Saturday came at last. The great hall was abuzz with talk of quidditch and the tryouts that would begin right after breakfast. Colin and Liam sat in their usual places at the table, backs against the wall. Colin loved that he sat directly across from Indigo. With a clear line of sight, he could make silly faces at her or goof around to get her to laugh.
Those who were already quidditch players were dressed in their practice robes. Jian Tang, one of Colin and Liam's friends, turned from his ongoing discussion of D&D with Kirana O'Connor and some fourth and fifth years. "Say, Colin! I heard you're trying out today!"
"Thanks for reminding me," Colin replied.
"No worries, mate! Word is you and Liam were specially invited to tryouts!" Colin blushed, but Liam only shook his head, still queasy about the idea of having to actually fly a broom and not crash it. "I'm sure you'll be brilliant — if you can keep your seat!"
"Whisht! Anyway, Morag's trying out too! She's a good flier!" The rattle of cutlery from next to Colin told him she's heard. "She obviously thought I'd forgotten she was told to try out too! Anyway, there's a girl that will be a brilliant quidditch player!"
Morag gouged Colin in the ribs which made Kirana and Colin laugh. "You're such a prat, McCoire!"
"No doubts about MacDougal," said Kirana; "but you two can fly, can't you? Thing is, I've never actually seen either of you flying a broom."
"Well, therein lies the crux of the matter, my old friend!" said Aidan. "Between the two of them, they can just about manage to sweep with a besom, to say nothing at all of actually flying one!"
"What you're saying, then, is the smart money is, once again, on Gryffindor?" asked Kirana. He and the other D&D players turned to observe the quidditch discussion. Most of them had heard some rumours over the past couple days, and they knew that Jian was bound to have heard something interesting.
Colin sat with his arms folded over his chest. He'd never actually considered quidditch much of a game before, but now that he'd been invited to try out, his mind raced through everything he'd ever learned, heard or thought he'd read about flying a broom. This largely amounted to dimly recalling that all the copies of 'that rubbish quidditch book' in the library were worn and tatty. He couldn't even think of the title of it now. Liam on the other hand shrugged and dove into his scrambled eggs. One dive that with a side of bangers never hurt in the end! For his part, he knew both he and his brother were hopeless, so there was no sense in even worrying about the tryouts. Morag listened in to the talk as well.
"But Tang, my dear colleague!" continued Aidan; "Did your contacts in the dim and exciting world of rumourmongery happen to mention why these two were invited to try out? Especially in light of the fact that Madam Hooch actually banned Colin from going anywhere near a broom for a whole month last year?"
"Oh!" said Jian; "Mostly the usual: Potter is a dead cert, of course —"
"Youngest seeker in a century!" Jian, Aidan and Kirana chanted dutifully, and rather loudly. A couple Gryffindors did in fact turn from their breakfast to find out what the commotion was at the Ravenclaw table.
"And naturally," said Jian; "Slytherin's eternal battle against the forces of light and good will pit against them as seeker, none other than Draco Malfoy!"
"And Malfoy is a cheat!" they chanted. The Gryffindors laughed — it was well known by now that Draco's father bought his son's place on the team last year — but the merriment was cut off short.
"Whisht you lot! That was last year, and it's not true. Anyway, Draco's a fair seeker and all," said Colin. The Gryffindors turned towards Colin with looks of shock.
"Whoa! The budding friendships between Eagle and Snake are growing beyond you two and that gang of Slytherin girls!" Jian glanced slyly at Aidan: "You'd better watch yourself, Aidan! They'll have you friends with one of their Slytherin girls before long!"
For once, Aidan was left completely speechless. "Cat got your tongue, Aidan?" said Liam.
"Snake, more like!" said Kirana. He made little hissy-kissy sounds and shaped his fingers into a throbbing heart.
"Wait. What?" Aidan blushed slightly, remembering the three girls from the grassy court the other day. He drew a quick breath, wondering how Kirana and Jian had heard of his brash exclamation when he saw that red haired Slytherin go after the Carrow twins like a lioness after her prey. The thought of it made him blush all the redder. He tried to cover his confusion. He waved his hand dismissively and said: "Yes, yes! That's all very true!" He wasn't quite sure now what exactly was supposed to be true.
The Gryffindors turned back to their table mates, wondering about this strange alliance between Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Liam and Kirana looked at each other and then at Jian in surprise. They all knew Colin and Indigo were friends, and had been since first year, but did Aidan actually fancy some Slytherin girl? Colin took no notice. He wasn't in love with Draco Malfoy or anything, but neither did he hate him the way so many others did. It was irrational. He wasn't quite sure yet what to make of him, but they'd gotten on. Colin considered him a friend. And he was a competent rival.
Aidan plowed on, hoping now that what he was saying made sense. The looks on his friends' faces, though, made him wonder: "True. You know. Those things you just said?"
Kirana raised his eyebrow and Liam nodded slowly, trying not to laugh. Jian's eyes darted between Kirana, Liam and Aidan. "Uh huh —"
"Those — um — er, rumours?" Aidan finished lamely.
The three boys nodded sagely. "Ah. Yes: rumours!" Kirana snorted. Liam covered his face with his hand, trying to dive back into his scrambled eggs.
"Right. Aidan. Rumours. Gotcha!" said Jian. "Anyway, friends," he segued, drawing out the words while nodding at Aidan who had now made himself very busy dissecting a rasher of bacon. "Speaking of rumours, get this!" Jian leaned in close. "My regular sources only say that he's got some particular skill our team will try to use to advantage. On the other hand, certain back channels from the Gryffindor table have informed me that he's likely to be try for seeker! Colin? Any comment on that?"
