Not Just A Game- Chapter 1

        "Rose!" I laughed as I glanced over my shoulder to see my cousin, Albus, currently chasing me down the Hogwarts Express looking quiet disheveled. He managed to sneak past the candy trolley and over a few bickering fourth years. "Rose Nymphadora Weasley, stop!"
"Nope!"
"Seriously Rose! Get your arse over here!"
I continued to maneuver my way further do the train. If I could just get back to the compartment I'd be protected from Al. I looked back again to make sure he was a safe distance away. Bring my attention back to the front, I groaned. James and Fred blocked the hallway with twin smirks on their faces. "Not now you two," I said as I slowed down to stop in front of them. "If you haven't noticed I've got an angry Al on my heels and I need to get by."
James's smirk only grew bigger. "But where's the fun in that?"
"If we let you go ickle Albus would only direct his fury upon us."
"I'll do both of your homework for a month," I pleaded, aware that Albus could only be kept at bay by the star struck first years for so long.
James and Fred looked at each other then back at me. "Pass," they grinned simultaneously.
I could feel my face grow redder and hotter with anger. My eyes narrowed and pulled my wand out of my pocket and pointed it in their faces. "Now, if you two bloody idiots don't bloody move I will hex you into the next century!"
"Enjoy your day Miss Weasley," Fred smiled as the two of them stepped to the side, ushering me to go on.
When I finally reached the compartment I let out a large sigh and slouched into the seat next to Lily.
"We're not even at Hogwarts yet and you've already caused a problem?"
I nodded, unable to form words as I still tried to capture enough air to breathe properly.
"We'll then," my red-haired cousin smiled at me from behind her Quibbler, "I'm very proud of you. What exactly did you do?"
"Well, I—"
"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!" I bit my lip as Al marched thru the door and over to me. "You can't just go around locking people in compartments, Rose! What am I suppose to say to Pomona, now? She already thinks I'm mental!"
Lily raised her eyebrow at me, "You locked him in the prefect compartment with Pomona?"
Ignoring her, I looked at Al. "First off. She does not think you are mental! She just thinks you're a bit… strange…" Albus glared. "Second. I had to do something! You've been giving her longing looks since fourth year! It was about damn bloody time that you act like a Gryffindor and ask her to Hogsmeade!"
"I do act like a Gryffindor!"
Hugo and Lucy tried to stifle their laughs from the other side of the compartment.
"I'm just saying that it's the start our sixth year and you need to make it count! We only have two years left, Al! Make them matter!"
Albus remained quiet for a few seconds before slipping into the seat next to mine. "Yeah," he grumbled, "but why did you have to lock us the compartment. Couldn't you have just bribed Louis to make sure we did our prefect duties together or set up a double date?"
"Double date? Yeah, right! Who would I have gone with?"
"Frank?" Albus shrugged.
"Frank Longbottom? Her brother! No way! We're just friends."
Lily giggled, "What about Scorpius?"
I snorted, "Yeah, that would work! We'd Avada each other before the two of us even left Hogwarts! Besides I'd rather spend my sixth year in detention scrubbing cauldrons with Filch than do anything with that ferret!"
"Rose," Lucy sighed, not bothering to look up from her current game of Wizard's Chess, "settle down. I'm sure Lily was kidding."
"Checkmate," Hugo leaned back in his seat, a self-satisfied look appearing on his face.
Lucy banged her hands down onto the chess board, "Damn it!"
"Kidding or not, can we please just refrain from talking about Malfoy. It's bad enough that we have to do prefect duties together. I just want an afternoon without having to see that smirk or hear that wretched name," I surveyed the compartment to see that everyone agreed to my plan. Hugo rolled his eyes before setting up another game of chess with Lucy. Lily hid behind her article about nargles and Al was staring out the compartment window, oblivious to all. "Good," I said happily before taking out my book, Quidditch Through the Ages, and flipping to the page I had previously bookmarked.
"Scorpius."
"LILY!"

"Pucey, Yaoré!" Professor Neville Longbottom called up a small girl prior to placing the ratty old sorting hat upon her head. I huffed. In all honesty, I could care less about the sorting. All I wanted was food and hopefully an infamous Gryffindor party once the lot of us return back up to the towers.
