Chapter sixteen: Rough Games

Weeks past, and the Quidditch team practised hard. It was hard to keep up with it all; Quidditch, homework and Lemo's constant disappearing weasel. Lemo could often be found roaming the corridors crying mournfully,

"Winston! Where are you furry buddy?"

Usually Barry helped search, because (in Lemo's opinion) it was his fault Winston went missing...

Finally the first years Quidditch match came, Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff. At breakfast everyone picked at their food,

"Barry, you should really eat something..." Mione said concerned.

"Why me? No one else is eating!" Barry said eyeing everyone else's barely touched plates.

"Yea, but..."

"You'll need your strength more!" Andrew said.

"Hello...? You're a beater, I'm a seeker - I don't think I'll need more strength than you..."

"What he really means to say is, it is usual for the seekers to be bloodied up!" Andy said bluntly.

Barry looked slightly alarmed.

"Great going Andy..." Lemo glared at Andy before throwing a piece of toast at her, "Well no saving Andy's ass from bludgers today..."

"Hey! What am I? Chopped liver? I can save Andy's ass!" Andrew exclaimed.

"Yes, yes I'm sure you can Choppy..."

Mione put down her fork,

"Well, I'm off to the library...Coming Nick?"

Andy's mouth dropped open,

"You're not coming to our first game!"

"I don't take interest in Quidditch...besides we still have to research Picholas! Nick?"

Several pairs of eye turned to watch Nick expectantly; he shifted uneasily in his seat - too afraid to move,

"Well...um...I...um..." Then without warning he leapt up and ran out of the Great Hall.

"Wow...never seen him run that fast..."

Inside the changing rooms, Andrew, Lemo, Emo, Don, Seamus, Barry and Andy waited for the commentator to say they could enter the pitch. They all stood in silence, listening to the commentator's words,

"Welcome Hogwarts to the first, first year Quidditch match! Hufflepuff versus Gryffindor! I'm your commentator, Bonny-March Fist! Canary yellow Hufflepuffs enter the pitch...Hmmm seems as though their in a random order...makes things a little difficult! Dumbarses! Anyway... McPea... Plankton... Borris... Tapsell... Montgonary... Pirrate... Meadow!"

The pitch erupted in Hufflepuff supporter cheers as Bonny-March read the names of the players; the nervous Gryffindors entered the pitch,

"Gryffindor! In alphabetical order I see! Nice...! We have Finnegan... Parker... Roberts... Rose... Saucepan... Watson... Weasel! (What kind of last name is that!)..." Gryffindor screamed as loud as the Hufflepuff supporters. The Gryffindors joined the Hufflepuffs at the center of the pitch, with Hooch,

"Now, Quidditch match virgins...I want a clean match, no unnecessary shoving, pushing or mud fights! Team captains step forward!"

Both teams looked blank, obviously they hadn't thought of having a captain. Lemo pushed Barry forward, while a bewildered Pirrate stepped forwards, (Paul Pirrate not an actual pirate...)

"Pirrate, Saucepan shake hands..."

They shook hands, while Andy whispered to Lemo and Emo,

"Pirrates hot..."

"For once I agree..." Lemo said.

"I'm right here!" Andrew said, trying to look hurt.

"Oh for god sake! Surely I'm allowed to say! May I give you a brief reminder of what you-"

"Mount your brooms!" Hooch interrupted.

"They are mounting their brooms!" Bonny said over the microphone.

"That girl is going to drive me nuts..." Hooch muttered, "Play ball!"

"The Bludgers are released! Closely followed by the Golden Snitch! The players take off...the Quaffle is released, immediately Meadow takes possession of the ball..."

Barry flew around looking out for the Snitch...which was unbelievably small and fast. He couldn't see it at all... Occasionally Bonny's words would float into his head...

"Parker has the Quaffle, passes to Weasel, who sco - No! Excellent save by Hufflepuff keeper, Montgonary! Hufflepuff in possession of the Quaffle, Meadow passes to the rather hot Pirrate - yes I see you blushing there...Oppseys hope it wasn't me who put you off...Finnegan has the Quaffle...Nope, Borris has- Ouch! That got to hurt! Good shot there from Gryffindor beater, Watson. Gryffindor back in posses- Ow! Good beaters this year! McPea hit Parker pretty hard there... Now, now no bitch fight in there air please..." Emo and Brooke glared at Bonny, and then continued playing.

"Sheeesh, can't take a joke...Oh! Seems, we have a fight brewing down the pitch, at the Hufflepuff goal posts!"

Andrew was yelling at the other Hufflepuff beater, Ross,

"You bastard! You can't hit a bludger at the keeper, unless they have possession of the Quaffle! Everyone knows that!"

"You can so, you dumbshit! Read the bloody rule book..."

"Hit another bludger in Am's direction and I swear I'll kick your sorry little ass!" Andrew threatened, glaring.

"I'd like to see you try!" Ross back chatted, returning the glare.

"Now children calm yourse- I do believe Gryffindor just scored! 30-20 to Gryffindor!"

Andrew and Ross threw each other a last loathing look then sped off into different directions.

"Keep your balls away from my man!" Lemo yelled to no one in particular.

"You know, that sounds totally wrong..." Brooke said laughing chasing after a bludger.

"Brooke! You're on the Hufflepuff team!"

