Chapter Five
"Ok, kids, here's the scoop," Oliver Wood brought a heavy-looking trunk out onto to the field. "Quidditch is easy enough to understand. But actually playing it.well, that's a whole different story."
Taking this all in, I swallowed, glancing at the trunk. He opened the heavy lid. Inside were three balls visible. Two were obviously bludgers and the quaffle, a big red soccer-looking ball, was in the middle. Harry shifted uncomfortably beside Mell.
"All right, I guess we'll start with the quaffle because you three will be chasers." He pointed at Sara, Mell and me. "All you basically need to know is that you need to get it into the other team's goal before they do ours, with passing and such. You know the drill. And now," he held out two clubs, giving one to Sara and Mell, "you'd better take these, I'm gonna release the bludgers." He unlocked one and it zoomed up first then came back down. I watched Sara clutch her club, ready.
"Here it comes," Wood said. It came whooshing back towards Mell's head and she gave a tremendous whack at it and it flew in the opposite direction, looping around the tower.
"Hmm, you'd make a fair beater, Mell." Oliver smiled at her and putting a hand over his eyes to look for the bludger. Sara and I cast evil eyes at her. The bludger came rushing back towards us and Wood caught it in his hands and wrestled it to the ground, the bludger trying to get away. He somehow managed to get it back in the trunk and locked up.
Gasping for breath, he stood up and grinned at us.
"Now, the most important ball of all," he opened a little hidden pocket on the underside of the trunk lid and pulled out a glittery object, "the Golden Snitch. This is what I want you to worry about." He looked at Harry seriously, then tossed him the tiny glittering ball. We watched Harry's eyes widen with interest. The Snitch was so pretty! The gold of it shone in the evening sun and silvery wings unfolded themselves and made a whizzing sound; they were going so fast.
"Pretty, ain't it?" he asked, glancing around at all of us.
"It's beautiful," I murmured.
"What do I do with it?" Harry asked, speaking for the first time. "You catch it. Before the other team does," Wood explained, "Got it, everyone?"
Us girls nodded at him, starry-eyed. Harry glanced at us and nodded.
"Right, now to practice for a little bit. We won't practice with this, but you can toss around these tennis balls, the Golden Snitch would get lost in the on-coming darkness."
We leapt off the ground and zoomed in big circles around the pitch. It felt so wonderful being up in the air like that, usually I was sort of afraid of heights, but not when I could soar and glide like this. It was pure heaven. Wood tossed a tennis ball up and Sara caught it, throwing to Mell who passed it to me. I zoomed over towards the tennis ball and made a short stop right above the stands. I passed it down to Harry, who made a dive for it. Oliver stood in the middle of the field, watching us with interest. Soon, it grew too dark to see anything, so we had to stop. I was reluctant to come down, so I flew out of the pitch and across the lake a couple times, finally landing next to Sara. Suddenly a voice came from behind me.
"Hey good job." I whirled around. It was Mike.
"Oh, you came and watched us?"
"Yeah, you guys get all the fun."
"If you were on the team, they'd have to get a bigger broom."
He glared at me.
"Kidding, kidding, sorry."
"So what's your team captain like? Oh, never mind don't answer that, you already seem to be drooling over him. You and Sara!"
"What?"
"Oh, I noticed. It's really not that difficult to notice it, Ann."
I threw caution to the winds.
"Oh, I know, you're jealous."
He gaped at me, turning red.
"Yeah, that's it. You darn right jealous."
He didn't say anything, but looked away grumpily.
The five of us climbed into the common room a few minutes later. Collapsing onto one of the plushy armchairs, I sighed and gazed into the fire. Another voice came from behind,
"That was really good today."
"Ya know, Mike, you can stop rubbing it in now! It's getting really annoy-
Harry Potter was standing behind my chair.
"S-sorry, I thought you were someone else."
"I know who you thought it was, he's in my room. Nice guy."
"Isn't he?" I added sarcastically.
"No, I really think so."
"Most of the time he's a nice guy, but others he gets on my nerves."
"One of those times?"
"Yeah."
"Well, like I said, that was really good today. Thanks for giving me a hand."
"Your welcome."
"You fly really well."
"Thank you, Harry, but I'm sure you're much better than me, being Seeker and all."
"Oh, you know my name."
"Doesn't everybody?" He looked into the fire suddenly.
"Well, I mean since you're famous and everything?"
"I guess so. I'm just not used to it."
"I know what you mean. This magic stuff is new to me. It's like running on ice, it won't let me slow down."
"Are you from the states?"
"Yeah, can you tell?"
"Well, the accent gives it away. Muggle?"
"Well, most unfortunately.yeah."
"I thought I was too."
There was silence for a while. I suddenly remembered my friends, but they were in the corner where Fred and George Weasley (wow, it's the twins!) were teaching them Exploding Snap. Harry and I sat alone by the fire. I looked down at my watch. It was 9:02.
"I should probably go to bed. I've had a really long day."
"Yeah, me too. Well, it was nice meeting you."
He stuck out a hand. I returned the hand and remembered something as he turned away.
"My name is Ann, by the way, totally forgot to tell you."
"Ann, right. See you on the Quidditch field."
He smiled and opened the door to the boys' dormitories. I pulled Sara and Mell up with me to our room.
"Hey Ann," Sara closed the door behind us, "I saw you over there getting all cozy with Harry. Come on, admit it."
My jaw dropped in shock, then closed it in embarrassment as Hermione, sitting on her bed, brought her attention to us talking.
"I was not. He was just being nice and congratulated me on today and stuff. We're friends. Or at least I think we are." I climbed under the covers, thinking quidditch thoughts and how it was so cool to make a new friend.
