Chapter 5 - The Quidditch Try-Outs
The week was over before it even began, or so Susie felt. Susie loved the school and when Friday came she was almost sad that the weekend was only a couple of hours away. Susie loved all the teachers, except from the History of Magic teacher, but she wasn't the only one, no one liked her not even the Headmaster, he always got this funny look on his face when Professor Leeve was around. During their history lesson Thursday, she gave three detentions out, one to Christina, one to Trym and one to Colette, it wasn't anything bad or anything, once again Christina had complained and she got detention right away. Trym had dropped his ink bottle on the floor so it crashed and the professor immediately assumed that he had done it on purpose, which he actually had, but still. Susie didn't really know what Colette had done, maybe the professor had gotten in the detention mood that she gave it to those she didn't think sat right or didn't read quickly enough. So now the three of them had to do detention with professor Leeve all weekend.
After their last lesson Friday, Susie went up to the dormitories with her bag; she was soon after followed by the other girls, Colette, Christina and Nita.
"Weekend at last, oh what a week," Colette said and dropped her bag on her bed.
"Say that again, but remember we don't have that much weekend," Christina said and looked like she was ready to scream with anger, " I just can't believe they will let a woman like that cow teach, I just can't believe it."
"When do you start your detention?" Nita asked.
"Tomorrow morning after breakfast, she actually said she might keep us until Sunday without sleep, we should seriously think of something to get rid of her," Colette said and smashed her hand into her pillow.
"I don't think going to the Headmaster will help much, I overheard Vilja last night talking to him about that Martin fellow and the boys who are chasing him, but he just kept talking about his roses and a new species he's grown, who can sing," Susie said.
"What about the school board, maybe they will listen," Nita asked optimistic.
"Hehe, who will listen to a bunch of kids, they probably get that kind of letters everyday from students who have got a detention by one of the teachers," Colette said. The four of them was quiet for a moment.
"Well then we better make the best of it today," Susie said and got up from her bed, "I want to go out, it's a great weather for once and who knows when it changes." The three others were up for it, took their cloaks on and went downstairs.
In the hall they met a bunch of kids on their way outside, some with brooms others with gobstones and a small group had actually brought some books they could read. The weather was fantastic, the sun was shining, the birds singing and hardly any wind, it was the first time since they had arrived that the weather had been so great, but it was on borrowed time. The weather was as certain as Professor Leeve's mood, which was never good, so they had to enjoy it while it last. The winters were long and dark; sometimes it could start snowing in September and last until May. The girls hadn't really had the time to explore the island, but Susie had read in Nordic Academy: A History that the island was pretty big, there was the school grounds and then a small village called the Ice Village, which was on the other side of a big hill a couple of kilometres away.
"I wish we could visit the Ice Village," Colette said and looked dreamy at the hill they could see in the horizon.
"Yeah, they have a fantastic candy shop, better than the one they have in Magic Alley," Nita said.
"Next year we can visit the Village," a girl's voice said behind them, they turned and there was Vilja, she came towards them with another girl next to her. They had noticed her sometimes in the Arctos Common Room, but never talked to her.
"Hi Vilja, how's it going?" Christina said.
"Not bad at all, oh this is Lucy, we are on our way to the Quidditch pitch, I promised to practise with her," Vilja said. Susie now noticed they both had carried a broom.
"Are you on the Quidditch team?" Christina asked.
"No not yet, but I'm going to the try outs next weekend," Lucy said.
"Oh really what position?" Nita asked and looked utterly interested.
"Seeker, I've always wanted to be a seeker, I've practised with my brother several times, he's on the Arctos team as well," Lucy said.
"I don't think I would be good on a broom," Susie said quietly, she hated heights and just getting her feet more than an inch from the ground would make her panicking. The other girls laughed.
"But you haven't even been on a broom have you?" Vilja asked.
"No, but I hate heights," Susie said and gave Vilja a smile.
"When is you first flying lessons?" Vilja wanted to know.
"Not until next week," Colette said.
"Well good luck with that, we better get over and practise," Lucy said and the two second years went over towards the Quidditch pitch.
"I'm so going to watch the Quidditch try-out," Colette said.
"Is it open so everyone can come and watch?" Susie wanted to know.
"Yep, well from what I know anyway, don't think they've changed it," Colette said. The rest of the day, the girls spend walking around on the school grounds.
The whole weekend was Colette and Christina gone and every evening they came back with a moody look on their faces. Sunday night when they came up to the Girl's Dormitories, Christina went straight to bed and fell asleep right away.
"What is it she's making you do?" Susie wanted to know. Colette looked at Susie with empty eyes.
"She's made us clean the History of Magic room," she said.
"That wouldn't take long," Nita said and looked wondering at Colette.
"No it doesn't, but as soon we are done we have to start over and then without magic, my arms are killing me," Colette said.
The second week went quickly. The last two lessons Friday was their first flying lessons, it didn't go to well, especially for Susie. She fell off the broom every time she had managed to get the broom a couple of inches up in the air. In the end the flying teacher came over to her and took the broom away from her.
"This won't work, here," he said and gave her another broom, she looked at it and was shocked, on the handle it said: "Children's broom 5- 8 years old". Some of the other students had seen what broom it was and started to laugh. Susie went pink, it was so embarrassing. It had been the two worst lessons in her life. The broom only levitated an inch so you could almost reach the ground, but in Susie's case she stood on the ground because the broom wasn't meant for an 11 year old. That day she decided that flying lessons was her worst subject.
The next day was Quidditch try-out and the first house was Arctos. Christina, Colette, Nita and Susie went down to the Quidditch pitch to watch the try-out. The stadium was filled with students. Susie heard a boy that said there were just as many people to the try-outs as to the matches. The four girls took a seat on some of the stands in the middle. From what Susie could understand the Arctos team needed a chaser, a seeker and a goal keeper. It went pretty quickly to find the three students who should play the positions. Lucy was chosen for the seeker position, a girl called Jennifer Golden was chosen as chaser and a boy called Peter Fleming for the keeper position. After the try-outs the four girls rushed down to a very happy Lucy.
"Congrats with your position on the team," Nita said.
"Thanks, I really hadn't thought it was possible, I'm good I know, but it's very hard to get on the team," Lucy said with a big smile on her face. That evening the Arctos house had a small party to celebrate the new team mates. The captain, who was actually Lucy's brother made a long speech, which in the end was about bragging of Lucy's qualities as a seeker. Lucy just stood in a corner with a very red face and trying to get her brother down from the chair he stood on, so everyone could see him. The day had been really great and Susie couldn't wait for the first Quidditch match with the new team. That night they all fell asleep right away, it had been a fun day. The last thing Susie thought of before the fell asleep was if Arctos could win the House Cup.
