Chapter 8 - Sensational Second Year – Part 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter in any shape size or form, however all characters I've created I do own J
QUIDDITCH TRY OUTS
James and Sirius raced down to the Quidditch pitch brooms in hand. Finally they were in their second year and could try out for the team. The best part? The new Quidditch captain, Marley Johnson had stated that reserves last year were not guaranteed a spot. The best candidates would get the spot. When they got there they were surprised to see Jess and Cara already there with their brooms. Lily and Abby were talking to them.
'What up Evans? You here to watch me and my incredible skills?' Lily scowled, 'No. I'm here to wish Cara and Jess luck. Come on Abby, let's go find a seat.'
Jess sighed in exasperation, 'Jamie, what is it with you and Lily?'
James shrugged and ran his hand through his hair dodging the question.
'No seriously. You two got off to a rocky start but you were getting better. What happened over the holidays you two aren't telling me about?' Jess had gone to stay with Lily for a bit and when James and their parents had come to collect her, Jess had shown her parents around town. When they had returned, James and Lily weren't speaking.
James was saved from answering by Johnson calling all the players over.
'Ok so here's the deal. I'm going to run you through some basic trials and training. We had a lot of talent in seventh year so we need quite a few replacements. We need a beater, and two chasers and reserves for both those positions plus a reserve for seeker and keeper.' She hefted her beaters bat onto her shoulder and grinned evilly. 'I won't go easy on you, so if you're not willing to put a hard slog in then leave now.'
James and Sirius grinned at each other. This was going to be fun.
Remus and Peter went to watch, they saw Abby waving at them from the stands and went to sit next to her. Watching them fly around the pitch Remus whistled as Jess and Cara zoomed past. 'They're really good! I mean I knew James was brilliant but they can really fly as well.' A bludger flew past Jess who swerved out of the way in the nick of time; Sirius flew past her and hurled the bludger back at the other beater with a resounding thwack. Johnson looked on impressed. The Potter Twins as they were starting to be known were a phenomenal team when it came to being chaser. Each knew the other so well that they were predicting exactly where the other would throw the quaffle. Cara was phenomenal and a real character. She cheered and whooped loudly for her friends, and when she made a particularly spectacular save she would shout 'BOOYA!' Johnson was practically rubbing her hands with glee, she could already see that with this talent coming through the Quidditch cup could be theirs. Mitchell, the team seeker flew next to Johnson. She smiled at him and nodded towards the twins zooming down the pitch. 'Better watch those ones, you might have some competition!' Mitch grinned, 'I was just wondering which one you would pick to be my reserve.' She sighed, 'I dunno. They're both chasers, and as a team they're unbeatable, but they're the two fastest flyers. Richardson has potential?' Mitch shook his head, 'Nah, Richardson's a great flyer but he doesn't have the patience to be a seeker. He's better off as a chaser.'
Morley blew her whistle and the players halted. 'All right, so we've done trials for chaser and keeper. The remaining thing we need to examine is those of you with seeker potential. Potter and Potter, I'm going to release the snitch. First to get it gets to be reserve. Savvy?' The siblings looked at each other and nodded.
'You're going down Minnie!' James said playfully,
'Oh you wish Jamie!' she said elbowing him lightly in the side.
Everyone else flew down to the bleachers to watch.
'10 sickles on James' Sirius said to Remus.
He smiled, 'You're on' The boys shook hands and turned to watch.
Johnson had released the snitch and the two figures of Jess and James were circling the pitch looking for it. There were a couple of false starts where one would dive for the snitch but apparently lose it, but then Abby gasped and pointed. 'Look!'
The two of them were hurtling towards the ground in a steep dive. They got closer and closer, and looked like they were about to collide when both suddenly swerved in the opposite direction of each other. James waving the snitch gleefully.
They landed and Jess ran up to congratulate her brother. 'Congratulations! One centimetre Jamie and I would have had it!' She joked. He laughed, 'You just needed longer arms.' He said, poking her in the ribs.
In the end of the tryouts Sirius was the clear winner for the position of beater, James had narrowly beaten Jess for the position of chaser and reserve seeker, but Jess was reserve chaser Cara was the new keeper reserve. Johnson said the choice between Jess and James had been slim but said all four of them were promising talent for Gryffindor house in the future.
