"Who will be trying out for Chaser?" Harry asked everybody. He saw about six people raise their hands, it seemed as though some of the people there were just there to watch the tryouts, not necessarily try-out. Among those who raised their hands were Hermione, Ginny, Lavender, and a few people Harry did not recognize. "First, we shall have Hermione Granger try-out. This is how they will work. Ronald Weasley will be the Keeper. I will let out a bunch of quaffles that will be scattered across the field. You will have to try to make as many in as possible in three minutes," Harry told everyone, "Do you understand?" When he heard everyone mutter 'yeah' and saw people nod their heads, he knew to begin. "Okay, Hermione, you're up first!" Harry told her.
Hermione grabbed the Firebolt that she sat next to her and walked over to Harry. She mounted the broom and rose into the air. Harry went over to the bench and sat down. He continued to think all about how weird Stefanie was being. He counted the quaffles as they went through the hoops; he knew that Ron was not being fair. He was letting some easy shots in. She continued to score, throwing quaffles through the hoops. She was not going as fast as she could, although she did have the Firebolt, he did not know why she wasn't flying fast. If she wanted to be on the team, she needed to be fast. Harry watched as she made her sixteenth shot, she only had about forty-five seconds left. Ron was beginning to be harder on Hermione, not letting as many quaffles through, but once in a while she would make an easy shot. He saw Ron make some excellent saves, probably just showing off for Hermione. Harry now knew why Ron was the Keeper for the Quidditch team. He had been making these excellent saves. Harry blew his whistle, signaling the end of the round.
"Twenty-two shots were made in three minutes!" he told the crowd. "Next, Lavender Brown will try-out!"
Lavender Brown walked up to where Harry and Ron were standing. She was holding a Nimbus 2000, like the one Harry had before the Whomping Willow had destroyed it in his third year. Harry gathered up all of the quaffles, and scattered them around the field, using his wand to move them. He went over to the bench by the field and sat down. When he was ready, he blew his whistle, and Lavender began to chase after one of the quaffles. She threw her first one, and Ron blocked it easily. Harry knew from then on that Ron would not just let the quaffles through. He knew that Lavender would have to work to score, unlike Hermione who didn't have to do much to make the quaffle go through. He watched as Lavender made her first goal, with two minutes left.
"She's going to be so pissed that Ron was letting Hermione score," Harry thought to himself. Lavender continued to shoot the quaffles, throwing them with more force, and more speed now. She made some shots, making her shot count go up to six shots made. Harry watched her; she was getting very angry every time she missed a shot. He could see Ron laughing as he blocked each shot. Harry blew the whistle as the three minutes came to an end, and Ron landed on the ground, along with Lavender, who looked like she was going to kill Ron.
"Lavender Brown has made nine shots in three minutes!" he told everyone in the crowd of people, which had dwindled down to about eight people, not including Harry and Ron. "Next, Ginny Weasley will try-out!"
Ginny walked over next to Harry, holding her broomstick. Harry was very excited to see whether or not Ron would be easy and let her make shots. Harry went and sat down on the bench, getting ready to watch Ginny. He blew his whistle and watched as they rose into the air. As soon as Ginny picked up her first quaffle, Harry started the timer. She shot the first quaffle and immediately went for a second. She tried shooting as fast as she could, grabbing a different quaffle every time she shot. He watched as one went through the hoops, then number two, and then number three, but it did not seem as though Ron was letting her score. Was she really that good of a chaser? Apparently she was very good. He watched her score even more, she was now moving faster towards the quaffles. It seemed as though she really wanted to show Hermione that she could score more. He watched his watch dwindle down to the one and a half minute mark, with Ginny already putting twelve quaffles past Ron. She threw another quaffle, and he watched it soar through the center hoop. Harry was amazed at how good she was doing. He knew she was good, but he didn't know she was that good. But then again, Ron could've actually been letting Ginny score, but Harry did not think that was happening. He truly believed she was putting the quaffles past Ron because of her skill. He watched his watch hit the ten-second mark. Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Harry blew his whistle, and Ginny landed, Ron right along side her.
"Ginny Weasley has scored a total of twenty-three points in three minutes!" Harry exclaimed. "So, who else wants to try-out?" he asked the crowd. Two guys raised their hands. "What are your names?" Harry asked them.
