[IWSC Summer Camp Task 5]
Summer Camp: Table Sports - 100 points. Write about a tournament.
Word Count: 1906
Cabin: Weasley
Author's Note: The following story features alongside three other Harry Potter FanFictions written by my amazing teammates, Charbo2576, Cymbeline Dragon and DrarryMadhatter. I'd also like to thank them for their support and help with reviewing! Make sure to go check out their stories to see what type of tournament was featured and how we all incorporated the phrase ''And the crowd goes wild!''
This story takes place during Harry's third year at Hogwarts.
Disclaimer: The following characters and world (unfortunately) belong to J.K Rowling, please know that I support #transrights.
A Cheating Gryffindor
It was the first night back from the Christmas holidays and the Gryffindor common room was once again filled with life. Students weren't excited to get back to the routine of doing homework and studying so a lot of them had opted to simply hang out and talk in the common room after supper. Harry, Ron, Seamus and Dean were sitting on one of the sofas near the fireplace, they were talking about what they had done over the holidays. Hermione was also sitting with them but as usual, she was busy doing some homework. Her papers and books occupied the small coffee table in which she was seated in front of. Her cat, Crookshanks, was sleeping peacefully in her lap, basking in the heat of the nearby fireplace.
''I'm going to miss the freedom of being at home, there wasn't any homework to do,'' Seamus confessed while looking over at Hermione. She was completely absorbed in her reading and hadn't heard him.
''Me too,'' Ron agreed. ''Even if I didn't go back home, I had so much fun over the holidays.''
''What did you do?'' Dean asked him. ''My family and I played a lot of games and did some baking.''
''I'm pretty sure I ate more than I baked,'' Ron joked, making his friends chuckle.
''I can confirm that,'' Harry laughed along with his friends.
''It was mostly just Harry, Hermione, my siblings and I that were in the Gryffindor common room during the holidays. We played a lot of Gobstones and Wizard Chess!'' Ron told the group, circling back to Dean's original question.
''I got a wicked foosball table as a present so my siblings and I held a tournament to see which of us could win the most games! Wanna take a guess at who won?'' Dean boasted.
''What's foosball?'' Ron asked, ignoring Dean's attempt at bragging about his skills.
''It's a mini version of football, a Muggle sport. But it's small enough to be played indoors and on a table,'' Dean tried explaining, but Ron was obviously confused. ''Boy am I daft!'' Dean suddenly exclaimed, jumping up from the sofa.
''Yes, but why?'' Seamus teased his friend.
''I brought it with me! I managed to fit it in my suitcase, although I did have to sacrifice some of the warmer clothes I had originally planned on bringing back with me.'' Dean explained. Without saying anything more, he ran up the stairs leading to their dormitory.
The remaining friends looked at each other in amusement as they waited for Dean to return. Hermione remained oblivious to everything going on around her.
Dean returned downstairs a couple of minutes later, he was closely followed by Neville.
''I heard we were playing a game?'' he asked timidly, sitting down where Dean had previously been.
''Yeah, something called fuzzball,'' Ron told him.
''It's foosball, Ronald,'' Hermione corrected him without looking up from her book.
Ron promptly rolled his eyes at her comment. Dean ignored everyone and launched into an explanation on how to play foosball. Despite never playing football before, the concept of the game was quite simple to understand and soon everyone was eager and ready to play.
''Right, so I say that we play in teams of two! And whatever team wins will play the other team! Let's make it a tournament, first team to three wins is the champion!'' Dean continued, barely containing his excitement.
''Right, but we're five. Someone will be stuck playing alone,'' Harry pointed out.
''Oh,'' Dean exclaimed, suddenly discouraged. ''Hermione, you don't want to play?''
All eyes turned to her as they waited for her answer, they liked the idea of having a tournament and didn't want to give it up.
''Thank you for the invitation, but I have my readings to complete,'' she politely told Dean and her friends.
The group fell silent as they tried to think of another solution.
''I guess I could play alone, seeing as I already have experience?'' Dean suggested to everyone. No one else seemed to be able to come up with another solution.
''Ron? Fred said you wanted to see me?'' someone suddenly said from behind the sofa. The boys all turned around to see Ron's little sister, Ginny.
''What? No!'' Ron exclaimed, staring at his sister in confusion.
''Urgh! Lamest prank ever!'' Ginny turned around to yell at her brothers. The twins were sitting at a table across the common room, smirking at their younger siblings. She turned back around to face her brother and his friends. ''Anyways, what are you guys doing?''
''Playing a game Dean brought from home,'' Seamus told her.
Upon hearing his name, Dean suddenly gasped. ''Ginny! You can be our final player!''
''Sounds good!'' Ginny said at the exact same time that Ron protested against the idea.
''Don't worry, you don't have to be on her team!'' Dean tried to reassure his friend.
Ron groaned but didn't protest the matter any further. ''I want to be on Harry's team,'' he immediately said.
''I'm not quite sure I understand,'' Neville suddenly confessed.
''That's okay, you can be on my team,'' Dean reassured him. Which left Ginny and Seamus to team up.
