Slytherin's New Captain
After a few weeks, James spotted a poster on the common room's notice board advertising the time and place of the House Quidditch tryouts. Because he could not make it to the tryouts last year due to some late-night detentions, he was determined to keep his slate clean before the set date. Remus, of course, kept on reminding him to be grateful that Dumbledore had been in a forgiving mood that afternoon with the Minister, but James just brushed him off good-naturedly. Ever since missing what turned out to be a crucial Herbology lesson, Remus had fallen into a state of almost constant irritability quite unlike his usual good humor, and James decided to simply ignore his grouchiness until it wore off.
Peter had likewise grown unpleasant, thanks to an extra period of Transfiguration that he had earned after failing to transform his Transfiguration Revealed textbook into a dinner plate. Since the session fell directly on the day of tryouts, he had appealed to Professor McGonagall's competitive side in order to change the time of their meeting, but she had denied his plea by pointing out that she had far too many other classes to teach to rework her entire schedule. She ended by advising him to spend more time practicing his assignments instead of daydreaming about broomsticks, and he had remained sullen ever after.
Nearly a week before tryouts, a group of carrier owls made their usual entrance into the Great Hall via the enchanted ceiling during breakfast, and James spotted Hardwin struggling to fly with a package much too long for his tiny body. Several Gryffindors cried out in warning before flinging themselves back as the small owl swooped down and sent several goblets cascading away from his careening body. Skidding to a halt in front of James, Hardwin quickly jumped up again and gave his tufty head a ruffle to compose himself before nipping his master sharply on the hand and fluttering unsteadily away. Eyeing the ribbon-adorned package curiously, James grabbed the note stuck to the wrapping and opened the envelope.
James,
I got your last letter about Quidditch tryouts, and your mother and I decided to give you a little gift to put you on your way. Good luck!
Potter Sr.
Heart racing, James abandoned his plate and grabbed the end of the long package excitedly as Sirius watched in anticipation. After a moment, James had uncovered a bundle of dried bristles, and Sirius jumped to his feet.
"No way!" he cried loudly, and he helped James uncover the rest of the broomstick with impressive speed. Watching wide-eyed as James lifted his gift into the air, Remus and Peter did not attempt to hide their shock as their mouths fell open in unison; both looked as if they had never seen anything so expensive in their lives.
"It's an Airwake!" Sirius exclaimed, rubbing the broom handle down. Several of the Gryffindors who had been watching let out gasps of astonishment and disbelief as they quickly gathered around.
"Crikey, an Airwake!" Frank repeated, reaching out to touch the broomstick.
"That's the fastest model yet!" Arnold announced, amazed. "It only came out a few months ago! How did you manage to get it, James?"
"Don't you already have a Cloudsplitter upstairs?" Remus asked James, completely dumbfounded.
"Yeah, but it's got nothing on this!" James answered distractedly. "It's no problem: you can have my old one."
Shocked, Remus tried unsuccessfully to form a reply as Peter chimed in. "Can I take it for a ride?" he petitioned, suddenly back to his usual, excitable self.
"James should try it first!" Dill admonished him.
"Yeah, James, take it outside!" Frank begged, and soon the others joined in, pushing James out of his seat.
Not needing anyone to encourage him, James headed for the Great Hall's double doors and ran past the amazed expressions turning from the other Houses' tables. The rest of breakfast hour, he tested out his new ride in front of the lake as his Housemates cheered him on and took turns riding the new model. James had not thought it possible, but the Airwake was even easier to maneuver than his old Cloudsplitter, and it was by far the faster broom. Perfectly balanced, it responded to his slightest movement; once he leaned a bit too far to the right and completely flipped over, a trick which brought much applause from below, and he decided to accept the undeserved credit. When he eventually began to get a better feel for his broomstick, he dismounted the Airwake and started to head back towards the castle for his first period, but Frank caught his arm as the rest of the crowd began to disperse.
