Quidditch Debut
For the entire following week, Lily's daily routine was carefully arranged. She went to and from class with her roommates on time, ate all three meals with Petunia, and spent her evenings in the library with Mary, Marlene, Dorcas, and Alice, racing to finish their homework. She devoted all her remaining free time to intensive Quidditch training, while staying on guard against the Marauders and trying to steer Snape clear of their unprovoked harassment.
Every day, Lily woke her four roommates on time, and the five of them went downstairs to the Great Hall for breakfast together. At lunch, whenever James deliberately came over to talk to her, she ignored him outright. Even when he deliberately mussed his hair, thinking he looked dashing enough to catch her attention, Lily kept her eyes straight ahead.
Quidditch practice kept getting more intense, and even Lily, energetic as she was, gradually struggled to withstand the strain of so many consecutive days. The Quidditch season officially began in November, with Gryffindor facing Slytherin in the opening match. Lily threw herself into training and had no time to intervene when James and Sirius frequently cornered and tormented Snape. Fortunately, Snape was never going to take it lying down. The fact that he was only slightly worse for wear in a four-against-one fight showed that his spellwork was far beyond first-year level.
On the day of the opening match, Lily couldn't sit still. Mary and Marlene kept urging her to eat more to line her stomach, but everything still tasted like sawdust. Professor McGonagall had given her a Nimbus 1400, and the weight of Gryffindor's many expectations rested on her shoulders. She found it difficult to relax, even though her flying talent was nearly maxed out.
Lily forced down two slices of toast before a familiar voice suddenly reached her ears. Petunia hurried over to her. Seeing her older sister, Lily finally calmed down a little and obediently opened her mouth to eat the bacon and sausage Petunia offered her, even though her stomach was already bloated.
"Petunia, I really can't eat any more. If I do, I'm afraid I'll throw up when I get on the pitch." Lily gently rubbed her overfull stomach. "All right, get to the pitch. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Just do your best." Petunia patted her shoulder and watched as the captain, Maureen Chalmers, led her away.
Maureen stayed beside her the whole way, chattering on. "Confident you can catch the Golden Snitch? The whole team has high hopes for you. Come on." Listening to Chalmers fuss like an old mother hen, Lily wanted nothing more than to slap him. Can't he see how nervous I am? Can't he talk about something else instead of going on about the Golden Snitch?
She patiently warmed up and stretched with her teammates. The two Beaters, Benson Lemaine and Chloe Ross, came over to her. "Don't worry, we'll do everything we can to protect you. You're Gryffindor's future star."
After warming up, she gripped the handle of her Nimbus 1400 and looked up at the Slytherin team opposite her. Every one of their players was tall and powerfully built. Their Seeker, Florence Snodgrass, was staring fixedly at her with a gloomy look. Just looking at his hulking frame, she could tell he was big enough to knock her off her broom.
"Lily, come on!!" James's loud shout suddenly rang out from the stands, and the entire Gryffindor section joined in, cheering for her. Across the pitch in the Slytherin stands, Snape silently rolled his eyes. He felt Potter was doing nothing but putting pressure on Lily.
Lily rode her Nimbus 1400 straight up into the air as the commentator, Albert Haywood, enthusiastically introduced the players on both teams. Madam Hooch blew the whistle to start the match, and both teams shot into the air. Lily nimbly dodged the Bludgers that kept coming at her while scouring the sky for the Golden Snitch.
The Slytherin Chasers, Lucius and Rodolphus, never held back. Rodolphus repeatedly rammed the Gryffindor players with malicious intent, and the Beaters, Benson and Chloe, gradually found it difficult to fend them off. Slytherin also loved dirty tricks, secretly crashing into opponents when the referee wasn't looking. Fifteen minutes into the match, the score had widened to 10–50. Only then did Lily understand that Professor McGonagall had been telling the truth: there really was a reason Gryffindor had suffered such a crushing defeat last year.
Their previous Chaser, Eddie Marlow, had been brutally knocked off his broom by an opponent, and the substitute who took his place was unfamiliar with playing alongside his teammates. Even though Madam Hooch blew her whistle to stop the malicious collisions, she hadn't managed to prevent Florence from deliberately knocking Eddie down under the pretext of chasing the Snitch. Lily thought they simply had too strong a sense of justice; otherwise, they could have struck back and knocked their opponents down too.
Gryffindor did everything they could to catch up, but the gap kept growing, and the nearly eighty-point deficit left the whole team struggling to breathe. Lily's heart tightened. The entire team's hopes rested on her now; only by catching the Golden Snitch could she turn the match around in one stroke. She looked toward the edge of the pitch, where Professor McGonagall was clutching a handkerchief tightly. She couldn't lose. Gryffindor couldn't lose.
