To Let it All go Down in Flames - jegulus/starchaser

Bound by Quidditch, Embraced by Stars (reg pov)

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I don't think there any tw
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James dove for the quaffle as the crowd cheered and clapped with excitement, making my ears begin to ring. The game was 30-50 to Hufflepuff. The crowd roared with anticipation about who would win the match. Mary McDonald flew around the Quidditch pitch, observing, looking for the snitch, she was a great seeker, and truly was a beautiful, great flyer. Ammos Diggory was also a great flyer, he was in the year above Mary McDonald I know that but not much else about the pair. They tailed Each other on the Quidditch pitch over and over both of them finding nothing.

I had seen the snitch three times by that point and it was driving me insane. How could Ammos Diggory not see the snitch hovering 20 feet below him? How could Mary McDonald not see it hovering just above the Gryffindor stands? How could they not see above the goal post overhead as they survey the pitch? How could they not see it? It was very obvious.

I was in the Slytherin stands, everybody around me excitedly rooting for Hufflepuff, a strange sense of guilt settled in my stomach as I was rooting for Gryffindor. The real person who was messing up the entire match was Marlene McKinnon the replacement beater for Sirius Black. Dorkas sat next to me Must have been thinking the exact same thing. Because Marlene McKinnon was not a beater. She was a keeper, but the team needed a better, she barely knew how to wield the bat. She had no idea how to communicate with Alice Fortescue, she knew nothing of the position. And from the look on James's face, he knew it.

James had been the one to suggest Marlene McKinnon as Sirius's replacement. He knew full well that was a keeper. But he also knew that she was the great flyer and compared to all the other backups -who were all first and second years and were barely bigger than the bat- They had really only one option.

Barty and Evan, along with everybody else in my stands, shut up with that excitement, Cheering and roaring, I clapped as Hufflepuff scored another goal. Pandora huffed from the seat beside me. As she leaned over and whispered. "What's happening?" I laughed. Pulling her closer whispering back. "Gryffindor is losing to Hufflepuff." pandora was no Dorcas when it came to the game, she was great in other things but quidditch was not one of them. She was perfect for studying or interesting magical theories, hiking, and crochet.

"Is that what we want to happen or no?"

I shrugged, passing her some popcorn "Depends, do you want James to win?"

"Sure, why not."

"OK, well in theory if Gryffindor wins, Gryffindor will go on face Ravenclaw. And in theory, Griffindoor would win."

She nodded looking back to her book "so, then you face Gryffindor at the final match" I smiled happy to explain it "But if Hufflepuff wins they go to face Ravenclaw and then it's a pretty even match for them."

"So are you rooting for Gryffindor or Hufflepuff."

Gryffindor scored a point "Well, we also don't want James losing, so..."

"So, there really no good outcomes."

"I wouldn't say that."

"Well, I see it as James loses and it's sad, or you two go on to face each other which makes one of you sad."

I shrugged as the crowed acrost the field cheered waving their red and gold flags and posters "maybe Ravenclaw would beat Gryffindor and then we face them instead."

"Yeah, but Mary is a far better speaker than Xano."

"True, but just because someone catches the snitch doesn't mean they win the game. Just means the games ended and that team gets 150 points."