The first week of classes was as long as Hinata expected. He had a full schedule before the Quidditch tryouts on Friday. On Tuesday morning, he woke up blinking into the familiar musty red light filtering through the curtains around his four-poster bed. He yanked back the curtains and bounded out of bed. The Gryffindor 4th-year dormitory was full of the sounds of sleeping boys and the morning light shining in through the windows made geometric patterns across the thick carpet.
The curtains around Kageyama's bed twitched, and Hinata gritted his teeth. There was no way he'd be beaten to breakfast by the stupid jerk. He threw on his trainers and school uniform, then dug in his trunk and pulled out his crumpled school robe. It would unwrinkle enough as he wore it.
Kageyama was up and out of bed the moment he blinked awake and met Hinata's eyes. Hinata wasn't even sure Kageyama had tied his shoes. But he didn't dwell, and tied his gold and red striped tie in the sloppiest functional knot. Kageyama was right behind him, so he sprinted out the door and let it slam shut behind him, and took the stairs into the common room two at a time. He heard the door slam again as Kageyama came bounding after. Hinata vaulted over one of the plush armchairs and darted to the portrait hole. He had one leg out into the hallway when he heard Tsukishima's grumpy morning voice yelling after both of them.
All the fourth year boys were experts in ignoring Tsukishima, and the shouting didn't make him miss a step. He clambered out into the hall and shut the Fat Lady in Kageyama's face.
"What rudeness!" she said, swinging open again as Kageyama followed.
"Sorry!" Hinata called over his shoulder, and took the familiar route to the Great Hall at a dead sprint. He stumbled and missed one of the stairs, and Kageyama caught up to him. They pushed each other faster, and sent a creaking suit of armor spinning around on its plinth as they passed. Hinata caught a glimpse of one of the portraits joining the chase on his horse, knocking the occupants of the portraits he galloped through into disarray.
"Fly, young knights! Stop whatever evil lies before you!" he shouted at them as they ran.
Finally, Hinata made it to the doors of the Great Hall. He had too much momentum to stop himself before he went crashing through the automatically-opening doors, and he slammed into the carved oak, Kageyama hitting him from behind. The doors banged open, echoing through the hall, and Hinata and Kageyama went sprawling into a heap.
"Get off me!" Hinata yelled, trying to disentangle himself from Kageyama's robe. Kageyama kicked him in the shin.
A set of clicking shoes strolled across Hinata's line of vision and stopped in front of him. He looked up at the tall, stately figure in tartan robes, and gulped.
Headmistress McGonagall was stern. Fair, but stern. Her mouth had thinned into a frightening line as she looked down her nose at the heap of fourth years.
"I forgave this kind of behavior when you were first years, gentlemen," she said, "but I expect a proper sense of decorum from our older students. Ten points from Gryffindor. You both will have other students to compete against, if you manage to stay out of trouble until Friday. Teammates need to work together if they want to stand a chance of winning any Quidditch matches. And I expect wins, gentlemen." Her stern expression twitched for a moment, and she swept past them up to the Head Table.
Hinata watched her go, trying not to gape. If McGonagall expected both of them on the Gryffindor team, that meant they were both probably going to make it. It was no secret that McGonagall, while theoretically unbiased as Headmistress, was an avid supporter of the Gryffindor house team.
Kageyama was staring after her too when Hinata managed to get to his feet. He offered a hand down to Kageyama to help him up. They might as well take her advice and start trying to tolerate each other, especially after losing house points on the first day. Kageyama gave the hand a filthy look and scrambled to his feet without taking it. Hinata glared at him and swept off to the Gryffindor table, trying to look as dignified as McGonagall had. His dignity vanished as soon as his plate filled with food, though, and he forgot about Kageyama in favor of stuffing his face full of sausages and potatoes and breakfast pasties.
The rest of the first day improved. His first Defense class was interesting, at least. It was a fun practical review of shield charms. Hinata had leaned close to Yachi when Professor Mizoguchi paired them off, but Yachi had gotten paired with Izumi and Hinata had gotten stuck with Kageyama, of course. Mizoguchi smirked at them as they glared at each other. Mizoguchi was the head of Slytherin, and he was as avid a Slytherin team supporter as McGonagall was a Gryffindor supporter.
