Vega rubbed at his temples, staring down at the letter on the table and, not for the first time, looking over what it said. So there he was, with permission from his parents, waiting for Danielson to come and say it was time to begin the Slytherin tryouts. Harry had added, towards the end, that the Ravenclaws sounded like they had grown snarky since he and Tonks had graduated and that it would do them good to be put in their place. He wrote that Vega should remember everything he had taught him about control and Quidditch in general, as well.

He had been fighting with himself on his decision, and although he had already made his choice, he still wasn't one hundred percent sure that it was the brightest idea he'd ever had. Still, headache aside, it felt good to have some kind of driving force in his life. He still wasn't sure what Lapis Eskander had against him, and he certainly had no idea why the Ravenclaw boy was so intent on Vega being a Seeker like he was. But he had decided he'd sooner let someone stab him in the eye than let that jerk make him feel any worse about his own abilities.

Viola and Hydrus were both behind him on his choice, of course. Flying was one of the few things that Vega was naturally good at, and they said that he should prove it. If Lapis was so hung up on such a concept, then Vega should turn it against him. The twins had gotten a letter from their parents, as well, giving the two of them the go-ahead. Professor Sinistra had looked like Christmas was going to come early that year when they had brought the notes to her for verification, wishing the three of them good luck.

On their way back from the staff table, Vega had locked eyes with Lapis. Ravenclaw's Seeker smirked at him, eyes glancing to the letter clutched in his right hand. For his part, Vega scowled and went to try and make his headache go away.

"No worries. It's just the tryouts. Not like there's anything you need to be anxious over!" Viola chimed. "With the rumor mill working in our favor, I dunno if we'll even have another Seeker tryout with you around. You're a shoe-in!"

"That's what I'm afraid of." Vega muttered. "What if I am the only Seeker? What if I choke? Or... if that happens again...?"

"We'll cross those bridges if and when we come to them, then." Hydrus stated. "I'd be more worried about someone coming down to watch us. If your rival over there doesn't come to watch you perform, it would surprise me. I wouldn't be surprised if all of the other Seekers came to try and see what they might be up against, in fact."

"Way to take off the tension, Hyde." Vega groaned, letting his head hit the table. "Ow."

"Aww, come on, Vega, cheer up!" Viola said, rubbing at Vega's back slowly. "You'll do fine, Hydrus will do fine, and I will of course do fine! We'll storm all of the other teams! After all, we're the good guys and they're all evil! Trying to take what's rightfully ours! The Quidditch Cup's gonna come back and stay with Slytherin as long as the three of us are here!"

"Vivi, it's way too early in the day for the whole ally-of-justice-mode thing..." Vega muttered.

"I'm gonna 'ally of justice' you if you don't get somethin' in your stomach." Viola said, prodding Vega in the back of the neck lightly. "You're gonna feel sick if you don't."

"I'm going to feel sick regardl--knock it off!" Vega snapped, swatting at Viola's hand and sitting upright.

"There! You've got your energy back!" Viola said, grinning happily. "Mission accomplished!"

"Your sister is completely mental, has anyone ever told you that?" Vega asked, looking at Hydrus.

"Oi!" Viola cried, sounding indignant.

"Better be careful, Potter." Hydrus said, cutting into some pancakes. "I've had her dump syrup all over my head in the past. Might be best not to make her want to do it to you, as well."

"Duly noted." Vega said, sighing. "Alright, alright, I'll try and find some vigor to put into this. I do want to prove that jerk wrong. Helping Danielson win might not be so bad, either. Though that might change depending on how hard he ends up drilling us during training sessions..."

"And who knows. You might end up not quite so scrawny after a few years of Quidditch!" Viola said, smiling sweetly.

Vega glared at her. "I can't help being small! And second, what the heck kind of muscles could you possibly develop as a Seeker? My reflexes getting better, sure. But I'm not going to suddenly grow a half foot and fill out a bit more! ...Not that I'd mind if that happened, but you get the point."

