Disclaimer- I will never own anything because J.K. Rowling deserves to own it all!
Authoress's Note- Hi all! How long has it been since I last updated? Ah well, apologies. I hope you all like this chapter, but, I will admit, it's a bit predictable. And NO, you don't need to tell me that you thought it was predictable as well because I know it well enough. E.D.J.
Thanks for the reviews!
Black Emerald Dawn- Go Sirius indeed.
anniePADFOOT- Ah well the point is when Sirius was going to jinx the first-year, he was acting because he wanted to annoy Lily. If some first-year had bumped into him in the hall when he actually was acting like himself, I'm sure he would have brushed it off as an accident.He's not that horrible! Also, Sirius is a second-year at the moment so Ididn't it would have been too smart of him to attempt to jinx a student older than him. Though he's brilliant, I'm sure Sirius would get his arse whooped. Also, the jinx really was relatively tame for Sirius; he didn't think it'd be right to make her grow tentacles or something when he wasn't even angry with her.
ThelovelyladyLily- Yay! Someone else who loves Monty Python! My friend and I are postively obsessed! "One day, all this will be yours! What, the curtains?" Lovely most lovely. I'm glad you liked Professor Dearborn's ramblings. It was probably the most fun part of the chapter to write, thinking of random Bats' obsessed things for him to say! I'm glad you liked the Backward Jinx as well! It was hard making sure everything was spelled correctly when it was backward though!
DarkKestrelArwenSilkeQueen- Aww Sirius didn't do anything THAT horrible, did he-huggles Sirius- Ah well, I don't believe much revenge will be gotten this time, but I'm sure there will be in the future!
Harry Lvr- Ah Sirius will work out that Remus is a werewolf all in good time. It will probably be around the spring or the end of their second-year.
M.E.R Lupin- Amazing and talented-looks smug- Thank you! I'm so glad you like my story! Laughing and crying separately and togetherare always good!
Serena van der Woodsen- Yes, I don't believe I've ever had apricot jam. Dried apricots are alright though. A health-nut mother doesn't sound very fun! Ugh Sirius/Remus slash-shields eyes- The horror! You know how much I love Remus, so I can't bear to read any of that-shivers- Yes, the characters tend to be a bit more 'verbal' than the typical eleven-year-old. -laughs- Oh Merlin, you think I write Dumbledore well? THANK YOU! Yes, Sirius and his attempts to charm McGonagall are always wonderful! Ha! Feel free to smack Sirius whenever you want! Ah, boys. It never ceases to amaze me how little is in those handsome heads. I have a keychain, which I really need to find, that reads: "So many boys, such little minds." Wonderful, yes?
Ch. 27- Tricky Tryouts
The first week of lessons passed rather uneventfully and yes, thankfully, Madam Pomfrey had cured Lily of her speech impediment with no 'major' side effects. The minor however… Every once and a while, Lily would start spouting out backward words again, usually when she was answering a question from a teacher. Most embarrassing, but Madam Pomfrey assured her the jinx would run its course by the next week or so, and Bella made sure to kick Sirius hard in the shins every time Lily happened to start speaking backwards. And, of course, sometimes when Lily wasn't speaking backwards at all.
Now, thankfully, it was Saturday, and everyone was free to relax. Well, everyone except the members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team that is.
"Now, listen up," barked slight fifth-year Riona O'Callaghan, her voice accented by her strong Irish background. She stood stock-still and stared determinedly at the silent group of students in front of her. Riona paused to brush a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "I know I may not look like much-" The group murmured incoherently under her piercing gaze, "-but, and I'm sure the rest of my teammates will agree so I don't sound too cocky, I'm the best damn Seeker out of any of the four Houses!"
The three students behind Riona, who, like herself, were clad in scarlet robes, hooted and cheered with approval.
Riona smiled slightly. "Now, I know I'm not as old as most team captains, but our previous captain Emmett Cates thought I was up for the job. As you all most likely know, we have three open spots on our Gryffindor Quidditch team: one Chaser, one Beater, and the Keeper position. But first, I'd like our three returning players to introduce themselves." She stepped back and nodded to the stocky boy on her right.
