The Shrieking Shack || The Marauders (Book 1)

JAMES

"All set?" Peter asked, as James caught up to him, Sirius and Remus on their way to the Quidditch field amidst the excitedly chattering crowd. James gave him a thumbs up.

"Just delivered the package," he excitedly whispered, though unnecessarily, as no one would have really heard him in all the noise.

"You know," said Remus thoughtfully, "I'll be surprised if we manage to pull it off. There's so many things that could go wrong. What if the refilling charm wore off? Will it all vanish?"

"Oh we trust your wand Remus, its time you trusted it too," Sirius assured Remus.

"I'm just saying- what if he-"

"Let's just focus on today's match for now, we'll get to know if it worked or not eventually," said James and increased his pace.

They found seats on the topmost row of the stands, right next to the commentator's box and sat down excitedly, waiting for the match to begin. By the time Coach Spinnet blew his whistle, James and Peter were consumed deeply in their discussion about that year's Quidditch World Cup. Sirius, to the annoyance of a Slytherin sitting on it, had his feet propped up on the seat directly in front of him and Remus was talking to a girl James didn't know but had seen sitting on the Slytherin table.

"And they're off!" boomed the commentator Thomas Gemstrode, a Slytherin third year, as the fourteen players, half wearing Gryffindor's scarlet and half Slytherin's green robes zoomed off into the sky with Coach Spinnet trailing behind them.

"And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Edward Earhart of Slytherin, good work there mate. Earhart passes to Hackleback, Hackleback to Duckworth- the Slytherin players as usual look in good form. Duckworth passes back to Earha- NO! Quaffle in Gryffindor possession now and Mark Mason zooms away with it and- damn! Good work there by the Slytherin beater Avery. Man, that's gotta hurt! Quaffle back with Earhart, and he's hurtling across the field, some amazing flying by the Slytherin chaser. And he's going to score- DO IT EDWARD! AND- oh no! Jason Mathews saves the goal- and on sheer luck, I say."

While almost a third of the stadium cheered, the Gryffindors sitting around James booed at the commentator.

"I say it like I see it, guys," Gemstrode retorted at the crowd. "And Gryffindor in possession. Chaser what's-her-name of Gryffindor with the Quaffle-"

Someone from the Gryffindor house threw an empty bottle of butterbeer at Gemstrode at this point and half the stands erupted in cheers. He swore and cussed at the Gryffindor crowd and James and the others got so busy watching Professor McGonagall shouting at the top of her voice to bring back order, while Thomas Gemstrode ran amok among the crowd of Gryffindors, still carrying his magical megaphone and swearing so loudly that he barely needed it, that they didn't even notice Emmalyn Hood, a Gryffindor chaser, put a well-aimed Quaffle through the Slytherin hoop.

It was only when Professor McGonagall managed to snatch the megaphone away from Thomas and shout "Ten-zero to Gryffindor!" in it that everyone's attention was pulled back towards the field and three quarters of the crowd donning Gryffindor's scarlet erupted in mad banshee cheers.

The game was at thirty-ten, with Gryffindor in lead when Thomas Gemstrode finally calmed down enough to continue the commentary, though to Professor McGonagall's annoyance, he still swore a lot at the Gryffindors in the crowd and gave a highly biased overview of the game.

"That's Hestia Jones of Gryffindor speeding off towards the goal posts, but she's blocked by a Bludger from Jasper Montague. As I said earlier- Gryffindors play on sheer luck- and Earhart in possession- he's dashing towards the goalposts now and man can that guy fly. Look at him go! I hope the Gryffindor players are taking notes- they seriously need it-"