Chapter 6- Quidditch for the Ages
It soon became apparent to Olivia that Quidditch was hard. Extremely hard. But she didn’t let that (Or the pouring rain) dampen her spirits. She seemed to have taken her “parental deception” as Cora called it personally, and was fighting back the only way she could.
And so it happened that from that point until the Quidditch trials there was not a single night when the view from the east windows in the castle was not obscured by two figures mounted on broomsticks. Occasionally, four figures.
The first two silhouettes were, of course, Olivia and a slightly reluctant Cora. She could think of a whole plethora of things she’d like to do more than getting frozen to a broomstick in the rain. However, she played along because she knew how much Quidditch suddenly meant to Olivia.
The other two shadows belonged to Geena Weasley and her friend Julie McFadden. Both girls currently played on the team, though different positions: Julie was Chaser while Geena played Keeper. Olivia was grateful for their presence; they gave excellent tips and promised to put in a good word for her with Laura Wood, a sixth-year girl who was Captain of the team.
At first, the problem of broomsticks loomed quite large. The old rule about first-years and brooms had been abolished years ago, but if the first-year in question didn’t have a broom to begin with, they were out of luck. Cora had a broom, an old Cleansweep Seventeen she had purchased at age seven when her brother had set her prized Nimbus on fire. Olivia, however, had grown up in the Muggle world, and owned no such luxury. She was apt to practice on a school broom, but Cora put her foot down: it was simply impossible to play Chaser on a Shooting Star or a Comet 180. Eventually they reached an accord: Olivia rode Cora’s broomstick while Cora borrowed one from her cousin Anna, a Ravenclaw sixth-year who owned a broom for the sole purpose of saying she had one.
Unfortunately, they couldn’t spend all their time in the air. As September was blown away and replaced with a gusty October, their hours of soaring through the sky were replaced by hours of pouring over heavy books by the Common Room fire. Course work was becoming harder.
In Transfiguration, for example, all were expected to have changed their matches into needles and back again. When only Drew MacDounagh managed the feat, Professor Spinnet lectured them all about trying harder and set them extra homework. Even in the easiest class, Defense Against the Dark Arts, there was no respite; Professor Thomas was still plowing along with the never-ceasing recount of his life in high detail.
The first Saturday of October heralded the beginning of the Quidditch season. Though the first match, Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw, was not to be played until mid-November, both teams had lost players at the hands of graduation and needed to recruit new players. Therefore, they both held trials on the Saturday in question.
Since Gryffindor was only down one player, and Ravenclaw needed four, Laura Wood let them go first. Olivia thought this showed very good sportsmanship on Laura’s part, until Cora muttered to her that this was only so Laura could find out Ravenclaws strengths before they played them in November.
At three in the afternoon, Ravenclaw had compiled its team and set off back to the castle. The six members of the Gryffindor team marched onto the pitch and stood, shoulder-to-shoulder, facing the stands where the hopefuls sat.
Laura took charge at once. She began talking in such a monotone that Cora suspected the speech hardly ever varied. Indeed, one of the Beaters was mumbling along under his breath.
After droning on for a full five minutes, the action finally began. Nine people were vying for the only available position, Chaser. Laura and Geena divided them into teams of three; they would proceed from there. Olivia was paired with a fourth-year boy who addressed himself as “Chris” and a haughty sixth-year girl who seemed too disgusted with her teammates to say anything at all.
From the stands, Cora watched apprehensively. She knew how badly Olivia wanted the spot, and she also knew how badly she would feel if she managed to lose it. Because there was no denying it: Olivia was good! Cora sometimes wondered how it had happened so quickly, for Olivia swore she had never been on a broomstick until a month ago.
A greeting interrupted her thoughts. “Hey.”
Cora looked up. It was Drew MacDounagh. “Mind if I sit here?”
