Disclaimer: I do not own any locations or characters, they all belong our beloved J.K. (except for Jade Ackerley, Hannah Gallagher and James Meniker!). Please do not use my characters for anything without asking me first (I'll let you use them, but you've got to ask me first!)

Author's Note: Okay, so I edited this in the overhaul, but then some details had to be sorted out and I decided to TOTALLY ADD IN a new scene about the tryouts. Most people won't see this until after my next new chapter post, since I didn't tell them about it in the Chapter 8 note. If you're reading this before Chapter 9 is posted, good on ya! Thanks for reading, and enjoy.

A Fresh Start

The next day, Hannah woke after her restless night and rubbed the gunk from her eyes, slipping silently out of bed and towards the bathroom. She could hear Jade's light snore, and though Cho's head was now hidden by the blue sheets, she saw a few of her toes sticking out at the end of the bed. Hannah showered, washing the grime and sweat of the night away. The dream had been more graphic and intense than ever. Her mind was uneasy, and seeing Jade the previous night had not helped. It had been so strange... Hannah wanted to ask her about it, but decided it was better just to leave it be. She shoved the thoughts from her head and continued preparing for the first day of school.

Jade woke with no feeling in her hand, having slept with it squashed under her face. She sighed and headed for the bathroom to shower. Hannah's bed was empty, and she could hear Cho stretching and yawning beside her. Jade looked up as Hannah pattered out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel and dripping.

"Mornin', Jade!" she said with a cheerful smile.

Jade smiled and gave her a wave, not awake enough yet to form coherent words. Jade headed to the shower and washed, turning the dream over in her head. It had seemed so real...and yet so hazy... like a vision.

That's preposterous... thought Jade as the hot water streamed over her. It was only a stupid nightmare... I have to get on and not worry about it.

She grabbed the shampoo and systematically began washing her three-foot-long hair.

And yet... it was so...

Jade shook herself mentally and scrubbed her head harder, determined to somehow scrub the thoughts away. Her scalp hurt, and she paused to rinse the residual foam off her hands. It had stained slightly red.

She finished her shower, dressed, and stumbled down to the common room. There, she bid her friends a good morning and headed towards the Great Hall for breakfast.

--

Tryouts for the new Quidditch season came, and with one graduation and the mysterious removal of Roger Davies last year, there were openings for two Chasers and a new Captain. A light mist filled the early morning air in the stadium as three students stood leaning against the rails, looking down at the empty Quidditch field, waiting for their exercises to begin. Jade was one of those three.

To her left, a larger group of students sat in the stands about 10 feet away, whispering with each other nervously. To her right, the other three current members of the team sat silently, watching and waiting to judge their performances. The sun was only just beginning to clear the horizon, and in the mist, the world was a monochromatic gray. Breaking the quiet emptiness, the form of Madam Hooch strolled out onto the field, her black robes clearly visible against the green field.

"Captain hopefuls!" rang out her voice. "I need you down here!"

The three figures leaning against the rails mounted their brooms and flew down from the stands to where Madam Hooch was standing.

"Mandy, Lisa, Kenneth," she said, addressing them all. "Because you three conveniently cover all the Quidditch positions, I'm going to have you demonstrate your proficiency at the same time. Mandy, you will attempt to score as Lisa defends, Kenneth will try to distract you both. Since there will be only one Beater, there will also be only one Bludger. Obviously, the Snitch will not be a part of this exercise."

The three of them nodded, taking firmer grips on their brooms in preparation to mount. Kenneth pulled his bat out from inside his blue Quidditch robes.

Everyone was expecting 7th year Kenneth Broadmoor to take the position. Jade, as a 6th year, had a chance, but had no expectations. A third contender, 5th year Mandy Brocklehurst, had also joined the applicant pool, mostly for the tryout experience. The three of them had already been through two-thirds of the application process. Earlier, they had turned in essays about their history on the team, their leadership skills, and why they would make good Captains. The essay was worth one fourth of their final score. Then, one by one, they had entered a classroom to demonstrate their knowledge of strategy for Madam Hooch and the other three team members who weren't trying out. That, being one of the most important Captain qualities, had been worth one half of their score. Now, they were here to demonstrate excellence in their particular field position, the final fourth.

