All characters are property of JK Rowling
That Sunday after breakfast, Harry and his friends all met outside of McGonagall's office before knocking. "Come in," they heard. Once they had all funneled into the room, McGonagall commented, "Well, this is a diverse group, isn't it? You have at least two from each house. It is quite uncommon to see such a thing. But I guess that is the reason you needed to find a new place to meet up. Anyway, follow me," she said before walking out of the room with the students following. "I chose this room because of its size; it will give you all the space you need to practice magic. As of now, the room is pretty much empty. All that was set up for you is a table with seven chairs. One thing that I would like to see all of you do is make changes to it when you have learned enough in transfiguration. I will teach Mr. Potter how to make the transfigurations permanent later on so that once you make some changes, you can ensure that they are permanent."
"Thanks, Professor. But I didn't know that it was possible to permanently transfigure something. Can you give me a brief explanation?" Harry asked.
"Well, I guess that 'permanent' is not quite the right word. It would be a bit more accurate to say that it will last for over 10 years for an average wizard or witch. For someone with your power, according to Filius, it could last for 50 years if you overpower your spells. It is essentially a spell that is cast after the transfiguration spell. This spell is quite time-consuming, taking up to five minutes for the slower ones and around one minute for the better ones. But what happens is it multiplies the amount of time that a transfiguration would normally last. Unfortunately, no one has been able to tell exactly what it multiplies it by because of how long they usually last," McGonagall finished with a sigh.
"But for now, here is the room. It should have everything that you need to study, along with a clock that is charmed to go off 30 minutes before curfew and meals. Feel free to customize the decorations, but please don't change the room too much. Aside from that, please remember that this is a privilege and one that I don't want to have to take away. If I find out that any of you are slacking in class or misbehaving in any way, then I might have to take this away," McGonagall said sternly.
"Yes, Professor," all of the students chorused.
"Wow, this room is amazing," Harry said.
"I know, right? There is plenty of space for dueling. Harry, do you think you could teach me some?" Neville asked.
"Typical boys," Padma and Parvati said before looking at each other and laughing.
"It's not just boys, you know? I want to be able to protect myself and my friends too, so if you could teach me as well as Neville, I would really appreciate it, Harry," Susan said passionately.
"Yeah, of course. It is definitely important to be able to protect yourself and your loved ones, and if I can help you guys do it, then I'm happy to help," Harry said seriously.
"This table is definitely big enough for all of us to study," Tracey muttered to Hannah.
"It is a pretty big table," Hannah replied.
"And look at the bookshelf; it even has some books from the library," Hermione said before grabbing three on transfiguration and taking a seat at the table.
"Do you have enough books for today, Hermione?" Daphne said with a smile.
"Well, I want to be able to help customize the room too, you know. It might need a more feminine touch than what Harry can give us," Hermione said with a small grin before going back to her books.
"That's a good point," Daphne agreed, "but I think it will be a while before any of us aside from Harry can do the major modifications that we might want."
"I have a bit of an idea for what I might want to change the room to, guys. So in a week or so, if you would give me an hour to customize the room, then you can see what you think," Harry said thoughtfully. "I won't make any of it permanent until the majority agree on something, but I would like to speak to Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick before making the changes just for their thoughts on how it would end up."
"That sounds good, Harry, especially considering most of us can barely do the matchstick-to-needle transfiguration," Hannah said. "But as long as you make sure there is plenty of room to study and a way to ensure our safety as spectators when you duel, then I think there shouldn't be any issues until the rest of us can make our own contributions."
"I like the sound of that," Neville said. "Plenty of space to study together and then a space to duel to get stronger and get rid of some energy if we can't focus anymore."
"So does everyone agree?" Harry asked while looking around.
After a chorus of yesses, Tracey looked at the clock and said, "It's nearly time for lunch, guys. Let's head to the Great Hall, and then afterwards we can come back here and do some studying."
