"And the snitch is caught! Lily Potter has caught the snitch! Gryffindor wins!" The announcers voice boomed across the Quidditch field, but it was still barely heard over the eruption of cheers from the audience. The first Quidditch match of the school year was over, with the Gryffindors beating the Hufflepuffs. As Lily stood in the middle of the Quidditch field, holding the snitch up victoriously, the rest of the team swooped down. James nearly tackled his little sister in a hug.
In the stands Rose and Lucy jumped up and down, cheering for their cousins and fellow Gryffindors. Albus and Scorpius, the sole Slytherins in the mass of red and gold, stood next to the girls clapping. Albus of course supported his family, but never got too enthused. They were his Quidditch rivals after all. Scorpius shook his head when he noticed the sly smirk cross his best friends lips, knowing all too well what that meant. In regards to being cunning, the younger of the Potter boys was a true Slytherin, at least where Quidditch was concerned. He leaned closer to Albus so as to be heard. "Come on mate! We better get going before the Gryffindor common room gets too crowded and congratulate your family on their victory."
"Right right! And if we get there before too many girls, maybe I can convince James to talk strategy with me!"
Scorpius couldn't stifle the laugh at Albus' words. "Good luck with that!" James was known to be quite the ladies man, much to his mother's dismay. All Ginny Potter wanted was for her oldest boy to find a nice girl he could settle down with after he graduated from Hogwarts this year. James was also not one for elaborate strategies, much to his father's dismay. Though James was a damn good captain, and kept his team fit and ready, most of his strategies involved 'Fly fast', 'Play hard', and 'Don't let the other team score'. Occasionally he would also add a 'Don't get hurt', but that seemed to only be on special occasions.
Albus and Scorpius trudged up the hill from the Quidditch pitch, followed closely behind by Lucy and Rose. Lucy was almost giddy as she retold the events of the match as if Rose had not just been there watching it with her. "And then when Fred did a rolling dive to block the Quaffle! My heart nearly stopped beating! I thought for sure he was gonna fall off his broom!"
Rose chuckled at her cousin. The two had never been close as children, primarily due to Audrey Weasley's distaste for the 'rough way the other children play'. It wasn't until they were both in Hogwarts that the two became closer. Truth be told, Lucy was far more like her Uncle George. She always liked a good joke, and would spend countless hours in his shop marveling at the odds and ends. She was a true Weasley, unlike her mother and older sister Molly. "You confuse me Luce; you adore Quidditch, and yet you've always refused to try out for the team."
Lucy blushed fiercely at her cousin's remark. "I'm just no good is all."
"That's a load of bull and you know it! I've seen you out on the pitch at the Burrow before dawn. You could fly circles around half the other Quidditch players here!"
Lucy blanched, stuttering, "You...you've seen me?"
"Sure! You wake me up every time you go out. We share a room, remember?"
"Oh God Rose! You can NOT tell anyone about that!"
"What's the big deal?"
Lucy almost exploded, "My mother would kill me! You know how she feels about Quidditch!"
Rose chuckled. "Ah yes, good ol' Aunt Audrey." She straightened her back, stuck her nose up in the air, and mocked her stingy aunt. "A game for brutes with no ounce of self restraint!"
Lucy snickered. "I should be upset that your mocking my mother, but that impression was spot on."
The two girls burst out in laughter, drawing the attention of the boys walking in front of them. Scorpius turned around, cocking and eyebrow at the two cackling females. "And what is so funny?"
Rose instantly blushed. "Nothing that concerns you! Just keep walking."
Scorpius smirked at how flustered Rose got. "Whatever you say Red." With that he turned around and resumed his conversation with Albus.
Lucy looked over at Rose, noticing the red flared across her cheeks. "Good grief Rose! He really got under your skin pretty fast."
"I just hate how he's so damned nosey! Bloody snake."
Lucy grinned and cast her cousin a knowing look. "Uh-huh, and that is why your blushing like a third year with her first crush."
"You are completely off Luce!"
"Whatever you say Rose."
As the girls quietly squabbled behind, Albus turned the conversation with Scorpius in a new direction. "Hey Scorp, I've always been curious, why do you call Rose 'Red'?"
