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This article, Ted Morgan and the Silver Sphere - Chapter Five, is strictly property of Dark Seeker Kotsu. |
Ted Morgan and the Silver Sphere
Chapter Five: The First Game
September had already ended, and October proved to be a very chilly month. Ted still spent his morning breaks going on a brisk walk of the grounds with Callan, for the cold wind seemed to slap him awake when he needed it most. Ted now looked forward to the warm lunches that came every day, and he was now going to Quidditch practice twice a week. He had to admire Callan for going to every Quidditch practice (taking place during the chilly October evenings). Not once had Callan nor Clifford shown up to his practice with ill grace, and the two even displayed a desire to see both he and Barku do well in the first match of the season, which would take place on the second Saturday of October.
By the second Friday of October, Ted was a bundle of nerves. Tomorrow would be the big game, and he reluctantly joined the other Gryffindors at a spot on the grounds, where they were playing rugby. Muggle sports had not died out completely, and rugby was a popular one among them, thanks to the portion of the student body that had been raised in the Muggle world. But now, many clubs based on wizarding games, as well as classes had sprung up. Callan eagerly told Ted about a new game he had picked up from Clifford, known as Wizard’s Chess. Much unlike the stationary pieces of regular chess, these ones moved on their own, taking vocal commands, and they also brutalized the pieces they defeated.
Ted watched from under a tree as his friends played rugby, and the other boys cheered and hollered when some kids from Hufflepuff showed up to play, but Ted noticed Callan making a beeline for him and sat up straighter.
“Why aren't you playing with them, Ted?” Callan asked, sitting down in the grass beside Ted.
“I don't know, Cal.” Ted pondered. “I guess I'm nervous about tomorrow.”
“Don't be, you're a great Seeker!” Callan insisted.
Despite Callan insisting he would do well, Ted picked nervously at his dinner, and had to be urged by Callan to eat a decent meal. He lay awake in his four-poster, wondering if he'd really do as good as everyone thought he would.
The next morning, Ted was again, made to eat a balanced breakfast by Callan before leaving the Great Hall early with the other Gryffindor Quidditch players, and he shuffled away from his friends, flanked by Kevin Klein, who was gushing with advice that he subconsciously listened to. Ted's heart began to thrum in his chest more and more, and he was glad when Victor showed up early to wish him good luck. Victor had recently been given the position of the announcer, and was proud of it. He stood with a tousle-haired and yawning Ivan, whose Gryffindor scarf was draped messily around him.
Ted changed into his mostly scarlet Gryffindor uniform. Barku smiled weakly at him, and Ted was glad that he was not the only one nervous about the match.
“Ready?” Peakes asked as they lined up.
“Ready.” Ted said, and they walked out into the blinding light, onto the Quidditch pitch.
“Welcome to the first Quidditch match of the season, between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff!” Victor cried through the microphone, and his voice was clearly and easily heard by the whole of the pitch. “There's been a surprising turnout of young talent this year, earning Hufflepuff one new first year player, and blessing Gryffindor with two!”
Ted then noticed Callan, Clifford, and LT pushing their way into the Gryffindor side of the stands. Though wearing their Hufflepuff scarves, the three had donned miniature Gryffindor flags, and waved at Ted. Ted smiled weakly and raised a hand back as he mounted his broom.
“In place of Miles Waynard, that talented and graduated Hufflepuff, we've got Hufflepuff's first year Marshall Madden, playing Chaser. In place of Gryffindor's also-graduated Beater, Sean (a.k.a. Crusher) Kristiansen, we've got Barku Altair, and boy that kid looks like he can whack a Bludger. Then, in place of Gryffindor Seeker Alan DeMunk, who departed us due to health problems caused by a Bludger, thank god-”
“JAMES!” McGonagall shouted.
“Sorry Professor, but you know he was terrible. Anyhow, in his place, we've got little Ted Morgan. There’s no doubt that this game will test the teams’ new players and the strength of the Drafting Distinction program as well! Oh, up goes the Quaffle...and the game begins!”
Ted kicked off of the ground hard, soaring up into the air, and he noticed Hufflepuff’s Seeker had done the same. Hufflepuff’s Seeker was Dustin Lauter, a sandy-haired second-year boy whose hair stuck up in front, and he had fierce blue eyes. Ted gulped, knowing he was smaller. Ted was astride a Nimbus 2001, having been given the broom by Professor McGonagall, and he ran a finger along the smooth, black handle of the broom before allowing his eyes to drift.
“Klein’s got the Quaffle, and he passes to Fitzgerald...and she can’t catch it!” Victor cried. “ Hufflepuff’s own Vince Shaw, in possession of the Quaffle and blitzing down the pitch. Aha, and the Quaffle is taken back by Gryffindor's lovely Ambrosette Issac, who passes it to Fitzgerald and...GRYFFINDOR SCORE! Gryffindor in the lead, 10-nil.”
