Quidditch
As they entered November the weather turned, colder and wetter. Dudley said it was as if all the cold-related villains decided to start one big winter. Harry just shrugged as he prepared for his first game against Gryffindor. Draco would pelt him with surprise quizzes about good seeker tactics in the study room almost daily while the others studied. The morning of the first game dawned bright and cold. The Great Hall was full of the delicious smell of fried sausage and the cheerful chatter of everyone looking forward to the first Quidditch match of the year.
Harry, though was nervous enough that he was softly picking at his breakfast scramble. Rose hummed softly from where she was nursing a cup of tea and said," You should eat a bit more. You don't know when lunch will happen."
Duddley walked over from the Hufflepuff table and sat down next to Harry, a large green and silver ribbon tucked under his arm, as he said," He's always like this when something big happens. Oi, Draco pass the sausage, please?"
Zabini glance at the boy as he asked," You're cheering for Slytherin?"
"No offence to Weasley but they have nothing on Harry's speed on a broom. Also, he's my cousin, the only time I might not cheer for him is when Hufflepuff plays," Duddley said as Flint walked over and said," Time to go, Constantine-Chadler. Pucey get Smart and Hunter ready."
He nodded as Harry got up and waved his friends off.
John and Chas sat with the Teachers and they watched as the student came out to the stands around the Quidditch pitch. Many had binoculars, which Chas himself had a pair in his hands. Sat next to them where Severus and Zatana.
The raven-haired magician had a heavier jacket than usual and said to the blond," It's been a long time, Constantine."
"It has. Sorry about that."
"No you're not." She said as she sat down.
"No... We didn't really leave things on the right foot now did we?" John said as he watched his nephews' friends roll out a large banner. It said, Constantine-Chadler for Misnter and had a very detailed drawing of a snake poised to attack, that was animated to attack and recoil back into the pose. Probably done by Rose and Hermoine.
Possibly.
Zatana hummed," Your nephews' friend?" as she motioned to the banner. He sighed," Both of them, yes. Have you spoken to Kay recently?"
"I did. When I saw the roster for this year, I called. She told me the story. Or what she could at least. Wasn't hard to figure out the rest when there was no Potter called up," Zatana said as Madam Hooch marched onto the pitch. He winced as he remembered the one year he played quidditch. They was the beater for Gryffindor that year. The teams took to the sky, most on the new school brooms, Flyboys 500s* if he remembered from Harry's letters. A good broom if a little tempted, but Better that the old cleansweeps he learned on.
Hooch gave a loud blast on their silver whistle.
Fifteen brooms rose up high, high into the air. They where off.
"Ladies and Gentlefolk, welcome to the first Quidditch match of the 1991-1992 season, here at Hogwarts. I am Lee Jordan from Gryffindor and I'll be you host this year, with me in the box is seventh year Mr Winslo Slchott Jr of Slytherin."
"Right you are Lee, And it looks like The quaffle has been imminently taken by Angeline Johnson of Gryffindor -excellent chaser that girl," Slchott Jr said. Zantan frowned," Toyman's Son?"
"Yes... his mother was in the same year as me actually," John replied as the commataiers continued.
About ten minutes later with a few scores on both sides of the game, Zed sat down in front of the small group and whispered," Talked to the divination professor here, she was the one who spoke about you-know-what. And I can't say how accurate she is."
"Yeah? How come?" Chas asked. Zed looked at the Defiance teacher in front of them and said," She said something about a flash and cold."
"Really?" Zatnana asked.
"Yeah... something about the flash remaking a captain of cold. I didn't quite understand much of it. Looks like Harry spotted something," She pointed out.
And indeed he had, as the Gryffindor seeker Charlie Weasley and Harry where neck and neck as they hurtled towards the stitch. All the chasers, including Charlie's own brothers, seemed to have forgotten what they where supposed to be doing as they hung in mid-air to watch.
When it seemed like Harry might get the snitch a streck of red blurred pasted both seekers as Andere Kirke blew past them both. In the confusion of the two seekers righting themselves, the stitch had disappeared from sight again.
Not wanting to miss the rest of the game, John kept silent for the rest of the conversation. As he watched Harry douge a bludger which came spinning dangerously past his head, Harry's broom gave a sudden, frighting lurch and for a spilt second John thought he was going to fall off. The mystic was on high alert as he whispered to his friends," Wands at the ready, something going on with Harry's broom. Zed you sense anything?"
"Not anything that strong, John."
They watched as it happened again. The broom zig-zagged through the air as it made violent switching motions to unseat Harry. Those horseback riding lessons with Diana seemed to be paying off, but it was as the broom took him slowly higher that John got more worried.
Others were now noticing and John heard Severus numbing a counter-curse as Harry's Broom gave a wilded jerk and he was dangling off of it by one hand. John was up and out of his seat before anyone could stop him wand and hands casting a cushioning charm and some more heavy-duty protections to slow the descent if Harry did fall.
It was as all this was happing that Harry used his free hand to catch the snitch, and the game won, 150 to 20 to Slytherin. Severus was quick to call Hootch and the two of them got Harry off the broom safely.
The Constine-Chandler family sat in Severus's personal study with Duddley, Rose, Zantana and Severus himself. The latter of the two children was there as family no matter how it looked. Harry frowned as he asked," What happened with my broom?"
"We're not sure. Flitwick, Mcgongal and Hooch are stopping it to see if it was a spell placed on it before the game, but we aren't sure," Severus said as he passed the boy a cup of camomile and lavender tea with a dosage of calming draught stirred in it. Rose shook her head," It didn't feel like a time-delayed spell. It felt dark. Not like John's dark arts but similar to the leach Harry had. Granted I only felt and saw it for a moment."
"Voldermort?"
"Possibly, Zatara, Keep an eye out. You were saying about coincidence?"
"Yes... and this is the third."
John looked to the three kids and said," You three stick to each other alright? You and your friends. No one house anywhere alone if you can help it. Understand?"
"Yes, Uncle John," Harry and Duddley replied as Rose nodded.