Disclaimer: I (most likely) do not own the following story
Chapter Thirteen: Of Quidditch
The next day went by so slowly that James felt he could have walked to the nearest town and back before a minute had passed. But, eventually, tomorrow came like tomorrow often does. James couldn't pay attention in any of his classes; he was too busy going over every skill, rule, detail, any anything that he could remember about Quidditch. After the last class of the day he, Sirius, Carolina, and Peter (who had decided to tryout 'just for the heck of it') bolted up to their rooms to change into their Quidditch robes. Seven o'clock just couldn't come fast enough, but when it finally arrived on the scene, it found the Gryffindor captain, Artemis Wood, pacing back and forth in front of twenty three hopeful second through seventh years.
"All right you lot," he began at precisely seven, "this team has won the past two years, and that is a winning streak I intended to extend. If you are not prepared to work your hardest every second the team needs you, you might as well walk back up to Gryffindor tower." Faces began to pale as they realized this guy meant business. A few people back up a few steps, but none left outright. Seeing that no one was going to give him more of a reaction than that, Wood continued.
"There are only a few spots open on the team. We already have a beater, a keeper, and two chasers. If you don't make the team this year, tryout next year, because we'll be loosing two of them, three if one keeps his grades up. Now, separate into four groups. Chaser wannabes, by the far goals." Seven of their number (including Peter) left for the long march down the field. "Beaters, by the stands over there." Sirius gave James an encouraging nod and winked at Carolina as he followed five others to the indicated spot. "Seekers, head to the center of the pitch." James walked off with five others, leaving four students behind with Wood.
"Hallo!" said a cheerful voice. It was Katarina Reynolds, one of the remaining chasers. "Since we don't have a seeker, I'll be watching you tryout and choosing who makes the team. I don't accept bribes, so just don't think about it. One person will be our A team seeker, and the second best will be backup in case our first seeker dies, is injured, etcetera. Who wants to go first?" No one moved, but then a burly fifth year moved forward.
"I will," he said in a deep voice.
"Alright then," agreed
Katarina. "Mount up. I'll throw little balls at you, and catch as many as you
can." The fifth year nodded, and flew up into the air. James watched, holding
his breath. In order to make the team at all he had to be better than four of
these people beside him. The fifth year was good, but his weak point was his
left side. He caught seventeen out of twenty though, and when they came back to
the ground Katarina was nodding in approval. She wrote something down on a
little scrap of parchment and tucked it down the front of her robes.
"Who's next?" she asked. James raised a shaky hand.
"I'll go," he said, wishing his voice didn't squeak so much. Katarina gave him an encouraging smile, and shot off into the air. James followed suit, and prepared himself. When Katarina saw he was settled, she began pegging Muggle golf balls this way and that. He dodged through them carefully, using all of the skills he had to catch as many as possible and drop them to the ground when he did, ready for the next one. As time went on, he lost count of how many he had caught, and was surprised when Katarina ran out of balls. "How many did I get?" he asked wiping the sweat off his forehead.
"You caught seventeen," she replied. James mentally slapped himself. Why didn't he just catch one more bloody ball? Now he was tied for first, and there were still four more students to tryout.
In the end, three people were tied for first, James, the fifth year, and a third year.
"Thanks for coming out," Katarina was addressing the three who didn't make the first cut, "try again next year all right?" They nodded dejectedly, and quietly made their way down the field, downtrodden and upset. "Now, as for you," Katarina turned back to James and the others, "you're all just as good as each other at catching, now we're going to look at your speed. On my whistle, you're going to do two laps around the pitch as fast as you can. On your mark…Get set…TWEET!" The piercing whistle ripped through the air as the three competitors swarmed into the air, trying to get a convincing lead over the others. James had a good kickoff, and was soon tearing through the air in front of the others. Then the third year bent low over her broom and swept ahead, nearly knocking James off of his Shooting Star. While he wobbled around trying to regain control, the fifth year passed him as well.
James wanted to shout at himself. Never wobble like that, and don't let them pass you! He came back fast, twisting almost sideways through a sharp curve, and thereby pulling ahead of the fifth year.
