The Marauders' Future

17| Quinditch

Last chapter question was answered by pjoclairesewinmari, my sister (and she didn't cheat so...) I gotta give this to her!

***

The next day was 'Quinditch' day! James was excited. Too excited. He woke up and headed to breakfast early.

All excitement faded when he saw what was happening in the Great Hall...

"I'm sorry, guy-" Cough! Sneeze! "I can't..."

A certain Griffindor Chaser was really red...

Katie bell was ill?

"Hey... what's wrong?" James interrupted their conversation. The others were very sad. Alicia and Angelina were crying silently. Oliver was nervous.

"Katie is sick. We will have to cancel the match," Alicia wiped tears off her cheek.

"Oh no, it's okay, Katie. We can postpone it," said James. He muttered comforting words to the team mates. Harry was devastated. A familiar voice shook them out of their thoughts.

"Katie, how are you doing?" Everyone turned to see Professor McGonagall standing near Katie, who was sobbing.

"I-"

Professor McGonagall sighed, "It's okay." She turned to Oliver, "I have a new chaser for you. Someone who will replace Mrs. Bell for this match."

"Wait, really?" Oliver asked suddenly hopefully.

"Yes, Mr. Wood," Professor McGonagall said sternly. "May I present the Griffindor chaser of today's match, Jack Armstrong."

James choked on his spit, "Wait... WHAT!?!"

***

How he ended up here? We may as well never know. The wind was so strong that they staggered sideways as they
walked out onto the field.

James felt an odd feeling of excitement. In this weather, playing Quinditch would have been impossible.

But James had already played in an atmosphere like this with... Sirius.

He stopped suddenly. Sirius had betrayed him...

Remembering he was in the middle of a game, he resumed walking. The Hufflepuff and Griffindor captains shook their hands.

The game started.

Everyone mounted on their brooms and soared into the air.

"WOOOOOOO!!! HOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

Not surprisingly, James was the only one having fun even though he couldn't see anything.

Harry was soaring in the air, clearly unable to see anything too. James would have to spell his glasse- but what was the spell? He found that hard to remember.

They lost track of time. Goals were made and points were scored on both sides.

There was a reason James was made captain of the Griffindor Quinditch team and it was not because of his fame or status.

With the first flash of lightning came the sound of Madam Hooch’s whistle; James could just see the outline of Wood through the thick rain, gesturing him to the ground. The whole team splashed down into the mud.

“What’s the score?”

“We’re fifty points up,” said Wood, “but unless we get the Snitch soon, we’ll be playing into the night.”

“I’ve got no chance with these on,” Harry said exasperatedly, waving his glasses.

"I know a spell bu-"

At that very moment, Hermione appeared at his shoulder; she was holding her cloak over her head and was, inexplicably, beaming.

“I’ve had an idea, Harry! Jack! Give me your glasses, quick!”

He handed them to her, and as the team watched in amazement, Hermione tapped them with her wand and said, “Impervius!”

("YES! THAT'S IT! I REMEMBER NOW!")

“There!” she said, handing them back to the owners. “They’ll repel water!”

Wood looked as though he could have kissed her.

“Brilliant!” he called hoarsely after her as she disappeared into the crowd. “Okay, team, let’s go for it!”

James enjoyed the rest of the game just as the earlier one.

However, halfway across the game, everyone stopped. An eerie silence filled the field. Dread settled in his heart. The same dread that he had felt back in Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom.

James looked down and immediately regretted it. At least a hundred dementors, their hidden faces pointing up at
him, were standing beneath him.

As if on instinct, James reached for his wand. "Expecto Patronum!"

He thought of the same memory but only a whisp of white smoke came out.

Before he could try it again, everyone started shouted all of a sudden. He looked around and his eyes landed on a black dog. The same dog tha-

"HARRY!" Ron's voice went right into his ears.

James looked up.

Harry was falling down from the sky. His broom falling in the opposite direction.

No, no, no, no, "NO!"

"HARRY!" James willed his broom to turn around at a deadly speed and raced out for Harry. "HARRY!"

He rose up as fast as he could with his broom. A bit closer, a little bit closer, James begged. Yes, almost there... YES!

No...

James' hand caught empty air. He watched Harry as his son soared down, his face innocent and painful.

James looked down and saw Dumbledore along with a few others running towards Harry.

Actual dread settled in his heart. He was going to loose Harry...

Seconds passed, felt like forever but then-

"He's okay!"

James felt the weight of the sky leaving his shoulders as relief spread in.

Dumbledore took Harry away.

James flew down and threw the broom away in anger and frustration. Anger at the Dementors. Anger at himself...

***

What is Dumbledore's full name?