Author's Note: About last chapter…
Some of you have expressed concerns about the undiplomatic wizards, specifically Nosy John who I can't respond to directly because they don't have an account. L Get an account buddy! Then we can chat about stuff!
Here I will explain my reasoning:
Let's be honest, the wizards are a pretty undisciplined group and it's taken them years to allow other magical beings into positions of standing in their society. What I'm saying is, they have a superiority complex up the wazoo. I didn't make too strong of point of it in Ninja of Fire or Prisoner and Masked Man (or maybe I did and forgot) so I will do so here. When wizards hire guards, they get dumb muscle. In book three Dumbledore hired security trolls to guard the fat lady's portrait. Although their clubs and muscles were very intimidating, as Ron said in book one, "trolls are very stupid", and the boys have no problem just running past the "guards" even though there's a curfew in place.
So you have a bunch of wizards meeting these foreigners and all they know about them is…that Dumbledore hired them to guard the school for two years. Not only that, but these "idiot people" that did Dumbledore's bidding for money came to their turf for the meeting with no way of returning by their own power. So yes, the wizards are feeling pretty cocky. Some of the wizards are more diplomatic and open-minded but others are not. Fredrickson is a hot-head to boot and Kakashi openly antagonized him to see if he could get a reaction. He did. Now he has more information about the group he's dealing with. What one person does, several people think about doing. They are not as safe as Kakashi would have hoped.
As far as the Elemental Delegation taking offense, they're used to the sort of negotiations where the Raikage will smash a table or death threats are exchanged. It's not THAT big of a surprise, even to the civilians. From the magical side of things, there are many groups being represented and most of them are probably going to watch and wait. If the Hokage doesn't make a big deal about it, they won't make a big deal out of it. Until the power balance is established they'll want to stay as neutral as possible. Therefore, they'll openly follow Kakashi's lead and brush it off, despite what they may be calculating in their own minds.
Chalk that up as my rant for the day…and my explanation.
Chapter 8: The Quidditch Game
While they walked down to the pitch, Cedric attempted to speak with Kurenai but she always managed to evade him. It made him appreciate how little she'd actively tried to avoid him back when they were younger. She really hadn't been playing that hard to get after all.
At one point, as they were nearing the stadium, Cedric was sure he'd had Kurenai cornered. She couldn't hurry ahead or move to the side because of the crowd closing in to get into the entrances.
Cedric quickened his steps and moved to intercept her when another woman stepped right into his path and stopped dead. Kurenai walked on ahead with the crowd. Suddenly Cedric was cut off and alone, staring into the very pale eyes of an angry woman with long, dark hair. The wizard remembered seeing the same woman with Kakashi and his student. He pondered whether she was a ninja or a civilian when she spoke.
"What do you want with Kurenai-sensei?" The words were clipped and had a bit of heat behind them.
The woman was in a defensive stance blocking his way, had a headband around her neck, and she was Kurenai's student? A kunoichi then, Cedric concluded quickly. Still, it was not quick enough for Hinata.
Hinata cut him off before he could reply, "she clearly does not wish to speak to you. I would suggest that you respect her wishes." It wasn't a threat exactly. Her tone was cool and commanding but Cedric had a hard time labeling it as angry, despite the look on the speaker's face. Still, he was frozen to the spot for some moments after the kunoichi left him. He shook himself and hurried ahead, not wanting to miss the player selection. Still, the words hung with him as he joined Harry on the field.
Once the group had arrived at the pitch, Cedric, Viktor, Harry, and another delegate from Britain drew lots to see who got to play seeker first. Unsurprisingly not that many wizards actually wanted to play keeper so when Cedric lost the draw for seeker he volunteered. This was just the kind of exercise he'd been hoping for back in the castle. After the excitement of Kakashi being attacked, the brunette was ready to run a lap around the lake.
It was decided that since this was to be a friendly match, alternates would be allowed. Each team would have an alternate ready to go at a moment's notice and any other alternates were to come from volunteers as the need arose. After the teams were decided the brooms were chosen. Meanwhile, the delegates chose seats in the stands.
Everyone sat near the center of the field but the wizards and Elemental Delegates still kept to themselves. It was slightly more mixed than the Great Hall but not by much. Draco openly sat behind Kakashi and Naruto, explaining the game to the excited blonde. Hinata sat beside Naruto, listening closely to the rules. Kurenai sat with Hermione and Ebisu higher up in the stands. Luna, Neville, and Guy were with some of the Wind civilians and started up a conversation.
Down in the pitch, the players took their positions sporting either red or blue practice jerseys to tell the teams apart. Harry was the seeker on the blue team, along with Cedric as keeper. The rest of the blue team consisted of a Belgian wizard, a Filipino witch, and a Dutch witch playing chasers along with a German wizard and a Finn witch as beaters. The blue team also had an Australian witch as an on-hand alternate. The red team had the British witch who had won the draw to play seeker along with a Canadian witch playing keeper. The red team also included Viktor and an American wizard playing beaters, and a Bulgarian wizard, Icelander wizard, and Costa Rican wizard playing the chaser positions. The red team's on-hand alternate was an Iranian wizard. The wizards and witches from different countries and ministries quickly exchanged names before the game began.
