Handshake-Harry Potter

Bludgers and Bipolar | Harry

HARRY'S POV

I had thought it was pretty cool that I caught the Remembrall. And flying was amazing! When I landed on the ground, I felt a surge of pride I had never felt before in my life. It was amazing. Everyone was cheering and hollering at patting me on the back. But when Professor McGonagall came and shouted for me five seconds after all my glory, I was gutted. Madam Hooch said anyone caught in the air would get expelled, and I was just making friends for the first time in my life.

Professor McGonagall led me through the corridors and we eventually arrived at Professor Quirrell's classroom. Professor McGonagall opened the door and said to a confused Quirrell, "Professor Quirrell, excuse me. Could I borrow Wood for a moment please?"

Wood? Was that a cane they used for beating misbehaved students?

The nervous Quirrell nodded a shaky yes. But then, a tall, thin boy stood from his seat and came to the doorway. Professor McGonagall walked to where I was standing.

"Potter, this is Oliver Wood." The boy - Wood - nodded a hello. "Wood- I've found you a Seeker," she then said in an excited voice. A what?

Wood's face suddenly lit up. "Are you serious, Professor?"
Absolutely," she replied, beaming. "The boy's a natural. I've never seen anything like it." She turned to me. "Was that your first time on a broomstick, Potter?"

I nodded, still confused about the situation.

"He caught that thing in his hand after a fifty-foot dive," she said to Wood, practically shivering with glee. "Didn't even scratch himself. Charlie Weasley couldn't have done it." Weasley? As in Ron?

The Wood boy looked like a child at a candy store who had just been given money. "Ever seen a game of Quidditch, Potter?" he asked excitedly in an Irish accent.

"Wood's captain of the Gryffindor team," McGonagall explained.

"He's just the build for a Seeker, too," Wood carried on, looking even more excited than Professor McGonagall. "Light, speedy... we'll have to get him a decent broom, Professor - a Nimbus Two Thousand or a Cleansweep Seven, I'd say."

"I shall speak to Professor Dumbledore and see if we can't bend the first-year rule. Heaven knows, we need a better team than last year. Flattened in that last match by Slytherin, I couldn't look Severus Snape in the face for weeks..." They both looked like excited little kids at a candy store.

She then peered at me sternly over her glasses. "I want to hear you're training hard, Potter, or I may change my mind about punishing you."

I was frozen in place. She was acting all cheery and suddenly went all stern. She then smiled again. "Your father would have been proud," she said. "He was an excellent Quidditch player himself." She walked away beaming. This woman had bipolar.

-

That afternoon, Wood and I made our way to the Quidditch pitch. Wood was carrying a large wooden box.

"Quidditch is easy to understand," he said as he set the box on the ground. "Each team has seven players- three Chasers, two Beaters, one Keeper, and one Seeker. That's you."

He clicked open the box, and inside were three large balls. The two on either side were a goldish-brown, but the one in the middle was a scarlet colour. The two brown ones on the sides were strapped down, and they looked alive. They looked like they were trying to break free from the chains.

Wood picked up the red one in the middle. "There are three kinds of balls," he said, holding the red one to his chest. I could see the Hogwarts crest printed on it in gold. He tossed it to me. "This one's called the Quaffle." I studied it. It felt like a regular football, except it was a weird shape.

"Now, the Chasers handle the Quaffle and try to put it through one of those three hoops." He turned around and pointed to three sticks that were shooting a few metres into the sky. At the ends of those poles were large circles.

Wood continued. "The Keeper - that's me - defends the hoops. With me so far?" He flashed a proud little smile when he talked about his position.

I threw the Quaffle back at him. "What are those?" I asked, looking at the other two balls. Wood but the Quaffle back in its spot. He picked up the wooden bat he had brought along. "You better take this," he said, handing me the bat. I took it, feeling slightly nervous. Why would I need a bat? Were those brown balls going to attack me or something?

Wood bent down in front of the box, which was practically jumping. The balls strapped inside seemed...eager? to get out. He unclipped one of them and it shot directly up at the sky, rocketing through the air. Well that might explain the need for a bat. We watched it became a small dot in the sky, and the next thing I knew was it was plummeting down straight at us.

"Careful now, it's coming back," Wood said, squinting at the sky. I pulled my arm back and when it came near enough I wacked it as hard as I could. Good thing that I did because that thing was heavy, and if it hit me I would probably get a concussion.

The ball flew at a statue on the roof of the building and went right between its raised arms, then disappeared out of sight. Wood looked at me, a mildly surprised look on his face. "Not bad, Potter," he said, and I beamed. "You'd make a fair beater." Cool.

The ball zoomed back into view. Wood stood there, looking like he was going to catch it. I didn't think that would be the best idea because it looked like one of those things could wind you. The thing came along, looking positively cannonball-like, and slammed right into Wood, who started wrestling it on the floor. That was probably the weirdest thing I've seen all week. A fifteen year old boy squirming around on the ground clutching a large brown ball.

Wood finally managed to trap it back in its little case. "What was that?" I asked. That thing could probably, no, definitely cause concussions. That wasn't safe. And kids played with them? These people were mental.

Wood let out a little puff of breath. "Bludgers," he said. "Nasty little buggers. But you," he said, pointing a finger at me. "Are a Seeker." He leaned over and pulled open the little Hogwarts crest that was on the underside of the lid. Inside was a tiny little gold ball. He pulled it out. "The only thing I want you to worry about is this." He held up the gold ball. It was about the size of a large walnut. "The Golden Snitch," he said, and he handed it to me.

"I like this ball," I said. It was gold, and even though it probably wasn't actually made of gold, it at least looked like the most valuable thing I ever got permission to touch. This was my job? I don't think it would be much of a chore. I examined it.

"Yeah, you like it now. Just wait. It's wicked fast and damn near impossible to see." Well, that sounded nice and friendly. "What do I do with it?" I asked. "You catch it," Wood said very simply. "Before the other team's seeker." Well, it didn't sound simple, based on that nice little explanation he gave me just a second ago. "You catch this, the game's over. You catch this, Potter, and we win." Oh yeah, well, no pressure! As if you didn't already make it sound hard enough. But our winning depends on me? Yeah, I think I'm starting to doubt this position.

I examined the little ball. Suddenly, it sprouted these little wings and started flapping them at about a million beats a second. It shot out of my open palm and started hovering around in the sky. It zipped back and forth in front of me. Woah. I couldn't wait to tell Draco and Ron.

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A/N

I really think Harry's chapters are kinda boring because the movies and books are always from his perspective anyways. And sorry for not updating for such a long time. I had lots of things going on at school, and I procrastinate too much. I got lazy and didn't do this thing. I almost gave up because I found it so boring. But the next one will (hopefully) be more exciting! I promise.

In fact, I shall make an unbreakable vow.

Thanks for reading:D

Hope you enjoyed :)