A/N: Updated April 2021. I hope you're enjoying!
For disclaimer, please see the prologue.
Chapter Four: September 18, 1938
"Thank you all for coming out in this horrible weather!" Evangeline Wilson exclaimed happily over the roaring wind. It was the day of the Gryffindor quidditch team tryouts, and despite the weather, there were over thirty hopeful Gryffindors ready to claim their spots on the team. There were even a few spectators in the crowd. "Now, we've got two chaser positions open, and we need a new seeker. We have a pretty decent reputation to uphold, after WINNING THE CUP IN MAY!" She held up the Quidditch Cup, grinning widely.
The crowd broke into cheers, hollering to be heard over the rain. Minerva caught Callum's eye, and they broke into matching grins. Callum had made good on his promise to get revenge on the entire Slytherin house, completely crushing them in the quidditch final in the spring. It had been an utter blowout, 400-10, and Minerva couldn't have been happier. To sweeten the victory, Lysander Black had been knocked out by a bludger within the first ten minutes. Diana had admitted after that it was sweet revenge that he had to miss the quidditch final and lost all of his teeth, to boot.
"Alright, so," Evangeline called, "Callum McGonagall here is our only remaining chaser, so if you're going for chaser, I need you to be able to work well with him. I'll have each of you flying with him, just to get a look at your gamesmanship and chemistry with each other. If you're trying for seeker, well, obviously we'll be doing some drills to see if you can catch a bloody snitch. This weather will weed out which of you actually have an eye for it," she cast an appraising glance over her prospective teammates. "You're welcome to try out for either one of the positions or both, it doesn't matter to me. Go and get a quick drink of water, then I want everyone going for chaser to join me in the middle of the pitch."
Minerva jogged on over to the stands, grabbing her water bottle from Aidan. "Are you sure you don't want to try out, Aidan?"
"Nah, McGonagall," Aidan leaned over the bench. "My talents are best displayed on the ground. I'm just here to watch you and Cal. Which position are you going for, anyway?"
"I think I'll try for both," Minerva shrugged. "I've played both, I like both, and I honestly just want to play."
Aidan grinned cheekily. "Ah, the perfect McGonagall is so nervous that she feels the need to cover all of her bases, instead of actually going for what she wants? How very Ravenclaw of you."
"Don't make me regret telling you about the Sorting Hat, Aidan," Minerva grumbled. "Besides, I am good at both. Just watch me play." She threw her water bottle at him and went to join Callum, Evangeline and the others at the centre of the field.
"Today we'll be doing basic drills," Evangeline commanded. "I want to see your passing abilities -if you can't even hold on to your broom in the rain, I suggest you leave now, Wood," she interrupted herself and stared sternly at the fifth year until he left. "Where was I? Right. I want to see you passing the Quaffle, attempting to score and hopefully succeeding, that sort of thing. Andy, our other beater in addition to myself, will attempt to take a whack out of you, so be on your guard for that. Now, everybody, up in the air, and I'll release some quaffles. Try to get one, yea?"
Taking a deep breath, Minerva mounted her broom and flew into the air. Callum winked at her, and she looked down to see Evangeline open a chest. She saw a quaffle jump out, and she dove towards it, narrowly beating Amelia Spinnet. Minerva flew over to the hoops, where she quickly scored on the Keeper. Weaving around the incessant bludgers, Minerva tackled Callum and grabbed a quaffle out of his hand before he could pass it.
"Oi, Minnie!" Callum yelled, righting his broom. He attempted to catch her, but she passed it off before he could take it back from her.
"Good show, everyone. Now, get into groups of three!" Evangeline struggled to be heard over the pounding rain. "We'll scrimmage three on three, and see what you can do. Callum, I'll have you swap out with different teams, yea?"
"Whatever helps you look for chemistry, captain!" Callum replied cheekily, receiving a stinging jinx for his trouble.
Minerva waited until it was her time to fly, hopping into a trio with Spinnet and a fifth-year she didn't know. Spinnet and Minerva worked well together, swooping around the other team with clean, crisp passes. Eventually, Callum took the place of the unknown fifth-year. Flying with Callum came more naturally than breathing. All of those years of practicing together meant they could anticipate each other, block each other from harm, and Minerva had never had more fun in her life. She could see Evangeline flying around, observing quietly as a clipboard and quill hovered beside her.
