By gellerfan
NB: Thanks to JK Rowling for creating Potterverse.
Rated: +13
Spoilers: No
CHAPTER 4 . DEALING WITH PAUL.
Two days later, Albus entered Harry' study.
"Dad, I've received an owl from Cho"
"Good news?"
Albus gave the letter to Harry. "I've talked with Paul and he agrees with the practices. We've scheduled them throughout the summer, so be ready to work hard. Dealing with Paul is hard sometimes, but don't be afraid, Paul is tough, really tough, but he's awesome. Please come home next Monday at nine and we will portkey to Tornados' stadium. Remember that my neighbors are all Muggles, so we must keep low profile, this is not Hogsmeade. I think that maybe you should wrap your broom, and if someone asks about it, you could say that it's just a lamp for the parlor.
Regards
Cho"
"Well, everything seems right. You've got a stadium to practice" said Harry.
"Who is Paul?"
"I guess it's Paul Wolffe, Tornados' coach".
"I have a lot to do if I want to be ready. I'm afraid the practice will be hard, flying in front of one or two top seekers and a top coach. I'd love you come to see me".
"I can't, Albus".
"Why?. It's a pity. You have never seen me flying nor James. You've missed all our matches".
"I know, son. I promise I'll try to attend some"
"You promised. And I warn you that it means you will attend some of my practices and at least one of our games. A lot of parents do it. It will be great for James and me, and Lily will be happy too. Maybe it will allow us an extra Hogsmeade visit. Neville will say nothing if you come to see us".
"Ok, you win".
Next Monday at nine o'clock Albus was knocking Cho's door.
"Albus, you made it. Are you ready for a hard Quidditch session?"
"Yes, of course. Shall we meet Sara there?
"No, she can't come with us today, but I will explain to her my impressions about the practices. She has promised to attend several practices, but it's really difficult to raise a child, even if your baby is as wonderful as Aruna"
Chinhua entered the parlor and waved Albus
"Ok, now we are all here. I guess we will use that cup as portkey" said Chinhua.
"Yes, I know you should have preferred a kitten" said Cho "but maybe Albus would have been embarrassed"
Chinhua laughed "then that was the choice. If he wants to learn, he must pay for it, and we could have told Uncle Paul that the kitten was his".
"A little too late, dear. So, are you ready?. We'll do it in a Quidditch way. Ready, steady, GO!.
Suddenly Albus found himself at Tornados' stadium. Of course, he had been there many times, but then he was on the grandstand, not on the field.
"So this is how it feels to be here" muted Albus.
Sorry?
"I've visited this stadium several times, but I didn't feel the same way. You don't feel the same way on the grandstand that on the field".
"Yes. You cannot imagine how you feel when the whole stadium shouts your name".
"It happened sometimes at Hogwarts, Cho. When the crowd was cheering me after winning the Cup I felt I was floating".
"I know, but it is even better when you are a pro. I hope you will find out some day.
Suddenly they saw an old man coming to them. Cho ran and hugged him.
"Paul, you look great".
"This is because you love me, my dear. Look at you, I can still remember the young girl who came to try outs some years ago".
"Many years ago, Paul. Look at her, it's Chinhua, my daughter, and she's not a baby".
"Hello darling. You are as beautiful as your mother. But maybe my memory is not as good as once was. Cho, did you ever wear glasses?".
"I never wore glasses, but Chinhua does. Does it mean a difference?. Some good seekers wear glasses".
"It's not a problem but an inconvenient, mainly in windy or rainy matches, but we can work on that. Chinhua, don't be afraid of this old man. If your mother says you're good, you are".
Chinhua laughed nervously and waved Paul.
"By the way, Paul, what about your shirt?" said Cho.
Paul wore a shirt where you can read "SO GOD CREATED MANchester"
"You know I'm mancusian, Cho".
"I've never been at Manchester. Being honest, I prefer to stay at London".
