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Of Earth and Stars
Chapter 13: Quidditch Tryouts
October 1989
To anyone watching him in the Common Room, Nate maintained his cool demeanor. From Suri's perspective, he radiated with nervousness and doubt. Today was the day Slytherin hosted their quidditch tryouts.
"I've never seen you nervous."
"I'm not nervous," said Nate, a bit too sharply. Suri blinked at him and he sighed. "I mean, aren't you?"
"I am. But I've learned to control it." She thought of the lavender and lemon oils she put behind her ears. "Besides, quidditch is in my blood. Every woman on my mum's side of the family has been a chaser for the past four generations."
Under the constant, green iridescent glow in the Slytherin Common Room, Nate seemed to grow paler.
Suri rose to her feet and gathered her long hair into a high ponytail with an elastic band she kept around her wrist. She then held out a hand to Nate who still sat on the couch. "Come on," she said, her eyes bright with energy. "Tryouts start in fifteen minutes."
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By the time Nate and Suri arrived to the quidditch field, there were several other Slytherin students also dressed in practice gear, hopeful for a spot on the team. The walk to the field seemed to calm Nate's nerves; he had regained the color in his face and appeared calmer than he had in the Common Room. Suri, on the other hand, felt a restless buzz in her stomach. She looked at the other Slytherin students—seven in total—and quietly navigated their minds.
She found most were as nervous as she was, and the older students didn't view her or Nate as competition since they were the only two second-years to try out. As soon as she saw this thought from one of the sixth year students she quickly pulled out of their minds and folded her arms across her chest. She would show them competition.
"Alright you ugly lot, tryouts have officially started. At the end of last year, Crockett made me captain." All eyes turned to Marcus Flint, the fourth year captain.
"What does Mara see in him," Suri muttered to Nate and he shook his head disdainfully.
Marcus and the current quidditch team, stood in front of Suri and the others. "There are only three spots on the team," said Marcus. "We are looking for a chaser, a beater, and a keeper. And maybe one or two benchwarmers if we feel sorry for you."
Suri thought Marcus's pep talk was the opposite of inspiring.
"Let's get started then. You're going to be judged on your ability to fly, your actual quidditch skill, and your overall agility. Before we fly, I want you to divide into the position you're trying out. Keepers here, beaters here, and chasers here."
There was a quick shuffle as everyone filed into the spots Marcus pointed at. Suri and four other students joined the chasers group while Nate and a fourth year girl stood in the beaters section.
"No one wants to be a keeper," asked Marcus with a raised eyebrow, specifically looking at the group of large group of chasers. He sighed, as if he was working with young children. "Alright, we'll sort that out later. Grab a broom and let's go. We're going to start with a few laps."
Once mounted and in the air, Marcus and the team led the Slytherin students in flying drills. Marcus led the front of the group while the other three players followed in the rear, quietly judging.
Flying started easily as the group went one lap around the field. Then Marcus began to sharply weave left and right, expecting everyone to follow his movement. When he sharply weaved left, Suri, in the middle of the pack, had little wiggle room. As a result, she bumped into the sixth year who didn't consider her competition.
"Watch it!"
Marcus weaved sharply again, and this time everyone in the group bumped into each other. He laughed loudly as his housemates argued. He wanted to make them bump into each other. "Can you keep your broom steady while you're being tackled?"
He propelled himself forward, picking up speed on his broom. Suri could feel her broom vibrating between her hands when she tried to pick up speed—her broom had reached it's speed limit. She locked her knees around the broom for balance and lessened her grip to allow the broom to wobble to maintain speed.
From the corner of her eye, she saw one of her housemates drop his broom a few feet below the group. "Are you mad, Flint? I just nearly fell off!"
Marcus's response was laughter as everyone else flew by. "If you can't keep up, you can't play," called Simon Acker, the team's beater.
Suri frowned as she watched her housemate swear and lower his broom to the ground.