When it was their turn to demonstrate in front of the class, Kageyama kept sending nasty jinxes at him, and he'd been so pissed off at the idiot that he'd managed to produce an almost perfect charm on his third try. He'd also blasted through Kageyama's weak first attempt and had laughed while Kageyama wobbled around on jelly legs for the rest of the class. He'd earned Gryffindor five house points and been happy enough that he could forget about the golden bubbles that flew out of his mouth every time he hiccuped.
Hinata's favorite class was double Herbology with Hufflepuff, because he got to pair up with Koushi. The new Herbology professor was pretty nice too, a short young woman with an absent-minded air. Hinata liked her even more when she accidentally spilled a pot of Crup droppings all down her front. She wasn't as knowledgeable as Professor Longbottom had been, and she didn't inspire the same sort of awe in the students, but Hinata found her easy to listen to. She knew a lot about fanged geraniums and gave clear instructions on how to re-pot them. Hinata managed to escape with only one small bite to his index finger. And there had been the added amusement of one of the flowers attaching itself to Tsukishima's nose and refusing to detach. He'd gone to the hospital wing with a troubled-looking Yamaguchi, and Hinata hadn't had to deal with his asshole comments for the rest of the day. The common room had been peaceful that evening without Tsukishima making annoyed noises when Yachi and Hinata played Exploding Snap too loudly.
The rest of the week wasn't as interesting as the first day, though. The anticipation of the first classes had worn off, and Hinata was too conscious about getting lectured by McGonagall to race Kageyama properly. Yachi was more militant about studying once they were assigned new homework, and wouldn't talk about Quidditch with him until she'd finished all of it, and had even dragged him to a study group with Izumi. He lost Gryffindor five house points for falling asleep in History of Magic, and two more for causing a small explosion in Potions class (how was he supposed to know that liquified kelpie nails combusted in water?) On Thursday, the day before the Quidditch tryouts, he'd been yelled at by Professor Goldstein for getting into a shouting match with Kageyama about the usefulness of body-blocking. They'd been threatened with detention, and the thought of being banned from tryouts had kept them both from each other's throats for the rest of the day.
Finally Friday arrived. Hinata woke up early and tore the curtains back from his four poster. He glanced over at Kageyama's bed and saw that it was empty. Bastard. He'd beaten Hinata down to breakfast. Tsukishima was sitting on the edge of his bed, though, and he raised an eyebrow at Hinata as he straightened his red and gold tie. "Your boyfriend darted out of here even faster than you usually do," said Tsukishima.
Hinata gaped at him, then threw a pillow his direction. It bounced off of Tsukishima's glasses. A direct hit! Tsukishima let out a disapproving noise as he straightened them back onto his nose. Hinata turned his back on him and threw on his clothes. He left his tie undone and his shoes untied and scrambled down the stairs into the common room. He didn't have time to let Tsukishima rile him up, especially with stupid insinuations about Kageyama. He'd beat them both. He just had to get through Charms and Ancient Runes and a two hour study period in the library, and he would be standing on the Quidditch pitch, Firebolt X-5 in hand.
Hinata liked double Charms, though, and was able to focus for half the class on the summoning charm they were working on. He was paired up with Izumi, who had practiced the spell in dueling club. Izumi managed to catch the pillow they were practicing with every time, but Hinata kept sending books and spare parchment and quills flying all over the room. He almost hit Yachi in the head with an inkwell, and threw his wand on the desk in frustration.
"You have to sense the weight of the items in the magical field of the classroom, and focus the spell that way," Izumi said, grinning at him.
"I'm trying!" said Hinata, closing his eyes. Izumi's Ravenclawish explanation made no sense to him. He thought he could sense the field of magic, stretched out all through the classroom, but it was super confusing. It seemed indecipherable to him, like a high wall that he couldn't reach through. Frustrated, he swept his wand in an arc and cried "Accio!" and then had to duck as the pillow went zooming past his head and flew backwards to hit Tsukishima in the face.
He withered under Tsukishima's glare and hid behind Izumi. That was the second time today, and Hinata didn't want to piss him off more than he needed to. If they did end up on the same team, they'd have to be able to work together.
"Good try, Mister Hinata," said Professor Fortcomb in his encouraging voice. "A little less force next time, and you'd have gotten it. Good job ducking, though. I do admire your quick reflexes." Fortcomb moved back towards Tsukishima, asking if he was alright. Hinata felt his face flame in embarrassment, but the rest of the class passed without him causing further bodily harm.
