Chapter 11: The Game
The day was cold, and the sky was blocked by grey clouds, but the dreary weather did nothing to dampen the spirits of the Hogwarts students as they milled about in the seats of the Quidditch Pitch.
It was the first game of the year, Slytherin vs. Ravenclaw, and Rapunzel sat excitedly in the stands with Hiccup and Merida on either side of her. While Merida was excited to watch the game, she was still pouting over the fact that she didn't get to play, and Hiccup was just reading his book.
"Hiccup, how can you be reading?! This is all so exciting, I think everyone in the school is here!" Rapunzel's eyes were bright as she looked all around her, drinking in all the sights there were to be seen.
"It's the first game of the season, Punzie. Everyone's excited to see what the teams have got going this year. I can't wait to see what Jack's got up his sleeve." Merida agreed with a smirk, watching the pits where the two teams would come from in just a few short moments.
Hiccup just shrugged and slipped his book into his robe's pockets. "How long does it take to put on a Quidditch uniform? We've been waiting for more then half an hour."
"Look! The doors are opening!" Rapunzel exclaimed, pointing and jumping up and down with her elation.
True to her words, the doors were opening, and as soon as they were just wide enough for someone to slip through the captain of the Ravenclaw team came flying out at top speeds. Buddy Pine was Captain and Keeper for the Ravenclaw team, and he seemed to enjoy the attention of all the cheering students as his team flew around him in a less chaotic fashion.
Once the Ravenclaws had settled into the positions on the field the doors on the opposite side of the Quidditch Pitch opened, allowing Kenai to lead the Slytherin team onto the field. Rapunzel watched eagerly along with Merida and Hiccup as Jack came shooting out at the very back of the group and only began to slow once he had caught up to Kenai, who was leading them around the stadium for a warmup lap.
As the two teams raced around the Quidditch Pitch on their brooms, the announcer's voice echoed through the air excitingly. "Hello, and welcome to Hogwarts's first Quidditch game of the season! Today's game: Slytherin vs. Ravenclaw!"
The cheering was deafening as both teams took their positions and faced off against one another in a large circle around the center of the field. Jack and Gogo, the Ravenclaw Seeker, hovered a few feet above their teammates, facing each other.
"Does Jack look a little pale?" Rapunzel wanted to know, quirking one eyebrow at her friends odd expression as he stared straight ahead of him, his whole body stiff as a board.
"Jack is always pale. He's a Winter Sprite." Hiccup reminded her, and Rapunzel shook her head.
"You know what I mean." Rapunzel said to the Ravenclaw boy.
"You know, I think Punzie's right." Merida leaned over to mutter to them. "I don't think I've ever seen Jack this nervous."
Captain Amelia walked out onto the field then, stopping right next to the shaking chest that sat at the center of the circle.
"Now I want a nice, clean game. From all of you." Captain Amelia said firmly, her hands folded neatly behind her back as she fixed both teams with a steady glare. With that, the young Professor turned and kicked open the chest beside her.
Two black Bludgers flew into the air, followed by the tiny, golden Snitch. Captain Amelia walked around the box and picked up the Quaffle. She looked up for a moment, and then threw the ball up into the air.
"And the game begins!" The announcer exclaimed.
Instantly, the players were off, and one of the Ravenclaw Chaser's snatched up the Quaffle before any of the Slytherin's could reach it. A race towards the Slytherin goal ensues, and Rapunzel's head snapped from one side to the other as the players passed just over their heads.
"Tadashi Hamada begins the game with a fast pace and leads the way to the Slytherin goal!" The announcer told them.
Flynn suddenly pulled up right in front of the Chaser, forcing him to change his course off to the side where Daren, as a Beater, was waiting with his bat raised. The Ravenclaw ducked just as Daren swung, and the force of the swing threw Daren so off balance that he ended up hanging from his broom by both hands, his bat falling to the ground far below.
"Another quick move saves Hamada, and sends one of the Slytherin Beater's off his broom! What a maneuver!" The announcer shouted as the Ravenclaws jumped to their feet.
