Previously: Lily and Marlene attend one of Slughorn's parties. Lily likes that she has a chance to talk to other potioneers, but Marlene is rather bored.


Chapter 13: Of Quibbles and Quidditch

"Lily?"

There it was, that voice again. Lily groaned and curled up even farther under her warm, inviting blankets as if hoping her dismissive action would get rid of that nagging, irksome voice, which had intruded most undesirably onto her blissful and until then, uninterrupted slumber. Her muscles were sore, and her brain was toasted from those hours she had spent around the castle, whether it be practicing the Full Body-Bind or copying down difficult Transfiguration notes – really, would it be so hard to just let her sleep in peace for once?

"Oh, Lily?"

Lily dearly wanted nothing more than for that pesky individual who dared meddle with her sleep to leave her alone – was that too much to ask? Her half-dredged mind was still sluggish from the awaking, but half-conscious or not, her temper vowed to make the person, whether it be sweet, little Mary or obnoxious, needling Potter, regret it – the moment she could think straight, of course.

"C'mon, you. Wake up," said the person.

Merlin have mercy – the gatecrasher actually had the nerve to poke her.

"Go away, Alice," grumbled Lily.

Alice, who was indeed that pesky individual trying to rouse Lily out of her bed, paid no attention to Lily's wants, instead just shaking her even more as she said, "You need to get up, Lils. It's the first Quidditch match off the season today! Gryffindor versus Slytherin, and I've heard that's always the best game to watch. C'mon, c'mon, come on!"

Lily growled and dug herself further into the bed and away from the waking life.

"So?" she demanded, her voice muffled from the pillow that squashed her face. Between that and her shell of red hair covering her face, she could not even be sure Alice had heard her through all that.

That was, she was not sure until Alice screeched, "SO?!"

Crackerjack, who had been napping on his pillow, hissed at the noise and streaked away as Lily bolted up at the very sudden and unexpectedly loud shriek right next to her ear, now fully awake thanks to her new alarm clock that apparently only took a single word to set off. She scrambled to brush away her mess of hair from her face before spotting Alice standing in front of her bed with her hands on her hips. From the expression on her face, one might have thought Lily just killed a baby bunny.

"This isn't just a little scrimmage between friends, Lily. You have to support Gryffindor. Now get up!"

The sudden awakening had not done anything to convince Lily to get out of her bed, so she just groaned and flopped back down on her pillow. However, unable to wait for her any longer, Alice decided to take it upon herself to force the girl out of her encased cocoon. Firmly grasping the covers, she yanked the blankets off Lily in one motion. Lily herself moaned and tried to hold onto at least one, but Alice would not allow it, so now left exposed, she shivered at the sudden contact with the cold November air, dearly wishing that she had worn more than a simple tank top and shorts to bed.

"LILY EVANS! If you don't get up right now, so help me Merlin, I will –"

"Yeah, yeah, you'll make me wish I was never born," finished Lily for her best friend.

There was nothing else to be done except get up, which she did so very reluctantly, making it perfectly plain to Alice that she did not appreciate the rude awakening. Alice, meanwhile, was not apologetic in the least while she waited for her to finish getting ready so they could go grab some breakfast before the Quidditch game – which Lily made sure Alice knew that she was not looking forward to.

Despite all the griping about the cold air and reluctance to fulfill Alice's commands, Lily still somehow found herself sitting in the Great Hall for the usual superb breakfast waiting on the Gryffindor table, oblivious to the chatter around her. Instead of participating in the Quidditch hype, she thought longingly of her book, The Silver Chair from her Narnia collection, up in her dormitory. It was just sitting up there, all alone, ready to be opened…

And it was in her bed no less.

"Uh-uh," said Alice, "You are going to go down to the game, loosen up a little, and have some good old-fashioned fun."

Lily rolled her eyes at Alice before her gaze drifted over to where the Gryffindor Quidditch team sat together. They barely eating anything, instead just staring at the food friends had kindly put on their plates. A sixth year who looked very much like the Head Boy tried to talk to his team, but as there was no sound that came out, he resumed playing with a bit of bacon. The three Chasers, two boys and one girl, did not even attempt to touch their forks. Kingsley, the same boy who had interrupted the skirmish up at the Owlery, tried to give them words of encouragement, but as their expressions did not change one bit, Lily guessed he was failing miserably.

"This is the first time they're facing Slytherin since they defeated them, 240 – 230 after they knocked out the Seeker, Alexandra Hopkirk, in the final match last year," explained Alice in a whispering voice. "That Kingsley bloke is one of the beaters, along with Harper Johnson. Mark Wood is the Keeper and Captain," – she pointed to the sixth year – "and his older brother, George, is the Head Boy who caught us dueling. I've heard this year's Chasers are really good, but people have been saying that their still not the best."

