James threw the Quaffle back and forth with the other chaser, Charles, and Julianne on the grass of the Quidditch field. Sirius had gone bored enough to begin sitting, cross-legged, on the floor and tapping his forehead with the beater’s bat.
James was waiting for everyone planning to try-out for Chaser to walk out onto the field.
Thud. “Ouch,” Sirius mumbled.
James passed to ball to Julianne who caught it with one hand.
“How’s your hand, Julianne?”
Julianne examined her palm and answered, “It’s fine. How’s the rest of you?”
“I’ll live.”
Thud. “Ouch…”
Julianne bombed the Quaffle at Charles who reacted quickly enough before his head was crushed.
Thud. “Ouch…”
Frank’s twittery, golden snitch zoomed around James’ head. He tried to swat it away, but it just kept zooming around and around and around and around…
“I was so scared when I heard about the fire,” Frank said, “Thank God I’m not in N.E.W.T. Potions.”
Thud. “Ouch…”
James snatched the ball out of thin air and suggested, “Sirius, there are better ways to pass the time that giving yourself a concussion.”
Sirius just looked at James and tapped his head again. Thud. “Ouch…”
“I don’t think he’s completely forgiven himself for your injuries. Finally! They’re coming!” Julianne placed the Quaffle under her arm and sat on the bench that had been propped up in the middle of the field. Frank walked up to James and snapped the Snitch out of his hands and sat down next to Julianne. Charles and Michael Roberts sat next to him. Sirius continued sitting on the floor, tapping his head over and over again. He didn’t take notice of the advancing crowd.
Thud. “Ouch…”
“Sirius,” muttered James, “…Sirius!”
“What? I’m concentrating, James!” Sirius glared up at James and saw the entire team staring at him. “Oh, sorry.” He pushed Julianne and the whole line over to make room for himself.
James surveyed the queue of people. He didn’t catch sight of any red-haired girl in the crowd. He looked behind him at Julianne but she only shrugged.
“I’ll go look in the girl’s locker room, if you’d like.” She got up from the bench and started jogging towards the girl’s locker room. She waved at her three friends in the stands.
~
Lily was lying down on chairs in the locker room, hands folded over her chest and staring at the ceiling. She was looking for pictures in the ceiling. All she found were “J Loves R” on it and “Why am I the only girl on the team?” scratched into the wood.
This was her plan. She was going to camp out in the Gryfindor girls’ locker room for the entire school year. No Slytherin would find her here. No teacher. No James Potter.
“Are you planning to camp out all school year here?” a voice asked. Lily sat up and saw Julianne standing by the door.
“Yes…” Lily answered simply.
“Why?”
“I’m not going to try-out.”
“What? Why not?”
“I just don’t feel like it.”
“Oh, c’mon. Everyone’s wanting you to play!”
“Define ‘everyone.’”
“Maya, Alice, Amy… me.”
“And Potter?”
“Leave him out of this, please.” Julianne wrapped her fingers around Lily’s broomstick and handed it to her. “Don’t take second thoughts now!”
Lily eyed the broomstick and looked into Julianne’s desperate eyes. She looked back up at the ceiling.
“Who’s ‘R’?” she asked.
“Who?”
Lily pointed up at the ceiling. “You wrote ‘J Loves R.’ Is it Remus?”
Julianne’s unbreakable face grinned sheepishly. “Maybe…. Oh, forget it, come on!”
“You’re love is like a turning wheel. It is spinning, spinning around.”
“Shut up! You’re going to be great at Quidditch!”
“Fine. Just don’t start mocking me when I’m in the Hospital Wing!”
~
James was organizing groups for the try-outs when Julianne dragged Lily out onto the field. He was holding the Quaffle and twirling it in the air. He gave Lily a quick smile, which she did not return.
“I’m assuming everyone here knows how to ride a broom,” he continued, “So if you fall off and suffer any injuries, I am not to be blamed for it. I have my own. The same goes to the rest of the team.”
He looked around, seeing any signs of weakness in anyone’s faces. One or two people shuffled nervously. He threw the quaffle at a third year boy.
He had not been expecting that. The quaffle hit his chest and slipped from his late fingertips. It thumped on the floor.
“Sorry,” he mumbled. He picked it up and gave it back to James.
