"EVIE! EVIE! EVIE! EVIE!" CHEERED MAX from the Quidditch stands. The sky didn't seem to want Quidditch players flying through it on that grey Saturday, seeing as it tried to blow anyone who so much as stepped outside away. Professor Flitwick had advised that Roger reschedule the trials, however by the time they were due to be held, the wind had calmed down enough that Roger had decided to go through with the trials. Evelyn stood on the pitch, fully clad in her Ravenclaw Quidditch uniform, holding her broomstick firmly in her hand, and wearing her long, caramel brown hair in a ponytail high atop her head (something that only happened during Quidditch, or particularly windy days.) Around her stood other Ravenclaw students from second years to seventh years - some nervous, some dead confident, some looking like they would throw up at any second, and some just standing there, just letting their skills do the talking. Evelyn belonged to the latter category. After undergoing the same tryout procedures for the past four years, and being successful for the last three, she knew what the expectations were and she wasn't going to get stressed about it. In her opinion, it simply wasn't worth getting worked up over - she had been so worried before her first trials that she did throw up in the bushes before it, and then again whilst up in the air. She was such a nervous wreck that she didn't manage to throw the Quaffle at all (although she did manage to receive a week in the hospital wing after falling off her broom.) After the disastrous first attempt, she had forced herself to stay calmer, and the following year she had easily shown herself to be superior to the last year's chaser team.
"Alright!" Roger Davies yelled, startling a few of the younger students, "Now, I have only recently been appointed captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, and so it will be necessary for all previous team members to be re-trialled in order for the most talented, dedicated and Experienced to make our team this year."
"Sure Roger! Now let's get to some Quidditch, yeah?" Grant Page - the team's keeper from the previous year - shouted back, not wanting to have to listen to the new captain's speech.
"Just a minute Page, Now, as I was saying - all previous members will need to try out again - and make sure to impress me, you might not make the team if there's somebody better than you. And to those who did not make last year's team, or didn't even try out - Good luck to you! I know how nervous you must be - but don't be! One of our best chasers threw up twice in her first trials, and fell off her broomstick after that." Roger said, giving Evelyn a half amused, half apologetic look, "Okay! So everyone just have fun and try your best because there are limited spaces and last years members do have the upper hand but-"
"GO EVIE! WOOO! YEAH!" Max screamed again, her curly blonde locks blowing all over the place and her Ravenclaw scarf flying in the wind behind her. Evelyn looked up and smiled at her friend - who had never really understood the game of Quidditch (being a muggle-born and all) but always supported Ravenclaw at every match and came to watch practice every so often to keep Evelyn company. Roger looked positively livid with her as the rest the Ravenclaws present began giggling, laughing and flying.
"Come on Roger!" Page yelled again as he soared through the air on his tired cleansweep three, "Who you going to try out first!"
"Oh, well, umm-" Roger mumbled, trying to pick the reigns back up, "Okay! Anyone interested in trying for seeker, please make your way over to me now!"
"Good luck!" Evelyn said to Cho Chang, Both of whom had flown high up into the air during all the commotion. Cho smiled, before zooming back down the pitch on her far too outdated comet two-sixty. Evelyn flew quickly over to Max and sat in the stands beside her.
"Do you think I should add a dance?" Max asked dreamily, staring at the Quidditch pitch in front of her.
"To what?" Evelyn asked.
"To, you know -" Max said, looking back to her best friend in order to demonstrate the cheer "Go Evie! Wooo! Yeah! Cheer thing. I think I should add a dance." Evelyn laughed.
"Sure, add a dance, might scare off the other players." she said. The pair of them giggled a little bit before Max spoke again.
"So what does a seeker do again?"
"MAX!"
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Two hours later, the position of seeker had been filled by Cho Chang, and the keeper position had been handed to Grant Page. Roger stood in front of the crowd of recently tested beaters, surveying their performances and scribbling on his levitating clipboard.
"I think that..." He mumbled, deciding on the two he desired, "The beaters will be Inglebee and... Samuels? Yes, good, well done you two, and well done everyone else, I hope to see many of you again next year!"
"Thanks for that Davies." Inglebee said as he followed Samuels back into the changing rooms. Roger muttered a quick 'not a problem' before turning to the Group of chasers sitting in the stands.
"Right, down you come! it's your turn now!" Roger bellowed before telling Page (who had conveniently hung around) to fly up to a set of goal posts.
Evelyn stood up from beside max and mounted her broom.
"Break a leg!" Max said to Evelyn, "Or should I say break a nose!"
"I knew I shouldn't have told you about that." Evelyn mumbled as she flew down to the pitch. Jeremy Stretton, the chaser who had accompanied Roger and Evelyn The previous year swooped down beside her as Roger began to speak again.
"One, two, three... Alright, so there are six of you. Perfect!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands together, "Now, Stretton, Beverly, and Harrington over there, and Vice, Lewton, and Fortescue over there." Roger said, pointing each team to a side of the pitch. Evelyn whispered good luck to Stretton this time, and flew off after the two boys she would be trialling with. Roger flew up to the middle and held the quaffle into the air.
"Okay! I'll fill in as the other keeper, all I want you lot to do, is the best you can." he called. Evelyn tightened her grip on her Nimbus 2001 - it would give her a nice lead on the others and had most likely won roger over already. Max's obnoxious cheers surrounded them, and Evelyn couldn't help but grin widely at them. Still, she focused herself and awaited the signal she needed to play.
"PLAY." Roger yelled, throwing the Quaffle high into the air before speeding off to the opposite goals.
