Chapter 2
"Quidditch tryouts are next Wednesday," Fred Weasley said, sitting down at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, next to Lee and Alicia. George and I were sitting across from them.
"Excellent," I said wearily, "But I have this weird feeling of déjà vu. I think you might have told me that once or twice or maybe fifty times before."
He laughed, not at all self-conscious or embarrassed. But that was Fred for you. Even though I often wanted to kill him and his twin (and sometimes even Lee), I had to admit that I'd become best friends with all three boys and Alicia since we'd met, for lack of a better word, on the Hogwarts Express. We were now just beginning our second year, and Fred and George were obsessed with being Beaters on the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
"And now," I continued sarcastically, "Let's continue to discuss all the open positions, as well as who is trying out, because we haven't had that discussion enough."
We all laughed, but then proceeded, after a few minutes, to have the discussion that I had just mentioned.
"Okay, so obviously," George said, pausing to take a bite of his lunch, "Charlie's the Gryffindor Seeker, because he's the Captain."
"And Oliver Wood has been Keeper since he was in second year, so he'll be on the team again," Lee added.
"Two of the Chasers last year have left," I said, rolling my eyes that I was again sucked into the discussion. "Do you think the remaining one, Sarah, Byrd, is guaranteed a spot? She made it for the first time last year, but she's a seventh year now…."
Fred answered, "Yeah, she's decent enough, a returning player, and a seventh year. I bet she'll make it."
"So that leaves two-"
"Possibly three," Lee interrupted.
"Chaser spots, and two Beater spots," I finished, looking at Lee. We really had had this conversation way too many times.
"Well, the Beater spots aren't really open," Fred said smugly.
"They're ours for sure," added his twins.
"Yeah, right," Alicia said, "But you've got the modesty awards locked down either way."
"It is modest, if you're that good," said Fred.
"No, it isn't," Lee retorted, laughing.
"Come on, guys," Alicia told them seriously. "What makes you so sure you're going to make it? You're second years."
"Hmmm, let's think," George answered sarcastically, tapping a finger on his chin. "First of all, the Beaters from last year have both left."
"And second, we've been playing with our older, bigger brothers for years," Fred added. "Thirdly, we're just naturally likable."
Alicia, Lee, and I snorted at this.
"And finally," George said, ignoring us, "the Captain of the team is…"
"OUR OLDER BROTHER!" the twins said together loudly.
I rolled my eyes. "Actually, I think that last one would decrease your chances, because, being your brother, Charlie knows what absolute gits the two of you are."
We all laughed at that one, but Fred and George laughed the hardest.
When the laughter had died down, Lee asked Alicia and me, "Have you two decided whether to try out or not?"
"I definitely am, now that Mum has sent me a decent broom," I said. "I might have a chance with two spots open for Chaser."
"Unfortunately for you, Ange," Fred told me, "We've told Charlie how very annoying you are."
I made a face at him.
Ignoring this, Alicia told Lee, "Yeah, I suppose I will, though I don't expect to make it, not in my second year. Are you?"
"I will, just for the fun of it. Snape will use conditioner, though, before I make the Quidditch team."
We all laughed again, and then headed out of the Great Hall for our next classes.
****
On Thursday, one of the Weasley twins tapped me on the shoulder. I had been working in the common room."Charlie is posting the names of the new members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team now," he told me. "Let's go."
I grabbed my stuff and walked down the hallway with him. "Charlie didn't already tell you if you and Fred made it or not?" I asked and then added. "Where is Fred, anyway?"
"All Charlie'd tell us was that he was posting the results today, right before lunch, the git" George answered. "And Fred went to find Alicia and Lee in the library." He looked at me, bemused. "How can you always tell Fred and me apart? I barely said a thing."
I shrugged. Alicia, Lee and I could all tell them apart, although I was best at it. Fred and George always seemed surprised at this, probably because most students didn't even bother to try to tell the difference between them. They were identical down to the freckle, and they were always together anyway. What was the point? Actually, I couldn't tell them apart just by appearance, either. I could only tell the difference if they talked. Luckily, however, they never shut their mouths. "I don't know," I said. "You two are so different, that whenever you talk, I can just tell. I can't exactly explain why."
He looked at me again, eyebrows furrowed. "We're not that different."
"Yes, you are," I said simply.
Fred was the leader of the two; he was slightly funnier, but he could also be slightly meaner. George was gentler. I didn't like one more than the other, but they were not even close to be the same person, as many people seemed to think.
George shook his head. "Whatever. Now, come on, Angelina, let's hurry up!"
As Fred and George had suspected, Wood and Sarah had made the team again, as Keeper and Chaser, respectively. Fred and George had made it as well, as I knew they would, not because their brother was Captain, but because they were actually pretty good. Anna Werlin and I completed the team as Chasers. Alicia only made it as a reserve Chaser, but got to play in one match when Anna got hurt. Lee didn't come even close to making it, as he had predicted, but he made so many jokes about Quidditch while we were flying in tryouts, Charlie asked McGonagall to make him the commentator for the matches. We got flattened, mostly, that year, but it was still fun. With Fred and George Weasley, how could anything not be?
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