Finally Marcus lowered his broom to the ground after three more laps. "Drink some water, then we're up in the air again in five minutes. Be ready to play some quidditch."
"He's mad!" Nate plopped next to Suri on the bleachers. Suri nodded and wiped her mouth on her sleeve after she gulped down water.
"Honestly I don't even know if I want to be on this team anymore. He's a terrible captain," Suri said in a low voice. She watched as Marcus and the three other players prepared for the next round of tasks. Her stomach turned when she looked at Marcus.
"Alright, everyone up. This is how we're going to do this training. Colin and me," — Marcus pointed to Colin Bledsoe, a fourth year boy with brown skin— "are going to be chasers. Trevor and Simon will be beaters. Er, you two," Marcus waved in Nate's and Gina Cobb's direction. "You'll join Trevor and Simon. Everyone else who wants to be a chaser will join me. We're just going to play a game of catch with the quaffle. In the meantime, there will be three bludgers loose. The beaters will be aiming for you to test your agility. If you get hit, it's the beater's fault." Marcus offered no other instructions before he mounted his broom and kicked-off.
"Don't hit me, okay," Suri said, half-jokingly as Nate was handed a club.
"Do you think if you get knocked unconscious Oliver Wood will visit you as much as you visited him?"
"You're such a troll!" Nate laughed as Suri left him behind.
Once again, Suri found herself next to the blonde sixth year boy, Michael Polley, who thought he was better than her.
Michael gave her a side-glance and shook his head. "Try not to get in my way, kid."
"Maybe you should stay out of mine," Suri fired back, her eyes bright.
Marcus blew the whistle he had around his neck. "Let's get started!"
From down below, Simon and Trevor released the bludgers. With the bludgers released and all ten Slytherins in the air, the next few minutes were pure chaos.
Suri found herself ducking and dodging bludgers, making sure she didn't get them confused with the quaffle. She caught it each time it was thrown at her, and she quickly threw it to another player. Just as she was getting confident, Nate shouted her name.
"Suri, duck!"
Trusting her friend, Suri did exactly as she was told, and narrowly missed the bludger that sailed over her head just as her fingers fumbled to get control of the quaffle passed to her. Pulling her knees up, her broom raised just enough for her to get a strong grip on the quaffle before she pulled it securely to her chest.
Marcus blew his whistle, and everyone froze.
"Beaters keep playing," Marcus commanded before his dark gaze fell on Suri. "Rosier-Black, go to the quidditch posts."
Cheeks red with exertion, Suri followed Marcus. Marcus took the quaffle and followed her. "Stop the quaffle before it gets through a post."
Suri barely had time to register Marcus's demand before he flung the quaffle into the post furthest from her. Without hesitation, Suri launched forward, caught it, and fluidly threw it back.
"Again." Marcus threw the quaffle back at her.
This continued six times in a row, and Suri flawlessly caught each one, even if it meant nearly falling from her broom.
"Okay that's enough," Marcus finally said when Suri through the quaffle back for the umpteenth time. Her arms felt shaky and sore. "Not bad, Rosier-Black. Polley, you're up as keeper next."
"I not here to be a keeper, Flint, I want to be—"
"I don't care, just do it!"
After twenty minutes, Marcus blew his whistle one last time. "Alright, you lot, tryouts are over. We'll post the results near the locker rooms on Friday after classes."
"Thank Merlin," Nate groaned as he met Suri by the bleachers. She had waited for him while he helped wrestle the bludgers back into their trunks. "I don't think I've ever been this sore."
"Neither have I," Suri agreed. She rubbed her sore shoulder and grinned. "I think you'll make the team, Nate."
"I hope so," Nate chuckled. "I definitely did better than Gina Cobb. Did you see her drop her club?"
"I was too busy making sure I caught the quaffle and dodged the bludgers!" Suri shook her head. She thought about Marcus singling her out first and making her play as keeper. She didn't know if that was a good or bad sign. "I guess we'll find out on Friday!"
