Author's Note: Sorry about how long it has been since I updated this. I was busy with work, and when I wasn't, I was either on Facebook playing games or going on TV Tropes and couldn't find the interest in writing. I guess TVtropes really does ruin your life.
Chapter Summary: Alex/Harry attends the Gryffindor Quidditch tryouts.
Friday morning at breakfast, Oliver Wood stopped Alex and said, "I'm holding Seeker tryouts today at five, Alex. I'd automatically make you full Seeker, but McClaggen would throw a fit, so that's why there's tryouts."
"Okay, Oliver, I'll be there," replied Alex. Something then occured to him and he asked, "Could my sister Beth attend too? She's pretty decent as Seeker and would make a good reserve. And she definitely would make a great reserve Chaser. Our Aunt Maria was a Chaser for the Hufflepuff team and has coached Beth in it."
"Well, we could use a reserve Chaser, since we don't have any at the moment," said Wood thoughtfully. "And I'd much rather have your sister as a reserve Seeker than have McClaggen in the spot. All right, she can attend tryouts as well and we'll see how good she is."
After he had walked away, Alex told Beth, who looked delighted at the prospect of joining the Gryffindor Quidditch team, even if it was only as a reserve. That evening at five, after a quick and light dinner, they walked out to the Quidditch pitch with their Nimbus Two Thousand Ones. The entire team joined them, Cormac McClaggen looking rather sour over the whole thing. "I was Seeker last year, so why do I need to try out again?" he grumbled.
"Alex Romanov was better than you last year," pointed out Wood sternly. "The only reason he was a reserve was because he was a first year. Now he's not, so we're having tryouts to see if he's still better than you." He released the Snitch and then Alex and Cormac took off.
The former spotted the Snitch first and went streaking after it. The latter spotted him and followed, but Alex caught it, partly because of his broom and partly because he was a natural flier. This happened twice more, with Alex catching the Snitch both times.
With a very satisfied look on his face, Wood proclaimed, "Alex, you're the Seeker. You're still definitely better than McClaggen." Before Cormac could make a protest, Wood continued, "Beth, you're going to fly against McClaggen to see which one of you is going to be the reserve Seeker."
"What?" sputtered Cormac. "If I can't be the full Seeker, then I should automatically become the reserve! And I thought she was only trying out for reserve Chaser!"
"She's also trying out for reserve Seeker since Alex said that she's pretty decent at it," responded Wood. "Fred and George said that she plays Seeker whenever she and her brother play on opposing teams, and is the only person besides their brother Charlie to ever beat Alex to the Snitch."
"That's not fair! I was the Seeker last year and should still be it or at least be a reserve!"
"I don't care," snapped Wood. "You are going to try out against Beth Romanov or you can leave now and not even have a chance at becoming reserve, McClaggen."
Cormac shut his mouth with a snap and angrily remounted his broom. Wood released the Snitch again and Beth and Cormac took off. Beth caught the Snitch all three times, partly due to her faster broom and partly because she was smaller and spotted the Snitch first. A very irate Cormac threw his broom on the ground when Wood announced that she would be reserve Seeker. He then picked it up and stalked off in a fit of anger, saying that he was going to McGonagall about this. The others shook their heads in disgust, or in the case of Fred and George, smirked. They knew perfectly well that their Head of House would have no sympathy with Cormac in this case, for he despite being a good flier, he wasn't that great at being Seeker, and his personality was rather unpleasant, to say the least.
After he was gone, Beth took off with the Chasers, while Wood took his spot at the goalposts. Beth flew excellently, was quite good at passing the Quaffle, and actually managed to get past Wood and score twice. He looked very impressed when he finally called a halt, and said, "You are definitely reserve Chaser in addition to being reserve Seeker. Since you're a reserve, you don't have to come to all the practices, but I would like you to show up to at least one practice a week, Beth."
The next morning, Alex was woken up at an 'ungodly hour', as his cousin Cara would put it, by Wood. "Whassamatter?" asked Alex groggily.
"Quidditch practice!" said Wood. "Come on!"
Alex squinted at the window. There was a thin mist hanging across the pink-and-gold sky. Now that he was awake, he couldn't understand how he could have slept through the racket the birds were making.
"Oliver," Alex croaked. "It's the crack of dawn."
"Exactly," said Wood, his eyes were gleaming with a crazed enthusiasm. "It's part of our new training program. You're now a full member, and your sister is an excellent reserve, so we need to train you guys. Come on, grab your broom, and let's go," said Wood heartily. "None of the other teams have started training yet; we're going to be first off the mark this year —"
Yawning and shivering slightly, Alex climbed out of bed and tried to find his Quidditch robes.
"Good man," said Wood. "Meet you on the field in fifteen minutes."
When he'd found his scarlet team robes and pulled on his cloak for warmth, Alex scribbled a note to Ron and Neville explaining where he'd gone and went down the spiral staircase to the common room, his Nimbus Two Thousand One on his shoulder. He went out the portrait hole and made his way out of the castle and towards the changing rooms next to the Quidditch field, running to Beth along the way.
