Chapter 11: The Début.

"What's the betting like for the match today?" James asked Henry at breakfast exactly a month later.

For once the Potters and Weasleys had opted to eat at the Gryffindor House table, rather than with their parents as they usually did on match days. It was Virgil's idea; he thought it might help his sister calm down about the pressures of the game ahead. It wasn't working. 

"5-2 for Gryffindor to win, but we're giving 2-1 odds that Slytherin will be ahead on points when Anne catches the Snitch."

"Why?" asked James, clearly more than a little irritated by this. "Don't you think Lily and I can handle ourselves?"

"I'm sure you can," Henry assured him. "It's just... going up against Slytherin requires skill and experience. On paper, Slytherin has the advantage on both."

"It wouldn't be the first time," Lily pointed out.

"That's true," admitted Ryan. "And you know it is, bro."

Henry nodded. "The aborted 1992 season and the 1993 season. Slytherin were all flying Nimbus 2001's while most of Gryffindor were on old Cleansweeps."

"Accept Uncle Harry," Ryan reminded him. "Anyway, care to place a bet?"

"I will," said Lena, handling over some silver. "5 Sickles on Gryffindor to win by more than 150 points."

"Okay," Henry told her, taking the money and slipping it into a pocket in his robes. "Anyone else?"

Maxwell put a Galleon on Gryffindor to win, and James upped the ante by putting down ten Galleons on the same bet as Lena. "We'd better go," he told Lily. "Conroy just left and so did a couple of the others."

Lily nodded, gulped down the rest of her orange juice, and followed her cousin out.

Several familiar figures were waiting for them in the Entrance Hall, but Lily noticed the tall middle-aged man, who looked very similar to Lily herself first. She grinned widely and jumped into his arms, embracing him violently. "I'm so glad you could come!" she screeched.

Harry grinned, "I haven't missed a Gryffindor match in twenty years, petal. I'm hardly going to start on my daughter's big début am I?"

"I didn't think you would... but, a game might've come up."

"I'd've asked to be excused, Lily. I wouldn't miss this for anything."

"Thanks Dad. That means a lot to me."

"Don't we rate a hug?" joked a voice from behind her. Lily looked over her shoulder and smiled. "We haven't seen you for nearly two years after all."

"I know," she told her godfather. Harry put her down and she ran over to him and gave him a hug too, then gave his wife and then her godmother the same favour.

Looking around she could see James was doing the rounds himself, though only for his father and their grandmother. "James..."

Her cousin immediately realised what was on her mind. "Sorry Dad, Grandma. But we've gotta go."

Ron nodded in agreement. "We'll see you after the match, and good luck."

"We'll need it," Lily admitted evenly, as she and James set off at a sprint for the changing rooms.

----

"Hello everyone, in today's match the defending champions Gryffindor take on Slytherin!" Marcus Ward announced, "Playing in red today for Gryffindor today are a new line-up of… Olafsen, Valquez, Weasley, Weasley, Potter, Stoakes, aaannnd CONROY!"

The Gryffindor supporters, which Lily noted were of course in the majority, as most of the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were also supporting them, cheered loudly. 

"And in green, for Slytherin, returning for another year are… Blade, Quinn, Heidler, Oldham, Naga, Wilson, aaannnd NEEDLES!"

Three hundred or so students wearing green or waving green-and-silver banners cheered.

"This will be the first match for Conroy's new acquisitions, second-years Lily Potter and James Weasley, who join Anne Weasley in carrying on the tradition of playing Quidditch for their House team. I wonder how they'll do?"

"Ward, get on with it," warned Sirius. "The game's about to start."

"Yes sir," confirmed Marcus. "Professor Weasley has released the Bludgers... and the Golden Snitch. The Quaffle is in the air... and they're off. Gryffindor immediately take possession, Conroy with the Quaffle, passes it back to Potter, who takes off on a breakaway. Boy, she can really fly — the superior speed of the Phoenix is really making a difference here — she ducks a Bludger, sent her way by Beater Wilson of Slytherin. Slytherin Chasers Blade and Quinn are attempting to get her alongside her, but a Bludger from Beater Olafsen of Gryffindor forces them back just in time. That girl has some arm on her."

"Ward."

"I didn't mean anything by it Professor," Marcus assured him. "Potter executes an impressive vertical loop to avoid another Bludger, hit her way by Captain Miles Needles... she shoots... Keeper Naga dives to intercept... too late! Potter takes her first goal for Gryffindor and they now lead ten to zero!"

"That's my girl," muttered Harry to himself, as he stood grinning triumphantly in the Gryffindor stand, sandwiched between his wife and son.

Ginny heard him, even over the excitement around them, and squeezed his arm to get his attention. "I'm glad I could make it up today," she told him. "She's obviously got the Potter Quidditch gene."

"Don't forget the Weasleys," Harry reminded her. "Three of your brothers played too, and they were some of the best players Hogwarts had seen then or since. And were you."

"That's true."

