Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and events from J.K. Rowling's wonderful Harry Potter books. I am writing this for my own enjoyment and hopefully for the enjoyment of readers. Anything you recognize belongs to JKR. The rest belongs to me.
Chapter 74: Snatching Snitches
November arrived with the anticipation of the Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch match. Tension was high and the rivalry was as harsh as ever between the two houses. This was to be the first game for James as captain so, not wanting to stop Gryffindor's winning streak from the previous few years, he called extra practices. Sirius rolled his eyes, remembering the countless times James had made fun of Carlton Wood for subjecting them to so much practice time.
The Slytherins were determined not to lose again to the Gryffindors, so they used dirty tricks to try to make the Gryffindor team members unfit for the game. Alice had a close call when Narcissa Black had rigged her cauldron to explode onto her during Potions. Alice had to spend a few nights in the hospital wing with her burned arms wrapped in bandages. Luckily, Madam Pomfrey worked her magic and Alice was a good as new a few days before the game.
The Slytherins, not being ones to give up, challenged third year Gryffindor Keeper Davey Gudgeon with a dare to see which of them could get the closest to the Whomping Willow. Davey, a foolhardy boy who never backed down from a dare, stepped a little too close to the murderous tree and received a nasty blow to the side of his face. Madam Pomfrey had insisted he was very lucky in that he didn't lose his eye.
In retaliation, Sirius and Peter snuck into the Slytherin locker room the night before the game and charmed each of the Slytherin uniforms to become a size smaller. Peter fixed it so the seam over the arse was weakened, allowing it to split easily during the match. Sirius nodded his approval, impressed at Peter's creativity.
James arranged it so every team member that night was under the protection of several Gryffindors whenever they left
the safety of the common room. He did not want to risk any injuries this close to the game. When Sirius strolled back
into the common room with Peter, James reamed him out for putting himself at risk.
Sirius rolled his eyes and explained what he and Peter had been up to. After thinking about it for a minute, James gave his approval but firmly instructed Sirius not to risk the team's chances again that night. They would have time for more revenge later.
The next morning James woke up early and felt the usual nervous energy he got before every game. After tossing and turning for an hour, he finally decided to get out of bed and find something to focus his energy on. The sun was barely coming up over the horizon and breakfast wasn't starting yet so he opted to go outside for a while.
He jogged down to the Quidditch pitch and checked the Gryffindor locker room to make certain that none of the
Slytherins had come up with any ideas similar to Sirius and Peter's idea. Once he knew everything was in order he
placed a few protective spells on the entryway and walked back to the castle, carrying a Snitch he had found in a box
of old equipment. He figured there was no time like the present to warm up his Seeking skills for the match.
He started by letting the Snitch go and grabbing it within a second of its release. By the time he reached the castle he was allowing it to flutter further away before snatching it back. He switched back and forth from his left and right arm, wanting to be able to use either arm in case one got hit by a Bludger. As he sat down to breakfast he reluctantly put the Snitch into his pocket, thinking that it was rather addictive to chase after it like that.
While James poured himself a glass of pumpkin juice, Sirius arrived with Remus and Peter. Sirius had a gleeful look in his eyes as he piled an assortment of breakfast foods onto his plate. Peter was donning a fair amount of Gryffindor paraphernalia, from the standard red and gold scarf to a number of decorative 'Lions' badges. Remus opted for the scarf plus a Gryffindor flag.
James watched in amazement as Sirius inhaled a large quantity of food. James, while having a healthy teenage appetite, was never able to eat much before games. Today he felt a higher level of tension due to his responsibilities as captain. It didn't help matters when Professor McGonagall paused to say, "Good luck, Mr. Potter. I trust you will not let us down today."
With more confidence than he felt at the moment, James said, "No ma'am."
Remus noticed James' unease and asked, "All right, Prongs?"
James nodded and looked around the Great Hall, seeing the tables filling with students dressed in various garb according to whatever team they were cheering for. Several familiar faces called out a 'good luck' when they caught James' gaze. James sent each well-wisher a hasty grin before turning to Sirius and saying, "We should head out to the pitch to warm up."
