Chapter 25 - ch:25

If you want to read ahead by 10 chapters from her you can visit my Patre-on.

{P} {A} {T} {R} {E} {O} {N}

https://patreon.com/Player_alex273

-----------

Quidditch was one of the most popular sports played by wizards in the world. It was played between two teams of seven people all riding broomsticks, and revolved around three different kinds of balls. First was the quaffle, which would sort of float through the air. Three chasers on each team tried to grab the quaffle and throw it through one of three hoops, which were protected by the keeper, to score goals worth ten points each. While they did so two bludger balls would fly about the arena at high speeds so a pair of players called beaters would have to smack them away with heavy bats and try to knock them into enemy players. Finally there was the golden snitch, a small very fast ball that zoomed about the field almost too quickly to see. One seeker on each team would try to catch the snitch to end the game and score an extra hundred and fifty points.

Each house at Hogwarts, fielded a team which would play against each other in a series of six matches over the course of the year starting in November. The team which scored the most points and won the most games would win the quidditch cup, along with a bunch of extra points for their house which combined with the points students earned throughout the year by following the rules and studying diligently would let a house win the house cup and bragging rights for the next year. Gryffindor had won the house cup the last two years running but it hadn't won the quidditch cup in almost seven years now.

Their team captain Oliver Wood was desperate to win the cup this year. He was in his seventh and final year at school so this was his last chance to win. But their odds were good this year because as Wood pointed out during their first practice they had a nearly perfect team. Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet and Katty Bell were a well oiled team of chasers. They were so flawless in their cooperation it was like they had learned to read each other's minds. Fred and George Weasley had the perfect mama bear mindset that kept their teammates safe from bludgers and made the enemy team painfully aware of the fact that if they played too dirty then furious vengeance was sure to haunt them. Oliver himself was a very good keeper, in fact he was the standard to which keepers would be held at Hogwarts for years to come.

As for Harry, well he had never yet failed to catch the snitch. This wasn't necessarily a good thing. While catching the snitch was worth a hundred and fifty points, it could only be caught once. To get the most points possible, and thus the highest standing in the league, the chasers needed time to score goals. This was a mistake Harry made in his first year when he ended their game against Hufflepuff so quickly that they barely scored above the minimum points possible to get from a winning game. This allowed Slytherin to get more points overall and win the cup despite having a record no better than Gryffindor's.

As a seeker Harry had three goals in a match, keep the other seeker from catching the snitch and getting that hundred and fifty points for their team. Distract the enemy team with fake dives and sudden movements through the field to help the chasers find their openings. And finally to end the game after the chasers had run up the score but before the other team had much chance to run up there's.

As practice began Harry quickly realized his new powers actually made the game very easy. With psychic sight he could easily track the snitch by looking for the faint trail it left behind rather than the occasional golden glint. By letting his telekinesis flow around him he could be warned of incoming bludgers or other players in plenty of time to dodge them. And of course he could grab the snitch psychically to hold it in place or keep it out of another's reach. Harry soon decided not to use these powers though.

Why ever not? Esharry asked. Everyone uses their natural advantages to help win these games. You wouldn't object to the Weasleys using their greater strength to their advantage would you? They worked hard to build up their arms, you've just so happened to build up your mind.

Harry rejected this idea for missing the point. First of all it was likely against the spirit of the rules if not the letter. It's not like Harry could just pull out his wand and cast a freezing charm on the snitch to hold it in place so he shouldn't be allowed to grab it with his mind either. Secondly it made the game too easy. Harry loved quidditch because he loved flying and he loved competing, pushing himself to his limit and overcoming them through sheer force of will. With his powers he could end the game in 30 seconds. No time to enjoy flying, no chance of losing, no rush for winning. Too easy, too boring. Finally Harry thought Esharry wanted them to hide their powers. People would notice if suddenly Harry went from a really good player to a flawlessly perfect one. Esharry had to agree with that last one at least.

So they carried on with practice in the traditional way. Wood demanded a lot from them all, squeezing in hours of practice every chance they got. But it was a good use of time. Even as the weather steadily worsened, Harry went to bed every night tired down to his bones and happy with a hard day's work. Nothing could ruin this time of his life.

Harry's life took a turn for the worse just a week before Halloween. He had just finished a round of quidditch practice when he came into the Gryffindor common room to relax for a bit and work the stiffness out of his muscles. As he entered he saw a large number of people gathered around the notice board eagerly reading something he couldn't see through the crowd. Harry made his way over to the chairs by the fireplace where Ron and Hermione were working on their star charts for astronomy.

-----------

If you want to read ahead by 10 chapters from her you can visit my Patre-on.

{P} {A} {T} {R} {E} {O} {N}

http://patreon.com/Player_alex273