The British Ministry of Magic claims that magical blood is dwindling in Pureblood families. This puts some students in awkward positions. Kris Averbach finds himself being dangled like a piece of meat in front of eligible Pureblood young ladies, but...
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The sky was overcast the afternoon of tryouts, but the ground was fairly hard, and Kit didn't think it was supposed to rain. He held his broom confidently as he watched other hopefuls make their way onto the pitch. Some of them seemed so young, though Kit supposed he had first tried out his second year, although he didn't make the team until his third. Tiberius showed up, clutching his Stargazer tightly and looking a little like he wanted to throw up. Kit felt a surge of sympathy for him, remembering all too well what that feeling was like.
Kit looked down at his own broom, a Silver Falcon. It wasn't the latest model, though it wasn't as old as the Stargazer, but he was very fond of it. Its claim to fame was that it could travel at speeds equivalent to a falcon, though Kit personally had never attempted to go quite that fast. He had polished the handle to a pleasant sheen last night, and he was ready to get back on the team.
Tyler Griffin, the Ravenclaw captain, blew a whistle to get everyone's attention. "Okay!" he shouted so that his voice would carry to the back of the crowd. "Thank you everyone for coming. Remember that just because you were on the team last year does not guarantee you a spot this year! So everyone, fly your best today! Right. I'm breaking you up by position. Chasers, over here," he said, indicating his left. "Beaters, here." He pointed straight in front of him. "Keepers, here." Waving to the right. "Seekers, back there." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "Let's move people." Everyone scattered. Kit walked over to the group of Chasers. Caius Lockridge and Ethan Carpenter were both there, of course—the three of them had been Ravenclaw's Chasers for the past two years—as well as some younger Ravenclaws, and even a few older. A group of third year girls had their heads together, whispering and giggling. Caius frowned at them and Kit fought back a snicker. Caius took Quidditch very seriously.
There weren't very many people trying out for Beater, which meant that Jay had less competition, as Tyler was the other Beater. Apart from Liam Maguire, last year's Keeper, there were also several fourth and third years hoping to make the team. The group trying out for Seeker was the largest. Kit supposed most people thought Seekers got all the glory. He felt a twinge of sympathy for Tiberius, going up against at least a dozen other people. As he looked over to give his cousin an encouraging nod, he thought he spotted a familiar head of tangled blonde hair.
"Is that...?" But before he could finish his question, Tyler was shouting at the Chasers to get into groups of three. Caius, Kit, and Ethan immediately moved together. Tyler pointed at the third year girls, then at the sky. He blew his whistle. They panicked. Two of them crashed into each other without even getting off the ground. The third made it into the air, but she was so surprised she fell off again almost immediately. Luckily she had only been a few feet up, and didn't bruise more than her pride. Caius shook his head in disgust as Tyler blew his whistle again and sent the girls off the pitch. They sulkily walked over to the stands, where a small group of Ravenclaws were already gathering to watch the tryouts.
Tyler pointed at two fourth year boys and a girl. He blew his whistle, and they went up into the air. Tyler tossed them the Quaffle and one of the boys caught it. They began passing it back and forth between the three of them, though Kit noticed they tended to leave the girl out. They flew well enough, but they weren't remarkable. After they each made a goal, Tyler blew his whistle again and they came down. He didn't move them off the pitch, but pointed to Derek and Alissa, both seventh years, and another boy that Kit thought might be in third year. Derek and Alissa flew quite well together, but the boy was a disaster. He dropped the Quaffle over and over again until Derek and Alissa stopped passing to him altogether. When Tyler blew his whistle, the boy walked off the pitch without even being told. Derek and Alissa looked rather pleased with themselves, but now it was their turn, Kit thought with a grin as Tyler pointed at them.
