a/n: Your first (and last, sadly, for this book) real taste of Quidditch is in this chapter. I am sad to say that I cannot write any kind of sport very well — my usual way out of it is to do a sort of "fade to black" idea that I unfortunately couldn't use in this case. I was so horrible at writing this that I think I had writer's block for about three months and eventually had to have my friend help me quite a lot to the end of the Quidditch. So then, this chapter is dedicated to her.
The part in the last chapter when the Grey Lady was beginning to get flustered when forced to recount her death is never actually explained in this book. I believe what I was trying to get at was the fact that JKR had said that the Grey Lady was based on Lady Jane Grey who was beheaded (by a Muggle! How embarrassing!).
T H E C O M M E N T A T O R S
O
n a cold, crisp, November morning, Siandra saw, while walking with Claire out of Herbology, a sign pinned on the doorway announcing the first quidditch match of the season. It was to be Hufflepuff against Ravenclaw and as soon as she saw the sign, she decided that she was going to be supporting Ravenclaw. She made a lot of excuses for this, including that Ravenclaw was better, that she had relatives who had been in Ravenclaw, and things like that, all of which were true. And almost everyone agreed with her: Ravenclaw was better than Hufflepuff.
There was excitement stirring in the air as the Quidditch match approached. Whenever Siandra looked out of her dormitory window, either Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff was wearing brightly-colored robes splattered with mud. That wasn't counting the Gryffindor and Slytherin teams. Even though the upcoming match wasn't with them, the still hadn't forgotten that their turn would be soon. Many a night the Gryffindor team trudged up to the common panting, and collapsed into the vacant armchairs. When the evening before the Ravenclaw versus Hufflepuff Quidditch match came around, the whole castle seemed to hang heavy with tense excitement. During breaks between classes, most of the first year Gryffindor girls tramped up to the dormitory to get everything ready for the next day.
"I can't believe that I can't find any blue robes! Does anyone have any that I could borrow?" moaned Siandra.
"You don't need blue robes do go for Ravenclaw, I'm just wearing a blue hair tie," consoled Lily.
"They'll hardly be able to see that from flying on a broom!" Siandra was hoping for something a little more standing-out.
"You can have some of my knotgrass and dye it blue," offered Molly, handing her a large portion of her potion set.
Siandra looked skeptically at the weeds, "Er…what am I supposed to do with them?"
"Well…you could braid them and pin them to your hair. I don't know! Do what you want with them," said Molly, shrugging as she fished out a box or hair ribbons from her trunk. Siandra didn't think that she wanted to look like a scarecrow and contented herself with doing something else.
The rest of the day seemed to pass very slowly for the Gryffindors and the rest of the school too. Most people, Siandra included, barely thought that classes surpassed the pre-match atmosphere where Quidditch was the most important thing on everyone's mind.
Their last class was Transfiguration, with Professor Comora. Siandra and the rest of the first years were chatting after the bell to waste time in order to make the evening pass faster. Siandra's necklace from a secret admirer was still on everyone's mind and they expressed various theories about it. Most people thought it was from some older student that Siandra didn't know that was 'enchanted by the becoming first-year'.
After what seemed like sixteen hours, but was really only four, the Gryffindors climbed through the portrait of the fat lady (after saying the password, "Hum-de-do") and collapsed into the soft chairs. However, they were not exhausted. The chatter about the next day's match continued. Over half of the Gryffindors thought that Ravenclaws would win, and they thought with good reason.
"The Hufflepuffs haven't won for about half a century!" argued Sirius, holding a large Quidditch statistics book.
"So?" retorted the concerned third-year who had asked them about their schedules on the first day, "That doesn't have anything to do with their performance now! They've got Davey Gudgeon! You know, he shouldn't really be in Hufflepuff, he's really brave, you know!"
It seemed to Siandra like the third-year was supporting Hufflepuff, so it was surprising when the third-year continued, "But I'm going to be supporting Ravenclaw."
"Why?" asked Siandra before she could stop herself.
"Well…er…certain reasons," the third-year stated dreamily, looking toward the ceiling. Siandra gave her an encouraging smile. When it must have been after midnight, there was a motion behind the portrait hole and within minutes, while the whole of the common room transfixed upon the hole, Professor Pimea emerged, looking menacing.
"What is this?" she asked calmly, but clearly suppressing anger, "Why are you up so late. Oh yes…Quidditch."