“Don’t be sorry. You have to be ready.” He threw it over his back to Charles, who caught it plainly. Charles chucked the quaffle over the heads of the crowd, to Julianne.
“Enough, James,” Julianne said, holding the red ball, “Just make the teams.”
“Alright.” James studied the crowd. 13 people had come. “Those who are willing to commit their time to Quidditch practices stay. The rest leave now, or forever hold your peace.”
~
Lily was about to leave right then, but Julianne grabbed her arm.
“Stay.”
“Cai, Levine, and Lesnoy make Team 1. Wu, Netrakanti, and Modi are Team 2. Shah, Lessner, and Solidum are Team 3. Patel, Bickerton, and Rubenstein are Team 4. Team 1 plays Team 2 on that side while Team 3 and 4 verse each other on the other side. Charles will monitor 1 and 2 and I will watch 3 and 4.”
Lily looked at Julianne. “Why wasn’t I called?”
Julianne shrugged. “I don’t know. All the teams are even. Ask James.”
Lily looked back at the captain, but he was directing Sirius and Michael to be the beaters for each game. Then he walked over to the other end of field and watched teams 3 and 4 score their first goal by Rubenstein.
Fifteen minutes later, Frank tossed the snitch, lazily into the air and caught it. James blew the whistle, signaling the end of both games. He walked back to the center of the field and stood up in front of Lily.
“Your turn, Evans,” he grinned.
“Against whom, Potter? Everyone else has played!” Lily stood up from the bench, holding the broomstick like a staff. She felt so humiliated. Everyone was formed in a circle around the two of them.
How DARE James try to make a fool of herself!
“I haven’t.”
Lily swallowed, unnecessarily.
“Oi, Prongs, that’s not fair!” Sirius said.
“Yeah! It’s like Peter against You-Know-Who in a duel,” Julianne brought up.
Everyone began to protest, too, but James seemed unaffected by their comments. He was looking at Lily with his eyes as if asking, “Do you dare?”
Lily said, “Fine.” Everyone stopped bickering and mouths dropped.
Sirius threw James’ a broom and he caught it with one hand.
“No regrets?” James asked.
“None whatsoever.” Lily was about to fall to pieces.
*You’re going to make a HUGE fool of yourself* ~I’ll do my best.~ *That won’t help! You’re about to face the best Chaser Hogwarts has ever seen in front of twenty people!* ~I can take it.~ *You sure about that?* ~Um… no?~ *Exaclty*
James and Lily mounted their brooms and right before Julianne threw the quaffle into the air, Lily had a flashback.
~~
It was Lily’s first flying lesson in first year. She was about to fly for the first time. She had never felt so excited.
Julianne had already known how to fly so she was giving Amy a few last minute tips.
“Remember, stay balanced, unless you want to crack your head open,” Julianne advised, “And go forward so you get somewhere while you’re at it.”
Amy didn’t seem very comforted.
The flying instructor put the whistle to her lips and blew.
Almost immediately, two figures shot right up into the air.
They looked like two ants flying recklessly in the sky when one of them shouted, “Ha ha! You can’t catch me, Black! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!”
“I don’t need to catch you! You’re not worth catching!”
Lily rolled her eyes. How immature could Potter and Black get? All the same, she kicked off of the ground and flew a few meters above the ground. Flying was not was as hard as Julianne had made it seem. It was actually fun! She was defying gravity
She sped up a bit. She was about to ascend up to Julianne’s level, but two speeding racers dived down on each side of her. She was so startled that she slipped on her grip and her body slid off. She was left clutching the broomstick with one hand.
“Sorry Evans!” James called out, beaming lively. He laughed out loud again and winked at her.
~~
Lily’s eyes snapped open and she suddenly hated the smirk on Potter’s face. She was determined to wipe it off.
~
James moved his eyes from the Quaffle the Julianne held up and took a glance at Lily’s face.
She was prepared for a fight. It was the same expression she wore whenever he was taunting Snape. She was no longer a little flower anymore.
I’ll go easy on her, he thought.
But when Julianne tossed the ball into the air, James realized the “going easy” was not an option.
~~~~
A/N: I hope you’ll review and tell me where the DJ Sammy lyrics are! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! Also, everyone who showed up for the Chaser Try-Outs are named after people whom I am friends with! Heehee...