The team Lily could not help but feel a little sorry for sat like that for quite a while, accepting words of encouragement from friends and ignoring slights from Slytherins until finally, without a word, the Quidditch team got up and walked out of the Great Hall. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw cheered while loud boos could be heard from the Slytherin table, and no matter which sides the sound came from, the team ignored them.

"C'mon, you two," said Marlene from the other side of Lily. "We'll miss the game."

With some extra prodding for Mary, who did not want to leave her bacon, Alice led the way down to the Quidditch pitch while Marlene followed, practically dragging Lily and Mary along with her – Mary managed to snag a couple extra strips of bacon and slipped them into her coat pocket before allowing Marlene to steer her towards the Quidditch pitch.

Lily quickly noticed that she was one of the few not going all-out when it came to house spirit since she only had a knitted red scarf and a little flag – though the flag was not even hers. Somehow, Marlene's brother, Marvell, had managed to procure many Gryffindor flags and handed one to each of her friends, all of whom were wearing much more Gryffindor colors and shouting louder than Lily. In the front row, she spotted the Marauders, including Remus once again, absolutely covered in scarlet and gold, screaming at the top their lungs. Potter and Black held an enormous banner depicting a roaring lion wrestling with a tiny little snake, shaking it at the sea of green across from them. Even many of the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were cheering on Gryffindor.

"Welcome to the first Quidditch match of the season!" yelled a magically magnified voice that echoed clearly around the pitch.

Lily looked up to see the commentator for the match, a skinny fifth year wrapped up in Gryffindor colors. It was one of the boys who belonged to the group that interrupted the little Gryffindor-Slytherin duel during Halloween. Lily distinctly remembered him as the same fifth year who had threatened the third year with his wand.

"Today's game is Slytherin versus Gryffindor! Judging by the cries of those Slytherin's, I'd say their pretty scared."

He was interrupted by a chorus of angry Slytherins, but he ignored them.

"And here come the teams now."

The two teams each had seven players, one side clad in scarlet with gold while the other was green and silver. Several bore bats, which Alice said where for the Beaters to hit the Bludgers around, but most only wore standard Quidditch gear with their team colors.

"Captain Wood has put together an amazing team this year," – boos from the Slytherins – "'Course it's Gryffindor, so it will always be amazing." – more booing – "On the other hand, Slytherin, as always, puts the biggest people on the field, regardless of talent. A perfect example is –"

"Vallender! Your job is to commentate!" shouted Professor McGonagall, but Vallender did have a point.

While the Gryffindor team varied in size, from the husky Harper Johnson down to a short fifth year who Alice said was the Seeker – with a jolt, Lily recognized her as the person who had cast the Shield Charm to stop the duel – the Slytherin team was mainly comprised of five massive males and two hefty females, all of whom looked like they could snap Lily in half like as easily as if she were a twig. While McGonagall supervised Vallender closely, the crowd laughed at Vallender's comments.

"Well, I was going to say Flint since I'm very sure he's part-troll, but seeing as our dear McGee here won't hear a word against it –"

"McGee", as Vallender called her, yanked the microphone away from him and shouted, "Madam Hooch walks out onto the field to start the game!"

Despite herself, Lily found herself giggling, and she turned to Alice.

"Are the commentators always this biased?"

Alice looked at her with clear disbelief.

"You're asking if a student – of an opposing house, no less – is unbiased while the competing team also happens to be their biggest rival? And I thought you were smart, Lily Evans," she said, shaking her head.

"Oh, look!" said Vallender cheerfully, now back in possession of the microphone, "It's the time for the captains to shake hands. They're both pretty much veterans of their respective teams so I think we'll see some excellent hexes – oops, did I say hexes? I meant flying, McGee, flying. Mark Wood, who is the epitome of a great Keeper, shakes hands with the Slytherin captain. What's his name? All I can remember is that he giggles like a puny girl – oh, that's right! Steve Laughalot! Man, I wonder who his parents pissed off to get that name."

McGonagall was looking very hesitant next to Vallender and gave him a stern warning, but as he was only saying little things at the moment, there was not much else she could do except hope he heeded her reminder.

"Captains, shake hands," said Madam Hooch over the loud crowd. The two captains gripped each other's hands as if trying to break them before returning to the air.

Madam Hooch held the Quaffle in the air, giving each team a stern look as if warning them that she wanted a clean match. There was a moment of rare silence from the crowd that broke the moment Madam Hooch threw the Quaffle into the air.

