Chapter Nine:
Practice
Harry pulled on his Quidditch uniform and quickly slipped on his leather gloves. He'd already be late – ten minutes to be exact, and he had a feeling Angelina would be livid. He was alone in the dim locker room and he rushed to get ready, grabbing his Firebolt before quickly rushing out towards the Pitch.
It was chillier than it had been that morning. He liked it cool, but not as cold as this. He felt his teeth chatter a bit as he walked onto the Pitch, slipping on the wet grass.
"Harry! Where in the world have you been?" came Angelina's voice as she swooped out of the air and landed with a tap on the grass in front of Harry.
Harry made a grimace as he took on Angelina's ranting. He'd become quite used to it and didn't really pay attention as she babbled on.
Ginny and Ron landed behind Angelina, looking a little sorry for Harry.
But, Harry wasn't in the mood to be pushed around.
"Look, Angelina –"he interrupted her. "Sorry I was ten minutes late. I could be twenty next time, but then I'd miss a half hour of practice listening to your mouth."
Angelina looked a little taken down as Harry straddled his Firebolt.
"Now – are we going to practice, or are you going to waste another ten minutes of practice with lectures?"
Angelina didn't have a chance to reply because Harry kicked off the ground and shot up towards the clouds, glad he got that off his chest. He loved being in the air. It was nice to feel as though he'd left the world behind.
"That was great, Harry," a voice called out, and Harry looked over to see Ginny flying beside him.
He smiled as he watched Ginny soar low to the ground, her hair flying out behind her.
After a few laps around the Pitch, the team assembled at the center, landing in a circle around Angelina who had the chest of Quidditch balls in the center.
"Alright," she started, giving Harry a stern glance. "Now that we're all here, we can start."
She picked up a Quaffle and passed it to Alicia. Alicia grinned as the Chasers rose into the air and started passing the leather playing-ball around.
Harry reached into the chest and pulled out the tiny golden Snitch, the most important ball in the game. It was roughly the size of a walnut and it's feathery wings fanned out and started fluttering very rapidly.
Harry watched as it shot up out of his hand and zoomed off into the air. That was the ball Harry had to catch. If he caught it, he would earn his team 150 points and hopefully help them to win the game.
After waiting a few minutes, Harry kicked off the ground and shot into the air, hoping he could find the Snitch.
It didn't take long. He spotted a glint of gold shoot past Alicia. He leaned forward on his broom and zoomed downwards after the tiny Snitch.
He was always amazed at how fast the tiny Snitch was. But, his Firebolt proved to be just as fast and he was soon trailing right behind it.
The Snitch darted back and forth as if in an attempt to escape capture, but Harry lunged out and caught the smooth, cold ball in his hand, holding it up as he did a lap around the Pitch.
It wasn't long before practice was over and the team met at the center of the Pitch for some last notes before the game that Sunday.
"Now, first off," Angelina started. "I want to say I think you're all doing very well for a second-year team. Now, no pressure for Sunday now."
Harry glanced over at Ron who looked paler than normal. He felt a bit nervous himself.
"Now, I have a surprise for all of you," she went on. What's the surprise? Harry thought to himself. An extra practice? "We'll have a guest in our stands on Sunday, someone you all should know."
Someone I should know? Harry thought nervously as Ron glanced over at him.
"I'm pleased to say," Angelina went on with a grin. "That I can't tell you who it is. It would spoil the surprise." She smiled as Harry sighed.
"Is it someone nice?" he asked glumly, hoping it wasn't Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic. In Harry's opinion, the man was a scumbag.
"Oh," Angelina started, thinking. "Yes. Very nice. Someone you should know well, Harry."
Harry racked his brain for any person he could possibly know who'd come to see them play Quidditch, but he couldn't come up with anyone. His teammates looked just as clueless.
"Well," Angelina said with a hint of finality in her voice. "I guess I'll see you all on Sunday."
And with that, she picked up the chest of balls and started back towards the school. Harry found himself very frustrated; wanting very badly to know who it was they would be seeing on Sunday.
