Chapter 1: Game On

JAMES SIRIUS POTTER

November 19; 9:15 pm

I always knew that my brother was a decent Quidditch player, but while playing against him in the match today, I found 'decent' to be more than an understatement. As I sat in the Gryffindor Common Room pondering what caused our defeat to the Slytherin team, I found my thoughts drifting back to my brother's performance on the pitch.

Before today I had always thought seekers to be the ones who received all the unfair attention. They would sit on the sidelines watching the action until the moment they caught sight of the elusive golden snitch. Then they'd dive in, catch the snitch and Viola! The glory of winning was in their hands. The chasers, beaters, and keepers, who had been playing up until then were lost behind the seeker's mask of fame and glory.

When Albus showed up on the field, my opinion had stayed strong. He'd be just like all the others, steal the fame and glory from those who really did the work. If only I had known how wrong I was.

Honestly, it was no surprise that my siblings and I had talent. Quidditch runs through the blood in our veins. My grandfather, and my namesake, was a chaser when he attended Hogwarts. Apparently, he was one of the best players out there and was famous in the school for his skills. My father was a Quidditch player as well, a seeker, when he was in school. Not only was he the youngest seeker in a long time, but he inherited his father's talent. On top of that, my mother was also a Quidditch player. She also went on to play professionally for the Hollyhead Harpies and still plays today. She's won her team nearly every game they've played, including the latest World Cup.

Me, I'm a chaser, and a bloody good one at that. Ever since I was old enough to mount a broom, I've been flying. I developed my skill and eventually when I attended Hogwarts, tried out for the Gryffindor Team. They accepted me onto the team instantly and I quickly established my position in the Potter line of Quidditch players.

Of course I had seen Albus play Quidditch before. At nearly every family gathering we would play a game or ten. Each time we played, Albus was seeker and I was perfectly fine with that. He was good, not great, but good. He managed to catch the snitch and stay on the broomstick which was all anyone truly asked of him.

How wrong was I when I figured he wouldn't be a tough opponent?

November 19; 12:30 pm

The sun was shining brightly as I stepped out onto the pitch with my team following behind me. The large golden orb sat high in the baby blue sky. A few lazy clouds drifted by, large balls of pure white cotton, not truly traveling in any particular direction. There was a gentle breeze blowing softly, causing the trees to whisper to one another and my hair to ruffle slightly. The lingering warmth of summer was still present but in the wind there was hints of chill; autumn sending a final warning before winter's imminent approach.

A smile played on my lips as I looked up to the stands surrounding the field. Directly across the pitch I could see the mass of people belonging to my house. Banners of gold and scarlet waved in the air and a series of loud cheers erupted as we came into their range of vision. The area for my house was clearly marked out by a large tapestry hanging over what would normally be exposed wood and metal. It was the same scarlet as the banners, but a single golden lion sat at its center. The creature had a thick mane and large almond shaped eyes. It was the perfect symbol of the power of Gryffindor house.

"This is going to be an interesting match," a voice said and I glanced to my right. Standing there was a young man of 16 years. His face was thin yet defined and his nose was a defined ski-slope with dark brown freckles. With skin the color of milk caramel, the freckles looked slightly out of place but added character to his features. His hair was shaggy and a mixture of fiery red and a chocolate together to create a unique rusty color. His eyes were a creamy brown and glimmered with excitement and a constant understated mischief.

"It's against Slytherin, it'll be a breeze," I responded and my teammate swung his bat across his shoulders, a grin spreading across his face.

"I heard there's a new captain this year," he said and I smirked.

"Which will only make this game that much easier."

A girl walked up to my other side, swinging a beater's bat up to rest on her shoulder. A few inches shorter than me, and with a perfect Quidditch figure my eyes lingers on her longer than necessary. Her hair, which normally fell in carrot-colored waves to her shoulders, was pulled into a ponytail high on her head. A pair of coal black eyes sparkled out from under her bangs and rested on either side of a button nose. Heart-shaped lips were fixed in a triumphant smile and the one hand not holding her bat was grasped tightly onto the handle of a freshly polished Nimbus 2021.

"We're gonna crush those Slytherins," she said in a voice that was slightly rough on the ears, but at the same time strangely pleasant.

