Chapter 11: Hufflepuff vs Slytherin
Like always nothing is mine except the writing!
The first match of the month had James Potter wishing for Transfiguration to be over, even though it was his favorite class- and not because he absolutely loved driving McGonagall insane but because he liked hard work. At least that's what he told himself.
"Mr. Potter I would appreciate it if you kept your head inside my class and not out the window." McGonagall muttered as she walked by and collected his completed quiz. James just looked at her wordlessly and pointed out the window. McGonagall sighed like she too could feel the angst James was feeling but nonetheless answered. "Five minutes Potter and you can see them for yourself."
By them she meant the Quidditch players that were practicing drills on the pitch. The Slytherin team was flying rounds around the pitch, their dark green robes flying behind them. Three of them were flying slightly on the side passing a bright red Quaffle to each other. Chasers. James watched in awe at how they passed the quaffle to each other swerving and dancing in sync yet managing to be quick and light at the same time. Below them the yellow robed Hufflepuffs had just arrived and their captain was setting out drills from them to complete before the match started. The beaters practiced knocking back bludgers while the seeker swerved between them trying not to get pounded. The chasers spun in and out between them like cornish pixies passing quaffles through the hoop while avoiding the bludgers and the seeker at the same time. James loved the way the players flew on the broom, fast and quick like nothing could stop them. And the thrill of winning...
"James!" Peter nudged him. "Class is over, lets go! Sirius and Remus already left."
James grinned and nearly danced his way out the door. "Race you Peter!" he said and bolted past the other students in the hall. No doubt Remus and Sirius were already too far ahead and had probably reached the pitch.
"Watch where you're going!" A Ravenclaw girl shouted as he dashed past her causing her to drop her books.
"Where does he think he's going rushing like that?" The girl asked as her friend helped her get her books. "Don't mind him, Em."
"But Lucas-"
James sighed and turned back. He bent down and grabbed the last book before the boy could grab it. "Here. Sorry I just want to see the match before it begins."
The boy grinned. "It's alright. Emily doesn't mind, right Em?"
"Lucas!" She said again before stomping away.
"What's with her?" James asked watching the girl stomp away furiously.
"Nothing. She's always like that. I tell you sisters are weird." He extended his hand to James. "I'm Lucas Anderson by the way."
"James." James smiled handing the boy the book. He only got a glimpse of the cover, The Tales of Beedle The Bard. "James Potter. Hey my mom read those to me too!"
"Mine too." Lucas said looking down at the book. "Well good luck watching the match. It's always a thrill for the first years."
James tried to figure out if the boy meant something rude by it but he was already gone. That match! He remembered suddenly and bolted out the castle towards the pitch-not caring who he bumped into at this point.
Needless to say he was breathless by the time he arrived at the bleachers. "JAMES! OVER HERE!"
Sirius was grinning and waving him over to where he sat with a sheepish looking Remus, who had of course brought a book with him, and an eager looking Peter. He had bought himself a bright yellow Hufflepuff flag and was waving it like it was his first birthday.
No sooner had he taken his seat, Sirius launched into an explanation of what he had missed.
"And then the Slytherin captain, Emma punched Miles in the nose- the Hufflepuff beater that is. Mind you his two front teeth fell of- Peter saw them fall-"
"I did!" Peter said excitedly. "He put them in his pocket!"
"And then Madam Hooch had to intervene. Besides a few detentions and Emma being super cool you missed nothing." Sirius finished as James watched Madam Hooch fly into the field and give the players a pep talk before the match began.
"The one time I miss a game- I also miss the bloody fight." James grumbled settling down. Remus handed him a yellow badger hat he promptly put on.
"I'm getting her autograph." Sirius said pointing to the blond Slytherin captain who was screaming at her team. "If they let me near her that is. The blood traitor Black- oh no! they all quiver at my walk."
James rolled his eyes. Sirius Black had made the same joke on the train when they first met. James had been told stories about the Black's his whole life and meeting Sirius crushed all those expectations. Sirius was so different from what he had expected from a typical Black heir. They had joked about his family and both soon bonded over their favorite Quidditch teams- they were soon joined by Remus and eventually Peter. James grinned at the memory before Peters shriek brought him back to the match.
"What happened?" He asked. Sirius pointed to the field where one of the yellow Hufflepuff beaters broom had caught on fire. He shrieked, much like Peter as he fell to the ground. Madam Hooch levitated him away and the game continued. The Slytherins cheered and James glimpsed at the score; 50-34 with Slytherin in the lead.
"Not NOW!" Sirius roared as James vision caught rain drops. He hurriedly pulled off his glasses and wiped the water away so he wouldn't miss the game. Remus had gotten them an umbrella and the 4 of them huddled underneath it. James blinked trying to make sense of what was happening in the game but his glasses were making everything blurry.
"Give me that!" He said snatching a pair of omnoculars from the girl next to him. She protested but he couldn't hear her muffled shouts over the pouring rain. With the game in his view he positioned the omnioculars over his eyes so he could see what was going on. The Hufflepuff team was one beater down and the Slytherin team he realized was both a beater and a chaser down. Arcturus Ripper had broken his right arm when he collider hard with the burly beater Matilda Aspen and was sent immediately to the infirmary. The chaser Karima Aiken had caught the flames from the fallen Hufflepuff beater, Miles Lightsworthy, and soon joined him in the Hospital Wing.
"I think he's seen something!" Peter said. "It's got to be Hufflepuff's game!"
