Chapter 11

A few weeks later I woke up to the sound of Angel in my head. I groan, "Go away!"

"Sorry beloved, wake up you have your first quidditch game today. "

"You are the worst alarm clock in the world," I tell him as I get dressed.

"And why would that be."

"Why do you think?"

He laughs, "They didn't have alarm clocks back when I was alive."

I yawn as I walk down the stairs and see my three friends sitting at the table. Harry looks just as nervous as me and Ron is trying to make him feel better, however his feeble attempt isn't working. Not that I'm surprised it isn't, last time I checked it was a bad idea by telling them everything that could go wrong, but wouldn't because it just wouldn't.

"You have no snooze button," I say eventually alerting everybody to my presence.

I walk over to the couch they are sitting on and Angel brings his head down to mine and kisses me good morning. "But can alarm clocks wake you up like that?"

"Yes," I grumble. "You just wouldn't know since you had no need for one." "Didn't need one at night and when you did they weren't invented." "But, I admit now you are a pretty good alarm."

We giggle and Harry joins in as Ron just stares at us, "What's and alarm clock?"

"Muggle thing," the three of us say at the same time.

Ron sighs and looks over to me, "So Buffy please tell me I don't need to give you a pep talk too."

"Hey I heard the last bit and it wasn't even really a pep talk Ronald and no I don't. Harry don't listen to him you'll be great at quidditch. You have to be it's in your blood."

"What," he asks utterly confused.

"Hermione was ranting the other day about how your Dad was a seeker for Gryffindor."

He looks at me strangely as we all head down to get breakfast, I can't play on an empty stomach. Once we sit down it is evident that Harry isn't going to eat and I all but have to force him to get some into his system.

After a few minutes Ron looks at us strangely, "Hey I just realized why you two were talking about a muggle contraption as if you had been having a conversation about it in the first place."

Angel and I are saved from answering because suddenly Hedwig and another random owl flew down to our table and set down two packages that resembled the shape of broom sticks. Harry and I glance at each other and shrug as he starts to open his first.

After opening the package Ron gasps, "Bloody hell Harry do you know what that is?"

"I even know what that is Ron," Angel says. "It's just a broom."

"This isn't just a broom. Blimey I never thought I would see one of these up close."

"Come on Ron tell me what it is," Harry begs.

"It's a Nimbus Two Thousand! Which is only the fastest and most efficient broom to ever be made. She is sure a beauty. Come on mate you have to let me have a ride on it after the game."

"Sure," he replies absentmindedly. "Buffy open yours."

I do as he says and open mine only to frown, "This is so not fair," I tell Angel. "Harry gets the best broom ever to be made and I get some random one."

"Buffy turn it so the writing is facing me," Ron instructs. I do as he says and he looks at it for a moment. "Merlin's beard; Buffy this broom is a one of a kind!"

"How can you tell?"

"Look at the name; it says qualitate, celeritate, et tibi. That's the saying for thee Broom Making Organization who makes special brooms. I bet you it responds to only you and if you looked inside it would have a piece of your hair so that it basically becomes an extension of you. By the looks of it yours has been made for speed, agility, strength, durability, and force. This thing must have cost a whole load of galleons; most are only made for one or two areas not five of them!"

"Wait did you say it needed Buffy's hair?" Angel asks.

"Yes I did, why?"

"Buffy, Harry, who sent these to you?"

"Mine doesn't have a card," Harry says.

"Neither does mine," I sigh. "Oh Harry Hedwig just flew to McGonagall. I bet she sent yours!"

"Buffy, where did the bird who delivered yours go?"

"Bullocks, it isn't near her. Damn why do all of my new toys have to be evil?"

"I'm more concerned about how somebody could have gotten a piece of your hair," he tells me with much concern.

"I'm confused," Harry says. "What is so bad about the broom?"

"Somebody could have cursed it," I tell him. "Plus they got part of my hair meaning anyone can come and slit my throat at night."

"Happy pictures," Ron whispers and I glare at him.

Angel is still sitting in shock when the bird comes back with a letter addressed to me and Angel. I smile as I read it, "It's okay Angel the brooms not evil."

"Who sent it?" Ron asks.

"Dumbledore," I lie not wanting to get into the real person. "Angel it was Whistler. He didn't say before because he was laughing at us, but was proud of our constant vigilance. He said he's had our hair for a while just in case."

