Author's Notes: Sorry it took so long. Just please review ok!
Chapter One.
The Quidditch League
Halloween brought a cheer to the castle that the impending doom of Voldemort had kept at bay since the beginning of term. The day off classes as a special treat from Dumbledore meant that everybody had spent the day either lounging in the common room, watching the decorations being put up in the hall, or catching up on unfinished homework for after the weekend. Harry and Ron spent the first half of the day catching up on the copious amounts of homework they had received from Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick, while Hermione sat charming her knitting needles to knit small jumpers for the House Elves she still hadn't freed. Harry still hadn't had the courage to tell her that Dobby had taken all the clothes for himself and Winky, so she kept on knitting, sure that she was doing the House Elves a service.
When the mountain of homework had reduced itself to a small molehill, Harry traipsed upstairs and grabbed his Firebolt and Broom Servicing kit, setting about making his Firebolt good as new. Ron, once finishing his homework, had run off down to the library to grab a copy of Quidditch Through the ages, and was proceeding to read through it for some helpful tips.
"Harry, did you know there are seven hundred different ways of fouling?" Ron asked in awe as they sat quietly in their favourite seats by the fire.
"No," Harry replied slowly. "but you know the Slytherin team has used every single one of them… twice." Ron snorted with laughter, turning back to the book. After a second he burst out laughing again.
"What?" Harry and Hermione chorused, looking up from their tasks.
"There has never been a full list of these fouls given out because the ministry believe that players might get ideas." Ron laughed. "Do you think this was when Fudge became minister? It sounds like him to be worried about people using things against him." Harry laughed, though Hermione looked bored.
"Obviously not Ron, it says they've never given a list, and Quidditch has been around long before Fudge became Minister." She replied seriously. Harry and Ron exchanged humoured looks, but decided not to say anything.
It wasn't long before Neville greeted them by the fire.
"Are you three coming down to the Great Hall? The Feast is starting soon." With a murmur of ascent, they packed away their things and put them in their dormitories to make their way to the feast.
The Great Hall, as always, looked fabulous for Halloween. Giant glowing pumpkins lighted the tables with various faces carved into them. Large and dauntingly real cobwebs hung from the ceilings, causing Ron to grip Harry's sleeve and ask him if Hagrid could have asked Aragog to make them. Every so often, a bat would appear from the enchanted ceiling, fly around the hall and disappear into the sky again, and at one point, Harry was sure that he saw a black cat strolling absently between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables.
Once everyone was seated, Dumbledore stood and ushered for silence. He need not have bothered, for once he began speaking, the hall fell silent instantly, listening intently.
"Good evening to you all, and I hope you all enjoyed your free day." An appreciative sigh came from all the fifth years around the hall and Harry wished he could have a free day last year. "I have some news to clear up the confusion to do with the Quidditch Cup." A murmur began rising in the hall, and Ron leaned over to Harry.
"Finally!" He muttered excitedly as Hermione proceeded to 'shush' him.
"Now, This year, there will be no Quidditch Cup."
"WHAT?" Roughly everyone involved in Quidditch had yelled at this, making Dumbledore laugh, as quite a few of the teachers jumped at the unexpected uproar.
"Everyone calm down. Now, this year is a very special year. Once every ten years, there is what we call, The Quidditch League. Now, this is not an ordinary Quidditch Competition, it is a competition involving every Wizarding school in the world. In other words, it is the World Cup for the Wizarding Schools."
An excited murmur once again began rising among the students, causing Professor McGonagall to give her stern silencing glare.
"I'm afraid to announce that only people on the school Quidditch Teams at the moment will be able to compete for this wonderful opportunity. We will be sending fourteen people to compete, seven for our starting team, and seven for reserves." Even McGonagall's piercing stare could not silence the students now, as Dumbledore's voice grew louder to drown them out. "Next Saturday, the four teams will be playing an incredibly special and incredibly different game of Quidditch. So on this note, we will need the four captains to come and see Madam Hooch at the end of the feast for instructions. Now, let's eat."