"Ron – do you know who it is?"
Ron shrugged as they made their way back up to the locker rooms.
"You know –"Harry started as he pulled off the heavy silk cloak. "I'm not liking all this secrecy between Angelina and everyone else on the team."
"Of course, if by everyone else you mean Alicia, Katie, and Ginny."
"We're always excluded from stuff," Harry went on. "You know, I don't think Ginny's a part of the tiny group, Ron."
Ron shrugged.
"You never know with her. And her new boyfriend." He cringed.
"Who's she going out with now?"
"Some fifth year," Ron said glumly. "I really don't like him, you know."
Harry grinned as he finished getting dressed. "What happened to Dean?"
Ron shook his head.
"I don't know, but I think I liked him better than the bloke she's got now."
"You know, I think you're a bit too protective," he replied as he tied his shoes, watching Ron stop with his shirt half on.
"Huh?" he shot back.
"Ron, I said a bit."
Ron smiled as he shrugged into the rest of his shirt.
"Better to be too protective than too lenient."
They both shared a laugh as they started back up to the dormitory. They still had Potions homework to complete, and they usually did it as a group to lighten the load.
After getting comfortably into their dorm room, they pulled out their Potions parchment and started to work. Both seated on the floor, they spread out their notes so they could write their essays on why a hair- growing potion would benefit society.
Ron constantly had the tip of his quill in his mouth as he pondered what to write. He was never any good at writing.
"This is a load of dung," he said finally, running his fingers through his hair.
Harry smiled as he too sat back, stretching.
"It's like he lives to make our lives miserable!" he said as Ron nodded. He took off his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose where the metal had started to irritate it.
Ron glanced up, noticing how tired Harry looked. He smiled; glad he wasn't the only one tired.
"You going to fall asleep on me?" he asked as Harry chuckled.
"No – I think I can stay awake a few more hours. Geeze, I need to get this done..."
Ron didn't like this assignment; two sheaves of parchment on hair- growth potions. How boring and how hard! There was practically nothing for information on hair growth potions in their oversized textbooks, so they had to rattle their brains to come up with convincing reasons why they were useful.
"Hey – Harry," Ron said after a few minutes of silence. "Does this sound good to you?"
He moved over next to Harry and handed his parchment to Harry. Harry glanced quickly at Ron, then scanned the parchment covered in Ron's messy scrawl. It was pretty good, in his opinion.
Ron looked at him expectantly.
"...It's pretty good," he started as Ron smiled.
"I just hope Snape thinks the same."
They both shared a laugh as Harry passed Ron his parchment. Ron gave him a confused glance.
"Go on," Harry pressed with a grin. "I read yours."
Ron shrugged.
"You trust my opinion?"
"Ron, come on. Who else will I trust?"
"Well..."
Ron started reading the paper, impressed by how professional it sounded. He almost envied Harry's style. He liked Harry's penmanship, very neat and precise, unlike his own messy handwriting.
"Ron?"
Ron looked up. He'd been silent for a while.
"Oh – yeah, Harry. It's pretty good too." He gave a resigned smile. "Better than mine, in fact."
Harry grinned.
"You always say that."
Ron shrugged.
"Well, it's true."
"Despite the fact that I know you're jealous," Harry started. "I'd take that as a compliment."
Ron gave a half-hearted smile. "It was."
"I'm glad." Harry replied as he got to his feet, starting to chance into his pajamas. "I'm so exhausted."
Ron yawned.
"Wha...time is it, anyway?"
Harry looked down at his watch. "12:30"
Ron, too, decided to get ready for bed, even though he still had a half-page left to write. He'd do it in the morning.
Harry was already seated on his bed when Ron was buttoning up his shirt. Harry waited until Ron was in his own bed before he blew out the candles on his bedside table.
There was a moment of silence broken only by the sounds of tossing and turning, then Harry broke it.
"G'night, Ron."
Ron, already tucked beneath his comforter, smiled.
