Chapter Eight: Tryouts
"All right, all right everybody, settle down now. You won't make the team by making a ruckus!" Wood yelled over the din of people. "Now then, you all know me, I'm Wood, and today I'm helping out my old team, Gryffindor, by hosting their Keeper tryouts. I see that there are a lot of you here today, and I'm glad to see it, but you know, not all of you will make it. Out of the twenty of you that are here, only two of you will be on the team: one as a starter, the other, as a reserve. Now, what I'm looking for here today are four things: effort, ambition, attitude, and, of course, talent. We will start by warming up with some easy maneuvers and slowly work up to top-notch Keeper skills. Towards the end of tryouts, we're going to have a Keeper Round Robin, so to speak. Each of you will have a chance to block as many goals as possible. We'll play until there's only one of you left. It's just a way for me to see you guys in action, and to let you have a little fun in the process." Wood clapped in glee and looked around at the anxious faces. "Now then, any questions?"
"Yeah! Are you just going to talk about Quidditch, or are we going to actually get around to playing some?" asked Leo with a devilish grin.
"Why, Leo, I thought you'd never ask. Now, everyone out on the pitch and show me your best!" Wood blew his whistle and the players took to the skies.
*****
"Ugh, if I see a Quaffle coming at me one more time, I think I'll scream," Leo moaned, sinking into an armchair in the Common Room. She was covered in sweat and pleasantly exhausted. She slowly looked up at Fred, George, Harry, and Jazz as they sat down beside her.
"Don't blame you there. You must've blocked at least 50 in a row!" Jazz noted, amazed.
"You should have seen the look on old Battle Ax's face when you broke forty," George commented gleefully. "He looked like he was either going to strangle you or kiss you."
"Why is that?" asked Leo, confused.
"Simple conclusion, oh excellent Keeper," Fred explained. "You broke his record."
"Ah, makes sense to me."
"Oh yes, I think you have the job down pat, missy. Especially when you almost cracked the Quaffle on your knee when you failed to block it. Good show of competitive edge, of raw animal lust for being perfect. Exactly what Wood looks for," said George.
"Exactly what Wood acts like," added Fred
"If you don't make Keeper tomorrow morning, I'll have to give Wood a piece of my mind," piped up Harry. "You're our best bet in winning the Quidditch Cup again this year. All the rest of the players looked like they didn't even know what way to straddle their broomsticks!"
"Thanks everybody," laughed Leo. "Now, if you guys will stop worshiping me for a minute, I'm going to go take a well-needed shower and a nap. Five hours on a broom wears out a person."
*****
The next morning, Leo was up with the sun. She couldn't sleep with the thought of the tryout results on her mind. Throwing on a robe, she ran down to Wood's office in her sock feet to get the anxiety off her brain. Obviously, she wasn't alone in the feeling.
"Bloody hell! I didn't make the team!" a voice echoed down the hallway. Leo cringed. One down, she couldn't help thinking. As she walked slowly, the list loomed in front of her. Her hands were shaking uncontrollably. When she reached the list, she couldn't look at it. What if she was the reserve? Or worse yet, she didn't make it at all?
"Oh, get a grip Lawson and act your age," she muttered to herself. She opened her eyes and held her breath as she read the list.
"Yes! I'm the master!" she yelled pumping her fist in the air.
"You know, normal people are trying to sleep here," a sleepy looking Wood poked his head through the office doorway. His hair was all messy and he looked disheveled.
"Oh, I'm sorry Wood, but you know, I couldn't help."
"Yes, yes, it's quite all right Leo," smiled Wood. "I was excited too when I made the team. Just keep it down. I don't mind, but if Snape hears you, he might just kill you, if he's in a GOOD mood."
"Ok, thanks for the head's up, Wood. And thanks for picking me!"
"Trust me, it wasn't a hard decision. You beat my old record you know when you blocked fifty-six goals in a row. Impressive stuff."
"Well, you know, I did say I was going to fill your shoes and I do have this habit of always being right," she grinned at him mischievously.
"So you say, so you say," Wood retorted, making Leo laugh.
"This is going to be a great season," Leo said, turning to walk back to her dormitory, "And thanks again, Wood."
"My pleasure," he waved her on as she skipped gleefully down the hallway, making Wood smile at the sight. Suddenly he remembered, "Hey Leo!"
She almost tripped on the rug as she made an abrupt stop, "Whose being loud now?"
Wood just gave her a mock evil look, "I forgot to tell you, practice tonight, after dinner. Be there."
"Will do," Leo saluted, and then continued back to the dormitory.
*****
"Guess what, guess what, guess what!" Leo yelled jumping on Hermione's bed.
