The Adventures of an Unlucky Chaser

second year | quidditch

I wanna take my heart to the end of the world
And fly away tonight

Fly Away// 5SOS

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So this chapter will definitely be longer, as it involves a lot more. But I'm hoping you're enjoying it so far!

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Katie was ready and roaring to go for her second year, mainly so she could no longer be new at the school, but also because she wanted to see Peter and Ava. She didn't get a chance to see them earlier on in the holidays. 

However, she did get to see Angelina and Alicia. It turned out that Alicia lived in the same town, and Angelina also not too far away. This made Katie very happy as it meant she got to go out the house. Things weren't going well at home. Since she got back, Katie's parents had been arguing back and forth every night, and Katie couldn't go to Kara as her older sister had now moved out with her boyfriend, Jack. 

All in all, Katie was ready to escape into a new world. 

Katie fell back into her seat with a sigh, she had just found Peter and Ava, and was listening to them talk about their holidays. She didn't feel like talking about hers. However, she sat back up again as Angelina and Alicia came in. "Hey, guys," Angelina said, taking a seat on the left of Katie. 
"Hey yourself." 
"So, Katie, are you ready for Quidditch trials?"
"Well, when are they?" 
"Next week," Alicia said, pulling out a magazine from her trunk. 
"Oh. I guess so."

If there was one thing Katie loved, it was Quidditch. She had been playing since she could crawl because her dad was too excited to wait. He loved Quidditch and had even been the Ravenclaw Quidditch team captain when he was in school. Kara took an immediate dislike to brooms, he said, so he hoped Katie wouldn't. And she did. 

Katie loved flying. She liked the feeling of the air, the sound of the wind, and it made her feel free. When her dad taught her to play, she often took liking to the role of Chaser, which she still favoured. And so that was the position Katie was going to pick for trials. But for now, she wanted to eat. 

When they got to Hogwarts, Katie realised there would also be an agonising wait for the food, as the first years needed to be sorted. Angelina and Alicia took this as a sign to get Katie to meet the Quidditch Captain. "Katie, meet Oliver Wood." 

Oliver Wood was very tall and very burly. He was also very hot, Katie realised, but she had a lot of practice hiding her blushing, thanks to Peter's torments. Instead, she did an awkward wave. 
"What are you trying out for, then?" Oliver said, with a very Scottish accent. It took Katie a second to decipher what he said. 
"Chaser. First thing Dad taught me." 
"Who's your dad?" Katie struggled to remember her Dad's first name. 
"Keith Bell." Oliver raised his eyebrows. 
"You're joking?" 
"No, my dad's Charlie Weasley(!)" He had also been one of the best players ever. "No, of course, I'm not joking. Why?" 
"You're dad's a legend." 
"Uh, thanks?" Katie's dad was a legend, the fact he could save Katie and Kara from their mother's wrath. However, before their conversation could go on any longer, the first years walked in. Katie immediately turned her attention to the front, where McGonagall was standing next to a stool with a scroll in her hand. She called out the first year's names, but then she got to Harry Potter, which got a lot of noise. 

Harry Potter was a famous wizard who killed Voldemort, a dark wizard, at age one. He had brought the end of the First Wizarding War at the cost of his parents. Since his trick (pun intended), Harry had gone missing to the public eye, moving in with some Muggle relatives. But his sudden return to the wizarding world would definitely not go quietly. Katie felt sorry for the kid. After some time, the hat yelled, "Gryffindor!" And Katie cheered with her table.  

Quidditch trials were finally here. Katie was woken up earlier by Angelina, who (along with Alicia) promised to help Katie get back in practice. Peter and Ava promised to come and watch. According to the girls, Harry Potter was already selected as Seeker, the role her dad played. She guessed all good players tended to be Seekers. 

Katie rubbed her hands nervously as Angelina and Alicia finally said goodbye so that Katie could trial. She would be flying with them, as they were on the team, but everyone was either bigger than her or older than her, and that made Katie's confidence falter a little. 
"Alrighty, everyone, welcome to today's trials, and we'll start with the Chasers," Oliver said, smiling around at the hopefuls. Katie sighed and started to pick at her lip. "We'll start with the youngest and work our way up." The youngest turned out to be Katie. So she went first, and she knew she would have to give it her all, or she really would look pathetic next to all the other Chasers trying out. "Just go over to the girls there, and wait for my signal." She nodded, mouth dry, and walked over to her friends. 
"Ready?" Alicia asked. 
"Now or never, I guess." 
"Good, there's the signal, let's go!" They hopped on to their brooms and started flying. Katie immediately felt a rush of air hit her and smiled. She zoomed between the girls and positioned herself to catch the ball, which she did. She heard Alicia somewhere asking her to score, so she did. 

And she got pass Oliver. 

The trial went like this until Katie had her five shots scored, and then she was done. She flew to the ground and settled by the changing room doors, where she had a good view and could also keep warm.

After the Chaser trials were over, Oliver approached her. "How do you think you did?" 
"Good, I hope." 
"Well, there's no need. You're in." It took Katie a few minutes to process what he said. 
"I'm on the team?"
"Yep."