"Jeff Anderson," one of them told him.
"Randal Graves," the other answered.
"Randal, you're up first," Harry told them.
The boy named Randal walked up to Harry, and Harry was surprised that he was holding a Lightning Star, the newest broom on the market. Harry used a simple spell he had learned from Hermione in order to scatter all of the quaffles throughout the field, making it hard to reach them.
"Are you ready guys?" he asked Randal and Ron.
"Yep," they both replied. Harry blew his whistle and watched as the kid flew into the air. Harry watched as Randal grabbed the first quaffle and threw it at Ron. The quaffle went soaring by Ron, who didn't have a chance at blocking that one. This kid was throwing the quaffles at great speed, and with great accuracy. There was no way Ron was going to block these shots. Ron did manage to block a few shots, and a few shots just plain missed because of the lack of accuracy. Harry watched as Randal picked up a few more quaffles and shot them at the same quick speed, although it seemed as though they were getting a little bit slower, and Randal was getting tired of shooting non-stop at that fast of a speed. Harry blew his whistle after two and a half minutes, as he had already gone way over the leading scorer, Ginny. He had already scored thirty-five times in two and a half minutes.
"Wow! Randal, that was amazing! I'm so glad you're on our team! Thirty-five shots in two and a half minutes!" exclaimed Harry as Randal landed along side of Ron.
"That was the best work I've ever seen. Truly amazing," Ron said to Randal.
"Well, Jeff Anderson, you're up last," Harry told him.
The boy who called himself Jeff walked up to Harry and Ron, holding a Firebolt. Harry was amazed at this also. He was glad that they might have someone else that had a very nice broomstick. Although Harry didn't know if he could beat Hermione's score, even though Ron did let Hermione get those points. Harry used the same simple spell as earlier to move the quaffles to different positions on the field, so he could see the flying skills and speed of the chasers. Harry asked them if they were both ready, and when they both nodded their heads 'yes', Harry blew his whistle, signaling the beginning of the three minutes. Both of the guys rose into the air, and Ron began to guard the hoops. Jeff went after the first quaffle and picked it up. He threw the quaffle, and Ron blocked it easily. Harry could tell right away that Jeff was not going to get onto the team. Jeff dove after the next quaffle and threw it at the hoops, hoping that it would go through one, but it did not.
He was getting quite angry now, and began to get some speed. He was throwing the quaffles with more speed, and was flying towards the next quaffle with more speed. Harry watched as the timer ticked downwards to the two-minute mark. Jeff had scored twice by now, and was going for another quaffle. He was determined to at least beat Lavender's score of nine. Jeff went after the next quaffle diving for one that was right above the ground. He dove and pulled up just before he hit the ground, probably just trying to show off his flying skills. Jeff picked up the quaffle and shot, making it through the center hoop, fooling Ron, who thought he was shooting for the left hoop. The clock hit the thirty-second mark, with Jeff making his ninth shot. He went for his tenth, and made it through. Now he was not in last place. He continued to shoot. Each time, Ron blocked it. When the three minutes were up, Harry blew his whistle, causing Ron and Jeff to land on the ground beside Harry.
"Jeff Anderson has made a total of ten shots. Which means that the new Gryffindor House Chasers will be Randal Graves, with thirty-five shots, Ginny Weasley, with twenty-three shots, and Hermione Granger, with twenty-two shots. If all of the team members would kindly make their way over to the bench, we will meet with each other for a little while, discussing our plans for practice, and our schedule, which I received a few days ago, I would also like to get to know the new members a little better. All others may go back to the common room," Harry said, who immediately walked over towards the bench after he was done his speech.
Harry stood in front of the bench, where he waited for the rest of his team to gather around.
"Okay guys, and girls," he began, "I want to win that trophy once again. I am getting quite used to seeing that trophy being held up after the last game by a group of happy-looking Gryffindors, and I expect that this year will be no different. Just because we have lost many players from the team, it doesn't mean we can't win this year. First I want to go around and introduce ourselves. I, of course, am Harry Potter, the Captain, and Seeker of this team."
"I am Ron Weasley, Co-captain, and the Keeper of the team. I am in my sixth year, along with Harry," Ron told the team.
