The Marauders' Years: Year One
Chapter 6
History of Magic and Quidditch
History of Magic class was, as usual, arguably the most boring event in the entirety of the Wizarding and Muggle worlds. The teacher, Professor Binns, was the only ghost teacher in the school.
This was the best class to do things other than pay attention, Professor Binns didn't really seem to notice that there were actually students in the room, sadly most couldn't resist the powerfully dull sound of his monotonous voice and soon succumbed to sleep.
-
Professor Binns floated through the blackboard and prepared to begin his class. James glanced at Sirius and Peter, raising an eyebrow in question. Remus hadn't shown up yet.
Sirius opened his mouth to ask or say something in response just as the door flew open with a bang. Frank, who had gotten an early start on sleep, was so startled that he fell out of his chair and muttered darkly as he got back up.
Binns glanced at Remus disdainfully as the boy shut the door then leaned against it breathing heavily.
"You are late, Mr. Errr…Ludwin."
"...Sorry..." Remus gasped. "It was Peeves, Sir, he wouldn't let me through."
The sound of Peeves cackling gleefully while chanting in a singsong voice floated into the classroom. James caught a few of the words 'Loony, loopy Lupin! Loony, loopy, Lupin!' and figured Peeves had gotten bored with their alliance.
"Should have got it in writing," Sirius whispered conspiratorially, to James.
James nodded at Sirius as Remus sat down in his usual seat next to Peter.
What followed was a long, drawn-out speech by Professor Binns on Dark Wizards of long ago, plus a small anecdote of Dumbledore's defeat of the Dark wizard Grindelwald. Surprisingly, this was one of the more interesting lessons, but most of the class still nodded off.
-
"There's a Quidditch match today, first one of the season!" Sirius announced, as the five boys exited the History of Magic classroom.
James blinked as this information was processed.
"I never really understood Quidditch..." Peter admitted.
"I never really cared for it." Remus added.
Needless to say, Frank, Sirius, and James were appalled.
Sirius smirked, somewhat evilly. "We'll have to fix that!"
As their dorm mates advanced on them, Remus and Peter glanced at each other in dismay.
-
Remus's head was reeling with facts about Quidditch as he climbed up to one of the high tower seats surrounding the Hogwarts' Quidditch stadium. He glanced over his shoulder at Peter who, judging from the dazed look on the slightly round boy's face, had just as much Quidditch information crammed into his skull as he did.
Remus wondered if perhaps their brains would explode if they were told another fact about the wizarding game. Remus's musings on Quidditch facts were cut short as the five boys reached their seats just as the game began.
"There's the Seeker!" James yelled over the initial cheers of the crowd. "His job is-"
"To catch the Snitch," Remus and Peter chorused dully.
James blinked at them a few times before the action of the game drew his gaze back to the Quidditch pitch.
"And they're off!" Yelled the commentator far below. "This'll be a great match! Gryffindor versus Slytherin!"
"That's Philip!" Sirius hollered to Remus and Peter over the fresh wave of cheers. "Phillip Sunter, he's the commentator!"
Remus nodded absently, this Quidditch stuff was more interesting than he'd given it credit.
"Gryffindor has the Quaffle and…oh, no! Slytherin Beaters, Hector and Dave Flint, have hit both Bludgers toward Gryffindor Keeper Mark Quoft..." The commentator cringed as the Gryffindor Keeper was pummelled by the Bludgers. "That was nasty! There goes Quoft! But Marry Hatson, Gryffindor Chaser, is almost to the Slytherin goal!"
The crowd seemed to hold their collective breath as the Gryffindor Chaser swerved to miss the Slytherin Chasers and a Bludger.
"She shoots, she……SCORES!" Philip yelled triumphantly, but was drowned out by the Gryffindors' cheers and the equally loud jeers of the Slytherins.
Marry Hatson was just getting ready to celebrate getting the first goal of the game, when all three Slytherin Chasers slammed into her in retaliation. Madam Hooch's whistle sounded as she rushed to the girl's aid.
