Just as Harry had predicated and as Vega had expected – the trials took most of the morning, and Vega was glad to have freed the day on her schedule. When they arrived onto the field, it was to find that half of Gryffindor House seemed to have turned up that morning, from first years who were nervously clutching a selection of the dreadful old school brooms, to seventh years who towered over the rest, looking coolly intimidating.
And among them was the person that Vega wanted to see ethe least... Cormac McLaggen. He was quick to catch her eye and went far enough to continue to his wink in her direction. Vega rolled her eyes and looked away from him, noting down names.
"We met on the train, in old Sluggy's compartment," McLaggen said confidently, stepping out of the crowd to shake Harry's hand. "Cormac McLaggen, Keeper,"
Vega and Harry shared a look at that – given how wide he was, it was possible he might just block all three goal hoops without even moving.
"And is there a reason why you didn't try-out last night?" Vega inquired, not looking at him as she wrote his name down on the try-out sheet.
"I was in the hospital wing when they held the trials," McLaggen said, with something of a swagger as he looked down at the girl. "Ate a pound of doxy eggs for a bet,"
"Doxy eggs?" Vega asked, sharply. "Where did you get doxy eggs?"
"Nicked from the Potions cabinet," McLaggen responded, and Vega felt wondered if it was true. "Why? Are you interested in making a bet with me?"
"Right," Harry cut in when he saw Vega's expression turn swiftly sour. "If you wait over there..." He pointed over to the edge of the pitch, close to where Hermione was sitting.
As his eyes moved away from her, Vega was very sure that she saw a flicker of annoyance pass over McLaggen's face and wondered whether if he had expected preferential treatment because they were all 'old Sluggy's' favourites or was 'handsome'.
The first few minutes were spent as Vega quickly noted down the names of the students who had gathered. There was no girl from their year or senior – the juniors were all in awe and Vega found them blushing in excitement but the seniors continued to keep up the act of confidence but she tried to only focus on the task at hand to start quickly.
Once they were done with it, Harry decided to start with a basic test, asking all applicants for the team to divide into groups of ten and fly once around the pitch. Vega stood with Katie, mostly watching over the Chasers as they came by.
It was a good decision on Harry's part: The first ten was made up of first years and it could not have been plainer that they had hardly ever flown before.
For only one boy managed to remain airborne for more than a few seconds, and he was so surprised he promptly crashed into one of the goal posts.
And the second group was comprised of ten of the silliest girls that Vega had ever encountered, who, when Harry blew his whistle, merely fell about giggling and clutching one another. Quite unsurprisingly, Romilda Vane was amongst them.
When Harry told them to leave the pitch, they did so quite cheerfully and went to sit in the stands to heckle everyone else. The third group had a pileup halfway around the pitch. Most of the fourth group had come without broomsticks.
"You have to get the brooms from the school closet or share with someone if you didn't bring your own," Vega informed them. "Please, step aside,"
But before this problem could be dealt with, Vega noticed yet another one when her eyes caught the sight of uniforms adorned with blue-and-bronze or with yellow-and-black stood in gaggle, trying to mix into the scarlet-and-gold students.
"If there's anyone else here who's not from Gryffindor," Harry roared, who was starting to get seriously annoyed. "Leave now, please!"
There was a pause, then a couple of little Ravenclaws went sprinting off the pitch, snorting with laughter. Behind them, a couple of males also sulked off into the distance, looking towards Vega but she only watched them placidly, tired of the mess-ups.
After two hours, many complaints, and several tantrums, one involving a crashed Comet Two Sixty and several broken teeth, they found themselves Vega herself, Katie Bell and Ginny Weasley as their new Chasers, which wasn't quite new.
"I like Demelza Robins and Dean Thomas as possible Chasers, too," Vega informed Harry. "I think... I can help you train them as reserves, what do you say?"
"Yeah... that sounds good," Harry replied, his voice tired.
It had gone well but Harry had also shouted himself hoarse at the many complainers and was now enduring a similar battle with the rejected Beaters.
"That's my final decision and if you don't get out of the way for the Keepers, I'll hex you," Harry bellowed, and turned to look at Vega. "Ready for the Beaters?"
"Yes," Vega replied calmly, switching over to the Beaters to tick them out.
Neither of their chosen Beaters had the old brilliance of Fred and George, but they were still reasonably pleased with them: Jimmy Peakes, a short but broad-chested third-year boy who had managed to raise a lump the size of an egg on the back of Harry's head with a ferociously hit Bludger, and Ritchie Coote, who looked weedy but aimed well.