Sirius, who was in the process of cleaning his plate, said, "What about my second helping of breakfast?"
James rolled his eyes and said, "Forget about it. If you eat any more then your broom won't be able to lift you off the ground."
Sirius scowled as James got up to find the rest of the team, before opting to grab a few muffins he could snack on during his walk to the locker room. As he reached the end of the table he fell into step with Alice who was smiling back at Frank, who had just wished her luck.
James was walking behind them with Davey Gudgeon, eyeing the ex-couple nervously as they headed out to the pitch. Things were still somewhat tense between the two and James wasn't sure if there would be a replay of what had happened in practice earlier that week.
Sirius had accidentally beat a Bludger in the direction of Alice, causing it to narrowly miss hitting her. Alice, furious at the incident and still frustrated about Sirius' post-breakup attitude toward her, hurled a Quaffle at Sirius, successfully nailing him in the forehead. After several minutes of insults and flying Quidditch equipment, James was able to intercede and properly lecture the two on the importance of sportsmanship and team spirit.
After the initial irritation at the mini-duel having been interrupted, Alice and Sirius almost had to laugh, remembering Alice's comment during the breakup about not wanting to get to the point of hurling Bludgers and Quaffles at each other. The memory of this and the realization of what had just happened broke the ice, in a way, and the two no longer glared daggers at each other, though they were still not completely friendly with each other.
The four met up with the rest of the team in the Gryffindor locker room. After they had changed into their Quidditch uniforms and taken a few warm-up laps around the pitch, the team looked at James expectantly. After a moment, James realized this was the time when he, as captain, should give a pre-game pep talk. He racked his brain for a proper speech, trying to block out the memory of Wood's previous pre-game pleas of, "Please don't let us lose!"
"Erm…" started James. He ruffled his hair, starting to feel a bit uncomfortable under the scrutiny of his mates. He looked down and saw his captain badge reflecting back at him from its designated spot on his uniform. Feeling somewhat bolstered by its presence, James looked back up at his teammates and said, "We've practiced a lot for this. All of you are on the team because you have what it takes to help us win." Seeing their smiles, he felt encouraged and added, "Just remember that it's Slytherin we're dealing with. They won't want to play fair. We just have to outsmart them."
"Shouldn't be hard considering their added IQ is lower than my age," cracked Sirius, causing everyone to laugh.
"Right," said James. "Just don't underestimate them. We know how to win. Just stay focused no matter what they throw at you." Glancing at Sirius and then Alice, he added, "Remember that we're a team, and as a team, we'll win."
Seeing that James was finished with his speech, the group eagerly grabbed their brooms and headed toward the entrance to the pitch. Sirius gave James a pat on the shoulder and grinned as he said, "Not bad for a first pre-game speech, eh, Captain? It's better than Wood's speeches were, at least."
"Thanks," muttered James, following his team out onto the pitch. After the commentator announced the team, James circled the pitch, taking in the crowds. As he passed the Slytherin section, he saw a banner which said, 'Gryffindor's chances of winning have gone down the Potty.' Below the slogan was an animated drawing of 'James Potty' crashing into a goal hoop.
James scowled, anger mixing itself with his nervousness. He felt keyed up and started to worry that he wouldn't be able to properly focus on the game. He commanded his Nimbus 1900 to go faster and sped around to the other side of the stadium where the Gryffindors were seated. He spotted Remus and Peter, which wasn't difficult considering Peter was jumping up and down on his seat waving enthusiastically at James as he flew by. Remus gave James an exasperated smile as he tried to get Peter to make less of a spectacle of himself.
Before James could dwell on Peter's embarrassing display, his eyes were drawn a few rows ahead to Lily, whose cheeks were rosy from the chilly autumn air. She was smiling and waving at Alice, while Marlene was arranging the banner they had brought which read, 'The Lions cheer for Lyons!'
