Time for an update I suppose. I know some of my readers are going back to school quite soon. Enjoy your last days of the summer holiday!
The Slytherin team as well as the students there are often portrayed as bad people in some fanfictions. I decided to make the Slytherin Quidditch team a bit nicer, but still having a competitive edge. This is the first time I'm writing a Quidditch game, so I hope it's not too bad!
Some of the Quidditch players have surnames suggesting their non-English ancestry. Can you guess what country they may be from?
A chilly Quidditch match!
'Merlin…what time is it?' wondered the male as he opened his eyes. He then glanced at the wrist watch that laid at the nightstand. 'Only 07:30 huh? Better get up then. I need a head start on my homework' decided Remus as he got up. Being a werewolf meant he lost one day of school. This meant that the guy had to do extra work during the weekends. Good thing that his average was around Exceed Expectations. If not, the teenager would be in trouble. He picked up the parchment where he had started on the herbology essay. 'Oh. I almost forgot that Lily was going to meet me for the charm practice' remembered the male brunette. He picked up his charms notebook and put everything in his backpacker.
The male put on a rather comfortable set of clothes that would keep him warm. He ended up with brown leather boots, socks, a pair of straight jeans, a white T-shirt plus a dark green turtleneck. He then closed the door as silent as possible. Sirius in particular was a bit grumpy if someone woke him up before 9 AM on days off. The male went down the staircase to the Great Hall. 'Wonder if I'm the only early riser' mused the Gryffindor. It appeared that a good number of students were already awake. Some of them were fifth year students studying for their OWL's. A number of third or fourth year pupils were cramming for the upcoming astronomy midterm too. This midterm was usually held right after the first full moon in November. The professor did this to ensure the students got enough sleep for upcoming tests.
He spotted a place near the middle of the Gryffindor table and sat down. Remus found it ironic that a sensible person like himself was transformed into a howling beast regularly. 'I wonder if I'll ever make other friends before I leave Hogwarts next year or afterwards' pondered the guy. The students in his year were nice enough. However, there were some who he did not consider as 'friend material'. A number of the Slytherins were obvious since some of them supported Voldemort. The Hufflepuffs were the opposite. One of the guys had given him a hand during one of the potion lessons last month.
As for the Ravenclaws…they were a bit of both. Some of the girls were a bit of a gossip. A couple of the guys had a snobby attitude. However, some of them were quite calm. Their interest for school only added to this. Especially since some of his fellow Gryffindors could benefit from that. "Good morning Remus" said a female voice from behind. He turned around and saw Lily stand right behind with a big smile. She was wearing a yellow sweater plus a brown skirt. Said skirt ended two inches above her knees. Her legs were covered in tanned tights plus some winter boots.
"Morning Lily. Please sit down" told the guy with a smile. "No thanks…I just finished my breakfast. I'm on my way to the library. Are you ready for our charms practice?" inquired the female. "Yeah. I just need to get some food down" replied the Gryffindor while he pointed at his two slices of toast. "Great! I'll see you there then" replied the redhead with a smile. She then left the Great Hall while the male finished his meal. The toast with egg on perked him up a bit and he finished the bread in no time. 'Hm. I need some sugar' thought the male as he went through his backpacker. He then found his small box with chocolate biscuits that he had bought during the last Hogsmeade weekend. Remus ate one of the biscuits as he read through some of the news in the Daily Prophet. It was a bit depressing since Voldemort was still on the move. Good thing that they were safe inside this castle…for the moment at least. He laid the paper down before he grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl.
'Better be safe than sorry' thought the guy as he picked up his backpacker. The plan for today was to practice on the charms with his partner. Next on the agenda was the potions homework. Saturday was usually an all right day to catch up with school work. He went up to the library, and passed by a couple of students on his way up there. Meadow green eyes glanced around in the library for his practice partner. A part of him felt quite lucky to have the Gryffindor female as his workmate. Not only was she a gifted witch, but she was a really kind person too. She did not mind to help lost students who were lost or classmates with their homework. 'Ah. There she is' thought the teen with a smile. The female Gryffindor was sitting next to one of the bookshelves. He approached her as silent as possible before sitting down across the table.
"Hello Remus. I brought two glasses with me from the Great Hall. Don't worry, I promised the house elves that I would return it" assured the girl. She picked up two small tea cups from her backpacker. "Good. I think we should try to fill the quarter of the glass. Then, we can freeze it. Does that sound good to you?" inquired the male. "Yeah. Just give me a moment so I can find my wand" replied Lily. After they had found their wands, it was time to start their practice session. 'Concentrate Remus…' thought the male brunette as he saw the water fill the tea cup. Precision was the key for a charm combination like this. The water started to reach the mark, and he stopped. It was time to turn the water into ice.
