Veritas
Part Two: When I'm Gone
Chapter Thirteen – The Transfer Student
Jason Quinn was having a hard time adjusting to England. He found the fall weather colder than he was used to. Jason was sorted into Gryffindor. The hardest thing about adjusting to England was Hogwarts. He was too used to the American educational system. In the American educational system, there was inter-school rivalry, but Jason did not think that intra-school rivalry was possible. It was a strange way to run a school, if one was to ask him. Despite his homesickness, he was making friends in Hogwarts. He and Neville Longbottom became good friends, while Jason kept his distance from Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
For one thing, Hermione was too strict about following the rules. Jason was never one to follow the rules to the letter. He preferred to do things his way. Jason also figured that she was extremely observant, so he did not want to get on her bad side.
Jason could not avoid Harry and Ron. He found out that there were vacant spots on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Jason was eager to try out, but he did not know much about Quidditch. In America, they did not play Quidditch like the Europeans did. Jason was too embarrassed to admit to anyone else, but Neville that he did not know enough about Quidditch to play.
Neville was not much help. He enjoyed watching the sport, but could never remember all the rules. Neville suggested asking someone else.
"Come on, Neville. You've grown up watching it, haven't you?" asked Jason.
"Yes, but I can't remember the rules. I only pay attention to the points," said Neville. "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault. Maybe, there's a book in the library," said Jason thoughtfully.
"Why don't you ask someone?" suggested Neville. "What about Harry? Or Ron? Seamus? They know the rules pretty well."
Jason cringed at the idea of asking any of his roommates. He did not want to be laughed at. He asked Neville because he knew that Neville was a nice guy would never laugh at anyone for not knowing something.
In fact, Jason had come into Hogwarts with decent grades. He had done above average in Transfiguration, Potions, and History, while doing excellently in Charms. He had top marks in Defense Against the Dark Arts. The only thing he did not do well in was Herbology. It was his least favorite subject; it bored him to tears.
Neville helped Jason through the material. Jason became Neville's partner in the other classes. They did their homework together. Jason felt a certain kinship with Neville, but Neville did not know about Jason's parents being dead. It was a fact that Jason kept to himself; he did not want anyone feeling sorry for him.
"Why not?" asked Neville, referring to Jason's reluctance to ask any of the boys who were their roommates about Quidditch.
"Because I don't want to look stupid," replied Jason.
"It's not stupid to ask questions about things you don't know about," said Neville. "If you ask me, you're being stupid about the whole thing."
"Let me think. Who could I ask without being judged? I asked you because I knew you wouldn't laugh," said Jason.
Neville looked thoughtful for a moment. "Maybe, you could ask Ginny. She's already on the team as a Chaser. I'm sure she'd help you without laughing too much. And she won't tell the others, if you ask her not to," said Neville after a second.
"Now, there's an idea," said Jason. "Thanks. I'd knew you'd come up with something."
Neville shook his head. He knew that Jason's praise was genuine. "No problem," he muttered. "By the way, did you finish the Herbology homework?"
Jason rolled his eyes at him. "What'd you think?"
"Weren't you the one who said that you have to test N.E.W.T. level?" asked Neville.
"You sound like Hermione Granger," said Jason. "I can't stand her."
Neville's cheeks flushed for a moment. "She's nice. And she means well."
"Oh, I see," said Jason with a devilish grin.
"You're not seeing anything," grumbled Neville.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever," said Jason. "I'm going to go look for Ginny Weasley. See if she can't help me." He had business to deal with other than teasing Neville. He did not like picking on people away. At least, people who did not deserve it.
He went down to the common room, and he saw the Creevey brothers looking at their latest set of photographs. Jason walked up to them. "Hey, do you know where Ginny Weasley is?"
"I think she's out with the Quidditch team right now for practice," answered Colin.
Dennis was holding up a picture, "I've got one of you, Jason."
"Can I see?" asked Jason. He had to get rid of it. "Is this the only copy you've got?"
"We've got the negatives," answered Colin.
"I see," said Jason. "Do you mind if I keep this?"
"Why keep a picture of yourself?" asked a voice from behind them. It was Ron. The team had returned from the practice.
"I'm going to send it to my uncle," replied Jason with a shrug. "I want to show him that I'm adjusting well. He worries."
Hermione walked in with a large stack of books in her arms and an overstuffed bag. "How did practice go?" she asked breathlessly.