Lily steered her broom up to the highest point above the pitch and carefully searched for the Snitch. Florence was equally aware of the Golden Snitch's crucial role. He kept his eyes on Lily, intent on intercepting her and knocking her out of the sky. Every Bludger that came flying toward her was struck back toward the Slytherin side by Benson and Chloe with all their might.
The Golden Snitch still refused to appear, and the players on both sides grew increasingly impatient. In the stands, James was so anxious that he jumped up and down. "Merlin, did they forget to let the Golden Snitch out? How come there's still no sign of it?" Watching the point difference approach a hundred, he was frantic with worry for Lily.
Lily looked at the lopsided score of 30–110. She couldn't wait any longer.
Just then, a tiny glint of gold flashed past the distant stands. She quickly checked and confirmed that it wasn't a spectator's pocket watch, then immediately turned her broom and sped off in the opposite direction.
"Merlin! Gryffindor's Seeker is on the move! She's spotted the Golden Snitch!" Albert called out, and every eye in the stadium turned to Lily.
Florence immediately turned his broom and gave chase at full speed. He was closer to the corner of the pitch and looked about to reach the Snitch first, repeating last year's crushing victory over Gryffindor.
At the critical moment, Lily changed direction sharply in midair. Her broom spun a full circle on the spot, then shot back the other way, straight toward the Snitch's true hiding place. "It's a diversion! Evans used a diversion, and now she's closer to the Golden Snitch!"
Lily kept her eyes fixed on the tiny golden speck circling above the Ravenclaw stands. She leaned far forward to reduce wind resistance, and her Nimbus 1400 reached top speed. She turned sharply, climbed, and dived, staying close on the Snitch's erratic trail.
Rodolphus abandoned the struggle for the Quaffle and charged straight at her on his broom. Lily spun a full three hundred and sixty degrees in midair, narrowly dodging the attack. All she could hear was the wind roaring past her ears; every other sound around her was shut out.
After seeing through her trick, Florence followed close behind. They both had Nimbus 1400s, but Lily was clearly closer. She gripped her broom tightly with one hand to steady herself and let go completely with the other, reaching forward with all five fingers. The Golden Snitch was only inches away.
Every Gryffindor spectator held their breath. Petunia's palms were covered in cold sweat. If Lily lost her balance even slightly, she would plunge straight down from the sky.
Lily picked her moment and snapped both hands together, trapping the tiny glint of gold firmly between her palms. At the same instant, a Bludger slammed into her broom. Rodolphus was behind the dirty trick.
The broom shook violently, and Lily nearly lost her footing and fell. She immediately dived to cushion the impact, then yanked the broom upward and soared into the air, raising both hands, with the Snitch clasped inside, for the whole stadium to see.
"She caught it! Lily Evans caught the Golden Snitch!" Deafening cheers erupted from the Gryffindor stands. Professor McGonagall rose to her feet in excitement and looked at the red-haired figure high above. The girl was radiant with confidence, and she had captured the hearts of two people in the stands: Snape watched her quietly, unable to look away for a long time; James stood rooted to the spot, a single thought left in his mind: Merlin, she's so cool.
The players from both teams landed one after another. Maureen came forward and gave Lily a hearty pat on the shoulder. "I knew you could do it. You really are the genius Professor McGonagall personally vouched for." Madam Hooch gave Lily the first Golden Snitch she had caught as a keepsake.
Surrounded by Gryffindor players, Lily made her way to the Great Hall, the joy of victory filling the room. James stayed beside her, cheering nonstop. Lily readily raised her Pumpkin Juice and took the initiative to clink cups with him. James's entire face turned as red as a ripe apple.
Petunia was happy that her younger sister had won, but she was also shaken at the thought of Lily's dangerous maneuvers high in the air. The celebration in the Great Hall continued late into the night. Lily ached all over and couldn't keep going, so she told everyone she was tired and planned to return to the common room first. Understanding that she was still young and had exhausted herself that day, Maureen readily let her leave early.
James wanted to call Lily back, but Chalmers slung an arm around his shoulders and pulled him back into the crowd. "Don't disturb Evans. She's worn out today." James could only watch helplessly as Lily left without looking back.
Not long after Lily returned to the dormitory, Alice and Dorcas pushed open the door and came in, their eyes full of admiration. "Lily, you were amazing today!" "Yeah, we were nearly ninety points behind, and you turned it all around by catching the Snitch!"
Mary and Marlene followed them into the dormitory, teasing her with smiles. "The boys in the whole stadium were staring with their eyes wide. It wasn't just James Potter. I saw several Hufflepuff boys watching you the whole time."
Lily rolled over and sprawled on the bed, smiling faintly. "All I could see at the time was the Golden Snitch. I didn't notice anything else." She gave a soft groan. "All my bones feel like they've come apart. It hurts so much."
"We won't disturb our genius Seeker's rest." Her roommates tactfully kept their movements quiet as they quickly washed up, staying silent so they wouldn't disturb Lily's rest.