Line Break
That afternoon, most of the students were reading around the table with only a few questions asked to Harry for clarification, but they all considered it a successful study session. On Monday, after Harry's training session with Flitwick, as they were sitting down to discuss his training, Flitwick said, "You're progressing very well, Harry, especially as you are still a first-year. I think that by Halloween, we will have gotten through all of the spells that you would learn in your first year. If we keep up this progress and even allow for the progress to slow down a little bit as it gets harder, you should be finished with all the spells in the second year by the end of the Christmas holidays. Your rate of progress is astounding when learning new spells, and even more important for dueling, your accuracy and speed are now so much better than when you originally started. I think that you would be ready for the under-thirteen division that will be in the summer holidays."
"Thanks, Professor. What would that involve?" Harry asked.
"Well, there are a few divisions that are possible, but at your age group, the only one is wand-only duels. This summer it will be held in Paris, so you will need permission from your guardians to go. In the under-fifteen duels, they allow for other weapons to be used, like swords and staves, albeit with charms to stop death and mutilations. Another category is the team duels, where teams consisting of six members duel it out either together or one-on-one, with the winner facing the next member of the team, which is more common. This category is normally a school team that has decided they want to try it out, but if you want to train your friends, I would be happy to sponsor all of you to go."
"I would love to do that, but I'll have to talk to my friends before I volunteer any of them to participate," Harry said contemplatively, before suddenly smiling and saying excitedly, "But it would be so cool to learn how to use a sword."
"Well, I could certainly start teaching you how to use a sword, but it would require lots of intense physical training so that you can wield it properly. Are you willing to put in even more effort?" Flitwick asked seriously.
"Yes, I am sure," Harry responded.
"Well then, I'll need to get a few practice swords before our next dueling lesson. Was there anything else that you wanted to talk about before we take our leave for the night?" Flitwick asked.
"Well, I'm pretty sure that you already know this, but just in case you don't, I'll give you some context. I am very far ahead in most of my classes, as you know, especially thanks to your tutoring. I was asked to stay back in one of McGonagall's lessons where she offered me a couple of different ways of learning, as it was clear that I wasn't learning much while in her class. So, in the end, I decided to do self-study on the material that she sets me, and she would test me on the material separately. At the end of that meeting, I asked her if there were any rooms for me and my friends to hang out in, as the library is too quiet, and we can't go to each other's common rooms as we are all from different houses.
So recently, we were given a room, and I was given the task of decorating it, as I am the only one who is powerful enough and sufficiently skilled to customize the room in any noticeable way. One of the things that I wanted to include was a dueling area and a small weight area as well, now that I know about sword fighting as an option. But for the dueling area, I would need to ensure that any spectators were safe, so I was wondering if you would be able to ward the area for me."
"Of course, Harry, that is a very good idea, as it wouldn't do for your spectators to get injured. But would you mind giving me a bit more of an idea into what you were planning on making?" Flitwick said curiously.
"Of course. I was planning on having a small section in one corner with a few couches around a table with a fireplace nearby, but I would need McGonagall's help with the fireplace. A larger table going from another corner down the side wall with a few bookshelves along the walls behind it. The dueling area would take up another side of the room, with the weight room off to the side or maybe in another room if that's possible. Then in the middle, just a nice rug, and the final corner having some space for spell practice, which would once again need to be warded now that I think about it. I wouldn't want any poorly cast spells to hurt the others," Harry said with a thoughtful expression.
"That is a very well planned-out room, Harry," Flitwick squeaked. "I would be delighted to help you with the warding and even the dueling area so that I can ensure it is properly up to standard for you. I'm also quite sure that it would be very easy for a small room off to the side to come for the weight room, as we are in Hogwarts, after all," Flitwick said with a mysterious smile.
"Thanks, Master Flitwick. I'm hoping that this room turns out to be a nice space for us to hang out, play games, duel, and study for the next seven years of our stay here. Plus, with any luck, we can make a dueling team to participate once we are old enough," Harry said excitedly. "I will try and have the changes done by Wednesday, and then if you can come any time in the week after that just to ward the dueling area, then I would greatly appreciate it."
"Of course, Harry. I would be glad to help. But I think I have held you here long enough, and I'm sure your friends are waiting for you as usual," Flitwick said while getting up.
