Magic? || Years 5-7

The Quibbler: Year 5

The match was horrible, to say the absolute least. In fact, so horrible the only good part about it was that it was over in twenty-two minutes. After Ron missed the tenth save Amisty just buried her face in her hands and struggled to refrain from groaning. Ginny got the Snitch, bringing their pathetic score up enough so that they were only ten points behind. Two hundred and forty to two hundred and thirty, Hufflepuff.

She had no will to travel back up to the common room and instead dragged her feet back to where Hazel, Eli, and Hunter had been sitting. The former looked very upset, pulling on her dirty blonde hair so hard Amisty was concerned she might pull it out.

"Congratulations," Amisty sighed, trying and failing miserably to be happy for them.

"I've never seen someone look so upset," Eli teased, throwing his arm around her shoulder. "It's just Quidditch."

Hazel made a very high-pitched, gasping sound that gave the impression that she had just died. "Just. Quidditch?!"

"Now you've got her started..." Hunter grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"It's not just Quidditch, Eli!" Hazel continued as if her brother hadn't said anything at all. "It's an intense game that requires high-precision and skills only the most talented, well-trained fliers are able to obtain. The Seeker can only have the sharpest eyes and the best agility to catch the Snitch, the Beaters have to have the cunning and strength to send those Bludgers as far as they possibly can and at the right people, the Keeper has to make split decisions right in the middle of a play, sometimes right in the middle of a shot, and the Chasers have to have a bond so strong with each other it's like they're reading each other's minds. Not to mention the crowd relying on them, cheering them on. It's never just Quidditch."

Hazel stomped as if to drive her point home.

Eli grinned at her, "Well -- "

"Oh, yes!" Hunter cut him off hurriedly, pushing his boyfriend toward the crowd heading up to the castle. "Definitely not just Quidditch, Haze, complex and intense and all those other words you used to describe it. Right, Eli?"

"Totally," Eli nodded seriously.

Hazel beamed.

"Besides," Hunter threw Amisty a sympathetic smile, "the Gryffindor team just isn't the same with the Weasley's and Harry off."

"Ginny'd be much better off as a Chaser," Hazel nodded. "She's good, but Harry's willing to do anything to get the Snitch first."

"There's always a chance Gryffindor can come back with the Ravenclaw game," Hunter pointed out.

"Tiny chance," Amisty countered. "But a chance all the same, I guess."

"We better come back!" Hazel insisted passionately. "I bet Lindsey Paul ten Galleons that Gryffindor would keep the Quidditch Cup this year."

"You've been betting on the Quidditch games?" Hunter asked sharply.

"Whaaaaat?" Hazel's voice suddenly went very high. "I don't know what you're talking about, you must've heard me wrong -- "

And she started to run.

"Eli," Hunter groaned.

Eli shook his head, laughing, and swooped Hazel up into his arms before she could get very far, "You've gotta face your brother, sorry."

"Traitor," Hazel muttered.

"What was that about betting with Lindsey Paul?" Hunter glared at her, crossing his arms.

"Leave me alone, Hunter," Hazel grumbled. "Like you haven't bet on Quidditch matches before."

He rolled his eyes, "At least tell me you were planning on using your own money and not mine?"