Chapter 5
Practice commenced a few days later and could only be described as
"interesting." Colin sincerely doubted that the other people in the park had
ever seen such a bizarre mix of teenagers, balls, and bats in their lives. He
knew he hadn't. He could only hope they'd get used to it over time. After a few
hours, though, Colin was thoroughly frustrated. He swung desperately at the
soccer ball that Dennis had sent hurling at him and Agnes had easily dodged.
"Umpf!" He hit it and it flew away..one foot...two feet...three feet...it was
around the third foot that it began to lose velocity and height. By the forth,
it hit the ground, bounced a bit then lay defiantly still. "That's it! I give
up!" He threw the bat down in disgust and walked up to the soccer ball and
kicked it. "If only you could kick the bludger instead of hit it, you would be
in good shape," Agnes commented as the ball soared across the park and landed in
some bushes, narrowly missing some picnickers. "Like I'd want to. The bludgers
are made out of iron. I'd break my foot before I'd kick it anywhere."
Agnes looked surprised. "Iron? And these things fly?"
"Yeah, it's called magic, remember? They're bewitched to try to hit the
nearest player and the Beaters, theoretically Dennis and I, have to hit them as
far away from the our players as possible while aiming at the players on the
other team."
Dennis came over to where the other two were standing and tore off the
facemask he had insisted on wearing. "Well, that wasn't so bad. I mean, in
comparison to the bowling ball, this one actually went somewhere." They had,
despite Agnes' looks of misgiving, decided to start off with a ball that would
be most like a bludger and it never occurred to them how accustomed they had
been to magic until the moment they tried hitting the darn thing. The ball had
promptly fallen down onto the ground, or rather, where the ground would have
been had Dennis' foot not been there instead. It was then that Agnes brought up
the point that in the "real world, you can't hit bowling balls with cricket bats
and expect to get any sort of result." Dennis had stopped swearing about his
foot long enough to tell her off, saying that if she knew of anything better,
she could just go ahead and help them. She had promptly turned around and left
the park, returning just as Colin was congratulating Dennis for getting rid of
her once and for all. She was the one who brought the variety of balls that
impressed Colin and now the three of them stood there staring at their remaining
options, trying to decide which ball to try next.
"We could try the cricket ball, I mean, they are made for cricket bats
after all. Then maybe people would stop giving us such strange looks," Agnes
suggested hopefully.
"And here I'd thought you were immune to strange looks," Colin mocked
"Only when pursuing rightfully nerdy pursuits. That doesn't count cricket
bats and bowling balls," she answered stuffily. "That's dotty."
Dennis frowned and picked up a tennis ball. "This might work, though
somehow it strikes me as something better used to train a really bad seeker..."
His stomach rumbled loudly and he threw the ball in a bad. "Here, I've got a
better idea. Why don't we take a break and go grab some lunch? I'm starved."
"We could go to my house," Agnes suggested quickly, "It's not to far
away." Colin gave Dennis a look telling him to refuse along with him but Dennis
simply grinned maliciously. "Sounds great," he answered. "Then we can finally
see your house." Agnes looked pleased and Colin, disgruntled.
"Okay, here are the sandwiches and drinks," Agnes announced, setting down
a tray with a flourish. "So what do you think?"
"Very...interesting," Colin said, glancing around her room. "Who's the
bloke you've got plastered all over your walls?"
Agnes blushed a bit as she handed out food. "That's Legolas," she
explained, "of the Woodland realm. One of the members of the Fellowship of the Ring."
Colin stared at it, rather unimpressed. "What's wrong with his ears?"
"He's an elf!" She exclaimed distraught. "Don't tell me you've never heard
of elves."
"Of course we have," Dennis answered hotly, taking a bit of his sandwich.
"It's just that real elves aren't quite as...tall. Or well dressed."
"Or well groomed," Colin added. "What exactly does he do with all that
long, flowing hair, anyway?"
She glared at them both. "He's an expert archer, if you must know, and one
of the most valuable members of the Fellowship." Colin couldn't help but smile.
"So this is a...Fellowship of the Ring, as you called it?"
