a/n: Hi. Please don't eat me! I know this took FOREVER to write, but it was
really tough. I am so sorry. Plus all the technical difficulties.
I probably don't even have people wanting to read this fic anymore. mememe.
oh well.
Here it goes!
Disclaimer: I own only my plot and portrayal of the characters, which J.K. Rowling created.
Chapter 4: Gryffindor vs. Slytherin
"You. want me, to be the replacement player for your team?" Lily asked nervously.
"Yes. I saw you flying yesterday and. well, you're very good. We would make you a chaser." James said looking at the ground. "So will you?"
"Um, I'm not sure." Lily trailed off`, but said (when she saw James' pleading glance) "alright."
James and Lily went to the Gryffindor tower, where James introduced Lily to his team. Several people looked at her skeptically as they went off to the Quidditch field to practice with their new chaser, and (in some cases) see if she was any good.
On the way to the field Sam pulled James aside and whispered, "James, is this girl as good as you say she is? Because I don't think it's wise to make her the replacement only because you think she's hot-"
"Look, Sam." James said grabbing Sam by the collar, "I'm the captain. I say she plays, and nothing you say can change that. She's good. And that's the reason I picked her." With that James let him go and spun back around, toward the field.
Sam stood stunned. How could he have made James that angry over such a small thing? Maybe he really did like the girl. After few seconds Sam rejoined the rest of the team.
_-*-_*-*_-*_*-*_*-*_*-*_
That night Lily returned to her dorm sweaty and in high spirits. Their practice was long and hard but she loved it. She had never played Quidditch with anyone but herself and this experience was much different than that. She loved to watch Quidditch games but had never had anyone to play with. Lily showered quickly and pulled on her Pajamas. Then she sat by her window and gazed at the vivid moon and stars.
Her thoughts drifted to her overwhelming day. and she eventually fell asleep with her head cradled in her arms.
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James' sleep was restless and after much tossing and turning he sat straight up in bed. His watch read 5:30am. James realized that he had forgotten to go over some of the strategies with Lily that they used against Slytherin. He rolled out of bed and pulled on his dark jeans, a white collard shirt and a black sweater over it. He pulled on his black boots and lastly pulled a comb through his thick hair.
He wandered out of his dorm and toward the fifth year girl's dormitory. He carefully let himself in and his eyes quickly scanned the room for Lily.
He found her curled up by the window, with her head resting on her arm. He went to shake her awake but stopped himself when he saw the tranquil look on her face.
Her pale skin looked porcelain under the waxing moon. Her lips were slightly parted and he could hear her soft breathing. He could have stood there all night watching the luminous scene. James shook his head as if returning from a dream then pulled the covers from her bed and draped them over her still form.
He really didn't need to tell her about the tactics they used on the Slytherins because one- they were rather obvious, and two, she was a quidditch fan and watched games and probably caught on quickly to tactics. He could also go over them with her briefly at breakfast.
Maybe he was just using it as an excuse to see her.
*))*))*))*))*))*))*))*))*))*))*))*))*))*))*))*))*))*))*))
After a quick breakfast the Gryffindor team went to locker rooms to get on their uniforms. James gave Lily her own red Quidditch robe, wrist and knee guards.
She found a quiet corner and pulled on the robe, and strapped on the other gear while listening to James' pep talk.
"This is it." James began, "The biggest game of the year. I know that Sean's injury was hard on all of us, but we'll catch them off guard when they see how good we are even after losing a great player like Sean. Those slimy Slytherin won't know what hit 'em!" The team shouted gaily then James continued, " Their strategy is pure strength and force, but they'll soon see that what you really need is a team full of clever, reliable, and brave people.."
Lily's mind wandered as she looked around at the grinning faces of the Gryffindor team.
He sure is good talking in front of people. He knows exactly what to say to get 'em revved up. I wonder what he's thinking on the inside..
Lily's thoughts were soon broken by some more shouts of glee. The team started to run out onto the field. Lily followed, and James slowed his pace to be beside Lily.
