Assumption // Regulus Black

8

Regulus

The first quidditch match of the season was against Hufflepuff. It would be a breeze. If you're a Hufflepuff yourself, I'm sorry.

Not for insulting your quidditch team. I'm just sorry. 

To be honest I was just thankful to not play Gryffindor. It wasn't that they were better than we were- because they weren't- but my brother's friends were on the team. 

Again, if you're a Gryffindor, I'm also sorry. 

I think it might be smart to establish my feelings on the houses while we're here so we don't have to review it again. 

Hufflepuffs were too nice for their own good. They were too nice that they let their friends walk all over them, they failed to stand up for themselves, and they didn't share their opinions.

We've been over why I dislike Gryffindors. They were hotheaded, stubborn, and arrogant people with hero-complexes. If they're anything like my brother, I automatically dislike them. 

Ravenclaws were tolerable enough when they weren't wise-asses. 

Slytherin was the best house by far. You might be thinking "he's biased so it doesn't count." No. We can all agree it's the best house. We're resourceful, ambitious, clever, and diplomatic. 

Sure we can be selfish at times. But at least we aren't afraid to voice our opinions. At least we aren't so recklessly confident that we look like idiots. And at least we know when to shut up.

I'm only sorry about hurting Hufflepuff's feelings. The rest of you can deal. It just had to be said.

Great. So now that we've established that, let's get on with it.

My team had plenty of practice and a great foundation from last year, so I seriously wasn't concerned. While I couldn't enjoy quidditch as much as I did last year, it was sort of an escape. Something else to pour my energy into and distract myself from the obvious. 

I made sure my team met in the locker room a half-hour before the game just to keep everyone together, and we walked out onto the pitch as a team. 

I walked to the center of the field to shake hands with the Hufflepuff captain before kicking up into the air to join my team. 

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the first quidditch match of the season. Today's match- Slytherin versus Hufflepuff..." I tuned out the Ravenclaw who was commentating today's match and surveyed the faces of the Hufflepuff team. They looked nervous but did a surprisingly good job of hiding it.

The whistle was blown, and I flew out of the way to allow the chasers plenty of space to attack. I immediately surveyed the field, to find that Ace and Joseph were already heading towards Hufflepuff's end of the field with the quaffle. 

And then I began my search for the snitch. 

Thalia

While I couldn't necessarily understand quidditch to the same ability that my friends could, I loved watching it. It wasn't exactly that I adored the game, but more so the atmosphere. I liked how it brought everyone together and how it strengthened each house's sense of community.

I loved watching people hang banners from the stands, chant with one another, and support their teams by participating in house spirit. For instance, right now I was watching a group of Hufflepuffs in the opposite stand paint numbers, symbols, and names on their faces while they waited for the match to start. One fifth year had even removed his shirt entirely and painted a huge Hufflepuff crest on it.