Three on Two
Hot, melting rays of sun made the cool shade of the large trees enticing. The emerald green field looked perfect for a leisurely afternoon picnic; care free with nothing to worry about. However, if any Muggles, or non-magic people, had come up the hill to the tree-surrounded paddock, they would have dropped their jaws in amazement.
High in the air above the field, almost level with the tree tops, were four people, all circling and diving like large, colorful birds. Each was trying to catch the small green apples that they were throwing to one another. Three redheaded and freckled, one with black hair and glasses, every one of them were riding, of all things, broomsticks.
“Oi, Ron, Harry!” yelled one of the larger redheaded boys, throwing an apple high in the air.
The boy called Ron watched it for a split second and dove for it, his broom clearly having a hard time diving fast enough to catch up with the dropping apple.
“Come on!” Ron said, flattening himself against the handle.
He caught the apple by the tips of his fingers, looked behind him, and tossed it to Harry, the black haired boy, who sped off to meet George, one of the twins, at the goal post.
“Nice and easy, Harry!” George bantered with a large grin, “Don’t want to hurt yourself!”
Harry snorted and lunged forward at George. Harry then feinted left, looking like he was going to try and go around George, and swooped underneath him. He easily tossed the apple into the goal basket.
“Yes!” he cried, pumping his arm into the air.
“Woo, hoo!” Ron said.
“That’s it, now we play dirty,” Fred, the other twin, said, picking up the apple and streaking off down the field with it.
He laughed as Ron tried to catch up with him. Fred held it out to Ron and then tossed the apple to George. George caught it and threw it back.
It looked like a game of monkey in the middle; Fred and George throwing it back and forth to each other with Ron in between them, trying to stay on his broom and catch the apple at the same time.
“Not working for you, is it, little bro?” Fred jeered, tossing underhanded to George.
“Give it here!” Ron said.
“Watch it there, boys.”
Whoosh! Harry sped upwards, and with the trained prowess of a Seeker, caught the apple deftly and soared off.
“Blimey!” cried the shocked twins.
“Ha!” Ron laughed as the twins broke off, following after Harry.
“Hand it over, Harry, and we won’t have to knock you off your broom,” said George, swerving to the right but missing Harry by inches. Closer and closer came the twins.
They were going to catch him. Harry looked over his shoulder, twisted around, and threw the apple with all his might.
Ron stopped and soared after it, his broom bucking and shuddering.
“How come mine is so stupid?” he complained and reached out his hand as the apple arched downward.
Another figure swooped underneath him and pulled up, grinning. Her eyes were shining with glee as she showed her prize.
“Ginny! Where did you come from? What are you doing here?” Ron cried, turning sharply to look at her.
“Yeah, what do you think you’re doing?” asked one of the twins.
“Mum told me to come and tell you that lunch is ready,” the girl replied, throwing the apple to a grinning Harry.
“Catch it, Harry!” Ginny laughed.
“Thanks, Ginny!” Harry replied, circling the twins once and zooming off.
“Harry, look out! There go Fred and George!” Ron pointed to his brothers, urging their brooms after Harry.
Harry streaked up the field to their make-shift goal post but was cut off as one of the twins flew in front of him.
“Not fast enough, there, Harry,” Fred grinned, lunging for the apple.
“Wanna bet?” Harry laughed and dived for the ground. He stopped hand a few feet above the grass.
“Shouldn’t we go in for lunch? Your mum…”
“Nah, she won’t mind. Besides, you and Ron are still ahead of us,” George said, making a mad swipe at Harry.
“Ron!” Harry yelled to his friend, tossing him the apple.
Ron raced up the field as fast as his broom would go, threw the apple and-
“Score!” he, Ginny, and Harry cried.
Fred groaned and tossed the apple to George. Ginny intercepted it and whizzed around the twins, tossing it to Harry, who put it into the goal easily.
“All right!” Ginny squealed.
“Not fair. Three on two?” George bellowed.
“Aw, stop whining, George,” Ginny giggled.
“Ginny, how about you play on Fred and George’s team? I’ve got a faster broom,” Harry suggested.
“Yeah Gin, they need all the help they can get. Not that it’ll make much difference,” Ron snorted.
Ginny glared at him, then shrugged, “All right,” and turned away. Quick as a wink she snatched the stationary apple from the goal post basket.
“Pass it, Ginny, pass it!” Fred called, reaching out a hand for the apple.
Ginny lobbed the apple to Fred, who caught it. Harry flew up next to Fred, who tossed it to George, who tossed it back to Ginny. Ron intercepted it and flew under her to toss it to Harry.
He missed.
“No! Get it!” Ron cried and dove to the ground, but Ginny got there first. She raced past Fred and George, with Harry right on her tail.
Ginny aimed for the goal, threw with all her might, and scored.
“Yes!” yelled the twins, racing over to give their sister a high five.
“Twins and Gin thirty, Dream Team eighty,” George said.
“For the moment, anyway,” Harry said, tossing up a new apple as high into the air as he could.
Ten minutes later, Ginny had scored five more goals, Harry and Ron, zero. They were tied, and no one was scoring.
“Maybe we should have kept her on our team,” Ron mumbled.
“Come off it. We’re just as good. Now it’s three on two against us, so it’s all right,” Harry said, rushing past him after Ginny.
Ginny soared around the goal post, threw the apple, and was blocked by Harry’s broom.
“Better luck next time, Ginny,” he teased, tossing the apple over her head, which was caught by George.
“Yeah, thanks, Harry,” Ginny laughed, swooping over to George
“Look who needs all the help they can get now?” Fred whooped, looping Ron easily and tossing it through Harry’s outstretched hands.
“Score!” he cried, flying a victory lap around the field.
“Ninety to eighty for Twins and Gin!” said George, smirking at Ron.
“Just wait,” Ron replied, catching the apple Harry tossed to him.
“Whoops,” Fred said as Ron swerved around him and raced up the field.
“Get him, Ginny!” the twins yelled.
“Give it here, Ron,” Ginny laughed, “Let me make the goal for you.”
“Heck no!” Ron retorted, reaching the goal post at last.
“Gotcha!” Ron yelled as the apple landed in the basket.
“Ginny!”
All five players braked in midair.
“Uh, oh,” said Ron.
Up that path marched a very perturbed looking Mrs. Weasley. She stopped at the edge of the field and planted her hands on her hips.
“Ginerva Molly Weasley, I told you to tell the boys that lunch is ready.”
“I know, mum. And I did!” Ginny replied, landing on the ground gracefully and walking to her mother.
“Why didn’t you boys come in?” Mrs. Weasley glowered.
“Well, she didn’t say that you said to come inside right that very second. So, we stayed out for a few minutes,” Fred explained.
“Don’t be cheeky with me! Now, get up to the house before I lock your brooms in the garage for the rest of the summer!” Mrs. Weasley ordered.
Grumbling, the four boys touched down and clambered off of their brooms.
Ron smiled happily at his brothers and sister.
“Ha. Even with three on two, we can still tie up the game.”
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