Author's Note: A bit of next-generation fun, because you couldn't very well expect the children of Harry Potter to get off without a smidgeon of talent where Quidditch was concerned.

Title: Trials

Lily Potter was not nervous.

Just because James was Quidditch captain did not mean Lily was scared out of her mind. He was not going to deter her. She could very well tryout for the team and he being captain did not change that. His teasing, his laughter, his terrorizing presence was not going to make her mess up. James did not make her nervous on a broomstick.

"Good luck, Lily," her best friend Mandy whispered softly from the bleachers, sitting beside Lily's other friend Chris.

"Blow them away, Lil," said Chris companionably.

Lily mustered a smile and adjusted her glasses on the bridge of her nose. She was not nervous. "Thanks," she managed to say, the word sticking to the sides of her throat on the way up.

She was not nervous.

She stared at the group of Quidditch hopefuls who had assembled in the center of the pitch and thought fleetingly that life would be so much easier if she simply disregarded her broomstick and joined Mandy and Chris in a game of exploding snap. Life would be so much easier….

Lily reprimanded herself on her lack of Gryffindor pride, her lack of courage. She shut her eyes, shifted her broomstick from one shoulder to the other, and strutted out to join the rest of the students. Her heart was thudding beneath her chest. Her blood was pounding in her ears and screaming at her that this was a bad idea. She ignored the demons and continued to walk toward the center of the field.

The grass beneath her feet was the clear green and sparkling blades of early morning bathed in dew. The sky above her was folded blue, not a cloud in sight, with a mere breath of wind. It was lovely weather for Quidditch and Lily had nothing to worry about.

She hovered uncertainly on the outskirts of the assembled students. There was no one there that she knew well enough to join, to mutter hello and something about the weather, to stand with in companionable silence and try not to vomit.

A group of fifth-year boys glanced over at her, smirked and sniggered, and then looked away. Lily squared her shoulders, in more of an attempt to ease her fluttering nerves than anything to suggest durability. She focused on breathing through her nose so that she didn't have to open her mouth.

She was a third year. They might all look older than she was, but in truth she was in the center of the pack…approximately. It didn't matter that she was head and shoulders shorter than them…skinnier than the rest of them…the captain's sister unlike the rest of them. It didn't matter because Lily knew Quidditch. She lived and breathed and fed of Quidditch. Lily was not nervous.

The doors to the locker rooms burst open with a clatter. What remained of the Gryffindor teams streaked into the air over the pitch atop their broomsticks. There was James, leading the pack and his captain's badge gleaming in the sunlight on his chest. Lily ducked behind the fifth-years.

The team blazed around the pitch in a towering circle, their gold and crimson uniforms flying behind them. It was an impressive spectacle, meant to intimidate, Lily knew. They tossed the Quaffle between them, James did an extra loop around the goalposts, and the whole team came to alight on the ground before the hopefuls.

Several people clapped. Lily didn't. She peered around the boy she had taken refuge behind and noticed her cousin Louis standing beside James, brandishing his Beater's bat and flipping his hair in the direction of some sixth-year girls.

James smirked at the students, tossed the Quaffle casually from hand to hand, and opened his mouth to begin. Lily wondered if he always looked like such an arrogant berk. She reminded herself that she hadn't anything to worry about.

James caught the Quaffle in one hand, ran his other hand through his hair, and said, "Welcome to Quidditch trials. It's simply delightful of you all to show up –" he shot a cocky grin to one of the sixth-year girls, who giggled – "and I'm glad to see you all here on such a charming morning. A word of warning before we begin: we've only three spots on the team this year – Chaser, Beater, and Seeker. And as there are…fourteen of you here I'm afraid that means that eleven of you will have showed up for nothing." Lily was not nervous.

"Well, anyway, pleasantries out of the way – to business! Let's all take a nice, easy loop about the pitch, shall we…to make sure you can all fly. Hop on your broomstick and away with you."

Lily threw her leg over her broomstick and kicked off. She managed to hide herself in the midst of the students, taking care to weave between them so that she would be mostly hidden from James sight. She succeeded in getting halfway around the pitch before –

"Lily!" Lily stopped short, ducked so no one would fly into her, and wheeled around to face her brother. If he was going to catch her she might as well show off her ability. She had nothing to worry about.

James flew to meet her and it was amazing how much he looked like their mother in the instance of catching Lily doing something she shouldn't. Lily had never noticed that before.

"It's Quidditch trials going on, no time for a joyride," snapped James, crossing his arms so that he only straddled his broomstick with his legs. The other students had stopped and turned around, hovering in the air and watching her. The rest of the Gryffindor team stared curiously on from the ground.

