After what felt like an eternity of homework, training and Transfiguration lessons with Professor Thicknesse; the first day of the quiditch season has finally arrived. It was an unusual situation for most of the Gryffindors, since it's been over seven hundred years since the last time they didn't play one of the opening games, but James was excited to see what Slytherin and Ravenclaw had in store.
"Ok, let me triple check with you to see if I have this right" Darren said, as everyone was walking towards the quiditch pitch. "The chasers are going to pass the Quaffle around, and try and get it past the keeper in order to score ten points a goal."
"That's correct" replied James.
"The beaters are going to fly around with clubs, trying to hit Bludgers at the opposing chasers" continued Darren.
"You're remembering this well for a muggle-born" said Bella.
"And the game ends when the Golden Snitch is caught" Darren finalised. "That's worth one hundred and fifty points, so whoever catches that has probably won."
"Well done, you learned how to follow a game" Jackson muttered sarcastically. "If only you were so good at casting spells."
"Please don't say you're going to be standing with us" Darren moaned.
"He is" replied Hagrid. "I invited him to sit with me, and I'm inviting myself to sit with the rest of yer."
James was at least glad that Jackson was with Hagrid. He noticed that Jackson makes more of an effort to be nice when asked by people he likes. After climbing the stairs to their section of the stand, they all found themselves standing with the rest of the Gryffindor team. James liked how high they were all standing it gave them an excellent view of the entire pitch.
"Are you ready folks?" asked the commentator, using a speech enhancement charm. "I'm your commentator Hugh Jordan, and today is the first match of this year's Quiditch Cup."
"Hugh Jordan, he sounds just like his dad" Hagrid said nostalgically.
"How do you think is going to win Benedict?" asked Sebastian.
"Ravenclaw is the better team, apart from one key area" replied Benedict. Ravenclaw have better chasers and beaters, and whilst Gant has potential, McLaren is more experienced. With that said, McLaren has installed a second year as keeper, and Bletchley is in my opinion the best player on the Slytherin side."
"It was damn pain trying to get past him this time last year" admitted Sebastian. "But you're right, Slytherin have no chance here."
"Let's introduce the teams" shouted Jordan. "First off is Ravenclaw. Playing tonight is Goldstein, Trask, Redding, Dexter, Rosie-Dove, Collins, and the team captain and seeker; Silverton McLaren."
The crowd began to cheer, as the Ravenclaw team made their way onto the pitch. It was easy to identify McLaren, as she was wearing her robes that were made to resemble a racing driver's uniform.
"That is a really strange outfit" muttered Hagrid. "Do all yer car racers wear clothes like that?"
"Yes" replied both Darren and Jackson.
"The opposition today is Slytherin" Jordan continued. "Most players from last year's team have now left Hogwarts; team captain Oswald Cannon was forced to fill five of the seven places with untested newbies. On the positive side however, Kevin Bletchley is arguably the most talented keeper in the school today, and new player Travis Gant has just purchased a brand new Horntail Six, making him a real threat for the Golden Snitch."
"A Horntail Six" Sebastian scoffed. "Is that all they can boast about?"
"Is it not a good broom then?" asked Darren.
"Three years ago, that would be the best broom in school" replied Patricia. "It's better than Macmillan's Comet eight twenty, but the Nimbus Three Thousand has a more advanced tail to it, and McLaren's going to be riding a Firebolt Five."
"A Firebolt Five?" Hagrid gasped. "The entire contents of the Lestrange Vault can maybe buy two of them; how can a student afford to buy one of those things."
"She's been attracting a lot of attention in the muggle world" Benedict explained. "I'm surprised that nobody here has heard of her."
"I don't care for car racing" replied Jackson.
"I'm a footballer" replied Darren.
"I think all muggle sports suck" James added.
"Long story short, she's seriously impressed with her performance in car racing, and has generated a lot of sponsorship money" Benedict explained, as the teams began one final prep talk. "She's been dominating every race she's competed in, and has been described as the female Lewis Hamilton."
