I was thinking about how large rugby teams are (15 men for those who don't know, with reserves as well, 7 reserves according to the IRB back in 1992-3, which is when Chamber of Secrets is set) and realized that Based on the size of the years as described in the books, there wouldn't really be enough players per team, especially with splits between genders (there's no way girls can compete in rugby with boys of the same age) and splits between year groups (imagine a seventeen year old running into a twelve year old...).
But then I remembered that Hogwarts is the only UK school for wizards and witches. Therefore I'd imagine that the student population would realistically be larger than it was in the books. After all, young wizards and witches don't have anywhere else to learn in the UK. So for the purpose of this series, the school's student populations will be significantly larger, and I'll be using a lot of minor characters for sports teams, Dumbledore's army, day-to-day lessons, etc. It'll be enough for 15 players for each gender for each age group team for each house at least (years 1 and 2, years 3 and 4, and years 5-7, boys and girls, one for each house and one from each year group from all houses).
I'll point out what house/year they'll be in, so don't worry about being confused about people you haven't heard of. As for why they aren't all in the same dorm, there'll just be more than one dorm room per year group per gender per house. Anyway, as they say, the show goes on!
The next morning's transfiguration lesson was filled with a lot more tension than usual - the news about the message on the wall had spread very, very quickly. Students were frightened and the teachers had no idea what to do. However, McGonagall was trying to keep things as close to business as usual. She was teaching the students how to turn animals into goblets.
John had unsurprisingly made a successful transformation without any real effort, and he was the first person to address the elephant in the room.
"Professor? I was wondering if you could tell us about the Chamber of secrets." he asked, once his owl Achilles was temporarily a magnificent glass goblet.
McGonagall remained silent for a moment, as did the class, who stopped their incantations and discussions about the task at hand. McGonagall then spoke.
"Very well. As you may know, Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago by the four most powerful and talented wizards and witches of the time, Helga Hufflepuff, Salazaar Slytherin, Rowena Ravelclaw and Godric Gryffindor. Three of the founders co-existed harmoniously whilst another was... more disagreeable to say the least." said McGonagall.
"I'm going to take a wild guess and say that it was Salazaar Slytherin." said John dryly.
"Yes. He wanted to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed that magical learning should be kept within all-magic families. Purebloods as we know them today. The others did not agree, and he left the school. However, the legend of the Chamber goes that Slytherin built a secret Chamber somewhere in the school, the Chamber of secrets. The story goes that within the chamber lies a monster which only the heir of Slytherin can control, and that said monster can be used to purge the school of those who in Slytherin's view, were unworthy to study magic." said McGonagall.
"Muggleborns." Hermione said in a small voice.
McGonagall nodded and looked at Hermione and the other muggleborn students present with pity. They were so young... they shouldn't have to be so afraid of something which could be in their very own school, their home no less.
The lesson continued as it would have done without McGonagall's chilling tale of Slytherin's mission, although with much less chatter among the students.
"Do you think the Chamber's real?" John asked Hermione once the lesson was over.
"Yes. Look how worried McGonagall was. And Dumbledore when he found us near that message on the wall." she replied.
"So if it's been opened, then who at this school could be the heir of Slytherin?" Delilah asked.
"I wonder who. I mean, I can't think of anyone here who thinks all Muggleborns are scum." Ron said sarcastically.
"If you're talking about Malfoy-" Hermione started, her voice dripping with skepticism.
"Ron could be on to something though Hermione. Malfoy's family have been in Slytherin for centuries, there's got to be something behind that." said Harry.
"Crabbe and Goyle probably know. We could probably trick them into telling us." said Ron.
"I know they're thick, but even they aren't that thick. There would be a way to find out, but it'd be difficult. Not to mention we'd be breaking about fifty school rules..." said Hermione.
"It's worth it if all of the muggleborns at the school are in danger." said Delilah, flatly.
"Alright. We'll meet up in the library tomorrow afternoon, after lunch." said Hermione.
"Why there?" John moaned.
"Because the library has more information than any of us, perhaps?" Hermione answered dryly.
"I guess." John grumbled.
"Salazaar Slytherin wasn't wrong. These mudbloods shouldn't be here, it's an outrage that we even have to be around them." Malfoy could be heard saying to Crabbe and Goyle nearby.
"Hermione, Delilah, can we please just hit him?" Ron asked furiously.
"No Ron, you aren't going to get in trouble over someone as worthless as him." said Delilah with finality.