Professor Jones stood in the center of the field with his personal broomstick and the Quidditch chest. He looked to his left, then right, nodding in satisfaction that everyone was ready. He held the whistle in his mouth, reached down for the quaffle, and the whistle slipped from his lips, dangling on its chain beneath his bent head. He frowned at it as he grasped the quaffle and straightened. Putting the quaffle under one arm, he grabbed the whistle and brought it back to his lips. He looked down awkwardly at the chest as he shifted his weight to one foot. Then in one quick, if frustrated, motion, he put the whistle in his mouth, shifted the quaffle to both hands and threw it, simultaneously blowing the starting whistle and kicking the release on the Quidditch box. The bludgers and snitch flew into the air as the players kicked off on their broomsticks.
The members of the Elemental Delegation gasped in astonishment as the wizards flew into the air. The bludgers and snitch also got attention since they appeared to be flying with minds of their own. There was a lot of pointing and eye-popping surprise. Hinata activated her bloodline to watch more closely. Naruto watched like a child with wide eyes and a grin on his face. The wizards and witches glanced over at the foreigners, smiling self-satisfactorily.
The Belgian chaser rushed forward, snatching the quaffle out of the air, and zipped toward the Canadian witch at the other end. The female seeker began circling the pitch while Harry immediately began working out what the quirks were on his borrowed Moonshot 600. He dove and pulled up, then repeated the process while adding in some banking maneuvers to the right and left. It wasn't a bad model. The Moonshots were known for remaining fast over time but the 600s in particular were notorious for developing eccentricities as they aged.
The American wizard rushed after one of the bludgers, took aim, and there was a crack as his bat redirected the ball toward the Belgian on the blue team. The Belgian dodged the bludger but passed the quaffle to his teammate anyway. The Dutch witch caught the pass and swerved around the Costa Rican who attempted to cut her off. The Icelander swooped close to try to steal but she twisted away.
That was when Viktor sent a bludger flying toward the blue witch. It caught her in the arm and she dropped the quaffle. The Bulgarian chaser dove and picked it up. Meanwhile the Finn witch and German wizard caught up with the bludgers at the same time. They fired off the balls with terrific hits. The chaser dodged them both as they crisscrossed above him and made a beeline for Cedric. Said keeper was ready and waiting at the rings.
The wizard tried for a long shot but it was caught by the Filipino witch before it even reached Cedric. The Filipino soared wide, taking care to remain within the boundaries, and headed back to the other end.
Cedric settled back for another tense wait. Playing keeper had always frustrated him, the way he had to stay relatively still but be completely focused at all times, but he didn't mind it the way some people did. He was very tempted to scan the crowd and look for Kurenai but he banished the thought. He needed to keep his mind in the game where it belonged. It was why he'd volunteered to play keeper, any position really. He couldn't just sit there in the stands, with Kurenai ignoring him, and pretend to watch Quidditch. Not to mention that the woman with the scary eyes might be keeping a lookout for him. At least in the air, on his broom, he was doing something. His eyes narrowed as another chaser, the Icelander again, approached his rings. Cedric's hands tightened on the broomstick handle and he let out a slow breath, watching his opponent's flight pattern.
Unbeknownst to Cedric, there was another drama playing out elsewhere on the field. Twenty feet above the rings, Harry and the British witch were racing flat out toward the golden snitch. The crowd, most who had been briefed on the rules of the game by eager magic folk, gasped in anticipation. Eyes bulged as the seekers and chasers made their way down the length of the pitch on parallel paths. The red team's Icelander and Costa Rican chasers were weaving and passing while the Bulgarian ran interference with the other teams' chasers. Meanwhile above, Harry and the other seeker were attempting to out-fly each other. The beaters were not idle however.
Viktor and the German beater from the blue team were vying for one ball while the Finn witch beat the American to their bludger. She took aim and swung, hitting the bludger toward the mass of red team chasers to break their rhythm. The chasers scattered and regrouped as Viktor caught up to his bludger. He sent the ball Harry's way to disrupt the imminent snitch capture. Meanwhile the disrupted chasers from the red team, who'd taken a wild shot, grumbled as Cedric handed the "saved" quaffle off to one of his own chasers.
Harry swooped low, ducking under Viktor's bludger. The other beater on Viktor's team flew in and attempted to quickly redirect the dodged ball back toward Harry's tail. He swung his bat but it did not hit true. The bludger grazed the edge of the bat. The awkward angle sent the ball sailing down into an unsuspecting Cedric Diggory.