"I'd wish you luck for the tryouts, but I don't think you need it," Frank told him, and James felt his heart soar as they went their separate ways.
Soon enough, the Wednesday of tryouts had come, and James excused himself from Gryffindor Tower in the early afternoon to practice in the open field next to the Quidditch pitch beforehand. Although he was the first to arrive, several other Gryffindors had come up with the same idea and showed up half an hour later to get ready. Most of them flew on their personal broomsticks, but a few had borrowed brooms from Instructor Zunderfield's stockpile in the school. The other students kept to themselves, but James spotted a few of them giving him and his Airwake sideways glances as he zoomed in tight circles around the field.
When the time finally came to head onto the pitch, James placed his broom over his shoulder and headed for the center of the field with the other contestants, where the current five members of the Gryffindor team had queued up. At the end of the queue, Frank gave him a grin next to the other Chaser, a muscular, dark fifth-year named Rudolph King. King was wearing a stoic expression, and James noted with curiosity that he had never seen the older boy so much as smile before. Next to him, Michael Palmer and Raul Medilla were whispering to each other and laughing, probably making jokes about the hopeful contestants as they gestured with their Beaters' bats. Standing in the front of the group with her arms crossed was a serious-faced girl that James recognized as the Captain. She had her brown, waist-length hair tied in a high ponytail, and her Quidditch robes still managed to look sharp and crisp despite their frequent use. Something about the way she cleared her throat made James wonder if he had met her somewhere before, but he could not think of an answer before she spoke.
"You're all here for the same reason, so let me cut to the chase," the girl announced, her loud voice ringing across the pitch. A few of the listening students choked back giggles, and the Captain turned her head sharply to glare at them until they quieted solemnly. Clearing her throat, she began again, "I'm not interested in Beaters or a Seeker, but we have openings for the other two positions. We'll start with the Keeper tryouts. The rest of you wait for your turns in the stands."
Turning away, James walked to the stands with a small huddle of the other contestants, and he waved at Sirius when he spotted him seated a few levels above. Climbing up to join him, he sat down on the bench and shivered in the slight wind.
"Where are the others?" James asked, disappointed that his other roommates were nowhere to be seen.
"Peter has an extra period with McGonagall, remember?" Sirius reminded him, and James nodded.
"What about Remus?"
"It turns out that he has an extra-credit assignment with her, too," Sirius answered, pulling his robes closer over his body as a cloud passed over the falling sun.
"Remus has never had any trouble in Transfiguration," James said, confused.
Sirius shrugged. "Well, that's what he said. He didn't look too happy about missing the tryouts, though."
Somewhat mollified, James nevertheless asked, "How can McGonagall work with both of them at the same time?"
"Beats me, but it sure isn't going to stop her," Sirius answered. "You know how she is." Then, gesturing towards the Captain as she called away the first unpromising competitor from the goalposts, he added, "It looks like you won't have much chance for messing around, either. That's her niece, Morgan."
"Oh," James said, watching while the next student flew to take the other's place apprehensively. "That explains a lot."
"She's supposed to be really good, though," Sirius commented, nodding thoughtfully. "She got an award for her Captaining last year."
"But Gryffindor didn't win the Cup last year," James pointed out.
"She didn't get it for winning," Sirius told him. "She saved the Keeper from being pummeled in the head by a Bludger while he was already down."
Gulping, James turned apprehensively back to the field to watch the prospective Keepers, wondering just how often the Captain had to save one of her teammates from imminent death. For the next hour or so, he waited while the students attempted to defend the three goalposts from Frank and King as they pelted Quaffles in their direction. At first, no one showed any real promise; two students nearly fell from their brooms while trying to grab the ball, and one boy became sick after it thudded directly into his stomach. However, a few older students later managed to successfully defend the hoops from every attack, and Morgan hosted a quick conference with the rest of the team before turning again to the stands.