"Mmmm, you're not waking me up at the crack of dawn by any chance to tell me that you made Keeper? No, that would be too thoughtless for you," Hermione muttered in a slurred voice still thick with sleep.
"I am, and I did! Isn't it awesome?"
"Oh, yes, smashing," she replied, throwing a pillow at the excited youth. "Tell me, why couldn't this have waited until a decent hour?"
"And hold out worthy information from a friend? Nah, that would be cruel," Leo flashed her a smile which in return got her a pillow in the face.
"Ugh, why don't you go tell George? I bet he'll be thrilled."
"Great idea! Tootles!"
"Wait! I wasn't serious." Hermione protested to an empty room. Oh she's going to get herself into trouble, she thought to herself as she fell back asleep.
"Good gad, girl! This is a boy's dormitory for Pete's sake!" George complained moments later.
"Oh thank you, Mr. Compassionate. I come in here, risk my spotless record to share a happy moment in my life with you, and this is all the congratulations I get? I think I'm going to cry," Leo turned away from him and acted overly upset.
"Now, now, Leo, I'm happy for you, really. You just surprised me that's all." George said, concerned.
She whipped around, her face a picture of mirth, "God, you are a sucker!"
"Oh really?" George tackled her to the ground and started wrestling with her. Leo put up a fight, giving him a maximum noogie that made him grab a pillow from the bed and throw it at her. All this commotion soon woke up the rest of the room.
"Aye, George, pipe down will you? If you and your girlfriend are going to do stuff, do it outside the room. Some of us do need to sleep!" Fred reprimanded.
"Shove it Fred! She's not my girlfriend!" George grabbed Leo by the elbow and yanked her out into the Common Room. "Stupid git, needs to shut up sometimes."
"Why does he think I'm your girlfriend?" Leo asked inquisitively.
"Just because I've been hanging with you more than I've been hanging with him. He's just jealous," George said really fast, his ears turning slightly red. If Leo knew the Weasley boys better, she would have known right away that he was lying.
"Oh, I see," Leo replied, oblivious. "Well, I do think we should catch a few more hours of sleep. We've got practice tonight you know."
"Oh, goodie. Now you get to see Wood in top form. Maybe we'll even be blessed by his motivational speeches. Those are things dreams are made of."
"Sounds like a riot. Well, see you then or at dinner. Whenever."
"Righto then. Sweet dreams."
"Back atcha."
"All right, all right everybody, settle down now. You won't make the team by making a ruckus!" Wood yelled over the din of people. "Now then, you all know me, I'm Wood, and today I'm helping out my old team, Gryffindor, by hosting their Keeper tryouts. I see that there are a lot of you here today, and I'm glad to see it, but you know, not all of you will make it. Out of the twenty of you that are here, only two of you will be on the team: one as a starter, the other, as a reserve. Now, what I'm looking for here today are four things: effort, ambition, attitude, and, of course, talent. We will start by warming up with some easy maneuvers and slowly work up to top-notch Keeper skills. Towards the end of tryouts, we're going to have a Keeper Round Robin, so to speak. Each of you will have a chance to block as many goals as possible. We'll play until there's only one of you left. It's just a way for me to see you guys in action, and to let you have a little fun in the process." Wood clapped in glee and looked around at the anxious faces. "Now then, any questions?"
"Yeah! Are you just going to talk about Quidditch, or are we going to actually get around to playing some?" asked Leo with a devilish grin.
"Why, Leo, I thought you'd never ask. Now, everyone out on the pitch and show me your best!" Wood blew his whistle and the players took to the skies.
*****
"Ugh, if I see a Quaffle coming at me one more time, I think I'll scream," Leo moaned, sinking into an armchair in the Common Room. She was covered in sweat and pleasantly exhausted. She slowly looked up at Fred, George, Harry, and Jazz as they sat down beside her.
"Don't blame you there. You must've blocked at least 50 in a row!" Jazz noted, amazed.
"You should have seen the look on old Battle Ax's face when you broke forty," George commented gleefully. "He looked like he was either going to strangle you or kiss you."
"Why is that?" asked Leo, confused.
"Simple conclusion, oh excellent Keeper," Fred explained. "You broke his record."
"Ah, makes sense to me."
"Oh yes, I think you have the job down pat, missy. Especially when you almost cracked the Quaffle on your knee when you failed to block it. Good show of competitive edge, of raw animal lust for being perfect. Exactly what Wood looks for," said George.
"Exactly what Wood acts like," added Fred
"If you don't make Keeper tomorrow morning, I'll have to give Wood a piece of my mind," piped up Harry. "You're our best bet in winning the Quidditch Cup again this year. All the rest of the players looked like they didn't even know what way to straddle their broomsticks!"