'Glacia!' thought the male as he looked at the blank water. He tried to maintain his concentration as the water froze. The liquid did not freeze completely, but the bottom had at least frozen to solid ice. "I think we have to make sure to not exhaust our brains on this" told the female with a small smile at her face. The Gryffindor looked into her tea cup to see how she had fared so far. Her result was pretty much the same as his. "At least we're both able to freeze the water to a certain degree. I think you were right about keeping the concentration even. We got two tasks after all. You're not doing that bad though Lily" stated the guy with a sincere smile. "Thanks Remus. Perhaps you should become a teacher one day" suggested the redhead. He let out a small sigh. "Maybe…I do like working with people. I don't think someone would hire a person with a furry little problem though" muttered Remus. A part of him hoped that he could find a half-decent job after Hogwarts. His condition however meant that his chances were strongly reduced. Money was not too much of an issue for him fortunately. Hopefully, he could get a job that was at the countryside or close to a forest. That would make it easier when the full moon came around. Being a werewolf was not easy if you lived in the dead middle of Manchester for example.
"Don't be so upset Remus. Your problem is only for a day or two, right?" asked the girl. He nodded. "That means that you're acting like your normal self at least 27 days a month. Don't forget that your normal self is a good person. Or at least I think so" told the female Gryffindor with an honest voice. The male swallowed a small lump in his throat. It was the first time a female (who was not related to him) had said something like that. "Thanks Lily. That means a lot. Especially coming from a girl – or woman" stuttered the male brunette. "Hey…I'm sure you'll get a female friend someday. Most of the girls seem to be comfortable around you. Except some of the Slytherin girls. Then again, you're friends with one who sent them stinky Valentine cards" laughed the female. "I agree. Let's continue with our charms work" replied the male.
'Right. Keep calm now Mattie' thought the female as she lined up with the Hufflepuff team near the entrance. She tightened the grip of her bat as well as her broom. Her ears caught the excited yells of the audience while a small gust of cold wind made its way through the air. "All right everyone. Let's do our best and give Slytherin a run for their money. They're NOT going to get this victory easily!" told the captain. "YEAH!" replied the rest of the team. The sound of a loud flute cut through the air and the team mounted their brooms. "WELCOME TO TODAY'S MATCH! THE OPPONENTS IN THIS MATCH ARE SLYTHERIN VERSUS HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the commentator. Mathilda flied up next to the other beater at the team. "THE PLAYERS AT THE SLYTHERIN TEAM ARE JOSHUA AVERY, GERALD FLINT, LINDA HARDY, JAY KHATRI, ERIC MCLACHLAN, MARIA PAYTON AND PATRICK WILSON! REPRESENTING HUFFLEPUFF ARE JOHN BRYSON, MATHILDA ELLIOT, CHARLES FAULKNER, SARAH O'REILLY, OLIVER SMITH, RAYMOND YOUNGER AND CONNIE ZHANG!" announced the commentator.
Everyone cheered as the players flied out on the field. There were quite a number of people at the pitch. Silver clouds covered the sky while a layer of frost covered the ground below. The girl could feel her heart beat a bit faster. It was inevitable since Quidditch matches gave her an adrenaline rush. This was good since the weather was a bit chilly today. Said adrenaline would keep her warm. The Hufflepuff players lined up and she positioned herself next to Raymond. She looked at the players from the Slytherin team. Gerald, Eric as well as Patrick were quite bulky. It did not surprise the Hufflepuff if one or two of them were part troll or giant. The rest of the team was average-sized. The only exception was the petite Maria. However, her small frame was an advantage. Maria was the seeker after all.
"Shake hands captains" told the referee. Charles shook hands with Patrick. Both of them had an eager look at their faces. The male on the ground went towards the chest where the balls were located. "Ready…GO!" yelled the referee after he opened the box. Everyone spread out immediately. Charles paired up with Sarah and Oliver. They needed to get their hands on the quaffle. John flied towards the goal as fast as possible. The female and the other beater raced towards the middle of the pitch. Connie was searching for the elusive snitch.
"Looks like Slytherin is off to a good start. Khatri has the quaffle and I think he's trying to pass it on!" informed the commentator. 'Question is...WHO will he pass it to!?' thought the female. Her eyes caught the sight of Linda. She was on her way towards Jay's right side. "Over here Ray!" yelled Mathilda once she saw him twenty meters away. He nodded before he hit a nearby bludger with his bat.
The girl tightened the grip on her bat as she tried to get an aim at her female opponent. She backed off a little as the bludger approached her. The beater prepared her arm for a slam. Once the bludger was within reach, the female sent the bludger downwards with a hammer-fist motion. The black ball went straight towards the Slytherin female. Her dark blue eyes widened in fear. She pulled her broom handle to the left as the bludger continued its nosedive.
"Yatta!" cheered the Hufflepuff when Jay missed his pass. "Ooooh, looks like the game has turned! Khatir unfortunately lost the quaffle. Looks like Hufflepuff is attempting to turn the tables" continued the commentator. "Keep an eye on Patrick Mattie! I don't think he's up to any good!" yelled Raymond. She nodded as she flied a bit higher. Her eyes looked for the bludger that she had hit earlier. 'Where can it-'. Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw Patrick chasing the bludger. From the looks of it, he was flying towards the opposite side.