"Alright, bye Master. I'll see you next training session," Harry said while walking out the door.
Line Break
As the week progressed, Harry had been reading ahead even more in Transfiguration so that he would be able to customize the room as he imagined it. However, one thing that kept coming up in his advanced books was the concept of visualization, which he only had a basic understanding of. So, on Wednesday afternoon, Harry found himself waiting outside the Transfiguration classroom for his classmates to finish their lesson. Once he heard the bell ring and Professor McGonagall dismiss the students, he stood up straight and stopped leaning against the wall as the students started heading to the Great Hall for lunch. As his friends saw him, they walked up to him, and Tracey asked, "What are you doing here, Harry? I thought you would be at the Great Hall by now."
"I wanted to ask Professor McGonagall about the room because I had some ideas and I was curious about how to perform the spell. So, you guys should just head to lunch because this might take a while to explain and practice the spells. I'll see you guys later," Harry replied. Once his friends had all said goodbye and headed to the Great Hall, Harry knocked on the door.
"Come in," McGonagall said from her desk. "Ah, Mr. Potter, what can I do for you today?"
"Hello, Professor. I have some questions about Transfiguration for you related to what I wanted to put in the room," Harry responded respectfully.
"I see. Is this something that will likely require a practical demonstration?" McGonagall asked.
"Yes, probably. I would appreciate it if I could show you what I've done in the room before you show me what I'm doing wrong," Harry said.
"Very well, Mr. Potter, lead the way," McGonagall said while getting up. "In the meantime, why don't you tell me what you've done so far?"
"Well, so far, I have set up a rug, a small table, and couches. But when I was trying to find the spell to create something like a bookshelf, I couldn't find one. Thinking back on all that I've learned in Transfiguration, I wondered if I even needed to use an incantation or specific spell for it. But I would like to talk about this in more detail once we get into the room," Harry said before opening the door.
"Well, this is quite nice. Tastefully decorated, nicely planned out," McGonagall said, thinking out loud as she looked around. "It's obviously not finished yet, but I can see the potential that is there. I'm assuming that empty space will be for the dueling area, and Filius said he would set it up for you to a professional standard. But anyway, let's take a seat and you can tell me about what you were wondering." As the two walked over to the couches in the corner, McGonagall said, "Perhaps you would like some lunch to be brought to us here?"
Harry opened his mouth, and before he could say anything, his stomach rumbled. He blushed before saying, "That would be nice, Professor."
As soon as he said that, an elf popped in with a platter of sandwiches, and McGonagall said, "Thank you, Mipsy." The elf gave a small bow and smile before popping away. Once both had sat down on the couches and taken a few bites of their sandwiches, McGonagall said, "I must say, this is one of the more comfortable conjured couches that the house elves have found."
"Excuse me, Professor, but I actually transfigured that one," Harry interjected.
"Oh, my apologies. What did you transfigure it from?" McGonagall asked.
"I asked one of the Hogwarts house elves to give me some wood, then I made the base out of it and then transfigured some old cushions into the other parts. I didn't think that I would be able to conjure the chair in one go, so I made smaller parts with transfiguration instead," Harry said.
"Well, I must applaud your ingenuity and ability to take things in steps, but I think you are underestimating yourself a little bit. But back to your original questions: I would like to give you a bit more context than just saying that no, you don't need a specific spell in Transfiguration. Essentially, when you are transfiguring something, you are using your will, intent, and magic to create it. What I mean by intent is that you intend to change one object into another, which is linked to the visualization of the object. Your will is your belief that it will happen, and your magic is the driving force that will complete the change if there is enough will and intent.
In Transfiguration, the specific spells that use incantations and wand movements can all be done without wand movement or incantation. What the incantation and wand movement do is increase the intent of a person, as it makes it easier to believe that the magic will happen when you say the incantation and make the wand movement. What many do and are happy with is eventually learning silent casting and then continuing to do wand movements or just having a large wave of their wand. Very few ever get rid of their wand movements completely. But I digress. What I'm trying to say is that if you believe hard enough and have a clear enough idea of what you want to transfigure or conjure, then it will happen.
