𝐑𝐀𝐘𝐀 𝐀𝐃𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐆𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐒.
She was wearing her fingerless dragon hide gloves that she'd bought last year, along with arm and shin guards. Her blue and black tryout jersey held the number nineteen, the cape billowing behind her. Besides her Nimbus 2001, most of her uniform was worn. She liked the flex of her old gear, not liking how stiff new gear always was. But still, she would need new gear soon. Raya made a mental reminder to buy something soon.
"Alright, this is how it works!" Austen Bellweather shouted out to the crowd of Ravenclaws that had gathered. A seventh-year Ravenclaw, and the Quidditch captain, most kids were in awe of him — Raya included. "You guys are gonna start with some drills. Everyone, except Seekers need to be in the air. Let's go!"
About twenty kids scrambled to get on their brooms and in the air as fast as possible. In the end, Raya and another two kids — Cho from second year, and Marcel from fifth year — were the only ones left.
Austen turned to them, "Seekers can stay on the ground, or fly near the outskirts. Keep an eye on players during their drills. I'm gonna be asking for reports. A good Seeker not only catches the snitch, but learns the weak links of the other team. Understood?"
"Understood," the chorused, allowing Austen to fly up to the rest of the team.
Raya watched from the ground for a bit, admiring how Austen naturally oozed confidence. He gave instruction to the team to perform a few drills and they began. Chasers shooting it at the keeper. Beaters aimed their bludgers at targets. It was a beautiful thing to see really.
Raya mounted her broom, setting off to watch from the sky. She shot overhead them, examining players from above. As a Seeker this is where she was used to seeing the players. From here, she could pick out everyone's pros and cons.
Avery the Keeper favored her right, but Avery the chaser favored his left. This led to a series of wonderful shots that rarely went in. Jordan and Hernando, beaters, were pretty good with their aim. In their final year at Hogwarts, Raya couldn't see any reason for them not to be on the team. Roger, who was on the team last year, was in amazing form again this year. Chris, a third year, was also a pretty good chaser. Raya watched him and Roger pass the ball to each other before shooting it at the net and through Seliana's hands.
When Austen called the Seekers down, she shared all this with him.
He nodded, "And how would you work on that?"
Raya blinked. "Well, I'd tell Avery — the chaser — to only shoot to his right for a little bit. Until he's as comfortable using it as he is his left. And of course Avery — the keeper — would be guarding the goal, forced to use her left side. Once they've got some practice, they could work on alternating drills. Maybe even try above or below. Jordan and Hernando might need some target practice, but they're good with power. Roger, well, he can help teach Avery. It would do him good to learn how to moderate things. He'd make a good captain. Chris and him work well together. If one of them doesn't make the team, I think they'd still make a good unofficial coach, y'know?"
Austen nodded, but Raya couldn't tell if he was pleased, amused, or annoyed. Before she could ask, he called the rest of the team down.
"I'm splitting you into two teams," he announced as soon as everyone reached the ground. "There will be rotations, and the winning team will not have higher privilege. This is about you as an individual, and what you bring to the team, your strengths. I will referee, so no fouls. Play a clean game." He made teams, setting everyone up. Cho and Marcel were the first going to be Seekers first.
"Raya, with me," Austen motioned.
She picked up her broom, and followed.
"The game's gonna start. Since you're not seeking, I want your help refereeing. Watch for dirty plays, and look for weaknesses and strengths in each player. Got it?"
"Yeah," she affirmed, mounting her broom and flying up to watch the match.
The first half of the game went by slow, and Raya could've sworn she spotted the snitch at least three times. Neither Seeker made a move for it. She forced herself to remain calm, focus on the players. She noted their strengths, their weaknesses all over again.
In the game, Seliana was moving from side to side, trying to hard to stop the ball from going in the net. A center position, with quick rapid bursts when needed would've been more effective, she thought as Roger shot a Quaffle into the goal.
Umayza, had good aim with the bludgers, but she lacked strength. She batted it away, only for the bludger to come right back. Zyair on the other hand, had strength, but horrible aim. He hit it so hard, but horribly, it nearly slammed one of his own chasers of their broom.
