Alex Daniels was enjoying her sleep that Saturday morning. It was the first time in a while that she hadn't been having the horrible reoccurring dream where everyone found out about the real Alex - her brother who had died six years ago, whom her adoptive parents had forced her to take the place of. She was originally Alice Daniels, orphaned before she could walk and the twin of Alex Daniels.
She awoke from her peaceful sleep by Oliver Wood. He looked excited. And, Alex knew, the only thing that could get Wood that excited at an un-Godly hour such as then, was Quidditch.
"What do you want?" she said, groggily. "I'd like to sleep now." She attempted to roll back over, but Wood shook her some more.
"Quidditch practice in fifteen minutes, Daniels," he said, loud enough to wake the entire dorm. Fred and George, who Wood had already awaken, by the looks of it, were groggily getting their Quidditch gear on. Fred had put a knee pad on one of his shoulders and George was trying to figure out how to put his pants on.
"Woo- Oliver," Alex complained some more, "It's like three AM."
"Actually, it's five," Wood said. "And it's part of our new training program. C'mon. I want to be on the pitch before the sun comes up."
On that note, he left, probably going to bother someone else. Alex rolled out of her bed and began putting on her gear. She and the twins headed down together once they were ready. They found that, with the exception of Wood, they were the first to arrive.
Fred and George immediately sat back-to-back and began to doze off. Alex laid down face first on a bench, ignoring the smell of sweaty equipment, and tried to fall asleep as well. Just as she began to doze, the girls came in. Alicia Spinnet sat next to the twins, making them jump up with full alertness, until they realized who it was. They began to attempt to doze off once more. Katie Bell and Angelina Johnson scooted on either side of Alex, resting their heads on both of her shoulders. Katie Patrick laid her head in Angelina's lap and began to doze off. Giselle Fuchs leaned up against Alex's legs.
"Where's Harry?" Wood asked. "And Mason? And Ivan? Has anyone seen them?"
"I saw that First Year, Colin Creevey, bothering Harry this morning," Giselle said. "I think he wanted a picture or something."
The team laughed tiredly. Mason O'Reilly and Ivan Henscare entered together, halfway through the laughter, both looking as though they were dead on their feet. They immediately collapsed onto two empty seats on the benches.
Not long after, Harry came in, looking harassed.
"There you are, Harry, what kept you?" Wood said to the twelve-year-old. Alex thought that it was torturous to wake her up at this time, but it was a lot worse to wake up a twelve-year-old, in her opinion. Wood was definitely losing his mind. "Now, I wanted a quick talk with you all before we actually get onto the field, because I spent the summer devising a whole new training program, which I really think will make all the difference..."
"He would use his summer to think of only Quidditch-related activities," George joked, earning a giggle from a few, half-awake team members.
As Wood pulled out a large diagram of the Quidditch pitch, Alex knew she wouldn't be able to make it through this session without falling asleep. She rested her head on Katie Bell's head and began to doze off.
"So," Wood said, awaking everyone. Alex noticed that there were about four different boards strewn out around the locker room. How long had she been asleep. "Is that clear? Any questions?"
"I've got a question, Oliver," George said, who had also just been jerked out of his sleep. "Why couldn't you have told us all this yesterday when we were awake?"
Wood pursed his lips in a way that could have rivaled McGonagall.
"Now, listen here, you lot," Wood said, sternly. Alex couldn't help but think that if looks could kill, they'd all be dead. "We should have won the Quidditch Cup last year. We're easily the best team. But unfortunately - owing to circumstances beyond our control-"
Alex unconsciously looked to Harry. Sure, he was the best Seeker the Gryffindor team had seen since Charlie Weasley had graduated, but he was reckless and he was stuck in the Hospital Wing during last year's final match, resulting in Gryffindor's worst defeat in three hundred years.
Wood would bring that up. Alex bet everything she had that Wood was still torturing himself over that defeat.
"So this year, we train harder than ever before...Okay, let's go and put our new theories into practice!" Wood shouted, trying to throw some pep into the team. He led the way out of the locker room.
"We learned new theories?" Alex asked Fred, jokingly.
"I wouldn't know," Fred said. "I was knocked out the minute he opened his mouth."
They entered the pitch, only to find that the sun had completely risen. Alex groaned. She was so hungry.
Wood barked at them to mount their brooms, so they did. Alex felt the wind rush past her, waking her up more effectively than Wood's speeches ever could. She began racing Fred, George and Harry around the pitch, laughing wildly, as she was almost neck-and-neck with Harry.
"What's that funny clicking noise?" Fred asked, looking about for the source. Alex locked eyes with the First Year, Colin Creevey, taking photos. His camera clicks were weirdly amplified in the deserted stands.
"Look this way, Harry! This way!" he cried shrilly. Alex, Fred and George went into a fit of giggles.
"Who's that?" Fred asked Harry.
"No idea," Harry said, blatantly lying. He sped away, trying to put on distance between himself and Creevey.
