Chapter Eight: Quidditch Training
There were less than two months remaining before the tryouts for the Gryffindor Quidditch team would be held. He had to train Colin and Hermione. He knew that Colin would not be too difficult. He was a good flier and was very confident on a broomstick. All that needed to be done was to teach him how to control his movements and actions. Harry decided to call over Fred or George to give Colin a few tips. One night Harry told Colin to meet him in the Quidditch field after supper. Colin was excited for having been summoned by the famous Harry Potter. He promptly made his way to the field. Harry was already there. Along with him was George Weasley.
'Hi Colin', said Harry, 'I've called you here to tell you that you have great potential in Quidditch. I've seen you fly and you have all the qualities to be a great beater. However you are a bit too restless. As a beater the safety of the whole team is dependent on you. So you must not try any fancy maneuvers unless you are totally sure about it. Not only will you fail in that you also would be giving a chance to the opposing beater to attack our players. I've asked George to help you to improve. You must practice everyday with some of your friends until the tryouts. I'm confident that with your skill you would be able to make the team'
Colin looked pleased. 'Thanks Harry', he said, 'I'll try my best'.
Harry watched as George was helping Colin. George seemed a very good instructor. By the end of the evening Harry could see the difference. Colin had already started improving. So in all likelihood two of the five places in the team were already taken by Colin and Ginny. They would have to do well in the tryouts though.
The difficult proposition however was that of teaching Hermione. He didn't know where to start. He told Hermione that the first lesson would be on the twenty third of September. Since this was to be kept secret Hermione and he went under the invisibility cloak and made their way to the field.
'Okay Hermione, just mount your broom and show me how much you can fly. Obviously don't go very high', said Harry.
Hermione hesitated. Harry assured her of her safety before she continued. Harry noticed the she could handle her broom well while flying in a straight horizontal line. The problem was there in turning and changing height. This was better than what Harry had expected. Since he did not have to coach Colin he decided that he would coach Hermione twice a week instead of once.
'Hermione when you are turning you have to slow down your speed considerably. You body weight has to be on the opposite side of your turn otherwise the broom may overturn. Once the turn is complete you can accelerate again. Once you've mastered this technique you can try high- speed turns but not before. Now you and I will mount the same broom but it will be you who'll control it. In case you make a mistake I will correct it. Ready?'
Both Harry and Hermione sat on the Nimbus two thousand and three. Hermione was in the front. Her turns were scratchy to start with but improved with time. There was one moment where Harry thought that both of them would fall but he manged to control the broom in the nick of time. Hermione was not discouraged by this and kept on trying until she showed definite signs of improvements. Harry had encouraging words for her at the end of the first practice.
'That wasn't bad at all for the first time. You will have to practice daily though. I am hoping that you would be able to high-speed turns within a week. Since I don't have to teach Colin anymore I will be teaching you twice a week. How about Mondays and Fridays?'
Hermione looked very pleased and flattered. 'That would be excellent Harry. I can't thank you enough for helping me out. I will practice hard everyday to make sure your efforts are not in vain. By the way I've got your sixty Galleons. I'll give them to you when we get to the common room.
They walked back to the common room under the invisibility cloak. Hermione gave Harry his sixty Galleons. They said goodnight and went off to their respective dormitories.
For the next few nights everybody saw very little of Hermione. She spent all her time practicing. By the next lesson with Harry she could turn at low speeds easily. Harry gave her a demonstration of high-speed turning. It was done in the same way but movements had to be quicker. Hermione practiced high-speed turns for the next few days.
A week from the first lesson Harry saw that Hermione could fly perfectly at a given height. So he decided to advance to teaching her how to change heights.
'First you have to tilt your broom to the desired direction. Normally while going up one has to accelerate and while coming down has to slow down. Of course there are exceptions like the Worski Feint. But you will never have to do that. Unlike in the case of turning you body weight has to be in the direction of motion. Once you have reached the desired height you have to straighten your broom before going any further.'