"Boot them out of the game!" Philip cried, angrily. "Ban them from Quidditch, sack the whole Slytherin team!"
Philip quietened down a bit when Madam Hooch shot a death glare at him that could stop an angry troll dead, and soon the game had started up once again.
"Marry is outta the game due to injuries!" Philip announced. "The remaining Gryffindor Chasers will have to work extra hard, but at least they get a free shot at the goal.........and they've gotten another goal for Gryffindor!"
The game went on for about fifteen more minutes, Gryffindor scoring four more times and the Slytherins scoring only once. The remaining Gryffindor Chasers were fired up about Hatson being attacked.
Remus's gaze flickered across the field to the different players; he finally caught sight of the Gryffindor Seeker, who seemed to be going into a steep dive.
"Wish I was on the team." Sirius commented. "But there won't even be any openings till our third- the Seeker's seen the Snitch!"
James leaned forward in his seat, expectantly. "Get it!!!"
Philip spotted the Seeker as well, who had a nice head start on the Slytherin Seeker. "Johnson Blanken has spotted the Snitch! GO!!!"
Peter leaned forward over the rail in an effort to see what was happening.
"Sit back, Peter!" Remus warned seizing the back of Peter's robes and yanking him back as a Bludger barrelled past.
A sharp whistle broke through everyone's concentration, and directed his or her attention to the ground. McGonagall was holding a large magical megaphone.
"Everyone. The Quidditch match is being cancelled, I would like you all to-"
"You can't cancel it!" Mark Quoft cried, scrambling towards her, holding his stomach from where the Bludger had hit him. "We're about to win!"
"Gryffindor has the Snitch!!!" Philip let out a loud whoop of triumph as the Seeker grabbed the Snitch, his broom doing a few cartwheels before he could level it out.
"I repeat. The match has been cancelled."
Blanken almost fell off his broom at this, and Quoft nearly had a tantrum.
"You don't need to cancel it!" Quoft yelled angrily. "It's over! We won!!!"
"We'll discuss this later, Mr. Quoft. Proceed to your common room. Prefects! Keep your charges together!" McGonagall called sharply, giving Mark Quoft a withering glare.
-
"Hope they agree that Gryffindor won." James said as the five of them hurriedly walked toward the castle.
"Doubt it." Frank grumbled. "The Slytherins won't let 'em. They'll say they were distracted or some such bloody nonsense."
Nothing more was said until they reached the common room.
-
Most of the Gryffindors were milling about in the common room, and Sirius was just asking James if he was up for a game of wizards' chess when McGonagall rushed in, looking pale and drawn.
"As some of you may know," she began, straightening her lopsided hat. "Two Gryffindors have had encounters with…something. That would be Mr. Potter and Miss Blanchester."
Several Gryffindors turned to stare at Alice and James, curious as to how they tied in with the Quidditch match being cancelled.
"I'm here to announce," Professor McGonagall continued, drawing the Gryffindors' attention back to herself. "That a student was attacked by this something, this creature, during the Quidditch match."
"Who was it, Professor?" Johnson Blanken, who was still in his Quidditch robes, asked.
"Amelia Rinstone, a Ravenclaw." McGonagall answered.
Philip choked on the Butterbeer he was drinking, "Is she okay Professor?!"
McGonagall nodded curtly. "Yes, Mr. Sunter. Miss Rinstone is weak and unconscious, but alive. Luckily, she was found before the creature could do its worse. Now...I want every one of you to stay in the common room. No wandering the halls tonight. I want you all to travel in groups of five or more on your way to classes. Anyone found outside the common room before breakfast will run the danger of being expelled."
Sirius was aghast, "Why all the new rules?"
"Because, Mr. Black," McGonagall continued, looking down her square spectacles at Sirius, "Hogwarts is, at the moment, not completely safe."
-Jade-chan