"So. Are ya nervous?" James asked.
"No. Not really.." Lily's voice drifted off as she looked around at the stands and saw almost all of Hogwarts watching.
"Good." James said as he patted her on the back, and trotted off to meet the Captain of the Slytherin team at center field.
The stands were a blur of color and noise.
She watched James somberly shake the hand of the Slytherin captain. Then the teams straddled their brooms, waiting for Madam Hooch's signal. She blew the whistle and they were off.
The Quaffle was tossed up and the Slytherins snatched it first and zoomed toward the goal posts, knocking Gryffindors out of their way as they went.
Lily snatched it as the captain tried to toss the ball to a teammate, and rushed toward the opposite goal, and scored.
Cheers erupted from the Gryffindors.
"Wow, first goal is made by the Gryffindors' new replacement player, Lily Evans!" Lily had to fight a grin as she heard the announcer.
"Now Slytherin's in possession, Edmond Harris is going for a goal, but thrown off course by a bludger."
Chris stole the Quaffle and passed to Lily who headed again toward the goal, but passed to Rachel as several Slytherins began to close in on her.
".and Gryffindor scores again!"
"Nice one Rachel!" James shouted.
"Gryffindor leads 20 to 0!"
James was circling the field, bent on finding the snitch before Slytherin could make a goal. Every now and then, James glanced at the Slytherin's seeker. Jake Cromwell. He was smaller than James, and quick as a bullet but had no tactic. James knew he had to find the snitch first.
"Gryffindor scores again! Better get moving, Slytherin."
(a/n: I know this game stinks but bear with me.)
Then James saw it. The glint of gold just darted behind Lily. The Slytherins seeker was on the other side of the field, now was his chance.
In a flash, James blew past Lily. She spun around to watch him, and noticed the Slytherin gaining quickly on him. To avoid him James took a steep dive for the snitch-
"Lily, watch out!" Lily, (who had been too swept up in James' amazing flying skills, had neglected to realized the danger of parking in the middle of a quidditch game) spun around and felt the dramatic impact of a bludger in her side.
She jolted and gripped her side, and her eyes welled with tears. Her teammate Chris flew to her aid. He steadied her on her broom, just as cheers erupted from the Gryffindors.
They had won. James was gripping the snitch in his fist as Jake looked on with a venomous glare.
James was basking in his glory, when he saw Lily being guided down by Chris as she grasped her side. James dropped the snitch and ran over to them.
"What happened?!" James shouted as he ran over to her and helped sit her down on the ground.
"I- I think it cracked my ribs." She said stifling her tears.
Seeing her tears made his knees weak.
"Oh no--" James said and kneeled down in front of her. The rest of the team was down now and crowded around her.
Madam Hooch and Madam Pomfree , pushed their way through the crowd and helped Lily up and back toward the castle.
James was following quickly behind them, as Vanessa Chang caught up to him.
"JAMES! Where are you going? You didn't even wait for me, James! What is going on?" Vanessa pouted.
"Look Vanessa, this is not a good time." He said quickening his pace.
"What do you mean not a good time? I am your girlfriend and if you know what is best for you, you'll make time!" She screeched.
James slowed to a halt.
"What?! What's so important that I can't even go take care of my injured friend?!" James yelled.
"You know what, I am sick of HER getting all of the attention! I don't understand what has gotten into you lately, and like when you shoved me out of your way the other day."
She looked up at James with the best puppy dog eyes she could summon up, and bit her lip. "You just *sniffle* told me you were looking for Lily. and and pushed right passed me Jamsie." She actually got tears to come to her eyes and she went to hug James but he pulled her off.
"Look-- I don't have the time or patience to discuss this with you right now." And he jogged back towards the castle leaving Vanessa very cranky indeed.
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a/n: ok I really hated that chapter. I just needed to get that awful quidditch game out of the way. But reviews are still very much appreciated! If you have some advice for quidditch games in the future, or plot flow suggestion let me know. I'm sorry that chapter took so long to get out!
