He woke up the next morning and went down to the common room. Hermione and Ron were sitting there talking.
"Hey guys, where were you last night?" Harry asked.
"Oh, we were doing some prefect duties. Nothing you should worry about," Ron told him, but Harry for some reason, did not believe that he was telling the truth.
"Alright. So Hermione, are you trying out for the team today?" Harry asked, changing the subject.
"Yep," she told him, and he could hear the nervousness in her voice, as it was quite shaky.
"That's cool. I'm sure you'll do fine," he told her, trying to cheer her up.
"Thanks Harry," she replied. They left the common room and headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast. There were hardly any people there, except from Gryffindor. It seemed as though everyone that was going to try out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team was already up and had started to eat. Harry knew how they felt. He knew that they would be nervous and knew that if he was trying out, then he would be just as nervous as they were. He, Ron, and Hermione all sat down at the table and began to eat. Harry ate a lot of food today, unlike all of the other days this past week. He was actually very hungry. Hermione however, did not eat a lot of food, probably out of nerves. She too was trying out for the Quidditch team. Harry could see Ginny walk in, but she was not looking nervous at all. He was very surprised. She sat down right next to him and grabbed some food.
"Hey Harry!" she said, very excited.
"Hey Ginny," he replied, "Aren't you nervous at all?"
"Why should I be nervous? It's just Quidditch try-outs," she told him, very calmly.
"She took a calming potion," Ron whispered to him, so she couldn't hear.
"Oh," Harry replied, "That explains everything." Ginny continued to explain to him how she was surely going to become a Chaser for the Quidditch team. Harry couldn't help but believe her. He knew she would do way better than the other candidates. Now he was feeling quite uneasy too. He didn't want to hurt Hermione's feelings if he had to tell her that she didn't make the team. They left the Great Hall and went off to the common room and sat down in order to get some rest before the tryouts.
They sat there talking. Ginny was still going on about how it was a sure thing for her to get on the Quidditch team. But everyone was just sort of ignoring what she was saying. She was getting quite annoying to the others. Hermione was still ranting about how she didn't know whether or not to try-out for the team. Harry kept reassuring her that she would do just fine if she did try-out. Ron was just sitting there, not saying too much. Harry could tell he was worried about Hermione not doing well and how they would have to tell her that she wasn't on the team. But other than that, Ron was quite excited about the upcoming tryouts. They hung around for a great deal of time discussing the tryouts before Hermione came to him with a question.
"Harry, I was just wondering, er...well, since I, err...don't really actually of a broomstick, if I could, err...maybe, possibly borrow your Firebolt?" she asked him. He could tell she didn't really like the idea of borrowing from him because of all the pauses and the way her voice sounded so shaky when she was talking.
"Sure," Harry told her, "Let me go get it real quick."
"Thanks Harry," she replied, feeling very relieved. Harry went up the stairs to his dormitory and entered the dormitory to find Dean and Seamus in there getting ready to try-out. Harry proceeded over to where his trunk was and grabbed the Firebolt, which was lying right next to his brand new Lightning Storm, which he also grabbed, since he would need it for the tryouts. He went back down to the common room and over to where Hermione, Ron, and Ginny were standing, and he handed the Firebolt to Hermione. Ron had already retrieved his Nimbus 2001, which was in perfect condition, since he had never used it before. Ginny had an older looking broom, which he supposed was Fred or George's old broom. Fred and George probably bought new ones with all the money they had made. They all left the common room and went down to the entrance hall and out the door, heading towards the Quidditch pitch for the tryouts.
Harry saw exactly the opposite of what he had expected. There were tons of Gryffindors there, ready to try-out. Dean, Seamus, Parvati, Lavender, and Stefanie were there, among others. Harry got in front of everyone, feeling kind of nervous. This was the first time he had ever held the tryouts.
"Okay, now, the first people to be trying out will be the Beaters. Raise your hand if you wish to try-out for the position of Beater," he said out loud, so everyone could hear him. About ten hands shot up into the air. Among those who were going to try-out for Beaters, were Dean, Seamus, Stefanie, and Parvati. The others, he didn't really recognize.
"Okay, here is how these tryouts will work. I will be a so-called Chaser. Every two minutes, another bludger will be added to the field. You will have to knock away all bludgers. If I touch the ground, or if I am hit, then the test is over. The number of bludgers out there when the test is over is the score you will receive. Do you understand?" he said to everyone, particularly those trying out for Beater. He heard a few people murmur 'yes', and he knew to continue. "First off, we will have Dean try-out," he told them.