"Actually Ron, we're doing rugby today. Maybe we can hit him." said John, a smirk creeping over his face.
"Hermione was saying rugby's rough, but how exactly do we hit him?" Ron asked.
"In rugby, you tackle people. You run at them, ram your shoulder into their gut and wrap your arms around their legs. But you can only do that if they have the ball." said Harry.
"Also, if you're carrying the ball, you can run the tacklers over if you're strong enough." said John.
An evil looking grin spread over Ron's face. "Let's hope we get to play against him today then." he said.
"Now that I won't stop you from doing." said Delilah, smirking at Ron.
The rugby was due to start in half an hour, but for whatever reason, John was nowhere to be found. It was very out of character - John loved sports, and he was relishing the possibility of being allowed to hit Malfoy without repercussions.
Ron and Delilah had been looking for him for almost an hour when they finally found him. In a broom cupboard. Passionately snogging Hannah Abbott.
"What the hell?" John asked incredulously. Hannah, meanwhile was mortified.
"What the hell yourself John!" said Delilah.
"Look mate, I'm not against you doing... whatever it is you two were up to, but rugby starts soon." said Ron, calmly before Delilah could lose her temper.
"Speak for yourself! John? A word please?" Delilah asked.
"Fine. Hannah, I'll see you after rugby in the great hall, yeah?" John asked.
"Yes. Of course." Hannah said in a small voice, still embarrassed, before scampering away.
"I hope you're not leading her on or anything." Delilah said, looking at John with her eyes narrowed.
"What are you on about?" John asked, exasperated.
"I know for a fact that you're not after a girlfriend or anything of the sort, you'd better not be using her just for a quick snog!" said Delilah.
"Fucking hell Delilah, what do you think I am? We both just find each other really fit and decided to snog in a broom cupboard, calm down!" said John.
"And you're not manipulating her in any way?" Delilah pressed.
"No Delilah. Seriously, what's gotten into you?" John asked.
"Nothing, I just don't want to see you turn into... a player or something. Someone who just uses and discards girls at his own leisure. It's not right." said Delilah.
"I'm not using anyone. I'm not going to pretend that they're in for anything they won't really get. You know me better than that, right?" John asked, also turning to Ron.
"John's right Delilah, he's not a dick." said Ron bluntly. Delilah's face softened.
"I know. I just don't want to see you turn into one." she said.
"I won't. Now come on, let's go to rugby." said John, after rolling his eyes.
The three of them met up with Harry and Hermione after getting changed at the Quidditch pitches, which, for the purpose of rugby, now had rugby posts and lines drawn on the grass.
"So where was he?" Harry asked.
"You're talking about me like I'm a lost pet dog or something." said John.
"That wouldn't be too far from the truth you know." said Delilah, grinning at John, causing the others to laugh.
"Fair play Delilah." said John.
"We found him snogging Hannah Abbott in a broom cupboard on the second floor." said Ron.
"What? You and Hannah?" Harry asked.
"Not really. We just sort of mutually agreed that we're attractive and decided to act on it. Just some casual fun really. She's a good kisser." said John.
Hermione raised an eyebrow.
"I know what you're going to say. No, I'm not leading her on, no I'm not manipulating her or using her. Hence the word mutually." said John.
"Actually I was going to ask whether that was your first kiss. It would be a bit odd for your first kiss to be a full on snogging session in a broom cupboard." said Hermione.
"Well yeah, it was my first kiss but I don't really care. If I hold my first kiss up on some sort of pedestal and treat it as if it's something precious, then other kisses will mean less by default." said John.
"That's an interesting way of looking at it actually." said Delilah.
Before they could discuss it any further, they were greeted by a massive, very muscular group of wizards who were presumably going to teach them about rugby.
"First and second year boys, come here! First and second year girls over to Jack there, he's wearing the yellow jersey!" came the booming voice of the larger of the two first and second year coaches. He had a strong South African accent, so it was no secret as to where he was from, and John and Harry knew how much the South Africans love their rugby.
"Alright, now I'm very excited to be sharing this experience with you. My name is Schalk Van de Merwe. I am a wizard, yes, but I've been a fan of rugby ever since my muggle friend showed me a game on his television. You have to realize that you're all very lucky. You're the first wizarding school to have this opportunity. I also understand that you'll be playing football, but not until next week. Now then, we need to get you all up to speed on the basics. Tackling, passing, and set pieces." said Van de Merwe.