"Wood insisted that I be at practice," she explained. "Or rather, he had Alicia tell me that, since boys can't exactly enter the girls' rooms. It's a good thing I'm a morning person, or I'd be very annoyed at him right now. As it is, I'm mildly annoyed, since I do like to sleep in a bit on the weekends."
When they entered the changing room, they saw that the rest of the Gryffindor team were already there. Wood was the only person who looked truly awake. Fred and George Weasley were sitting, puffy-eyed and tousle haired, next to fourth year Alicia Spinnet, who seemed to be nodding off against the wall behind her. Her fellow Chasers, Katie Bell and Angelina Johnson, were yawning side by side opposite them.
"There you are, Alex and Beth, what kept you?" said Wood briskly. "Now, I wanted a quick talk with you all before we actually get onto the field, because I spent the summer devising a whole new training program, which I really think will make all the difference…"
Wood was holding up a large diagram of a Quidditch field, on which were drawn many lines, arrows, and crosses in different colored inks. He took out his wand, tapped the board, and the arrows began to wiggle over the diagram like caterpillars. As Wood launched into a speech about his new tactics, Fred's head drooped right onto Alicia's shoulder and he began to snore.
The first board took nearly twenty minutes to explain, but there was another board under that, and a third under that one. Alex sank into a stupor as Wood droned on and on.
"So," said Wood, at long last, jerking Alex from a wistful fantasy about what he could be eating for breakfast at this very moment up at the castle. "Is that clear? Any questions?"
"I've got a question, Oliver," said George, who had woken with a start. "Why couldn't you have told us all this yesterday at tryouts when we were awake?"
Wood wasn't pleased. "Now, listen here, you lot," he said, glowering at them all. "We should have won the Quidditch cup last year. We're easily the best team. But unfortunately — owing to circumstances beyond our control and a less than stellar Seeker—"
Alex shifted guiltily in his seat. He had been unconscious in the hospital wing for the final match of the previous year, meaning that Gryffindor had been stuck with using McClaggen and had suffered one of their worst defeat in three hundred years. If Alex had been fit, he had a strong suspicion that Professor McGonagall would have given McClaggen a detention during the match as she had done for the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff match, meaning that Alex would have to play instead.
Wood took a moment to regain control of himself. Their last defeat was clearly still torturing him. "So this year, we train harder than ever before… Okay, let's go and put our new theories into practice!" Wood shouted, seizing his broomstick and leading the way out of the locker rooms. Stiff-legged and still yawning, his team followed.
They had been in the locker room so long that the sun was up completely now, although remnants of mist hung over the grass in the stadium. As Alex walked onto the field, he saw Ron, Neville, and Hermione sitting in the stands.
"Aren't you finished yet?" called Ron incredulously.
"Haven't even started," responded Alex, looking jealously at the toast and marmalade his friends had brought out of the Great Hall. "Wood's been teaching us new moves."
He mounted his broomstick and kicked at the ground, soaring up into the air. The cool morning air whipped his face, waking him far more effectively than Wood's long talk. It felt wonderful to be back on the Quidditch field. He soared right around the stadium at full speed, racing Fred and George. A few minutes later, Wood went to let loose the Quidditch balls when he stopped suddenly. "I booked the pitch for this morning!" he snapped furiously. "What are the Slytherins doing here?"
Wood shot toward the ground, landing rather harder than he meant to in his anger, staggering slightly as he dismounted. Alex, Fred, and George followed.
"Flint!" Wood bellowed at the Slytherin Captain. "This is our practice time! We got up specially! You can clear off now!"
Marcus Flint was even larger than Wood. He had a look of trollish cunning on his face as he replied, "Plenty of room for all of us, Wood."
Beth, Angelina, Alicia, and Katie had come over, too. There were no girls on the Slytherin team, who stood shoulder to shoulder, facing the Gryffindors, leering to a man.
"But I booked the field!" said Wood, positively spitting with rage. "I booked it!"
"Ah," said Flint. "But I've got a specially signed note here from Professor Snape. 'I, Professor S. Snape, give the Slytherin team permission to practice today on the Quidditch field owing to the need to train their new Seeker'. "
"You've got a new Seeker?" said Wood, distracted. "Where?"
And from behind the six large figures before them came a seventh, smaller boy, smirking all over his pale, pointed face. It was Draco Malfoy.
"Aren't you Lucius Malfoy's son?" said Fred, looking at Malfoy with dislike.
"Funny you should mention Draco's father," said Flint as the whole Slytherin team smiled still more broadly. "Let me show you the generous gift he's made to the Slytherin team."
All seven of them held out their broomsticks. Seven highly polished, brand-new handles and seven sets of fine gold lettering spelling the words Nimbus Two Thousand and One gleamed under the Gryffindors' noses in the early morning sun.