"We're going to conduct this part a little differently," she announced. "The Chasers will all come onto the field at the same time. Your goal is to score as many points as you can while avoiding the Bludgers hit from Michael and Raul." On either side of her, Michael and Raul raised their clubs in greeting. "We'll rotate the Keepers."
Bidding Sirius farewell, James headed out onto the pitch, mounted his Airwake, and rose into the sky. None of the other contestants seemed to want to approach the others, so they kept several meters apart as they hovered in the air. Morgan motioned to one of the better Keepers to guard the goalposts, and the competitors regarded him with unease before Michael unlatched the two black Bludgers from their container and tossed the Quaffle into the air.
As the Bludgers shot upwards, quivering excitedly at the prospect of knocking unsuspecting students from their brooms, half a dozen of the impatient Chasers dove at the Quaffle; three younger Gryffindors crashed straight into a burly sixth-year, and they all spiraled out of control while another player grazed the tip of the red ball with her fingers, only managing to knock it into another boy's head. The students barely had time to compose themselves before Michael and Raul rose into formation and swung at the Bludgers, sending them rampaging through the group clustered in the center of the field. Three young girls, unable to see the balls' approach from behind the sixth-year, nearly fell off their broomsticks when the older student dove and allowed the nearest Bludger to careen into the others. Dismayed, James watched as a freckly boy zipped towards the three hoops at the end of the field with the Quaffle and leaned too far back for the throw, accidentally losing the ball in the process. Another student raced forward to grab it, but she ended up smacking into the right pole while the Keeper observed silently from above.
Flying closer to the action, James kept his eye on the Quaffle as a student caught it and flew towards the goalposts, tossing it forward. The Keeper blocked it easily, and James took his chance and zoomed downward; however, Raul made contact with a Bludger at that exact moment from above, and James barely had time to perform a tight spin to avoid the ball. As he straightened out and continued towards the Quaffle, another Gryffindor suddenly knocked into him from the side in an attempt to avoid the other Bludger. Momentarily breathless, James grunted in annoyance while the Quaffle fell to the ground and the Keeper retrieved it. Glancing towards the center of the pitch, James saw Morgan sigh and shake her head, and it looked like the only thing keeping Frank from laughing was the impressively passive form of King beside him. At the looks on their faces, James' frustration suddenly turned into determination, and he quickly approached the other contestants.
"Listen up!" James yelled, and everyone turned to look at him in surprise. Gesturing towards the three golden hoops, he announced, "This isn't how the game works! How are we supposed to get close to the goalposts if we keep knocking into each other?"
A few students exchanged glances, and the sixth-year crossed his arms irritably. "Well, do you have any bright ideas?" he asked.
"Half of you follow me, and the rest split up above and below," James commanded. Throwing another round of hesitant glances at each other, the students looked as if they were about to object, but James cut them off before they could speak. "Come on!"
Surprised at his booming yell, the others leapt into motion and obeyed his command, flying back and forth uncertainly for a moment before separating into three distinct groups. Satisfied, James caught the Quaffle in midair as the Keeper threw it in, turning towards the goalposts and rushing their way with the other Chasers behind him.
"Bludger to the left!" a girl suddenly cried from above, and James did not even take the time to look up as he banked to the right. Swishing angrily through the air, the ball missed him and the other students by a comfortable distance thanks to the warning, and they continued flying unimpeded. Raising his arm, James faked a throw to the left hoop, but he tossed the ball above his head as the Keeper responded to his movement and dove to the side.
"Coming up!" James warned, and the freckly boy caught it and threw it to the right. Surprised, the Keeper quickly switched directions and leaned forward desperately, attempting to block the Quaffle's path. At the very last second, he nicked the ball with the handle of his broom and sent it falling back down to the grass, and he straightened with a smug look at the Chasers from where he now hovered several meters away from the goalposts.