Rapunzel was surprised when even Hiccup clapped for the boy. From what Hiccup had told them, he didn't care much for his Housemates. She pushed the thought to the side when the cheers to into screams of delight and resounding bell ring sounded throughout the Quidditch Pitch.
"Ravenclaw scores the first point of the season with an outstanding play on Hamada's part! Ten points to Ravenclaw!" The announcer had to yell over the crowds even with his voice-enhancer. "The Quaffle goes to Slytherin, and Flynn Rider takes it!"
Flynn, with the Quaffle under his arm, sped towards the Ravenclaw goal. He weaved between the pillars of the Quidditch Pitch and then swooped so close to the ground that his feet left lines in the sand. Looking back, a smug look came over the Slytherin boy's face as he saw that only the Hamada boy had managed to keep up with him through it all.
"Aiko Miyazaki and Guy Nomad pull back as Rider zooms across the Pitch. He goes for the shot... And it's good! Ten points to Slytherin!" The announcer rejoices along with the Slytherins.
Looping around, the other boy Chaser from Ravenclaw caught the Quaffle and started off for the other side with the Hamada boy and a blonde girl flanking him.
"Look!" Hiccup hissed suddenly, and both Merida and Rapunzel turned the heads in confusion, wondering what could be so important that it would distract Hiccup from the amazing game in front of him.
"Alright, Hic, we get it! You don't like Quidditch, but -" Merida began, but Hiccup shook his head and pointed out towards the field.
"Look." He said again as they followed his directions. "I think Jack's found the Snitch."
Rapunzel squinted at her friend who was hovering on the other side of the Pitch, and she realized that his eyes were darting about very quickly, obviously following something. Suddenly, the Ravenclaw Seeker sped past him, though, and Jack stared wide-eyed for a moment, before giving chase.
"Leiko Tanaka has spotted the Snitch, but the rookie, Jack Frost, is closing in fast!" The announcer gave wind to the rest of the crowd what was happening as the Chasers and Beaters went back and forth between goals with the Quaffle.
Jack soon managed to pull up beside the other Seeker, and the two were neck-and-neck with the Snitch right in front of them. The Ravenclaw pushed forwards, reaching out her arm as she pulled ahead of Jack just the slightest bit. She was less then an inch away, and then a Bludger slammed into her outstretched arm, sending the girl spiraling towards one of the towers.
"Gogo!" The blonde Chaser screamed.
The people in the seats gasped as she lost hold of her broom and started to gain speed as she fell straight towards them. Several shrieks came from crowd and a yell escaped the falling Seeker as she braced herself for the crash landing that would, no doubt, end her up in the Hospital wing with Dr. Sweet and Nana Gothel for months.
But then she stopped and, with a jerky, unsteady move, pulled away from the tower. As she slowly started lowering to the ground, it registered to everyone watching that Jack had grabbed her good arm and caught her before she could get hurt.
The girl touched the ground and stayed on her feet as Jack looked at her with concern. They exchanged some words, the Ravenclaw girl looking very confused and shocked, and after, what Rapunzel assumed was Jack making sure she was okay, the Winter Sprite sped off in the direction the Snitch had gone.
The Ravenclaw Seeker moved to the side, cradling her arm. Most of the Ravenclaw team moved to help their fallen Housemate, but the Captain of team screamed for them to get into positions and keep playing. Several looked ready to scream something back at him, one of the Beaters looked like he was about to send a Bludger towards his own Captain, but they went back to the game as told, and suddenly the excitement resumed.
With Jack being the only Seeker left in the game, Rapunzel wasn't sure what the Ravenclaws could even do. It seemed that the game was already over to her, but the blue and bronze striped students were out for revenge, and after only five minutes after resuming the game the had made three goals already.
"There's Jack!" Merida cried suddenly, and Rapunzel's head whipped around to see where the Gryffindor girl was looking.
Jack was weaving between the Ravenclaw goals, and then he swooped up the side of one of the towers. The Snitch caught a beam of sunlight and glittered magnificently as Jack chased it around the towers.
"Go Jack!" Rapunzel called out as he passed right over their heads, and she could see the excited grin on his face.
