On Wednesday evening, Minerva found herself standing on the side of the Quidditch pitch watching the Gryffindor team and a number of eager potential beaters flying around. Minerva was hoping to make the chaser position and so was waiting patiently whilst the team sought a beater. Around her, Gryffindor students chattered excitedly to each other, but none spoke to her, not that she expected them to.

Finally,fourth year, William Bones was selected for the beater position and the chaser tryouts began. Minerva watched as Peter Wilkins, Gryffindor Quidditch Captain, called each prospective chaser in turn to demonstrate their ability to fly and score.

Eventually he called, "McGonagall" and she stepped forward. Immediately a silence filled the Quidditch pitch, followed by a low murmuring as the gathered students watched her mount her broom and begin.

The truth was Minerva was by far the best potential chaser who had come. She controlled her broom well in flight; skilfully avoiding bludgers and managing some amazing dives to catch the quaffle or outmanoeuvre opposing chasers. She also had a good aim with the quaffle and could through a powerful shot through the hoops from a considerable distance. Wilkins knew, as soon as he saw her fly; that he had to have her on his team. He didn't care how unpopular she was, the Quidditch Cup was his goal and he knew she could help the Gryffindor team get his hands on it. So, when Minerva left the Quidditch pitch later that evening and headed for her chess match with Dumbledore, she was no more popular but she had a position on the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

The first Quidditch game of the year was a fierce one, Gryffindor against Slytherin. Minerva was nervous, knowing she was playing with the hatred of the Slytherins and without the real support of the Gryffindors. Her feelings were not helped by a brief conversation in the Great Hall with her brother, Valerius, a beater on the Slytherin team.

"You know this isn't about the match, don't you, Min?"

"What?" she sighed, trying to sound impatient.

"This is about Slytherin getting revenge on a certain traitor," he smiled cruelly, "I'm going to make sure a bludger smashes your head in."

She laughed and replied, far more confidently than she felt, "Not if some talent as a beater is required."

He smirked, "See you on the pitch," and stalked off to the Slytherin table.

Wilkins replaced him in front of Minerva, "What did your brother want?" he asked.

"To make threats about the match," she answered softly.

"Ignore him," growled Wilkins, "Just concentrate on scoring lots of goals for Gryffindor."

He gave her a warm smile and she returned it, thrilled at getting some sort of friendly gesture from a fellow student.

After breakfast, Wilkins walked with her to the Quidditch pitch, eagerly discussing tactics. He was a beater and promised her that he would make sure the bludgers kept away from her, provided she scored plenty of goals. He asked her how she'd feel about staying up the Slytherin end of the pitch, waiting for Gryffindor passes and then flying the quaffle through the Slytherins to the goal.

"Its quite a dangerous tactic," he explained, "The Slytherins will probably start trying to kill you. But if it works, it can be very effective."

She nodded and gave him a small smile, "I'll try it," she answered.

"Great! I'll tell the others, make sure they know the plan."

Soon, they were all in the air, and the quaffle was flying amongst them. The three chasers worked well together, whatever Kim and Paul might think of her off the pitch, on it they were a team. Kim tended to stay near the Gryffindor hoops, backing up the keeper and intercepting poor Slytherin passes nearby. Paul tended to fly around the front and middle of the pitch; he lacked the flying ability of the other two, but was able to make incredibly quick and accurate passes, getting the quaffle to his team-mates faster than the Slytherins could react. Minerva remained at the front, catching the quaffle and weaving in and out of opponents towards the hoops, or passing to Paul so that he could score.

Soon the score was 170-30 to Gryffindor and Minerva caught a powerful but accurate pass from Paul and began shooting towards the hoops, seeking her fifteenth goal of the match. The Gryffindor crowd had forgotten their dislike and suspicion of her and began to cheer enthusiastically as Minerva charged into a dive, avoiding the Slytherin chaser before her. Quickly, she pulled out of the dive as a bludger threatened her path and smiled in relief as Wilkins came to her defence, protecting her as promised. She shot upwards, towards the hoops and as she passed the left one, shot for the right. The keeper was completely confused and the quaffle soared through the hoop, making the score 180-30 and giving Gryffindor a 150 point lead. The Gryffindor crowd roared, but quickly the focus changed. Above the Slytherin hoops, the Slytherin seeker was closing in on the snitch and the Gryffindor seeker was at the end of the pitch, racing across but not quickly enough. The Slytherins would now accept a draw, but Gryffindor wouldn't. Minerva pulled on her broom, shooting upwards towards the snitch and Slytherin seeker.

"She can't catch it," someone in the Gryffindor crowd exclaimed in concern, "She's a chaser."

Everyone stared as Minerva shot upwards and turned sharply, heading not towards the snitch, but towards the Slytherin seeker, until she was hovering above him.

"What's she doing?"

Minerva suddenly pointed her broom downwards and went into an incredibly fast corkscrew motion, circling the seeker as she fell. He stared, disconcerted and lost his focus.

"THE SNITCH, YOU IDIOT!" roared a Slytherin voice, and the seeker charged forward again. However, now the snitch was halfway across the pitch and the Gryffindor seeker was closer. He reached out his hand and urged his broom onward as his fingers scraped the edge of the golden ball and closed around it.

"YES!"

The Gryffindor seeker landed. He held up his hand, the snitch grasped tightly, and the whistle blew. Minerva descended to the pitch, thrilled at their victory, only to be hugged tightly by Wilkins and then the rest of the team. It was the happiest she'd been at Hogwarts so far, and watching her, Dumbledore knew it. She was now definitely part of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, the team which had defeated Slytherin for the first time in over a decade, and if that didn't get her accepted as a Gryffindor, nothing would.

"WOW!" exclaimed Ron, "That was amazing. That spiral thingy -"

"Corkscrew," McGonagall corrected.

"Corkscrew," he repeated. "Can you tell me how to do it?"

Harry and the other Weasleys were also regarding McGonagall with astonishment, and possibly even a bit more respect, after seeing her Quidditch performance.

"Perhaps I will show you when you return to school, Mr Weasley," McGonagall replied with a smile.

"WOW!" Ron gasped, "Would you? That would -"

"Ron," said Mrs Weasley warningly. "I think you should let Professor McGonagall continue."

Moody grunted his assent, "Don't have all day," he commented, "And Dumbledore'll be back soon, Minerva, we'll sort everything then."

She nodded, "Very well. We are going to move to my third year. My second passed much more happily than my first and nothing of interest to this tale really occurred. However, in my third year, certain things took place, which began … everything."