"And let the game begin!" cheered Vallender as the mass of players swooped to the Quaffle, dodging and flying so fast Lily could hardly keep up. All around her, the crowd roared.

"And Riley Wallows takes the Quaffle immediately – an excellent Chaser, a great find four years ago, probably one of the best Chasers Gryffindor has ever had – she swerves around Vanity. Duck! That's a Bludger, Riley! Yes! She dodges the Bludger, passes to Gale Hadger – did I mention he is an awesome dueler? One time he sent two of the Slytherins to the Hospital Wing – don't worry, they deserved it. Gale with the Quaffle now – OUCH!"

Lily gasped with the rest of the crowd as a Slytherin Chaser rammed into Hadger rammed into him with a sickening crunch!

"FOUL!" screamed the Gryffindors.

Lily noticed the Marauders in the front row. Potter and Black were practically hanging out of their seats, screaming at Madam Hooch to give Gryffindor a penalty, and Potter's words could be heard quite clearly: "C'mon, Hooch! That was Blatching, plain and simple! Are you blind? Those no-good, sniveling, moronic –"

The rest of his words were drowned out by Madam Hooch's whistle as she awarded a penalty to the Gryffindor team.

"Foul! Yes, and Hooch gives a penalty to Gryffindor. Thanks, Hooch! And now it's Riley taking the Quaffle, flying towards the hoops now, can she make it? Riley shoots – SHE SCORES! And the crowd goes wild!"

Lily cheered with the rest of the Gryffindors, but nobody could hear her above the deafening roars. To Lily's left, Alice was jumping up and down, frantically waving her red and gold flag while the Marauders hooted and banged the railing with obsessive enthusiasm.

"Slytherins in possession now, Jugson with the Quaffle. He's taking it up the field, but Riley's coming at him from the side – PUNCH HIM IN THE NOSE, RILEY – only joking, McGee – Jugson swerves Riley. Don't move, Jugson – this may be the closest you'll ever get to a girl," warned Vallender, and Lily laughed loudly.

"Jugson passes to Pucey – no! The Quaffle's intercepted by Riley, who passes to Zach Ryans. He's a new find this year, first game ever but very good. He ducks a Bludger sent his way by a Slytherin Beater – for the love of Merlin, I can't remember his name. I think he's the one who just learned how to read, or is it the other? Maybe both. Oh, well – Zach swerves another Bludger. He's coming up on the Keeper now. Don't worry, he sucks just as much as the other Slytherins. Zach shoots AND SCORES! Twenty-zero to Gryffindor!"

The rest of the game continued like that. Gryffindor's Chasers were pretty good; they passed back and forth, usually ending in a goal. Kingsley and Johnson flew around, pelting Bludgers at any Slytherins. Several times they made contact, and Lily shut her eyes so she would not see anybody's arm get broken. The Chasers for Slytherin desperately tried to keep up with Gryffindor's team, but they kept falling further and further behind. Thirty minutes into the game, and they only scored eight goals while Gryffindor now had fourteen.

"Wait a minute, was that the Snitch?"

Vallender interrupted his own commentary, and Lily's excitement rose as she watched the Gryffindor Seeker, Alexandra Hopkirk, shoot across the pitch, her spiky brown hair violently rippling in the wind. The Slytherin Seeker, one of the two girls on the team, had also seen it and was gaining on Alexandra inch by inch.

"GO! GO! GO!" screamed the Gryffindors at their Seeker while the Slytherins bellowed from their stands, stomping their feet and shrieking.

"COME ON, ALEXANDRA! BEAT HER!" Vallender was shouting into the microphone. "YOU CAN DO IT!"

Lily watched with her hands clutching her hair as Alexandra was neck and neck with the Slytherin Seeker. They dove, but she could not look away. The flash of gold was twenty feet away … ten feet … five feet … four … three … two … one …

"ALEXANDRA CATCHES THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WINS! HA! Take that, you dirty, cheating –"

McGonagall wrenched the microphone away from Vallender while he screamed insults at the Slytherin team with enough words, Lily was sure he would end up with a detention. Though McGonagall was cheering fiercely herself, she only gave the microphone back once Vallender was happily shouting the results, which were two hundred and ninety to eighty, Gryffindor.

Still jumping up and down like a maniac, Alice reached over and grabbed Lily, squeezing her with a tight hug as she yelled above the din, "Do I have you convinced that Quidditch games are fun to be at?"

Lily merely chuckled in response.

~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ 1971 ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~

"And then when Gale gave that Jugson a smack to remember? Merlin, that was incredible! He just came up – 'excuse me' and wham! Right in the nose! Did you see that? Ha, I thought he was going down for sure, but you know those sneaky Slytherins, always too thick a head for anything to get through."

