Taking Stock.
The first day of The Cannons training camp didn't get off to the flying start Harry had hoped for. Firstly he'd been cornered by Ginny when his girlfriend and arrived and found she wasn't going to be sharing his room. Despite Ginny's protests, Harry had remained firm and in the end his girlfriend had stomped off in a mood. Her reaction just proved to Harry that she wasn't improving in her maturity, but he was still hoping that once things settled down Ginny would grow up.
As if dealing with an annoyed Ginny wasn't enough, Harry was then collared by Ron after lunch. Ron had been unhappy with the changes to team's shirt and new logo, and it seemed as though he was blaming Hermione for the changes. However, Harry wasn't having any of it and he told Ron that the club now belonged to him and Hermione, and they could change the colours of the strips and the logo if they wanted. As a player, he had no say in such matters and even if he didn't like it, it was just tough.
By the end of the first day, neither Ginny or Ron were talking to him, but the following day both of the redheads seemed to have calmed down and they greeted Harry warmly at breakfast. Harry was hoping that the pair's new attitude would last for the remainder of the camp, but he wasn't banking on it.
The second full day of training camp was the squad's first real test. After spending the first day getting settled in, they were out in the large grounds of the hotel just after breakfast as Theo put them through their paces. By lunchtime, Theo had a solid idea of the physical state of the squad and he happily reported to Harry that they didn't have anyone in terrible condition.
"Of course, there are some people who could be fitter and who could do with their stamina building up," Theo told Harry as they discussed the group over a healthy lunch. "But two weeks of hard work, and a good diet should help with that. Hopefully once they've seen what they can achieve if they take care of themselves, it'll push people to keep up the healthy lifestyle."
"Let's hope so," Harry replied, as his mind turned to the next part of the training camp.
With Theo deciding that no-one really needed any extra help in the physical department just yet, they were able to hand timetables out to the squad. The timetables were for the first week of the trip only, and every player had plenty to keep them busy. Harry's only concern was Draco, who had double the workload with his dual position as both Seeker and Chaser.
"Don't worry, I can manage," Draco reassured Harry when he got his schedule and Harry expressed his concern. "I always knew playing a dual role would mean more work."
"Just let me know if the schedule is too much for you," Harry said.
"Will do," Draco replied, even though he had no intention of doing any such thing. Finally, he'd been given a chance to play Chaser and he wasn't going to mess that up by claiming he couldn't cope with the workload.
With timetables handed out, it was time for Harry to get a chance to see just what his squad was made of. Over the next couple of days, he dropped in on every single player's personal session with the coaches and a lot of the time offered his own opinions and thoughts. After all, he was the head coach and his word was going to be final when it came to picking the team, tactics and everything else related to turning the club into the best it could possibly be.
After a couple of days of one on one sessions, it was time for the groups of players to congregate and work on their skills together. Eventually, Harry was building to up to having some practice matches between the squad, but right now he wanted every player to hone their skills. On the day the groups were first in action, the seekers and the beaters were taking the morning session, while the chasers and keepers would be in action on the afternoon.
Along with Theo, Harry had chosen to watch half of each training session and get the opinions of his specialist coaches. First of all, the pair started their morning with the beaters, and their coach, Francis Jake. Francis was a former beater for the Ballycastle Bats, and he'd even played in France for two seasons.
"What do you think?" Harry asked Francis after an hour of the session.
"We've got some talent here," Francis replied. "But the key is pairing them up correctly. The perfect beater team needs to have a connection. To work in harmony with your partner, you need to like them and trust them."
"We do have nearly two weeks to see who works well together," Theo said.
"We'll get the pairings sorted no problem in that time," Francis replied. "Although, if you don't mind me making a suggestion, once the pairs were sorted I would keep them as permanent partners. Basically, when you play a match, you pick a team of beaters, not two individuals, and if one can't play for one reason, pick another team."
"Would that not cause resentment if one person couldn't play because their partner is unable to play?" Harry asked with a frown.
"Not in my experience," Francis replied. "I had my partner at the Bats and we worked like that. We were very much a team, and neither of us minded missing a game if we couldn't play together. The best beaters are a solid team, and you can't keep switching teams if you want consistency."
"I guess that makes sense," Harry said with a thoughtful nod. "The best beaters I ever played with were twin brothers. I can't imagine either of them playing without the other one."
"Twin brothers?" Francis's eyes lit up with excitement as he turned to Harry. "I've long since thought that siblings, twins in particular, would make the perfect beating team. Are these brothers professionals, and could they be persuaded to join the team?"
"Sorry, Fred and George run a very successful business and I can't see them giving it up," Harry said with a chuckle. "Although, you will most probably meet them as they're dating Angelina and Alicia."
"Pity, I would have loved to have worked with twins," Francis said with a wistful sigh as he turned back to training.
