Against the dark Hearts

Tryouts

A few days after the collapse, I felt so good again that I felt capable of auditioning for the Quidditch team. Imelda supported this plan with a joy that I only saw in her when she flew. The others were there because they wanted to see if I really was as good as Imelda raved, and of course because they were my friends.

At the Quidditch pitch, everyone who wanted to audition was handed suitable jerseys and robes, as well as knee and arm guards. For the scrimmage, we had to use school brooms because they wanted to evaluate our skill without a better broom.

After saying goodbye to my friends and receiving their good luck wishes, I threw on the Quidditch gear.

It wasn't tailored perfectly to my size, but I could tighten the guards as much as I needed to so that nothing flapped around. Next, we lined up so that the team captain could explain the procedure again.

"This isn't a game, we want people who take this seriously, not pathetic wimps!" Penelope Callahan shouted and paced back and forth in front of us. "The season starts in January, and we only need two new players because Dorchas and Jean have to prepare for the N.E.W.T." Penelope looked intently at each of us and briefly stopped at me. "Just because you can hunt trolls and wrap the boys around your finger doesn't mean you're good at Quidditch, so show me what you've got, Hawkins." She said it quietly, but the two next to me still heard it and had to stifle their laughter. The only question I had was, which boys?

"So one at a time, we need a beater and a chaser!" Penelope said, and since Penelope knew exactly what we were auditioning for, she divided us into the groups she needed. I stood next to Samantha, who had also applied to be a chaser for the team, while the other three wanted to be beaters. First up was a third-year girl, I think her name was Leandra or Leonora, but I wasn't sure.

To my surprise, she did really well, probably playing Quidditch since she could fly. The second candidate was Everett Clopton, and he wasn't bad either.

Unfortunately, at the end of his round, he caught a bludger in the stomach and had to be taken to the hospital wing immediately.

The third candidate was Amit, and before he could even get on the broom, he vomited on the edge of the field where he had run when his name was called. He was escorted to the hospital wing by a few seventh-graders who reassured him that it happens to everyone.

Then Samatha and I were on at the same time, because the other chaser was accompanying Amit, so only Penelope was left. At her whistle, we both got on our brooms and took off, both chasing a quaffle that couldn't be caught.

In flight, Samantha carried the ball with a clean shot through the left of the three rings. I nodded appreciatively, that had been really good. I tried something similar and while skillfully dodging the bludgers, the quaffle came closer to me.

I flew to the ring in the middle and threw it with full force. Samantha caught the quaffle again on the other side and Penelope shouted something to us.

I couldn't understand her and turned to her, thinking that her words would come across better to me that way. And that was the problem. I wasn't paying attention for a moment and then my head was thrown to the side so brutally that it felt like someone had broken my jaw.

I tasted blood.

The world was suddenly spinning faster than ever and I felt myself falling, from the distance many people seemed to be shouting wildly all at once and when I landed, it was soft. Someone must have stopped me in my free fall.

"Hospital wing now!" someone shouted and two arms grabbed me, my vision was blurry and I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open, "Stay awake Hawkins!" I heard but I couldn't, I had no control over my eyes, I had no control over anything, I just knew I couldn't stay awake, I was losing consciousness and the last thing I heard was a loud "Fuck!"