Again Harry and Hermione sat on the same broom. This time Hermione did not learn fast. She had problems especially while going up. It required two more lessons with Harry before he gave her the green light to practice herself. But when he saw her the next time he was amazed. She had improved greatly. Despite not having much talent she had a lot of determination. Harry deeply admired this. In another week Hermione could fly perfectly. Now all that Harry had to do was to teach her how to pass and catch a quaffle and how to shoot goals. He thought that it would be a piece of cake after having taught her to fly. During her next lesson Harry had also brought his own broomstick. It was a tight fit with two people and two broomsticks under an invisibility cloak.
'Now we will catch and pass the quaffle to each other. Never take both your hands of the broom. Use your body to hold onto the quaffle while flying. Catching and passing will have to be done one-handed'
They climbed onto their brooms and started practicing. Hermione's passes were strong and accurate but she fumbled a few times while catching. None of them were disappointed with this. They knew that all that was required was practice. To Harry's amazement Hermione had a very strong throw. Her throws at the goal were the fastest he had seen. This was surprising because she had a slim body. Just when he thought that Hermione was ready for the tryouts he remembered something. He hadn't taught her how to dodge a bludger if the beaters weren't around. Though it was instinctive for anyone who knew how to fly, he wanted to complete his job.
So in the last class Harry casually threw a few bludgers at Hermione who avoided them with utmost ease. Finally, thought Harry, Hermione was ready for the tryouts.
'Hermione I'm happy to inform you that you are ready for the tryouts. You'll have tough competition though. Most people would be trying for the chasers position but I'm confident that you'll make it to the team. A week is remaining for the tryouts. You must practice flying daily or you'll get out of practice'
Hermione gave him a big smile. 'Harry I've thanked you for this before but I can't help thanking you again. Not only have I learned to fly, I've also enjoyed these lessons with you very much. Maybe you should think of a career of a quidditch coach instead of an auror', she said.
And together they walked back to the Gryffindor tower.He promptly H
There were less than two months remaining before the tryouts for the Gryffindor Quidditch team would be held. He had to train Colin and Hermione. He knew that Colin would not be too difficult. He was a good flier and was very confident on a broomstick. All that needed to be done was to teach him how to control his movements and actions. Harry decided to call over Fred or George to give Colin a few tips. One night Harry told Colin to meet him in the Quidditch field after supper. Colin was excited for having been summoned by the famous Harry Potter. He promptly made his way to the field. Harry was already there. Along with him was George Weasley.
'Hi Colin', said Harry, 'I've called you here to tell you that you have great potential in Quidditch. I've seen you fly and you have all the qualities to be a great beater. However you are a bit too restless. As a beater the safety of the whole team is dependent on you. So you must not try any fancy maneuvers unless you are totally sure about it. Not only will you fail in that you also would be giving a chance to the opposing beater to attack our players. I've asked George to help you to improve. You must practice everyday with some of your friends until the tryouts. I'm confident that with your skill you would be able to make the team'
Colin looked pleased. 'Thanks Harry', he said, 'I'll try my best'.
Harry watched as George was helping Colin. George seemed a very good instructor. By the end of the evening Harry could see the difference. Colin had already started improving. So in all likelihood two of the five places in the team were already taken by Colin and Ginny. They would have to do well in the tryouts though.
The difficult proposition however was that of teaching Hermione. He didn't know where to start. He told Hermione that the first lesson would be on the twenty third of September. Since this was to be kept secret Hermione and he went under the invisibility cloak and made their way to the field.
'Okay Hermione, just mount your broom and show me how much you can fly. Obviously don't go very high', said Harry.
Hermione hesitated. Harry assured her of her safety before she continued. Harry noticed the she could handle her broom well while flying in a straight horizontal line. The problem was there in turning and changing height. This was better than what Harry had expected. Since he did not have to coach Colin he decided that he would coach Hermione twice a week instead of once.
