Er…I really would have thought that the 'tall guy with too many eyes' would've been obvious, given the circumstances. Think about it: Digimon Frontier Character...Lots of eyes...prediction about Darkness…Do I have to explain any more?

Oh, and people were asking about how mirrors are used in Divination…Do you honestly think anybody is going to be getting regular 'visions' of any kind in Trelawney's class? I'm going to make notes on the technique as they go through the weeks, they get more results from the flame-predictions anyway. And Firenze and Trelawney are co-teaching Divination, like they said at the fifth book. They switch off every week, once in Trelawney, then once with Firenze. Sorry if that wasn't clear, I only mentioned it THREE TIMES.

And I HAVE read every single one of the Harry Potter books, about two dozen times each. (angery glare) However, am chooing to ignore any actual reference to the O.W.L.s. or other standarized wizarding tests, seeing as I have no earthly idea how the hell Harry or the others are going to do on that, whether they're going to drop any classes and whatnot, it just seams to be particularly annoying and I already have the fic planned out around the classes they have now. So I just choose the classes they have in all the other books and left it at that. Deal with it.

Disclaimer: I don't Harry Potter or the characters of Digimon Frontier. I'm just weird.

Chapter 16: Quidditch Try-Outs

The Ravenclaw captain paused a moment, his broom hovering high above the Quidditch field. His dishwater-blonde hair blew in the wind as the seventh-year checked his bearings. There were a few spectators, mostly waiting for the other try-outs to begin or cheering their friends…Mostly in small clusters, much like the two groups of try-outs hovering below him.

He glanced down at the scattering line of Chaser try-outs. He brushed his bangs back with a grin, glancing at the other members of the team, including Seeker Cho Chang.

He dove forward suddenly and threw the Quaffle down to the last waiting student, coming around for her fifth and last turn. Izumi grabbed on and zoomed forward, the blue robes rustling around her as her long, blonde hair flew in the wind. The Keeper held his ground hesitantly, then bailed out at the last minute and rolled out of her way. Izumi swooped by and easily threw the ball into the goal.

"Excellent!" the Captain flew down and patted Izumi on the shoulder. "We'll have to wait to announce it officially, of course, but I can already say you'll make a great Chaser, Orimoto."

"Thanks." Izumi grinned and winked, waiting a few moments as he addressed the rest of the tryouts, then zoomed to the ground and landed as the Ravenclaw session ended.

As she dismounted, there was the slight noise of clapping and cheering from her friends. Junpei, Takuya and Tomoki were cheering loudly, while the twins sat clapping with identical smiles on their faces. Izumi grinned and flashed a V-for-victory sign wave before running to the stands and dashing up the stairs to where they were sitting.

"Hey guys!" she laughed, taking a seat between Junpei and Takuya. "So, how'd I do?"

"You were great!" Junpei said enthusiastically, to which Tomoki nodded.

Takuya grinned. "Yeah, you were good." he said idly, leaning back. "But just wait until I get out there!"

Kouji rolled his eyes, giving his brother an 'I-don't-know-how-much-longer-I-can-take-this' glance out of the corner of his eye. They all knew that Izumi was the best flyer out of any of them, having been the owner of the Spirit of Wind seamed to give her a leg up on any of the others. Even Kouichi, the only other one raised by a wizarding parent, had only been on a broom a few times…Seeing as, in any culture, broomsticks were very expensive, and he'd never been able to afford one.

Izumi slipped her Inazuma 300 under the bench, then leaned back with a sigh as the Hufflepuff team took off into the air. Tomoki looked around a bit and sighed. "It seams like forever since we've all been able to talk like this."

"Yeah…" Junpei nodded. "I hardly get to see you guys anymore, outside of class."

"Especially you, Kouichi." Izumi turned to look up at the boy. "It's weird, but I feel like you've been avoiding us lately."

The dark-haired boy glanced down a bit sheepishly, a slightly worried look on his face. "Sorry…"

Kouji turned his head to look up at him, frowning. "What's wrong?"

His twin shifted slightly, fidgeting like he always did when the conversation strayed to a subject he didn't want to talk about.

