Let the Games Begin!

Chapters 7-9

Chapter 7

The sky was cat vomit pink when I wake up on the floor in Minnie’s room at the Burrow. The scenery has changed overnight from the poverty of District Twelve to the beautiful British countryside. 

When I find that Minnie isn’t in the room, I get out of my thermal sleeping bag and get into my clothes as quickly as I can. I run down the stairs, eager to have a big breakfast.

At the table sits the Weasley family; Rose, Hermione, Ron, Minnie, Jonathan (Rose’s husband), Dimitri (Minnie’s brother) and a face that I’ve never seen in person, but in writing. Across the table from me sits the legendary Harry Potter.

“H-hello. I’m H-helen-na E-v-verd-deen” I stutter nervously.

“Hi, I’m Harry Potter.”

“Do you really have the…the…you know…” I ask.

“The what?”

“S-sc-car?”

“Oh. That. It hasn’t hurt in years.” He pulls back his fringe.

“It’s wicked isn’t it!” Ron chips in.

“Where do I get the feeling that you’ve said that before…” Harry says sarcastically to Ron.

Hermione rolls her eyes and switches on the television.

That face. It comes back to haunt me.

“Harry Everdeen tried to murder innocent guards, and now he is about to pay the price.” the (wizard) television presenter states in a British accent. “As well as being sent to the WICKED maze, the US Government have decided to execute his family too. We cut now to live footage from the US. We warn you, some scenes may be disturbing and gruesome.”

The shot cuts to outside our house, a gang of Peacekeepers sit at the doorstep.

“Gone. They gone. Saw ‘em ‘scape las’ nigh’.’ A Peacekeeper named Geoff says to the camera. ‘Sorry ‘bout this, but ya’ll gonna have to find ‘nother story.”

The footage cuts to a shot of President Elm.

“Everdeens. You. Will. Die.”

And that’s when the blood splatters all over the camera.

Chapter 8

Rose holds her hands over Minnie and Dimitri’s eyes, shielding them from the terrible footage just shown. All I can say that I’m glad that wasn’t Everdeen blood. Not wishing to hear the excited and terrified murmur of the people in the Burrow, I quietly scamper off to my (Minnie’s) room. 

Personally, I don’t feel at home with the Chudley Cannons posters around me. I support the Bulgarian team, which isn’t in the same league as the Cannons. The Cannons are in the British League. The Bulgarians are in the International League. My favourite player is Scorpio Malfoy, he is the third best seeker of the millennia, Viktor Krum being the best, and Harry Potter being the second best. Scorpio is about to retire though, as he is getting too old. Apparently, Harry Potter’s arch-nemesis was Draco Malfoy, Scorpio’s father!

I grab my shoes and protective padding and head downstairs.

“Rose, are there any brooms in the shed? I wouldn’t mind a games of Quidditch.” I ask.

“Oh, of course. Dimitri and Minnie can play too, they’ll show you where the brooms are.” she replies.

“I know I’m way too old, but I can’t resist a game. I haven’t played in years.” Harry chips in.

“Me too.” Ron adds.

Rose, my mother and my father shake their heads. 

“Sorry, Helena. We have urgent matters to discuss with Rose.

“I better play too, then.” says Jonathan, pretending that he doesn’t want to play.

***

The backyard is the perfect size for a small version of a real Quidditch pitch.

“Who wants to be the captains?” I ask.

“Me! Youngest first!” Dimitri shrieks. Being ten years old, he likes to be the boss.

“Alright. You can captain team Dimitri.” I say.

“I’ll captain team Minnie.” says Minnie matter-of-factly.

“Right. Team Dimitri pick first. I’ll chase. Harry you’re gonna be the seeker.” Dimitri beckons for Harry to come.

“Okay, I’ll chase. Ron, you can keep for my team.” Minnie says.

“I pick daddy to chase!” Dimitri says eagerly, and Jonathan walks over to him.

“Helena, you seek.” Minnie tells me. 

Chapter 9

“Okay.” I say, scared to be up against Harry, and I release the bludgers and the snitch. “Team Minnie can start, because we have the youngest combined age.”

I give the quaffle to Minnie and the game begins.

Minnie easily gets past her little brother and zooms through the field on her AirSlicer 360. A little golden blur comes from one of the Weasley’s bushes, and I sneakily inch towards it, inch by inch, pretending that I haven’t seen it. Minnie sneaks an easy goal past her dad. Dimitri snatches the quaffle before Minnie has registered that she got a goal and zooms his way over to the goals. He throws and it hits the end of Ron’s FireAxe990. Harry starts to fly towards the bush, so I stop inching and go full speed. My SpaceFlyer9000 is no match for Harry’s Firebolt. However old it may be, it could outrun (outfly) a cheetah. I lean as far forward as possible, concentrating all of my energy on the snitch. It moves. The pest of a thing has zoomed out to who knows where. I brake just in time to avoid death by bush (and the angry gnomes that live in there). Dimitri scores. I weave through the field. Harry looks confused. Minnie scores. Jonathan does a backflip and saves the quaffle. Ron does the “Airbender”, a keeper move that involves a 360 degree flip, jumping off your broom and landing back on, then head-butting the quaffle. Dimitri scores. A golden ball rests on the ground, looking ready to take flight any second. I get low onto the ground and the snitch slowly rises. Harry notices my movements and follows me. Jonathan scores an amazing goal and zooms back to his goals. Ron throws and easy goal from his end of the pitch and scores, as Jonathan is still making his way back to his goals. I get closer to the snitch. My fingers touch its cold surface. I feel like a champion. Victory is taken from my hands, literally, as Harry swoops in and snatches the snitch from me.