She paused, slowly breathing in, and then her gaze met Siandra's. She stared coldly at her, as if surveying her, her eyes narrowed in to slits. As she seemed to be measuring Siandra up, Siandra's thoughts darted unwillingly to the mysterious necklace, hidden in her cabinet drawer and locked with the silver key.
"Go to bed now, students. Quidditch certainly isn't as important as lessons, and when you become well learned, you will understand that Quidditch merely falls into a category of childish dreams. I will expect you to be in bed by twelve-fifteen. Good night," she ended harshly and crisply walked out of the dormitory. There was some frantic scurrying around as everyone scuttled to get into his or her beds as not to be reprimanded by Professor Pimea. Siandra ran up the spiral staircase and hurriedly climbed into bed. She hadn't before remembered Professor Pimea as being that mean and strict. Leanne turned off all of the lights before anyone was actually ready to go to bed and the whole of Gryffindor house was suddenly darkened. Siandra stayed awake, pondering. She heard the scuffling behind the portrait hole again and some one's clicking shoes walking around the common room below her. She heard them clunk up the bare wooden, chipped boys' staircase and she supposed that she was checking the boys' dormitories. Siandra listened intently, and soon hear them clunk back down. They were in the common room, and then there were the soft and small steps up the worn carpet. She knew that her dormitory was first, and soon she heard the hollow creak of the door opening and a sliver of light came through. Siandra dug herself deeply under the covers and tried to still her movements and pretend that she was asleep. Somehow, it must have slipped into real sleep because she never heard Professor Pimea leave the dormitory and soon she was having a dream.
There was Professor Pimea standing in robes that looked like the ceiling in the Great Hall and she was demanding that Siandra give her the necklace. When Siandra refused, Professor Pimea threw the sky-like cape over Siandra's head and she dissolved into the floor. Siandra woke up with a start, feeling as though there was something about that necklace that she couldn't quite place. She groggily walked over to the silver water pitcher by the large window and poured herself a glass of cold water. She slowly took the water, while drinking it, back to her bedside table, got into bed, and soon fell asleep.
Despite their nighttime arousing, the Gryffindors woke up bright and early the next morning. They walked together cheerfully down to breakfast and ate quite a lot of it in tense excitement. Siandra could see Sennin pushing a large plate, overflowing with eggs, toward the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain and the captain refusing it. She wondered how much her nerves would act up if she was on a team.
Nine o'clock seemed to come much too soon and she and Claire stood up from the table and hurried to get a good seat in the stands. Claire was busy talking to her about how she had never been to a Hogwarts game and she wondered what it would be like. Siandra wondered too. It turned out that they were definitely early. There were only a few seats taken, so they easily made their way to a good spot on the stands.
Siandra had brought A Quidditch Handbook to the match and planned to read it if the match didn't start right away. As she read, the stadium filled up with people. A few people had even dyed their hair blue or yellow or painted their faces, so Siandra didn't feel self-conscious at all about what she had finally decided to wear. She had borrowed a very big floppy blue hat from a Hufflepuff girl named Bertha Jorkins who had accidentally ordered two.
Even though she brought the handbook, she wasn't concentrating on it. She had been to Quidditch matches before with her parents, and she was always exited about them. She had adorned the walls of the spare bedroom up with posters that she had gotten from previous matches and had a large collection of Quidditch memorabilia at the bottom of her trunk.
Claire nudged Siandra and pointed to a newly set up dais between the stands.
"Is he the commentator?" Claire asked in disbelief. A bored-looking boy with sloppy-looking, muffled brown hair had trudged slowly to the platform. He groped for the purple magical megaphone as if he was half-asleep, and he probably was.
"Good evening ladies and gentleman and welcome to the first annual Quidditch match," he drawled monotonously, "I'm sure that the Ravenclaw and Slytherin players have practiced hard this April so sit back and enjoy the film."
Claire's eyes were struck on him in disbelief. After a blow from Madam Hooch's whistle, the players flew into the air.
"I'm sure that their meal of ham and broccoli helped them run so fast. Oh look. Gryffindor scores. Now the score is two hundred and eighty-eight to five for Beuxbatons —"
"AAARRRGGHHH!" roared Claire, "Who gave this genius his brains?"
He happened to be telling them just then.
"My mother dropped me on my head when I was little didn't hurt in the least. It's the ham and broccoli, like I said it makes you strong."
Siandra wasn't paying attention to the commentator.
"The Durmstrang keeper is shown the red card. Look, what an excellent pass he passed. He's a superb seeker. Oh, look. The beater has gone into a dive. He's seen the quaffle."
