So...here's another chapter after a long, long time. I hope you guys are not angry with me. Was caught up in the maelstrom of life and couldn't write. I also seemed to have lost the vibe. I do hope I can upload a few more chapter in the coming days. Till then, enjoy this small chapter and please DO NOT FORGET to leave reviews. 'Cause they do motivate me to write faster.

The broom flew like a dream. It turned at the slightest touch and could almost read Rose's thoughts. As she glided across the pitch without making the tiniest of sounds, she wondered whether it would be possible to try out for seeker, even though she lacked the quick reflexes of her legendary uncle Harry. The broom could be as silent as a mouse and swifter than its older models. It would help her to steal up to the snitch quicker than her opponent without alerting him or her. If only she could inherit Uncle Harry's flying instincts…

'Oi Weasley!'

She looked down to find Captain Zach making furious gestures at her. 'Come down here if you want to try out. You are distracting the others,' she yelled angrily.

'Right. Sorry Captain,' Rose turned the broom towards the stand. A crowd had gathered near the stadium. Captain Amelia Zach was talking animatedly to a group of eager second years on how to properly do a dive without sliding off the broom. Judging by the rapt attention of the group, she had managed to create quite a bit of fans already. Though that could also be due to the fact that she was uncommonly beautiful.

Rose strode upto the rest of the participants, slinging her broom on her shoulders. Scorpius had not yet arrived. Lazy git. She looked up at the stadium. Decorated in the four colours of the Houses, the Quidditch pitch never failed to awe. There was the scarlet of the Gryffindors, the yellow of the Hufflepuffs, the blue of the Ravenclaws and the green of the Slytherins. With its fluttering flags and pennons and the six majestic hoops rising up to touch the sky, the pitch had always managed to take her breath away.

Rose was turning in a slow circle to capture the entire scene when her eyes lit up on Al slowly walking towards her. She waved. He waved back.

'What are you doing here?' she asked, once Al was within hearing.

Al showed her a rather heavy Ancient Runes book, 'Thought of some light reading.'

'That's light?!'

'Besides,' he continued, ignoring her incredulous stare, 'I had promised Aunt Hermione I'd watch out for you. So here I am, making sure you don't injure yourself in this dangerous game.' He winked.

'Sod off.' Rose harrumphed.

'Where's Scorp?'

'I was thinking of asking you the same question.'

'WOULD YOU TWO SHUT UP!' yelled Captain Zach, 'and what is he doing here?'

'I-I wanted to watch the tryouts,' stammered Al under her suspicious eyes.

'He's my cousin.'

'He's not of our House.'

Both of them gulped. Captain Zach was as ruthless as a war general when it came to the game of Quidditch. She guarded her game strategies like a mother dragon guarding her eggs, and was suspicious of anyone from another House.

'He'll not disturb us, Captain Zach,' Rose assured her, leading Al away, 'would you, coz?'

He mumbled something about wanting all his limbs in working order.

Al settled in one of the raised seats of the stadium and promptly opened his book. There was still no sign of Scorp. Blast it. Where was he?

Just then she caught sight of a blonde head racing towards the gathering. She frowned as she walked back.

'Where have you been?!' she exclaimed, noting the crumpled and dusty clothes.

Scorp grinned, 'Hunting broomsticks.' Sure enough, there was an old Firebolt slung on his shoulders.

'Where did you get that?!' Firebolts were rare, not something to be found in a school broom closet.

'If you know where to go,' Scorpius winked, once again turning to hear the captain.

'OK everyone,' Captain Zach called out, 'Listen up. We need a seeker, one beater and a keeper. The Chasers are good. So if any of you want to try out as a chaser, you'll only be kept as a spare. Is that clear to all?'

Everybody nodded.

'Ok then. Jonas and Prewett,' she said consulting her list, 'Up you go. And don't forget your clubs, for heaven's sake.'

The tryouts continued slowly.

'What are you trying out for?' Rose turned to Scorpius.

'Keeper. You?'

'Oh. I don't know,' she mumbled, 'Seeker maybe.'