"Ok, kids, here's the scoop," Oliver Wood brought a heavy-looking trunk out onto to the field. "Quidditch is easy enough to understand. But actually playing it.well, that's a whole different story."
Taking this all in, I swallowed, glancing at the trunk. He opened the heavy lid. Inside were three balls visible. Two were obviously bludgers and the quaffle, a big red soccer-looking ball, was in the middle. Harry shifted uncomfortably beside Mell.
"All right, I guess we'll start with the quaffle because you three will be chasers." He pointed at Sara, Mell and me. "All you basically need to know is that you need to get it into the other team's goal before they do ours, with passing and such. You know the drill. And now," he held out two clubs, giving one to Sara and Mell, "you'd better take these, I'm gonna release the bludgers." He unlocked one and it zoomed up first then came back down. I watched Sara clutch her club, ready.
"Here it comes," Wood said. It came whooshing back towards Mell's head and she gave a tremendous whack at it and it flew in the opposite direction, looping around the tower.
"Hmm, you'd make a fair beater, Mell." Oliver smiled at her and putting a hand over his eyes to look for the bludger. Sara and I cast evil eyes at her. The bludger came rushing back towards us and Wood caught it in his hands and wrestled it to the ground, the bludger trying to get away. He somehow managed to get it back in the trunk and locked up.
Gasping for breath, he stood up and grinned at us.
"Now, the most important ball of all," he opened a little hidden pocket on the underside of the trunk lid and pulled out a glittery object, "the Golden Snitch. This is what I want you to worry about." He looked at Harry seriously, then tossed him the tiny glittering ball. We watched Harry's eyes widen with interest. The Snitch was so pretty! The gold of it shone in the evening sun and silvery wings unfolded themselves and made a whizzing sound; they were going so fast.
"Pretty, ain't it?" he asked, glancing around at all of us.
"It's beautiful," I murmured.
"What do I do with it?" Harry asked, speaking for the first time. "You catch it. Before the other team does," Wood explained, "Got it, everyone?"
Us girls nodded at him, starry-eyed. Harry glanced at us and nodded.
"Right, now to practice for a little bit. We won't practice with this, but you can toss around these tennis balls, the Golden Snitch would get lost in the on-coming darkness."
We leapt off the ground and zoomed in big circles around the pitch. It felt so wonderful being up in the air like that, usually I was sort of afraid of heights, but not when I could soar and glide like this. It was pure heaven. Wood tossed a tennis ball up and Sara caught it, throwing to Mell who passed it to me. I zoomed over towards the tennis ball and made a short stop right above the stands. I passed it down to Harry, who made a dive for it. Oliver stood in the middle of the field, watching us with interest. Soon, it grew too dark to see anything, so we had to stop. I was reluctant to come down, so I flew out of the pitch and across the lake a couple times, finally landing next to Sara. Suddenly a voice came from behind me.
"Hey good job." I whirled around. It was Mike.
"Oh, you came and watched us?"
"Yeah, you guys get all the fun."
"If you were on the team, they'd have to get a bigger broom."
He glared at me.
"Kidding, kidding, sorry."
"So what's your team captain like? Oh, never mind don't answer that, you already seem to be drooling over him. You and Sara!"
"What?"
"Oh, I noticed. It's really not that difficult to notice it, Ann."
I threw caution to the winds.
"Oh, I know, you're jealous."
He gaped at me, turning red.
"Yeah, that's it. You darn right jealous."
He didn't say anything, but looked away grumpily.
The five of us climbed into the common room a few minutes later. Collapsing onto one of the plushy armchairs, I sighed and gazed into the fire. Another voice came from behind,
"That was really good today."
"Ya know, Mike, you can stop rubbing it in now! It's getting really annoy-
Harry Potter was standing behind my chair.
"S-sorry, I thought you were someone else."
"I know who you thought it was, he's in my room. Nice guy."
"Isn't he?" I added sarcastically.
"No, I really think so."
"Most of the time he's a nice guy, but others he gets on my nerves."
"One of those times?"
"Yeah."
"Well, like I said, that was really good today. Thanks for giving me a hand."
"Your welcome."
"You fly really well."
"Thank you, Harry, but I'm sure you're much better than me, being Seeker and all."
"Oh, you know my name."
"Doesn't everybody?" He looked into the fire suddenly.
"Well, I mean since you're famous and everything?"
"I guess so. I'm just not used to it."
"I know what you mean. This magic stuff is new to me. It's like running on ice, it won't let me slow down."
"Are you from the states?"
"Yeah, can you tell?"
"Well, the accent gives it away. Muggle?"
"Well, most unfortunately.yeah."
"I thought I was too."
There was silence for a while. I suddenly remembered my friends, but they were in the corner where Fred and George Weasley (wow, it's the twins!) were teaching them Exploding Snap. Harry and I sat alone by the fire. I looked down at my watch. It was 9:02.
"I should probably go to bed. I've had a really long day."
"Yeah, me too. Well, it was nice meeting you."
He stuck out a hand. I returned the hand and remembered something as he turned away.
"My name is Ann, by the way, totally forgot to tell you."
"Ann, right. See you on the Quidditch field."
He smiled and opened the door to the boys' dormitories. I pulled Sara and Mell up with me to our room.
"Hey Ann," Sara closed the door behind us, "I saw you over there getting all cozy with Harry. Come on, admit it."
My jaw dropped in shock, then closed it in embarrassment as Hermione, sitting on her bed, brought her attention to us talking.
"I was not. He was just being nice and congratulated me on today and stuff. We're friends. Or at least I think we are." I climbed under the covers, thinking quidditch thoughts and how it was so cool to make a new friend.