Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, JKR does.

Chapter 8

On the first Wednesday of the school term, James had booked the quidditch pitch for the Gryffindor team to practise and ordered the team to be there at 6pm that evening.

Lena was in the female changing rooms on her own, being the only female member of the team.

She pulled the familiar scarlet and gold robes over her head, basking in the scent of previous victories, and feeling the warm thick material shroud her body.

As she grabbed hold of her cleansweep, relishing in being able to hold it again, she ran her thumb across the smooth, shiny handle of the broom that had served her well since its purchase at the beginning of her third year.

Lena had joined the house team in her fourth year, after playing as reserve in her third year. When James became team captain in fifth year, he didn't bother to make Lena re-try for the team, because he wanted her to play anyway.

When she met the other six members of the team in the middle of the pitch, James cleared his throat, and the others exchanged exasperated looks, knowing he was going to start a speech.

' So, team,' James began,' Fellow Gryffindors...my estemeed collegues...my quidditch stars...it is with great pleasure that I stand before you as your captain for my third year in office.'

Lena and Sirius swapped grins and rolled eyes - James always had to do everything in an exagerrated way. His arrogance and self pride made simple pre-practise conversations in to a long charade.

But neither one of them would change this about their friend - it was part of what made James, James.

' This year is our last chance...well, me, Lena, Sirius and and Andy...it's our last chance, and it's our last chance as one of the best Gryffindor teams in years, to win the quidditch cup. Since I've become captain, the team has changed a lot and now together, we have the joined expertise of two unbeatable beaters, a cracking keeper, a fantastic seeker, two brilliant chasers...and a third bloody phenominal chaser. '

' And a arrogant one at that, ' Sirius chipped in.

' Hey! Who's giving the speech here, me or you? ' he asked, giving his best friend a dark look, ' if I want to call myself phenominal, then I will. '

' Um, James? ' Selena spoke up, ' are you quite finished with the usual ' we've-got-the-best-team-so-lets-work-extra-hard-to-trash-the-Slytherins speech? '

' Actually I wasn't, but since you've just summed it up for us all, let's get down to business. ' James declared.

Chasers Jimmy Spinnet and Selena, keeper Vince McLaggen, seeker Sirius and beaters Bertram Aubrey and Andy Bell, all looked at their captain in eagerness, very glad that they could get on to things.

' So, we'll start with a mock game. Without opponents, of course, just to get warmed up and back in to the feel of things...though I'd expect that you all practised long and hard over the summer, to be sure to keep your places on the team. ' he added sternly.

' McLaggen get up to the posts, ' James ordered, ' Everyone else, in the air. I'll release the balls and we'll go until Sirius has the snitch. '

Everyone obeyed their captain's orders, kicking off from the ground and positioning themselves in a good place to be able to start off, a good place to catch the quaffle, see the snitch, or keep an eye on the bludgers.

Once James released the balls from the heavy metal case they were kept in, the bludgers and the snitch were off flying around the pitch, and the quaffle was flown in the air and caught by Jimmy.

Jimmy set off tearing down the pitch, narrowly dodging the bludger which tried to hit his left ear, and Andy who was following it closely.

He passed the quaffle straight to Lena, who was flying down on his right.

She passed it back, and he reverse passed over the top of her head up James, who threw it through the centre hoop, since McLaggen failed to stop it.

The three chasers then flew to the other end of the pitch, going over passes as they did so, and set off once more.

Meanwhile, whilst Jimmy, James and Lena were flying down the pitch, passing the quaffle between them, McLaggen was hovering by the goal posts and one of the beaters - Bertram - was also there, chasing one of the bludgers.

Bertram took a swing at the bludger with his bat, in an attempt to keep it away from McLaggen.

McLaggen rolled his eyes and snatched the bat right off of the beater, swatting at the bludger that was hanging around the posts.

There was a very good reason that Vince McLaggen was not a quidditch beater: he was no good whatsoever at that position.

And that was how his badly aimed hit at the bludger meant he knocked straight at Lena, who had no time to duck or swerve, because she had not seen it coming.

She ended up being knocked off her broom, and hurtling towards the ground - if she hit the floor, she would die.

From the other end of the pitch, Andy and Sirius watched in horror, too far away to do anything about it.

Bertram and McLaggen were arguing over the bat, whilst one team member did the only thing he could think of, and increased his broom to fulll speed, flying down in an attempt to save the team's female chaser.