James
There had been a few weeks since Christmas and today was the day of the first match of the year, which also was the first match for James as a captain. He wasn't nervous before games any longer, not at all.
James sat next to Peter and Remus, who was reading a book Sirius had given him for Christmas. On the other side if the table sat Sirius and Ashely. James had had to give Remus one galleon, since now it was a well known fact that Ashley was Sirius' girlfriend and she had been for over a week.
A few seats away sat Lily and her gang, talking happily as though nothing had ever happened. She and James were good friends now. Really good friends. But still it often got slightly awkward between them when they were alone. James still loved her of course, and he thought that she liked him too, but still, they were nothing more than friends.
James, Sirius and Ashley were all sitting in their quidditch robes because it wasn't long until they should take their brooms and walk down to the pitch.
'So Prongs,' Sirius said and grinned. 'I can't wait to hear your
we-will-win-speech.'
'Speech?' James looked terrified at his best friend. 'What speech are you talking about? I haven't got a speech.'
'You haven't? Too bad,' Sirius said sadly. 'You know, it's kind if a tradition that the captain holds a speech before the game.'
'Oh no!' James groaned. 'I had completely forgotten about that! Ashley!' Ashley looked up quickly from her half-sleeping position with her head on Sirius shoulder. 'You have to make me a speech, now!'
'You can't boss me around James,' Ashley yawned. 'Why do you ask me anyway? I don't write speeches..'
'You don't?' James asked disappointed. 'I though you were some sort of... speech writer?'
'Speech writer?' Ashley looked confused. 'No sir, Remus' the speech writer in here.'
'What?' Remus said and looked up from his book. 'Really I have never written a speech in my life. I do think it would be wrong t-'
'Moony,' James interrupted. 'A speech!'
'Oh, ok,' Remus said and looked down in the book again. 'Um... dear players, I, James Potter, wet my bed every other night. Yeah, I still think I'm cool. Go me. Wasn't that great James?'
Sirius laughed. 'That was great! That's really something Prongsie would say.'
'Oi! Shut up!' James said angrily. 'Firstly the only one in here who wets his bed is Snivellus, secondly, I want a real speech Moony, I'm being serious.'
'Sorry mate,' Sirius grinned. 'I know I'm very awesome and totally amazing, but you can't be me. You are James, James Potter, and you are... well... not really cool, but you are ok, and you should be happy with that.'
'Argh!' James groaned. 'Can't you two help! Please!'
'You could always have little Wormtail with you. He could make the speech!' Sirius suggested. He lightened his voice, a lot, 'Hullo, I'm little Peter, but you can call me Wormtail. I like pancakes and fluffy unicorns and no girls like me because I'm ugly-'
'I'm not ugly!' Peter cut him of. 'That was mean!'
'Ooh! Did I say ugly?!' Sirius said quickly. 'I didn't mean that! I meant... er... duggly!'
'What does that mean?' Peter asked, still sounding a bit angry.
'Oh it means different things to different people,' Sirius answered nonchalantly. 'To me, it means ugly.'
'Hey, I'm right here!' Peter said angrily.
'Believe me Pete,' Sirius said calmly in a very wise voice. 'I know.
Peter looked down at his plate, muttering angrily.
James didn't come up with a speech so when he stood in the Gryffindor changing room, he had no idea what to say. A very awkward silence spread across the room, and James laughed nervously and messed up his hair, which only made the whole thing even more awkward.
'We'll win this thing,' James finally said to brake the silence.
Sirius began to cheer and clap his hands. He wiped a fake tear from his eye and yelled, 'Oh! Well I'm at least very touched! What a wonderful speech! I've never heard something like that. Never would I have believed that you James Potter, my dorm mate, would be able to say those beautiful words!'
'Shut up,' was the only thing James muttered.
Then it was time. They walked out on the pitch and James shook hand with the happy smiling Hufflepuff captain who wished him good luck. James only muttered an answer.
Then the match began.
James soared high up in the air, and caught the quaffle. He zoomed away across the pitch, a Hufflepuff chaser right behind him.
The commentator, Thomas Smith, was talking quickly about everything wonderful the amazing Hufflepuffs did, and at times McGonagall had to say something the Gryffindor players did, because Smith seemed to have forgotten about them.
James didn't listen very carefully. He was swishing past players as though he had done nothing else in his entire life.
'50-10 to Gryffindor,' James heard McGonagall yell.
James smiled. They were in the lead. Then he saw the Hufflepuff keeper soar to the left ring, leaving the other two open. He flew faster and faster, just a few meters, then he would be able to-
BANG!
James felt a blinding pain in the back of his head and he felt it as though falling in a long, black tunnel. Everything disappeared, everything went black.
