A/N: If your computer, and any of your beloved chapters have crashed before, you know how I feel. So, the excessively late update was not in my hands.

I know that most of you did not want a new OC to be introduced but you wanted the guy in the Quidditch pitch to be Frank Longbottom or some other canon character. Unfortunately, I already have plans for Frank and no other canon character fits. Anyway, I have only introduced three OC's till now, not counting Luna's mom. So relax, I'm not going to overload you with OC's, this is gonna be the last one for a very, very long time.

Just to get a hang of the story flow, try reading the last part of the previous chap again to understand the beginning of this one.

Chapter 28.

The Quidditch banners fluttered lightly in the wind, as the gentle evening breeze flowed gently around the stadium. The faint rays of the setting sun glinted off the golden ten-foot high hoops, just enough light to illuminate the entire pitch. The cold, fresh evening air created, strangely, an atmosphere of bustle and excitement, fuelled by the spectators in the stands. The Gryffindor Quidditch tryouts.

The stands were almost full to the bursting, the turnout even better than in some matches. The entire Gryffindor house, without fail, was present in the stands, along with scattered Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. Everybody was chattering excitedly, but the chatter dulled down considerably as the Gryffindor Quidditch captain walked on to the pitch, the Quidditch crate held under his arm. His strong, commanding voice rang through the pitch, 'Beaters on my right, Chasers on my left. Seekers, mount your brooms.'

The nervous hopefuls bustled anxiously around the pitch, forming the files according to the Captain's orders. They ranged from huge, burly seventh years who towered over everyone to tiny, green-faced second years who looked like they hadn't the vaguest idea what a broomstick was. The crowd looked with interest as the Captain ordered the Seekers to take off and inspected the possible future members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, standing in the files. To be frank, they didn't look very impressive. All except two raven-haired, second-years who walked on the pitch as if they owned it. The hopefuls stared at them with amazed looks, but they continued with a swagger, soaking up all the attention like a sponge.

'Hey James!' yelled Sirius, walking towards the back of the Beaters' line, more than aware of the numerous ears straining to hear his words. 'See you tomorrow at the team practice.'

The hopefuls' started with amazement, particularly the second years. Even the third and fourth years were wary. James smirked with amusement, 'More like see you at the end of the year with the Quidditch Cup.'

A variety of thoughts were running through the minds of the hopefuls' at this comment. The second, third and fourth years were like: Wow, that's some confidence. The fifth to seventh years snorted: What a pathetic idiot.

James was more than aware of the thoughts of the senior years. But, he was anything else but nervous. He was determined to change the opinion of the seniors and earn their respect. He was sure of two things: first, a place on the Quidditch team, second, that he was not a pathetic idiot. Too bad that another raven-haired, second-year Gryffindor was here to foil his day. And no, it was not Sirius

Bellatrix twirled her wand between her long fingers, calmly reclining on a seat in the stands. An enraged redhead stood next to her, casting her glares time and again. It was a surprise that Bellatrix managed to hog one of the lone seats in the stands inspite of being the last one to arrive at the tryouts. Or maybe not such a surprise. After all, when Bellatrix gave a first-year her 'Death-Eater' gaze and dangerously twirled her wand between her fingers, a person was bound to flee. The first-year had squeaked and gotten up in a hurry. Her fear was somewhat alleviated by the kind smile on the red-head's face standing next to Bellatrix. However, the fear increased ten-fold when the red-head shot Bellatrix a ferocious scowl the moment she thought the first-year was out of sight.

As the first year fled for her life, only one thought was running through her mind: Big brother Andre was right. There are monsters at Hogwarts. Scary monsters.

Lily's eyes resembled daggers as she continued glaring at Bellatrix. Bellatrix ignored her for a few minutes, but her irritation was increasing by the moment. Finally, she snapped, 'What's your problem, Evans?'

'You're asking me, what the problem is?' Lily hissed. 'How could you terrorize that poor first-year like that?' Then she turned away and muttered under her breath, 'I should never have come in the first place.'

Bellatrix cast Lily a condescending look, 'You do know that you're acting like a five-yr old?'

Lily did not stop scowling at Bellatrix, but she straightened up and the glare lessened in intensity. Bellatrix couldn't help but smirk. Being in this world for more than a year, she now knew that the best way to make her 'classmates' act more sensible (and less irritating) was to scorn them for acting childish.

