EVoNet
February 2013 AD
The Sport of Gods
Terry grinned as he looked around the huge stadium full of fans. He stood next to his best friend Ronald Weasley. He plays Seeker while Ron is Keeper for the Chudley Cannons dressed in orange robes and waiting to be called out. This stadium is new and belongs to a new team calling themselves the Dragon Slaves.
He could barely wait, and found it to be great that a new Quidditch team asked them to be their first ever opponents. Though, Terry feels a little sorry for their poor choice in first ever match. Ever since Terry started playing for the Cannons they rarely lose, so losing to some noobs isn't going to happen. They're top of the league where the Dragon Slaves aren't even listed yet, if they ever will be.
He looked out into the stadium and yet again couldn't believe how big it is, or how odd it looks. Normally stadiums like this are primarily made with wood so seeing metal supports and structures like this was quite impressive. However, the shear numbers of people is incredible. He's not sure there were that many people at the last World Cup Final. It put him a little on edge.
"This is awesome man," Ron jumped him out of his thoughts. He looked to his friend as he too peered out of the large shed set up just out of the way at ground level, but was wondering where the other is. He can't see it so doesn't even have line of sight on his opponents. "I mean look at this, our team is the greatest on Earth! We can't be beaten!"
"Don't jinx us Weasley," one of the three female Chasers said with a growl of annoyance. "We don't want to lose the first game of the season against a brand-new and untested team. We don't even know what they're ridding!"
He just snorted while glaring at her. "Like they could have anything better than the Firebolt Omega…! We have the fastest broom in the world. Naught to one hundred in eight seconds with a top speed of two hundred!"
She was spared answering when they were interrupted by a young female voice with a light French accent calling. "Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, I am Gabrielle Delacour and I am your host for today's match up in the game we call Quidditch. It's the Chudley Cannons verses the Dragon Slaves from here at the newly built Moonlight Coliseum!" she roared cheerfully out with a voice that seemed to come from everywhere.
Terry was almost as shocked by the announcer as Ron as they hadn't heard that name in quite a few years, and here she is Ron's sister-in-law commentating at a Quidditch match.
"Lets first start!" she continued as the crowd screamed, applauded and went wild with excitement. "The Chudley Cannons!" she cried out to some more cheers as she called out each of their names they flew out with a quick loop of the stadium they didn't pay much attention to anything but their entrance routine until they landed in the centre of the pitch looking lost.
"This place looks smarter than I thought!" Terry said nervously as he could hear booing already. "They seem to have some fans and they've never played before!"
None of his team could respond before Gabrielle interrupted. "They're ridding Firebolt Omega brooms that rely on natural mana to stay airborne."
Those words made them all look confused before they looked up and around. Gabrielle was standing on a huge red chunky platform disc floating forty meters in the air over the pitch with these little red things pointing lenses at her. These 'cameras' were also around them. However, it was the huge and eerily familiar screens that floated above the stadium that made their mouths drop open.
"O… Oh god no…!" Terry whimpered pitifully. "He wouldn't… he couldn't… this is going too far!"
"Now introducing for the first time ever…!" Gabrielle called out a microphone in hand and a wicked grin aimed down over the edge of her platform. "I give you, the Dragon Slaves, sponsored by EvansCorp…!" the crowd went even wilder as the music exploded over the stadium with big drums and guitars blazing throughout.
Huge strobe lights blazed to life of many different colours, the world even seemed to darken to give the lights better effect. Gabrielle didn't name each of the Dragon Slaves as they whizzed out of huge circle high up in the stadium one side as a door opened like an iris.
The Dragon Slaves were a blur of motion they were moving so fast. However, after some crazy stunts where some guy jumped off his 'broom' and dived fifty feet before his broom caught him they came down to the centre platform of the pitch as the music faded out where a ref in white and black stood waiting.
The Slaves landed and the Cannons could now get a good look at them. They're all wearing slim-line padded latex that hugged their bodies perfectly. They were coloured green with silver dragon badges where the dragons are in a black storm. Their names emblazon in silver on their backs, and the EvansCorp logo on their stomachs.
They were wearing black boots and gloves, and slim-line, sleek helmets in black but with dragon print in green with green tinted lenses over the eyes. However, their 'brooms' weren't wooden, or even looked like a broom. They were sleek silver with two handles at the front. It looked like two long pieces side by side with two foot peddles too, and a slim 'seat'.
