Quick, there's a bludger headed straight for you! If you answer this by 3:15 EST you can dodge to the left and steal the quaffle from Josephine Urquhart, earning your team 15 points. But if you wait to long you won't have time to move and the bludger will hit your right shoulder.
Justin ran his tongue along his bottom lip, trying to wet it as he felt as if his heart was trying to leap out his mouth. Quidditch was an entirely different experience from in the air than in the stands. He knew that there were only seconds of them hovering still as they waited for the quaffle. Then they would be set in motion, but this time he would be in the beginning fray. It was enough time for Justin to look over the faces of the opposing Chasers. It hadn’t occurred to him until now that they had all been awarded the position of captain at one point in playing before.
If Justin’s heart had stopped, Madam Hooch’s whistle had cut through the air just in time to restart it. Justin moved a fraction of a second behind them, shooting after the quaffle, the bristles of a broom digging into his gloves. He knew he wasn’t getting his hands onto it in the fray. Backing up he was able to see what was happening. Someone pulled free and Justin immediately leaned forward to take after them.
It was Josephine Urquhart. The Hippogriffs had the quaffle. The rules played over in Justin’s head and he shot forward, trying to get on her right. She seemed to anticipate his move and evaded, leaving him nearly tangling his fingers in her quidditch robes as she moved quickly to the side. About to follow, Justin heard a crack to behind him on his right.
Bludger against bat.
Justin jerked to the left, the bludger missing and whistling by. Apparently he had come close enough that either Corner or Crabbe wanted to get him away from their chaser. It had brought him right where he needed to be. Justin stuck his arm across Josephine and over the quaffle, managing to get his hand underneath it and pull it up as he tilted the broom upward, jerking it from her grip and rising higher into the air.
His heart was in his throat again, he had the quaffle. Justin leaned harshly to his left and turned around to face towards the opposing team’s hoops. As he quickly moved forward his eyes searched the oncoming chasers for Ginny and Dean.