"Well done, everyone!" Evangeline finally blew her whistle. "If you're planning on having a go for seeker, fly up here."
Callum nudged Minerva as he flew by. "My work here is done for today; good luck with the seeker part. You did great up here." He gave his sister an encouraging smile before flying off to the change rooms, no doubt excited to get out of the rain.
There was a flurry of activity as Gryffindors flew up and down, getting ready for the next drills. Once the potential seekers were up in the air, Evangeline blew her whistle. "This will work a bit differently, for obvious reasons. The remaining team members and I will throw snitches out into the air. We'll put you in groups of four, and when it's your turn, you'll try to catch any one of them. Your goal is to be the first one in your group back with the snitch. If you hear my whistle, it means somebody else beat you to the punch. You four," Evangeline pointed to four Gryffindors. "You're up first."
Minerva wasn't one for unnecessary emotions, but she felt herself get anxious as she watched groups go before her. Everyone seemed so much older than she was, so much faster. For the first time at Hogwarts, Minerva felt like she may be in over her depths.
"McGonagall! You're up!" Evangeline called, and Minerva readied herself, rolling her neck to release the tension. She waited for her group to assemble, and when Evangeline released a snitch with a loud "GO!", Minerva sped off to follow the zooming snitch.
She flew around the pitch, veering to try and stay on top of the snitch. Minerva was flying around quickly, and only practice and determination kept her from hitting other Gryffindors as she went whizzing by. Her snitch nosedived before taking a sharp turn, changing direction towards the castle. Minerva followed it, narrowly missing a tree. She kept up as it shot skywards, rocketing towards one of the towers. In one final act of desperation, Minerva sped up as quickly as she could, her right hand extended. With skill, and perhaps a bit of sheer dumb luck, she caught the snitch, flipping upside down to avoid hitting the castle window. She breathed in deeply, righting herself, and found herself looking directly into Professor Dumbledore's face. He stared at her, shocked at the intrusion. Minerva gave a slight wave, not knowing what else to do, and raced back to the pitch.
"I've got it, Evangeline," she panted, holding out her hand to show the still fluttering snitch.
Evangeline nodded brusquely before blowing the whistle. "Well done, McGonagall. I saw where that snitch went; that was not an easy catch." The captain murmured a sonorus charm and thanked everyone for showing up. "I personally want to thank you all for coming out today. It shows that you aren't fazed by much, even a hard-hitting thunderstorm. I'll make my decision with the rest of the team, and then I'll have to run it by Professor Dumbledore. He'll give it a glance, make sure those chosen are academically eligible, and then hang it up in the Common Room whenever he's done. Hopefully, the list will be up by the end of the week. Have a good night, everyone."
Minerva maneuvered her broom to be closer to Evangeline's. "Thanks for the opportunity," she said, shaking the captain's hand.
"You're welcome." Evangeline nodded at Minerva before flying down to the stands.
"That was brilliant, McGonagall!" Aidan said in awe as Minerva approached him in the stands, having flown back down. "Seriously, with you on the team, we'll definitely win."
"Not on the team yet, Aidan." Minerva took a sip of water. "But you're right. I can't wait to beat Slytherin into submission." They shared a grin and then walked back to the castle to warm up.
Four days after the tryouts, Minerva walked into the common room with Augusta and Harriet, laughing about the potion that had backfired and blown up in Professor Slughorn's face. The girls found themselves looking at a crowd huddled around the notice board.
"What's going on?" Augusta asked.
"Maybe someone took a picture of Slughorn," Harriet whispered, and the threesome dissolved into giggles again.
"There you are!" Aidan wheezed. "I couldn't find you anywhere. I even tried to get up to the girls' dorms, but the staircase threw me off."
Minerva smirked at the image. "What is so important that you risked that?" She frowned, putting it together as she saw his face. "Oh! The team! Aidan, it's the quidditch team!"
"Oooh, good luck, Min," Harriet breathed. "We'll wait for you here."
"I can't just go up there, can I?" Minerva whispered. "What if I didn't make it, and all these people see me? Then what do I do?"
"I would start by calming down, Miss McGonagall," Professor Dumbledore laughed, appearing out of the huddle. "I just put the list up, having finally found the time to approve it. You could just ask me."