Cora shrugged and looked back at the Quidditch pitch. Olivia had just made a very good catch and passed the Quaffle to the sixth-year girl, who promptly dropped it. Cora would have smiled if the situation hadn’t been so dire.
“She’s very good, isn’t she?” Drew had started talking again. Cora shrugged again, not taking her eyes away from the action. The fourth-year called Chris had just overthrown the Quaffle, which went pelting towards the ground before being caught by Chaser Julie McFadden, who had been flying around, observing.
“I mean, usually Chasers are older, aren’t they? I suppose it varies, like with-”
“Would you mind,” said Cora, wresting her gaze from the Quaffle, which was pelting downwards again, and glaring instead at Drew, “If I told you to be quiet?”
“No, not at all.”
“Good. Be quiet.” Cora turned back to the trial once more.
Drew, startled by the bluntness actually heeded her, more out of shock than wanting to obey. Or perhaps he simply couldn’t think of a way to retaliate.
Laura blew a whistle, and the sixteen broomsticks sank to the ground where their riders dismounted. “Right,” said Laura. “I’ve seen enough.”
“I’m going to ask one member of each group “that’s three of you- to stay. The rest, I’m sorry, but you’re not what we’re looking for.”
The hopefuls drew in their collective breath. It was now or never.
“These are the three who will keep going. You-” she pointed to a seventh-year boy, “You-” a third-year boy, “And you.” She pointed to Olivia.
Those not chosen turned and walked away. Olivia stared fixedly at Laura, shocked that Laura had asked her, Olivia, to continue. “You really want me?”
“Well,” replied Laura, “you’re not on the team yet, but you’ve got potential. Now get back in the air before I change my mind.”
Olivia nearly tripped over Cora’s Cleansweep in her haste to obey.
Twenty minutes later the whistle blew again. Olivia sank to the ground feeling less confident than she had beforehand. She was sure she had done her best, but the seventh-year had been, in her opinion, too much competition.
Up in the stands, Drew had regained his composure and was chattering happily about the last Muggle book he had read and whether Peter’s sword in The Chronicles of Narnia- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was comparable to that of Godric Gryffindor. Cora was forcibly ignoring him.
Back on the ground, Laura had launched into her “acceptance and rejection” speech. Olivia noticed that it was hardly different from the first one.
“I feel that two of you will make good additions to the team, but we only have one spot. Therefore, the new Chaser is-”
Olivia bit her lip. It was really now or never.
“-Xavier Kendall.”
It was the seventh year. Apparently, he was quite pleased with himself, for he set off on a triumphant loop of the stadium on his Nimbus 2001.
Olivia watched him go with a surprisingly straight face. Anyone speaking to her would have thought she was taking it very well. But none of the people now deluging her with “it’s okay’s” and “maybe next year’s” could possibly know how hard the effort was.
Suddenly, with a loud thunk and even louder CRACK, Xavier Kendall smashed into one of the goal hoops and fell fifty feet to the ground, which he hit with a THUD.
“We lose more Chasers that way…” said Mortimer, a Beater.
“C’mon, it’s hospital wing for him,” said Maurice, the other Beater. They walked towards the limp form of Xavier with their wands out and grim expressions on their faces.
Skylar, the Seeker, looked repulsed. Julie was covering her mouth with both hands, shocked.
Geena said “He won’t be playing for a while,” and everyone believed her. What Geena Weasley said almost always came true.
Laura turned and faced Olivia. The third-year had vanished. “Right then,” Laura said. “Olivia, welcome to the Gryffindor Quidditch team.”
A/N: Thanks to the books Quidditch Through the Ages by Kenilworthy Whisp (also known as J.K. Rowling) and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. Also thanks to my awesome beta Lurid, and Fly to Dawn for all the awesome banners. Now go review. Please?
B/N: That was certainly a very well written chapter. I think you should DEFFINETLY include a rant about what a GREAT author she is, right? And give her a BIG clap for her reaching her deadline! Hurray Juli!