a/n: This is most likely not my favorite chapter — it's mostly a filler. Another sad attempt at Quidditch is mentioned, but it is brief and nothing is really described — just how I like it. By the way, if you see odd hyphens (and I hope you know what a hyphen is; I have a very long rant about that) that is just because when it's in Word, it was most likely a long word at the end of the line that needed to be hyphenated and I forgot to take out most of them.
T H E T R I A L S
M
adam Hooch, of course, was leading the try-outs for the Quidditch commentating. She at first explained that normally the commentator picked at the beginning of the year would stay commentator for the whole year. However, commentators were also not allowed to be asleep on the job and this particular commentator's job was completely under the standards and lackluster. Claire and Siandra joined the increasing line of students anxious to get their place at the commentating stand. Everyone was chatting excitedly until Madam Hooch blew one sharp blast on her whistle.
"Foul!" whispered Claire and they both giggled excitedly.
Madam Hooch stepped up to the podium and explained, "The Hufflepuff Quidditch players and the Slytherin players have been kind enough to play a model match for us to commentate on. When I call your names then you will step up here to the podium and commentate on what they are doing like a normal Quidditch match. All right, Mr. Florence, you're first."
They boy who she called Florence stepped up as the players took their positions in the mock match.
"And welcome," he called to the empty stands, "to the second Quidditch match of the year, featuring Hufflepuff versus Slytherin! The players take their positions and on the blast of the whistle — oops, sorry, we don't have a whistle today — the players are off! And Jenkins immediately claims possession of the Quaffle…."
It looked at first as though he was going to be their toughest competitor. However, as the match heightened in excitement, he seemed more intent on watching it than commentating and was mostly saying things like "ooh!" rather than who was scoring or had the Quaffle. When the Slytherins caught the snitch, the trial was over and he stepped out of line and ran back into the castle after being congratulated by a fluffy blond-haired girl ("Oh, Florence! You were definitely the best!").
Next was a group of three Hufflepuff boys who kept butting into each other's commentating saying things like, "Are you actually watching? Think about what you're saying! That goal was Hufflepuff's! Let me talk. Why are you cheering?"
It reminded her of something in a book of magical creatures about the runespoor, a snake with three heads that fought frequently.
Finally, there was only one person in front of them.
"And Slytherin wins the match! Yeah Hufflepuff, you erm, both did great!" yelled Thomson, the boy currently on the podium. He leapt off the stand, raced hurriedly into the castle and —
"Apolina! Come on up to the stand!"
The girl directly in front of them stepped up. Just after she had finished her commentary on the match, it would be their turn.
"They're off…goal for Slytherin…goal for Slytherin…goal for Slytherin…goal for Slytherin…goal for Slytherin…goal for Slytherin…Slytherin wins, wasn't that a surprise!"
"Mary and Melissa, come on up here!" yelled Madam Hooch.
"Hey! Wait! You've forgotten us! Us, you know, right here, HELLO? ARE YOU LISTENING? EXCUSE ME, BUT WE'RE BEFORE MARY AND MELISSA!"
Madam Hooch suddenly noticed Claire and Siandra talking very loudly to her, "But you've already had your audition, we saw your spectacular performance a few weeks ago and I figured that you'd be entering. Now off to the castle with you, results are posted on Monday."
Claire and Siandra disappointedly scampered up the Hogwarts stairs.
The first snow was upon the castle. Even the muggles who were said to see only a dilapidated ruin when they looked in on the wonders of Hogwarts should have at least, or at least Siandra thought, seen a snow covered dilapidated ruin. Two days after the tryouts, Professor Pimea came into the Gryffindor common room with a large clipboard and said that she was taking names of those who wanted to take the train home for the holidays. Professor Pimea came to her finally, and tried to persuade her to take herself and her stuff home for the holidays. Siandra thought that it was just to get her away from the school since she thought that Professor Pimea didn't like her. And as much as she would have liked to contradict Professor Pimea, she actually did want to go home for the holidays and visit her parents. So, with partial reluctance because she thought it might be fun to see Hogwarts at Christmastime, she signed her own name down on the list and asked Lily if she could borrow her owl.
