The new seeker (Sirius 13, Reg 12)

As it might be expected, Slughorn was not so tough about Regulus's detention. He just asked the boy to help him replenish the stock of ingredients used during the classes and checking the quantity they had stored, every night after dinner.

It was Saturday, the last day of his detention. Regulus would go to Professor Slughorn's office just after lunch. He was somewhat dismayed about it because he knew the trials for chaser and seeker were about to begin. He saw his pals lunching quickly to go to Quidditch pitch, while he, devastated, went downstairs to the dungeons, walking as if he had ten pounds of rocks tied to each foot.

He knocked on the door but nobody answered. Just a note appeared on the door:

"Black, it'll take me a while to come back, start without me. Prof. Slughorn."

By reading the note, his discouragement increased significantly since he had hoped to ask the teacher to let him leave early. Nevertheless, as Slughorn was not there, the only solution was to resign himself and get to work.

He entered the office, looked at his own reflection in the mirror near a desk:

'What are you thinking about? Forget about Quidditch and do your job!'

As he opened a box filled with dried doxies's wings, he found himself thinking about how he could make the teacher accept that he should leave the detention early:

'There's got to be a way!'

However, no idea popped in his mind. The dungeon was especially crowded with packages to be unwrapped and organized. Without the teacher's help, it would take hours.

'I'm thinking of giving you another detention, my dear Black ... I'm used to have your help here...' The teacher said, smiling. Regulus gasped, he hadn't seen the man entering the dungeon. Slughorn continued:

'I've just come from the Quidditch pitch, I don't know if you know, but they are doing a trial for chaser and seeker for our team ...'

'Yeah, I know ...' Regulus said, lowering his eyes.

'From what I've seen so far, we can't win the tournament this year ... It's a pity...'

'Professor, could you release me this afternoon? It's that I'd like to try... you know, our team ...'

Slughorn looked at him thoughtfully. He scratched his head and asked:

'Which position?'

'Seeker.'

'And are you good?'

Regulus threw a bottle with liver bat in the air and then as it dropped towards the floor he quickly dived to catch it. The professor burst into laugh:

'Why didn't you ask me it before, Black? Go. We need someone like you on our team!'

Regulus handed the bottle to the teacher and ran to his dorm to wear something more appropriate for the game.

The sun shone alone in a cloudless sky and it was slightly windy. It seemed a great afternoon to play Quidditch. When he arrived at the pitch, Emma was looking frustrated at the sky, where several students were trying unsuccessfully to catch the snitch.

'How are things, Emma?'

'Rupert Greengrass was excellent, so he's the newest' Regulus shuddered before Emma finalize the sentence, 'chaser of our team ...'

'And how about seeker?'

'Discouraging ...'

'May I try, Emma?

'Use my broom, Reg,' she said, handing him her broom.

Regulus grabbed Emma's broom and quickly gained height. The sky was full of students who flew from side to side, looking rather bewildered. After testing the candidates one by one and finding no skills that had stood out one from the rest, Emma had left the trials aside while releasing the Snitch to elect the new seeker who first caught the snitch. When Regulus joined the others, they were already flying half an hour.

He flew towards his friends Theodore, John and Jack, who were flying around side by side:

'You here?' Asked Regulus to his pals.

'Yeah, we thought we might have a chance with you out of the trials ... But now that you have arrived, perhaps we'd better get off our brooms ...' Said Jack, sincerely.

'Nonsense, I have as much chance as you ... Has anyone seen the Snitch?'

'Nope ... People are saying Emma didn't release the Snitch yet, that she's just trying to see if someone could tumble broom, so it'd be easier to choose ...' John said.

'And someone already gave up?'

'A lot of ... You had to see, there were about 30 students right here ... There were some from another houses! Crazy ones...'

'Yeah, so I've counted there's about 20 now ... It shouldn't be easy, you know? ... Now if you'll excuse me, boys, I have a Snitch to catch.'

And, by saying it, Regulus took a dive toward the hooped goal posts on the opposite side of the pitch.

Flying at about 12 inches from the ground, under the shadow of the middle goal post was shining the Golden Snitch. Flying nearby, there were four slytherins boys and a girl, who hadn't noticed it yet. But the girl was too close to the Snitch and it wouldn't take so long for her to see it. Regulus had seen exactly what was getting ready to happen so he flew faster as he could with fifteen slytherins after him. Regulus caught it quickly without giving a slightest chance to the others. He flew towards Emma, who shouted:

'Hey, everybody, you might want to come down! And Black, congrats! You're our newest seeker!'

The crowd of students, all wanting to congratulate him at the same time, swallowed Regulus. He won the admiration of the other students with his amazing trial.