"What's going on?" Wood asked, coming towards the four of them. "Why's that First Year taking pictures? I don't like it. He could be a Slytherin spy trying to find out about our new training program."
"He's in Gryffindor," Harry said quickly, sending Fred and Alex into a fit of giggles.
"And the Slytherins don't need a spy," George said.
"What makes you say that?" Wood said.
"Because they're here in person," George said, pointing down at a large horde of green and silver.
"I don't believe it!" Wood hissed loudly. "I booked the field for today! We'll see about this!" He shot towards the ground, while Alex, George and Fred collapsed on each in laughter. One of Alex's favorite parts about Quidditch season was seeing Wood get outraged about something.
"Flint!" Wood said to the Slytherin Captain, landing fluidly on the ground. "This is our practice time! We got up specially! You can clear off now!"
Alex looked at the two captains squaring up to each other. Marcus Flint was larger than Wood, with very troll-like features.
"Plenty of room for all of us, Wood," Flint said, cunningly. The rest of the Gryffindor team had come down by now and every player had squared up to another player.
"But I booked the field!" Wood said, his face red with rage. "I booked it!" Alex thought he sounded a bit like a possessive two-year-old.
"Ah, but I've got a specially signed note here from Professor Snape," Flint said, taking out a piece of parchment. He cleared his throat. "'I, Professor S. Snape, give the Slytherin team permission to practice today on the Quidditch field owing to the need to train their new Seeker.'"
"You've got a new Seeker?" said Wood. Alex remembered the one they had last year - a rough girl who had bit Katie's arm. She shuddered. "Where?"
The team moved aside to show their new Seeker, a pale boy with a pointed face and a horrible smirk.
"Is that boy a Malfoy?" Alex asked George.
"Sure is, the git," George replied.
"Aren't you Lucius Malfoy's son?" asked Fred, looking at the Malfoy with great disdain.
"Funny you should mention Draco's father," Flint said, with a knowing smile. "Let me show you the generous gift he's made to the Slytherin team."
They all held out shiny, new brooms with fin, gold lettering that spelled Nimbus Two Thousand and One.
"Very latest model. Only came out last month," Flint said, positively gleeful, as Wood stood, dumbstruck, with steam pouring out of his ears. "I believe it outstrips the old Two Thousand series by a considerable amount. As for the old Cleansweep Fives - sweeps the board with them." He grinned nastily at the twins, who snarled at him. Alex, who didn't have much of a problem with money, didn't have a Nimbus Two Thousand, but she also didn't have secondhand Cleansweeps Fives.
All the Gryffindors were dumbstruck.
"Oh, look," Flint said. "A field invasion."
Fred and George's little brother, Ron, and his friend, Hermione, were crossing the field towards the face-off.
"What's happening?" Ron asked Harry. Fred and George had told Alex that they were close friends. "Why aren't you playing? And what's he doing here?"
'He' was the Malfoy boy, and Ron seemed just as surprised as the Gryffindor team by Malfoy's Slytherin robes.
"I'm the new Slytherin Seeker, Weasley," said Malfoy, very smugly. "Everyone's just been admiring the brooms my father's bought our team." Ron stood awestruck with the rest of the team. So, Malfoy continued on. "Good, aren't they? But perhaps the Gryffindor team will be able to raise some gold and get new brooms, too. You could raffle off those Cleansweep Fives; I expect a museum would bid for them."
The Slytherins howled with laughter as the Gryffindors hissed in disdain.
"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in," said Ron's friend, in a bossy sort of voice. "They got in on pure talent."
Alex wanted to ask Malfoy if he needed ice for that burn.
"No one asked you opinion, you filthy little Mudblood," Malfoy spat at her.
Fred and George leapt to get at Malfoy, with Alex pulling at their shoulders to come back and Flint pushing them away. The girls shrieked "How dare you?!"
"You'll pay for that one, Malfoy!" Ron said, pointing his wand at Malfoy's face, under Flint's gigantic arm.
Ron's wand emitted a loud bang, shutting everyone up and leaving them in stunned silence. A jet of green was sent out of the wrong end of Ron's wand, hitting him in the stomach, and sending him back at least five feet.
"Ron! Ron! Are you alright?" squealed Ron's bossy girl friend.
Ron went to speak, but instead, several slugs spilled out of his mouth and onto his lap. Everyone recoiled at the sight.
Except the Slytherins, who were literally rolling on the ground laughing. The Gryffindors could care less about them, caring for Ron instead. Everyone was worried, but no one wanted to touch him.
Harry and his girl friend pulled Ron up and away from the pitch. All eyes turned to Wood, then, who, with a sigh, told everyone to go back to sleep.
Alex punched the air happily and almost skipped up to her room. She immediately jumped into bed and pulled her curtains around her to block out the lights. Screw food. Screw morning practices. All she wanted right now was sleep.
Longest chapter yet! Aren't you proud?
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