Three days after Neville and Parvati were caught, the school and its entirety knew about it. Occasionally even the teachers would make some comment like, "Now this assignment won't exactly be a night in the broom closet but..." and so on and so forth.
After a trying day, Ginny, Harry, and Ron set out to the Quidditch fields where tryouts were being held. First it was chasers, they needed two and seven people showed up.
"All right," Harry said trying his best to sound important. "First person step forward and give me your name and year."
A tall, lanky boy stepped forward. His brown hair was scruffy and in his face, completely concealing his eyes. "Fox Gray. 6th year." He said, his voice cracking. It sounded as if he hadn't used in months.
"Before we go any further Gray, your hair needs to be taken care of. It needs to be cut, or just out of your face at least."
Fox took out his wand, muttered an incantation and the hair was instantly parted, revealing dark, protruding eyes.
Harry sighed. "Right. Lets see what you can do. Ron you play keeper."
Fox mounted his broom and Harry noted that it was a Nimbus two thousand and one. A highly impressive broom. They sped up and Harry noted again, that he was an excellent flyer. His turns were smooth, his acceleration was nice, and his stopping was on the dot. He had done this before. Ron threw him the Quaffle, and five seconds after it left his hands, Fox had caught it and thrust it in the left goal post. Everyone was very taken aback by this.
"Beginners luck," Ron said shortly as he through him the Quaffle. In no less time, he had succeeded in scoring again.
Harry smiled, but then had Ginny play keeper. This upset Ron very much, and he was still brooding about it when he touched ground.
Fox scored three times on Ginny, and once on him before he realized this boy had talent. Ron was feeling much better by the way, knowing that he wasn't the only one who couldn't stop Fox.
"Gray! Things are looking good for you, you may return to the castle. Results will be posted tomorrow." Harry called after him. But the lanky boy just put up his hand to show he understood.
"Odd ball, that one." Ron said thoughtfully.
"You're telling me. He's in every single one of my classes and I've never heard him say a word." Ginny added disgust clearly audible in her voice. She thought for a moment and then took it back. "Oh wait that's not true. He asked me to Hogsmeade a few years back. That was the first time I realized he existed. I said no though, he was really gawky and weird looking."
"Oh real deep Ginny. Maybe that's why he doesn't talk, cause the only person he ever talked to is you and you're a real bit-."
"Ron!" Harry said, cutting him off before he could start something. "It doesn't matter if he doesn't talk it matters that he's a damn good player. Now both of you shut up! Next person."
A tall dark haired girl stepped forward, a glint of defiance visible in her eye. She announced herself haughtily as if she wasn't a hopeful but a shoo-in "Tamara Wrightly. 5th year."
"Er- righto. Ron you play keeper again. Ready?"
Tamara narrowed her eyes. "Does it look like I'm not?"
"Er- no. Lets go."
Tamara did have the right to be haughty. She was incredible, Harry, Ron, and Ginny all played keeper, and she still scored. Why hadn't she shown up last year when they really needed a good chaser? Anyway needless to say she made the team. The next three hopefuls totally bombed, and the fourth one was so nervous she burst into tears and Harry wasted precious sunlight trying to get her to calm down.
By the time the last one came up Harry was so agitated he didn't even concentrate on watching. It didn't matter though; she wasn't nearly as good as Fox or Tamara. The decision was made. Harry prayed it would be this easy to choose the beaters.
Not as many people showed up for that. Only three. The first was a skinny little blonde girl whose tall hair was big and blonde enough to give Pam Anderson a run for her money. Her makeup was extravagant too, making her look like an undersized Barbie doll what with her pink robes and red nails.
The second was a tall girl in Harry's year that he'd only seen around once. Her hair was down to her ears, and cut in a choppy short of edgy way. But that wasn't the weird thing about it though; the weird thing was that it was navy blue, almost black. She had stylish black-rimmed glasses and zero makeup. She was pretty though. Her robes were in tatters but she didn't seem to mind. Barbie however, was looking at her with utmost disgust.