"Because of her red hair."
"But a lot of my family has red hair. So what makes her so special?" Albus shot Scorpius an almost accusing glance.
"It's the fastest way to get under her skin. I do enjoy messing with her!" Scorpius instantly put on his most innocent smile.
"That was not the best choice of words."
"Woah mate! You know what I meant! I would never go after Red! I'm not into all those freckles." Scorpius scrunched his nose, as if disgusted.
"Uh-huh, just be sure it stays that way. You may be my best friend, but she's my cousin," warning lacing Albus' voice.
"I promise you have absolutely nothing to worry about mate!"
As the group made their way into the Gryffindor common area, the party was just beginning to really start as people flooded through the portrait door. Red and gold streamers hung from every corner. Music, coming from nowhere in particular, blared throughout the room. Rose and Lucy, upon spotting Roxanne and Lily, sprinted past Albus and Scorpius to congratulate their female cousins. Scorpius looked around the room, a bit astonished. "I'll give your brother one thing, he does throw one hell of a party. How the hell did he get all this set up so soon?"
"Knowing him, he probably had it already set up before the game," Albus scoffed. He intently scanned the room for the oldest of the Potter siblings. After a minute or so he spotted James in front of the refreshments table with Fred. "Excuse me mate." With that he was off, leaving Scorpius standing by himself.
Weaving in and out of party-goers, Albus slowly made his way over to James. When he got there, James appeared to be intently working on something and failed to notice the presence of his younger brother. "Hey," Albus said, jabbing James' shoulder to get his attention.
"Who?! Wha..." James quickly whirled around, a guilty look plainly on his face. When he realized it was only Albus, the look turned to a mischievous grin. Hell, that was almost always the look of James Potter, much like his late grandfather. "Well if it isn't little Albie!"
Albus gritted his teeth at the use of his dreaded pet name. "Don't call me that!"
"What? You're Albie and Lil is Lilykins!"
Albus twitched. "Mom, and ONLY Mom, can call us that!" Then a sly smile crossed his lips. "Not unless you want me to call you by Mom's pet name. Or do you Jimmy-bear?"
James narrowed his eyes. "Touché little brother. Fine, no pet names!" Almost instantaneously James' mood changed, and the smile was back on his face. "So did you see how we whipped those Hufflepuff's asses?"
"Of course I did! I was actually wondering if I could talk to you about strategy. You know, captain to captain?"
"Well shit Al! I almost forgot you're the new Slytherin captain!" James nudged Fred, who was still busy with whatever. "Fred! Hurry up and get our guests their punch. We have some toasting to do."
Fred smiled, his eyes glinting like George Weasley's before a good prank. "Aye aye captain!" With that he began handing out cups full of punch to everyone in the room.
Once everyone had a cup filled to the brim with punch, James stood on a table. With a flick of his wand he cut the music, instantly drawing everyone's attention. "Hello everyone! Welcome to the victory celebration!" Cheers erupted. "But! But!" Everyone quieted down. "It is a bittersweet celebration as this game marks the beginning of the end for Fred and I. As you all know this is our last year at Hogwarts, and our last season of Quidditch. But just like a Phoenix, from our ashes will rise a new team just as good as the first. Today was the first game for my cousin Hugo and my little sister Lily. And I think they did a damn good job, don't you?" Again the room filled with cheers. "But they are not the only ones in this big family of mine who are starting a new journey in Quidditch this year. My little brother Albus is a newly appointed captain! Ok, so it's for Slytherin.." A chorus of boos began at the mention of Gryffindor's rivals. "But! He is still my brother, and I wish him luck as captain. Maybe next year when I'm gone he'll have a chance at winning the cup!" Everyone laughed, and James shot Albus a teasing wink. Albus just scowled. "So I propose a toast!" James raised his glass high in the air, the guests quickly following suit. "To the seventh years! May their last run be a good one! To the newcomers! May the soar on the pitch! And to Albus! Play hard, fly fast, and good luck as captain!" The crowd answered with a decisive "Here! Here!" before everyone downed their punch with the noticeably strong after taste.