However, his smile quickly fell into an astonished gape when James, mounted on his Airwake, shot upwards with incredible speed and sent the Quaffle towards the unguarded central hoop with a smack from his broom's handle. The ball soared through the opening, and a cheer erupted from the students in the air. Smiling, James looked down at the dumbfounded Keeper and winked before floating away.
"Way to go, James!" Frank yelled from the ground, pumping his fist in the air. Next to him, Morgan raised her eyebrow slightly, unable to stop a small smile from curving her mouth.
Rising back up to the goalposts, the Keeper pouted while the others ignored him in favor of their newfound hero, but their attention was soon even diverted from James to a small group of students entering the pitch, their broomsticks slung over their shoulders. At first, James thought that a few late Gryffindors had come to join the tryouts, but he soon recognized the Slytherin Quidditch uniforms, and he lowered his Airwake to the earth as Morgan turned and crossed angrily to the intruders.
"What's the meaning of this?" she demanded, marching to the front of the group and clenching her fists threateningly. Running up behind her, James recognized Lucius Malfoy near the back of the group, looking around the pitch with a bored expression until he met James' eyes and gritted his teeth as if tasting something unpleasant. The frizzy-haired girl just to his right seemed oblivious to Morgan's acidic tone, and she gestured to the field unconcernedly.
"We have practice," she answered in a high, bright voice.
"Not until another half hour, Vanity," Morgan reminded her none too politely.
"Never hurts to be here early," Vanity replied with a flashing smile. "I'm the new Captain, don't you know? Laughalot graduated last year."
"I heard," Morgan replied dryly.
Surprised, James frowned and glanced at Malfoy; the sharp-nosed blond was widely renowned in Hogwarts for his Quidditch skills, believed by many to be the best Chaser on the Slytherin team. Although he had not wanted to believe it, James had fully expected him to be appointed as Captain during his final year at Hogwarts.
"I replaced him as the third Chaser, of course," Vanity told Morgan happily, and although Malfoy was watching the conversation with a disinterested expression, James thought that he caught a glimmer of resentment in his stare. "My father was the Captain during his years at Hogwarts, don't you know? He suggested me to Professor Slughorn during the summer, and he even got me a new broomstick and uniform."
Now understanding the reason for Malfoy's displeasure, James felt a smirk slowly spread across his face. "Nice to have family in high places, eh, Malfoy?" James goaded, grinning. After shooting a lethal glare at him, Malfoy turned away icily while Morgan studied James thoughtfully.
"Let's not waste time, Emma," Malfoy told Vanity impatiently.
"Don't mind us," Vanity said to Morgan, a smile still radiating her face as she motioned towards the stands. "We'll just wait over there while you finish."
Morgan opened her mouth to object, but the Slytherins had already begun to walk towards the stands. Arms crossed like a statue, King waited until they had left hearing range before commenting deeply, "Doesn't hurt that they get to see the new recruits." Seeming to agree, Morgan glared after the Slytherins, but she soon turned back to the expectant students now gathered on the ground.
"Up in the air!" she commanded, and everyone mounted their brooms again to continue the tryouts. The Keeper hovered hopefully in front of the goalposts, but he lowered disappointedly when Morgan waved him down.
Time passed much more quickly after the exchange with the Slytherins, mostly because Vanity and her team proved extremely distracting despite the Captain's promises. Everyone in the air kept throwing glances back at where the Slytherins sat in the stands, watching the tryouts intently; even the Gryffindor team observing from the grass seemed perturbed by the relentless stares. However, Morgan conducted the rest of the session as if nothing was out of the ordinary and eventually called the students to the ground.
"That's all that we have time for," she yelled out so that everyone could hear. "We'll post the results before next week!"
Turning away, the contestants conversed excitedly in small groups, although James guessed that they were more concerned with the watching Slytherins as opposed to the tryouts' results. Standing up, Vanity and her team approached the center of the pitch as the Gryffindors cleared out, but James suddenly stopped as Morgan grabbed his arm.
