Chapter 5: Quidditch training
Saturday morning, Dudley was sitting in the common room, waking up before anyone else but soon after he got up, Wood came down, walking right past him with enthusiasm, followed by Harry, who was sleepily putting on his quidditch robes, broom in hand. When he was almost out of the common room, Collin Creevy ran down the stairs, "Hello Harry, I heard someone calling your name, look what I have here, I had one of the older students develop this for me, look, it's moving!"
He shoved the photograph into his face. Dudley walked up behind him and looked over his shoulder and saw Lockhart grabbing an arm, desperately trying to move it into frame. They struggled but soon, the little Harry in the picture won and mini-Lockhart gave up, "Will you sign it?"
"No sorry, I have quidditch training", Harry tried to dismiss him but Collin followed him out of the common room, blabbing on about how he never watched a quidditch match. Dudley couldn't help but chuckle as he watched the two leave for the training. Quidditch… he never got to try it. Each year he was in school, Professor Black found another reason to keep the quidditch season closed. All hated him for it, they wanted desperately to play but he wouldn't allow it.
Dudley met Hermione and Ron in the great hall, "Where is Harry?" asked the long-toothed girl, looking around, as if Dudley were hiding him under his robes.
"Quidditch training", said Dudley, taking another bite of his toast, "Wood dragged him out early in the morning"
"Come Hermione, let's watch them train, do you want to come with, Dudley?"
"Yeah, sure", he grabbed another toast and stood up, walking over to the quidditch pitch. The air was warm and the wind was howling as they walked over the grounds full of neatly cut grass and flowers. They arrived just as Harry was leaving the changing rooms, "You still not donee?" asked Ron, perplexed.
"not even started, Wood wanted to discuss new strategies", Harry yawned.
Oliver Wood, the quidditch captain and total fanatic for the sport, called out, "Harry, come and try training your Wronski feint"
Dudley watched them fly. Their brooms were faster, better controlled and flew higher than the brooms he was used to. Even after helping Mr Weekes prefect his brooms, he was nowhere as fast as Harry was on his racing broom. Of course, the weasleys, on their older brooms which were slowly deteriorating were close to the brooms he knew, though still a smidge faster. Collin kept shooting photos of the players, until the Slytherin team arrived and the Gryffindor's came to meet them, they seemed to have a heated discussion. Ron and Hermione rushed onto the field, though Dudley was a bit behind them, as he had sat up higher on the stands, so, he had more steps to walk down. As he arrived down, he heard several others gasping. Fred and George were jumping at Malfoy, who was being protected by Flint, the Slytherin quidditch captain, who looked like he was half troll.
"How dare you?!", screeched Alicia Spinnet.
"you'll pay for that!", roared Ron, who directed his wand straight at Malfoy's face which was visible behind Flint's arms. There was a loud *bang*, a green spell shot out of the wrong end of Ron's wand, hit him in the stomach and he flew off behind himself.
"Ron! Ron, are you alright?", Hermione asked.
Instead of words, what came out of Ron's mouth were half a dozen slugs, big and slimy. The Slytherin players couldn't help but laugh, laugh greatly.
"What happened?" asked Dudley, "I only saw the ending bit there"
"Malfoy, he… he called Hermione a mudblood", Harry explained.
"Like father like son", Dudley shook his head, "Here, let me look at Ron, maybe I can help"
"You are only a second year, we should bring him to Hagrid, he is nearest", Hermione said and she and Harry dragged him towards the entrance of the pitch.
"Oh- what happened Harry? Is he sick? You can make him better though, right?" Collin asked, directing his camera to Ron, who was again spouting out slugs.
"He wouldn't want a photograph of that", Dudley said, walking with the others towards Hagrid's hut. On the way there, Dudley went through the spells he knew. He had read about a curse like this once, he knew it. Finally, as they arrived at the hut, the door flung open but it wasn't Hagrid who exited, it was Gilderoy Lockhart. Harry grew pale and directed himself, Hermione and Ron towards a nearby bush. Dudley just froze there.
"It is easy if you know what to do", said Lockhart towards whomever was inside the hut, Hagrid most likely, "you know where to find me if you need help. I'll send you a copy of my book, I don't know why you don't already have one. I'll sign one this evening and let the houselves bring it to you, now, goodbye!"
He noticed Dudley just standing there and looked surprised, "Ah, young Dursley, you are probably looking for me, let's walk to my office together, no need to be shy, I always have to deal with fans, it is no inconvenience at all", he grabbed Dudley and dragged him towards the castle. He kept trying to explain that he was there to meet Hagrid but was cut off by 'I know, I know, it must be incredible to meet your idol', 'Not now, let's talk more in my office' or a random story from within his books. He was forced to listen to the oaf blabbering on and on about his 'adventures' for the next hour. When he was finally able to escape, he ran towards Hagrid's hut but was met at the door to the grounds with Harry, Ron and Hermione, behind him was McGonagall, "Ah- Weasley, Potter, there you are. Your detentions are tonight. Mr Weasley will be helping Mr Filch with cleaning the trophy room, no magic and you, mr Potter will help professor Lockhart with his fan mail"
Harry looked especially pale after hearing that, "Couldn't I go to the trophy room too?"
"No, Professor Lockhart demanded for you especially", McGonagall said, "you shall both find yourself in your respective detentions at six"
She walked off and Dudley looked at Harry with pity.