Year 1972, 2nd Year – November
James Jabbers:
Quote of the Day: Quitters never win, and winners never quit, but those who never quit AND never win are idiots. (I.e: The Slytherins, hahaha)
The start of November 1972 was generally a very good month for Sirius, Remus, Peter and I, for two reasons. After the Hallowe'en incident Professor Slade left the castle in a magnificent fury claiming that Dumbledore was an old barmy crackpot who was incapable of controlling his students and that the students were a bunch of good-for-nothing slimy twerps, and further, that he would definitely be taking up that job at Durmstrang which he'd been offered at the start of the year, but didn't take because he was doing a favor for his old mate Crevan. (If you're wondering how we know all this, let's just say, two way mirrors and invisibility cloaks are a very handy thing to have.)
A new teacher called Slughorn soon replaced Slade and these led to much more enjoyable Potions lessons, except for the fact that he favoured certain class members over others. Indeed, he even started inviting some students, including Lily Evans, to lunches and special parties.
The staff wasn't overly concerned about the loss of Slade. Indeed, Hagrid had a good chortle about it and told us that he never liked the 'yellow haired pillocky ponce' anyway. Hagrid was also very proud of the pumpkins he had grown this year. 'I knew tha' unicorn manure would do 'em well' Hagrid told us, beaming.
Of course most of the staff, and the students for that matter, knew that the famous Marauders were behind the Hallowe'en prank, but couldn't prove it. The students forgave us because we got rid of Slade. McGonagall, however, was not so forgiving. She found every excuse to give us detentions. She even gave Sirius a detention for staring out the window for overly long periods at a time.
Another reason why November of 1972 was a great month was because it signaled the first game of the Quidditch season – Gryffindor vs. Slytherin, in which I would be playing.
November the 7th – the day of my first Quidditch match came upon me quite quickly. The weeks after I had been selected as the new Chaser went by rapidly and I found myself facing my first match with a hint of nervousness. It was fine practicing in front of the team and a few other people, but the prospect of playing a real match against the Slytherins with the whole school watching was daunting.
And so at breakfast on the morning of November the 7th I found that I could hardly eat as my stomach objected to whatever I tried to shovel in my mouth.
"Eat up James, you'll need it for the game," Connor Gallagher the 6th year Beater said pushing the plate of eggs towards me.
"I'm not really hungry," I replied.
"James, everyone feels like that on the morning of the first game," Connor said kindly, "I felt like it. I was so nervous that I accidentally hit the Bludger at Sturgis here instead of the other team," Connor chortled and slapped Sturgis on the back.
Sturgis grinned, "It's true you know. I just wish he hadn't put so much bloody force into it," Sturgis chuckled, "Couldn't feel the left side of me face for weeks afterwards, no matter how much potion Pomfrey made me drink." Linwell, Sturgis and Connor started laughing.
If they had thought that this would make me less nervous they were sadly mistaken. If anything the butterflies in my stomach fluttered even worse than before.
"You're scaring him you three," Caleb said as he sat down at the table, "James, you'll be fine if you play as good as you do at practice," Caleb said to me, "if the crowd is too daunting just imagine them all in underwear – it worked for me on my first game." Caleb finished with a short laugh.
"So that's why you're always staring in Morgan's direction when you play," Linwell laughed and Caleb cuffed him over the head with a grin.
"Seriously James," Connor took on a serious tone, "Just keep your head about you and fly like you do at practice and you'll be shooting goals in no time," he said, "and don't worry about the Bludgers – that's what I'm here for," he added, pointing to himself.
Connor's and Caleb's words made me feel slightly better.
I looked over at Eleanor, the new 4th year Beater, it was her first match as well but she didn't seem nervous at all. She was making her way through her fried eggs and bacon as if it was just another ordinary day.
"All right, we better go down to the changing rooms then," Caleb informed the team when we had finished eating. We all stood up.
Remus, Peter and Sirius all wished me luck as I stood up with the team.
"You'll knock 'em dead," Sirius grinned. I smiled back before saying a quick goodbye, grabbing my Quidditch gear and hurrying after the Gryffindor team as they exited from the Great Hall.
"Pity about the weather," Sturgis commented as we walked out the large entrance doors and looked up at the sky.
Rain was plummeting down in bucket loads and the sky was filled with dark foreboding thunderclouds. Every so often lightening would explode across the sky after a deep rumble of thunder.
My stomach tightened as we trudged across the grounds to the change rooms.
When we entered, my robes were soaked and I couldn't see a thing through my foggy wet glasses.
"I can't see properly," I said exasperatedly.
"Give those glasses here," Olivia Richards, a fellow Chaser, said. I handed my glasses over to her and she said a quick spell then handed them back, "There – they'll repel rain now," she said as she handed the glasses back to me.
"Thanks Olivia!" I said to her, she smiled and went to change into her Quidditch robes.
