Next week was the start of quidditch so Harry and I went to the Library to read books about the game. The more I read about it the less interested I become, it is quite a barbaric game really. The bludgers used to be enchanted rocks that would chase players and it wasn't too uncommon that it would kill them.
Now that I think about it I remember reading a bit about quidditch in Sid's book. He never actually played it, he would often interfere with the games to get Ravenclaw extra points.
The golden snitch used to be a small adorable gold bird called a Golden Snidget. It's a small fat bird with wings that let it move 360 degrees easily. They would kill the bird in almost every single game they played whether on accident or on purpose. This lead to them almost becoming extinct in a matter of a few hundred years.
Even in the modern age, there were still some deaths caused by the game, mostly from people falling off their brooms. But the bludgers were usually the cause of the fall, which makes sense because that's their job.
Quidditch is played with seven people, three chasers, two beaters, one keeper, and one seeker. There are four balls in play, a Quaffle, which is a ball similar to a rugby ball made of leather; that is the ball you have to get from the other team and throw through a hoop on the other side. Each goal you score will net you 10 points for your team.
It is the job of the three chasers to fight over the Quaffle and wrestle it from the other team bringing it to the other team's hoops. Two balls are called Bludgers, they are large iron balls magically enchanted to chase players and knock them off their brooms. It is the beaters' job is to protect their team from the balls with their bats and sometimes attack the other team with the ball.
The last ball is the golden snitch, a small enchanted golden ball meant to run away from players. This is the end all be all of the game. Catching the Golden Snitch would net your team 150 points and end the game. The game does not end until the snitch is caught leading to games that would last days and in 1 case, weeks. Also, catching the snitch does not guarantee your win, so you can still lose if you grab it.
I notice Harry is getting more and more excited about the upcoming game the more we read. I guess to each their own. If someone wants to put their life on the line over a dumb game with literally no value whatsoever so be it. I'm honestly not sure If I can die while in my human form, and to be completely honest I don't wanna try. Death was painful...
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On game day I see Harry off with Hermione and Ron. After he leaves we head into the stands together. Neville is sitting with Dean and Seamus, I'm glad he has some friends other than me… Seamus is kind of an annoying brat but Dean is a good guy.
The stands are really high up around 20 meters tall and they surrounded the quidditch field, which looks like an oval-shaped football field… soccer field? The players are standing around the middle with a box in the center, the referee standing next to it.
The referee, Madam Hooch, says a few words before she kicks the box in the middle of the field releasing the snitch and bludgers. She grabs the Quaffle and tosses it in the air while blowing her whistle. As she does all the players jump on their brooms and take off scattering into different directions.
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The game is rather boring and I am barely watching. I'm only really here to make sure Harry doesn't get killed by a rogue bludger, and of course to support a friend. Harry is just sitting in the air near the center looking around trying to find the snitch, honestly, the job of the seeker seems over-glorified.
I hear a voice coming from the stairs "Move along."
"Hagrid!" Hermione and Ron greet him and make room for him to sit, I just give a smile and nod as a hello.
"Bin watchin from me hut." He says patting his binoculars. "But it ain't the same."
Ron nods "But Harry hasn't done much yet."
"Not gettin hurt that's somethin'," Hagrid says.
I nod in agreement "Indeed, small victories." I smirk as I turn back to the field.
The snitch flies past the chaser in possession of the Quaffle causing him to drop it. Harry spots the snitch as it passes by him and immediately takes off after it. He gets close to grabbing the Snitch but not before the Slytherin seeker catches up to him and rams him nearly causing him to fall off his broom.
This earned him a foul but saved his team from losing the game. The entire Gryffindor crowd is rilled into an uproar about the intentional foul and I have now added Marus Flint to the list of people to punish.
"They should have given him a red card!" Dean says with spite in his voice.
I nod in agreement but Ron looks confused "What's a red card?" he asks. I forgot he doesn't know much about muggles. I honestly forgot most wizards don't know about muggles. With Auntie being married to a muggle-born I took her knowledge for granted.
"It's a penalty from a muggle game called football, it means the foul was bad enough to warrant expulsion from the game," Hermione explains.
Ron nods in understanding "But this isn't football, Dean."
Hagrid still seems upset "They oughta change the rules. Flint coulda killed Harry ther'."
Even the announcer seemed to be biased against Flint. Although I'm sure Marus Flint isn't very popular. He is a lot like James in his younger years, just a dick.
After Gryffindor scores on the penalty shot, the game continues with Harry chasing after the snitch once again. The Slytherin beaters keep trying to hit him off the broom with the bludgers but Harry does a good job dodging.
Harry breaks free from other people and follows to snitch high into the sky. Others may not be able to see it, but with my virtual perfect vision, I can see him nearing the clouds almost on the snitch. His hand reaches out only an inch away from grabbing it, but as he touches it his broom violently jerks to the side.
He rapidly begins to descend as his broom pulls away from him. Once he gets fifty or so feet off the ground he gets a semblance of control of it. Although he isn't falling anymore the broom is jerking side to side and he can't control it.
The broom is being jinxed, it is exactly what Sid liked to do in his spare time at Quidditch matches. But Sid would just hold them still and let bludgers burst their heads like watermelons. Sid never wrote down the counter to the jinx though, I mean why would he?
'I have to find who's doing it…' I think to myself.
"Harry seems to have lost control of his broom" Hagrid points out looking through his binoculars.
I get to the top of the stands and start looking over at the Slytherin stands. From my vantage point, I notice Snape is chanting something under his breath while staring at Harry. I also notice Quirrell who is standing next to Snape is also staring at Harry without blinking.
Although his mouth isn't moving I'm still suspicious of Quirrell. If I want to end the curse I have to get both of them to look away from Harry.
"Did something happen to his broom?" Seamus asks concerned.
"Couldnt've, it would take some powerful dark magic to jinx a broom that good, no child could do that to a Nimbus Two Thousand," Hagrid says, honestly being rather insightful.
I put my hand on Ron and Hermione's shoulders "I will be right back, be ready to cast a levitation spell on Harry if he actually falls. It's better to break the rules and keep him alive than to have him die for such a dumb game."
Ron and Hermione nod, Hemione even pulls out her wand in preparation.