Hinata bounded out the door when Charms was over and darted to the library. He couldn't miss his study period. Kozume Kenma was a fifth-year Ravenclaw and had made the starting Ravenclaw team as a fourth year. He and Hinata got along well, and Hinata counted him among his closest friends. Kenma was peaceful when Hinata was excited, and played Quidditch like a controlled weather charm where Hinata played like a hurricane. They'd never been on the same introductory team, but they'd practiced together on occasion. Kenma was strict about schoolwork, though. He didn't raise his soft voice often, Hinata had been on the receiving end of enough lectures to listen to his advice.
Kenma had convinced Hinata to sign up for Ancient Runes, back when Hinata had been a foolish second year and hadn't known any better. He hadn't wanted to take Muggle Studies, since he knew enough about Muggles from his father, but he needed a class in addition to Care of Magical Creatures. Kenma had insisted that Ancient Runes was easy and interesting, and Hinata had trusted his judgement. He hated his life for the first half of third year, and eventually had begged Kenma for help. They'd begun their weekly study sessions, and Hinata's marks had begun to improve. Sometimes he even found himself enjoying the subject. Runes were often incorporated into the manufacture of broomsticks.
The library was quiet and calm and smelled like parchment that had been buried in a grave for years. Hinata hated it. Even his softest voice would often bring Madam Pince, the ancient withered crone of a librarian, swooping down and shushing him with her terrifying glare. Hinata walked quickly through the stacks until he found Kenma in the Ancient Runes section, half hidden behind a pile of books. Only the undyed roots of his hair and the top of his scratching quill were visible. Hinata slid into the seat next to him. He slumped down and let his forehead fall to the table with a thunk.
"Can't I just go practice, just today?" he whined, looking at Kenma from the corner of his eye and attempting to look as miserable as possible. "It's not like I can focus anyway!"
Kenma glanced at him, unaffected by wheedling. "No.. Even famous Quidditch players have to have good enough marks to graduate," he said in his soft monotonous voice.
"So unfair!"
"It's only two hours, Shouyou. You'll survive. You have that Runes summer homework due." Kenma held out his hand for Hinata's essay without looking up from the line he was marking on his own parchment.
Hinata gulped. He'd written the necessary foot, but he couldn't remember if any of his opinions on guardian runes had been based on actual research, or if he'd even gotten the spelling right. Still, he dug the crumpled piece of parchment out of his bag and handed it over to Kenma. Kenma took it and started reading, head bent and mouth moving as he tested Hinata's work. Hinata, bored, scowled at Kenma's hair. His foot tapped with excess energy. Eventually Kenma made a disapproving sound and groped for his quill. He frowned down at the paper, then started to circle some of the runic phrases.
"These don't make sense. You need to fix them or the ward will be vulnerable in twelve places."
"I don't know how," said Hinata, pouting, but he took the essay back and examined the places Kenma had marked. He couldn't see anything wrong with them, but he tried adding in a few de-energizing lines to the central structure of the ward. Kenma watched him for a while, but didn't say anything to interrupt and eventually turned back to his own work. They wrote in silence for half an hour, until Hinata thought he'd figured out what Kenma meant. Some of the angles of his lines negated the defensive structure of his core rune.
"Your Quidditch tryouts are today, right?" asked Kenma, breaking the silence.
"Yeah!" Hinata yelled, startled out of his concentration, then glanced around the silent library guiltily as the sound echoed. Adrenaline rushed into him again, and he started bouncing.
"You'll be fine," said Kenma, and pulled Hinata's edited essay over. He scanned it again, then nodded. "This is better, too. Make sure you don't get into trouble in the next four hours. I heard Daichi telling Kuro that you and your classmate have been arguing all week. If you end up on the same team, you're going to have to learn to trust each other."
Hinata scowled at Kenma. He knew all that. It was exactly what Daichi had told him and Kageyama on the first day. "Kageyama is a great player. I'm still going to beat him and be the best on the team, but we can play together and make Gryffindor the best in all of Europe!"
Kenma made a noncommittal noise. He didn't care overmuch about Quidditch, not like Hinata did, but Ravenclaw's team was pretty good. They'd come in second in the Quidditch Cup last year, in part thanks to Kenma's precise throws and the team captain's ruthless offensive goal-scoring. It had been close, though. Hufflepuff had narrowly managed to beat them in the final, and its team would be just as strong as it had been the previous year. Only one of their beaters had been a seventh-year. Slytherin's team was getting better, too. They'd only come in third because of an injury to their center striker during their match against Hufflepuff.