'Hermione when you are turning you have to slow down your speed considerably. You body weight has to be on the opposite side of your turn otherwise the broom may overturn. Once the turn is complete you can accelerate again. Once you've mastered this technique you can try high- speed turns but not before. Now you and I will mount the same broom but it will be you who'll control it. In case you make a mistake I will correct it. Ready?'
Both Harry and Hermione sat on the Nimbus two thousand and three. Hermione was in the front. Her turns were scratchy to start with but improved with time. There was one moment where Harry thought that both of them would fall but he manged to control the broom in the nick of time. Hermione was not discouraged by this and kept on trying until she showed definite signs of improvements. Harry had encouraging words for her at the end of the first practice.
'That wasn't bad at all for the first time. You will have to practice daily though. I am hoping that you would be able to high-speed turns within a week. Since I don't have to teach Colin anymore I will be teaching you twice a week. How about Mondays and Fridays?'
Hermione looked very pleased and flattered. 'That would be excellent Harry. I can't thank you enough for helping me out. I will practice hard everyday to make sure your efforts are not in vain. By the way I've got your sixty Galleons. I'll give them to you when we get to the common room.
They walked back to the common room under the invisibility cloak. Hermione gave Harry his sixty Galleons. They said goodnight and went off to their respective dormitories.
For the next few nights everybody saw very little of Hermione. She spent all her time practicing. By the next lesson with Harry she could turn at low speeds easily. Harry gave her a demonstration of high-speed turning. It was done in the same way but movements had to be quicker. Hermione practiced high-speed turns for the next few days.
A week from the first lesson Harry saw that Hermione could fly perfectly at a given height. So he decided to advance to teaching her how to change heights.
'First you have to tilt your broom to the desired direction. Normally while going up one has to accelerate and while coming down has to slow down. Of course there are exceptions like the Worski Feint. But you will never have to do that. Unlike in the case of turning you body weight has to be in the direction of motion. Once you have reached the desired height you have to straighten your broom before going any further.'
Again Harry and Hermione sat on the same broom. This time Hermione did not learn fast. She had problems especially while going up. It required two more lessons with Harry before he gave her the green light to practice herself. But when he saw her the next time he was amazed. She had improved greatly. Despite not having much talent she had a lot of determination. Harry deeply admired this. In another week Hermione could fly perfectly. Now all that Harry had to do was to teach her how to pass and catch a quaffle and how to shoot goals. He thought that it would be a piece of cake after having taught her to fly. During her next lesson Harry had also brought his own broomstick. It was a tight fit with two people and two broomsticks under an invisibility cloak.
'Now we will catch and pass the quaffle to each other. Never take both your hands of the broom. Use your body to hold onto the quaffle while flying. Catching and passing will have to be done one-handed'
They climbed onto their brooms and started practicing. Hermione's passes were strong and accurate but she fumbled a few times while catching. None of them were disappointed with this. They knew that all that was required was practice. To Harry's amazement Hermione had a very strong throw. Her throws at the goal were the fastest he had seen. This was surprising because she had a slim body. Just when he thought that Hermione was ready for the tryouts he remembered something. He hadn't taught her how to dodge a bludger if the beaters weren't around. Though it was instinctive for anyone who knew how to fly, he wanted to complete his job.
So in the last class Harry casually threw a few bludgers at Hermione who avoided them with utmost ease. Finally, thought Harry, Hermione was ready for the tryouts.
'Hermione I'm happy to inform you that you are ready for the tryouts. You'll have tough competition though. Most people would be trying for the chasers position but I'm confident that you'll make it to the team. A week is remaining for the tryouts. You must practice flying daily or you'll get out of practice'
Hermione gave him a big smile. 'Harry I've thanked you for this before but I can't help thanking you again. Not only have I learned to fly, I've also enjoyed these lessons with you very much. Maybe you should think of a career of a quidditch coach instead of an auror', she said.
And together they walked back to the Gryffindor tower.He promptly H