How desperate they are to act 'mature' and grown-up. Children.

Bellatrix continued, 'As for coming here, don't forget that you were the one who agreed to come to the tryouts. You were the one who wanted to take revenge.'

Lily diverted her gaze to the sky, where currently the Seekers were flying about in circles. True, she had fallen for Bellatrix's bait and agreed to prank Potter, or more like humiliate him, but there was a bit of reluctance in her still. After all, she didn't want to fall to Potter's level.

As if guessing the direction of Lily's thoughts, Bellatrix commented nonchalantly, 'It's just tit for tat. It's not like you're falling to Potter's level. I'm the one who's going to do the dirty work anyway. You're just here as a witness.'

'But you're going to prank him on my wish, aren't you?' Lily couldn't help but retort.

Bellatrix looked at Lily directly in the eye. There was something in that gaze that made shivers run up Lily's spine. 'If you think that you're the only reason why I'm going to gift Potter the worst day of his life, then you are sorely mistaken.'

Lily shifted her gaze to the bustling Quidditch pitch, eyes quickly focusing on a familiar figure walking, no, correction: strutting, through the field. The Beater tryouts were over, Black performing as brilliantly as she had expected. Lily wrinkled her nose. It was beyond her that cocky idiots like Potter and Black could be so…so…effortlessly good at something. They weren't bad at academics, oh no, far from it. Yet she never saw them even step foot inside the library. It was unfair, that nice people like Sev, had to work so hard to achieve something, while a toerag like Potter got everything presented to him on a silver platter.

Lily watched as Potter, after a great deal of showing off, finally mounted his broom. He kicked off from the ground and smoothly took to the air, like a bird gliding through the air. After a great deal of reluctance, Lily grudgingly admitted it: he was good. Very good. Much better than most of the senior years in fact. Instead of simply flying round the pitch like the others had done, Potter was doing a complicated, graceful pirouette in the air. Somersaults, loops, twirls, dives, he did them all. And all the while Potter looked as if it was second nature to him, as simple as eating and sleeping. It was a forgone conclusion, there was no way anyone could keep James Potter off the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

As that sentence crossed Lily's mind, she suddenly gave a start of awareness. There was someone who had taken up the challenge of keeping Potter off the Quidditch team. Lily turned towards Bellatrix, who looked as if she was on the verge of falling asleep due to boredom. 'If Potter keeps on flying like that, then there's no chance of ever stopping him from getting a spot on the team, forget humiliating him.'

Bellatrix made a sound of irritation. 'It's not time yet, Evans.'

Lily twitched impatiently, 'So when will it be time? When Potter becomes the star of the Gryffindor Quidditch team?'

Bellatrix directed her dark gaze towards Lily, 'Ever heard of – the higher you go, the harder you fall? Let Potter get a taste of the admiration he wants, then the embarrassment will hit him harder than ever.'

'Fine then.' Lily crossed her arms. 'So how are we humiliating Potter? Itching powder? Boils? Jinxing his broom?'

'We'? There is no 'we' here, Mudblood. Don't try to associate your pathetic existence with mine.

Bellatrix condescendingly surveyed the redhead. Lily couldn't help but burn under the gaze. She hated the way Bellatrix always looked at her, with superior, contemptful eyes. Like she was a bug under her shoe, and she didn't even consider her worthy enough to raise her foot, and squash her.

'Itching powder? Boils?' Bellatrix laughed derisively. 'I'm not an immature prankster like Potter, Evans. I go for something a bit more…impactful.'

'Really?' Lily raised her eyebrows. 'What is this impactful thing that you're going to do, then?'

Bellatrix raised her eyes to a circling figure in the sky, 'Why don't you see for yourself.'

James was enjoying his tryout. Truly. His tryout was going amazingly well, everybody's eyes drawn to his flawless flight. He executed his carefully practiced routine with perfect control, while to the watching eye it appeared impromptu and effortless. Even his casual nonchalance and ease were practiced to a tee. After all, even James Potter was not amazing at everything without a little bit of work. Although, that work was negligible compared to what others had to do to master this routine.

