Hollow
Chapter 21: A New Term
On Sunday morning, Harry woke and immediately got dress in his Quidditch robes. He wanted to get the trials down immediately and not waste time. As much as he wanted to spend time with Daphne today, he knew he couldn't postpone Quidditch. It was strange seeing how last year he never played. Then again, he wasn't kick off the team.
He walks down to the Common Room and wasn't surprise to see Katie Bell, a Seventh year and the last member of the Gryffindor Team to be there. She was the youngest before he joined the team.
"I knew you would be Captain, congratulations Harry." Katie said the moment Harry walks down.
"You ready?" Harry asks.
"Yeah I wasn't expecting the trials to be today."
"I wanted to get them over with." Harry said.
"Never though I have to try out for the team." Katie said.
"Don't say that, I've seen you play for five years. You don't have to." Harry replies.
"Awe, I thought you say that." Katie said with a stern voice. Despite being older than Harry, she was shorter than he was; so it was a looking funny that she was acting taller than she was. "For all you know, there could be someone better than me. You shouldn't play with favorites, rather than skill."
"If skills were all it took we wouldn't have won the Quidditch Cup all these years." Harry said, a bit surprise that she was willing to try out for her own spot. "There might be someone better than you, but you have experience. Plus, it would be good to direct things on the field when I can't." Harry said.
Katie sighs knowing she wouldn't be able to change his mind.
The two walked to the pitch holding their broomsticks. It was then Harry notice something different about her broom. It wasn't a Comet 290 like before. It was a Nimbus 2000.
"A new broom?" Harry said.
"What, oh yeah. Angelina and Alicia both got it for me over the summer. Said I would need it for the Quidditch games this year."
Harry wasn't surprise. They were making more Galleons than almost anyone their year thanks to Fred and George's shop.
Harry and Katie both waited on the field. Harry he had to be earlier to see who was arriving. After a certain amount of time. At least a hundred students began to appear. All of them holding broomsticks and chatting happily.
"This isn't going to end well." Harry said.
Katie only nods her head.
"Quiet!" Harry said. All chatter stops and everyone turns to look at him. Harry immediately notice that somewhere girls who tried to hide their giggles. Harry wasn't also surprise to see Ron and Ginny standing for tryouts. He knew Ginny was good, and he was a bit worried. He did not want to spend time with her. Or have her on the team.
"Listen up, first off, if you're not from Gryffindor clear off!" Harry shouted.
No one moved, but then a small group of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw's all walked off the field. Instead of leaving however, they all went into the stands.
"I mean it!" Harry barked.
That seem to have gotten the message as more students began to leave, leaving only about thirty students standing.
Harry looks at all of them.
"This is going to be a long trial. Alright, since so many spots are open and we have so many people we're going to do this one at a time. I need to see how well you fly before you are given a chance to get a position. You are to fly around the pitch five times. The first ten to complete this will be given a chance to try out for the team."
Harry blows his whistle and was pleased with his choice. Nearly five students, fell off the moment they kick off the ground. Which showed signs of them never flown before.
Harry kicked off and was followed by Katie who joins him.
Harry immediately notices that Ginny and Ron were in the lead. With them was Cormac McLaggen leading.
It was clear to Harry that many were not use to high pace flying. Some had flown but never at high speeds.
With it over, everyone was standing before Harry who would make his decision.
"Alright, we have two chaser spots, two beaters and one keeper spot. Chasers are to stand in the middle, those going for Beaters on my left, Keepers on my right. Move now."
Every tried to move quickly, once everyone was standing where they went.
Harry wanted to save the Keeper tryouts for sure. Beaters were first followed by Chasers.
The Beater trials didn't take long. Barely ten minutes in fact. But Harry saw great potential in Richard 'Ritchie' Coote who had excellent aim with Bludgers, and Jimmy Peakes who was a strong and powerful hitter.
Next was the Chasers. It was here Katie began to team up with two people at a time. Also Harry had the new Beaters on the field to swing Bludgers at the Chasers. The first was two fifth year boys. They both immediately failed. The first one couldn't hold onto to the ball after Katie pass to him. The second one panic when a Bludger came at him.
When it was Ginny's turn, she was able to hold on to the Quaffle and even score perfectly. Something Harry was dreading. There was no denying it, Ginny was talented and skilled. However, he could only hope there was someone better than Ginny to take her place.
Harry didn't have to wait long for that answer. Dean Thomas, who was also in his year got on his broom and quickly moved faster than Ginny across the pitch. He had excellent aim with the Quaffle, and he was a great passer.
Harry never felt so relieved and happy before.
Dean would be the first male to be Chaser for the team in nearly ten years. However, Harry was none the less please with having Dean on the team.
However, that still lead to a problem. Ginny still had a chance to be on the team.
It wouldn't be until the last Chasers group flew that Harry saw a young girl, who didn't outfly everyone. Rather she moved graceful to the point it was hard to hit her, and she was a skilled passer.
"Alright, I got Dean Thomas and Demelza Robins as Chasers. Ginny Weasley will be a reserve Chaser." Harry said calmly.
Now came the real test. Harry knew Keeper was the primary idea for defending the Quaffle. He needed not only a skilled Keeper but one who could see the Quaffle coming from any direction. There were four individuals competing for the position. Ron, Cormac McLaggen, a seventh year and a third year girl who look somewhat frighten by all the older males next to her.
"Alright Keepers, you will have to defend the posts the best of your ability. There will be ten shots taken on you, the one who defends the most will be on the team."
The Seventh year took to his post with Cormac McLaggen taking his. No doubt helping win the Quidditch Cup last year had boosted his confidence.