"Harry's worried," replied Ginny as she shook off some of the excess dirt on her robes. She had to take a bit of dive around the dirt pit under the goal rings. The bottom of her robes were still dust covered. "He says we haven't got a prayer if we're going to play against the Slytherins without a decent Beater. Jack Sloper keeps breaking something. An arm or a leg. I don't think he can take much more of it. On top of that, he keeps missing the Bludgers."
"I could play," said Jason in a quiet voice, not realizing that he had spoken out loud.
"You can?" asked Ron. "I thought Americans didn't play Quidditch like we did."
"I have awesome reflexes. That's all you need to play Quidditch halfway decent. And by the sounds of it, you haven't got much of a chance," said Jason with a smirk.
"Then, you can tryout next practice," said Harry as he appeared at the doorway. "I had to take Jack to the infirmary. So you can tryout Jason."
Jason nodded. "I just need to get some practice in. I'll use the school broomstick for now to practice."
"Why don't you borrow a decent broom from someone? The school's brooms aren't that great," said Ginny. "You can borrow mine." She was blushing a little, which made her brother glare at Jason.
"That won't be necessary. If I can't perform well on a bad broom, then I don't belong on the team. I know that it doesn't make much sense, but it's the flyer, not the broom that makes the difference," said Jason. "But thanks anyway."
Jason knew that Neville was right. He also knew that Ginny liked him, despite Ron not being happy about it. Ginny would want to help Jason, if he asked. He had the picture in his hand still, deciding that he would send it to Dennis Ahmed after all. He could also ask about getting a broomstick. Jason made a mental note to go through the Creevey brothers' stash of photos and negatives. He had absolute confidence that he would make it into the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
Jason waited until after dinner before approaching Ginny. He had to be careful. He did not want to get her hopes up and hurt her feelings. He did not just think of Ron and her other brothers, but he had to keep his secrets about the Veritas. Jason had written to Dennis Ahmed to send the picture and requisition a broomstick.
Ginny had only told her brother about going with Dean Thomas to irk him. She was not really going out with anyone. After a long term crush on Harry Potter that went no where and getting dumped by Michael Corner for Cho Chang, Ginny decided to wait a while before trying again. However, she thought that Jason Quinn was mysterious and one of those cool rebel types. He was handsome.
"Um…Ginny, there's something I wanted to ask you," said Jason quietly after dinner. Hermione, Harry, and most importantly, Ron were distracted. "I wanted to ask you for your help."
"I'll try," said Ginny, feeling her ears heat up.
"Actually, I really need help with Quidditch," admitted Jason in a low tone. "I don't know all the rules and stuff. I've never played before."
Ginny's eyes widened. "But, you said you could play. Why did you say that you could?" she whispered.
"That's why I need your help," whispered Jason. "Are you going to help me or aren't you? You don't want to lose to the Slytherin team, do you?"
Ginny shook her head. "Meet me at the common room," she sighed. "I'll try to help you as much as possible. I don't know if I can."
"Neville said you would. Besides, he said that you've grown up in a house with brothers playing Quidditch. I'm sure that you can help me," said Jason confidently.
"How can you be so sure?" asked Ginny with a raised eyebrow.
"Because I can see it," replied Jason as he got up from the table.
"Where are you going?" asked Ginny.
"To the library. I'm going to get some books," answered Jason, noticing that Ron was not so distracted anymore.
Jason went to the library, looking through books. He found one that was a lot of help, Quidditch Through the Ages by Kennilworthy Whisp. He skimmed through reading only parts of it thoroughly. He had not told Ginny when he would be at the common room. Jason skimmed through the book. The section on fouls was massive. He was glad he was not trying out for Seeker. Jason carefully read the section on Beaters and what they did.
He read until he was kicked out of the library by Madame Pince. Jason went back to the common room and found Ginny asleep in one of the chairs in front of the fireplace. The fire was ablaze; Jason knew that the House Elves had taken care of things. House Elves were not common in the Americas. Those used were paid for their work.
"Ginny, I'm sorry. I lost track of time in library," whispered Jason as he crouched down to wake her. There was no one else in the common room. Ginny woke with a start. "Sorry," he murmured again.
Ginny's cheeks turned nearly as red as her hair. "That's okay," she said. She was happy to see him because she thought he had forgotten about meeting with her. She noticed how blue his eyes were at the moment. They were a lighter shade of blue than her mother's, which Bill, Percy, and Ron had inherited.