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Nate and Suri had never experienced such a slow week as they waited for the quidditch results to be posted. On Friday, Suri daydreamed through all of her classes until Mara finally snapped at her.
"Suri, you're going to set my books on fire!"
"What? I'm so sorry!"
For the remainder of class, Professor Flitwick had set the students loose to practice the fire-making spell while he roamed around the classroom offering tips and pointers. Charms was Suri's favorite class because she excelled at it, and she enjoyed Professor Flitwick. Today, she did anything but excellent.
"Are you that concerned with finding out if you made the team—apparently you are." Mara trailed off at Suri's deadpan stare.
"Quidditch is all I've ever wanted to do, even before I knew I would be at Hogwarts. Aside from Michael Polley, I know I was one of the best chasers out there."
"What happens if you don't make the team," Mara asked. She had packed her books away before she attempted the fire-making spell. "Incendio."
She squealed with delight when her paper caught on fire. She quickly put it out with water.
"Thanks for believing in me," muttered Suri as she poked the pile of twigs in front of her. "Incendio!" Immediately her twigs blazed with fire.
"Very well done, Miss Rosier-Black," commented Professor Flitwick before he moved on. She missed Mara rolling her eyes while she put out her fire.
"I didn't say that I just...I don't get sports."
"Mara, some things are simply done for fun. You do know what fun is, don't you?"
"I read for fun. And I watch Pippy chase the toy mouse I bought him."
"Blech." Suri made a face in response to reading for fun and Mara's fat, grey cat that chose to sleep on Suri's bed most of the time.
"Seriously, you've been out of it all week. I wondered how you managed to ignore everyone."
"What do you mean? Who have I ignored?"
Mara fixed her pale blue eyes on Suri, almost disbelieving. "You're kidding right? You haven't noticed Gryffindor talking about you?"
"No…" Suri looked around the classroom. Charms was one of the classes Slytherin shared with Gryffindor this year. For the first time, she noticed Bradley Price from Gryffindor stare at her. When he realized she noticed, he and two of his friends quickly turn around.
"What's that all about?"
"Haven't you noticed Jessica Yates isn't at Hogwarts this year?"
"What?!" Suri glanced all around, and noticed Mara was right. Toward the middle of summer, Suri had forgotten all about her because she had buried herself in quidditch practice and catching up with her best friends. "Maybe she's just sick?"
"She hasn't been here all year." Mara rolled her eyes.
Suri frowned in thought while Professor Flitwick called the class to attention before dismissal.
"Have a great weekend, class, and don't forget your assignment!"
The classroom burst with energy as the students propelled for the door. It was the last class before the weekend, and that meant final rosters were out.
"Are you—" Mara started to ask in Suri's direction, but stopped when she realized Suri wasn't there. She had cut through the crowd and headed for Bradley.
"Hey." Suri paused beside Bradley while he was still packing up his books. He looked up, and immediately his smile faded.
"Suri," he greeted flatly.
"Er, is it true, I guess," Suri started. "Jessica isn't here this year?"
"No, she isn't." Veronica Mills, a Gryffindor with curly brown hair and brown eyes stepped it. "She transferred to Beauxbatons because of you."
"Oh," Suri breathed. She wasn't sure if she should laugh or cry. "That's too bad."
"Why do you care?"
"Veronica, stop that." Bradley cut off his friend. He sighed and looked at Suri. "It's true. She sent us an owl during the summer saying she couldn't be in the same school as you, and Dumbledore approved her transfer. It should have been you that was forced to leave."
"Alright, well, I just wanted to know." In her periphery, Suri noticed her interaction with the Gryffindor students had caused a small crowd. Everyone had heard about her fight with Jessica at the end of last school year, and everyone had an opinion. Almost everyone, aside from those in Slytherin and a quiet handful sided with Jessica. To preserve her dignity, Suri raised her chin and turned away from Bradley and Veronica, unwilling to give the crowd the gossip they wanted.
"Roiser-Black, wait, I didn't finish saying what I had to."