"I know you're from London, dear. This is why I always said you were almost perfect, almost. You have that small defect".
They both laughed. After that, Paul looked at Albus.
"So this is the boy. Is he really that good?"
"I don't know, sir, but I'm trying to" said Albus.
"Sir" Paul laughed. "I'm God for you, kid. If you're good enough I will allow you to call me sir". Albus' face turned pale. Paul smiled and clapped his back trying to reassure him, then he turned to Cho.
"Well, let's start". He looked at Albus and Chinhua and said.
"First, I want to know how fast you two are. Give us three laps around the pitch".
"Sir, this is a Hogwarts practice. I can do it better" said Albus.
"I didn't tell you how fast you must fly. Do it at full speed, and maybe full speed means different for you and me".
Chinhua and Albus climbed up to the sky flying around the stadium. When they were far away, Cho and Paul laughed hard.
"This is gonna be fun" said Paul.
"Don't be bad".
"Ok, but if you want them to improve, you'll have to fly so they'll have a model. I hope Sara will come in the future and we will practice by couples".
"I'm here to teach, Paul".
"No, dear. Here I'm the only one who teaches. You're here to obey my orders, as usual. If you wanna show them how it is playing seeker at top level, you will have to fly".
"So am I trying out again?"
"Every player here is always trying out for me. If you fail you are out. You should know it".
"Ha, I still can teach you one thing or two".
Cho took a broom and jumped to join Chinhua and Albus above the sky. Paul watched her flying.
"You are slow, Cho, move faster. You're supposed to be a seeker".
Paul's voice was serious, but he tried to hide a smile. "My baby is flying again" evoking memories from almost twenty years ago.
When Cho joined the duo, Paul shouted "Ok, Cho, I want you to practice with them playing seeker. First with Albus, later with Chinhua. Chinhua, I want you to keep flying because I need to know if you master the basics. If you make a mistake or I think you've missed something, I will tell you. Do you know how to disturb beaters?".
"Yes, sir. In fact, I have some ideas about that".
"Right, let's start".
Cho and Albus were practicing together and Albus tried to escape from Cho's blockade. Suddenly he made a loop and turned backwards. He supposed that he had escaped but suddenly he heard Cho calling him. He looked back and saw her. She was not blockading him, in fact, he had turned from an offensive role to a defensive one. He recognized his defeat and went back to the field.
"What the hell was that?" said Cho.
"Peterson suggested this move in an interview".
Paul and Cho looked at each other.
"Peterson never did that move. It's an awful one" said Cho. Paul nodded.
"But he said…".
"I'm afraid he wanted to score some easy victories, Albus, but nobody followed such an advice".
"Is this how it works when you become a pro?. Should I trust you?"
"Trust but verify".
"Sorry?"
"It's a Russian proverb. In the end, you have to check if our advices suit you".
It was an exhausting practice. Albus never had had such a difficult task. He thought that he could escape from Cho because a thirteen years old boy should be faster than a forty years old woman, but she outsmarted him and caught the snitch every time. It's was even more frustrating that Chinhua, even losing too, seemed to perform better than him.
"I don't know how you do it" said Albus frustrated.
"Albus, in terms of pure speed you are faster than me, maybe faster that I've never been, and I guess this is the way you use to achieve your victories. It can be enough at Hogwarts, but not here. You need to think more and anticipate your opponents' moves, because playing seeker is not all about a sprint".
"It's not that easy".
"I know. I never had the fastest broom but the slowest. Only when I became a pro I had a broom as fast as my opponents. I never had the fastest broom, so my style had to rely on anticipation and ability. It's harder but it pays. Your case is the opposite. You are used to fly with the fastest broom, so you haven't developed all your skills, and this is why I'm beating you, even being much older".
"Why is Chinhua performing better than me?".
"Because you don't think, and she does. She is very clever. Of course she is less experienced and slower than you, but a seeker must move accurately. Quality counts, and quality comes from hard training and brain. Besides, she knows me very well".