He stepped forward and cleared his throat, blinking at them with bright almost black eyes. "Hello all, I'm Caleb Addison, call me Addison, third-year, and our only Beater at the moment. I can't wait to discover who my player-bashing partner will be."
The crowd of nervous students laughed slightly as Caleb stepped back.
Next came the tan and taut girl to his left. "Aubrianna Callaway," she said shortly, running a hand through her dark brown hair. "Fifth-year. Chaser."
Lastly, the medium-height, reddish-brown haired boy, who kept shifting from foot to foot as if he couldn't stay on the ground much longer, stepped up. "Sacheverell Owens," he said brightly. (A/N- sa-SHEV-ur-ul) "Call me 'Shev' or even 'Shevy', but, for the love of Merlin, never call me 'Sacheverell'! My mum was a right loon to make that my name in the first place." He gave a slight bow and stepped back. (A/N- Now I know he would actually be nicknamed 'Chev' pronounced as 'shev', but I think people are going to remember how to say the name better if I just write it 'Shev'. Thank you!)
Riona coughed. "Oh and I'm a Chaser and a fourth-year," he added hastily.
Riona stepped forward again. "So, that's our team! Caleb, Aubri, do call her that, you're never going to get the Quaffle to her otherwise, Shev, and myself. Now that we're done with all the niceties, let's find out how many of you can really play Quidditch."
Both James and Sirius and wished each other luck as the students were divided into groups depending on what position they were vying for. Those for Chaser went with Shev and Aubri, those for Beater with Caleb, and Riona took the remaining students who were eager to be Gryffindor's Keeper.
On the other side of the line of students, Bella's hands were sweating profusely as she clutched her bat and made her way over to the small crowd that was amassing around Caleb Addison.
She gulped. They were all boys, every single one of them. They were looking at her curiously out of the corners of their eyes, probably wondering if she was in the wrong group. Worst of all, Addison was smiling encouragingly at her, but she could see the strain beginning to show on his face. Bella huffed. She would show them.
"Alright, you're all here for the open Beater position, correct?" said Addison loudly, staring pointedly at her.
She stared back grimly, her face determined and murmured 'yes' along with rest.
"Well good then," said the third-year, his eyes glinting. "Get your brooms ready and I'll be back in a moment with some spare bats."
After he had disappeared into the locker rooms, the six boys and Bella readied their broomsticks. Bella averted her eyes from the boys until, suddenly, she felt a tap on her shoulder and heard someone say bitingly, "Excuse me, little girl, are you sure this is where you're supposed to be?"
She turned to face the speaker and saw it was a gangly blonde third-year who she had instantly despised last year. She knew there was no way in hell that he was strong enough to hit Bludgers around. "Yes," Bella said shortly, turning away from him again.
"Do you really think you're going to have a chance against a bunch of blokes?" the boy asked.
"I don't know," she said sweetly. "Why don't I test my bat on your head and then we'll see who has a chance against who?"
The other boys laughed uproariously, and the blonde boy sulked and was about to make a nasty retort when Addison returned, his arms full of bats. "Who has their own bat?" he called.
Only Bella and a solid-looking, fourth-year boy raised their hands.
"Good, good," said Addison airily. "It's always better to have a bat that you've 'broken-in'."
"You mean one you've nailed a Bludger at someone with?" asked the fourth-year boy. "Well, my bat's had plenty of practice with that!"
Everyone laughed.
"Exactly," said Addison, shaking his head. "Our job as Beaters is to make sure someone leaves the pitch covered in bruises!"
Everyone cheered loudly.
"Let us win, but if we cannot win, let us break a few heads," Bella murmured quietly.
"What was that?" asked Addison incredulously, turning to stare at her. "You're a Falmouth Falcons' fan? What's your name?"
"Bella Meadows," she supplied. "Yes, I've been a fan since I was four."