The Snitch flickered towards the center of the Pitch and then made a sharp turn, making a straight line towards the Slytherin goals. Jack was just a few inches behind it, and closing in fast.
"He's not gonna make it in time." Hiccup muttered, and Rapunzel looked at him to see his eyes darting between Jack, the Snitch, and the quickly approaching goal posts. She realized he was right as Jack reached out towards the little golden ball. Jack would hit one of the posts before he grabbed the Snitch.
Several gasps went through the crowd as a handful of other people noticed the same thing. A couple of people shouted at Jack to pull up, but the Seeker didn't seem to hear them.
Just a few feet from the posts, Jack all of the sudden let go of his broom with both hands and used his feet to leap off, towards the Snitch. Screams and gasps cut through the air as he hit the ground and rolled until his back hit the goal post rather roughly.
Rapunzel held her breath, and it felt as if Jack had stayed curled up on the ground forever, but as soon as he pushed himself up to a sitting position with a dazed look and shook his head to clear it, Rapunzel let out a relieved cry.
"He's okay!" She said, looking at her other friends happy expressions before snapping her gaze back to Jack.
He didn't stand up, but instead looked down at his side where his hand was. He lifted his closed fist and grinned brightly as he revealed the Snitch for all of the crowd to see.
"Jack Frost has caught the Snitch!" The announced declared. "Slytherin wins the match!"
A deafening roar of excitement erupted from the students as Jack held up the small, golden ball. He slowly got to his feet, brushing sand off of himself, as his teammates landed and ran over to congratulate him and celebrate their victory.
Rapunzel, Merida, and Hiccup cheered as loud as they possibly could from their spots in the stands, and they knew Jack heard them because he looked over at them, grinning, and waved his hand with the Snitch in it excitedly.
Once Captain Amelia had the teams finish with handshakes to each other and cleared the field, Rapunzel hurried out of the stands with Hiccup and Merida right behind her. The three of them rushed towards the Slytherin changing room where they prepared for games so they could wait for Jack.
As soon as the Winter Sprite appeared out of the changing room, they jumped upon him with giant hugs and excited grins.
"That was amazing!" Rapunzel gushed, out of breath from all of the excitement she'd had in one day.
"You've got some impressive moves, Frost." Merida punched his shoulder affectionately, Hiccup just nodded in agreement.
"Thanks, guys, but... Do you think we could go get some food? I'm starving." Jack grinned, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.
Rapunzel giggled, and the four started off towards the Great Hall. On their way, the Ravenclaw team turned into the same hallway as them, heading in the opposite direction. The Hamada boy seemed to recognize them and smiled, walking up to them.
Jack looked a little nervous as the older boy approached, and Rapunzel could understand why, but when the older Ravenclaw reached them he stuck his hand out to Jack and smiled kindly.
"Good game today." He said as his teammates fell in beside him.
"Um, yeah, okay. You too." Jack trailed off a little awkwardly, shaking the boy's hand.
"Hey, Hiccup." Hamada nodded to the smaller boy, who shuffled forward and offered a half-smile.
"Hi, Tadashi. Jack, Merida, Rapunzel. This is Tadashi. Tadashi. This is Jack, Merida, and Rapunzel." Hiccup introduced, and Rapunzel looked between Jack and Merida to see what their reactions were. They turned out to be pretty similar to hers: unsure.
"Don't worry. Tadashi doesn't mind us." Hiccup assured them, and there was an instant release of tension in the air.
The girl Seeker stepped forward, then, her right arm wrapped in a cast, and punched Jack's shoulder lightly. "Thanks for the save, but don't think it's gonna make me go easy on you the next time we play." She smirked, and Jack started to relax a little more.
"No problem. I'm sorry about your arm. Daren can be real nasty sometimes." Jack told her, but she shrugged.
"No big deal. We all get scrapes and sprains from time to time. It's Quidditch, after all." She blew a pink bubble with her gum and then popped it.