Chinhua was approaching and heard the end of the conversation.
"You need to learn to think, Albus. You're here because Malfoy outsmarted you, but he didn't fly faster or better in terms of flying skill".
"She's right, Albus. You're a natural born seeker, but if all these natural skills are not guided by a good brain, a brain who feels the game and knows how to act, you will be a just a good seeker".
"Am I good enough to become a pro?" wondered Albus. Every time he asked Paul about his exercises the answer was "it wasn't bad", but then he started to criticize, showing his mistakes and how he should have done instead.
"Again, let's do it as I told you" said Paul.
When Albus was far from them, Cho reached Paul
"He's only thirteen and he's doing a good job. You could be kinder. Even Chinhua is having a bad time when you talk to her, and she knows you".
"Ok, I'll try to be nicer with them, but what about you?. Your performance is awful. Where is the seeker everyone loved?".
"She was gone sixteen years ago. I was pregnant, don't you remember?. And I'm still the best seeker around. If you want I can practice against Cork".
"I can't allow it for two reasons. First, my regular seeker is now better than you are but, and this is the main reason, not clearly better, so he would lose self-esteem and I would lose a good seeker without a new seeker as replacement".
Cho looked at Paul.
"What does it mean?"
"Cork, the crowd, even myself, mainly myself. We all compare Cork with you". Paul sighed "When you were gone we had Sara. You trained her and she was almost as good as you, and she loved you so much that it was like you still were with us. She was a new Cho, but Cork it's not you, dear. Every Tornado' seeker will always pale in comparison, and this is why I accepted your proposal, because maybe if we both train a new one-then he pointed out two figures above the sky- he or she will not fall under the pressure or being the new Chang. Besides, I wanted to see you flying again".
After two hours of hard working practice, everyone was exhausted.
"Well, it wasn't bad. I'll see you next Wednesday" said Paul.
"Is that all?" said Albus.
"Yes, now I have to crush some pros".
"Ok, we'll have a shower and leave. See you Paul".
"Cho, you can leave your brooms here, if you wish".
"Thank you Paul. I don't think Sara will miss her broom. Albus, do you mind?"
"It's ok for me" said Albus.
They were about to leave the stadium when they heard a howl.
"Madina, what the hell are you doing?" shouted Paul.
"Sorry sir" said Madina, but his expression showed that he didn't mean it.
Paul looked at the trio. "Madina is very good, but quite individualistic. Sometimes is a nightmare".
"I guess Paul doesn't need a howler" said Albus.
"You should have known him twenty years ago. He's been kind with both of you" laughed Cho "He's quite satisfied with your performance. When he says it wasn't bad means that it was good but not perfect, and he wants perfection".
"MADINA, THERE ARE ANOTHER TWO CHASERS".
"Storm gathering, we'd better go"
The trio said goodbye to Paul and disappeared.
When they were gone, Paul left the field and went to see Mick Owen, who was Tornados' manager.
"I guess they're gone. What do you think?" asked Mick.
"Cho is at twenty per cent".
"Cho at twenty per cent is almost as good as Collins, our reserve seeker, at hundred per cent, and not far away from our regular one".
"You're right. Seeker is our weakest spot. They are not good enough to fight for the title" said Paul.
"They aren't good enough to fight for semifinals. However, I wasn't talking about Cho. We must think in the future. What about the kids?".
"Raws but very promising. Potter is very good. In four years he will be the best seeker around, so we must keep in touch and train him, because in one or two years the whole league will try to hire him, and we must be his first option. Cho's daughter is very promising too".
"Four years is too long, Paul. We must work on the interim period".
"I know, we will work on several phases and take hard decisions. In my opinion Collins shouldn't play for us next season".
"Several phases. Ok, Paul, we'll do as you wish, as always, but remember that our budget is shorter than in the old days, so we cannot hire as we did before. Sara's retirement hit us hard and audience is falling down".