"Excellent!" said Addison with a laugh. "Dorcas's sister! I was so upset as a first-year when I found out I'd never be able to play Quidditch with her."
All the boys gasped. The sister of the Dorcas Meadows, Gryffindor's almost legendary Chaser who'd given up spot on the Pride of Portree team for a job with the Wizengamot only years before? Everyone had heard of or known Dorcas. That raised Bella up a few pegs in their books.
"Alright," said Addison sternly, rubbing his hands together in excitement. "The Beater tryouts have begun. I'll be getting the Bludgers out in a few moments. Since we can't risk any injuries, you'll be practicing your accuracy on this target." He motioned to a wooden target that was floating in thin air. Everyone wondered why they hadn't noticed it before. "Who'd like to go first?"
Bella timidly raised her hand.
"Alright, little Dorcas, mount up!" said Addison, kneeling down by the trunk he'd brought with him and fumbling with the bindings that held the two iron balls in place. "We're just used one Bludger for tryouts. Your only goal is to hit that target; it has a charm on it so the Bludger will be attracted to it, just like a real player. Ready?"
Bella nodded and her broomstick rose up in the air. She heard a shout and saw a black blur rocket up toward her. Within seconds, she realized that her position was wrong, so she sped a little to the right, letting the Bludger streak after her. Once in a reasonable position, and with the Bludger flying right for her face, Bella wound up and hit the Bludger with all her might. Instantly, the Bludger altered its course and streaked off toward the target, smashing through the center with a loud crack.
Bella beamed.
"Meadows, you're done for now!" called Addison. "Murphy, you're up next! Get up in the air while I go get that Bludger before it starts bombarding the Chasers…"
James shifted from foot to foot as he listened to Aubri go on about what characteristics Gryffindor was looking for in their third Chaser.
"Teamwork is key to scoring goals," Aubri said loudly. "If any of you can't handle that, I'd suggest you leave."
No one moved.
Shev nodded approvingly. "Alright," he said brightly. "Let's get some Quaffles flying through the air." He gave the students a quick glance. "Excellent. There's six of you, so everyone divide up into threes."
James quickly was partnered with a towering sixth-year who introduced himself as Wyatt Neilson and a black-haired fourth-year girl named Lorelei Edwards who seemed more interested in staring at Shev than playing Quidditch.
"Alright, first off, we're just going to have you practice scoring," said Aubri, throwing a Quaffle at Wyatt, who staggered backward as he caught it. "You three are going to pass the Quaffle back and forth down the field and attempt to score. Riona-" She waved down the field at the small group assembled there, "-will be having her students playing Keeper for you. Shev and I will be flying above you monitoring your performance." She nodded at her teammate.
"Group one," Shev said with a grin. "You're up first. Neilson has the Quaffle. Up in the air with all of you."
Lorelei let out a slight sigh at beingsomewhat spoken toby Shev.
James, Wyatt, and Lorelei rose up in the air on their broomsticks. James noted Lorelei's incorrect grip on her broom's handle and Wyatt's unsteadiness. Clearly inexperience would be their undoing. He grinned and sped off down the field after Wyatt and Lorelei.
Wyatt still had the Quaffle under his arm, and James zoomed ahead so he could make a better pass. Unfortunately, Wyatt seemed to be oblivious to this, and he tossed the Quaffle at Lorelei, who quite clearly wasn't paying any attention to her to partners, but rather to one of the players swooping above their heads. The Quaffle smashed into her chest, and she let out a pained cry.
"Pay attention!" shouted Aubri impatiently from her position above Wyatt. "You'd better retrieve that Quaffle!" she snapped at Lorelei who quickly sped downward after the sinking Quaffle.
Once she had returned to an appropriate altitude, Lorelei, who didn't want to be embarrassed any further, quickly threw the Quaffle at James. He caught it with ease and sped off toward the goal hoops with Wyatt behind him and Lorelei grudgingly lagging behind. He noted, as he flew faster, that the Keeper, a white blonde third-year girl, was drifting toward the left. Within seconds, James had taken advantage of the opening on the right hoop, and the Quaffle soared through it with a loud clang.