"So," James whispered next to me, "how did ol' Albie react when he finally caught up with you?"
I turned away from the sorting and over at James. Resting my cheek in the palm of my hand with my elbow leaning on the table, I smiled, "Surprisingly I got away with just yelling."
Fred's facial expression changing into one of shock and disgust, "Sixteen years of our influence and you'd think we'd have rubbed off on him by now. How is it that he didn't get sorted into Hufflepuff?"
"Sometimes I wonder if we're really related," James scrunched in his eyebrows and examined his brother. "Doesn't play Quidditch, doesn't play pranks, he's a prefect…" I gave James a look, which he didn't see. Obviously he was oblivious to not only me but my prefect badge as well. "…and he's not nearly as good-looking as I am."
"Not to mention he has an ego about half the size of yours."
"I think you also forgot that he has about twice the brains," Fred laughed softly before getting thumped.
Rose shifted in her chair when her older cousins began a punching war and saw that Neville had returned to his seat at the staff table and Professor McGonagall was now standing. "Welcome! I welcome all of you to what I hope is going to be another fantastic year at Hogwarts! Enjoy your feast!"
Once the food appeared, my eyes grew twice in size and my hands scurried to pile my plate up with as much food as I could muster. I spent most of the meal eating and the rest of it trying to talk in between my mouthfuls of carrots and roast beef. By the time dessert had come my Hogwarts uniform was becoming a bit uncomfortable. I was polishing off my third treacle tart when I heard Frank Longbottom ask if I was taking potions this year. Nodding my head, I quickly swallowed the dessert and responded, "Yeah, I am. I didn't want to but Mum's pushing me to become a Healer, Dad an Auror and, well, I couldn't exactly say no."
"When are you going to tell them about Quidditch?"
I bit my lip. This question had certainly popped in my head more than once. It wasn't Dad I was afraid of. After all, he'd probably be ecstatic to see his daughter play professionally, even if it was as a chaser. Mum, she was the one I was nervous about. "I was thinking that I'll just surprise them and show up at their door in my Puddlemere United robes and hope for the best."
"Mind if I join you, Rose," Fred asked as he took a bite of his rice pudding, "I'd love to take a picture to document the look on Uncle Ron's face."
"Sure, I'll need someone to diffuse the tension." We stopped laughing at the sound of the Great Hall doors opening and closing shut. I strained to look over the Hufflepuff table. Only managing to catch a glimpse of the top of a man's head and plopped back into my seat. "Who's that?" I asked utterly confused. No one responded. Their attention was occupied as McGonagall smiled warmly at the tall man and shook his hand.
He remained at the Headmistress's side as she looked our way to begin her speech and hopefully some sort of explanation as to who he was and why he was in our school. "Now, I would like to share a few start-of-term notices.
"A reminder to all students that the forest on the grounds in forbidden. Mr. Filch, our caretaker, wants me to remind you that no magic is to be used in the corridors in between classes. This includes any Weasley's Wizard Wheezes products,"
McGonagall gave a small smile whilst looking at James and Fred over her spectacles.
"And I assume most of you have been wondering about our guest, I bring the attention to a rather large change in this year, involving Quidditch." Over half of the hall straighten up and gave their full attention to the front. "This year there will be no Quidditch Cup. Now," McGonagall raised her hands to stop and sudden outbursts or profanities that were likely to slip out of people's mouths, "in its place will be a tournament of sorts. Mr. Bilderfudd is here to explain to you the rules and regulations."
The brown-haired man stepped forward and offered a big grin. "Hello, I'm Edward Bilderfudd, manager of the Chudley Cannons. After having yet another disappointing season, my staff and I have decided to put an end to our losing streak by hosting this competition. Your job is to put together a Quidditch team: it doesn't have to be your house team, any team will do. From there you will compete against each other in multiple matches. The team that wins will receive a prize."
By now the whole Great Hall was quiet in anticipation. Even James and Fred were quiet, and I think that's something I've seen once, maybe twice in my life.
"The seven players that manage to defeat all the others will receive a one-year contract with the Chudley Cannons after their graduation from Hogwarts."
The silence was gone. Shouts of excitement and talks of forming teams had already begun.