James zoomed into the field where the Hufflepuff seeker Eric Jones was flying behind the snitch- only an arms length away.
"Oh he's so close!" Peter started chanting. "HUFFLEPUFF! HUFFLEPUFF!"
The Hufflepuff chant got louder and louder and James could see the captain turn slightly and smile while still focused on the snitch. The Slytherin captain and designated seeker of the team, Emma Vanity, swerved sharply behind him her blond hair whipping against the wind. James could hear a small SLYTHERIN chant getting louder and louder over the sound of rushing rain. Eric Jones suddenly swerved left- a tactic James recognized. It would confuse the person behind him, Emma, and kick her off the trail while Eric would take advantage of the five second confusion and grab the snitch. Hufflepuff would win. James had assumed Emma would blindly follow Eric- but when he zoomed in closer to the action he saw her smirk. With one last burst of speed she butt kicked Eric with her broom sending him to the far end of the field and with a dramatic turn she swerved past him- catching the snitch!
Peter groaned but James was cheering. It was unbelievable how at the last minute she had done it. Simply amazing!
"James-" Sirius shook him. "Slytherin won!"
"I know!" James said. "I know! It's bloody brilliant!
"Slytherin winning is bloody amazing?" Sirius shook his head. "Hold up why are we mates again?"
Sirius wasn't the only one wondering that. James hadn't realized he was sitting in the midst of a predominately large Hufflepuff supporting group. They all looked at him like he was mad- and James waved shakily. "I heard Hufflepuffs were nice- now would be a nice time to show that?"
To their credit the Hufflepuffs didn't pelt them with their badger paws but they did drive the four of them off the stands. Sirius was the first one to suggest the Slytherin changing rooms. Peter was the first one to point out that Sirius would never be allowed in and James was the first to announce that they were indeed going in- to find out of course if Peter was right.
Unfortunately not everyone was excited about that.
"James I'm not sure we're allowed to be here." Remus pointed out nervously once they were in.
"Why not?" Sirius asked "The game's over- everyone's leaving anyways. Who's to say that four innocent first years didn't just happen to find the Slytherin changing rooms that they thought were just regular not Slytherin changing rooms?
"We'll just say we were curious." Peter added. "Curiosity is a good thing, right?"
James turned to Remus. "We'll just take a quick look around- and leave okay?"
Remus said nothing and looked around nervously before following Peter, James had taken the lead with Sirius close behind him.
"Right through here." James whispered. He put a thin finger to his lips telling them to keep their voice down. Sirius grinned as James opened the flap and stepped in. Peter was literally jumping as he followed Sirius while Remus looked behind them making sure no one had seen them.
The changing room wasn't grand but it was beautiful in James's eyes. There was a neat rack of brooms in the corner that held the players brooms while the left held chairs and a small chalkboard. Diagrams and Quidditch plans littered the table and the ground around it. The showers were in the back and the front held pictures and trophies of the previous teams.
"James-"
James blinked trying to take in every detail. He was going to be in a room just like this very soon, and when he finally won the Quidditch cup he would place it in that trophy case-
"James!"
"What?" James turned to Remus who was pointing to the brooms.
"I know. They're all Light beams. I have a Streak right now but my dad says he'll get me a new one when I make the team- for Merlin's sake what is it Remus?"
"There's only 6 brooms." Peter said finally. "But there are seven players on a team..."
"Which means that one of them is still here." The blonde captain emerged from the back causing all of them jump back. She looked between the four of them and laughed. "Ripper kept saying that someone was stealing our equipment-I just didn't expect them to be first years."
"That wasn't us." Remus said "We just-"
"It was us actually." Sirius interrupted. "That should teach you not to underestimate us first years."
The blond captain laughed. "You're right. I should just underestimate the lying first years. Especially first years who have just confessed to sneaking onto unauthorized property in front of a captain."
Peter looked up at James confused. Remus whimpered.
"She made up the part about their equipment being stolen Pete. Sirius here just confessed to sneaking in." he gave Sirius a very pointed glare which was met by a mere shrug.
"Why are you here?" The captain asked curiously. "None of you can play Quidditch- unless Hodge sent you. It would be him to send first years to spy on us."
"We're not here to spy." Remus said. "We just got lost."
"Uh-huh." Emma looked down at her nails, a silver painted to honor her house colors. "And which one of you guys are even interested in Quidditch?"
James, Sirius and Peter immediately stepped forward while Remus stayed in the back shifting a little, probably contemplating whether he needed to lie about this one.
"Well he's a tip for you guys." Emma Vanity said leaning close to the three of them that James could see the irises in her eyes. "We always win. Once you get that in your head- I promise everything else will be easier."
And then before they knew it she was prodding the four boys out the room with the prickly side of her broom.
James frowned. "You won't be saying that when you lose to Gryffindor soon. When is the match against Gryffindor anyways?"
The captain laughed as she mounted her broom. "'Oh honey Gryffindor hasn't won in 17 years- and it won't start winning anytime soon."
She left them all with windswept hair as she flew away. "Wait!" Sirius shouted suddenly remembering. "I forgot to get your autograph!"
"Thanks a lot, Sirius." Remus said once they had arrived in the safety of the castle. "We're definitely going to get in trouble now, for stealing equipment or whatever she tells the headmaster we didn't do."
"Relax, Remus." James grinned. "Even if we do get in trouble it'll be alright."
"And exactly how would that be alright?" Remus asked impatiently.
Sirius shared a grin with Peter who grinned proudly as he pulled out a scroll from his pocket. "Because Remus we actually did steal something."