"Remember; only hit Bludgers at Slytherins who have the Quaffle. We don't want any unnecessary fouls," I said.

"Come on James, have some faith in us," a voice said and another person walked up, joining the girl, Kate, at her side. Due to the fact that they were twins, many of their facial features were the same: eyes, nose, lips, and jaw. The one notable difference between the two was where her hair was a lively orange; his was dirty blonde and cut short as to avoid the waves that would occur if it were allowed to grow. Jack, Kate, Fred and I made up the marauders of the current era and practically half the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

There was a sudden loud cheer from behind me, the noise of tons of fans calling out for their team. To my surprise, Slytherin seemed to have just as many supporters as Gryffindor this year. I pushed my glasses up my nose and stared intently at the other end of the pitch. I watched as a group of 7 entered the pitch on the other end. The figures were too far away for me to see them clearly, but I could tell that they weren't the brutes that usually made the team.

"Teams please approach the center of the field," a voice called out as a woman on a broom flew to the center. She landed daintily, climbing off the broom and planting her feet firmly. Her hair was a stunning white and was pulled back into a loose ponytail. Eyes of lemon yellow scanned each of the teams before she reached up and pulled a pair of goggles over her eyes.

"I want a clean game," she said simply, her eyes lingering on the captain of the Slytherin team. The Slytherin was unfamiliar to me with his burnt sienna hair and large grey-blue eyes. Quite handsome in appearance, it almost didn't shock me to see the rippling muscles under the green fabric of his uniform. Otherwise he was rather tall and broad-shouldered, intimidating only in stature. His face was hard to read, but I could see the determination he had based on the tightness of his jaw.

"Team Captains come and shake hands," Madam Hooch said and I approached the center of the field. I assumed that once again Slytherin's method would be based off of brute strength and intimidation. The hand that shook mine however, was gentle yet firm rather than the bone-crushing grip I was expecting. I heard my teammates gather in a semicircle behind me and I stepped back, glaring at the opposite captain.

"May the best team win," he said with a smirk and boarded his broom, which I noticed was an expensive Nimbus 2022. I snarled and got on my own Nimbus 2020, noting that the handle needed a little care.

A few moments later the Quaffle was in the air, the snitch released, and the game started. Instantly, I knew we were in trouble. The new Slytherin chaser had grabbed hold of the Quaffle right under my nose, seconds into the game. All I had seen was a flash of green and the other player was gone, halfway down the pitch. I took up pursuit, listening to the announcer in the background.

"And James Potter is off after Malfoy, right after having the Quaffle stolen practically right out of his hands!" the announcer shouted into the speaker. A wave of shock hit me and I glimpsed the name on the back of the player I was tailing. Sure enough: MALFOY was written in silver above the number 12. Feeling a spike of rage, I sped up, leaning to knock the Quaffle from the blonde's arms.

Possibly having seen me coming, Malfoy swerved suddenly out of my way before swooping low and scoring a goal on our keeper, my cousin Hugo Weasley. It went on like this for a while, the game staying tight at first until Slytherin pulled dramatically ahead due to the antics of one blond in green. Every time the opposite team scored more points was like a blow by a Bludger.

Flying over to Kate, I screamed over the roar of the crowd as Slytherin scored another 10 points, "Change of plan! We need you to boost up your defense!"

The girl gave me a thumbs up and sped off after a Bludger, hitting it with one well aimed swing. The Bludger was sent flying off towards a Slytherin player who dodged it so skillfully that I was immediately impressed, despite myself. I guessed this was the seeker because he flew back to the edge of the pitch, out of the way of most of the action. This and the fact that our own seeker, Justin Wood, was sticking close by.

"And Slytherin has regained control of the Quaffle after Lynch's Bludger narrowly missed Karpi," the announcer cried and I sped off toward the center of the pitch where Scorpius was currently flying alongside two Gryffindor chasers. I flew over him, and made a move to dive down. Just before I would hit the Slytherin, he rolled, clinging tightly onto both Quaffle and broom as he suddenly decreased his speed. As a result the three of us Gryffindors continued flying forward and the blond was able to steer off in a different direction.