Hinata stuck out his lower lip at Kenma for a moment, then went back to his essay. Kenma hadn't marked anything further on it, so he figured it was acceptable. With the essay as good as it was going to be, Hinata spent the rest of his study time doodling diagrams of maneuvers on a scrap piece of parchment and animating them with his wand. There were so many catches he wanted to try, and all he needed was someone to throw to him properly.
After Hinata meticulously sketched out a Dobkins Double-Spin, Kenma closed his book and stood up. Hinata threw his books in his bag and jumped up as well, bobbing up and down on the balls of his feet. Kenma gave him a small smile.
"You'll be great, Shouyou. I'm looking forward to playing against the Gryffindor team this year. Don't forget to pay attention in Runes, though. Takeda might not let you try out if you spend the whole time daydreaming."
Hinata rolled his eyes, but nodded. "I'll try my best!"
He gave Kenma a quick hug, leaving the Ravenclaw stiff and blinking in shock, then darted out of the library.
Professor Takeda taught Ancient Runes, but more importantly, he was the head of Gryffindor House and had direct approval over which students were in good enough standing to make it on the team. Hinata tried to pay attention in his class, he really did, but his mind wouldn't stop wandering. The timekeeping hourglass dripping black sand seemed to be immobile, and Hinata stared at it with a glazed look on his face until finally the last grains dripped into the bottom barrel and Takeda collected their summer homework.
Hinata turned in his essay without a second glance, and ran out of the classroom. It was a fair distance across the grounds to the Quidditch pitch, and he didn't want to be late. He stopped for a moment in the Great Hall, where the tables were just filling with dinner food. He grabbed two meat pies, stuffed one in his pocket, and stuffed the other in his mouth as he ran out of the castle and across the grounds to the Quidditch pitch.
The sun was still out, but it was low on the horizon, casting long shadows past the trees. The white tomb of Albus Dumbledore sparkled dully in the low light, standing out in stark contrast to the deep green of the grass and the bright late summer green of the trees. The sun would impact visibility, but the ground was firm and would provide a good kickoff. The wind was low, too, so throws would be accurate.
The locker rooms and broomshed stood just behind the giant, colorful towers of the Quidditch Pitch, and Hinata felt the same sense of excitement he always felt when he walked inside the Gryffindor locker room. It smelled sharp and woody, the mingled smell of sweaty teenagers and grass-stained robes and broom polish and leather. He had a small locker on the back wall, left over from his time on the introductory team, and he tapped it once with his wand to open it. He didn't have his own Gryffindor Quidditch uniform yet, but he shucked off his school robe, tie, vest, and uniform shirt, leaving on only the Kenmare Kestrals t-shirt he'd been wearing underneath. He grabbed a pair of Quidditch leggings from out of his school bag and hopped around on one foot trying to get them on. While he was flailing, he heard the echo of footsteps entering the locker room, and looked up to see Kageyama and Tsukishima, and Yamaguchi walking towards the back row of lockers. Hinata glared at all of them, one foot still stuck halfway down the leggings, and ignored them as best he could.
Kageyama had his own locker from the introductory teams too, and Hinata found himself watching Kageyama change. All Kageyama's movements were precise and controlled, like he knew exactly how much force each of his limbs needed to provide the most efficient movement. He didn't get stuck in the leggings. Stupid bastard. Hinata bared his teeth at Kageyama's back and finished changing into his game shoes, then left the locker room without saying anything to the other boys.
His trusty broom, his prize possession, was hung up on a hook in the broomshed. It was a Firebolt X-5, one of the newest models on the market, and had been the choice of the Irish National team for two years running. It was also endorsed by Lily Potter, one of the Holyhead Harpies. He'd had to forego Christmas and birthday presents for a year, and agree to watch his younger sister Natsu every Friday night for the whole summer before his parents had bought it for him.
The wood of the handle gleamed a dark mahogany, with a lightning bolt pattern inlaid in gold up the handle. The foot braces were solid heavy steel, and Hinata kept the bristles trimmed and waxed to even perfection. He ran his hand lovingly over the handle, then took it down from the wall. The wood seemed alive in his hands, thrumming with the same desire to be bolting through the air that he felt in the pit of his stomach.
Kageyama had the same broom model, though he'd chosen silver inlay like the traitor to Gryffindor that he was. It rested in the hooks just above Hinata's broom. Hinata glared at it for a moment, hoping his dark thoughts would affect its speed, then shouldered his broom and walked onto the pitch.