"That will not be a problem, and don't forget about Collins"
"Cork will ask me who will be our reserve seeker"
"Me if need be. You will know, don't worry".
"You playing seeker would be a sold out" laughed Mick "I thought you were a beater. Well, I hope you're right this time, because you suggested Cork. Collins was always considered a reserve seeker".
"Cork's my only mistake in thirty years "conceded Paul "and it won't happen again".
"Maybe Madina is another one. However, we are still a top team but not the dominant force than once were. We cannot afford more mistakes. All our moves must be the best, because good moves won't be enough if our rivals outsmart us. Are you sure about the kids?"
"I hope so. However, Collins will never be part of the solution, and it give us an opening".
"Then it's done".
A minutes later, Cho, Chinhua and Albus were sipping their cups of tea at Cho's apartment.
"Well, did you like it?
"Mum, it was great"
"Yes, it was. I've learned a lot. Thank you." said Albus.
"Glad to hear it, but it's only the beginning".
Practices continued the following two weeks. Albus felt he was improving every day, and so were Cho and Chinhua. Sara came twice, accompanied by Aruna.
Albus was both delighted and frightened. Delighted because he really enjoyed being with Cho and Chinhua and realized how much he was improving thanks to them, but frightened because he still wasn't able to beat Cho or Sara, and much more important, his main concern was noticing how much Chinhua was improving. She was becoming not only a friend but a competence. She was slower than him, but displayed a great intelligence and understanding of the game, and her training curve was much better than his.
Initially he thought that Cho was training Chinhua more than him, but he realized it wasn't true. The problem, as Cho and Chinhua cleverly pointed after their first practice, was that he wasn't used to think at high level.
"Don't worry, you're improving a lot. Next term you'll be smarter, and you will improve at Quidditch and studying" said Cho.
"You know what? I have the impression that the gap between you and me is not decreasing but growing with every practice" said Albus.
Cho laughed.
"I didn't fly for years, but the skill was here" said Cho pointing her head. "High competition is more a mental game than a physical one. You have to visualize the game, and then…"
"I know, get the snitch or die trying" said Albus.
"But this is the second part, and you fail in the first one" said Cho smiling.
"And Chinhua?"
"Jealous? You don't have to. She's very clever, but I'm not sure about her will in the second part".
"Or die trying"
"Right. She's a like Malfoy, but smarter. They will not risk everything to win".
"But she's very good. I don't understand why she didn't try out for the team".
"She never wanted to play till your game against Slytherin".
"Sorry?"
"After your game, she owled me that she had changed her mind"
"Because she thought she could defeat me?"
"Because she noticed that she understood the game better than anyone at Hogwarts. How many people realized that you were almost lost?"
"Malfoy, me, maybe some more".
"So probably there are only three people at Hogwarts who realized what was really happening".
"Cho, I'm not jealous but a little scared. She's great, really, I'm enjoying flying and being with her, but I will face problems with my team because of her".
"Your problem is that you think only about what will happen at Hogwarts, but this is nonsense. Your real challenge starts after Hogwarts. You're trying to change Quidditch, and Chinhua wants the same, but this only makes sense if you're a pro. But we're wasting time and Paul is gonna send us a howler. Chinhua, now you're gonna practice with Albus".
"And you will do the same with Sara" said Paul.
Cho tried to discuss but she gave up, she knew it was a lost battle against him.
"I'd had loved a bit of support" said to Sara.
"Why? Paul told me and I think it's great. We haven't done it since…"
"Since my seventh year, or your first one. I know" then she smiled "ok, let's take a look at the kids and then we'll teach them how to fly".
Albus and Chinhua started to look for the snitch. Initially it was the typical feint and counterfeint seeker fight, but Chinhua started to look down the field in a way Albus had never seen. She was looking at the grass, and suddenly she made a move.
"I haven't seen the snitch. How could she?. Then he realized "She hasn't, but grass movement shows wind direction, and the snitch will probably do the same".