As time went on, the Slytherin team seemed to have more and more surprises up their sleeves. Not only were they new players fast, but they were talented. Their strategy was flawless, and it frustrated me to no end that I couldn't figure out how to stop them. Malfoy was infuriating, but it turns out the new seeker was another force to be reckoned with.

He was constantly in the middle of the action, there to assist any team member in need. Although he had no real tools to help them, his flying skill made up for it. This particular player was more than comfortable on a broomstick and was able to pull off complicated moves that many players my age wouldn't even attempt. Some of his tricks were executed so well that they earned cheers from the crowd. I have to admit that I was immensely jealous of his ability.

Many times the seeker had been able to fool Justin Wood as well. He dove when there was nothing there and always managed to keep Justin away from the Snitch. It was then that I realized that the opposite seeker was stalling. He was purposely keeping Wood from catching it, while never actually pursuing it himself. This idea had overcome me with rage, and I blasted off after Malfoy who had managed to gain the Quaffle in his possession once again. I had just flown below the blond when a Bludger flew out of nowhere, slamming into Malfoy's arm with a sickening crunch.

Silently the Quaffle fell from Malfoy's arms and I caught it, wrapping my arms tightly around it. I flew off to the other end of the pitch, scoring easily off of the Slytherin keeper.

"Ten points for Gryffindor!" the announcer shouted followed by disheartened cheers from the crowd. I flew up higher in the air to see Malfoy flying over toward the Slytherin Captain. I was slightly amused by the fact that the blonde's arm was hanging limply by his side. The Captain gave a nod and Malfoy flew to the seeker, who had stopped midair, watching the pair curiously.

Malfoy exchanged a few words with the seeker and the latter took off instantly. It was then that I noticed the sudden change.

"What's this?" the announcer asked. "Every Slytherin player has seemed to have stopped! All eyes are on seeker, Albus Potter now."

Albus? Seeker?

The thought seemed appalling. How could my brother have been playing all this time without me noticing? I'd seen my brother play seeker in the Quidditch games that my extended family held, but he was never brilliant. He had always been decent as a player, managing to stay on his broom and catch the Snitch most of the time. In fact, he hadn't played Quidditch at school up until this year.

I saw Albus go into a dive and everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Wood flew towards Albus, a look of fear on his face. Kate hit a Bludger straight towards Albus. He dodged, pulling up into a backwards roll as Wood collided with the Bludger. As Wood fell to the ground, Albus held his hand high, two wings flapping feebly between his fingers.

"Albus Potter caught the Snitch! Slytherin wins!" the announcer called and thunderous applause filled the Pitch. I slowly landed and watched with rage burning within me as the Slytherin team surrounded my brother, each one of them congratulating him and the other members of the team. Gradually the Gryffindor players landed around me, each of them covered with sweat and looking disheartened.

"Go to the showers," I mumbled, barely able to keep my voice steady. "I have to take care of something."

Fred and Kate looked worried, but they walked off toward the Gryffindor Locker Rooms anyway. I waited silently as the Slytherin team members left and headed off to their own Locker Room. Eventually it was only Albus and I left on the pitch. My brother was helping put the balls back within their case. I walked over just as Madam Hooch thanked Albus for the help and walked off, box in her arms.

"Albus," I said and my brother turned to look at me. His green eyes revealed his curiosity, but otherwise his face was expressionless.

"Hey, James," Albus replied, shifting his broomstick in his hand. "Good game today."

"Good game," I sneered and punched him in the face. I felt my fingers crack slightly as Albus stumbled back, putting a hand to his cheek. He turned and looked back at me, his eyes narrowed.

"What was that?" he asked and the unspoken threat hung dangerously in the air between us. The younger Slytherin's voice hadn't taken a threatening tone, rather it was the quiet way he said it that unnerved me.

"Why didn't you tell me you were such a good flyer! How dare you just come out here and show off like that without telling anyone that you even could! Ever since you got sorted into Slytherin you've become just as evil as one. Especially since you hang out with Malfoy! Sometimes I can't believe that you're my brother! You're such a disgrace!" I shouted, my voice getting louder with each word. The final word was so loud that it echoed in the empty Pitch.

Albus said nothing, his face utterly unreadable. Silently he turned around and walked off, leaving me to brew in my own pool of rage.