"I am Hermione Granger, a sixth year as well, and I just joined the team as the new Chaser," Hermione spoke out, sounding very sophisticated.
"I am Ginny Weasley, new Chaser of the team, and I am in my fifth year here at Hogwarts," Ginny said, her cheeks turning red as she started to speak to the team.
"I am Stephanie Riddle, one of the new beaters, and I am in my sixth year. I just transferred this year from Ridgely School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the United States," Stephanie shared with the group.
"Hello, my name is Randal Graves, I'm in my fourth year here at Hogwarts, and I am a new Chaser," Randal told the team.
"And I am Seamus Finnigan, I'm in my sixth year here, and I am a new beater for the team," the last team-member introduced himself to the group.
"Okay, onto our schedule. Our first game of the season shall be against Hufflepuff. This game should not be too bad, as we are an excellent team, and quite frankly, Hufflepuff is not that great. This is a good first game, as we will still be learning to work together, and an easy to beat team will suffice as a good team to 'practice' against first, before we hit Slytherin," Harry told the team, "It will occur on the Sunday, October 13th at noon."
"Yes, that will be quite an easy game, I suppose," Ron agreed.
"Yep. Then we will play Ravenclaw, which will be a little harder, since they do have a good seeker, of course that is if Cho comes back from the horrible state she is in," Harry continued, "It will be more difficult than the Hufflepuff game, but not nearly as difficult as when we play Slytherin. The Ravenclaw game will take place on Sunday, December 8th." Harry heard some murmurs, as the team members got excited for their games. It seemed to Harry as though this would be an excellent year for Quidditch, since his team members were very enthusiastic.
"Our last game of the season will come on February 23rd against Slytherin. There will be only one game after that, Hufflepuff vs. Ravenclaw, which of course does not involve us. But our game against Slytherin is going to be the most important game of the year. They are our main competitors, and we need to defeat them. I will keep you updated on the points each team has, since that would determine who wins the championship, and I believe that you guys, and girls, have a right to know what we're up against, points wise," Harry told the team. He heard some people whisper about the Slytherin team, and Harry decided to continue talking about the team.
"We will have practice twice a week. Once on Mondays, and once on Wednesdays," Harry told the team. "Do you understand? Any questions?" he asked. When nobody asked anything, he knew they had no questions, and told them they could go do what they wanted to. Harry, Ron, and Hermione all went to the common room to chill out for a little while.
Hermione grabbed the Firebolt that she sat next to her and walked over to Harry. She mounted the broom and rose into the air. Harry went over to the bench and sat down. He continued to think all about how weird Stefanie was being. He counted the quaffles as they went through the hoops; he knew that Ron was not being fair. He was letting some easy shots in. She continued to score, throwing quaffles through the hoops. She was not going as fast as she could, although she did have the Firebolt, he did not know why she wasn't flying fast. If she wanted to be on the team, she needed to be fast. Harry watched as she made her sixteenth shot, she only had about forty-five seconds left. Ron was beginning to be harder on Hermione, not letting as many quaffles through, but once in a while she would make an easy shot. He saw Ron make some excellent saves, probably just showing off for Hermione. Harry now knew why Ron was the Keeper for the Quidditch team. He had been making these excellent saves. Harry blew his whistle, signaling the end of the round.
"Twenty-two shots were made in three minutes!" he told the crowd. "Next, Lavender Brown will try-out!"
Lavender Brown walked up to where Harry and Ron were standing. She was holding a Nimbus 2000, like the one Harry had before the Whomping Willow had destroyed it in his third year. Harry gathered up all of the quaffles, and scattered them around the field, using his wand to move them. He went over to the bench by the field and sat down. When he was ready, he blew his whistle, and Lavender began to chase after one of the quaffles. She threw her first one, and Ron blocked it easily. Harry knew from then on that Ron would not just let the quaffles through. He knew that Lavender would have to work to score, unlike Hermione who didn't have to do much to make the quaffle go through. He watched as Lavender made her first goal, with two minutes left.
