Chapter 31: The dangers of quidditch

Chapter 31: The dangers of quidditch

Disclaimer:

Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K Rowling.

I own nothing but the original characters I make.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

$Parseltongue$

Chapter 31: The dangers of quidditch

The players immediately got busy. Angelina, Katie, and Alicia went to intercept the quaffle while the Weasley twins protected them from Slytherin beaters.

Oliver Wood watched with rapt attention, not losing sight of any detail.

Both seekers were flying higher than the other player, overseeing the entire stadium.

"Oi, Longbottom!" The Slytherin seeker approached Neville and looked at him with a nasty smirk.

Neville looked forward at the other boy and started to shake a little. The Slytherin seeker was a much older boy than himself, he figured that he was a least a fifth year.

"W-what do you want..."

"Not much, just wanted to ask if you were okay there. You were looking a bit... shaky."

Neville stared dubiously at the older boy. He was fairly sure that the Slytherin seeker was just trying to mock him in some way.

The Slytherin boy realized this and raised his hands defensively.

"Hey, come on. I'm just trying to be a good sport here."

"I'm okay..." He said hesitantly.

"I just don't like heights very much...not since my uncle threw me off the third floor of the house in an effort to awaken my magic."

"I see...then, let me give you a few tips." He rose one finger up.

"Number one, test your broom before every game."

Neville nodded while listening.

"Number two, charming your uniform pants with a cushioning charm is a game changer."

"And number three..." A smirk appeared on his face.

"Always keep an eye on the enemy beaters."

"Neville, move!" The desperate shoute from Oliver reached Neville's ears but he didn't understand what was happening or where he was supposed to move.

It was then that Neville saw the Slytherin seeker quickly flying to one side just as a bludger flew past him and hit Neville on the chest, making him fall backward.

"Oh no!" Harry heard Hermione as she rose from her seat.

"I'm sure he is fine, he barely fell two feet after the wind stopped. But I would be seriously surprised if Neville is still willing to ride a flying broom any time soon after this." Answered Harry.

In the end, he was right. Professor Hooch came back into the stadium ten minutes later to announce the end of the match.

Gryffindor Seeker had refused to play again after the incident and the team had not prepared a replacement for him. So with the lack of one player, they were forced to forfeit the game, giving Slytherin the win.

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The next day, Headmaster's office

Albus Dumbledore was sitting on his chair and looking very uncomfortable towards his visitor.

Augusta Longbottom looked like she was ready to jump over the table and smash the old wizard's head with one of the many objects decorating his desk.

"One month, Albus. He's only been here one month and is already injured!." Augusta spat with rage.

"Augusta...you know that magical schools have some risks..."

"Don't give me that!, don't think for a moment that I don't know about the previous incident that occurred in his first week." The old witch could not have her eyes narrowed any further.

"It was just an accident, Augusta. Quidditch can be a bit dangerous sometimes." Minerva, who was the third and last occupant of the office at the moment, decided to help the Headmaster a little bit.

"Oh, I'm not blaming that other boy for his trickery, Minerva. I'm blaming whoever thought that putting my grandson on that broom and having him play a quidditch match was a good idea." Her eyes moved from Minerva to Dumbledore.

"Which one of you made that decision?"

"I made the suggestion..." Spoke the Headmaster. "I thought it would help young Neville with his...confidence issues."

"After he almost broke his neck on his first flying class, you thought that would give him more confidence? And since when is that your job? I am her grandmother. You are supposed to educate him, nothing more!." Augusta shouted.

"I can assure you that we just want the best for your grandson." Minerva tried to placate the angry woman.

"He has already left the team, he won't be playing again."

"Of course, he won't!. I would not have allowed such a thing to happen again."

The old witch looked at Dumbledore.

"I hope this is the last time I have to visit my grandson in the infirmary, Albus. I have you know that there are other options for education besides Hogwarts."

The Headmaster's expression changed a bit at this.

"That won't be necessary. There is no other place where he is safer than in Hogwarts, trust me."

"Humph!, trust you...after what happened to... never mind." Agusta seemed like she wanted to say something more but kept it to herself.