James braced himself for the last lap of his routine. He flew into a fifty-foot dive, pulled it off at the last second, made three loops and for the grand finale: stood up freehanded on his broom and zoomed around the pitch. The crowd remained in a shocked silence for a few moments and then, burst into boisterous applause. James bowed with a triumphant air, waiting for the Captain to toss him the Quaffle and for the actual tryout to begin. Although, after the performance he had given, it was impossible to refuse him a position on the team. After all, James planned to make his first goal standing on the broom.

James bent his knees slightly, transferring his weight on his tiptoes to balance him on the broom. He gazed intently at the Quaffle as it zoomed towards him, the Captain tossing it up into the air. Just as he stretched his hand up and outwards to snatch it out of the air, a strange jolt coursed through his veins, he gave a sudden jump out of reflex, the Quaffle skimmed over his fingertips and dropped down.

The crowd remained in a state of shocked silence. What had just happened? Had James Potter, the second year prodigy who had astounded them with his stunts just a few minutes prior failed to do something as simple as catching a Quaffle? James's thoughts matched the crowd perfectly. He shook his head in a confused daze. What had just happened?

The Captain walked over and plucked the Quaffle off the ground. He handled it lightly in his hands, 'Potter, I'm throwing the Quaffle to you again. Oh, and I won't mind if you catch the Quaffle sitting this time.'

The people in earshot sniggered at the comment. James felt heat rising rapidly in his neck. He seated himself on the broom, forcing himself to concentrate on nothing but the Quaffle. Its okay. You can do this. James mentally reassured himself, knowing the previous mistake had been just that: a mistake. Nothing was going to get in between him and a spot on the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

The Captain tossed the Quaffle towards him again. James's eyes focused on the zooming Quaffle, seeing nothing else. He stretched both hands out, intending to seize the Quaffle out of the air. That was a grave mistake. Because he was only gripping the broom with his legs now.

It happened again. But this time, it was stronger. Much stronger. James felt a shock of electricity jolt him, forcing him to let out a yelp and shudder in mid air. The Quaffle zoomed past him again. But James couldn't care less because the shocks kept on flowing one after the other. The air around him was crackling with electricity. The hair on his arms was standing on end. He practically leapt into the air, and by force of his sheer reflexes managed to maintain balance on his broom as he came down again. But not for long.

'Potter! Potter!' the Captain was getting frustrated. Potter was doing some ridiculous tap dance on his broom that he really wasn't interested in. If the boy kept on showing off, then it was fair to predict that he wouldn't be of any use on the team. Besides, he wasn't even looking good doing his stunts anymore. Instead of oohing and aahing, the crowd were in splits now, laughing at Potter's foolish antics. Or howling rather. The boy needed to get off his broom, now.

This is not good. This is really not good. James desperately tried to remain sitting on his broom for more than two seconds. That was proving to be an extremely difficult task indeed. The current kept flowing, and James kept on leaping into the air. Even as he tried to maintain balance, his mind was furiously working. Someone has jinxed my broom. Or jinxed me. Whoever has done it, I am going to ri-

James never got a chance to finish his thought. All of a sudden, the onslaught of current stopped. James's shoulders sagged in relief. But this was only a momentary reprieve. For, the very next second, an electric shock of what seemed like ten thousand volts jolted James's body, forcing his very bones and sinews to snap together. He jumped perhaps fifteen feet in the air, and then, started coming down without his broom below him. Very fast.

CRUNCH.

Bellatrix smirked.

People scurried aside as a pair of second-years walked down the galleries. Or rather, one was walking and the other was stalking down the steps, casting looks at the other girl which clearly expressed I-don't-believe-what-you-just-did. The other girl kept on walking nonchalantly.

The expression on Lily's face was strange, a mixture of amusement and horror. She stared at Bellatrix again, who was walking and looking as though nothing significant had happened. Lily felt her eyebrows furrow up, 'Was it really necessary to do that?'

Bellatrix turned her head and raised an eyebrow, 'Do what?'

Lily huffed. 'Forget it.' They had arrived at the base of the pitch now. All the hopefuls were gathered around, waiting for the announcement of the results. Bellatrix and Lily were standing at one edge of the crowd, unable to see the Captain, but capable of hearing his voice clearly. Bellatrix felt a pair of eyes sticking daggers in her back. Turning around, she saw a barely-contained Sirius Black fuming with rage, looking angry enough to rip her head off.

Do you really think you scare me?