"Being short's in your favor for once." Hydrus said. "You'll be able to push yourself faster than your taller opponents."

"Maybe. Where the hell are our brooms, anyway?" Vega asked. "I never saw Eligor drop mine off. I don't think he could even carry mine, to be honest. Nidhoggr didn't bring anything, either..."

Eligor was one of two tawny owls currently living at the Potter residence. With as many letters that his father regularly got and needed to reply to, having just one would do no good. They found a pair of owls, both from the same parents, and decided to give them a good home. Eligor was the one that seemed to be relegated to bringing mail to Hogwarts. His sister, Berith, tended to be more for his father's business purposes, though she was more capable of bringing packages. Tonks had been the one to choose the names, and found a good deal of amusement in it. Eligor and Berith weren't terribly big owls, even fully grown, and the thought of naming them after demons tickled her for some reason. Harry and Vega just smiled and nodded, earning the both of them a light smack on their heads.

Nidhoggr, on the other hand, was a regal-looking hawk that belonged to the Malfoys. Draco had never been a tremendous fan of owls, and given the choice, he had gotten something that seemed a bit more fitting. Nidhoggr, in sharp contrast to the two owls that the Potters owned, was absolutely enormous. If he had flown in, they definitely would have noticed it.

"Not sure." Hydrus said. "I was wondering about it, as well. Do you think our parents just forgot?"

"Doubt it." Vega said. "Not as into it as our dads were. I dunno, maybe they're just waiting for us on the pitch or something."

"Wouldn't surprise me. The whole 'big reveal' or whatever. Our dads are weird..." Viola said, sighing melodramatically.

"I hope your dumb hawk's gotten over the whole trying-to-devour-our-owls thing..." Vega muttered darkly.

"Well Eligor is about as big as the rats he seems fond of." Hydrus said, shaking his head. "We just can't seem to get him to stop eating the things for some reason. Father's tried everything he can think of. He said he doesn't want to try anything involving Nidhoggr's mind since neither he nor mother were ever very adept at those types of spells."

The doors to the Great Hall suddenly flew open, and a voice that was far too chipper for that hour of the day called out to Vega and the twins.

"Alright, you three? Come on! Tryouts will be starting in fifteen minutes and I want to talk to you lot somewhere, before the other Houses try to send their spies down!" Said Ian Danielson, being loud enough for the other team captains to hear. "That and we aren't going to be able to do anything until you get your blasted animals from flying around, causing a racket!"

"He'll never change." Viola groaned, getting to her feet. "Come on, then. Let's go rescue poor Eli from our bully of a hawk..."

"Eligor's going to have a heart attack at this rate!" Vega whined. "Poor thing's not cut out for being hunted!"

"At least he's fast." Hydrus said, as he and Vega got up to join Viola and Danielson. "Nidhoggr's never going to be able to actually catch him. He's too big to fit into all the little hiding spots Eligor likes to stuff himself to stay safe."

"I guess." Vega grumbled.

Danielson scanned the other House tables for a moment before motioning for a handful of Slytherins to come along after a few minutes. Giving a calculating grin to Paul Hawthorne, Danielson then turned and strode out behind Vega and the twins, closing the doors to the Great Hall behind them.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Vega leaned back against the nearest stand, watching as the Slytherins trying out for Chaser took turns throwing Quaffles towards the goals. Hydrus was on his broom just in front of them, and did a good job deflecting most, though a few shots did make it through. And though Hydrus himself might not have been noticing it, almost all of those that got through had been thrown by Viola. Just over a dozen students from Slytherin had come to try out. And students from the other three Houses were parked throughout the stands, watching the tryouts freely.

Danielson had told them that he didn't jolly well care who saw who they picked to be on the team or how well they worked together. After arriving at the pitch, Vega and Hydrus had had to take care of their little problem on the field. Eligor was holed up inside one of the stands and Nidhoggr was trying his damnedest to pluck the tiny owl out. Hydrus had dismissed the hawk after giving it a rather sound dressing down. Nidhoggr had flown off, seeming surly, and Eligor had popped out, chirping gratefully.

