Getting on the Team
Katie was nervous. She knew everyone on the Quidditch team. She had to. Her older brother was one of the new captain's best friends. Her older sister, who had also been a chaser, had graduated the year before, leaving a spot open for Katie. Katie didn't really have enough talent to be a good seeker, though. She wished she did, because that was what the team really needed.
Katie had hung out with the team loads of times over the course of last year. She was as close to them as she was to her friends that were in her year. At least Katie could actually talk Quidditch with Angelina and Alicia. Beth and Miranda didn't get it.
Everybody kept saying that Katie was going to get the position. Even everyone on the team said that the tryouts were just a formality. They all doubted whether anyone would beat Katie on a broom. Katie certainly hoped they were right.
"Stop worrying, Katie," Angelina said at dinner.
"We've seen you on a broom, Kate," Alicia said. "There's no way another second year, or even fifth year, can top that."
Katie laughed. "Stop it, you're making me blush."
"You'll stop boring us to death with your needless banter then?" Fred said, popping into the conversation out of nowhere.
"Because, quite honestly Katie," George said, stuffing a dinner roll into his mouth, "if you didn't stop, we'd probably have to send some bludgers over to knock some sense into you."
"If you had," said Oliver, his mouth full of potatoes, "Ray would kill you. You both know he'd do it."
Fred nodded, but said, "True. However, when you do the math – "
"There are two of us, and one of him," George finished.
"Oh, I think I'd probably join him in the war against the Weasley's," Oliver said. "After all, Charlie's off working with dragons."
"Fine then, be a spoilsport," Fred said.
Oliver laughed. "Fine then, I will be." He glanced down the table and spotted some friends. "See you guys around, and Katie?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't worry about the tryouts, you'll be fine," Oliver winked at her, and Katie couldn't help but smile.
"Wood, get your arse over here!" called Oliver's other best friend, David from the other end of the table and Oliver left to go sit with Ray and David.
Tryouts were the next day. Oliver had always been a tough Keeper to pass. People considered it good if you could get three past him. You were really good if you could get seven. You were superior if you got ten. Katie got nine past him – the same number as Alicia. Angelina had gotten ten past him. A record high.
When everyone was back on the ground, Oliver, the newly appointed captain, got onto his broomstick and hovered a little above so that everyone could see and hear him.
"Well, we've picked our new Chaser and our new Seeker," he called out. The tension in the area was so thick it could be cut with a knife. Oliver paused. "Our new Chaser is . . . Katie Bell."
There was cheering and quite a few people shook Katie's hand.
Oliver waited for them all to quiet down again. "Our new Seeker is Jack Prewett."
Not so much cheering, but people congratulated Jack nonetheless. He wasn't a bad guy really. He was just a bad Quidditch player. But at least he had caught some of the golf balls that wood had thrown to him. Others that tried out only caught numbers close to three. He was Katie's age and she liked him well enough. He was Miranda's twin brother after all – although he wasn't as bright as his sister.
"Great job, Katie," Wood said smiling. And then he hastily added, "Nice job to you too, Prewett. First practice next Wednesday." He paused, trying to find a nice way to send the people who didn't make it off. He finally said, "The rest of you," he paused again. "The rest of you . . . did . . . as I expected you would do." He nodded. "Yup, you met my expectations and you did it accurately. Now go back to your dorms."
Katie bit back a laugh. She knew that Wood had expected them all to stink big time, and like he just said, they met his expectations.