Raya flew down so fast when Austen called time.
He called out the substitutions, "Raya for Cho," being the only one she cared about.
She flew up, waiting until Austen blew the whistle to start her search. She played as well as she could, flying down to intersect the opposite team players when she could, calling out plays, and keeping an eye on the Snitch.
She'd just avoided getting hit by a bludger when she noticed it.
A small gold thing, with fluttering wings, hovering right behind Marcel's head.
Raya debated her options. She could fly over, which may startle him, but most likely only tip him off to the whereabouts of the snitch.
She decided to fly the long way around, hoping Marcel would only think she was watching the game and players. Raya's blood turned to ice as Marcel tilted his head, coming closer to the snitch. He could just reach out and pluck it out of the air. She kept her pace, not letting Marcel think anything of it.
Raya was on the final stretch, so close to winning it all, when Marcel decided to stretch his arms out. He turned slightly, finally seeing the Snitch, but not believing it.
Raya abandoned all pretenses, rushing her broom forward, but there was no chance. Marcel wrapped his fingers around the golden ball, and Raya was forced to shoot upwards to avoid crashing into him.
Austen blew the whistle, signaling the end of tryout.
Raya stayed in the air for another second, the reality of missing her chance finally catching up to her. Marcel caught the snitch. The only thing she could think was, it's not fair.
She'd seen the Snitch first. It should've been hers.
Dejected, she flew down to where the crowd began to gather.
"You all played well," Austen said to them. "Head over to your classes. The final team will posted in the common room a week from now, in the evening."
Raya trudged off miserably.
"Depression's not a good look on you, darling," George flicked her forehead.
Raya didn't have a class right now, so she was in the library finishing up her History of Magic questions. Normally, she'd do the homework for this class on the way to class, but she wanted to be alone and wallow in her own self-pity for a while. Admittedly, the library wasn't the best place for that.
"Oh please," Raya waved a hand. "Everything's a good look on me."
"Who lied to you?" he snorted, holding out a chocolate frog.
Raya popped it in her mouth, feeling a little bit warmer.
She had no idea how George found her, but she felt better in his presence. Even though she convinced her friends she was better alone, the truth was, she wasn't. She just liked to pretend she was. The fact that George found her almost brought a smile to her face.
"Where's your other half?" she asked George, not seeing Fred anywhere. "I think this is the first time I've only seen one of you. It's quite unnerving, actually."
"He's doing our Potions assignment," George shrugged, draping himself over the chair next to her. "I'm horrible in that class, but he's amazing. So we make it work."
Raya snorted, "I bet you do."
She ignored George's gaze as she continued her assignment. She didn't understand how people failed this class. All the answers are directly from the book.
"Rye," George prodded her cheek. "Wanna talk about it?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because I don't."
"Does it make you feel sad?"
"It makes me wanna cry in defeat."
"Why?" he asked.
"It was supposed to be my snitch," Raya argued, fighting the tears that were building. She took a deep breath. "I saw it first. Marcel didn't even realize for so long. That's not fair."
"Course it's not," George agreed. "Want me to put dungbombs in his dorm for taking your snitch?"
"I appreciate the offer," Raya told him, "but it's fine. He's a good Seeker. He can get the position. I'll just have to fight harder next year."
George sighed, putting his arm around Raya's shoulders.
Because there was nothing else to it.
Raya told herself she wasn't going to look at the list.
Looking at it would only make it real. At least if she didn't look at it, she could pretend she made it, but was forced off or something.
But of course, Raya was horrible at following her own rules.
And the first thing she did when she entered the Ravenclaw common room was check the Quidditch list. The second thing she did was lock herself in the bathroom with a silencing charm.
Using her powers to create a rainbow, she tossed a drachma, saying, "Luke Castellan. Camp Half-Blood."
The strawberry fields came into view, along with a knee hoisted up. Raya was immediately hit with a sense of homesickness so strong she wanted to jump through the Iris-message.
"Luke," she called.