Harry could hear something about Malfoy scoffing at the idea of them being lucky to do muggle things at school, but chose to ignore him.
Soon enough, the students had a basic idea of how to pass and tackle, and after enough time, they had even learned how to scrummage and get in a lineout should the ball be out of play. It was then time to find their positions. Dean and Ron, being the tallest there, were the obvious choices to play in the second row. John and Alex Burke, a first year Gryffindor were the strongest players there, and so found themselves playing prop. Harry was placed on the wing to to his slight figure and impressive turn of speed.
They played and learned rugby throughout the day (of course taking breaks for lunch and for the sake of recovery) and eventually, for the last hour, Van de Merwe had an announcement.
"Gryffindor, you'll be playing Slytherin. Hufflepuff you'll be playing Ravenclaw." he said.
John, Ron and Harry rubbed their hands together. They would have an excuse to bash Malfoy! And Crabbe and Goyle would be directly facing John and Alex Burke, as props in the scrum. John saw this as his opportunity to stamp down his self-given title of strongest student in their year.
The title may have been self given, but it wasn't unwarranted. John outclassed Crabbe, his opposite number in the scrum, and time after time, the game would see John barging directly through potential tacklers, Malfoy bearing the brunt of his aggressive play.
Ron's height made him a nuisance to deal with on kick offs - he was able to catch the ball before Slytherin players could even reach it. Dean would have done the same, but unfortunately for him, he had trouble catching kick-offs. Harry, meanwhile, was the fastest and arguably the most agile player on the pitch, frequently outpacing Slytherin players left and right, sidestepping tackles and in general, just being very hard to get a hold of. It was just as well, because Harry was the smallest player on the pitch. If Crabbe or Goyle could catch him, the physical size difference would have proven very painful for Harry.
Fortunately though, John was there to put both Crabbe and Goyle in their place, and the game ended twenty-seven to fifteen in favor of Gryffindor.
Van de Merwe had one final series of things to say before the exhausted students headed back to the castle for dinner.
"Since you're all new to rugby, or at least some of you are, you won't be playing muggle schools until next year. For now, your house competitions will be your competitive rugby experience. Also, for this year it will be compulsory, but not next year and onward. We want you to have a good understanding of rugby before you make the decision to play or not. Finally I would like to thank you for being so cooperative and willing to learn. Some of you are already very good. I'll see you here next week." said Van de Merwe, before the students all went back inside.
The boys met up with Delilah and Hermione at the Gryffindor common room and sat down together at a sofa.
"So, what did you all think?" Ron asked.
"I loved it." said Delilah, flatly.
"Really? Wouldn't have thought you to be the type." said John, surprised.
"What can I say? It's always the quiet ones." said Ron, earning him a playful slap on the shoulder.
"I didn't like it but I can appreciate how it's a worthwhile sport. Millicent Bullstrode though... she was quite terrifying on the pitch if I'm honest.
"Who's that?" John asked.
"Some Slytherin girl in our year. She's quite big actually. She's about two inches shorter than you, and almost as bulky. More fat than muscle though." said Delilah to John.
"Wow. She must look like a fucking troll. Good thing I've never seen her." said John, causing the others to laugh.
"I also loved it. Can't wait to play more." said Harry.
"What was the reception like from the girls in general?" Ron asked.
"As you'd expect. Most of them didn't like it, so for us it's just entirely optional if we want to keep playing. I expect there won't be an inter house competition for girls." said Hermione.
"Wow. For us guys it's compulsory for this year. Good thing almost everyone loved it." said John.
"Yeah we did. Actually, I reckon we're naturals at it. Ron's always catching the ball because he's taller than everyone, I can outpace people, and John's... John." said Harry.
"Meaning?" Hermione asked.
"He's the strongest player on the pitch. It was almost unfair, watching him running over the Slytherin players like they were nothing." said Ron.
"It was hilarious watching him smash Malfoy though. Hell he even smashed Crabbe and Goyle." said Harry.
"Well yeah. Hardly surprising though, I mean I'm not going to pretend that those two aren't strong, but..." John said, before flexing his biceps.
Hermione and Delilah rolled their eyes.
However, Hannah Abbott was nearby and chose that opportunity to continue with John from where they left off.
"John? Can we..." She asked, suggestively.
"See you guys at dinner. Don't wait up for me." said John, smirking, before following Hannah to god knows where.
"John's wonderful, but does he have to be so much of a..." Hermione started.
"Meathead?" Delilah offered.
"Yes. That exactly." said Hermione.