So, for a wizard of your caliber at this age, there would be very few spells that you cannot do without wand movements or incantations if you put in the effort. For example, if you have a clear enough image of this couch in mind and will for another one to be created out of a piece of wood, then it will happen. But conjuration is slightly more difficult and much more power-intensive. The reason I say that is conjuration is, to put it simply, creating something from nothing. This means that your magic needs to put more in to create a final product. Do you have any questions so far?" McGonagall asked.
"When you say conjuring is creating something from nothing, are you saying that it is actually creating something from nothing, or is it just taking some of the particles from the air and then transfiguring them and increasing their mass to create the final product?" Harry asked before continuing, "Also, if I was to create something like a watch, would it work even if I didn't know how the inside worked, and if so, how is that possible?"
"That is a very accurate description of what is happening, which is another reason that in some places it can be easier to conjure things. For example, if a blasting charm has just gone off and someone tries to conjure something, it will be slightly easier magically as there are more particles in the air to transfigure, which means your magic has to create less. But the visualization is harder as the particles are too small to see, which makes it essentially transfiguring air into something else," McGonagall said before taking a bite of her sandwich. After a pause, she continued, "As for your second question, I only have a small amount of knowledge on this topic as there isn't much that has been researched about it. What I do know is that in some cases of desperate times, magic has ensured that the item that was conjured or transfigured was created properly when there was enough will and intent for it to work. But I would assume that it would be slightly easier to create and less magically taxing if you were to do it with the proper understanding. Do you want to give conjuration a try by making another one of these couches?"
"Might as well," Harry said. As he closed his eyes, he murmured slightly under his breath, "Will and intent. Will and intent. Picture the couch, then will and intent." McGonagall's lips twitched slightly as she heard what he was saying. After about thirty seconds of Harry sitting with his wand in hand and eyes closed, he moved his wand in no particular wand movement, and all of a sudden, the frame of a couch appeared. With another wave of his wand, the cushions appeared.
"Well done, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said with a small smile. "I don't think even your father, who was one of the most gifted Transfiguration students I have ever taught, would be able to do this at your age. But for now, I think that all you need is more practice with conjuring to manage to do it quicker and all at once. But while I am here, is there anything else that you might need me to do?"
"Would you be able to make a small fireplace for us near the lounge area? This castle is very cold most of the time, and it would be nice if this room was a warmer, cozier environment for us," Harry asked.
"That is a good idea. Is there any particular style that you would like or colors, perhaps?" McGonagall asked as she was standing up.
"Well, let's continue the color theme of warm neutral colors with maybe a darkish brown making a nice border. I think I'll add some of the colors to the room in other decorations, but the majority of the walls and furniture won't be too bright," Harry said in a thoughtful tone. "But I doubt that it will stay that way for our entire stay here, as I'm sure the girls will want to have their input. Once they can make their own changes, it will be almost constantly changing, I'm sure."
"That is very doable, and I'm sure that the girls will make some of their own changes once they can," McGonagall said before conjuring the fireplace Harry asked for with a wave of her wand. "Now, before we have to go to our respective classes, you should remember that in Transfiguration, it is all about the visualization you have and the belief that it will happen. It's not exactly the same for some other subjects, but I'm sure that if you asked Filius, he would be happy to explain the theory of charms, hexes, and curses for you. I'm sure that a talented student like you would be able to work out how to do amazing things in Transfiguration just like your father."
"Thanks for helping, Professor. I'll work hard to make my parents proud," Harry said with a smile.
"I'm sure that they are already proud of you, and if you want some more stories about them, then I'm sure we can talk about them over tea sometime if you want. But we really should be getting to our classes now," McGonagall said.
Line Break
The time had finally come. Harry had spent most of Saturday preparing this room with the smaller details, and now he was standing outside of the room waiting for the others. Hermione had obviously come with him along with Padma, and Hermione was asking, "Come on, let us see in, just a small peek, and then we will come back out. We can even act surprised when the others come in."
