Quidditch Tournament Part 2 Quidditch Tournament
Disclaimer : These characters and J.K. Rowling's. This is the second part to the story of a Hogwarts quidditch team going to the states. Harry and company are in their 5th year.
Harry wakes up at 6 o'clock, Friday morning. He quickly dresses and rushes down to the quidditch fiels. Professor McGonagall had felt that, with a new keeper and all, the team should practice Friday morning and afternoon.
On the way down to the field, Harry meets up with Fred and George who are both yawning. "Little early for practice, huh Harry."
"Sorry, not my choice, but this is insane. I'm going to have a talk with Professor McGonagall soon." Harry answers, yawning himself.
The practice went awful. After trying to talk to the team, which was impossible under the condition of Harry's nervous stomach, they go out and start flying. After an hour, Harry practices a dive but he is unable to pull out of it due to his wandering mind. He lands face first in the mud, splashing Angeling and Katie.
"That's it," Harry yells. "We're all going back to the castle, taking hot showers, and starting over again this afternoon."
With this the team rejoices and they make their way back up the hill together. Harry takes a long, hot shower, but this only makes him even more nervous.
The day goes as badly as the practice. Professor McGonagall yells at him three times during Transfiguration for not paying attention and he forgets the major ingredient in a Potions' test.
"Harry," Hermione says, trying to get his attention for the fifth straight time. They're on their way down to the Quidditch field for Harry's afternoon practice.
Harry's head jerks up. "What?" Hermione sighs, exasperated. "What's with you? You've been wandering off all day?"
"Huh?" Harry asks, surprised.
Ron gives him a bewildered look. "Remember Transfiguration?"
"Oh, yeah. Well, I'm just a little nervous, that's all. This is a big match, I want to play in the US so bad." Harry tells them as they split up, Harry to the locker room and Ron and Hermione to the pond. They have a Potions' lab to do.
The practice goes much better. The team works well together, and Harry pulls out of all his dives. He meets back up with Ron and Hermione at the dinner table, considerably less nervous, though still a bit.
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Harry wakes up Saturday morning at 4 o'clock. He gets out of bed and dresses in his robes. He grabs his Firebolt and his quidditch robes and makes his way down to the common room. Angelina and Alicia are already there.
"Couldn't sleep?" Harry asks, and they nod.
At 4:30, Fred and George appear, soon followed by Andy and Katie.
"So, everyone's here, lets go down to the great hall before the common room starts to fill up." Harry tells his team, who all look greatful at this suggestion.
Sitting down at the Gryffindor table, food appears instantly. Fred and George pile their plates high, but don't eat much. The team talks about gossip, and this and that quietly. Not soon after Professor McGonagall appears and comes over to them, since the great hall otherwise deserted.
"A little nervous, are we?" She asks cheerfully. They look up at her, but no one says anything.
"Just a little, Professor," Angelina finally answers. This is obviously a lie. Professor McGonagall looks down the table at Andy, who is rocking back and forth and biting his nails, though there is nothing left of them.
Professor McGonagall sits with them until the great hall starts to fill up. Then she wishes the team luck and glides over to the staff table.
"Professors don't usually eat with their students," Albus tells her quietly as she takes her seat to his right.
"I know, but I've never seen the team more nervous. I was down here at 5:15, and they were the only ones here. Is that a crime?" She asks, smiling at him.
"Of course not," He answers, giving her a loving look, which he quickly hides.
At about seven thirty, the team stands up and they make their way down to the Quidditch field.
"Good luck Harry," Hermione tells him before he leaves.
"Yeah, beat those Hufflepuffs," Ron adds excitedly.
The locker room is quiet as everyone dresses into their Gryffindor Quidditch robes.
"Well, team, Oliver was always the one for long speaches, not me. So, fly hard and just do everything we practiced," Harry tells the team who laugh at his opening coment.
They walk onto the field to cheers from the crowd. Harry shakes the Hufflepuff captain's hand then lifts off at Madam Hooch's whistle. As Harry flies high into the air, he leaves his nerves on the ground.
"Angelina has the quaffle," Lee Jordan, the comentator, says. "She takes it down the field and YES, she scores. Gryffindor leads 10-0."
Harry flies around, putting his firebolt through it's pases. The Hufflepuff seeker tries to keep up with him, but soon lags behind. Harry does a loop in the air as Katie makes the score 90-10 Gryffindor. Harry watches as Andy makes a great save, and lets out a little yell of approval.
Hufflepuff is gaining points, making the distance between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff's scores minute. The score is now 90-60. Another goal, another, and Hufflepuff has tied the score 90-90. Harry looks around desperately for the snitch.
