Author's Note: Written for…

Next Gen Competition. Prompt: Albus starts a new job.

Rubik's Cube Challenge. Prompt: James Potter II

Unstoppable

Albus woke to the slow creak of his bedroom door opening and waited until there was a cool hand on his forehead before he opened his eyes.

"We're taking Lily shopping," his mother whispered, attempting to smooth down his hair. "Breakfast is on the stove. Be sure to eat something before you leave."

He rolled out of bed after she left and wandered down to the kitchen in a t-shirt and pajama pants, hoping to spend an hour or two in quiet contemplation before heading out. Naturally, James was there to mess up his plans.

"Saved you some pancakes," the older boy mumbled around a mouthful, pointing with his fork at the plate on the counter. Albus couldn't help but notice how few pancakes there were on it compared to his brother's heaping plate.

He sat down across from James and stared at his plate with disinterest.

"Better eat up," James advised, watching him. "Big day and all that."

Albus shrugged. "Not really hungry."

"Nervous about the job interview?"

"No," he answered quickly and James snorted.

"You need to relax, Al. You're going to be great at … whatever it is you're trying out for. Don't know why you won't tell us, but whatever," he added, dumping his dirty dishes in the sink.

"I just don't want everyone to get excited in case I don't get it," Albus muttered, drowning his pancakes in syrup.

James rolled his eyes. "Fine. But you have to let me take you out to celebrate tonight. I should be finished with practice by six. We can go to that muggle place you like."

"I thought your practice was tomorrow."

"Technically, yeah, but Gloria wants us all to be there for try-outs." He crossed the kitchen to where his broom was leaning against the back door, straightening his orange and black jersey as he went. "Today's going to be hell, dealing with all those wannabes."

"Right, because I'm sure every up-and-coming flyer wants to be on the Cannons." Albus allowed himself a smile despite his stomach twisting itself into a pretzel.

"Laugh all you want, Al. We made it to the finals last season and I've been labeled a rising star."

"You're a 'rising star' because Mum's the Ginny Weasley. The only way you could get more popular is if you took her place on the Harpies."

James grinned. "Me? Surrounded by six women all day every day? Not a bad idea, bro." He snatched his broom and disapparated on the spot.

Albus laid his head down on the kitchen table and groaned.

Lying to his family hadn't seemed like much of a problem in the beginning. He'd done it for their own good, really. What was the point in getting their hopes of having another Quidditch player in the family when he had about as good a chance at making the team as a slug?

He was hoping to try out without James' knowledge but he supposed there was no way around that now. He'd have to spend the rest of his life listening to his brother make stupid jokes about the day Albus Potter thought he was good enough for the Chudley Cannons.

After fifteen minutes of hitting his head against the tabletop, he dragged himself upstairs to shower and change before try-outs.

:-:

There was a ridiculously long line of amateurs waiting to show off and Albus was at the end of it, anxiously fiddling with the drawstrings on the hoodie he'd worn in an effort to hide his face.

He could hear James' loud laughter high above him. He risked a peek up and saw his brother tossing a quaffle back and forth with what was left of the team. Albus recognized most of them from James' pictures. The team manager, Gloria Janic, stood on the pitch in front of the rookies.

"Alright, we're ready to begin, so listen up," she started, sizing up the line. "Each of you will have to go through a series of tests, after which I'll eliminate … probably ninety percent of you. After that we can get on to your individual positions, talents, etcetera. First off is the flying test."

Albus spent the next half hour on one of the league's standard brooms that prevented tampering. He was pitted against nine other rookies, first in a race from one set of hoops to the other, and then trying to outperform them in zigzagging, flying one-handed and a hundred other maneuvers. Then the process was completed with four other sets of rookies until they were all sweaty and exhausted standing around Gloria for the results.

Only fourteen made it to the second round. Albus was one of them – nicknamed Hoodie since he hadn't taken it off despite the extreme heat. The Cannons were on the ground now, preparing to help Gloria test everyone.

The fourteen were separated by position. Albus was one of two trying out for keeper. Gloria seemed pleased to have any, and Al remembered that the team's previous goalkeeper had quit midseason due to a sudden fear of heights.

"Keepers and chasers first," Gloria announced, waving James and the other Cannon chasers forward. "We're going to play a mock game. Each keeper go to a set of hoops. Chasers, split up."

There were five trying out for chaser. James got put in charge of three of them and they were ordered to attempt scoring on Al's hoops.

The first half of the game was played at the center of the pitch with chasers fighting for control of the quaffle with the occasional test bludger being thrown into the mix to test the new chasers. By the time anyone got close to Albus he was ready for them and easily blocked every attempt.

Then James got the quaffle and charged.

Albus looked frantically to the chasers that were supposed to be helping him. They all seemed to be too preoccupied by the bruises they were getting from the nonstop bludger attacks.

"Now or never," he muttered, whipping off the hoodie in the little time he had left. The effort it would take to continue hiding from his brother would lose him the goal, and possibly the job.

It was still challenge trying to block the hoop. James the best chaser he'd ever met, next to their mum. But Albus had the element of surprise, and he'd certainly shocked his brother into fumbling the toss and it fell short of its mark.

The game ended shortly after with Albus' team as the clear winners. He was allowed a rest while the seekers went through training, but he didn't get a chance to relax. The moment they were back on the ground, James was dragging him away from everyone else.

"What the hell are you doing?" James demanded, shoving his brother's fallen hoodie into his hands.

Al shouldered the garment and smirked. "Surprise?"

"Quit playing around, Albus. This isn't funny."

"I'm not playing. I'm trying to get on the team."

James squinted at him. "I thought you hated flying."

"Just because I didn't try out for the house team like you and Lily, doesn't mean I'm not interested. I just thought it was more important to focus on schoolwork." Albus tried to gauge James' expression, suddenly nervous that his brother wouldn't want him around. "You're not mad that I came without telling you, are you? I mean, I didn't think you be here and I didn't want to tell anyone unless I actually made the team. And, I mean, if I'm going to go pro I'd rather it be for the Cannons than have to play against you sometime," he rambled until James started laughing.

"Al, relax. I'm just in shock. Yeah, I would have preferred knowing beforehand. You kinda made me look bad up there with that lousy throw. But whatever." James slung an arm around Albus' shoulders, leading him back to the action. "You can forget about me taking you to dinner though."

Albus frowned. "You don't think I'm going to make the team?"

"Of course you will – you're a Potter! Which means you'll be dining with the rest of the team tonight. I was going to skip team bonding to take you out, but now I can do both." James stopped and grinned at him. "With you and me on the team, we're going to be unstoppable."