Harry looked at Hermione with a deadpan expression and said, "You and I both know that you aren't the best actor." Hermione blushed, and then Harry continued, "Besides, Neville and Parvati are here already. It won't be long."
"Hey, guys, why are you waiting out here?" Parvati asked.
"Because Harry won't let us in until everyone else gets here," Hermione whined.
"Well, good news, Hermione, it won't be much longer," Daphne said.
As the others looked down the hallway, they saw Daphne, Tracey, Susan, and Hannah walking up to them. "Alright, guys, I worked really hard on this, and I hope you like it. I'm sure there will be lots of changes over our seven years, but I hope this is a good start for our room," Harry said proudly. "Welcome to our new room," he stated before opening the door.
As the group rushed in, they looked around and saw what most of them wanted in the room. They saw the large dueling platform that took up most of the wall along with a small door on the side of it. Then they looked over and saw the three large bookshelves filled with books, the large oak table in front of it with plenty of space for everyone, the warm glow filling the room from the fireplace and windows, and the couches around the fireplace with a small table in the middle. While most of them looked at all the big things filling up the room, Daphne looked more closely and saw the smaller details. She saw that each of the couches had lions, badgers, snakes, and eagles. The light brown walls had small designs of vines coming down from the ceiling and small birds flying around. The small ornaments on the bookshelves and table, with picture frames that had a few pictures of the group hanging out together and a couple of smaller groups. The nice rug in the middle had a simple pattern that incorporated all of the house colors with the animals looking as if they were running around.
Daphne turned around and said to Harry, "This is perfect; there is nothing else that I would want in here."
"Yeah, Harry, this is great," Tracey said excitedly, with the others agreeing.
"Before anything else happens, I just want to tell you that there are a few wards in this room. One is around the dueling platform, which will automatically turn on whenever someone is dueling. This will stop others from coming in and stop spells from going both ways. The other wards are in that practice corner so that any miscast spells will not damage the room or injure anyone too badly. The teachers did ask that we not practice any potentially dangerous spells alone. The last thing I wanted to say was that these books were from Master Flitwick, and we can get newer and more advanced ones next year or if we have proven that we are ready for more."
"So, what are we waiting for, Harry? I want to get into some of those books," Hermione said excitedly.
"Go on, Hermione, I've said all I wanted to say," Harry said with a laugh.
Line Break
After being given their room, most of the group decided that they would spend most of their time studying and hanging out there as they could all help each other out, and if not, then Harry could. The few exceptions were Harry, Hermione, and Padma, who were also attending some study groups with their fellow Ravenclaws as they wanted to stay close with their housemates. Harry also spent lots of time training with Flitwick and was progressing rapidly, as was evident by their current duel.
Harry sent out a disarming charm that Flitwick blocked before waving his wand and transfiguring the ground beneath Harry into ice. Harry shot a stunner at him before waving his own wand and adding spikes to the bottom of his shoes. Harry knew that Flitwick was going easy on him, but he still wanted to prove that his training wasn't going to waste. With a larger swirl of his wand, a large black cloud came out of it that seemed to be sucking in the light from the room. Harry knew that Flitwick saw where he was before and was expecting the barrage that was headed his way, so he quickly put a silencing charm on his feet before running to his right. After a moment, he waved his wand, and the smoke all flew at one spot in the middle like a tidal wave coming into shore. Then, without a pause, Harry sent in stunners and disarming charms along with a rare shield breaker.
After a moment of this, Harry felt himself go as stiff as a board and fall over. "Well played, Harry. That was a good idea, but I have seen something similar, so I knew that I didn't want to stay inside the smoke for long. It was also smart of you to put in enough power that a simple vanishing charm didn't work, but stronger opponents like yourself will still be able to clear it quickly." With a quick wave of his wand, Harry was able to move again, and all of his small injuries were healed.
"Where did you go, Master? I couldn't see you outside the smoke," Harry asked curiously before smacking his forehead in annoyance. "Disillusionment charm," Harry muttered, and as Flitwick listened with a small smile, Harry continued, "I should have checked to see where you were as soon as I started to move with a detection spell."
