In her new blue and bronze Quidditch robes, Alexandra fell strangely out of place, in spite of Morag assuring the contrary. She had never flown before a large public last year in the Flying lessons, so the fifty or so students already filling the stands and the noise they made was not boosting her confidence. On the ground, Alexandra was completely sure of her magical capabilities. In the air, relatively less so, especially with other aggressive players and Bludgers coming into factor. Sure, she had been complimented as a 'natural flyer' or something like that by Professor Hooch during the Flying Lessons, but the most difficult exercise they had been given was circling the Quidditch Pitch at a slow speed. The try-outs promised to be a lot more difficult.
Morag, by contrast, was looking like these try-outs were a pleasant hobby to pass her Sunday morning, and not like they were going to begin a game with a high possibility of a direct travel to the Hospital Wing. Her red-hair looking like a flashy corona in the light of the sun, the Ravenclaw pure-blood was smiling to several boys with her left hand, her right holding firmly a broom called the Comet 260.
Slowly but surely, they arrived at the centre of the Quidditch pitch, where close to three dozen Ravenclaw students were always waiting for. What Alexandra saw did not make her more confident. As far as she could see, Morag and she were the only second-year Ravenclaws having dared come to the try-outs as participants and not as spectators. To be accurate, they were two out of four girls, with a rather pretty Asian third-year and a muscled fifth-year representing the rest of the feminine population of the Ravens. The rest of the Ravenclaw students waiting with their brooms in hand were all bigger, taller and muscled boys from fourth-year and above. These try-outs promised...not to be fair.
Then a rather tall black-haired boy wearing the Quidditch Captain insignia walked in front of them, and the noise decreased briefly after.
"Good morning, all of you!" Said the older Ravenclaw in a loud voice. "For those who don't know me, my name is Roger Davies and I am the Captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team."
"To my left," he waved his hand in the direction of a group of Ravenclaw students not in line with the others, "are Chaser Randolph Burrow, Beater Jason Samuels, Beater Duncan Inglebes and Keeper Grant Page."
Each of the boys called raised his hand and saluted when his name was called. Looking at each boy and girl waiting for the try-outs, Alexandra noticed a lot of unease. Everybody knew the players of last year kept their place, but knowing five places out of seven were already filled was not a morale booster.
"For those of you who know the basic rules of Quidditch," continued Roger Davies, "you know we are holding the try-outs for the posts of third Chaser and the Seeker. The team is also searching for four players in the reserve: a Chaser, a Keeper, a Beater and a Seeker.
Try-outs for the Chaser and Seeker positions are going to take place today. For the reserves positions of Keeper and Beater, the planning will be posted on the board of the Common Room next week."
The voice of the Ravenclaw Captain then turned humorous.
"As usual, it's the Captain's role to warn you that a place in the Quidditch team is not a ticket for a life where you sleep on a mountain of Galleons. If you let your grades slip during the year, Professor Flitwick will be warned and you will lose your position, no matter your performances on the Pitch. If you break too many rules and pass your time in detention, you will be thrown out of the team. Not going to the trainings which are twice per week is equally a source of dismissal. Being in the Quidditch team is an honour and a privilege. With a lot of skill and luck, some of you may be recruited when you leave Hogwarts to play at a professional level. Don't let this opportunity disappear because you feel a manager or a coach will take you no matter your grades.
Now let's begin the try-outs. Those who want to be Chasers, on my left. Those who are here for Seeker, on my right."
The group of Quidditch aspirants divided itself in two, Morag going with the potential Chasers while Alexandra went with the Seekers. After much deliberation and debate last evening with Nigel and Hermione when they got over their homework, the raven-haired witch had decided to give a try at the Seeker position. True, Seekers were sometimes, well no, always the favourite targets of the other team's Beaters, but simple logic told the green-eyed girl she had not the strength in the arms or the musculature to survive at a Chaser post more than a few seconds. A Seeker could always dodge the Bludgers in time, not being involved in the core of the action with the Quaffle. A Chaser had not this opportunity.
Clearly, she had not been the only one to think like that. There were only five more applicant Seekers, four boys who looked less muscled than the rest and the Asian third-year girl. All the other players, something between twenty-five and thirty older students, were going to try their chance for the post of Chaser. Morag, in the middle of these tall and sturdy boys, looked nimble and frail, despite the Ravenclaw boys being far from the corpulence of the gorillas the Slytherins aligned in their team.
"All right! First the Seekers!" Shouted Davies. "I am going to release seven training Snitchs! By the end of the session, the one who will have caught the greatest number will be the new Seeker!" His voice turned more enthusiastic. "Oh, and by the way, the Beaters have received the task to prevent you from catching one! And they have the real Bludgers! Good luck!"
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T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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If you guys wanna check it out.