DISCLAIMER: All things HP belong to JKRowling. I didn't steal them, nor plan to.
Amber Potter and the Traitor Within.
Blurb …
Follow the antics of 11-year-old cousins, Amber-Leigh Potter and Rosemary Weasley, during their first year at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry, along with their new friend, Alice Longbottom.
Find out what happens when you mix an evil plot, an invisibility cloak and two girls with extraordinary powers and a world full of magic.
CHAPTER SEVEN: Quidditch.
Over the next few days, all Amber, Rosemary and Alice could talk about was the conversation they had over heard. They considered going to Professor Longbottom, but Rosemary stamped out that plan, saying they didn't have enough proof. Alice agreed, but was still distraught at the idea of killing her dad.
The next day, Thursday, was when the first years were due to have flying lessons with Madam Hooch.
"Oh yay-more Slytherin's." Amber pointed out, pointing at the sign on the notice board in the common room the night before. "Won't that just make our day?"
"Oh totally." Rosemary sighed and flung herself back onto her stomach on the sofa dragged in front of the fire. She picked up her quill and stuck it in her mouth and began to suck on it-a habit she'd been doing lately.
"You're not going to get that homework done you know." Alice said, watching Rosemary think.
"Why?" She asked.
"Because it was due a week ago." Amber finished.
"Oh well that's just great." Rosemary said sarcastically.
The next day after breakfast, the Gryffindor first years made their way down the oak front doors and down the sloping lawns to where Madam Hooch was waiting for them, with about 20 broomsticks surrounding her. The Slytherin's had already arrived.
"Hey look! It's the girl who thinks she's so cool, just because her dad was famous!" Mandy Baddock sneered at Amber as she past and her gang of Slytherin girls all shrieked with laughter. Amber ignored them.
"Good Morning!" Madam Hooch barked and they fell silent. "Now-you are here today for your first flying lesson."
"No duh!" Logan Vienna whispered to his friend Toby and they both broke into silent laughter.
"Quiet you two!" Madam Hooch barked and they stoped laughing at once. "Now-everyone, stand up beside the left-hand side of a broomstick." She said and everyone looked around apprehensively.
"Come on! Hurry up-" Madam Hooch flapped her arms in attempt to chivvy them along and they all started and hurried forward to take a place next to a broom. Matthew Rhodes-a quiet boy in Amber's class whimpered a little-all morning at Breakfast, he had been asking students for advice on how to hold onto his broom, as he was afraid he would fall off.
"Now-stick your right over your broom and say up!"
"Up!"
Several voices coursed, including Amber and her broom jumped immediately from the ground to her hand.
"Cool!" Amber said, while Rosemary's broom shot up and whacked Malfoy on the back of the head, Rosemary gasping into a laugh and Alice's just rolled over on the ground.
"I thought it was supposed to jump into your hand?" she asked, looking annoyed that Amber's had done what it was meant to.
"Uh …"
Many people were chanting "Up! Up!" and eventually, Matthew's shot up into the air and came whizzing back down and (With everybody running and screaming out of the way) with a loud thump, it landed with half it's handle stuck in the ground, quivering slightly.
"Ok, ok." Madam Hooch said exasperatedly, as if she had expected nothing better. "Now I want you to mount your broom, while I come round and correct your grips."
Amber had played Quidditch a lot with Andy and Daphne at home, so Amber was used to flying. Same with Rosemary, but Alice wasn't so confident.
"Oh I'm so going to fall off!" she complained.
"No you're not!" Rosemary told her.
"Yeah, stop worrying, we'll be there to catch you if you do. Besides-you're sounding like Matthew-" Amber pointed over her shoulder to where Matthew was now trying to talk his way out of flying. "-It's getting rather annoying Alice."
After everyone's grips were corrected (Amber, Rosemary and Alice laughed at the fact that Malfoy had been doing it wrong for ages-he claimed that his dad had taught him right) Madam Hooch yelled.
"Ok! Now when I blow my whistle, you are to rise a few feet into the air, then lean forwards and come straight back down! We don't exactly want to have to send someone to the hospital wing. On three! One-two-THREE!"