The excited voices were soon joined by the clattering of plates, knives, forks, spoons, and cups, as the feast appeared on the tables. Harry leaned forward, grabbing a plate of chicken legs and helping himself to one before looking around for some potatoes, which turned out to be in Ron's hand as he spooned himself a rather large spoonful.
"So, what do you think this different Quidditch is?" Ron asked, looking at Harry. Harry shrugged and turned to Hermione, who stared back at him.
"What?" She asked defensively. "How should I know?"
"Are you telling me, you do not have the answer to something?" Ron asked, almost dropping the plate of potatoes. Harry grabbed them off him quickly and began putting a few on his plate.
"Ron, if you haven't noticed, I don't pay that much attention to Quidditch." Hermione replied snappishly.
"But you have Hogwarts a History imprinted on your brain, doesn't it say anything about this?"
"No."
"If this happens every ten years, surely one of your brother's was here during the last one?" Harry commented, helping himself to a goblet full of pumpkin juice. Ron dropped his knife and fork and began counting quickly on his fingers.
"No." He replied disappointedly. "Charlie would have left the year before."
"Bummer." Harry replied, shoving a spoonful of potatoes into his mouth. "So whaddya fink 't cud be?" Harry gave him a sour disgusted look, and he fell quiet.
"I don't know." Ron replied. "But I wish Fred and George were here. They'd definitely be the beaters." He groaned. "There's no way I'll get on the team."
"Don't say that." Hermione cooed, patting him on the shoulder. "You're an excellent Keeper."
"Yeah right. You didn't even see!" Ron replied in a disgruntled way. "Oh well, at least Harry will get on the team!"
"What makes you say that?" Harry asked quickly.
"Oh come on. You're the best seeker in this school! Way better than Malfoy." Hermione snarled angrily as a loud burst of laughter came from the Slytherin table.
"Yeah mate!" Ron replied happily. "That'll put Malfoy and his cronies in their place."
They continued to talk about the upcoming Quidditch league until Dumbledore stood and ushered for silence once again." Harry leaned on the table, after eating his third helping of Treacle Sponge; he was feeling quite tired and sleepy.
"As a reminder, could all the Quidditch Captains come and see Madam Hooch. Goodnight."
Dumbledore took his seat and the scraping of chairs almost drowned Ron out as he leaned over the table to Harry and Hermione.
"Make sure all the Quidditch team wait in the common room." He told them before hurrying off to Madam Hooch, where Malfoy was already standing smugly. Harry slipped through the crowds to find the other members of the team. Reaching the Common Room, he found them all sitting by the fire already.
"Oh, I was looking for you guys." Harry smiled. "Ron wants a word when he gets here."
"We guessed as much." Ginny grinned.
The silence was excruciating as they waited for Ron. No one seemed to want to talk, and even Harry's hopes of being picked to play were fleeting even more than they were in the Great Hall. After about twenty minutes of silence, a creak and a slight 'oomph' signalled Ron's return. With everyone looking at him expectantly, Ron took a seat next to Harry.
"Well, it certainly will be different on Saturday." He commented slowly.
"What's going on?" Andrew Kirke asked.
"It's one big game." Ron replied in a rather hollow way. "All four teams; all playing at once."
"How does that even work?" Ginny's baffled voice came slowly.
"I have no idea." Ron replied. "Madam Hooch said she wasn't giving any pointers to anyone. We had to work out a game plan ourselves as she wouldn't be around for the League."
"There are only two sets of hoops." Jack Sloper argued curiously. "Who's meant to score where?"
"As I said, I don't know." Ron replied slowly. "Now, everyone get to bed. I booked the pitch for tomorrow weeks ago, so Slytherin can't use some lame ass excuse. We start at nine." All grumbling about the early start, they got up and walked off to bed, Ron and Harry left sat in the common room alone.
"Ron…"
"Yeah?"