"Oh, come on, you have to have heard of the Lord of the Rings," Agnes said
desperately, sitting down on her bed. "Everyone's heard of the Lord of the
Rings."
Colin searched his head. "Um...is he a jeweler?" He answered finally.
"NO! Really! A jeweler! How could you not know any of this, I mean, even
if you are a real magician-"
"Wizard," Colin cut in, annoyed.
"Wizard, you should still have heard of Tolkien's masterpieces. I'd think
they'd be assigned reading or something."
"Oh, so they're books..." Dennis said, fishing a copy off of the bookshelf
near his seat on the floor. "Blast, did he write enough there?"
"Don't you guys spend any time in the real world at all? I mean, not even
knowing about Lord of the Rings!"
Colin was highly offended. "The wizarding world is just as real as your
world is, even if the only place you muggles have encountered it is in fantasy
novels."
"You know what I mean. I just doesn't seem real that someone could exist
in a place where' they'd never even heard of Lord of the Rings. I mean it's
everywhere!"
"Everywhere but Hogwarts," Dennis told her. Agnes frowned.
"Well, I guess I'll just have to change that then. Here," she fished out a
couple of books off of another shelf. "This is from my loaner set; I keep them
specifically to loan out to people. I expect you to read it and report back."
The two of them stared at her in disbelief. Finally, Dennis leafed through
the books doubtfully before responding. "Look, if I wanted to read a book that
had poetry, long descriptions and that sort of thing in it, I would do my
History of Magic homework."
Colin groaned as Agnes perked up. "History of Magic? That sounds
intriguing! What's it about?"
"Well, generally speaking, it's about history....of magic."
"In practical terms," Colin broke in, "it's the most boring class on
Hogwarts' green grounds, covers mostly Goblin rebellions and is taught by the
most dull dead person I've ever had the pleasure of meeting."
Agnes forgot all about history. "Dead? You mean, he's a ghost?"
"Yes, though I suppose he would probably be less interesting were he
alive..."
"That's amazing! Ghosts really do exist then? I've got to go to Hogwarts!"
Colin sighed. Nothing it seemed would make Agnes less keen on the
wizarding world.
Practice commenced a few days later and could only be described as
"interesting." Colin sincerely doubted that the other people in the park had
ever seen such a bizarre mix of teenagers, balls, and bats in their lives. He
knew he hadn't. He could only hope they'd get used to it over time. After a few
hours, though, Colin was thoroughly frustrated. He swung desperately at the
soccer ball that Dennis had sent hurling at him and Agnes had easily dodged.
"Umpf!" He hit it and it flew away..one foot...two feet...three feet...it was
around the third foot that it began to lose velocity and height. By the forth,
it hit the ground, bounced a bit then lay defiantly still. "That's it! I give
up!" He threw the bat down in disgust and walked up to the soccer ball and
kicked it. "If only you could kick the bludger instead of hit it, you would be
in good shape," Agnes commented as the ball soared across the park and landed in
some bushes, narrowly missing some picnickers. "Like I'd want to. The bludgers
are made out of iron. I'd break my foot before I'd kick it anywhere."
Agnes looked surprised. "Iron? And these things fly?"
"Yeah, it's called magic, remember? They're bewitched to try to hit the
nearest player and the Beaters, theoretically Dennis and I, have to hit them as
far away from the our players as possible while aiming at the players on the
other team."
Dennis came over to where the other two were standing and tore off the
facemask he had insisted on wearing. "Well, that wasn't so bad. I mean, in
comparison to the bowling ball, this one actually went somewhere." They had,
despite Agnes' looks of misgiving, decided to start off with a ball that would
be most like a bludger and it never occurred to them how accustomed they had
been to magic until the moment they tried hitting the darn thing. The ball had
promptly fallen down onto the ground, or rather, where the ground would have
been had Dennis' foot not been there instead. It was then that Agnes brought up
the point that in the "real world, you can't hit bowling balls with cricket bats
and expect to get any sort of result." Dennis had stopped swearing about his
foot long enough to tell her off, saying that if she knew of anything better,
she could just go ahead and help them. She had promptly turned around and left
the park, returning just as Colin was congratulating Dennis for getting rid of
her once and for all. She was the one who brought the variety of balls that
impressed Colin and now the three of them stood there staring at their remaining
options, trying to decide which ball to try next.