The boy sat up, his smile widening as his eyes landed on Raya's image.
"Hey," he grinned. "I haven't seen you in forever — what's wrong?"
She shrugged, "Nothing, nothing really. You just — you know how I was so excited to tryout for the Quidditch team — flying basketball-hand-soccer?"
"Mhm."
"I just," she took a deep breath, unable to stop the smile and happy tears, "I made it."
"Hey, that's great!" Luke sat up straighter, cheering. "I knew you'd do it. You're gonna be the best Seeker the smart house has ever seen."
Raya laughed, pleased that he still remembered her position. "I wasn't expecting it, though," she told him honestly. "I missed the snitch. This other dude, Marcel got it. Weirdly, he's not even a substitute. I — I think maybe Austen messed it up. I don't know."
"Well, don't bring it up with him," Luke said. "If you're on the list, you're on the team."
"Obviously," Raya rolled her eyes. "But Marcel's prolly gonna talk to him."
Luke pondered for a moment, scratching his jaw, "You could... lock him in a room until the season starts?"
"I can't," Raya argued. "Do you know how much trouble I'll get in?"
"It was a suggestion," Luke raised his hands in defense. "Look, Raya. I don't think it was a mistake. The captain chose you, and it was for a reason. I'm sure he's going to explain exactly why you're the one on the team."
"Hopefully," Raya muttered. "Luke, I gotta go. I've still got three assignments to finish. I'll call you soon, okay?"
"Alright," Luke smiled a little sadly. "Bye."
She waved her hand through a Iris-message, a soft look on her face as it disappeared.
Raya left the washroom, heading back down to the common room to clear everything up with Austen. Even though she told Luke she wouldn't risk her position on the team, she needed to know. Her curiosity was one of the reasons she was in Ravenclaw.
She entered the common room, still in awe by the view from the windows all around. Raya had barely made it to bottom of the stairs when she heard Marcel, "But I caught the snitch!"
Austen saw Raya walk in, and motioned for her to join him, Marcel and Cho.
"Marcel caught the snitch, as all of you know," he said to them, "but he's not on the list."
"I'm not even a substitute!"
Austen sent him a hard look. "As I was saying, he's not on the list. I said at the start, winning will not guarantee your position on the team. This was about what you bring to the team."
"I bring the snitch!"
"One more interruption, and I won't even give you an explanation," Austen said coldly. "You bring the snitch, sure. But you don't bring any subtlety. As soon as you saw the snitch, your eyes bulged. The other Seeker would've been aware instantly. If Raya had been any closer, she would've barreled into you, and you would've lost the snitch. It came by your head nearly three times, and you noticed it not once. In the first half, Cho had seen the snitch a few times, and made a grab, only to be pursued by you. If a Seeker can't find a snitch on their own, there's no point."
"What about me?" Raya blurted. "Why did — why did I get the position?"
"Being a Seeker is more than just catching a snitch," he said. "And you proved that today. Seekers are second only to the captain — me. You gave good advice on the players, you've got a good eye. Picked out things even I didn't notice. Even when you weren't playing, I saw you eye the snitch a couple of times. And when you were playing, you noticed the snitch a solid five minutes before Marcel, and it was right by his head. You had a good strategy, and I recognized that. Cho and Raya bring more to the team, Marcel. I'm sorry, but I had to choose them over you."
Marcel had calmed down, and now just seemed sad.
"You should try Keeper," Raya told him. "You dodged three bludgers with your reflexes today. I think you could benefit with a position change."
Marcel nodded glumly before heading out.
"Thank you," Cho told Austen before leaving.
"Yeah, thanks," Raya said to him.
"It was all you," Austen told her. "I picked based on your level of expertise. You happened to show a higher level than the others."
She smiled as he turned to his other seventh-year friends.
Raya felt a weight practically lift off of her shoulders. She wanted to be on the Quidditch team so badly. The relief she felt knowing she had earned her position. She sat down on the common room floor.
"Fizzing Whizzbee?" Thomas plopped down on the floor in front of her.