"You want to get my dad's cloak?"
"Thought you'd never ask, mate!" Harry took the stairs three at a time, slowing when he got to the dormitory to make sure he didn't wake the others. Pulling his cloak out of his trunk, he crept back downstairs to where Ron was waiting. Climbing out of the Portrait hole, they swung the cloak over themselves before it shut so that the Fat Lady wouldn't know who had opened her after nine o'clock. They had to go very slowly, as it was now almost impossible for the two of them to walk normally under the cloak. Finally making it out of the Front doors, they made their way as quickly as possible to the Quidditch Stadium. Walking out into the stadium, they could hardly believe their eyes. Instead of the large oval pitch, it had been changed to a completely circular pitch, almost four times the size of the ordinary pitch. Four sets of goal posts were now spaced like the twelve, three, six, and nine numbers of a clock, and four sets of doors went to four different changing rooms.
While Harry stared dumbstruck, Ron had gone from under the cloak and was walking to the centre of the pitch. He was staring around as if the stadium was his worst nightmare, and in a way, Harry could see where he was coming from. There would be twelve chasers for Ron to worry about, not to mention eight beaters. Harry really felt relieved he was a Seeker due to being able to stay out of the way, but the thought of having to find the Snitch though all those people on such a huge pitch was going to be hell. Not to mention stopping the other three Seekers finding it first. This really would be hell. Walking over to Ron, slipping out of the cloak, he patted Ron on the shoulder.
"We'll be fine mate." Harry assured him, also trying to assure himself. "At least this time it doesn't matter if we win."
"Yeah." Ron replied quietly. "Yeah we just have to play our best. Everyone for themselves."
"No." Harry replied softly. "If we work as a team as you've been showing us in practice, then they'll see we can work together and we'll more likely get picked."
"Just promise me one thing mate." Ron smirked, clapping Harry on the shoulder. "Make Malfoy look like a complete arse."
"Oh believe me," Harry replied laughing. "I'll try my best."
*~*~*~*~*
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Chapter One.
The Quidditch League
Halloween brought a cheer to the castle that the impending doom of Voldemort had kept at bay since the beginning of term. The day off classes as a special treat from Dumbledore meant that everybody had spent the day either lounging in the common room, watching the decorations being put up in the hall, or catching up on unfinished homework for after the weekend. Harry and Ron spent the first half of the day catching up on the copious amounts of homework they had received from Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick, while Hermione sat charming her knitting needles to knit small jumpers for the House Elves she still hadn't freed. Harry still hadn't had the courage to tell her that Dobby had taken all the clothes for himself and Winky, so she kept on knitting, sure that she was doing the House Elves a service.
When the mountain of homework had reduced itself to a small molehill, Harry traipsed upstairs and grabbed his Firebolt and Broom Servicing kit, setting about making his Firebolt good as new. Ron, once finishing his homework, had run off down to the library to grab a copy of Quidditch Through the ages, and was proceeding to read through it for some helpful tips.
"Harry, did you know there are seven hundred different ways of fouling?" Ron asked in awe as they sat quietly in their favourite seats by the fire.
"No," Harry replied slowly. "but you know the Slytherin team has used every single one of them… twice." Ron snorted with laughter, turning back to the book. After a second he burst out laughing again.
"What?" Harry and Hermione chorused, looking up from their tasks.
"There has never been a full list of these fouls given out because the ministry believe that players might get ideas." Ron laughed. "Do you think this was when Fudge became minister? It sounds like him to be worried about people using things against him." Harry laughed, though Hermione looked bored.
"Obviously not Ron, it says they've never given a list, and Quidditch has been around long before Fudge became Minister." She replied seriously. Harry and Ron exchanged humoured looks, but decided not to say anything.
It wasn't long before Neville greeted them by the fire.
"Are you three coming down to the Great Hall? The Feast is starting soon." With a murmur of ascent, they packed away their things and put them in their dormitories to make their way to the feast.