Three wrapped brooms had been laying on the ground near the current Keeper, Julie Carmack. She had said Eligor wasn't the one to bring Vega's, so he assumed Berith had set it down and left at some point. After telling the little owl to fly home carefully, Vega had gone to unwrap his. It was just over a year old and wasn't anywhere near the high end of the line, but his Lightwing had seen its share of speedy outings around Malfoy Manor. The twins' models, a pair of Arcus-65s, were propped up against one of Slytherin's stands.

When asked about Hydrus trying out for Keeper, Danielson had merely waved a dismissive hand, saying that Julie would be graduating that year and if Hydrus planned to stick with it, it would be good for him to get some practice in. If anything happened to Julie, he would be called in as the reserve. Most students came to try for the Chaser position. Only one came to try out for a reserve spot as a Beater. Both Ian Danielson and Vanessa Eyrie were in their fifth year at the school and neither planned to leave the team any time soon. But, Danielson had said, their old reserve had graduated the previous year, and he definitely didn't mind at least one backup in place.

And though he wouldn't outright say it, Vega picked up on it when he spoke. No one else had come to try out for the Seeker position and Danielson was worried. Vega was trying not to think about it too much, as he already had a bad feeling about the day. Danielson had said he planned on trying something 'a little different' for testing Vega's skills out.

After almost an hour, Danielson turned to face Vega once more. "I know what you're thinking."

"That makes one of us. Go on, then. Wow me." Vega said.

"You're wondering how you can try out by yourself. Probably wondering if me or one of the others is going to fly against you as practice. But I figured... nah. That wouldn't serve either of us. So I wrote a letter last night - told someone to come meet us out here. Seemed pretty interested in seeing you fly up close..." Danielson said, arms crossed. "I figure the only way to test a Seeker is against another Seeker."

Bringing his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose, Vega muttered, "Danielson, I swear, if you did what I think you have..."

Smirking, Danielson glanced over toward the stands and nodded. "He had no objections. And he can always tell Paulie that he was spying for their team."

Vega let out a low groan as he turned to look where Danielson was. Sure enough, just like he feared, Lapis Eskander was slowly making his way toward them, broom in hand. The broom was almost identical to Vega's own, which didn't make the knot in his stomach untie itself any further. If they had the same model of broom, it was just down to flying speed and reach. And Lapis had him beat on the latter part. But if he could outspeed the Ravenclaw, he could overcome that problem rather soundly. It was just a matter of focusing.

"Took long enough." Lapis said, glancing briefly to Danielson. "Thought you'd never get around to your star Seeker here."

"Ian, what the hell are you doing?" Asked Julie Carmack, glaring at Lapis. "Why're you letting their pipsqueak spy on us?"

"I don't want to steal your strategies. And I really don't care who the rest of your team consists of. I only care about one thing - getting a proper test out of Potter here." Lapis said.

"Yeah, it's good to see you too, Eskander." Vega growled. Then, turning to glare openly at Danielson, he added, "And you better know what you're doing here, 'Captain.'"

Danielson grinned down at Vega. "Would you lot just trust me? We can't fly at the speeds Seekers need to fly at. We're all pretty focused on our own positions. And since no one came to challenge the throne, as it were, I needed a substitute. Does it really matter where that substitute comes from?"

"Yeah, I'll remember that line if we lose to them and you're moping about the common room." Vega said, shaking his head. Looking back to Lapis as he sighed, Vega asked, "Shall we get this over with, then?"

"I'm ready whenever you are, Potter." Lapis said.

"The rules, such as they are, are simple." Danielson said, walking over to the case that held the Quidditch balls. Taking out the Golden Snitch, he looked at the two Seekers. "I believe I don't need to go over them for either of you?"

"Of course not." Lapis said.

"I just wanna get this over with." Vega grumbled, hopping onto his broom and kicking off.