By the end of the lesson, it transpired, 6 people were sent to the hospital wing, due to the fact that Matthew had lost control of his broom completely and crashed into Toby Finnegan, who both fell off, 10 feet in the air, falling on Geraldine. Once Madam Hooch had gotten to the ground, Kyle Malfoy had flown into them on purpose and made it look like Amber and Rosemary did it, so while Alice protested on their behalf, Matthew, Toby and Geraldine were accompanied by a disgusted Malfoy and Amber, Rosemary and Alice all received detention.
October moved into November, bringing icy winds that blasted through gaps in walls and the school often woke up to a glittering frost. But it was good that the first years had had flying lessons, because to the students, November meant only one thing-Quidditch.
The Gryffindor team was made up of Amber's brother, Andy Potter as a chaser along with the captain, Tania Jenson. She was Quidditch mad and her only goal in life was to win. Andy said that if a person ever got a broken wrist at the last minute and couldn't play, she'd probably just grab the nearest person to her and chuck them on in their place, just so they could play. The other chaser was Rosemary's brother, Joshua Weasley.
Also on the team, Chloe Jordan as a beater-daughter of the old Hogwarts commentator, Lee Jordan. She wasn't enthusiastic, according to Andy and was only on the team, because her dad was the all-famous commentator. She was joined by her sister, Zoë Jordan, who un-like her sister was in love with Quidditch and was a good beater.
Keeper was Cecilia Wood, daughter of old chaser, Katie Bell and old captain, Oliver Wood. She wasn't as good as old Wood, but was steadily improving and had a great sense of humour-according to Josh (Rosemary thought that Josh fancied her).
Last but not least was the seeker-Thomas Finnegan. The son of Seamus Finnegan and older brother of Toby Finnegan in Amber's class. He was a great seeker ("Though not as good as dad!" Amber always said).
Amber played Quidditch herself, but only ever with her brother and sisters at home-never on a team. She always played chaser and her sisters always thought she was good-but Amber didn't think so.
"Honestly Amber, you're really good." Alice said, the night before the first match-Gryffindor verses Slytherin. "You should try out next year."
"Nah, I'm not a 'Professional' kind of person." Amber replied, as they made their way up to the common room after dinner "I prefer to just play for fun."
"Let's hope they have fun tomorrow then." Rosemary said, glancing over to where the team was huddled in the corner of the common room, looking nervous and discussing tactics. "They'll need to at least have fun tomorrow, because I heard that Slytherin's put up a good, strong team this year."
"Nah, no one's a match for Gryffindor!" Amber said, remembering one of Harry's stories of when he caught the snitch in 5 minutes against Hufflepuff.
"Let's hope." Alice said, noticing how nervous the Gryffindor team were.
Amber glanced over and saw Andy looking as though he was about to throw up-he only joined last year, so he wasn't exactly used to the whole "Nerves-before-a-game" thing.
"Yeah." Said Amber, looking back at her two friends, "Let's hope."
Amber, Rosemary and Alice entered the great hall the next morning, wearing Gryffindor house colours and Rosemary was supporting a large flag with "Go Gryffindor!" on it, while Alice was wearing a large hat with a lion on top.
"I got the idea off my mum." Alice told them at their strange looks. "Look what it does!"
She pulled out her wand, and jabbed the lion head in the side. It roared realistically and everyone around them jumped.
"Of course! I lion head that roars! Not strange at all!" Rosemary yelled over the laughing and clapping as the Gryffindor team entered.
They all sat down at the table and began to eat breakfast when Rose and Anna came over.
"Hows good old Andy-Pandy doing, eh?" Rose asked Amber. Amber sniggered to herself and took a bite of a pancake. Andy hated it when Rose called him "Andy-Pandy".
"No idea, but he doesn't look too good." Rosemary replied as Amber had her face full of pancakes.
"That's disgusting, you now that right?" Alice asked Amber, pulling a face at Amber's bulging cheeks.
"Yup." Amber managed to say.
"Well, see you at the match later, I've got to go and say good luck to Andy and Josh." Rose said, and she and Anna got up and walked off, joined by Rose's twin sister, Daphne. She was with her best friend, Jacob Martis, and was wishing the team good luck.
"My sister never notices me." Alice said, looking down at her food. "It's because I'm just a lonely first year with only two friends."
"Don't say that Alice, she notices you." Rosemary told her.