The hard-hitting projectile slammed into Cedric's back, violently knocking the air from his lungs. The sound of him choking on his lack of air was practically audible as he slid off of his broomstick. He came to his senses in time to make a mad grab for the handle but his hand missed and he went plummeting to the ground. No less than ten spectators drew their wands and the brunette's descent was so greatly eased that he practically floated to the ground rather then fell. In any case, Kurenai beat him to the pitch floor and was almost surprised at finding herself there.
Cedric unknowingly drifted down to land next to Kurenai on the grass. Water was running out of his smarting eyes, blurring his vision. He struggled to refill his lungs and was attempting to prop himself up at the same time. Kurenai knelt next to him as he brushed the salty water off of his face with his free hand. When he saw her, his hand stopped in mid-air as if he were waving. His mouth hung open and his face was red from the slight panic of both not being able to breathe and falling from his broom. He blinked and closed his mouth, attempting to take deep breaths through his nose; this resulted in a coughing fit.
Kurenai hesitantly patted him on the back. "Are you okay?"
Cedric nodded energetically. He was on his knees now and holding himself up with his hands. He faced the ground as he took in deep breaths. "Those pack more of a wallop than they used to," Cedric exhaled as his breathing became more regular. He attempted to chuckle but it just came out as a sort of wheeze.
Once the tension in her chest eased, Kurenai thought to be embarrassed. She looked around the arena but no one seemed to be looking their way except for the pink-haired kunoichi who was running toward them. There was already a substitute in Cedric's place and the game had resumed.
Sakura had thought it odd when Kakashi had caught her before she headed down into the pitch. "Make sure Cedric's okay but as soon as you can, leave them alone together." She had been about to ask why when Hinata had spoken up.
"Lord Hokage," Hinata had interrupted. "I can go. And there's no reason for them to be left alone together." She eyed Cedric suspiciously. Kakashi had signaled for Sakura to go so she did not hear what he had replied. However, the medical kunoichi did see Kakashi turning to Hinata as if to tell her something, something that Naruto eagerly listened in on. Maybe she'd ask him later, Sakura thought.
Now that Sakura was drawing near the pair, she could practically feel the strain between them. When did this happen? She thought as she ran up to them. "Are you alright?" Sakura said as she knelt. Kurenai was blushing but Sakura pretended she hadn't seen. She was looking at Cedric.
Cedric nodded. Sakura also nodded in acknowledgement but raised her hands to his back anyway, they began to glow. Just then Viktor dove low to shake off a bludger that had been following him. He swerved to the right upon seeing the group on the ground. The pursuing bludger, however, kept going. Cedric called out a warning but Sakura simply leaned to the side, dodging the incoming ball without even looking up from her patient. A tick appeared on her brow but she remained focused on the task at hand.
Professor Jones had cried out with the rest and half-raised his whistle to signal a time-out when Sakura had shifted out of harm's way. The wizards had all been sure that the pink-haired medic had been about to be brained. Draco, eyes wide, half glanced at Kakashi and clarified, "your student?"
Kakashi nodded. Just then a second bludger came whizzing toward the small group on the field. Sakura, having had enough, stood, turned in place, and swung a fist at the bludger. The two objects connected with a crack like thunder and the bludger burst into a thousand or more shards that showered around them like fireworks. The crowd gasped and Draco's jaw dropped. In the following silence Kakashi spoke, "but, I did not teach her that." His eyes turned up with a smile.
Naruto cried out into the silence, "way to go Sakura! Five points to the Leaf!" Draco was still in shock so it was Hinata who leaned over and attempted to explain, again, that that wasn't what that ball was for. Professor Jones called a time-out to land and repair the demolished bludger.
Sakura turned back to her speechless patient and his protector. Kurenai was bent over a very pale Cedric, sheltering him from the falling debris. She quickly withdrew, playing off that her reaction was perfectly natural. "Let's get out of this mess," Sakura said in a frustrated tone. "Is there a shower room or something?"
Cedric could only point. His jaw hung slack as his mind wrapped around the idea that someone had just destroyed a bludger by punching it with their fist. Between that and Kurenai's sudden move to protect him, he was struck mute with confusing emotions. Kurenai showed the way. She carefully looked away from Cedric but was privately laughing a bit at his expression. Not only was the look amusing, but it brought up a lot of warm memories. She shook the thoughts away and kept walking.
Author's Note Part 2: here's a shout-out to my favoriters, followers, and reviewers who helped me decide some of the countries to use in the Quidditch game. I wasn't able to get all of you in (especially since my original draft for this was written weeks ago and I gained a few more of you since then) but I tried my best.
Now the action in the story is moving away from the Quidditch game so we won't see the ending. However, anyone have any theories on who's going to win?
On a related note, "Harry Potter, the Prisoner, and the Masked Man" is nearing triple digits for favorites! I know that's not a big deal to some writers on here but it'd be a first for me. Thank you for your support!