Evelyn kicked off the ground with an almighty force and effortlessly dashed forward, grabbing the Quaffle easily and leaving a very annoyed Susan Harrington in the dust. Zooming off in the direction of Page, Evelyn tossed the crimson sphere at Timothy Vice, who was streaming along, parallel to her. Vice, however, was a bit too optimistic with his catch. His fingers barely scraped the ball's surface as it fell neatly into Jeremy Stretton's outreaching arms.
"Sorry." the third year mumbled as Evelyn soared past him, intending to intercept Stretton's throw. As Jeremy neared Roger's goal, Evelyn pushed her body to the broomstick and urged it forwards. Her brow was knit in complete concentration as she sped towards the goal. Stretton launched the quaffle at the hoops, the ball slipping gracefully through the goal. Roger caught it easily afterwards and passed it to Evelyn, who was hovering as close as she could get to the goal.
The quaffle held firmly in her hand, Evelyn swerved around Stretton and Harrington and Beverly and towards the opposite end of the pitch.
"Good one, Fortescue." Page commented as the ball sailed past his outstretched hand. Evelyn grinned, thanked him, and then went zooming off after Gina Beverley who had seized the quaffle.
Oh no you don't Evelyn thought, tailing the sixth year as she bulldozed her way towards the goal. Fortunately for Evelyn, she tried to pass it back to Susan Harrington, however, Lewton took possession mid-throw, and Ended up scoring again.
By the time Roger called for them to stop, Evelyn and Stretton had indeed scored the majority of the goals, only making the captains decision that much easier. As soon as 'the chasers will be' and her name slipped out of Roger's mouth, Evelyn's face was overtaken with a jaw-breaking grin. Max's cheers became deafening as Evelyn practically skipped back to the changing rooms, holding the Nimbus 2001 in both hands, so as not to damage it before the Quidditch season had even begun.
Cho was right, she thought, pulling off her royal blue Quidditch robes, That broom is brilliant.
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"She made the team!" Max yelled as the pair of them walked into the great hall for lunch. Ashton and Nikki were already eating ham and cheese sandwiches as they sat comfortably at the Hufflepuff table. Ashton shot up out of his seat and enveloped Evelyn in a hug. The girl laughed and returned the hug. Ashton shared Her love of Quidditch intensely, and having made the Hufflepuff team as Keeper earlier that day, he was even more excited than usual.
"Well done Evie!" Nikki exclaimed. Max took a seat beside her and Evelyn took her place beside Ashton. She was just about to grab a cheese sandwich when she felt a hand land on her shoulder.
"Yes, well done Fortescue." Evelyn looked up to see the freckled face of a Weasley twin staring down at her. Groaning, she turned around fully and stood up to stop him looking down on her (which was a pointless task, seeing as he was still considerably taller than her.)
"What do you want, Weasley?" she asked, crossing her arms over her stomach.
"Fred." he said, running a hand through his hair. Evelyn groaned again.
"Sure, so what do you want?" She repeated. The grin on his face faltered slightly at the sharpness of her words, however, it was very unnoticeable and resolved itself in milliseconds.
"I want to know if you'll change your mind about my little idea. It's nothing big, just a few games as, you know, friends." he explained, folding his arms to mimic hers. Behind them, Max, Nikki, and Ashton were deadly silent, trying to hear their conversation above the loud atmosphere of the hall.
"Friends? Since when were we friends?" Evelyn asked, motioning between herself and Fred.
"Since now - or at least, we could be if you agree."
"Why would you want to be friends with me anyway?"
"Because then you wouldn't shove me out of your ice cream shop." he said jokingly (Evelyn couldn't deny that she snorted slightly at the reference), "Anyway, About the offer."
"I told you, no." she replied shortly.
"Aww, come on! Don't be like that Evelyn!" he whined, pouting and cocking his head sideways. She rolled her eyes this time.
"For one, it's Fortescue to you, and two, puppy dog eyes aren't going to cut it." Fred instantly regained his previous position at her words.
"What will work then?" he asked seriously, a rare occurrence for either of the twins. Instead, Evelyn smiled.
"Unless you can give me a reason to accept your stupid offer that actually makes sense, rather than one that is completely idiotic," she said, "then you might as well go back to your common room now and forget that this ever happened, or that I even exist."
"Fine. What would a good reason be?"
"You tell me."
"Umm, bragging rights?" Fred suggested.
"Nope."
"A lifetime's supply of dungbombs?"
"Definitely not." Evelyn replied sternly, she would most certainly not have any use if those.
"Me as a servant?" Fred said, desperately hoping that she would refuse.
"You'd never stick to it." Evelyn argued, relaxing her tall ginger peer.
"Eh, your right... Three wishes?" he asked.
"Huh?"
"Three wishes! Like, whoever loses has to grant the winner three wishes!" Fred was getting more excited by the second - and Evelyn couldn't deny that the idea was interesting.
"What kind of wishes?" she questioned, trying to verify further.
"Oh, I don't know, doing homework or polishing broomsticks or whatever."
"Interesting..."
"Yeah?" Fred asked, rocking on the balls of his feet.
"Uh huh..." Evelyn mumbled. It surprised her, he had actually been able to give her a worthwhile reason (it would be very handy to have someone to do a few things for her if she won), still, she wasn't entirely sold on the idea.
Just as she was about to add to her reply, George came bounding over to the table, and asked in an excited voice that was somewhere between a shout and regular volume -
"What did she say, Forge!? What did she say!?"