The six managed to convince Hermione to give up a portion of the table she was using so they could place the foosball game upon it. There was enough space for two players to be on each side of the table while Hermione could comfortably continue reading. Dean and Neville played against Ginny and Seamus first while Harry and Ron remained on the sofa to watch the game.
The first round was quite fast as Ginny and Seamus easily managed to beat their friends. Neville, unfortunately, kept getting confused and getting in Dean's way. The losing team then switched places with Ron and Harry so they could play the winning team.
The second game lasted longer than the first one and was equally matched. Harry and Ron got the hang of the game quite quickly compared to Neville. Even if Ginny and Seamus had the advantage of having played the first round, in the end, Harry managed to score the winning goal.
An hour had already passed since they had started playing and the common room started to empty as it was getting later in the night. Fred and George had moved to a closer table and were watching with interest even if they claimed to be working on a secret project. Hermione remained unbothered by everything and so did Crookshanks, who was still curled up on her lap.
Harry and Ron got to play the third round in order to defend their title and without much surprise, they managed to beat Dean and Neville. Neville kept apologizing for messing up but Dean didn't seem to mind. He was simply enjoying playing with his friends.
The fourth round which consisted of Ginny and Seamus versus Ron and Harry was about to begin when Fred suddenly interrupted them.
''Isn't this the winning match?'' he asked, clearly not pretending to be working anymore.
''Yeah!'' Harry exclaimed excitedly. ''Ron and I are about to win this tournament!''
''I wouldn't get ahead of yourself,'' Ginny smirked at him.
''Can we commentate? It'll be great practice for our Quidditch matches!'' George asked, even if he had already moved his chair closer to the foosball table.
''Sure! It'll be like a real competition!'' Dean agreed eagerly.
''Just don't say anything stupid,'' Ron warned the twins. They feigned surprise and shock at his accusation and everyone laughed.
''Ready kids?'' Fred asked them. The two teams took their positions around the foosball table. Ron and Harry were playing for the orange team while Ginny and Seamus were the blue team.
Once they were all ready, Dean dropped the ball in the middle of the field and stepped back to allow everyone to see the table.
''And we're off!'' George practically yelled. ''Ginny manages to steal the ball and kicks it towards the net!''
''No surprise there,'' Fred continued. ''But Seamus swings too fast and the ball flies right under him!''
''Seeker Potter expertly blocks the ball and kicks it in the opposite direction, can Ron catch the pass?'' George asked in anticipation.
''But alas! He misses!'' Fred snickered as he watched Ron's face get red in frustration. ''Seamus manages to intercept the ball and kick it back towards the net!''
The round continued on like this for a couple of minutes. Both teams were equally matched and managed to intercept each other and prevent any goals. Neville and Dean were sitting at the edge of the sofa watching in excitement. Finally, it seemed like the end of the game was near. The ball had rolled under the row of players that Ron was moving and Ginny and Seamus's rows of players were unable to reach the ball. This was it.
''Ronniekins quickly lines up before making his shot! The ball is heading for the net...'' Fred trailed off in anticipation.
''And the crowd goes wild!'' George yelled, jumping up from his seat.
''That's not fair!'' Ron loudly exclaimed.
''A goal is a goal,'' Fred simply replied, shrugging his shoulders.
''But that's an interference,'' Ron continued to argue.
Everybody else was still laughing from what they had just witnessed. Just as the ball Ron had hit was about to enter Seamus and Ginny's net, it suddenly shot in the other direction and landed in Ron's net instead.
Completely engrossed in the game, no one had noticed Crookshanks climb on to the table and slowly make his way towards the foosball game. Crookshanks eyes were sorely on the moving ball and when it got within his reach, he swatted it in the opposite direction, causing Ginny and Seamus to score a goal and win.
''You're such a brilliant cat!'' Ginny exclaimed, picking up Crookshanks and cradling him in her arms.
''I want a rematch,'' Ron told his sister.
''Why, you would have won anyways, I think it's more fun that we leave it this way. You're just jealous a cat beat you at a Muggle game,'' Ginny taunted him.
''It's cheating!'' Ron whined, he obviously wasn't taking losing to his sister and losing the glory of his winning shot well.
''Honestly Ronald, Crookshanks is a cat, he doesn't know any better,'' Hermione said, standing up to pet her cat. Crookshanks seemed pleased to suddenly be receiving so much attention.
''Let it go Ron,'' Harry tried to convince his friend. ''We'll win next time.''
''We should probably head off to bed anyways, Percy is bound to come down soon and yell at us for being up so late,'' George told everyone. ''
''And we know how much Hermione hates trouble,'' Fred said, finishing his twin's sentence.
''Yeah, we'll play again some other time,'' Dean reassured everyone as he picked up his foosball game.
Everyone proceeded to wish each other goodnight and one by one, made their way upstairs. Ron and Harry remained to help Hermione pick up all her stuff. All the while, Ron continued glaring at Crookshanks. He was convinced the cat was gloating and smirking at him as he stayed near Hermione.
''That cat should have been sorted in Slytherin, that's where all the cheaters are...'' Ron muttered under his breath.
''Give it up Ron,'' Harry whispered back to his best friend. Even if he thought Ron was overreacting, he couldn't help but find the whole situation hilarious. There was never a dull moment at Hogwarts!