The female zoomed past one of the Slytherin chasers in an attempt to get even with him. He already had a head start, but he was a lot bigger than she was. The teen then saw him catch up with the bludger. Her eyes looked down. Just who was he attempting to hit? 'OH NO' thought the girl when she saw Sarah. She was well within his reach. There was only one thing she could do. The bludger had to be diverted. If not, the other female would end up with a severe dent in her broomstick. She flied a bit lower while she tightened her grip on her bat. The guy above her was by no means a weakling. She had seen him send bludgers flying half across the pitch. Mathilda saw him shoot the bludger towards the chaser, and did a nosedive. "RYAAAH!" shouted the girl as she attempted to slam the bludger. Sadly, her arm was not long enough. Patrick managed to hit the bludger a couple seconds later. "SARAH! YOU NEED TO SWING RIGHT!" yelled Connie, who was only ten meters behind her. Sarah swung right, just barely dodging the whizzing bludger. The Slytherin beater sneered while the Hufflepuff beater flied closer to her teammate.
"Are you OK?" inquired the female. "I think I stretched something. I'll ask for someone to ice my back during the break" assured her teammate. Mathilda took off when the other chasers started to get in their direction. It appeared that Oliver was attempting to steal the quaffle from one of the Slytherin chasers. Cobalt blue eyes darted around to see where the bludger or one of the beaters was. She spotted Raymond as well as Gerald at the west side of the pitch. The former of the two did a quick dive downwards with the latter in his heels. The second bludger was whizzing around ten feet below them. Raymond pressed his broom handle downwards while his right hand held onto the bat. He stretched out his hand seconds later, and slammed into the bludger. The black ball shot straight towards one of the male Slytherin chasers. Said chaser held the quaffle in his left arm.
"JOSHUA, LOOK OUT! THERE'S A BLUDGER HEADING FOR YOU!" screamed Linda. Joshua did an impressive side dive, but lost the grip on the quaffle. The gravity sadly cost him the quaffle however. Oliver saw the chance and picked it up right afterwards. He then flied towards the Slytherin goal with Charles behind him. Eric tried to keep an eye at the quaffle as the guy approached him. The Hufflepuff chaser flied a bit higher before he dived down to the side. Next, the male threw the quaffle towards the goal. Eric tried to keep up, but was two seconds too late. "WE GOT OUR FIRST GOAL OF TODAY, SCORED BY HUFFLEPUFF'S OLIVER SMITH! 10 POINTS FOR THE BADGERS!" yelled the commentator. The Hufflepuff crowd below cheered.
A grin formed at the face of the Hufflepuff beater as she flied towards the middle of the pitch with her bat ready. "Hardy has taken the quaffle! Looks like she is heading for the Hufflepuff goal post" told the commentator. She looked up. Both of the Slytherin beaters were heading for the left part of the pitch. Her eyes spotted one of the bludgers whizz past their small seeker. Both of her hands tightened the grip at the broom as moved towards the left. 'I CAN'T let Slytherin mess up this match! We lost against Gryffindor just five weeks ago!' recalled the girl as she bent her torso a bit.
Her copper blonde ponytail moved like a tail in the wind. She glanced around her to make sure that nobody was blocking her way. Unfortunately, Gerald was coming up on her left side. He bumped into her a couple seconds later with a grin on her face. "Auch!" hissed Mathilda as she tried to regain her balance. Her left shoulder hurt after the impact. She decided to get even with him later on. The female flied upwards, and saw Raymond trying to get to the second bludger.
'Take aim…THERE!' thought the Hufflepuff when she saw him hit the bludger. The bludger flied straight up towards the male Slytherin chaser named Joshua. He was busy watching Linda trying to outbeat Charles at the opposite side. Just three seconds later, the bludger barely hit him straight in the left foot. "AAARGH!" yelled the guy when the black ball made contact. "YE-". Her cheering was interrupted when something hit her in the eyes. "AAAAAIGH!" exclaimed the girl as she tried to rub it away. It was something small that was quite cold. She then looked up at the sky. Her eyes widened in surprise. It was snowing! 'Well…it is November after all. In Scotland' recalled Mathilda. She straightened herself up to see Linda flying straight towards their goal. "WELL, WHAT DO YOU KNOW! HARDY SENDS THE QUAFFLE RIGHT INTO THE GOAL! 10 POINTS TO SLYTHERIN" shouted the commentator. A flute then sounded near the tribune. It was time for a break.
Right...I will reveal the countries that the players were from.
Hufflepuff: Elliot is a Scottish surname. O'Reilly has Irish roots while Zhang is a common surname in China.
Slytherin: McLachlan is the name of a Scottish clan. Khatri is an Indian name. Avery and Flint are the surnames of two people in the Harry Potter books. Both of them are Slytherins.