"I know," said Lily baldly. "I'm here for tryouts."

James smiled wickedly, shot the other hopefuls a look, provoking laughter from the fifth-year boys, and turned back to Lily. "I'm sorry, Lils, what was that? I thought you said –"

Lily felt blood rush to her cheeks. She fought back the desire to throw herself and her broomstick at James across the air. "I'm here trying out, James and I've just as much right as anyone else –"

"This is Gryffindor trials, Lils," said James, rolling his eyes in dramatized exasperation. "Are you sure you're in the right place?"

"Of course I'm in the right place!" Lily retorted, genuine annoyance overtaking her embarrassment. No one called her Lils. "I'm a Gryffindor!"

James shrugged, "As long as you realized that trials are for us captains to root out those who aren't suited –"

"I know what trials are for!" Lily snapped. "And don't think because you're my brother it means you can prevent me from staying –"

"Of course it doesn't," said James. "It won't be because I'm your brother when I don't pick you for the team."

Lily knew her face had gone red. Her hands tightened around the handle of her broom in an effort to keep them from shaking. "Just get on with trials, Jimmy," she spat. "We'll see who gets picked for the team." The others were laughing at her but Lily didn't care.

She turned herself around and went rocketing around the pitch to complete her lap. Do to her enthusiasm she landed on the ground slightly unbalanced, but managed barely to stay on her feet. James noticed and smirked at her. Lily hoped to Merlin she didn't crack and skewer him on the end of her broomstick.

"Alright," said James, "Chasers to me." Lily stayed on the ground as James slowly made his way through the Chasers. It was the same when the Beaters were called. It was a very long while. The butterflies in her stomach were beginning to get violent. Finally James asked for Seekers and Lily mounted her broom again.

James smirked at her. He couldn't seem to resist when he said, "Seeker, Lils?"

"Yes," said Lily, and dared him to continue. She stifled the blush that threatened to creep up her cheeks.

There were only two other students trying for Seeker. One had been among the fifth year boys, another was a boy who was a year younger than Lily but still several inches taller. The rest of the students had assembled on the bleachers. The obviously all wanted to stay and see James summarily pick his little sister apart. Lily ignored this added pressure.

"Alright," said James to the three. "A Seeker needs to be fast and agile. They need quick reflexes and precision on a broomstick. Hopefully one of you lot will fit that description." James made her feel as if he spoke only to the two boys. She glared at him.

"So Lils, care to go first?"

Lily met his eye. First – in front of all these people? He was smiling, smirking devilishly and she didn't think she'd ever hated something more in her life. She was not nervous.

"Happy to," she said when her throat opened enough to allow the words to slip through. She kicked off the ground. The air rushed in her ears and wind slammed into her cheeks. She felt the familiar swooping feeling in her stomach that meant she was free and a part of the sunshine and air, wholly fluid. She belonged here. She hadn't anything to worry about.

James joined her in the air. Strangely, Lily felt more comfortable now that they had left the spectators behind her. They were at home. She was playing pickup Quidditch with dad and her brothers. James wouldn't be so cruel as to completely bypass her talent just because they were related. Lily was not nervous.

"Okay, Lils," said James – Lily wished he'd stop smirking – "Let's see what you've got."

"Bring it on," Lily whispered, because her voice was hiding somewhere behind the lump in her throat.

"Watch out for the Bludgers – Louis and Mickey will be hitting them at you – and try to catch these Muggle golf balls."

"Both at once?" Lily's voice escaped from her lips, and she mentally kicked herself.

James sniggered evilly and said, "Try not to embarrass yourself too much."

She wouldn't be the one to be embarrassed. But by then Lily's throat was too tight to allow herself to speak. And she backed up slightly from James, crouching in her starting position.

There was a moment when all she could hear was the beating of her heart over the wind, and then they began.

"Here you go then," James said. He pulled a golf ball from his pocket, took out his wand, and directed it into the air some feet away. It dropped and Lily pelted after it.

She ducked her head as a Bludger streaked towards her. She felt the cool resin fit into her palm as she caught the ball out of the sky.

James's voice drifted from behind her "On your toes, Lils!" and she turned in time to see him send another ball in the opposite direction. She cursed under her breath and sped off after it.

James dodged out of the way, laughing, as she rocketed by him. "Watch the Bludgers!" James crowed as both pelted towards her. Lily had no choice but to dive steeply out of their path. They collided but Lily lost sight of the golf ball.

