Chapter 3: Cleaning and Try-outs

"Come on Lauran, I've got to be early!" I exclaimed.

It was Saturday and Quidditch Try-outs were today. Julia and I were standing impatiently by the door to the stairs with brooms over our shoulders. I needed to go down to the pitch and set up before everyone got there.

"I'm coming!" Lauran called from the bathroom.

She walked out grabbed her broom and hurried to follow Julia and I down the stairs. We had left the dorm room as soon as she stepped out of the bathroom.

"Wait for me!" Lauran screamed after us.

"Walk faster!" I screamed back, "I have to set up the Pitch!"

"I'm walking!" Lauran screamed back earning herself several strange looks from various students.

"So, you need three Chasers, a Beater, and a Keeper?" Julia asked as we burst out of the doors to the grounds.

"Yes, I'm pretty much rebuilding the whole Quidditch team. Can you believe they all quit?" I unlocked the Captain's office in the Gryffindor locker rooms and the room was instantly illuminated.

"That's disgusting," Lauran commented.

"Obviously Colby hasn't cleaned it for a while, if ever," I replied looking at the small office.

In one corner there was a small desk and filing cabinet. The desk looked like it had been half eaten by termites and the filing cabinet had huge dents in its sides. The ground was covered with an inch of dirt, dust and grime. The top of the desk wasn't even visible under the mounds of papers on top of it and the chair was missing two of its legs. I didn't mind things being a little messy, but this was pushing it!

"Uh, wow. I'm going to have to take care of this after try-outs. That's just gross. I think the whole locker room needs to be cleaned. That'll be a nice surprise for the team, won't it?" I pulled the door to the office shut and quickly changed into my Quidditch robes. Then we went out on the pitch carrying our brooms over our shoulders.

"Wow, that's half of the House right there!" Lauran exclaimed as we walked out onto the pitch.

"Hey!" I called to get everyone's attention, "Those who plan on trying-out please go and have a seat in the stands, everyone else, clear off!"

Half of the people filed out of the Pitch. I shook my head as I looked over the group that was left. There were about twenty people wanting to try-out.

"Okay, welcome to Gryffindor House Quidditch try-outs. Colby Seaworth resigned as Quidditch Captain this year. I got the job so if that bothers you I suggest you clear out."

A few 1st year girls stood up and looked around sheepishly as they filed out of the pitch. The remaining students laughed and then turned to look at me.

"Okay since that's all taken care of I want you to get in groups of position, Keepers over there, Chasers over there and Beaters over there. Who doesn't have a broom here?" I asked. Only a few 1st years raised their hands.

I thought for a minute as the hands went down. I figured I should start with the Chasers and Keepers. They could work together during try-outs. I put the Chasers in groups of three and assigned a Keeper to each group. Then I moved on to the Beaters. Lauran would have to help me out with this.

"Lauran, you take the Beaters and get them the big sticks that they use for whacking the Bludgers. Uh, take them to the far end of the pitch and chuck softballs at them to see if they can hit anything. We'll try flying and whacking later."

Lauran saluted and walked off laughing. Most of the Beater group had laughed as I said 'big sticks'. Even Lauran had to hold in a laugh until she started walking away.

I started to test the Chasers and Keepers. I wanted to see how different combinations would work so the groups never stayed the same for very long. The Beaters came back just as I was finishing with the last group. I had decided on my Chasers and Keeper. They worked well together and showed that they had a passion for the sport. I hoped Lauran had as good of luck as I had.

"So?" I asked as she came to stand next to me, "Any luck this year?"

"I found the team another Beater," Lauran announced happily.

"Who is it?" I asked. I was planning to announce the team in a second.

"His name is Mark Lobar. He's the best Beater I've seen at Hogwarts. I'm glad we've got him on our side and not the Slytherins," Lauran pointed to a fairly tall strong looking boy with chocolate brown hair.

"Awesome, I hope he works well with the rest of the team." I replied quietly.

"Okay, listen up, I think I have the Gryffindor Quidditch team figured out for this year, but before I announce it I want to make sure that nobody in here is going to have any possible conflicts with practice and matches." I looked around and not a single hand went into the air.

"Wow, they're not a very active bunch are they?" Lauran commented softly.

"Good, I'm about to announce the team but first I want to let you know that you all did very well. Unfortunately we only have a few spots open. You all understand that a team only has seven players and not everyone will make it. Keep in mind that there's always next year. So, without further ado, The Gryffindor team will be: Julia Johnson, Kara Jones, and Nina Sanchez as Chasers; Matt Waverly as Keeper; and Mark Lobar as Beater. Thanks to all of you for trying-out. I want the team to meet in the locker room."

There were a few tears in eyes as people left the Pitch. I was happy I didn't get anything thrown at me. Some of those guys and girls looked extremely muscular. I entered the dirty locker room and saw the team already assembled.

"I'd like to give my congratulations to all of you. As you can tell this locker room hasn't been cleaned for who knows how long. That's our first order of business. I'm not even going to let you see the office, it's that disgusting. I need to fit you for robes so even if you finish cleaning don't go anywhere. Lauran will give out lockers, and you can keep your brooms in there if you want. So get cleaning!" I turned and opened the door to the office.

Cheers erupted from behind me as the team celebrated their new positions. I hoped we'd get many more opportunities to celebrate. Pulling out my wand I waved it and the office started to look cleaner. It was going to take a while, but I'd get it done.


AN/ Hey guys, yay for foul weather! That means we get two-hour delays and I have time to post this! YAY! So anyways, I hope you liked it. The Captain's office will come into play later in the story, so don't forget about it, okay? Please review!

Love From,

MotherCrumpet