TWO : QUIDDITCH

Soon, the Gryffindor Quidditch captain, Chris Cornwallis, stuck his head into the portrait hole.

"Team! To the field!" he shouted. James jumped up and followed the Keeper, Karen Jansby, to the changing room. As he pulled on his scarlet Quidditch robes, there was a knock on the door. Chris looked through the peephole and opened the door a crack. "James!" he called. "Peter Pettigrew here! He wants to talk to you!"

James groaned. "Not now," he responded. "Tell him to tell me after the game!"

Chris delivered the message through the door and shut it. Peter knocked furiously again but the whole team ignored him. Finally, it was time to head out to the Quidditch field.

Holding his silver Arrow in his hand, James was glad to see Peter again in his seat in the stands, in between Remus and Sirius. The Hufflepuff team, decked in bright yellow robes, stood waiting on the hard, thawed ground.

Chris gathered his Gryffindor team around him in a huddle. "All right, everyone," he announced.

"We know Hufflepuff's quite easy to beat." He looked around, and several people nodded. "But don't let that get to us," he continued. "James, catch the Snitch as soon as possible. Not that I wouldn't tell you otherwise," he quickly added. "Karen, do anything to keep the Quaffle away from that Henry Moxington, I hear he's better than we thought. Joe, Terry," he looked toward the Beaters, "Just slam those Bludgers into their heads. Those brooms are outstripped by garden slugs. And finally, Warren, Nigel, well..." He looked out at the Hufflepuffs, who were also huddled in a pep talk. "Play as well as me," Chris beamed.

"Aye-aye, sir," saluted Warren mockingly.

James and the rest of the team mounted their brooms. Professor Janilla, the referee for this match, blew his whistle and kicked off. Fifteen brooms rose into the air. James decided to ride a little higher than the game so he'd be out of the general ruckus. The Hufflepuff Seeker, Sarah Johnson, followed him. Fortunately, she didn't seem to be looking very hard for the Snitch. "Wahoo! Thirty-ten!" she screamed with one hand raised. "Awww, thirty-twenty. Ha ha ha, go Teena, she hit that Bludger right at Chris! COME ON, HENRY! KICK HER! KAREN ISN'T MADE OF GLASS, YOU KNOW!"

James circled the game nervously as Sarah bellowed the score louder than the commentator. It had been nearly fifteen minutes and there was still no sign of the Snitch. A Bludger or two passed by, but James flew faster than them easily. Suddenly, to his fear, Sarah did a tremendous dive, hand outstretched. Did she see it? Her path seemed only on the way to Terry Russell, his bat raised menacingly towards a Bludger that was approaching Warren Tent. James leaned down closer with his broom, narrowly missing the other Bludger that swung by him.

At the rate she was going, Sarah would collide with Terry in about two seconds...suddenly she swerved, and did something entirely unexpected. She slapped Terry right across his face.

"Penalty shot to Gryffindor! What in the world was that for –" bellowed Professor Janilla.

"HE SHOT THAT BLUDGER DIRECTLY AT ME!!" cried Sarah. "HE DID! HE TRIED TO HURT ME!!"

As the disgruntled Hufflepuff Seeker continued to holler and have a tantrum, Nigel Ambrose lined up to take the penalty shot. It was guarded by the large Hufflepuff Keeper who spread himself out and tried to block any chance Nigel had. However, he gave a fake to the right with the Quaffle and made the Keeper swerve to the right goalpost. Nigel quickly threw it into the left goalpost. The score was now fifty-fifty, and the team congratulated their scoring Chaser with hearty claps on the back. James, however, now ignoring all of Sarah's shouts, had seen the Snitch.

He dived quickly towards the bottom of the Gryffindor goalpost, hand outstretched in a grasp for the fluttering golden ball. Looking around to see if any Hufflepuffs or Bludgers were near, he snatched the Snitch in a firm grip. James put his hand up and yelled in glory. But no one was watching him.