Harry Weasley

Chapter Eight: Learning Quidditch

Harry and Wood met down on the quidditch pitch the next Saturday to learn the basics of quidditch. Harry had been to one practice already, but was still having some problems with the concept of the game. He was enjoying the experience of flying, and found that the game was exhilarating. He had always found that flying was interesting and fun, and he found that he was a natural.

"Ok, now Harry the game of quidditch is played on the field that you are on now. There are 7 players, the Keeper, which is me, three chasers which you have met, they are Katey Bell, Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet, Two Beaters, who are your brothers, Fred and George, and the Seeker, which is you. The beaters protect everyone else, while trying to keep the other team from scoring. The chasers are the ones who take and do all the scoring except when the Seeker catches the Snitch, which not only ends the game, but also scores the team that seeker catches it 150 points. The keeper keeps the other team from scoring, by protecting the three hoops from the other chasers from scoring. Now the balls are Two Bludgers, one Quaffle, and the Golden Snitch. The only other pieces of equipment that there are besides brooms, are the Beater Bats which they use to bash the Bludger away. The game goes on til one of the Seekers catches the Snitch, and ends the game. Now, this usually wins the game for the team that catches it, but not always. Sometimes the team that catches it is to far behind in points, where the 150 points still doesn't catch them up, or it ties them with the other team, in which case it either ends in the team losing, or the game ending in a tie. Now I don't want to lose when we play, so we will try our hardest to keep the other team from scoring, so that you don't have to worry about us losing even tho you catch the Snitch. Do you understand the game now Harry?" Oliver was great at explaining the intricacies of the game, and Harry was fascinated from what he had been saying.

Harry nodded and asked. "So when can I get some more practice with trying to catch the Snitch?" Harry had a smile on his face when he asked this, and Oliver found that it was contagious.

"Well we still have the field for about a half an hour, so you can go up and try to see how many times you can catch it in that amount of time. Just keep an eye out for it, and be sure to catch it at least once in that time, because we can't just leave it out there when our time is up." He had said this last part with a gleam in his eyes.

So Harry went up into the air on his broom and started looking for the Snitch as soon as Wood let it go. He sure was a natural at this Wood thought as he saw Harry catch it within the first minute, then again 3 more times in the Half Hour time. He had done some spectacular dives and catches that were heart stopping when he pulled them off. We are definitely going to win the cup this year Professor. Wood turned to see his head of house watching from the sidelines and called Harry down when he had last caught the Snitch telling him to go hit the showers before heading off to spend the rest of the day with his friends.

"So what do you think Professor? He seems to be quite natural on the broom, and did you see how he flew?"

"Yes he does doesn't he. Yes he looked just like his father did on the broom, and I'm glad that he is on our team. I agree with your assessment about us going to win the cup this year. I have a feeling that we are going to see great things come from Mr. Weasley there. He is going to prove us right in appointing him as the new Seeker." McGonagall had one of her smiles going, and it made Wood happy that she saw what Harry could do. He could just imagine what the year would have been like if Harry had to wait for his second year before he could try out.

Wood had a smile on his face as he went in to take a shower before he went off to meet his friends in Hogsmeade. Wood was happy that his team would finally be able to get the cup in his final year with the help of the boy-who-lived, Harry Weasley, one time known as Harry Potter. Wood finished up quickly and joined the rest of the team in Hogsmeade to let them know about how well the session had gone. They were all happy and enjoying themselves at the three broomsticks. "To bad Harry can't join us for another 2 years you know. These cool down sessions won't be anything without the whole team. Do you think you can talk to Dumbledore to see if we can get permission to have Harry join us in these sessions Wood? I mean these are meant to be sessions to unify the team, and he was the one who suggested them last year."

"I will talk to him, but I don't think it will do any good. This is the first time that any team had a student on them that was under 3rd year since he started that policy. But I promise I will talk to him as soon as we get back." Wood wanted to bring there Seeker along on these excursions, because not only were they bonding times for the team, but they also served as private strategy sessions that were in a relaxed atmosphere where no one would really bother them. He was contemplating what he would say to the headmaster when the door opened to the three broomsticks and the said person walked in with no other than Harry.

Professor Dumbledore walked up to the group followed by Harry and asked if they could sit down. When Wood nodded, he let Harry sit down next to his brother Fred, and he sat at the end of the table. "I know what you were thinking Oliver, and I am only going to agree to let Harry come on these trips on three conditions. 1. You take responsibility in his safety. 2. Don't take advantage of this, and try taking him down here for other times, and 3. No one in the school is to know about this, or I would be getting asked by everyone and accused of favoritism in my ideas. Do you agree with all these conditions? Harry can get out of the castle with you easily on these days with the use of a certain something that he has in his possession that belonged to his father." Dumbledore had the ever present twinkle in his blue eyes, and was smiling under that long beard of his.

"No problem Professor, and thank you for this. I don't know how you seem to know everything that happens with your students, or know when they need something, but we all thank you for your gift. Is there anything else, or would you care to join us for a butter beer before you head back to the castle?"

"No there isn't anything else Mr. Wood, and I will have to take a rain check on the Butter Beer, but I thank you for the offer." With that said, the headmaster swept out of the room, leaving the team to stratagize about what they were going to do in there first match against HufflePuff. They also spent the time telling Harry all about Hogsmeade, and what they do around the village when they were done before heading back to the castle on these trips. They figured that they wouldn't get into trouble if they took Harry with them to Honeydukes sweets, and he can explain where it came from by saying that the team bought it for him since he wasn't able to go with them for these excursions. Fred and George also got some for Ron since he was the jealous type, also because they weren't always jokester.

Three hours later they made there way back to the castle happier and a bit more laden down with sweets and Butter Beer. Harry went up to his dorm to deposit his bag of stuff into his secret hiding place before heading down to the common room to join his two friends for the rest of the day.