Harry Potter - Fanfiction

Year 1 - Quidditch

As we enter November the weather starts to turn very cold; the mountains around the school becoming icy grey and the lake like chilled steel. The grounds are covered in frost every morning and our dormitory becoming very chilly due to the lake.

I've tried speaking to Hermione ever since the troll incident, enquiring by her why she lied like that, but all she keeps telling me is that I must forget about it. And now she seems more lenient about breaking the rules, which is definitely not like my sister.

It's also time for the Quidditch season to start and the Slytherin's are to play against the Gryffindor's on this coming Saturday.

That morning dawns a very bright and cold day ahead. The Great Hall is full of the delicious smell of fried sausages and the cheerful chattering of everyone looking forward to a good Quidditch match.

"Are you excited to see your first match?" asks Tracey.

I nod, having just taken a bite of sausage.

"It's a lot more exciting than normal muggle sports. We're in the lead at the moment, but if we lose today then Gryffindor will be right behind us in the House championship."

"It's not too complicated, is it?" I ask Tracey.

"No, it's fairly easy. There are seven players on each side. Three of them are called Chasers; they throw the Quaffle to each other and try to get it through one of the hoops to score a goal. It's ten points every time the Quaffle goes through one of the hoops.

"Then each team obviously has a Keeper that has to protect the hoops and try stop the other team from scoring. There are two Bludgers which get released during the match which try knock players off their broom.

"This is where the Beaters come in, their job is to protect their team from the Bludgers and try knock them into the other team. Then you get the Golden Snitch which is the most important ball of the game; it's very fast and difficult to see. The Seeker in the team has to find this ball and catch it which wins the team an extra hundred and fifty points. So, if you time it right then the team almost always wins."

"So, the game only ends when the Snitch is caught?"

"Yes."

"What happens then if they struggle to catch the snitch? Isn't there a time limit to the game?"

Tracey shakes her head. "No, it can go on for ages if the Snitch isn't caught. If I can remember correctly the current record is three months that a single game was played until the Snitch was caught."

"Three months!" I exclaim, "Merlin's beard how on earth can a game take so long?"

Tracey shrugs, "in the wizarding world anything is possible. It's what makes the game so interesting."

By eleven o'clock the whole school is out in the stands around the Quidditch pitch. Many of the students have their binoculars with them to use when they can't see properly what is going on.

Tracey and I make it to the top of one of the stands amongst the Slytherin's, with the only spot available next to Draco. Pansy glares backwards as she watches us take a seat behind her. I sit down next to Draco with Tracey taking the seat to my right.

The teams come out onto the field and crowd around Madam Hooch. Moments later they mount their brooms and rise into the air as Madam Hooch blows her whistle.

"And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor... what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too –"

"JORDAN!" Professor McGonagall can be heard reprimanding the Weasley twins' friend.