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______________________________________________________________Once November came, it started to become much colder. The mountains surrounding Hogwarts became icy grey, with snow appearing at its peaks and the lake was frozen over. The sun could be seen rising above the horizon from the Ravenclaw tower as the sky lit up. For muggles, this time of year would mean the countdown for Christmas. But for witches and wizards, this meant something else...the Quidditch season had begun.
It was the morning of the first match. After weeks of training, Matthew was about to play his first ever game for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team as their new seeker. He woke earlier than the others and watched as it brightened outside from his dorm’s window. He was excited for the game, yet incredibly anxious, nervous of the many things that could possibly go wrong: What if he were hit by a bludger? Or wasn’t able to catch the snitch? The pressure was on his shoulders, and he was scared for the worst.
The Great Hall was full of freshly-cooked breakfast on the tables and the sounds of students cheerfully chattering about the upcoming match: Hufflepuff vs Ravenclaw. Matthew sat there with a fork in his hand, barely able to eat the food on his plate.
“You should really try to finish that,” Lanya lectured by his side. “You’re gonna need all the energy you can get.”
“I’m just really nervous...” explained the wolf.
“You’re gonna be great, Matthew. Chin up!” the Shurian said with that enthusiasm Hufflepuffs were known for, tapping the underside of his snow-white chin.
“Why are you here, anyway? I thought you’d be supporting your own house.”
“‘Cuz you’re my friend,” she answered back, her loyalty showing confidently.
“She’s right, you know,” said Skylar, a fellow Ravenclaw on the other side of the table. “You were really good in tryouts! There’s a reason why you made the team.”
Despite their attempts to lift up his spirits, he remained silent. Matthew continued to eat his beans and scrambled eggs at a slow pace, the negative thoughts etched into his mind.
By eleven o’clock the entire school were out in the stands around the Quidditch pitch. The parents and teachers up in the towers while the students were on the benches surrounding them. The stadium was an oval shape with a set of three hoops on each end of the pitch, several feet above the ground. Many students had binoculars in their hands — their seats might’ve been raised high up, but it was still difficult to see what was occurring sometimes.
The teams’ supporters were split into their own halves of the stadium, where they’d take sides and join their friends to watch the game commence. Students had banners supporting their favoured teams, some with their faces painted of the house colours and mascot. Gryffindors would be split between sides due to their relationships with other students and the same goes for Hufflepuffs, however most of them would support their own house for obvious reasons. As for Slytherins on the other hand, there would still be many to be seen in the stands, but some would skip the match since their house wasn’t competing.
Meanwhile, in the locker room, Matthew and the rest of his team began changing into their navy-blue Quidditch robes (Hufflepuff would be playing in yellow). The wolf tightened the straps of the pads around his forearms while listening to the crowd outside the tent. His heart was pounding. In just a few moments, he would be out on that pitch in front of the whole school.
“You look tense,” said Jan, the team’s captain. She knew something was wrong.
“I just...I feel pressured,” he admitted. “I feel like I’m gonna let you down if I don’t catch the snitch.”
“Math...” The lioness took a seat next to him.
“We’re not gonna be disappointed in you,” she reassured him. “We’re here to have fun...it’s not about winning. It’s about trying our best...can you do that for me?”
The wolf nodded back at her slightly, raising his head up with less stress on his face.
“Good,” the lioness patted his shoulder with a smile, as a way to encourage him. “You’ve got this.”
Once Jan got back up on her feet — before she headed towards the board — she looked back at Matthew.
“Besides...there’s a reason I chose you as our seeker,” she said with a soft smile and a wink, bringing some light to his face.
“Gather around, boys,” ordered the captain.
Matthew took a seat in front of her while the others began to group up, a hyena and a red saber-toothed tiger sitting beside him on both sides.
“You ready for your first Quidditch match?” asked Lee, the hyena on his right.
With a more enthusiastic kick into his mood, Matthew nodded with a soft smile across his face.
“No pressure, dude!” said Nefaris, the tiger on his left, informing the wolf with a soft nudge into his torso. Both his friends were also in their third year, along with Matthew. But they’d joined the team the year prior.
“Alright. This is it,” said Jan. “The first game of the year. This is a great team we’ve got here, and I know we’ve got what it takes...remember what we’ve practiced...as long as we stick to what we’ve learned, we’ll do just fine...now let’s show them all what we can do!”
“Ooh-rah to that,” said fellow Chaser Seven, a sixth year who had been on the team since before Matthew had even entered Hogwarts.
The lioness nodded with approval. “It’s time. Good luck out there, all of you.”
The seven players went to their lockers and grabbed their broomsticks before heading towards the exit of the tent. Once they were ready, they mounted their brooms and flew out to the field in the air, and were greeted by overwhelming, loud cheers.
“Hello, and welcome to Hogwarts’ second Quidditch game of the season! Today, we’ll be witnessing: Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw!” Announced the commentator of the match — his name was Chazra Dorvak — over the speakers, followed by another set of loud roars from the crowd below.
The referee for the game was flying instructor Madam Hooch, waiting in the centre of the field as the fourteen players formed a circle above her.
“Alright, you lot, you know the rules,” informed the cloaked hawk from below. “A nice, clean game.”
Beside her was a brown wooden chest rumbling on its spot. With a kick on the side, the top of it sprung open and released the bludgers and snitch, allowing them to soar through the air while Hooch grabbed hold of the leather quaffle still inside. The crowd were anticipating the moment at the start along with the players themselves, wondering who would get it first. If the snitch were to be caught by the one team, the game would end immediately, but the other can still beat them with enough points scored beforehand.
With a high toss directly upwards from the centre, the quaffle was released and the game commenced...Story continues on my Patreon...[/b][/url]_____________________________________________________________Once again, this is yet ANOTHER alternate universe you can expect to see more stories of Matthew in! Harry Potter was a HUGE part of my childhood and still remains close to my heart to this day. These stories will centre around Matthew’s seven years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and you can expect to see him doing plenty of magical things along the way! I hope you guys really enjoy this storyline!^^
This incredible pic was done by the amazing 
Jailbird
JailbirdLike the stories I write for my art? Support me on Patreon[/b] for more!
Wanna support me AND see more art and stories of Matthew in the future? Consider supporting me on Patreon! Category Artwork (Digital) / General Furry Art
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 1280 x 884px
File Size 128.9 kB
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