Year Two at Hogwarts
Chapter 4: Team Training and Tryouts
Two weeks had passed after that lesson with Professor Arnold. They still worked on trying to perfect their disarming and especially the control they had. Tyler's charm...was more than effective especially when he was with Matt and he forced him back while his wand blew off his hand. They had also started to learn the crazy Jelly Legs Jinx. Tyler still thought it was strange how Professor Arnold looked at Tyler like he was being studied. But he didn't want to make his friends think he was a paranoid guy afraid of everything that set it's eyes on him so he kept it to himself.
On the announcement board at the Slytherin common room, there were a lot of people gathered around chatting excitingly. This attracted the three slytherin pals.
"Hey Regulus," started Matt. "Do you know what all that's about?"
"I'll go check."
He went over to the board and came back a little excited.
"It's been put up that there are tryouts for the new team seeker at 5:00 today."
"What? Really?" said Tyler almost yelling.
"Wow Tyler. Take it easy there mate. Don't get too excited."
"I can't help it Regulus. I have been waiting for this ever since Madam Hooch said I would have a chance to get in."
"Do you have a broom ready?" Matt seemed to be behind Tyler on this claim.
"Yeah, my family got me a Silver Arrow."
"A Silver Arrow!" said Regulus and Matt at the same time, at the same tone.
"Yeah, it was a birthday gift."
"But they haven't been made for decades. Those brooms are classic models that haven't been bested even with the new times."
"With that kind of broom you'll take the position easily."
"Thanks guys. Aren't you going to try out too?"
"Nah" said Matt.
"I don't fancy being on a team. I like watching the games rather than being in them." But before Tyler could leave Regulus reached out for him. "Wait..."
Tyler quickly went back to the Slytherin levels to drop his stuff off when his last class was over. He grabbed his broom and headed for the pitch and saw that he was half an hour early. That was fine with him because he wanted to try out his new broom because he hadn't had a chance to fly it yet. He mounted it and zoomed off into the air. The broom felt very steady and made way better turns than the school brooms they trained with last year. After twenty minutes of zooming throughout the pitch, he saw Jacke, Brad and Reggie approaching and take seats in the stands. He flew down to them.
"Hey, what are you all doing here?"
Jacke answered him. "I saw you rush out of the dungeons and run out here. I caught up with Regalus and he said that you were training for the quidditch team in a few minutes. We thought we should root for you and give you our support."
"Wow...thanks, thanks a lot." Tyler was touched how his friends could root for him even thought it wasn't their own teams he was going for. "But, I'm not trying out for any of your house teams. How are you going to decide which to root for?"
"We'll worry about that. You worry about getting on the team. Let's hope that we'll be playing against each other instead of just watching."
"Watching? Oh right." He had almost forgotten that Madam Hooch recommended that they go and try to join their teams too.
"I guess that will make the problem of who we root for a bit worse, huh?" commented Jacke.
"Hey look," said Reggie pointing. "Here comes the Slytherin Quidditch team."
Out came the six remaining players from last years line up. The captain led the way. Tyler thought he looked a little on the pushy side with his brown bangs and an expression that looked irritated. Right behind them were a few people with brooms over their shoulders. 'They must be the competition' thought Tyler nervously. Also a few other people were starting to come by, probably to watch.
"Hello. I'm Ben Oakmire, the captain and one of the chasers. Here are the other two: Magnus Gansley and Andrew Crump. These two are the beaters: Jeffrey Dellen and Patrick Tanner. Okay! Let anyone whose tying out for seeker come by! Line up right here."
Tyler saw about four other guys come up with their brooms and Tyler saw that he seemed to be the youngest. The competition scared him a bit but he had to think positive. Oakmire got everyone's attention again.
"All right, first up," he read a clipboard and seemed to be making a choice "Mulciber, you're up." A seventh year that looked pretty tough stepped up and mounted his broom while Captain Oakmire let go of a snitch. "You'll have five minutes to at least locate the snitch, bonus for catching it. Ready...1...2...3...Go!"
This exercise repeated three times. So far nobody could catch the snitch. Mulciber, Mayherne were the only two to find the snitch but were unable to catch it in the time limit. When Vole landed it became Tyler's turn
"Solemn, you're up." Oakmire looked at him like he was bored and angry. Tyler knew why he seemed so grouchy. After all, he just finished flying lessons and the other participants couldn't catch the snitch and there were no more people to choose from. "1,2,3, Go!"