The wind was changing and Chinhua understood much better than Albus the situation. Now she had two seconds of advantage and, as Albus feared, the golden orb was where Chinhua thought it would.
And suddenly miracle happened. A sudden, strong and dusty gust of wind annoyed Chinhua, who lost sight of the snitch because of her glasses. Albus wasn't affected, so he could get the snitch.
"Sorry, Chinhua".
"It was my fault".
"It wasn't. This is the problem when you wear glasses. I've heard that Muggles solve the problem with minor surgery".
"Thanks, Albus, I will think about it".
Paul was waiting for them when they landed.
"Pretty interesting. What happened?".
"Wind and glasses happened" said Albus.
"We must work on that, but I don't know if we can fix young Potter's brain. What were you thinking?"
"I've never seen a seeker playing like her".
"I know you've never seen Cho flying at her peak, but what about Sara?. It seems that you attended her matches only because of her good looks".
"PAUL" said Sara and Cho at unison.
"You two, are you gonna start?
Sara and Cho started their practice. Albus immediately noticed it wasn't a typical one. They were maneuvering constantly at high speed while they were looking for the snitch.
They both dove to a certain place. Albus thought that, as Chinhua did, they hadn't seen the snitch, but they knew where it was supposed to be. Sara, six years younger, was faster than Cho, but Cho changed her position to be almost lying in the broom, improving her aerodynamic position and speed, and so being even faster than Sara. The con of that innovation was that her feet were out of the stirrups, and so she couldn't maneuver as she wished.
Suddenly they both saw the snitch, which was flying fast directly towards Aruna. They changed direction trying to hunt it, but they couldn't and had to turn to elude collision against Aruna, losing sight of the snitch.
Sara started to search the snitch again and then she realized Cho had braked and was laughing.
"What's the matter?"
"Look at your baby".
Sara looked at Aruna, who had got the snitch and was joyfully playing with it.
"We've been defeated by this lovely fourteen months old witch" said Sara kissing her baby.
"Well, it wasn't bad. I think it's enough for today" said Paul. The sentence was always the same, but this time there were tears in his eyes. "Thank you" said kissing Cho and Sara.
"What was that?" said Albus.
"The new position? I thought about it because you were faster. The problem is the stirrups".
"We should contact with Firebolt manufacturers" said Chinhua.
"I wish we had adapted stirrups, with two options" said Albus.
"I will contact them" said Sara.
"Albus, do you want to come to a concert tonight?. There is a Smyths' gig and I will go with some friends" said Chinhua.
"Smyths?"
"Yes, it's a Smiths tribute band, they're really goods. My friends are all Hogwarts students, so you'll know them. John McMillan is a Hufflepuff, but the others are from Ravenclaw. Linda Catarella, Tony Blackburne and Julia O'Connor. Come with us, it will be fun".
Albus shuddered at the name of Julia, but tried to be calm.
"Ok, it sounds interesting, but maybe you should find a Slytherin and then we'll have members from the four Houses" said laughing.
"A little too late. The gig starts at eight, so come at seven" said Chinhua.
"Come on, Albus, everything will be ok" said Albus to himself.
It was a quarter to eight, and he was walking with Chinhua to meet the rest of the group in front of O2 Academy at Islington, London.
Then he saw Julia wearing jeans and a green blouse. Albus tried to seem casual when he waved her.
Chinhua introduced Albus to the group. Of course they all knew her, but they were surprised when they saw him accompanied by Chinhua.
"We're practicing Quidditch together. I want to be into the team" said Chinhua.
"Do you practice together anything else?" asked Linda Catarella, who had a glance at Julia.
"You're awful" answered Chinhua playfully. "No, we're practicing with my mother. Quidditch. That's all. I invited him because he's a good guy, in spite of being a Gryffindor, you know".
Albus was taken aback when they grunted. He thought Gryffindor was a popular House.
"Which is the problem?".