Ten minutes later, Harry and Theo left the beaters to it and headed across the grounds to where the seekers were hard at work. The seeking coach, Faye Tomlinson, had just recently taken up coaching following a long and successful career with an American team. In fact she herself was American and had moved to England to be with her husband, who was a top healer and had recently taken up an important position at St Mungo's.
"Hey Faye, how are things going?" Harry asked with a smile.
"Excellent," Faye beamed. "We've got some good seekers."
"I did try to get the best," Harry replied. "So who's really impressing you?"
"The stand out is Draco," Faye answered. "But you would expect him to be good after playing for the Tornadoes for the last four years."
"Not to mention the six years he played at school," Theo added.
"A decade of experience certainly helps," Faye agreed. "I really don't think we've got any problems with him. Pick him to play, and you're almost guaranteed a solid performance."
"And the others?" Harry asked. He knew about Draco's skills, but considering he wanted to play Draco as chaser at times, he needed to be sure they had someone who could step into the role and not mess up.
"All very solid, but I think we've got a potential star in the making with young Sylvie Knox," Faye said. "Her inexperience is still obvious, but she's got speed and daring, and there's an instinctual flair to her game that's rarely seen. If we nourish her talent, I think in a couple of years we could have a world class seeker on our hands. She could make the national team easily."
"Perfect," Harry said with a grin.
He knew it had been a gamble signing Sylvie as the young witch, who'd only left school a year earlier, hadn't even played in a reserve match for her former team, The Appleby Arrows. However, he'd vaguely remembered her playing seeker for Ravenclaw in his last year at Hogwarts, and according to a friend of his who'd been on the coaching team at the Arrows, she had promise. Despite her promise the Arrows had let her go as they already had a large squad and there was no imminent sign of her breaking through their ranks.
"Do we have any problems?" Harry checked.
"Not that I can see," Faye replied with a shake of her head.
Eager to see just what sort of potential Sylvie had, Harry and Theo stuck around for the rest of the session. Over lunch they discussed what they'd witnessed that morning, and they agreed that if things ran as smoothly that afternoon that they potentially had a strong squad on their hands.
After lunch, instead of heading straight down to check on the next training session, Harry and Theo waited for half an hour until training was underway before they made their way to where the keepers were practising. Arriving at the pitch the keepers were training on, they witnessed Oliver Wood barking orders to his keepers as he flew in front of one of the sets of goals and demonstrated what he wanted them to do.
"Was he like this in school?" Theo asked Harry, watching the way the older wizard was ordering the keepers around.
"Oh yeah," Harry replied with a grin. "That's why I hired him. You won't get a more dedicated and passionate coach than Oliver. He might be a slave driver, but he also inspires people. I honestly don't think I would have been half the player I was, if it wasn't for the hours Oliver put into helping me train. When I first joined the team, he gave me several private training sessions."
Just as Harry finished talking, Oliver soared down to where they were standing and dismounted his broom with a jaunty hop.
"Hello Harry, come to check on the troops have you?"
"I have," Harry replied. "So what do we have, Oliver? Do any of them meet your high standards?"
"We have some potential," Oliver replied, keeping his eyes firmly on the players above them.
"Any stars?" Theo asked.
"Zabini is the closest we've got," Oliver said.
"But yet you don't sound sure about him," Harry said with a frown. He'd expected Oliver to be thrilled to have Blaise on-board, but his former captain seemed distinctly underwhelmed by the former Slytherin.
"He's a great keeper, don't get me wrong," Oliver began. "He's just got a different style to what I'm used to."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked.
"He's very flamboyant," Oliver explained. "I've noticed it before when I've watched him play. He misses saves that he could have made if he wasn't so exuberant, but on the other hand I've seen him pull off saves no conventional keeper could make. I guess what you need to decide, is do I try and change his flair and make him more solid, or let him carry on the way he is and just accept that he'll make some basic mistakes, but he'll also make some unique saves."
"What would be your recommendation"? Harry asked.
"If you'd asked me when you hired me, I would have told you to try and curb his attitude and introduce some more of the basics into his game, but after meeting him, I don't think that will work," Oliver answered. "I do believe I can work with him and help him tighten up his loose areas, but I think if you want the best out of him, if you want these magnificent saves that can win you games, you're going to have to let him play his own way. He's a unique one is Blaise Zabini, and I think if you try and turn him into something conventional, you'll ruin his undoubted talents.
"I'm more than happy to keep Blaise as he is, and just try and improve his weaker areas. I don't want to stifle his talent," Harry said with a nod. "What about the others, are they any good?"
"As I said, we've got potential," Oliver answered. "But I'm guessing you want to know about Ron."
"I wouldn't mind knowing what you thought of him," Harry admitted.