"Right, everyone ready to kick some slimy Slytherin backside?" Caleb asked once we had all changed into our Quidditch robes.
My father had sent me a brand new set of them when he heard that I was on the team.
"Definitely!" Sturgis grinned.
"Let me at 'em!" Connor said.
"Me too!" Eleanor said fiercely. If she was nervous about her first game she sure was not showing it. This made me slightly less nervous. If a girl wasn't nervous about it then why should I be?
"Right, let's goooooo!" Caleb said, and with that he jogged out onto the pitch, leading the team onto the wet field to be greeted by a roar of noise and loud applause from the crowd.
The butterflies in my stomach were going haywire as I looked around at the crowd. I spotted Sirius, Remus and Peter, all of whom were yelling and applauding me. I found a little comfort in their fierce grins and proud faces. I can do this, I told myself as I followed Caleb shakily over to the middle of the pitch.
Madam Sykes made Caleb and Derek Moragh, the Slytherin Chaser & Captain, shake hands. Caleb and Moragh hated each other just as Jared Abbott and Lucius Malfoy hated each other last year – they seemed to be carrying on the tradition. Well, all the Slytherins hated the Gryffindors and for the Gryffindors the feeling was more than mutual.
"On the whistle," Madam Sykes said, "three… two… one!" Madam Sykes blew the whistle and with a loud roar from the crowd we mounted our brooms and rose towards the thundering sky.
Connor and Sturgis let out loud whoops as they flew upwards while the crowd roared below us.
Once I was on my broom most of my nervousness left me and I flew upwards beside Caleb, who winked at me and yelled over the crowd "Let's get 'em James!" A surge of excitement ran through me and I grinned back as the balls came speeding upwards into the air.
This is where I belonged, up in the air playing the game. I absolutely loved it. Quidditch was my passion. I loved flying through the sky, the wind in my hair and the crowd cheering below. I came to love the sound of it. It sent a frenzy of excitement surging through me as I realized that they were cheering for me as well! Because I, James Potter, was part of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team!
I looked around at the team, who had now separated. Caleb was tailing Moragh – who was in possession of the Quaffle. I flew after them and above Vince Bragge, another Slytherin Chaser. Suddenly Moragh threw the Quaffle to Bragge but before it got there I dropped quickly in between them and caught it.
Clutching the Quaffle to my side I flew in the direction of the Slytherin hoops, the crowd roaring as Linwell yelled "And this could be the first goal for new Chaser James Potter!" I hurtled towards the middle hoop where the Slytherin Keeper, Gregory Greaves, hovered in front of it, guarding it fiercely.
I pretended that I was going to try and get past him and try throwing the Quaffle through the middle hoop. I flew straight at him and when I was about three metres away from crashing into him, I swerved swiftly to the right, and threw the Quaffle at the right goal hoop. It flew straight past Greaves before he could stop it and went straight through the hoop.
There was a roar of applause from the crowd and I did a couple of loop the loops in happiness. I had scored the first goal of the match and my first goal for the team! I flew excitedly back to the rest of the team as they all yelled congratulations to me as Linwell yelled "And James Potter scores his first goal! Merlin that boy can fly! Its ten to zero with Gryffindor in the lead!"
Moragh had the Quaffle again and was flying towards the Gryffindor hoops, Bragge and Wilkes – the other two Chasers, flew on either side of him to beat off the Chasers. I sped after them in an effort to get the Quaffle from Moragh but Moragh had already entered the scoring area, it was up to Rhodrick to stop the Quaffle now.
Moragh hurled the Quaffle at the left goal hoop, Rhodrick sped over to it – but too late – the Quaffle slipped past him and went through the hoop as the Slytherins cheered.
"And Moragh scores bringing it to an even ten!" Linwell said.
Rhodrick threw the Quaffle back out onto the pitch and Caleb caught it and sped down the pitch, I flew on his right. "Over here!" I yelled to Caleb who was surrounded by Moragh and Bragge.
Caleb threw the Quaffle to me but before I could catch it a Bludger came hurtling towards me at a deadly speed. I swerved upwards to avoid it and whipped my head around to find that Wilkes had the Quaffle and Rabastan and Rodolphus Lestrange, the Slytherin Beaters, were laughing and jeering at me.
"Learn to fly Potter!" Rabastan sneered.
I ignored them and hurtled after Wilkes, who was speeding towards the Gryffindor goal hoops. I caught up with him and tried to take the Quaffle from his grasp but he banged into my side and I felt the full force of Wilkes' elbow in my face. The smarmy git had elbowed me! I skidded to a halt as the crowd let out a roar of outrage. I put a hand to the side of my face, it was throbbing.
"That dirty git!" I heard Linwell yell into the megaphone.