"Is that name supposed to mean anything?" asked Sebastian.
"I've watched an F1 race in the Muggle Studies class out of curiosity" said Benedict. "Think of him as the car racing equivalent of Viktor Krum."
"Wait, she's that good?" gasped Patricia.
"Montague has released the Quaffle, and the first game of the new season is underway" Jordan roared. "And it's Dexter who catches it, passes to Rosie-Dove, passes back to Dexter, passes to Collins, the Slytherin chasers are nowhere in sight, Collins has a clear shot on goal."
"Easier said than done" Sebastian muttered. "Hopefully Bletchley hits his head on the goal post."
Collins was able to take his time to aim, as both of Cannon's fellow chasers crashed into him on their way to try and take the Quaffle back.
"And Collins throws the Quaffle straight at the hoop Bletchley is guarding" said Jordan. "Bad luck Collins, better luck… What on earth was that?"
The shot Collins threw was so weak, James reckoned that even his Aunt Hermione who hated flying would be able to catch it, but the highly regarded Bletchley flew slightly to the left, and the Quaffle somehow got through the goal.
"How the hell did Bletchley not catch that?" demanded Patricia.
"Who cares" grinned Sebastian. "Ravenclaw ten, Slytherin nil."
"Bletchley is going to kill himself over that" Jordan noted. "This year's Slytherin side has already been described as struggling, and they certainly can't afford to be making any mistakes like that."
The Slytherins all began booing, but surprisingly it was all directed at Bletchley. James wasn't surprised, it was a terrible goal. After both teams got back in the centre, Montague released the Quaffle, and was caught once again by Dexter.
"What's McLaren doing through all this?" asked James.
"I see; there's a game going on down there, but you can't help but get a good look a pretty girl, can't you" teased Jackson.
"I was actually wondering why we haven't seen the speed of that Firebolt Five yet" James muttered through gritted teeth.
"There she is up there" Bella pointed out.
James looked upwards to see Silverstone McLaren just hovering above everyone else. She was turning around, only to keep her eye on her rival Travis Gant.
"She's just biding her time, making sure that Gant doesn't get the snitch before her" explained Sebastian.
"And Ravenclaw score again?" gasped Jordan. "It seemed there that Bletchley didn't know which side of his body the Quaffle was going to come."
"He conceded again? How?" asked Patricia.
"No Slytherin is truly talented Patricia" chuckled Sebastian.
"Look, McLaren is making a move" shouted Darren.
McLaren had pointed her broomstick downwards, then kicked the broom forwards. James had never seen a broomstick fly so fast in his life. McLaren flew three laps around the quiditch pitch in about three seconds. She then stopped her broom to get back to where she started, but the Firebolt Five was moving so fast that when McLaren stopped, the momentum she carried flew her as fast as her teammates.
"And that there is a demonstration of the true pace of the Firebolt Five" Jordan bellowed. "The broom is a beast."
"How could she fly so fast?" gasped Bella. "The Irish National Team had to return those brooms, because their players kept on falling off them. The Irish National Team for goodness sake."
"Think the German National Team for football" James told Darren. "I don't like football, but I remembered that much."
"I guess that her experience in racing cars has given her an advantage in being able to handle the broom at such a high speed" said Benedict.
"That broom shouldn't be allowed" scorned Hagrid. "If she had hit someone, it would have seriously hurt."
"And after that sneak preview of what's to come with that broom, Ravenclaw are mounting yet another attack on the Slytherin goal" shouted Jordan. "Dexter's making a shot on the right side goal; can Bletchley reach it?"
His question was answered, as Bletchley made no effort to fly to the goal that was being so obviously aimed at by Dexter.
"I thought Bletchley was supposed to be good" Jackson muttered.
"I think the rest of his team thought that too" Darren replied.
The Slytherin team all flew directly at Bletchley. James couldn't hear Cannon, but he could tell that he was screaming at him. Things did not improve for the Slytherin team. Every time Montague released the Quaffle, the chasers would either miss, or bump into each other in trying to catch it. Oswald Cannon only caught the Quaffle once, and he was immediately hit with a Bludger, courtesy of the Ravenclaw beater Trask. The Slytherin beaters by comparison were completely inept. They constantly got hit by the Bludgers, and the only thing their clubs hit was Oswald Cannon on accident.