"It's just…it's just that…" he sighed glancing off to one side. "The…The others…Malfoy and them, they're…"

"You're worried about the Gryffindor versus Slytherin thing, aren't you?" Junpei spoke up suddenly. Kouichi blinked and nodded, while the others looked at the larger boy in surprise. "I asked one of the guys in my house about it. He said those two houses have been rivals as long as anyone can remember. Like, bitter enemies level."

"That's for sure." Takuya sighed, leaning back. "I mean, did you see the glares the other day when you two sat next to each other in Defense? Yeesh, if looks could kill…"

"Speaking of Defense…" Izumi suddenly spoke up. "Kouichi, aren't you a little insulted about that?"

Kouichi looked a bit confused, so she elaborated. "You know, all this stuff they keep saying…Defense Against the 'Dark' Arts, forbidding books on 'Dark' magic…They act like all the Yin wizards are…are Kegareru! I can't believe you're not even a little offended!"

"…Not really." Kouichi shrugged, then hurried to continue before she could say anything. "Hakaishi-sensei explained it to me before we left…There are so few Yin here, they don't even realize it. You heard Professor Tonks, they don't know about Maho-Kiso in the west."

"Oh." said Takuya with the air of dawning realization. "So that's what everyone means when they're talking about 'Dark' wizards like monsters or something. I've been wondering about that…"

Izumi sniffed, watching the few Hufflepuffs bold enough to try out finish with a final lap around the field. "It's still so shallow. 'Dark wizards are evil'…I don't know how you stand it."

Kouichi shifted nervously again, so Kouji changed the subject to classes and homework, which could easily keep them all occupied for the rest of the tryouts.

. . . . . .

Harry knew he was in trouble the minute McGonagall informed him he'd been named Captain of the Quidditch team.

Not that he was really surprised, seeing as only he and Katie Bell were left from Oliver Wood's old reign, and she wouldn't go higher than his second; Beater Jack Sloper from the year before had quit, and the remaining two, Ron and Andrew Kirke, didn't have his experience and weren't exactly qualified.

But he hadn't realized how much work went into it, the book Hermione had given him for his birthday was really going to come in handy for plays and stratagies, espessially in the first match against Slytherin in only a few weeks. However, none of them would work if he didn't get two more Chasers and a Beater in the tryouts.

Currently, he and the rest of the current team were waiting in the wings just outside of the locker room, all dressed in their Quidditch gear. Harry had his Firebolt, Ron and Katie held their Cleansweeps, and Andrew was gripping a Comet 290. The Slytherins, of course, were all swooping around on Nimbus 2001s, but even they looked bulky and shakey compared to the sleek, eastern-style broom Orimoto had been riding during the Ravenclaw tryouts.

The green-robed team swooped down and landed, their few tryouts mimicking them. They exited, to the Gryffindor's relief, out the other side of the stadium. Harry lifted the bristles of his broom off the ground, lying it flat and letting it hover slightly about waist-height. The others did the same, and they mounted.

"Ready?" he sighed, and they nodded at once, before kicking off and soaring up into the air.

A moment later, the try-outs appeared from the other side of the feild. Katie landed, holding the register, read their names out-loud and pinned a number to each of their robes. Harry grinned a bit when he spotted Ginny, fiddling with the number 5 badge and looking bored, like she was itching to get up on the old school broom. Takuya looked full of energy as well, sliding from on foot to the other anxiously and glancing back at the other transfers, all sitting together in the stands. There were five or six others, including Seamus Finnegan, Lavender Brown, and several other second-to-fifth-years whom Harry didn't recognize by name.

Katie gave them a pep talk to make Wood proud, then re-mounted her broom and shot up to hover next to Harry. "Alright, Cap'n." she muttered, not really annoyed but sounding very responsible. "What's our plan?"

Harry frowned, thinking a moment, then sighed. "…A lap around the field, I suppose, to warm up a bit." he shrugged. "Then split them into the two groups. Ron, you get into the goal down on the left, and be ready. Katie, take the Chaser try-outs and give 'em a drill with Ron. Andrew, when the Beaters are ready, split them in to groups of two and let them have a chance with the Bludgers. All right?"

"Right." the four nodded, and dispersed for their duties.

