Me siento! Me siento!!!!!!!! (sorry, i've got a spanish test tomorrow). This story was intended to be updated over the weekend, but the certain author that's writing this (we really need to get KCB over here sometime) had waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many things to do. I am, however, rather touched that Rachel would go as far as to review the same chapter twice. Another boring chapter-Deal with it. Kelly makes her first appearance in this chapter! Look for her! (And she wants me to tell you that she's not that stupid in real life, just to clarify).
We Still don't own it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Onto chapter 23!
Chapter 23
Quidditch Tryouts and Midnight Strolls
"Alright Harry, will you please tell us what's going on?!"
"Yeah, last night you just went up to the dormitory and when I tried to talk to you you just stared at me, and you didn't even acknowledge it when I shook you, or when Hermione dumped water on your head!"
"I'm sorry, it's just, I had a weird session with Hea-Professor Windling last night."
"How so? Did she tell you about your aunt?" Ron pressed.
"Yeah, she did." Making sure everyone was too busy eating breakfast to listen to their conversation, he continued. "Professor Windling is my aunt. That's not really the way she looks."
"It's not?!?!? Nooooooooo!!!!!! Sorry," Ron added after a confused look from Harry and an annoyed glare from Hermione.
"So Harry, Professor Windling is your mother's twin sister and Snuffles's fiancée?!"
"Yeah, that's about it."
"Wow. That's all I have to say."
"I guess this means that she's already taken?"
"Um, Ron? She's my mother's twin sister. Just think about the age difference here!"
"Oh right, oops."
"Mr. Potter, may I have a word with you?" McGonagall was walking toward the three of them, a piece of parchment in her hand.
"Sure, Professor."
"You have been elected Gryffindor's Quidditch captain."
"Really?"
"Really. I suggest you get training and hold some tryouts soon, preferably today. I would rather the trophy stay in my office once again. By the way, the rule about first years has been removed. Good day."
"Wow, good job, Harry!"
"Yeah, she's right, we ought to get the rest of the time and hold some tryouts soon!"
"Where is the rest of the team anyway? And what positions do we need to fill?"
"Well, you're the Seeker, I'm the Keeper, we've got Kirke and Sloper for Beaters, and Ginny said that she wanted to be a Chaser, so along with her, all we need are two chasers."
"Okay then. Ron, you get the rest of the team together and tell them tryouts will be held at um… three o'clock today."
"Right."
"And tell them to tell any other Gryffindors; I'll put up some notices, but some people might not see them."
"Got it."
A few hours later, a small group of Gryffindors were standing on the pitch, clutching brooms and looking nervous. Harry recognized a few of them: Dean, Seamus, Ginny, second year Euan Abercrombie, and, to his sheer disappointment, Colin Creevey. There was also a familiar looking girl who seemed to be around his age, a rather terrified first year girl, and another girl Harry didn't know at all. The rest of the team had assembled, also holding their brooms. Everyone seemed to be looking at him attentively. He glanced up at Hermione, sitting on the stands, who gave him a quick nod of encouragement. Harry cleared his throat and began.
"Well, as most of you know, I'm the Gryffindor team's captain this year. Uh, the spots we have open this year are all three chasers. So, we're going to play a mock game of Quidditch. We'll have one beater on each side, and let only one Bludger go. Ron and I will be the keepers, and all those who want to tryout for the Chasers spots, divide onto one of the teams, we should have four on each. Alright?"
There was a nod of approval as Jack and Andrew went to get the Quaffle and a Bludger. Harry took this opportunity to talk to Ron about the possible new Chasers.
"What do you think, Ron?"
"Well, I know Ginny's a good Chaser, but I really don't know anything about the others."
"Do you even know the names of those girls?"
"Yeah, I think the oldest one is Sally…Sally something, but she's in our year, that little one most be a first year, pretty sure her name's Kelly, and I think the other one's a third year, but I can't remember her name."
"Okay. Well, let's get started." He and Ron separated, Harry going towards the right. He looked around at the rest of his makeshift team to see Ginny, Colin, the third year girl, whom Harry discovered was named Natalie, Sally, and Andrew.
"Right then, mount your brooms!" he called to them as he got the Quaffle in his hand. "Three-two-one!" The Quaffle flew up, Harry sped towards the goalposts, and the Chasers scattered around the pitch. Most of them seemed to be doing a good job. Ginny was weaving through the rest of the team like a pro, and Dean seemed to be doing all right. Seamus was speeding toward him, but at the last moment dropped the Quaffle, which was immediately retrieved by Sally. Euan was hit by a Bludger, and immediately started rocketing around in circles, and crashed into Andrew in the process. Natalie took this opportunity to attempt a goal, but was blocked by Ron. Suddenly, a blur came streaking past Harry; he thought for one wild second that it was the Bludger, but it turned out to be Kelly, her broom out of control. She crashed into one of the goalposts, looking rather nauseous. Harry flew towards her.
