Thunder and Lightning || Fred Weasley

Halloween

"A Nimbus 2000, sir," Rain said, grinning. "And it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I've got it," she added.

Rain and Ron headed upstairs. Rain was giggling, but Ron was outright laughing at Malfoy's rage and confusion.

"Well, it's true," Rain chortled as they reached the top of the marble staircase, "if he hadn't stolen Neville's Remembrall I wouldn't be on the team."

"So I suppose you think that's a reward for breaking rules?" Came an angry voice from just behind them. Hermione was stomping up the stairs, looking disapprovingly at the package in Rain's hand.

"I thought you weren't speaking to us?" Asked Rain sadly.

"Yes, don't stop now," said Ron, "it's doing us so much good." Rain slapped his arm.

Hermione marched away with her nose in the air.

"Wow." Ron sighed, as the broomstick rolled onto his bedspread. They decided to use his dorm, since the boys couldn't climb the stairs into the girls' dormitories without having them turn into a giant slide.

Even Rain, who knew nothing about the different brooms, thought it looked wonderful. Sleek and shiny, with a mahogany handle, it had a long tail of neat, straight twigs and Nimbus 2000 written in gold near the top.

As seven o'clock drew nearer, Rain left the castle and set off in the dusk toward the quidditch field. She'd never been inside the stadium before. Hundreds of seats were raised in stands around the field so that the spectators were high enough to see what was going on. At either end of the field were three golden poles with hoops on the end. They reminded Rain of the little plastic sticks muggle children blew bubbles through, except that they were fifty feet high.

Too eager to fly again to wait for Wood, Rain mounted her broomstick and kicked off from the ground. What a feeling — she swooped in and out of the goal posts and then sped up and down the field. The Nimbus 2000 turned wherever she wanted at her lightest touch.

"Hey, Potter, come down!"

Oliver Wood had arrived. He was carrying a large wooden crate under his arm. Rain landed next to him.

"Very nice," said Wood, his eyes glinting, "I see what McGonagall meant. You really are a natural. I'm just going to teach you the rules this evening, then you'll be joining team practice three times a week."

He opened the crate. Inside were four different-sized balls.

"Right." Began Wood. "Now, quidditch is easy enough to understand, even if it's not too easy to play. There are seven players on each side. Three of them are called Chasers."

"Three Chasers." Rain repeated, as Wood took out a bright red ball about the size of a soccer ball.

"This ball's called the Quaffle," said Wood. "The Chasers throw the Quaffle to each other and try and get it through one of the hoops to score a goal. Ten points every time the Quaffle goes through one of the hoops. Follow me?"

"The Chasers throw the Quaffle and put it through the hoops to score." Rain recited. "So — that's sort of like basketball on broomsticks with six hoops, isn't it?"

"What's basketball?" Asked Wood curiously.

"Never mind," said Rain quickly.

"Now, there's another player on each side who's called the Keeper — I'm Keeper for Gryffindor. I have to fly around our hoops and stop the other team from scoring."

"Three Chasers, one Keeper." Said Rain, who was determined to remember it all. "And they play with the Quaffle. Okay, got that. So what are they for?" She pointed at the three balls left inside the box.