Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 93: Quidditch trial
After classes were over for the day, Harry still had one more appointment.
"All recruits, line up over there. " Oliver told the ten new recruits for the team. He was quite happy as they normally don't have more than five. But more importantly, they had two candidates for seeker.
Fred and George Weasley stepped forward and started to help with the trials.
"Those who came to apply for the position of beater, come with us"
Five boys followed them.
Alicia Spinnet approached the remaining ones.
"Chasers with me!"
Two boys and one girl went to follow her.
Harry was left waiting next to the other candidate for seeker.
He looked like an older boy maybe fifth or sixth year. He had short blonde hair and…was severely overweight. To the point that Harry was unsure if the broom would be able to lift him. Those runes clusters have a weight limit after all.
"Huff…hufff…"
"Are you okay?" Harry asked when he saw the boy breathing heavily.
"Fine….huff…just….huff…a bit….tired," he answered with difficulty.
'We have done nothing yet…' Harry looked shocked.
"Why do you want to join the team?" He could not imagine why someone so out of shape would want to join a sports team. After all, there were many better ways to lose weight, if that was his objective.
"Chicks!" he gave Harry a toothy smile.
"Im…uff….Darryl…by the…way."
"Harry."
"Nice…to…-"
"Are you guys ready to start?" Oliver looked at them with excitement. He was carrying a brown leather box under his arm.
"meet…you…uff…" Darry ended his previous sentence.
"I'm ready…" Harry had a complicated expression.
"Im….ufff….uff…Im….ready." Darryl eventually said.
"Great…" Oliver glanced at Darryl with a worried expression before looking at Harry.
"Are you familiar with the rules, Harry?"
"I am Mister Wood, my father taught me," Harry answered.
"Just call me Oliver. Ahh yes, your father was a great player from what I heard. Let's get started then."
Oliver nodded and opened the box that contained a complete set of Quidditch balls.
He then released the clasps on the golden snitch and held it firmly in his hands.
"The test is very simple. I am going to release this golden snitch and you will both start chasing it, after I give the signal."
Oliver then threw it in the air and the little golden ball sprouted a pair of wings before flying away at great speed.
He made a short pause before speaking again.
"Okay, you can get on your brooms and go now. I want you to remember one thing, do not worry if you can't catch it, this is just to see-"
Before he could finish his sentence, Harry had already mounted his broom and ascended at the maximum speed the Nimbus 1900 allowed.
Harry went one hundred feet in the air in just one instant and spotted the snitch ahead of him.
The ball did not have the time to go too far away because Oliver was not counting on him starting his flight so quickly.
Harry willed the broom to move and he soon was able to catch up with the snitch.
The max speed of the golden snitch is lower than the average Quidditch broom, it was designed like that to allow players to close the distance. Most of the difficulty when catching the ball came from its ability to make quick ninety-degree turns and its reduced size.
But for someone with a trained eye and quick reflexes, it was not too difficult to predict its path.
Once he got very close to the golden ball, this one tried to get away by making a swift turn upwards.
Harry's hand was already there waiting for it. As soon as it touched his palm, he closed it and secured the snitch.
The entire maneuver since he took off the ground, lasted almost six seconds.
George, Fred, and Alicia were yet to start their own trials.
The three of them were very curious about their potential new seeker so they decided to wait a bit and observe the test.
After all, their chances of being able to compete this year were very much reliant on finding a decent seeker.
"What is Merlins…" Fred stared up at the sky.
"Balls…" George was doing the same.
"Looks like we have our seeker…this one is promising." Alicia had a wide smile on her face.
"Incredible…" Oliver was able to get a better look than the others. He saw Harry predicting the path of the golden snitch and placing his hand on its path before it moved.
"He is a natural."
"Okay, I'm…ufff…ready…uff…to start." Darryl had just managed to mount his broom.
"What?" Oliver had genuinely forgotten there was someone else trying out for the position.
"Oh…right. The test is over."
"Really?....hufff….that's good…Im… exhausted." Darryl looked around but could not find Harry.
"The boy…left?...huf….so… I'm on…the team?"
Oliver sighed. This was depressing but they still needed a reserve seeker and he was the only candidate.
"You are…welcome to the team. As a reserved thought. "
"Good…enough…" Darryl gave him a thumbs up and collapsed on the grassy ground. He had reached his limit.
"You are definitely going on a diet…" Oliver whispered to himself.
Harry landed slowly next to the Captain and gave him the snitch.
"How did I do?"
"You serious?...welcome to the team, Harry." Oliver took the ball back.
"Did your father teach you those moves? or…-"
"Mate!, that was bloody awesome!" Fred came running.
"Oi Fred!. You said the whole thing." George complained.
"Ah…sorry. I got too excited!" Fred scratched his head.
"Harry, right?" Alicia got close to him.
"Say…wanna hang out after practice?. I'm sure that Angelina and Kate would love to meet our new teammate." The Middle Eastern beauty gave Harry a playful wink.
"Whoa, slow down your horses, Alicia. He is in his second year." Oliver reprimanded her.
"I was just trying to socialize with our new team member." Alicia pouted.
"Hey!...ufff…" Darryl raised his hand from the ground.
"Im…hff…Im….free!"
"You know what? I just remembered I have a ton of homework to do…and I need to get started with my trial now…bye!" She ran out as fast as she could.
"Anyways…this year is going to be interesting." Oliver looked hopeful for the first time in a year.