Angel sighs in relief as Harry and I get up to head towards the quidditch pitch. Both of us walk in silence, Harry much more nervous than I am. Quidditch has been relatively easy so far, cheerleading was much harder. Plus I think slaying demons counts as much harder of a sport than this. My only job is to protect people and hit a ball. No biggy.

We get into the locker room and quickly change before we grab out new brooms and find the rest of the team waiting for us. They all glance at our brooms in appreciation and we stand still waiting for Madame Hooch to call us.

"You two ready?" Wood asks.

"I've been ready for ages," I answer.

"Suit yourself," Harry grumbles. "To be honest I'm terrified."

Wood gives him a sympathetic look, "Don't worry Potter everybody's nervous before their first game. During my first game I was puking beforehand I was so scared."

"How'd it turn out?"

"Fell off my broom and ended up in the hospital wing for a week, but don't worry that only happens to me."

Harry gulps and I look him straight in the eyes, "Harry listen, it's just a game. Of course we want to win but it isn't a life or death matter."

"How are you so calm?"

"I just told you my secret. Just remember that this isn't really a life or death matter. Yes it's dangerous, but nobody's ever died. Come on Harry three weeks ago you were standing up to vampires. Trust me that takes a lot more bravery than catching a golden snitch."

"True," he replies right as we begin walking onto the field. We stand in formation and I have my bat in one hand and my new broom in the other.

As I walk out onto the field I can hear everybody screaming and then suddenly I am up in the air and a moment later the balls are released.

"Good luck love," Angel shouts to me as soon as I start. Inside our heads I blow him a kiss and suddenly zoom off to hit a bludger away from Harry and towards the other team.

The game continues and we are beating Slytherin by 20 points, but the golden snitch has yet to be caught. In the past few weeks I have come to love quidditch, but there's something about being in a game that gets my adrenaline pumping and makes me smile.

Plus the fact that my new broom is wicked awesome doesn't hurt either. I hit a bludger with it and it has almost as much force as the bat. The tiniest thought and suddenly it responds to me. Actually I am pretty sure that after riding this broom that I would never be able to ride the school brooms again.

Suddenly out of nowhere I hear the whistle blow, this whistle signaling the game is over. I look around for Harry and spot him on the ground with the snitch in his hand. I land and run up to him and put my arm around his shoulders until the rest of Gryffindor catches up with us.

As a team we lift Harry up as he waves the snitch around. He's smiling widely and I'm glad we had this game today. Since the vamp incident he had been very withdrawn and lethargic. Now he was smiling again and whenever vampires don't ruin lives, even if it isn't because of me, I always feel a sense of accomplishment. It's as if we are rubbing our victory in evil's face.

Everybody drops Harry back onto his feet and we go change and put our supplies away. Ron and Angel are waiting for us outside of the locker room once we are changed. Angel literally sweeps me off my feet and twirls me around.

"Nice game," he smiles.

"Nice game," Ron snorts. "That was the best quidditch match I've ever seen. The two of you are brilliant. Buffy you were flying so fast and hitting that bludger harder than anyone I have ever seen. And Harry your bomb was spot on! I don't think that Viktor Krum could have caught a snitch that close to the ground!"

Harry blushes and I smile, "Ron why are you so surprised that we could play?" I ask mischievously and put him on the spot.

"Um well I knew you both could play and it was more you than Harry," he admits.

Angel rolls his eyes, "He's trying to tell you that he didn't believe a girl could be a good beater. Which I think is ridiculous saying that you were almost hunting those bludgings."

"Bludgers," I correct him.

"Yeah those, you were basically their slayer. It really seemed as if you were killing them. Oh and good game too Harry."

Harry looks at Angel and laughs as Angel hides by kissing the top of my head. Ron looks at me sullenly, "I never said that!"

We all give him a looks. "Okay so maybe I did, but Buffy there has only been about 3 female beaters. And beaters are never first years, you just don't have the build for it."

"And you said the same thing when I kicked your ass, er arse when we were sparring with you. Plus then I was holding back."

"Can we not talk about that?" he blushes as we enter the common room. "And you proved me wrong both times. Angel's explanation may have been extremely strange, but it did accurately explain how you played."

"Great," I mumble to Angel. "They better not call me the quidditch huntress now."