However, it was obvious they had controls and sleek dials in the handles, and the foot peddles looked to move in most directions. As the Slaves landed the Cannons could see they practically lay on the 'broom' rather than sit on it, and they have some kind of holographic displays over the handles.
"Holy shit…!" Terry couldn't help but say as the new team just looked at them without taking off their helmets. "Y… you can play with t-them…" he stuttered out but was interrupted by Gabrielle doing her job.
"I present to you all, the Dragon Slaves ridding the Mitsubishi Striker zero series Sky Sleds!" she called out to a cheering and overly excited crowd. "The Sky Sled is an EVoNet concept coming out of the closet and debuting here today!"
The crowd was roaring even louder, screaming and loving every minute of the show. "I also want to bring you a few new rules to those people not in the know. Normally the match would end the moment the snitch is caught. However, EvansCorp thought that was too easy or could potentially go on forever, so to make things more exciting we are adding a time limit of two halves of sixty minutes!
"However, not only that but we are adding in a transparent ball we call the Missile! It is programmed to prevent its targets scoring, catching the snitch, saving, and avoiding or hitting the blunder. It doesn't matter who you are. This ball will attack you! However, because EvansCorp likes to be even, there are two!"
She said that when two large transparent multi-coloured balls half the size of beach balls shot up from the ground and streaked through the air. This made the Cannons who weren't likely to complain about rule changes sigh in relief as they're so much easier to see than they thought.
"The Missiles are fare game!" Gabrielle continued. "You can have your beaters attempt to stop them or make them go after someone else, just be warned that they might not like that and keep attacking you! Each team will also have throughout the whole match start to finish only two time outs!"
The crowd was still going wild with cheers as the two 'Missiles' floated in the air beautifully before two ball cannons peaked up from the ground and blast up two whizzing red balls that zoomed around making weird noises. Then the little golden ball with wings of light followed. The Cannons could only stare in awe as the ref held the red Qwuffle ready to place it.
"Wait, this isn't right!" Ron suddenly interrupted as the ref stepped forward. However, he paused looking to the ginger top in question. "They're not even ridding brooms or wearing robes. They should be disqualified."
"Don't be silly Ronald," the Dragon Slave with the captain C, (the one who earlier jumped off his sled) on his uniform spoke laughingly as he pulled his helmet off smirking widely. "You'll just make an idiot of yourself in front of hundreds of millions of people!"
"Evans!" Ron hissed out in rage and shock. "W-what…? How dare you!"
Harry just smirked widely. "Oh… too chicken to face me on the Quidditch pitch!?"
"Never!" he growled out angrily. "But this isn't Quidditch. You can't just change the rules!"
Harry just shrugged as he put his helmet back on. "The new rules don't benefit my team any more than yours. They're to bring more excitement into the game, but walk away if you want. I don't care. You'll just forfeit and drop a few levels in the league!" he said as he and his team launched into the air to wait. The bludgers and missiles stayed away from them as the match hadn't started yet.
"I'm not quitting!" Terry said glaring at Ron. "Anyway, the missile thing seems pretty cool, and the time limit and half time doesn't mean we're collapsing after the game. But most importantly! I will not forfeit a game to the magic traitor." He then shrugged and launched into the sky with a reluctant Ron and his teammates following.
Sirius didn't know how the hell he got conned into sitting in the booth James bought for the Order of the Phoenix to watch Terry's first match of the season when he has tickets for the VIP booth. Though, looking at James, Lily, and Dumbledore, their expressions are a priceless memory he'll forever cherish.
He shrugged as he pulled out the Dragon Slave flag he bought off a vendor earlier and waved it with a wide grin. "Sirius, we're all here to support the Cannons!" Dumbledore reprimanded. "Now more than ever since it seems Harry is now trying to steal Quidditch!"
"He can't steal a sport," he replied rolling his eyes. "He's just letting more people play. I am so getting one of those Strikers when they come out for sale. They are freaking awesome!"
"It looks like the Boy-Who-Lived is going to lose," Snape spoke up looking bored and annoyed with the stupid orange scarf Dumbledore forced around his neck. "Too bad, can I go home now. I'm sure I can see Potter's humiliating defeat in the papers, or if I'm desperate enough on a muggle television."
Sirius couldn't help but laugh. "Maybe they'll be selling a full recording of the match, plus extras on one of those DVD things!"
"Now, now Sirius," Dumbledore was more forceful in his objection this time. "If you are going to cheer for Harry's team then I'll have to ask you to leave!"
"Sweet," he replied without hesitation and got up and left before the old man could change his mind.