"Slytherin score, bringing it to ten-ten. Professor Weasley awards a penalty to Gryffindor for stooging and Captain Gordon Conroy... puts it away with no problem. Play resumes, with Gryffindor still in possession, Potter with the Quaffle, she passes to Stoakes, who takes aim at the Slytherin goal. Hey that's a foul! Chaser Stoakes down and Professor Weasley awards another penalty to Gryffindor for skinning."

"Needles must be mad," commented Ginny. "That's two penalties in five minutes. Even for Slytherin that's crazy."

Harry nodded. "I think he really wants to win this year. It's his last year and Slytherin haven't won the Cup once since he became Captain in his fourth-year."

"They haven't won in ten years," Ginny pointed out.

Harry nodded. "There is method to his madness though, it is keeping Gryffindor off balance."

"But at that price?"

He shrugged, "I guess it makes sense to him somehow."

"Excellent Porskoff Play by Potter, and she scores again, bringing it to forty-twenty to Gryffindor. Slytherin take possession, but Heidler loses the Quaffle to Potter, who reverse-passes to Stoakes who puts it through easily. Gryffindor now lead by thirty, at fifty-to-twenty and are still in possession. Potter with the Quaffle again. Oh! She drops the Quaffle as Slytherin execute a Dopplebeater Defence against her. Blade snags the Quaffle and flies for the Gryffindor goal... Heidler, Quinn and Stoakes in pursuit. The Slytherin Chasers form up in a classic Hawkeshead Attacking Formation and zero in on new Keeper James Weasley. Heidler shots and he blocks it. He throws it right into the air, deflecting it off the broomstick off Gryffindor Seeker Anne Weasley and towards Peter Stoakes... who immediately passes it to fellow Chaser, Lily Potter, who shoots, and just barely slips it past the Slytherin Keeper."

"That's a new one on me," commented Ron who, with Hermione, and their twins, stood not far away. "And I thought I'd seen everything."

"It's a tricky one," admitted Peter, whose sensitive hearing had picked up the words. "It's called a Resnick Rebound. I've seen it used a couple of times in Europe. Viktor Resnick, the Captain of the Reykjavik Raiders invented it. The Iceland team used it at the European Championship Qualifying game against Scotland three years ago. I took Lily and Sparky to see the game as a belated birthday treat for Lily. She and James must've been practising it since."

"Heidler shoots... and scores. Slytherin narrow the point's gap to thirty and bring the score to thirty-to-sixty. Gryffindor are possession."

"It's a good idea," Harry admitted. "I've never seen it used myself but..."

"I guess you don't pay as much as attention to the other members of your team, as you used to Harry." Peter commented.

"Why do you say that?" Harry asked.

"Because Carter and I used the Resnick Rebound at the semi-final match against Germany, it only seven months ago."

"Oh," said Harry, there didn't seem like anything else he could say to that. "Well, I guess I missed it that's all." 

Ginny giggled, "Don't worry, I'm sure you were too busy looking for the Snitch."

"Chaser Blade of Slytherin scores again, bringing it to forty-to-eighty. Gryffindor are back in possession... Potter with the Quaffle... passes to Conroy... reverse pass to Stoakes... he shoots, and scores! Gryffindor now lead ninety-to-forty."

Not that she would admit it to anyone, but Lily was beginning to get rather tired. She caught the Quaffle, passed her way by Stoakes and lined up for another shot, only to for it to be blocked by one of the Slytherin Chasers, Blade she thought. The older girl tried to get around the knot of Gryffindor players facing the net, but she failed, and Lily cheered inwardly as a Bludger to the shoulder from Erin Valquez sent the Slytherin Chaser spinning out of control. Stoakes managing to snag the Quaffle as it fell, and slip it through one of the hoops. A few minutes later, Lily spotted Conroy signalling a time-out. She drifted down to the ground beside him and hopped off her broom. "What's up Gordon?" she asked.

"I thought we could do with a breather," Conroy told her, grimacing. "This games's not going as well as it could be. I know we're sixty points up, but last year we flattened them."

Anne shook her head. "No we didn't Gordon, not really. We only beat them because I caught the Snitch. We were fifty points down before that."

"Okay... you're right." Conroy admitted. "Just catch the Snitch. And as quickly as you can."

"I'll second that one," Lily told them. "I'm getting a bit worn out."

James nodded, "Me too. But let's get on with it."

The team nodded, and Conroy signalled to Charlie that they were ready to continue play. Perhaps fortunately for all of them, Anne spotted the Snitch five minutes later, and as Oldham, the Slytherin Seeker had been caught at the opposite end the pitch, she was able to capture it with little difficulty as a concerted push by the rest of the team, in the form of a Conroy Chevron, had distracted the Slytherin Beaters.  

"Seeker Weasley of Gryffindor has caught the Snitch! Gryffindor wins 210 points to forty. An excellent start for the new team."

"Let's go and congratulate them," Harry suggested to his family. Ginny, Virgil and Maxwell all agreed and the three of them left the stand, followed soon after by the Weasleys, Lena, and Barry Launders.

A/N: Please R/R. Chapter 12 will be up as soon as possible.