding with Ron and really can’t cope with it. Hermione is falling apart just a bit, the pressure really getting to her. This is why she is my soul sister: we both are perfectionists, we both take on way too much, and then we both stress out completely. It’s why she’s my favorite character. Even here, where I think she really should just apologize about the whole Crookshanks thing, I still understand where she’s coming from. Poor thing. I get it.

Ron is also not helping, but he is also very sad about his pet being, you know, murdered. Fred and George are not really sympathetic, which isn’t helping matters either.

“He bit Goyle for us once!” Ron said miserably. “Remember, Harry?”

“Yeah, that’s true,” said Harry.

“His finest hour,” said Fred, unable to keep a straight face. “Let the scar on Goyle’s finger stand as a lasting tribute to his memory. Oh, come on, Ron, get yourself down to Hogsmeade and buy a new rat, what’s the point of moaning?”

Yeah, Fred. Not helpful at all.

Harry knows how to help though. He offers Ron a ride on the Firebolt after Quidditch practice. Everyone is thoroughly impressed, even Madam Hooch, who would definitely know. Practice goes perfect, everyone pumped by the presence of the Firebolt, and they are all excited for their upcoming match with Ravenclaw. And even though, as a Ravenclaw myself, I should be cheering for them, I can’t help but wish good things for Harry, since he has had a tough time of it lately.

The next day, the Gryffindor boys escort Harry and the Firebolt to breakfast and everyone else is just as much in awe of it. Even Malfoy is shocked, even though he covers it up by being obnoxious, because it’s Malfoy and of course he does.

“Got plenty of special features, hasn’t it?” said Malfoy, eyes glittering maliciously. “Shame it doesn’t come with a parachute – in case you get too near a dementor.”

Crabbe and Goyle sniggered.

“Pity you can’t attach an extra arm to yours, Malfoy,” said Harry. “Then it could catch the Snitch for you.”

Ooohhhhh. I love when Harry gets sassy! And let’s face it, when they’ve played each other at Quidditch, Malfoy hasn’t exactly proven a particularly good player.

I’m not going to go over a play-by-play of the match, just because I’m not a sports reporter, but here are the highlights. Lee Jordan, the announcer for the match, can’t stop giving out facts and specs about the Firebolt. Harry performs magnificently, swooping and diving all over the place. He also notices the Ravenclaw seeker, Cho Chang, is rather pretty (aawwww! – our boy is growing up!).

Then, wouldn’t you know, three dementors show up. Harry doesn’t hesitate – he grabs his wand and casts a Patronus. And it works! He doesn’t feel sick or foggy and catches the Snitch immediately. Lupin is quite impressed at his Patronus, but the reason that Harry felt fine was . . . well . . . those weren’t exactly dementors.

“You gave Mr. Malfoy quite a fright,” said Lupin.

Yep, it was Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle and Flint (the Slytherin Quidditch captain) dressed as dementors in order to throw Harry off his game. Oh, and McGonagall really lays into them too. You don’t mess with her Quidditch team, boys! It’s the icing on the cake after such an exciting game.

Gryffindor Tower is rocking tonight! They are all so happy to be back in the running for the Quidditch Cup that they are having quite the party. After going to bed, and Harry having a very strange dream where he is trying to follow his Patronus, they are all woken up by Ron screaming. At first, everyone thinks he had a nightmare, but Ron insists that it was true: Sirius Black was in their dorm room holding a knife. McGonagall comes back up, at first to tell them to stop partying and go to bed, but then asks Sir Cadogan if anyone tried to get through his portrait into the tower.

“Sir Cadogan, did you just let a man enter Gryffindor Tower?”

“Certainly, good lady!” cried Sir Cadogan.

There was a stunned silence, both inside and outside the common room.

“You – you did?” said Professor McGonagall. “But – but the password!”

“He had ’em!” said Sir Cadogan proudly. “Had the whole week’s, my lady! Read ’em off a little piece of paper!”

Oh, no. Oh, Neville. See, when Sir Cadogan kept changing the password, poor forgetful Neville wrote them all down  . . . and then lost the list. Not the best thing to happen when a murderer is on the loose, that’s for sure.

See you next time for Chapter 14!