"Are you ready now?" he asked. "Or is it too late?" He took a seat on a nearby chair that was more than an arm's length away from her. She felt cold suddenly when he pulled away from her. She pulled closer to the fire to warm up again, but it was not the same.
"No, it's not. You have good timing. Ron's already in bed. He kept asking when I'd go to bed," said Ginny. "Did you find anything that helped you in the library?"
"Yes, but it's very confusing. Could you just go over the basics without going in depth?" asked Jason.
Ginny smiled and began explaining the basics of Quidditch to Jason. Ginny carefully explained what a Beater was supposed to do. She kept assuring him that the person most in danger on a Quidditch pitch was the Seeker. Ginny told him how a Beater could get a foul by using examples from when Fred and George were on the team. Some of what she said eased the nervousness that Jason was feeling, but amplified others.
"I hope you do tryout and get in. We really need some help. Like I said, I don't think that Jack can take anymore," said Ginny. "Besides, I'm afraid he'll clip me with a Bludger next game." She gave a nervous laugh. Jason yawned.
"I'm going to bed. Are you going?" asked Jason as he stood up to stretch a little.
"Yes. Good luck," said Ginny as she turned towards the girls' staircase.
"One more thing," said Jason. Ginny turned with an inquisitive look. "Would you mind not telling anyone about this? About me not knowing anything really about Quidditch."
"No problem. I won't tell anyone," promised Ginny, giving him another reassuring smile. "You'll do fine."
"Thanks, Ginny."
"You're welcome, Jason."
Ginny waited until Jason went up the boys' staircase to go to bed before going up, too. She was thinking about Jason. She had gotten to know him better that night, but getting to know him better made her want to know more about him. She smiled as she went into her room and went to sleep.
The day that Jason tried out for the Quidditch team it was raining. Jason looked at the gloom outside and sighed. "Hey, you'll be fine," said Neville, reading his thoughts. "It's only a little rain."
"A little rain? There's hardly any visibility outside," said Jason. "Oh, could you check my Herbology homework?"
Neville took it from him and looked it over. "Not bad, but you got number four wrong."
"What's the answer?"
"It's in your notes," answered Neville. Jason grumbled while hunting for his notes, knowing that pestering Neville to give him the answer would just waste time. He found the roll of parchment, skimmed it, found the answer, and corrected it on the homework.
"Let's go," said Jason. "I'm starving."
They went down for breakfast in the Great Hall. The minute Jason sat down, someone called him, "Hey Yank! I heard that you were going to tryout for the Gryffindor Quidditch team." It was the malicious voice of Draco Malfoy. Jason did not bother to turn around. Draco was not worth even looking at.
"That's right," said Jason calmly.
"They must be really desperate," said Draco.
"Not as desperate as you, baby Death Eater," said Jason with a grin. "You must be scared, if you're paying so much attention to me right now. You're afraid that I'll make a decent Beater and Slytherin won't have a chance."
Ron sputtered when he heard Jason say "baby Death Eater." Harry grinned as he looked at Jason. Hermione choked back a giggle, while Neville seized up. The rest of the Gryffindors were laughing.
"Watch it, Half-Blood," said Draco warningly. He had taken an immediate dislike to Jason when he had first arrived.
"Better to be a Half-Blood than a pureblood like you," said Jason, still not turning around. "We won't have to wait very long, baby Death Eater. Your family will just breed itself inward until you cease to exist. Muggle science has proven that."
"Leave him alone," said Ginny out loud without looking at Draco.
Draco had a grin on his face. "So, you're defending another boy, Weasley?" Jason stood up at that moment. Jason turned to face Draco, using his height to intimidate him. Draco took a step back. Jason's eyes were blazing. "You were kind enough to warn me, so I'll give you the same courtesy. Watch it, baby Death Eater."
"What is going on here?" demanded Professor McGonagall. Draco scowled. "What are you up to, Mr. Quinn?"
"Nothing, Professor McGonagall," replied Jason with a winning grin, which did not impress her. She knew about his reputation from the other school. Jason was a contender for the empty school prankster spot that Fred and George Weasley had once filled. Professor McGonagall knew that Jason was suspected of several pranks, but was never caught.
Professor McGonagall looked at the other students. "Mr. Malfoy, move along," she decided after a moment. Draco walked back to the Slytherin table, but he threw a glare back at Jason. It was odd that Jason did not get him into trouble like most Gryffindors normally would do. "Do behave yourself, Quinn."
"Well, do, Professor," said Jason, fighting the compulsion to salute her.