Dumbledore sighed as he nudged the holo-screen thing that got in his way showing a close up of the teams out of his face before he used his binocular things to get a close up look. The stupidity of what he did didn't even enter his head, and he didn't notice the odd member using the screens as they are so much better and easier to work out.
Sirius made it to the VIP lounge quickly and as the guards let him through he sighed in relief as he rushed though and out of the huge glass front and onto the huge sunny balcony with tables and chairs, some waiting staff, food, snacks, and a bar… well there's one of those inside too, but outside has a better view of the match.
The match hadn't started yet as some loud music played to rile up the crowd, and the lights blazed. The Qwuffle was now floating by itself between the two teams with the Chasers either side in half circles waiting.
Sirius grinned as he grabbed a pint of beer from the bar and watched as these white light things came out under the spectators in the stadium and created a field of light several meters tall from the ground.
Gabrielle was egging on the crowd and talking about new safety features for the players to prevent any deaths, and telling everyone Quidditch's death count had been in the thousands in England alone, and that last season three people died from falling.
Then a transparent, near rainbow-ish barrier that had magnifying qualities for the spectators spread up from the lowest seats in front of the crowd that would force broom, ball or sled to veer round and not crash into any spectator as even large numbers of them have died because a player crashed into them.
"Mind if I sit here?" he asked Ginny nervously. "I wondered where you and Luna were," he said laughingly as he smiled at Rose as she sat with them too.
"Sure," she replied shrugging as he took a seat. "You manage to sneak away or did your Dragon Slave flag get you kicked out!?" she asked looking at his flag, smirking.
"Kicked out!" he replied laughing sheepishly. "I'm not the only one who wanted better non-Dumbledore adjacent seats!"
"Sirius…!" Rose whined. "You should just quit the Order. It's boring. I have to have tutors because I can't cope at my new school because of Dumbledore! I'm so far behind in class, and apparently I can barely use English right, and Hogwarts was expecting me to use Latin!"
Ginny winced at that. "I'm glad I have a job in the Magical World then, but… at the rate Harry's going he's going to put me and Luna out of work."
"I'm sure Harry will help you get into College!" Rose replied smilingly. "I wish I could have hosted the Quidditch with Gabby though!" she moaned with a pout. "I didn't think about it till now, but that sounds like an awesome job. I'll be a TV star. I'm sure I could host something cool, like a kid's game show or something!"
"Quit yammering or you're going to miss the start!" a blonde girl said as she pulled up a seat and gestured to the man next to her to take the last.
"Susan Bones!" Ginny said with a sheepish pleading grin. "Umm… who's your friend," she asked gesturing to the man wearing glasses and odd suit next to her, he looked to be around thirty-something.
"Nobody cares that you and Luna are gay," she said shocking only Sirius, as the man obviously didn't care and Rose had always suspected. The other tables hadn't been listening in, which Ginny was thankful for as Astoria Greengrass and her older sister are at the next table watching at the two teams. "And this is Doctor Daniel Jackson. He's an archeologist from the States. He had an appointment with Harry but Harry had to have this match now!"
"You work for my big brother?" Rose said in surprise as she hasn't seen this young woman in a long time.
Susan nodded with a wide grin. "Sure do… ever since I left school I chased after him, but… I never got the guy. But I'm OK with that, he's still really awesome in bed!"
"Didn't want to know…!" Rose cried out with a fake whimper. "Anyway, nice to meet you Doctor Jackson!" she said with a smile shaking his hand. "Harry will be done soon, and then your meeting can be back on. I've learnt that he likes to show off a little so he'll throw out scheduled meetings in seconds to show the world something cool!"
"I see," he replied with a smile. "And breaking the laws of existence isn't enough for him."
"I guess not," she replied thoughtfully when he was startled as his phone rang and he answered.
"Cam… yea… sorry this Quidditch thing got in the way, so I'm… yes… well I'm glad you three scored some tickets too," he said rolling his eyes. "I don't know. It might not even be today!" he said before hanging up.
"Trouble…?" Susan asked him worriedly. "If you need to leave we'll understand and reschedule if you would like?"
"No, no," he answered quickly. "It was just my… umm… boss checking up on me."
She smiled and shrugged. "Sorry again," she replied sheepishly. "Harry does have a tendency to over book himself."
"It's quite alright," he said with a smile. "After all, I do get to watch this odd game in a great seat with good company."
"It's starting!" Rose said suddenly in excitement as all of the lights flashed red as the music stopped. Then they went green with a huge foghorn like sound before returning to normal.