Only one lap left, James thought. But that girl is too far ahead! He bowed low over the broom handle, becoming as aerodynamic as possible. The broom surged through the air as though it felt James's need for speed. As they entered the final stretch the fifth year was definitely down for the count. Now it was just between the girl and James. Every second James was closing the gap a little bit more, but every second the girl was getting closer to the finish line. I can't loose this now! James thought wildly. He willed his broom to go faster, wanting it with every fiber in his body. He was neck and neck with the girl now, five yards away from where Katarina was standing. James closed his eyes and flew his hardest. Only when he heard a distant cheer did he look up. Katarina was below him, and the girl was behind him. He sank happily to the ground.
"Excellent flight, Potter," she said. "Jessie, you were amazing, but he beat you by two seconds." She turned concernedly to the girl beside her.
"Hey no hard feelings," she said quietly. "Great race Potter." There was something strange about her voice, but James couldn't quite put his finger on it. He forgot that when she held out her pale hand, and James shook it, surprised at how fragile she seemed on the ground compared to the fierce competitor she was in the air. Jessie caught him staring, and he blushed.
"And you," he replied. Katarina smiled, and wrapped and arm around his sweaty shoulders.
"Welcome to the team, Potter," she said, tussling his already messy hair. James grinned so wide he felt his mouth would stretch off his face, but he didn't care. He had made the team. He and Katarina walked over to where Wood was standing in the middle of the pitch.
"Hey Wood," she called out, waving energetically. "I've got you a Seeker!" Wood smiled.
"Congratulations, James. Here comes the rest of the team now. I believe you know Sirius?" James looked around to see a happy Sirius running up the pitch, hopping up and down, and singing.
"I made it, I made it, I made it, I made it…" James grinned.
"Alright you lot," Wood began, once they were all here. Everyone say your name and your year and your position. You'll be stuck together for most of the year, so get used to one another. I'm Artemis Wood, Sixth year, Keeper."
"I'm Barry Hudson, Fourth year, Beater."
"Sirius Black, Second year, Beater."
"Katarina Reynolds, Seventh year, Chaser."
"James Potter, Second year, Seeker."
"Bethany Pierson, Seventh year, Chaser."
"Jason Smith, Seventh year, Chaser."
"All right," said Wood. "Our B team includes Carolina Richardson as a Keeper, Jessie Windham as a Seeker…" Wood continued talking, but James wasn't paying attention. He had made the team. He had done something he had wanted to do since he was a boy. He was a seeker. When Wood finished talking, he and Sirius turned to leave, and ran smack into Carolina.
"You guys made the team? That's AWESOME!" she was genuinely happy for them, though they could tell that her voice held a trace of self pity. Sirius and James each threw an arm around her shoulder.
"Hey, you made B team! That's great. And when Wood leaves in two years, you're sure to make the team," James said, trying to console her.
"Yeah, I guess. Has anyone seen Peter?" she asked. The boys shook their heads and scanned the fields.
"I don't see him anywhere. C'mon, he's probably back up in the Common Room." Sirius was as giddy as a toddler with a lollypop, skipping the whole way up to castle, occasionally bursting into song.
"I made it, I made it, I made it, I made it…" When the ecstatic trio reached the common room, Remus and Lily were waiting expectantly by the Portrait Hole.
"Well…?" asked Lily. James and Sirius simultaneously burst into song, and Sirius grabbed Lily's hands and hopped around with her in an obscure sort of victory dance. Remus and Carolina watched, one with an eyebrow raised and a grin, the other with a smile that seemed a bit like a grimace. When Lily finally got Sirius to stop, she looked at Carolina while trying to get a grip on her unruly hair. Carolina shrugged.
"Wood's the Keeper. I'm the B team Keeper, though!" She tried to keep a happy tone in her voice, but Lily could tell that she wasn't terribly happy with her self. Lily gave her best friend a one-armed hug around the shoulders.
"Hey, where's Peter?" wondered Remus. Sirius stopped bouncing.
"We thought he already came up here. He didn't make the team so we figured he had left…" Sirius sounded worried, and he had a reason to. Peter wasn't the quickest of the lot. He was smart, it just took him awhile to get where he was going, or to react. If a bunch of pissed Slytherins found him…
Just when they were about to set off looking for him, Peter himself burst through the Portrait Hole.
"Hallo there," he said, face flushed and blonde hair falling lightly in his watery eyes.
"Peter where were you?" asked Lily, concerned.
"Oh, around," he said vaguely. "Nowhere important. Sirius, James, congratulations. I heard you made the team! That's brilliant." If any of them noticed the sudden change in the subject, they didn't mention it. They were just happy that Peter had made it back.