"Welcome to the team," she told him with a smile, raising her voice unnecessarily, and Malfoy grimaced in their direction as he passed. Smirking at him, James turned around and ran towards Sirius.
"I'm in!" James told him, and Sirius responded with a grin and a congratulatory clap on his back.
"I knew you'd make it!" he praised before pointing over his shoulder at the Slytherin team. "What was that all about?"
Shaking his head angrily as they walked back towards the school, James replied, "They just happened to have practice right after the tryouts, and they arrived early so that they could check out the competition."
"I see," Sirius responded, kicking at the grass. "It's too bad that you didn't have tryouts before theirs, or you could have spied out their team instead. I think that blonde girl is new."
"Yeah," James answered with a grin, itching to tell Sirius his story. "About that . . ."
As they continued to the castle, James filled Sirius in about Malfoy and his failure to become Quidditch Captain. By the time they had climbed up Gryffindor Tower, Sirius was about as delighted as he had been when James first ran into him on the Hogwarts Express that year.
"Brilliant!" he crowed, bounding up the final stair with a spring in his step. "I guess that Malfoy should have played in the final match last year, eh? At least then he would have had a chance!" He laughed victoriously before turning to the Fat Lady where her portrait hung in front of the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. "Demiguise."
Although the Fat Lady appeared hopeful for news about the tryouts, Sirius unceremoniously slammed her face into the wall as soon as he had delivered the password, climbing inside as she howled and rubbed her nose.
"Uncouth ruffian!" she called after him. "You might as well have just slashed a hole in me!"
Passing the crackling fireplace in the center of the room, the two boys climbed up to their dormitory and slipped inside. Once they had opened the door, Peter, who was studying a long roll of parchment, quickly jumped up from his four-poster.
"How did it go?" he asked excitedly.
"You'll see me in the first game of the season!" James told him proudly, placing his Airwake against the wall, and Peter gasped in pleasure.
"I knew you could do it!" he exclaimed, accidentally knocking against the roll of parchment and sending it toppling to the floor.
Watching its descent, James asked distractedly, "When is Remus getting back?"
"What?" Peter asked.
"Remus," he repeated. "He was going to meet up with Professor McGonagall, remember?"
"No, that was me," Peter told him, confused.
"Remus told Sirius that he had to do an extra assignment or something," James explained, sighing and rolling his eyes.
"Oh," Peter said. "I don't know. I didn't see him."
"You didn't?" Sirius asked disbelievingly. As Peter shook his head, Sirius looked from him to James and back again. "Where has he been all this time?"
As both of the others shrugged, James looked out of the window at the darkening sky. "He'll get here eventually. We'll just have to tell him about the tryouts later. It's already pretty late."
"Vanity was really desperate, wasn't she, scheduling a practice session at this hour?" Sirius huffed, smirking as he craned his neck to see the Quidditch pitch through the dark.
"Who?" Peter asked. Grinning, James and Sirius looked at each other.
"The new Slytherin Captain," Sirius began to explain, but he suddenly froze as something on the ground below the tower caught his eye. "Hey, look at that!"
"What is it?" James asked, and Sirius opened the window to point downwards. Leaning closer, James spotted several dark shapes silhouetted by the bright light of the full moon. Walking rapidly, the small group of people shuffled along until they vanished behind the castle's far wall.
"Where are they going?" Peter questioned, having peered over James' shoulder curiously.
"Maybe they're going to Hagrid's," James suggested, although he did not believe it himself. As far as he knew, no one ever went down to visit the Gamekeeper in his cramped, one-room hut.
"Do you think that they were teachers or students?" Peter asked.
"I don't know," Sirius answered. "I couldn't see them very well from way up here. They could have been anybody."
"Let's hope that they get a good look at the Slytherins' practice," James commented, turning away from the window. "I want to know what Malfoy's face looks like whenever Vanity orders him around."
Again, Peter looked confused, so James and Sirius eagerly started explaining the details of the tryouts as the night drew on.