America's Witch 8- Soccer
I pull my Soccer ball out of my trunk and lock it. I drop the key into my purse and go outside. I climb up a tree and hang my purse on high branch. I drop out of the tree and catch myself on a lower branch, swinging out of the tree, doing a double flip in the air, and landing in a crouch. I pick up my soccer ball and set it on the tip of my toes. I kick the ball into the air and bounce it off my knees and head. I keep the ball off the ground for a while and catch it, noticing someone watching me.
"Can I help you? How long have you been watching me?"
"Since you were in the tree." I sigh and turn.
"You didn't answer my question. Oh, your name?"
"I'm Marcus Flint, the captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team. You're Ambellina Dumbledore, right?" I nod. "You play a Muggle sport?" I shrug and toss the ball into the air.
"A little. I prefer it to American Football. I was left forward for my school's team back in Boston." I bounce the ball off my head and then my knees. I aim for the tree as a goal and shoot, hitting dead center and catch the rebound.
"I understand that you didn't grow up around magic?" I nod and catch my purse, which fell from the impact.
"So?" I run at the tree and drop the ball and my purse at the base, running up the trunk and to a high branch.
"What do you know about Quidditch? And can you come down?" I laugh.
"Give me a sec!" I swing around a branch and jump out of the tree on the fourth spin. I flip around a few times and spin in the air.
"Hey! You could hurt yourself like that!" I laugh and land on my hands.
"Really? I've done bigger tricks than that, and from higher." I flip off my hands and land in a crouch. "And I don't know anything about Quidditch. A little that I read from a book. It's Soccer on broomsticks. Three forwards, two guards, a goalie, and an extra person for the extra ball. Four balls, three move on their own. I don't know the rules, though."
"That's enough. What's a Forward?" I think about that.
"Um…the point maker. A forward dribbles the ball to the goal and shoots into the goal and makes the points to win the game." Marcus nods slowly, not quite getting it I think.
"Oh, so you're a chaser?" I sigh.
"If the chaser is the forward." He nods and I nod in return. "Then I'm a chaser."
"You interested in learning Quidditch? We're short a chaser." I shrug.
"Sounds interesting. But I don't know how to ride a broom." He laughs.
"For some people it comes naturally. Come with me." I pick up my purse and ball and follow him into the school. He leads me to a room and I look around the room.
"Are all these people former students?" He nods.
"Come over here." I turn and walk over. "This is the Gryffindor team from the year Matthew Dumbledore and James Potter graduated. James and Matthew were both on their team in their first year, and kept the Cup in Gryffindor house every year running. They never lost a match. And…if I'm not mistaken, Matthew is your father?" I nod.
"Dad…" I shake my head and back up. "I'll check Quidditch out, but after my first flying lesson." Flint nods, smiling with crooked, disgusting looking teeth.
"Okay. We've only got one spot open. If Hooch thinks you're good enough, she'll clear you for try-outs on Saturday." I nod and leave the room, heading to the dorm. I unlock my trunk and pull out my computer. I turn it on and log into my messenger. No one's on. I shrug and open a story that I'm working on.
"Excuse me?" I look up from my typing and stare at the door.
"What?" The door opens and a girl, whom I recognize as the Head Girl, comes into the room.
"Ambellina, right?" I nod. "There's a couple of Gryffindors looking for you." I smile slightly.
"Harry and Ron?" The girl shrugs and I turn off my computer. "Thanks." I put the computer into my trunk and lock it.
"You don't have to lock your things into your trunk. Is there a trust issue with your roommates?" I shrug.
"Until I'm sure that no one in this house is going to tamper with my things, I'll be locking my valuables away." She frowns.
"Just because you have Muggle things, doesn't mean that anyone will tamper with them." I roll my eyes.
"We'll see." I leave the room and then the dorm. I head upstairs and spot the two boys in the main hall.
"Hey!" I hurry over.
"Harry saw you on the grounds from the Common Room window."
"You have a football?" I nod.
"Do you play?" Harry nods.
"Not very well." I laugh slightly.
"Well, that can be fixed. I'll be right back." I start back to the dorm. I stop just inside the hall and close my eyes. "Please work." I had accidentally gotten something to appear in my hands from another place before, but I hadn't thought anything about it. My soccer ball appears in my hand and I smile slightly. It worked. I hurry back into the main hall and spin the ball on my finger. "You two ready to get schooled?"
"Huh?" I sigh.
"Let's just go outside. It's stuffy in here." We head outside and to a clear field. I drop the ball and put my foot on top of it.
"So…how do you play?" I smile.
"You want to get the ball into the goal. Only the goalie can touch the ball with their hands. No violence. And…oh. You can touch the ball with everything but your hands. Including your head, knees, feet, and chest." Ron nods slowly.
"Okay…" A guy runs over and I recognize him from the Gryffindor table.
"You guys playing Football?" Harry turns to the guy and nods.
"Yea. You want to join us? It'll be an even number then, Seamus." He nods fervently.
"Sure!" The guy gets over and catches his breathe in front of us. "I'm Seamus."
"Ambellina. You're…in Gryffindor with Harry and Ron, right?"
"Yea. Their roommate." He straightens up and smiles slightly. "You're in Slytherin, right?" I nod.
"Yep. You know how to play?" He laughs and nods.
"Of course! I'm half and half." I smile.
"Okay. Ron, you're with me. I'll keep goal." Ron nods slightly.
"I'll keep over here." Harry runs over to a tree and I run to another.
"We'll switch out in a bit." Seamus sets up the ball and Ron manages to steal it from him, running towards Harry. He gets a goal in and Seamus catches the ball when it's thrown back in. He gets over to my goal and tries for a shot. I catch the ball and throw it back in. "1-0!" Ron gets the ball again and makes another goal.
"2-0!" A pattern develops, Ron gets the ball, makes a goal, Seamus gets the ball and I catch the shot, then it repeats.
"8-0! Let's switch out." Ron and I switch positions while Seamus and Harry do the same. "Ready guys?" Everyone nods and I set up the ball. Harry gets the ball, but I steal it quickly, making my way towards Seamus. Harry gets the ball away from me and we switch directions. I run in front of Harry as he goes to shoot and kick the ball back towards the other end of the field. I run to get the ball and then score. "9-0! We're playing to 12." Seamus throws the ball back in and I catch it. Harry gets it and almost makes a goal, but Ron catches it. Harry catches the ball when Ron throws it in and I steal it.
A new pattern develops, I have to work harder than Ron did, but that's fine. Harry doesn't get another chance at a goal, because every time he gets it, I steal it almost immediately, and make the point. "12-0! Good game guys." Ron and I hi-five and we all laugh.
"Man…it's too bad you're a Slytherin…we could all hang out more often." I laugh slightly.
"Life sucks." We drop onto the grass, tired from the game.
"So, Ambellina, where are you from? What's your story?" I shrug.
"I live in New York, New York. My mom's a doctor, and we move around a lot. My dad's a reporter for the Daily Prophet."