The returning Gryffindor players were all standing in their team robes, the scarlet and gold silhouetted against the setting sunlight. They all looked tall and imposing, and Hinata gulped. There was so much talent already on the team. He had no idea if he'd be worthy.
Still, he tried to look confident as he walked over towards Daichi.
"Hinata," Daichi said, giving him a creepy smile. "We're lining up by position. If you're planning on playing chaser again, go stand behind Suga and them over there."
Hinata nodded, feeling his stomach start to flip, and he darted over to where Sugawara and two fifth year boys Hinata couldn't recall from the previous year's team stood stood.
"Hinata!" Sugawara welcomed him. His smile was way less creepy than Daichi's, and Hinata felt some of his tension leave. "Even the returning players have to battle for their starting spot. if they've got competition!" Suga said. "So we have to wait and see who else decides to turn up!"
Suga's smile was so cheery that Hinata felt an instant of guilt. Suga must know that he was going to be outplayed by Kageyama. Maybe he was hoping for a wing chaser position instead, though. Hinata hoped so, because the idea of playing with Sugawara was much more appealing than playing with Tsukishima.
The rest of the players filtered onto the pitch lined up in their respective groups. Sugawara, Hinata, and the two fifth years were joined by Kageyama and Tsukishima. Yamaguchi wandered over to stand with Daichi and Tanaka, the returning Beaters, and another fifth year hopeful. Hinata thought his name was Ennoshita. Hinata shot Yamaguchi a puzzled look. He hadn't realized that Yamaguchi even knew how to play Quidditch. He was probably dragged along by Tsukishima.
Daichi smiled that creepy grin at the two Beater candidates. "Excellent," he said, and Yamaguchi let out a little whimper and took a step back. "We can always use reserve beaters."
"Beat downnnnn!" yelled Tanaka, an easily excitable fifth-year. He was almost as good as Daichi, and had a powerful swing. His bludgers had broken a few opponent bones the previous year.
Threshfield, a small, weedy fourth-year boy with pockmarks over his cheeks went to go stand with Asahi Azumane, a massive sixth year who was the returning keeper. Threshfield glared up at Asahi, though, and the big Keeper went white.
"Hey!" yelled a loud voice from next to Asahi, "no intimidating our gentle, adorable Keeper! If you can stop goals better than him, fine, but none of his mental tactic shit before the tryouts!" A bouncing, short boy popped into Hinata's line of sight. Nishinoya was the most skilled seeker at the school, and had almost as much energy as Hinata had. The first time Hinata had talked with him, Noya had been disappointed that Hinata wasn't considering playing Seeker himself, but had also said that Hinata wouldn't have stood a chance against him. They'd competed against each other a few times when Hinata was a second year, and Noya's skill was so impressive even as a third year that Hinata had almost wanted to be a Seeker too.
No one could compete with Noya, though, and it was no surprise that no fourth years showed up to try and take his spot. When the distant six o'clock chimes sounded in Hogsmeade, Daichi blew his whistle and the players gathered around.
"This is excellent. We have enough to have a practice match," Daichi said. "Minus Seekers, of course. Noya, you're on your own."
Noya saluted, and kicked off the ground without warning, streaking up to an altitude. He looked tiny against the sunset, a red speck among red clouds. "I can keep an eye on things from up here!" he shouted down at Daichi, and Daichi gave him a thumbs up.
Professor Takeda soon wandered onto the pitch as well. He smiled at Daichi, and around at all the hopeful players. They all bowed when he approached.
"I'm glad to see such a turnout this year, Daichi! Gryffindor might have a really good chance." Takeda took out a clipboard and quill. "I'll be tallying player points from the ground, so that Daichi can play as best he can. First team, take these purple jerseys." Takeda Transfigured a few of the rocks around the pitch into the shirts. "That'll be Yamaguchi and Daichi as Beaters, Tsukishima, Sugawara, and Narita as Chasers, and Asahi as Keeper."
Hinata gulped. For all that Asahi was timid, he was a formidable Keeper. It would be difficult to get any points past him.
"Second team will be in black jerseys. Kageyama, Hinata, and Kinoshita. Tanaka and Ennoshita, you're beating. You. Threshfield. Keeper."
Hinata glared around at his teammates. He had no idea how good any of them were, except for Kageyama and Tanaka. He was not looking forward to having to play with Kageyama. Kageyama was a notorious Quaffle-hog. Hinata just hoped he'd pass.
