Quidditch Tryouts
2nd Year: September 1992
Lily returned to the common room after dinner at the end of their first week of second year and saw that a new message had been posted on the notice board. It was handwritten on a scrap of old parchment and read:
Quidditch Tryouts
Next Friday, 5-6 PM
Available Positions: Keeper, Chaser
Please see Malachi Covette if interested.
"I hope you're coming, Lily," a voice behind her said.
She turned around to see Malachi Covette, the fifth year boy who was captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. She was surprised that he knew her name – she'd never spoken with him before.
"Oh, you can count on it," Lily said in reply. She'd been looking forward to trying out for Quidditch since the first day back.
The next week rolled by slowly, but finally it was Friday evening. Lily grabbed her Nimbus Two Thousand and One from her dormitory, stuffed her Keeping gloves into her pocket and headed down to the pitch.
There were only a handful of people there when she arrived, and several of them were current team members. None of them were in Lily's year.
"Alright," Malachi called out to the group after a few more people had trickled in. "Those trying out for Chaser come stand to my left. Those trying out for Keeper come stand to my right."
They split up accordingly. Six people were trying out for Keeper and eight hoped to become Chaser.
"Okay," Malachi said once the groups were organized. "We're going to split in half. Three prospective Keepers will use these goal hoops -" he motioned to the three rings behind him "- and the other three will use the ones at the other end. Roger or Corwin will attempt to make five goals. Whoever saves the most goals is new Keeper. We'll do a tie-breaker if necessary. Easy enough, right?
"Then, once the new Keeper has been chosen, we'll put the prospective Chasers up against him or her. You will try to make five goals. Whoever makes the most goals is new Chaser. Got it? Alright, let's start."
Lily stayed on the left side of the pitch with Malachi and a dark haired third year Lily recognized as Roger Davies. She wasn't sure who the other two people trying out were. They must have been much older than her.
The first girl flew up to the goal hoops and managed to save only two of her five goals. She returned to the ground looking tearful, though the boy who followed her looked confident. He saved four out of his five goals.
Lily was next. She mounted her broom and kicked off. She loved flying the Nimbus Two Thousand and One. It was as easy as walking, but a thousand times more exhilarating, and she felt very much in her element as she soared upwards towards the golden hoops. She took her position in front of the center goal hoop and Roger launched the Quaffle at her immediately. She caught it easily. She caught the second throw just as well. She had to dive to keep the third shot from going in, but she managed to do so. The fourth and fifth shots were tricky, but she saved them both. Roger smiled at her as she headed back to the ground and her stomach flipped with excitement at how well she'd done.
"Okay, the results are in," Malachi said, after conferring with the Chaser that had tested the Keepers on the other side of the pitch. "And our new Keeper is…Lily Carling-Lestrange! She saved all five of her goals." There was a weak applause. "I'm sorry to everyone who didn't make it. You're free to go." Most of them went to sit in the stands, however.
The Chasers each took their turns, but in the end only one boy had managed to score more than one goal.
"So that makes Graham Worthington our newest Chaser," Malachi announced once everyone was back on the ground. "Well done to everyone who tried out today. And again, I'm sorry to those who didn't make it."
Everyone headed back up to the castle except for the Quidditch team.
"We might as well introduce everyone," Malachi said once the others had gone. "I'm Malachi Covette," he said, shaking Lily's and Graham's hands. "Beater."
"Rohan Sykes," said a tough-looking boy with tan skin and messy hair. "Beater." He shook Graham's and Lily's hands as well.
"Roger Davies, Chaser."
"Corwin Chambers, Chaser."
"Cho Chang, Seeker."
Lily hardly needed the formal introductions; she already knew the names of everyone on the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team, having closely followed every match the year prior. Yet once everyone had met, the team set out to get their new members settled into their lockers. Malachi showed them where his office was, where the showers were, and where they were to store their brooms when they weren't using them.
"And that's pretty much it," he said after showing them the old stone water fountain they used for drinking and washing their hands and faces. "Our first practice will be Monday. I'll see you all then."
"Malachi's had his eye on you since last year, you know," Roger said to Lily as they walked back up to the castle.
"Really?" Lily beamed.
"It's true," Rohan said. "He was impressed with your flying."
"What can I say?" said Malachi. "I knew that anyone who could fly that well on a school broom must be good. I would've recruited you last year, but it was our old Keeper's seventh year and it would have been right difficult for you to save many goals on a dodgy old school broom when all your competitors would have been on Cleansweep Sixes, at least."
"I could've done it," Lily argued playfully, grateful that Malachi seemed unaware of her flying accident fluke.
Malachi laughed. "I know you could have. Anyway, glad to have you on the team." He smiled and patted her on the shoulder.
"I'm not too sure about that Graham fellow, though," Roger said quietly, looking skeptical. "I don't really think he's that good. I'm not sure your Keeping skills were the reason he only got two goals…"
"Well, he did better than everyone else," Malachi said. "Fair is fair."
"I suppose," Roger mused.
The team continued to chatter happily as they walked up the stone steps to the Entrance Hall. Lily practically floated back up to Ravenclaw Tower, she was so excited to share the good news. She'd have to tell James first, as he said he'd be waiting for her in the common room. Then Padma and Morag, if they were there. She'd see Tabby at breakfast the next morning and – she wondered if Slytherin had had their try-outs yet? And then she'd have to tell Fred and George...and Lydia! How could she forget her mum? She'd send her an owl straight away. She was fit to burst, practically skipping down the hallway when -
"Lily!" Corwin Chambers shouted after her.
She turned and realized that, in her excitement, she'd flown straight past the spiral staircase that led up to Ravenclaw Tower. Blushing, she shuffled back to join her team and helped to answer the eagle knocker's riddle before rushing into the common room to find James.