James had to laugh when Lily looked at the banner and became irked at Marlene, scolding her for changing the animated drawing they had agreed on. Marlene had adjusted Alice's character to throw her Quaffle, hitting the head of another character with dark hair wearing red and gold and carrying a Beater's club. Lily immediately changed the animation back to show Alice flying loops around the Slytherins before hurling the Quaffle through a goal hoop.
James marveled as he watched her smile at Marlene's attempt at innocence before Lily gave her a playful shove and laughed. James felt his stomach flip-flop, remembering how much life was behind that smile. He longed to be the one to make her smile.
Heading down to the ground to shake hands with the Slytherin captain, James suddenly found his focus. He wanted to win the game, not only for Gryffindor but also to bring a smile to Lily's face. Once the teams were in place, James gave Igor Hess, the Slytherin captain, a firm handshake, each determined not to wince as they could feel the bones in their hands squeezed together. Mr. Levine finally instructed the teams to mount their brooms before releasing the Snitch and Bludgers. Shortly thereafter, the Quaffle was released and the game was in play.
James kicked off the ground and spiraled up to his usual vantage point above the game. Gryffindor had gotten possession of the Quaffle and the Chasers were moving across the field using the moves they had spent many practices trying to perfect. While the Slytherins were good, James had to give his Chasers credit as they flawlessly performed the Woollongong Shimmy, leading to Gryffindor's first goal.
The Gryffindor fans went wild while James did a loop-the-loop in celebration. He immediately refocused on the game and started circling the pitch in hopes of finding the Snitch. After an hour, the game was still going full force, and both teams had the bruises to prove it. Several penalties had been called on both sides. After Slytherin Beater Goyle got called for Bumphing (hitting a Bludger toward the Gryffindor crowd), Gryffindor successfully scored a penalty shot making the score 140-120 in Gryffindor's favor.
Sirius, angry at Goyle for nearly concussing a first year Gryffindor in the stands, attempted the Transylvanian Tackle, but got a penalty when his fist 'accidentally' hit Goyle in the face. After an unsuccessful block by Gudgeon of Slytherin's penalty shot, the score was now 140-130 in Gryffindor's favor.
The Snitch had been rather elusive, only having been spotted once. Before Malfoy or James could reach it a disturbance was caused by the Slytherin team as they argued with Mr. Levine about a goal they had scored. Mr. Levine insistently nullified the goal, calling a Stooging penalty where more than one of the Slytherin Chasers had been in the scoring area at the same time.
Another hour passed and the score was 260-250 in Slytherin's favor. One of Gryffindor's Chasers had been knocked out of the game after getting Bludgered on the head, therefore the matchup was uneven between the Slytherin and Gryffindor Chasers. James had to credit his team, for Gryffindor was still keeping the game close.
As James completed another lap around the pitch, his gaze drifted to Lily, who was jumping up and down after Alice managed to throw the Quaffle past the Slytherin Keeper, successfully tying the game. A flash of light glimmered back at James, who suddenly realized the Snitch was on the edge of the pitch in front of Lily. Taking a quick glimpse across the other end of the pitch, he happily noted that Malfoy was across the field avoiding a Bludger Sirius had sent his way.
Taking the opportunity, James sped across the pitch toward the Snitch. There was a sudden electricity in the crowd as they realized the Snitch had been spotted. Goyle tried to make his way toward James to stop him, but James leaned low against his broom allowing for less wind resistance and higher speed. He reached out and grabbed the Snitch, having to do a bit of a somersault to stop before crashing into the stands.
James raised his fist into the air, the little wings of the Snitch fluttering between his fingers. The crowd went wild, and James grinned as he saw Lily hugging Marlene as they jumped up and down in celebration of a glorious Gryffindor victory. Seeing his opportunity, he called out, "Hey Evans!"
Lily released Marlene and looked up to see James hovering a few feet away.
James was ready to say that he caught the Snitch just for her, but all that came out was, "I-" before he suddenly felt something crash into him, taking him off guard.