Dean walked over to Harry with his broomstick and rose into the air. So did Harry. Once they were in the air, Ron let out one bludger. Harry flew around on his Lightning Star, easily able to dodge the bludger, but he was not going fast on purpose, so that he could see what Dean could do to help someone on a regular broom. Harry just kept flying in circles around the pitch. He could hear people talking about his broom as he flew by them. He just snickered and kept flying. He knew they wanted his broom. After all, it was the best broom on the market. After the first two minutes, another bludger was added. Dean swung his bat, and hit a bludger that had almost hit Harry in the gut. He was glad that Dean blocked that one. Dean continued to block the bludgers, hitting them with all his might. Then Ron let out another bludger. Dean began to swing faster now, making sure to hit all bludgers within a ten-foot radius of Harry. This went on for a while. Obviously, Dean was very good. There was now seven bludgers out there. Dean became more aggressive, not wanting to lose now. Ron let out the eighth bludger, and then it hit him. Literally, the bludger hit him, right in the back.
"Ouch!" Harry yelled out, before blowing his whistle. He landed on the ground, with Dean next to him.
"Sorry about that Harry!" Dean exclaimed, making his way over to the bench.
"Next up will be Stefanie," he told the anxious crowd. Stefanie walked up to him. He shook her hand as she stood next to him, and as he did, a very weird thing happened. One, his scar started to burn. Two, he had a flashback. He was standing in a dimly lit chamber. He saw Voldemort talking to someone in a hooded cloak.
"How is the plan going?" Voldemort asked.
"Very well. The boy will come," the other figure said. It was a soft, gentle, womanly voice. Harry did not know who it was though.
"Yes, the boy will come indeed," Voldemort said, followed by his regular icy-cold laugh. Harry snapped back to reality. His body was covered in sweat and Ron was standing there looking at him very strangely.
"Mate, are you okay?" Ron said, very worried.
"I...I'm fine," Harry told him.
"Are you sure? You don't look to well," Ron told him.
"I said I'm fine. Just, let's get on with the tryouts," he told Ron, very sternly.
"Fine, let's go. But I'll fly this time. You could use some rest," Ron replied.
"Alright, fine," Harry returned, "Alright, get on your broom Stefanie, let's get this thing going."
Stefanie got onto her broom and rose into the air. Ron also rose into the air, and when Ron gave him the signal that he was ready, Harry let out the first bludger. He saw Stefanie dart right for it, and smack it as hard as she could with the bat. The bludger went flying.
"Wow! She's strong!" Harry thought. She would keep hitting the bludger very hard, and when the first two minutes were up, Harry let out the second bludger. She was looking like a very good Beater, and Harry could tell she would most likely be one of the new Beaters. She would hit the bludgers with full strength and Harry could tell that she was not getting tired at all. He kept letting bludgers out and it got to the point where there were eight bludgers, tying Dean's test. She was not showing any sign of weakness. All eight of the bludgers were trying to hit Ron, but Stefanie was doing very well at protecting Ron from them. Harry let out another bludger. He could see Stefanie begin to get tired, but she still went on. When two more minutes were up, Harry let out the tenth bludger. She began to hit them away. But then one of them hit Ron right in the neck. Ron landed, and Harry blew his whistle. Stefanie landed right beside him, looking proud of her work out there.
"That was excellent Stefanie!" Harry told her. "Now, who else wants to try-out for Beater?" he asked the crowd, which was beginning to become less and less. Only two other people were left. Seamus and Parvati were left. The rest must have given up after seeing the others perform. "Who wants to go first?" Harry asked. Parvati raised her hand, volunteering to go first. He could see Stefanie walk over to the bench and sit down, grabbing a cup of water. Harry still could not stop thinking about what had happened when he shook her hand. Was she the one that Voldemort was talking to in that dream? He had seen it before, and maybe this was his brain trying to tell him that this was the person in the dream.
"Harry? What's wrong?" Ron asked.
"Oh, nothing. Sorry, I just got distracted," he said, laughing, "Okay Parvati, let's see what you can do!" She walked up to him and grabbed her broom.
They rose into the air, and off they went, soaring through the air. Ron had let the first bludger out, and it was already chasing Harry. Parvati hit the bludger, and it went away for a few seconds. She hit it again. Harry could tell this wasn't working out too well.
"Try hitting it with more force!" he told her.