Of course Harry then had to add, "Ron's right we should start calling you the bludger slayer, or slayer for short."

I glare at Angel and he laughs, "I wouldn't do that," he tells them. "Buffy will have to slay you then. Plus you don't have bleached blonde hair, a wrinkled face, amber eyes, or well anything like that."

"Or a bad British accent, or well never mind," O humph before smiling. "Okay you can call me that but then Harry needs a nickname too! Scratch that all of us need nicknames."

"Buffy when did you turn into Xander?" Angel asks.

I ignore him. "Okay Harry is officially Lightyear. Since you know your scar is a lightning bolt and you can travel really fast on a broom. Ron you should be Red Spider because your hair is so red and I squash you in a fight as if you were a spider. And Angel I think you should be Angelus."

"Hey," Ron proclaims. "I will let you know that spiders are terrifying and I love my red hair!"

Harry is laughing at Ron, "I like it Buffy. Mine and Ron's are accurate, but what about Angel's."

"Simple, Angelus means the one with the angelic face. And his face is so angelic and it works with his name."

"How did you get the name Angel anyway mate?" Ron asks.

"It's just a nickname Buffy's uncle gave me and it stuck. And by the way Buffy this isn't funny."

"What can I say Angel payback's a bitch," I tell him sternly. In response he growls and I laugh. "Sorry Angel your growls don't pack the same punch they used to."

"Seriously Buffy that really wasn't even a good joke."

"Sorry Angel, can you forgive me? I didn't mean it meanly, but you do have an angelic face."

"Yeah, but can you please stop the Angelus name. What if Kalderdash heard?"
"You're right Angel and I didn't mean it meanly."

"I know," he sighs. "Which is the only reason I'll do this." He puts his lips to mince and I hug him to get as close as possible. We kiss for a few moments until Ron clears his throat.

"Okay let's stop this lovers quarrel I say we ban the nicknames."

"Agreed," I say.

"Hey," Harry interjects. "I forgot to say Happy Halloween earlier."

"Happy Halloween," I tell him.

"Yes," Angel smiles. "That means we have a feast tonight."

"Amen," Ron says and I roll my eyes.

"Do you always think with your stomachs?"

"No," Angel tells me. "I think with my other brains too."

I laugh and Ron and Harry look at us in confusion. "American thing," I explain and they nod.

Ron's face drops as he thinks for a moment and the room gets filled with so much tension you could cut it with a knife. "Do you think they had other friends that will attack tonight since it is Halloween?"

"The vampires?" I ask and Ron and Harry shudder at the memory and Ron nods. "Nope, evil takes a break on Halloween."

"Mum always said that the veil was always thinnest on Halloween," Ron says.

"And muggle tales always show evil on Halloween," Harry adds.

"All not true," Angel tells them. "The veil is only between the dead, dead as in ghosts and not the undead, and occurs on the solstices."

I think about how to reply for a moment before addressing Harry's comment. "And muggles got it all wrong. Halloween is a break from evil since they tend to have their own customs to follow. Well at least the nonhuman variety of evil such as vampires and werewolves."

"How would you know?" Ron says.

"When we went to Diagon Alley over the summer Buffy and I saw a book on stuff like that in Flourish and Blotts and got it to read over the summer."

"Just don't put on any costumes," I add. "You guys don't want to be stuck as an eighteenth century noble woman."

"Meaning?" Harry asks.

"Sorry that was from a bad movie. Halloween is an even bigger money making scam back in the States."

"Smooth Buffy."

"It makes sense. And trust me I don't want to be noble Buffy again. Hey why did Spike attack anyway?"

"Dru had a vision about what had happened. Ethan was just a prick."
"Agreed, I still have the tattoo to prove it."

Angel and I excuse ourselves and head to the room of requirement and train for the rest of the day in bliss. After a while we sit back down and for the first time since leaving Sunnydale really talk about being there.

We only discussed the Halloween incident last year, but it was a start on the path to recovery. After we are done talking we go to the feast where thankfully no trolls attack.

I know it was a crappy chapter but I wanted to write the quidditch match. Also I wanted to show how nothing happened on Halloween. This story is going to cover more than year one, or I'll make it a series. Either way there will be other Halloweens for shit to happen. I'll try to get the next chapter up tomorrow or Saturday to make up for this one. SNEAK PEAK- Christmas and vault 314!