"Not that they cared," he thought dejectedly. " 'Let's just go on up to the Common Room and forget all about Peter. He's not even good enough to make the team…" But he did notice that Carolina hadn't made it either, and it made him the slightest bit happier in a guilty sort of way. He sighed.
"I'm beat," he announced loudly. "Anyone for sleep?" Carolina, Sirius, and James nodded, and stumbled up the stairs to their respective dorm, wiped out from the tryouts.
"So, Lily, up for another game of chess?" Remus asked.
"Do you never tire of that game?" Lily wondered.
"Well..."
"You only like playing with me cause you beat me all the time," she accused. Remus shook his head.
"No. Well, okay, sort of." Here Lily went after him with a pillow, an attack he easily deflected. "Back off Lily, only joking! I enjoy your company, that's all." Lily noticed that Remus had a weird look on his face, and she didn't like that look on him. He was studying her too closely.
She sighed. "Sorry Remie, maybe some other night. I think Carolina needs a friend right now…" Remus nodded, tucking his weird look behind his normal mask of obscured normalcy. She sighed again and jogged up the stairs to the dorm.
Taryn was on her bed finishing Defense homework. "Lily, how many ways are there to kill a Gargantuan Whimbarg?"
"Erm…thirty-seven, I think," Lily said.
"Thanks."
"No problem. Where's Carolina?"
"I think she's taking a shower." Lily nodded and flopped onto her bed, picking up The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
"Haven't you already read that?" asked Carolina. She was walking out of the bathroom with her pajamas on and a towel on her head. Lily nodded.
"At least a hundred times. Are you okay?"
"Okay about what?" Carolina feigned ignorance, toweling her hair dry. When she finished, her hair remained straight for two seconds, and then defiantly poofed out to its normal state of curly chaos.
"Damn," Carolina muttered, yanking it back into a scrunchie. Lily put her book down on the table, leaving it open to page 67, and sat cross legged on her best friend's bed.
"Seriously, are you okay? You had that look on your face down there, and-"
"What look?" Carolina asked, sitting across from Lily.
"Erm, how do I describe it…kinda like your restraining yourself from hurting something?" Carolina laughed.
"Oh you mean that look. Mum calls it my 'kick ass' look." Lily giggled. If her mum had ever said that, Lily would have died of shock. "Yeah, I guess I'm okay…I just really really really wanted to make it, but I guess Artemis or whatever is a ton better than I am."
"No he's not. He's just older. Trust me. One day you'll get to be Keeper, and you'll be better than Artemis ever was."
"Thanks," Carolina said softly. She looked over at Taryn and Peyton, who had just walked in the room a few seconds before. "Anyone for poker?"
(A/N) Howdy! I just love Quidditch, don't you? Friendly reminder: I am going on Spring Break starting Thursday, so I won't be able to update for awhile. Sorry! Fowl-Star—Brittany, I need a description of you (no, I'm not a stalker-just hair color or something.) cause I'm going to need a prefect in my next chappie, so it might as well be you (If you want, I'll have Remus comment on how smart you are or your beauty or something…;*) by the way, Mickey Mouse says Hi! Elfmoon87- I know the feeling (about homework). It just never stops. I think the teachers enjoy watching us suffer. Fluffy the Teddy Bear Slayer- what? Keily- *shudder* don't remind me. I didn't mean to keep switching them, but one of them was too close to her real last name (plus I didn't like it) so I had to change it, and I didn't catch all of them. Sorry :*( Avebury- I'll try. About the camp thing-you are going to help me write it! I'll write it at camp, mail it to you, you can type it and upload it. Simple as pie (I like pie). How was your vacation roping cattle? Mine was slightly on the boring side…oh well. I got to swim with sting rays though! And pet them and everything. It was very super cool. The twin bratz were freaked out the WHOLE time! It was great! Dani- Hey Braney! I'm sorry that I haven't read the story yet! I will, I promise, it's just that I'm not technically allowed to go on fanfiction, so that presents a minor problem. I will read it as soon as I can, though! Yes, I wanted someone to beat Remus at chess (though I think he let her win…not sure yet…). Please don't boycott my story! PLEASE! I have to keep making fun of Siri! It's so fun ((ouch! Siri, don't hit me! Jeez, you're so touchy!))…and yet I think that that my boyfriend can't talk to me b/c he's in a cult line is most definitely the weirdest thing I've ever heard…except maybe Octopus's Garden by the Beatles (I'd like to be…under the sea…in an octopus's garden…in the shade)…