The three Dragon Slave Chasers streaked forward before the Cannons realized that signals the start of the match. The ball was plucked out of the air before it fell an inch. The centre took it and all three buzzed passed the Cannon Chasers, then Beaters and Keeper.
"Score for the Dragon Slaves!" Gabrielle roared out. "Draco Malfoy the Slaves Centre Forward Chaser earns his team the first ten points, and I wonder whether the Chudley Cannons even saw it coming!" she was trying not to laugh as a lot of the jumbo-screen showed huge dopy and confused Cannon players.
This was the most fun she had ever had. "The Cannons keeper has at least collected the ball from the grav-field. Though, the fact he nearly fell off flying into it says he needs a little more practice!" she couldn't help the giggle as she was up on the main jumbo-screen now.
"This is crazy!" Ron said from his broom as he held the Qwuffle. He had almost fallen off his broom flying into that light near the ground. It tried to make him float while he wanted to get the floating ball. "How the hell are we going to win when they're that fast!" he ground out angrily to Terry as his friend floated closer.
"I don't know but all we have to do is get the snitch before Harry," he answered looking back at the Slaves in anger. "But that's easier said than done. The match will end if I can get the snitch no-matter what."
"Yea…!" Ron replied as he passed the ball over Terry to a Cannon Chaser he was smacked in the back and screamed as the Missile threw him clear off his broom where he and it landed undignified and tangled in his robes in the grav-field.
Though, while the crowd cheered and Terry fled as the Missile locked in on him the match went on. However, the Cannon Chaser with the ball had been distracted and had the ball stolen and another point scored.
Then while Ron was still down thumbing and looking stupid Harry fetched the ball, passed to Draco, Draco knocked it up and it went through again after another Slave Chaser punted it. The Cannon fans didn't seem to like the double score and called foul while the Keeper is down and stuck.
"According to the rules the game does not stop for downed players unless the captain calls for the time out!" Gabrielle reprimanded the Cannon supporters. "If he doesn't get how to move in zero gravity then a teammate should have been there straightaway to rescue him and his… broom instead of fleeing the Missile like Terry Potter did!"
"The crowd didn't like that jib," Daniel said with a smile. The match seemed quite good actually and he can see this sport catching on. He has no doubt his team will have a few of these Sled things soon. "Who's Terry Potter anyway?"
"Mine and Harry's crazy brother," Rose said smilingly. "Big Brother says Terry has been groomed by the crazy old man called Albus Dumbledore to worship him, and believe he's awesome. He also recons mums drugged or under some kind of spells. He doesn't know whether dad is. I don't think he is because mum at least tries to care about me and our little brother. Dad might have just been groomed too."
"It sounds like this Albus Dumbledore needs to be stopped," Daniel said with a thoughtful frown. "I'll have to ask Mr. Evans about it during our meeting. I have some friends in high places that might be able to help."
"Wow, that's really nice of you," Rose said with a sweet smile. "Thank you very much; I'm sure Harry will appreciate it."
They continued watching the match and the Cannons were losing badly. They just couldn't keep up with the Sky Sleds. They were just too fast and maneuverable.
It came around to half time, which lasts half an hour and the Dragon Slaves were winning two hundred and thirty to ten, and that was only because of a foul giving them a free shot as Malfoy saw fit to push Ron off his broom.
Harry just flew onto the VIP balcony with Draco removing their helmets, Harry giving Daphne a quick kiss and Draco embarrassedly kissing Astoria. "So, what do you guys think?" Harry asked laughingly as he dropped his helmet down in front of Rose as Draco moved Daphne's and Astoria's table nearer before they all claimed seats, though Harry made sure Daphne's was his lap.
"You're awesome Harry!" Rose said excitedly. "You and your team look awesome while Terry's team is a mess. Your sled things are wicked cool! They're only ridding brooms!"
"They should at least upgrade to vacuum cleaners!" laughed Susan smirking at Harry as he held his fiancé around the waist. She looked a little embarrassed, but other than that fine. Susan felt a little jealous, but she understands he's liked her for years, and they're still really close friends.
Though, Susan can't blame Harry for choosing Daphne. She looks really good while not wearing those baggy robes. She's wearing a high quality outfit of hipster trousers, and tight top and small jacket and cute shoes. Her clothes hug her body perfectly and make Susan question herself a little. Daphne and Harry just fit nicely; she realized watching them with a small smile.
