CHAPTER SIX: TRIALS AND MATCHES
November brought the beginning of the new quidditch season and Alicia Spinnet, who had been named Gryfindor captain in her last year at Hogwarts, approached Harry and Ron about the vacant positions in the Gryfindor team.
"I have a life ban, remember?" Harry told her, crestfallen that he would not be permitted to play in this year's competition.
"I've already been to see professor McGonagall and she went straight to professor Dumbledore. You're ban has been lifted!" Alicia said.
Harry's heart soared; finally he would be able to play quidditch again, "Excellent!" he exclaimed, feeling more upbeat, "So when are tryouts?"
"Friday night. I want both of you there. It's going to be difficult, we're the only ones left, but Ginny came to me about playing chaser. She wasn't too bad as seeker last year so maybe I'll include her too." Alicia told them before skipping off to her friends.
"I'd almost forgotten about quidditch." Ron said, frowning slightly.
"Me as well, I thought I wouldn't be able to play." Harry agreed before noticing the panicky look on Ron's face, "Don't worry, you'll be great this year! Just remember last years grand final."
Ron seemed to cheer up after that and neither of them could wait for Friday night. When it did roll around, Alicia, Harry and Ron went down to the quidditch pitch early to prepare for tryouts. Alicia seemed to be relying heavily on Harry and Ron to help with her captain position and they both happily obliged.
"Do you know how many people are trying?" Ron asked as he changed into his quidditch robes.
"Heaps," Alicia groaned, "I've got a list that is almost as long as me full of names. I think the whole of Gryfindor is trying out."
"I suppose you have to think about the number of positions that are vacant. We need half a team." Harry reasoned.
They marched out onto the pitch with Harry and Ron lugging the chest of quidditch balls. The applicants were already out on the pitch with their brooms, talking amongst themselves. The crowd fell silent when they saw Alicia.
"Thanks for coming down here tonight. The positions that need to be filled include the two beater positions and two more chasers." Alicia said to them all, "To start with, can I have all the beaters on this side and all the chasers on this side." She indicated to her left and right.
The large group split into two and Alicia went on to describe how the tryouts would be conducted.
"I'm going to divide you all into teams and then you will take it in turns to play one another for ten minutes a piece. Ron will play keeper at one end and I will ask for volunteers to play keeper at the other end when their team isn't on the pitch." A few people raised their hands, and with the help of Ron and Harry, Alicia spilt the two groups into teams.
Harry spent the night next to Alicia who had a clipboard, trying to decide who would b best for the Gryfindor team. A lot of the applicants were beyond terrible and Harry had already been out to the pitch three times to check if various people were okay after being hit in the head with a beater's bat or bludger. On several occasions, Harry had to stop Alicia from throwing down her folder and walking off the field. They managed to make it through the entire tryout and Alicia was finally able to read out the successful applicants.
"I'd like to thank everyone for making the effort to come down here today but like I said before I have only four positions. So congratulations to our new beaters, Robert Thor and Cronus Pompillius."
Two fifth year boys stood up and cheered, patting each other on the back. Obviously they were best friends. Neither of them could compare to Fred or George Weasley but they were by far the best out there.
"And to our new chasers, Ginny Weasley and Isabel Hathor!" Ginny and the forth year stood up as well to congratulate one another.
"If the new team members could stay behind, the rest of you are free to go and thank you again for coming out here to tryout." Alicia said to the Gryfindors that hadn't made it, and they left, making their way back to the castle, some of them grumbling as they went.
"So," Alicia said turning to her newly elected team, "we have a lot of hard work to do before our first game of the season but I'm sure that if we work together and learn to play as a team we can go on to win the quidditch cup!" she talk some more about training times and then the group headed back to the Gryfindor common room.
X
The first match of the season occurred a few weeks later and Gryfindor was to be playing Hufflepuff. Harry and Ron made there way down to the dressing rooms after breakfast with Alicia who was rather nervous about the first match of the season.
"We'll be fine Alicia, don't fret!" Ron said encouragingly.
"I know, I know. We've trained hard." She replied but Harry couldn't help but notice the slight quiver in her voice.
After a longwinded pep talk, the Gryfindor team marched out onto the field where a chorus of cheers from the Gryfindor end greeted them. The two teams faced each other and once the whistle was blown, Harry kicked off the ground and he and his broom zoomed into the air. The balls were released and the game began.
