POV of James Rivers
As the weekend approached, I admittedly became more nervous because the tryouts for our house team were coming up. On Friday evening, we all sat, exhausted from the week, on the sofa and armchairs in front of the fireplace in the common room. A few older students, including Ron's older brothers, had explained the rules of Exploding Snap to us. Par had insisted on playing the card game with us, so at least we had something to do. Hermione had described the game as a kind of explosive Mau-Mau, which apparently was a Muggle game. We enjoyed the game so much that we soon lost track of time. However, since the tryouts were to take place right after breakfast, Fred and George, Ron's brothers, advised me not to go to bed too late so I would be well rested and could perform well.
The next day, Par and I said goodbye to the others after breakfast to quickly fetch my broom from the dormitory and head to the Quidditch pitch. She would watch the training from the stands. Honestly, I was quite relieved not to have to go there alone, but I was too excited to talk much with her. When we arrived at the Quidditch pitch, she said goodbye to me to find a good spot. I was greeted by Oliver Wood, who was already standing in the middle of the field with a small group of older students. He was talking to a few girls when I joined them. Wood informed me that I had to prove myself against two older students who also wanted to be Seekers. They stood a little apart from the group and seemed to perk up when they noticed that a first-year also wanted to be a Seeker. They scrutinized me, as it seemed, critically and a little disdainfully.
Once everyone who wanted to join the team was apparently present, Wood began to explain how the selection process would work. We potential Seekers would simply have to catch the Snitch, which Wood now released. Whoever caught it would be accepted into the team. I was a little nervous, but I also knew that my good broom would definitely give me a small advantage over the others, who had slightly older models.
Then, after everything was clarified, Wood gave us Seekers the signal that we could start flying. Simultaneously, the selection process for the two Beaters would take place to test how well they could control the single Bludger that would be released shortly. Only when his decision regarding the Beaters was finalized would Wood, as Keeper, test the Chasers. I mounted my broom, just like my two competitors, and began flying in circles over the Quidditch field. The other two looked at me and then did the same. It didn't take long before the Bludger flew past us for the first time. However, it never came too close to me because Fred or George was always there to hit it away. The two of them were really damn good; I had no doubt that Wood would choose them.
After maybe 5 minutes, I spotted the Snitch. It was flying near the stands on the side where Par had sat down. From her look, I could tell that she had already spotted the Snitch and was watching it closely. To my dismay, one of my competitors was on that side of the field. However, he didn't seem to have noticed the Snitch, as he continued to fly his circles undisturbed. Without further hesitation, I accelerated directly towards the Snitch. It was now a little above Par, right at the barrier of the stands. As I got closer and closer and I was just a few meters away, I heard Par gasp in shock. I stretched out my hand for the Snitch, first lightly touching it with my fingertips, and finally had it securely in my hand. At the very last moment, I pulled my broom upwards to avoid crashing into the stands. It had been really close; I had slightly grazed them, but neither had I injured myself, nor had my broom been damaged. As I turned around, now much slower, and headed back to the ground, I saw and heard the girls on the ground, as well as Fred and George, who had just landed, applauding me. After I landed, Ron's brothers congratulated me on my position as Seeker and patted me on the back, while Wood announced that they would become the team's two Beaters and shook hands with me first, then with them.
Now the remaining applicants for the Beater positions also landed. They all looked a bit disappointed, but that was nothing compared to my two competitors, who were practically killing me with their glares. One of them had even thrown his broom to the ground in anger, causing the wood of the handle to splinter. So, disappointment aside, these were really poor losers; one simply couldn't treat their broom like that!
While Wood was talking to the potential Chasers, Par came running onto the field to congratulate me. 'Wow, that was absolutely insane how you caught the Snitch there! And this was just the tryouts, not even a real game..!' she began to talk excitedly when she reached me. 'Yeah, I seem to have a feel for when to pull up to avoid crashing into walls and barriers,' I joked, also alluding to the catch of Neville's Remembrall. Addressing Wood, I continued: 'Do you think it's okay if Par tries out my broom for a bit?'
He eyed us thoughtfully for a few seconds and then said:
'Well, I suppose that's alright as an exception, but not too high, okay? I'm testing the Chasers now. As long as she doesn't get in our way, it's all good.'