"Good work, Potter!" shouted Shev. "Now, all three of you, back to the other end of the pitch and do it again!"
Meanwhile, below the goal hoops…
"Where's Black?" roared Riona.
"Right here," said Sirius impatiently from where he stood on her left. "Just like I've been for the past two times you've asked that question!"
"That lip of yours isn't making your chances any better!" snapped Riona, glaring at him. "Up in the air with you! You're next after Audrey let's this third goal in."
"How'd do you know she's going to-" began Sirius, but then, he craned his head up to watch James put a goal past the blonde girl. "Oh."
Riona stared pointedly at him.
"Yeah I know, up in the air!" he mumbled, kicking off the ground and passing Audrey who looked to nearly be in tears.
Whistling to himself, Sirius positioned himself in front of the goal hoops and waited for the second group of Chasers to zoom down the pitch. He was quite glad he didn't have to defend the hoops from James. Any other students trying out for Chaser would be a breeze for him.
And here they came! Faye Edstrom, a fifth-year boy, and a four-year girl. Faye? He thought incredulously. Isn't she worried about messing up her hair or something?
His questioned was answered when he saw Faye nearly fall off her broomstick in an attempt to wave at him. Great, Sirius thought sullenly. She has'other'reasons for trying out for the team.
With a sigh, he quickly blocked the fifth-year's shot on the middle hoop, sending the Quaffle streaking toward the opposite end of the pitch. The three hopeful Chasers zoomed after it, and the scene continued twice over with Sirius blocking every goal.
"Amateurs," he muttered as his broomstick descended. "That was too easy."
Nearly two hours later, everyone assembled on the edge of the pitch to hear what Addison, Shev, Riona, and Aubri had decided. They were all tired and sweaty and wished to get the whole thing over with so they could shower and go to bed. Everyone was whispering to each other over who they thought would and wouldn't make it; however, no one seemed to think that they themselves wouldn't be the ones not to make it.
Riona cleared her throat. "There have been some very tough decisions made, but Shev, Aubri, Addison, and Iare certain that we've picked the right three people to be our teammates. Shev, you're up."
Aubri poked Shev who seemed to be asleep on his feet. He gave a start. "Oh, ah, our new Chaser is…" He took a deep breath. "James Potter."
"Yes!" shouted James, pumping his fist in the air.
"Knew you'd make it, mate!" said Sirius proudly, slapping him on the back.
James shook hands enthusiastically with Riona and went over to stand by Shev and Aubri.
As soon as James and Sirius's shouting and the rejected students' sobbing and angry muttering had died down, Riona stepped forward again. "Next, I'd like to congratulate our new Keeper, Sirius Black."
She grinned as Sirius as well as James let out a loud whoop. "You keep that lip of yours under control or I may just change my mind!" said Riona sternly, but everyone could see that she wasn't serious.
Sirius shook hands with her and went over to stand by James who was still whooping incessantly over the fact that Sirius and himself were teammates.
"Can it, Potter," said Aubri, nudging him in the shoulder. "We're not done yet."
Addison stepped forward. "Now, I'll admit I had doubts at first about how capable our new Beater will be, but now, I'm happy to say that Bella Meadows is not only the sister of Dorcas Meadows, she's as talented as her as well!"
Bella gasped asAddison said her name. She spun around to grin smugly at the gangly blonde boy who'd insulted her earlier. "It just goes to show, I'm as capable as any bloke here!" she shouted and all the girls who had tried out cheered.
Bella shook hands with Riona and was being pounded on the back by Addison when she locked eyes with Sirius, who was standing next to James and looking horror-struck.
"Oh Merlin," they both groaned.
I thought that was an appropriate little ending, don't you-laughs- Can I just say how much I already love Shev? He's just cool and rather good-looking if I do say so myself! I hope you all liked Riona, Addison, Shev, and Aubri! I know Aubri seems a bit stand-offish, but she'll warm up. So... how 'bout some reviews? E.D.J.