"Chasers, you will be doing a full run on the pitch. When you shot at one goal, you will turn to the next."
With the first round finish, it ended with Cormac saving eight out of ten, compare to his competition saving only four out of ten.
Cormac walked away with a smirk on his face.
Ron went to his post and had a large smirk on his face, as the third year girl; Natalie McDonald took her post. She did look nervous and a bit scared but she was taking in deep breath and trying to calm herself down.
Harry blows his whistle and watch as Ron manage to save the first goal. The Chasers quickly tore through the pitch, heading straight for Natalie.
Dean quickly passes to Katie but apparently Natalie seem to have anticipated this move as she quickly jumps in front of her and grabs the quaffle just moments after it was release from Katie's fingertips.
Harry blinks, unsure if he what he saw was real.
Natalie passes to Demelza who tours through the pitch towards Ron with the rest of the chasers following her.
Harry watch repeat after repeat. Both Ron and Natalie were making saves. It finally came to the last one. Both with a perfect nine over ten.
Katie who has experience with shooting the Quaffle and making perfect goals from the keeper moves in. Ron knows this and moves to meet her but she quickly passes to Dean who look baffled but quickly shoots in the lower post. Ron makes an attempt to save it as he ushers his broom towards the Quaffle. Harry watch as Ron fingers were on the Quaffle.
He couldn't hold on to it as the Quaffle slips through his fingers and into the post.
Harry had to restrain himself from clapping and cheering. He was happy Ron missed. Never thought he would be, but he was.
Now came the hard part, to see if Natalie could save her last goal.
Dean pushed his broom forward the moment he got the pass from Demelza. He got closer with each passing second. Katie moves ahead of him; keeping low and on his left side aiming for Natalie weak side. Dean lifts the ball in the air and passes it to Katie.
Natalie holds the Quaffle up high in her hands. She had managed to predict Dean's pass and intercepted the Quaffle before Katie could get it.
Harry has never seen anyone; not even Wood preform so well.
Please with his choice, he allowed Natalie to join the team. Natalie was the only one to save all ten goals. Earning her a spot on the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
Ron went off the field and spats in anger. Clearly frustrated that he lost to a third year for the Keeper position.
"Practice will be next week, good job to you all." Harry said.
Harry and the rest of the team walk off the field with many in the crowd chanting Gryffindor.
The practice however, took its toll. It lasted nearly six hours. Harry and the rest of the team were hungry.
Harry grabs himself some steak and potatoes and eats his fill almost immediately. There was no denying, he was going to have a better year than last year.
Harry gets up and almost immediately he could see Ron and Ginny along with Hermione talking to Daphne. Daphne looked angry and pissed.
Ron then shoves Daphne causing her to stumble backwards, but she didn't fall down. Instead she pulls out her wand. The trio soon follow suit and started casting spells at once being cast. Daphne cast her own spells forcing the three to attack her with blind fury.
Harry pulls out his own wand and immediately cast a powerful spell at Ginny who ducks from the powerful red beam. She turns to see Harry charging forward and firing another spell at them.
Daphne however was hit from a spell from Ron who double over and grabs her side as blood begins to slowly stain her robes.
Harry cast a shield spell to protect Daphne from further harm.
Harry whips his wand and moving with lightning relaxes, and quickly cast powerful banishing spells on the trio that caused them to fly backwards nearly twenty feet from Daphne.
"What is going on here?" Professor McGonagall shouted as she appeared from the Great Hall.
"Potter attack us!" Ron shouted at the top of his voice.
Professor McGonagall looks at him with a stern expression before turning to see Harry helping Daphne treat her injury.
In the end, after Harry told her what happen, Professor McGonagall wasn't happy. She landed all three in detention for attacking a fellow student. Ron protested saying he was attacking a 'Death Eater in Training'.
Harry took Daphne to Healer Wing, where Madam Pomfrey immediately took Daphne to the floating bed and healed her up. Harry looks around and could see several more witches and wizards in healer robes in the Healer Wing.
"Intern from Saint Mungo's. I suspect injuries are go to be more serious this year than ever, so Saint Mungo's was kind enough to give me some interns to help out." Madam Pomfrey said answering Harry's silent question.
"Miss Greengrass, you'll have to stay in for the rest of the day. You should be good tomorrow." Madam Pomfrey said.
Harry gets and left after saying goodbye to Daphne.
Harry walks to the Room of Requirement. On his way he saw Marietta ho had nasty scars on her face and she was alone. Apparently it didn't take long for others to find out she tried to sell out her fellow students to the Ministry last year and was curse.
Harry smiled when Marietta quickly disappeared down the corridor. He quickly goes into the Room of Requirement without anyone seeing him enter.
Harry knew just like last year, he had to move without others being able to see him. Even though the magical world knew he was telling the truth about Voldemort's return, the real question was, who was supporting him.
Draco Malfoy's actions over the summer also made Harry realize something, he couldn't have bene the only Death Eater in the school. If not a Death Eater, a Death Eater sympathizer. He was sure there were others in the school as well, and not just in Slytherin.
Harry pushes these thoughts aside as he begins to cast some spells on a dummy and prepare for his sixth year at Hogwarts.
Author Notes: I know many of you say to check my work, but the problem is, I've always suck at grammar. more like proof reading. Even if i review my work i won't always see my mistakes. Also please note i have no beta.
Please note there are still going to be dark things happening even within Hogwarts. Harry's problems are about to get out of hand.
Which route you guys want Ron and Ginny to take? The Death Eater route or the jealous route?