'Really?! Brilliant!' Scorp grinned.

'I'm not so confident. What if I make a fool of myself?' Rose looked up at the various brooms zigzagging across the pitch.

'Of course you won't, silly!'

Scorp turned to her when she kept quiet, 'Listen Carrots. You are a better flyer than the most of them. It's in your blood. You just have to have faith in yourself. See?'

Rose only nodded and gulped audibly.

oooooo

Looking back, it did seem rather easy, thought Rose. She had indeed flown better than before. And to top that she had missed only one of the ten tryouts, that too because she had a sneeze coming at the exact moment she dove to catch the snitch.

Scorpius was brilliant though. He had a natural grace while airborne. It felt as if he was one with the broom. By the time they were done, Captain Zach as gushing about their new keeper and the rest of the girls were sighing dreamily.

'So…,' she smiled at Scorp, 'How does it feel to be the new keeper?'

Scorpius gave his signature smirk, 'Same as it feels to be the new seeker. I told you that you had it in you.'

'Yeah, you did,' she nodded.

'Oi you two!' they turned at the shout. Albus was huffing after them. They had clean forgotten about him in the excitement of the afternoon.

'Brilliant!' he shouted, once he caught up with them, 'Marvelous! Can't wait to play against you in the next match!'

'WHAT?!'

Al grinned sheepishly, 'Oops. I was strictly forbidden to—'

The rest of his explanation was drowned as he was wrestled to the ground by the two.

'You sly thing—'

'How could you—'

'We hadn't the foggiest—'

Fairly beaten and exhausted, the three sat up and grinned from ear to ear.

'What position are you in?' asked Rose.

'Ummm…well…'

'Albus Severus, if you value your limbs, you better tell us,' she glared as Scorpius snorted.

'Ok. Fine. I'm playing seeker too.'

'Yoohoo! Two seekers in the family!' Rose did a jig.

'Hush!' said Al, 'Do you want me to get kicked out of the team!? I was not supposed to tell you guys. Captain Menos wants it to be a secret.'

'Sorry.'

'Anyway,' said Scorpius, throwing an arm over Al's shoulder, 'Let's go celebrate our selection.'

'Yeah. Let's. We could go down to the kitchen and have a great time.'

'Wait a minute. You know where the kitchen is?!' Scorp looked at Al.

'Oh c'mon. It's no big secret,' said Rose, 'My Uncle George told us that all about the painting of a bowl of fruit. You just tickle the pear and the door appears.'

'I wish I could meet your Uncle George,' said Scorp wistfully.

Al and Rose exchanged amused looks. 'It's better we didn't know them in their youth. Mum says they were similar to James and Henry, only worse. Uncle Fred and George once turned an entire corridor into a swamp,' giggled Rose, 'Filch had to row students across it to go from class to class.'

'Couldn't the teachers do anything?'

'Oh they could,' said Al, 'But they didn't.'

'Why?!' Scorp could hardly contain his eagerness.

'Dad said that was their way to rebel against Dolores Umbridge. He says everybody hated her more than they hated Voldemort. He still has those scars on the back of his hands.'

They walked towards the Great Hall and up the staircase.

Rose giggled suddenly. The other two frowned at her, 'What?'

'I was just remembering what the twins did in their fifth year.'

'Oh. That,' sniggered Albus.

'What are you two sniggering about?'

They began to laugh. Scorpius scowled, 'Will you two behave and tell me what's so funny?'

'I just remembered another of the twins' shenanigans.'

'Yeah. Uncle George said that they once set off an entire box of firecrackers they had developed in secret. By the end of the day Umbridge and Filch were covered in soot.'

'Sounds like they were legends.'

'Oh they were,' Rose smiled sadly, 'Uncle George was never the same after Uncle Fred was killed. He said half of him died in the war.'

The mood was somber when they parted in the landing. They quietly said their goodbyes and turned towards their respective common rooms. For each of them were remembering the prankster, the legend, the fallen warrior, someone who could never abide gloominess and strove to switch on the light even in the darkest of times—Fred Weasley, the unsung hero.

oooooo