Sign it [Lupin's Daughter]

Chapter 17

Remus gave them a weak smile, "Thank you, Harry and Ron, you didn't have to do this."

"We wanted to help," said Harry, "It really is no problem at all. Come on, Ron, let's get to the Common Room before curfew. Bye Professor Lupin, Maddy." He and Ron raced to the Common Room.

"It's time for bed, Maddy. You look tired," Remus commented.

Maddy vigorously shook her head, and handed her Nimbus 2000 to him cautiously. I'm alright, Dad. That was the most exhilarating thing I've ever done. I'm going to join the Quidditch Team when I'm older. That was just so amazing. How can you not like it?

Remus laughed, and the two began to walk, "You know you sound just like James when you say that. He used to ask me the same thing every year around try-outs. Then he'd say, 'It's okay Moony, if you have a kid, I'll just have to convince them that quidditch is fun'. I wonder what he'd think about your enthusiasm for the sport, or that Harry's teaching you."

Maddy gave him a smirk, with a glint in her eyes. He'd think that I'm the best.

■□~□■

The weather couldn't have been better for a quidditch match. Remus didn't have to hold onto Maddy in fear she'd get caught in the wind, and there wasn't a rain cloud in sight.

Maddy stood on the bleachers, a pair of binoculars she borrowed from Professor Flitwick dangling from her neck, and a makeshift scorecard she had made that morning with the help of Quidditch Through the Ages. Maddy had to hold the card with her elbow as she applauded as the teams flew on.

She borrowed a pen from a muggle-born first year named Natasha and had scribbled the names of all fourteen players in the margin, along with their position and the captains. She frowned slightly at the thought that there were no female beaters, as that was the position she hoped to be when she was older. She didn't really care that most beaters were muscular, and she was about as scrawny as a twig, she wanted to be a beater, and that was what she would be.

"Mount your brooms... on my whistle... three — two — one —"

Maddy could hear the whistle as if it were right next to her. The fourteen players raised in unison, and Maddy saw Harry soar above the others looking for the Snitch.

"They're off, and the big excitement of the match is the Firebolt that Harry Potter is flying for Gryffindor. According to Which Broomstick, the Firebolt's going to be the broom of choice for the national teams at this year's World Championship —" Lee Jordan, a fifth-year Gryffindor boy, and the normal commentator announced.

"Jordan, would you mind telling us what's going on in the match?" Professor McGonagall interrupted, which caused Maddy to giggle.

"Right you are, Professor — just giving a bit of background information — the Firebolt, incidentally, has a built-in auto-brake and —"

"Jordan!"

"Okay, okay, Gryffindor in possession, Katie Bell of Gryffindor heading for goal..."

Maddy put a little mark next to Katie's name to show that she had been the first to score. She lifted her binoculars to her eyes with her free hand and saw Harry dive for the Snitch, with Cho Chang hot on his tail.

He was about to grab it when a well timed bludger from the Ravenclaw beater, Jason Samuels, knocked him off course. As disappointed as she was he didn't catch it, she had to admire the precision of Jason's bludger as she put a symbol next to his name. George Weasley also got the symbol next to his name as he sent a bludger Jason.

"Gryffindor leads by eighty points to zero," Maddy double checked her scorecard, and was glad to see that she had everything perfectly recorded, "And look at that Firebolt go! Potter's really putting it through its paces now, see it turn — Chang's Comet is just ni match for it, the Firebolt's precision-balance is really noticeable in these long —"