I heard a whistle blow and Madam Sykes yell "Penalty to Gryffindor! No foul play allowed, Wilkes! Why, I did not start teaching Quidditch to see people play in such an appalling manner!"
I flew towards the central circle of the pitch and Olivia threw the Quaffle towards me. I flew to the Slytherin hoops, Greaves glared at me. I sped up and flew upwards above the hoops, Greaves looked up in bewilderment and before he knew what was happening I dived and threw the Quaffle towards the left goal hoop, it sailed through seamlessly and the crowd applauded and screamed with enthusiasm.
"Great one James!" Connor yelled to me as he swung his bat at a Bludger, which hurtled towards Moragh.
"Thanks!" I yelled back.
"And Gryffindor leads 20 to 10!" Linwell announced.
It was my first game and already I had scored the first two goals for Gryffindor!
The rest of the game went by quite quickly as the rain continued pouring down and the thunderclouds rumbled overhead.
Slytherin, despite their dirty tactics, were only ten points behind us and the score was 100 to 90. If Sturgis didn't find the Snitch soon then we'd be playing all night. I already felt soaked to the bone as it was.
I had scored another two goals, Olivia had scored two and Caleb four – making it 100. Connor and Eleanor were fighting their own fierce battle with Rabastan and Rodolphus Lestrange, who pelted the Bludger at every one on the Gryffindor team – especially Sturgis - who was finding it hard to find the Snitch with the rain pounding down on us, making a thick veil through which it was hard to see.
"Great flying James!" Caleb yelled as I caught the Quaffle from him and flew towards the Slytherin goal hoops. I sped towards the hoops, holding out the Quaffle, readying to throw it when suddenly Moragh appeared in front of me and hurtled straight towards me. Before I could swerve off course or move out of the way we collided with a BANG! This didn't affect Moragh much, as he was a big brute, but as he ran into me I felt my neck jerk backwards, and it hurt like hell. It felt as if I had been whip lashed. I only just managed to stay on my broom.
The crowd let out a roar of outrage and Madam Sykes blew her whistle yelling, "I didn't fly across the Atlantic Ocean to see such foul play! Penalty for Gryffindor!"
But my head was spinning at that moment and I doubted that I could throw the Quaffle at the goal hoops without it going in the wrong direction entirely.
Luckily I didn't have to take the penalty as at that moment the crowd erupted in loud screams, cheering and applause, as Linwell yelled "And Sturgis Podmore has the Snitch! Gryffindor wins – two hundred and fifty to ninety!" With that Linwell let out a loud whoop and the team came flying over to me.
"Are you okay James?" Olivia asked.
The spinning in my head stopped and I grinned at her, "We won!" I yelled weakly.
"He's definitely fine," Connor grinned at me, and we descended to the ground as the Gryffindors ran over to us, cheering and grinning broadly.
"Potter!" McGonagall's stiff voice rang out through the crowd.
"Yeah?" I asked faintly as she marched towards me.
"Are you all right?" she asked. I widened my eyes in surprise – she looked genuinely concerned!
"Er- yeah I'm fine… thanks…" I replied.
The corners of her mouth curved into a tight lipped smile, "Good, good," she said and then turned away.
But before I had time to ponder this, Sirius, Remus and Peter were upon me, shouting congratulations and slapping me on the back.
"You were brilliant!" Sirius said jubilantly.
I grinned. "Thanks Sirius!"
"And that stupid git Moragh – slamming into you like that! I wish Eleanor would've hit her Bludger at him and broken his ugly mug," Sirius said fiercely. I grinned at Sirius' indignation and concern for me.
"You were amazing James! The way you flew up there was terrific! And the way you put that first goal through the hoops – wow!" Peter babbled as he looked at me with eyes full of admiration.
"Cheers Pete!" I grinned. There is nothing better than being praised by one's friends.
I could definitely get used to this feeling, I thought, as the Gryffindor team pulled me into a group hug and started chanting "We won! We won! We won!", while the Slytherins looked on with a mixture of fury, jealousy and indignation upon their faces.
Yep, I could definitely get used to this...
Author's Notes: Woah. I am so so so so so sorry that I haven't updated in sooooo long, but I've been very busy lately and have had no connection since November. Hopefully I will have a proper connection again soon and will be able to update more regularly. Oh and I'm not allowed to do reply's anymore, since fanfiction have stopped it (I hope they havent also stopped authors notes as well?)so if you have any questions or want a reply or whatever tell me or PM me and I will try to reply as soon as I can, no guarantees though. Okay, so I need a favour from someone; I need a beta, if anyone thinks their up for the job and have preferably beta-ed before, then please email me, I need help with time lines, Voldemort's first rise to power, also some of the stuff in HBP will also need to be taken into consideration, also general grammar and that kind of stuff etc. Lastly thank you all for your patience I hope you all are still reading this and please review as they mean so much to me. Don't give up on me:-D