The Great Hall, as always, looked fabulous for Halloween. Giant glowing pumpkins lighted the tables with various faces carved into them. Large and dauntingly real cobwebs hung from the ceilings, causing Ron to grip Harry's sleeve and ask him if Hagrid could have asked Aragog to make them. Every so often, a bat would appear from the enchanted ceiling, fly around the hall and disappear into the sky again, and at one point, Harry was sure that he saw a black cat strolling absently between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables.
Once everyone was seated, Dumbledore stood and ushered for silence. He need not have bothered, for once he began speaking, the hall fell silent instantly, listening intently.
"Good evening to you all, and I hope you all enjoyed your free day." An appreciative sigh came from all the fifth years around the hall and Harry wished he could have a free day last year. "I have some news to clear up the confusion to do with the Quidditch Cup." A murmur began rising in the hall, and Ron leaned over to Harry.
"Finally!" He muttered excitedly as Hermione proceeded to 'shush' him.
"Now, This year, there will be no Quidditch Cup."
"WHAT?" Roughly everyone involved in Quidditch had yelled at this, making Dumbledore laugh, as quite a few of the teachers jumped at the unexpected uproar.
"Everyone calm down. Now, this year is a very special year. Once every ten years, there is what we call, The Quidditch League. Now, this is not an ordinary Quidditch Competition, it is a competition involving every Wizarding school in the world. In other words, it is the World Cup for the Wizarding Schools."
An excited murmur once again began rising among the students, causing Professor McGonagall to give her stern silencing glare.
"I'm afraid to announce that only people on the school Quidditch Teams at the moment will be able to compete for this wonderful opportunity. We will be sending fourteen people to compete, seven for our starting team, and seven for reserves." Even McGonagall's piercing stare could not silence the students now, as Dumbledore's voice grew louder to drown them out. "Next Saturday, the four teams will be playing an incredibly special and incredibly different game of Quidditch. So on this note, we will need the four captains to come and see Madam Hooch at the end of the feast for instructions. Now, let's eat."
The excited voices were soon joined by the clattering of plates, knives, forks, spoons, and cups, as the feast appeared on the tables. Harry leaned forward, grabbing a plate of chicken legs and helping himself to one before looking around for some potatoes, which turned out to be in Ron's hand as he spooned himself a rather large spoonful.
"So, what do you think this different Quidditch is?" Ron asked, looking at Harry. Harry shrugged and turned to Hermione, who stared back at him.
"What?" She asked defensively. "How should I know?"
"Are you telling me, you do not have the answer to something?" Ron asked, almost dropping the plate of potatoes. Harry grabbed them off him quickly and began putting a few on his plate.
"Ron, if you haven't noticed, I don't pay that much attention to Quidditch." Hermione replied snappishly.
"But you have Hogwarts a History imprinted on your brain, doesn't it say anything about this?"
"No."
"If this happens every ten years, surely one of your brother's was here during the last one?" Harry commented, helping himself to a goblet full of pumpkin juice. Ron dropped his knife and fork and began counting quickly on his fingers.
"No." He replied disappointedly. "Charlie would have left the year before."
"Bummer." Harry replied, shoving a spoonful of potatoes into his mouth. "So whaddya fink 't cud be?" Harry gave him a sour disgusted look, and he fell quiet.
"I don't know." Ron replied. "But I wish Fred and George were here. They'd definitely be the beaters." He groaned. "There's no way I'll get on the team."
"Don't say that." Hermione cooed, patting him on the shoulder. "You're an excellent Keeper."
"Yeah right. You didn't even see!" Ron replied in a disgruntled way. "Oh well, at least Harry will get on the team!"
"What makes you say that?" Harry asked quickly.
"Oh come on. You're the best seeker in this school! Way better than Malfoy." Hermione snarled angrily as a loud burst of laughter came from the Slytherin table.
"Yeah mate!" Ron replied happily. "That'll put Malfoy and his cronies in their place."