The seeker had indeed gone into a dive, thinking that he had seen the snitch. Someone's hand closed around the tiny golden ball and —
"FOUL!" screamed Madam Hooch. It was of course a foul, and surprisingly by Hufflepuff. The Hufflepuffs' chaser, Lenna Orlin, had known that unless their seeker put on a sudden burst of speed, the capture was hopeless, and so she caught it herself.
" — Waffles are proven to contain considerable amounts of Vitamin C and are eaten every day by professional Quidditch players like the ones you are viewing today — "
It didn't look like anyone was enjoying, or even listening to the commentator. Perhaps he was awake when he tried out for the job. But Claire and Siandra had had enough. Ducking low so to not block others' view, Claire and Siandra scurried across the stands to the dais.
"EXCUSE ME MR. COMMENTATOR?" asked Siandra in a very loud voice, "WE ARE GOING TO TAKE OVER YOUR JOB NOW. THANK YOU."
Claire pressed him away from the platform and tugged the megaphone out of his grip. He didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, he slumped against the stands and started to snore.
"Hufflepuff in possession! Ooh, and Carol nearly takes the Quaffle but Eie swerves out of the way just in time!" Claire yelled.
Siandra put her head near the megaphone, "Hufflepuff's chaser Eie speeds towards the goalposts with the quaffle in hand…and enters the scoring area. It's just one on one now, as Eie will attempt to beat the Ravenclaw keeper. These Hufflepuff chasers seem very unpredictable. Sometimes they will have very acute aim, and sometimes they will miss a house two feet away. Eie throws the quaffle and — "
"YES!" yelled Siandra and Claire at the same time, "SHE DOESN'T SCORE!"
"Er, sorry about that," continued Siandra, "Eie is stopped by an excellent move from the Ravenclaw keeper and the quaffle is immediately taken by what's-his-name, of Ravenclaw. What's that? Oh, sorry, the Ravenclaw chaser Goodell immediately claims possession of the quaffle. He passes to Hill who — ooh, misses! But never mind that, the Ravenclaws are still in the lead with a stunning score of thirty to nothing. And — "
"Was that the snitch?" interrupted Claire, "Hufflepuff seeker Torney dives down accompanied by Johnson of the Ravenclaws not far behind — "
Siandra was glad that she wasn't commentating. Johnson was gaining on Torney, he was ahead, he raced downwards, held his hand out for the snitch and —
"YYYYYYEEEEEESSSSS!" shouted Claire and Siandra. Siandra continued, "Ravenclaw wins by a shocking one hundred and eighty to nothing! RAVENCLAW WINS!" she yelled over the turmoil of the Ravenclaw fans, "AND THE HUFFLEPUFF SUPPORTERS ARE SHAKING HANDS WITH RAVENCLAWS! A NEVER-SEEN-BEFORE WIN, BY ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY, WOW!"
After both Claire and Siandra had happily shouted the results, they left the megaphone on the stand and hurried off into the castle.
"Wow, I can't believe that I was the commentator for Quidditch — that was awesome!" said Claire.
"Yeah, I just can't believe that other guy actually got picked for the — erm, hello Professor Pimea."
They had been so busy talking that they had not noticed Professor Pimea looming in front of them.
"Come with me!" she said tugging them into a nearby office. Before they got to the office however, she whispered, "Stay angry."
A figure with a blue hooded velvet cloak looked up from the desk. It was Professor Comora.
"Viviana, you have seen the Quidditch match, have you not?"
Professor Pimea scrutinized Professor Comora with one of her unblinking stares and, to Siandra's surprise, Professor Comora matched it and, without waiting for her to answer, said, "Then I will leave them with you to have the appropriate measures taken. Ordinarily, since I am their head of house, I would do it, however, I have other business to attend to."
And with a swish of her cloak, she walked out the door.
Professor Comora looked straight at them.
"Now, I have a good idea what Elena meant by the 'appropriate measures'. You have interrupted (erm) choice commentators whom the staff have specifically chosen to guide us while we watch Quidditch and you, by no authority of us, have deprived them of the rights chosen by us."
Claire and Siandra tensed and got ready for a severe reprimand possibly detention.
"But, just a warning will do for now, because I'm sure that we all appreciated it. And oh, I almost forgot, commentating trials for the next match are December first."
Amazed with their good luck, Siandra and Claire ran out of the office and up to the common room to celebrate with the rest of the Gryffindor students.