"I think Cannon will be happy for this match to end" Hagrid muttered, as Dexter increased Ravenclaw's score to ninety.
"Dexter has scored his seventh goal of the match" announced Jordan. "First ever appearance for the young chaser, and he's having the time of his life."
"Dexter's been terrible all game" Patricia said rudely. "The only reason why he's scored so many goals was because Bletchley is severely off his game today."
The tenth goal was the somehow the worst yet for Slytherin. Rose-Dove threw a shot that hit the side of the Slytherin goal post. Oswald Cannon flew in to catch in from underneath, but Cannon then caught it, and threw it over his back, and into the goal post.
"What… How… Why…" muttered Patricia.
"The first time all game Bletchley caught something, and he scored an own goal" noted Benedict.
"Good on him" grinned Sebastian. "I am loving this game so much."
"Do you think he's doing this on purpose?" asked James.
"Why would he do that?" asked Darren. "Sometimes great sportsmen have bad days."
"Well he is up against Ravenclaw" James explained. "And he had made it clear to me on numerous occasions, that McLaren is his girl."
"Sexist pig" Bella remarked. "Girls aren't any man's thing."
"Well come to think of it…" Benedict murmured.
"Don't tell me that this is all true" bemoaned Hagrid.
"The last time I went to Hogsmeade, I did see Bletchley and McLaren go inside Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop" elaborated Benedict.
"What's so special about that?" asked Darren, as Bletchley headed the Quaffle into his own goal like a football.
"It's a place where couples like to… engage with one another" answered Benedict.
"So what you're saying is that he was snogging her, all the time they were in Hogsmeade" smirked Patricia.
"I wasn't saying that for certain" Benedict replied, blushing slightly in the process. "But… it would not surprise me."
For the first time during the match, Oswald Cannon was able to get the Quaffle to the Ravenclaw goal posts. He had caught Goldstein leaning against the middle hoop, falling asleep and losing concentration from having nothing to do all game.
"Cannon is about to make a shot" Jordan screamed. "Right now Ravenclaw is leading one hundred and forty points to nil; Slytherin need to score if they are to keep their dreams of a Golden Snitch victory intact."
Cannon lined up a shot to the right hoop, as Goldstein almost fell of his broom from the shock of a Slytherin player being there. Cannon threw the Quaffle, but it hit a blue blur that had just appeared.
"Would you look at that" Jordan screamed. "The immense speed that McLaren has shown us."
James could not believe what he had seen. McLaren was closer to the Slytherin goal posts than her own, yet she was able to close in and block the shot in less than a second.
"Penalty" roared Montague. "Seekers cannot interfere with the passing of the Quaffle."
"Rubbish" Sebastian shouted back. "You just made that rule up."
"He didn't make the rule up" Benedict sighed. "Indeed you were the one who took the penalty when my shot hit Slytherin's seeker last year."
Cannon took his penalty shot, but as Goldstein was now fully awake, he was able to make a close save.
"Is that the Snitch?" bellowed Jordan. "Travis Gant is closing in on something."
Everyone in the stadium turned their eyes to Gant. Jordan was right, as Gant was flying very fast and holding his hand open.
"No" shrieked Sebastian. "Ravenclaw only has a hundred and forty, they're so close."
"I don't think you need to worry about that Sebastian" Patricia noted. "Look up there."
She directed him towards Silverstone McLaren. McLaren carefully tilted her broom in the right direction, then fired forwards. She flew so quickly, that James did not see her at all in between where she started and finished. She flew straight towards the snitch, and caught it.
"Ravenclaw wins the first game of the season" declared Jordan. "Ravenclaw two hundred and ninety, Slytherin nil."
Travis Gant then flew right in front of the commentator's booth, and from James' perspective, tried to grapple with Jordan.