"Please stop smiling like that, Quinn," ordered Professor McGonagall. Jason immediately stopped. She walked onward, while Jason sat back down.
"That was awfully brave of you," said Ron. "Anyone else in Gryffindor would have turned in Malfoy."
"There's no point in kicking a dog while he's down, Ron," said Jason. "His father's already in Azkaban. I have better things to do with my time. And I plan on shutting him up when I tryout for the team."
"It's raining hard, so don't think you're going to get off easy just because of that," said Harry. "I plan to win the cup this year, Jason."
"I'll try my best," said Jason.
The owls flew in with the morning mail and other deliveries. Jason had used one of the school's owls because he did not have one of his own. The school owl came back with a message for him from Dennis Ahmed. Jason smiled when he read the note because Dennis said Jason could have a broomstick, if he made the team. Dennis also warned him about the pictures that the Creevey brothers were taking. Jason had to dispose of all the negatives along with any other copies the brothers had made. Jason added it to his list of things to do.
Jason and Neville went off to class with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Ginny went to class with her friends, but not without taking another glance at Jason as she left. She was wondering about him. He was unlike any person she had ever met. He was fun, but at the same time very serious about something. Ginny hoped that Jason would make the team.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Michael Corner and Cho Chang walking together to class. She bit her lip as her friends looked at her sympathetically. Of course, Ginny was still a little broken up over Michael. He was her first boyfriend. He had dumped her for the stupidest reason: Ravenclaws and Gryffindors are not meant to mix. That was what she got from all of his blabbering. Ginny did not listen to most of it. It hurt too much to listen to all of it. Before Michael could finish his farewell speech, Ginny had cut him off telling him to shut up.
Even though she tried to make it look like she was not that hurt, for Ron's sake, it made her feel inadequate. As if she was not meant to have anyone like her. She did not feel like anyone would like her after Michael. She thought of her crush on Harry that went no where. This served to steel Ginny against Jason. She did not know what his motives were. Maybe, he was just playing around with her as well. The point was that Ginny did not know Jason that well. If there was one thing that she knew for certain it was that Jason was hiding some big secret. Or several secrets. Ginny could not tell at the moment.
When the lessons ended for the day, Jason went out to the pitch to get ready for his tryout. Neville had joined him for moral support. He watched Jason fly around on one of the school's brooms. It was the best one that they could find, but it was not all that great. It kept bucking at the worst times, nearly throwing Jason off. The broomstick would also suddenly stop, causing Jason to drop his Beater club.
"Maybe, you should borrow another broom," suggested Neville, wincing when the broomstick came to a sudden stop.
"I said I could do the tryouts on one of the school's brooms. I can't go back on what I said. I'd look like a hypocrite," muttered Jason.
"You're just being stubborn. You're going to get killed," said Neville. He was not joking. "You've got to borrow one. You want to make the team, don't you?"
"Yes," answered Jason, rolling his eyes at Neville. "Honestly, you worry too much, Neville. I'm too stupid to die this way."
"I'm not disagreeing with you," said Neville. "But, I think you should borrow a broomstick from someone. A decent one."
"You worry too much," repeated Jason. "My guardian said that I can't get a broomstick until I make it on the team."
Neville looked at Jason strangely for a moment. It was the first time that Jason mentioned any kind of family. Jason did not say a specific relative, but "guardian." It made Neville wonder. "Don't you have parents?" asked Neville a quiet voice.
Jason looked at him, but got no chance to reply. The Gryffindor Quidditch team entered the pitch, saving Jason from responding. He pursed his lips together. "Hey everyone!" he declared jovially, turning his attention away from Neville.
Neville was not hurt by his reaction. He recognized it in himself. Neville decided not to press Jason any further. He hoped that any other person would do the same.
Harry glanced at Ron for a moment. "Are you ready?" asked Harry.
"Yes," replied Jason, noticing that there were spectators arriving, including Draco Malfoy with a group of Slytherins. There were also people from Gryffindor. Jason looked impassively at all of them.
"Then, let's see what you can do. Ginny, Alicia, and Natalie will be throwing Quaffles at you. See if you can deflect them," said Harry.
Ginny, Alicia, and Natalie mounted their brooms and took off. Jason propelled his broom to meet them. Hermione took a seat next to Neville. "How do you think he'll do?" asked Hermione.
"I think he'll do fine," said Neville, but he gave her an apprehensive look. "It's the broomstick that I'm worried about."