"Yeah! And what's wrong with only having two friends?" Amber said "You've got the most famous friends here at Hogwarts! Remember who all three of our parents were."
"Yeah … but it's just that she has all these cool friends and they're all really popular, then there's me. Little old Alice, tagging along after famous people."
"We're not that famous." Amber said "It's just our parents."
"Yeah." Rosemary added, "But who needs to be popular? Besides? Back in the day, it was Harry, Ron and Hermione-the golden trio. In other words, three. Like us."
"I guess." Alice said, but she continued to look glum.
"Hey look!" Amber said, hoping to distract Alice, "Everyone's going now-lets go, or we won't get good seats."
Alice's glum look suddenly vanished, and she now looked excited.
"Yay!" She yelled, "Let's go!"
The three joined the throng heading towards the front doors, and made their way down to the Quidditch pitch. Everyone was talking in loud excited voices, and some people were singing.
"This is going to be great!" Rosemary said.
"Yep!" Alice agreed, "I can't wait to see Gryffindor play! We're going to win! I know it!"
"We will-" Amber began, but then, as they were walking past the entrance to the Gryffindor changing room, a hand swept out from no where, grabbed Amber's arm, and yanked on her hard, so she fell sideway's into the changing room.
Amber looked up after nearly falling over and saw it was Tania Jenson who had pulled her. She was looking desperate and was holding a bunch of Quidditch robes.
"You!" She said to Amber "Can you play Quidditch?"
"I-what?" Amber said, deeply confused and hoping that Rosemary and Alice would save her a seat.
"Quidditch! Can you play? Chaser?" Tania said impatiently.
"I-well, I guess … sure."
"Excellent! Here-" She threw the Quidditch robes at Amber and picked up a broomstick and handed it to her. "Put these on now! Hurry! We're on in five minutes!"
Amber was deeply confused at this point. "What? But-but I can't play! What happened? I thought you had a team-"
"We did!" Tania cried, "But we were about to walk outside when Andy tripped! He broke his wrist! He can't play with a broken wrist!"
"What is he ok?" Amber said distractedly, looking over to where Andy was surrounded by his team mates, cradling his wrist against him. "Wait, never mind! Can't he just go to Madam Pomfrey?"
"It's too late! There's no time!" Tania cried, and shoved Amber in the back towards the benches that ran along the walls of the changing room, "Hurry! Get changed now! You're playing today! You'll do fine!"
"But you don't understand! I can't play! I'm only a first year!"
"You're dad was a first year when he played on the Gryffindor team, right?" Tania asked Amber and Amber nodded. "Then what's the worry? You can do it, and hurry up! We're on in less than 5 minutes!"
Tania gave Amber another shove and Amber began to pull on the Quidditch robes with fumbling hands. She was compleatly in shock, and still didn't quite grasp the concept of what was happening, except for the fact that she was playing-how on earth was she meant to play chaser like she'd been practising all year?
She finally pulled the Quidditch robes over her head, and Tania thrust Andy's broom at her.
"Come on! It's time!"
Amber was trembling now-she had to admit, she was scared. Quidditch matches were brutal at Hogwarts. What if she got hurt?
Tania led the way out onto the pitch to a tide of cheering. Three-quarters of the crowd was a solid block of red and gold. But Slytherin had its supporters, all dressed in green down by the Slytherin end.
Up in the stands, Rosemary was looking around frantically for Amber.
"Where on earth is she?" She said, looking behind them, "If she doesn't hurry up, she's going to miss the game!"
"Hold on-isn't that her?" Alice suddenly said, looking through her binoculars, pointing down towards the Gryffindor players, and pointing at the smallest of them all.
"I don't believe it-it is!" Rosemary said in dis-belief.
"What the? Why on earth is she down there?" Alice asked.
"Heavens knows." Rosemary replied, picking up her own binoculars and watching the Gryfindor's march across the grass towards the Slytherin team.
"Captains, shake hands." Madam Hooch barked.
Back on the ground, Amber was now constantly telling her self "I can't do this! I can't do this!" under her breath as Ben Mitchell, a 5th year Hufflepuff commentated.
"Ok! So for the Gryffindor team, we have Jenson, Weasley, Jordan, Jordan, Wood, Finnegan and Potter! Hang on, that's not Andy-that's his little sister down there! What on earth-"
But Ben broke off as Professor Longbottom leand over and told him that Amber was standing in for Andy.
