A/N: At last, another chapter. Sorry it's been so long; I had a bit of trouble getting through this one, and I haven't been working on the "near" part of the story nearly as much of late. Instead, I've been spending some time on chapters that occur a few months ahead in the story timeline. But now the muse seems to be back and chapter 17 is coming along. Would you believe that the whole story (so far), current and future chapters, totals 83 pages of typing in 10-point font, single-spaced? It's really a lot.
A correction has been made to the previous chapter (it has been edited and re-uploaded). In my reviews, Kyntor was kind enough to point out that Voldemort used the Imperius Curse on Harry in the graveyard in book 4, which he resisted successfully, so he would have no lingering doubts about his ability to do so. I completely forgot that this happened. Whenever I'm not sure about a detail I look through the books to find the answer, but if you don't remember it at all you'll never know when you make an error. If you notice any glaring mistakes in my work, please do let me know. I want my story to be accurate. Thanks for the heads-up, Kyntor!
And on that note, thanks again, everyone, for your reviews. It's good to know that I've entertained a few people for a while. Enjoy!
Chapter 16: The Quidditch Tryout
The next night, just before seven, Harry met up with Angelina, Alicia, Fred, George, and Katie in the Gryffindor common room. They had no chance for privacy there, so Angelina suggested they head for the Transfiguration classroom.
When they reached their destination, they found Professor McGonagall setting down a crate of hedgehogs in the corner. Harry remembered having to Transfigure the creatures into pincushions last year. She turned and spotted them.
"Ah, the Gryffindor Quidditch team!" she said. "I suppose you're looking for a place to hold a meeting."
"Yes," said Angelina.
"You may stay here," said Professor McGonagall, "I am nearly through. You'll be discussing Wood's replacement, then?"
"And electing a new captain," said George.
"As long as it's not you," said Professor McGonagall wryly. "Or you!" she exclaimed, fixing Fred under her stare. "Your sole ambition seems to be to wreak havoc wherever you go."
"Well, yes, in a manner of speaking," said Fred. "That and win the Quidditch Cup again this year, of course."
"Never fear, Professor," said George, grinning impishly. "We'll elect someone who's a little more responsible."
"See that you do," said Professor McGonagall, but she smiled slightly as she said it. "I'd hate to have to turn the Cup over to someone else. I've gotten rather used to victory. Well, a good evening to you all," she said, and left the room.
"So," said Angelina, "with Fred and George out that leaves four of us."
"It was always just the four of you," said Fred, rolling his eyes. "We never wanted the job."
"Any nominations?" said Angelina.
"I nominate Angelina," said Alicia. "You seem to be taking over well enough already."
"I'll second that," said George, smirking. Angelina punched him in the shoulder.
Katie, Harry, and Fred all voiced their agreement, and an obviously pleased Angelina accepted the post of team captain. "Right, then," she said briskly, "on to other business."
They agreed to hold tryouts on the coming weekend. "We're going to start training as early as possible," said Angelina. "Oliver was a fantastic Keeper and I don't think we'll be able to find any Gryffindor who can play as well as he could."
"You know what we should have done," said George, "is train a replacement for Oliver before he left."
"George, that's the most intelligent thing I've ever heard you say," said Alicia. "And speaking of replacements, next year four of us will be gone - two chasers and both beaters."
"Ugh, I'm growing wise in my old age," said George. "Ah, to be young and stupid again!"
"Let's stick to the subject," said Angelina. "You both have a point. We should have an entire reserve team: three Chasers, two Beaters, a Keeper and a Seeker. That means we need to select eight new players at tryouts."
"Sounds like a long day," said Katie.
"Plus," Angelina continued, "we're all a bit rusty from not having played last year. There's no denying that we were the best team in the school two years ago, a real powerhouse, but we've got lots to do. I'll try and book the pitch for nine on Saturday-"
"Oi, does it really have to be so early?" said Fred.