"Why did you tell everyone about the Snitch?" Gant's voice echoed through Jordan's wand. "If you shout it out, McLaren wouldn't have noticed me."
"As he should" Sebastian said in response. "No Gryffindor worth a damn would ever let a Slytherin win if they could."
"That's not the only thing kicking off" Hagrid noted. "Look what's going on near the goal posts."
Whilst Gant was arguing with Jordan, the rest of his team were all confronting Kevin Bletchley. Cannon had got out his wand, and fired a spell at Bletchley that knocked him to the ground. Cannon advanced on him, but before things could get more violent, Professor Lee and Professor Vane arrived on the scene to supress the Slytherin captain's fury.
"He was a complete idiot" declared Jackson.
"I agree" said Bella.
"I'd say this game was absolutely cracking" concluded Sebastian. "This was everything that I could have hoped for."
"Are you nuts?" asked Benedict. "You're not the least bit worried about McLaren's new broomstick. That thing will completely annihilate us if we don't prepare."
McLaren began to lap the perimeter of the quiditch pitch at a far slower pace than what she did earlier. At first James thought she was giving everyone an obscene finger gesture, but as she approached his area of the stand, he saw it was actually her forefinger that she was showing off.
"We can come up with a strategy to beat Ravenclaw when we get to them" Sebastian replied casually. "Right now, I'm going to celebrate."
Sebastian ran out of the stands, cheering loudly as he jumped the stairs two at a time.
"What a horrible person" Jackson muttered.
"Hey" James snapped back. "How can you of all people call Sebastian horrible?"
"He's so spiteful towards Slytherin" Jackson argued back. "He's not celebrating because Ravenclaw lost, he's cheering because Slytherin got slaughtered."
"Right, now that's enough of that" Hagrid said, standing in between James and Jackson. "Gryffindor and Slytherin have had a long rivalry lasting back centuries" he then explained to Jackson. "When his dad was at Hogwarts, they were outright viscous."
"Gryffindor was also completely in the right" James added. "All the Slytherins when dad was at school were nasty bullies; some of them actually turned into killers."
"I know that, but Slytherin this year aren't the Slytherin your father faced" Jackson retorted. "Trust me, I've been bullied a lot this year, but it wasn't a Slytherin who magically pull my trousers down last week."
"I do agree that Slytherin has been a far more pleasant since You Know Who died" Hagrid admitted. "Sebastian's beliefs are a bit old fashioned."
"Did you enjoy the match boys?" asked Patricia.
"For my first quiditch game, I was hoping for something more competitive" replied Darren.
"Well don't worry about that" grinned Patricia. "Because we're going to give Ravenclaw a run for their money when we play them."
"Hell yeah" shouted James.
"Now once everyone has cleared the pitch, I want you and the rest of the team and subs down there, and doing our weekly jogging" ordered Patricia.
"What?" James provided a horrified gasp.
"It's called our weekly jogging for a reason James" Patricia replied aggressively.
"Cool" smirked Darren. "I was afraid we didn't get to run."
"And what if we just return to our dormitories?" asked Jackson.
Patricia responded by performing her Electric Shock Jinx on Jackson. It had been a while since she last used it, and Jackson in particular squealed very loudly after she cast it.
"I think we all get the point" Benedict murmured.
"Go and grab Sebastian from whatever party he's in" Patricia ordered Benedict. "He's not getting out of hell, just because he's the captain."
James and Jackson both walked down the stand's stairs, groaning at their belief that they didn't have to exercise on the days of quiditch matches.
"I'm glad I'm not in the quiditch team now Hagrid" said Bella.
"Neither am I to be honest with yer" he grinned. "I don't like the idea of doing all those jogs, but between you and me; Headmistress McGonagall saw them all doing those jogging and was thrilled. She told me that she doesn't like the thought of her own team being too happy."
Bella giggled slightly, as Darren and Patricia began jogging downstairs more enthusiastically.
"I think it will be a while before they're done" said Hagrid. "Let's go back to me hut, and make us a nice hot cup of tea."