"Ok then! We have Andy's sister standing in as Andy Potter has taken an injury. Best of luck to Amber Potter!"
"Ready?" Tania asked her team
"No!" Amber squeaked-she wasn't anywhere near ready.
"Don't worry Amber-Josh will protect you." Josh-Amber's cousin said, winking.
Then a shrill blast of the whistle blew and Amber kicked off from the ground on Andy's broom and soared through the air, just as she had done many times at home when she played with Andy, Josh and Daphne, while Rose watched.
She flew around for a while, before she realised that Josh was yelling her name and Amber shot off to where him and Tania were pelting up the pitch with the Quaffle.
"Here!" Tania yelled and threw the red ball to Amber, who caught it at the tip of her fingers, one hand still on her broom. She looked around and saw the three Slytherin's flying towards her, all while speeding through the air.
Amber let out a frightened squeak, called out "Josh!" and threw the Quaffle over the head of on-coming Slytherin chaser and at Josh a foot below. He caught it and flew off towards the post, throwing the Quaffle to Tania.
Amber followed and saw Tania aim at the middle post and threw the Quaffle hard. The Quaffle soared through the keepers outstretched hands and flew through the hoop-
"SCORE! 10-0 TO GRYFFINDOR!" Ben yelled into the megaphone and Tania yelled "Yes!" and flew towards the middle of the pitch to resume play. Amber high-fived her, and started to lose some of her fear-this wasn't actualy so bad ...
"Amber-here!"
Tania threw the Quaffle to Amber and she caught it again. Flying up, she looked round to see the chasers far behind. Ben was screaming something into the microphone, but the wind was whistling so loud in her ears, she couldn't tell what he was saying.
"Amber, SHOOT!" Tania's voice screamed and Amber realised that she had flown all the way to the goal post.
Amber threw the Quaffle as hard as she could towards the left post, but the keeper flew up from no where and caught it.
"Awww, bad luck Amber." Ben was saying. "Ok, Slytherin in possession, and flying up the pitch like a canon-"
Amber spun around in the air and flew after where Tania and Josh were trying to steal back the Quaffle. Amber flew up above where Slytherin chaser, Liam Handle, was tearing up the pitch with the Quaffle under his arm.
Amber reached down and made to grab it off him, but he spun around and kicked Amber hard on the broom and she went spinning out of control towards Josh. She went crashing into him and nearly fell off her broom.
"Watch it!" Josh yelled, "You ok?"
"Yeah." Amber yelled back, clutching her side where her broom had hit into her.
Amber looked round where Handle was trying to get past Cecilia. Cecilia managed to save the shot and threw the Quaffle to Josh.
"Ok, let's go!" He said and he and Amber turned around and tore up the pitch.
"Amber!" Tania yelled a few minutes later and threw the Quaffle to her. Amber looked to the rapidly on-coming goal post and took another shot at the goal-and this time it went in.
"SCORE! 20-0 TO GRYFFINDOR! TAKE THAT SLYTHERIN!" Ben yelled happily while the Slytherin's booed and the Gryffindor are cheered. Amber cried "Yes!" and punched the air.
"Great one Amber!" Tania yelled happily and they were soon zooming back up the pitch again.
15 more fast and furious minutes, and several penalties later, the score was 200-50 to Slytherin, and there was still no sign of the snitch.
"Keep going Amber!" Tania kept yelling as they once again, attempted to steal back the Quaffle.
"It's useless; we're never going to catch up!" Amber cried furiously.
"Don't worry! You scored many times-we can do this, Thomas just has to get the snitch!" Josh yelled as he grabbed the Quaffle off a Slytherin chaser and ducked a bludger pelting in his direction.
"But if he catches it, it'll be a tie!" Tania yelled, catching the Quaffle off Josh and throwing it to Amber.
"Then we need one more goal to win!" Amber yelled back, throwing the Quaffle back to Josh.
They reached the goal post as Thomas Finnegan and Harvey Danials-the Slytherin seeker-went into a huge dive, chasing after a glint of goal near the ground.