"-and the six of us will practice before that. At seven."
Fred and George groaned loudly. "Angelina, you're as bad as Wood!" said George.
"I plan to be worse," she said firmly.
"You've got N.E.W.T.s this year too, are you planning to sleep at all?" said Fred.
"You wanted someone responsible for team captain, you've got it," said Angelina.
By the next day, all the Gryffindors knew of the upcoming tryouts. Angelina had posted notices all over the common room, and everyone was buzzing at the news that every position was up for grabs on the reserve team. It seemed like half the house intended to try out; there was a chance for glory in every one of those positions. Harry had the feeling that he was going to be on the Quidditch pitch all day Saturday.
The rest of the week seemed to fly by. The fifth years were inundated with homework, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione spent every night in the library until Madam Pince shooed them out at nine. After this they were forced to return to the common room, but it was much harder to work there as everyone who wasn't in either fifth or seventh year was more interested in discussing the upcoming tryouts than anything else.
Even with all the homework they had to do, Ron convinced Harry to spend some time helping him prepare for the tryouts. "If I don't get some air time in before Saturday I'll be awful," he said.
The field was booked by the other three house teams for every evening that week, so Harry and Ron had to play at sundown when it was free. Three nights in a row they interrupted their work in the library to practice on the pitch. Ron hovered in front of the three goalposts while Harry swooped around with the Quaffle, trying to score. Harry didn't think that Ron was half bad; he wasn't nearly as good as Wood, but that was to be expected. Ron did seem to improve a bit with each practice, and Harry had to allow that if it got Ron a spot on the team, the practices had been time well spent.
Saturday morning was clear and cool with a bite of autumn in the air. Harry rose before anyone else in his dormitory, dressed for play, and headed down to the Great Hall for a quick breakfast. The rest of the team was there as well, chewing resolutely on their eggs and toast. George, who was half-asleep over his bowl of porridge, mumbled grumpily when it was time to go and refused to open his eyes. Alicia took out her wand, muttered "Wingardium Leviosa!", and George's porridge flew up out of his bowl and into his face. Whatever didn't stick fell right back into the bowl with a schloop. They all got a good laugh out of it, even George, who declared Alicia's fine prank equal to a Weasley original.
Harry walked out onto the field feeling better than he'd felt since the feast. The prophecy had finally become old news, he'd just seen George get a faceful of porridge, and best of all, it was time to play Quidditch.
Angelina set Harry to playing Keeper for the practice. "It's better for the rest of us to have a body in front of the hoops than to just let you catch that Snitch over and over," she said. Harry grinned at the buried compliment and soared up to float in front of the goals. He wasn't completely clueless, but Katie, Angelina, and Alicia scored with ease. They swooped around him, passing the Quaffle back and forth so fast that it was nothing but a red blur. By nine o'clock, Harry's head was spinning, and he was actually glad to land on the pitch again.
"Well, we know who the new Keeper isn't going to be," said Katie playfully, thumping Harry on the shoulder. "But you weren't so dreadful, really."
A large group of Gryffindors had gathered on the side of the field nearest to the castle. Angelina began sorting them out into groups by position. The group trying out for Keeper was the largest, but there were a fair number of Chaser and Beater hopefuls as well. The Seeker group was the smallest with only three, but Harry wasn't surprised. As the youngest member of the team, he still had three years to go before graduation, and whoever was picked as the reserve Seeker probably wouldn't get a chance to play until then. It was a long time to wait.
Gryffindors were not the only students who had gathered; to everyone's chagrin, several Slytherins had seated themselves in the stands, Draco Malfoy included.
"What a pathetic bunch of duffers!" Malfoy called. "Oh, look, there's two Weasleys trying out, now we know they're desperate!" His companions all laughed uproariously.
Ginny tossed her red head while her brothers looked daggers at the Slytherins.