"Okay!" she yelled back. She tried hitting it with more force, but it still wasn't going away far enough. Ron let out the second bludger, and Parvati was not ready. She swung at the bludger and missed. It hit Harry right in the stomach, and he fell to the ground. He heard some people walk over to him including Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Stefanie. Stefanie touched his head, and everything went black.
He could see Voldemort again. Was it the same dream? No, it wasn't. There were no other people in the room. Voldemort was talking to his snake, Nagini.
"So, Harry Potter has met my daughter," Voldemort was saying. Voldemort's daughter? Surely he couldn't have been talking about Stefanie! The dream ended just as quick as it had started. He woke up and got to his feet.
"I'm fine. Everything's all right. Just got the wind knocked out of me," he told everyone, not mentioning the fact that he had seen Voldemort once again. There was something very odd going on with Stefanie. He just didn't know what was going on. She couldn't be evil. She was a Gryffindor. But yet whenever he came in contact with her, he had these strange dreams.
He called Seamus up, and told Ron that he should do the flying. Harry needed to rest, and have some time to think. He let Ron and Seamus rise into the air, and then he took a seat near the crate of bludgers. He let one out, and watched them go. Hermione walked over to him.
"Harry, what happened?" she asked him.
"Oh, nothing," he told her.
"Harry, what's wrong? You've been acting strange today," she said to him.
"Well, it's Stefanie. Something weird is going on with her. Every time I come in contact with her, I have these strange visions of Voldemort," he told Hermione, letting out another bludger, "And when I was knocked off my broom, she touched my forehead. Then I blacked out. Voldemort said something about me meeting his daughter. I don't know who that is though."
"Yeah, I don't know, I'll try to think of something. You just keep on thinking about the tryouts and don't let anything else distract you," she told him.
"Alright," he said, letting out the third bludger. He watched as Seamus batted away the bludgers. Harry continued to let out the bludgers one by one, every two minutes. There were nine bludgers out there, before one hit Ron. They both landed and then Harry began to speak again. "Everybody, listen up! The new Gryffindor Beaters shall be Stefanie and Seamus!" he exclaimed. Everyone cheered for the new members, and the other candidates for Beater walked off towards the castle. "Stefanie and Seamus, if you would please stay until the end, we will be having a team meeting," he told them. "Next we will be having Chaser tryouts."
"Hey guys, where were you last night?" Harry asked.
"Oh, we were doing some prefect duties. Nothing you should worry about," Ron told him, but Harry for some reason, did not believe that he was telling the truth.
"Alright. So Hermione, are you trying out for the team today?" Harry asked, changing the subject.
"Yep," she told him, and he could hear the nervousness in her voice, as it was quite shaky.
"That's cool. I'm sure you'll do fine," he told her, trying to cheer her up.
"Thanks Harry," she replied. They left the common room and headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast. There were hardly any people there, except from Gryffindor. It seemed as though everyone that was going to try out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team was already up and had started to eat. Harry knew how they felt. He knew that they would be nervous and knew that if he was trying out, then he would be just as nervous as they were. He, Ron, and Hermione all sat down at the table and began to eat. Harry ate a lot of food today, unlike all of the other days this past week. He was actually very hungry. Hermione however, did not eat a lot of food, probably out of nerves. She too was trying out for the Quidditch team. Harry could see Ginny walk in, but she was not looking nervous at all. He was very surprised. She sat down right next to him and grabbed some food.
"Hey Harry!" she said, very excited.
"Hey Ginny," he replied, "Aren't you nervous at all?"
"Why should I be nervous? It's just Quidditch try-outs," she told him, very calmly.
"She took a calming potion," Ron whispered to him, so she couldn't hear.
"Oh," Harry replied, "That explains everything." Ginny continued to explain to him how she was surely going to become a Chaser for the Quidditch team. Harry couldn't help but believe her. He knew she would do way better than the other candidates. Now he was feeling quite uneasy too. He didn't want to hurt Hermione's feelings if he had to tell her that she didn't make the team. They left the Great Hall and went off to the common room and sat down in order to get some rest before the tryouts.
They sat there talking. Ginny was still going on about how it was a sure thing for her to get on the Quidditch team. But everyone was just sort of ignoring what she was saying. She was getting quite annoying to the others. Hermione was still ranting about how she didn't know whether or not to try-out for the team. Harry kept reassuring her that she would do just fine if she did try-out. Ron was just sitting there, not saying too much. Harry could tell he was worried about Hermione not doing well and how they would have to tell her that she wasn't on the team. But other than that, Ron was quite excited about the upcoming tryouts. They hung around for a great deal of time discussing the tryouts before Hermione came to him with a question.