Tyler took off for the center of the pitch leveled with the rings and started to search for the snitch. He looked so hard that he thought his eyes were going to come out. He really wanted to be on the team because he just loved quidditch and flying and to play would be worthwhile. He looked around toward one of the hoop ends and couldn't see anything glimmering. He looked at his watch to see that he lost two minutes already. 'Staying here isn't going to help me' thought Tyler. He was about to fly off toward the opposite end but he just stopped halfway there.
He just remembered what Regulus had said and he flashbacked to before he left the common room that morning.
"Wait, Tyler, I think you should remember this Slytherin saying for luck. "When a place is searched top to bottom, check it again."
He looked back at the end where he just finished looking before and he noticed a tiny bright light. It was the golden snitch! He took his Silver Arrow and launched himself toward that snitch. It's wings let out a buzzing sound as it tried to avoid Tyler's outstretched arm. Tyler pushed on his broom harder and finally had his hand keeping a struggling snitch in his hand. But then a fear hit him; did he run out of time? He looked at his watch. He had 20 seconds left and let out a breath of relief now that he knew he caught it on time. 'Thanks for the advice Regulus' he thought as he was coming down.
"Well" said Oakmire. "I must say that I'm impressed Solemn. What's your first name?"
"Tyler."
"Well Tyler, you just made the team."
At that second, Tyler jumped and clicked his feet together in the air but didn't want to make himself look like a fool in front of all the older slytherins. He thanked them and headed for the rock valley where the cave was. He then jumped and shouted at the top of his lungs in happiness.
He was on the team. He was on the house team. He was on the Slytherin House team. He was the seeker on the Slytherin House Quidditch team! No matter how it was thought or said it all sounded good to him. But then he heard shouts that didn't belong to him.
"You did it mate!"
"You were great!"
"Congratulations Tyler!"
It was Jacke, Brad and Reggie.
"Thanks. So when do you guys tryout for your teams so I could cheer for you?"
"I tryout tomorrow" said Jacke.
"Saturday morning" said Reggie.
"My tryout is later that afternoon" finished Brad.
"What positions are you trying out for?"
"Seeker" said all three at the same time.
"Well if you make it then we'll be playing against each other all the time. I'll look forward to them."
"Yeah me too" said Jacke. "Reggie, do you have the book. We should start on the new transformation since we're here."
"Yeah I have it. Let's go."
"Wow, you of all people urging us on to do something against the law. I must be dieing," said Brad with a smirk.
"Shut up."
They all climbed into the entrance and were soon back in the spacious cave they used when they were first becoming elementals. Reggie pulled out the Animagi book.
"Okay, did you guys decide what animal you want to be?"
"I want to be a snake," said Tyler. He was wondering how it would feel like to be a snake like Chaos and Serpentine and this was the perfect chance.
His friends were looking at him uneasy until Brad spoke "Why a snake Tyler?"
"I just like snakes. I am a slytherin after all." They stilled stared at him like he said something strange.
Then Brad talked again with his eyes still on Tyler "Well...in that case I'll be a badger to be a proud hufflepuff.
"Eagles and a Ravenclaw are the obvious choice." Reggie was in his element.
"Well, I'm not going to be left out. I was going for a panther but I'll become a lion so it'll be like we're our house emblems come to life."
"Yeah, we'll become the Hogwarts mascots."
"Mascots?" said the two pureblooded wizards.
"Muggle thing" said Brad and Reggie and Brad finished. "They're animals used for cheering at games."
"Well, you learn something every day," said Reggie amused. "Brad, did you learn the spell?"
"I studied it back to front."
"Okay then, cast it now."
"Alright, lets get ready."
End of chapter four
I'm not the weakest link: Thank you for reviewing and I hope you're story hits it off.
Author Notes:
Well there it ends for chapter four at a cliffhanger. Oh I'm so evil. Well don't worry because I have already started on the next one. Did you like the slytherin quotes I used. I got the idea of house terms from Akumasama's stories "Snake who lived". Well the next chapter will have them start their training and the birth of a new group into the magical world. Chapter 5 "The Four Seekers" will be coming on soon.
Also I am on high hopes for tomorrow's release of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I just can't wait to see it.