"Are you okay?"
"Y-yeah, I'm fine."
"Alright, if you're sure…" No sooner had he said this than Dean came rushing past, the Quaffle in his hand, making a spectacular goal. Of course, now that the goals were unguarded it was much easier to do so, but it was still rather impressive. Kelly had raced away and gotten the Quaffle, only to drop it in shock when a Bludger flew past. Harry, shaking his head, went back to the hoops. The game went on in pretty much the same fashion for about an hour before Harry called it off, and Ron had to fly up a few hundred feet above the stands to retrieve a rather bedraggled and windblown Kelly, who had been involved in twenty other crashes since the first one, nineteen of which were her own fault.
"Well, I'd say that was pretty good," Harry remarked as they landed. The results will be posted in the common room on Monday. See you later!" He turned to face Ron and the other members of the team. "Well, now what?"
"We ought to pick some Chasers, Harry."
"I know Ron, but which ones?"
"Well," Andrew put in, "I think Ginny did pretty good."
"Yeah, and that Sally girl was a right good flier," Jack remarked.
"And I personally think that Dean was one of the best by far."
"Okay, so we're all agreed? Ginny, Sally, and Dean?" The rest of the team nodded in approval. "Okay then, let's go change."
Harry was lying in bed that night, sleeping soundly. Something suddenly interrupted his dreamless sleep and he found himself in a cold stone room. Sirius's cousin Bellatrix was kneeling at his feet, staring at the ground.
"Get up!" Harry commanded her, in a high-pitched voice not his own. "Is everything in place?"
"Yes, my Lord. We have the Black Veil in our possession, my blood-traitor cousin is dead, and that old fool Dumbledore has no idea of what is happening right under his nose."
"Excellent. So we can use the veil on Potter?"
"Yes, but we have to get him away from the retched Order first, my Liege."
"Will you and the rest of my pathetic followers be able to achieve this?"
"Don't worry, my Lord. There will be some vulnerable time for him soon, if not over the holidays, then during the summer."
"Good, you may leave. Oh, and one last thing: crucio!" Bellatrix screamed in pain as Harry's scar seared, he woke up, sweating and gasping for breath. He looked around in the semi-darkness at the rest of his roommates to find them all still asleep. He had to tell someone about this dream, or vision, or whatever it was. He was sure it had been real; then again, he was sure the dream of Sirius in the Department of Mysteries had been real, too. But somehow, this one seemed different. More like the dream about Avery he had had last year. Without really thinking about what he was doing, he slipped out of bed, into the Common Room, and through the portrait hole.
His first thought was, go to Dumbledore. He set out determinedly towards the Headmaster's office, but was cut off by Filch.
"What are you doing out of bed, boy? You know it's way past curfew."
"I- uh, just, uh…"
"It's obvious that Mr. Potter feels the rules are beneath him." Snape had turned up next to Filch. "Detention, Potter. Maybe that will show you not to-" At this point, Professor Windling entered the scene.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Harry was helping me! He has my permission to be out of bed. You see, Sam here was lost, and I enlisted Harry's help. I was just looking for him and to tell him that I found Sam." Snape looked loathingly at Professor Windling and the bear-like dog, who was now on a leash.
"Fine then," Snape stormed, and strode towards his office.
"Don't worry, my sweet. I'm sure we'll get Potter one of these days…" (A/N-Filch is talking to Mrs. Norris, not Snape. KCB, what do you take me for???) And with that, Filch, too, returned to his office. Heather turned to Harry and motioned for him to come with her. Once inside her office, Sirius transformed, yanking the pink leash off of his neck.
"Why on earth did you insist on putting that wretched collar on me?!" Heather ignored him and turned to Harry.
"I assume you weren't just going for a midnight stroll?"
"No, I wanted to find Dumbledore, I had another dream-thingy."
"Like the one with me?"
"No, it was different, somehow, I don't know."
"Well, what happened?"
"Voldemort was talking with your cousin, about, um, the veil. They want to use it on me sometime when I'm vulnerable…"
"In other words, sometime that you're not at Hogwarts, as the little coward is afraid to come any near Dumbledore."
"They also said something was happening right under Dumbledore's nose."
"Well, as he doesn't know what that is, none of the rest of the Order does either."
"Figures."
"We'll tell Professor Dumbledore about your dream, Harry. Get back to bed."
"I'm not tired."
"Well then, pretend Heather's giving you an assignment. It's to go back to bed."
"And what happens if I don't do the assignment?"
"I'll sick Sirius on you and give him the right to lick your face."
"Okay fine, I'm going, I'm going."
So, the next chapter finally gets interesting! Yay! Give us three reviews and we'll update! By the way, the last chapter was supposed to say we hope you DON'T think so, sorry, i have typing issues. Review, we know you want to!