"Care to try again?" said James. He was having much too much fun and she yearned to wipe the infuriating grin of his face.

Lily directed her broomstick towards the ball he had tossed into the distance. She managed again to catch it, but took a graze from a Bludger to her arm.

It seemed to go on for hours. James threw golf balls in every direction without mercy and the Beaters acted with equal vigor. James seemed to revel in Lily's discomfort and she made a pretense of knocking him off his broomstick whenever she got the chance.

"Last one, Lil," James said at last. Lily looked up in horror and the ball she had just caught slipped from her fingers. Even from the distance she could see the gleam of his teeth as he grinned. The ball in his hand dropped and descended downward from the point of his wand, accelerating with undue haste.

Lily wheeled her broom about with all the strength she could muster. She threw all her weight forward, thinking with everything she had, screaming for nothing more than to feel that ball enclosed in her fist –

She sped below James. His voice drifted dimly behind the roar of wind, "Lily, pull up! Forget it! You're going to crash!"

Lily believed him. She saw the ground rise to meet her. She saw the bead of white against green that was the golf ball and focused all on reaching it with her fingers…. Her hand left the handle of the broomstick. She pitched forward because there were only inches –

Her fingers brushed the ball's cold surface and folded it into her hand. She threw her head backward, fighting against gravity, followed through with her neck and back, and she was suddenly moving in the opposite direction, spinning so that she was staring at the sky, and then at the ground –

She smelt grass and dirt and opened her eyes. The blades of grass before her eyes were swaying slightly in the breeze. From the moisture on her cheek and soaking in the knees of her robes she could tell the ground had not yet dried from the morning dew.

"Lily!" the ground vibrated under James's footfalls. Suddenly he was by her side and rolling her roughly onto her back. She felt her lips spread into a grin. She held her fist, hiding the golf ball pressed in her palm, and stuffed it into his face.

"Got it!" she shrieked, unable to hide her exaltation.

James released her and sat back on his heels in disgust, "That was stupid, Lily! I was sure you were going to be flattened!"

"You're the one who threw it!" said Lily, unable to feel wholly annoyed because she had won –

"You still shouldn't have gone after it!" said James.

"I had everything under control," she lied, and pushed herself into a sitting position. Merlin, she ached….

Mandy and Chris were applauding from the bleachers. Even some of the fifth-year boys looked mildly impressed. Louis flew overhead and flashed her a smile. She fleetingly thought to thank her father later for buying her a top of the line broomstick her last birthday.

"Just don't do that again," said James and roughly helped her to her feet.

Lily tried unsuccessfully to hide her grin, caught sight of a dangerous blur behind her brother's head and the words were wrenched from her throat, "James – watch out!"

James ducked on impulse and the Bludger that had been pelting towards the back of his head brushed his shoulder – and crashed into Lily's face.

It was so very comfortable, so very warm. Lily was lying on something soft. She felt as if she was in the light doze of early morning, just about to wake after a wonderful night's sleep….

"So you moved out of the way and Lily got hit instead?" said a voice. It was hard to focus. Words drifted lazily from her ears to her brain, comprehension was slow. It was so comfortable.

"How was I supposed to know what she was screaming at?" said another voice, sounding defensive and vaguely desperate.

"Well, she doesn't look very good – do you suppose we should tell them to get Mum and Dad?"

"No!" said the second voice. "She's fine!"

The voices were becoming more defined. She could wrap her mind around definite syllables and undulations of tone. She didn't want to wake up. She wanted to fall back to sleep. She wished whoever it was that was talking would shut up.

"So, was she any good?"

"I dunno…. Louis was going to finish up."

"Come on, James," said the first voice, "you can't not make her Seeker after this. From what I've been hearing she was stellar."

"She was alright."

"So, if she lives you'll consider it?"

"Don't say that, Al! I thought she was dead when she just dropped like that, and all that blood –"

Lily's eyes snapped open of their own accord and above her she found her brothers, blurred because her glasses had been removed, but recognizable nonetheless.

"Lily!" said James, abruptly catching sight of her.

"What happened?" she asked, her voice was hoarse. Her nose hurt. She lifted a hand tentatively to her face and instead of skin found tightly wound bandages.

"Broken nose," said Albus helpfully with a smile, "got cracked open with a Bludger."

"But you'll be okay," said James quickly, "Madame Pomfrey patched you up."

"I mean what happened at tryouts," said Lily, and her chest tightened in expectation.

Albus looked at James and James pulled a face that screamed of irritation.

"Welcome to the team," he admitted grudgingly.