"Well, I could do that, Professor, but if I didn't make the team, I think that would actually be a lot worse than house-wide humiliation," Minerva swallowed.
"Miss McGonagall, you have nothing to worry about. When you see the list, you will find your name is written on it and your position as chaser. Frankly, I'm shocked you're not seeker after seeing you catch that snitch, but I'll chalk that up to mean that the Gryffindor team is talented this year. After all," Dumbledore's eyes lit up, "I would like that cup to remain in my office."
"Yes, sir, thank you, sir!" Minerva smiled so widely she was sure her jaw would crack.
"I'll leave you to celebrate, then." Dumbledore winked and exited the common room.
"I did it. I actually did it!" Minerva's eyes lit up with confidence and self-pride as she faced her friends. "This year is going to be an exciting one- just you wait."
Three weeks later, Minerva McGonagall was cursing herself for believing that joining the quidditch team would be a good idea. Today she would be playing in Gryffindor's first match of the season. They'd be playing Slytherin, and the entire school expected a bloodbath considering the quidditch final that past spring. Professors had been pulling students apart for the past week due to the hexes flying back and forth. Now, Minerva was seated at breakfast, attempting to swallow some pumpkin juice.
"Minnie, you need to eat," Callum admonished, piling food onto his sister's plate. "I won't be able to pass to you if your arms are all noodle-y."
"I think Aidan is eating enough for the both of us," Minerva nodded glumly towards their friend.
"Nah, McGonagall," Aidan swallowed some more eggs. "I need all this energy for the party we're going to have tonight when you crush Slytherin into oblivion."
"Ugh." Minerva threw her head down on the table. "Katrina won't stop looking at me." Katrina had made the Slytherin team as Keeper. Minerva was both terrified of getting completely shut out by the girl and thrilled to think she and her brother could make Katrina look utterly inept in her new role.
"Want me to chuck a pastry at her?" Aidan asked gleefully. "I could totally hit her from here."
"NO!" Callum and Minerva yelled in tandem.
"Um, Minerva?" Poppy Pomfrey walked up behind them tentatively. She was an excellent roommate, and Minerva liked her well enough, but they weren't the best of friends, strictly speaking. "How are you feeling?"
"She feels like death," Aidan muttered, earning an elbow in the ribs from Minerva. "Glad you feel well enough to do that." He rubbed his sore midsection.
"I've had better days, Poppy," Minerva admitted. "Why, what's up?"
"Here, take this." Poppy handed her some chocolate. "My mum sent me some from Honeydukes. She says it calms the nerves."
"Thanks, Poppy." Minerva smiled softly and took the proffered chocolate. "I appreciate it."
"Just go and win for us, ok?" Poppy patted her friend's arm and turned to leave. "Oh, sorry, Evangeline." She squeezed by the captain on her way to rejoin Augusta and Harriet.
"Ready, McGonagalls?" Evangeline towered over the group, smiling. "It's time to head to the pitch."
"Good luck, guys! Kick some ass!" Aidan waved his friends off, pulling Minerva to her feet when she refused to move. "Stop being so bloody dramatic, you know you'll win."
"Callum?" Minerva said quietly as they followed Evangeline out of the Great Hall.
"What is it, Minnie?"
"We can't let her beat us. For Di."
"I know, Minnie," Callum pulled his sister in for a hug, "I know."
"Let's start the season off right!" Evangeline announced in the change room. "I am not about to go out there and lose to Slytherin at our first game. No way in hell. You all know the game plan. Callum, Minerva, Amelia: stick together in formation, their Chasers aren't nearly as good. They'll play dirty, so just keep our passes clean, and we'll be fine. Test their Keeper, she's new and won't be able to keep up. Andy and I will hammer their Beaters; with any luck, they'll be too busy deflecting to hit back. Kris, block as many of their shots as you can manage, and Parv, catch the snitch as quickly as possible. Right then," Evangeline glanced appraisingly at her team. "Let's get this thing done!"
"Stay close to me, Minnie, if you're worried," Callum murmured as they mounted their brooms.
"I want to win, Cal," Minerva whispered, feeling very much the younger sister.
"And we will, so long as you realize that we need you to play with your wits about you," he winked. "Here we go!" He started flying with the team, and Minerva flew out behind him.
