Star-Crossed

Chapter Sixteen: Facts and Feathers

Three days had passed since our little group had that frightening run in with the three-headed dog on the third floor. The weather was beginning to finally turn toward the chilliness of winter. Oliver had brought Harry and I out to the empty courtyard during our free period in the afternoon to start to coach us on the rules and regulations of Quidditch.

Harry and Wood were lugging a case in between the two of them as I trailed behind, my arms wrapped around myself over the large argyle sweater that hung over my body, fending off the chill.

"Quidditch is easy enough to understand." Wood remarked simply as he and Harry set the case down, "Each team has seven players, three chasers, two beaters, one keeper, and a seeker." He pointed to Harry, "That's you." Then he looked to me and smiled, "Now you're one of our three chasers, your partners this year are Katie Bell and Angelina Johnson. So you're all set."

I nodded eagerly with a grin, "Wonderful."

He looked back down and unlatched the case as Harry gave me a pat on the shoulder proudly.

"There are three kinds of balls in this game." Wood continued, "This one's called the Quaffle." He explained, picking up the biggest ball of the group, "The chasers, in this case, you Natalie, Katie, and Angelina, handle the Quaffle and try to put it through one of those three hoops." Wood pointed down the slope of the field outside the school toward the Quidditch pitch, where three golden hoops protruded from each end.

"The keeper, that's me," He pointed to himself, "Defends those hoops." He tossed the ball to me and I caught it at my chest, fumbling just a bit as I wasn't expecting the sudden throw, "with me so far, Potters?"

I grinned and tossed it back as Harry agreed, "Think so."

Then I noticed the two balls writhing in the case, a sort of chattering noise echoing from them, "What are those?" They were chained down as they squirmed about, jostling the case just slightly. They looked like they could be pretty dangerous.

"Oh, you'd better take these." Wood noted, handing both Harry and I two bats, coated in a smooth leather.

He bent down and released the two balls from their chains. With an angry growl, they flew off into the air, the three of us watching closely.

"Careful now," Wood warned as the balls started to fall back to earth, "They're comin' back."

Harry and I both readied the bats as the two balls came racing back down toward us. The both of us gave mighty swings and cracked the two balls away from us at just about the same moment. The two balls soared, one after the other through the crossed swords of a nearby statue, surprisingly not smashing straight through it.

"Not bad." Wood smiled, gazing after the balls, "you'd make some fair beaters." His smile then faltered when he noticed them coming back, "Uh-oh."

The balls raced down, nearly crashing into us until Wood caught them with ease, letting out a soft groan as the two smacked him in the stomach. The poor boy wrestled with them for a bit before he got them both strapped back down and in their compartments in the case.

"What were those..." Harry breathed as I shook my head in distaste, I did not like those.

"Bludgers." Wood replied, catching his breath as he stood back up and dusted off his denims and jumper, "Nasty little buggers, Harry. But you're the Seeker, the only thing I want you to worry about is this." Wood took a small golden ball out of a special compartment hidden within the case. I gasped when I saw the beautiful ball in his hand, two thin golden wings spread from the sides and both Harry and I gaped in wonder.