Cursed Love: Fred Weasley (English)

Chapter two: The new captain

07 September 1995, Hogwarts

       The wind whistled past her ears and whipped her face. From her broomstick, Valentina observed the candidates for the Seeker position as they were trying to prove themselves. This year, the team had three spots to fill: a chaser, a beater, and a seeker. The two first positions had opened up because their former occupants had graduated at the end of last year, but the seeker position had become vacant after its last occupant and captain of the team's death, Cedric Diggory. Reluctantly, Valentina had taken on her late friend's role and had become captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. So, she now found herself selecting the new team members, although she wasn't exactly thrilled about it.

          She had asked the only friend she had made in Gryffindor throughout her school years in Hogwarts for advice, Angelina Johnson, captain of her own house's team, and far more experienced in the matter than she was. Angelina had given her a few useful tips, and thanks to that, Valentina was able to select the new chaser and beater correctly, in her opinion. As for the seeker's position, that was a very different story. None of the candidates seemed to impress her and for half an hour she tried to decide between the five hopefuls, unsuccessfully. She then decided to organise a race: the first to catch the golden snitch would take over the position. Margaret Vance, a fourth-year girl, managed to win, and with that, Valentina put an end to the tryouts.

          Their first match of the year would oppose them to Gryffindor and was set to take in a month. Even though it would only be a friendly match, the Hufflepuff team had to be ready to face the defending champions. By then, she'd have plenty of time to train her new members properly in the hopes of winning the match. And for that matter, the other members were doing fairly well too, with Johan Lynch as keeper and Beetee Pelham as beater, she could focus on the quaffle without worrying too much about the rest of her team. And even though she did not really appreciate Zacharias Smith, who played in the same position as Valentina, she had faith in his skills as a chaser.

          As she ended the session, the Gryffindor Quidditch team made their way onto the pitch. Valentina briefly greeted Anglelina, who looked overwhelmed between Fred who was trying to convince a new recruit to swallow one of his sweets, and George inciting another one to try a broomstick of their creation. Or perhaps it was the other way around - she couldn't tell the twins apart, given how similar they looked. Angelina was trying to prevent the twins from doing anything foolish, but without success. Valentina couldn't help but smile at the comical scene her friend found herself in. Those two, she thought, would definitely keep people talking. She also caught a glimpse of their younger brother, Ron Weasley, who looked as green with nerves as the Quidditch pitch itself. 

          Exhausted, Valentina quickly returned to her dorm, changed, and took a well-deserved shower. When she was done, she decided to head to the library to join Fenella and do her potion's homework. Valentina found her friend accompanied by David Lloyd, Fenella's current crush and Head Boy. She couldn't help but think that her best friend was a bit too much. Every year, she would take an interest in a different boy, and every year, she would grow bored of him within six months. This year, it was David Lloyd, a year older than them. Well, Valentina could admit that, although extremely irritating in her opinion, the boy wasn't unpleasant to look at. She sat down at their table, right across from her friend, and opened her bag to grab a piece of parchment, a quill, and her ink bottle. 

"Val! How did the tryouts go?" Fenella called out to her.

"Hum, not too bad. I just had a bit of trouble selecting our new seeker, but I think the one I chose will do ... " Valentina answered, not entirely convinced by her own words.