And the third was Colin Creevey.
Harry was disappointed by the people that showed up; they were certainly not very impressive. But he needed a team and this was his only option. "All right," he sighed, "first up?"
Barbie Doll stepped forward. Her voice was giggly and high pitched. Sooo annoying. "Tee hee," she said giddily as she flipped her platinum hair, "that's me! I'm Candi Malfoy! Yeah, Draco's like my 3rd cousin or something. Heh anyway, I'm in like, my second year but don't I look old enough to be in my like, fifth?"
Harry was thunderstruck. As he looked around so was everybody else. Even the tall dark haired girl looked disgusted. Nobody said anything, they didn't no what to say.
Um...Hello? I'm like totally still standing here are you gonna test me or not?" She said looking impatient.
"Uh...yeah sure. Er- hop on," Harry said shakily throwing her a Comet 62.
She wrinkled up her perfect little face in complete and utter disgust. "Eww gross! Seriously lemme get my own. Accio Broom!" A broom soon came hurling out of the Gryffindor tower and into her hand. "I only ride my broom."
"Harry," Ron said. "She's got a Nimbus two thousand and one! How'd you reckon she got it??"
"Probably the same way her cousin got one. Rich parents," Harry said grudgingly. There wasn't really a point in letting her tryout. He would not have a Malfoy on his team. But all the same, he thought he should be fair so they mounted their brooms.
They were off, but Malfoy-Barbie hadn't gone to the goal posts. She sped up and disappeared into the twilight. Seconds later she came down, shivering but smiling.
"Sorry Harry," she said sweetly, "but I just had to do that."
Right, Harry thought, just what we need, a show off. But Candi proved to be an experienced flyer, and all her movements were smooth and fluent. As she sped away into the middle of the field to await the bludgers, Ron moved closer to Harry.
"Its absolutely rubbish! She'll never make the team! Plus she's a Malfoy! How could a Malfoy possibly be on the Gryffindor Quidditch team? How could a Malfoy even get into Gryffindor?"
"I dunno. Not like it makes any more sense to me than you. Release a bludger Ginny," Harry replied shortly.
Ginny did as she was told, and no sooner had she released the bludger, had it come hurtling at her at three times the speed. Everyone on the field stopped dead. They hadn't expected such a fragile looking girl to do that.
Ron was the first to speak. "How in... What in... How the bloody hell did she do that?" His lips hardly moved as he said this.
"Ginny," Harry said nervously, "throw another one and tell her to aim for the left goal post. If she gets it in, I don't give a damn what her name is she's on the team."
"Righto. Hey Barbie!" She called.
"Um...it's definitely Candi, Ginerva," she replied testily.
"Yeah and it's definitely Ginny, aim for the left goal post!"
"What?"
"Aim for the left goal post! Do I have to spell it?" With that she lifted her arm and threw a fastball. This time it didn't return to her, soared through the left goal post.
Three mouths dropped open unchecked.
"Hey! It went in! Heh hee! There's six years of softball for ya," she laughed hysterically and dismounted her broom. The other three followed suit.
"Malfoy wait," Harry called.
"Yeeeehssss?" She asked sweetly, turning toward Harry.
"Your in."
"Oh! Well what a surprise. I'm glad I get to play with such," she glanced at Ron, "honorable players." With that she headed back to the castle.
"Um...yeah. So whose next?" Ron asked brightly.
The dark haired girl looked at a terrified Colin Creevey.
"Uh...um...erm... I don't- I don't know I mean... erm... I'm just gonna head in I don't really er... want to join...that much. Bye." He bolted away from the field and arrived at the castle in record time.
Ginny raised her eyebrows. "Forget what I said about Fox what's-his-face."
"Well seeing as you're the only one left I guess you're our newest beater," Harry remarked uneasily.
"Guess so. For the record, Natalie Combs. 7th year. Believe your in my potions class," she replied, a Swedish accent heavy in her words.