Louanne Delacour

The Golden Snitch

November 7th, 1993

"Now I want a nice, clean, game from all of you," Madame Hooch voiced to all of us. It was the first match of the year. Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff. "Mount your brooms please."

When I woke up this morning to water droplets showering down on us, I thought the match would surely be cancelled. But Oliver was right-- you can't cancel Quidditch.

I sat at the Gryffindor tent on the sidelines, watching the game get started. Seeing as this was the first match of the year, students from every house came to watch and support one of the two teams. A mix of red and yellow filled the bleachers, making the whole pitch look aflame.

The sidelines were perfect for me. I was needed- wanted even- but still, the pressure was off as well as the spotlight. And that was fine with me. But just in case, I had my water bottle and broom next to me, already in my uniform and ready to go in case of an emergency.

For the first ten minutes, the game was pretty normal. Gryffindor was winning, 30-10. Actually, it was getting a little boring. Quidditch was definitely more fun to play than to watch. That is--- school Quidditch. Professional games can get really intense.

"Alicia Spinnet passes to Angelina Johnson and she scores! Five points to Gryffindor!" Lee Jordan called from the stands.

"How's it going?" Ginny asked, stepping into the tent.

"I don't think you're supposed to be over here. Wood'll kill you if he thinks you're 'distracting me from watching,'" I mocked.

"I know, I know..." she brushed it off. "I can't wait until next year. I'm going to finally pluck up the courage and try out myself!" She beamed.

"How come you didn't try out this year?" I asked, taking a drink of water. The score on the board was now 60-55, with Gryffindor still in the lead.

"I don't know, actually. I guess I was just too scared. And it's like you said, they would only take reserves until Oliver graduates next year."

The match continued on for only another five minutes before Madame Hooch called a timeout. The whole pitch went silent as I caught a faint glance of something falling out of the sky. Ginny and I raced out of the tent.

"Arresto Momento!" The Headmaster cast the spell on what looked like a student that had fallen off their broom!

Before I knew it, Oliver Wood came flying over, "Looks like you're in Louanne. Harry's fallen off his broom. We don't know why, but now's not the time for questions. We will not lose this match today!" And with that, he sped off without another word, leaving me dumbfounded.

I looked at Ginny who shrugged and went inside the tent, only to come out with my broom in hand. "You heard the man. You're on."

Okay this is really happening.

The match was not the same feeling as tryouts. It felt, I dunno, scarier. Like if I messed up, the whole team would be mad at me and ostracize me or something.

Focus. That wouldn't actually happen you idiot. Be realistic.

"Mount your brooms please," the coach shouted. Her voice was hard to heard in the pouring rain. "We will resume where we left off. Be careful, please. We don't need another accident." She blew her whistle, and I kicked off the ground in search of the tiny golden orb.

The Hufflepuff seeker, Cedric Diggory, was tough to beat. Every time I caught sight of the snitch, he would follow me, making it impossible to concentrate on ditching him and catching the "ball".