The essays had mostly been just a formality. Jade had filled it with what she knew Madam Hooch would want to hear, just as the other two had. Jade had done well in the strategy. She had been on the team longer than the other two had, even though Kenneth was older. She watched the whole field, and she knew the formations well. She didn't know how she stood against the other two, but the biggest part of the process was over. Still, she didn't want to relax too much, and had constantly reminded herself that every part of the application was important.

Seeing the three of them move to mount their brooms, Madam Hooch held up a hand to stop them and whistled loudly between her fingers. A lone form in red Quidditch robes approached from the side of the field.

"This is Alicia Spinnet, Chaser for Gryffindor," Madam Hooch said, indicating the girl. "You all probably know of her."

Alicia smiled politely and gave a little wave. Madam Hooch turned to Mandy.

"She has generously offered to assist you, as no other Ravenclaw Chasers currently exist. You may use her to execute formations and to pass to, but she will not attempt to score."

She turned to Kenneth.

"You may aim towards Alicia if you wish, and you will not be given a lower score, but since she is not being examined, I would prefer that you aim more towards Mandy and Jade so as to test their abilities better."

Kenneth nodded his understanding. Madam Hooch turned to Jade.

"As I said, Alicia will not be attempting to score. I suggest you keep your main focus on Mandy, although occasionally the Quaffle will be in Alicia's possession."

Jade nodded her assent, and Madam Hooch gave the command for them to mount and take their positions. Jade felt the wind on her face as she flew up towards the goalposts. When everyone was in place, Madam Hooch turned to the box that had floated out onto the field behind her. Standing back warily, she released one Bludger and picked up the Quaffle. She blew her whistle and tossed the Quaffle into the air.

--

Jade blocked Mandy's third shot and tossed the Quaffle back, wiping the sweat from her forehead. Kenneth and Mandy had kept her very busy, and she was working harder than she normally had to. No opposing Chasers to steal the Quaffle, and only three possible targets for the Beater. She'd been diving and dodging for what felt like an hour. She attempted to check her watch, but didn't read it because the Quaffle was about to enter the lower ring. Diving desperately, she knocked the ball off its course with the tips of her fingers, blocking it but not catching it. She cursed her negligence as she spun upside down and around on her broom, dodging the Bludger yet again.

Finally, to her great relief, Madam Hooch blew her whistle and motioned them all to the ground. They landed, Mandy holding the Quaffle. Madam Hooch carefully charmed the loose Bludger down into the box and restrained it, closing the box after taking the Quaffle from Mandy. Jade wiped the sweat from her forehead and straightened her robes. Turning back to the four of them, Madam Hooch spoke.

"Excellent job, all of you. You performed well. The results will be posted on my door in a few days. Let me remind you, as I told you before the process began, that this year the second place candidate will not be taking the position of co-captain. Since none of you protested this, our current co-captain Cho Chang did not try out with you. I trust that you all still agree to this term."

All three of them nodded, positive expressions on their faces. Everyone liked Cho as co-captain, even if that meant they weren't going to be one of the captains.

"Thank you all, and a special thanks to Alicia," Madam Hooch said, turning to Alicia.

The three candidates smiled and nodded at Alicia, who blushed and looked at the ground, smiling. Madam Hooch bid them a good day and blew the whistle, signaling the group of Chaser hopefuls to come down to the field. The three of them headed up to where the rest of the current team was sitting in the stands. Jade gave her younger brother Stewart, a Chaser hopeful, a pat on the back as she passed him. She took her place next to Cho, who smiled and congratulated her on a job well done, to watch and help judge the possible Chasers.

--

Finally, the results were posted a few days later. Students clustered around Madam Hooch's office eagerly as she emerged with a piece of parchment in hand. She fended everyone off, tacked the list to her door, and retreated to the safety of her office. The students surged forward, fighting to get to the front. Finally, as the first few managed to read through the shoving, results were read aloud.

The first Chaser was a 4th year, Gleb "Vladimir" Svyatoslavich, known mostly as Vlad. He'd been a reserve for the team for two years, so no one was surprised or bothered by his new position. He received congratulations and pats on the back from everyone. When the second name was read out however, there was a bit of surprise. Jade's little brother, Stewart, had been named as the second new Chaser. Her thoughts momentarily flickered at the memory of the dream, but soon she was distracted as many upperclassmen walked away from the posted results grumbling about the "young upstart stealing their rightful place." Most students ignored them and congratulated Stewart. Jade gave him a warm hug and ruffled his hair a bit before pushing forward, trying to see the list before those in front read out the new Captain. Before she got there, one of the students loudly read the name out.

