A/N: This was written for a challenge on FictionNET under these specifications:
Well, here we are. Write a one-shot of Hogwarts and Quidditch, a game, or a training session, or team pickings, or anything really, but it must be something to do with Quidditch at Hogwarts, no fancy other professional team ;D
And try not to focus on Gryffindor, ...you can if you must, but really, we see way more than enough of them in the books. Try to do another house, so we can get their aspect of why they kinda suck, I mean Gryffindor always seem to win.
So, get your quills scratching (someone shoot me) and detail what you think Quidditch is all about at Hogwarts!
The fic must be longer than 750 words, but the length and structure is otherwise entirely up to you!
We've never had a Quidditch fic, have we?
It was far along in the future of Hogwarts. The Dark Lord had been defeated, Harry Potter nearly deified, and the school reestablished. Regina Johnson of Hufflepuff paced nervously in her dormitory. This was the first year since the Reestablishment of Hogwarts that the administration had allowed Quidditch. There was much rejoicing among the students, and Harry Potter himself visited the school to select the four team captains from the sixth and seventh years. She had nearly fainted when he announced that she was to be the Hufflepuff team captain. It was a great honor… but also a great stress and responsibility. Now she had to pick a team and, hopefully, lead them to victory. If everything worked as she hoped, the victories would come easily – but only if she could pick the right team.
Therefore, it was no surprise that on the morning of the Hufflepuff tryouts, her stomach was clenched in knots and she was convinced that Harry Potter had made some sort of mistake. She flew well and had fairly good instincts and reflexes, which made her a decent Keeper – but there were others that knew Quidditch much better than she. Tommy Benson, for instance. Quidditch was his life (according to everyone who knew him.) His philosophy was Eat, Sleep, Play Quidditch. School and social activities were just inconveniences that kept him off the pitch.
Or there was Ravinda Valdaz, quick as a lightening bolt and with a much better head for strategy. Maybe even Arnie Macyntyre. He wasn't the best flyer, but he was confident and could project his voice far better than she could. Anyone would have been a better choice than her… or so she thought. Harry Potter insisted that she was the right choice after she had questioned him desperately. "Regina, you are my choice. You are the most fit to lead this team. Trust me," he had said. Well, she trusted him. She just wasn't sure if she trusted herself.
Finally, she was able calm her nerves and stagger into the Common Room, clutching her broom tightly. It's going to be a disaster. This is going to be so bad. Only negative thoughts filled her mind as she hurried to the Quidditch pitch.
She stared at the empty stadium realizing that tryouts didn't begin for another hour. Trying to quiet her nerves, she flew around the pitch a few times, hovering in front of the Hufflepuff stand. Was it possible that later this year it would be filled with cheering fans as Hufflepuff played for the house cup? Or was it more possibly that it would be empty, her housemates ashamed of their team? She sighed, turning slowly away.
But as she turned, a small protrusion in the stand caught her eye. It was only slightly ajar… as if the wind had blown open a small door. She flew closer and saw that it was, in fact, a door. Tentative – and convinced that this entire day was a complete trick of fate – she reached in and pulled out the paltry contents of the compartment. The Hufflepuff emblem was stamped on the front of a hand-sized, leather bound journal. She pushed the door closed and memorized the spot before swooping up into the stands and settling down into a seat.
Regina's curiosity was not to be denied. Pausing only for a second to realize that if opening this journal killed her, she really wouldn't been too disappointed because then someone else could be captain, she flipped the cover back. The first page read:
To the Hufflepuff captain:
As I have had the opportunity to act as captain for this beloved team, I offer you my congratulations. It is an honor that you may or may not be able to imagine, depending on your imagination, and it is an honor that you should covet. I did.
Now, the pages of this book will most benefit the newcomer and the open-minded. If you are stuck in your own ways, I suggest that you read no farther and return this to its hold so that someone more worthy may find it. Beyond you will find formations, drills, and my own accounts of Quidditch practices – that of Hufflepuff and the other houses. It is a compilation of what I thought worked, and what I would suggest you never try. Look through this at your leisure. My hope is that it will become your bible, and then when you're finished, you will return it so that another may find it. Good luck!
(If you are not a captain, you will be able to read no farther, so I suggest you return this.)
C.D.
Regina flipped to the second page skeptically. C.D… who could that be? And was he, or maybe she, credible? Stories of the Chamber of Secrets and Ginny Weasley crept into her mind and only because she didn't think an heir of Slytherin would write a Hufflepuff Quidditch Handbook did she continue reading.
…Quidditch Try-outs…
-Ensure that all of your team can fly comfortably. Ask everyone to fly around the pitch four times in groups of three. The first lap should be at a leisurely pace. On the second lap, call out "Sprint!" At your discretion, call out, "At ease!" Repeat this within the final two laps. Anyone who has trouble speeding up quickly and stopping just as quickly is not fit to be on your team.
-Ask those who survived Round One who is comfortable flying at high speeds and diving. These will be your possible Seekers.