"Jimmy Peakes and Ritchie Coote," Vega called out and watched the two blushing pair step out of the crowd of Beaters. "Over with... Katie Bell and Ginny Weasley,"
Once the two boys had joined Katie and Ginny in the stands to watch the selection of their last team member by Harry while Vega stood by just to keep an eye on Harry's rising blood pressure, and when she looked at him for his next move, he sighed.
It was very clear that Harry had deliberately left the trial of the Keepers until last, hoping for an emptier stadium and less pressure on all concerned. Unfortunately, however, all the rejected players and a number of people who had come down to watch after a lengthy breakfast had joined the crowd by now, so that it was larger than ever.
As each Keeper flew up to the goal hoops, the crowd roared and jeered in equal measure. Both Vega and Harry glanced over at Ron, who had always had a problem with nerves; both of them had hoped that winning their final match last term might have cured it, but apparently not. Ron was a delicate shade of green. None of the first five applicants saved more than two goals apiece.
"Weren't you a bit harsh on them?" Katie asked when Vega got down from her broomstick, and as Vega looked over, Katie looked amused.
"They have to be able to handle at least this," Vega admitted truthfully. "... if they want to handle Chasers that are even stronger and skilful than I am,"
"I doubt we have any of that in the school right now," Katie confessed, and she got onto her broomstick to go and test out the next batch.
To Vega's great disappointment, Cormac McLaggen saved four penalties out of five. She sighed to herself as she wrote down the points and ignored the gesture that he blew toward her – but she was surprised when on the last one, however, he shot off in completely the wrong direction.
The crowd laughed and booed and McLaggen returned to the ground grinding his teeth, and he was too angry to do anything. On the other hand of the spectrum, Ron looked ready to pass out as he mounted his Cleansweep Eleven.
"Good luck!" cried a voice from the stands.
Both Vega and Harry turned around, expecting to see Hermione, but it was Lavender Brown. Vega glanced toward Harry and they shared a look and turned to watch Ron do his trial.
Yet they need not have worried: Ron saved one, two, three, four, five penalties in a row.
Vega bit her lower lip and wrote down his points and pointed them out to Harry as well – and Harry took the moment to turn to McLaggen and tell him that, most unfortunately, Ron had beaten him, only to find McLaggen's red face inches from his own.
Harry stepped back hastily.
"His sister didn't really try," McLaggen said menacingly, there was a vein pulsing in his temple and Vega shook her head at him. "She gave him an easy save,"
"Rubbish," Harry said coldly. "That was the one he nearly missed," McLaggen took a step nearer Harry, who stood his ground this time.
"Give me another go," McLaggen told him.
"No," Harry said. "You've had your go – you saved four. Ron saved five – Ron's Keeper, he won it fair and square. Get out of our way,"
For a moment, it looked as if McLaggen might punch Harry, but McLaggen contented himself with an ugly grimace and stormed away, growling what sounded like threats to thin air. Vega and Harry turned around to find their new team beaming at them.
"Well done," Harry croaked, and Vega looked very happy with what had become of their new team as well; they just needed to practice. "You flew really well –"
"You did brilliantly, Ron!"
This time it really was Hermione running toward them from the stands. Vega glanced around her and saw Lavender walking off the pitch, arm in arm with Parvati, a rather grumpy expression on her face, possibly over the brunette coming to Ron.
Vega wondered if Lavender also fancied Ron because she hadn't ever heard about it before – and she had been too busy to listen to Lavender and Parvati's gossip as she would always fall sleep the minute she laid down after a long day of studies.
Ron, on the other hand, looked extremely pleased with himself and even taller than usual as he grinned at the team and at Hermione around him. Vega bit her lower lip and tucked her hair behind her ear, wondering if there would be troubles any time soon.
After fixing the time of their first full practice for the following Thursday, Vega, Harry, Ron, and Hermione bade goodbye to the rest of the team and headed off toward Hagrid's.
A watery sun was trying to break through the clouds now and it had stopped drizzling at last.
"I thought I was going to miss that fourth penalty," Ron was saying happily. "Tricky shot from Demelza, did you see, had a bit of spin on it –"
"Yes, yes, you were magnificent," Hermione said, looking amused, and Vega and Harry shared a look as they followed behind the pair of them.
"I was better than that McLaggen anyway," Ron said in a highly satisfied voice. "Did you see him lumbering off in the wrong direction on his fifth? Looked like he'd been Confunded..."