"You all know the rules," Madam Finch said sternly, looking out over the players. "I want a nice, clean game, do you understand? Nothing at all like May. Take your positions!" She blew her whistle, and the game was on.
"Madam Finch releases the Quaffle, and oh, look- McGonagall, the female one, I think, gets to it first, she's heading for Slytherin's end of the pitch!" Samuel Jordan, the Gryffindor commentator, began excitedly. "Wotcher, McG, there's a bludger, oooh she avoided that, well done. She passes it off to the other McG, who catches it splendidly. I think he's winding up for a shot now- GRYFFINDOR SCORES! TEN POINTS TO GRYFFINDOR!
"Slytherin is in possession of the Quaffle now, they look bloody pissed after that. Oh, sorry, Professor," Samuel apologized, earning a stern glare from Dumbledore. "Right, well, Black has the Quaffle, and he's passing it off- GRYFFINDOR INTERCEPTION! SPINNET TAKES IT BACK! Spinnet is off to the races -did you see that dive?- alright, she's aiming, annnnnd Rowle blocks the shot!" The crowd groaned around him. "Don't fret for long, friends, it looks like McG the second has the Quaffle again, and now she's having a go, and SHE SHOOTS, SHE SCORES. TWENTY TO LOVE, GRYFFINDOR!
"Bloody hell!" Samuel jumped as a Bludger came flying at him, Evangeline knocking it out of his way at the last second. "Thanks for that, Wilson, good on ya! The Bludger is now heading in Black's direction, the Slytherin Chaser, oh never mind that. Umbridge has knocked it out of the way, now it's off towards Peverell - get the hell out of the way, Andy!- oh damn, he's been hit." Samuel trailed off, watching Andy fall to the ground, slowed by Madam Finch's arresto. "That's a bit of a cheap shot if you ask me, not that anyone is, Professor Dumbledore, but worry not, because Kris McLaggen has stopped Slytherin scoring! He passes off to McG the first, who does a nice little spin, what in blazes, he dropped the bloody Quaffle, he knows better than that! No, wait a minute, that was tricky, McG! McG drop passes it to the other McG, now what will she do with it? She fakes a shot, the Quaffle finds Spinnet, and GRYFFINDOR EXTENDS THE LEAD. THAT'S THIRTY POINTS FROM YOUR REIGNING CHAMPIONS!
"Crikey, this Gryffindor team is not letting up, here they go again! That's forty! And fifty! We are sooooo partying tonight!" Professor Dumbledore glared amusingly at Samuel for that, but he kept going. "And sixty! That's a hat trick for McG the second! Woah, we lucked out with her this year, alright. Something's happening over on the other side of the pitch, Malfoy and Lupin are diving, oh no, here comes a bloody bludger to bust it all up, Malfoy's pulling away, but Lupin keeps going- PARVATI LUPIN HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WI- WATCH THE FUCKING BLUDGER, PARV!"
It seemed like the entire crowd winced as the Bludger bounced off of Parvati's arm, sending her spiralling across the pitch, the snitch still flittering tiredly in her hand. "Gryffindor wins, 210 to 0. Good game," Samuel said faintly as he threw the microphone aside to make sure his girlfriend wasn't too hurt.
The Gryffindor team huddled around its seeker. "Madam Finch, that was outrageous!" Evangeline argued. "You have to do some sort of suspension or penalty!"
"Miss Wilson, the Bludger was sent while the game was still in play. It was a fair shot, even if it doesn't look too good," the referee admitted. "Madam Prewett will have her arm fixed in a jiffy, and you'll have your seeker back by tomorrow. Congratulations on the game." She walked off, quickly replaced by Samuel and Professor Dumbledore.
"Well done, Gryffindors," Dumbledore smiled brightly. "That was an effective way to start the season, I must say. I'll take Miss Lupin here up to the Hospital Wing; you all go and start the party that I will undoubtedly have to put a stop to in the wee hours of the morning. Oh, Miss McGonagall?" he added as an aside, turning to face Minerva as the others left. "You played very well, especially for your first match. You beat her with skill, not by force." He looked pointedly across the pitch, where Katrina was getting screamed at by her captain.
"Thank you, Professor," Minerva beamed. "I look forward to beating her a lot more in the future." And with that, she ran off towards the dressing rooms. For the first time in her life, Minerva was eager to attend a house party.