"Oh, nothing. You're just a brainless bunch of supposed-to-be-brave guys who happened to be Dumbledore's and McGonagall's pets, like Snape did with Slytherins. There's nothing more similar to a Slytherin than a Gryffindor. The only difference between you and Slytherin is just that they're fond of Dark Arts, but you both think that wizarding world belongs to you by right." said McMillan.
"Enough. He's not the typical Gryffindor. Well, he's brave enough. He must be to accept flying against Mum".
"She flies again?" said Tony Blackburne.
"Sara Anand and Mum. We have seen them flying against each other, and we must thank him".
Suddenly Julia grabbed Albus' arm and said "Come on, I trust Chinhua's judgement, and now let's have fun".
The gig started with "Reel around the fountain". A few minutes later Albus was singing and dancing around like a Duracell bunny.
"I couldn't imagine you liked such a kind of music" said a voice.
He turned around. It was Julia.
"Neither I, and I regret it. They are awesome".
"It seems that Chinhua and you are best friends"
"Just recently, but we are just friends. I'm interested in Ravenclaw girls, but not necessarily in her".
"Really?"
"Yeah"
"Do you know how to catch the attention of one of us?"
"I'm clueless, I have to admit, although being really interested".
"It's not enough being a handsome and successful seeker"
"So am I handsome?"
"That's what people says"
"And what do you think?"
"I haven't an opinion… still" then she abandoned him and approached her friend Linda, who was dancing madly, but when Julia left him she sent to him a last smile, who Albus kept as a promising sign.
"This is gonna work" Albus said to himself.
Then the Smyths started playing "Bigmouth strikes again", and Albus was afraid they were thinking in him.
Next practice started with a surprise. Cho, Sara, Chinhua and Albus found themselves that they were not alone. The whole Tornados team was practicing.
"Paul?" asked Cho.
"Good morning dear. I want you to practice with the team. This is gonna be real, and by the way, we are waiting for a visit"
"Firebolt?".
"Yes".
Meanwhile, Chinhua was paying attention to the beaters.
"Albus, look at them, beaters play worse than the Slytherins" she said.
"Yeah, we could tell Paul".
They explained the new tactic to Paul, who thanked them and called the team to practice it.
Firebolt team appeared guided by Mick Owen just when the tactical meeting finished. After the introductions, Cho gave a brief explanation about what they wanted.
Firebolts seemed to hesitate.
"We are working on a different concept, a faster broom"
"We know, and we give you that speed, but what we players need desperately is control. We should work on a double-position stirrup".
"Mechanic?" they seemed surprised.
"It doesn't matter if it works by spell, but then it must be wandless".
"Show us, please"
Cho asked Sara to join her and so they could show the advantages of the new position. After the show the Firebolts were convinced.
"Ok, we'll do it".
"We need the new broom before the new season" said Paul.
"You will have a whole pack for the team".
"And two brooms for the kids" said Cho.
"This is not a problem, but we would need a face for commercials, that would reduce the costs of new brooms and you'll have some for free".
"You will have that face" said Paul.
Albus was used to face Hogwarts' beaters, but that was a new experience. Tornados ones were far more accurate and experienced. Besides, Cho urged them to fly between beaters and chasers to disturb them, and that was completely new for him.
They noticed that Madina was adapting really well to the new situation and becoming a nightmare for keepers. Chaos suited him well, because he was an amazing and aggressive flier.
"If he keeps playing this way he'll worth the money we paid for him" said Paul, then he looked at Chinhua.
"Dear, keep flying between them, you must improve your flying skills between beaters".
Then he turned to Albus
"Beaters will send to you bludgers at top speed, be ready, because they will have no mercy".
Meanwhile Cho and Sara were dancing in the sky. It was difficult not to look at them.
When practice finished, suddenly they heard a voice.
"Very well"
It was Harry Potter.
PS. The Smyths exist and they are an amazing tribute band. The gig at O2 Academy at Islington is scheduled by 2016.
Paul Wolffe' shirt exist too.