Harry sighed and took off, straight up to pause and hover several meters into the air. With a few quick glances he could see everything, and every person in the stadium. There was Hermione…accompanied by a book, as usual, though she wasn't concentrating on it very well and was following Ginny nervously with her eyes. A few others scattered amongst the stands, including the transfers, who were lumped together in one semi-large group, cheering Takuya on.

Said Japanese student was trying out for the vacant Beater position. Andrew was zooming up after the Bludger he'd set free, knocking it back towards the try-outs. Kanbara was the only one who didn't hesitate to send it flying to the other end of the field. In fact, he looked like he was quite enjoying it.

Ginny was having the time of her life as well. He remembered how good she'd been as a replacement Seeker when he was off the team last year, and it looked like she made an even more formidable Chaser. She was flying rings around her brother, almost literally.

Harry couldn't help but grin. Wood's dream team might be gone, but this was looking up to be an excellent year for the Gryffindor squad.

. . . . . .

The results of the try-outs would be posted on the separate announcement boards inside the common rooms just before dinner. To no one's surprise, Izumi was prominent as a Chaser in the Ravenclaw lineup, and Ginny Weasley had won herself a spot on the Gryffindor team. Takuya had taken up the vacant Beater position with flying colors, and a 4th-year boy named Lance Mitchell had filled the remaining Gryffindor slot.

Harry came back from dinner to fall back into one of the over-stuffed armchairs with a sigh. He was ready to curl up in front of the fire and get some well-deserved rest after that…Ginny had been a sure-fire shot, but the Beater competition was fierce and the other Chasers were all close in skill. It had taken hours of review with Katie to be fully satisfied with the line-up, and he was beat.

Ron and Hermione plopped down into a couch beside him, both looking rather content with their day. Hermione opened the book she was carrying almost instantly, loosing herself in the pages, while Ron put his head on his arms against the armrest and blinked up at Harry.

"All set, then?" he asked brightly. "Looks like a good team, eh?"

Harry grinned. "You bet."

"Those slimy snakes aren't gonna have a shot this year." Ron's grin widened as he stretched. "I can't wait to see the look on Malfoy's face."

He paused in mid-stretch, something catching his attention across the rug. Harry followed his gaze to find Neville and Dean talking in low whispers, Dean looking serious and Neville looking terrified.

"Eh over there." Ron called, sitting up. "What's the ruckus over there?"

The two glanced at each other wearily, then Dean leaned up and looked towards the stairway that led to the dorms. "Did Minamoto and Kanbara go to be already?"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, about ten minutes ago. Why?"

Another shifty glance between the two, then Neville leaned forward with a hesitant whispered. "Lavender heard them…well, all six of them…talking in the Quidditch stands this morning."

"Eavesdropped on them, you mean." Hermione said bluntly. Harry wasn't surprised when no one reacted, Lavender had a reputation for being a terrible gossip-hound.

"Yeah…" Neville nodded. "But this time it's big."

"Big how?" Ron asked, not quite as skeptic as he should have been.

Dean glanced one more time at the stairs, then leaned forward again. "You know the Slytherin transfer?" The three nodded. "Well…She heard them say, out loud, that's he's an honest to goodness Dark wizard."

As Harry took a moment to come to grips with what had just been said, Ron straightened suddenly. "No way!"

Hermione snapped her head up from her book with a glare. "She must have been mistaken."

Dean shook his head. "They said it three or four times. The Ravenclaw girl was asking him if he was insulted by Defense Against the Dark Arts. He kept avoiding the subject, like he was hiding something."

Harry blocked out the following argument, picturing the boy who had asked them for help in the station. He'd been shy…really shy. Never looked him in the eye, not even when he was talking to him. That didn't seam dark…

But then again…They hadn't really talked a lot. And the dark wizards he always encountered tried to avoid his gaze because they knew about Voldemort. And he had been sorted into Slytherin…But he wasn't surprised when he heard Harry's name, like he'd already known it was him…

Some how, he just had the feeling that this wasn't going to end well.

TBC…

They've never mentioned in the book what Katie Bell's year is, so I'm just going to place her as a 7th year. That would make her a 2nd year, and a new recruit, when Harry started playing with the team in his first year, and it leaves only one spot for me to fill. And she's never really spoken, so I gave her a personality. Bleh.