The Legends of The Potters

Chapter 11

Harry could not believe it. He and Jojo had been riding around the grounds checking on all the livestock for a couple hours and Harry was having the time of his life up on a tall, beautiful horse that Jojo told him was an Appaloosa. The horse stood 16 hands high, was black with his bottom half white with black spots. He also had 4 white-socked feet with black spots. Harry fell in love and thought he was the most beautiful horse he had ever seen, not that he had seen many horses in his lifetime. Actually, Harry thought all the horses were beautiful, especially the big, long bodied thoroughbreds but there was something about the Appaloosa that spoke to him.
                          Harry had ventured outside after breakfast and was exploring the grounds. The big Appaloosa had walked right up to him when he had leaned on the fence looking in at the beautiful horses. Harry gave him a rub on his forehead and the side of his head. He asked the horse for his name but he only snorted. "The name is Rolly" Harry looked at the horse, then turned around and saw Jojo coming up behind him. "His name is Rolly?" "Yes and he's a great horse, very powerful and fast" Jojo said. Harry was slightly amused at Jojo. He had never seen a house elf in western wear before. He had on jeans, chaps, a long-sleeve western looking shirt, cowboy boots, and a cowboy hat. The elf was smiling at him.
                      Keeping his amusement to himself Harry asked, "Can I ride him?" "Have you ridden horses before?" "No, sorry, I have never had the chance, just brooms. Can you teach me?" "Certainly, Harry, but not on Rolly. If you learn to ride well enough then you can ride Rolly. You will need to start on a gentle mare we have. Her name is Misty and she loves to teach first time riders. She is very patient. She is a little smaller than Rolly here who is pretty big and stands 16 hands high. Misty stands 14.2 hands high. She is a beautiful red roan and you will love riding her."
                        Jojo was amazed at how curious Harry was about everything. He insisted that Jojo explain the measuring of horses and what he meant by 'hands high.' Jojo explained that a hand was 4 inches and horses were typically measured from the ground near the foreleg to their withers to find their height. Jojo was also amazed at how quickly Harry took to riding a horse. He was able to pick up on the rhythm whether walking, trotting, cantering, or galloping which was not an easy thing to do very quickly. Besides Harry's clothing, he looked like a natural cowboy in the saddle. Surprisingly, Rolly kept insisting that he stay close to Harry. He kept following Harry and Misty around. Eventually, Jojo felt it was time for Harry and Rolly to get what they wanted. He noticed how Rolly had taken to Harry and doubted he would do anything to cause him any harm. Harry was certainly confident with his riding ability already. And that is how Harry came to be riding the beautiful Appaloosa named Rolly. Jojo told Harry that he could do his job using a broom or just elf magic to get around the grounds but what would be the fun in that when you had beautiful horses just waiting to be ridden. Checking on all the livestock from horseback was an experience he never grew tired of. Harry could see his point. He loved riding Rolly.
                           A small frantic owl Harry recognized as Pigwidgeon flew up to Harry with two letters attached to his leg. He would not be still and was all over the place. Rolly got a little nervous and started acting up with the owl going nuts around him. Harry quickly said "whoa" and pulled up on Rolly's reigns. Rolly settled down immediately. Harry, using his seeker reflexes snatched Pig from the air and removed the letters from his leg. The letters were from Ron and Hermione. He stuffed them in his pocket and released Pig who left and went back home. Harry patted Rolly on the side of the neck. "Good boy, Rolly. That was just my friend's crazy owl Pigwidgeon. He gets a little excited. I will read those letters later when I can respond to them. Let's ride some more." Rolly snorted and nodded his head a few times. Harry turned to Jojo and said "I believe Rolly and I understand each other." "You did very well when the owl spooked Rolly. Rolly is very high-strung and strong. It is a good thing he likes you and wants to please you." "Well, I like him too" Harry said giving Rolly another pat. "Follow me," Jojo said and took off at a gallop. Harry spoke to Rolly. "You heard the elf. Let's go."
            Rolly took off like a bullet and caught up with Jojo in no time. Harry loved it. He was all for speed. Eventually Jojo slowed down and they walked to the top of a rise in a large field. Harry stopped Rolly and just sat there mesmerized. Before him stood one of the nicest Quidditch pitches he had ever seen. It would give the one at the World Cup a run for its money although it did not have stands for the audience but the hill had a good view. The pitch was in a bowl as well but not as deep as the one at the World Cup. The hoops were in place and the grass looked well taken care of. "This is one nice pitch" Harry told Jojo. "The pitch has magic that keeps it in perfect working order and the grass green. It has not been used though in many years. We are looking forward to the time when Potter Place has many visitors again and all the things it offers can be enjoyed once more."
                 "Rest assured, Jojo, that day will come again if I have anything to say about it." "You are Lord Potter, master of everything that is Potter. If you say that it will happen someday, Harry, then it will happen." "Thank you for your confidence in me, Jojo. I will try not to disappoint." "Harry, rest assured you could not disappoint me even if you tried." "Now Jojo, you should not make my job so easy." Harry said with a grin. Jojo smiled at his master and asked if he wanted to race back. "You're on Jojo. You know these horses better than I do though. Is the horse you're on faster than Rolly?" "Harry, I ride different horses all the time to give them all a chance since I am usually the only one who rides. I can tell you that although Toby here is a fast horse, Rolly is probably faster than most around here. Only a few of the thoroughbreds could beat him but he would give them a run for their money. You will likely win but the race will still be fun." "Well, give it all you got because Rolly is eager to get going." "Okay, Harry. 1, 2, 3 go!" Jojo and Toby took off like a dragon was on their tail. Rolly jumped about a half a second later. Harry could not believe how fast Rolly could run. It was not as fast as his Firebolt but he caught Jojo and Toby in no time and pulled ahead increasing his lead over them more and more. Toby speeded up a little bit more but could not catch Rolly. Harry and Rolly ended up winning the race by about 6 lengths. Jojo thanked Harry for the race and told Harry that the horses needed to be walked off to cool down and then brushed but he would take care of Rolly for Harry so Harry could go do what he needed to do.
                     "That's okay, Jojo. My other things can wait. I would like you to show me how to do this as well. It's only fair since I rode Rolly that I take care of him." "It would be my pleasure, Harry and Rolly would probably prefer you do it anyway. He sure has taken a liking to you." Jojo showed Harry how to cool off his horse and how to tell when he was cooled off. They then took the horses in the barn where Jojo showed Harry the proper way to brush him down and make sure he had plenty of water and feed. After Harry took care of Rolly, he said good-bye to Jojo, Toby, and Rolly. He promised Rolly he would come back soon for another adventure. Rolly snorted and shook his head up and down. Harry laughed.