Raya took one, popping it in her mouth, grinning slightly as she began to float a bit. Thomas took one as well, floating right with her.
"Feel stupid for being depressed for a whole week, yet?" Thomas bit back a smile.
Raya slapped his arm, "Shut up. It was a valid fear."
"Ah yes, of course," Thomas nodded as if he didn't think anything else could be true.
"Shut up."
"I'm agreeing with you!" Thomas raised his hands in the air.
"You're mocking me," Raya corrected, popping another Fizzing Whizzbee in her mouth.
"A little."
"Asshole," Raya said with a smile on her face.
"Maybe," Thomas shrugged. "I read a new book by the way."
"Ooh! Which one?" Raya learned forward, still floating a few inches off the ground.
"It's a Muggle book," Thomas began, "but it's pretty cool. There's a war going on outside, so the children are sent to this house so that they're safe. But one of them finds a hidden world in the wardrobe. I haven't read a lot, but she gets her siblings and they all travel to the place called Narnia. It's fantasy, and the world-building, Merlin! It's incredible, Raya. You've got to read it."
"Noted," Raya laughed. "I'll add it to my list. Can you ask your friend to make a cover for it? I like their covers."
"'Course," Thomas promised. He got up — still floating — and held a hand out for Raya. "Let's see what new books the library has."
Raya was the second most awake person at practice.
Austen seemed to need no sleep ever and was in Captain Mode the second they got onto the pitch.
"Keep a lock on your position, Raya," Austen told her. "Apparently, Gryffindor's got a hidden Seeker they think'll lead them to the House Cup."
"Against me?" Raya sounded offended, because she was. "Fat fucking chance."
Austen grinned wickedly, "That's the spirit. Until we find out who it is, I want you to keep your eyes peeled, and your Seeker reflexes sharp. Try seeing if you can get something out of the Weasleys."
"I'll try," Raya sounded uncertain. "But those two can be tight-lipped when they want. And no amount of sugar quills can change their mind."
They had to practice three times a week for Quidditch. On Mondays, they'd gotten the pitch in the early morning before school. Wednesdays, they got it in the early evenings. And on Thursdays, they had it in the late evenings, the last team of the day.
"If Nesta yells she's open, that means she's open!" Chris said to Roger. "You've got to trust her more."
Austen took Raya's advice of having Chris on as an unofficial coach, mainly because there was just no more space for chasers. He was a sub, but subs rarely played, unless there was a bad injury.
"Got it, okay," Roger nodded.
He'd nearly gotten hit by a bludger because he wanted to go right for the goal. He needed to take passing more seriously.
Raya circled higher, making quick mental notes on the players to share with Austen later.
"Your dad's number four, right?" Cho asked, on her own broom, next to Raya. "On the Tutshill Tornados? Alphanso Newbrooke?"
Raya tilted her head, but nodded, "Yeah. That's him. I guess it's where I get my love for Quidditch for."
Raya and Cho weren't necessarily close, but they weren't awkward with each other either. They lived together for a year, so they had to be alright with each other.
Cho laughed, "That's amazing! I mean, I've loved them since I was like six! I can't believe your dad plays for them. He's an excellent Keeper, by the way! Would you — uh, could you..."
"Could I what?" Raya prompted.
"Could you tell him I said congratulations on playing so well recently," she said fast and a little breathlessly.
Raya laughed a little. "I'll let him know. He'd be really happy to hear that."
"Thanks."
"You know... they're playing a game against Puddlemere United over the winter break," Raya started. "I'm gonna go with a couple of my friends. If you want, you could also come."
"Seriously?" Cho looked like she was going to fall over her broom. "I mean... wow. I don't want it to seem like I'm benefitting off of you. That wasn't my plan, I promise."
"I know," Raya laughed. "I'm offering because you're a fan, and I can. Let me know, okay?"
With that, she angled her broom past Cho and caught the snitch.
REY WRITES!
thanks for reading!!
i forgot yesterday was monday, lmaoo
i've got exams coming, so idk if i'll be updating
on time next week, but i'll definitely try :)
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to your reading lists!!
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