"You didn't?" Suri turned around and walked back toward Bradley. Immediately, she felt the tension in the air as she felt Nate and Carly step closer, ready to come to her defense.
"You made it perfectly clear that I'm not welcome here. Do you just enjoy the sound of your voice?" Her comment earned snickers from her friends in Slytherin.
Bradley scowled. "No. I was going to say, I was at your fight. And I just want to say that your dad is scum, and apparently your mum is a hero. You're more like your mum than people say and Jessica didn't want to see that. But maybe I should take that all back, because I like hearing myself talk."
Bradley slung his book bag over his shoulder and walked off, Veronica following close behind him. He glanced back at Suri. "See you around, Slytherin scum."
There wasn't much venom in his insult. There was almost a smile on his lips as he spoke.
"If I have to, Gryffindor garbage," Suri responded with the same amount of disdain as Bradley.
"I've never had anyone hate me so much they had to switch schools," Suri said to Nate, Mara, Carly, and Willem when they joined Suri as the crowd dispersed.
"Beauxbatons," Willem said, shaking his head. He then laughed in disbelief. "Who cares about that mudblood anyway?"
"Don't your friends from Austria go to that school," Nate drawled, clearly amused. "Yates is in for one hell of a time."
Suri thought of Mia, Eloise, Sophia and even Fleur Delacour meeting Jessica and hearing horrid stories about her. She was surprised she hadn't received an owl about it yet. Instead, Bradley's words resounded in her mind: for the first time, someone saw her as more than Sirius Black's daughter. She ran a hand through her messy tresses and shrugged her shoulders with more confidence than she felt.
"Either way, Jessica isn't my problem anymore, she's Beauxbatons. For now, I'm concerned about that quidditch roster!"
She and her friends ran to the large display board outside the locker rooms. The area was packed with students pushing to read the names on the list.
"I'll wait here for you guys," said Mara and hung back near a pillar, away from the crowd.
Suri and Nate shared a look.
"Ready," asked Suri.
"I was born ready," Nate responded as they pushed their way through the crowd to read the list of names.
Suri got their first and ran her finger down the list:
Marcus Flint—Chaser, Captain
Colin Bledsoe—Chaser
Michael Polley—Chaser
Simon Acker—Beater
Nathaniel Avery—Beater
Suri Rosier-Black—Keeper
Trevor Finchley—Seeker
Mia Cobb—Second string
Chase Hurlbutte—Second string
"Keeper?" Suri felt her stomach drop as she backed away from the roster.
"Suri we made the team!" Nate loosened his green and silver tie, his eyes bright with excitement. "We made it! Why aren't you screaming with delight, or whatever it is girls do?"
"I wanted to be chaser," said Suri. She hated how small her voice sounded.
"Congratulations." Marcus, Simon, Trevor, and Michael sauntered over. Marcus grinned at Suri and Nate, showing off his uneven, yellow teeth.
Michael looked down at Suri. "No hard feelings, kid?"
"No…" Suri trailed off. She looked at Marcus. "Why me as the keeper?"
"You did better than anyone as keeper. Also, you're not built to be a chaser."
Marcus frowned at her expression. "You should consider yourself lucky you're on the team. I wanted to build an all boys team, but it would have been stupid to pass up your skill. Look, Rosier-Black, do you want to be on the team or not?"
"I want to be on the team," Suri answered, working to keep her tone even. She had put her hands in her pockets, and they were balled into tight fists—she had never wanted to hit someone as much as she wanted to hit Marcus. His smug look was irritating.
"Good," said Marcus. "Practice starts next Wednesday at six sharp, don't eat a heavy dinner unless you want it coming back up."
Author's Note:
Hey friendly faces! Thanks so much for reading this story. I am honestly so excited to write it. With that being said. The next few chapters will have a lot of quidditch, so bare with me. I promise it's for a purpose! That doesn't mean STOP READING, because if you do, you'll miss story plots along the way. Unless you want to miss them, then that's up to you.
Your reviews are love!
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