Harry soared high into the air, searching for the golden snitch while listening to Ernie Macmillan, a Hufflepuff who had replaced Lee Jordan after he had left the year before, commentate.
"It's another fine day, ideal quidditch conditions, hardly any wind and the sun covered by cloud." He told the crowd before beginning the running commentary of the game.
"Gryfindor has the quaffle! Ginny Weasley, one of the four new players on the Gryfindor team, passes off to team captain Alicia Spinnet who zooms down the pitch; she takes a shot at goal and... excellent interception from Denise Celeste, the Hufflepuff keeper. Hufflepuff with the quaffle... oh! Mind that bludger!..."
Harry flew around the pitch, one eye peeled for the snitch, the other on the Hufflepuff seeker, Zacharias Smith. As he flew around, Harry caught sight of a golden glitter right beside Isabel's foot. Without anytime to think, he went into a dive, followed closely by Smith.
The snitch took off and Harry and Zacharias went after it. Zacharias was almost neck and neck with Harry when the snitch took an unexpected about turn and Harry had to pull up so fast that Zacharias almost slammed into him. Quickly, with quidditch skills inherited from his father, Harry span around on his broom and followed Smith who was now closing in on the snitch.
Harry urged his Firebolt to go faster and it did with Harry flying level with Smith. They both put out their hands' and, after much pushing and shoving and grasps of thin air, Harry finally felt his hand close around the tiny snitch, it's wings beating against the palm of his hand. The game was over and Gryfindor had won!
When Harry landed, he shook hands with Zacharias before being engulfed by his teammates.
"Well done Harry! You did it!" Alicia said, who was obviously ecstatic at the win.
When the hubbub died down, Harry made his way to the change rooms. He had hung around the quidditch pitch long after everyone had left , snitch still in hand, lost in his thoughts.
Everything that he did now, he always thought of his parents and Sirius. He wondered if they would be proud of him. He assured himself that they would have been, after all, James Potter had been one of the best seekers Hogwarts had ever seen. The aching in his heart refused to go away though.
As Harry walked through the halls of Hogwarts, on his way to the common room where there was sure to be a party happening, he ran into Luna Lovegood.
"Hello Harry." She said in her usual dreamy, faraway voice.
She had been one of the people who had accompanied Harry to the Ministry of Magic last year. She was rather strange, her father being the editor of the Quibbler.
"Hey Luna, how've you been. I haven't seen you around school for awhile." Harry commented, coming to a stop beside her.
"Oh yes, I've been fine except somebody thought it would be funny to put a poisonous powder in my socks and when I put them on broke out into great red welts all over, so I've been in the Hospital Wing for a few weeks while Madame Pomfrey tried to set me straight. I think she was secretly pleased because she got to try all these new potions and medicines on me to try and find a cure."
Luna seemed to be the victim of several terrible tricks and Harry couldn't help but feel particularly sorry for her.
"Jeez Luna, that's pretty rough. Do you know who might have done it?" Harry asked in a friendly voice.
"Well it would have to be someone in Ravenclaw because no one else would know the password, but I couldn't pin point one specific person. Probably one of the girls I share a room with. I don't think they like me very much because I'm a little different." Luna sighed but, as always, she showed no sign of emotion towards this nasty trick, she had grown so accustomed to it.
"Being different isn't such a bad thing, I think it's pretty cool. Anyway, how come you're out here by yourself? I thought we had to stay in our common room after nine thirty." Harry asked as he started to move off with Luna in tow.
"Oh, I've just come from the library. I've been getting so much work lately and I simply cannot concentrate in the Ravenclaw common room." Harry remembered the piles of work he had gotten last year only too well.
"I'm sure you will be fine, but I better go now. I don't want to have to face Snape at the moment, or any other teacher for that matter." Harry said as they parted in different directions.
He waved farewell to Luna and continued to the Gryfindor common room. Once he passed the Fat Lady, Harry was greeted by a sea of Gryfindor supporter's still celebrating the first win of the season. Harry, who was not in the mood for a party, went straight up to his room for some sleep.
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A/N: a little slow moving, I know. I promise the good stuff is coming. PLEASE REVIEW begging on her knees please! Thanks for reading this far.
