Eye of the Serpent | HP MARAUDER ERA [2]

Chapter Thirty

No one had spoken since we'd gotten back to the Gryffindor common room except for James, who would occasionally mutter foul swear words under his breath which were directed at Snape. Remus, Peter, Sirius and I remained quiet.

I eventually pulled out my Transfiguration textbook to study for an upcoming test out of pure boredom.

"We were supposed to have a Quidditch practice today," James said finally, breaking the silence.

He paused.

"I suppose we're still having it, though I'd like nothing more than to hide under the Invisibility Cloak for the rest of eternity." He cleared his throat. "I'll have to break the news to the team. I would assume that means we have to hold trials for someone to... to replace me... at the next match." James flinched as he said it. The words seemed to pain him immensely and he looked down at his lap in sadness.

"Look, I know you're upset about it, but there's nothing you can do," I told him. "There's no point in worrying about things you can't control. You're the captain, so since you can't play, all you can do is make sure your team is trained enough to win the next match, even without their best player. Got it?"

James's gaze burned into mine, but he nodded slowly after a few seconds.

"Good," I said. "You can't just lie down and die when something goes wrong, right? You've got to get back up and be more determined than ever. That's what I live by, and I know you do too."

"Fine," he said shortly.

"Now try again, but make it a little more determined. We're going to win nonetheless, are we not?"

"Yeah," said James, nodding again. "Yeah, OK. We're still going to win because I have confidence in you guys. We're also going to find a brilliant Chaser who is almost worthy of replacing me." He stroked his chin in thought before saying, "What about Corey? We should ask him to at least try out for the position. I know Keeper is his thing, but I've seen him play and I'm sure he'd be a good Chaser too."

"Really? You think? Well I suppose it'll be good practice for when he makes the team next year," I said, grinning. "I'll ask him to try out. Wait, no... You should ask him, he'll be happy."

"But there's a problem. When am I supposed to hold these trials?" James asked rhetorically. "The game is in a few days. There isn't enough time to train this person up. If I have the trials tomorrow, there will only be two practices for them to be able to attend."

"Why not do it now?" Peter asked.

James, Sirius, Remus and I all turned to look at him.

"What?" James said.

"Why not hold the trials now, right before practice?" Peter repeated.

James furrowed his eyebrows, seeming to contemplate this. "But no one even knows that we're having them. How are we supposed to let everyone know in such short notice?"

Sirius stood up.

"I'll do it," he said.

Before any of us knew what was happening, Sirius was standing on a table. He cupped his hands over his mouth and yelled, "GRYFFINDOR QUIDDITCH TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT!" Once he had succeeded in grabbing everyone's attention, he continued. "I am speaking on behalf of the captain, who is currently unable to talk for reasons that you don't need to know about. There has recently been an opening on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. We are missing a Chaser, however this position will only be temporary. The person to fill it will only be able to play in the upcoming match.