"She's going to be so pissed that Ron was letting Hermione score," Harry thought to himself. Lavender continued to shoot the quaffles, throwing them with more force, and more speed now. She made some shots, making her shot count go up to six shots made. Harry watched her; she was getting very angry every time she missed a shot. He could see Ron laughing as he blocked each shot. Harry blew the whistle as the three minutes came to an end, and Ron landed on the ground, along with Lavender, who looked like she was going to kill Ron.
"Lavender Brown has made nine shots in three minutes!" he told everyone in the crowd of people, which had dwindled down to about eight people, not including Harry and Ron. "Next, Ginny Weasley will try-out!"
Ginny walked over next to Harry, holding her broomstick. Harry was very excited to see whether or not Ron would be easy and let her make shots. Harry went and sat down on the bench, getting ready to watch Ginny. He blew his whistle and watched as they rose into the air. As soon as Ginny picked up her first quaffle, Harry started the timer. She shot the first quaffle and immediately went for a second. She tried shooting as fast as she could, grabbing a different quaffle every time she shot. He watched as one went through the hoops, then number two, and then number three, but it did not seem as though Ron was letting her score. Was she really that good of a chaser? Apparently she was very good. He watched her score even more, she was now moving faster towards the quaffles. It seemed as though she really wanted to show Hermione that she could score more. He watched his watch dwindle down to the one and a half minute mark, with Ginny already putting twelve quaffles past Ron. She threw another quaffle, and he watched it soar through the center hoop. Harry was amazed at how good she was doing. He knew she was good, but he didn't know she was that good. But then again, Ron could've actually been letting Ginny score, but Harry did not think that was happening. He truly believed she was putting the quaffles past Ron because of her skill. He watched his watch hit the ten-second mark. Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Harry blew his whistle, and Ginny landed, Ron right along side her.
"Ginny Weasley has scored a total of twenty-three points in three minutes!" Harry exclaimed. "So, who else wants to try-out?" he asked the crowd. Two guys raised their hands. "What are your names?" Harry asked them.
"Jeff Anderson," one of them told him.
"Randal Graves," the other answered.
"Randal, you're up first," Harry told them.
The boy named Randal walked up to Harry, and Harry was surprised that he was holding a Lightning Star, the newest broom on the market. Harry used a simple spell he had learned from Hermione in order to scatter all of the quaffles throughout the field, making it hard to reach them.
"Are you ready guys?" he asked Randal and Ron.
"Yep," they both replied. Harry blew his whistle and watched as the kid flew into the air. Harry watched as Randal grabbed the first quaffle and threw it at Ron. The quaffle went soaring by Ron, who didn't have a chance at blocking that one. This kid was throwing the quaffles at great speed, and with great accuracy. There was no way Ron was going to block these shots. Ron did manage to block a few shots, and a few shots just plain missed because of the lack of accuracy. Harry watched as Randal picked up a few more quaffles and shot them at the same quick speed, although it seemed as though they were getting a little bit slower, and Randal was getting tired of shooting non-stop at that fast of a speed. Harry blew his whistle after two and a half minutes, as he had already gone way over the leading scorer, Ginny. He had already scored thirty-five times in two and a half minutes.
"Wow! Randal, that was amazing! I'm so glad you're on our team! Thirty-five shots in two and a half minutes!" exclaimed Harry as Randal landed along side of Ron.
"That was the best work I've ever seen. Truly amazing," Ron said to Randal.
"Well, Jeff Anderson, you're up last," Harry told him.
The boy who called himself Jeff walked up to Harry and Ron, holding a Firebolt. Harry was amazed at this also. He was glad that they might have someone else that had a very nice broomstick. Although Harry didn't know if he could beat Hermione's score, even though Ron did let Hermione get those points. Harry used the same simple spell as earlier to move the quaffles to different positions on the field, so he could see the flying skills and speed of the chasers. Harry asked them if they were both ready, and when they both nodded their heads 'yes', Harry blew his whistle, signaling the beginning of the three minutes. Both of the guys rose into the air, and Ron began to guard the hoops. Jeff went after the first quaffle and picked it up. He threw the quaffle, and Ron blocked it easily. Harry could tell right away that Jeff was not going to get onto the team. Jeff dove after the next quaffle and threw it at the hoops, hoping that it would go through one, but it did not.
