Chapter 70: The Exhausting Players
Chapter 70: The Exhausting Players
On Sunday morning, the weather was clear and sunny.
Albert sat in the Great Hall, humming a tune as he ate his black pudding with a fork.
Shira flapped her wings and landed between the salad and the sugar bowl, placing a thick letter within Albert's reach.
"You must be tired," Albert said as he moved the dishes around to make space and reached out to pat Shira's back. He took out some owl nuts from his pocket and placed them in front of her before opening the letter. Inside were letters from Luke, Herb, and Daisy, as well as one from Niya, which included a photo of her blowing bubbles with Chewing Charm Bubble Gum.
"What are you looking at?" Alia asked curiously as she walked over and sat down across from him.
"Just a letter from home," Albert replied, folding the letter and putting it back into his pocket. After finishing the nuts, Shira flew back to the owlery to rest.
"By the way, Albert, are you going to the Quidditch pitch for training this morning?" Angelina asked as she joined them, sitting next to Alia. "Charlie said there's Quidditch training today. Even if you're not an official player yet, the team still needs substitutes."
"Oh, I guess I have no reason to refuse," Albert nodded. "I'll go wake Fred and the others up after I finish eating."
"No need... we're already up," Fred said, covering a long yawn with his hand as he greeted everyone. "Good morning, everyone."
"Good morning," they replied.
"Good morning, Albert," Charlie said, smiling as he followed George and the others.
"You have no idea, Charlie's like a devil incarnate, starting training so early in the morning," George whispered to Albert, pulling a face.
Charlie sat down next to them and asked, "Shall we go together?"
"Sure," Albert agreed.
"Charlie, it's only seven in the morning," complained a well-built young man. "Are you sure you want to start training now?"
"The early bird catches the worm," Charlie replied.
"Why eat worms when we can have meat?" Lee Jordan said as he sat down on Albert's other side, putting two slices of fried meat on his plate and taking a bite. "Worms aren't that tasty anyway."
Albert quickly covered his mouth to avoid spitting out the food he was chewing.
"What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?" Lee Jordan asked, blinking in confusion.
"It's nothing," Albert said.
"Ahem, this is Wood, our Keeper," Charlie said, patting the young man next to him. "Fred and George, my younger brothers. And this is Albert, the genius I told you about. You wouldn't believe he's a first-time broom rider—so graceful and agile."
Albert turned his head, feeling embarrassed even though it was someone else praising him. It didn't help that everyone around them was looking their way.
Angelina was smiling, mouthing silently: I didn't know you were so amazing! "Ahem," Albert coughed lightly, interrupting Charlie. "What about brooms for those of us who don't have one?"
"I've already spoken to Professor Hooch about borrowing some old brooms from the school for you guys," Charlie said, not forgetting to add, "But don't expect them to be in great condition."
After breakfast, the group left the castle together, walking across the dewy grass and down the slope towards the Quidditch pitch.
Along the way, Charlie continued to introduce Albert and the other newcomers to the older players on the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
The Gryffindor team consisted of six boys and one girl, all of whom got along well. Apparently, the two Beaters were a couple.
Charlie pointed to the only girl among the official players and said, "This is our violent Beater, Erin."
Erin was a cute girl, and despite Charlie's description, she didn't seem violent at all. She smiled at everyone and said, "I'm one of the Beaters on the team, along with Mark. This is our last year at Hogwarts, so make the most of it! And don't listen to Charlie's gossip—I'm not violent at all."
"Hehe... I haven't forgotten who took a bat to someone and knocked them off their broom during a game, causing Professor Hooch to ban them from playing and making us lose the match last semester," Charlie retorted.
"That was just an accident! I just used a little more force than intended and accidentally hit their leg..." Erin explained.
"You almost broke their leg!" Charlie exclaimed, exasperated. "That's why Professor Hooch banned you from playing."
"There's a big difference between almost breaking a leg and actually breaking it," Erin protested. "And they tried to knock me off my broom first!"
"Hmph," Charlie snorted, not letting the matter go. "And next to Erin is her boyfriend, the sneaky Mark."
"Hey, Charlie, when have I ever been sneaky?" Mark coughed lightly and extended his hand to Albert. "Don't listen to his nonsense. By the way, this is Wood, our somewhat stiff Keeper."
"I'm not stiff!" Wood protested.
"In the second game against Ravenclaw last semester, you just stood there like a statue and let several Bludgers through, like a block of wood. Don't deny it," Mark said, skillfully shifting the attention to Wood.
"Ahem, at that time..." Wood coughed lightly. "I was just watching you elbow someone in the face, okay?"
"Was I? Well, that was just an accident. Even Professor Hooch thought so," Mark said.
An accident?
The others scoffed at the idea.
"Fine, that Kura guy was so full of himself, thinking he had us beat," Mark said with a frown. "And at that height, he only suffered minor injuries. I remember the Slytherin Beater last time was even worse—he hit the Hufflepuff Seeker so hard he bled from his nose, and that jerk only got a light warning."
Albert listened, feeling a little dazed. Is this really the Quidditch I know?
This is more like violent Quidditch! "Charlie, has anyone ever died playing Quidditch?" Albert asked cautiously.
"Not really, maybe some serious injuries, but they usually get treated in time," Charlie replied, realizing the conversation was taking a dark turn. "Anyway, these are our three Chasers—Mario, Danny, and Jack."
"The acrobat trio," Erin added.
"Don't call us that!" the three Chasers chorused, "And don't think we can't hear you!"
"If you guys didn't cause so much trouble, our chances of winning last semester would've been at least 20% higher," Charlie said, feeling a bit weary. He had just taken over as captain and really wanted to make a difference.
(End of Chapter)
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