-Of the remaining, periodically throw the Quaffle at them while the Seekers are displaying their flying skills. Those who manage to catch the ball will be your possible Keepers and Chasers. Those who don't will be your possible Beaters.
-Your Seeker must be able to pay close attention to many things. Eliminate those who seem flighty or distracted immediately. Use your discretion when picking.
-Ask your Keepers to fly, one at a time, seventeen times between the three goal posts, stopping at each. Time them. Those who are the fastest are your best bet. But then have your possible Chasers shoot six Quaffles in quick succession. Use your judgment to determine who is your best Keeper by these two tests.
-Any Chaser that missed a goal by a large margin should be disqualified.
-Have the remaining Chasers fly in a Tri-weave formation, tossing the Quaffle between them. Try different groups of three. See which groups can form the best rhythm between them. Then make your choice.
-I have yet to observe or think of a suitable test for beaters. Just make sure they have good aim, are quick, and won't be knocked off the broom themselves.
She stared at the journal in disbelief. Everything made sense… perfect sense. Was the rest of the journal like this? And if it was… then why hadn't Hufflepuff won the cup just before the Closing? Who was this C.D.? Despite her questions, Regina read on, discovering C.D's advice on pre-game pep talks and the best way to run practices. And then she stumbled across a very interesting anecdote, concerning a game between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff in 1993.
If you should ever play a game in which the other teams Seeker is paralyzed with fear because Dementors have entered the stadium, it is best not to take advantage of the situation and compulsively snatch the Snitch out of the air. It tends to make people think that you are obsessed with victory, which may, in fact, be the case. But in my experience it is not the best thing for a reputation. In some people it tends to be attractive. Others have to force it to blow over by smiling a lot and being overly charming. Warn your players of this.
She laughed her way through the rest of C.D.'s observations and eventually reached the last page. But the hour had passed and the contenders for her team were gathering in the pitch below. "Regina!" someone called. "Hey! Regina!"
"One minute!" she shouted. "Warm up a bit and then group yourselves off into threes. Be ready to fly." As the jabber below melded into a mass of noise, she turned her attention to the last page.
…What makes a winning team…
…Why we lose…
Gryffindor and Slytherin have been winning my whole career at Hogwarts. This year, Ravenclaw has only one girl on their team. Don't do that. While male and female tensions may be high on a coed team, they would be even higher if there was only one female – or one male. In our modern times, men and women are treated equally. It should be the same on a Quidditch team.
Power struggles are detrimental. Don't allow them to happen. Captain, treat your team fairly and they will return the favor. Unite them and your strength will grow. That is what Gryffindor and Slytherin have. Gryffindor is actually united beneath their captain and for their cause. Slytherin may be united beneath someone's family name. Whatever incentive you use, use it. But do not be a dictator. They never succeed.
This is my theory as to why Hufflepuff has yet to win a cup. We are too timid. Get your players to treat the games as a test if you must. Our minds must be aggressive, like Slytherin, or bold, like Gryffindor. Be cunning. Be swift. Be out of character for Hufflepuff. Only if you can make this change in mentality will you lead your team to victory.
Good luck.
Regina looked up from the book, a gleam in her eye. This year, everything would change. "Alright… first group. Go!" she shouted from the stands, watching as they began. "Four laps around the pitch." They flew, and she shouted "Sprint!" and "Return to pace!" at her leisure. After cutting the four who really couldn't fly in addition to the three who refused to follow her commands, she looked her potential teammates in the eye, pacing before them with a Quaffle in her hands. "I play keeper, so anyone who can only play that position will be trying out for the Reserve Team. But before we continue, let me ask you one thing. How many of you are bookworms or shy?" No one answered. "If you are not willing to come out of your comfort zone, I would ask that you leave this team now." No one moved. "Any of you who know me know that I am not forceful, or carefree – though I would like to be the latter. But I am trying to become these teams so that our mindsets do not put us a step behind the other teams."
One of the shyest girls in the group spoke up. "Regina, what's making you say this?"
She smiled. "I've just come to a realization that while Quidditch is nothing…" She locked eyes with Tommy Benson. "It is everything. Worth every sacrifice. This team needs your commitment to that sacrifice – not so much of time, or of social appearances – but of what is comfortable. That is what Quidditch is."
"And when did you become such an expert?" Tommy chided.
"When I became open minded enough-" She launched the Quaffle at him, and he dropped it. "-to learn. Beater."
"But I play Chaser or Seeker."
A smile touched her lips. "You don't have the reflexes for Chaser or the attention for Seeker. But you have the temper and stubbornness for Beater. Let's just hope you-" She launched the Quaffle at the shy girl, and she caught it. "Have good aim." She addressed the girl gently. "You're not comfortable with high speeds or dives are you?" Without waiting for the headshake, she said, "Chaser."
She continued this process, separating out her Chasers from her Beaters from her possible Seekers. And as she continued with the try out, C.D.'s words continued to pound in her head. She smiled, knowing that this could be the year that Hufflepuff took the cup. Smiling, knowing that C.D. would help her. Quidditch… was everything.