Crescent Moons ; J.S. Potter

42. tryouts and trials.

Breakfast at Hogwarts was always delicious, but it was somehow even more delicious the morning of the Quidditch tryouts. The ceiling of the Great Hall showed a cloudless blue sky—perfect Quidditch conditions.

Daisy was munching down on some syrupy waffles, dressed in her Quidditch uniform. Something that she had noticed last year, when she first became Captain and was noticing again today was that many young Gryffindors kept shooting her nervous glances. She assumed it was because of the shiny Captain's badge on her uniform, giving her the privilege to decide the fates of all of the aspiring players.

"Excited, Captain?" asked Gwen, who was lazily eating her pumpkin soup.

"Yup!" Daisy exclaimed. "Especially 'cause you and Ben agreed to come watch!"

"How long is it going to take again?" Gwen asked, looking slightly regretful of her past choices. "Less than an hour, perhaps?"

"Just around an hour," shrugged Daisy. She looked at Thomas, Marlee, and James, who all didn't even look the slightest bit nervous. "Hey ... none of you look nervous! When I wasn't Captain, I used to be so anxious that I'd be shaking during breakfast!"

"I mean, it's not like they're getting cut," shrugged Benjamin. Daisy shot him a look.

"You never know, Benny Boy," Daisy replied, though she knew he was right. She just wasn't going to give them the satisfaction, especially when they had the audacity to look so calm. James raised his eyebrows at her. "That's right. You won't be getting any special treatment, Potter."

"Whatever you say, Wood ..." said James, in a sing-song voice. Daisy stood up from her chair and so many Gryffindors turned to look at her anxiously that she felt like James.

"I'm going to go get the pitch ready," she declared. "Tryouts start in fifteen minutes. Don't be late!"

With that, she left the Great Hall and headed over to her favorite place in the castle.

─ ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ─

It was now fifteen minutes later and Daisy had finished setting up the Quaffles, Bludgers, and schedule. In front of her stood maybe two dozen aspiring players, each with their broomsticks in their hand. She spotted James first, and he shot her a smile.

"Welcome to Quidditch tryouts, everyone!" she said brightly. "If you could please divide into Beaters to my left, Chasers to my front, and Keepers to my right ..."

The Gryffindors shuffled around. After a few moments, there was a small huddle of giggling young girls. Daisy shot them a confused look and they giggled harder before rushing over to the Chasers' line. She instantly knew what was happening—the same thing that happened every year.

"If you're here to goggle at James Potter, you can leave my tryouts," said Daisy confidently, though in her mind, she was freaking out. Though she was Quidditch Captain and Head Girl, she was still not used to giving orders. She was, what people would call, a pushover. She also didn't like people ogling James—it made her stomach twist and her face feel hot. However, the confident tone seemed to transfer through and the huddle of girls quickly left the pitch. She sighed in relief.

"OK, let's start with the Beaters, as usual," said Daisy. "Each person will fly up with me and I'll give you three hits, alright?"

She looked at the line of Beaters, which seemed to have about eight people. She gestured toward the first person in line, who was a tall, burly boy. The two of them flew up.

"Don't feel discouraged if you don't hit me," she told him. "I've dodged Bludgers loads of times so I'm really not expecting much. I'm just looking for accuracy and speed."