Here it goes!
Disclaimer: I own only my plot and portrayal of the characters, which J.K. Rowling created.
Chapter 4: Gryffindor vs. Slytherin
"You. want me, to be the replacement player for your team?" Lily asked nervously.
"Yes. I saw you flying yesterday and. well, you're very good. We would make you a chaser." James said looking at the ground. "So will you?"
"Um, I'm not sure." Lily trailed off`, but said (when she saw James' pleading glance) "alright."
James and Lily went to the Gryffindor tower, where James introduced Lily to his team. Several people looked at her skeptically as they went off to the Quidditch field to practice with their new chaser, and (in some cases) see if she was any good.
On the way to the field Sam pulled James aside and whispered, "James, is this girl as good as you say she is? Because I don't think it's wise to make her the replacement only because you think she's hot-"
"Look, Sam." James said grabbing Sam by the collar, "I'm the captain. I say she plays, and nothing you say can change that. She's good. And that's the reason I picked her." With that James let him go and spun back around, toward the field.
Sam stood stunned. How could he have made James that angry over such a small thing? Maybe he really did like the girl. After few seconds Sam rejoined the rest of the team.
_-*-_*-*_-*_*-*_*-*_*-*_
That night Lily returned to her dorm sweaty and in high spirits. Their practice was long and hard but she loved it. She had never played Quidditch with anyone but herself and this experience was much different than that. She loved to watch Quidditch games but had never had anyone to play with. Lily showered quickly and pulled on her Pajamas. Then she sat by her window and gazed at the vivid moon and stars.
Her thoughts drifted to her overwhelming day. and she eventually fell asleep with her head cradled in her arms.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
James' sleep was restless and after much tossing and turning he sat straight up in bed. His watch read 5:30am. James realized that he had forgotten to go over some of the strategies with Lily that they used against Slytherin. He rolled out of bed and pulled on his dark jeans, a white collard shirt and a black sweater over it. He pulled on his black boots and lastly pulled a comb through his thick hair.
He wandered out of his dorm and toward the fifth year girl's dormitory. He carefully let himself in and his eyes quickly scanned the room for Lily.
He found her curled up by the window, with her head resting on her arm. He went to shake her awake but stopped himself when he saw the tranquil look on her face.
Her pale skin looked porcelain under the waxing moon. Her lips were slightly parted and he could hear her soft breathing. He could have stood there all night watching the luminous scene. James shook his head as if returning from a dream then pulled the covers from her bed and draped them over her still form.
He really didn't need to tell her about the tactics they used on the Slytherins because one- they were rather obvious, and two, she was a quidditch fan and watched games and probably caught on quickly to tactics. He could also go over them with her briefly at breakfast.
Maybe he was just using it as an excuse to see her.
*))*))*))*))*))*))*))*))*))*))*))*))*))*))*))*))*))*))*))
After a quick breakfast the Gryffindor team went to locker rooms to get on their uniforms. James gave Lily her own red Quidditch robe, wrist and knee guards.
She found a quiet corner and pulled on the robe, and strapped on the other gear while listening to James' pep talk.
"This is it." James began, "The biggest game of the year. I know that Sean's injury was hard on all of us, but we'll catch them off guard when they see how good we are even after losing a great player like Sean. Those slimy Slytherin won't know what hit 'em!" The team shouted gaily then James continued, " Their strategy is pure strength and force, but they'll soon see that what you really need is a team full of clever, reliable, and brave people.."
Lily's mind wandered as she looked around at the grinning faces of the Gryffindor team.
He sure is good talking in front of people. He knows exactly what to say to get 'em revved up. I wonder what he's thinking on the inside..
Lily's thoughts were soon broken by some more shouts of glee. The team started to run out onto the field. Lily followed, and James slowed his pace to be beside Lily.
"So. Are ya nervous?" James asked.