They continued to talk about the upcoming Quidditch league until Dumbledore stood and ushered for silence once again." Harry leaned on the table, after eating his third helping of Treacle Sponge; he was feeling quite tired and sleepy.
"As a reminder, could all the Quidditch Captains come and see Madam Hooch. Goodnight."
Dumbledore took his seat and the scraping of chairs almost drowned Ron out as he leaned over the table to Harry and Hermione.
"Make sure all the Quidditch team wait in the common room." He told them before hurrying off to Madam Hooch, where Malfoy was already standing smugly. Harry slipped through the crowds to find the other members of the team. Reaching the Common Room, he found them all sitting by the fire already.
"Oh, I was looking for you guys." Harry smiled. "Ron wants a word when he gets here."
"We guessed as much." Ginny grinned.
The silence was excruciating as they waited for Ron. No one seemed to want to talk, and even Harry's hopes of being picked to play were fleeting even more than they were in the Great Hall. After about twenty minutes of silence, a creak and a slight 'oomph' signalled Ron's return. With everyone looking at him expectantly, Ron took a seat next to Harry.
"Well, it certainly will be different on Saturday." He commented slowly.
"What's going on?" Andrew Kirke asked.
"It's one big game." Ron replied in a rather hollow way. "All four teams; all playing at once."
"How does that even work?" Ginny's baffled voice came slowly.
"I have no idea." Ron replied. "Madam Hooch said she wasn't giving any pointers to anyone. We had to work out a game plan ourselves as she wouldn't be around for the League."
"There are only two sets of hoops." Jack Sloper argued curiously. "Who's meant to score where?"
"As I said, I don't know." Ron replied slowly. "Now, everyone get to bed. I booked the pitch for tomorrow weeks ago, so Slytherin can't use some lame ass excuse. We start at nine." All grumbling about the early start, they got up and walked off to bed, Ron and Harry left sat in the common room alone.
"Ron…"
"Yeah?"
"You want to get my dad's cloak?"
"Thought you'd never ask, mate!" Harry took the stairs three at a time, slowing when he got to the dormitory to make sure he didn't wake the others. Pulling his cloak out of his trunk, he crept back downstairs to where Ron was waiting. Climbing out of the Portrait hole, they swung the cloak over themselves before it shut so that the Fat Lady wouldn't know who had opened her after nine o'clock. They had to go very slowly, as it was now almost impossible for the two of them to walk normally under the cloak. Finally making it out of the Front doors, they made their way as quickly as possible to the Quidditch Stadium. Walking out into the stadium, they could hardly believe their eyes. Instead of the large oval pitch, it had been changed to a completely circular pitch, almost four times the size of the ordinary pitch. Four sets of goal posts were now spaced like the twelve, three, six, and nine numbers of a clock, and four sets of doors went to four different changing rooms.
While Harry stared dumbstruck, Ron had gone from under the cloak and was walking to the centre of the pitch. He was staring around as if the stadium was his worst nightmare, and in a way, Harry could see where he was coming from. There would be twelve chasers for Ron to worry about, not to mention eight beaters. Harry really felt relieved he was a Seeker due to being able to stay out of the way, but the thought of having to find the Snitch though all those people on such a huge pitch was going to be hell. Not to mention stopping the other three Seekers finding it first. This really would be hell. Walking over to Ron, slipping out of the cloak, he patted Ron on the shoulder.
"We'll be fine mate." Harry assured him, also trying to assure himself. "At least this time it doesn't matter if we win."
"Yeah." Ron replied quietly. "Yeah we just have to play our best. Everyone for themselves."
"No." Harry replied softly. "If we work as a team as you've been showing us in practice, then they'll see we can work together and we'll more likely get picked."
"Just promise me one thing mate." Ron smirked, clapping Harry on the shoulder. "Make Malfoy look like a complete arse."
"Oh believe me," Harry replied laughing. "I'll try my best."
*~*~*~*~*
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