All four of the Marauders were sitting in Hagrid's cabin while he served them tea and rock cakes after the match and subsequent party in the common room had finally ended. After learning the important lesson to let Hagrid's tea cool a bit before drinking and just to stay away from the rock cakes period, the four boys waved at their tea while James recounted every last detail of the Quidditch game he could not stop talking about.

"Yeah," agreed Sirius. Fang had finally calmed down and was curled up under his feet that dangled from the enormous chair. "Maybe we should try to see how thick-headed Snape is, huh?"

James gave a wicked grin, but Remus was not so eager.

"Maybe we should stick more to pranks for a while. Is wasn't that long ago that Dumbledore had you two in his office for that duel between you and the Slytherins. Perhaps we should all lay low for a little while."

"Lay low?" repeated Sirius. "You weren't there, Remus! Those gits deserved what they got and more."

Hagrid chuckled.

"It's not tha' I'd never say no ter a bunch o' bigots, but Remus is righ', Sirius. Dumbledore's got bigger problems witho' yer four gettin' sent ter his office every other day. Jus' wait 'til the holiday is over, wha' with those Knights of Walpurgis 'n new Minister 'n all."

At those words, James sat up straighter.

"What do you know about that, Hagrid? Has Dumbledore told you anything?" he asked with rapt attention.

"Don' yer four know? Did yer read the paper this mornin'?" he asked looking around at all four the boys. When their faces remained blank, he grunted and reached behind him to grab his copy of the Sunday Prophet before dropping it on the table with page three looking right at them, which was when James snatched it up and began to read while his three friends crowded behind his shoulder to see.

MINISTER UNDER FIRE

By Betty Braithwaite

Following the heavily disputed resignation of Nobby Leach, the first Muggle-born to ever hold the position of the British Minister of Magic, Eugenia Jenkins, a 63-year-old half-blood, was elected to the post. While there is never a good time to enter office, Minister Jenkins stepped up during a particularly tumultuous time in our history. The Squib Rights Marches, though not officially over yet, have died down significantly when faced with the threat of the increasingly violent pure-blood riots, but that does not necessarily mean that the Wizarding world has now entered a period of peace – the exact opposite as a matter of fact.

Many have credited Jenkins with resolving the situation between the Squibs and the many wizards who still feel that magical blood remains integral to our society after the initial compromise and subsequent meetings. While the solutions and laws resulting from the endless bickering and protests have left neither side completely satisfied with their deal, Jenkins proved herself capable of mediation, and many have now looked to her for diffusing the situation with the Knights of Walpurgis and their mysterious leader.

However, recent events have proved disastrous for our new leader, and some are even wondering if Minister Jenkins really has what it takes to lead British witches and wizards everywhere. Sources close to the Minister have confirmed that she has been by and large too busy with helping pass and regulate the laws pertaining to Squibs after the marches to bother herself with the little bursts of low-level violence around the country, and Jenkins has yet to start corresponding with any of the people involved with the Knights of Walpurgis.

"The Auror Office is working hard to identify any persons who might be involved with this growing conspiracy, but until an immediate threat to our community presents itself, our priorities are concentrated around containing the riots and the safety of our great nation," says a spokesperson for the Minister when questioned about Minister Jenkins's plans. When asked how worried the Wizarding community should be about the Knights of Walpurgis are, the Ministry declined to comment.

This announcement comes at the heels of growing outbursts of violence around Britain, many instigated by the still mysterious Knights of Walpurgis. Wizards and witches everywhere, pure-bloods and half-bloods alike, have decided to focus on the generations-old argument over how to treat Muggles and Muggle-borns when it comes to their position in the Wizarding world. While many people support the regulated freedom of those wizards and witches of Muggle heritage, saying that those with a limited grasp of magic like these Muggle-borns should not disrupt the lives of real wizards and witches, there are those who would vote otherwise, arguing that Muggle-borns have the same amount of skill as any others their age and that there have always been many incredibly talented Muggle-borns throughout history.

The question now?

What will Minister Jenkins do about it?

"That's a bunch of dragon dung," said Sirius disdainfully as James set the paper down, an uneasy feeling in his stomach. "They're making it sound like the majority of people follow my family's beliefs, when the Prophet has to know that it's a minority."

Hagrid gave them a grave look.

"Yer'd be surprised jus' how many think tha' way, Sirius. Those Knights mean business, whether people believe it or no', 'n I fer one know Dumbledore is tryin' all he can ter figh' agains' those racists. All the same, bes' ter be on the lookou'; some kids in Hogwarts are from families like those people, 'n believe me, they don' play by the rules."