Jason looked at each one of the chasers. They each had a Quaffle in their hands. Ginny was in the center. He knew that she was not about to let him join the team just because he was new and needed a chance. Natalie looked a little unsure of herself, while Alicia was looking straight at him. It reminded Jason of a firing squad.
Harry took his position at a higher level to see everything better, while Ron took his position at the goal. Andrew hovered nearby with his Beater's club ready. Jason took a deep breath as Harry shouted, "GO!"
The Chasers threw the Quaffles simultaneously. Jason knew that he was not supposed to hit them all. That was impossible. He ducked the Quaffle from Ginny, which was aimed at his head, and hit the one thrown by Alicia. He let the one from Natalie drop. Ron swooped underneath them and grabbed the Quaffle that Natalie threw before it could hit the ground.
This was part of the plan that Harry had devised. Ron came up from behind Jason before he could turn because the Chasers had torn off after him. Ron threw the Quaffle hard at Jason. He almost got hit, but swung his Beater club to deflect it. He barely had time to turn. Jason had miscalculated; the Quaffle flew towards Ginny who had no defense. It was going to fast.
"AH!" she managed to scream just as the Quaffle struck her. She had been knocked off her broom. Alicia and Natalie took after her, but only got Ginny's broomstick.
"GINNY!" shouted Ron as he willed his broom to go faster. Harry darted from his position to catch her. Andrew was too far, but went towards Ginny.
Jason had been the closest, so he instinctively went to Ginny, catching her in his arms. "Got you!" he declared, holding her steady. Ginny looked at him with surprise. "Are you okay?" he asked. Ginny nodded.
Harry was the first one to arrive after Jason. "Are you all right?" he asked. Ron came just when Harry did, and he was followed shortly by Alicia, Natalie, and Andrew.
"I'm fine. Good catch, Jason," said Ginny as she gave him a weak smile. He gave her a smile that made her feel weaker.
"Yeah, good catch," agreed Ron, looking so pale that his freckles were darker. "What do you say, Harry?"
All eyes were on Harry. "Not bad. You knew better than to hit all of the Quaffles, which means that you know how to dodge well," said Harry. "You just need watch your aim a bit more." They all went back down to the ground. Harry glanced up at the stands and noticed that the Slytherin were not making any of their usual jokes. On the contrary, Draco's face was twisted into a scowl.
Harry smiled because that meant that Jason was a threat to Slytherin's chances. Jason released Ginny from his grip as soon as they were back on the ground. Ron rushed over to her to look her over to make sure that she was all right. "I'm really sorry, Ginny," muttered Ron. "I'm sorry."
"Shut up, Ron. Stop apologizing," said Ginny, her ears turning red.
"Are you sure you're all right?" asked Ron. "Maybe we should go to the—"
"I don't want to go to the infirmary, Ron!" exclaimed Ginny.
"Well, I guess this sort of blew my chances, didn't it?" asked Jason, glancing at Harry. "I could hear it coming, but I wasn't fast enough."
"Didn't you hear what I said up there?" asked Harry. He sighed when Jason shook his head. "I said that you have to watch your aim more."
Jason's eye widened. "I'm on the team?" he asked.
"Yeah, you're on the team," answered Harry with a grin. "Looks like we've got ourselves a new Beater!"
"Yeah! Woohoo!" exclaimed Jason happily.
"What next?" asked Ron. He almost got smacked upside the head by Ginny. It was enough of a threat to make him decide against Ginny going to the infirmary.
"BRING ON THE BLUDGERS!" shouted Jason with a laugh.
The rest of the team shook their heads at him before joining in with his laughter. Jason's laughter was infectious.
Written by kirikarin
Beta Read by IvyDragon
AN: I decided to take a break from Percy's angst to develop Jason's character a bit more. I know that a lot of people are big Harry/Ginny shippers, but I've never been much of a proponent for it. J.K. Rowling writes from Harry's perspective of things; she supports Ron/Hermione, but I haven't seen enough evidence for Harry/Ginny. I'm not saying that Jason and Ginny are going to become an item. He's got to hide a lot of things from people, and as a member of the Veritas, he can't let anyone get too close to him.
Jason does have some problems that he hides behind his more extroverted personality. This is the reason why he made friends with Neville. He doesn't know exactly what Neville is hiding, but Jason feels he can relate to Neville better than he can to the other boys. Besides, Jason has to keep a bit of distance between himself and the Golden Trio, especially Hermione. If anyone can figure out that he's not what he seems, it's her.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. This story belongs to me and cannot be posted anywhere else without my permission.