"Awww, look at the weeny little Seekers!" said Malfoy in falsetto. "Watch out, Potty, those three are so small, they'll be blown to France by my wake."
Dennis Creevey, Maribel Madison, and Cecil Bonesteel were all second-years and admittedly lightweight. Harry had long since gotten used to such nonsense, but their faces crumpled at Malfoy's barbs.
"I don't think a four-year loser like you has any room to boast, Malfoy," called Harry.
"Ooooooo!" said several of the Gryffindors, and the second-years brightened a bit.
Malfoy opened his mouth to retort but was forestalled by Angelina. "Get out of here and take your acolytes with you," she said. "This is a closed practice."
"Since when?" sneered Malfoy.
"Since Professor McGonagall told you three days ago," Angelina snapped. "Of course, she didn't have to bother talking to Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, we knew they'd have the grace not to spy on us."
The Slytherins' faces darkened. "Don't you compare us with those Hufflepuff idiots," said Malfoy.
"One Hufflepuff has got twice as much sportsmanship as any Slytherin," said Angelina. "Now clear off before I hex you back to the Stone Age!"
The Slytherins took their time about it, throwing a few more choice insults onto the field while they went. Harry's second-years were still looking rather unhappy. "You're going to have to get used to that if you make the reserve team," he said. "The Slytherins have got some skill, but we've got more, and you only hurt yourself if you let them get to you." It seemed to help; their faces changed from uncertain to determined.
The tryouts for Keeper were already beginning with a nervous-looking third year at the hoops. "All right, Maribel, you'll go first," said Harry. "I'm going to release the Snitch, and all I want you to do is catch it as fast as you can. The Snitch changes direction a lot, so follow it closely and show me what moves you've got." He pulled the fluttering golden ball out of his pocket and let it dart from his hand. When it had vanished from view, Maribel took off, a grim expression on her face.
Harry didn't have much of a chance to watch the other tryouts. While Angelina, Alicia, and Katie fired Quaffles at prospective Keepers, he watched as each Seeker chased after the Snitch, weaving in and out of the other fliers. When Harry heard Ron's name called, it required all his self-control to keep his eye on Cecil Bonesteel and not the goalposts.
By the time all three of Harry's students had caught the Snitch, the Keeper tryouts were over and the others were nearly finished. Harry settled back to watch the remaining students. The only person to try out whom he knew well was Ginny, and she was going for Chaser. She was good – more so than the few others that he saw, proving able to stay in tight formation while avoiding the bludgers that one twin and a Beater trainee sent her way.
It was early afternoon when the last student finished their tryout. Angelina wearily promised the remaining watchers that they would have the team's decision the next morning, and everyone trooped back to the castle. Professor McGonagall met them just inside the entrance and directed them to the Great Hall where she had retained some lunch for them. Harry and the rest of the team claimed a few serving dishes and moved down to the far end of the Gryffindor table, away from the other students.
They discussed the reserve Seeker first, as only three people had tried out. Harry had already made his selection. "Dennis Creevey," he said. "None of them were very polished, but he's got the most promise. He found the Snitch first and had the fastest reflexes. If you put him up against Malfoy right now he'd lose, but with some more practice I think he could be really good."
With that settled, Harry had nothing else to do but listen to the others debate their choices for Chasers, Beaters, and Keeper. Ginny Weasley was picked as a Chaser right away. Seamus Finnigan also made the cut, and a fourth-year named Judy Fairbanks rounded out the group. Two brothers, sixth-year Barron Fidemont and his third-year brother Leonard, were chosen as the reserve Beaters.
The position of Keeper was the most hotly debated of all. After several minutes of haggling over pros and cons, Fred, George, and the girls agreed that Ron would be the new Keeper, and Paul Kirkland, a very quick second-year, would be his backup. Harry was thrilled; since he'd been unable to watch, he had no idea that Ron had performed so well.
"He's not Oliver," said Angelina, "but he's not half bad, and he has an edge on the rest of the students."