Smiling at Danielson before following Vega into the air, Lapis whispered, "Hope you aren't a sore loser..."

"We'll see who loses." Danielson said, confidence in his voice. "Alright, you two! Releasing the Snitch in three, two..."

Almost as soon as Danielson had released the ball, it had vanished. Vega was slowly patrolling around the edge of the pitch, eyes darting one way to the next. Lapis flew almost twice as high, staring down at the pitch like an eagle searching for prey. The minutes passed by quickly, with the Snitch not so much as making a brief appearance. Feeling slightly annoyed, Vega pulled up on his broom to go up to Lapis' level.

"Think it flew off?" He asked.

"Think it's more likely your captain did something to it." Said Lapis, sounding more than a little annoyed. "I came here to face off against you properly, not sit around for a half hour, waiting for the ball to show."

"Agitated already?"

"Just bored."

"Mind if I ask you something?"

"Might as well. Not like we've anything better to do right now."

"Why me?"

Lapis glanced over. "What?"

"Why are you so interested in me?" Vega asked. "I'm not special. I'm as far from special as anyone could be. I'm alright in Potions and I've had some experience on a broom growing up, but neither of those is really spectacular. Certainly not enough to have someone wanting to race me and stuff. So why me?"

Lapis' gaze lingered on Vega for a moment before he resumed scanning the pitch. "Because you're my opposite. You could get by in life never lifting a finger just because Harry Potter is your father. Harry Potter got by in life because he was supposedly the only thing that could stop Lord Voldemort. But he wasn't special. And you're right - neither are you."

"That doesn't answer my question." Vega noted.

"You wouldn't understand." Lapis said, his hands gripping the broom handle tighter. "You're not different."

"Pfft. Harry Potter's kid. Hi. Remember me? Yeah, I jolly well do understand what it's like to be different." Vega said, rolling his eyes.

"Not what I meant." Lapis stated. "Look, my reasons are my own. Just promise me you'll give me a proper race this time. I'm not holding back, so neither should you. Both of us are off school brooms, so we can probably handle ourselves better. And I'm willing to bet that somewhere, you want to show me up. Just to wipe what you perceive to be smugness off my face."

"You're never going to make any friends if that's how you go about things in life." Vega said.

"'Don't make enemies, they'll stab your heart. Don't make friends, they'll stab your back.'" Lapis said, eyes narrowing slightly. "Keep your eyes on the Snitch, Potter. Or you'll miss your chance to go after it!"

Lapis shot off at that point, causing Vega to jerk his own gaze back downward. Sure enough, the Snitch was flying down near the goals on the far side of the pitch. Cursing under his breath, Vega flattened himself against his Lightwing and took off after the Ravenclaw Seeker.

His own broom felt so much better than the one from the school. He knew how to control this one. He knew its limits and how far he could push it beyond them. He knew exactly how to fly offensively. He had been taught well by his father, after all. A mild bit of paranoia on Harry's part and this was the result. Vega slipped forward slightly as he caught up to Lapis, the Snitch a few feet in front of them and flying in an erratic pattern over the Hufflepuff stands. He had missed this feeling. Of being truly good at something. Of feeling free. Of his thin frame not being as big an issue. Up here, he would be the one in charge. Up here, he would be the one looking down on others.

As the Snitch seemingly vanished once more, both Lapis and Vega came to an equally abrupt stop. Vega let his gaze unfocus, remembering the things his father had told him. Trying to focus on any one spot was a bad idea and was why he missed the Snitch the first time. He wasn't going to let that happen again. If he didn't focus on anything, he would be able to instantly tell what was moving and where it was. Of course, he still had to be facing the right direction, but his eyes were sharper than his father's were. The lack of a need for glasses was a tremendous help all its own.

After a few minutes of hovering in place, waiting for the Snitch to reappear, Vega decided to strike up another conversation. "Do you really believe that?"

"What?"

"That garbage you spouted before you took off after the Snitch." Vega murmured.

"Of course not. But it's good advice. You never know who could betray you." Lapis stated. "Not every one of us has an ideal little life like you, Potter."

