| HIDDEN IN SECRETS |

chapter fifteen

MUDBLOODS

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"Enemies of the Heir, beware."

She saw it so clear – so vividly – as if it were real. There was a voice, but she could not understand it. She had never heard of it before.

There was a blinding flash from something reflecting off an object. Verena opened her eyes, squinting from the morning sunshine.

"Wake up!"

Verena's face was hit with a pillow. In defence, Verena raised her wand, scooting back in fear. Padma dropped the pillow onto her bed, staring at Verena.

"You are one heavy sleeper," said Padma. "Come on. You've got Quidditch tryouts, remember?"

Verena threw the covers off her body, suddenly remembering she had tryouts that morning. She changed into her robes, grabbed her Nimbus 2001, and headed for the Quidditch pitch. Everyone was already on the field. She had seen people she had never even met – a mix of familiar second-years to unknown fourth and fifth-years.

"Is that a Nimbus 2001?" asked Roger Davies, the new Quidditch Captain.

"Yup!" Verena replied. "My father bought it for me this year."

There were voices of awe and envy as everyone stared at her broom.

"You've got to let me take it out for a spin later," said one boy.

"What makes you think she'll let you go first?" another remarked. "I already asked her."

"All right, can I have everyone's attention!" Roger Davies said loudly, gaining back everyone's eyes.

"Well, to kick off this year's tryouts, I'd like to say a few things first," said Roger. "I'll be assessing each of you based on your skill, but remember that teamwork is number one. We play as a team, we'll win as a team. Now, even if you earned a spot last year, it doesn't guarantee you a spot this year. Of course, I'll be looking for a few reserves this year, too.

"We'll split into two teams like a normal Quidditch game," Roger explained. "We'll take turns on the field since there seems to be a lot of you."

Roger counted them off, splitting the group into two. In their groups, they split into smaller groups based on the position they were trying out for. The Chasers were the most popular position as there were twelve Chasers out of a total of twenty individuals. Only two could be chosen, and Verena knew she had to be one of them.

Verena was with the second group of Chasers to go for her team. After having seen the last group, she wasn't worried. Only one person was decent. The others kept dropping the Quaffle, or their aim was off. After playing for a few minutes, Verena began to get nervous. She was good, and incredibly fast on her broom, but the others sure did give her a run for her money.

After an hour or two, Roger called them all in, signalling the end of tryouts. They headed inside the changing room where Roger had a slip of paper in his hand.

"All right, I've decided on the team," he said.

"Already?" Cho questioned.

He nodded. He named the reserves first – at least two for each position. Then, he named their Seeker – Cho Chang – the Keeper, the Beaters, and finally, the Chasers. Alongside him, it would be Jeremy Stretton and...

"Verena Salvador," Roger announced, and Verena couldn't keep herself from smiling. "Congratulations to those who made it, and good luck next year to those who did not."