"That is correct, Mr. Potter, and a well-thought-out idea for next time," Flitwick said. "Perhaps it's time for a break, though? That was one of our longest duels."
"That sounds great, Professor; I'm knackered," Harry responded.
"You've been progressing very well, Harry. Have you been practicing in that room of yours?" Flitwick asked curiously.
"Yeah, Neville and Susan have asked me to teach them a bit, and it's good practice for me to be up against the two of them at once. But also, Hannah and Tracey decided that we needed a name for the room, so 'That room of mine' has now been christened 'The Den' by Hannah and Tracey," Harry said sarcastically.
"Well, it must be good practice as you've improved drastically. How has your spell repertoire been going outside of the spells that I'm teaching you?"
"Well, to be honest, I've just been going ahead on the DADA syllabus, while going through the Standard Book of Spells up to Grade Four and trying to figure out ways to creatively use spells. But this also reminded me of a conversation that I had with McGonagall a while ago."
"I'm assuming that this will have something to do with your improved transfiguration skills," Flitwick said.
"Yes. I was asking her for some advice about the room and how I could create more things, and she explained some theory of transfiguration that helped me greatly but also left me with some more questions about magical theory in general." Harry paused for a moment and gathered his thoughts before continuing. "First, she explained to me about will, intent, and magic in regards to transfiguration. But something that confused me is the reason why that exact theory doesn't work in regards to charms. For example, if I visualized, believed, and then pushed my magic to perform an action that doesn't have a specific charm, say to get bark off of a tree, then it wouldn't work. But if I did the same process with an already existing charm, then it would work. Why is that?"
Flitwick paused for a moment and looked thoughtful before saying carefully, "The main reason that it wouldn't work is because the arithmancy doesn't work properly." After another small pause, he continued, "When a new spell is created, the arithmancy must line up. I don't know the specifics, but there are numerous calculations that need to be satisfied for a spell to work; otherwise, they will just fizzle out or blow up in your face.
It works properly with pre-made spells because the magic will inherently form itself to fit through your wand the way that they have previously. For example, if you were learning a new spell, first you do it with the wand movement and incantation, then just the wand movement, and finally a point and cast if mastered properly. But while learning to cast it verbally, you are carving pathways that your magic now recognizes as that spell, which will make it easier to perform in the future. It also allows for the spell to be stronger as the pathway would now be well used and larger, therefore allowing more magic to be pushed through that pathway. But if you ever want to create a spell, then it will need an incantation and wand movement first to create the base of the pathways."
"That makes a lot of sense, Professor. But just to clarify, if I'm creating a spell, then it must have the proper arithmetic formulas, and then once I have used the spell enough to get my magic used to it, then I can start doing it silently and without a wand movement."
"That is absolutely correct, Mr. Potter. But I would recommend that you take Arithmancy in your third year so that you can make sure to understand properly, as I am not an expert on this subject."
"Thanks, Professor," Harry said. "I also wanted to talk to you about the team dueling that you mentioned before. I am now training Neville and Susan, so I think that we might be able to do the team dueling as I may be able to convince some of the others to join us."
"That would be marvelous, and I would be happy to sponsor you all to go, but I'm afraid that I just don't have time to train you and them, so you will have to spend some time training them, which should help you with your skills as well. But alas, our time has come to an end, and I think your Quidditch tryouts are this afternoon, so you might want to have a good lunch now."
"That's a good idea. Thanks for the training as always, Master Flitwick. I'll see you on Monday," Harry said before rushing out of the room.
Line Break
That afternoon, Harry was standing nervously on the Quidditch pitch with his new Nimbus 2000, along with ten other hopefuls. He was the youngest one, with only one second year, a pretty Asian girl named Cho, and the rest being fourth years or above.