I need to get the snitch soon, Harry thinks to himself.
"And Angelina has the quaffle again, she passes it to Alicia. Nice move Alicia. YES, YES Gryffindor is back in the lead 100-90," Lee Jorday tells the crowd.
Harry does another flip in the air to show his excitement, and that's when he sees it. The little golden snitch hoovering right above the ground. Harry goes into a quick dive and pulls out of it right before he hits the ground, the tiny wings beating against his hands.
The team rushes forward and they all land on the ground in a heap of laughing Gryffindors. Harry congratulates his time on their great game.
"Harry, that was amazing," Ron tells him for the hundredth time on their way back up to the castle.
"Yeah, you did a really nice job," Hermione tells him, grinning.
"Hey, you three coming? Gryffindor common room, Fred and George are throwing a party," Andy calls to them from above. All three start laughing and race up the hill, up the marble staircase and into the common room.
It is one of the best nights Harry has ever had. He and Ron and Hermione sit together at one of the long tables, eating chocolate frogs and listening to Fred tell a story. "Yeah, so this man came up to us, right, and he just nodded. George and I looked at each other and just nodded. We'll do anything to get Percy in trouble."
Harry yawns. "I'm going upstairs for a moment. I want to write a letter to snuffles, and tell him about the match."
"Okay," Hermione says as he gets up and walks past the groups of partying Gryffindors and up the stairs to their circular room.
Harry takes out his bag and starts shifting through it for a piece of parchment and a quill. He pulls out a little leather book, puzzled.
This isn't mine. Maybe it's a journal or something, maybe I grabbed it in the common room by mistake. He made to put it back in his bag, but something made him stop. Harry looks at the cover closely. There's an old Scottish symbol on the front. It's really pretty. Harry notices that only an old leather tie is keeping the little book closed. Harry looks around him quickly, then pulls closed the curtains of his 4-poster. Slowly, he opens the book. He looks at the first page, and a funny feeling comes over him. ************************************************************************ Minerva stands at the sink, thinking about Gryffindor's victory. She sighs and glances over her shoulder at Albus. She turns back to the sink, deep in thought. Then, her need to voice her feeling overtakes her and she says it, her back still to him. "Albus, I'm gonna miss you so much. What am I going to do with out you?" He puts down the letter he's reading and goes to her, putting his arms around her waist. She leans back and rests her head on his chest. He kisses her forhead. "I'll be thinking about you every minute of every day," he tells her gently. Minnie sighs. "I just wish we could see each other atleast over the holidays." "I can't come home, you know that. Some students are going to want to stay at Tasom for the break. Especially is Gryffindor goes, Harry has no place else to go." "Albus, can't you just make other arrangements?" He lets go of her and steps back, trying to control his anger. "Minerva, how could you ask that? I've spent my life working for the students. How could you ask me to leave them now?" He looks at the tears in her eyes as she turns to face him. "I'm sorry. That's not what I meant. I just can't imagine living without seeing you for a year. Without waking up with you beside me, going to bed with you beside me. Knowing that I am safe because you are with me." Minerva says, tears rolling down her face. Albus puts his fingers on her soft cheeks, wiping away the tears. "I'm sorry Minnie. I love you, I didn't mean to hurt you, I'm just worried about leaving you. The world is becoming dangerous, I don't want to leave you alone. Voldemort's becoming strong again. I'm scared for you, and I'm scared for the students. Hogwarts will be the target of his attention once I leave." Minerva looks into Albus' eyes and the pressure of what he's leaving her here to do comes pounding down on her and silent tears come to her eyes. Albus quickly wraps his arms around her and pulls her close to him. She cries into his shoulder for a minute. "How am I going to keep this school out of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's hands? If Hogwarts is given to him, we're doomed," She finally gets out. He steps back so he can look into her face. He grips her shoulders. "Minerva McGonagall, look at me. I wouldn't leave you alone to run this school is I didn't think you could handle it. Minnie, you have to be strong, okay?" Minerva sighs. "Okay, okay," she says, pulling herself together. "Hogwarts will be intact, in my hands, when you return." Albus smiles at her and kisses her long and gently. Suddenly, Albus gets a feeling of overpowering strength somewhere in the castle. He searches for the source, and his mind tells him it's coming from Gryffindor tower, from Harry. He just sighs, and ignores the fact, knowing that whatever it is, Harry has to face it alone. Sorry for leaving a cliffhanger. If I get reviews I'll post the next part soon. Thanks, Mara