They hung around for a bit and talked as Harry and Draco rested up and had some juice. It had only been about ten minutes into half time while the intermission show was going on with live artists singing while some groups of men and woman demonstrated the Sky Sleds performance with some cool stunts when the inevitable happened.
The door in the lounge was blasted off its hinges and the three guards were dropped to the floor unconscious. Harry didn't try to hide his sigh as he and Daphne stood pulling out their wands, Daphne's her natural, and Harry a new black model.
The rest of the tables stood too, some weapons drawn here and there as Dumbledore smilingly entered the lounge and followed by his minions joined them outside. Though, it looked to Sirius as if Snape had snuck away or bluffed his way home.
"Ah, Mr. Evans, it's so nice to see you again," the old man said as if this is a great privilege for Harry.
"You're getting on my last nerve Dumbledore!" Harry couldn't help but hiss out in anger. "You're now committing assault on my staff and breaking and entering. It seems like you're some fucked up terrorists who like to talk too much!"
Dumbledore however, he just smiled brighter shaking his head as if Harry is a small silly child. "No, Harry… you're misinformed. You have committed the crime against magical security so you'll be arrested and spend the rest of your life in Azkaban!"
Harry took a calming breath before laughing. "Someday I'll shut that hell-hole down and destroy all of the dementors!" he said smirking. "After all… I'm nothing like you shit for brains and would never want to torture anyone… well maybe I would enjoy torturing the mother fucking old bastard that thinks he's a freaking king! And that he controls the magical world!"
"I do control the magical world!" he retorted smugly and it was sickening to see most of his supporters agreeing wholeheartedly.
"Look around you Old Man," he replied shrugging. "The magical world is slowly fading away. As long as we protect the natural kids in the real world from you, you'll just fade away into nothing with it. If only your minions would get a clue. And by the way mum, dad I'm taking you both to court for custody of my little brother.
"Oh, and for your information… you're all under arrest!" he finished off smirking as several flashes of light brought in armed police. "If you don't surrender now it could get messy for you," he said gesturing the police guns. "A cross between a 'muggle' weapon and a wand! It won't be pretty for you if you resist."
Dumbledore glared at Harry as he gestured for his Order to drop their wands. "This won't do anything so do as they say for now. The Prime Minister will assist us in this matter."
"But Albus," Molly Weasley said worriedly. "You told us that our world is cut off from him and that… that we can't even apparate in!"
"He'll do what is right," Dumbledore replied with conviction as he and his Order were cuffed.
"Yes he will," Rose interrupted. "He'll get a prison secured against you teleporting out and then throw away the keys!"
"Rose, how could you betray us like this you little bitch!?" James hissed out angrily. "You're a no good for nothing cow just like Harry! Dumbledore is a great man."
"Don't speak to her like that!" Lily suddenly yelled at him angrily. "And… no-no Dumbledore is not! I… I hate him and I hate you!" she growled her eyes alight with gold energy and her nose and ears bleeding before the glowing stopped and she looked confused before turning on Rose. "As soon as this is sorted you're coming home and you'll never see Harry again! Dumbledore is a great man and Harry just wants to ruin everything! Harry would have Voldemort and his Death Eaters killed so they won't get a second chance!"
"They don't deserve anything but death!" Draco sneered out suddenly. "They've been given hundreds of opportunity's to be better but they always crawl back to him!"
"But Terry is the only one who can destroy him, right James," she said looking at her husband with a gentle smile.
However, all the shocked looks confused and baffled her from others. "Love and infatuation…!" Harry spoke quietly to himself but they all heard him. "Potion's most likey… so take Lily Potter to my medical facility for testing for foreign and illegal manas in her system!"
"Do not worry Lily, we'll stop them!" James said in a panic, but it was Dumbledore who looked worse.
"Take them out of my sight!" Harry said as he was trying hard to suppress his anger. "We have a Quidditch match to win!" he said and with nods the police escorted the terrorists from the lounge while others saw to getting the injured guards some medical attention.
Daniel Jackson had been watching the whole thing unfold in a little confusion but he got the gist. However, finally having real conformation that EvansCorp really does have teleporter technology surprised him.
It made him wonder what else this man has inside that imaginative mind of his. He can only wonder for now and hope he'll help them with their current dilemma. It seems bad things like to happen too much these days, but hopefully Evans' problems aren't too big. That Dumbledore guy seems as if he only thinks he can win against EvansCorp, but it too big now.
He'll have to tell the General… if he could get teleporters (made by an Earth company) then that would make life simpler for all teams at the SGC.
To Be Continued…