He tugged the black jersey over his head. It smelled like the rock it had originally been, but Takeda's Transfiguration was incredible. It didn't weigh a thing. He stuck his hand out over his broom, and the Firebolt obediently jumped right up into his hand. He mounted and kicked off, and forgot about everything in the moment the wind whipped around his face.
He circled for a few moments, turning lazy loops, then startled out of his joyful play when Takeda's whistle sounded. He flew to the right of his team, not bothering to ask Kinoshita which position he played. Hinata was going to make the team, and that meant playing right wing.
Kageyama flew into the center, of course, and Kinoshita didn't seem to mind playing left. Hinata glared across the centerline of the pitch at Tsukishima, who would be playing opposite him. Tsukishima gave him a cool look, not bothering to reply, and Hinata felt his blood boil with anger.
The three starter balls floated in the middle of the court, held in suspension until the starting whistle. The anticipation Hinata always felt before a match made his arms tingle, and he couldn't help but grin over at Kageyama, who was regarding the Quaffle with a scary focus.
At Takeda's whistle, the Bludgers careened off in two haphazard paths, and the Quaffle floated lazily in place. Hinata flew up the sideline, keeping his peripheral vision trained on the Quaffle.
Kageyama snatched the ball from under Suga's reaching fingers and dove. Hinata felt a thrill, and had to do a quick barrel roll to avoid Tsukishima, who was attempting to block him.
He and Kageyama raced towards the goalposts at the end of the field. Hinata had seen Kageyama in action and played against him enough to know that sometimes Kageyama threw the Quaffle too quickly for the other chasers to react rationally. He'd have to move on pure instinct.
When Asahi loomed large in front of them, Hinata met Kageyama's eyes and in an instant knew what he was going to do. He darted up and to the left, looping over Asahi, and somehow felt exactly when Kageyama was going to throw.
He spun, his broomstick whipping in a circle, and had to close his eyes at the momentum. But he felt a crack against the handle of his broomstick and knew that he'd connected.
The Quaffle soared through the open left goalpost before Asahi had even started to move towards them, and Hinata hung in the air in shock for a moment. There was a heavy silence on the rest of the pitch as all the players hung in the air and stared. Hinata's heart thumped loud in his ears. That was what it was like to pass a proper throw. It was the best thing he'd ever felt.
Kageyama was the only one that seemed unaffected. He met Hinata's eyes again and made a weird sort of grimace. Hinata supposed it was supposed to be a smile. Hinata blinked at him, grinning hugely, and Kageyama dove after the Quaffle again.
A bludger came flying out of the air and hit Hinata squarely in the ribs. His breath left him in a whoosh and he had to perform an awkward barrel roll to stay seated on his broom.
Any annoyance that Hinata had felt at Kageyama's arrogance and obnoxious, grumpy attitude vanished while they played. The game passed in a blur of wind and shouts and perfect synchronization.
The returning team was excellent, too, though, and the match wasn't easy. Daichi and Tanaka were ruthless, thwacking bludgers at each other and at the opposing chasers. Daichi kept targeting Kageyama, who was forced to abandon a few easy tosses to Hinata to avoid getting brained in the head.
Tsukishima was good, too. The bastard kept snatching all of Kageyama's dropped Quaffles and scoring on Threshfield. Threshfield was an awful keeper for all his posturing. Suga and Tsukishima and Narita had little trouble scoring goal after goal on him.
Tanaka and Ennoshita managed to confound Sugawara's careful formations enough that the other team rarely had possession. Daichi was a match for Tanaka, but he was essentially working on his own. Yamaguchi tried, and managed to connect his bat with the Quaffle a few times, but his hits were never forceful enough to make contact with the opposing players. Ennoshita and Tanaka had practiced together. Hinata found himself distracted for a few seconds watching them work. Ennoshita wasn't as good as Daichi was, not even close, but he'd make an excellent replacement once Daichi graduated.
"Hinata!" yelled Kageyama from across the field, and Hinata started out of his daze. Kageyama had possession of the Quaffle again and was flying at full speed towards Asahi's goals. Hinata snarled and darted after him. His broom was quick and perfectly maintained, and he was easily able to dodge the bludger that Daichi sent his way. He could see Kageyama out of the corner of his eye, a matching streak in the air, and could sense Tsukishima at the tail of his broom, chasing him down.