"Yeah, my life's brilliant." Vega groused. "I'm looked down on, I'm frail, I have almost no magical talent, and... well, my life's not as great as people seem to think."

"And yet here you are, trying to prove yourself to someone you have absolutely no need to. Why would that be? If you don't want to be like your father, you're making a poor showing of it." Lapis said, an edge to his tone.

"Hey, it's one of the few things I'm good at. Not gonna let someone badmouth me when I know I at least have a chance of winning." Vega said. And, even as the last words were leaving his mouth, he saw it and took off in its direction.

Lapis swore this time. The Snitch had reappeared and this time, he was the one caught offguard by it. But he wasn't going to let Vega take it that easily. He would win by any means necessary. There were no Bludgers in play, so he was just going to have to fulfill that role himself. Grinning, he pushed his broom even faster to catch up with the tiny Slytherin, aiming to catch the back of Vega's Lightwing. At the speed they were going, it would be hard for anyone to recover.

The two connected just over the center of the pitch. Lapis tilted off to the right just in case Vega tried pulling up from the spin. The Lightwing hitched violently and whirled around in a downward spiral. Lapis didn't chance a look back to admire his efforts, focusing solely on the Snitch that he was closing in on. He tried not to pay attention as someone screamed from down below. A female voice, most likely the Malfoy girl, Lapis wasn't sure. Whatever had happened, he would find out after the Snitch was in his hand. The golden ball took off into the air, going almost straight up. Lapis had to sharply jerk back on his broom to angle up after it. And even then, he had to maintain a tight spiral just to keep up with the Snitch's own.

Lapis wasn't sure when the second broom came into view. He wasn't sure how his rival had managed to pull out of the seemingly inevitable crash. He wasn't even sure how the hell Vega was managing to keep in a perfect mirror of the spiral he was in. But there he was, doing just that. Their feet were just inches away from each other, they were flying so close together. Lapis chanced a brief glance 'down' at Vega, which would turn out to be a mistake.

Vega was focused solely on the Snitch, not paying any attention whatsoever to how dangerously close he was flying to Lapis. He was flattened out on his broom, one arm extended out towards the ball they were rapidly closing in on. But what really got to Lapis - and what would stay with him for some time after the fact - was the look on the Slytherin's face. Instead of the timid, nervous look that Vega seemed to always have going, now he just looked... crazy. His eyes were wide open and there was a grin splitting his face. A grin that looked completely out of place and one that looked all the eerier due to how his eyes looked.

And for just a split second, Lapis faltered. That was all it took. With a cackling laugh, Vega lurched forward, nearly launching himself up and off his broom, and grabbed the Snitch out of the air. And without even pausing for a moment, he pulled himself backwards into a loop, spinning back down toward the ground. Lapis evened out in the air and stared down at Vega as he retreated to the pitch, which was quite a ways down at that point.

Biting at his lip and trying to tell just what in the name of god he had witnessed, Lapis pushed his broom forward and shot down toward the ground as well. He watched as Vega landed, holding up the Snitch for a moment before delivering a low bow to Ian Danielson. The Malfoy twins came running up then, with Viola making violent gestures with her arms. As Lapis got closer to the ground, he could hear her yelling voice fill the air, though he wasn't paying much attention to it. Vega seemed to brush his friend off, however, and walked past the both of them, heading for the exit to the Slytherin changing rooms.

Lapis landed in front of him, blocking the way. Getting off of his broom, Lapis stormed over to the Slytherin and asked, in a forced whisper, "What the hell was that?"

Though the craziness had left his eyes, the grin Vega flashed him was the exact same. He didn't say anything as he stepped to the side and continued forward. Viola yelled after him, but he wouldn't stop. Lapis was about to go and forcefully stop him to make him answer his question, but he never got the chance. Ten feet away from reaching the door he was going to, Vega suddenly stumbled. He caught himself, but he was hunched over. He only wobbled once before collapsing to his knees, which then led to him falling over the rest of the way.