Ted could see Jerry and Josh cheering wildly among the roaring Gryffindors, and looking up with surprise the next moment, for Hagrid had joined them in the Gryffindor stands and Ted’s heart surged with warmth and gratitude for Hagrid. Callan had noticed too, and he and Clifford were now cheerfully informing Hagrid of the goings-on of the game. Ted turned back, looking around for that little golden glimmer...
“Wilson Hart, Hufflepuff’s long-used and ever-talented keeper, tosses the Quaffle back in, to teammate Ryan Summerstedt, the charming fifth year who recently became Hufflepuff’s team captain.” Victor cried. “Summerstedt takes it down, passes to newbie Marshall Madden...and Issac swipes the Quaffle from him as well, and passes it down to Klein while poor Madden looks befuddled, but...OH! Klein hit by Alex Appleby's Bludger, and Vince Shaw has the Quaffle again, and tosses it to Madden. Madden’s so close, he shoots, and...blocked by Gryffindor's William Coulter as Fitzgerald nabs the Quaffle and zooms downfield, passing to Issac. Issac scrutinizes Hart and throws...and she’s put it in! Gryffindor now leading, 20-nil. Hart passes to Shaw, who fumbles the Quaffle and loses it to Issac and WOW! Hufflepuff’s Paul Price has whacked a Bludger at Issac, and is promptly given a run for his money by Gryffindor's Barku Altair, who steps in and whacks it right back! Now that kid knows how to hit. But Madden swipes the Quaffle and heads right downfield, passes to Shaw, and...HUFFLEPUFF SCORE. Gryffindor still leading, 20-10.”
Cheers were now erupting from the Hufflepuffs and Slytherins, who wanted to see Gryffindor lose, naturally. Ted cursed under his breath and pulled up higher, still circling the pitch and scanning for the Golden Snitch. Dustin was doing the same, and it was clear neither of them had an inkling of an idea where the Snitch could be...
“Hello Hagrid!” Callan cried happily as Hagrid joined them in the Gryffindor stands. Clifford chirped his own greeting, and Hagrid chuckled and pulled out a pair of binoculars.
“Where’s Ted at?” Hagrid asked, and Callan, whose eyes had been locked on Ted, pointed up. Hagrid muttered a thanks and redirected his binoculars before turning to them.
“Ah, there he is. You not playing Quidditch, Callan?” Hagrid asked.
“No.” Callan said. “I’d rather watch Ted during his first game anyways.”
“I understand, he’s yer brother an’ all.” Hagrid replied.
“And look at Madden go! Hufflepuff score! We’re now 40-30, and Gryffindor's really cutting it close. Where is the Golden Snitch?!”
Good question, Ted thought privately. Where was the Golden Snitch? He had not yet seen even a glimmer of it. As he watched the game continue, he wondered if Dustin had seen it, and looked over, but realized that Dustin looked just as lost as he did.
“Oh! A hard tackle and...HUFFLEPUFF SCORE. We’re tied, 40-40.” Victor cried, and Ted cursed under his breath. He needed to find the Snitch, and fast. His eyes were scanning, scanning all around. He heard Barku yell to him, and ducked last minute to avoid one of the Bludgers, which was promptly whacked in the opposite direction by Barku, who let out a whoop. And then, when he was ducking...he saw it.
A golden glimmer, whizzing only a few feet from the ground near the Slytherin stands, there it was. Ted’s eyes locked onto the Golden Snitch, and he shot forward then. As it flew up, he pulled up his broom as well, and he saw Dustin now flying over, having seen him shoot forward. Ted put on an extra burst of speed, and was no more than ten feet behind it, following. He flew past the Gryffindor stands and could hear Callan and the others cheering him on wildly, and he was now neck and neck with Dustin. The Snitch was rising steadily, and they rose with it, both eager to catch it, and Victor’s voice was excitedly describing the chase in the background. Ted’s eyes focused on that little golden ball that flew in front of him, and the Snitch suddenly plummeted towards the ground, and both boys raced after it in a steep drop. They drew closer, and closer, and closer to the ground, and Ted could tell that Dustin was hesitating...it looked as though the both of them would crash right into the ground if they followed it, and as the ground raced to meet them, he pulled up suddenly, but Ted followed. Just before he hit the ground, he recalled how he had made a save in one practice and he pulled up out of the dive at the very last second, pulling up at a breakneck angle and missing the ground by only centimeters, and the crowd gasped, surprised at the maneuver. But Ted wasn't aware of anything but the Snitch, and he put on an extra burst of speed.