"G'night, Harry."
Practice
Harry pulled on his Quidditch uniform and quickly slipped on his leather gloves. He'd already be late – ten minutes to be exact, and he had a feeling Angelina would be livid. He was alone in the dim locker room and he rushed to get ready, grabbing his Firebolt before quickly rushing out towards the Pitch.
It was chillier than it had been that morning. He liked it cool, but not as cold as this. He felt his teeth chatter a bit as he walked onto the Pitch, slipping on the wet grass.
"Harry! Where in the world have you been?" came Angelina's voice as she swooped out of the air and landed with a tap on the grass in front of Harry.
Harry made a grimace as he took on Angelina's ranting. He'd become quite used to it and didn't really pay attention as she babbled on.
Ginny and Ron landed behind Angelina, looking a little sorry for Harry.
But, Harry wasn't in the mood to be pushed around.
"Look, Angelina –"he interrupted her. "Sorry I was ten minutes late. I could be twenty next time, but then I'd miss a half hour of practice listening to your mouth."
Angelina looked a little taken down as Harry straddled his Firebolt.
"Now – are we going to practice, or are you going to waste another ten minutes of practice with lectures?"
Angelina didn't have a chance to reply because Harry kicked off the ground and shot up towards the clouds, glad he got that off his chest. He loved being in the air. It was nice to feel as though he'd left the world behind.
"That was great, Harry," a voice called out, and Harry looked over to see Ginny flying beside him.
He smiled as he watched Ginny soar low to the ground, her hair flying out behind her.
After a few laps around the Pitch, the team assembled at the center, landing in a circle around Angelina who had the chest of Quidditch balls in the center.
"Alright," she started, giving Harry a stern glance. "Now that we're all here, we can start."
She picked up a Quaffle and passed it to Alicia. Alicia grinned as the Chasers rose into the air and started passing the leather playing-ball around.
Harry reached into the chest and pulled out the tiny golden Snitch, the most important ball in the game. It was roughly the size of a walnut and it's feathery wings fanned out and started fluttering very rapidly.
Harry watched as it shot up out of his hand and zoomed off into the air. That was the ball Harry had to catch. If he caught it, he would earn his team 150 points and hopefully help them to win the game.
After waiting a few minutes, Harry kicked off the ground and shot into the air, hoping he could find the Snitch.
It didn't take long. He spotted a glint of gold shoot past Alicia. He leaned forward on his broom and zoomed downwards after the tiny Snitch.
He was always amazed at how fast the tiny Snitch was. But, his Firebolt proved to be just as fast and he was soon trailing right behind it.
The Snitch darted back and forth as if in an attempt to escape capture, but Harry lunged out and caught the smooth, cold ball in his hand, holding it up as he did a lap around the Pitch.
It wasn't long before practice was over and the team met at the center of the Pitch for some last notes before the game that Sunday.
"Now, first off," Angelina started. "I want to say I think you're all doing very well for a second-year team. Now, no pressure for Sunday now."
Harry glanced over at Ron who looked paler than normal. He felt a bit nervous himself.
"Now, I have a surprise for all of you," she went on. What's the surprise? Harry thought to himself. An extra practice? "We'll have a guest in our stands on Sunday, someone you all should know."
Someone I should know? Harry thought nervously as Ron glanced over at him.
"I'm pleased to say," Angelina went on with a grin. "That I can't tell you who it is. It would spoil the surprise." She smiled as Harry sighed.
"Is it someone nice?" he asked glumly, hoping it wasn't Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic. In Harry's opinion, the man was a scumbag.
"Oh," Angelina started, thinking. "Yes. Very nice. Someone you should know well, Harry."
Harry racked his brain for any person he could possibly know who'd come to see them play Quidditch, but he couldn't come up with anyone. His teammates looked just as clueless.
"Well," Angelina said with a hint of finality in her voice. "I guess I'll see you all on Sunday."
And with that, she picked up the chest of balls and started back towards the school. Harry found himself very frustrated; wanting very badly to know who it was they would be seeing on Sunday.