"Alright, everyone, listen up! My name is Andrew, and I am the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain. This year, we have openings for two chasers and a seeker. We will also need reserves for every position except keeper and one beater. Hopeful chasers, on my right; seekers, in the middle; beaters, on my left. Any hopeful keepers, you will be following around the actual keeper, Julie, who is over there. Give us a wave, Julie. Keepers, go to her. She will be helping you out, and if there is any talent, we will give you a tryout for the reserve spot," yelled Andrew.
"Seekers, you guys can go warm up for a little bit. For now, I will be testing the chasers, which will take a while, so don't exhaust yourself waiting for us. Beaters, go with our current beater, Charlie, who is over there," he said while pointing. "Alright, guys, up in the air. Give me three of your quickest laps."
After that, all the chasers raced off with Harry in the lead by a considerable margin, with Roger coming in behind him. Andrew had to cut off a few of the other hopefuls as they weren't very well suited for the fast flying required of chasers. After that, he waved his wand, and some hoops levitated in the middle of the pitch. Andrew told everyone to fly through them as fast as possible. First, he called out Roger, who had a time of 1 minute and 10 seconds. He called out three other names who all got about 1 minute and 15 seconds before finally getting to Harry.
Harry lined himself up at the start line and felt his sweaty palms on his Nimbus 2000. He heard Andrew counting down: 3… he visualized the course, 2… he planned out his route, 1… his muscles tensed. When the whistle blew, he shot off like a rocket, going straight into the first hoop before twisting his whole body to the left and pulling as hard as he could. As he got closer to the hoop, he swung wider and came through the hoop at a tighter angle than Roger had, while practically 90 degrees. With the wind rushing through his ears, he straightened up and gunned it to the next hoop before zigzagging through some more hoops.
With the end of the run coming up, Harry knew that this was the part where most of them would lose the most time—rising and then coming back down to the finish line. Harry pulled back hard once he came through the second to last hoop and started lining himself up with the center of the hoop. He was preparing himself for his riskiest move yet, but he knew that if he did it, he would definitely get under 1 minute on the course. With a deep breath, Harry did a 180 on his broom so that he was now flying upside down, and then he pulled. Everyone collectively held their breath for a moment as Harry's head barely made it through the hoop. He pulled up as hard as he could before doing a barrel roll that nearly threw him off his broom, catapulting down towards the finish line.
Everyone let out a sigh of relief as he flew quickly past the finish line. Andrew flew up to him and said, "Potter, that was the riskiest move that I've ever seen. If you can't throw well enough to play chaser, then you can play seeker if you want."
"Thanks, Andrew, but I'd rather play chaser," Harry said.
"I hope you can shoot as well as you can fly because if so, we have this cup in the bag."
The final exercise was to shoot five shots at Julie to see how good the prospects were at shooting. This time, Harry decided to go first, and when Andrew threw him the quaffle, he was off. Harry was flying as fast as he could before feinting to the left hoop and then throwing it through the right, which barely skimmed past Julie's fingertips as she fell for the feint. The second shot, Harry threw towards the middle hoops, and as Julie went out to get it, the ball curved into the left hoop.
Angry now that a first year had gotten two in already, Julie was completely focused on saving the goals. This next run up at the goals, Harry flew to the right, then the left. When he got to the edge of his range, he threw the ball up and to the right before swinging around as quickly as possible and hitting the ball with the end of his broom. Whack. The ball flew straight at the goal. Julie flew as fast as she could, and even from the distance that Harry shot from, she couldn't get a finger on the ball. It hit the edge and bounced in. The final shots that Harry took were basic spinning shots that curved into goals that Julie couldn't save.
After the tryouts, Harry was selected to play chaser with Roger and Andrew as his fellow chasers. The keeper was Julie, the seeker was Cho, and the two beaters were Charlie and Jason. Harry was barely walking straight after all the flying he had done that afternoon and the training with Flitwick that morning, so he had a nap before dinner.
Authors Note
Another big chapter, sorry for the wait but I'm going to start trying to post on the first of every month, but my time zone might make it change between the last and first so do with that what you will. Hope you enjoyed it, feel free to leave feedback if you want. I can't guarantee that I will listen to it. If you have any ideas that you want me to include in the story also feel free to leave a review.