He was getting quite angry now, and began to get some speed. He was throwing the quaffles with more speed, and was flying towards the next quaffle with more speed. Harry watched as the timer ticked downwards to the two-minute mark. Jeff had scored twice by now, and was going for another quaffle. He was determined to at least beat Lavender's score of nine. Jeff went after the next quaffle diving for one that was right above the ground. He dove and pulled up just before he hit the ground, probably just trying to show off his flying skills. Jeff picked up the quaffle and shot, making it through the center hoop, fooling Ron, who thought he was shooting for the left hoop. The clock hit the thirty-second mark, with Jeff making his ninth shot. He went for his tenth, and made it through. Now he was not in last place. He continued to shoot. Each time, Ron blocked it. When the three minutes were up, Harry blew his whistle, causing Ron and Jeff to land on the ground beside Harry.
"Jeff Anderson has made a total of ten shots. Which means that the new Gryffindor House Chasers will be Randal Graves, with thirty-five shots, Ginny Weasley, with twenty-three shots, and Hermione Granger, with twenty-two shots. If all of the team members would kindly make their way over to the bench, we will meet with each other for a little while, discussing our plans for practice, and our schedule, which I received a few days ago, I would also like to get to know the new members a little better. All others may go back to the common room," Harry said, who immediately walked over towards the bench after he was done his speech.
Harry stood in front of the bench, where he waited for the rest of his team to gather around.
"Okay guys, and girls," he began, "I want to win that trophy once again. I am getting quite used to seeing that trophy being held up after the last game by a group of happy-looking Gryffindors, and I expect that this year will be no different. Just because we have lost many players from the team, it doesn't mean we can't win this year. First I want to go around and introduce ourselves. I, of course, am Harry Potter, the Captain, and Seeker of this team."
"I am Ron Weasley, Co-captain, and the Keeper of the team. I am in my sixth year, along with Harry," Ron told the team.
"I am Hermione Granger, a sixth year as well, and I just joined the team as the new Chaser," Hermione spoke out, sounding very sophisticated.
"I am Ginny Weasley, new Chaser of the team, and I am in my fifth year here at Hogwarts," Ginny said, her cheeks turning red as she started to speak to the team.
"I am Stephanie Riddle, one of the new beaters, and I am in my sixth year. I just transferred this year from Ridgely School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the United States," Stephanie shared with the group.
"Hello, my name is Randal Graves, I'm in my fourth year here at Hogwarts, and I am a new Chaser," Randal told the team.
"And I am Seamus Finnigan, I'm in my sixth year here, and I am a new beater for the team," the last team-member introduced himself to the group.
"Okay, onto our schedule. Our first game of the season shall be against Hufflepuff. This game should not be too bad, as we are an excellent team, and quite frankly, Hufflepuff is not that great. This is a good first game, as we will still be learning to work together, and an easy to beat team will suffice as a good team to 'practice' against first, before we hit Slytherin," Harry told the team, "It will occur on the Sunday, October 13th at noon."
"Yes, that will be quite an easy game, I suppose," Ron agreed.
"Yep. Then we will play Ravenclaw, which will be a little harder, since they do have a good seeker, of course that is if Cho comes back from the horrible state she is in," Harry continued, "It will be more difficult than the Hufflepuff game, but not nearly as difficult as when we play Slytherin. The Ravenclaw game will take place on Sunday, December 8th." Harry heard some murmurs, as the team members got excited for their games. It seemed to Harry as though this would be an excellent year for Quidditch, since his team members were very enthusiastic.
"Our last game of the season will come on February 23rd against Slytherin. There will be only one game after that, Hufflepuff vs. Ravenclaw, which of course does not involve us. But our game against Slytherin is going to be the most important game of the year. They are our main competitors, and we need to defeat them. I will keep you updated on the points each team has, since that would determine who wins the championship, and I believe that you guys, and girls, have a right to know what we're up against, points wise," Harry told the team. He heard some people whisper about the Slytherin team, and Harry decided to continue talking about the team.
"We will have practice twice a week. Once on Mondays, and once on Wednesdays," Harry told the team. "Do you understand? Any questions?" he asked. When nobody asked anything, he knew they had no questions, and told them they could go do what they wanted to. Harry, Ron, and Hermione all went to the common room to chill out for a little while.