"Sorry," she said, "She's out delivering some presents to my grandparents and my mom — "
"Okay, yes, and your dad. Okay. I just need to tell my parents that I'm coming home," replied Siandra.
"How about the owlry?" asked Molly who had just heard their conversation, "Just pick up one of the school owls!"
"I didn't think of that, thanks,"
Siandra rushed up to the dormitory, grabbed a bottle of ink, stuck a quill between her teeth, and headed up the many flights of stairs to the owlry.
It was a cold, drafty, circular room with open windows and a floor covered with droppings, pellets, and crushed skulls of things that she didn't even want to know about. There was roost upon roost of owls, towering up to the high ceiling, which displayed a decorative mural of some Greek hero with an owl on his shoulder. Siandra managed to find a clean space to kneel down and scrawl a letter to her parents:
Hi Mom and Dad,
I've decided to come home for the Christmas holidays. Is that okay with you? Professor Pimea said that the Hogwarts Express would drop me off at King's Cross Station at three o'clock next Saturday. Can you make it then, or should I order some of those wizard people who drive the muggle carriages? I don't even know where we live anymore, I don't think I saw the new house. Remember the Dervish and Banges catalogue that I left before I went to Hogwarts? Could you send that, I want to use it to do my Christmas shopping. Thanks!
Miss you,
Siandra
She quickly sealed the letter and then was about to give it to the nearest owl, when she remembered that other people kept their personal owls in there too. How was she going to find which ones were the official Hogwarts owls? While she was worrying and wondering if she should go down to the common room and bring someone up, she saw that a number of them were bearing little gold tags on their collars with the letter "H" engraved. She supposed that it stood for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry and so she took one of them down, addressed the letter, and sent it tumbling out the window. Then she brushed off her hands and took her writing supplies down to the dormitory.
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to Molly — "
Betty was marching a rather disgruntled Molly through the dormitory doors.
"Molly!" exclaimed Siandra, "It's your birthday? Oh, yes, I got you something…"
Siandra hurriedly rummaged around in her suitcase, brought out something from her bag, and hurriedly tied some fluxweed around it in a little bow.
"Here it is," she said holding out something.
"Your wand?" she asked hesitantly, looking at the long, wooden stick tied with a piece of her potion-making kit.
"Er…no," she said, fishing around in her bag for something else to tie the fluxweed on to, "Erm…I got confused, see, now this is it," she said again, handing Molly something else from inside of her bag.
"Oh, thanks, a unicorn horn! It's so pretty!" she complimented.
"And here's something from me…"
Betty bustled over from the side of the room where her bed was carrying a package with some shiny wrapping paper and a perfect red bow.
Molly carefully unwrapped it and inside was a large box of chocolate frogs.
"Oh, thank you so much! I think that the last chocolate frog I had was on the train to Hogwarts — "
Just then Gina, Lily, and Leanne came bustling into the dormitory each carrying a package of their own to give to Molly. Siandra wondered how they had possibly known that it was her birthday. Molly sat on the bed and started unwrapping the present from Gina. It contained a bottle of butterbeer. Leanne's package contained a lime green sweater with socks to match it and Lily's present contained a silver-plated clock from Dervish and Banges. Molly graciously complemented each present and gave everyone a ready-made thank-you card.
Then Siandra suddenly thought of something: where was Claire? There was a scream suddenly coming from down the corridor. Siandra rushed out of the dormitory then out of the portrait hole and down the hallway. As she turned the corner she saw Claire staring at a piece of paper pinned to the wall.
"SIANDRA!" she yelled, "WE'VE WON THE COMMENTATING TRIALS, WE'RE THE COMMENTATORS NOW!"
"Oh, yay, good for us!" replied Siandra
"Why aren't you as excited?" questioned Claire, "I thought that you really wanted to win."
"Well, I am really exited, but I kind of, er, thought some one was attacking you," said Siandra, looking rather nervously at the bottom of her robes but smiling slightly.
"Oh, sorry."
"So, when do we start?" Siandra asked, her excitement slowly mounting.
"The Tuesday after Christmas break!"
They both made a silent cheer in the hall celebrating their good fortune.