"Come on! One more goal!" Tania cried and threw the Quaffle to Josh. But a bludger came pelting out of no-where and knocked Tania off her broom entirely. She went screaming to the ground and her throw went wild, hitting Josh in the face and breaking his nose-blood was everywhere and he dropped the Quaffle "AMBER GO!" Ben was screaming into the megaphone.
Amber, along with three other chasers from the Slytherin side went chasing after the Quaffle. Slytherin chaser, Handle kicked her again and a second Bludger came pelting her way, but Amber kept going and saw out of the corner of her eye Thomas and Danials gaining on the snitch-it was now or never-
Amber seized the Quaffle and flew around to the goal post. Knowing she only had one shot; Amber threw the ball at the goal post, just as a Slytherin chaser made a whiled grab for the Quaffle. The Quaffle went soaring for the right hoop as Amber nearly falling off her broom again and watched with baited breath-and the Quaffle went in-just as Thomas caught the snitch.
The stands erupted into cheers and screams of joy from the red and gold supporters, and they all spilled over the barriers to the pitch and ran on, screaming the entire way. Amber was in shock and didn't move until her felt several people fly into her, hugging her tightly.
"YES!" Cecilia yelled happily, and Thomas and Josh did some kind of happy dance, Josh holding his broken nose, trying to stop blood from flying everywhere. They flew to the ground, where Amber had a brief glimpse of bodies of jumping people everywhere, until she was lifted onto the shoulders of the crowd, along with the rest of the team-even including Tania, who was knocked unconscious from her fall.
"Great one Amber!" Josh yelled happily to her, through his nose bleed "If you didn' scora a' da las' minute, it woulda bin a tie!"
Amber just smiled back and realised how much fun she had. Maybe Rosemary and Alice were right-maybe she'd try out next year …
"Oh my god Amber! You gave us a heart attack when we saw you playing!" Rosemary screamed, as she and Alice ran through the crowd, now carrying them up to the castle, "We had no idea where you went!"
"I had to play for Andy-he broke his wrist at the last minute and there wasn't time to go to Pomfrey!" Amber yelled back.
"You were brilliant!" Alice screamed.
The crowd carried them all the way up the Gryffindor common room and a few of the older students disappeared for a while and came back with tons of food and drinks.
"We won!" Amber suddenly heard Andy yell and she spun around to have the mini version of her dad that was Andy run into her in a hug that almost knocked her flat, wrist clearly healed. "You were brilliant! I could so not have made that shot!"
"Thanks Andy!" Amber gasped. "Ok-choking-not breathing!"
"Whoops-sorry!" Andy said and let her go.
"AMBER YOU WERE AMAZING!"
Amber looked round again and this time it was Tania running towards her-obviously revived after her fall. She hugged Amber like Andy did, and Amber was sure that if she got hugged one more time, one of her ribs would break.
"I can't believe that you're only a first year! I can't believe it! You were great! We would have tied for it if it weren't for you, and a tie's worse than losing!" Tania yelled, as the rest of the Gryfindor's around them partied, eating food and cheering loudly.
"T-Thanks!" Amber said. She thought she ought to be grateful that she was being complemented by a 6th year.
Tania skipped away, now singing "We are the champions" at the top of her voice, and was soon engulfed by the cheering Gryfindor's.
"Gosh! I didn't think it would be that big of a deal!" Amber told Rosemary and Alice, who were munching on crisps,
"Are you kidding?" Rosemary said, spraying Amber and Alice with crumbs "Quidditch is the life and soul of Hogwarts! And we won!"
"Ha! Malfoy won't be very happy!" Alice said happily, though looking disgusted at Rosemary's lack of manners.
"It doesn't even matter-we won!" Amber yelled and the three jumped around screaming, eating lollies and laughing the night away.
A/N: Weeeeeeeeeeeee are the champions! My frieeeeeeeeeend! Oh hurrah non-exsistent readers! Just ignore my singing. I think this is one of my favourite chapters-GO GO GRYFFINDOR! Yipee!!!!
Also, i'm pretty sure that Tania woulnd't know the song "We are the champions", but it seemed like a perfect moment, so bear with me, please?
Anywho, a huge huge thankyou to Ginny278 and Fizzing-Whizbee-nz for being the only reviewers so far. I love you guys! (Not really, but you know what i mean).
Reviews appriciated! (Not that non-exsistant readers review, but oh well).