"Very latest model. Only came out last month," said Flint carelessly, flicking a speck of dust from the end of his own. "I believe it outstrips the old Two Thousand series by a considerable amount. As for the old Cleansweeps" — he smiled nastily at Fred and George, who were both clutching Cleansweep Fives —" sweeps the board with them."
None of the Gryffindor team could think of anything to say for a moment. Malfoy was smirking so broadly his cold eyes were reduced to slits.
"Oh, look," said Flint. "A field invasion."
Ron, Hermione, and Neville were crossing the grass to see what was going on. Behind them was the Ravenclaw quintet
"What's happening?" Ron asked Alex. "Why aren't you playing? And what's he doing here?" He was looking at Malfoy, taking in his Slytherin Quidditch robes.
"I'm the new Slytherin Seeker, Weasley," said Malfoy, smugly. "Everyone's just been admiring the brooms my father's bought our team."
Ron gaped, open-mouthed, at the seven superb broomsticks in front of him.
"Good, aren't they?" said Malfoy smoothly. "But perhaps the Gryffindor team will be able to raise some gold and get new brooms, too. You could raffle off those Cleansweep Fives; I expect a museum would bid for them."
The Slytherin team howled with laughter.
"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in," said Hermione sharply. "They got in on pure talent."
The smug look on Malfoy's face flickered. "No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood," he spat.
There was an instant uproar at his words. Flint had to dive in front of Malfoy to stop Fred and George jumping on him, Beth and Alex both snapped, "You horrible Gajo!", Alicia shrieked, "How dare you!" and Ron plunged his hand into his robes, pulled out his wand, yelling, "You'll pay for that one, Malfoy!" and pointed it furiously under Flint's arm at Malfoy's face.
A loud bang echoed around the stadium and a jet of green light shot out of the end of Ron's wand, hitting Malfoy in the stomach and sending him reeling backward onto the grass. The Gryffindor team plus Ron, Neville, and Ginny burst into laughter as Malfoy sat up, gave a loud belch, and dribbled several slugs out of his mouth and into his lap. The rest of the Slytherin team stepped away from him and faced the Gryffindors threatingly, but before they could retaliate, Luna stepped forward and exclaimed, "Oh look, there's Professor Sprout!"
Everyone, except Malfoy, gave a start of surprise and hastily disbanded to avoid trouble from a teacher. By the time they realized that Professor Sprout nor another teacher was present, it was too late to do much of anything. One of the Slytherin beaters, doing his best to avoid touching more than a sleeve, was escorting Malfoy to the Hospital Wing, while the rest of the team started practice. The Gryffindor team scattered to change out of their team robes and put their brooms away. The Ravenclaw quintet headed off to meet Hagrid, with Ginny and David explaining to Leah and Adam what 'Mudblood' meant. Ron, Neville, and Hermione met up with Alex and Beth when they were done changing and headed off to Hagrid's as well.
Hagrid was quite happy to see them, but he still looked a bit outraged over Hermione being called the 'm' word, since the Ravenclaw quintet had told him about the confrontation with the Slytherin team. "It's all right Hagrid," said Hermione. "Malfoy got taught a lesson, though you really didn't need to defend my honor, Ron. I'm quite capable of defending myself. But thank you for it."
Ron turned pink again, and hastily tried to hide his face by taking a sip of the tea that they'd been served. When they were all done with their tea, Hagrid took them outside to see the pumpkins he was growing for the Halloween feast. Each one was the size of a large boulder, and after checking to make sure they were alone, he admitted that he had been giving the pumpkins a bit of help.
"An Engorgement Charm, I suppose?" said Hermione, halfway between disapproval and amusement. "Well, you've done a good job on them."
"Thanks," replied Hagrid with a grin. After a few minutes, the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw quintets headed back for the castle. Alex was especially keen to go, as it was nearly lunchtime and all he had eaten since dawn was a bit of treacle fudge and a mug of tea.
They had barely set foot in the cool entrance hall when a voice rang out, "There you are, Mr. Weasley, Miss Romanov, and Mr. Romanov." Professor Snape strode over to them, looking furious. "Mr. Malfoy told me something interesting an hour ago."
Nobody said anything as he stopped in front of them. "I was informed that you, Mr. and Miss Romanov, called him the term that the Rom use for someone that is non-Romany. And you, Mr. Weasley, cursed Mr. Malfoy so that he was vomiting slugs."
"Did Malfoy tell you why that happened, Professor Snape?" demanded Leah. "He called Hermione the 'm' word, and they got mad and retaliated."
"Are you referring to the derogatory word for Muggleborns?" asked Professor Snape, his expression changing to one of shock. When the ten nodded, his expression turned angry again. "I will have some words with Mr, Malfoy and see that he is suitably punished. As for you Mr. Weasley, I will not give you detention as planned, but I will have to take ten points from Gryffindor, as you still shouldn't be cursing other students, even if you were standing up for a friend. You all may go."
He strode off, his robes billowing behind him, and the ten students went to the Great Hall for lunch.