Chapter 4: Tryouts

Harry, Ron, Neville and Hermione were studying at the Gryffindor Common Room when Angelina Johnson approached them. "Potter, have you heard?" She asked. "I'm the new Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team."

"Cool!" Ron exclaimed.

"Congratulations." Harry politely said.

"You'll need to pass the tryouts to keep your place as the team's Seeker, Potter." She said. "Ginny is doing a good work."

"Are you looking for a new Keeper as well?" Ron eagerly asked.

"Are you interested?" She asked and Ron nodded. "Good. I don't want to let that McLaggen prat back in the team."

Harry, Ron and Neville shuddered at the idea of Cormac McLaggen being back after what he did four years ago. Hermione, on the other hand, merely wasn't interested enough on Quidditch to care about it. After Angelina left them to join the team's other female members for some girl talk, Cormac McLaggen approached them. "Potter, you must put a good word for me to Johnson."

"What do you expect me to say without ever seeing you playing as a Keeper?" Harry asked.

"A mere formality, Potter." McLaggen replied. "If you want, I can take you to the field and show you how good I am."

"Wait for the tryouts, McLaggen." Harry sternly said.

"You'd better remember this when you need my family's connections at the Ministry, Potter." McLaggen snorted and then left.

"And there goes another exception to the notion that all bad wizards go to Slytherin." Harry commented and everyone nearby laughed.

One day later, the Fifth Year Gryffindors were having their first defense lesson. "Good morning, students." Professor Black said.

"Morning." Some students mumbled.

"I expected a little more enthusiasm but okay." He replied. "Does anyone know of a way to protect from Unforgivable Curses?" Several students raised their hands. "Ms. Granger?"

"We can dodge the curses." Hermione suggested.

"Good idea! Five points to Gryffindor!" Sirius said. "Anybody else?" He looked around and decided to give the Slytherins a chance out of fairness. "Malfoy?"

"We can summon an object to place it between us and the one casting the curse so the object will be the one to suffer damages." Draco Malfoy suggested.

"Five points to Slytherin." Sirius said with a forced smile. He hated giving points to slimy snakes but he had to be a fairer person than Snivellus. "Anybody else?" He then noticed Neville Longbottom. "Mr. Longbottom?"

"We can… hex them before they finish the incantation." Neville timidly suggested.

"And which spell would you use?" Sirius asked with a neutral face that let anyone guessing if he found the idea good or bad.

"I'd use immobilus." Neville answered.

"Five points to Gryffindor!" Sirius exclaimed. "Anybody else?" Since nobody gave any suggestions, Sirius went to the lesson's next phase.

Later on, they went to the Quidditch pitch, where Gred and Forge Weasley were showing two younger Gryffindors how to hold a Beater's bat. "Fred, George, what're you doing?" Harry asked.

"Well, Prefect Prongslet," Gred started.

"Since you asked,"

"We're showing the next generation how to be good beaters since this is our last year as Hogwarts students." They explained.

"Good idea!" Harry complimented the twins.

"And they need all help they can get." Fred commented.

"The way they are now, Gryffindor is unlikely to win next year's Quidditch Cup." George added.

"You're exaggerating." One applicant beater argued.

"No, they're not." Angelina Johnson counter-argued.

"No, Theodore is Nott." Fred and George replied.

It took some time before they understood the pun. "The both of you have been spending too much time with Sirius." Harry commented.

"He's our idol!" The twins exclaimed. Their team's Captain then instructed Harry and Ginny to ride their brooms and chase the Golden Snitch to compete for the position of Seeker. She then noticed Ron and Cormac arguing.

"Save yourself from embarrassment, Weasley." Cormac commanded. "I will become the team's Keeper!"

"Over my dead body, McLaggen!" Ron replied. The two of them prepared to defend their goal posts. Both of them were quite good at the job and equally skilled. Angelina Johnson then approached Ron. "Congratulations, Weasley." She said. "You are our new Keeper. McLaggen, you're our reserve Keeper."

"No fair!" McLaggen protested. "Why did Weasley get the spot if I was just as good if not better than him?"

"Because of your attitude back when you were the team's Seeker, McLaggen." She explained.

"Just because Weasley became friends with the Boy-Who-Lived." McLaggen grunted.

"And here's this attitude trouble all over again." She commented and practically everyone within hearing range agreed.

A few minutes later, Harry and Ginny were tied in number of times each one caught the Golden Snitch. "Good work the both of you." Captain Angelina Johnson complimented them. "I'll release the Golden Snitch one more time and whoever catches it becomes the team's main Seeker. The other will become the reserve Seeker."

Harry and Ginny silently agreed to her terms and she released the Snitch. "Go, Harry!" Ron cheered. "You mustn't lose to a girl!"

Angelina Johnson was quite upset at Ron's sexist comment and disappointed that he's still better than McLaggen. Five minutes later, Harry caught the Snitch.

Sorry for the delay, it took longer than usual for me to have the time. I only mentioned who caught the Snitch because I was afraid of leaving a cliffhanger for a very long time.