"H...hey!" Lapis cried, running over to him as the others on the Pitch called out as well. Dropping to his knees next to Vega, Lapis halted midway to check to see if he was alright. His eyes were tightly closed, and his breathing seemed to be labored. There was no blood visible, and no other noticeable signs that something was wrong. "Potter! Oi, Potter! What's wrong?!"

"Vega!"

Viola was the second person to reach Vega, kneeling and rolling him over onto his back. "Oh god, I knew it! It's happened again. Danielson, can you get him to Madam Pomfrey?!"

"What's going on? Does he have some kind of condition? He didn't say anything about--"

"I don't know!" Viola yelled. "This is only the second time I've seen it happen to him! He got that wild-eyed look on his face once before. He blacked out then, too. He... he was fine, but..."

"Viola." Hydrus said, putting a hand on his sister's shoulder. "Calm down. We'll get Potter up to safety. He's better here than he was at our house. I'm sure he'll be alright, just like last time. Maybe Madam Pomfrey can figure out why that happens to him."

"I... y-yeah... thanks." Viola muttered, hanging her head. After a moment, she got up, assisted by her brother. "Come on. Let's go..."

Danielson nodded, aiming his wand at Vega and levitating him up. "Alright then. Let's go. Keep a watch on him, though. I've never done this for any length of time."

"I'm coming too." Lapis said, standing up. "If it's my fault this happened..."

"I doubt it." Hydrus said. "Though the last time was also during a fake bit of Quidditch. Perhaps that has something to do with it..." He frowned, thinking about it for a moment before continuing, "In any case, try not to blame yourself. Potter's father had a history of oddities. Wouldn't surprise me if something passed on that shouldn't have."

"That or he just keeps pushing himself too hard." Viola said, he voice barely audible. She was walking in front of Hydrus and Lapis, hugging herself. "He's always been tiny and kinda lousy at magic. But he always tries... maybe beyond what he should. I'm not blaming you, but... if this happened during tryouts..."

"I'll look for a replacement." Danielson said, his tone somber. "As much as I'd like to see him out there, if there's going to be some kind of complication in regards to his health, I won't have it. His well being's more important than my bet."

"Thanks..." Viola said.

Hydrus sped up slightly to walk beside Viola, leaving Lapis behind the pack. This was a lot to try and take in. He was still trying to process what had happened in the air, let alone what had happened afterwards. There was a knot twisting in his stomach, despite what the Malfoy boy had told him. Would Vega have had this... attack, or whatever it was, had they not been going so hard for the Snitch? If he hadn't knocked into Vega's broom, would that have prevented it from triggering? There was a lot that Lapis didn't understand about the situation. And if there was anything Lapis hated, it was being unable to find the answer to something. He didn't like the unknown.

And, when he thought about it, maybe that was the answer to the question that Vega had asked him.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Author's Notes: Well, Vega beat his old man into the hospital. Twice within four chapters. Though to be fair, only one of times was for an actual problem. He just got slimed the first trip in. AND that one was voluntary. Not so much with this one. So what happened in the air? Who knows. Vega's the kid of two metamorphmagi, one of which was Harry. Who knows what oddities might pop in that kind of situation? Well, I do, but I like to try and lead everyone to incorrect conclusions.

I'm pestering a friend to do a picture of Vega and the twins. If and when she gets around to it, I'll post a link or something. Just to get a size comparison. Vega really is tiny. Hydrus is tall for his age, but Viola's about the average height for a girl her age. And Vega's a bit shorter than HER. So he's a tiny, tiny little thing. In anime nomenclature, he would be classified as an 'uke' archetype. Go look that up on your own dime. But there's a reason I'm saying that now. If you can figure out why, you'll get a cookie. This is gonna be such a fun series to write.

I decided that trying to play things normal was boring, so I would spice it up a bit. And by that, I mean this shit should have an opening theme by god damn JAM Project. That's the lengths I plan to take this to.

Until next time, folks.