"Harry, I was just wondering, er...well, since I, err...don't really actually of a broomstick, if I could, err...maybe, possibly borrow your Firebolt?" she asked him. He could tell she didn't really like the idea of borrowing from him because of all the pauses and the way her voice sounded so shaky when she was talking.
"Sure," Harry told her, "Let me go get it real quick."
"Thanks Harry," she replied, feeling very relieved. Harry went up the stairs to his dormitory and entered the dormitory to find Dean and Seamus in there getting ready to try-out. Harry proceeded over to where his trunk was and grabbed the Firebolt, which was lying right next to his brand new Lightning Storm, which he also grabbed, since he would need it for the tryouts. He went back down to the common room and over to where Hermione, Ron, and Ginny were standing, and he handed the Firebolt to Hermione. Ron had already retrieved his Nimbus 2001, which was in perfect condition, since he had never used it before. Ginny had an older looking broom, which he supposed was Fred or George's old broom. Fred and George probably bought new ones with all the money they had made. They all left the common room and went down to the entrance hall and out the door, heading towards the Quidditch pitch for the tryouts.
Harry saw exactly the opposite of what he had expected. There were tons of Gryffindors there, ready to try-out. Dean, Seamus, Parvati, Lavender, and Stefanie were there, among others. Harry got in front of everyone, feeling kind of nervous. This was the first time he had ever held the tryouts.
"Okay, now, the first people to be trying out will be the Beaters. Raise your hand if you wish to try-out for the position of Beater," he said out loud, so everyone could hear him. About ten hands shot up into the air. Among those who were going to try-out for Beaters, were Dean, Seamus, Stefanie, and Parvati. The others, he didn't really recognize.
"Okay, here is how these tryouts will work. I will be a so-called Chaser. Every two minutes, another bludger will be added to the field. You will have to knock away all bludgers. If I touch the ground, or if I am hit, then the test is over. The number of bludgers out there when the test is over is the score you will receive. Do you understand?" he said to everyone, particularly those trying out for Beater. He heard a few people murmur 'yes', and he knew to continue. "First off, we will have Dean try-out," he told them.
Dean walked over to Harry with his broomstick and rose into the air. So did Harry. Once they were in the air, Ron let out one bludger. Harry flew around on his Lightning Star, easily able to dodge the bludger, but he was not going fast on purpose, so that he could see what Dean could do to help someone on a regular broom. Harry just kept flying in circles around the pitch. He could hear people talking about his broom as he flew by them. He just snickered and kept flying. He knew they wanted his broom. After all, it was the best broom on the market. After the first two minutes, another bludger was added. Dean swung his bat, and hit a bludger that had almost hit Harry in the gut. He was glad that Dean blocked that one. Dean continued to block the bludgers, hitting them with all his might. Then Ron let out another bludger. Dean began to swing faster now, making sure to hit all bludgers within a ten-foot radius of Harry. This went on for a while. Obviously, Dean was very good. There was now seven bludgers out there. Dean became more aggressive, not wanting to lose now. Ron let out the eighth bludger, and then it hit him. Literally, the bludger hit him, right in the back.
"Ouch!" Harry yelled out, before blowing his whistle. He landed on the ground, with Dean next to him.
"Sorry about that Harry!" Dean exclaimed, making his way over to the bench.
"Next up will be Stefanie," he told the anxious crowd. Stefanie walked up to him. He shook her hand as she stood next to him, and as he did, a very weird thing happened. One, his scar started to burn. Two, he had a flashback. He was standing in a dimly lit chamber. He saw Voldemort talking to someone in a hooded cloak.
"How is the plan going?" Voldemort asked.
"Very well. The boy will come," the other figure said. It was a soft, gentle, womanly voice. Harry did not know who it was though.
"Yes, the boy will come indeed," Voldemort said, followed by his regular icy-cold laugh. Harry snapped back to reality. His body was covered in sweat and Ron was standing there looking at him very strangely.
"Mate, are you okay?" Ron said, very worried.
"I...I'm fine," Harry told him.
"Are you sure? You don't look to well," Ron told him.
"I said I'm fine. Just, let's get on with the tryouts," he told Ron, very sternly.
"Fine, let's go. But I'll fly this time. You could use some rest," Ron replied.
"Alright, fine," Harry returned, "Alright, get on your broom Stefanie, let's get this thing going."