"I think we'd better introduce ourselves a little better. This is Gogo." Tadashi said, pointing to the girl Seeker. "Honey Lemon." He pointed to the blonde Chaser. "Fred and Wasabi." He pointed to the two Beaters. Fred was of average build with blonde hair and baggy robes, Wasabi was big with dark skin and dark hair and a friendly smile.
"Fred comes up with all of the nicknames." Hiccup explained in answer to the unspoken question that Rapunzel had just about asked.
"Still trying to figure out a good one for you, little man." Fred said, brow narrowing at Hiccup as his lips curls up into a smile and his fingertips pressed together diabolically. Hiccup rolled his eyes.
"I still think 'Sass Master' was pretty fitting." A new voice split the air, and everyone turned to see Jim Hawkins strolling down the hallways until he reached their group.
"Jim." Hiccup smiled, and the older Ravenclaw nodded back with a smile of his own.
"What's up, Squirt?" Jim greeted and he and Jack bumped fists.
"Let me guess, you watched the match and now you're here to tell us we suck." Gogo raised an eyebrow at Jim, and he laughed.
"Not quite. I watched the match, yeah, but I only came by to see how you were all doing." Jim shrugged.
"First game of the season. Probably could've won if you'd been on the team." Wasabi sighed, hinting not too subtly.
Jim gave a bark of laughter that didn't sound very humorous. "Well, sorry, I don't take orders from Scumbags."
"Come on, Jim. We know you don't like Buddy, but Quidditch is still fun, right?" Honey Lemon asked, obviously trying to get him to change his mind.
"Quidditch is fun. You guys are cool. And when Tadashi is team captain, I'll play again. Until then, I'll just keep to my studies." Jim told them, crossing his arms behind his head lazily.
"And by 'studies' you mean being a bad influence on younger Ravenclaws with a sarcastic disposition?" Tadashi raised an eyebrow.
"Yep!" Jim said cheerfully, letting his arms fall around Hiccup and Jack's shoulders as the two younger boys grinned. Rapunzel had to wonder how many tips Jim had given her two friends since the time during their first year when he'd given the four of them the password to the restricted section of the library.
At that moment, Jack's stomach gave a loud rumble, and they all laughed, deciding to go to the Great Hall for some lunch. As they were walking, Rapunzel couldn't help but notice how friendly Jim and Tadashi were to Hiccup. She had always known that Hiccup had the hardest time making friends out of the four of them, but Jim and Tadashi didn't seem to mind Hiccup's shyness and awkward tendencies. They were surprisingly patient, in a quiet sort of way. No one would notice if they weren't looking for it.
Rapunzel found herself smiling as their large group settled at the Ravenclaw table for lunch. She decided that both Tadashi and Jim were good friends for Hiccup. Possibly even the rest of the Quidditch team, too, since they were also very kind.
She was glad that, even thought they weren't the same age, Hiccup was finally starting to make some really good friends within his House.
AN: Alright, here's a nice long chapter for y'all! As you've all probably noticed, Big Hero 6 made their first appearance in the story. I took their real names from the original Marvel comics because the movie versions don't have official real names. Now, for the more serious business: I'm going to try really hard to keep regular updates, but I'm going through a lot of stuff right now and there may just be some times where it doesn't happen. I hope you can all forgive me. Please leave some reviews, I love hearing from you guys! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
NOTES: Friends are the people we chose to be a part of our Family.
REVIEWERS!:
TheBlueRing: Never, ever, apologize for leaving a big review! I LOVE big reviews! They make me feel happy, and I cuddle them close to my heart when I'm feeling down about my writing or need some motivation! I'm so flattered that you feel that way about my stories! And I'm happy that you agree with my House placements. There are more reasons why I put them where I did, but if I ever actually take the time to type up all of my feelings on the issue, it will probably be on Tumblr. And I agree, Hiccup looks much better in blue. Just so you know, Hiccup is also my favorite (he's just, like, my Child) and YES, Toothless will enter the series eventually and play a major role alongside Hiccup, and don't worry, I plan to use Hiccup's mysteriousness to it's fullest potential! I'm super happy to hear you're enjoying it, and I hope you liked this chapter! :)