Courage {Neville Longbottom} (ON HOLD)

Chapter Sixty Eight

There was no sense in it, running away only put off the inevitable. Eventually, he was going to come face to face with the darkness of the Wizarding World, his decision had introduced him sooner. Now others who had been faced with doubt, not supporting Harry's word or even Cedric's word found themselves realizing that they had been wrong. The Ministry had been wrong and no one could deny what was happening. 

People could keep on running but they could no longer deny and eventually, they wouldn't be able to run any longer. 

"Come on you sacks of potatoes, wake up!" Ginny's voice rang out in the morning, bringing Kefira and Neville to wake up. They realized the both of them had fallen asleep on the sofa and had remained there for the night. Kefira rubbed at her eyes, confused until she saw Ginny all dressed for the quidditch tryouts.

"Did you forget what we were doing today?" Ginny asked her.

"No," Kefira grumbled before stretching her body, " but I don't see the point in me going. Half of Gryffindor is going to show up to the tryouts, I'm sure Harry will find a good replacement-"

"Oh, don't you start with me, Walsh," Ginny said, " get your bum up and go get yourself showered, changed, whatever have you so we can get going."

Kefira stuck her tongue out at the girl playfully before pushing herself up. She ran her hair through Neville's hair as she walked away, leaving the boy with a sleepy but pleasant smile on his face. That was until he noticed Ginny still standing there and looking at him. He quickly cleared his throat and claimed that he was going to go get ready for the day before leaving to the boys' dorm.

***

"What the hell are Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaw students doing here?" Kefira muttered to Ginny as they stood by the stands with confused expressions. As Kefira stated, half of Gryffindor had shown up but so did students from the other houses as Harry worked to divide the people up in groups to watch. 

"I think...I think they're trying out honestly," Ginny laughed before shaking her head. "This is amazing, they're all so caught up with Harry that they're actually trying to play for our house team."

"How long do you think until Harry notices?" Kefira whispered. "Bet on it..."

"What are we all betting on?" Katie Bell asked as she went to stand with them.

"We're seeing how long it takes until Harry notices that some of the students here aren't even in Gryffindor," Kefira in formed her. Katie laughed before she decided that she was taking place in the bet.

"I bet the first round," Ginny said.

"You're too kind, Ginny, I give him until the third group," Kefira told her and Katie decided she would play it safe in the middle, taking until the second group.

It took Harry until the second trial of tryouts to notice that some of the students were not Gryffindors. He simply ignored Ginny, Katie, Kefira laughing near the stands as he requested the students from the other houses to leave the pitch. 

"If there's anyone else here who's not from Gryffindor leave now, please!" He yelled over the pitch trying to drown out their laughter.

It was finally their turn to go up, leaving the team to be made up of Katie, Ginny, and a girl named Demelza Robins as Chasers. Kefira took her position as beater with a boy by the name of Jimmy Peakes.

"You know how to handle that thing?" The boy asked her with a grin, bringing Kefira to look over at him for a split second.

"Better than you, that's for sure," she replied with an eye roll before the trial got underway. They were to aim the bludgers in the direction of the Chasers, and Kefira had to admit, the girls looked spectacular. She almost felt bad for nearly hitting Ginny at one point but the girl dodged the incoming bludger, sending a look in Kefira's direction that only read amusement.

Jimmy Peakes wasn't bad either when it came to knocking the bludgers about, the two of them certainly weren't up to the standards of Fred and George Weasley but they weren't too shabby. Jimmy even managed to strike Harry on the back of the head with one of the bludgers, giving Harry a nice sized lump to remember him by. 

She was kind of glad that Neville and Ginny had convinced her to go to the tryouts, she was certainly enjoying herself. Glancing over in the direction of the stands, she saw Hermione sitting watching patiently and down the way, she saw Neville holding up a little sign that he had made cheering her on. A slight blush formed on her cheeks before she gave him a little wave and turned her attention back to the match.

Harry had to try out the last and crucial part to the team, the Keeper. He went through the younger students who could barely save one of the scores from happening. But then it came down to Cormac McLaggen and Ron. The rules were simple, whoever could save the most would be the contender and Cormac started out with saving four during his turn. However, Ron pulled it off and managed to save five, earning him the title of Keeper much to everyone's delight except Cormac's.

"I thought Cormac was drunk near the end with that attempt of a save," Kefira said to Ginny as the two were back on the ground. "I felt kind of bad for him until he started saying that he deserved another go."

"Idiot," Ginny muttered, " he tried to say that I went easy on him. I'll show him easy."

Her tone was threatening, making Kefira smile as she wrapped her arm around the girl's shoulders. "I'll hold him down for you..."

So the new Gryffindor team was formed, with Harry as Captain and Seeker, his Chasers Katie, Ginny, and Demelza, his beaters Kefira and Jimmy, and his Keeper, Ron. 

"You were beautiful up there," Neville told Kefira as she returned to sit with him in the stands. His voice appeared to be hoarse from where he had been cheering her on. 

"You're so sweet, Nevs," she said kissing his cheek, " but I was only hitting bludgers, there's nothing beautiful about that."

"Well, you're the first to make it look beautiful," Neville said. "I'm so glad you made the team! Dean and Seamus are going to be thrilled too. They were rooting for you..."

"How come they didn't show up?" Kefira wondered out loud.

"As of right now, I don't think they're too comfortable around each other. I don't know, they hardly talk unless one of us is around, if you haven't noticed. Just the other night I heard them laughing together for the first time in awhile."

"What were they laughing at?"

"Harry was practicing some sort of magic and lifted Ron right out his bed, he was hanging up in the air by his feet upside down."

"I would have paid to have seen that. What spell was it?"

"I'm not sure," Neville said as his brows furrowed together. "He had his Potions book opened in his lap when I woke up, so I don't think it had anything to do with that. Maybe he learned it from somewhere else."

"He was reading a potions book in bed? Since when?!"

Neville shrugged. "Maybe he's taken a liking to Potions this year."

"Riiight, and Umbridge is sending me a cake in the post. Let's be on the lookout for that!"