Stefanie got onto her broom and rose into the air. Ron also rose into the air, and when Ron gave him the signal that he was ready, Harry let out the first bludger. He saw Stefanie dart right for it, and smack it as hard as she could with the bat. The bludger went flying.
"Wow! She's strong!" Harry thought. She would keep hitting the bludger very hard, and when the first two minutes were up, Harry let out the second bludger. She was looking like a very good Beater, and Harry could tell she would most likely be one of the new Beaters. She would hit the bludgers with full strength and Harry could tell that she was not getting tired at all. He kept letting bludgers out and it got to the point where there were eight bludgers, tying Dean's test. She was not showing any sign of weakness. All eight of the bludgers were trying to hit Ron, but Stefanie was doing very well at protecting Ron from them. Harry let out another bludger. He could see Stefanie begin to get tired, but she still went on. When two more minutes were up, Harry let out the tenth bludger. She began to hit them away. But then one of them hit Ron right in the neck. Ron landed, and Harry blew his whistle. Stefanie landed right beside him, looking proud of her work out there.
"That was excellent Stefanie!" Harry told her. "Now, who else wants to try-out for Beater?" he asked the crowd, which was beginning to become less and less. Only two other people were left. Seamus and Parvati were left. The rest must have given up after seeing the others perform. "Who wants to go first?" Harry asked. Parvati raised her hand, volunteering to go first. He could see Stefanie walk over to the bench and sit down, grabbing a cup of water. Harry still could not stop thinking about what had happened when he shook her hand. Was she the one that Voldemort was talking to in that dream? He had seen it before, and maybe this was his brain trying to tell him that this was the person in the dream.
"Harry? What's wrong?" Ron asked.
"Oh, nothing. Sorry, I just got distracted," he said, laughing, "Okay Parvati, let's see what you can do!" She walked up to him and grabbed her broom.
They rose into the air, and off they went, soaring through the air. Ron had let the first bludger out, and it was already chasing Harry. Parvati hit the bludger, and it went away for a few seconds. She hit it again. Harry could tell this wasn't working out too well.
"Try hitting it with more force!" he told her.
"Okay!" she yelled back. She tried hitting it with more force, but it still wasn't going away far enough. Ron let out the second bludger, and Parvati was not ready. She swung at the bludger and missed. It hit Harry right in the stomach, and he fell to the ground. He heard some people walk over to him including Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Stefanie. Stefanie touched his head, and everything went black.
He could see Voldemort again. Was it the same dream? No, it wasn't. There were no other people in the room. Voldemort was talking to his snake, Nagini.
"So, Harry Potter has met my daughter," Voldemort was saying. Voldemort's daughter? Surely he couldn't have been talking about Stefanie! The dream ended just as quick as it had started. He woke up and got to his feet.
"I'm fine. Everything's all right. Just got the wind knocked out of me," he told everyone, not mentioning the fact that he had seen Voldemort once again. There was something very odd going on with Stefanie. He just didn't know what was going on. She couldn't be evil. She was a Gryffindor. But yet whenever he came in contact with her, he had these strange dreams.
He called Seamus up, and told Ron that he should do the flying. Harry needed to rest, and have some time to think. He let Ron and Seamus rise into the air, and then he took a seat near the crate of bludgers. He let one out, and watched them go. Hermione walked over to him.
"Harry, what happened?" she asked him.
"Oh, nothing," he told her.
"Harry, what's wrong? You've been acting strange today," she said to him.
"Well, it's Stefanie. Something weird is going on with her. Every time I come in contact with her, I have these strange visions of Voldemort," he told Hermione, letting out another bludger, "And when I was knocked off my broom, she touched my forehead. Then I blacked out. Voldemort said something about me meeting his daughter. I don't know who that is though."
"Yeah, I don't know, I'll try to think of something. You just keep on thinking about the tryouts and don't let anything else distract you," she told him.
"Alright," he said, letting out the third bludger. He watched as Seamus batted away the bludgers. Harry continued to let out the bludgers one by one, every two minutes. There were nine bludgers out there, before one hit Ron. They both landed and then Harry began to speak again. "Everybody, listen up! The new Gryffindor Beaters shall be Stefanie and Seamus!" he exclaimed. Everyone cheered for the new members, and the other candidates for Beater walked off towards the castle. "Stefanie and Seamus, if you would please stay until the end, we will be having a team meeting," he told them. "Next we will be having Chaser tryouts."