"Gryffindor, you have some nutters this year...Anyway...Hufflepuff in possession, Meadow, intercepted by Parker who passes to Finnegan, who passes to Weasel waiting at the goal- What do we have here! I do believe Saucepan and Tapsell have spotted the Snitch..."

Everyone gasped as Barry and Joel dived for the snitch, which was fluttering close to the ground. Both boys had expressions of extreme concentration.

"Their concentrating very hard on this dive..."

Everyone froze, including the players on the pitch; Andy was still holding the Quaffle after stopping a goal; Lemo still had a finger raised in Charlotte's direction for god knows what reason and Paul was hovering in the path of a bludger, but didn't move.

WHACK!

"Ouch..."

"I do believe Pirrate just got hit by a bludger...probably spell bound by-"

Bonny cut off as Barry and Joel kept going, even though they were so close to the ground,

"Holy crap! Their going to hit the ground!"

Suddenly the Snitch darted out of the way and disappeared, immediately the boys pulled up their brooms, about ten centimetres from the ground.

"Nice pull up from both team seekers! Guess we still have a game..."

Disappointed moans echoed through the pitch.

"Weasel still has the Quaffle, he aims, and he...scores! 40-20 to Gryffindor! Yay! We kick arse! Sorry Professor...I have to say this is a pretty slow game..."

Barry rose higher into the air, disappointed, he had been inches away from the Snitch, then the little bugger slipped away! He silently cursed the little flying piece of shit...

"Meadow has the Quaffle, he passes to Borris who passes to - FOUL FOUL!"

All the Hufflepuff supported started booing at Bonny, for her accusation,

"Not from the Hufflepuff you dumbshits...I'm talking about the Slytherins!"

Everyone turned to look at the Slytherin area of the pitch, hovering above the goal posts, Andy had her head back, trying to stop her nose from bleeding. Barry rushed to check it out, Emo, Lemo and a glowing red with anger Andrew following behind him.

"Andy, what happened?" Barry asked, seeing her up close her nose looked worse.

"Malfoy...threw.. this..." she said facing the sky, holding up an empty ink pot full of stones. Now all the players had gathered around the goal posts. Brooke, Ross, Lemo, Don and Seamus are what it took to restrain Andrew from attacking Malfoy with his beater bat. But no one took much notice of Emo as she took Brooke's bat then flew over to the crying from laughter Malfoy,

"That is not funny! That's just sick!" Emo said as she raised the bat to hit Malfoy.

"Smash his lights out Parker! You get him girl!" Bonny yelled over the microphone jumping up and down.

"That's enough! Accio Brooke's bat!" Hooch yelled aiming her wand in Emo's direction, "Malfoy, Parker both of you, detention!" Emo's mouth dropped open,

"Hooch! But I didn't even get to hurt him!"

"But you were going to...therefore you have to take the punishment..."

"Oh my fucking god!" Bonny screamed, "Sorry professor! But I do believe Saucepan has got the snitch! Gryffindor win! 190-20 190-20 190-20 !Yay!" She started jumping up and down.

"What?" Andrew calmed down and everyone let go of him, they all turned to look at Barry, who somehow got the snitch.

"It just flew past a second ago," Barry said shrugging, still clasping the snitch in his left hand.

"It just flew past?" Brooke asked sceptically.

"My god what are the odds of that?" Lemo exclaimed.

All the players just stared at the snitch when suddenly it dawned on them,

"Aw! We lost!"

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT! We won! We won! We won!"

"Yay!" Andy said rather thickly through her blood nose.

Andrew conjured up a handkerchief and rushed to Andy's side so that she could move her head easier.

"We won! We won! We won! We won! We won! We won! We won! We won! We won! We won! We won! We won! We won! We won! We won! We won! We won! We won! We won!"

Ross groaned in defeat and Pirrate shook hands with Barry's other hand. Emo squealed in excitement, still looking a little pissed, because of her detention, then threw a furious look at the equally pissed Malfoy,

"I'll get you back for this, don't you worry..." she growled at him.

Both teams, landed on the ground. Gryffindor were still cheering, still rather confused.

"We won! We won! We won! We won! We won! We won! We won! We won! We won! We won! We won! We won! We won! We won! We won! We won! We won! We won! We won! We won! We won!" Lemo kept chanting, grabbed Barry and captured him in a hug.

"Can't...breathe..."

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT! We won! We won! We won! We won! We won! We won!" she continued her hopping up and down victory dance, "Victory dance, victory dance, victory dance..."

"Congratulations..." Pirrate said shaking hands with Andrew who was trying to tell if Andy's blood nose was stopping.

"Thanks, you guys were brilliant! Pure luck we won..." Andrew said, Pirrate grinned,

"Thanks, there anything I can do?" he said looking at Andy.

"Yea can you get our stuff from the Gryffindor changing rooms? I'm going to take her to the hospital wing..."

Andy groaned,

"No...Not Madam Pomfrey..."

"Mione!" Barry called out to her.

"We won! We won! We won! We won! We won! We won!" Lemo yelled at her.

"190-20! 190-20! 190-20!" Bonny was still chanting.

Mione ran to them, her face flushed,

"Well done! I kind of guessed, I could hear all the noise from the library...And I found out stuff about Picholas Flannell..."