Chapter 12

Over the next few days, the five of us practiced becoming animagi in every spare hour. No one else had made a change yet. I could still only change the colour of my hand. It my spare moments, I just practiced clearing my mind. The book says that helps to tap into our wild side.

Fred was still avoiding me. When he passed be in the corridor he would look at the floor or the walls. I didn't know why he was avoiding me. Sure I'm from the future but he should just get over it.

My twelfth/sixteenth birthday was in a few days. September the seventh. No one knew about it though and I didn't feel the need to make it a big deal. I was too confused about my age to be excited about turning twelve a second time.

It still felt strange to look in the mirror and see myself so young. I had long, dark wavy hair. It fell in big curls a little higher than my waist. I had big chocolate brown eyes. My nose was a bit big at the moment. It made me look a little goofy but I grow into it later. I was short at the moment but I remember having a huge growth spurt the summer before I turned thirteen. Same time I grew into my nose. I never really cared too much about my appearance but after that people did tell me I was pretty.

I found it very funny how Harry was doing everything in his power to avoid, little Colin Creevey. I thought his hero worship was sweet. He took so many pictures of Harry.

Quidditch try outs were tomorrow on saturday. I was ecstatic. One of their chasers, Alicia, had transferred to Beauxbatons in france at the end of last year so there was a position open. I was going to try for it.

...

The next morning I got up early and walked on down to the Quidditch pitch. There were five other people trying out for the position. I was the only second year and that made me slightly nervous. On woods call, we mounted our brooms and took to the skies. Three of us went to one side of the pitch and the other three went to the other. He chucked the ball in the air and I quickly went for it. I dodged another player and zoomed towards the hoops. Two of the others were coming in on either side of me.

I quickly dove and they crashed into each over. Idiots. I got back on course in seconds and easily scored. Harry clapped for me and I smiled at him. I scored heaps more using basic tactics like feigning in one direction and going in the other. I also did some tricks I learned in touch rugby from my old PE teacher. Things like not going your top speed. Then when someone is close, you suddenly speed up. It was great fun seeing the surprised looks on the other players faces when they realized I had suddenly gotten four meters in front of them. Then they use their brains and speed up as well but it is always too late for them to catch me.

Oliver Wood finally called us down and told us he would put a list up in the common room. Harry found me once I got out of the changing room. "You were amazing!" He told me. "Why didn't you tell me you could play like that?"

"I probably won't get picked. I'm only a second year." That was true. Really I was just practicing for next year. Maybe I would get a reserve position.

"Are you kidding?!" Harry exclaimed. "You scored heaps. Much more than the other players. Your dodging is amazing!" I blushed slightly.

"Thanks, Harry." I smiled at him. Harry and I then went to meat Neville, Hermione and Ron in the room of requirement to keep trying to become Animagi.

...

The next day the list was up. I rushed down to the common room and ran strait to the paper stuck to the wall. "Yes!" I exclaimed loudly. My name was on it. I actually got the third chaser spot! At that moment Oliver walked up to me. I stopped jumping up and down to turn and face him.

"Practice is in fifteen minutes." He told me before handing me a package. "These are your quidditch robes."

"Thanks." I said. I quickly ran upstairs to change.

I had a quick, five minute breakfast and ran to the pitch with Harry at my side. Fred was still icing me out, so practice was a little awkward. Oliver gave a massive speech on training hard and blah, blah, blah. The boy sure could talk when it came to quidditch. Much to Harry's dismay, Colin was madly snapping pictures of him. I couldn't help laughing at the frown on Harry's face.

"Why is that first year taking pictures?" Wood asked Harry. I stifled a giggle. "I don't like it. He could be a Slytherin spy, trying to find out our new training program." Paranoid much? That did it, I bust out laughing.

"He's a Gryffindor." Harry said as he glared at me.

"And the Slytherins don't need a spy, Oliver," said George.

"What makes you say that?" said Wood testily.

"Because they're here in person," said George, pointing.

Several people in green robes were walking onto the field, broomsticks in their hands.

"I don't believe it!" Wood hissed in outrage. "I booked the field for today! We'll see about this!"

We all followed wood to the ground and walked up to the Slytherins. Flint!" Wood bellowed at the Slytherin Captain. "This is our practice time! We got up specially! You can clear off now!"

Marcus Flint replied, "Plenty of room for all of us, Wood."

"But I booked the field!" said Wood, positively spitting with rage. "I booked it!"

