Twice Chosen | Esmerelda Potter

14. Nothing But Quidditch

I'm not that hungry for lunch. I'm nervous for Quidditch practice today, and I think Harry feels the same way. Both of us pick at the food on our plate. Ron, meanwhile, is eating like there is no tomorrow, making up for the two of us.

I hear the familiar tweet of owls and know that mail is delivering again, I find it odd, since the owls usually deliver near the end of lunch. I see an owl that looks like Captiosus, but she is carrying a large package that is definitely not for me. Plus, the owl's feathers are darker than Captiosus's feathers. 

To my surprise, this owl flies closer to me and drops the large package into my hands. It is Captiosus. She sits on my shoulder. The dark feathers are from mud, I realize as I try to wipe some of it off with a nearby napkin. You need a bath, Captiosus. 

I think I know what is inside the package. When I turn to Harry, he has an identical package in his hands. Hedwig sits on his shoulder.

"But I never get mail!" Harry says. I can feel the entire Gryffindor table leaning in closer.

"Go on, open it!" Ron says.

I tear it open and inside is a nice, polished broomstick with a brown, wooded handle. The broom was sleek and shiny, not a twig out of place. I carefully pick it up and examine it. The end of the broomstick reads Nimbus 2000. 

The entire Gryffindor table exclaims in shock.

"Where did you get it?"

"Who sent it to you?"

"It's the fastest broomstick ever made!"

"Can I try it later?"

I glance at Dumbledore, assuming he sent it. But Professor Mcgonagall is the only one to meet my eyes and winks at me.

==========

"Quidditch is simple, once you know the rules." The Gryffindor Quidditch captain, Oliver Wood, is explaining Quidditch in a nutshell. He had me and Harry carry a really heavy chest since we got to the broom cupboard.

"Okay. You can put it down now," Oliver says.

He unlocks the chest we set on the ground.

"First, I'll tell you about the players and their responsibilities. First, we have the Chaser." He points toward me. "There are three Chasers on each team. You need to score through those hoops with this ball." He takes out a maroon ball with circular dents in the sides and tosses it at me. I catch it. 

"This is called a Quaffle," Oliver says, pointing to the ball. "This isn't really the Seeker's problem, but this is the Chaser's main focus. Score 10 points through the hoops, but don't let the other team's Chasers get the ball. Then, there's the Keeper. That's what position I play. When the other team's Chasers try to score, I defend the hoops. Lucky for us, there is only one Keeper on each team."

"What are those things?" Harry asks, referring to the two objects that almost seem alive, rattling the crate.

"Take these." Oliver hands a bat to Harry and a bat to me. He presses a button within the chest, which releases one of the balls into the air. It jerks around before coming toward Harry. 

"Go at it now," Wood instructs. Harry swings the bat at the ball. The ball rebounds off the bat and flies toward a statue. The ball goes right through a hole in the statue.

"Not bad Potter. You'd make a fair beater," Oliver says. The ball flies back, this time toward me. 

"Hit it," Wood says. I swing at it weakly, but after the ball rebounds, it goes straight through a window. Oops. 

The ball comes out unharmed and Oliver catches it and wrestles it ball into the chest.

"What was that?" Harry and I say at the same time.

"Bludger. Nasty little Bludger. Don't get hit with those. That's the Beater's job. They try to whack the ball and try to cause the other team to drop the Quaffle. There's two Beaters on our team."

"I'll leave it to the Beaters to hit the Bludgers then," I say, pointing to the broken window.

Oliver opens up a compartment in the middle of the chest and pulls out a golden ball.

"As the one and only Seeker on our team, this is all you need to worry about: the Golden Snitch. The Seeker catches the ball, and that is the only way to end the game. You get 150 points from that."

Wood gives the Snitch to Harry, who inspects it. 

"Okay, now I will put you through drills as practice," Wood says. He sends Harry to one side and me to the other. Harry has to spot the Snitch from at least seven feet away. I have to throw at targets from ten yards away and go around the Keeper. I think I do pretty good today, but my arms are exhausted. 

After almost an hour Wood motions for us to fly down. "Alright," Wood says. "That's all for today. If you two don't mind, carry the chest back to the broom cupboard. I need to have a word about the broken window."

I cringe and apologize, then pick up one side of the chest while Harry picks up the other. 

"Oh, one more thing! You'll have one practice before the game against Slytherin after Halloween!"

"Okay!" I yell back. I start walking.

"Darn it! We're going against Slytherin for our first game?" Harry says as we get off the Quidditch pitch.

"Yep. It appears so." I sigh in disgust.

Side note: The picture above is what was inside the chest.