Hermione turned a very deep shade of pink at these words, and when she refused to meet Vega's eyes, the younger girl was upset to realise that there had been a problem – and she was sure that it was not going to end well. Cheating ever did. Ron, however, noticed nothing; he was too busy describing each of his other penalties in loving detail.
Vega sighed as she continued to follow them, running a hand through her hair as the four of them descended toward Hagrid's hut from the Quidditch pitch, and by doing so, the first to meet their sight was none other than Buckbeak himself.
The great grey hippogriff, Buckbeak, was tethered in front of Hagrid's cabin. He clicked his razor-sharp beak at their approach and turned his huge head toward them.
"Hullo, Buckbeak," Vega greeted, cheering up and moving forward with her long legs to greet the great beast before reaching out to pet his head.
"Oh dear," Hermione said nervously as she stood back to watch Vega pet Buckbeak all over his body. "He's still a bit scary, isn't he?"
"Come off it, you've ridden him, haven't you?" Ron said, referring back to when Vega, Harry and Hermione saved Sirius from the Dementor's Kiss three years ago.
"It's hard to imagine," Vega admitted. "It's our sixth year in school... and there was a troll in first year... basilisk and Dementor in the next two... and sorts of things in fourth – dragon, spiders, skrewts... and last year... Voldemort..."
Trailing off with her thought, Vega stepped away and allowed Harry step forward towards the creature for his greeting. Harry bowed low to the hippogriff without breaking eye contact or blinking. After a few seconds, Buckbeak sank into a bow too.
"How are you?" Harry asked him in a low voice, moving forward to stroke the feathery head. "Missing him? But you're okay here with Hagrid, aren't you?"
"OI!"
The loud voice startled them; Vega and Harry turned to look while Ron and Hermione both jumped in shock at the sudden voice – Hagrid had come striding around the corner of his cabin wearing a large flowery apron and carrying a sack of potatoes. His enormous boarhound, Fang, was at his heels; Fang gave a booming bark and bounded forward.
"Git away from him!" Hagrid yelled. "He'll have yer fingers – oh, it's yeh lot,"
Fang practically hurled himself at Vega, almost causing her to fall back from the weight of the huge dog – but she managed to hold on as Fang licked at her ears in greeting and she patted him on his back to cool him down from his excitement.
When Vega finally managed to get Fang down, she dusted her clothes off and allowed around. Next to her, Hagrid stood and looked at Harry, Ron and Hermione for a split second more, then turned and strode into his cabin, slamming the door behind him.
"Oh dear!" Hermione said, looking stricken.
"Don't worry about it," Harry said grimly, and Vega watched as he walked over to the door and knocked loudly. "Hagrid! Open up, we want to talk to you!"
There was no sound from within.
"If you don't open the door, we'll blast it open!" Harry said, pulling out his wand.
"Harry!" Hermione shouted, sounding shocked. "You can't possibly –"
"Yeah, I can!" Harry exclaimed. "Stand back –"
But before he could say anything else, the door flew open again as Harry had expected it would at the threat, and there stood Hagrid, glowering down at him and looking, despite the flowery apron, positively alarming. Vega bit her lower lip.
"I'm a teacher!" Hagrid roared at Harry. "A teacher, Potter! How dare yeh threaten ter break down my door!"
"I'm sorry, sir," Harry said, emphasising the last word as he stowed his wand inside his robes, and Hagrid looked stunned at the word.
"Since when have yeh called me 'sir'?" Hagrid asked.
"Since when have you called me 'Potter'?" Harry responded.
"Oh, very clever," Hagrid growled. "Very amusin'. That's me outsmarted, innit? All righ', come in then, yeh ungrateful little..."
Mumbling darkly, Hagrid stood back to let them pass. Vega stepped inside the hut first to give them example, followed by Harry as Hermione scurried in after Harry, looking rather frightened. Ron closed the door behind him as he entered as well.
"Well?" Hagrid said grumpily, as Vega, Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat down around his enormous wooden table, Fang laying his head immediately upon Vega's knee, asking for patting. "What's this? Feelin' sorry for me? Reckon I'm lonely or summat?"
"No," Harry said at once. "We wanted to see you,"
"We've missed you!" Hermione said tremulously.
"Missed me, have yeh?" Hagrid snorted. "Yeah. Righ'," He stomped around, brewing up tea in his enormous copper kettle, muttering all the while.
