Harry Potter Oneshots

Quidditch Captain: Oliver Wood

Over the summer, you received a tightly scrolled letter from Hogwarts listing you as the new Slytherin quidditch team captain. The whole day was a blur and you couldn't stop imagining your newfound abilities as captain. It didn't say much in the letter, but it said everything you ever wanted it to.

Dear y/n,

Seeing as Marcus Flint will not be joining us in the upcoming year, it is pertinent that someone take over his duties as quidditch captain. I hereby congratulate you on being assigned the role of captain of the Slytherin quidditch team. You will find detailed instructions from me upon your arrival in the fall.

Sincerely,
Severus Snape

After you had finished reading, a small silver badge fell to the floor. You picked it up and gleamed at it; only quidditch captains and prefects were given the honor of these badges. So far, you had only considered the additional quidditch responsibilities you would have, but after sticking the badge to your chest, you smiled more broadly at the remembrance that quidditch captains are allowed to use the prefects bathroom. It wasn't terrible having to share a bathroom with your house mates, but it wasn't amazing either. It was cramped and always full of people when you needed it.

It surely was going to be one of the best years at Hogwarts. You'd wanted this from the moment you'd stepped foot on the quidditch field. Through all your excitement about the news, it completely slipped your mind about Marcus. He was the previous quidditch captain, and Snape said he wouldn't be at Hogwarts next year. Which was quite peculiar since Marcus hadn't completed all seven years yet; he was supposed to return come September. You'd wished Snape had given a reason for Marcus's absence, but it wasn't unlike Snape to keep things minimal.

Your parents had shown up to see your clutching tightly to the letter, smiling widely. Any thoughts of Marcus immediately dissipated. Although he was a generally good quidditch player, you didn't like him as a person much. He was snobby and uptight, so it didn't bother you that much that you'd have to replace his position on the team. Chasers were easy enough to find. The rest of your summer was spent preparing to form the best possible quidditch. Slytherin needed to win the tournament this year, and it was your responsibly now.

September began with slightly cooling temperatures and the usual train ride across the Scottish countryside. The Hogwarts express flew down the twists and turns of the rickety tracks. The sun set in vivid red shade in the distance, as the journey sped. Hogsmeade station was the same as it always was, and so was the ride up to the castle. Returning students took their seats at the glittering tables while first years were sorted.

Shortly after the welcoming feast concluded, Snape drew you away from the crowd. He kept you in the Great hall after most people had left.

"I see you've received my letter as you're wearing the badge." Snape said drawlingly.
"Yes, thank you so much Professor for choosing me. I won't take the position lightly." You said.
"I expect you won't, otherwise I wouldn't have selected you. Here. These are all the instructions on how to properly run the team and hold tryouts. Read through at your leisure, but never stray from what I have outlined." Snape said while handing you a sheet of parchment lined with his curvy handwriting.

"Thank you, Professor." You answered, beginning to scan through the material.
"You're no stranger to how important it is for us to win quidditch games in order to win the house cup. You need to not only focus on developing a strong team but also watching out for sabotage from the other houses." Snape said, drawing out the syllables of sabotage.

"As you can see, Mr. Wood is already attempting to eavesdrop." Snape said lowly, and gestured over to the Gryffindor table. Most people had left by now, but Oliver Wood and a couple of other Gryffindors stood huddled together at their table. After Snape had pointed it out, it became obvious to you that Oliver was in fact watching your conversation with Snape. Somehow, he must've already figured out you were the new captain. For a moment, you locked eyes with him. The intensity of his disdain chilled your core.