Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just the garden gnomes on my lawn.
Chapter 4: Quidditch Tryouts
Hermione woke bright and early, and her head hurt. The week had been slow in moving, and her head was still ringing with all of the lessons. Professor Cortez was much nicer than Snape, but was harder with the book work. He required everyone to actually know what each ingredient did in the potion. Professor Cook had done basically nothing in class, but talk about how cute she thought Oliver Wood was, and how she was going to go to every Quidditch game this season. Professor Duncan reminded her a lot of Professor Binns, in how boring he was. She actually wished he would hex someone in class to make it at least semi-interesting. Professor O'Neill had everyone do each other's horoscopes, and she didn't enjoy having to do Jean's. She learned things even boyfriends of her didn't need to know. And Headmaster Zelgrave was having her go over and over information that she saw as useless.
Hermione looked at the clock and had to think of why she was waking up this early. Oh yeah. Today was Saturday, and it was also Quidditch try-outs. Draco and Harry were going to both try out for the same position, Seeker. Hermione had thought about going for one of the Chasers, but after Jean had said she was also going to go out for a Chaser, decided against it. An alarm clock went off, followed by a thud on the floor. Hermione leaned over her bed to see Cheyenne on the floor reaching to shut off the alarm clock. Hermione pulled out her wand, and muttered a charm under her breath. A pink bolt of magic flew to the alarm clock and stopped it seconds before Cheyenne's hand was able to reach it.
"Thanks Hermione." Cheyenne didn't sound her usual self in the morning. She was definitely not a morning person.
"You're welcome Chey." Hermione's voice was laced with honey. The mornings were her best times. Except for when Ron had woken her up with his nightmares in the middle of the night.
"What's up today? Why are you up so early?"
"It's Saturday; Quiddtich Try-outs. Better get ready. We'd better hurry if you want to sit with us this morning." Hermione started climbing down from the top of her bunk bed to the floor, so she too could get ready.
"Hey Hermione?"
"Yeah Chey?"
"What's Harry like?"
Hermione didn't know what she was expecting, but this certainly wasn't it. She almost missed her footing, and in trying to correct, fell and hit the floor. "What?" The four of the girls had bonded, but Hermione still didn't know them as well as she wanted to.
"'What's Harry like?' I want to know if he is the stuck up, sexually driven jerk, that he showed me he was the other day during Aquatics."
Hermione started laughing; hard. Cheyenne looked at her as though she were from another planet. Maria came out of the bathroom, and Jean looked away from doing her hair in the mirror to look as well. Hermione finally got a hold of herself, and she slowed her heart and breathing back to normal.
"No, Harry's not a stuck up sexually driven guy. He just has had so little experience with love, as he only one girlfriend for a long time."
"Who?" Cheyenne asked. She had picked a light red shirt, and was putting on a blue sweater over it.
"Ginny, Ron's little sister. They broke up about . . . it was last semester come to think of it. Right after graduation."
"Why'd they break up?" Maria asked. She was lacing her shoes while sitting on her bottom bunk with Jean.
"Harry wanted to be an Auror, and Ginny disapproved. She basically said that if he didn't love her enough to respect her wishes, than he didn't love her enough. So they broke up. Since he didn't have a girlfriend, all of a sudden he had no time to go looking for a girlfriend, as girl's just threw themselves down in front of him trying to get him to be theirs." Hermione tolerated them, but that was only because she and Ron couldn't bear to see Harry looking miserable and alone.
"Okay. I was just wondering if I should even give him the time of day, let alone the chance to take a piece of my heart."
Jean turned around to face all of them. She looked as though she belonged in the Weasley family. Her hair was long, red, and her face fair. Her eyes were a fervent green, and she was not a small girl.
"Well, if you girls are done talking about boys; can we go to breakfast now? I'm starving, and I want to be full before Quidditch try-outs." Jean was very forceful, but also very sweet when she wanted to be. She just put on the forceful face because of her parents' unsupporting nature, and being constantly hurt by former boyfriends. She had muggle parents, and had to apply for financial aid just going to her regular school in America, because her parents wouldn't pay for it.
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The four walked into breakfast together to find Ron, Draco, and Harry sitting together, but none of them talking. Ron wasn't because he was being polite, but Harry and Draco had become rivals again. Maria sat down next to Draco, Hermione across from Ron, and Cheyenne and Jean sat on either side of Harry. A voice behind all of them startled them out of silence into shock. "Morning all."
Every looked to see Oliver Wood standing behind them. "I hope some of you are trying out for the team. There are three teams: varsity, for masters and journeymen, junior varsity, for amateurs and apprentices, and then junior, for novices and rookies. And all of you really should try out. I will run as many alternates as I can, and I want as many as I can get."
Oliver left with a quick step, and everyone was still quiet until they walked out to the field. Oliver was waiting for everyone in the middle of the field. Laying on the ground were some of the most stone-age looking brooms any of them had ever seen.
"Welcome to Quidditch Try-outs. I want each of you to get into a line for the positions you are interested in, and please be quick. I have only the junior team try-outs in the morning, then junior varsity, and then varsity later in the day. I would like to get some sleep tonight. Now each of you will take a broom and play."
After numerous switching of positions, always at the request of Oliver, everyone had played every single position; except Hermione. She had never played as Seeker. After ten games of Quidditch, with Oliver ref'ing, everyone was tired and hungry. Professor Cook was walking onto the field with several other students; each of them carrying a tray of food. Professor Cook went directly to Oliver, and the other students put down their trays so everyone else could eat. After Professor Cook and Oliver had talked for ten minutes alone, a blushing Professor Cook went walking back to the castle and Oliver joined them.
"I'm going to have to schedule another session with all over you. Next Saturday, I want all of you to come, and don't expect to get any specific position. I saw a lot of things I like, and a few I didn't. So go finish all of your homework, and I'll see all of you on next Saturday."
Everyone looked at each other in shock. Draco and Harry's looks were also laced with venom. Hermione saw this, and took out her wand. "Allright you two. Shake hands, and get over this petty disagreement."
Draco looked at her, then at Harry, then offered him his hand. Harry looked at Draco's hand for a second, then took it. They shook hands, and then jumped back on their brooms to play around for a while. Oliver had pulled out several newer broomsticks, Nimbus 2000's, and was getting his junior varsity team into the air.
N/A: I know this chapter is kinda short, but it's just a carrying chapter for a bunch of hints at the future. One of them is a relationship, and the other is the junior Quidditch team. Good luck finding them!