"Ah," said Flint. "But I've got a specially signed note here from Professor Snape. I, Professor S. Snape, give the Slytherin team permission to practice today on the Quidditch field owing to the need to train their new Seeker'. "

"You've got a new Seeker?" said Wood, distracted. "Where?" Draco Malfoy stepped out from behind the crowd of Slytherins.

"And, let me show you the generous gift the Malfoys made to the Slytherin team." All seven of them held out their broomsticks. Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones.

"Very latest model. Only came out last month," said Flint carelessly, flicking a speck of dust from the end of his own for show. "I believe it outstrips the old Two Thousand series by a considerable amount. As for the old Cleansweeps" - he smiled nastily at Fred and George, who were both clutching Cleansweep Fives -" sweeps the board with them."

Ron and Hermione were crossing the grass to see what was going on.

"What's happening?" Ron asked Harry. "Why aren't you playing? And what's he doing here?" He was looking at Malfoy, taking in his Slytherin Quidditch robes.

"I'm the new Slytherin Seeker, Weasley," said Malfoy, smugly. "Everyone's just been admiring the brooms my father's bought our team." Ron gaped, open-mouthed, at the seven superb broomsticks in front of him.

"Good, aren't they?" said Malfoy smoothly. "But perhaps the Gryffindor team will be able to raise some gold and get new brooms, too. You could raffle off those Cleansweep Fives; I expect a museum would bid for them." The Slytherin team howled with laughter.

"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in," said Hermione sharply. "They got in on pure talent." The smug look on Malfoy's face flickered.

"No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood," he spat.

"Honestly Draco!" I finally cut in because Ron was about to hex him. "Doesn't it feel bad to know that you had such little faith in yourself making the team, that you had to beg your daddy to bribe the captain. Also, maybe you would be a nicer person if you weren't so spoilt." I then turned to Flint. "Great brooms or no great brooms, you don't stand a chance in the match if you sell off the most important position to an amateur."

The Slytherins were positively, spitting mad. "Shut up Mudblood." Flint sneered. I rolled my eyes.

"Is that the best you can come up with." I said calmly back.

"Doesn't matter anyway." Flint said. "You all have to leave because of the note."

"Let me see that!" I said and grabbed the note and read it through. I looked up to see Flint with a cocky smile on his face. "Nope." I told him.

"What?" He snarled.

"It only says that you can have the field today." I clarified.

"Yeah exactly. So move aside." He said with a triumphant smile.

I sighed. "Seriously?! I thought you Slytherins were supposed to be smart." I said in exasperation. "It doesn't say you can kick us of the field, it just says you can play some time in the day." I looked at Oliver and asked him, "What times did you book the field?"

"Nine till twelve and one till five." He replied.

"Exactly. You can practice twelve till one and after five. If you wanted to kick us off the pitch you would have to go and get a more specific note from Professor Snape and I don't think he is going to like being disturbed again, so bye!" I told them cheerfully.

"This isn't over!" Flint growled at me before storming away.

"Oh, and thanks for giving us a heads up about your new seeker and brooms. That makes it much easier for us to prepare for it!" I called after them. I saw the back of Flint's neck turning red in embarrassment as he continued storming away.

"Nice." George complimented. Harry nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, well done Rogers." Oliver said. "Now back in the air."

The practice continued on without incident. We had to practice some new techniques to get ready for their faster brooms. At the end of practice Wood stopped us to give us yet another pep talk before sending us off to do our own thing.

...

The next morning, it was my birthday. It was Monday, so I had classes. I quickly changed into my school robes and brushed my hair. I stumbled down the stairs and into the common room. My friends were waiting for me and we quickly rushed down to breakfast. I was eating my toast happily when someone bumped into me and made me drop it. "Crap." I muttered under my breath.

"Sorry." Fred muttered but I could tell he didn't mean it.

"Now, now, missy. Crap is a bad word. Not something an eleven year old should be saying." George joked with me.

"I'm twelve." I told him. Hermione jerked her head up to look at me.

"Since when?!" She exclaimed.

"What time is it?" I asked Harry.

"Umm...eight?" He replied, confused.

"Well since I was born at five am, I would say since three hours ago." I explained to Hermione.

"Why didn't you tell us it was your birthday?!" Hermione asked.

"Umm. I just did." I said. "Whats the big deal anyway?"

"Whats the big deal?!" Ron repeated in outrage. "It's your birthday!"

"Thank you, captain obvious." I muttered.

They spent the whole day trying to make me have fun. At dinner they started off singing 'Happy Birthday'. Some of the other Gryffindors even joined in. God, it was embarrassing! But I have to admit by the end of the day, I had actually had a lot of fun. They can't find out though.

...