The Marauders: Year Five #Wattys2017

The Match

The Match

Regulus was fastening the cloak of his Quidditch uniform 'round his neck, his heart in his throat. Outside, there was a light snow starting, and he tugged on a pair of dragon skin gloves as the new Slytherin team captain, Antonin Dolohov, led the lot of them out onto the pitch. "Remember," he said to Regulus, "You catch that snitch whatever it takes, knock that Meg Johnson off her broom if that's what it takes to get it. I want to beat Potter so bloody bad I can taste it. Get him and his little mates back for what they've done to Rosier."

Regulus nodded, clutching his broomstick.

"Goes for you, too," he added, looking back at McNair and Carrow, the two Slytherin beaters. "Blast your ruddy bludgers right through him if you can!"

"My pleasure," hissed Carrow, grinning evilly as he spit into his hand and rubbed his palms together to increase his grip on his broomstick.

Regulus shivered as a snowflake fell upon his nose as they walked across the field. The stadium was split nearly equally between red and gold supporters and green and silver. Half the crowd cheered and half booed as the Slytherins took to their brooms, flying up to meet Madam Hooch at the center of the pitch. They were quickly followed by the Gryffindors. Dolohov and Potter shook hands at Madam Hooch's command, James adjusting his glasses with his middle finger as he approached, and Dolohov shook James's hand with a grip that nearly snapped his fingers in half.

Hooch blew the whistle and tossed the quaffle and the game began with James zipping forward on his broom and catching the red ball from the sky before doing a literal circle around Dolohov and streaking along down the pitch. Regulus looked over at Meg Johnson on her broom as they both flew into the sky after the snitch, which glimmered brightly for a moment high over the pitch before it disappeared into the cloud cover and hey came to a halt high above the action. Meg hovered on her broom there, watching from on high while Regulus brought his back down, closer to the action.

Over the pitch came Jackson Maw's voice as he described the game play-by-play. "McNair sends a bludger for Potter - Potter ducks it - tosses the quaffle to Prewitt, Prewitt with the quaffle, Prewitt with the quaffle -- good block by Longbottom! Prewitt to Dodge, Dodge 'rounds Carrow - narrowly avoids that bludger from Carrow... Clement lobs the bludger back at McNair... Dodge fires the quaffle! ...Nooo, blocked by Dolohov... now Avery with the quaffle... Clement sends a bludger Avery's way - blocked by McNair... OOOOOHhhhhhhh that's had to hurt!"

On the field, Walden McNair had just blasted James in the shoulder with the bludger so hard that James had been thrown off course of trying to steal the quaffle from Germaine Avery. Half the stadium erupted in disapproving boos. Madam Hooch blew her whistle and Gryffindor was awarded a penalty shot on the rings. Dolohov and Potter faced one another as Madam Hooch handed James the quaffle for his shot and he flew like lightning toward Dolohov's rings, faking toward the left only to attempt to sink the quaffle through the right at the last second, but he missed on account of his shoulder hurting more than he realized and he'd under compensated for it and the quaffle missed.

James spun a few tight, frustrated circles on his broom.

"Pleeeeease," whispered Sirius, "Please let Gryffindor win. Please." He was worried about Jame's self-esteem if the team lost his first game.

Lily was leaning forward in her seat with both of her fingers crossed as she watched, biting her lip.

"It's Jackson with the quaffle now, headed for the rings - Pennial prepares himself... Jackson shoots... and Slytherin's on the board, 10-zip, Slytherin!"

James looked really even more frustrated and did a loop-de-loop as the lot of them regrouped to face off once more. He stared into Germaine Avery's eyes in the face-off and Avery grinned evilly back at him.