"That would be from years of playing Weasley Quidditch at home," said Fred. "Ron always played Keeper."
"I didn't know that," said Harry.
"Well, it wasn't exactly his choice," said George. "He is the youngest of us boys, after all, and Ginny always got the position she wanted because she's the only girl… in the end, he was always stuck with Keeper."
"He seems to have come to enjoy it," said Angelina. "A little rigorous practice and he'll be all polished up."
All that day, pleas from team hopefuls for hints of the lineup fell on deaf ears. Harry found himself cornered more than once by a student, but he turned them all away. Even Ginny tried to bribe him with a large bar of Honeydukes' chocolate.
To Harry's relief, Ron never pestered him about the team's decision; in fact, he was much quieter than usual. Ron seemed to be all right at lunch, but as the day progressed he was clearly sinking into self-doubt. By the time evening rolled around he had himself convinced that his tryout had been the worst of the bunch.
"I really don't think I've got a chance," said Ron for what must have been the fifth time that day. "That Paul Kirkland was pretty good, he made some nice saves, the Chasers had a hard time faking him out…" Harry was getting tired of hearing this litany. He was at a loss to understand Ron's defeatism until a concerned Hermione pulled him aside.
"Harry, I know you're not supposed to tell anyone what you decided today, but is there anything you can do to help Ron prepare? You know, a tiny little hint, or something?"
"Sorry, but I can't," Harry said. "He's just going to have to wait like everyone else."
Hermione sighed. "I know wishing doesn't make any difference now, but… I really hope he at least makes the reserve team. If he doesn't he's going to be completely unbearable."
Harry shook his head. "The only way he makes the team is if we thought he was the best Keeper, and that's it."
"Yes!" said Hermione urgently. "That's exactly it! He needs this, he really does. He lives in everyone's shadow – yours, his brothers'…"
"Don't leave yourself out," said Harry. "You're always top of the class."
"Well, maybe a little," she said, blushing and looking at her feet. "But you know what I mean, he needs a moment in the sun. After all this time he doesn't even think it's possible."
Hermione looked so unhappy that Harry longed to put her mind at ease, but somehow he held his tongue. "He'll know first thing in the morning," he said. "We'll just have to take it from there."
Harry awoke very early the next day to the sound of Seamus scrambling out of the dormitory. He rose, pulled on his dressing gown, and followed Seamus out, trying not to wake Ron, Dean, and Neville.
No sooner had Harry slipped into the stairwell than a loud whoop sounded from the common room. He hurried down the steps and saw Seamus dancing around in front of the bulletin board.
"Yes!" cried Seamus, pumping his fist in the air. "I made it, I made it!"
"Congratulations, Seamus!" said Harry, his face breaking out into a huge grin. A split second later someone slammed right into Harry's back, reminding him that he was blocking the stairs. He moved out of the way as students began piling into the common room, all of them in their pajamas. They crowded around the bulletin board, scanning the list. Harry saw the rest of the team stumbling in, rubbing their eyes.
Fred yawned dramatically. "What's all the fuss about? …Oh, right."
Harry was impressed by the way both the winners and the losers handled themselves. Most of the hopefuls were disappointed, of course, but they accepted without a quibble and congratulated the new team members. The victors, pink and pleased, accepted with grace.
Hermione and Ginny made their way over to Harry. "Oh, Harry, I'm so excited!" cried Ginny, throwing her arms around his neck. Harry was surprised to feel his face immediately start burning. It was the sort of reaction he'd expect if Cho ran up and hugged him, but this was just Ginny, his friend! She let go, her brown eyes sparkling up at him. Harry fervently hoped that his face wasn't as red as it felt.
"What about us?" said George indignantly. "How come Handsome Harry gets all the attention?"
Harry's cheeks grew even warmer, and Ginny blushed furiously. She hugged each of her brothers in turn.
"Where's Ron?" said Hermione.