"No. Not really.." Lily's voice drifted off as she looked around at the stands and saw almost all of Hogwarts watching.
"Good." James said as he patted her on the back, and trotted off to meet the Captain of the Slytherin team at center field.
The stands were a blur of color and noise.
She watched James somberly shake the hand of the Slytherin captain. Then the teams straddled their brooms, waiting for Madam Hooch's signal. She blew the whistle and they were off.
The Quaffle was tossed up and the Slytherins snatched it first and zoomed toward the goal posts, knocking Gryffindors out of their way as they went.
Lily snatched it as the captain tried to toss the ball to a teammate, and rushed toward the opposite goal, and scored.
Cheers erupted from the Gryffindors.
"Wow, first goal is made by the Gryffindors' new replacement player, Lily Evans!" Lily had to fight a grin as she heard the announcer.
"Now Slytherin's in possession, Edmond Harris is going for a goal, but thrown off course by a bludger."
Chris stole the Quaffle and passed to Lily who headed again toward the goal, but passed to Rachel as several Slytherins began to close in on her.
".and Gryffindor scores again!"
"Nice one Rachel!" James shouted.
"Gryffindor leads 20 to 0!"
James was circling the field, bent on finding the snitch before Slytherin could make a goal. Every now and then, James glanced at the Slytherin's seeker. Jake Cromwell. He was smaller than James, and quick as a bullet but had no tactic. James knew he had to find the snitch first.
"Gryffindor scores again! Better get moving, Slytherin."
(a/n: I know this game stinks but bear with me.)
Then James saw it. The glint of gold just darted behind Lily. The Slytherins seeker was on the other side of the field, now was his chance.
In a flash, James blew past Lily. She spun around to watch him, and noticed the Slytherin gaining quickly on him. To avoid him James took a steep dive for the snitch-
"Lily, watch out!" Lily, (who had been too swept up in James' amazing flying skills, had neglected to realized the danger of parking in the middle of a quidditch game) spun around and felt the dramatic impact of a bludger in her side.
She jolted and gripped her side, and her eyes welled with tears. Her teammate Chris flew to her aid. He steadied her on her broom, just as cheers erupted from the Gryffindors.
They had won. James was gripping the snitch in his fist as Jake looked on with a venomous glare.
James was basking in his glory, when he saw Lily being guided down by Chris as she grasped her side. James dropped the snitch and ran over to them.
"What happened?!" James shouted as he ran over to her and helped sit her down on the ground.
"I- I think it cracked my ribs." She said stifling her tears.
Seeing her tears made his knees weak.
"Oh no--" James said and kneeled down in front of her. The rest of the team was down now and crowded around her.
Madam Hooch and Madam Pomfree , pushed their way through the crowd and helped Lily up and back toward the castle.
James was following quickly behind them, as Vanessa Chang caught up to him.
"JAMES! Where are you going? You didn't even wait for me, James! What is going on?" Vanessa pouted.
"Look Vanessa, this is not a good time." He said quickening his pace.
"What do you mean not a good time? I am your girlfriend and if you know what is best for you, you'll make time!" She screeched.
James slowed to a halt.
"What?! What's so important that I can't even go take care of my injured friend?!" James yelled.
"You know what, I am sick of HER getting all of the attention! I don't understand what has gotten into you lately, and like when you shoved me out of your way the other day."
She looked up at James with the best puppy dog eyes she could summon up, and bit her lip. "You just *sniffle* told me you were looking for Lily. and and pushed right passed me Jamsie." She actually got tears to come to her eyes and she went to hug James but he pulled her off.
"Look-- I don't have the time or patience to discuss this with you right now." And he jogged back towards the castle leaving Vanessa very cranky indeed.
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a/n: ok I really hated that chapter. I just needed to get that awful quidditch game out of the way. But reviews are still very much appreciated! If you have some advice for quidditch games in the future, or plot flow suggestion let me know. I'm sorry that chapter took so long to get out!