Hinata jerked his broom handle to the left and ducked his head, giving the Firebolt a burst of speed, and Tsukishima was left ten meters behind him. There was open air between him and the three gleaming, golden goalposts. Asahi was hovering, a determined look on his face, in front of the center goal.
A glance to his left was all Hinata needed, though. Kageyama was flying a meter behind him, eyes dead set on Hinata's position. He felt the same connection, like his magic was flowing out to meet Kageyama's, and there was a perfect synchronization as the Quaffle left Kageyama's hands in a perfect arc.
Hinata didn't have to look at the ball, eyes focused on the goal, but he felt it connect sure and true to his palm. He flung out his arm and the Quaffle soared through the right goalpost before Asahi had flown half the distance to intercept.
Asahi slumped over his broom as the Quaffle soared past his block. Hinata turned to grin at Kageyama again, only to be caught up in the blue intensity of Kageyama's eyes. Surely those kinds of goals weren't normal. Hinata glared. "I could have done that without you!" he shouted, but he knew it was a lie. He'd never executed such flawless maneuvers in all his years of playing Quidditch.
They flew back to the center of the pitch as Asahi recovered the Quaffle. He was stalling by the goalposts, talking to Nishinoya. The returning team members didn't seem to mind the delay in the game, and Sugawara was watching the Keeper and Seeker with a fond look in his eyes. Hinata glanced over his shoulder, watching curiously as Nishinoya clapped Asahi on the shoulder. He seemed to be giving the burly boy a sort of pep-talk.
Hinata felt a bit guilty scoring on Asahi the way they just had. He knew Asahi had wilted under the pressure of the Hufflepuffs the previous year, even though he was as good a keeper as any of the other players at the school. Nishinoya seemed to be bolstering his confidence, though, and eventually Asahi waved Noya away, a determined look on his face.
Asahi lobbed the Quaffle in a powerful trajectory, placing it right into Sugawara's hands.
The purple team flew up the field. Hinata darted after Tsukishima, determined to stop his progress without committing a foul. He flew in circles, hoping for an intercept. Kageyama was tailing Sugawara, keeping just far enough away to prevent a whistle. Narita and Kinoshita were checking each other, too. Sugawara kept glancing from side to side, hoping for an opening.
The black team goals were quickly approaching, and Hinata set himself between Sugawara and Tsukishima. He could see Suga starting to panic, his eyes darting and looking for an opening.
"Bludger!" yelled Daichi from behind the Chasers, and Sugawara threw the Quaffle in Narita's direction before rolling over and just missing the Bludger aimed at his elbow.
Narita caught the Quaffle, but dropped it again as Tanaka caught the Bludger on the rebound and sent it howling into his stomach. Kinoshita caught it, and Hinata was barrelling up the field again.
The Quaffle passed from Kinoshita to Hinata to Kageyama back to Kinoshita, who made an attempt on the goal only to be stopped by Asahi. The purple team took possession again, and the tryouts continued, Hinata flying back and forth on the field in a blur of red hair and black jersey. He and his team managed to score on Asahi several more times. Asahi couldn't seem to figure out how to block the speed of Hinata's hits. Hinata made five goals assisted by Kageyama, and the connection between them strengthened every time. The point gap grew more and more, even with Threshfield's non-existent keeping skills.
After a half an hour, Takeda blew his whistle.
Hinata jerked to a halt in the air, panting. He'd never played Quidditch at such a fast pace. The tryouts had been a blur of excitement and thrill as he'd connected with the Quaffle again and again, matching Kageyama at every turn.
Kageyama seemed pleased too. He hovered in the air twenty meters from Hinata, a small smile quirking up the corners of his lips. His head turned and he met Hinata's stare. His expression faded a little, replaced with an intense gaze, but he nodded. Hinata grinned back, exhilarated and winded, and flew to the ground to gather around Daichi and Takeda.
"Good job," said Daichi, smiling his intense smile at all of them. "We're going to have an unprecedented team this year. Starting positions and backups will be posted in the common room at lunch tomorrow. You all performed well. Thank you for making this sacrifice for the glory of Gryffindor House." He bowed to all of them, and with that, the tryout was over.
Hinata stumbled back to the locker room, grinning and unfocused. He'd never experienced Quidditch at such a fast pace. All of the moves he'd spent all his nights memorizing finally started to make sense. He'd never felt anything like the thrill of catching Kageyama's throw. It didn't matter how he felt about Kageyama. Together they would be unbeatable.