"Ron – do you know who it is?"
Ron shrugged as they made their way back up to the locker rooms.
"You know –"Harry started as he pulled off the heavy silk cloak. "I'm not liking all this secrecy between Angelina and everyone else on the team."
"Of course, if by everyone else you mean Alicia, Katie, and Ginny."
"We're always excluded from stuff," Harry went on. "You know, I don't think Ginny's a part of the tiny group, Ron."
Ron shrugged.
"You never know with her. And her new boyfriend." He cringed.
"Who's she going out with now?"
"Some fifth year," Ron said glumly. "I really don't like him, you know."
Harry grinned as he finished getting dressed. "What happened to Dean?"
Ron shook his head.
"I don't know, but I think I liked him better than the bloke she's got now."
"You know, I think you're a bit too protective," he replied as he tied his shoes, watching Ron stop with his shirt half on.
"Huh?" he shot back.
"Ron, I said a bit."
Ron smiled as he shrugged into the rest of his shirt.
"Better to be too protective than too lenient."
They both shared a laugh as they started back up to the dormitory. They still had Potions homework to complete, and they usually did it as a group to lighten the load.
After getting comfortably into their dorm room, they pulled out their Potions parchment and started to work. Both seated on the floor, they spread out their notes so they could write their essays on why a hair- growing potion would benefit society.
Ron constantly had the tip of his quill in his mouth as he pondered what to write. He was never any good at writing.
"This is a load of dung," he said finally, running his fingers through his hair.
Harry smiled as he too sat back, stretching.
"It's like he lives to make our lives miserable!" he said as Ron nodded. He took off his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose where the metal had started to irritate it.
Ron glanced up, noticing how tired Harry looked. He smiled; glad he wasn't the only one tired.
"You going to fall asleep on me?" he asked as Harry chuckled.
"No – I think I can stay awake a few more hours. Geeze, I need to get this done..."
Ron didn't like this assignment; two sheaves of parchment on hair- growth potions. How boring and how hard! There was practically nothing for information on hair growth potions in their oversized textbooks, so they had to rattle their brains to come up with convincing reasons why they were useful.
"Hey – Harry," Ron said after a few minutes of silence. "Does this sound good to you?"
He moved over next to Harry and handed his parchment to Harry. Harry glanced quickly at Ron, then scanned the parchment covered in Ron's messy scrawl. It was pretty good, in his opinion.
Ron looked at him expectantly.
"...It's pretty good," he started as Ron smiled.
"I just hope Snape thinks the same."
They both shared a laugh as Harry passed Ron his parchment. Ron gave him a confused glance.
"Go on," Harry pressed with a grin. "I read yours."
Ron shrugged.
"You trust my opinion?"
"Ron, come on. Who else will I trust?"
"Well..."
Ron started reading the paper, impressed by how professional it sounded. He almost envied Harry's style. He liked Harry's penmanship, very neat and precise, unlike his own messy handwriting.
"Ron?"
Ron looked up. He'd been silent for a while.
"Oh – yeah, Harry. It's pretty good too." He gave a resigned smile. "Better than mine, in fact."
Harry grinned.
"You always say that."
Ron shrugged.
"Well, it's true."
"Despite the fact that I know you're jealous," Harry started. "I'd take that as a compliment."
Ron gave a half-hearted smile. "It was."
"I'm glad." Harry replied as he got to his feet, starting to chance into his pajamas. "I'm so exhausted."
Ron yawned.
"Wha...time is it, anyway?"
Harry looked down at his watch. "12:30"
Ron, too, decided to get ready for bed, even though he still had a half-page left to write. He'd do it in the morning.
Harry was already seated on his bed when Ron was buttoning up his shirt. Harry waited until Ron was in his own bed before he blew out the candles on his bedside table.
There was a moment of silence broken only by the sounds of tossing and turning, then Harry broke it.
"G'night, Ron."
Ron, already tucked beneath his comforter, smiled.
"G'night, Harry."