'Ok, now for the results.' The Captain's clear voice rang unmistakably through the pitch. The hopefuls held in an expectant breath. 'For the two Chaser spots, we have:' the Captain inserted a heavy pause, 'Mike Cooper and Cornelia Desmond.'

The people in question, a curly-haired fourth year and a burly seventh year, beamed in response. The other hopefuls let out sighs of resignation. Some of them murderously glared at Desmond, being too intimidated to give the same treatment to the big-built Cooper. Bellatrix felt her smirk broaden. Mission successful.

Bellatrix could now literally feel Sirius's dagger eyes getting sharper. Ignoring it, she turned towards Lily, 'Perhaps you were right. Maybe Potter falling down sixty feet was a bit unnecessary. After all, we missed his reaction when he did not get selected for the team. But,' Bellatrix turned her head to look at Sirius's furious face, her eyes coldly mocking him, 'My dear cousin's reaction completely makes up for it.'

'It's okay.' An uncharacteristic smirk crossed Lily's face. 'We can always visit him in the hospital wing.'

Still want to remain in the company of someone you 'hate', Mudblood?

The announcement of the results and Black's face seemed to have erased any misapprehensions that were there in Lily's mind about letting Potter fall from a broomstick from a height of sixty feet. 'There is nothing to stay here for anymore. I'll be going back up to the dorm.'

Bellatrix was about to turn and leave the overcrowded Quidditch pitch, when she stalled for a second on hearing the Captain's strong voice again, 'The person filling the position of the first beater is…'

My dear cousin. Unfortunately.

'Bellatrix Black.'

Everyone and everything froze for a second. The chatter among the people died down. Like a practiced move, every person's head simultaneously turned to stare at Bellatrix. Bellatrix herself stared ahead, not quite comprehending the words that had just been spoken.

What. The. Hell.

Bellatrix pushed forward through the crowd, while all around murmurs of comments like: 'Did she even participate in the tryouts?' echoed around her. Bellatrix reached the forefront of the crowd, intending to question the sanity of the person in charge of announcing the results i.e. the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain. Though the fact he was in Gryffindor was quite self-explanatory.

The Captain had a strange smile on his face. 'Hello Bellatrix. Did you have a question in mind?'

'How in the name of Merlin am I even in the te-' Bellatrix suddenly broke off from the sentence midway. The person in front of her looked….familiar. Messy russet curls, faint golden eyes, an athletic build… 'You! You were the one who I…who I….'

'Pounded with a Bludger in the middle of the pitch.' completed the Captain. 'Elladan Duke. Pleased to make your acquaintance. Though I admit,' he added with a ghostly smile, 'I wasn't so pleased the first time.'

Bellatrix just kept on staring at him with a look that expressed are-you-really-out-of-your-head-or-is-that-just-the-Gryffindork-in-you. Elladan simply smiled again, 'You are truly one of the best people that I have seen who can handle a Bludger so well.' He paused for a second, his mouth curving upwards, 'You just have a few…..anger management issues. But as long as you train regularly, I'm sure you can utilize that well.'

'No.' Bellatrix deadpanned, turned around and walked straight out of a gawking crowd. Lily was waiting for her at the fringes, with a questioning look on her face.

'What on earth was that?'

'Keep your insignificant mouth closed, Po- Evans.' Bellatrix proceeded to walk towards the exit of the Quidditch pitch. 'Are you intending on visiting Potter in the Hospital wing or not?'

'I guess so.' Lily spoke in a level tone. 'But I suppose it's good that you didn't accept the position of Beater. You and Black would have ripped each other's heads off.'

Bellatrix stopped. 'What….do you mean by…. me and Black ripping each other's heads off?'

Lily rolled her eyes. 'Exactly what I said. He's the second Beater in the team, the Captain announced just now. Didn't you hear?'

To Lily's eternal mystification, Bellatrix did an about turn and walked straight back towards the pitch. She strove through the crowd, people automatically giving her way, until she was standing before the Captain again. Sirius was standing next to him, an ugly look on his face the moment he saw Bellatrix.

Elladan regarded Bellatrix knowingly. 'Well?'

Bellatrix made eye contact with him. 'I accept. When's the next training?'

A/N: I know most of you are getting confused with Lily's constant mood swings. Well, that's exactly how I imagine a twelve-yr old Lily to be, headstrong, temperamental, yet comparatively level-headed. So, until next time!