Finally, Hagrid slammed down four bucket-sized mugs of mahogany-brown tea in front of them and a plate of his rock cakes. Harry was hungry enough even for Hagrid's cooking, and took one at once. Vega watched everything unfold in her own silence.
Hagrid soon joined them at the table and started peeling his potatoes with a brutality that suggested that each tuber had done him a great personal wrong.
"Hagrid," Hermione said timidly. "We really wanted to carry on with Care of Magical Creatures too, you know," Hagrid gave another great snort while looked Vega in disbelief over the lie. "We did! But none of us could fit it into our schedules!"
"Yeah, righ'," Hagrid said again. "Well, Vega's go' more than yeh lo' and she's here,"
There was a funny squelching sound and they all looked around: Hermione let out a tiny shriek, and Ron leapt out of his seat and hurried around the table away from the large barrel standing in the corner that they had only just noticed.
It was full of what looked like foot-long maggots, slimy, white, and writhing, and Vega realised that he had gotten some new diet for Aragog as they agreed.
"What are they, Hagrid?" Harry asked, trying to sound interested rather than revolted, but putting down his rock cake all the same.
"Jus' giant grubs," Hagrid responded.
"And they grow into...?" Ron asked, looking apprehensive. "What have you and Vega have been up to?" Vega looked to Hagrid in concern.
"They won' grow inter nuthin'," Hagrid said. "Vega and I ough' ter feed them ter Aragog,"
And without warning, he burst into tears.
"Hagrid!" Hermione cried, leaping up, hurrying around the table the long way to avoid the barrel of maggots, and putting an arm around his shaking shoulders. "What is it?"
"It's... him ..." gulped Hagrid, his beetle-black eyes streaming as he mopped his face with his apron. "It's... Aragog... Vega an' I think he's dyin'... he got ill over the summer an' he's not gettin' better... I don' know what I'll do if he... if he... we've bin tergether so long..."
Hermione patted Hagrid's shoulder, looking at a complete loss for anything to say. But then Harry, Ron and Hermione all looked towards Vega – it was clear that they were upset with her for 'keeping this a secret' and wanted her to elaborate.
"Well, uh, Hagrid and I visited Aragog," Vega informed them. "We've been looking after him, trying to figure out his illness... but it seems like we cannot find anything to help him... it looks like his old age is, uh, reaching him..."
Hagrid choked over his sobbing.
"Is there – is there anything else we can do?" Hermione asked, ignoring Ron's frantic grimaces and head-shakings at Vega's story.
"I don' think there is, Hermione," Hagrid choked, attempting to stem the flood of his tears. "See, the rest o' the tribe... Aragog's family... they're gettin' a bit funny now he's ill... bit restive..."
"Yeah, I think we saw a bit of that side of them," Ron said in an undertone.
"... I don' reckon it'd be safe fer anyone but me ter go near the colony at the mo'," Hagrid finished, blowing his nose hard on his apron and looking up. "But thanks fer offerin', Hermione... it means a lot... but Vega's... already done enough,"
After that, the atmosphere lightened considerably, for although neither Harry nor Ron had shown any inclination to go and feed giant grubs to a murderous, gargantuan spider, Hagrid seemed to take it for granted that they would have liked to have done and became his usual self once more.
"Ar, I always knew yeh'd find it hard ter squeeze me inter yer timetables," Hagrid said gruffly, pouring them more tea. "Even if yeh applied fer Time-Turners –"
"They couldn't have done," Vega answered for her weird friends' sake. "We smashed the entire stock of Ministry Time-Turners when we were there last summer, unfortunately. It was in the Daily Prophet... about two days after that day,"
"Ar, well then," Hagrid said. "There's no way yeh could've done it... none of yeh are like Vega... I'm sorry I've bin – yeh know – I've jus' bin worried abou' Aragog... An' I did wonder whether, if Professor Grubbly-Plank had bin teachin' yeh –"
At which, the other three stated categorically and untruthfully that Professor Grubbly-Plank, who had substituted for Hagrid a few times, was a dreadful teacher, with the result that by the time Hagrid waved them off the premises at dusk, he looked quite cheerful.
Vega remained quiet for now, but she was starting to feel uncomfortable with how much blatant the three of her friends were starting to get with lying.
"I'm starving," Harry said, once the door had closed behind them and they were hurrying through the dark and deserted grounds; he had abandoned the rock cake after an ominous cracking noise from one of his back teeth. "And I've got that detention with Snape tonight, I haven't got much time for dinner..."
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