"Asleep," Harry said quickly, eager to change the subject.
"What?" exclaimed Fred. "The entire House is up, and he doesn't want to see if he made the cut?"
"He's got himself convinced that he didn't," said Harry.
"Stupid git," said George. "C'mon, Fred, we're getting our brother out of bed."
They stomped up the staircase as loudly as possible and appeared moments later with Ron between them. They frog-marched him toward the bulletin board.
"No, really," moaned Ron, "I don't want to see, let me go back to bed…"
"CONGRATULATIONS, RON!" shouted Harry, Hermione, and Ginny.
Ron's jaw dropped. "Wha…?" He looked at the parchment, at the twins, and back at the parchment again. "I… I made the team?"
"That's our Ickle Ronniekins!" said Fred, thumping Ron on the back. Ron was in such a state of shock that he didn't protest the nickname. His look of disbelief was slowly replaced by complete joy, and soon he was shaking hands with the entire House.
Harry and Hermione stood to one side while the Weasley siblings hugged and cheered, savoring the moment. "I'm so happy for him," she said with a very contented smile on her face.
"He earned it," Harry replied.
"Every Weasley sibling has made the Gryffindor Quidditch team!" said George. "Well, except for Percy, the puffed-up dunderhead."
"George," said Ginny in a disapproving voice, "you know you only make matters worse when you say things like that…"
"But that's what he is, Gin, a dunderhead. He just hasn't learned to laugh at himself for it."
"Ginny, don't you go turning into mum!" said Fred. "The world's only got room for one of her."
Ron was buoyant all day long. Even a long study session in the library with Potions as the subject couldn't dampen his spirits. He responded cheerfully to Hermione's quizzing him on the essential ingredients of the Forgetfulness Potion. Snape had announced that they would be making it from memory in their next class.
"Well done!" said Hermione when Ron failed to miss a single component. "If you can remember the procedure, too, then you won't have any problems on Tuesday."
"Don't look so surprised," said Ron smugly. "I told you, I'm going to make it to Auror training."
Harry privately thought that Ron was making a good start. He had never really knuckled down to his schoolwork before, but ever since their talk with Professor McGonagall, Ron had been making an extraordinary effort. Extraordinary for him, anyway. Harry only hoped that Ron would be able to stay the course.
The Gryffindors were in a celebratory mood that day, even the students who hadn't made the team. Fred and George snuck down to both the kitchens and to Hogsmeade, and that evening the Gryffindors feasted on honeycakes and butterbeer. The common room was packed with students laughing, talking, and playing games. Harry, Ron, Neville, Seamus, and Dean were deeply involved in a round of Exploding Snap when Angelina interrupted them.
"Hey, everyone!" she shouted, standing up on a chair. The noise dropped to a low buzz. "I'd just like to take a moment to say congratulations to the new Gryffindor Reserve Quidditch Team" – applause and cheering – "and to our new Keeper, Ron Weasley!" More applause and cheers. Ron's ears were scarlet, but there was a big grin on his face. Angelina continued. "And to all of you who didn't make it, a job well done. You've all been great sports."
"Hear, hear!" cried several students, raising their butterbeers.
The noise level rose dramatically again, but Harry could still hear Fred as he shouted over to Ron. "You know, we are expecting you to be at least as good as Wood," he said with a wink.
Ron's grin slipped. Hermione glared at Fred, but he had already turned away.
As Harry watched Ron's face he felt his insides grow cold. That was exactly what Ron hadn't needed to hear.
Harry was shocked when Ron suddenly laughed. "There's no one in this school as good as Oliver was," he said lightly. "If that's what they're expecting, well, it's their own dumb fault. Come on, Dean, it's your turn."
Harry and Hermione exchanged smiles of delight. Ron had never been able to rise above the twins' needling before. As Harry's cards suddenly exploded in his face, he was thinking that this new Ron might make it into Auror training after all.