Crescent Moons ; J.S. Potter

12. red and green.

"Alright, team, this is my last Quidditch game at Hogwarts and we're going against Slytherin, also known as our rivals," said Fred Weasley, as Daisy, Thomas, James, Marlee, Rose, and Alice sat in front of him in their red and gold Quidditch uniforms. "I'm graduating this year so this is really big for me, and I know that you all want to see Slytherin going down, too. We've practiced long and hard these past few days meaning we cannot let those slimy slugs beat us!"

"Yeah!" cheered the rest. He smiled.

"Right now, the Slytherins are in the lead overall, because they beat Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff," said Fred irritably. "But, we've beaten them, too. Slytherin has fifty points in front of us meaning Daisy has to catch the Snitch. I don't doubt it, though; she's never failed us."

She was too nervous to smile back at him so she simply looked up blankly. Fred didn't look fazed.

"We can't fall more than one hundred points behind by the time she catches the Snitch, OK?" he said. "It's simple math. James, Rose, and Alice: be sure to pay attention the whole time. No gawking at the crowd or at the other players. Nothing matters other than putting the Quaffle into the hoops, alright?"

The three Chasers nodded.

"I heard there's a new Seeker this year, Daisy, some seventh-year named Flint," informed Fred. She furrowed her brows; she had never seen the new Seeker practice before, meaning she didn't know what to expect. "I know you're two years younger but the last Seeker was also a seventh-year and you beat them easily. I heard he can be a bit violent, though, so be tough. Oh, and don't apologize to them again."

She let out a nervous laugh.

"But the Slytherin team's pride and joy are their Beaters, of course, so Marlee, watch the tall blonde one, alright? He's Higgs ... I didn't bother learning his first name. I'll get the bigger one, he's Warrington. Look up sometimes, people, because they hit hard and we don't want anyone getting hurt, obviously.

"My sister Roxanne's commentating and she can probably distract the Slytherins a bit, maybe until McGonagall pulls her away ... I told her not to hold back with the insults. Oh, and I dropped some Dungbombs in the Slytherin locker rooms so don't fly too close to them for the first half of the match."

His eyes darted through each of his six fellow team members. Daisy could practically hear her heart pounding. She faintly heard the sound of McGonagall's voice calling them over.

"Alright, ready?" asked Fred.

"Yeah!" cheered the whole team.

"C'mon, guys, the Slytherins don't stand a chance!" yelled Fred, as they all mounted their brooms by the entrance of the field, getting ready to fly in. The wooden doors opened, exposing the very crowded and very bright Quidditch field to Daisy. The seven of them kicked off, flying in a single file line to the centre of the field, greeted by a roar of cheers. They dismounted their brooms. The Slytherins had already been waiting. Except instead of shooting glares at them, the Slytherins were looking very bashful and embarrassed; it was clear why.

Each of the seven Slytherin Quidditch players were now sporting bright purple hair; the sunlight was reflecting off of it. Daisy couldn't help but burst into laughter, and neither could the rest of her team and the Gryffindor crowd. She even saw McGonagall laughing subtly in the stands. The Slytherins looked enraged.

A quick look around the crowds showed Daisy that most of the Hufflepuffs and around half of the Ravenclaws were by the Gryffindors rather than the Slytherins. She remembered many other houses expressing their anger at the new Slytherin captain's outdated ideas, and she thought this could be the reason for more Gryffindor support and a quick decline in Slytherin support. Daisy spotted many lion hats in the crowd as well as overall red attire.