"He lacks confidence," Oliver said. "He's never going to have the flair of Zabini, or have the ability to pull off the show stopping saves Blaise does. But with a lot of work, and some confidence he could become a very solid keeper. Although, first of all he needs to get out of the mind-set that he's competing against the other keepers, especially Blaise. As long as he's focused on beating them, he won't improve. However, if he forgets about other people and focuses on his own game, he could turn himself into a very reliable player, and for a keeper, reliable is what you strive for."
"So I haven't made a mistake in keeping him on?" Harry asked, feeling much more positive about the situation with his best friend.
"That will depend on Ron himself," Oliver answered with a shrug. "He has the capability to become really good, but it's his attitude that will let him down. Until he forgets about competing with others and focuses on his own game, he won't get anywhere. The way he is at the moment, I wouldn't put him in the reserve team. If his attitude changes, he'll have a real shot at making something of himself, but if it continues as it is, he's going to crash and burn and never fulfil his potential."
"I'll talk to him," Harry said. "But it might also help if you told him all of this, Oliver."
"Don't worry, I intend to," Oliver replied with a grin as he re-mounted his broom and shot back off to carry on with the training.
Harry and Theo watched the keepers for a little bit longer, before they headed off to check on the chasers. When they arrived at the other group, they found the chasing coach, Becky Hopper, berating Ginny. Becky had been coaching for a couple of years, and like Oliver she had a reputation for being a tough coach. However, her results were excellent and Harry had spoken to a few players she'd coached and they all agreed she was the best coach they'd ever had.
"Problems?" Harry asked as a sulking Ginny headed back over to where the other chasers were practicing.
"That girl is the most self-centred, spoilt little madam I've ever had the misfortune to coach," Becky spat, before remembering just who she was talking about and blushing furiously. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude."
"Don't sugar-coat things because of my relationship with Ginny," Harry said, annoyed that Ginny was portraying a bad impression with the new coaches. "I want to know the truth. What's the problem?"
"Her attitude," Becky replied. "The thing is, she's good, potentially very good. She's just not a team player."
"And chasers are all about team play," Theo said.
"Precisely," Becky agreed with a nod. "Chasers need to work together to be effective, and I just don't know if Ginny can do that. She's more interested in personal glory than the team. Several times this afternoon she's missed shots because she's held onto the quaffle and tried to score an impossible goal, when she'd had a chance to pass to another player and they could have scored an easier goal."
"We need to work on her team play," Harry said, mentally vowing to have a stern word with his girlfriend. The last thing the team wanted was a rogue chaser who wasn't interested in the good of the team.
"You might also want to talk to her about her attitude towards Draco," Becky said, disapproval dripping from her voice. "It's nothing short of vindictive."
"What has she been doing?" Harry asked warily.
"Blocking him out," Becky answered. "As I've explained, she goes for glory no matter who she's playing alongside, but with Draco it's as though he's not there. She passes to the other chasers, but even when Draco is right alongside her and clearly the best option to pass to, she ignores him."
"Bitch," Theo hissed. "Sorry," he added to Harry, not wanting his boss to take offence at his remark.
"Don't be sorry," Harry replied, secretly thinking that Theo had described his girlfriend very aptly given how she was behaving. "This needs to stop."
"It does if she ever wants to be part of the team," Becky said. "As it stands, there's no way you can play her and Draco in the same team, and even playing her with other chasers is a risk."
"What about Draco?" Harry asked. "Is he any good?"
"He's amazing," Becky replied with a wide smile. "He's a natural chaser. His experience as a seeker means he's got a burst of speed very few of the opposition chasers will be able to match. Once he gets his hands on the quaffle, he can get to the goal before anyone could get near him to stop him. I don't know why he hasn't been playing chaser before now."
"I have wondered about that," Harry admitted. "Especially back in school. He could have switched position once he became captain in fifth year."
"He stayed on as seeker because it was what was best for the team," Theo confided. "He did keep trying to find a new seeker, but none of them were ever very good. He could have made the switch to chaser to make himself happy, but he would have done so at the team's expense, so he stayed on as seeker so the team could be as strong as possible."
"Impressive attitude," Becky remarked. "You've got to appreciate a team player."
"Yes, you do," Harry agreed with a nod. "And people who aren't team players won't have a place on the Cannons. If Ginny continues to play up, do what you have to do. I'll speak to her tonight and make it clear that if she wants to continue playing for this team then she needs a change of attitude."
"Or change of position," Theo snorted. "Let's be honest, her attitude wouldn't be a problem if she was a seeker. Seekers are very much out on their own in a match. There's no team play required there."
"No, there's not," Harry said thoughtfully, as he wondered if he could get Ginny to look at switching positions.
Maybe if he could get his girlfriend to switch positions there would be no need for a major confrontation about her attitude and he could focus on the running of the team. It could well be worth mentioning if he wanted the chance to coach a successful team. After all, what quidditch team was ever going to be a success if there was trouble among the players? If the Cannons were going to succeed, they needed a united team, and Harry was determined to get the team untied, no matter what he had to do to achieve it.