"Well yeah, but he's happy being a meathead at least." said Ron.
By the time dinner rolled around, most of the second year Hufflepuff girls were talking about John and Hannah going off somewhere to snog. John could hear Hannah's friends from the Hufflepuff table saying things like 'What's he like in private?' 'Did you get to see him shirtless?' 'Is he a good kisser?' and of course, his already substantial ego was yet again being fed.
"How shallow can they get?" Delilah asked, slightly exasperated.
"It is me Delilah. I can't blame them." said John, smirking. Delilah of course, rolled her eyes.
"Well I think it's more about how none of them, or at least very few of them have any experience with kissing boys." said Hermione.
"And you do?" Harry asked, an eyebrow raised.
"I never said I did. I was only pointing out how they are interested in an experience that only one of them has had." Hermione explained.
The rest of dinner was spent talking about rugby, though when dinner was over, Ron and Harry said they wanted to talk to John in private, away from everyone else including Delilah and Hermione, though they had gone to bed anyway.
"So, what's up?" John asked.
"Well we were wondering, and by the way we were a bit embarrassed to ask in front of anyone else, and also I'm too embarrassed to ask my dad or brothers, but how do you... talk to girls?" Ron asked.
John looked like Ron and Harry had sprouted extra limbs at random.
"You talk to Hermione and Delilah every day!" he said.
"Yes, but we aren't trying to snog them." said Harry, simply.
"OK, I suppose that's fair. But why are you so embarrassed? Seamus, Dean, Neville, the others in our year they don't know anything about it either. Not really. And also, you could talk to Hermione or Delilah too, since they actually are girls." said John.
"Yeah but they're not like other girls, are they?" Ron pointed out.
"True. OK, I'll bite. What do you want to know?" John asked.
"Same things really. How do you approach a girl you find... that you... you want to snog let's say." Harry asked.
"Depends. Are you trying to go out with her or just have a bit of fun?" John asked.
"Both. Just tell us what to do in either situation." said Harry.
"OK, well if it's a one-time thing or a casual thing I'd say just dive in head first. Admit that you find them attractive. Girls love confident blokes." said John.
"That simple? No games, nothing like that?" Ron asked.
"That simple." said John, smirking.
"Alright, what about a girl you want to take a bit more seriously?" Harry asked.
"Well it's similar, you do need confidence, but you've got to be a bit more subtle. You know, maybe pay attention to her for about a day or two to show her you could be interested in her, stuff like holding the door open for her, saying that she looks good today or whatever, and then when you think you've dropped enough hints, go for the full monty." said John.
"Shag her?!" Ron exclaimed. Harry burst out laughing.
"That's not what I meant by the full monty!" John replied, aghast.
"I was joking mate. I know what you meant." said Ron, laughing.
"Fucking hell Ron, you had me worried." said John. Harry was still laughing at Ron's comment.
"So who've you two got in mind?" John asked.
"No one actually. At least not me. This is just for reference. You Ron?" said Harry, after recovering.
"Nope. It's just that the prettier girls are just a bit harder to talk to, you know?" Ron asked.
"That's just because you think they're more likely to reject you. To be fair, if you think about it, prettier girls will have higher standards, and there's nothing wrong with that really." said John.
"Easy for you to say, Hannah's not exactly the worst looking girl around, is she?" Harry asked.
"Well yeah, but could you blame a good looking girl for preferring good looking blokes? They're out of other guys' leagues, aren't they?" John said.
"True." Ron grumbled.
"Hey, you guys don't have to worry. You're Harry fucking Potter, and you're tall. Girls love tall guys." said John.
"Fair enough I guess, but don't the birds just crawl to you pretty much?" Ron asked.
John smirked.
"I get the idea that they want to, but they expect me as a bloke to make the first move, which is totally fair. On the flipside, I've only ever snogged one, and obviously I didn't even take it that seriously." said John.
"Why do I get the idea that there'll be much more than one this year? And every other year?" Harry asked.
"Because I can." John said simply.
"Cocky arsehole." said Ron, grinning at him.
"Anyway, I was also wondering, any idea as to what Hermione wants to do in the library tomorrow?" Harry asked.
"I don't know. Maybe research some kind of truth spell to put on Malfoy?" John asked.
"I don't know, that sounds a little dark for Hermione. Forcing someone to say what you want them to say. Hell that's dark for any of us." said Ron.
"True. I don't really know then, we'll just have to find out tomorrow." said John.