"We could try the cricket ball, I mean, they are made for cricket bats
after all. Then maybe people would stop giving us such strange looks," Agnes
suggested hopefully.
"And here I'd thought you were immune to strange looks," Colin mocked
"Only when pursuing rightfully nerdy pursuits. That doesn't count cricket
bats and bowling balls," she answered stuffily. "That's dotty."
Dennis frowned and picked up a tennis ball. "This might work, though
somehow it strikes me as something better used to train a really bad seeker..."
His stomach rumbled loudly and he threw the ball in a bad. "Here, I've got a
better idea. Why don't we take a break and go grab some lunch? I'm starved."
"We could go to my house," Agnes suggested quickly, "It's not to far
away." Colin gave Dennis a look telling him to refuse along with him but Dennis
simply grinned maliciously. "Sounds great," he answered. "Then we can finally
see your house." Agnes looked pleased and Colin, disgruntled.
"Okay, here are the sandwiches and drinks," Agnes announced, setting down
a tray with a flourish. "So what do you think?"
"Very...interesting," Colin said, glancing around her room. "Who's the
bloke you've got plastered all over your walls?"
Agnes blushed a bit as she handed out food. "That's Legolas," she
explained, "of the Woodland realm. One of the members of the Fellowship of the Ring."
Colin stared at it, rather unimpressed. "What's wrong with his ears?"
"He's an elf!" She exclaimed distraught. "Don't tell me you've never heard
of elves."
"Of course we have," Dennis answered hotly, taking a bit of his sandwich.
"It's just that real elves aren't quite as...tall. Or well dressed."
"Or well groomed," Colin added. "What exactly does he do with all that
long, flowing hair, anyway?"
She glared at them both. "He's an expert archer, if you must know, and one
of the most valuable members of the Fellowship." Colin couldn't help but smile.
"So this is a...Fellowship of the Ring, as you called it?"
"Oh, come on, you have to have heard of the Lord of the Rings," Agnes said
desperately, sitting down on her bed. "Everyone's heard of the Lord of the
Rings."
Colin searched his head. "Um...is he a jeweler?" He answered finally.
"NO! Really! A jeweler! How could you not know any of this, I mean, even
if you are a real magician-"
"Wizard," Colin cut in, annoyed.
"Wizard, you should still have heard of Tolkien's masterpieces. I'd think
they'd be assigned reading or something."
"Oh, so they're books..." Dennis said, fishing a copy off of the bookshelf
near his seat on the floor. "Blast, did he write enough there?"
"Don't you guys spend any time in the real world at all? I mean, not even
knowing about Lord of the Rings!"
Colin was highly offended. "The wizarding world is just as real as your
world is, even if the only place you muggles have encountered it is in fantasy
novels."
"You know what I mean. I just doesn't seem real that someone could exist
in a place where' they'd never even heard of Lord of the Rings. I mean it's
everywhere!"
"Everywhere but Hogwarts," Dennis told her. Agnes frowned.
"Well, I guess I'll just have to change that then. Here," she fished out a
couple of books off of another shelf. "This is from my loaner set; I keep them
specifically to loan out to people. I expect you to read it and report back."
The two of them stared at her in disbelief. Finally, Dennis leafed through
the books doubtfully before responding. "Look, if I wanted to read a book that
had poetry, long descriptions and that sort of thing in it, I would do my
History of Magic homework."
Colin groaned as Agnes perked up. "History of Magic? That sounds
intriguing! What's it about?"
"Well, generally speaking, it's about history....of magic."
"In practical terms," Colin broke in, "it's the most boring class on
Hogwarts' green grounds, covers mostly Goblin rebellions and is taught by the
most dull dead person I've ever had the pleasure of meeting."
Agnes forgot all about history. "Dead? You mean, he's a ghost?"
"Yes, though I suppose he would probably be less interesting were he
alive..."
"That's amazing! Ghosts really do exist then? I've got to go to Hogwarts!"
Colin sighed. Nothing it seemed would make Agnes less keen on the
wizarding world.