So the Gryffindor Team
Beater – Morley Johnson (Reserve - Bradley Jacobs)
Beater – Sirius Black
Chaser – Ian Richardson (Reserve Jessamin Potter)
Chaser – James Potter
Chaser – Eloise McDoogan
Keeper – Andrew Neal (Reserve – Cara Matthews)
Seeker – Mitchell McGonogall (Reserve – James Potter)
PETER's CRUSH
'Hey slimeball! Watch it!' Peter heard the shouts but was too slow and felt all the air escape his lungs when he was pushed into the wall of the corridor.
'You didn't think you and your little friends would get away with hexing us did you?' McNeal, a third year Slytherin hissed into Peter's ear.
The day before James and Sirius had got into a confrontation with some Slytherins in the school hall. James and Sirius had pranked them both by dropping a pail of bubotouber pus on their heads. The resulting hexes had gotten pretty nasty.
'Petrificus Totalus!' and Peter unable to stop himself careened face first onto the floor.
'We'll show you and your gang to not mess with us!' Another said. Peter could no longer see them, and he was panicking. His heart was thumping and he was petrified, literally and figuratively.
A clear voice rang down the hall, 'tarantellegra!'. One of the boys cried out in shock as his out of control legs caused him to topple over.
'Real brave, three third years against one second year.' Peter felt relief wash over him, it was Jess and where she was the others weren't far behind.
'Oh yeh? And what are you going to do about it.'
Peter's heart plummeted, Jess was on her own. Swivelling his eyes round he could see her, she was red in the face and her jaw was clenched in anger.
Jess smirked. 'Oh that's very simple. You see any second now Professor Slughorn is going to walk out of that classroom. Who do you think he'll believe? Me… one of his star pupils. Or you three who manage to melt a cauldron every other week?'
'You wouldn't dare.' McNeal spat.
'Oh Professor Slughorn! How good to see you!'
The three boys whipped around and Jess shouted at Peter.
'Peter! Hold your breath and shut your eyes!' With that Jess suddenly threw what she had behind her back at the Slytherins. The dungbomb landed and exploded, engulfing the three boys in foul smelling smoke, and they ran, coughing and gagging. Jess hurried forward to Peter. 'Finite incantatem' Peter gratefully got to his feet. Now he was able to move he could feel blood drip down his face from his nose.
'You ok Peter?' Jess asked worriedly. 'I came looking for you when you weren't at lunch.'
Peter nodded but stayed silent looking at the floor. His eyes were starting to tear up and he didn't want to cry, especially not in front of a girl. Jess gently put a hand on his shoulder.
'I would have been so scared if that were me.' Jess murmured quietly. 'I'd be a sobbing mess right now, you're really brave Peter.'
Peter's eyes snapped up at this. 'You think so?'
Jess smiled back, 'I know so. Come on, let's go have your nose looked at. Madam Pomfrey will fix it in a flash.'
He hesitated before following her, he didn't want to be the school joke. As if reading his mind she turned around. 'It's Ok. We'll tell her I ran into you and knocked you down. It can be entirely my fault. You don't have to tell her if you don't want to.'
He gave her a soft smile and walked with her down the corridor.
Peter sat on the bed in the hospital wing and couldn't keep the awe off his face. Jess sat next to him and was animatedly talking to him. She had always been so kind to him and always made sure he felt included. He didn't understand. She was very pretty, very smart and very wealthy. He was… well… none of those things.
'Why?' he asked suddenly
Jess looked confused. 'Why what?'
'Why are you so nice to me? I mean… we're not exactly… I mean our families don't… I just…'
Jess laughed, 'Peter, do you really think I care about that? I'm nice to you because you're my friend. I'm your friend too right?'
He nodded. 'There you see! Friends look out for one another, no matter what.'
She pulled a chocolate frog from her bag, she broke it in two and handed him a piece. He took it and found himself smiling broadly back at her.
In later years, Peter would try and pin down the point from which he loved Jessamin Potter. In hindsight we would say, that the moment he had taken that half of the chocolate frog, he had known. He wouldn't figure this out for a while, but that day changed everything for him.
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AN: Once again thank you to my reviewers!
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