This got the D&D group's attention. Trying out for seeker and going up against Potter and Malfoy would be almost as bad as facing a chromatic dragon!
Colin remained steadfastly mute during the exchange. He could only imagine the wild rumours flying around about him. In particular, that one about him trying out for seeker. He'd be up against Potter and Malfoy!
He'd never more than nodded at Harry in the corridors. They never had any classes together and Harry rarely hung out with anyone other than his own house friends so they never had the chance to meet or talk. Probably for the best, thought Colin: he knew that Harry was on some kind of quest to defeat You Know Who, but he was pretty sure Harry didn't know that he and Liam and very likely several others, had been recruited to take on tasks to ensure that he would be successful. The more he thought about it, the less he liked the idea of being a seeker.
On the other hand — Malfoy. Now there was a boy he'd love to meet above the quidditch pitch. As a beater, in particular! With Draco, Colin had a curious and complex relationship. He was friends with Daphne Greengrass through her connection with Indigo, which pitted him against Pansy Parkinson, who had been courting Daphne's favour since first year. Daphne loathed Pansy, of course, but she still tried to get Daphne to join her gang which would be a feather in her cap as well as Draco's. She and Draco had often tried to get to Daphne through Colin, which he made into a game in order to mess with them.
They were also fair duellists and Draco especially was studious. They had found in each other a relationship based on academic and magical rivalry. Not exactly a close friendship, but a sort of understanding between two strong personalities. They were always playing some mind game or other between them and Colin thought that it would be a really smashing idea to go up against Draco in quidditch. Though in reality, he knew with a dread certainty that Draco was a much better flier and would ultimately mop the floor with his own pathetic broom skills.
"My comment is we'd better get ready to head down to the quidditch pitch! Breakfast is almost done!" said Colin. he scoffed a couple of bangers and drank some milk before yanking Liam away from his place. "Come on! Morag, you too!"
"But! What's this particular skill?"
The bell rang and Jian never got his answer.
"So, what's eating at you, Colin?" Liam and Colin followed the other quidditch players down to the pitch and it was clear to Liam that Colin was agitated and working on some problem. He threw his arm around his brother's neck. "I can always tell when you're sorting something out, you know. Is it about Draco? Or is just about quidditch?" The laughter and chatter of the other players and would be players buzzed around them.
"Quidditch? I still think quidditch is a sissy game!" cried Colin. "I mean —!"
"Oi! Twinlings!" Two voices called out in unison from behind them. Fred and George Weasley parted as they came alongside Colin and Liam. "You won't think quidditch is such a sissy game when we get done with you, McCoires! It's a rough game and we'll show you just how rough!" They ruffled the boys' hair and took off running.
"So —" Liam tried to pick up his question again.
"So! McCoire, the rumour's true: you are going to try out after all!" Draco came up alongside Colin. His quidditch robes were immaculate and somehow always seemed to appear so much more than just a sport uniform and his broom exuded the pride and prowess of its owner.
"Malfoy," drawled Colin. "I see you're as shimmery and elegant as ever. I should have thought you were out for an evening at the opera, not sweeping the stands!"
"Tsh!" Liam noticed that there was a — twinkle? — in Malfoy's eyes. Interesting. "I'll be sweeping you into the stands with it anyway, McCoire."
"You can but try, Malfoy. You can seek all you want, but you'll never catch me!" Liam noted a similar glint in his brother's eyes. Curious indeed! He was dying to find out what was going on between the two of them.
Draco laughed. "McCoire, you don't even know how to fly. What makes you think you can go up against me?"
"I'll have you know, sir, that I've never once fallen off a broom! I'll go up against you any time. You know that." Liam wondered that Harry's name never came up.
"Malfoy," began Liam; "I thought Potter was your big rival?" He nodded towards the shorter dark haired boy walking ahead of them with Ron and Hermione. "After all, he's the one who said —"
"I know what Potter said, McCoire! My father —"
"Liam." Colin raised his hands between the two boys. He didn't want them to get into a fight. He knew what Liam was getting at, and he was certain that Draco was thinking about that other incident from last year. "Draco, he didn't mean —"
"What else could he have meant?" said Malfoy, turning to glare at Liam.
Draco? thought Liam. First name basis? "I only meant —"
"I didn't buy my way onto the team, McCoire."
Liam was about to reply with some snark, but the look in Colin's eyes warned him not to go that way.
"Malfoy! That's not what I meant at all. Anyway, Colin defended you. He always has," said Liam.
"What?"
Now it was Liam's turn to glare at Malfoy. "Come off it, Malfoy. It's an old story. Everyone says that you got your position on Slytherin because of those brooms." Draco looked as if he would murder Liam right then, and Colin looked like he might give them both a drubbing.
"Liam, Draco! Enough!"
Liam plunged on. In for a sickle in for a galleon. "It's true! And, you don't seem to know this, Malfoy, but Colin defended you again. Just this morning. And it's not the first time. Honestly, Malfoy, you're quick to anger! I'll have you know that I believe Colin. It makes sense. I only meant that what Potter and his gang said was rubbish. Anyone who thinks you got on the team unfairly has obviously never seen you play."
Liam noticed the questioning look of bewilderment on Malfoy's face.
Colin said: "All I said was that it wasn't true you bought your way onto Slytherin. And that you're a fair seeker to boot. All that's true. I've told the lads to quit with that rubbish about you being a cheat. But you have to admit, it's such a popular story that it's almost impossible to defend against." Colin sighed as they arrived at the pitch where all the students were milling about. Colin nudged Draco. "Hey! Show us how good a seeker you are and catch me if you can!" He and Liam laughed as they left to find the other Ravenclaws.