"Captain - Lisa Ackerley"

Disbelieving, Jade pushed forward to look at the list. She looked twice, just to make sure. 'Captain - Miss Lisa Ackerley'. Surprise and excitement filled her as a grin appeared on her face. She turned around to yell in elation, but stopped as she saw Kenneth trudging away disappointedly. She tried to hide her smile from him and she pushed out of the crowd towards Hannah and Cho, who stood waiting against the opposite wall behind the crowd. After she had reached them, a round of hugs ensued, and Jade was congratulated by other students as they walked away from the list.

"C'mon, Jade, lets go celebrate!" said Cho warmly, a huge smile on her face.

Jade grinned back, unable to hide her absolute amazement and glee at her new position. Still, she had something on her mind.

"You guys can go ahead - I want to talk to Madam Hooch for a moment."

"That's okay, Jade," said Hannah, grinning. "We'll wait for ya."

Once the crowd had dissipated, Jade turned the handle of Madam Hooch's door and entered. Madam Hooch looked up from her desk and peered through the weak light provided by shaded windows and a few candles in plain wrought-iron holders.

"Ah, Miss Ackerley, what can I do for you?"

Jade, although still smiling, considered her words carefully before saying them.

"I'm really happy to be the new Captain... but... I'm confused."

"Confused about what, dear?"

"Well... Kenneth's older, and he did well on the field..."

Jade's voice trailed to a halt and she waited for Madam Hooch's reply.

Madam Hooch smiled at her. It was strange sight for Jade, who hadn't seen her smile often.

"You're feeling guilty, are you? Don't. He may be older, but you scored higher on strategy and on skill proficiency. You're more experienced, even though he's older."

Madam Hooch straightened the papers on her desk.

"You will make a fine Captain."

Jade blushed and thanked her, walking out of the office with a renewed grin. Joined by Hannah and Cho, she headed towards the dorms to celebrate like crazy.

--

Life went on as usual, although Jade had much more on her hands as Captain. Juggling homework, friendships, and practices was quite a chore, but Jade put in the effort and disappointed no one. Finally, something happened the last week of October. Professor Flitwick pulled Jade aside after class. The rest of the students had filed out and were heading to the Great Hall for lunch.

"Miss Ackerley," he said with a warm smile. "I will be the one to inform you about upcoming Quidditch matches. You are the captain of the Ravenclaw team, correct?"

"That's correct, Professor."

"Ah, good, good. Well, it is a bit early to inform you... but I was thinking... Well. It's not exactly 'kosher', as they say, for me to divulge this information. However, I doubt our beloved Potions Master can contain his... excitement... any more than I can. I think it best that all students have fair and equal knowledge. Therefore I see it fit - and really the only fair thing to do - to inform you that your first Quidditch match will be on December 16, Ravenclaw verses Slytherin."

Jade felt her heartbeat quicken, but managed to control herself. She smiled warmly.

"Thank you very much, Professor!"

"Ah, now, Miss Ackerley, you understand the nature of this information, correct?"

"Of course, Professor. I'll keep it quiet."

He nodded jovially, and his eyes twinkled as he turned to other business at his desk. She walked as calmly as she could from the room, and then broke into a full run once she reached the main corridor. She was grinning like an idiot as she raced to find Cho.

--

Jade burst into the Great Hall and practically pounced on Cho, making her drop the piece of bread she was snacking on. She pulled the girl's head towards her and whispered excitedly in her ear.

"Ol' Flitwick came through - our first Quidditch match is December 16th against Slytherin!"

Cho jumped up and the two girls started dancing around in circles, doing their trademark Quidditch victory dance. When they noticed the stares they were getting, they smiled sheepishly and sat back down. Everyone leaned in, and Jade and Cho resisted the urge to gossip, refusing to say anything as they looked around at everyone with knowing smiles.

Note: Tell me what you thought of the new Quidditch scene - PLEEEEASE!!! And thanks again for reading.