Hogwarts a History – Quidditch training for dummies
Chapter 01 – Alternative training

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Quidditch! Was there anything in the world more wonderful? No, no there was not. Not according to Oliver Wood at any rate. He'd spent all summer thinking about it, dreaming about it, plotting about it.

"So, any questions?"

Having just concluded an extensive presentation of his training regimen for the year he stood back beaming at his team, awaiting their praise for his masterfully crafted, unbeatable training plan. The awkward silence was only broken by the sound of Fred snoring. Not quite the reaction he'd been hoping for but, he was undeterred.

Nothing could dull his excitement. It was Quidditch. A rampaging dragon couldn't have squelched his enthusiasm. Actually, a dragon might be just what he needed to really take their training to the next level.

Hmm, something to think about later.

"Alright, if there's no questions, let's get out there."

Shambling like a horde of inferi, the Gryffindor team followed their overenthusiastic captain out onto the pitch. To their small surprise, they already had a crowd.

Ron and Hermione had come out to watch, for some reason that probably wasn't Ron's idea, given how he was nodding off in his seat. And the firsty who'd been stalking Harry since the start of term with his camera, Creepy or something, had jumped up all excited only to face plant when he tripped over his own feet.

Wood took these in at a glance then put them out of his mind. It wasn't so uncommon for members of their own house to come and watch the team practice. Nothing wrong with that. The Slytherin house team strutting onto the field like they owned it however, there was nothing 'not' wrong with that.

"What are you doing here Flynn? I already signed up for the pitch this morning."

The superior smirk the Slytherin team captain gave him made his fists ache to beat it off his face. The sheet of paper he was handed did not help.

"We got 'special' permission from Professor Snape to use the pitch to train in our new Seeker, Malfoy."

Harry's face went red when the little blonde ponce strutted to the front of the crowd, but Wood only had eyes for his broom. A broom that looked to have brought along six of its siblings, one for each member of the Slytherin team.

"Nimbus two thousand one," Flynn bragged. "Just came out. Donated to the Slytherin team by Lucius Malfoy."

Of course, he would have to buy his useless son's way onto the team.

Wood barely noticed when the spectators showed up on the field and started quarreling with Malfoy, his Quidditch was being spoiled. Leave it to the Slytherin's to do what even a dragon couldn't accomplish.

He hated wasting time arguing. He knew he couldn't win, chagrined as he was to admit it. Snape was quite blatant in his favoritism and none of the other teachers would ever do more than complain about it. He didn't need complaints, he needed solutions.

And the backfiring of Ron Weasley's wand may just have given it to him.

"Come on, let's take him to Hagrid's."

An idea, inspired by the massive man but discarded earlier in his planning as too extreme, began to look very tempting. It's not like he had a lot of other options.

"Fred, George, help your brother," Wood ordered. "Come on, all of you."

Leaving the Slytherin team laughing at the slug spewing Weasley, the Gryffindor team, plus bushy haired extra, hauled Ron the short distance to the game keepers hut.

Hagrid, seeing the problem, ushered them in and grabbed a bucket, "Best to let it run its course," the big man said.

Wood felt for the slug burping boy, but his sympathy was quashed under a more powerful emotion, Quidditch.

"Well, now that's taken care of, come on you lot. We got practice."

"Uh Wood, we can't practice. Slytherin's using the pitch," said Angelina Johnson.

"Do you need a pitch to fly a broom?" The team looked at him oddly, but his grin remained firmly in place.

"What are you getting at Wood?"

"If Slytherin's on the pitch, we practice somewhere else." The team didn't seem all that keen on the idea, but he loved it more and more every second, "Time for some alternative training."