The crowd watched in surprise and horror as James was knocked off his broom. He was a good thirty feet above the ground and was rapidly falling toward severe injury or possibly death. Lily reacted instinctively, pulling out her wand and yelling out the first incantation that came to her mind, "Accio!"
About 5 feet before James would have hit the ground he felt a tugging sensation before finding himself flying upward. Before he knew it, he had flown over the edge of the stands and landed on something soft. Shaking his head a bit to clear it, he pulled himself up enough to look down and realize he had landed on Lily, who was trying to catch her breath after having the wind knocked out of her.
"You okay, Evans?" James asked.
Lily let out a few coughs before saying, "Could you please get off of me, Potter?"
Seeing her blush, James realized their precarious position and grinned. Taking in her scent of lilacs, he replied, "Actually, I'm quite comfortable where I'm at, thank you very much."
"James!" called Peter as he and Remus approached. "You okay?"
James looked up with a sappy grin and Remus shook his head, trying to suppress a smile at Lily's discomfort. He looked at her and said, "That was some save there, Lily."
James looked at Lily in surprise and said, "You were the one who saved me?"
Remus replied, saying, "Yeah, she used the Summoning Charm."
James, amazed at Lily's innate talent for magic, smiled and said, "You know what this means, don't you Evans?"
Lily squirmed uncomfortably beneath James, trying unsuccessfully to push him off of her.
James continued, "You saved my life. That means I'm yours…forever."
Lily finally found her wand and pointed at James' forehead, threatening, "Don't make me Banish you over the railing, Potter."
James chuckled and reluctantly stood up, allowing Lily to scramble backwards and get to her feet.
"Oy, James!" yelled Sirius.
James looked at his best mate, who was hovering above the pitch looking mirthfully at several of the Slytherin team members, who were being firmly reprimanded by Professor McGonagall and Mr. Levine for causing James to fall. The Slytherins were rather distracted as each of them was trying to hold the back of their pants over the bum, where the seams had split open.
Sirius flew over to join James on the stands and handed him his broomstick, which James was relieved to see did not get damaged other than a slight scuff mark on the handle. He made a mental note to dig out his broomstick polish later.
"Great catch, mate!" Sirius told James. With a playful glint in his eyes he turned to Lily and said, "You too, Evans. Nice catch!"
"Yeah," agreed Remus with a smile. "Maybe you should have been made Keeper this year with the way you caught James."
James grinned and threw an arm around Lily, saying, "I'd say she's a 'keeper'." He looked
down at her and added, "Really, Evans…if you wanted me by your side this much you needn't use such dramatic
gestures like the Summoning Charm. All you need to do is say you'll go out with me."
Lily shrugged off James' arm and rolled her eyes, saying, "Thanks, but no thanks." Seeing Alice landing in their section of the stands, Lily grabbed Marlene and rushed to congratulate her on a game well played.
"C'mon mates," said Sirius to the other Marauders. "We gotta get the victory party going."
**************************************************************************************
A/N: Brief salute to Quidditch Through the Ages by Kennilworthy Whisp for some of the lingo used in this chapter. Great little book and a great source of info for Quidditch. I didn't really feel like making a running commentary during the game (a la Lee Jordan) - felt more like focusing on James' perspective of the game.
What do you guys think about James' personality? Is the transition going smoothly enough for what we'll see at the end of fifth year (i.e. Snape's Worst Memory)? Keep in mind there's still more that will influence how things will be later on in the year. I just didn't want to snap my fingers and suddenly turn him into a bullying prat. I think the next chapter will tell more about how James' attitude will be at the end of the year.
Thanks to my latest batch of reviewers: DreamAngel, Naikalam, God'sGirl, delpheena, Anu, Jo Bob, Anonymous, Mani12191, Remus'sweetie, granger1191, alto2srock, Golden Phoenix, German Wings, eerinw (x2), Adria (x2), sun-obsessed, Werepuppy, astronomylover, AshleyM, and **Lilyflower** (x2). Replies to my reviews are in the review section (unless you requested that I not reply). In other words - I answered the question about if I'm French (which I'm not).
Next chapter: The animosity increases with Snape.