It was mere inches from his outstretched hand now. It dipped down a bit, and he pulled his broom down, perhaps a bit too sharply, for his broom dangerously flipped and he lost his grip on it and fell off. His hand gripped something, whether it was the broom or not, he could not tell, but he clung to it and he hit the ground, hard. There was a moment he lay there, for the wind had gotten knocked out of him, and he then sat up and realized something was in his hand...and he brought his right hand up to see and burst out in a grin. It was the Golden Snitch, and he got to his feet and held it up.
“And...I don’t believe this! Ted Morgan has caught the Snitch!” Victor cried. “Gryffindor receives one hundred and fifty points.”
“Gryffindor wins!” Professor Helstrom, their referee cried, and the stands suddenly burst with applause.
“Gryffindor wins, one hundred and ninety to sixty!” Victor was yelling. “I don’t believe that remarkable performance by Ted Morgan, everyone!”
Ted looked up and saw Hagrid yelling out cheers, and with him was Callan, Clifford, Josh, and the others, applauding wildly. Ted, who had never won anything in his life, felt like a balloon was inflating inside him. He had never felt so happy or so proud before in his life, he had never been cheered by anyone, and as he listened, the cheers of "Go go Gryffindor!" were ringing out clearly.
As the school headed back up to the castle, Victor carried Ted on his shoulders, and they were surrounded by other Gryffindors, but Callan stayed beside Victor the whole way, complimenting Ted's performance. Some older boys started chanting something then, and it took a few runs before the whole crowd seemed sure of what it was singing, and Ted realized what it was as they chanted:
Morgan is our King!
Morgan is our King!
Morgan can catch anything!
Morgan is our King!
Ted could feel the back of his neck reddening and he'd never been so happy in his life, but the Gryffindors, led by Victor and Jimmy Peakes, were cheering still:
Gryffindor will always win,
So long as we've got Ted Morgan,
That's why Gryffindors all sing:
Morgan is our King!
As soon as Morgan's on the pitch,
You know he's going to catch the Snitch,
That's why Gryffindors all sing:
Morgan is our King!
"There was a player I knew, Ron Weasley." Jimmy Peakes revealed at lunch. "We originally used the song to cheer him on, he was a Keeper. Fine one, too. Funny thing is, Ted wouldn't be hearing this song right now if it wasn't for Slytherin."
"What?" Barku asked, nearly spitting out his pumpkin juice.
"Yeah, Slytherin originally composed Weasley is Our King to mock him, but we made our own version." Peakes snickered.
But "Morgan is Our King" didn't end there. As Ted and his friends were on the grounds after lunch, a crowd of older Gryffindors passed by, cheering:
Slytherin's going to be doomed
So long as Morgan's on his broom
That's why Gryffindors all sing:
Morgan is our King!
"Looks like they just composed a new verse." Callan said as Ted blushed, flattered and a bit embarrassed from all the attention.
"Well I reckon we ARE going to beat Slytherin." Barku scoffed. "I mean, did you see the looks on their faces? We really wowed them today.
Ted, Callan, Barku and Clifford then traipsed over to Hagrid's hut. Hagrid had invited them for tea, and the warm drink was welcoming to Ted as he listened to the others recap the Quidditch match in their own words. Clifford was explaining Ted's dive in awe when there came a knock at the door. Hagrid stood up, and went to answer the door. But it was only Tayler, and with her came a Ravenclaw girl, Bianca Smith. Bianca's short brown hair glistened in the fading sun and she perched her glasses up nervously.
"You did great in the match, Ted." Bianca said, holding her book up in such a way so that Ted couldn't see her face. Tayler, however, was smiling, and she whispered something to Bianca. Ted turned to shrug at Callan, but noticed that he seemed to be captivated by something, and so Ted complimented Hagrid on the treacle fudge he had served them all, which no longer glued Ted's jaw shut and tasted a bit more delicious than it had.
"Means a lot comin' from yeh." Hagrid said with a smile. Before sunset, Hagrid sent them all on their way, and they cheerfully bid him farewell, and headed up to the Great Hall. Ted's victory over Hufflepuff was still a hot topic, and some of the older students would randomly burst out in a verse of "Morgan is Our King", causing Ted to blush as he had another spoonful of the savory soup. Much to his delight, Lindsay Colbert had decided to sit beside him and talk to him, and his blush persisted through dinner as he told her about the game from his own point of view. Beside him, Barku was doing the same thing with Gwen Curtis, who sat on his other side.
That night, Ted headed up to the dorm, feeling content and warm. He slipped into bed, feeling that his time at Hogwarts was a dream that would never end, blissfully unaware of what was yet to come...