"Thanks everybody," laughed Leo. "Now, if you guys will stop worshiping me for a minute, I'm going to go take a well-needed shower and a nap. Five hours on a broom wears out a person."
*****
The next morning, Leo was up with the sun. She couldn't sleep with the thought of the tryout results on her mind. Throwing on a robe, she ran down to Wood's office in her sock feet to get the anxiety off her brain. Obviously, she wasn't alone in the feeling.
"Bloody hell! I didn't make the team!" a voice echoed down the hallway. Leo cringed. One down, she couldn't help thinking. As she walked slowly, the list loomed in front of her. Her hands were shaking uncontrollably. When she reached the list, she couldn't look at it. What if she was the reserve? Or worse yet, she didn't make it at all?
"Oh, get a grip Lawson and act your age," she muttered to herself. She opened her eyes and held her breath as she read the list.
"Yes! I'm the master!" she yelled pumping her fist in the air.
"You know, normal people are trying to sleep here," a sleepy looking Wood poked his head through the office doorway. His hair was all messy and he looked disheveled.
"Oh, I'm sorry Wood, but you know, I couldn't help."
"Yes, yes, it's quite all right Leo," smiled Wood. "I was excited too when I made the team. Just keep it down. I don't mind, but if Snape hears you, he might just kill you, if he's in a GOOD mood."
"Ok, thanks for the head's up, Wood. And thanks for picking me!"
"Trust me, it wasn't a hard decision. You beat my old record you know when you blocked fifty-six goals in a row. Impressive stuff."
"Well, you know, I did say I was going to fill your shoes and I do have this habit of always being right," she grinned at him mischievously.
"So you say, so you say," Wood retorted, making Leo laugh.
"This is going to be a great season," Leo said, turning to walk back to her dormitory, "And thanks again, Wood."
"My pleasure," he waved her on as she skipped gleefully down the hallway, making Wood smile at the sight. Suddenly he remembered, "Hey Leo!"
She almost tripped on the rug as she made an abrupt stop, "Whose being loud now?"
Wood just gave her a mock evil look, "I forgot to tell you, practice tonight, after dinner. Be there."
"Will do," Leo saluted, and then continued back to the dormitory.
*****
"Guess what, guess what, guess what!" Leo yelled jumping on Hermione's bed.
"Mmmm, you're not waking me up at the crack of dawn by any chance to tell me that you made Keeper? No, that would be too thoughtless for you," Hermione muttered in a slurred voice still thick with sleep.
"I am, and I did! Isn't it awesome?"
"Oh, yes, smashing," she replied, throwing a pillow at the excited youth. "Tell me, why couldn't this have waited until a decent hour?"
"And hold out worthy information from a friend? Nah, that would be cruel," Leo flashed her a smile which in return got her a pillow in the face.
"Ugh, why don't you go tell George? I bet he'll be thrilled."
"Great idea! Tootles!"
"Wait! I wasn't serious." Hermione protested to an empty room. Oh she's going to get herself into trouble, she thought to herself as she fell back asleep.
"Good gad, girl! This is a boy's dormitory for Pete's sake!" George complained moments later.
"Oh thank you, Mr. Compassionate. I come in here, risk my spotless record to share a happy moment in my life with you, and this is all the congratulations I get? I think I'm going to cry," Leo turned away from him and acted overly upset.
"Now, now, Leo, I'm happy for you, really. You just surprised me that's all." George said, concerned.
She whipped around, her face a picture of mirth, "God, you are a sucker!"
"Oh really?" George tackled her to the ground and started wrestling with her. Leo put up a fight, giving him a maximum noogie that made him grab a pillow from the bed and throw it at her. All this commotion soon woke up the rest of the room.
"Aye, George, pipe down will you? If you and your girlfriend are going to do stuff, do it outside the room. Some of us do need to sleep!" Fred reprimanded.
"Shove it Fred! She's not my girlfriend!" George grabbed Leo by the elbow and yanked her out into the Common Room. "Stupid git, needs to shut up sometimes."
"Why does he think I'm your girlfriend?" Leo asked inquisitively.
"Just because I've been hanging with you more than I've been hanging with him. He's just jealous," George said really fast, his ears turning slightly red. If Leo knew the Weasley boys better, she would have known right away that he was lying.
"Oh, I see," Leo replied, oblivious. "Well, I do think we should catch a few more hours of sleep. We've got practice tonight you know."
"Oh, goodie. Now you get to see Wood in top form. Maybe we'll even be blessed by his motivational speeches. Those are things dreams are made of."
"Sounds like a riot. Well, see you then or at dinner. Whenever."
"Righto then. Sweet dreams."
"Back atcha."